CB 5 committees eye new additions to neighborhood
BY MICHAEL ROCK
Members of Manhattan Community
Board 5’s Parks and Public
Spaces Committee gathered
over Zoom on June 3. Topics of discussion
included plans to add granite curbs and
sidewalks to 1 Penn Plaza, the presence of
removable retail containers at Columbus
Circle’s Maine Monument, the development
of a 14th Street Busway Mural, and a temporary
art exhibition in Union Square Park.
After opening the meeting, Committee
Chair Clayton Smith handed the microphone
to Lane Addonizio, Central Park
Conservancy’s Vice President for Planning
and Damon Bennett, Chief of Park
Operations. They shared updates on the
restoration of the Central Park Dairy and
the use of the Chess and Checkers House as
a temporary storage facility in conjunction
with the Maine Monument in Columbus
Circle.
“As we were approaching the holidays,
our biggest retail season, we were looking
to place the operations someplace. In
dialogue with the Parks Department, the
holiday market that’s usually at Columbus
Circle was cancelled, so it was identifi ed as
the best location absent of the Chess and
Checkers Pavilion,” explained Addonizio.
“The Dairy will return in September,
and that’s when we will break down the
retail operation and move back there.”
Representatives from the Parks and
Recreation Department then discussed
PHOTO VIA GETTY IMAGES
the temporary, steel, laser-cut sculpture by
MIDABI that will stand in Union Square,
noting that “It’ll be installed the week of
June 21st and we’ll have the unveiling
ceremony on the 24th,”
Jennifer Falk, Executive Director of the
Union Square Partnership, then shared
details about the busway mural on 14th
Street, which she suggested could undermine
the growing graffi ti problem there..
“As everyone’s coming out of the
pandemic, and we’re seeing the return of
foot traffi c and life to the square from a
commercial perspective, there’s been an
increased pressure on our core services
from both a sanitation and a public safety
perspective,” said Falk.
“I just wanted to reassure the community
board and the members of the public that
are here this evening listening that we’re
back…to our full summer hours and our
extended staffare in the district seven days
a week from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
The meeting wound down as they discussed
MdeAS Architects’ proposed granite
sidewalks and curbs at 1 Penn Plaza.
Chris, a member of the team behind the
new sidewalks, discussed the choice of the
Belgian “petit granit” used in their construction.
“We were looking for something
that would unify the district and feel like a
part of New York,” he explained. “We love
the bluestone in New York. Unfortunately,
it’s not feasible these days and not quarried
like it used to be, so it’s not really an
option.”
Noreen Doyle tapped as new Hudson River Park Trust prez
BY EMILY DAVENPORT
The Hudson River Park Trust has a new President
and CEO as the Park enters its fi nal stages of
development.
Noreen Doyle, who previously served as Acting President,
was unanimously appointed into the roles by the
Hudson River Park Trust’s Board of Directors on June 3.
Doyle helped spearhead many of the Park’s achievements
since its founding in 1998, including the recent openings
of Pier 26 in September and Little Island.
“Parks are defi ned not just by their landscapes but by
the people who use them, and this past year has shown
how essential they are for the health and happiness of
our cities,” said Noreen Doyle, President and CEO of the
Hudson River Park Trust. “Hudson River Park is a success
because for more than two decades, the State and City,
previous Trust leadership, businesses and environmental
advocates, and community advocates and elected offi cials
have contributed their resources, talent and passion to
creating a park that offers something for everyone. In that
spirit of collaboration, I look forward to continuing our
work toward fi nishing the park, improving the health of
our Hudson River Sanctuary, and ensuring that the Park
is a welcoming place for all.”
Doyle is succeeding former President and CEO Madelyn
Wils, who led the Trust for almost ten years. Doyle
previously served as the Trust’s Executive Vice President
from 2004 to 2021 and worked for the Trust and its predecessor
organization, the Hudson River Park Conservancy
in several capacities prior.
“Noreen Doyle is the perfect person to lead the
Hudson River Park Trust at this critical moment in
the park’s history,” said Basil Seggos, New York State
Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner
and HRPT Board of Directors Vice Chair. “For
more than two decades, Noreen has been a champion
for the park and a driving force behind its transformation
into a destination befi tting the greatest city in the
world. Noreen is respected by corporate and community
stakeholders alike and her expertise in planning
and development is surpassed only by her passion for
the park. I’m thrilled to welcome her as the Hudson
River Park Trust’s newest President and CEO and look
forward to great things under her spirited leadership.”
“Noreen Doyle has dedicated over two decades
of service to the Hudson River Park Trust. With her
deep knowledge of and love for the park, Noreen will
lead the Trust with exceptional vision and talent,” said
Deputy Mayor Vicki Been, Chair of the Hudson River
Park Trust. “I look forward to working with Noreen and
seeing how Hudson River Park fl ourishes and expands
under her direction.”
“Hudson River Park is a great success, and Noreen
Doyle can take a lot of credit for that,” said Jeffrey
LeFrancois, Chair of the Hudson River Park Advisory
Council. “She knows the Park inside and out and has
worked closely with the neighboring communities in
the planning of the Park and to keep them informed.”
For more information about the Hudson River Park
Trust, visit hudsonriverpark.org.
PROVIDED
Noreen Doyle, the new president and CEO of the
Hudson River Park Trust
Schneps Media June 10, 2021 5
/hudsonriverpark.org
