The Hoboken officials gathered at the intersection of 7th and Jackson Streets yesterday to cut the ribbon on a new resiliency park that boasts a playground, gymnasium and infrastructure to capture over 450,000 gallons of rain water.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“The new resiliency park at 7th and Jackson is a model for the state in providing both open space amenities and also below ground infrastructure to help mitigate rainfall flooding,†Mayor Ravi Bhalla said in a statement.
“Residents, visitors, and local businesses will now have two acres of much needed park space to relax, take their kids to the park, and enjoy the outdoors. I thank the many stakeholders who have played a large role in making this project a reality, especially former Mayor Dawn Zimmer, Larry Bijou and the Council sub-committee.â€
The second phase of the park will include the buildout of the one-acre public plaza, which will feature step seating with a tilted lawn panel for relaxing and passive gatherings, play sculpture, and a large plaza area designed to accommodate vendors and seasonal markets.
Zimmer was also in attendance for the ribbon cutting and also applauded the progress of the project thus far.
“The 7th & Jackson Resiliency Park project will bring tremendous co-benefits for our community including green infrastructure to address flooding risks, a wonderful new park for everyone, and also support the local artists and businesses in the Monroe Center,†she added.
“I am extremely proud of our efforts to get this planned and then built through a collaborative process starting with my Administration and followed through by Mayor Bhalla and his Administration in partnership with the property owner, Larry Bijou. Congratulations to Mayor Bhalla and thank you to everyone that was involved in getting this project completed.â€
Additionally, 3rd Ward Councilman Michael Russo said the completion of phase one was a reason to celebrate, thanking everyone for their continued efforts to improve the third ward, Bhalla, Zimmer, Councilman-at-Large James Doyle, along with former Councilmen Dave Mello and Tim Occhipinti.
The park will also include a shade structure which will be transferred from the Northwest Pop-up Park when construction begins on the permanent park.
The city is currently working on acquiring, building out and upgrading over nine acres of open space and parks, including the five-acre Northwest Park, a one-acre Southwest Park expansion at Block 10, the new 7th and Jackson Park and the recently renovated Madison Street Park.