Annual Report 2011
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1 Annual Report 2011 Cover Contents Partnership Craftsmanship Stewardship Friendship Financials Lists Support Info 2 Contents 2 Partnership Letter from the Chairman of the Board of Trustees and the Conservancy President . 3 Letter from the Mayor and the Parks Commissioner . .. 5 Craftsmanship . 6 Map of Capital Park Restoration Work . 7 The Lake Shoreline at Cherry Hill . 8 Rustic Pergola . 10 East Meadow . 11 James Michael Levin Playground . 13 North Meadow Irrigation System . 15 2009 Storm Damage . 16 Central Play: The Campaign for Central Park’s Playgrounds . 19 The Woodlands Initiative . 21 Stewardship . 23 Branding . 24 Operations • The Storms & The Staff . 26 • Tree Inventory & Management Plan . 28 Tavern on the Green Gift Shop & Visitor Center . 29 Public Programming . 30 Volunteer Programs . 31 The Report on the Public Use of Central Park . 32 Friendship . 34 Financials . 37 Lists . .. 50 Board of Trustees . 51 Women’s Committee . 52 Contributors . 54 Women’s Committee Programs & Events . 83 Conservancy Special Events . 88 Staff & Volunteers . .. 90 Support . 99 Info CPC Mission, Guiding Principle, & Core Values . 100 Zone Gardener Vern Clarke raking the ballfields at North Meadow. Credits . 101 Cover Contents Partnership Craftsmanship Stewardship Friendship Financials Lists Support Info 3 Partnership 3 Central Park Conservancy Since our founding in 1980, the Central Park Conservancy’s success has been defined in terms of its ability to address the challenges created by decades of neglect in Central Park . By that definition, this past year has been highly successful . We take great pride in the role we have played in leading Central Park from a period defined by cycles of decline to its re-emergence as one of the most important cultural institutions in New York City . We have many things to be thankful for: our sound leadership, including our outstanding board; our partner, the City of New York; our generous members; our committed staff, totally dedicated to the health and beauty of Central Park; and an active and passionate core of volunteers . To prepare for the next chapter in our history, we have launched our new Strategic Plan, which focuses on two important goals: increased membership through a branding campaign and developing a comprehensive plan for the visitor experience . The branding campaign was launched in the autumn of 2010, with a new logo and a new tagline (“Central to the Park”), and in May 2011 the second phase was initiated Citywide . The campaign was created to better Cover Contents Partnership Craftsmanship Stewardship Friendship Financials Lists Support Info 4 Partnership 4 inform the public of the Conservancy’s role in restoring, Our strategic planning is in direct response to this maintaining, and programming the Park . The ultimate goal increase in Park use . The vision for the future includes is increasing membership to help us fund the Park’s more a comprehensive plan for the visitor experience . For an than $42 million annual expense budget, of which 85 account of our plan, please refer to the article entitled percent must be raised by the Conservancy from private The Report on the Public Use of Central Park on page 32 . sources . The Central Park Conservancy’s new “look” and message was present throughout the City . The response We are proud to include two important projects from has been positive and successful . Membership has grown the Campaign for Central Park in this report: the Lake significantly and funding levels have risen . This report shoreline at Cherry Hill, the final piece in the restoration includes an account of our branding initiative . of the Lake shoreline, and the restoration of the East Meadow . With the project’s completion, all of Central The information gleaned from our recent 18-month user Park’s major lawns have now been restored by the survey confirms what we already suspected: Central Park Conservancy . is the most visited open space in New York . The results of the survey, discussed later in this report, showed that We invite you to review this annual report, which reaffirms more that 38 million visitors come to Central Park each the value of the Conservancy and your generous support . year . This represents a three-fold increase in visitors to Central Park since our founding three decades ago . The report confirms that over 85 percent of visitors come to the Park as a physical connection with the natural environment in order to escape the psychological stress of urban life — the main reason for the Park’s creation Thomas L . Kempner, Jr . Douglas Blonsky Chairman, Central Park Conservancy President, Central Park Conservancy over a century and a half ago . Yet this increased visitation and Central Park Administrator has brought with it many challenges for the near future . Cover Contents Partnership Craftsmanship Stewardship Friendship Financials Lists Support Info 5 Partnership 5 City of New York Over the past year, the Central Park Conservancy by the Mounted Parks Enforcement Patrol—the