For a decade, the Conservancy has leveraged community support to bring additional resources to Washington Square Park, to the tune of nearly $3 million. If you look around you in the Park you can see the results. More staff at work, less trash on the ground; more positive activation, less negative usage. But to really understand the impact, the numbers tell the story the best; a story not just about tools and equipment, but about the additional hands making a difference in Washington Square Park. 

One number really started it all: 0. That was the increase in operational support NYC Parks provided following their 2009-2014 renovation. As Phase 2 work proceeded, Phase 1 improvements were already deteriorating. The beautifully redone pathways were littered with trash. Improved restroom facilities were installed without increased staffing to maintain and monitor them. Washington Square was more appealing than ever and attracted ever greater crowds, but the city resources to maintain the space didn’t increase accordingly. 

After forming in 2012, the Conservancy funded its first staffing line through a grant to NYC Parks, a Playground Associate to enhance kids’ experience in the play spaces in 2013. At a $5,000 cost for the season it was a modest start, but one that still comprised nearly a third of WSPC’s annual budget that year and began a steady stream of incremental staffing increases that has continued to be a driving principle of the Conservancy’s work. In 2022, Conservancy-funded NYC Parks positions totaled nearly $315,000, a 6200% increase to now nearly 40% of the annual organizational spending. That’s 2 year-round gardeners, 2 year-round and 2 seasonal maintenance staff, and a year-round Playground Associate working hard to improve your experience. And that’s just on the Park side of the equation, because staff on WSPC’s payroll also spend a portion of their time tackling in-Park programming and volunteer efforts. The team has grown from 0 employees in 2012 to 3 full-time staff and a roster of seasonal fellows in 2022. Those contributions represent another 10% of the annual organizational spending.

While WSPC has grown contributions beyond staffing—such as purchasing over 175,000 plants and enough supplies to clean over 21,000 sq ft of graffiti— building a team has remained one of the Conservancy’s most significant contributions to the Park. Because the staff is the heart of this Park. They move, like lifeblood, through the pathways — fixing what’s broken, cleaning what’s needed, and constantly working hard to make the space enjoyable for us all. 

Without Conservancy support, there is no full-time gardener, no playground associate, and no additional maintenance crew to keep the Park staffed past 5pm. City resources simply aren’t there. So when you contribute to WSPC, you’re making a direct and tangible impact on the Park. It means a crew to empty trash receptacles up until 10:00pm during the height of the season. It means the bathrooms are open nearly 1,000 more hours a year on average than in other public parks because there is staff to service them. It means cleaner playgrounds and more enriching activities year round thanks to the loving attention of Miss Debbie. It means countless hours of free programs for the public to enjoy in the warmer months.

They say “put your money where your mouth is” and WSPC is happy to comply. That’s why out of the nearly $3 million contributed to Washington Square Park over the last decade, over $1.75 million was spent on staffing, a whopping 62% of the total funding we have provided for the Park. For a decade the Conservancy has committed to raising the standard in Washington Square Park, and truly, building a team has made all the difference.