Here's the definition:

1. The term "capital project" shall mean:
(a) A project which provides for the construction, reconstruction,
acquisition or installation of a physical public betterment or
improvement which would be classified as a capital asset under generally
accepted accounting principles for municipalities or any preliminary
studies and surveys relative thereto or any underwriting or other costs
incurred in connection with the financing thereof.

A "betterment" is a durable improvement to a piece of property that improves its value. No "betterment" here (though . No capital asset was created.

(b) The acquisition of property of a permanent nature including wharf
property.

No property was acquired.

(c) The acquisition of any furnishings, machinery, apparatus or
equipment for any public betterment or improvement when such betterment
or improvement is first constructed or acquired.

No furnishings or equipment was acquired.

(d) Any public betterment involving either a physical improvement or
the acquisition of real property for a physical improvement consisting
in, including or affecting:
(1) Streets and parks;
(2) Bridges and tunnels;
(3) Receiving basins, inlets and sewers, including intercepting
sewers, plants or structures for the treatment, disposal or filtration
of sewage, including grit chambers, sewer tunnels and all necessary
accessories thereof; or

I'm a pretty experienced student of bureaucratese, but I'm stumped by this one. "[C]onsisting in" renders it unparsable. I'm guessing that it's meant as a catch-all to describe work that qualifies as a durable improvement (and hence elligble for capital funding), but which would be hard to charactarize as a "project," i.e., on-going programs that continously upgrade capital assets, such as street resurfacing, bridge painting, and certain types of water and sewer repairs.

(4) The fencing of vacant lots and the filling of sunken lots.
Nope.
(e) Any other project allowed to be financed by the local finance law,
with the approval of the mayor and the comptroller.
In other words, something not included above that the mayor AND the comptroller agree is a capital project. Negatory.
(f) Any combination of the above. Negatory

I don't think anyone with any working knowledge of the City's capital project and budget processes would agree that these are capital projects. These are maintenance efforts involving placement of easily (re)movable, consumable materials. You can believe me or not on this, but I have a great deal of experience with determinations of what does and does not constitute a capital project. Stripes and planters ain't capital projects.

Someone actually gets off their bureaucratic duff and gets something done in government and all of a sudden the media complains that they must be a communists.

Jeesh!! Grow up!

Marty, I believe these type of projects conform with the definition of capital project at the beginning of the Chapter 9 of the charter no matter how they are funded and, therefore, trigger the community board outreach "requirements" found elsewhere in the chapter. "Requirements" in quotes since there is nothing short of an Article 78 proceeding as a remedy if an agency chooses not to comply.

Excuse me? Please explain to me how someone who proposes transportation equity for all users is necessarily anti-car.

I don't think that's right. Chapter 9 of the NYC Charter is about capital projects. I'm pretty certain that most of these new projects are coming out of DOT's operating budget. They're being done as quick and cheap proof-of-concept pilot projects. They are not being done as expensive, time-consuming capital projects involving DDEP moving manholes and sewer grates, DDC dragging its feet, and all the rest of the cumbersome capital project process.

The difference is starting to show. Just compare arriving at La Guardia’s dumpy terminal in New York City and driving through the crumbling infrastructure into Manhattan with arriving at Shanghai’s sleek airport and taking the 220-mile-per-hour magnetic levitation train, which uses electromagnetic propulsion instead of steel wheels and tracks, to get to town in a blink.

Then ask yourself: Who is living in the third world country?

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/27/opinion/27friedman.html?em

I'm really nervous about the next mayoral election. I have not found a candidate that I really like yet.