2014 Year in Review - Friends of the Public Garden

Friends of the Public Garden
2014 Year in Review
FRIENDS
OF THE
PUBLIC GARDEN
gw0ihg0afhnsg
2014 board
of directors
officers
Anne Brooke, Chair
Colin Zick, Vice Chair
Catherine Bordon, Secretary
William Clendaniel, Treasurer
directors
Allison Achtmeyer*
Christine Anderson
Valerie Burns*
Claire Corcoran
Linda Cox**
Brian DeLorey
Kate Enroth
Kate Gilbane**
Frank Gilligan**
Hannelore Grantham**
Jeannette Herrmann
Abigail Mason*
June McCourt
Frank Mead
Tim Ian Mitchell**
Barbara Moore
Sherif Nada*
Beatrice Nessen
Katherine O’Keeffe*
Donna Petro**
Margaret Pokorny
Frederick Putnam**
Patricia Quinn
Anne Swanson
Allan Taylor*
2
photography
Elizabeth Jordan: cover; inside front cover; page 1;
page 2; page 6 – Brewer Fountain Plaza; page 9 –
frame with people. Susan Symonds for Infinity
Portrait Design: page 3. Caroline Phillips-Licari:
page 4 – beetle trap; page 5 – Brewer Fountain and
tree pruning; page 9 – framed scenery. Michael
Dwyer: page 4 – Duckling Day; page 5 – apples.
Robert Mulcahy: page 6 – Dutch elm disease. Rika
Smith McNally & Associates: page 7 – Leif Eriksson.
Chapin Library, Williams College, Gift of the
National Trust for Historic Preservation: page 7 –
White Memorial. Hill Holliday: page 8 – mbta
signage. David Rosen: inside back cover. ©Steve
Dunwell: back cover.
design
Jim Hood, hooddesign.com
Copyright © 2015 Friends of the Public Garden, Inc.
ex officio
Mary Kane
Christine Letts*
Sharon Malt
Margaret Morton*
honorary
Ann K. Collier
Nina Doggett
Maurice E. Frye, Jr.
Barbara Hostetter
president emeritus
Henry Lee
* term began in 2014
** term ended in 2014
†
deceased
council
Jane Bindley
Rick Burnes
Arthur Clarke
Linda Cox, co-chair
Nina Doggett, co-chair
Ronald Druker
Jean Egan
Deborah Hale
Jim Hood
Barbara Hostetter
Elizabeth Johnson
Thomas Kershaw
Christine Letts
Ellen West Lovejoy
Leslie Lucchina
Jane McKinnell
Margaret Morton
Peter Nessen
Elizabeth Owens
Robert Owens
Peter Page†
Lyn Paget
Fred Pfannenstiehl
Julia Pfannenstiehl
Kate Pokorny
Sue Prindle
Jason Skypeck
Charles Stone
Theresa Stone
Jim Storey
Lise Striar
Abigail Trafford
William Walczak
Marty Walz
Amy Wilson
staff
Elizabeth Vizza
Executive Director
Mary Halpin
Director of Development
Robert Mulcahy
Project Manager
Eileen Scafidi
Communications and Outreach
Director
Elizabeth Jordan
Executive and Development
Associate
Stephen TenBarge
Accountant
mission
To preserve and enhance the Boston Common,
Public Garden, and Commonwealth Avenue Mall.
vision
The Boston Common, Public Garden, and
Commonwealth Avenue Mall are nationally
important havens of natural beauty within an
urban environment, enhanced with sculpture,
where people delight in their surroundings and
gather with others. In our vision these great
outdoor spaces are buoyed by large and diverse
groups of tending stewards working in partnership
with the City and will forever be parks of the
highest level of excellence.
We are pleased to report that 2014 will go
down as a milestone year for the Friends of
the Public Garden in working with the City
to care for the Boston Common, Public
Garden, and Commonwealth Avenue Mall.
Please join us in celebrating the completion
of a successful year of accomplishments,
none of which would have been possible
without you.
“Ah, the great indoors,” said no one ever was one
of several phrases that appeared on eye-catching signage at mbta sites throughout the
city, courtesy of a generous and creative marketing campaign by Boston communications
firm Hill Holliday. These signs engaged new
audiences, introduced them to our organization, and served as a reminder of our work to
those who know us.
In 2014, we invested $952,000 directly into
parks care, with an additional $1.6 million
spent to complete the Brewer project on the
Common. We also made significant progress
on goals set out in our five-year strategic
plan, which you can read more about on
page 8.
