Hoboken Seeking “Friends of the Parks” to Coordinate Volunteer Maintenance and Financial Support

“I am the Lorax, I speak for the trees…” – Dr. Seuss

(ABOVE: Cherry blossoms in Church Square Park)

The City of Hoboken is making an appeal to residents who are interested in becoming “Friends of the Parks,” to help coordinate care, management and philanthropic support for the city’s open space.

Based on similar stewardship programs in in New York City, Pittsburgh, Austin, and others, “Friends of the Parks” looks to recruit volunteers and community leaders to support and improve Hoboken’s parks.

WWI Memorial in Hoboken’s Elysian Park

“Hoboken is committed not only to building out more open space, but also maintaining and improving our existing parks,” said Mayor Ravi S. Bhalla. “The ‘Friends of Parks’ model has proven successful in other cities, and will help provide the tools and resources we need to further upgrade our parks. Thank you to Director Jen Gonzalez for leading this effort, and to all residents who sign-up to join our park groups.”

The Mile Square City is currently dotted with a number of parks—with more on the way. While much of the park space can be attributed to environmental resiliency projects as part of the Rebuild By Design project, the care and upkeep of all these spaces has long been a question hanging over Hoboken’s voracious park acquisition. With looming layoffs in the face of a significant municipal budget crunch, those concerns are coming into greater focus.

Groundbreaking at Hoboken’s Northwest Park (City of Hoboken photo)

The City will initially launch groups in three parks for 2020: Friends of Church Square Park, Friends of Elysian Park, and Friends of Jefferson Park. According to a press release, “These groups will equip Hoboken residents who are passionate about neighborhood parks with the skills, tools, and community to work together for park improvements. The program will engage the community through volunteer programs and events, and invest in our green spaces by helping to finance projects within the parks.”

For more information on how to get involved, CLICK HERE.

Church Square Park – photo via City of Hoboken

***