Transcript: Mayor Adams NYCEDC, DOC Announce Plan to Remove Decommissioned Jail Barge From Hunts Point, Unveil Ambitious Vision for Innovative Marine Terminal

June 9, 2025

Deputy Mayor Adolfo Carrión, Housing, Economic Development, and Workforce: Good morning, everyone. Welcome to Hunts Point. It's a beautiful day in the Bronx. They said it was not going to rain today. It was just going to be cloudy. The borough president said be bold, be brief, and be gone. We're going to try to do that this morning.  

My name is Adolfo Carrión. I am a Bronxite and very proud of it. Son of the Bronx and I'm also New York City's deputy mayor for Housing, Economic Development and Workforce and I'm thrilled to be here on what is truly an exciting day for New Yorkers and Bronxites. Thank you all for coming. A day that will offer a new vision for the barge behind us, for the movement of goods in the city and a vision for working in tandem with the people of Hunts Point to advance economic mobility.  

In June of 2022, the mayor and his administration launched the Hunts Point Forward Plan, a bold 15-year vision to drive prosperity in this community. That plan is a game changer and to hit our goals 15 years from now, we need to move with urgency every single day and that's exactly what today is about.  

Just last month, we were here announcing the first Blue Highways facility in the Bronx with Con Agg Global and today we build on that momentum, offering a new vision for the Hunts Point Marine Terminal, for decommissioning this barge behind me and for empowering and investing in the people of Hunts Point in the Bronx. As the man to my right likes to say, we get stuff done.  

And this, and in this city, and in this borough, we're getting stuff done and it takes true leadership. We are going from jails to jobs. With that, it is my honor to introduce the 110th mayor of the City of New York, Mayor Eric Adams. 

Mayor Eric Adams: Thanks so much, deputy mayor. Just so many personal journeys here in the Bronx and in 2021, I walked through this site with Councilman Salamanca, and he stated that this barge is a blight. This barge is a symbol that everything bad gets built and located in the Bronx. And when I got back into my car, I reached out to him and I said, “Trust me, councilman, we're going to close the barge and we're going to remove the barge and we're going to bring a new symbol here in the Bronx.” And that was not the first time we talked about it.  

As a child, when I was arrested as a child, I was in a juvenile facility located in the Bronx. We walk that area now, and that's a beautiful place where families are growing and aspiring. And so coming here today is both professional and personal. Far too long, the Bronx has been a symbol of where everything goes wrong. And we know it's better than that because the people of the Bronx are no different from the people of Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and Manhattan. They want the same things. They want their families to aspire and grow.  

And I made a promise and councilman, I lived up to that promise and got it done. So we say welcome to the Bronx, rain or not, this is liquid sunshine and the Bronx is able to withstand whatever comes their way. New York City has always been a maritime city, an economic empire built on a natural network of waterways with trade, business and shipping thrive. And Andrew, you know, your continuing vision. This is a continuation, folks. This is not a one and done. You're seeing that we're connecting the dots throughout the city.  

This city is a place where it has been true for hundreds of years. And thanks to the investment our administration is making, it will be true for hundreds more when we're going to use our maritime. Our maritime, for the most part, has remained dead and you have not witnessed a lot of activity. But that's not where we're going in the future. We are calling this the Harbor of the Future.  

And we're connecting Governor's Island, Brooklyn Omni Terminal, where we're supporting new startups and sustainability technology. It includes the North Shore of Staten Island. We're creating thousands of new homes and jobs along the waterfront and Kips Bay in Manhattan, with which turning an entire city block into the state of the art destination for life sciences and health.  

We went directly to the White House a few weeks ago to talk about the amazing project in the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal. And we were able to lift the stop work order to make sure it got done. 1,500 hundred jobs, 500,000 homes will be impacted by the energy that we produce. And we have laid out a bold vision for the future of Hunts Point right here in the Bronx, where the world's largest food distribution center will soon be run entirely on renewable energy.  

