By
ANA M. ALAYA
STAR-LEDGER STAFF
It
is the place where millions of immigrants got their first taste of freedom in
the New World, where generations of rail commuters disembarked daily on their
way to and from New York, where the view of the Manhattan skyline is unrivaled.
Now,
the land that is Liberty State Park has been turned into a battleground by those
with opposing views of the park's future.
At
stake is the very landscape of the waterfront park in Jersey City. A proposal to
develop a commercial aquatic center in one corner of the park has provoked an
outcry from conservationists, who were among some 600 people who turned out
yesterday for a hearing on the plan.
A
commercial water park is one of three competing proposals for a portion of the
park's 251 acres of still- undeveloped land. The other two proposals call for
less intensive uses, such as a nature trail or athletic fields.
Many
who attended yesterday's hearing at the Liberty Science Center voiced support
for plans that would leave the park in a largely natural state.
"We
stand here behind the Statue of Liberty, and to have any commercial activity
here goes against everything that stands for," said Jeff Tittle, president
of the New Jersey Sierra Club, one of about 300 people who were unable to get
into the packed auditorium.
Sam
Pesin, president of Friends of Liberty State Park and son Morris Pessin, often
called the "father of Liberty State Park," said a water park would be
a traffic-clogging intrusion on New Jersey's most popular state park, visited by
4.3 million people annually.
Underlying
the bitter debate over the water park, which has pitted Jersey City Mayor Bret
Schundler against conservation groups, is a disagreement over how "free and
green" the park should remain, and whether and on what scale certain
recreation facilities should be permitted.
"The
goal should be to meet a great diversity of interests and needs," said
Schundler, who argued conservationists have twisted his views.
(Mayor
Schundler had clearly supported the waterpark in news stories and in a
videotaped press conference, and his representative on the Planning Committee
had supported it for a year. This note by Sam Pesin, president of Friends)
The
mayor said he is in favor of a family swim center to replace a large public pool
that closed several years ago, as well as other recreational activities such as
horseback riding and an ice rink.
The
idea for a water park grew out of a year of work by a committee sponsored by the
state Division of Parks and Forestry. The committee studied what to do with the
perimeter of the 225-acre Interior of the park. (The Interior, where nature is
making a dramatic recovery, was once the rail yard for the Central Railroad of
New Jersey.Note by Sam)
The
committee, which includes Pesin, Schundler, state environmental experts,
neighborhood groups and the Liberty State Park Development Corp., was an
outgrowth of a pitched battle over whether to build a golf course at the park
six years ago. That ended when Gov. Christie Whitman set aside 185 acres in the
park's center as a permanent wilderness area.
The
committee already has agreed to clean up the dredge spoils and restore the
natural wetland habitat and woodlands, and to add ponds and natural trails.
Still at issue is how, or even whether, to develop the perimeter of the
wilderness area.
The
committee put forward three proposals, including one for a water park on 18
acres off Phillip Drive, one for a nature trail, and one for athletic fields.
Bill
Neil, director of conservation for the New Jersey Audubon Society, said allowing
commercial recreational activities would undermine the state's restoration
efforts and the intent of the governor, as well as detract from the park's
character.
"Because
this is an overpaved and undernourished region, this park is important to
environmentalists," said Neil. "There's also the dramatic setting of
the lower Manhattan skyline, the significance of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis
Island.
"Whether
you go to 'bird' there or to ride the ferry, you're swept up by those symbols.
You don't want projects at odds with that sight. We want an international
landscape competition. We want a green contemplative park that sparkles in
people's imaginations."
Others
prefer to see more recreational facilities to complement the vast open fields at
the 25-year-old park.
"The
idea is that when someone comes here, whether it's an individual or a family,
there will be more things for them to do than there are now," said Peter
Ylvasaker, director of the Liberty State Park Development Corp., which is
charged with finding projects that generate revenue for the park.
(It
is a distorted view of the park that you have to have structured facilities
charging admission fees to say that there are things to do.In a free, open space
park, people of all ages engage in a myriad of free unstructured activities.
Also, one of NJ’s largest playgrounds exists in the park, and an athletic
field is being planned.Note by Sam)
It
was the corporation that presented the plan for the aquatic center, which would
draw between 3,500 to 3,700 visitors a day and charge between $8 and $16
admission for its pools, slides and other activities.
In
the next several months, the planning committee will announce which of the three
proposals it prefers. The issue will ultimately be decided by the commissioner
of the state Department of Environmental Protection. (this Public Hearing,
combined with thousands of postcards sent to the DEP by citizens from around the
state, ended commercial waterpark plan. Note by Sam)
PHOTO
CAPTION: Jersey
City Mayor Bret Schundler walks off the stage at the Liberty Science Center
after being
booed by the audience for his views on the
development of Liberty State Park.
CREDIT: NOAH K. MURRAY/THE STAR-LEDGER