NJDEP Green Acres Program
Administrator John Flynn
July 20, 2007

Dear Administrator John Flynn,

I've recently heard from someone at the LSP marina, that they and their high priced lobbyists are pushing hard to get the state to approve their tall dry rack storage building, with the enormous increase from the approved 188 dry racks to somewhere between 350 and 390. There isn't a valid reason for LSP as treasured public land, to be used for private companies to increase their revenue at the expense of the negative impact on a major entry way ambiance.It's bad enough that LSP will have tall condo towers around it. The dry rack storage building, that is in the marina's sweetheart lease, is planned for the western end of the marina's land.

Please give me an update on the commercial marina expansion at Liberty State Park. The Friends of LSP are on record as opposing this tall dry rack building that will not be wanted by the vast majority of all park users. Such a tall dry rack building would be a huge increase in the number of dry racks that are presently approved, and have a negative impact on the park's northern entrance.

Your last email expressed support for public input in the democratic spirit that must be practiced in this urban state park behind the Statue of Liberty. There must be public hearings before the DEP gives its approval ,and the DEP hopefully will listen to the public and not the private marina owners who want to increase their profits. There would be very little percentage of the marina's profits for years to come from a large dry rack storage building that would come back to park in return for this crass, unnecessary commercialization of park, especially considering visual impact of such a building and also the increased inconvenience of more walkway users as boats are lifted up by the crane and put into the water.

I look forward to your reply.

Sam
Sam Pesin
president of The Friends of Liberty State Park
The Friends of Liberty State Park
www.folsp.org
P.O. Box 3407
Jersey City, NJ  07302
pesinliberty@earthlink.net
cell 201-341-7895 (after 4:30 pm weekdays or anytime weekends)
home 201-792-1993 
fax 201-792-3767


At 06:14 PM 4/17/2007, Green Acres Administrator John Flynn wrote:
Dear Sam:
 
The Green Acres Program has been working with the Division of Parks and Forestry to ensure that the development of Liberty Landing Marina conforms to the Record of Decision issued by the National Park Service approximately 20 years ago. We are also in contact with the National Park Service and have had their representative to the park for a site visit.  As the Record of Decision was issued based upon conceptual plan each construction element will be reviewed as final plans are developed. We are currently reviewing the preliminary plans, still in a conceptual phase, for the upland dry dock facility.  At this time no decisions have been made.
 
I also have been assured by the Division of Parks and Forestry that they fully intent to conduct a forum that will allow for public comment on the completion of the marina before any final decisions are made. 
 
We look forward to working with the Division of Parks and Forestry, the local constituents and the Liberty Landing Marina to ensure that the marina is in compliance with the public access mandate of the Land Water Conservation Fund Act.
 
Thank you for your concern and all you have done to help make Liberty State Park one of the most visited state parks in the nation.
 
John Flynn
Administrator
NJ Department of
Environmental Protection
Green Acres Program
PO Box 412
Trenton, NJ 08625
(609) 984-0500

>>> Sam Pesin <pesinliberty@earthlink.net> 4/13/2007 2:11 PM >>>
The Friends of Liberty State Park
P.O. Box 3407    Jersey City, NJ    07302
pesinliberty@earthlink.net
201-792-1993    201-341-7895 (cell after 4:30 pm)

Green Acres
John Flynn

Dear John,

I'm sending this Jan 2 email on the private marina within LSP, again because you didn't answer it. The Friends of LSP feels very strongly that the DEP must provide at least one public hearing/meeting before an approval is given to change the ROD, Record of Decision of the National Park Service. The marina only has approval for 188 dry racks for its dry rack storage building and it wants somewhere between 350 and 390. This is a major commercial expansion in the park and therefore the people who use and love LSP and who have worked to protect the park for 31 years, have the right to comment on the sight of a tall dry rack storage structure and also the mechanism that will be used to get the boats from that building into the water.

I ask that you write to inform me of the status of this project because the assumption is that the marina and the DEP and the marina lobbyist is planning to push through this commercial expansion behind closed doors. This marina expansion will effect the attractiveness of the northwest entrance to one of the greatsest urban parks in our nation or world. It is a public park and the public has a right to give public comment at a public meeting on any proposal for LSP. This is a matter of democratic process. Please take a pro-active role in making this a public and open process so that the past of back door deals and DEP collusion is over once and for all.

Sincerely,
Sam
Sam Pesin
president of Friends of LSP

Date: Tue, 02 Jan 2007 22:54:00 -0500
To: "John Flynn" <John.Flynn@dep.state.nj.us>,
From: Sam Pesin <pesinliberty@earthlink.net>
Subject: Friends of LSP opposition to LSP marina commercial expansion
Dear John Flynn and Judeth Yeany,

I saw that Martha Sapp forwarded the Friends letter to NPS opposing the approximate 388 dry racks that the private marina wants at Liberty State Park. Besides the diversion/conversion issue, the Friends strongly urges you to provide the public with the opportunity for input on the expansion before you decide to ask NPS for approval as strong public opposition should cause elected officials and the DEP to decide against asking NPS for approval and choosing the public and park interest over the marina's wanting expansion.

 A very important issue for regular park users, for instance those who walk in on Johnston Ave. from the adjoining African American neighborhood, the Lafayette section, and those walking over the Jersey Ave. footbridge from downtown neighborhoods of Van Vorst and Paulus Hook, will be the height of the building at that northern entrance to LSP. The marina of course, and the DEP people and elected officials whom the marina has lobbied, will say the park will make some revenue, but that is a pittance of revenue and as my late father, Morris Pesin, the "father" of LSP said during the first golf course fight and many preceding fights against commercialization and privatization in LSP, the great urban state park behind Lady Liberty, the people don't want to sell our inheritance for a "mess of pottage", a phrase that I'm sure you know comes from Genesis in the Bible. The park is a treasured free and green oasis, the People's Park.

The people who use LSP deserve and have the right to have a public meeting/hearing on this major expansion project. I urge you to practice what DEP Commissioner Scott Weiner said in 1991, that "any proposal for LSP will depend on a broad public consensus". I urge you to not push this expansion plan through behind closed doors. Please give LSP users and democracy and the Statue of Liberty respect by having a public meeting at LSP on the Liberty Landing Marina's expansion plans.

Behind closed door deals must be relegated to LSP's and NJ's past.
Thank you for consideration of the Friends letter and the importance of doing the right thing of letting the public decide on the marina's attempt to make profits from LSP. 

Sam

Sam Pesin
president of The Friends of Liberty State Park
The Friends of Liberty State Park
www.folsp.org
P.O. Box 3407
Jersey City, NJ  07302
pesinliberty@earthlink.net
cell 201-341-7895 (after 4:30 pm weekdays or anytime weekends)
home 201-792-1993 
fax 201-792-3767
 


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