The pile driving on Piers 25 and 26 finished before the winter cutoff, the Lower Manhattan Construction Command Center told the Quality of Life Committee last week. The concrete slabs that will top the piers could be poured this winter, depending on the weather.
Pier 25, which will have a variety of recreation uses, should be done around the end of 2009, Connie Fishman, president of the Hudson River Park Trust, said in an update to the Waterfront Committee last month.
Bob Townley, who used the old Pier 25 for his organization Manhattan Youth, asked Fishman if the pier could open earlier.
“That’s a money answer,” Fishman replied, saying that expediting the construction schedule would cost more money. The Tribeca project has been delayed in the past because of funding troubles and work will likely stop sometime next year without additional money from Albany and City Hall. Fishman hopes to have some part of the piers open in September 2009 for the quadricentennial of Henry Hudson sailing up the Hudson River.
Pier 25 will have six major components: a docking area for historic ships with a mooring field; a children’s playground; a mini-golf course; volleyball courts; open turf space; and passive recreation.
In an effort to speed the project and save money, Julie Nadel, chairperson of the Waterfront Committee, told Fishman there are some elements of the plan that the community could live without. However, Fishman responded that the infrastructure of the pier is the most expensive, and cutting amenities would not save that much money.
Townley is concerned about how the Trust will supervise Pier 25, especially late at night and during the winter, so that it is safe year-round.
“Maybe we’ll hire you,” Fishman joked, “since you know all the troublemakers.”
