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Parks & Public Spaces
Applications from Madison Square Park Conservancy for Annual Roster of Programming in 2023.
At the regularly scheduled monthly Community Board Five meeting on Thursday, February 09, 2023, the following resolution passed with a vote of 33 in favor; 0 opposed; 2 abstaining:
WHEREAS, Madison Square Park Conservancy ("Applicant") has submitted applications for their annual roster of programming for 2023; and
WHEREAS, The following roster of programming and events are currently scheduled for 2023:
- Programs for Art Talks from February through June, Howl-O-Ween in October, Leaf Fest in November, Holiday Tree Lighting in December, Music on the Green, Ecology Walk, and Garden Walk to be conducted in a manner and place consistent with past years’ events,
- Party in the Park, annual Fundraiser, to be held on March 28,
- Pup Parents’ Day for canine lovers, to be held on May 11,
- Horticulture Programs including a Spring/Summer exhibition on the Geometry of Flowers, a Zoom series on the history of trees, Garden Walks and several other programs throughout the year,
- Public Volunteer Days,
- “Open Green” lawn access seven days a week from mid-March through September, weather permitting,
- Seasonal Garden Display across the park,
- Sustainability Programs to be held throughout the year including a scavenger hunt, food scrap drop offs, wildlife outings, nature challenges, an outdoor Waste Expo (fair) focusing on recycling and waste reduction, Firefly Watch Party, Plastic and Solar Power Pop Ups and the Waste Warriors program for recycling and composting; and
WHEREAS, Applicant will also host the Big Apple Barbeque (the “Barbeque”), to be held on Tuesday, June 13 from 5:30pm to 8:30pm. This is a new event which will be dissimilar in a nature to the historical Big Apple Barbeque previously held in Madison Square Park; and
WHEREAS, The Barbeque will only be three hours one weekday night, as opposed to the previous incarnation’s footprint of an entire weekend, will include only a section of Madison Square Park and only roughly 30 local restaurants, will only include 1-2 small grills with most food cooked off-site and feature only a small band; and
WHEREAS, The Applicant noted that with a portion of Madison Square Park under construction and unavailable for marketing events, the Barbeque will be providing a much needed revenue source; and
WHEREAS, Applicant will advise Community Board Five of any changes or additions to the roster of programming, if any; and
WHEREAS, Community Board Five believes that the nature of the programming is greatly to the public's benefit, and will continue to improve public access to Madison Square Park on event days from prior years; and
WHEREAS, Applicant has committed to return to Community Board Five to separately discuss any additional marketing or commercial events in 2023, subject to Community Board Five's standard review process and public hearings; and
WHEREAS, There is long-standing precedent for these events in Madison Square Park, and Community Board Five has found a significant amount of support for these events from residents and stakeholders in the community; and
WHEREAS, Applicant has agreed that if there are any material changes to any event from previous years (i.e., signage, set-up, scale, location, and/or ancillary activities), they will return and present these changes to Community Board Five; and
WHEREAS, When presenting future event applications, Applicant will clearly state whether or not these events are occurring concurrently with previously approved special events; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, Community Board Five recommends approval of the applications from Madison Square Park Conservancy for their annual roster of programming for 2023.