Community leader: Closed conservancy a bad idea

Members of Community Board Two and the Board of the Washington Square Association, a local advocacy group, discussed plans to raise funds for improving Washington Square Park with community members last night.

Elizabeth Butson, a board member of the Washington Square Association, said the ultimate goal of the fund is to clean up and beautify Washington Square Park, especially with the upcoming restoration of the Washington Square Arch.

"When you restore something as beautiful as the arch, you look at the park around it, and you say that it should be a jewel as well," Butson said.

To finance these improvements, the Washington Square Association, one of the oldest civic groups in New York City, plans to form and endorse a fundraising body, called "The Fund for Washington Square." The fund will employ professional fundraisers to collect donations, said Anne Marie Sumner, chair of the Washington Square Association.

"We have been asked to spearhead a fundraising movement to improve the park ... and [the Washington Square Association] shall take leadership of this project to ensure the renaissance of the park," Sumner said.

The bill for cleaning up the park could run between seven and 20 million dollars, Butson said. To find the necessary funds, the Washington Square Association will look for board members "who can contribute, or people who, through their jobs, have access to funds which can make this project happen," Butson added.

Many community members thanked the Community Board members and the members of the Washington Square Association for taking on the project. Other community members, however, said they were concerned that the Washington Square Association's substantial involvement in the fundraising process would silence the voices of other community groups, especially when planning how the money would be spent.

David Reck, the president of the Committee to Save Washington Square, said if the Washington Square Association didn't involve other community groups, problems with the community would inevitably follow.

"What I'm worried about now is not only that there must be no impropriety, but that we must avoid the appearance of impropriety. A closed process causes conflict," Reck said.

Reck's organization, the Committee to Save Washington Square, is the same organization that has sued NYU over the construction of the new NYU School of Law building and the Kimmel Center for University Life.

Butson attempted to assuage community concerns, saying, "We want to work hand-in-hand with the Parks Department, and especially the community. It will be a very open process."