TCAD’s Martha Armstrong, Vice President and Director of Economic Development Planning, is the Program Administrator for the Tourism Capital Grants Program. She, along with Anne Gossen, Chair of the Strategic Tourism Planning Board accepted the 2017 Stewartship Award presented to the Tompkins County Tourism Program at Friends of Stewart Park’s second annual Party for the Park on Friday, September 15th, 2017 in the Picnic Pavilion in Stewart Park.
The Stewartship Award recognizes Tompkins County Tourism Program’s generous support of planning and capital improvements in Stewart Park and its role in many park revitalization successes achieved by Friends of Stewart Park and the City of Ithaca. In 2008, the Chamber of Commerce Foundation was awarded the first of four planning and feasibility studies for the preparation of a Stewart Park Rehabilitation Action Plan which recommended the formation of a “Friends of” or conservancy organization to spearhead and steer the revitalization of Ithaca’s main lakefront park.
Since Friends of Stewart Park’s inception, the County has supported two park building studies leading to city investment of more than $500,000 on repair and reconstruction of park buildings and has directly supported the refurbishing of the Picnic Pavilion (Large Pavilion) with $100,000 for infrastructure improvements and restoration of the pavilion’s original and beautiful door and window units. Wharton Studio Museum, a collaborating partner in park revitalization efforts, was awarded a Tompkins County Tourism Program grant in 2016 to re-envision the historic Wharton Studio building into a park visitor center with exhibits on local film history and park history.
Award Verbiage:
The Tompkins County Tourism Program’s support for planning and capital improvements in Stewart Park has been instrumental in the park revitalization successes achieved by the Friends of Stewart Park and the City of Ithaca. In 2008, the Chamber of Commerce Foundation was awarded the first of four planning and feasibility studies for the preparation of the Stewart Park Rehabilitation Action Plan. This first plan, completed in 2009, recommended the formation of the Friends of Stewart Park which was incorporated in 2011 to work with the City in revitalizing Stewart Park. The Tourism Program has supported two park building studies that have led to investments of more than $500,000 on repair and reconstruction of park buildings by the City of Ithaca. The County has directly supported the restoration of the Picnic Pavilion with $95,000 in Tourism Capital Program funding for structural repairs, interior reconstruction, and door and window restoration.
Friends of Stewart Park is pleased to recognize and thank the Tompkins County Legislature, the Strategic Tourism Planning Board, and Tourism Capital Program Administrator Martha Armstrong for their support and guidance in revitalizating Stewart Park, our community’s lakefront gem.
In front of one of the refurbished doorways, of the historic Picnic Pavilion in Stewart Park.
In photo left to right:
Rick Manning, Executive Director of friends of Stewart Park,
Tom Knipe, Tompkins County Tourism Program Coordinator ,
Anne Gossen, Chair of the Tompkins County Strategic Tourism Planning Board, (holding the award) Martha Armstrong, Administrator, Tourism Capital Grants Program,
Diana Riesman, Chair, Friends of Stewart park Board
