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nuncio_populi t1_jdoist4 wrote

Reply to comment by negativeandannoying in Has Anyone Ever Explored the Closed-Off Interior of Liberty State Park? by ReeseCommaBill

Thanks for the questions. I know many have not been following this as closely as others in this subreddit.

There has been a long-standing plan to remediate the interior 160+ acre portion of Liberty State Park that was contaminated with chromium and other industrial waste following decades of heavy use by railroads and manufacturers. That area has been fenced off for a long time, largely due to a lack of funding for the environmental remediation.

Last year, the state legislature passed a $50 million act to fund Liberty State Park. There are two competing visions for the land:

The original plan (which almost everyone in this sub supports) calls for wetland, woodland, and grassland restoration to create wildlife habitat and scenic, passive recreation for all visitors to the park plus an additional sixty acres of sporting facilities, active recreational fields open, and a cultural center – all open to the public. The park also lies in a flood plain so habitat restoration will actually add a buffer to protect low-lying neighboring communities, particularly parts of Jersey City — Greenville, Bergen-Lafayette, and Downtown. You can see an older version of the state's plan here.

The alternative plan (which is the one everyone is upset about) is promoted by the People's Park Foundation, which is funded by billionaire golf course owner Paul Fireman. This plan calls for the park to be turned into concert venues with multiple stadiums to be built and concession vendors spread throughout to "generate revenue." Predecessors to the overdevelopment plan have called for a new marina for yachts (conveniently located by Fireman's golf course) and, in the past, an outlandish formula-1 racetrack.

For context, Fireman has long coveted an environmentally sensitive portion of Liberty State Park called Caven Point to expand his golf course. His People's Park Foundation has been running a campaign in the op.ed section of NJ.com for the last year either claiming that the first plan does not exist or grossly underselling the state's vision for the park. They try and conflate opposition to their plan with the false idea that the state wants to abandon Liberty State Park. This is an out-right lie.

So, the development activities that people are opposed to are the People's Park Foundation plans.

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negativeandannoying t1_jdoko1k wrote

Wow!! Thank you for filling me in. I'm moving into JSQ after being priced out of my old spot. I really want to be a part of helping in any way that I can. The original plan sounds perfectly thought out and actually beneficial for all in both the short and long term. Do you know any steps that can be taken to possibly halt the Fireman plan (sorry, but that's his real name??)

This actually depresses me on a whole other level.... there's so much potential to do some good both environmentally and for residents. It would be a shame to lose it to more cheesy money making BS. I'm sure taxpayers will be funding it somehow as well.

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nuncio_populi t1_jdoy5n6 wrote

Send emails to your local reps like Mukherji and Stack. Send an email to the Governor.

It might not hurt to email Fulop too given his ambitions for statewide office.

Consider signing up for the Friends of Liberty State Park listserv.

We also have a protest petition floating around this subreddit that I started based on the latest news.

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negativeandannoying t1_jdp9ijg wrote

Ok. I'll search for the petition or you link me. Either way is fine. I can do all of these things for sure. I also read somewhere that the website for friends of liberty needs an update and my spouse is a web developer that would love to help with this if needed.

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