Dear Supporters,
I emailed the conservancy this morning regarding our petition. The email went to Caroline Greenleaf and Chris Nolan at the Conservancy, but I also copied other city and park officials. Please see this list and the email I sent below.
In this battle to get the skate circle resurfaced, we are happy to lead the charge. However, we need you to back us up if we are to succeed. We are asking for your HELP. PLEASE take a moment to email any or all of the park and officials below telling them why you signed the petition. Email anyone you think might help.
To be clear, our vision is for The Skate Circle to be recognized and developed as a large recreational area from the volleyball courts to the bottom of the circle. A place of community and renewal for all the people with all types of recreational activities taking place. It is our park and it is our tax dollars that will pay for it. So PLEASE send this petition to anyone who believes in the power of community and outdoor recreational activities as a way of healing our aching minds, bodies and souls. The Skate Circle could become a beacon of light and hope in the center of NYC during a very dark time in human history. It is about the people, the people, the people, as Wayne is constantly reminding me. He is right!
“You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one”. We have to believe in a brighter future and then have the courage and commitment to make it a reality. So please, let the city and park officials know who you are and why you care!
I will let you know if or when the Conservancy responds! Don’t worry. We have a plan for what to do if they don’t reply in a timely fashion.
Regards,
Anthony
ebeyer@centralparknyc.org
aconyer@centralparknyc.org
smcconkey@centralparknyc.org
pjabouin@centralparknyc.org
CGreenleaf@centralparknyc.org
cnolan@centralparknyc.org
centralparkconservancy@centralparknyc.org
anthony.sama@parks.nyc.gov
VDiaz-Lopez@manhattanbp.nyc.gov
mwashington@manhattanbp.nyc.gov
gbrewer@manhattanbp.nyc.gov
action@comptroller.nyc.gov
Dear Ms. Greenleaf and Mr. Nolan,
My name is Anthony Donoghue, a long time resident of the Upper West Side of Manhattan. At the beginning of August, I posted a petition on change.org (co-written along with Mark Broomer and Sal Rentas), looking for support to have the funds released for the resurfacing of the skate circle in Central Park. We have garnered 700 signatures thus far without much publicity. You can read the petition here: https://chng.it/2VVnq8nK
To remind you of who I am, on April 15th of this year, I, along with other members of the board of CPDSA gave a presentation to the Conservancy, a presentation you both were invited to but did not attend. In the presentation, we laid out the positive force CPDSA events have been for the last 26 years in attracting New Yorkers and tourists to the park. We also asked you to renew the support you always gave the CPDSA in the past with a larger storage box. Finally, we asked for an update regarding the resurfacing. On April 19th, the only member of the Conservancy who did attend the presentation, Stan Steen, sent a curt email to Bob Nichols, President of CPDSA, asking him to remove asap the couple of things (outside the box) he could not fit in the box you provided. On April 20th, I responded by emailing all city and park officials Bob invited to attend the presentation (as I am doing again with this email). Yes, I expressed my annoyance and disappointment with regard to Stan’s email showing Bob such disrespect. More importantly, I laid out a vision for the skate circle as a great recreational area, not just for skating, but all sorts of recreational activity. No one from the city or park responded. I have since resigned from the board of the CPDSA.
On August 4th, I asked supporters of the petition to email you both to ask about the status of the resurfacing. On August 22nd, John Ceglarek replied on your behalf stating the following:
“The Conservancy has submitted a work order to the Parks Department for the resurfacing work and they are currently waiting on final registration of the funds and project from the City Comptroller's office.”
In response to Mark’s request for a timetable, John emailed:
"We do not have a timetable on the approval from the Comptroller's office. They did not share that information with us"
Finally, when Mark asked John for an email address for the Comptroller’s office, he got no response at all.
I am asking you now to please give me and the supporters of our petition specific details and dates for when the resurfacing of the skate circle will be done. We are tired, disappointed and growing very impatient. We, the people, now more than ever, need an outdoor space where we can come together for recreation and renewal. After a year and a half into COVID-19, we really and truly need this. We are asking you to move the process forward to ensure the $80,000 of our tax dollars, allocated for the resurfacing, is received asap by the Conservancy, so the resurfacing can get done without further delay.
As the main author of our petition, I am representing the skaters and all our supporters who have enjoyed the skate circle over the years. It is truly an historical and magical place. Please go and sit there some quiet evening to get a sense of what I am trying to express to you. You have the power to do some good for New York and its people. We are happy to work with you to make that happen, so the skate circle can become a fun and safe area for all New Yorkers to enjoy. A beacon of light and hope in the center of NYC during a very dark time in human history.
I would appreciate it if you would respond to this email by the end of the business day, Wednesday September 1st with concrete evidence that the process of resurfacing the skate circle is moving forward and will get done this year. Our supporters deserve the right to know. Please don’t disappoint them!
I look forward to hearing from you by then. Thank you in advance!
Sincerely,
Anthony Donoghue
Lecturer in Discipline: Columbia University
Author: Statistical Thinking through Media Examples, 3rd Edition, 2021