September 14, 2010 by Rob CrowÂ
The Village Neighborhood Association, in collaboration with The Jersey City Parks Coalition, has received the highly sought after recommendation from the Hudson County Open Space Trust Fund Board of Directors and County Executive Tom DeGise for $295,000 of matching funds for the redevelopment of The Village Park on First Street in The Village section of Downtown Jersey City. This is huge!
Throughout the Winter and early Spring of 2010, members of the VNA, The Jersey City Parks Coalition, and Future Green Studios painstakingly compiled and completed the phone-book sized grant application. On April 8, 2010, designer David Seiter (Future Green Studio), Jim Ayers (VNA Vice President), Michele La Monica-Egar (Jersey City Parks Coalition) and myself pitched our formal presentation to the the Hudson County Board of trustees. And then, we waited….
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Source: Rob Crow, Jersey Journal
The news came late last week via an email from Stephen Marks, Director of the Hudson County Division of Planning. The Village Park was one 17 projects to be awarded this endorsement. With the passage of this introductory resolution, the final public hearing on these awards will be scheduled for the October 28, 2010 Board of Chosen Freeholders meeting. There is more work to be done for sure, and we’ll be reaching out to residents for their support, but for right now, feel free to smile.
For more details, check out the article below from The Jersey Journal.
Hudson County hopes to fund 17 open space and historic restoration projects totaling $6.273 million.
The Jersey Journal
September 10, 2010
Melissa Hayes
County Executive Tom DeGise has forwarded his recommendations to the Hudson County Board of Freeholders, which voted to introduce the report this week.
The board must still hold a public hearing Oct. 28 at 6 p.m. on the recommendations and adopt them.
The funds are broken into four categories: acquisition; park and recreation improvement; historic preservation; and planning, environmental, engineering, historic preservation studies.
Acquisition
North Bergen is set to get the largest allocation, $1.835 million to acquire a waterfront parcel at 7200 River Road, near the Guttenberg boarder. The site includes one acre of land and six acres of riparian rights, which North Bergen and Guttenberg hope to develop into a passive park with an extension of the waterfront walkway, according to the township’s application.
Jersey City is getting $1 million to offset the cost of acquiring the former PJP Landfill near the Pulaski Skyway, which will become Hackensack Riverfront Park.
Jersey City also sought $1 million for acquisition of the Sixth Street Embankment; $185,000 for a small parcel at the end of Waldo Avenue; and $600,000 for Berry Lane Park. All three requests were denied.
Hoboken unsuccessfully sought $1,000 to acquire land at Paterson Avenue and Harrison Street for open space.
Bayonne was denied its $2.265 million request to expand Russell Golding Park along Avenue E.
Historic
Bayonne stands to get $240,000 for heating, ventilation and air conditioning work, window renovations, lighting, stairway and marble work and completing of the main floor terrazzo at the future Bayonne Community Museum, a 1912 Beaux-Arts style building.
The board did not award funds to Save Ellis Island Inc. for interior restoration at Ellis Island Laundry/Hospital building in Jersey City or for stabilization of historic structures proposed by Jersey City at Reservoir 3.
Planning, Environmental, Engineering, Historic Preservation Studies
The board recommended $45,000 for Bayonne’s Neighborhood Parks Planning Study, which will study the possible rehabilitation of Dr. Morris Park, Francis Fitzpatrick Park, Sister Miriam Theresa Park and Edward F. Clark Park.
The board declined to fund the Jersey City Parks Coalition’s project at the Jersey City and Harsimus Cemetery Restoration Project and Liberty Science Center in Jersey City’s proposed engineering study for a pedestrian bridge across Phillip Street to Liberty State Park, despite both projects scoring higher on their applications than the Bayonne study.
Park and Recreation Improvement
Hudson County would use $133,000 to install “Memorials for Peace,” including a portion of the Berlin Wall, on the south lawn of Harborside Plaza 10 in Jersey City.
The Washington Park Association in Jersey City would get $100,000 for landscaping, recycling bins, bicycle racks and handicapped accessible improvements. The proposal also calls for a community garden, column repairs, signage, exercise stations and new picnic tables.
The Jersey City Parks Coalition and Village Neighborhood Association in Jersey City would use $295,000 to redevelop a park on 1st Street between Brunswick and Colgate streets.
