Keeping Hudson River Park Green And Clean

Hudson River Park, the second-largest park in Manhattan after Central Park, extends from 59th Street south to Battery Park. That’s a 4.5-mile stretch comprising of 550 acres, for which Dwayne Cremona is responsible.

Respected by his colleagues, Cremona is at once a natural-born leader and a team player. He began his career at Hudson River Park Trust as a Facilities Technician and was introduced to the organization through a subcontractor. “I came on as an apprentice, and then I kind of moved up the ranks to Assistant Director, to Director, and then to AVP of Facilities.”

“I’ve been here for a long time” said Cremona. “I’ve seen the park grow to what it is now, and to me, this award is a little acknowledgement that what I’ve been doing has paid off.”

He attributes his motivation and work ethic to his parents. “Growing up, my father basically did everything in the house,” he said. Cremona and his brother had to help him, and as as they grew up, doing repair work became part of their chores. He relates that experience to working at Hudson River Park.

“The park itself is a big house to me and I’m here maintaining it. The work itself comes naturally to me,” he said. “And with this being the house, New Yorkers are the family. I feel more connected to the city because I’m helping to build and maintain a part of it.”

And he’s passing that job dedication to his own two sons and granddaughter. “I feel like it’s showing my kids the right thing to do and being a part of the city.”

What the lifelong New Yorker likes best about the job is that every day is different day, “even though we get up with intent to do the same thing, anything can happen: responding to the facilities or emergencies...issues come up, and solving problems in real time is definitely challenging but I enjoy it.”

Cremona notes that his best days on the job are the ones coming up. “Any typical summer day. The park and playgrounds are full. Everybody’s moving around. There’s not too much space in the city where you can just enjoy the grass. We have splash parks and fountains. So many different types of things. A carousel.”

He points out that seeing New Yorkers at play, especially the kids, reminds him of growing up when one of his favorite things was going to the park with his parents. “It brings back those memories.”

Even though Hudson River Park is frequented daily by residents of lower Manhattan, Cremona wishes New Yorkers in other areas of the city would come downtown to see what they’re missing.

“There’s a big part of the city that just never gets over here. They don’t even know that this exists,” he said. “If they ever came and saw it, they would definitely come back.”