Green Thumbs in Training
We are well on our way to reaching our ambitious 2030 goal of managing nearly 1.7 BILLION gallons of stormwater each year. To meet this goal, we’ve been transforming our concrete jungle into a greener, more permeable city with the installation of Green Infrastructure. To date, we have constructed more than 4,000 rain gardens citywide, with thousands more in the planning, design, and construction stages. As our Green Infrastructure program has expanded, so has the need for skilled staff responsible for maintaining these vital links in our infrastructure network.
As part of our Green Infrastructure Maintenance staff development, we collaborated with the New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) to develop a two-week intensive Gardener Training Program for qualified City Park Workers and Level 1 Gardeners. The training program was offered to staffers who have demonstrated leadership abilities and shown an interest in enhancing their skills. Participants had the opportunity to learn more about soil science, botany, drafting, estimating, propagation, maintenance techniques, and plant identification from esteemed industry professionals on staff at NYBG’s School of Professional Horticulture.
Upon successful completion of the course, employees received a Certificate in Gardening, which provides an opportunity to take on future leadership roles in our Green Infrastructure Maintenance unit. This year’s participants included Keury Melendez, Donnell White, Tasha Bussey, Josuel Fernandez, Thomas Geraci, Jeromy James, Carlos Dale, Miguel Gonzales, Carmen Duran, and Frank Hollman.
