| USA. Hackensack River to get environmentally friendly marina |
|
|
|
| Monday, 16 October 2006 | |
|
Marina news: The Board of Commissioners of the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission today received preliminary plans for the future River Barge Park in Carlstadt, an environmentally friendly site that will celebrate the history of the Hackensack River as well as its future. “This park is going to be a fabulous place to explore the Hackensack River, delve into its natural beauty, and understand the importance of our waterways,” said NJMC Chairwoman Susan Bass Levin, also Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs. “The stories of this river’s recovery and the rebirth of the Meadowlands reach more people every time we increase opportunities to use this watershed for well thought out recreational purposes. As the public takes back ownership of the Hackensack River, our mission to develop this region sensibly grows stronger.” Proposed plans include keeping the large “Barge” sign, a symbol of the site’s former incarnation as the Barge Club Restaurant, at the park’s entrance. The site will include sustainable design principals, such as car ports sheltered by solar panels and use of salvaged materials. Proposed boat houses for non-motorized boats and a storage facility for the NJMC’s pontoon and research vessels will be built using salvaged wood from the shuttered restaurant and a barge currently on the site. The new park will also include drop-off and parking spaces for vehicles, boat trailers and buses; green spaces like classrooms, a maritime history trail and picnic areas; and wetland planting for shore edge stabilization. A new, 50-slip boat ramp will separate motorized and non-motorized boating vessels. A regional rowing center for high schools and colleges in the Meadowlands District, as well as paddle clubs, is also part of the design. Other amenities for the site include native plants, interpretive signage, birding and wildlife trails and boardwalks, and a State Marine Police and New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Conservation Facility. River Barge Park will follow the New Jersey Clean Marina Program, where marina owners, yacht clubs, boatyards and boaters voluntarily adopt practices that help prevent. The commission also allocated $1 million to its member towns to help develop shared services programs that would reduce property taxes. "Every municipality in New Jersey is facing a budget crisis," said Robert Ceberio, the commission's executive director. "We are positioned to provide a model that can lead the way to serious property tax relief across the state, led by local officials and their best ideas." |
|
| Last Updated ( Monday, 16 October 2006 ) |
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|