Olmsted Parks Forever

Western New Yorkers have long treasured the Olmsted Park System, as it weaves through virtually every neighborhood of our great city of Buffalo.

The major Olmsted Parks Cazenovia, Delaware, Front, Martin Luther King, Jr., Riverside and South Park, the adjoining parkways, circles and smaller spaces are much more than just a recreational green space with gardens, ball fields, meadows, trails, lakes and woodlands. Indeed, these parks play a strategic role in the resurgence of our region. They provide places of employment, training, programming, special events as well as an economic boost.

The Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy, staff, board and volunteers are proud of the operations, maintenance and fundraising which has enhanced Buffalos 1200-acre Olmsted Park and Parkway System over the past 5 years, since the groundbreaking Intermunicipal Parks Agreement in July 2004. The Conservancy is a not-for-profit, independent, community, charitable organization (501-c3), stewards of Buffalos Olmsted Park System, responsible for all of the maintenance and operations of the parks, parkways and circles designed and built more than 140 years ago by Americas first landscape architect, Frederick Law Olmsted. The Conservancy was formed in 1978 as the Friends of the Olmsted Parks.

Below is a few of our many accomplishments and examples of the parks progress and the important role the Conservancy plays in keeping these historic Olmsted spaces clean and green and true assets to the community.

In 2008, the Olmsted Conservancy trained more than 300 Erie County welfare to work participants in parks maintenance and management. Part of the funding was through a grant, we secured from the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo.

Through a partnership with the Conservancy, the City Mission and the Goodwill, 1000 welfare participants will be assessed and trained through next year, funded through the Oishei Foundation.

This summer, 120 youth from Buffalo were employed in the parks through the Workforce Investment program funded through stimulus money.

Over 2700 trees and shrubs have been planted throughout the Olmsted System since the October 2006 storm, mainly through the help of volunteers.

1000 volunteers provided 4500 hours of their time to the Olmsted parks last year a $67,500 value to help preserve Olmsteds legacy.

Since 2004 the Conservancy has raised approximately:
$1 million dollars through foundations and grants
$1.1 million through fundraisers including the FLO Gala, Party for the
Parks and the Olmsted Open Golf Tournament
$425,000 from corporate and business donations
$1.1 million through our board of trustees
$664,000 for Olmsted ReLeaf, after the October, 2006 storm
$1.2 million in Capital Campaign funds
$132,000 from our Membership Campaign
$725,000 from major donors and our Annual Fund

These numbers do not include $2 million in committed funds, not yet received for projects such as:
Scajaquada Trailways connection to the Niagara Greenways,
Improvements to Ring Road in Delaware Park,
Riverside Park minnow pool restoration & pathways
Humboldt Basin restoration in Martin Luther King, Jr. Pk.

In 2008, the Conservancy unveiled the parks Plan for the 21st Century, an award winning, blueprint for the future of our parks. It is a comprehensive operational plan to rebuild the parks as valuable neighborhood, regional, national and international resources.

Since the 2004 Contract, the Conservancy has pumped $16 million dollars into the local economy 50\% of which we have raised on our own (breakdown $8 million Conservancy, $7 million Erie County, $750,000 city of Buffalo).

There has been a 76\% increase in property values in and around Delaware Park.

We have increased earned revenue for golf subscriptions and Marcy Casino rentals, money that goes right back into the parks.

We are now in the 2nd year of a collaborative with the Buffalo Inner City Youth Fan Club for Golfing underprivileged kids learning the art of golf and important life survival skills. We also partnered on tennis, zumba, yoga and exercise programs in the parks this summer.

Ongoing projects and renovations:
MLK pathway, wading pool: just finished new pathways funded through the James H. Cummings Foundation.
Scajaquada Trail Improvements: this $1.2 public Greenways project will strengthen and extend the Olmsted Park System to the regional Niagara River Greenway Trail. Full restoration of the newly named Jesse Kregal Pathway, will connect some 80 miles of Olmsted pathways and trails to the 36 miles of the Greenway from lake to lake with seamless connections.
Marcy Casino renovations: Work has begun to repair the faзade of the casino that has deteriorated over the years. We are working with several contracting, engineering and architecture firms and well as the Historic Preservation Board.
Riverside Park: a $50,000 grant was awarded by the Buffalo Bills, the NFL Youth Football Fund and Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) to upgrade Buffalos popular Riverside Park playing field with an updated irrigation system, new bleachers and benches made from recycled plastic. Funds have been provided through NY State Assemblyman Sam Hoyt for minnow pool rebuilding.

The Conservancy is committed to creating visible, significant and positive changes in this community that will improve the quality of life in our region.

I appeal to the City of Buffalo to support the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy in carrying out their mission to promote, preserve, restore, enhance, and ensure maintenance of the historic Frederick Law Olmsted-designed parks and parkways in the Greater Buffalo area now and for future generations.