By Richard Wade:
The Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy, which is in charge of the management and operation of The Olmsted Parks System by The City of Buffalo and Erie County, continues to take the responsibility seriously. The Conservancy hasn’t allowed a potentially tumultuous contract negotiation with the City of Buffalo to hamper their upcoming Capital Projects; slated for the Scajaquada Creekside Trail and The Riverside Park Minnow Pools (now being called RiverRock Gardens) of which they held two recent public meetings, on March 15 and March 24 respectively, to present preliminary designs. “We are holding these public meetings to receive public feedback and to work with the community,” said Greg Robinson, Landscape Architect for the Olmsted Parks Conservancy.
Back in September 2009, Buffalo Mayor Byron W. Brown informed Erie County Executive Chris Collins of his intent to retake control of the City’s parks, including the Olmsted Parks. The Parks Conservancy met with the City’s Corporation Attorney during the fall, sharing information about our park operations, budget, and equipment needs. “On December 31, 2009 we received a letter from the Mayor indicating that he was assuming our contract to continue maintaining the parks. Then on January 15, the City of Buffalo provided the Conservancy with a payment of $329,000, which allowed us to continue for the first quarter of this year,” said David J. Colligan, Chairman of the Board of Trustees.
Funding for the $1.2 million project was secured through Assemblyman Sam Hoyt, NYPA for the Niagara River Greenways and Senator Antoine Thompson’s office. “I saw the value and need for improvement in the projects,” said Representative Sam Hoyt, D-Buffalo, when asked about the necessity of securing the funding. Designing plans for improving such an endeavor would seem rather daunting to the normal person. “The design process, from start to finish, has taken roughly six to nine months,” according to Robinson. “We expect the construction time to take approximately six months.”