SPAC concerts are just one component of


the park’s recreational events. Other days, Mott and his team plan for 5-K races held by schools and numerous organizations, and the Great Pumpkin Challenge in the fall that attracts 2,000 runners. In October, nearly 8,000 people participate in the Color Me Rad Race. The park has four pools, a fish-stocking


event for kids, a nine-hole executive and an 18-hole championship golf course and seven pavilions for people to rent, plus, fishing, auto shows, and a year-round farmers market. In winter, there is snow-shoeing, cross-


country skiing, outdoor hockey and figure skating.


Working together The state Department of Environmental


Conservation provides the trees, which are registered historic landmarks, for the park. Local nurseries donate annuals for the entranceway and other areas throughout the park. “We have a lot of community interaction.


One is our Flower Power project. Usually a nursery located close to the park donates flowers. We provide signs naming the plants and the nursery that donated them,” Mott said. “We also have a great Friends Group.


They take on projects we don’t have the manpower to do. A geyser was once on the Ferndale Trail and went by the wayside. The Friends put up a bridge and replaced the fountain, and brought the trail back to what it used to be. They are a core group experienced in construction and hands-on work. They help engage community involvement by cooking hotdogs and raising money for projects. An example is the fish- stocking event that attracts up to 2,000 kids in late March or early April,” Mott said. The park also relies on grants and


private donations from organizations and companies to supply materials, such as crushed gravel, wood chips, and lighting.


Park partners Along with the impressive rows of pine


trees, the park is famous for its historic buildings and architecture. “One of the things that drew me to this


position in this park was its history and the area,” Mott said. “When you look at some of these buildings and the amount of stone and tile work that went into them, you can see why they are absolutely beautiful.” The buildings include the Victoria Pool


House, which was recently repainted and detailed from the ceiling down to the terrazzo floors. “We have to keep the buildings


historically correct,” Mott said. The park also includes the Roosevelt Bath House, Hall of Springs, Gideon


www.pef.org


Putnam Hotel, Catherine’s Restaurant, Saratoga Automobile Museum and National Museum of Dance. “We are partners with everyone in the


park, as well as the local Chamber of Commerce. We hold meetings to coordinate our calendars for events. They are all very involved with the park. Without them, the Friends Group and community, it would be very difficult to keep up with things such as basic maintenance,” Mott said.


Doing more with less “We don’t have the manpower or trained


staff to do what we used to do. A lot of the projects have to be contracted out,” Mott said. For example, an electrician who retired


last year trained another person to do the job. Mott said it was intense training as the 2,000-acre park has a lot of high voltage lines. Now, that person is leaving with no one to take his place. Mott said the staff has a lot of basic


knowledge of the park and of specific trades. “Many are planning to retire in the next


five years, and we will be left with very few people who have any real knowledge of the park, except for what they learned working seasonal employment. “I understand the public’s view about


state money going into the pockets of public employees and the benefits they receive. In this type of work, that’s the only way to keep good employees. It’s the only way to get people in and train them so we can keep running these parks in the future. Without that, we are going to see a degradation of the parks. “Part of the


public perception is the parks still look well maintained. But we are paying a lot of outside contractors to have them look good, instead of being able to keep them up ourselves. We are playing catch- up, more than anticipating things,” Mott said. “With staffing


cuts, this hinders our ability to perform basic and preventative maintenence in some areas, which may cause more expensive problems down the road. Our primary concerns are the preservation and upkeep of


ON DISPLAY – Robin Schumacher holds amaintenance free, all- weather interpretive panel she designed and produced for Minekill State Park.


the park structures and grounds, and the safety of our patrons,” Mott said.


More bang for the buck Tucked away in a small garage-type


building, another PEF member works on designing and creating permanent signage for Saratoga Spa State Park, as well as other parks. Robin Schumacher loves her work.


While she was finishing an interpretive panel for Minekill State Park, she talked about “I Love My Park Day,” when people come to help clean the park in the spring. “This is a people’s park, and they need


to appreciate it. Our biggest problem is vandalism. Some just don’t respect what we have,” Schumacher said as she pointed to an old bowling ball found on the grounds. “What I do saves the


state a ton of money. This panel would cost around $1,200 if a print shop made it. I can make it for $18,” Schumacher said. “All the signs are maintenance free. I know how to do what I do. The public doesn’t have any idea of the amount of talent we have here to run every angle in this park. They have no idea how much money we, as public employees, save them. They really


need to know that.”


The Communicator September 2014—Page 19 WWW.NYSPARKS.COM


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