Metro

‘Estuarium’ science center planned for Hudson River Park

ALBANY — It’s got tennis courts, a soccer field, even a trapeze school — and coming soon to one of the city’s greatest attractions is a new “estuarium.”

Hudson River Park, the heavily used five-mile ribbon that runs from Battery Park to 59th Street, is getting another drawing card: a $10 million educational center for studying the waters of the Hudson.

Gov. Cuomo announced Friday that the state and the Port Authority are putting up the money to build the 12,000-square-foot science center on Pier 26, between Hubert and North Moore streets in Tribeca.

A long-delayed boathouse and restaurant are also on the drawing boards for the pier in separate deals.

Park Trust president Madelyn Wils called the government funding a big boost for the already crowded park.

“The opportunity to bring a world-class research, education and outreach center to downtown is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” she said.

Wils also described the new science center as a “great catalyst” for the numerous education programs already under way in the park.

The Hudson River Estuary stretches 153 miles, from Troy to New York Harbor.

The good news comes on the heels of troubling financial woes.

The trust that has transformed the city’s decaying waterfront into a green jewel faces a staggering bill to repair deteriorating Pier 40 in Greenwich Village, its largest single property at 14 acres.

The pier is hemorrhaging money and Wils put the cost of repairs at “over $100 million.”

The trust’s budget is stable, but Wils said a long-term solution is needed.

“The plan is to get everything solved,” she said.

Cuomo signed controversial legislation last year that would allow the trust to sell as much as 1.6 million square feet of air rights east of the West Side Highway and expand the type of developments allowed on park property, including a broadcast or film studio.

An operator for the estuarium has yet to be selected.

There is no opening date.

The boathouse is supposed to open this year, while the restaurant is scheduled for 2015.

The park boasts a wide array of facilities that include dog runs, beach volleyball courts, all-sport athletic fields and a rollerboarding park.