Will Gov. Christie Throw NJ’s Crown Jewel – Liberty State Park – Under the Bus?

Posted on December 29, 2014 by Bill Wolfe

Stealth Provision of Meadowlands Consolidation Bill On Gov.’s Desk Would Virtually Destroy Liberty State Park

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I find it almost incomprehensible that an issue of this magnitude could remain under the radar and not a matter of public debate.  ~~~ Bill Wolfe (on open space ballot parks cuts)

Emergency Bulletin from Sam Pesin, President, Friends of Liberty State Park:

The Act gives the keys to LSP to the autonomous MRC and takes the keys away from DEP and the public. The MRC will be pressured by developers, promoters and misguided officials to turn LSP into a COMMERCIAL VENUE CASH COW TO RAISE REVENUE and will ignore LSP’s true purpose as a free park for the quality of life for urban people and the free enjoyment by visitors from around NJ and our nation. The MRC will feel no responsibility to protect public access to LSP, a great urban open space family park with spectacular views of Lady Liberty, NYC and the harbor and for picnics, playgrounds, gardens, walking/bicycling/jogging,& ferries to Lady Liberty/ Ellis Island.

Governor, please stand up for LSP and tell the legislature to take LSP out of the Act.

This is unbelievable – even for corrupt NJ politics.

I just got wind over the weekend from Sam Pesin that the Hackensack Meadowlands Consolidation Act that was rammed through the legislature just days before Christmas includes a provision that would transfer powers and effective control over Liberty State Park to the new consolidated entity (see this new power in section 19 on page 26):

m. Evaluate, approve, and implement any plan or plans for the further preservation, development, enhancement, or improvement of Liberty State Park and the buildings, structures, properties, and appurtenances related thereto, or incidental to, necessary for, or complimentary to the park. The commission may avail itself of any plans under review by the Department of Environmental Protection from any source that may promote expanded and diverse recreational, cultural, and educational opportunities for visitors to Liberty State Park and provide greater access to park facilities. Any approved plans shall constitute a project of the commission, and shall be adopted as part of the master plan;

This is a complete disgrace.

It is a formula for effective commercialization and turning the park into a commercial cash cow.

It goes way, way beyond the recent efforts by Governor Christie to generate revenues at the Park, see:

The recent Open Space ballot Question #2 stripped all State Park’s lease and concessions revenues, some $3.8 million per year in revenues that are used to support park operating budgets. Liberty State Park was particularly hard hit by that, with loss of about $800,000 per year in parking and pavilion fee revenues.

I guess that now fee revenues are gone, those that seek to commercialize and  privatize our state parks want to go all the way and strip the crown jewel from NJ’s parks system out of DEP State Park Service control entirely.

As Sam Pesin notes:

Assembly Bill 3969 ( & Senate Bill 2647) with the Page 26 LSP amendment deviously, outrageously and shamefully snuck in at the last minute were fast-tracked, passing within 11 days with final votes right before Christmas on 12/22. This is Putin-style government – obscenely stealing LSP and attacking the Public’s broad public consensus for a free and green park – and attacking the Public Good for this priceless treasure- the jewel in the crown of NJ – a Sacred Park – sacred as it is scarce urban open space and is right behind Lady Liberty. Most likely, most legislators were not even aware of the LSP amendment

The ACT GIVES FINAL SAY IN ALL PLANNING AND DECISION-MAKING for LSP TO AUTONOMOUS MRC AND TAKES AWAY THE FINAL SAY FROM THE DEP’T OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AND ITS DIVISION OF PARKS AND FORESTRY AND FROM THE PUBLICAS THERE IS ZERO MENTION OF PUBLIC PARTICIPATION, PUBLIC HEARINGS OR PUBLIC COMMENT.

We urge the Governor to give a conditional veto of this Act until LSP is taken out of it to protect LSP by leaving its decisions to the DEP and its Division of Parks and Forestry and the public and to prevent a new LSP era with constant negative, wasteful battles – as the park was a sacred battleground from the time it opened in 1976 when a theme park was pushed until 2003 when the LSP Development Corporation was ended after 20 years of causing statewide battles against a golf course, waterpark, etc.

This is really dirty – I researched the legislative history and could not even find fingerprints on who introduced this stealth outrage and why it was done.

Call the Governor now at 609-292-6000 and demand that he conditionally veto the Liberty State Park amendment from the Hackensack Meadowlands Consolidation Act bill now on his desk.

The bill is on the Governor’s desk – we are watching.

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