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Q&A
Capital projects completion and funding discussion
0:58:10
ยท
3 min
Council Member Holden questions the decrease in completed capital projects and expresses concerns about potential deterioration of park facilities. Commissioner Donoghue and staff respond by explaining ongoing efforts to improve the capital process and clarify the context of the reported statistics.
- Discussion of the 37.5% decrease in completed capital projects compared to the previous year
- Explanation of the Capital Process Reform Task Force and efforts to speed up project completion
- Clarification on the interpretation of preliminary management report statistics and the ongoing pipeline of capital projects
Robert F. Holden
0:58:10
Okay.
0:58:10
One other question on capital projects.
0:58:12
The city completed 37.5 fewer capital projects compared to the previous year.
0:58:19
New York City Park struggled to keep up with its projects and instead of increasing funding, the administration is dragging its feet.
0:58:27
We are going to see playgrounds, pathways and facilities deteriorate.
0:58:31
So again, know this goes into certainly funding and budgets, but what does the administration think, you know, it does not need to reinvest in in keeping our parks up up to date and and certainly usable?
0:58:50
So this is getting, you know, the fact that we are our capital projects are taking, I know you will say they're not taking longer, but I believe they are.
0:58:59
And I think they're in way over cost and out of line with the rest of certainly contractors who are doing work, similar work, and private work.
0:59:13
But, again, with 37.5 fewer capital projects completed, what what are we doing to address that in parks?
Susan Donoghue
0:59:23
Thank you, council member, for the question.
0:59:26
And, you're right, it it does, you know, it can take a long time, it can be difficult, but, you know, we have been really pleased to be part of Capital Process Reform Task Force that the mayor started early on in the administration.
0:59:42
We have looked at all different ways to improve our capital process, working with city agencies, working on every single aspect of where we can speed things up.
0:59:53
You're right too that it is you know often more expensive than private contractors, but that's because of the city rules and regulations that we're following around prevailing wages and things like that that are important.
1:00:07
And we have had enormous increase in capital funding, not decreasing capital funding in this administration.
1:00:15
As I said in my testimony, we had significant increases in the most recent budget budget year in capital funding.
1:00:22
The Pasarelle Bridge in Queens, several significant large projects, capital projects in our budget for sure.
UNKNOWN
1:00:29
And I'll just add as a technical consideration that the the number I believe you're citing is a reference to the preliminary management mayor's management report, which, you know, reports on completed projects in the first four months of this fiscal year.
1:00:40
And that number changes from year to year.
1:00:41
And it's frankly more of an index of the types of projects where they are.
1:00:44
So that number will vary from year to year.
1:00:48
It's not exactly apples to apples I guess is the argument.
1:00:51
At any given time we have close to 600 or more capital projects either being designed, into procurement, being constructed, being opened.
1:00:58
So that is sort of a pipeline of projects that is consistently moving.
1:01:00
So a snapshot, if you will, of the first four months of any given fiscal year I don't think we'd see as particularly meaningful in the broader context.
Robert F. Holden
1:01:10
Thank you, chair.