The Wall Street meltdown has claimed a number of towering giants of the financial industry. The ensuing economic crisis may bring down a more humble organization closer to home: the Presby Memorial Iris Gardens.
The gardens, dubbed "an iconic symbol of May in Montclair" by its director, have fallen on hard times. For years, the Presby Board of Trustees has used its endowment to plug a roughly $50,000 annual deficit, and now it wants Montclair Township to reinstate public financing it removed earlier this year.
The unsteady economy has robbed the endowment of its modest growth, and Presby can no longer use it to subsidize operations, according to Lori Beitler, president of the Presby board.
Beitler and other Presby representatives appeared at the Township Council meeting this past Tuesday to plead for financial help.
"An organization cannot continue to function with annual deficits, as we have been carrying for at least the last 15 years," Beitler told the council members.
The gardens’ situation is so dire, the Board of Trustees has recommended selling the Walther House, the 150-year old Victorian that abuts the gardens and houses its offices and a gift shop.
The gardens, which were established in 1927 in honor of Frank Presby, a noted Montclair horticulturist, are home to approximately 20,000 plants of 2,000 varieties. This year, it saw 5,000 visitors during the two- to three-week Bloom Season in May and early June, said Linda Sercus, Presby’s garden director.
Sercus argues that the crowds who flock to Presby each spring add to the local economy in ways that justify any possible expenditure by the township.
"Everybody who comes to the gardens, they wind up tagging on and they’ll go visit Van Vleck, they eat lunch, they shop," she said. "It’s big, it’s very big."
She added, "It would be a shame to lose all this."
In the past, the township has supplied Presby with anywhere from $12,500 to $15,000 per year, according to Susan Pestrichello, treasurer for the Presby board. But the council cut the funding completely this year, and Pestrichello hopes it will reinstate at least $15,000.
"I would like the Town[ship] Council to recognize that they’re in this with us," she said. "I think they have an obligation to give us some support."
According to Pestrichello, Presby has cut its budget in numerous ways in an attempt to save money. It saved $10,000 by not purchasing some supplies and forgoing some regular maintenance, it did not publish its semi-annual newsletters, and it did not hire parttime workers to help during the winter, Pestrichello said.
Presby has continued to hold fundraisers and seek out state and Essex County grants to raise funds, according to Beitler.
Presby officials may have to do more than that if they want to get major financial support from the council.
While acknowledging the gardens’ thousands of visitors and their impact on Montclair’s economy, Mayor Jerry Fried said it will be "a severe challenge to the taxpayers" if the council agrees to reinstate funding to Presby.
"I just don’t think it’s possible in this budget climate," Fried told The Times yesterday. "We can help find a way for the iris gardens to survive and thrive. I just think it’s going to take some creative thinking."
Fried suggested a community meeting devoted to finding a solution to Presby’s money troubles. He is sure there are residents who can volunteer their time or financial resources to keep Presby alive, he said.
First Ward Councilman Rich Murnick was less willing than Fried to rule out municipal funding for Presby. The gardens are a monumental place, Murnick said, and they need to be preserved.
Murnick said he’s been in touch with Presby officials about helping them search for large donors or assisting them with fundraising to help them though this rough patch.
"I’ve always said, when there’s a will, there’s a way," Murnick said.
