Improvements to Secaucus’s Laurel Hill Park underway

Laurel Hill Park in Secaucus is undergoing major renovations. Located on the western conclusion of New County Street, the county park is in close proximity to Meadowlands Parkway, New Jersey Turnpike Exit 15X and County Avenue.

“Laurel Hill Park is getting many upgrades with new services and an growth of offerings for unique sports activities, many thanks to Hudson County Executive Tom DeGise,” Mayor Michael Gonnelli stated in the town’s August e-newsletter.

In current yrs, the park has progressed from an unused open up area to a well-outfitted out of doors place. Currently, there are fields for soccer, baseball and cricket, a boat launch, canoe and kayak rentals, boating tours, children’s playgrounds, fishing pier, pet dog park and perfectly-preserved strolling and bike trails. The park also gives wonderful sights across the Hackensack.

Perform underway

Function has presently started, and updates to the most significant park in Secaucus are on the way.

They incorporate 6 new tennis courts, two volleyball courts, two basketball courts, a new parking lot with 50 much more spaces and a new playground with aquatic capabilities. The bike and walkway procedure, parking a lot, present playground, landscaping, gazebo, boat launch and shoreline will be refurbished.

“This is a huge gain for Secaucus. Our people can enjoy state-of-the-art features, new playgrounds, and comprehensive pathways right in this article in City,” Gonnelli reported. “I am joyful to see open up areas getting upgraded for anyone to use, no make a difference what outside activity you may perhaps appreciate. I thank Hudson County Executive DeGise for building Laurel Hill Park a precedence.”

Resources for these additions and updates have been procured by means of grants.

Cleansing up the Hackensack

“Additionally, there is a key push underway at equally the state and federal degrees to clean up up contamination in the Hackensack River,” Gonnelli said.

There is state help for federal designation of the Lower Hackensack River as a Superfund web site. The designation is the upcoming stage towards cleaning up the river.

“We will share updates as these tasks progress,” Gonnelli reported. “Both these initiatives will boost the quality of everyday living for Secaucus inhabitants with more recreational chances and better use of our open area.”

In accordance to Gonnelli, “open place builds communities by bringing persons together. It is where by we meet up with good friends, perform, exercise, appreciate music and dance, and get in the attractiveness of mother nature. Secaucus is blessed with plenty of open up space, so go out and delight in them this summer.”

Parkland for bridge?

When the park is finding an overhaul, it’s also shedding some land. The county is diverting roughly 2.445 acres of a wetland region in the southern portion of the park for a bridge easement for the development and procedure of the prepared Portal North Bridge.

Aspect of the planned Gateway Challenge, the Portal North Bridge would exchange the current Portal Bridge which spans the Hackensack River from Kearny to Secaucus. The about 110-calendar year-aged, decrepit, swing-design Portal Bridge is notorious for breaking down and finding caught in the open up placement for maritime traffic, stranding commuters and bringing Amtrak and NJ Transit service to a halt.

The present appropriate-of-way is not sufficient to accommodate the building of the new bridge though protecting functions together the Northeast Corridor. The northern bridge method composition and a design and upkeep platform would be permanently found on and about the diverted land.

Compensated for unused wetlands

The region is a very small sliver of wetlands with no features. It is not available to the general public, apart from by water.

Prior to the diversion, a general public hearing was held ahead of the New Jersey Section of Setting Protection, since the park was partly purchased by NJDEP Inexperienced Acres funds.

The land becoming diverted is appraised at $13,700. As payment for the land, $54,800 will be deposited into the Backyard garden State Preservation Have faith in Fund.

NJ Transit has agreed to contribute $179,000 to Hudson County for the waterfront enhancements and trail advancements, among the other park upgrades.

For updates on this and other stories, test www.hudsonreporter.com and abide by us on Twitter @hudson_reporter. Daniel Israel can be arrived at at [email protected].