Today, we're unveiling a new stop along our Harbor of the Future that will create hundreds of jobs and keep our city at the front of the green economy. The first step in creating the forward thinking future is clearing away the past. We came into office with the promise, as I indicated, in the Vernon C. Bain jail barge and all of the destruction that came with it. It will be removed and we will give renewed energy and life to this community.  

And I'm sure you're happy to hear that Borough President Gibson always talked about how much we need to bring back to this borough. That's why we decommissioned the barge in 2023. I'm proud to announce [that] the city removed the barge altogether. We're going to go one step further. On this spot where we are sitting right now, we're going to build a new Hunts Point Marine Terminal.  

In just a few years, we will be standing here to see cargo from all around the globe being moved off our ships and onto e-bikes, barges and ferries for the last mile delivery to all five boroughs. This is lowering emissions, creating jobs and creating a vibrant community here in the Bronx by boosting economic output. We think it will look something like this.  

Huge change from what you're seeing now. Generating $3.9 billion in economic impact, increased waterfront access in public space and conduct existing shipping networks with low-carbon delivery services that will reduce truck traffic throughout the entire area of the Bronx. We're dealing with real asthma rates, something I hear the B.P. talk about all the time. 

It's going to improve our economy and our environment at the same time. This is an exciting time for the city, but most importantly, it's an exciting time for a borough where you have good people, a strong leadership, and it is time for us to make sure they get the support that they deserve. Today's announcement continues our work to revitalize our waterfront communities, link up new hubs of innovation and establish New York City as the global destination for green economic innovation and opportunity.  

And it also reminds New Yorkers that big things happen day after day in this borough. Last month, we also looked at what we did in Brooklyns. Later this month, I should say, we're going to have an important vote of leaders from across the city.  

We vote on the future of Brooklyn Marine Terminal. We have a once-in-a-generation chance to turn this crumbling facility into a modern maritime port with thousands of new homes, hundreds of thousands of square feet of industrial space and a dozen acres of green space. At a moment when our country is debating on what direction we're going to go into innovation, we're clear here.  

We're moving forward and we're excited about that forward trajectory that we're moving. New Yorkers always use the innovation and ingenuity to respond to whatever changes come our way, and we're not going to stop by transforming the shorelines that first made New York the economic engine of the nation into a harbor of the future.  

We are continuing to move forward, and Hunts Point is going to be a benefit of that, sustaining our historical waterfront communities. We're excited about this announcement. I want to thank the councilman for his vision and the borough president for her support of making sure we can get this done. Thank you very much. 

Deputy Mayor Carrión: Thank you, mayor. The group that you see standing behind me is the representative of the strength and support that this project and all the related projects have around the city. You're going to be hearing from some important leaders. To be clear, to get this done takes resources.  

As the mayor mentioned, we have $28 million in this year's budget, this coming budget. It takes coordination between city agencies, and we have many agencies here today, including my colleagues at the Department of Corrections. Thank you, commissioner.  

It takes an obsessive focus on delivering against a broad, ambitious agenda for a vibrant economy and innovation to drive job creation citywide. And that is what the New York City Economic Development Corporation does and is doing in this administration.  

And on that note, I'd like you to welcome my colleague, a longtime friend and partner in this work. He is the president and CEO of the New York City Economic Development Corporation and a fellow obsessive in executing on this work, Andrew Kimball. 

Andrew Kimball, President and CEO, Economic Development Corporation: Thank you so much, Deputy Mayor Carrión. Mr. Mayor, it is such a pleasure to work for both of you. These jobs are a unique opportunity to have and to have principals who really understand economic development, the importance of listening to [the] community, the importance of partnering with people like Borough President Gibson and Councilmember Salamanca, the importance of coordinating among city agencies.  

And I really want to thank our colleagues at the Department of Correction and Small Business Services. This is an administration that works arm in arm across it to deliver in communities that we serve. This is an incredibly important day for delivering on promises. As the mayor and the deputy mayor said, the Hunts Point Forward Plan laid out a roadmap. It had incredible local partnership.  

