By Daniel Katzive
Riverside Park Conservancy (RPC) announced on Monday that Merritt Birnbaum will be joining the nonprofit in September as its next President and Chief Executive Officer. Birnbaum is currently the Executive Director of the Friends of Governors Island, a similar organization to the Conservancy, which runs the Governors Island green spaces, visitor centers, and volunteer programs, in cooperation with the National Park Service. She has held that position since 2015.
According to the Riverside Park Conservancy’s press release, “Ms. Birnbaum will lead strategic programmatic growth and fundraising campaigns for the Conservancy, as well as shepherd major capital projects in partnership with the Parks Department, with a particular focus on intensifying efforts in the northern half of the park, which runs up to the George Washington Bridge.”
The Riverside Park Conservancy indicates its mission is “to restore, maintain, and improve Riverside Park in partnership with the City of New York for the enjoyment and benefit of all New Yorkers. [The group] support[s] the preservation of the park’s historic landscape, structures, and monuments, engage[s] the community in active stewardship of the park, and provide[s] a wide range of public programs.”
In a message posted on LinkedIn, Birnbaum wrote, “I’m so excited for the opportunity to lead Riverside Park Conservancy’s next chapter and help one of our city’s most beautiful and dynamic parks become even better.”
The Conservancy’s previous leader, Dan Garodnick, stepped down in January to join the administration of Mayor Eric Adams as City Planning Commission chair, and director of the Department of City Planning.
Welcome Ms B. Can we prioritize restoration of Soldiers and Sailors monument? Thank you and very best in your new role.
Can we not prioritize Soldiers and Sailors. Let the Feds pay for it. I don’t see the need to pour money into every monument created in another century that happens to give up the ghost on my clock
Is the Soldiers and Sailors monument federal property and does that preclude Riverside Park conservancy from restoring it?
Love the idea of making Riverside Park as cool and wonderful as Governor’s Island has become, welcome!
Governors Island is a disaster. It had so much possibility and its been squandered. Hopefully the upzoning to allow tall buildings and bringing cars to the island will fail. Hope you do better with Riverside Park.
Glad to see new leadership after the former leader, Dan Garodnick, did absolutely bupkis while the park continued to deteriorate.
Garodnick brought the goats which are an amazing PR resource yet that aspect of them is never ever mentioned. Spare us the truth.
Ralph, The real numbers tell a very different story. RPC revenues, and expenditures and accomplishments dramatically increased during Garodnick’s tenure. Admittedly, we are comparing his performance to the abysmal performance of his no show predecessor, John Herrold.
I disagree with Ralph 100%.
Riverside Park, esp. the more recent “South” portion, is a wonderful asset for us of the ‘Lower-Upper West Side, providing an opportunity to stand a foot-or-so away from ,the actual waters of Mr. Hudson’s river or just sit on a bench and people-watch, boat-watch, and, for this wing-nut” airplane-watch (depending on the LaGuardia Approach pattern).
Riverside South is so over sterilized. Yes Pier I exists as eye-candy. Don’t go into the Hudson unless you are rich enough to own a boat, though its fine to look at.
But we did get goats 🙂
Wasn’t that cool? I saw them come in this time😎💓
Welcome Merritt. As a Conservancy member, co-President of the West 90s Neighborhood Association, Director of the Upper West Side Coalition of Block associations and Community Groups, and as a Board member of the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Association, I look forward to working with you to fulfill the Conservancy’s agenda, including the restoration of our beloved Soldiers and Sailors Monument.
Neil, The Soldiers monument is a liability not an asset. The money to restore it could be put to much better use. I say tear it down ASAP.
Will the RSP Conservancy now bother to do something about bicyclists and scooter drivers using paths specifically forbidden to them?
I highly doubt Ms Birnbaum will manage to reduce this massive liability for RSP Conservancy, and whatever non-profit runs Riverside Park South.
How about Ms Birnbaum work to get all of the lawns aerated annually, the lawns are awful packed dirt.
And full of rats:/
First order of business should be an intern program, via which high schoolers would be assigned to tasks that “normal” employees wouldn’t do if you promised them sainthood.
Rake, sweep, PAINT LINES ON THE BIKE/JOGGING path fr 96 to 125 etc etc.
RSD is a gem. And yet you see how long it’s taken to complete the “2018” rebuild of the east (upper) entrance to the 101 RSD soccer field.
If we want our kids to stay active offline, RSD must be 💯 % priority.
Hah! I just read the sign posted on the fence saying they’ll have the steps fixed by summer of ***2023*** !! What a joke.
Please clean up and beautify the Upper Upper west side park area in the 90’s to 120.
Let’s work on the flooding that happens with the slightest rain at 87th-90th streets and anywhere above 96th
Welcome Merritt from the West Side Little League!
We love and are great supporters of Riverside Park where we play most of our games in
our Spring/Summer and Fall seasons.
And every March our families do a big clean-up of the ballfields we use.
Come see us play this Fall!
all the best,
Debbie Kling
President West Side Little League