The Township of North Bergen is seeking funding through the State of NJ Green Acres Program for improvements at Stan Newman Memorial Field. There will be a public hearing to learn more about the proposal & ask questions or provide comments on Feb 18, 2026, at 6pm.
North Bergen failed to state where the meeting would be held.
I cannot attend this meeting and hereby request that the following comments become part of the official record and considered by officials…
1- Why is NJ DEP Green Acres even considering approving this and other grants to North Bergen when North Bergen still has not:
a) Removed all its preschool trailers (it only removed 15 of 17 trailers) from Braddock Park as is required? North Bergen has violated/been out of compliance with Green Acres regulations in Braddock Park for 25 years.
b) Not restored the Braddock Park preschool site to recreational use as is required by DEP regulations?
c) Not provided required compensatory replacement land for NB’s past illegal diversion of Braddock Park land as is required by DEP regulations?
d) Not settled with Hudson County who much North Bergen owes the County Parks Dept. for leasing the Braddock Park land, as NJ DEP has in the past stated is required?
NJDEP officials have not responded to my previous emails questioning the aforementioned problems.
2- The public’s needs are not being met by this project:
a) The plans for this project show renovations to the area on the south side of 64th Street – this is North Bergen BOE not Township owned land and as such, it is not entitled to Green Acres funding.
NJDEP inappropriately approved $1,000,000 Green Acres funding on 02-15-2017 for this BOE owned land on the south side of 64th Street: Grant # 0908-17-032.
b) The plans for this project do not recognize the public and the planet’s crucial need for shade trees and real, not synthetic grass.
c) The plans allude to Stan Newman Field being used for High School use – this field should be open to use by the public without requiring an expensive permit to use it.
The high school already has its own playing fields as does the newly built High Tech JHS.
North Bergen recently gained the High Tech fields for school use, while it still hasn’t replaced the Girl’s High School ball field that it illegally diverted and removed from Braddock Park in 2001.
North Bergen schools do not need more playing fields.
Sincerely,
Robert Walden
North Bergen
The second letter, from County Parks are for All Residents, follows:
North Bergen is seeking Green Acres funding for Stan Newman Memorial Field (1308 64th St., on the north side of 64th St. at the intersection of Cottage Ave) and is holding a public meeting next Wed., Feb. 18. @ 6PM at Town Hall (4233 Kennedy Blvd). The is a North Bergen town park.
We are urging people to oppose North Bergen’s plans and tell NJDEP not to provide any funding for this project.
Details of the plan to “upgrade” the park are located here.
Here are some talking points:
1. It is absolutely absurd that the NJDEP would grant North Bergen any funding while the Braddock Park debacle remains unresolved. Even though most of the trailers are now gone, NB is required to provide restitution (in the form of replacement property and/or direct payment) for the 24 years that they illegally diverted Green Acres protected parkland for their trailer preschool. NB must fully resolve Braddock with NJDEP before NJDEP allocates any further funds to them.
2. The total cost of this project is estimated at $8 million dollars. North Bergen has not indicated how large of a grant they are asking NJDEP for, but it is likely that the vast majority of this cost will be the burden of North Bergen taxpayers. And the budget for the project was estimated in Jan. 2024, so it doesn’t account for inflation.
3. Questionable expenses for the project: $130,000 for site preparation ($40K) and installation ($90K) of a scoreboard, and this doesn’t include the cost of the scoreboard itself (which isn’t included in the budget). Another $70,000 for door replacements in an existing bathroom/storage facility, $14,000 for decorative trash receptacles, $5,000 for installation of a commemorative sign for the mayor. And that’s just the obvious waste – how much more is being paid for overpriced services? See pp. 7-11 of the plan for a complete list of estimated costs.
4. The plan identifies a baseball field and adjoining storage facility that specifically designates them for high school use. Why are school teams going to be using public park space, rather than Board of Education land? North Bergen High School already has baseball fields and also has access to leased fields in Braddock Park.
5. The plan has fences around all the ballfields which likely will be locked to keep the public out. The softball field directly across 64th St. on Board of Ed property already operates this way and requires a permit from the NB Recreation Dept if the public wants to use it.
6. North Bergen has not shared results of the survey asking for the public’s feedback of the plan, and their plan neglects to include any space for anything other than sports facilities. Nor does it add any natural shade.
7. Aspects of NB’s plan to “upgrade” Stan Newman field include modifications to a different park on the south side of 64th street which is owned by the North Bergen Board of Ed, not the Town. It is a separate property and therefore should not be included in the plan.
8. Even if the additional land noted in item 7 is allowed to be included, it fails to include a remediation plan for the soil underneath the playground (which NB plans to “upgrade” by giving it a fresh coat of paint). North Bergen previously submitted evidence of contamination at the playground as part of a Preliminary Assessment Report (PAR) which was filed with NJDEP. North Bergen had proposed using this property as replacement land for building a preschool in Braddock Park, the testing they commissioned identified toxic materials in the soil.
9. The fields will be converted to astroturf. The only plan for keeping the astroturf cool (by watering) is prior to organized activities; North Bergen has not submitted a plan, and likely has no intention, for keeping the astroturf cool during times that the park is available for general use by the public.
10. The plan hasn’t been vetted by an independent party to confirm that it can withstand a 100 year flood event. Further, while the park isn’t on a flood plain, it is on a graded area of a steep slope; the runoff from the park threatens to flood houses to the west (downhill from the park).
Please spread the word with North Bergen residents, attend the meeting and stop this wasteful project. People can also submit written comments via email and sending them to: jcastro@northbergen.org
Thanks,
Mark
NBTownship @NB07047