People like Ralph Acevedo, Maria Torres, and so many others in the neighborhood that guided us to this day of EDC taking over this site, laying out a new vision of opportunity and jobs. It's about delivering on our commitment for Blue Highways. I see Mike Stamatis here who runs the Brooklyn Marine Terminal Port today.  

And for years, he's been pushing this idea of Blue Highway and so many others have. But it took this mayor in three years to deliver more on Blue Highways than the city has delivered in thirty years. And this is another major commitment kept here in the Bronx. The linkage between this site and the Brooklyn Marine Terminal will mean that perishable goods can move by container, by barge from Brooklyn, from New Jersey, from other points along the Northeast to get goods here to the Bronx, to this massive food distribution center quickly [and] efficiently.  

It decreases over 400 truck trips a day. That is a real positive impact for the City of New York and everybody deserves enormous credit for delivering on this vision. It's not just the Brooklyn Marine Terminal, though. It's the downtown Skyport. It's the west side of Manhattan. It's a whole new concept for how we move goods around the city. There are 12,000 trucks a day that come over the Verrazano and the G.W. today that clog our streets, that have negative economic impact, that lead to high rates of asthma.  

We need to turn that around and this mayor is showing the path to do that through our Blue Highways network. I also want to highlight the importance of jobs. There are billions of dollars of projects happening in the food distribution center today. Big shout out to our colleagues at EDC who are doing so much to drive investment here alongside private sector partners.  

Part of the real excitement of today is to announce an economic mobility network, a major financial commitment on the part of EDC to partner with local community groups like the Greater Hunts Point Development Corporation, $1.4 billion over three years to drive workforce development opportunities, pre-screening and placement, job training to make sure that the jobs here and elsewhere in this massive food produce center go to local residents of Hunts Point and the South Bronx. So it's really an honor for me to be here and thank you very much for your partnership. 

Deputy Mayor Carrión: Thank you, Andrew. At this time, it gives me great pleasure to bring up a personal friend, an incredible New Yorker, a real champion for jobs and economic development and economic mobility, somebody who understands not only his district but the pulse of the city, and for whom this is personal.  

And he's shared his story before about his dad and the connection to Hunts Point, but he's been a champion for this area of the city and for this market and for this neighborhood for a long time. He is City Councilman Rafael Salamanca. 

City Councilmember Rafael Salamanca: Good morning, buenos dias. I know that it is raining today, but I tell you that the sun is shining bright in Hunts Point today. Today's a great day for the South Bronx because it marks another step closer to getting rid of the barge once and for all. The closure of the Vernon C. Bain Center is long overdue and a historic action by the Adams administration that ends decades of empty promises from previous administrations who repeatedly claimed they would address the facility's impact but failed to act.  

Let me give you all a little history [on] how this barge got here. Back in the 80s, Ed Koch was mayor. Rikers was overpopulated and they needed spaces where they [could] build new jails and he ordered a floating jail. Jail didn't get here until the 90s. We had a new mayor, Mayor David Dinkins. He came to this community and he said, “This is going to be a temporary thing here in the Hunts Point community.”  

Well, 35 years later, this barge is still here. I don't think 35 years is a temporary thing. And so when Eric Adams was running for mayor, he came to visit me and I took him to Spofford Juvenile Detention Center, which was under construction, and he told me his story. And then I brought him here. We actually went over there by the gate, Mr. Mayor, by the fish market.  

And I showed him this barge and I explained to him the story of how this barge was here. And he said, “Salamanca, I promise you, in my first hundred days of this administration, I'm going to get rid of this barge.” Well, [it] took three years, I understand. But there were complications. But he kept his promise.  

Mr. Mayor, I want to thank you for keeping your promise. See, this barge has been a blight in our community. And I'm just happy to see that we finally are getting rid of it. Changing the legacy of previous administrations by taking the next step is in removing the barge and further delivering on the commitments we made through the community-driven Hunts Point Forward Vision Plan, a plan that myself and the community work closely with EDC and the Adams administration to implement. 

