Community board reviews FY2027 budget requests; agencies decline several park and safety upgrades

Dwayne Williams, who opened the Community Development and Budget Priorities meeting at about 7:02 p.m., presented the committee’s review of the fiscal year 2027 executive budget registry and summarized requests the board submitted to multiple city agencies.

Williams said a Department of Education capital request to reconstruct or upgrade an amenity at the Allitin playground — a request the transcript shows was supported by Naomi Campbell — was not accommodated by the agency, which advised the board to contact the board of education directly about funding options. Williams said that a similar request to reconstruct park bathrooms and building finishes at the Allen/Allitin playground, attributed in the transcript to Naomi Peton, was supported in principle but lacked available agency funding and would require advocacy with elected officials to move forward.

Several transportation and public-safety items were reviewed. A Department of Environmental Protection capital ask, supported by Ryan Barthol, sought automated enforcement to curb illegal street racing and loud vehicles in the district; according to Williams, DEP said it could not accommodate the request and directed the committee to coordinate follow-up with the agency. Multiple Department of Transportation requests — including sidewalk and ADA improvements connecting Southern Boulevard and Boston Road along Pelham Parkway, lighting improvements under the elevated train at the Kellum Parkway/White Plains Road stop, and pedestrian-level lighting near Bronxdale and Bronx Park East — were described as supported in principle but not funded as capital projects. DOT advised the board to pursue coordination through the Bronx commissioner’s office or NYPD traffic enforcement in the case of parking-related bike-lane issues.

The committee reported two items the agencies indicated they can accommodate after coordination: pedestrian-scale lighting along the Pelham Parkway greenway and upgrades to the Bronxdale Pedestrian Plaza outside 2016 Bronxdale Avenue. Williams described those outcomes as “victories” for the board; the transcript records the board noting these as accepted for coordination and further work.

On health services, the board relayed a request — identified in the transcript as supported by Naomi Campbell — for youth mental-health center capacity within the district. The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene told the committee that further investigation is required and did not commit to immediate accommodation.

No formal motions or votes are recorded in the transcript excerpt. The committee’s next steps, as discussed in the meeting, are to pursue direct coordination with the named agencies, to advocate with elected officials for items that require additional funding, and to coordinate remaining requests through the Bronx commissioner’s office as appropriate.

The meeting continued through the agenda of budget requests and transportation items; the transcript excerpt ends after discussion of a request to reconfigure Morris Park Avenue’s bike lanes, which DOT said it supports conceptually but frames as an enforcement and implementation issue (NYPD), not a capital project.