As Bostonians flocked to Brewer Fountain
Plaza, they let us know how much they
enjoyed the enhanced area despite lunching
near the last phase of our construction fencing. The project sailed to a November finish,
marking the completion of the most ambitious capital project in the Friends history.
We look forward to the 2015 season on the
plaza when everyone can fully enjoy the
results of this exciting project.
This has also been a year of relationship
building with Mayor Walsh, our newly
elected city and state officials, and the City’s
newly appointed Parks Commissioner, Chris
Cook. We look forward to continuing our
four-decade partnership with the City, to care
for and improve our three treasured parks.
As we continue to advocate for our parks, we
appreciate your help in these efforts. Members voiced concern over the condition of the
Boston Common following the Freedom
Rally (also known as Hempfest), and many
submitted letters. Your concerns and ours
were shared with the Parks Department, to
be considered when the group applies for its
next permit. We must be continually vigilant
to make sure that events on the Common enhance the public’s enjoyment of the park
while at the same time mitigating the damage
caused, in order for this intensively used
space to thrive over the long term.
A major milestone of 2014 came in the last
few days of the year when we finalized purchase of our office at 69 Beacon Street from
Santander Bank. Thanks to Santander, we
enjoyed three rent-free years at a perfect location for the Friends, directly across the street
from the Common and Garden and close to
the Mall, easily accessible to the public. A
permanent home gives us stability, and we
are grateful to Santander for a below-market
purchase price and to First Republic for favorable mortgage terms.
We thank you for your tremendous support,
and we honor you with our commitment to
preserve, enhance, and advocate for our three
historic parks.
Anne Brooke, Chair
Elizabeth Vizza, Executive Director
3
2014 by the numbers
4
This page, left to right: Elm bark beetle
trap in tree; ducklings enjoying Duckling
Day
Opposite page, left to right: Boston
school children enjoy apples during
Making History on the Common;
conservation maintenance of the Brewer
Fountain; tree pruning in the Garden
313,588
THOUSANDS
CAPTURED
Friends-sponsored events including
elm bark beetles
570
miles
walked
by consulting
arborist to
inspect and
treat trees
and supervise
pruning
during 2014 trapping program
OF CHILDREN ENJOYED
Duckling Day,
Making History on the Common,
and Puppets on the Common
1,200
T R E E S T R E AT E D
against diseases such as Dutch elm disease
20
RO S E
brigade
volunteers
tended
280
ROSE BUSHES
34
$952,000
invested in care of
the parks, including
annual support for the
Park Rangers
Statues and
Memorials
Conserved and
Maintained
in the common, the
public garden, and the
commonwealth avenue
mall – two victorian
fountains maintained
330
TREES PRUNED
in all three parks
$1.6 million
spent to complete a
multi-year revitalization
of Brewer Plaza and
surrounding parkland
5
Maintaining and
renewing special places
6
This page, left to right: Streaking of wood
indicates Dutch elm disease; Brewer
Fountain Plaza is the place to be on a
beautiful summer day
Opposite page, left to right: Conservator
works on Leif Eriksson statue at Charlesgate
on the Mall; 1924 image of George Robert
White Memorial fountain with water spouting from ram’s heads
Continuing elm tree preservation
Revitalizing a remarkable destination
Preserving public art in our parks
Bringing the water back
Of the 1,700 trees the Friends cares for in
our three parks, roughly 450 are elms.
Many of these great old trees are over a
century old and some over two centuries
old. Extending their lifespans is the first
priority of our tree care program.Tackling
Dutch elm disease was one of the Friends
first tasks in the 1970s, and we are still
working today to protect our elm tree population from a threat with no known cure.
Walking through the Brewer Fountain
Plaza and parkland area on Boston Common prior to 2010 was a dramatically different experience than it is today. A
deteriorated area of the park that had been
shunned by many has been transformed.
The plaza and surrounding parkland is
now not simply a space to pass through
but is a magnet for the community, a popular destination in which to enjoy lunch,
live jazz music, and connections with
friends and co-workers. It is the perfect
vantage point for viewing our historic
State House.
With the largest concentration of public
art in Boston, our three parks are in
essence museums without walls. Owned
by the City and overseen by the Art Commission, over 40 pieces of art range from
plaques to sculpture, several of national
significance. In 2008, the Friends established a sculpture care program to help
maintain and conserve this public art to be
enjoyed for generations to come.
