The Chestnut Hill Conservancy’s Preservation Recognition Award to the Friends of Pastorius Park (FoPP) spotlighted their ambitious plan to restore the plantings and vistas of Pastorius Park. 

The movers and shakers behind these extraordinary results were James McNabb, FoPP’s new volunteer manager; Rob Fleming, the group’s consulting landscape architect; Erik Werner, FoPP arborist; Paul Meyer, restoration and planting advisor; and Tracy Gardner, the organization’s president.

The FoPP Board kicked off the Pastorius Park restoration with the renovation of the park’s amphitheater. They worked toward two goals: to preserve Frederick Peck’s original design and to expand the diversity and resilience of the park’s trees and shrubs.

Reflecting on her work since becoming Friends of Pastorius Park president in 2016, Tracy Gardner said lockdowns and disruptions in the last few years woke up people to the value and necessity of parks for physical, emotional, and mental health. 

“It is gratifying to see the increased use of Pastorius Park,” Gardner said. “Happenings in the park encompass Saturday morning kids’ music and singalongs, weddings, first Holy Communion photo events, family graduation parties, children’s birthday parties, and small gatherings of musicians along with space for quiet groups of seniors in lawn chairs who gather regularly to socialize.”

The COVID pandemic and the FoPP’s restoration projects both have resulted in a renaissance of volunteerism at the park, Gardner continued. 

“Park regulars and volunteers from surrounding communities really stepped up in the past two years,” she said. “The outcome galvanized the community because they see real-time improvements made quite rapidly when we all work together.” 

According to Gardner, local garden groups, the Wissahickon Garden Club and the Garden Club of Philadelphia contributed greatly to FoPP’s restoration efforts with their volunteer work and fundraising. The Chestnut Hill Community Association’s Greenspace Initiatives Committee also provided several matching grants.

And that, Gardner said, is a good reason for optimism. 

“Over the years, particularly in regard to our park and the city, I have sensed entropy and cynicism - and a belief that nothing will get done to improve or even just care for the park,” she said. “But our Friends group believes that it is possible to work in partnership with the Philadelphia Parks & Recreation Department to fulfill our stewardship goals for the park.

“As a community we need to take our fate and the future of our beloved park into our own hands,” she said.