Baisley Pond Park

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Since 1999, Partnerships worked to improve Baisley Pond Park by increasing community involvement, programming and events, and physical improvements. Initially, few key stakeholders were involved in the park, so PfP worked to engage local residents and various constituencies to play a key role in turning the park around—such as school groups, seniors, and soccer players—and have built a database of approximately 800 Baisley supporters. Efforts include organizing pond ecology activities with science classes at nearby August Martin High School, fishing derbies for close to 400 children, and two large clean-up events with over 200 volunteers from organizations such as Delta Airlines, the Center for Art and Education, and Sotheby’s. Recognizing increased interest in the park, the local councilmember provided $785,000 for a gazebo and garden area (completed in June xx) that will improve the park for local residents, providing a location for weddings and other festivals. This presence will help show local residents that there is increased interest in and support for the park.

Formed in 1999, the Friends of Baisley Pond Park consisted of twenty-seven core members and an additional coalition of approximately 80 people, who have worked with civic associations (e.g. Dunton Block Association, Sutphin Boulevard Civic Association), local schools (P.S. 123, 223, 45), religious organizations (Rush Temple), and senior centers (Rockaway Senior Center) to revitalize the park through special events and outreach programs. While supporters have conducted outreach and spurred increased park activity, they have not united different interest groups to work together on park programming and improvements in a coordinated, strategic way. Some community groups advocate for physical improvement projects, while others organize soccer or rollerblading clinics, and still others host fishing derbies. In order to benefit the park and community in the future, we must create a strategic vision that coordinates disparate efforts and unites various stakeholders as a leadership group.

City Park Foundation's Catalyst Program Sites 2006 to 2013
updated 10/2013 by Partnerships for Parks