Water has not flowed from the fountain of
the George Robert White Memorial for
more than three decades. With the encouragement of a neighbor, the Friends initiated a $700,000 campaign that will bring
the water back and restore the basin of this
beloved piece of public art, known locally
as the “the Angel,” which has adorned the
Beacon and Arlington corner of the Public
Garden since its creation in 1924 by
renowned sculptor Daniel Chester French.
Over the years we have applied both research and site observations to improve
our program. For the last three years we
have utilized elm bark beetle traps to monitor the location and pattern of movements
of this disease host. This tool helps us interpret patterns and indicates the optimal
times to treat, prune, and, in some cases,
remove a tree. Treatments have been modified over the years as we learn more about
the effectiveness of different methodologies.
In 2014, the completion of this $4 million,
multi-year revitalization project became a
reality, thanks to the 260 individuals, corporations, and foundations whose contributions made it possible. Final touches
included reconfigured lawn panels on
Lafayette Mall, new trees, curbing, and
350 feet of cast-iron fencing along the
park’s Tremont Street edge, missing since
1895 when the subway was constructed.
In 2014, the Friends treated 34 pieces of
sculpture, including two fountains. We invested $60,000 in conservation work on
the Leif Eriksson monument on the Mall
and $114,000 in masonry conservation on
the Shaw/54th Memorial on the Common.
In 2014, a conditions assessment was completed, restoration plans drawn up, and a
fundraising campaign launched. The
Green and White Ball Committee allocated
$250,000 raised from the annual gala to
support the restoration of the fountain.
Thanks to donations from many generous
community members, $100,000 from the
Harriet J. Bradbury Fund at the Museum
of Fine Arts, restricted to support the
sculpture’s care, and a bequest, we raised
$630,000 by the close of 2014.
Inscription on the George Robert White
Memorial — a call to philanthropy
cast thy bread
upon the waters;
for thou shalt find it
after many days.
—Ecclesiastes 11:1
7
Engaging the public,
charting our future course
8
This page, mbta signs at bus stops in two
Boston neighborhoods
Opposite page, Temporary picture frames
in the Garden enhance the view (left) and
delight the visitors (right)
Purchase of our office has given us stability
and permanent accessibility to our community as well as to the parks we care for.
Much work behind the scenes has been
done to strengthen our committee structure and enhance our work at both the
board and staff level. Adding a full-time
Communications and Outreach Director
Much was accomplished in our first year of has given us the capacity to do a much betimplementation. Hill Holliday, our gener- ter job of communicating what we do, and
ous marketing partner, created a visibility to more effectively advocate for protection
and increased care of our parks.
campaign that included a new Friends
logo, catchy signage at city-wide mbta
stops and in subway cars, and the incredi- Our goal to revitalize Boston Common is a
major focus, both to improve the physical
bly popular frames project in the Public
condition and maintenance of this cenGarden (see page 9). Hill Holliday also
trally important park and to increase the
converted our audio tour of the Garden
public’s sense of safety. We will be workinto an iPhone app that increases our
ing closely with the Parks Department to
reach to a larger as well as younger audidevelop a shared vision that prioritizes
ence. These initiatives became social
media sensations and were reported on in needs, protects the park from misuse, and
print and on the radio, raising our organiza- increases public appreciation for this treastion’s profile and engaging new audiences. ured common ground.
Strategic plan year one
The Friends five-year strategic plan, published in 2014, laid out ambitious goals for
us to expand community connections and
strengthen our organization, as we work
with the City to raise our parks to the
highest standards of excellence.
Framing masterpiece parks
Social media, local news, and the community were buzzing about the Friends temporary installation of three frames in the
Public Garden in fall 2014.The purpose of
the project was to engage visitors and raise
awareness of the Friends role in caring for
the Public Garden, as well as the Common
and the Mall. A sign below the frames,
“Take a photo and share your masterpiece
with the world,” inspired thousands of
people to snap amazing images and share
them in a variety of ways. Pictures ranged
from whimsical to those worthy of a fineart designation. Sharing photos of the Garden and people in the Garden became
wildly popular on Facebook, Instagram,
and Twitter.
The Young Friends group took on this initiative and promoted it as well. To coincide with the removal of the frames in
December, the group hosted a celebratory
Frame the Garden Finale Event. Attendees enjoyed posing in a smaller version of
the frame. It was wonderful to learn more
about how people connect with our parks
and to engage with them in an interactive
way.
Quotes from Instagram:
9
Liz_Russo
They say a picture is worth a 1000 words —
I can think of one, breathtaking.