and the New York City Department of Parks & first time in more than 100 years that horses Recreation worked together to continue to beautify will reside in Central Park . Also, the restoration the Park and ensure that it remains one of our of the Heckscher East landscape surrounding City’s greatest and most treasured green spaces . the Heckscher Ballfields and Playground was completed, making one of the Park’s most popular Despite the challenges we have faced this year, recreation areas better than ever . including Hurricane Irene which caused significant damages to the Park’s trees, Central Park is All of these projects have one thing in common: greener and greater than ever before . Over 830 they were made possible by the valuable new trees have been planted since the autumn partnership between the City and the Central Park of 2010 as part of our MillionTreesNYC initiative, Conservancy . Together, we are doing everything adding new life and greenery to this terrific space . we can to make one of the greatest parks in the world even better, for residents and tourists alike . In addition, two of the Park’s most important We are proud of our partnership with the Central construction projects were completed this year . Park Conservancy, and we look forward to another The new horse stable within the Central Park great year in the green heart of New York City . Zoo vehicle compound will house horses used Michael R . Bloomberg Adrian Benepe Mayor, City of New York Commissioner, NYC Dept. of Parks & Recreation Cover Contents Partnership Craftsmanship Stewardship Friendship Financials Lists Support Info 6 Craftsmanship New seasonal plantings along the Lake shoreline at Cherry Hill. Cover Contents Partnership Craftsmanship Stewardship Friendship Financials Lists Support Info 7 Craftsmanship 7 Central Park Restoration Work W 110 ST W 110 W 72 ST W 81 ST W 86 ST W 97 ST E 66 ST CENTRAL PARK WEST Tavern on the Green Visitor Center & Gift Shop CENTRAL PARK SOUTH PARK CENTRAL Great Hill The Lake CENTRAL PARK NORTH PARK CENTRAL Reservoir North Meadow Cherry North Woods Hill The Ramble Hallett Nature Sanctuary The Pond East James Michael Meadow East 69th Street Levin Playground Reservoir East East 102nd Entrance Landscape Street Entrance E 59 ST E 65 ST E72 ST E79 ST E 85 ST FIFTH AVENUE E 97 ST ST E 110 Restoration in Progress Restored/In Long-Term Management Completed in FY11 In Construction FY11 In Planning & Design Future Projects Cover Contents Partnership Craftsmanship Stewardship Friendship Financials Lists Support Info 8 Craftsmanship 8 The Lake Shoreline at Cherry Hill The restoration of the 20-acre Lake, a six-year project, is nearly complete . This year we restored scenic Cherry Hill, so named for the outstanding grouping of Yoshino Cherry trees that grace the southern slope of the Lake . Cherry Hill features some of the most spectacular views of the Lake, Ramble, recently reconstructed Island, and surrounding skyline of Manhattan’s West Side . Phase one of the Cherry Hill project included rebuilding the shoreline path and infrastructure from Bow Bridge to Wagner Cove, reconstructing a naturalistic shoreline with boulders and aquatic plantings in place of the hard edge that existed in this location, restoring the lawn, and adding new landscape plantings . The next phase of the project will be the reconstruction of the View of the Lake shoreline at Cherry Hill. Cover Contents Partnership Craftsmanship Stewardship Friendship Financials Lists Support Info 9 Craftsmanship 9 View of plantings along the Lake shoreline at Cherry Hill. Cherry Hill Concourse in keeping with its historic character and original purpose as one of several concourses located at high points to offer sweeping views of the surrounding scenery . The Conservancy was recognized with a prestigious landscape architectural design award for the recent restoration of the Lake — one of the largest and most ambitious projects in the Park’s history . Presented by the New York Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) on March 31, 2011, the Honor Award is ASLA’s highest distinction, reserved for those projects recognized for “superior professional accomplishment .” Cover Contents Partnership Craftsmanship Stewardship Friendship Financials Lists Support Info 10 10 Rustic Pergola This year the Conservancy’s Restoration Crew restored the Wisteria Pergola along the West Drive near the Lake shoreline . Cover Contents Partnership Craftsmanship Stewardship Friendship Financials Lists Support Info 11 Craftsmanship 11 East Meadow When Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux named their 1858 winning design for Central Park “Greensward” — an English term for an expansive lawn dotted with trees — they had in mind such pastoral landscapes as the newly restored East Meadow, off Fifth Avenue between 97th and 100th Streets . The undulating six-acre Meadow reopened to the public in September of 2011 following a year-long restoration . The project’s completion marks an important achievement: all of Central Park’s major lawns have now been restored by the Conservancy .