Friends of Crawford Park and town officials outline park upgrades, pollinator plantings and fundraiser

Allison Lazarus, president of the Friends of Crawford Park, told the Rye Town Council on June 11 that volunteers have completed spring plantings in Crawford Park’s sunken garden, replaced plastic bench plaques with brass, and installed three memorial trees and new perennials. “We are a nonprofit volunteer-led organization dedicated to maintaining and beautifying Crawford Park,” Lazarus said, and asked the town to consider improved pedestrian access from North Ridge and help with storage for Friends’ tools and supplies.

Carmen Koigbach, a Friends board member, described a recent restoration of the sensory garden and the launch of a native pollinator garden. Koigbach listed plants installed by volunteers, including yarrow, wild bergamot, culver root (veronica), foxglove and milkweed, and warned that some sensitive species (palm/hakoi plantings) were suffering from heat and possibly inconsistent irrigation. “We need to address watering and mulch levels so these plantings survive,” she said.

Council members and parks staff discussed irrigation follow-up work. Vic Federico, director of parks and facilities, said the soaker tubing and sprinkler system are on a timer and that staff will check for blockages and make repairs; he agreed mulch is preferable to adding soil to hide irrigation tubing and retain moisture.

On a separate but related park item, the council approved a $21,000 contract with Cassel Construction to install a paved walkway from the solarium to the sunken garden and authorized launching an etched-donor paver program. Council members agreed to set an entry donation price of $200 per etched paver to make the fundraising accessible while supporting project costs.

Brian Mortimer Sullivan, the town’s Climate Smart Community coordinator, reported that the second Eco Fest drew an estimated 350 visitors, nearly doubling last year’s turnout, and included about 30 local organizations, a butterfly release and volunteer plantings that supported the park projects.

Looking ahead, the council approved submitting a grant application under the New York Plays program to expand the playground with equipment targeted at older children (10–13). The project estimate is $660,000 with a required 20% local match ($132,000); staff said the requested grant amount would be $528,000. Town staff reported survey results showing majority support for an older-kids play area and separation of age groups.

The council closed the item by directing staff to move forward on irrigation repairs, finalize the donor paver program details, pursue grant funding for the playground expansion and continue coordinating volunteer support for park upkeep.