Olmsted Conservancy Proclaims Parks Strong

By Joyce Kryszak

Buffalo, NY – The Olmsted Parks Conservancy Wednesday proclaimed the system a strong and growing, vital asset to the community. But literally underlined in the first State of the Parks address is the fact that the parks are under-funded. WBFO's Joyce Kryszak reports.

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As if on cue, the birds were singing and blue skies appeared for the first day of spring. Not bad timing either for the Olmsted Conservancy's first annual State of the Parks address at the casino in Delaware Park.

Chief Executive Officer Johnathan Holifield proclaimed the parks system strong - and a valuable, $22 million asset. Speaking with pride and optimism, Holifield said that holds true, despite the challenges of the October storm. He said that includes taking stock of what worked well in the storm's aftermath: the zone management system, corporate and private support, and armies of volunteers pitching in to clean up.

But you only had to step outside to recall the bleaker moments of the storm.

Park workers scrapped March snow from the casino steps and chainsaws buzzed in the distance. Holifield said damage and assessment of the damage from the storm will be ongoing for years to come.

Holifield said they will need to replant as many as 2,300 trees just to return to pre-storm levels. At its peak, the Olmsted system boasted 40,000 trees throughout the city. But Holifield said the good news is there is momentum from the public to restore the system to its former grandeur.

On the half empty side of the equation, he said is the problem of under funding.

Holifield said the conservancy's "re-leaf" effort is being paid for 100 percent through private andd corporate support.

Public funding for the parks provides only about 63 cents for every resident. That's less than one tenth the national average.

And that doesn't go unnoticed by Erie County Parks Commissioner Andy Sedita either.

Following the 2004 budget cuts there are fewer people working to maintain the parks. Still, Sedita and Holifield both said the inter-municipal agreement that enlisted the conservancy is working.

They concede, however, that it is a work in progress. And Holifield said the bottom line is making the parks a priority.

Holifield said there are a number of things needed for the parks to thrive and grow. Among them: more corporate support, more equipment and zone gardeners. And, with 500 trees to plant in April and then maintain, perhaps most crucial, will be a continuous core of volunteers to nurture the conservancy's future.