TRENTON – The Garden State Preservation Trust has approved and recommended to the New Jersey State Legislature nearly $87 million in funding for projects to develop or update parks, playgrounds and fields, including a $500,000 matching grants in its Stewardship Program for Cape May’s Lafayette Street Park Nature Trail.
It is the only project approved in Cape May County.
According to a release, the city proposes to continue its transformation of Lafayette Park from a blighted, contaminated area to an attractive recreational site.
Phase Four of the transformation includes the construction of an elevated boardwalk through the marsh of Cape Island Creek and a footpath through the deciduous forest.
The project also includes site clearing, elevated viewing platforms, interpretive signage, and viewing scopes.
The DEP program will also fund $1 million for Vista Park in the City of Paterson, to help enhance quality of life statewide, Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Catherine R. McCabe announced Dec. 13.
The Vista Park site in Paterson – one of many in the state that benefit from the grants — would add 40,000 square feet of green space, among other amenities.
Gov. Phil Murphy and McCabe have recommended the projects for approval through the DEP’s Green Acres Program.
“Each of the projects recommended for funding by the independent Garden State Preservation Trust helps build New Jersey’s outstanding parks, recreation and open space inventories,” Murphy stated. “These grants and loans will benefit urban and suburban communities across the state by giving people opportunities to engage in healthy activities, appreciate the outdoors and enjoy time with their families.”
“Green Acres funding is a powerful tool that helps New Jersey improve the quality of life for residents by improving parks, acquiring land and creating multiple opportunities for active and passive recreation,” McCabe stated.
The Garden State Preservation Trust approved $26.4 million for municipal and county land acquisition projects, $46.3 million for local development of parks and recreation facilities, $5 million for local stewardship projects, $6.1 million for acquisition projects by nonprofit organizations, $1.9 million for recreational development and $800,000 for nonprofit stewardship projects.
The Legislature must approve legislation to formally appropriate the funds for the projects.
The Garden State Preservation Trust-approved projects will establish new parks and expand existing ones, develop athletic fields and playgrounds, improve access to waterways, create open space, and enhance stewardship by restoring lands for nature and public enjoyment.
Green Acres funding allows governments and nonprofits to leverage millions of additional preservation dollars through matching federal, state, county and local funds, as well as from private sources.
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