OSA FAQ Sheet
OSA is modeling itself after the Prospect Park Alliance, a hugely successful organization dedicated to the preservation, maintenance and continued improvement of Prospect Park in Brooklyn. Tupper Thomas, founder of the Prospect Park Alliance and an internationally recognized authority on public private partnerships, will be advising us on the development of OSA and will be an ex-officio board member. The OSA Executive Director will also be a full-time employee of the New York City Parks Department- half their salary will be paid by Parks, half by OSA. They will be the North Brooklyn Parks Director for the Parks Department, managing McCarren Park, McGoldrick Park, American Playground, Barge Park and all the new waterfront parks proposed in the 2005 rezoning.
OSA was formed in 2002. All board members are required to make an annual financial contribution.
The OSA board is now expanding. The ultimate number of board members has not yet been decided, but will continue to require an annual financial contribution. As many local organizations have come to realize- the work needed in this community to properly address parks issues requires paid staff. Foundations and traditional funding sources rarely provide general operating funds. These annual board member contributions not only make full time staff possible- it also demonstrates to foundations that the organization has a dependable cash flow and strong community dedication.
The OSA board is *NOT* an activist group, and will *NOT* be making decisions on behalf of the community. The Board would look to a Community Committee to be charged with garnering community consensus on parks issues and selecting parks projects which OSA would then fund and manage.
The Community Committee, following the successful model at the Prospect Park Alliance, would be an "organization of organizations". Member community groups band together to discuss parks issues, advocate for parks issues, and work with Community Board 1 to gain community consensus on parks issues and projects. In some cases OSA will fund professional consultants to work with the Community Board and the Community Committee to prepare conceptual designs for these parks projects. Once designs are approved by the Community, OSA will help raise construction funding through private sources- funding to be merged with money from the City, elected officials and foundations.
RECENT NEWS
OSA Co-Sponsors McCarren Park Pool Community Design
April, 25 2008
We at OSA could not be more thrilled at the results of our first partnership event with the Parks De...
