Letter To Editor: NJDEP Hearing On Diverting Green Acres Parkland

The following letter to the editor was received by Hudson TV from North Bergen resident Robert Walden:

ATTENTION ALL NJ RESIDENTS

There are Green Acres funded parks near you, wherever you live in NJ.
Please participate in a ZOOM and send emails asking NJ DEP to not allow schools, fire stations and other municipal services to be built in Green Acres funded parks because they are supposed to be preserved for recreation and open space purposes.

In 2001 North Bergen illegally “diverted” Hudson County’s Braddock Park when it replaced a NJ DEP Green Acres funded softball field with its 17 trailer public preschool.
North Bergen continued to lease these nearly 25 year-old trailers, recently for approximately $250,000/year.

Now North Bergen proposes to legally divert Braddock Park in order to build a 2-story modular preschool with 14 classrooms, even though NJ Department of Education has not approved North Bergen’s plans/architectural schematics and even though environmental regulations state “The use of parkland for other than recreation and conservation purposes should be a last resort.” (N.J.A.C. 7:36-26.1)

North Bergen’s claim that an alternative site for a preschool never existed is preposterous.
5 acres of North Bergen Board of Education owned land on 64th Street has always existed, but North Bergen sabotaged plan after plan to build a 32 classroom preschool there.
North Bergen is now proposing to build a 14 classroom preschool in Braddock Park – it can build it on 64th Street instead, next to the Early Childhood Center which is supposed to have 16 preschool classrooms in September.
64th Street is also a perfect location because it has park-like facilities – playing fields and an indoor rec center.
And nearby is North Bergen senior housing – seniors and preschoolers get along well!

North Bergen has previously, and seemingly has also currently proposed invalid replacement land as compensation for its diversion, as per N.J.A.C. 7:36-26 regulations.

Please attend this final public hearing on ZOOM or In-Person to say you oppose North Bergen’s attempt to divert Green Acres parkland in Braddock Park.

August 13 (Wednesday) at 6 P.M. at the North Bergen High School Auditorium (7417 Kennedy Blvd.)
ZOOM: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88301508356?pwd=1iZXalENsCSnFAbbYhGmZEPrIkop5B.1

Meeting ID: 883 0150 8356 Passcode: 183274

Whether you attend or not, before August 27, please send emails saying you oppose the diversion of Braddock and other Green Acres funded parks for schools and other municipal services to:

PublicLandCompliance@dep.nj.gov                                  buildingsandgrounds@northbergen.org

Alternatively, this website will automatically send emails for you: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/no-school-in-braddock-park

Allowing diversions of parks such as this will bring more people, vehicles, accidents, crime, pollution, garbage, artificial surfaces, flooding and noise to our parks.

Robert Walden

North Bergen