Shelby Farms is Working Towards a 'Master Plan'

 Shelby Farms Plans for Success

Nov. 9, 2011

By Michelle Corbet

The non-profit group operating Shelby Farms has a goal of raising more than $75 million to transform the park into a central landmark and cultural oasis for more than one million visitors every year.

The park contains 4,500 acres of woods, fields and meadows and is located in the heart of the Memphis area, yet raising the money and transforming the park is facing several challenges concerning the budget, fundraising and having enough volunteers to operate the park and Greenline.

The Shelby Farms Park Conservancy took over park operations and management in 2007, with the Shelby County Government maintaining ownership of the land.  Jen Andrews, Shelby Farms Park Conservancy’s director of communications, referred to this relationship as a public-private partnership. “This is the same format used to operate Central Park (New York City, N.Y.), Forrest Park (St. Louis, Mo.) and many other large and successful parks,” Andrews said.

When the management agreement between the Shelby County government and the Shelby Farms Park Conservancy was drawn, the county agreed to continue funding the cost it spent on park maintenance each year it ran the park. The county spent a little less than $600,000 to maintain the park each year.

But budget cuts for Shelby Farms were proposed by Commissioner Terry Roland in June of this year. He wanted to cut the $600,000 the county agreed to give The Shelby Farms Park Conservancy. Commissioners could not cut the budget this year because they must give at least a year’s notice before they can cut more than $500,000. 

Andrews said the Shelby County Government understands and intends to honor its obligation to the management agreement.

“Though a commissioner floated the idea of cutting the allocation, he did not have the support of his fellow commissioners, and we have since been able to help that commissioner understand the significance of the county being faithful to our agreement,” Andrews said.

If the county withheld the money, the agreement would be broken and The Shelby Farms Park Conservancy would no longer manage the park.

“To withhold our allocation would be to break that agreement, and we don’t think they are interested in doing that since it would mean they would need to take over management of the park and would not have the ability to fundraise or have access to the former allocation money,” Andrews said.

If the management agreement was broken, and the Shelby Farms Park Conservancy was not managing the park, the master plan would come to a standstill. According to the Master Plan Executive Summary, the master plan is “a bold yet practical framework for future investment in the Park, creating a world-class Park of exceptional distinction that appeals to the broadest possible constituency and heralds a new era where visionary parks are central to the creation of a wholesome, just and rich quality of urban life.”

The master plan is an ongoing project funded by fundraising and gifts from individuals, foundations and corporations. The first phase of the campaign costs $75 million. Three projects of the master plan have already been completed, The Shelby Farms Greenline, Woodland Discovery Playground and Wolf River Pedestrian Bridge.

“Though we are fundraising in the most difficult economic climate in recent history, we have been able to raise more than $30 million and complete three major projects for the public,” Andrews said.  

 The Shelby Farms Park Conservancy is actively fundraising to complete their next project, the expansion of Patriot Lake.

It has to raise more than $2.5 million to operate the park and Greenline each year. The park receives approximately 1 million visits per year.

“As a small nonprofit running the largest urban park in the country, we have to raise about $2.5 million dollars a year to keep the Park and Shelby Farms Greenline clean, safe and fun,” Andrews said.

The park generates revenue through facility rentals, membership fees and fundraisers. Fundraisers are the main source of revenue. 

“Since SFPC’s (Shelby Farms Park Conservancy) inception, we’ve established a range of annual events including Earth Week, GreenShoe Gala, Shelby Farms Greenline Anniversary Celebration and First Tennessee Starry Night,” Andrews said.

Starry Nights started in 1994 by Metropolitan Inner-Faith Association or MIFA as a fundraiser to benefit its service projects. It closed in 1999 from a decline in revenue and because it became too rigorous for the non-profit to set up and take down.

“It’s an extremely labor intensive and expensive show to create, and we spend much of the year preparing for it,” Andrews said.

The Shelby Farms Park Conservancy re-created the show completely from scratch. There were no original pieces left from the Starry Nights produced by MIFA in the ‘90s. Starry Nights is now made out of LED lights that use 85 percent less energy than the average Christmas light.

“We brought it back both because people sincerely wanted it and because we hoped it would be a major fundraiser for the park,” Andrews said. Starry Nights is Shelby Farms’ biggest fundraiser of the year.

Volunteers are vital to the operation of Shelby Farms Park and Greenline. The park regularly logs up to 20,000 volunteer hours each year.

“We are a very small staff running a very large operation, and our volunteers give us the capacity to accomplish great things,” Andrews said.

The Shelby Farms Park Conservancy also has inmates from the Shelby County Department of Corrections work under ranger supervision through a work release program for nonviolent offenders. Inmates have been working on Shelby Farms since 1929 when it served as a penal farm until 1964.

Inmates in the work release program have been working at Shelby Farms since the early ‘90s. The park commission at the time requested inmates to do work at the park.

“Inmates basically perform lawn and landscape duties; they also do maintenance for the buildings,” said Charles Winton, work line supervisor.

Inmates must meet the qualifications necessary to participate in the work release program.

“Inmates cannot go out to work with any violent, sex offense charges and their time must not be beyond 3 years,” said Winton.

The Shelby Farms Park Conservancy is working with park users, volunteers and city officials to make sure the park is a central part of Memphis culture for generations to come.

In September, The Commercial Appeal wrote an editorial about the Tennessee Department of Transportation awarding Shelby County a near $4 million grant to extend the Shelby Farms Greenline about 6.5 miles east of Shelby Farms Park, linking Cordova to the park and trail.

The Shelby Farms Park website offers an events calendar, park maps and information.