Press Release 12/5/14

PERTH AMBOY- Over the past six months, a team of planners and landscape architects from Rutgers University have been working with the City of Perth Amboy and the Middlesex County Improvement Authority to develop a concept plan for a new park planned for a now vacant property on 2nd Street across from the Wilentz Elementary School.  The Rutgers team surveyed residents, conducted workshops with elementary, middle school and high school students and held two public open house meetings at the Brighton Avenue Community Center.

The final concept design for the new park, which will be presented to City officials on December 8th and the public on December 11th, incorporates many of the ideas shared by hundreds of residents throughout the design process.  “We listened to residents and developed a concept that brings together recreation spaces for things like skateboarding and handball, open space for unstructured active play and space for community gardens, festivals and even open air movie nights,” said Wolfram Hoefer, Assistant Professor at Rutgers’ Center for Urban Environmental Sustainability, who headed up the design team.

“Since we initiated the Mayor’s Wellness Campaign in Perth Amboy several years ago, we’re serving everyone from our active seniors to our children. Our City will see over $2 million dollars in grant funds invested in park improvements along the entire waterfront area. These new facilities and the future 2nd Street Park will not only maximize underutilized property and beautify neighborhoods, they are initiatives that keep our community healthy. I want to thank our residents and local organizations for their input and feedback,” said Mayor Wilda Diaz.

The Middlesex County Improvement Authority received a grant from the United States Environmental Protection Agency to advise the City on environmental issues, perform site testing and plan the process for cleaning up the former Harry S. Goldberg Scrap Metal Yard, a six-acre Brownfield site on Second Street stretching from Paterson Street to the Raritan River waterfront.  Once clean-up of the site is complete, the property will become the new home for Perth Amboy’s 2nd Street Community Park.

Annie Hindenlang with the City’s Office of Economic and Community Development and Perth Amboy Redevelopment Agency noted that, “The former Goldberg and Sons site has been an eyesore for the surrounding community and the City’s beautiful waterfront for almost 20 years. With the assistance of the Middlesex County Improvement Authority and Rutgers University, the City has made significant progress in moving the environmental cleanup forward and establishing a plan for reuse that truly meets the needs of the surrounding neighborhood. The new waterfront park will become a great attraction and resource for the community as a whole.”

A final community outreach open house meeting will be held at the Brighton Avenue Community Center, 56 Brighton Avenue on Thursday, December 11, from 6:00 to 8:00 pm.  Residents will be able to view the final concept design for the park and speak with members of the Rutgers design team, City officials and Middlesex County Improvement Authority about the design and next steps in the process to complete the park.  In addition to the Open House, the Rutgers team will also present the final park design to the Perth Amboy City Council at their Caucus Meeting at 4:30 pm on Monday, December 8 in the Council Chambers.  Both meetings are open to the public.