Today's announcement follows through on the Adams administration's promises to not only remove the barge, but to lay the foundation for a future with South Bronx benefits from green jobs, cleaner air, and waterfront that is accessible and beneficial to the residents of the Hunts Point community. Not only will the new Hunts Point Marine Terminal be an economic game changer that creates over 400 construction jobs, 100 permanent jobs in the heart of the South Bronx, it will also be a critical environmental justice action that will remove 9,000 truck trips per month from the South Bronx streets.  

This plan reflects the city's commitment to embracing new technologies and sustainable practices in shipping and logistics, positioning New York as a leader in the green economy. In closing, the removal of the barge and the creation of the Hunts Point Marine Terminal is not just a victory for the South Bronx, but it is a victory for all New York City.  

It represents a rejection of past neglect and commitment to long-term community-centered growth. For that, I thank you, Mr. Mayor, and this administration for delivering on promises that prior administrations led us to believe were not possible. Thank you.  

Deputy Mayor Carrión: Thank you, councilmember. At this time, it gives me great pleasure to welcome and introduce the Executive Director of the Greater Hunts Point Economic Development Corporation, a longtime friend I've known, Don, for decades, Don Eversley. 

Don Eversley, Executive Director, Greater Hunts Point Economic Development Corporation: My boss from 25 years ago. We were teenagers. Real quickly, the Hunts Point businesses and residents have so much potential. This parking lot has long been a scene of untapped potential. And having worked on Blue Highways projects for over 20 years in three different states, it used to be called Short Sea Shipping, by the way, but Blue Highways is a lot more evocative.  

We're thrilled that it's going to be here, and we as Greater Hunts Point EDC, we lead a network, a coalition of local community-based organizations that will be running the new Hunts Point Economic Mobility Network, which is a plan to connect adult education and placement to connect local residents with these thousands of local jobs. We're really excited to implement that process over the next four years. Thank you, mayor, and thank you, president. 

Deputy Mayor Carrión: Thank you, Don, and keep up the good work. Before we conclude, I want to bring up to the microphone, I'm known as number 12. My successor was number 13, and she is the 14th borough president of the County of the Bronx, Madam Borough President Vanessa Gibson. 

Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson: I'll do the three B's, I promise. Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you so much to everyone for coming out. What an important announcement, and what an important recognition of such potential that we represent here in the South Bronx. I'm honored to be here on this Monday morning, and I want to thank our mayor, Eric Adams, for his incredible leadership and always delivering results for the Bronx.  

One thing I remember about the mayor in his early days when we both started, me as borough president and him as mayor, he always said, “I am a five borough mayor, and no matter what, I will always take care of the Bronx.” Mr. Mayor, you do that time and time again, and today we add even more opportunity for us here in the South Bronx.  

I want to recognize Andrew Kimball and the team at EDC, of course our partners at the Department of Corrections, the Department of Small Business Services, our Council Member, Rafael Salamanca, Jr. I want to recognize our partners at The Point, at Greater Hunts Point, EDC, Community Board 2, who are here with us, faith and clergy leaders.  

We are all here united because we recognize what today means. We take a bold, progressive step forward in recognizing that decommissioning the barge takes our pain to purpose. It recognizes that in the midst of a storm, we can truly find strength. The collaboration and the shared responsibility that we all have in making sure we invest and create economic opportunities, good paying local jobs that not only stimulate the economy, but create pathways to the middle class.  

It has been done before and we can do this yet again. We know the history of the South Bronx. We know the dark days that we have represented, but we have seen brighter moments and brighter opportunities and today's announcement recognizes that. Hunts Point Marine Terminal, reducing our carbon footprint, reducing truck traffic, breathing cleaner air, building healthy families are all priorities that we fundamentally share and believe in.  

Making sure that we use creative and innovative approaches to this work is a part of this agenda. And as the Bronx borough president, I am grateful for this opportunity because during my time in the New York City Council, I remember relentless conversations in the Bronx delegation about closing the barge. Don't forget about the barge. Don't forget to close the barge.  

