Fort Greene Park Has More Resources Than Ever, Director Says

FORT GREENE, BROOKLYN — Longtime park-goers might have noticed Fort Greene Park looking more polished than ever this year — paths were clear of snow, lawns were perfectly landscaped and new benches appeared on the hilly terrain.

If they looked closely, they might have also noticed that park staff utility carts buzzing around the grounds became a more frequent sight than ever before.

This new level of care can be credited to an increase in the park's funding in 2018, which meant it could hire its first ever full-time staff and buy new equipment to care for the grounds, said Fort Greene Park Conservancy Director David Barker.

Barker recently took a look back in a blog post on the conservancy's website at how "the bar has been raised" at the park this year.

"2018...was an incredible year of growth and expansion," Barker wrote. "This year will go down as one that finally established a baseline for consistent and quality park care."

Part of that growth was due to a 40 percent increase in funding from the conservancy for park supplies and equipment. New funding from the Parks Department's Zone Management Program last spring also brought "more resources for personnel and equipment than ever before," Barker said.

One of the biggest changes was a full-time staff. Previously, like most NYC parks, Fort Greene would rely on mobile crews that stop by a dozen or more properties in one day. The new full-time staff, Barker said, not only means the community can get to know the people that care for the park, but that it is more consistently well-kept each day.

As of this year, lawns are mowed weekly with bi-annual aeration and re-seeding and the lawns are closed or opened each day to ensure they "bounce back" from wet weather or constant traffic.

The funds also brought new equipment to ensure upkeep even in the winter months was possible, Barker said. Areas once unreachable by plows are now cleared within a couple hours, Barker said, and night crews can ensure morning park users weren't bothered with litter or overflowing trash.

"A lumbering garbage truck traversing our pathways, damaging the asphalt, lawns, and compromising public safety was once the norm," he said. "Now, our new electric utility carts quietly zip about at night to take out garbage and recyclables to one of two perimeter holding pens for collection."

Barker thanked the new maintenance staff, the conservancy staff and the community volunteers for the successful year, which was the conservancy's 20th looking over the park. Many of these contributors were featured in a "community heroes" exhibit this year, he said.

He added that, more so than ever, the public's support is needed to keep up the new level of care. Residents can help the park by becoming a member of the Fort Greene Park Conservancy.

"What started as a few neighbors planting daffodil bulbs is now a robust non-profit organization that produces over 180 free programs and invests thousands of dollars in the park’s maintenance annually," Barker said. "Several times I paused to take a breather from the hustle of park operations to appreciate a freshly cut lawn, new recycling receptacles, or the warbler songbirds chasing insects across new native plantings. I hope you noticed the changes as well."

Photo by Kathleen Culliton/Patch