Last month, Central Park Conservancy started charging for about half their tours to raise funds for the group. All tours were previously free. Fees range between $15 and $50 and are only discounted for Conservancy members. The Conservancy has said that though the tours may have kept the same names, they now feature new content.
City Comptroller and Mayoral candidate John Liu, who has already been questioning the city's contracts with the Conservancy, is particularly put off by this fundraising initiative. "It's especially galling to hear that the Central Park Conservancy is charging $15 for tours that were once free, because this wealthy, privately funded group enjoys plum arrangements with the city that other parks groups don't get," Mr. Liu said, in a statement.
Another fundraising effort that was to be launched around the same time was put on hold. The Conservancy had intended to release an app that would allow users to buy virtual plots of the Great Lawn and decorate them as they chose. The campaign could potentially raise more than $2 million, but has been delayed due to reported technical problems with the app.
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