Park Slope council member crowd sources for construction projects

Council member Brad LanderSeveral Brooklyn council members are each reserving more than $1 million to finance resident-selected construction projects in their districts. According to the Brooklyn Paper, more than 100 people attended a meeting to pitch ideas to City Council member Brad Lander on how Park Slope should use the funds last week at the Old First Reformed Church.

Lander wants to use the money for new construction projects or to renovate existing infrastructure, he said.

The owner of a rundown building at the corner of Seventh Avenue and 2nd Street that once housed the Landmark Pub, with an address of 187 Seventh Avenue, wants the district to give her the money to renovate the structure into an art gallery.

Several people suggested the money should finance bike lanes, more public benches and garbage cans along main thoroughfares. Another popular suggestion was to build more community gardens in the community.

The process will narrow down the submissions to a final selection in March, although Lander said he’s considering splitting the money among multiple projects to impact as many people as possible. Three other Brooklyn council members have similar funds and will hold meetings to decide how to dispense them in the next month. [Brooklyn Paper]