Not long ago, Paul Marzello was jogging through the Buffalo Naval Park when he noticed that the grounds were in disrepair. When he contacted the management at the park, he learned that there were no extra funds to do anything more than what was already being done*. It was then that Paul decided to take action, and began to recruit a team of green thumbs and landscape architects who would be willing to donate their time to a waterfront parcel of land that could really use some help. “I took it upon myself to form a small group of volunteers to do the upkeep and raise some money to improve it,” Paul told me. “So, starting with last year, we recruited Dean Gowen, noted local landscape architect, who graciously donated his time to create a design plan for us to use to entice donors, recruit volunteers and provide us with a vision as we reached out to the community.
“Beginning in May of this year, we formed two groups of volunteers. One group meets every Wednesday from 9 – 11:00 a.m. and the other group meets every Saturday from 8 a.m. – noon. The task list varies – weeding, mulching, pruning, raking, trimming, picking up garbage – pretty much whatever needs to be done. Work groups can be as little as two people to a high of fifteen. We have begun to see some real improvements, (as you can see here) and people are starting to notice.
“Now we are ready to move to the next phase. Through the help of the Rotary Club of Buffalo, I organized a couple of fund raisers for the Park which provided us some start up cash to buy soil, mulch, and tools. I met with Sally Cunningham, award winning WNY Garden and Landscaping Specialist last week. She was impressed with our progress and offered her resources to help us plan the details of our next phase. We plan to replant several beds and add some hardscape and signage to enhance the importance of the Park.”
Moving forward, Paul realizes that he can not do continue to make these types of time and resource commitments without the help of more people from the community (individuals, groups and businesses). He has asked that Buffalo Rising readers step up and help fulfill a wish list that he has compiled in order to continue on with this mission.
Here is my wish list:
-From area nurseries: flowers, plants, shrubs, soil, mulch
-From hardware stores: tools and gloves
-From companies that plan outdoor spaces: hardscape materials (benches, pavers, large planters, etc.) and assistance with designs.
-From readers: new volunteers
Thank you,
Paul J. Marzello Sr., Project Coordinator – Naval & Military Park Landscape Project
Volunteering to restore the Naval Park grounds and monuments as a sign of respect and gratitude to the men and women that served and died in the military to preserve our freedoms.
*The Naval Park leases the land from The City for one dollar a year.