Tag: Prospect Park Alliance

c. Paul Martinka

A Fond Farewell to Lucio Schiavone

October 19, 2016

“Tanti auguri” is what to say when next you see Lucio Schiavone. The Naples native and beloved Prospect Park Alliance Carousel manager will step down from his post of twenty-six years this coming December. 

Schiavone came to New York in 1963 after marrying his wife, an American. Having attended the Academy of Art in Italy, he pursued a career as a painter and sculptor, and in 1988 was hired by the Prospect Park Alliance to assist in the restoration of the Carousel. The Carousel’s 53 horses, as well as a lion, a giraffe, a deer and two dragon-pulled chariots, were carved in 1912 by Charles Carmel, one of the foremost carousel designers of his era. Shuttered in 1983, the Carousel was in a rough state by the time Lucio was hired. 

“I couldn’t believe it,” said Lucio recounting his first time seeing the ailing Carousel. “One horse didn’t have a head… the giraffe’s back legs were gone.” 

The Carousel restoration, the Alliance’s first capital project in the Park, took 18 months, during which a team including Schiavone reassembled the fifty-one horses and other assorted animals, and fixed the air-pumped Wurlitzer band organ. When the project was completed, Lucio was asked to stay on to run the daily operations of the Carousel, a task that he has relished for decades. “From then up to now, I’ve loved everything I’ve done here, all the kids smiling when they go around. I love the kids, and that’s why I’m still here.”

Because of Lucio’s efforts and meticulous attention to detail, the Prospect Park Carousel continues to be a magical, wonderful amusement for children and adults alike. Lucio’s positive and playful demeanor has brought immeasurable joy to the lives of Prospect Park’s millions of visitors over his career.

Help us kick off Lucio’s retirement on November 5 at 11:45 am at the Carousel! The Prospect Park Alliance will be commemorating Lucio’s significant contributions by naming a favorite horse “Lucio” in his honor, and offering free carousel rides from 12-1 pm. Stop by and to tell Lucio “ci vediamo,” until we meet again. 

RSVP and learn more about Lucio’s November 5 celebration.

Get the New Prospect Park App

September 20, 2016

Looking for more ways to better explore and appreciate Brooklyn’s Backyard? Prospect Park Alliance has launched the Park’s first mobile app. The app is available now for iPhone, and Android. Through generous funding from the Brooke Astor Fund for New York City Education in The New York Community Trust, the Alliance was able to create an app that will help visitors better navigate the Park and discover its many destinations and attractions. It is also intended to help visitors expand their knowledge of Park history, wildlife, nature and much more.

The app is focused on an interactive map, which is designed to help visitors make the most of all of the Park’s 585 acres, and features a number of categories of destinations, from family-friendly fun to historic monuments and sites, recreation, natural areas and places to enjoy with dogs. In addition, the Park can be grouped into regions, to better explore and discover new areas, and you can track your progress in the Park through an activity log that tracks how much of the Park you have explored, and the distance covered.

A Learn + Explore section includes fun, interactive games and challenges that test your knowledge of Park history, nature and trivia, as well as exploration of the Park. Visitors can earn badges and prizes as they complete challenges and learn more about the Park.

The app also keeps you up-to-date on all the latest Park news and events, how to get involved as a member or volunteer with the Prospect Park Alliance, and general Park information, including hours, directions, event venues, permits and more.

A special thanks goes to the Rehash Studio team for working to make this app a reality.

The Prospect Park app is available in the Download the new app today on the iTunes store, and on Google Play. It’s free, so download it today and get exploring!

Jordan Rathkopf

Dog Beach Reopens After Renovation

September 13, 2016

Brooklyn’s dogs won’t need to sweat the heat! Dog Beach—a popular swimming area for dogs – has re-opened after two months of restoration and reconstruction.

The renovations included replacing pavement with natural stone slabs from upstate New York, replacing chain link fencing with a less intrusive, underwater fencing that provides a durable barrier separating swimming dogs from wildlife. The project also saw removal of invasive plants and installation of native ones to stabilize the pool edge and foster the health of the Lake’s aquatic habitats. All of this work benefits the Park’s diverse  wildlife populations, from fish and turtles to resident and migratory birds.

