Ask around town about Russ Gold, 70, Rye Town Park director of seven years, and you hear a common refrain: He is always there.
He is always accessible. If he isn’t there as part of his job, he is there as a volunteer. He even was a lifeguard in a pinch. But Gold will be there less often this year; the beloved figure has retired from his post.
Vic Federico succeeds Gold, according to Gary Zuckerman, supervisor for the town of Rye. Federico has been director of grounds and facilities for both Crawford Park and Rye Town Park for seven years.
The park had been experiencing a period of neglect before Gold came on board in 2019.
“He ushered in a golden era of getting things done,” said Diana Page, chairwoman of the Friends of Rye Town Park.
As the first-ever year-round director, Gold managed the 63-acre waterfront park facility with a $1.5 million annual operating budget. Co-owned by the city and the town of Rye, the park now receives 90,000 visitors a year and boasts 20 gardens.
Gold’s background was in global operations for large manufacturers. He has also been a USA Triathlon official since 2008. He had no park management background, but proved himself to be more than up to the job.
Under his stewardship and the indefatigable work of the Friends, the park accomplished many upgrades, including: planting native trees; creating beehives in the park to contribute to the Rye Pollinator Pathway; starting work on restoring the park’s historic tower building; creating the daffodil hillside, with the Little Garden Club of Rye; and earning a coveted spot as one of TripAdvisor’s top 25 beaches in New York state.
As sad as Gold is to go, he says it’s time.
“You know how politicians always say, ‘I want to spend more time with my family’?,” he asked. “I really want to do that! During the summer, I could spend 50 to 60 hours a week, or even more. It’s time for me to step back.”
Gold was no stranger to the park when he first stepped up as director.
A Rye resident since 1991, he and his family live on nearby Hayward Place. He had been a park advocate since 2000. He and city council member Jamie Jensen founded the Facebook group “Rye Town Park Alliance.” Together, they often attended Rye Town Park Commission meetings to voice their concerns. Gold was about to join the Friends group when the director job opened in 2019.
“He was an operations guy who also loved our park, and so he took on both roles — true resident of Rye, and somebody who understood what it took to operate a park that was struggling,” Jensen said. “You don’t typically get somebody with his experience in a part-time role like this. We were lucky to have him for as long as we did.”
Gold’s colleagues praised his success in corralling the park and getting it to run smoothly.
“His legacy is revamping the park from a place that seemed to be quite chaotic to a place that’s well run and enjoyed by everybody in the community, even by nonresidents,” said Chris Meier, treasurer of the Friends group who apprenticed with Gold to become a park beekeeper.
“He was a wonderful collaborator,” added Lucy Berkoff, the park’s chief gardening officer. “He was such a kind presence in the park that people felt very comfortable, like the park was an extension of their home, which is really what we want people to feel there.”
Gold was no pushover, however.
“We would go to him with our ideas, and he would say no sometimes if he didn’t like the idea, or if he didn’t feel it was the right fit,” Page said. “But mostly he would work with us to make our ideas a reality, and we were fortunate to have that.”
Jensen added, “He was a straight shooter. He didn’t always agree with people, but he knew how to deliver a tough message with care, which makes for a good director. It wasn’t about pleasing everybody. It was about figuring out how to do the most for the greatest number of people.”
“The park is an integral part of our community, and having somebody there that was a cheerful, welcoming face to all who passed by was such a gift,” Berkoff said. “He will be missed.”
Going forward, Gold’s one wish for the park is a more reliable funding mechanism.
“I would like to see the park have a line item in both the town’s and city’s budget,” he said. “It doesn’t have to cover all the costs, but the park is the crown jewel of Rye. It should have an investment in it.”
Gold plans to remain involved with the park, most likely, through the Friends.
Rest assured, he will still be volunteering as a beekeeper.
“I’m not moving anywhere,” he said. “I’m a lifer here.”
