West Hudson will greatly benefit from Hudson County Executive Craig Guy’s plan to disburse nearly $8.5 million in Open Space Recreation and Historical Preservation Trust Fund cash in 2024.
Guy issued recommendations last week with the assistance of the Open Space Trust Fund Advisory Board.
The awards will fund projects such as safety upgrades, green space improvements and playground enhancements in all Hudson County municipalities.
The recommendations will be voted on by the Hudson County Board of Commissioners Sept. 26, 2024.
“The Hudson County Open Space, Recreation and Historical Preservation Trust Fund was created to ensure Hudson County’s open spaces and parks are adequately supported to make the necessary upgrades, repairs, and connections surrounding communities need to enjoy and access these areas,” Guy said. “The county is proud to support all 12 municipalities throughout the development of these 24 projects, the largest number of awarded projects ever, that will provide the proper infrastructure Hudson County residents deserve in their playgrounds, dog parks, skate parks, waterfronts, recreation centers and much more.”
Harrison Mayor James A. Fife was especially grateful for the award given to Harrison.
“The Town of Harrison, like most municipalities in Hudson County, relies heavily upon neighborhood playgrounds. Not only do these havens provide convenient and safe environments for our children to play, exercise and socialize, they allow parents to network and discuss topics important to the community,” Fife said. “The Hudson County Open Space Trust Fund provides the money needed to maintain and expand Harrison’s playgrounds, ensuring countless hours of enjoyment by residents. With the ever-increasing costs of construction, the trust fund is needed now more than ever.”
Locally:
East Newark is set to receive $167,900 of a $167,900 plan to add new turf to Veterans Soccer Field.
“The turf of this soccer field will be replaced to make the field cleaner and safer for playing,” the county’s recommendation said. “The current state of the field is in disrepair and deteriorating. The new turf will create a more accessible field for the public to use.”
Harrison stands to received $300,000 of a $522,417 plan to rehabilitate Policemen’s Park Playground.
The Town of Harrison proposes a complete reconstruction of Policemen’s Park Playground due to the current safety and aesthetic of the playground. This project will include the installation of new equipment, safety surfacing, fencing and a retaining wall. The equipment will encourage engaging in physical activity. To ensure the playground has longevity, a retaining wall will be installed to prevent soil erosion. There is an additional match of CDBG funding for this project.
And lastly, Kearny will take home two awards — one for $422,000 for a proposed $500,000 waterfront walkway park along the Passaic River and $150,000 (the town requested $500,000) of a $2.6 million improvement to the new Kearny multipurpose center on Oakwood Avenue, the site of the former First Lutheran Church.
The Town of Kearny is seeking the acquisition of two sites, the former Rapp’s Boatyard site, which recently experienced a major fire, and former Skinner Brothers Service Center site, for the first project. These locations will be transformed into recreational open space that will create a continuous waterfront recreational area along the Passaic River. To do so, the original plan was to collapse the structure on Rapp’s Boatyard for demolishing, but that has since been removed following the aforementioned fire. Environmental remediation will be needed. Future park development will include sustainable landscaping, green infrastructure and inclusive pathways. There is a local share of $78,000 for this project.
The second grant will pay for part of the transformation of the former church into a multi-purpose community center. The town is also striving to preserve historic elements of the church. The town proposes recreational uses in the interior of the facility, including space for programed activities for residents of all ages.
This project has a local share of $1.46 million and the town has also received $73,000 from the FY24 Local Recreation Improvement Grant.
Kearny Business Administrator Stephen Marks says he’s very grateful to the county for its efforts.
“The Town of Kearny truly appreciates every grant it receives. The town expects that the improvements to the Kearny Recreation Center will be multi-phase and take multiple years,” the longtime administrator said. “The site needs repairs to the physical plant of the building, including the roof, foundation, mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems, as well as upgrades to the HVAC system and installation of fire and burglar alarms, audio-visual systems, security cameras, Wifi and ADA/handicap accessibility for both physically challenged as well as the visually and hearing impaired. While the Kearny Recreation Center can be put into active use in the near future, it will take several years to complete all of the necessary repairs and improvements. Fortunately, this approach will give the town multiple opportunities to request additional funding from state, county and federal funding sources to minimize any impact to local taxpayers.”
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Kevin A. Canessa Jr. is the editor of and broadcaster at The Observer, an organization he has served since 2006. He is responsible for the editorial content of the newspaper and website, the production of the e-Newspaper, writing several stories per week (including the weekly editorial), conducting live broadcasts on social media channels such as YouTube, Facebook, and X, including a weekly recap of the news — and much more behind the scenes. Between 2006 and 2008, he introduced the newspaper to its first-ever blog — which included podcasts, audio and video. Originally from Jersey City, Kevin lived in Kearny until 2004, lived in Port St. Lucie. Florida, for four years until February 2016 and in March of that year, he moved back to Kearny to return to The Observer full time. Click Here to send Kevin an email.