Rose F. Kennedy Greenway Conservancy Executive Assistant to the Board and Executive Director, Amy Dwyer, presented a progress update on construction of the new carousel on the Greenway.The presentation took place at the January 10, 2013 meeting of the North End / Waterfront Residents’ Association (NEWRA).
The custom carousel, featuring New England animals instead of traditional horses, will replace the rental carousel on the Greenway next to the Harbor Islands Pavilion, between Christopher Columbus Park and Faneuil Hall Marketplace. Construction on the surrounding park and carousel installation will start this Spring with an anticipated opening on Labor Day 2013. In the interim this summer, that section of the Greenway will be cordoned off.
Watch the video for the complete update and Q&A.
This “New Greenway Carousel Update” presented January 10th at the NEWRA meeting left more unanswered questions than delivered answers. In her defense though Greenway Conservancy rep, Amy Dwyer, as Executive Admin to the Board AND the Executive Director is at the mercy of getting information out of an empty chair, literally. Her former boss Nancy Brennan is now hard on the west coast directing a new museum gig. However, a more ‘colorful update’ was ealier painted by Globe staffer, David Filipov, June 30, 2012 “A carousel with a saucy Boston accent”. If one were to track the numbers and costs in that article there’s a $800,000 hole (read shortfall) in the $3,000,000 merry-go-round budget. Or, once again another whale-tale coming out the blow-hole. Then the quoted dollar figures came from Executive Director Brennan. Dwyer, now the apparent spokesperson for all things exciting and merry about the new-go-round said it was ALL paid for by anonymous donors. Quite a trick in a recovering economy as the establishment of a BID (Business Improvement District) by the Conservancy gets the cold breezy stare. Dwyer also didn’t know future maintenance costs, or if any new staffers would be hired to run the new Merry Go Round, or if the old vendor of the leased carousel ($85,000 seasonal profit) would be asked back to run the new updated crustacean-themed model. Back in June Brennan acknowledged $1.6 million came in from an anonymous donor; $250,000 from the Mass. Cultural Council; and $350,000 from ‘elsewhere’ Brennan anonymized at the time. Unnamed surveys and a check-in with prominant merry-go-rounds around the country, said Dwyer assured a ‘doubling’ of ridership, hence ticket sales. This will be helpful if true because “all funds”, informed Dwyer, “would go directly to the Conservancy”. Maybe some also for flowers it is hoped. Last year the Conservancy spent about 1% of their $5,000,000 annual budget ($50,000) on the overmanaged, organically staffed, food truck encampment. Fortunately a growing roster of ‘Friends’ groups are circling their own wagons along the 1.5 mile Greenway to assist and deliver ‘world-class-gardens’ and maybe even some shade and beauty; for FREE, that is if and when the state, in the form of Mass. DOT stops funding this particular median-go-round. — Ken