The Astoria Park Alliance insists that new signs, bulletin boards and a playground fence would improve their beloved neighborhood park.

A woman gazes at East River while a teenager reads on the lawn, Oct. 20, 2009. Photo: John Ryan.

But the local environmental group cannot buy the equipment it says it needs unless the latest grant application is approved or its winter fundraising is successful. Money is tight for the small environmental non profit, particularly in the recession.

“After a while, paying out of your pocket really starts to hurt,” said Jules Corkey, co-chair of the group.

The Astoria Park Alliance is one of many neighborhood organizations that help to maintain New York City’s 1,500 green spaces. These groups devote time, manpower and money to clean up the parks and act as watchdogs over community areas. But with fewer and fewer resources, advocates worry that they will not be able to devote as much cash to keeping the parks beautiful and clean, nor do they believe that the city can handle the job on its own.

“There’s no way a large park organization can be the sole advocate,” said Nora Lanning, director of marketing at the City Parks Foundation. “It really takes these smaller organizations to be the voice.”

The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation did not return calls for comment.

Smaller organizations have been working in Astoria Park for the last six months. In September, the advocacy group Green Shores New York teamed up with Astoria Park Alliance to collect 70 bags of trash along the East River. This past summer, the groups also sponsored the Astoria Water Walk, which they said drew hundreds of residents out of their homes into Astoria Park.

Martha Gilpin, the other co-chair of the Astoria Park Alliance, called the two groups “the pool of passionate and energized people that make things happen in the volunteer community.”

Before the winter snow, another volunteer group will plant daffodils near the war memorial in the park. They will seed and mulch the Butterfly Garden, and they plan to host a vendor sale at the Steinway Reform Church to raise money.

“You see a lot of improvement,” said Abdel Berraha, a resident who has photographed community events in Astoria for the last 10 years. “The parks are hard to maintain.”

In addition to keeping up the gardens and planting trees, local environmental groups also want to call attention to the erosion that is pulling topsoil into the water and exposing tree roots on the shoreline of Astoria Park that slopes into the East River.

“Green space is fragile,” Gilpin said. “We have a lot of work to do.”

Last year, the Queens Economic Development Corporation placed ads on 1010 WINS and in The Daily News to advertise Queens Restaurant Week. But the recession kept diners eating in.

Foot traffic in front of Punta Dura Italian Restaurant, Nov. 18, 2009. Photo: John Ryan.

This year, it also recruited bloggers and freelancers and posted a profile on Facebook to attract food enthusiasts from around the tri-state area for the event, which runs from Oct. 5 to Oct. 15. The corporation asked participating restaurants to better market themselves.

“They are trying harder and being more creative,” said Michelle Stoddart, the director of marketing at the corporation, which focuses on developing local business and improving tourism in the borough. She said the restaurants integrated new marketing techniques in the first week of the promotional event

In Astoria, three restaurants adjusted their marketing plans to focus on their customers and on filling empty tables.

At Punta Dura, a northern Italian restaurant participating for the first time, Diana Radovic, its sales manager, decided to shift the prefixed menu to overlap on weekends. “We wanted people to know that we’re more than caterers,” Radovic said. And based on comment cards, she said, “We got all new customers. We’re going to be as hospitable as we can.”

Balu Café, which features American cuisine fused with Latin and Asian flavors, participated in Queens Restaurant Week to transform its business model. Katherine Xenos, the general manager, helped redesign the menu to make it more affordable. So far the promotion has brought in new business. It, too, is a new participant in the marketing event.

“Guests came that wouldn’t normally,” said Xenos. But, she added, “People are much more price conscious now. They tend to buy a glass before a bottle.”

So she told her staff to be more sympathetic and “Make customers feel welcome.” She advised her employees: “Don’t push side dishes as much or they may push back.”

Cavo, a reputable Mediterranean restaurant and lounge, combined Queens Restaurant Week with its own promotion, “Wine Down Wednesdays.” It was an opportunity for owner Tommy Demaras to showcase his new chef, Richard Farnabe.

Demaras said, “Chef Farnabe came up with a beautiful three-course meal.” He said customers have praised Franabe’s cooking since taking over Cavo’s kitchen. He added, “Some people have given him a standing ovation.”

He said the restaurant has “done more volume and seen more customers—more first timers.” Demaras added, “For two weeks, we give them a great experience. It’s not about money.”

But money drives the restaurant business. The corporation’s marketing strategy focused advertisements in local media like Queens Edible, a quarterly food magazine, to generate revenue for neighborhood restaurants.

Leah McLaughlin, the publisher of Queens Edible, said, “Restaurant Weeks are great if they are having trouble getting new people.” She added, “Restaurants that commit more money to advertising are more likely to be successful.”

The corporation also gained exposure without sinking cash by reaching out to local bloggers and freelance Web sites. Joey in Astoria, astorians.com, and whyleaveastoria.org all plugged the event.

Queensbuzz.com announced Restaurant Week on its home page and provided a couple of reviews as a “public service.” Cavo, one of the restaurants featured, was a beneficiary of the free press.

With a new marketing strategy that focused on local media and customer service, Queens Restaurant Week filled seats and stomachs.