Following a
joint announcement made by Mayor Byron Brown and County Executive Chris Collins
that the City of Buffalo would take control of the City’s six Olmsted Parks by
the end of the year, Olmsted Conservancy CEO Thomas Herrera-Mishler fears that care of the parks will be taken out of the conservancy’s hands, and will be holding a press conference at 10AM this morning at the
Delaware Park Marcy Casino to garner support. (More in this Buffalo News
article.)
The City has
not come to the table with the Conservancy for negotiation yet, but one of the
issues raised in the announcement is the conservancy’s hiring practices.
Herrera-Mishler
counters that his staff, which has been caring for the parks, circles and parkways is
made up of over 40 percent minorities “many of whom have made their way
out of welfare and into green collar jobs thanks to the conservancy.” He
asks what other cultural institution in town can boast of that level of
diversity.
In addition,
Herrera-Mishler states that around 68 percent of his staff lives in the city
but in view of the fact that this has been a county-funded institution, there
was no city requirement. In addition, Herrera-Mishler contends that the
conservancy’s hiring practices are based on the meritocracy of worker’s skills
and abilities.
Herrera-Mishler
is perplexed, stating, “We have raised $8 million for operating the parks
since we signed the contract in 2004, matching the $8 million that local
government has spent. The board alone has given over $1 million for operating
the parks. The Control Board estimates that it will cost the City $11 million
to run [all of the city’s] parks. The County offered to do it for $5.7 million,
with just over $2 million of that designated for the Olmsted Parks, even though
we care for over 60 percent of the city’s parkland.
Until the
City and the conservancy have a chance to sit down together to hash out a plan,
Herrera-Mishler is concerned about the overall care of the parks and notes
their appearance, saying, “Our work should speak for itself.”
Image:
Marcy Casino in Delaware Park from the conservancy website.