FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Anthony Puglisi
October 18, 2007 973-621-2542
Lauren Shears
973-621-1590
ESSEX COUNTY EXECUTIVE DIVINCENZO JOINS WITH ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS TO ENDORSE OPEN SPACE REFERENDUM QUESTIONS
ON NOVEMBER 6TH BALLOT
Voters are asked to Support an Increase in the Essex County Recreation
and Open Space Trust Fund, and the Statewide Green Acres Bond Act of 2007
‘Yes’ Vote will Provide Funding to Acquire and Maintain Open Space
and Parkland, Preserve Historic Sites and Protect Waterways
Verona/Montclair, NJ – Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. joined with the Coalition for Affordable Housing and the Environment to provide support for two open space referendum questions on the November 6th ballot. The October 18th press conference at Essex County Riverbank Park raised awareness about the need to increase the dedicated tax for the Essex County Recreation and Open Space Trust Fund and to endorse Public Question #3 for the Green Acres, Farmland, Blue Acres and Historic Preservation Bond Act of 2007. Both acts will provide additional funding to acquire and maintain open space and parkland, preserve historic sites and protect waterways.
“I encourage voters to support both of these referendums when they go to the polls on November 6th. Both will have a tremendous impact on our quality of life by providing necessary funding for open space acquisition, park maintenance and historic preservation,” DiVincenzo said. “My administration inherited a park system that was suffering from decades of neglect. Today, our parks have been re-energized with modern recreation facilities and enhanced landscaping. Our partnerships with local conservancies who now receive Green Acres grants, along with the relationships we have created with corporations, volunteers and our Open Space Trust Fund are all important elements. Working together, we have made significant progress, but there is much more that must be accomplished,” he added.
"Urban open space revitalizes communities and improves public health," said Karen Lagerquist, Policy Advocate for the Coalition for Affordable Housing and the Environment. "Investing in urban open space is investing in the future of New Jersey's cities and the people who live in them,” she added.
As Joseph Della Fave, Executive Director of Ironbound Community Corporation explained, "The need to protect open space and create parkland in cities like Newark is critical because our community is under enormous development pressures and open space has almost disappeared. It is crucial to ensure that urban residents, often with limited ability to take advantage of recreational facilities outside the city, have access to parks within their community." Discussing the Ironbound’s particular needs, Della Fave continued, “The Ironbound is the most densely populated community in the City of Newark and Green Acres funds have provided support for the acquisition of parkland and the development of recreational activities for all ages. Three non-profit organizations in the Ironbound have received support from the Green Acres Program: the Ironbound Community Corporation., SPARK and the Down Neck Community Sports Group. The Ironbound Community Corporation offers its strongest support for the passage of Public Question #3.”
"Riverbank Park is an appropriate location to make this call to action," said Angie Merrill, Manager of Community Development for Tri-City People's Corporation in Newark. "We can easily see the difference that open space makes in the community it serves,” she said.
Kevin Moore, Project Director of the Weequahic Park Association, noted additional benefits of urban open space. “Urban communities are host to critical wetlands, threatened and endangered species habitat, and other important environmental resources,” he said. “Urban residents have overwhelmingly supported open space measures in the past as they see how green areas contribute to community revitalization,” Moore added.
The Essex County Recreation and Open Space Trust Fund referendum asks voters to increase the dedicated tax to the Trust Fund by half a cent from 1 cent per $100 of assessed property value to 1.5 cents. For a house assessed at $100,000, the contribution to the Trust Fund would be $15.
Public Question #3 – The Green Acres, Farmland, Blue Acres and Historic Preservation Bond Act of 2007 – asks voters to authorize the State of New Jersey to issue bonds in the amount of $200 million to support the State’s open space programs. In 1998, voters approved a progressive referendum question that provided nearly 10 years worth of funding for the Garden State Preservation Trust. However, the Trust is now running out of money. Approval of Question #3 is necessary to continue the State’s open space, farmland and historic preservation programs afloat for one more year. In addition, it would create a new Blue Acres program to purchase flood-prone properties and use them for conservation and recreation purposes.
Money from the Essex County Recreation and Open Space Trust Fund initially was used to help the County develop its’ first-ever Recreation and Open Space Master Plan. This study evaluated the condition of the historic Essex County Park System and identified over $125 million worth of improvements needed to revitalize the 6,000-acres of parkland. With this comprehensive “to do” list, DiVincenzo established partnerships with 29 conservancy groups to apply for funding from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s Green Acres program. Over the last four years, $32.3 million in Green Acres grants have been received to benefit the Park System. The Trust Fund has provided the necessary matching funds, bringing the total impact of the partnership initiative to $64.6 million.
Some highlights of the projects undertaken to improve the Park System include the:
§ Purchase and preservation of Kip’s Castle
§ Planting of 2,000 new Cherry Blossom Trees in Branch Brook Park
§ Construction of the Environmental Center
§ Renovation of the Turtle Back Zoo Dining Pavilion and many new natural habitat animal exhibits
§ Remodeling of Garibaldi Hall
§ Restoration of 21 park buildings
§ Modernization of 35 basketball and tennis courts
§ Upgrading of 17 baseball and softball fields
§ Improvement of seven walking tracks and football/soccer fields
State Green Acres and Trust Fund grants also are being used to create much needed open space in the neighborhood that surrounds the Essex County Hall of Records Complex in Newark. Plans have been developed to tear down a dilapidated two-story parking garage and replace it with a passive Park Plaza. This 2.7-acre park is the first new County park to be developed in almost 80 years. Another grant will create a promenade linking the new Park Plaza with a pocket park adjacent to the Historic Courthouse.
In addition, the Essex County Trust Fund supports an Open Space Local Aid Program that provides grants to municipalities and eligible non-profit groups for open space acquisition, park development and historic preservation projects. A total of $6 million has been allocated for 49 projects in 21 municipalities. (Fairfield has not submitted a request to date.) Open space has been preserved in West Orange and Livingston; historic sites have been maintained in Montclair, Newark and Millburn; recreation facilities have been modernized in Maplewood, Irvington, Nutley, Caldwell, Orange, Essex Fells, North Caldwell and other towns; hiking and biking paths have been developed in Glen Ridge, Livingston and Nutley; and waterway stabilization projects have been pursued in Bloomfield, East Orange and South Orange. These are just a few of the local projects supported by the Trust Fund.
Each of New Jersey’s 21 counties has Open Space programs. Each county funds its program through different allocations, with Warren collecting the most at 6 cents per $100 of assessed property value and Morris collecting the second highest at 5.25 cents per $100. Bergen, Cape May, Cumberland, Hudson and Passaic collect 1 cent per $100, which is the lowest of the counties. Even with the proposal for an additional half cent, Essex will collect the third lowest amount with its new rate of 1.5 cents per $100. Union and Monmouth Counties also collect 1.5 cents per $100.
A referendum supporting the creation of the Essex County Recreation and Open Space Trust Fund was approved by voters in 1998. The idea for the Trust Fund was raised by the Essex County Sierra Club, which presented the concept to DiVincenzo, who at the time was serving as President of the Freeholder Board.
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