Central Park Stands Firm

New York's urban oasis long ago lived down its crime-ridden past. But keeping it beautiful is an everyday job, and the city, surprisingly, doesn't get the credit. By Michael Burgevin

NEW YORK, March 13-- As a lawyer, mother, and wife, Joanne Baker understands the meaning of stress. But on Saturday mornings, with her husband asleep and her children glued to the cartoons, Joanne heads to her self-described haven, Central Park, for a “precious hour of solitude.”

Joanne is one of 25 million people who enjoy the park every year. Located at the very heart of New York, Central Park provides a respite from the noise and energy of the largest city in the country. The park also doubles as a cultural center, providing a home for performing arts, cinematography, and more.

“What amazes me,” says Joanne, “is that so many people can use this park, and it still manages to look this nice. I don’t know how they do it.”

“They” are the Central Park Conservancy, the private, non-profit organization that works under contract with the City of New York to maintain the largest urban park in the United States.

Central Park was commissioned in 1857 in response to the growing spread of urbanization in and around New York in an attempt to preserve the city’s natural environment. The park took over 20 years to construct, and was widely considered to be a great success.

By the 1970s, the city government, exhausted from the financial and social struggles of the past two decades, had proven itself incapable of maintaining the 3.4 square kilometer space.

“Years of poor management and inadequate maintenance had turned a masterpiece of landscape architecture into a virtual dustbowl by day and a danger zone by night,” reported President of the Central Park Conservancy Douglas Blonsky in an op-ed to the New York Post.

In response to the park’s deterioration, the Central Park Conservancy was established in 1980 by a group of concerned citizens in association with the New York City government in order to revive the green space. With the help of a relatively small staff and thousands of volunteers, the Conservancy has been able to recreate the Park once again into a sanctuary with minimal assistance from the city government. The Conservancy employs 4 out of 5 of the technicians who work within the park and raises 85 percent of the park’s operating budget each year, most of which come from individual or corporate sponsors.

The Conservancy’s role underscores the importance of Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in American culture. Historically, the U.S. populace has turned away from federal assistance, instead depending on institutions such as privatized health insurance companies, medical research at universities, and humanitarian organizations to provide necessary services that most other governments supply for their citizens.

Today, however, the Conservancy faces the unavoidable dilemma of insufficient funding. According to Blonsky, who is also the Central Park Administrator for the City of New York, many of the Conservancy’s donors are attached to New York’s financial and business community. With the economic recession facing the United States, investors are less willing to fund programs such as the upkeep of Central Park.

Non-profit organizations have been hit especially hard during the international economic crisis of the past year. New York based NGOs are expected to cut expenses on an average of 11 percent in 2009, which would force many non-profits to close their doors permanently.

Sandra Miniutti of the watchdog organization Charity Navigator explained that the success of non-profit organizations hinges upon the corporate sector. In times of economic crisis, "foundations distribute fewer grants, and corporations make less profit,” which negatively affects corporate sponsorship of NGO projects, Miniutti reported to Business Week in a recent interview.

The Conservancy is now struggling to safeguard the park from the unforgiving economic crisis. Due to budget constrictions, Blonsky announced recently that the organization had fired 30 employees, over ten percent of its paid staff.

“These decisions are never easy,” said Blonsky in a press release. “So we have taken great care and consideration to make sure this restructuring is done in a way where we can continue our mission to restore and preserve the Park, as well as anticipate what may lie ahead during these difficult times.”

The challenges faced by the Conservancy beg the question, what hope do NGOs have during the current economic downturn? Moreover, if the Conservancy ever closes down, what would become of the park?

The Conservancy has promised that all budget cuts will be implemented as smoothly as possible, without showing any significant impact on its operations and maintenance. “We are focusing on our core mission, which is more essential now than perhaps in any time in our history,” assured Blonsky. “These times demand thoughtful and strategic planning. We are confident these changes will increase our efficiency while maintaining the level of excellence we take such great pride in at the Central Park Conservancy.”

Even with such promises, New Yorkers like Thomas Lockhart, a local business owner, pause in contemplation of a city without Central Park. “I couldn’t imagine life without this space,” he lamented during a walk around the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis reservoir, the largest body of water in the park. “This is where I come for peace, we watch (outdoor productions of) Shakespeare. It’s a part of our community.”

Central Park is just one of many cultural and social outlets threatened during the recession that depend on corporate sponsorship. Nine of the major Broadway shows playing in the heart of New York’s theater district closed in the first week of January alone. Even the largest museums in the city, such as the Museum of Modern Art, are facing damaging budget cuts, according to the New York Times.

Joanne Baker, for one, has hope for the Conservancy, and the people who support it. “New Yorkers love this park,” she exclaimed while introducing me to her favorite jogging path. “There’s no way we would let it fade away.”

Brave words, to be sure, and Joanne raises a valid point. The Central Park Conservancy was originally created because citizens decided it was time to act. If the park can depend on the people who cherish it, maybe there is still hope for the Conservancy, not to mention the museums, theaters, music halls, non-profit cultural centers, to push through the collapsing economy. The million dollar question: will citizens act, or could the glory of Central Park fade into distant memories?