Through a successful public/private partnership with the City's Department of Parks & Recreation, the Union Square Partnership coordinates closely with the agency to set benchmarks to meet the growing demands of Union Square Park. The Partnership has made a series of targeted investments for the upgrading, maintenance and beautification of the park in 2007. 

The highlights of this year's efforts are the reseeding of the center, eastern and southern lawns of the 3.5-acre park and the installation of a new irrigation system. The Partnership's landscaping team has conducted regular soil aeration, fertilizing and maintenance to ensure the lawn stays green and lush. In addition, more than 200 ornamental shrubs, 380 perennials, 1,000 annuals and 12,000 bulbs were planted to ensure the park is at its most vibrant throughout the seasons. A recent press release about our work in the park highlights these efforts.

Throughout the year, USP funds a gardener to assist with the maintenance of the plants and shrubs, and in the summer, a playground associate to program activities for children in the park's playgrounds.

In response to increased foot traffic during the summer months, the Partnership maintains a special Park Task Force from April through October. This five-person sanitation team cleans the park exclusively, supplementing our regular sanitation efforts and those of the City's Department of Parks & Recreation and Sanitation. The Union Square Partnership also provides year-round extermination services for the park, and a series of other maintenance efforts such as power washing of trash cans and painting of park benches and railings.

In addition to our Public Safety Officers who patrol the park daily, the Partnership funds an additional daytime Parks Enforcement Patrol Officer and in the evenings, Department of Parks has assigned a PEP Officer who patrols in tandem with a Union Square Partnership Public Safety Officer to ensure the park is safe during operating hours.

GET INVOLVED

USP hosts a variety of events in the park, such as Harvest in the Square, a ticketed food and wine-tasting gala, and Summer in the Square, our FREE weekly summer performance series. If you are interested in receiving more information about these programs or volunteering at one of USP's community planting events in Union Square Park, please contact us.