Over 150 park enthusiasts attended OSA’s annual Party for the Parks on Thursday,, October 18th. The gala raised over $160,000 for North Brooklyn parks, and honored NYC Council Member Antonio Reynoso and Jed Walentas of Two Trees Management LLC for their commitment to expanding open spaces (shout out to our new favorite, the Two Trees Domino Park!). During the gala, OSA announced a huge change: instead of Open Space Alliance for North Brooklyn, they are now North Brooklyn Parks Alliance (NBPA).
Let’s take a quick look at NBPA’s accomplishments last year:
- Won a $100,000 GCEF grant for the design of the Under-Kosciuszko Bridge Park. We can hardly wait!
- Continued to develop parks as community hubs through friends groups, including helping 8 friends groups with goals and +$50K re-grants; underwriting a website, e-commerce capability and branding for Friends of Cooper Park and Friends of William Sheridan Playground; and funding a giveaway of free, reusable water bottles at Cooper Day at Cooper Park Houses to recruit for Friends of Cooper Park.
- Supported crucial park maintenance and fun programming, including the resurfacing the asphalt surfaces at Sternberg Park; the purchase of a trailer for supplies for park projects; a “deep clean” of Cooper Park, a sports and play equipment library at William Sheridan Library, and their first public art project, Ziemia in McGolrick Park.
We asked NBPA Executive Director Joe Mayock a few questions about the organization and the reason for its rebranding. Interview edited for clarity.
Go Green BK: What prompted the change in the organization’s name, and why? When did it become effective? Everyone seems to know OSA.
Joe Mayock: Yes, OSA was a known entity. We hope NBPA will become well known too! The name change came about for 2 reasons. “Open Space” is an insider’s term, and the old name (Open Space Alliance for North Brooklyn) was so long, most people dropped the words “North Brooklyn” from our name. North Brooklyn Parks Alliance is a better description of the organization’s location and mission. The change was effective on Oct 18 (the day of the gala).
Go Green BK: What can we look forward to next year?
Joe Mayock: In 2019, NBPA hopes to bring back a summertime outdoor concert series to the neighborhood (McCarren Park perhaps?) and continue to grow and expand the network of friends groups that support North Brooklyn parks.
