NEWBURGH – A group of Newburgh residents has banded together to form the city’s first non-profit organization with a mission to plan, protect, restore and enhance parks, community gardens, trails and watersheds in the greater Newburgh area.
The Greater Newburgh Parks Conservancy plans to promote park preservation and development and linking nature and neighborhoods, said Board Chairwoman Kathy Lawrence. “We have some historic parks like Downing Park, we have little pocket parks, but no coordinated overall effort to make sure that we maintain well the parks that we do have and increase access where there isn’t much,” she said. “And it’s also the case that the City of Newburgh is having some financial difficulties so there is not a lot of money available for new parks and maintaining existing parks.”
Board member and former Newburgh city recreation director Wilbur Higgins said the conservancy will raise money for municipal parks in the city “and assist in the development of publicly-accessible projects that further the conservancy’s vision for greenspace, community gardens, and street trees throughout the City of Newburgh and surrounding communities.”
