Lecture Archive
The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy is pleased to bring the best and the brightest in the field of parks management to Pittsburgh to share their expertise. Here we bring their stories to you.
From Bad to Great: Lessons from Central Park
September 21, 2009
Doug Blonsky, President of the Central Park Conservancy and Administrator of Central Park
Tim Fulton, former Director of Park Operations at the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy
Phil Gruszka, Director of Parks Management and Maintenance at the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy
Doug Blonsky highlighted the transformation of New York City's Central Park following the adoption of a zone management plan by the Central Park Conservancy. After taking over responsibility for park maintenance from the City, the CPC divided the park into 49 zones, each with a dedicated crew responsible for basic tasks such as litter and graffiti removal, low-branch tree pruning, and gardening. Each section's assigned gardener has accountability for his or her zone, providing a knowledgeable, uniformed presence that park volunteers and visitors can count on. Zone management was the catalyst for moving the whole park forward--it allowed the Conservancy to move beyond just capital restoration projects and into the many details that shape visitors' perception (and use) of the park.
Tim Fulton illustrated how the Buffalo Olmsted Park system implemented a zone management approach using lessons learned from Central Park. With the City facing bankruptcy and no longer able to fund park workers, the Conservancy had to rapidly implement a plan to take over maintenance of the parks. Within a year, zone management of the parks was underway, and the difference was quickly visible. Mr. Fulton stressed that having dedicated workers who enforced park rules was critical in changing the mindset of park users and creating more positive use of the parks.
Phil Gruszka detailed his use of the zone management system at Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. He explained some of the advantages of a decentralized approach to park maintenance: equipment is stored in the areas where it is most frequently used, workers assigned to a specific area drive less and burn less energy, and employees acquire the skills they need to effectively take care of their zones.
Download the speakers' presentations below in PDF format:
Doug Blonsky
Tim Fulton
Phil Gruszka
About Doug Blonsky
Doug Blonsky has been with the Central Park Conservancy since 1985. He was appointed President in 2004. He is also Central Park Administrator, appointed in 1998 when the Conservancy formalized its partnership with the City of New York by signing a historic management contract.
Mr. Blonsky oversees a staff of more than 250 and over 3,000 volunteers who contribute 30,000 hours of service each year. Mr. Blonsky has been directly responsible for the effective management of $250 million in capital projects, including a number that have received prestigious design awards. During his tenure, he has also managed the operational logistics of some of the largest events in the park, including The Gates; the September 11 first anniversary remembrance; the New York City marathon; annual performances by the New York Philharmonic and Metropolitan Opera; concerts by Garth Brooks, Sheryl Crow, Sting, and Dave Matthews; and a Mass given by Pope John Paul II.
A graduate of the University of Delaware and Cook College at Rutgers University, Mr. Blonsky holds Bachelor of Science degrees in both Plant Science and Landscape Architecture, and is a registered landscape architect in New York State.
About Tim Fulton
Tim Fulton has worked in parks management since 1985, serving as the Executive Director of the Austin Parks Foundation for three years before moving to Buffalo to become the Director of Park Operations at the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy, where he served from 2001-2007.
During his tenure in Buffalo, Tim oversaw the transition from the Conservancy's initial role of capital project management and programming through a sea change where the Conservancy was hired by the City and County to contractually manage the day-to-day maintenance of the Olmsted Parks System. During this transition, 22 municipal employees became employees of the Conservancy, joining a dozen existing employees and about 15 seasonal employees.
Tim is a graduate of Texas A&M in wildlife ecology. He is currently enrolled in the MBA program at the University of Buffalo and expects to receive his degree in May 2010. Tim is simultaneously consulting with the Niagara County Community College Horticulture Program to improve job training in the horticultural field in the Buffalo region.
About Phil Gruszka
An expert is horticultural management and arboriculture, Phil Gruszka has 30 years experience in the green industry and is an International Society of Arboriculture Certified Arborist. He spent 11 years at Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, PA, one of America's horticultural showplaces, as foreman of arboriculture and groundskeeping. He supervised 20 staff, plus volunteers and student interns. In addition to his horticultural duties covering over 1,000 formally planted acres, he initiated a woodland management program for the 700 forested acres aimed largely at stopping the spread of invasive Norway maple.
Mr. Gruszka received a Bachelor of Science in Forestry from the University of Illinois and interned with the United States Forest Service in Kremmling, Colorado. He graduated at the top of his class from the Davey Institute of Tree Sciences.
Mr. Gruszka is a leader in testing historically significant populations of trees and their contemporary replacements for genetic diversity and developing protocols for managing those historic collections and maximizing biodiversity while maintaining aesthetic attributes.