Summer 2005
Liberty
State Park has entered the countdown year to its 30th birthday. At
our Spring Meeting, we voted to spend $5000 on flowers/plants and donate $10,000
toward LSP’s purchase of trees for the S. end of Freedom Way that would also
face the open space Freedom Field(formerly Dog Show Field). The field’s
improvements, which will include Group Picnic Pavilions will be a major focus of
our 30th birthday Walk and other events. Thanks to everyone who
supported the fun first Walk, which, despite rain, made a profit of $9,000 and
had $4800 “in-kind” donations.
We
thank the major sponsors: Liberty House Restaurant(in LSP), Senior Spirit
medical day center,The Jersey Journal, JC’s Minuteman Press, Hard Grove Café.
The
construction of New Jersey’s 9/11 Memorial will soon start in front of the
Terminal, and an athletic field will be built in an appropriate area at the
South End.
Garden
Volunteering -All are welcome to help.
8 am to 11 am on these Saturdays:
7/9, 7/23, 8/6, 8/20,
9/10, 9/24, 10/8, 10/22,11/5, 11/19. Call Maria at 201-915-3418 for more info.
Meet at large Playground; if late, call office for location(201-915-3403).
New
Fight against Millionaires’ Marina Privatization Threat To Liberty State Park
The Friends will strongly
oppose an obscene and outrageous proposal by developers who want to make a
private millionaires’ marina at LSP’s South End, near their approved 3
“super premium luxury” condominium towers (35, 43 and 50 stories)
which will be built at edge of the private golf course which will cost $750,000
to join.
After
years of grassroots LSP battles, the DEP should just say “NO” to developers.
The
developers, which include the Barry’s “Applied Development Company”, own
17 acres of water(next to the condo towers), on which they could put slips for
yachts and large sailboats; laws would protect the rights of Public Boat Launch
users.
However,
in a letter to NJDEP, they asked for “guidance” for their proposal to
lease 43 acres of public park water, with some land involved too (including the
jetties used for fishing and open space and which need repair).The 43 acres (JC’s
Block 1497, Lots 3N & 3R2) extend eastward from near Public Boat Launch all
the way past the picnic area to the southeastern corner of LSP. LSP
users would see yachts at S. End, and not harbor views; and Caven Point Natural
Area would be negatively affected, as it already will be, by the approved
commuter and golf course ferry.
At
FOLSP Spring meeting, there was a unanimous vote to oppose this privatization,
just as we have fought all privatization plans to protect -for future
generations - this sacred American People’s Park behind Lady Liberty. The
Condo owners can use the large Liberty Landing Marina at LSP’s North End,
which has a 99 year lease.
FOLSP
wrote to the DEP strongly recommending that it not put this proposal for 43
acres, or for any amount of acreage, on the table. As in Development Corp.
era, the power of “connected” developers may prevent DEP from just saying
“No”. We’ve requested 2 Fall Public Hearings. FOLSP will wait until
the developer’s formal application is filed, and then, with our allies,
we’ll begin this battle to protect LSP.