BHA Spearheads a Public-Private Partnership That Works
Next time you stroll the Promenade, instead of looking west at the fabulous skyline view, turn your eyes to what’s been happening in the gardens that stretch along the east side of the Promenade. For years, that long, narrow stretch of gardens had been neglected, the victim of repeated budget cuts at the Dept. of Parks. Beautiful shrubs had become overgrown thickets, flowering plants were stifled by invading weeds. Our community’s backyard was fast becoming an eyesore.
The Promenade Partnership to the Rescue
Last Spring, the Brooklyn Heights Association entered into a Public-Private Partnership with the Parks Dept. It’s goal: to restore the Promenade Gardens to their rightful glory, and to keep them that way. Together, Parks and the BHA were able to hire a full-time seasonal gardener, splitting his salary 50/50 between Parks and the BHA. Next, we recruited a band of volunteers whose number, energy and esprit de corps have amazed the city’s Parks professionals . Thirty community-conscious residents volunteered and fifteen of them show up every Tuesday morning for two hours of hard but rewarding work.
The results are already visible. The ground has been weeded, enriched with compost, mulched and prepared for some spectacular planting in the Spring. Overgrown shrubs that blocked the gardens from view were replanted. Scraggly forsythias were pruned back and thinned out. Over four thousand Spring bulbs were planted. And we’ve only just begun.
Who Funds the Partnership?
Hopefully, you and your neighbors. Our share of the first season’s budget was fully funded by the Brooklyn Heights Association. For 2010, we’re counting you to help us meet our budget. We’re already off to a good start, but more is needed, especially if we want the kind of garden worthy of the site and of the community. To find out how you can help, email the Promenade Partnership at promgarden@aol.com.