Hendrick I. Lott House

"Amy Freitag has all the credentials necessary to take on the challenge of managing Parks' Capital program. In her two years as the Executive Director of the Historic House Trust, Amy has hired high quality staff and greatly improved the trust's fund raising programs and technical support for their 20 sites and 70 structures," says Commissioner Adrian Benepe. "Her background in landscape architecture, historic structure restoration, and landscape management makes her the ideal person oversee design and construction of over $200 million a year in capital projects."

Freitag received an M.L.A. in Landscape Architecture and an M.S. in Historic Preservation from the Graduate School of Fine Art at the University of Pennsylvania and has been with Parks since 2000. Her experience in landscape architecture includes heading research efforts for work done in Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia. In 1999 Freitag also participated in the prestigious Attingham Program in England where she received intensive training on the architectural, landscape, and social history of the English country house. She is the first Deputy Commissioner for Capital Projects since Diana Chapin served in that position (February, 1986- March, 1994). Commissioner Chapin is currently the First Deputy Commissioner at the NYC Department of Environmental Protection. She will begin in her new position on April 1.

Operations coordinates Parks’ 2,000 vehicles, 4,000 pieces of horticultural equipment, 11 fuel sites, 17 storehouses and parts rooms, as well as waste dumping and recycling, sign production, and employee recognition. We’ve spent over $25 million on new equipment since 1997, and annually produce over 23,000 signs and engravings. We've upgraded our packer and beach fleets, introduced paper recycling to all facilities, helped establish the Riverside South Park Operation, developed equipment training offerings, and still find time to run the Parks Softball League.

Less enjoyably, we look into over 400 vehicle accidents and incidents a year, track over 250,000 trip tickets annually, and we are the first to know who has been caught by the Department of Transportation’s hidden red light cameras.

As the charts show, in the last six years, five borough operations have been completely re-engineered. Through managed competition, vehicle out of service has been cut from over 15% to 5%, and inspection backlogs eliminated. Vehicle repair is $1.3 million less expensive than in 1996 - despite inflation, auto parts inventory has been cut in half, and supply inventory is now been accurately counted at our citywide storehouses.

We regularly analyze over 50 myriad fleet operations at Parks - from buses, light towers, sweepers, loaders and more. We have greatly increased vehicle acquisitions while introducing new environmentally-friendly CNG, electric, and hybrid gas-electric vehicles. We are also using new vendors, machinery and materials to make signs which are cheaper and last longer.

Through performance measurement, contracting, and expanded use of technology, Operations is leading the way in making government competitive. To learn more about us, check out Operations on the Intranet or call us at (212) 410-8901.