Basketball City finally closed on Sun. Sept. 10 when its six basketball courts and the inflatable bubble that covered them on the roof of Pier 63 were dismantled and loaded onto a moving truck, photo right. The courts and bubble will be put in storage, according to Bruce Radler, principal of Basketball City. The Hudson River Park Trust, the city-state agency that controls the pier, plans to include it as part of the 5-mile-long riverfront park now under construction. However, the Police Department’s Mounted Unit, which occupies the lower level of Pier 63, will remain until new stables are ready on Pier 76. But Pier 63 Maritime, the railroad barge owned by John Krevey, photo left, that serves as a public dock on the north end of Pier 63, also closed on Sunday. Krevey hopes to move the barge sometime after November to Pier 66A, a restored railroad float bridge, at 26th St. Two historic vessels berthed at Krevey’s barge, the decommissioned lightship Frying Pan and the retired New York City fireboat John R. Harvey, are also to move to Pier 66A. Nevertheless, the fate of Krevey’s barge and the historic vessels is clouded because of unresolved insurance and permit issues. Community Board 4’s Waterfront Committee will consider the matter at 6 p.m. Wed. Sept. 27 at Holland House, 351 W. 42nd St.
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