Dog Beach was closed to the public in early July to accommodate this work, and was initially scheduled to reopen in early 2017. However, the Alliance worked quickly and efficiently to open the beach ahead of schedule.

“Dog Beach is a treasured community resource, and off-leash hours are a unique resource for Brooklyn’s dogs and their owners,” said Sue Donoghue, Prospect Park Alliance President. “We commend our in-house design staff, whose hard work meant that we were able to improve this amenity and return it to public use quickly.”

“The early reopening of Dog Beach at Long Meadow in Prospect Park is welcome news to families making memories with their furry friends,” said Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams. “I am proud to have worked with the Prospect Park Alliance and the City Council’s Brooklyn delegation to fund these enhancements to Dog Beach, which, in combination with renovations to the Long Meadow ballfields, will make Brooklyn’s backyard a more welcoming environment for all of its visitors, whether they walk on two legs or four.”

“Even though it’s September, the “dog days” of summer are just beginning in Prospect Park,” said Council Member Brad Lander. “I’m happy that pups and pooches from across Brooklyn can return to a new and improved dog beach, and in time for a few refreshing summer swims. Thank you to the Prospect Park Alliance, [the NYC Parks Department], and my fellow Brooklyn elected officials for supporting this renovation, along with so many other projects currently underway in Prospect Park, and for completing the project nearly a full 6 months ahead of schedule.”

The re-opening was welcomed by the dog-owning community, who flock to the Long Meadow during off-leash hours. Visit our Things To Do With Dogs page for more details on off-leash hours and locations.

Funding for this project was provided by the Brooklyn Borough President’s office, Council Members Brad Lander and Stephen Levin, and the Brooklyn Delegation, as part of the renovation of the adjacent Long Meadow Ballfields.

Return of the Goats

August 18, 2016

This week, the Prospect Park Alliance welcomed back the herd of goats that are helping to restore woodlands in the Park’s northeast corner. The goats, which first came this past May, did such a great job chomping and chewing their way through the large number of weeds that had overtaken the area, that the Alliance sent them home to their farm in Rhinebeck, New York, until there was more for them to eat.

The first person to greet their arrival was Mary Keehbauch, the foreperson of the Alliance’s Natural Resources Crew, which oversees woodland restoration in the Park. “It is great to have the goats back to continue their important work,” said Mary. Sadly, the herd is returning a bit smaller, with Raptor and Skittles staying in Rhinebeck. “We will miss them, but their absence just reflects how productive the goats were in removing weeds during their first stay in the Park.”

What is it like to work with goats? According to Mary this earth-friendly approach has been a learning experience. “Each day the crew (which is also performing restoration work), first checks the goats, bringing them fresh water and herding them to the area that needs the most grazing. We secure them in the area having learned the hard way that the goats want to be where ever we happen to be working. They treat us as if we are an extension of their group. It’s sweet, really.” At the end of the day, the goats are returned to their overnight pen with fresh water and enough forage to last until the morning.  

Mary’s history with the Alliance, and the Park, goes back further than the goats. She began working at the Alliance nearly 10 years ago, starting with an internship with the Natural Resources Crew. This blossomed into playing a central role supervising the planting of the new landscape at the LeFrak Center at Lakeside, as well as the White Levy Esplanade and Baier Music Island, which serve as wildlife habitat.

After a brief hiatus from the Park to serve as the horticultural supervisor at Brooklyn Bridge Park, Mary returned this year to lead the charge with the Park’s goats. Mary not only ensures that the goats are well cared for and the invasive plants removed, but also oversees the planting of native plant species to the area, which will create important habitat for wildlife, including the Park’s nearly 250 species of birds.

It’s a major challenge, but between Mary, her crew and the goats, removal of invasive species and the full reintroduction of native plants is an attainable goal. And Mary, who considers herself more of a conservationist than a horticulturalist, gets to live her dream. “I figured out a way to live in New York City but still play in the woods all day.”

Learn more about goats at Prospect Park.

Video: 30 Seconds in Prospect Park

How many ways do people love Prospect Park? This 30-second piece by Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Marshall Curry shows quite a few. Curry, a Park Slope resident who comes to the Park to run, wander in the woods and cheer his kids at soccer games, was inspired to create this short video by the variety of passions and people he saw at the Park.