Pkw340
Kudos to the Friends of the Public Garden for placing
these frames around the park.
Bostonmagazine
Add flair to your photos with three new
picture frames set up in the Public Garden.
Kate.jamison
Such a cool project going on right now! The garden is
picture perfect, as always.
Img728
Putting a frame around this beautiful city.
Lindsaymajane
Every shot is frameable this morning in the Public Garden.
#+$2&
!
18%
Membership
16%
Endow. Draw
& Temp.
Rest. Assets
2%
Revenue
21%
Development &
Public Events
Friends of the Public Garden, Inc.
Notes to Operating Results and Statements of
Financial Position
!+6$
Financial Performance
2014 Draft Audit/2013 Audit
43%
Contributions,
Grants &
Bequests
Operating Results
77%
Program Services
17%
Development
6%
Administration
2014 Income
op er a ti ng re s ul ts (in thousands)
i nc o me
16
Membership
Contributions, Grants & Bequests
Development & Public Events
Revenue
Endow. Draw & Temp. Rest. Assets
Total Income
statements of financial position (in thousands)
2014
389
933
455
46
335
$ 2,158
$
2013
344
513
440
36
581
$ 1,914
$
e xpe ns es
Program Services:
Parks Care – Common, Garden & Mall
Public Programs
Personnel & Overhead
Total Program Services
Development:
Events
Personnel & Overhead
Total Development
2014 Expenses
$
952
171
387
$ 1,510
$
$
784
173
303
$ 1,260
95
227
$ 322
$
$
88
183
271
Administration
$
$
117
Total Expenses
$ 1,949
Net Surplus/Deficit
$ 209
117
a s s et s
2014
Current Assets:
Cash & Cash Equivalents
$ 1,203
48
Pledges & Accounts Receivable
Prepaid Expenses
14
$ 1,265
Total Current Assets
Investments
Property & Equipment
Performance Deposit
Total Assets
$17,469
$ 930
$ 40
$19,704
2013
$
$
709
70
16
795
$18,527
$ 118
$
35
$19,475
$
$
315
585
900
Total Expenses rose by $300,000 or 18%, with
Program Services making up $250,000 of that increase, a 20% rise over 2013. Program Services
made up 77% of Total Expenses, a slight increase
over 2013. Development costs rose $50,000 with
increased event expenses and expanded communications and outreach efforts, led by a new fulltime Communications & Outreach Director.
These had a direct impact on increased support.
Development’s share of expenses rose slightly
from 16% to 17% while Administrative expenses
dropped to 6% from 8% a year ago.
Statements of Financial Position
l i a b i l i ti e s & net a s s et s
Liabilities:
Accounts Payable & Accruals
Mortgage Payable
Total Liabilities
Income in all areas of fundraising rose – membership, contributions & grants, bequests, and
events. Total Support increased 37% to nearly
$1.8 million, the result in part of a generous bequest and the campaign to restore the fountain at
the White Memorial. Revenue, chiefly as a result
of Duckling Day, rose as well. The endowment
draw of 3.5% of a rolling three-year average of our
investments increased slightly due to strong performance, but income from Temporarily
Restricted Assets fell due to the shifting of the
funds raised for the White Memorial Project into
2015, when they will be expended. Total Income
rose 13% to a new high of over $2 million.
$
$
69
–
69
$ 1,648
Net Assets:
Unrestricted
Temporarily Restricted
Permanently Restricted
Total Net Assets
$ 5,616
4,013
9,175
$18,804
$ 5,489
4,929
8,988
$19,406
$ 266
Total Liabilities & Net Assets
$19,704
$19,475
The increased Cash position reflected the lockingup of our 2015 cash needs plus the balances due to
the Brewer project contractor. Investments decreased because funds accumulated over several
years for the second and final phase of the Brewer
project were mostly expended in 2014. Fortunately the rising markets resulted in a $150,000
surplus for that over $4 million project. Also, unrestricted funds were used for the down payment
on the purchase of the Friends office space at 69
Beacon Street from Santander Bank at a very reasonable price and with a very competitive fixed 15year mortgage. Investment performance for the
year was 6.5%, equaling or bettering comparable
endowments. The rise in Property & Equipment
reflected the office space purchase. Temporarily
Restricted Assets fell as the Brewer project was
completed.
friends of the
public garden, inc.
69 Beacon Street
Boston, Massachusetts
02108
info@friendsofthepublicgarden.org
617-723-8144
friendsofthepublicgarden.org