Central Park Conservancy Annual Report 2009 Cover Contents Partnership Craftsmanship Stewardship Friendship Storm Financials Lists Support Info #1 Table of Contents 2 Central Park Conservancy Annual Report 2009 Partnership » Letter from Chairman of the Board of Trustees and President . .3 » Letter from the Mayor and Parks Commissioner . .4 Craftsmanship » Map of Capital Projects . .5 » Central Park’s Playgrounds . .6 » Ancient Playground . .7 » Ancient Playground: William Church Osborn Memorial Gates . .8 » Tarr Family Playground . .9 » Landscape South of the Mount and Conservatory Garden . .10 » The Lake: Ramble Shoreline . .11 » The Lake: Oak Bridge . .13 » West 69th Street Entrance . .15 Stewardship » Operations: Zone Gardeners . .16 » Operations: Volunteer Programs and Environmental Initiatives . .17 » Research: The Survey and “The Central Park Effect” . .18 » Public Programs: Tours and Recreation . .19 Friendship » Special Events and Programs . .20 Special Report: The Storm . .23 Financials . .26 Lists » Board of Trustees . .39 » Women’s Committee; Conservancy Councils . .40 » Contributors . .41 » Women’s Committee Programs and Events . .57 » Conservancy Special Events . .60 » Staff and Volunteers . .61 Ways to Support the Park . .66 Info and Credits . .67 Cover Contents Partnership Craftsmanship Stewardship Friendship Storm Financials Lists Support Info #2 Partnership 3 Central Park Conservancy We are at a critical moment in the history of both the original goal of $100 million and completed proud to say that the Park’s structures and its land- Central Park and the Conservancy . Since the the campaign in three years, one year ahead of scapes remain clean, healthy, safe, and beautiful . Conservancy’s founding in 1980, a major focus our expectations . As we move forward with your steadfast support, the has been to secure the Park’s future by creat- Conservancy is committed to upholding our stan- ing a management model that would protect It was the foresight and the triumph of this effort dards of excellence for restoration, management, its landscapes and structures from the cycles that put the Park and the Conservancy in a stron- maintenance, and public programs so that New Yorkers of decline and restore that had plagued Central ger position than it would have been otherwise will continue to have Central Park as a central joy in Park from the 1870s through the 1970s . Due to during the current economic downturn . Addition- their lives . the recent severe downturn in the economy that ally, as responsible managers, we restructured began in the fall of 2008, Central Park, which is the organization last January by streamlining This report highlights the newly completed capital primarily dependent on private contributions, is operations in an effort to decrease costs and projects in the Park, as well as the innovative op- being tested as in no other time in the Conser- increase efficiencies . The resulting reductions erational and stewardship programs that have been vancy’s nearly 30 years of restoring the Park . have been implemented in such a way as to have initiated in the past year — including the decision to the least impact on the ongoing operations and publish this report entirely online . As we enter the Conservancy’s 30th anniversary maintenance of the Park . These changes have year in 2010, we must never forget the deterio- enabled us to maintain the level of excellence we From the Board of Trustees and the Conservancy rated state that Central Park was in only three take such great pride in . staff, we thank you once again for your past and decades ago . We celebrate the extraordinary continuing support . importance that private individuals, foundation, The greatest test of the Conservancy’s expertise corporate, and City contributions have made to in the Park’s management occurred with the the Conservancy . The Park needs our support- severe storm on the night of August 18, 2009, ers now more than ever before to help us ensure which felled over 500 trees, damaged more than that during these challenging times Central Park 1,000 others, and devastated major landscapes Thomas L . Kempner, Jr . Douglas Blonsky is not victimized by the vicissitudes of the eco- in the north end of the Park (see The August 18th Chairman, Central Park Conservancy President, Central Park Conservancy nomic climate and remains stable and secure . Storm: Recovery and Restoration, p . 