In an editorial, North Bergen resident Bob Walden and West New York resident Mark Bloomberg celebrate the fact that the North Bergen pre-k will be leaving James J. Braddock Park.
As the result of a massive, years-long effort from local residents and a coalition of environmental and good government groups, we are so proud to announce that we have defeated North Bergen’s plans to build a permanent preschool in a beloved county park.
We are incredibly grateful to everyone who helped make this victory happen and hope to carry this momentum forward to protect our environment throughout the State.
For years, we investigated and called out North Bergen’s false claims about site safety, school enrollments, the viability of alternative sites and a litany of incorrect facts and details.
We rallied to get thousands of current and former New Jersey residents to sign petitions, send comments, attend public hearings and pressure local officials to pass resolutions. Our efforts paid off!
After 24 years of prioritizing other projects, ignoring the needs of their preschoolers by illegally placing “temporary” school trailers in Braddock Park, North Bergen has finally recognized they have no path forward.
They have withdrawn their plan to build a school in Braddock Park, a Green Acres protected, Hudson County park.
This is a major milestone, which must be followed up with the prompt removal of the trailers and a thoughtful restoration of the space for recreational or conservation purposes.
It is an unfortunate truth that it remains the public’s responsibility to ensure that NJ DEP, Hudson County and North Bergen make this happen.
Despite this victory, it is apparent that NJ DEP rules, regulations and processes are woefully inadequate for protecting our green spaces.
Without any significant penalty, North Bergen, whose mayor was also simultaneously a state senator and the assistant superintendent of schools back when this all began, drew out the diversion process, abusing the system to get numerous extensions to remove the trailers.
They filed multiple diversion applications; none of which were ever completed.
The Green Acres program is currently revising its rules, so now is the time to fix the inadequacies exposed by the Braddock Park debacle.
NJ taxpayers funded hundreds, if not thousands, of wasted hours of NJDEP’s time. There must be enforceable penalties and time limits to cure parkland violations, that must be less open to political influence.
The public has overwhelmingly supported Green Acres for over 65 years, and it must be strengthened, not weakened by disrespect from local politicians.
As things stand, municipalities are seemingly encouraged to place public services in protected open spaces.
North Bergen’s retreat still leaves unresolved the fact that 30 years ago, they constructed an EMS building on a Green Acres protected playground.
Ridgewood built affordable housing in a similarly protected playground in the ’80s which is only now in the final stages of being rectified. Woodbridge Township is seeking to divert 7+ acres of parkland so they can build a school.
The replacement properties that the DEP accepts as compensation for diversions are often inferior scraps of land.
For the moment though, let’s not let these larger concerns overshadow what we have collectively accomplished.
In addition to all the individuals who contributed, we greatly appreciate the efforts of our coalition members:
NJ Conservation Foundation, NJ Appleseed NJ League of Women Voters, Friends of Liberty State Park, NY-NJ Baykeeper, Hackensack Riverkeeper, Hudson County Sierra Club, North Bergen Earth Talks, the Eastern Environmental Law Center and the Friends of Braddock Park.
Bob Walden, North Bergen
Mark Bloomberg, West New York
Thank you for your years of dedication and persistence. But shame on the lickspittles who tried to shame you for not caring about the preschoolers. Years and millions spent on lawyers, engineers and PR consultants. Death throes of a town political machine trying to squeeze every last drop out of the orange.