Public Employee Press

Gracie’s Gardeners

By DIANE S. WILLIAMS

Sitting atop the promenade as FDR Drive traffic hums below are the verdant gardens of Gracie Mansion and Carl Schurz Park, a tranquil 15-acre paradise on the far eastern edge of Manhattan.

As bikers, hikers, and nannies pushing baby buggies wend through the greenery, DC 37 members are hard at work weeding flowerbeds, and planting and pruning 62 new trees for the MillionTreesNYC initiative.

“We’ve planted many evergreens to improve the winter landscape, and now have 30 species of native trees here,” said Gardener John Tweddle.

“This latest effort to restore city parks and improve our urban environment has helped Local 1507 gain 50 new Gardeners and Assistant Gardeners,” said Blue Collar Division Rep Robert Gervasi. The city offered the civil service exam for the first time in a decade, and employees receive horticulture training.

Beyond the gates are vibrant flowerbeds Parks Supervisors Local 1508 and Gardeners Local 1507 cultivate to make the riverside park a showplace of fragrant flora and century-old shade trees that overlook the East River.

City Park Workers in Local 1505 keep the grounds clean with help from DC 37’s Job Training Participants, while Parks Enforcement Patrol Officers and Urban Rangers in Local 983 help make Schurz Park one of the city’s safest.

The Parks Dept. relies heavily on volunteers and conservancies. If the city used its resources to hire more civil servants, imagine what it could mean for the agency, the union and New Yorkers who enjoy their green spaces.

As spring’s tulips fade to announce summer’s arrival, Gardener Mercedes Nuñez and Assistant Gardener Fred Chatterton dig up bulbs and add a hedge of boxwoods from the city’s Bronx greenhouse.

A renovation in 2002 restored Gracie Mansion to its original grandeur. The manor, now used mainly to receive dignitaries and for training Parks Dept. staff, is open to the public for tours only. Schurz Park is accessible daily.