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“I heard that the renovation plan might take out the river from the new playground design. That makes me really upset because it’s one of the best parts,” said Heather, a local 10-year-old, at Tuesday’s Community Board 7 meeting.
On the agenda was the presentation and discussion of a new plan to renovate River Run Playground in Riverside Park at West 83rd Street. The $7.09 million project, funded by City Councilmember Gale Brewer, was discussed at St. Paul and St. Andrew United Methodist Church, 263 West 86th Street, where Heather and others spoke out.
In February, the New York City Parks Department, along with the design firm Abel Bainnson Butz, LLP, which was tapped to redesign River Run Playground, began seeking community input on the project. On August 27, at Community Board 7’s Parks & Environment Committee, they presented their initial vision.
“And although the longer [river] runnel is lost, we know that was something much loved by children, so we’re looking to incorporate a slightly modified version of it in this localized area,” said Terri Burger of Abel Bainnson Butz, who presented the renovation plan on August 27.
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There was no presentation of the playground at the full CB7 meeting on Tuesday, September 2—a notable change of protocol—due to community outreach that quickly mobilized in opposition to the new plan.
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A “Save the River in River Run Playground!” thread was started on Reddit. “The plan removes the iconic river (the heart of the playground!), cuts swings from 12 to 9, eliminates all 3 seesaws, monkey bars, the cool climbing structure with big holes, and 2 slides,” the original poster wrote.
“I mean, it’s called the River Run Playground, so I want to hear all the discussions back and forth,” said City Councilmember Gale Brewer on a call with ILTUWS. She noted her office sent the Parks Department all the emails her team received with feedback on the renovation plan. “We have sent them all—60, 70, or more. I lost track,” she said.
The playground design will be presented again at the Community Board 7 Parks & Environment Committee on Monday, September 15, at 6:30 p.m. at the Community Board office, 250 West 87th Street, between Broadway and West End Avenue.
“Community input is an important part of our process for parks projects,” said a NYC Parks Department representative in a statement to ILTUWS. “We understand there have been a lot of questions recently about our draft design for River Run Playground, and we look forward to returning to the Community Board soon to discuss this project further.” They emphasized that the project is still in the design phase and has not been finalized. NYC Parks said they plan to attend the Community Board 7 Parks & Environment Committee meeting on September 15 to further discuss the design and answer questions. They also shared a link which contains general information about the capital process.
Councilmember Brewer praised Heather, the 10-year-old who spoke at the CB7 meeting. “It provides a community space where kids can play and get a little bit wet on a hot summer day. I also had my 7th birthday party at River Run and spent a lot of time trying to build a dam in the river with my friends, which did not work,” she said, sharing a memory she would never forget. “When you take away things like the river, it’s not just the playground feature that disappears—it’s the heart, soul, and namesake that give River Run Playground its identity, captured in the memories that children will have there.”
In total, River Run spans 30,900 square feet, with the public restroom building—currently not part of the renovation—covering about 1,400 square feet. Construction is tentatively slated for 2027. Here are the Parks Department’s current design plans.
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