New York is putting $3 million in state funding into improvements at Dinosaur Playground, a heavily used Riverside Park destination near West 97th Street on the Upper West Side. Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the funding for upgrades focused on the playground’s restrooms and upper pavilion area.
The scope goes beyond new fixtures. Plans include new lighting, accessibility improvements, and work in the upper pavilion area that covers the restroom roof, terrace, and stairs. The project list also includes new waterproofing, restoration of masonry, and upgrades to drinking fountains.
For mason contractors and restoration crews, the mention of waterproofing and masonry restoration is the part that matters. In public park structures, water drives a lot of the damage, especially around roofs, terraces, and stair runs where runoff and freeze-thaw cycles punish mortar joints and wall surfaces. When the schedule and budget call out waterproofing alongside masonry restoration, it signals a focus on stopping water entry, not just patching what people can see.
At the same time, the announcement highlights how complicated public work can get when a site has bigger underground issues. Half of Dinosaur Playground remains closed because of a sinkhole that formed during Hurricane Ida in 2021. West Side Rag reports that the playground’s northern section has been fenced off for years, even after $8.6 million in funding was announced in 2024 to renovate and fix that side of the space.
The New York City Parks Department told the publication that the delay is tied to permit approvals and that the upcoming reconstruction includes extensive upgrades to underground drainage infrastructure. The agency said construction is set to begin in late 2027 or early 2028 once final permits are approved.
Read the full, original article from West Side Rag here.