Dear John,

District 39 community members have real power over real money! In Participatory Budgeting Cycle 15, my office will be allocating $1.5 Million to projects developed and voted on by YOU.

From now until November 6th you can submit ideas for school, park, library, and street improvements or public programming opportunities that you would like to see implemented in District 39. Submit your proposal on our ideas map! Then in the spring, everyone who lives or goes to school in District 39 over the age 11, regardless of citizenship status can vote on which  projects should be funded. You can read more about the origin and purpose of PB on our website.

Over the next few weeks, we’re hosting five in-person Ideas Collections events throughout the district where you can learn more about how the Participatory Budgeting process works and submit your ideas. Join us on:

• Tuesday, October 14th from 6 PM - 7:30 PM at the Windsor Terrace Library (160 E 5th St, Brooklyn, NY 11218)

• Monday, October 20th from 6 PM - 7:30 PM in Gowanus at 621 Degraw Street

• Tuesday, October 21st from 6 PM - 7:30 PM at the Park Slope Library (431 6th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11215)

• Saturday, October 25th from 2 PM - 4 PM in Kensington, where we are tabling at Avenue C Plaza (556 McDonald Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11218)

• Monday, October 27th from 6 PM - 7:30 PM in Carroll Gardens at P.S. 58 (330 Smith St, Brooklyn, NY 11231)

We can’t pull off our Participatory Budgeting operation without the work of our incredible volunteers. Our volunteer Delegates help develop projects and get the vote out! It’s a great way to get civically engaged and meet your neighbors. Sign up here if you want to get involved in this cycle!

Community Bulletin

• High School applications are now officially OPEN! Is your student a NYC resident? Are they currently an eighth grader? Make sure you complete their high school application here by December 3, 2025.

• The New York City Department of Education is proposing to open and co-locate a new site of the existing District 75 school P.S. K053 (75K053), to be called P053K@K280, in K280 in the 2026-2027 school year. If this proposal is approved by the Panel for Educational Policy, P053K@K280 will open in K280 where it will be co-located with an existing district middle school, M.S. 442 Carroll Gardens School for Innovation (15K442). K28 also houses the District 15 Pre-Kindergarden Center at the Bishop Ford School Site (15K863), serving students in pre-K and 3-K. A virtual hearing will be held on the proposal on Monday, November 3rd at 6 PM. Register and see details here.

• Next weekend, Gowanus Open Studios returns, better than ever, for its 29th year! On the weekend of October 18 and 19, hundreds of artists across dozens of venues in the greater Gowanus neighborhood will open their doors, giving the public a rare glimpse inside the former factories, warehouses, and studio buildings of this vibrant neighborhood. Artists will be on hand to discuss their work, share their processes, and showcase their latest projects. See a map of participating locations here!

• The FDNY is hosting Open Firehouse hours in the neighborhood on Saturday, October 18th. See here for locations and hours. Firefighters, EMTs and paramedics will be educating the public about fire and life safety, conducting demonstrations, discussing careers within the Department, and offering tours of FDNY Engines, Ladder Trucks and EMS Stations.  

• Open House New York Weekend is an annual festival that unlocks 300+ destinations across all five boroughs for behind-the-scenes tours and special activities. See details for events at: Stanley Greenberg Studio: Waterworks,
  Brooklyn Solarworks, Old Stone House, Street Lap Office & Warehouse, Powerhouse Arts, and Van Alen Fall Fest.

• Worker cooperatives offer a way to build meaningful jobs while ensuring that profits and control stay with the people doing the work. Interested in starting one or transitioning your business? Join an SBS webinar here.

  
  

In solidarity,

Council Member Shahana