City begins refurbishing East River pier

The city took its first step towards the $13 million rehabilitation of Waterside Pier, between 38th and 41st streets along the East River, into a public park yesterday, GlobeSt.com reported. The project is funded completely by a $13-million lease fulfillment payment made yesterday by Consolidated Edison, whose lease expired last June. The site had gone unused for years, according to Con Ed. The money will help refurbish the pier’s structural components, and give way to a 34,000-square-foot park. The project is developed under Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s Waterfront Vision and Enhancement Strategy, or WAVES, launched in March to develop a continues esplanade along Manhattan’s East River. The new park is expected to provide much needed green space between 38th and 60th streets on the East Side. [GlobeSt.com]