PRESS RELEASE- Oishei Foundation Grant
$307,000 GRANT AWARDED TO BUFFALO OLMSTED PARKS CONSERVANCY
FOR 20-YEAR PARKS PLAN
FROM THE JOHN R. OISHEI FOUNDATION
The John R. Oishei Foundation has awarded a $307,000 grant to the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy for support of its 20-Year Parks Management & Restoration Plan. The plan concept, modeled after Central Park in New York City, will serve as a restoration roadmap for our Olmsted parks in Buffalo. In total, the Management and Restoration Plan is expected to cost $655,500. The Conservancy had already raised $168,190 in addition to the Oishei grant and is currently raising the remaining $180,000.
The Oishei grant will fund the Conservancy’s Design Center, responsible for creating and publishing the plan, and for several important park demonstration projects including the installation of historic pathways and system wide signage, and the creation of “no mow zones” which will enhance the landscape variety in each of the six major Olmsted parks. The grant will also fund a series of “Open House” meetings for the public to review the plan.
"We are very pleased to be a partner in this significant effort that will provide a road map for the future care and management of our treasured Olmsted Park system." commented Thomas E. Baker, President of The John R. Oishei Foundation.
“As the newly appointed stewards of Buffalo’s Olmsted Park system, the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy is extremely honored to receive this substantial grant,” said Deborah Ann Trimble, the Conservancy’s Executive Director. “We can now move forward with our efforts to plan for the complete restoration of the parks, restoring the vision of Olmsted and returning these parks to vibrant community gathering places.”
On July 1, 2004, the Conservancy entered into a management agreement with Erie County to manage, operate and maintain Buffalo’s historic Olmsted Park system. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the system encompasses 75 percent of the city’s parkland. This is the first time in the nation that a not-for-profit organization has been selected to oversee an entire park system.
It is the vision of the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy to become the top park management organization in the country, known for implementation of visionary urban planning and best practices in park management and operations.
The John R. Oishei Foundation’s mission is to enhance the quality of life for Buffalo area residents by supporting education, healthcare, scientific research and the cultural, social, civic and other charitable needs of the community. The Foundation was established in 1940 by John R. Oishei, founder of Trico Products Corporation, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of windshield wiper systems.
The Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy, now in its 26th year, maintains Buffalo’s historic Frederick Law Olmsted-designed Park System, the first of its kind in the nation. In partnership with Erie County, the City of Buffalo and the community, the Conservancy works to revitalize Delaware, Cazenovia, Front, Martin Luther King, Jr., Riverside and South Parks and their connecting parkways, circles and other spaces. World-renown as the “Father of Landscape Architecture,” Olmsted also designed the Parkside neighborhood, the grounds of the H.H. Richardson Complex, Niagara Square, and the Niagara Falls State Park, as well as New York’s Central Park, the grounds of the U.S. Capitol and the White House, Yosemite National Park and famous parks and green spaces throughout North America. To learn more about the Conservancy, call 838-1249 or visit http://www.joinolmsted.org.
For More Information: Joy Testa Cinquino, marketing & pr manager, 716-838-1249 ext. 17, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) |
