Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Park Management topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Washington Square Park Conservancy outlines staffing and maintenance plans amid pandemic
Summary
The Washington Square Park Conservancy updated Community Board 2 on a range of operations: expanded grant-funded Parks staffing, landscaping and volunteer activities, plans for cautious program reopening, and fundraising pressures tied to the pandemic. The Conservancy also announced its executive director's upcoming departure from Parks.
The Washington Square Park Conservancy presented an update to Community Board 2's Parks and Waterfront Committee in June 2020 describing staffing, landscape and community programs during the pandemic and the organization's priorities for the coming months.
Cheryl Woodruff, Community Development Director for the Conservancy, said the nonprofit had increased grant support to New York City Parks to fund on-site staff and maintenance: two full-time gardeners, two full-time maintenance staff members and a youth activities coordinator. Woodruff said the Conservancy funded approximately $525,000 in program services in the prior fiscal year and anticipated roughly $600,000 in program expenses for the current fiscal year, emphasizing a priority on continuing payroll support for Parks staff amid the city's budget pressures.
Why it matters: The Conservancy is a private nonprofit partner that supplements Parks services on high-use Manhattan parks. With city budget cuts and pandemic-related revenue declines, the Conservancy said it would prioritize maintaining staff positions that directly support cleanliness, plantings and programs, and would pivot some volunteer activity and arts grants to virtual or reduced formats to sustain small cultural groups.
Key points from the Conservancy update - Staffing and maintenance: Conservancy grants support two full-time gardeners, two full-time maintenance staff and seasonal staff; gardeners planted roughly 10,000 perennials and 75,000 bulbs, and restored the northwest lawn with a $170,000 Dalio grant; staff power-washed nearly 400 benches last year. - Community programs: A youth activities coordinator organized programs for children; the Conservancy ran 61 fitness classes last year and logged about 12,000 volunteer hours across volunteer programs. - Volunteer and program adjustments: Conservancy planned limited volunteer returns in smaller groups, restarted virtual lecture series and sought to adapt children's programs to reduced group sizes and sanitization regimes. - Park operations and city coordination: The Conservancy and Village Alliance coordinated weekend open-streets trials to give pedestrians more space; the Conservancy said the city asked partners to pause or reassess further openings after public unrest in late May.
Leadership change and near-term priorities Woodruff announced that the Conservancy's executive director, George Velonakis, who also served as the Parks administrator for Washington Square Park, went on leave in January and will retire officially in the fall. The Conservancy said Parks plans to hire a deputy administrator in the coming months; Jamal Patterson (district manager) is covering administrative duties in the interim.
Funding and timeline notes - The Conservancy reported program services near $525,000 in the prior fiscal year and expected program spending of about $600,000 in the current fiscal year across landscaping, maintenance and community programming. - The Conservancy said it will try to retain grant-funded Parks positions this fiscal year despite donor pressures and the city's budget hole; Woodruff said the board prioritized staffing to avoid lapses in maintenance that would be costly to restore later.
Public questions Residents asked about tree protection and soil grading near the restored northwest lawn, vending and artist/table activities under social-distancing rules, the return of Citi Bike docks and restroom cleaning and availability. Conservancy staff noted increased cleaning for park facilities, confirmed water-fountain reactivation efforts were underway citywide and said they would follow up with DOT on Citi Bike placements.
Ending: The Conservancy framed its immediate priority as preserving on-the-ground Parks staffing and core maintenance during the fiscal shock caused by the pandemic while carefully resuming small volunteer programs and adapting arts grants and fitness offerings to virtual or smaller in-person formats. The Conservancy invited continued board oversight and follow-up on tree-protection questions and Citi Bike placements.
