For some Astorians, projects like the soon to be dog park can be seen as a waste of funds which can be allocated to more community based areas. In fact, there have been plenty of projects which the Participatory Budget has had voted in that end up getting quite a backlash by a vocal part of the community. 

However, when looking at the number of people who actually voted or even attended the meetings, that are meant to help pick out which projects get the go ahead, it seems that the majority of the community that were vocally against these projects may not really get involved as much as the members of the community who actually vote. 

So here's a chance for all Astorians to come together and determine how millions of dollars of city funds will be spent in the greater Western Queens area. 

City Council District 22 consists of anybody that resides in:

• Parts of Woodside
• Long Island City
• Astoria
• East Elmhurst
• Jackson Heights

Those residents will have a choice of 20 projects and a budget of $1.5 million which Councilman Costa Constantinides has secured for participatory budgeting.

Some of the projects include :

• Playground Upgrade at P.S. 171
• Bathroom Upgrade at P.S. 122
• Water Fountain Project in Astoria Park
• SMART boards at Long Island City High School
• Picnic and gaming tables installation at Astoria Park
• Real time bus countdown clocks at 10 bus stops in the district and several upgrades at Astoria Library.

The community and any interested parties will have till April 3rd to cast their votes on what to do with the money. 

For all information on the ballot the projects and locations for voting please visit http://labs.council.nyc/districts/22/, and get involved in your community. 

*Featured Image Credit: Travis Grathwell/Flickr