Flushing Meadows Corona Park

The Daily Plant : Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Vincent Musillo Is The Employee Of The Year

Photo by Daniel Avila

Flushing Meadows Corona Park, also known as District 15 in Queens, is a 1,255 acre flagship park and home to so many of our most important institutions. Elite sporting venues like Citi Field and the Billie Jean King USTA National Tennis Center are matched by elite recreational facilities at Al Oerter, the Aquatics Center, and the Ice Rink. Queens Theatre in the Park, the Hall of Science, and Queens Museum of Art add to our cultural life while the World’s Fair Marina serves as Queens' boating gateway.

The park is home to big events and also to big crowds. The surrounding neighborhoods of Flushing are among the most diverse in the world and the locals use the park heavily. On any given day, thousands of patrons and hundreds of concessionaires, all speaking dozens of languages, flock to the park for international festivals and events, barbecues, athletics like dragon boat racing, cricket, and soccer, or just to relax with friends and family.

With so much going on at the park, we are fortunate to have a longtime pro at the helm. Vincent “Vinny” Musillo is a Park Supervisor 2 and has been with Parks since January 27, 1986. He worked up the ranks in maintenance and operations starting as a Provisional Park Service Worker. He was promoted to City Park Worker, seasonal and then permanent APSW, Park Supervisor step-up, permanent Park Supervisor, and finally PS 2 in 2005. Along the way, Vinny developed the strongest possible technical, equipment, supervisory and leadership skills, and gained experience in park operations and customer service that can’t be replaced. Vinny now oversees 16 full-time staff, 7 seasonals, and up to 60 JTPs to keep park operations running smoothly.

Vinny has become an expert on the park. This has been critical, especially during major special events like the U.S. Open or high profile Mets games, and after flooding or tree emergencies. The park was hit directly by one of the tornadoes on September 16, 2010 and the damage was extensive. Vinny worked with forestry, PEP, the public, and our various partner organizations in the park to coordinate the response and get life back to normal as quickly as possible. This winter offered no relief and Vinny rose to the challenge clearing the park after the blizzard and seemingly endless snow events.

Whether it’s a major emergency, a world class event, or just a day in the park, Vinny brings the highest level of professionalism, courtesy, and commitment to his work. He has earned the respect of everyone he meets - patrons, co-workers and management alike. However, though he works in the shadow of Citi Field, Vinny is a diehard Yankees fan. He is also a star in the Parks softball league as well as other leagues. With a background in accounting, Vinny serves as Treasurer of DC37 Local 1508. Vinny also volunteers his time to teach civil service exam preparation. He is married to Lucy, and they have one daughter, Jennifer.

Vinny was presented with the Employee of the Year award at the Parks Annual Awards ceremony.

QUOTATION FOR THE DAY

“People are, if anything, more touchy about being thought silly than they are about being thought unjust.”

E. B. White
(1899 - 1985)

Know Before You Go

World's Fair Marina

Flushing Meadows Corona Park