The Central Park Conservancy - Keeping the Park Clean

An experienced real estate professional in the New York City area, Michael Mikelic has served as the managing principal of King Penguin Opportunity Fund III, LLC, for the past two years, leveraging his industry knowledge to build low-risk sustainable income streams through strategic investments in value properties. When he isn’t working, Michael Mikelic supports a number of community groups, including the Central Park Conservancy. 

For the past four years, the Central Park Conservancy has taken a novel approach in its efforts to keep the park free of trash and litter. Through its efforts, it disposes of an estimated 2,000 tons of trash as well as 1,800 tons of recyclable material on an annual basis. 

One of the main ways the Conservancy accomplishes this is through a new strategy that saw the group remove many of the trash cans on the inside of the park, instead limiting them to walking paths, roads, and near the outer edge of the park. Doing this has greatly reduced the rat population in the park and allowed other natural wildlife, such as chipmunks, to flourish.

Making up for the smaller number of trash cans, the park employs staff who clean up trash beginning at 7 a.m. and end the work at midnight each day. They start by emptying trash cans and recycling containers and then focus on any litter found in the park’s interior. Through these methods, the Conservancy has been able to keep the park cleaner than ever before.

About the Central Park Conservancy - Goals and Park Improvements

An accomplished real estate executive based in New York City, Michael Mikelic serves as managing principal of King Penguin Opportunity Fund II and King Penguin Opportunity Fund III. Outside of his day-to-day work, Michael Mikelic supports many groups that work to make New York City a better place, such as the Central Park Conservancy.

For more than four decades, the Central Park Conservancy has functioned as the primary governance board that makes all of the key decisions that impact the management and maintenance of the park. The group is made up of individuals who represent both public and private interests, as well as advocacy and recreational groups. 

The conservancy has two main goals: 1) to continue the maintenance and influence of Central Park as a fundamental part of New York City recreational culture, and 2) to serve as a resource for other groups worldwide who are working toward the same goals for their own parks. Two major improvements the conservancy has added to the park over its existence are the Grand Army Plaza and the Shakespeare Garden.