TAPinto

By Franklin Walker

As someone who has spent 48 years playing a role in the life and growth of generations of Jersey’s City young people students, I have a unique perspective on our city’s rich history and its future potential.

Beginning in 1974 as a health and physical education teacher in our school system – and holding more than 20 different positions since – it was a privilege to cap my career as the Superintendent of Jersey City Schools before my retirement at the end of 2021.

During that time, I did my best to nurture the hopes and dreams of our students, while helping them and their parents navigate the barriers and challenges blocking their path.

One of the consistent roadblocks that our children have faced growing up in Jersey City has been a lack of facilities as compared to their peers in other municipalities in Hudson County and throughout the state.

While other cities and towns have ample basketball, tennis and pickleball courts; soccer pitches, baseball, and football fields; and indoor community centers with pools and meeting areas, Jersey City has lagged and the impact on our children is real and lasting.

It’s why I was excited to be appointed to a seat on the Liberty State Park Design Task Force – giving me the opportunity to lend my experience to this important debate and to continue my life’s work advocating on behalf of Jersey City’s children and families.

Let me be clear: I believe that the park represents a source of pride for our city, and I genuinely respect residents who have viewpoints on both sides of the debate about its future.

At the same time, Liberty State Park also represents a well of untapped potential to enhance recreational and community-based offerings for our residents. Failure to take advantage of that potential and find common ground would be tragic. 

In a city that has experienced such explosive development and growth in recent years, more than ever before our families need facilities to play basketball, soccer, baseball, and other sports.  They also need facilities for the community to gather in a safe and welcoming environment, with structured activities and after-school programming.

To that end, one of my fellow Task Force Members suggested that Liberty State Park should largely be home to what he called “unstructured active recreation”, which in other words means a place for kids to kick a soccer ball around or play catch. 

Respectfully, that isn’t good enough, nor is it acceptable.

Neither is a plan being pushed by the NJ DEP to essentially flood a 170-acre section of the park, forever restricting the available space for active recreation in our city.  If their plan, in its current form, takes effect – reversing it would be impossible.

Recently, the NJ DEP made a statement that their plan does not “flood” the park, but then admitted in the same statement that their plan does include “reintroduction of native tidal and non-tidal wetlands”.  Moreover, the Director of Environmental Planning at Rutgers University conceded that the DEP plan includes “building wetlands” at the park.

I am not sure about you, but that sure sounds like a recipe for more water in the park.

I believe an alternative plan that includes trails, waterfront access, and a community center; indoor basketball courts and a swimming pool; outdoor ballfields and other sports facilities are the better option.

I encourage residents to attend the upcoming public meeting of the Liberty State Park Design Task Force to be held on Tuesday, April 9 at 1 Audrey Zapp Drive in Jersey City, starting at 6:00 P.M. There is also an option to attend virtually by clicking on this link and registering in advance. 

Your voice matters.  Please make it heard.