23) . De- and Central Park Administrator spite the unprecedented magnitude of this storm Fortunately the Conservancy had the foresight and the reduction in staff, the Conservancy was in 2005 to launch the $100 million Campaign still able to rise immediately to the challenge of for Central Park, embodying two objectives: to responding to the damage . enable us to complete the transformation of the Park, and to help secure the future with long- Through the generosity of our many donors and term operating support . The campaign was so volunteers, new creative management practices, successful that we raised $20 million more than and our extraordinarily dedicated staff, we are Cover Contents Partnership Craftsmanship Stewardship Friendship Storm Financials Lists Support Info #3 Partnership 4 City of New York The Central Park Conservancy has always been restoration of the Lake, whose shoreline has been a leader when it comes to making our City an rebuilt, and habitat made more lush and sustain- even greater place to live, work, and visit thanks able, a wonderful resource for future generations . to the support of their generous donors, and their dedicated staff and volunteers . This com- Conscientious New Yorkers like you came to- mitment was on full display in the aftermath of gether to support this magnificent Park through the flash storm that struck northern Manhattan nearly three decades of transformation and one on August 18, damaging and destroying trees of the biggest natural disasters in its history — and ravaging the historic landscapes of Central and we now have a great opportunity to restore Park . Thanks to the outstanding leadership of these historic landscapes created 150 years ago Douglas Blonsky and the Conservancy — and by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, with the donations from civic-minded New ensuring that Central Park’s greatest days are still Yorkers and supporters from beyond the five to come . We look forward to working together to boroughs — we were able to rise to the occa- continue fostering this spirit of community service sion, respond to the crisis, and put an ambitious and make Central Park — and our City — greener restoration effort into effect . and greater than ever . It was in this same spirit that our Administration launched NYC Service — a bold, wide-ranging initiative that will make our City the easiest in the nation for residents to volunteer and lend Adrian Benepe Michael R . Bloomberg their talents to help tackle tough challenges . Commissioner, Dept. of Parks & Recreation Mayor, City of New York The Conservancy’s volunteers and donors are answering this call to service, understanding that those who care about their parks are the best way to keep them moving ahead . And we’ve already seen great results: this year, with City and private support, Central Park’s two iconic adventure playgrounds, the Tarr Family Playground and Ancient Playground, were each renovated . The Conservancy also continued its Cover Contents Partnership Craftsmanship Stewardship Friendship Storm Financials Lists Support Info #4 Craftsmanship 5 Central Park Capital Work 1980 – 2009 The Lake: West 69th St. Oak Tarr Family West 69thEntrance Street Entrance OakBridge Bridge Tarr FamilyPlayground Playground W 110 ST W 66 ST W 72 ST W 81 ST W 86 ST W 97 ST Central Park West Central Park West Western Shoreline The Pool The Lake Central Park North Central Park South Cherry Hill Bow Reservoir Bridge The The Point Ramble The Fort The Landscape Pond East Meadow & The 96th St. Arboretum Landscape Harlem Playground Meer Reservoir East Landscape & Landscape E 72 ST E 79 ST E 59 ST E 65 ST Fifth Avenue E 85 ST E 97 ST Fifth Avenue E 1 1 0 ST TheRamble Lake: Ancient PlaygroundAncient and the LandscapeLandscape South of South of the Mount Shoreline Playground & Conservatory Garden Ramble Shoreline William ChurchOsborn Gates Osborn Memorial Gates and Conservatory& the Mount Garden Campaign Progress – Fiscal Year 2009 RESTORED Restored LONG TERM MANAGEMENT/ REPLACEMENT IN KIND Long-Term Management/Replacement-in-Kind COMPLETED IN FY09 Completed in FY09 IN CONSTRUCTION FY09 In Construction FY09 IN PLANNING AND DESIGN FY09 In Planning and Design FY09 Cover Contents Partnership Craftsmanship Stewardship Friendship Storm Financials Lists Support Info #5 Craftsmanship 6 Central Park’s Playgrounds The playgrounds in Central which has been enormously Park bring joy to New York popular with children . The City children and their care- Conservancy’s Capital Proj- givers . This year the Conser- ects designers have retained vancy has restored Ancient the spirit of the original play- Playground, at 85th Street, grounds while addressing the off Fifth Avenue and the Tarr contemporary needs of chil- Family Playground, at 100th dren and the concerns of their Street, off Central Park West, caregivers . The reconstructed as part of the projects sup- playgrounds provide new play ported by the Campaign for experiences while bringing the Central Park . Both playground playgrounds into compliance reconstructions are a reinter- with current design standards pretation of their earlier 1970s for accessibility, safety, and adventure-style playground, sustainability . Cover Contents Partnership Craftsmanship Stewardship Friendship Storm Financials Lists Support Info #6 Craftsmanship 7 Ancient Playground Ancient Playground was created in 1972 Council Member Eva Moskowitz . “An- across the transverse road from the site cient” features of the new playground of the William Church Osborn Memorial include pyramid climbers and an obelisk- Playground, which was demolished for slide . Water channels and a fountain am- the expansion of the Metropolitan Mu- phitheater feature user-activated sprays seum of Art’s Egyptian art and antiquities and waterfalls, which help to conserve collection .