The Hudson County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved County Executive Craig Guy’s recommendations for allocating $8,498,822 from the Hudson County Open Space, Recreation and Historical Preservation Trust Fund for 2024 — marking a 71.6% increase in funding compared to 2023.
The approval authorizes the expenditure of Open Space funds and following the approval, the grantees may proceed with the acquisition, construction or preservation project with two years to complete the project.
Guy announced the recommendations in July, with four projects earmarked for West Hudson, including the following:
n East Newark receives $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 receives $300,000 of a $522,417 plan to rehabilitate Policemen’s Park Playground.
The Town of Harrison proposed 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 takes 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 recreation/multipurpose center on Oakwood Avenue, the site of the former First Lutheran Church.
The Town of Kearny acquired two sites — the former Rapp’s Boatyard site, which experienced a major fire over the summer and the 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 portion had been removed following the aforementioned fire (the remnants of the building were torn town the day after the 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 recreational 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.
Guy issued the recommendations with the assistance of the Open Space Trust Fund Advisory Board. The awards fund projects in all 12 Hudson municipalities.
“I’m proud that my administration’s Open Space project recommendations were unanimously approved by the Board of County Commissioners. And I am also proud that my administration was able to increase funding for this year’s awards,” Guy said. “We are all dedicated to providing exceptional open spaces and parks in Hudson County and the approval of the board signals the green light to move forward with making these plans reality for residents throughout the county.
“Improving the quality of life for all residents here in Hudson County is critically important to me so that all county residents are able to enjoy and access open spaces and parks that are adequately upgraded and repaired. These 24 Open Space projects recommended by my administration, which is the largest number of awarded projects ever, will provide the necessary improvements to infrastructure that Hudson County residents deserve in their spaces of recreation.”
Kearny Business Administor Stephen Marks expressed appreciation to the county, over the summer, for its allocation to the town.
“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,” Marks said at the time. “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.”
The name of the new center must contain the name “recreation” in order for the town to receive open-space funding; however, the center is multi-faceted and will include significantly more than just recreation opportunities.
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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.