Share photos or short videos of your Prospect Park moments on social with hashtag #ProspectPark for a chance to be featured in a special edition of our Facebook and Instagram Photo of the Week.
 

Marshall gave us a few thoughts about his process and inspiration for the video:

“As a documentary filmmaker, I love to observe people, and one of the things I love about Prospect Park is how many different kinds of people there are, pursuing different passions. A friend of mine, Hilary McHone, used to shoot a one-second video with her phone every day and then knit them together into rapid-fire video journals of her life. It was amazing how evocative those super-short clips could be, how much story and mood could be packed into literally one second. One day I was at the Park, marveling at the diversity of people who were enjoying it in so many different ways – playing sports, wandering in the woods, having picnics with friends – and I thought the rapid-fire clips might be a neat way to try to capture what makes Prospect Park such a special place. So my co-worker, Daniel Koehler, and I scoured the web for clips that people had shot in the Park – not slick professional shots, but amateur (sometimes odd) genuine displays of passion – and edited together our 30 favorites.”

Marshall also loves the Park for his own purposes:

“One of the more unusual things that I have done at the Park is look at planets and the moon on a huge telescope with Brooklyn’s ‘Friendly Neighborhood Astronomer.’ I also love concerts in the summer, tossing baseballs and footballs with my kids. And the Park makes a big difference in the quality of life for my dog who might otherwise think that the world was made of concrete and asphalt.”

Shop for Prospect Park

July 28, 2016

In celebration of Prospect Park’s 150th anniversary, Same Sky, a trade initiative that provides employment opportunities for women struggling to lift themselves out of extreme poverty, with collectives of artisans in the United States and Rwanda, has launched the EARTH bracelet. The bracelet is made with the mission of keeping urban spaces green for visitors and wildlife alike, highlighting the importance of community and conservation.

Through the generosity of Same Sky founder Francine LeFrak, whose family also provided critical funding for the creation of the LeFrak Center at Lakeside, a portion of the proceeds of the EARTH bracelet will benefit the Prospect Park Alliance’s work to sustain, restore and advance Prospect Park, ensuring that Brooklyn’s Backyard is a vital, public green space for all to enjoy.

Visit the Same Sky website to purchase the EARTH bracelet benefitting the Prospect Park Alliance.

Dog Beach Restoration

July 13, 2016

The Prospect Park Alliance has begun the restoration of Dog Beach—a popular swimming area for dogs during off-leash hours. Located at the Upper Pool, where the Long Meadow meets the Ravine, Dog Beach is not only a place for dogs to stay cool in the summer months, but a scenic spot to enjoy nature.

“Improving Dog Beach will ensure that park visitors will have a beautiful amenity to enjoy, while we enhance the health of the lakeshore for wildlife,” said Sue Donoghue, President of the Prospect Park Alliance. “We thank our elected officials for providing funding for this project and for their continued dedication, which in the coming year alone represents a number of new projects in the Park.”

The project, which is part of a larger restoration of the Long Meadow Ball Fields and surrounding landscapes, was funded by the Brooklyn Borough President’s office, Council Members Brad Lander and Stephen Levin, and the Brooklyn Delegation.

The planned renovations will beautify Dog Beach by replacing the existing pavement with stone slabs, sourced from a quarry in upstate New York and reminiscent of streambeds found in the Adirondacks or Catskills. Cable and mesh fencing will replace the existing chain link fencing, providing a low profile and durable barrier that is safe for animals. The Alliance will also fortify the health of the watercourse by removing invasive aquatic plants along the shoreline. Boulders and native plants will then be installed, stabilizing the pool edge and improving aquatic habitats.

The project will kick off with a fish and turtle rescue to ensure that the Park’s wildlife isn’t impacted when the Upper Pool is drained for the restoration work. Dog Beach is slated to reopen next spring, just in time for the warmer weather.

City Budget Invests in Prospect Park

For the millions of Brooklyn residents who consider Prospect Park their backyard, exciting changes are on the horizon. The Prospect Park Alliance is delighted that, thanks to the support of Brooklyn’s elected officials, the recently approved city budget includes significant capital investments in the Park.

  • Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and the Brooklyn delegation of the City Council have pledged $2.5 million to restore Lefferts Historic House.
  • As part of the Alliance’s focus on improving the northeast corner of the Park, Mayor de Blasio has set aside $2 million for pathway improvements.
  • Borough President Eric Adams and Council Member Mathieu Eugene dedicated $1,750,000 to restore the Ocean Avenue perimeter.
  • Council Member Brad Lander contributed $750,000 for the ongoing restoration of the Long Meadow Ballfields.
  • Council Member Laurie Cumbo funded $500,000 to restore the historic Carousel.
  • Council Member Stephen Levin contributed $100,000 for a pilot program to improve the Park Drive’s running lane with a stretch of softer surface material that also improves drainage.
  • Through the participatory budgeting process, Council Members Eugene and Lander teamed up to fund a new aquatic weed harvester, and joined Borough President Eric Adams to fund a new dog run at the Parade Ground. Lander also funded new freeze-resistant, year-round drinking fountains and Eugene funded new community barbecue sites.

This funding comes after the recent announcement that Prospect Park was awarded funding through NYC Parks’ Parks Without Borders initiative, which will improve and open new entrances to the Park along Flatbush Avenue. Prospect Park Alliance staff will begin to design and plan this wide variety of projects in 2016, and will be busier than ever improving many areas of the Park over the coming years.

“We are fortunate to have such wonderful support from our local elected officials,” said Alliance President Sue Donghue, “and we are thrilled that these funds will be used to make Prospect Park even greater.”

The Alliance’s work to keep the Park green and beautiful continues, even while these restoration projects are underway. This critical work would not be possible without the support of our members, donors and volunteers. To join us in our mission to sustain Prospect Park, learn more about ways to get involved. 

c. Jonathan Grassi

Save the Date: 2016 Gala

July 11, 2016

Celebrate the history and future of Brooklyn’s Backyard, and one of New York City’s most important green spaces, at the annual Prospect Park Alliance Gala. This festive evening will take place on Saturday, October 22, at the Samuel J. and Ethel LeFrak Center at Lakeside.

This year’s Gala is the kick-off to the Alliance’s year-long 150th anniversary celebration, and supports the organization’s work to sustain, restore and advance Prospect Park.

For more information contact Allison Taylor, Director of Special Events, at 718-965-6992 or benefitevents@prospectpark.org.

Prospect Park Awarded Parks Without Borders Funding

May 25, 2016

The Prospect Park Alliance proposal to improve Flatbush Avenue is one of eight projects citywide to receive funding through the NYC Parks’ Parks Without Borders Initiative. The Alliance will use this funding to create two new park entrances along Flatbush Avenue, to restore a third entrance near Empire Boulevard and Ocean Avenue at the Park’s Children’s Corner, and to fund additional park improvements.

“The Prospect Park Alliance is committed to making the Park open and accessible to all communities bordering the Park,” said Prospect Park Alliance President Sue Donoghue. “We are thrilled that so many community members came out in support of our proposal, and I want to thank Commissioner Silver and NYC Parks for their support and vision through Parks Without Borders.”

Parks Without Borders seeks to make parks more open by improving entrances, transforming underutilized areas, and creating vibrant public spaces. The City dedicated $50 million to the program, $10 million of which had already been allocated to parks throughout the city, while the remaining $40 million was voted on through a public input process that took place earlier this year. NYC Parks collected community input from thousands of New Yorkers both online and through in-person events. The Flatbush Avenue perimeter project in Prospect Park was the most highly requested project proposal.

“Parks Without Borders has engaged thousands of New Yorkers, who shared ideas for park improvements online and in person.  That’s proof positive of how excited New Yorkers are to increase accessibility and openness in their favorite parks,” said Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver, FAICP. “Thanks to Mayor de Blasio’s OneNYC funding for this major placemaking initiative, we will positively transform New Yorkers’ experience of public space.”

In addition to Parks Without Borders funding, the Alliance has previously received $2.4 million from Borough President Eric L Adams and Councilmember Laurie Cumbo to renovate the Flatbush Avenue perimeter. Through this funding, the Alliance will restore and widen the pedestrian walkway, install new decorative fencing and add an allée of street trees along the park perimeter from Grand Army Plaza to the Children’s Corner, restoring the Flatbush Avenue perimeter to its original grandeur.