During this 12-episode podcast series NYC Parks has looked at the COVID-19 era of 2020-2021 through the lens of interviews conducted during the Oral History Project in 2022. For the first 11 shows we highlighted some of the more than 100 Parkies that volunteered to tell their stories. For our final show, we welcome Commissioner Sue Donoghue to the podcast studio to tell us her views on the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation today, and how the Agency stands in the wake of the pandemic.
Commissioner Donoghue was appointed in February 2022. From 2014 until 2022, she served as President of the Prospect Park Alliance, the non-profit organization that operates the park in partnership with the City of New York, and the Prospect Park Administrator. Commissioner Donoghue previously worked in Parks during the Bloomberg administration, and one of the many projects she was involved in was the McCarren Park Play Center, where we record the podcast.
In this episode, Commissioner Donoghue recounts her experience in the pandemic, and how the Agency has grown and changed over her tenure. She also shines a spotlight on some of the new programs and initiatives that NYC Parks is undertaking that will make the Agency stronger in the months and years to come.
Our podcast thanks you for listening and supporting our show. As Commissioner Donoghue says, “See you in the parks.”
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On this show we explore the first wave of the pandemic in 2020 and how we experienced the shutdown of many parts of New York City. As schools and offices closed, playgrounds were locked, and the fear set in. NYC Parks kept running. On this episode we meet veteran Parkies who faced new challenges every day.