East River State Park Closing

The closing of East River State Park (that patch of concrete and grass on the river between North 7th and North 10th Street) has gotten a lot of press (including here, here, here and here).
If it occurred to you that Williamsburg and Greenpoint could be getting second-class treatment from New York State, you might be on to something. According to NYS Parks, East River is the only city park property that is closing down outright. Programming is being cut at Riverbank State Park in Harlem and at Roberto Clemente State Park in the Bronx, but both of those parks are remaining open. Hudson River Park (Chelsea/Greenwich Village – which is run by a conservancy) and Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park in DUMBO won’t see any service cuts.
**UPDATE:** In today’s paper, the News makes the same point:

While two other state parks in the city will suffer service cuts that will result in canceled programs for children and seniors, East River Park is the only one that will close.