Dear Neighbor,
This time of year, as I reflect on those things for which I’m grateful, I think about how glad I am to have settled in the West Village a dozen years ago, and how relieved I am to finally have our neighborhood back today. After two years of construction to upgrade the Eighth Avenue water main, the road crews and chain-link are gone, trees freed from their cages, and Belgian block cobblestones returned to West 12th Street. A sense of peace and tranquility has been restored to the neighborhood around Abingdon Square.
Now it’s time to build on the progress we’ve made toward upgrading the Square.
In 2014, thanks to the generosity of our donors, Abingdon Square Conservancy was able to implement its most significant horticultural programming ever, including expanded plantings in the East and West perimeter beds. Hundreds of annuals and perennials, flowering shrubs, and evergreens were installed, adding to the lushness of the Square. A record number of bulbs—over 9,600—were planted this fall and will burst into bloom next spring.
But there’s still more to do.
The Conservancy has increased its budgetary goal for 2015 in order to further improve the seasonal plantings in the Square, including increasing plantings in the northern perimeter beds and adding a colorful fall display. The Conservancy also seeks to maintain a higher level of maintenance in 2015, which now includes a part-time groundskeeper who assures that trash is collected twice daily and the bluestone paths are swept daily and washed weekly during our busiest time from April to November. We are are also seeking to establish our first reserve fund, which would be monies set aside for operating expenses in the event of a financial emergency or for specific capital projects and improvements in the future.
We need your help to maintain, as well as improve, the Square. Because the operations of the Square are dependent on private donations, its improving condition is possible only because of the generosity of neighbors like you.
Membership in the Conservancy begins at $50, which includes an invitation to our annual membership appreciation event, our Third Annual Tulip Celebration on April 29, 2015.
A Conservancy membership also makes a marvelous holiday gift!
So many of your friends and neighbors get so much from the Square—whether catching up at the Saturday farmers’ market, snapping photos of the Halloween pumpkins or enjoying the Times over a cup of coffee on a sunny park bench. Won’t you please remember your Square and its importance to our community during this season of good cheer and gratitude?
Click here to help keep Abingdon Square beautiful and clean in 2015 by making your tax-deductible donation before December 31!
My thanks, in advance, and warm wishes for a year of good health and happiness for you and yours.
H. Todd Hittle
Chair, Board of Directors
Abingdon Square Conservancy