The New York City budget for 2022-23 was both earlier and more contentious than usual, but Roosevelt Island came out ahead. According to City Council Member Julie Menin, a couple of capital projects will directly benefit the community.
by David Stone
The Roosevelt Island Daily News
Roosevelt Island in the City Budget
“I am ecstatic that this year’s budget brings back over $21 million in funding for our district to support parks, schools, libraries, hospitals, community centers, public housing, and safer and cleaner streets,” Menin said in a press release.
Among the benefits is money for public schools.
“Each public school in the district received at least $50,000 towards critical technology, auditorium or infrastructure upgrades,” she said.
But education funding, reduced in this year’s budget, remains a cause of concern for many, especially progressives.
For Coler Specialty Hospital
For the city hospital that weathered the worst of the COVID crisis, Menin found money for a critical need: $300,000 to replace Roosevelt Island’s Coler Hospital fire alarm system which is beyond its usable life cycle.
The facility, which gets too little notice in the community, plays a vital role in healthcare, spawning activist groups like the Reality Poets who’ve offered inspiring performances locally in recent years.
Help for Our Library
In addition, the budget made real money Menin set aside for technology upgrades at the NYPL Roosevelt Island branch.
“The New York Public Library is grateful to the community for selecting our branches – Roosevelt Island, Webster and 67th Street libraries – to be the recipients of $250,000 for technology improvements,” added Sumie Ota, The New York Public Library’s Associate Director for the East Manhattan Library Network.
Summing up, Menin said, “I am proud to bring back the necessary and requested resources to the East Side of Manhattan that will improve the quality of life in our community.”
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