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Q&A
Wollman Rink RFP and rejection of Central Park Conservancy's offer
0:36:32
ยท
4 min
Council Member Krishnan questions Commissioner Donoghue about the decision to issue an RFP for Wollman Rink management and the rejection of the Central Park Conservancy's offer. Donoghue explains the rationale behind the competitive bidding process.
- The Parks Department issued an RFP for Wollman Rink management on November 3
- The Central Park Conservancy had offered $120 million for improvements, which was not accepted
- Donoghue emphasizes the importance of a competitive bidding process for fairness
- The commissioner distinguishes between the Wollman Rink and Harlem Meer projects
Shekar Krishnan
0:36:32
Understood, thank you.
0:36:33
Before turning it over to my colleagues, I wanna shift to another topic that's been the subject of much public discussion and attention recently.
0:36:40
On November 3, the Parks Department issued an RFP for the management of the Wohlman Rink in Central Park.
0:36:46
This was after the department turned down an offer by the Central Park Conservancy to replace the rink and provide additional improvements to the park with the largest private gift in its history.
0:36:58
The RFP is now being pursued by the Trump Organization.
0:37:02
While the Trump Organization managed the Wohlman Rink for years, they were stripped of the privilege following the events of January 6.
0:37:10
Commissioner, can you please provide a breakdown of the offer made by the Central Park Conservancy?
0:37:16
Why was it rejected?
0:37:18
What part of the operations would be funded by private donations?
0:37:21
And what part by city dollars?
Susan Donoghue
0:37:24
Thank you, council member, and I appreciate the question.
0:37:26
I wanna start off by, recognizing that, of course, the Central Park Conservancy is a really important partner of ours for over forty years in the care and maintenance of Central Park, and we so appreciate their ongoing work and their incredible, incredible partnership in Central Park.
0:37:43
In terms of Wohlman Rank, for over thirty years, the concession at Wohlman Rank has been awarded via an open competitive RFP process.
0:37:56
We feel like that is very important to continue to do it in that manner.
0:38:03
Like any entity, the Central Park Conservancy was eligible to submit a proposal in response to our RFP, and nothing would preclude CPC from making improvements around Wohlman Rink, but we really felt it was important to put that out to competitive bid as it has been for years and years in the past.
Shekar Krishnan
0:38:26
But the Central Park Conservancy was offering $120,000,000 which, to paraphrase the letter from the Conservancy to the Parks Department to city hall, they are not a corporation seeking to extract money from the government, but a nonprofit partner looking to give money to the city, in fact, the largest gift ever in its history of $120,000,000 requiring also 30,000,000 contributions from city government.
0:38:52
But $120,000,000 far outweighs the amount the city would have to put in.
0:38:56
Why was that offer rejected?
Susan Donoghue
0:38:58
I can comment on, you know, the proposed amount that they were going to contribute, but I do know that it would have also required an investment from the city, absolutely.
0:39:10
Just as with the Harlemere project, the city invested 60,000,000 in that project and so we the offer, I wouldn't say was rejected.
0:39:20
We encouraged them to bid like everyone else because this was gonna go through a competitive bidding process.
0:39:25
We thought that was the fairest way to do it.
Shekar Krishnan
0:39:27
And why was the decision made to, implement an RFP, competitive bidding process here?
Susan Donoghue
0:39:35
I'm sorry?
Shekar Krishnan
0:39:35
Could you Why was the decision made to issue an RFP in a competitive bidding process in this situation?
Susan Donoghue
0:39:40
Because that was the manner that this has been bid out for years and years in the past and we felt that a competitive public bidding process was the right way to go here.
Shekar Krishnan
0:39:51
And when was that competitive bidding process announced?
Susan Donoghue
0:39:54
I believe it was in September of last year.
Shekar Krishnan
0:39:57
Or was it in November?
0:40:00
Do you the exact time when it was announced?
Susan Donoghue
0:40:02
We can absolutely get you the exact timing of it.
0:40:04
Yes, absolutely.
Shekar Krishnan
0:40:05
So that was the reason to do a competitive RFP, but isn't it a fact that Harlemere, which is a part of Central Park, just a bit away from Wollman Rink, was not put to a competitive bidding process but was instead given over to Central Park with the same arrangement.
0:40:20
They provided funding, the city put in funding for Harlem Meer.
0:40:23
Isn't that the case?
0:40:24
That was done by a sole source or not competitive bidding process.
Susan Donoghue
0:40:27
Yeah.
0:40:28
Those are very different concessions, council member, very different revenue generating opportunities, very different concessions.
0:40:37
Central Park certainly hadn't run a concession before like that and so we wanted to give them an opportunity to run a concession.
0:40:47
The Wollman Rink is obviously a much more lucrative, high profile.
0:40:52
We felt that it was important to go through a public bidding process because of the difference, in nature of those concessions and the revenue from those concessions.