And ladies and gentlemen, it is happening right here before our eyes. This is a proud moment for us in the Bronx, but it also recognizes that the partnerships will continue. We have to make sure that we are looking at all of the innovative approaches to making sure that we can breathe cleaner air. We reduce our asthma rates. We are a part of the Not62 for a Healthier Bronx campaign and we know we can do it. We have so much momentum, so much energy and so much drive to get this done.  

And most importantly, we are determined to make sure that we lift up families in a real way. We support our small businesses. The $40 million invested in Hunt's Point Forward, all of the great work we're doing at the Food Distribution Center. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, good things are happening in the Bronx and we need everyone to talk about it and tell the story because we often hear the negativity. We don't hear the positive impact that we are making.  

Everything that happens in the Bronx happens across our city. And the Bronx, not only do we deserve our fair share, but we want to make sure that our borough can lead in everything that is good. The national highway approach, all of the work we're doing with DOT, [is] instrumental in making sure that we reduce our truck traffic. And so all in all, I want to say thank you.  

Thank you for recognizing that this is long overdue and very necessary as we move our borough forward. We have so much more in store to lower our unemployment rate even more because I am a competitive borough president. I want to make sure that our unemployment keeps going further and further down.  

We've already reduced it by 20 percent, Mr. Mayor, and now we're going to keep going because it matters when people have good, stable jobs that allow them to live and create pathways to the middle class. So thank you so much, everyone. Thank you to our council member and all the elected officials. Thank you to Community Board 2, to Maria Torres, and the team at The Point for your relentless advocacy and never allowing us to give up. We are never giving up on Hunts Point. We're never giving up on the great borough of the Bronx. And most importantly, we believe in the power of the people. Thank you so much, everyone. 

Deputy Mayor Carrión: Thank you, madam borough president. I want to thank you all for coming. This concludes the formal part of our event. And I think at this point, Mr. Mayor, you take a few questions. 

Question: I wanted to ask, what's the estimated economic impact for this particular project? How many jobs will be created, estimation, and how do you ensure that people in the Bronx will be able to get those jobs? And then to everybody's emphasis on this barge being here so long, what assurances are in the RFP process that this gets done quickly and doesn't take a long time as well? 

Mayor Adams: A great point. And I also want to remind everyone how we got here in the first place. Overpopulation of Rikers Island, when you don't properly deal with prison populations and stop the flow from jail to prison pipeline, you build these large populations. And [the] commissioner of correction, who's here with us today, should tell you the challenges of doing that.  

And you don't want to see barges popping up all over our city, particularly in the outer boroughs. And the goal is to make sure that we build centers like what we're going to build here. Andrew will go over the numbers, the economics of it, on how this is going to be beneficial for not only the Bronx, as we indicated, but for the entire city. 

Kimball: There's several parts to the question, but I'll start with immediate next steps. So in the coming days, EDC will be putting out an RFP for the responsible disclosure of the prison barge. We expect to have it removed within 60 to 90 days. So that's question one, I think.  

Question two is [the] timeline on the work here. So we've already begun with the preliminary design of our vision for this as a marine terminal linked to a number of nodes around the harbor. There's a [complete] design of that. Like many sites at the Produce Center, there is environmental remediation that will have to happen subsurface for a period of time. And we expect that this site would come online around the same time as the Brooklyn Marine Terminal would be completed in the year 2030-2031.  

In terms of broader economic impact, you have to look not just at the jobs on site, which will be over 100 permanent jobs related to bringing goods in and out of the site, but the connection to the broader economy throughout the city. And that's where you get enormous economic impact, benefiting the city throughout the boroughs, but also the companies within the Food Produce Distribution Center.  

So whether it's fish or meat or produce or many of the other private companies here, once they begin to use the Blue Highway for the movement of goods, we believe they will also see economic benefit and job creation here. 

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