Hudson River Park Trust previews summer programming, flags safety changes and Pier 76 funding gap

Robert Abbery, executive vice president for park relationships and programs at the Hudson River Park Trust, told Manhattan Community Board 2 on Wednesday that the Trust is rolling out a broad slate of free and ticketed summer events while continuing several construction and safety projects along the West Side waterfront.

Abbery said the Trust hosted its annual Submerged Marine Science Festival in May for about 1,000 schoolchildren (about 80% from Title I schools) plus roughly 4,500 members of the public, and that weekly and nightly programming such as Healthy on the Hudson fitness classes, Sunset Salsa on Pier 76, Jazz at Pier 84 and a new Broadway-by-the-Boardwalk series will continue through the fall. "It was our largest yet," Abbery said of the marine science festival.

The programming is part of the Trust’s stated mission to activate underused piers and provide recreation and education along four miles of Hudson River Park, Abbery said. He described science offerings at Pier 40 (wet lab and oyster monitoring), a new near–real-time fish receiver being installed at Pier 25 in partnership with NOAA and DEC, and a citizen‑science slate that includes oyster recruitment counts and tide‑pool work.

Why it matters: The Trust’s summer slate draws large crowds to compact waterfront spaces, and the Trust said it is balancing robust programming with operations and public-safety planning.

Operational updates and repairs Abbery reviewed recent capital and maintenance work in Community Board 2: new turf at Pier 46 (funded in part by Council Member Eric Botcher), replacement of Pier 45 shade canopies and LED lighting, art and mural restoration, and routine decking and bench repairs. He said Pier 46’s field was closed about four weeks for the turf replacement and is now open, and that turf work at Pier 25 is planned for late fall to avoid simultaneous closures.

Safety and access Abbery described a May incident in which a driver entered the park from the Canal Street/Port Authority vehicle access (an event shaft used by the Port Authority). Park Enforcement Patrol (PEP) officers responded, aided the victim and secured the driver until NYPD and EMS arrived. "They did hit someone. It was not fatal," Abbery said, adding the Trust is coordinating with the Port Authority and state Department of Transportation (DOT) to consider additional protections at that entrance.

Run clubs and crowding The Trust is proposing a run-club permit to manage large, recurring group runs that have at times created safety and access problems on the village esplanade, Abbery said. He described one night last season when three large run clubs (800, 300 and 250 people) launched within the same hour, creating a continuous stream that displaced other users and raised safety concerns. The new permitting approach would allow recurring permits and wave starts to limit simultaneous mass launches.

Pier 76 condition and funding Abbery said Pier 76 (the former tow pound near West 37th–30th Street area) is in interim status and needs full pile replacement and deck work. "Our current estimate…to get back to where we are today…is about $150,000,000," he said. He added that the state legislature included $85 million toward the public contribution this year and that the Trust is seeking city matching funds; the Trust expects a combined city/state public contribution on the order of $100 million and said it would need to raise additional funds (the Trust mentioned approximately $50 million as its own share, possibly from air rights or other revenue). Abbery said designs and the commercial program will affect final costs and sequencing.

Other items - The Trust has replaced Pier 46 turf and plans fall work at Pier 25; pier locations were described to orient CB2 members. - A temporary concession (Hudson Plate, under Mallick Enterprises) is slated to open at Gansevoort Peninsula on an interim basis this fall; the Trust said concessions may be short‑term agreements while the Trust gauges market demand. - The Trust confirmed that the Pier 40 outer perimeter remains open for jogging/walking but a finger‑pier and certain railings are closed pending repairs funded through a federal grant noted by Congressman Nadler.

Contacts and next steps Abbery asked board members and the public to report hazards or observations to the Trust’s operations desk and shared an email (as provided at the meeting) for public contact. He said the Trust will continue design and community engagement for segments of the esplanade and for larger capital projects.

Ending: The Trust’s summer calendar pairs high-volume cultural and science programming with an emphasis on safety, targeted permitting and multiyear capital work; the Trust said it will return with more detailed plans as funding and designs advance.