October 2010 - Parks & Recreation - 70

Urban C hamp i o ns | N e wark

Cory Booker/ Flickr

Nat Turner Park
in Newark's
Central Ward on
its opening day.

City of
Newark Parks
Mehdi
Mohammadish
Director of
Engineering

His legislative efforts to improve housing, law and
order, and youth development, however, fell short
each time with votes of 1-8. As a mayoral candidate
he drew the enmity of the Bloods gang which failed
in an attempt on his life. Two years later, Newark's
City of Newark
crime rate had dropped to its lowest in 50 years.
39 acres of
Key to Booker's meteoric success is his charisparks/40 city parks
matic
ability to cultivate donors inside and outside
and squares
the
Newark
city limits. For parks, the Trust for Publargest are Nat
lic
Land
established
an office in Newark to help in
Turner Park,
fundraising
and
design
of new and rehabbed parks.
9 acres
Booker
befriended
hedge
fund entrepreneurs with
Jesse Allen Park,
8 acres
portfolios in the billions of dollars who have pledged
Military Park,
substantial sums for park and education programs.
6 acres
Private entities, such as the Home Depot FoundaLincoln Park,
tion, have contributed to recent park openings.
4.1 acres
Much help has come from philanthropic organizaWashington Park,
tions, such as the Victoria Foundation and the Bill
3.3 acres.
and Melinda Gates Foundation.
4 outdoor
Until Booker's administration, Newark had nevswimming pools
er
had
an urban planner on its staff. That changed
1 indoor pool
when
the
city announced plans to redevelop its Pas2 ice skating rinks
saic
River
waterfront, not for the first time. Damon
5 recreation
Rich
came
on board to help plan what will be its
centers
most
ambitious
parks project. It will be done in stag71 board of
education centers
es and, when complete, will allow residents to walk
and playgrounds
to and cycle from their various neighborhoods.
Essex County:
" This is still a place where industry happens, and
756 acres/
it's a place where there is a tremendous amount of
7 parks-Branch
under-utilized land, " Rich says. " My job is to figure
Brook, Weequahic,
out how it can better benefit the city and the people
West Side,
who come here to live.
Vailsbur, Ivy Hill,
" We have been working with the Trust for PubIndependence,
lic
Land
and Essex County to design and permit the
Riverbank.
first riverfront park in the City of Newark, " Rich continues. " We expect to begin construction this year. "
Rich says the riverfront can really be thought of
as " a new front yard for Newark. "

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www . N R P A . O R G

The city has tried in the past to revitalize its waterfront. They failed, Rich believes, because they
" amenities subordinated to a larger attempt to draw
sizable development. "
" The lesson that we took away is that we actually
want to lead with some public amenities, " Rich says.
" We really want to think about the waterfront as an
amenity to the entire city. That's why we're leading
with the park project. "
Even the early stages of the project reflect Booker's strategy of partnership building. The city secured over $3 million in funding from the Urban
Enterprise Zone and the New Jersey Green Acres
Program to fund the first phase of construction. The
New Jersey Department of Transportation I BOAT
NJ program and New York/New Jersey Baykeeper
have provided $152,000 for construction of a public
floating dock, the first of its kind to be built in Newark in a century.
Development of the site will begin with environmental remediation of the former industrial parcels,
followed by the creation of park facilities, including
a public access floating dock, a riverfront trail, and
new plantings. The project will be enhanced with
improved pedestrian connections to the surrounding Ironbound (East Ward) neighborhood. The park
will also include the first portion of the Joseph G.
Minish Riverfront Trail, a long-term project to create a pedestrian promenade along the length of the
Passaic River in Newark
" Newark's historic riverfront has long been the
victim of public neglect and environmental abuse, "
Booker says. " Now we are re-connecting our residents with this waterfront, providing them with an
open space for recreation and enjoyment, while
adding green spaces to our city. Through this partnership we will have a riverfront that is worthy of
Newark's greatness. "


October 2010 - Parks & Recreation

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