In a letter to the editor, North Bergen resident Robert Walden says that township and county officials need to put safety first and make crucial changes at the preschool located inside James J. Braddock Park.
Dear Editor,
Dr. Solter: why haven’t the 2nd fire exits been added to all the North Bergen Preschool trailers as you were quoted would be done, in newspaper articles published 2 months ago?
NJDEP Green Acres has told North Bergen it must remove its 17 trailer preschool from Hudson County’s Braddock Park no later than 08-31-2021.
This school was moved into the park in 2001, in violation of state and federal regulations that restrict Braddock Park to recreational and open space use.
Green Acres has just told North Bergen and Hudson County officials they must create 3 times as much new park land as the preschool illegally used in Braddock Park, as “punishment” for their violation.
Approximately 4 acres of new park land must now be created by North Bergen and Hudson County. This irresponsible action by NB & HC officials in 2001 will now end up costing all Hudson County taxpayers millions of dollars.
One of the proposed new parks is on Paterson Plank Road. Half of this land is unusable and will be closed to the public because it is on a steep slope that has a history of landslides.
Another proposed new park is on River Road, south of Bull’s Ferry Road. There is no plan to convert this currently unusable very steep and over-vegetated narrow strip of land into a park. It may instead get razed and turned into a parking lot.
Hudson County residents should take a minute to email Green Acres:
1. Half of the Paterson Plank Road land should not be considered replacement land because it will be closed to the public.
2. The River Road replacement land needs a plan for a usable park, not a parking lot.
Caroline.Armstrong@dep.nj.gov
Martha.Sapp@dep.nj.gov
Robert Walden
North Bergen resident
