On Sunday afternoon, the City of Hackensack held its first annual River Pathway cleanup. We had about 15 people attend, despite some light showers. It was the threatening of rain that kept others away. Special thanks to Hackensack teacher Linda Flynn for securing the volunteers, and to Charlotte Panny of the City of Hackensack for officially organizing the event.
We walked from the FDU footbridge past Route 4 to the edge of the Shops At Riverside. We cleaned up about 10 full heavy-duty garbage bags full of litter. We got a couple of tires, too. Some of the litter was washed up, but most of it was literally thrown from the rear of the Lukoil on Route 4 westbound. We got 2 tires and several long flourescent lightbulbs thrown from Lukoil. We can't say we found everything except the kitchen sink, because we removed one of those as well. We had a lot of fun. A couple of the young girls there complained about muddy feet, but seemed to enjoy it anyway.
There was litter all along the paved pathway, including bottles, balls, and pieces of styrofoam.
The students also viewed the County's ongoing efforts to plant marsh grasses behind Bergen Tech. The grasses were staged in small containers stacked next to the path, and covered by a blue tarp. They were dying due to lack of light and water, and half were already brown and dead. We uncovered the tarp, just in time for a light rain. Hopefully the remaining plantings will survive to be planted.
The simple dirt pathway connecting Bergen Tech to the Shops At Riverside is very rough, but definately walkable. Local environmentalist Eric Martindale, formerly of Hackensack, showed the way to the students and other volunteers. He was familiar with the trail, which is used mostly by the homeless, plus an occasional hiker. None of the other volunteers had ever walked this particular dirt trail, and some had never walked along the riverfront anywhere in the city.
The most exciting find of the day was "a dead human body" that actually turned out to be a pile of clothes and a mattress. This was left by a homeless person living under Route 4. Martindale suggested that we leave the clothes and mattess there, since they are somebody's possessions, not litter.
By the end of 2008, the County will be making a "real" Riverwalk connecting Bergen Tech to the Shops At Riverside. It will be boardwalked over the wetlands. The survey stakes for the new trail are in place. The dirt trail will likely be abandoned except perhaps for litter cleanup purposes. North of Route 4, the new trail will run through the marsh grass right along the water's edge. The mud there is knee-deep, so we didn't walk there. The existing dirt path is more inland, generally along the edge of wetlands and uplands. The kids were told that they'll be able to say they walked the riverfront under Route 4 before the pathway was constructed. We paused at the northern terminus of the recently built pathway section, where Martindale explained to the volunteers how the Pathway project is linking up throughout the City of Hackensack. The kids are looking forwards to the Hackensack River Pathway being completed, especially the link under Route 4 where the cleanup occured.
The debris is now staged in bags which were left at the very northern end of Bergen Tech property. The exact location of the debris is about 100 feet northwest of the paved trail terminus, just east of the chain link fence. For pick-up purposes, the debris is accessible from the rear parking lot of some industrial buildings adjacent to Bergen Tech. The rear building is called HVAC, and the city's PAL building is in the same complex, but along Hackensack Ave. The DPW knows where the PAL building is. Charlotte Panny will arrange for the city DPW to pick up these bags.
By the end of 2010, everything in Hackensack from Anderson Street to the New Bridge Landing Historic Park in River Edge will be completed, a distance of approximately 3 miles along the winding river. Further south, over 7 acres of land formerly occupied by Hackensack Ford-Mazda has been cleared for 361 luxury apartments. This will include a section of pathway linking from the Foschini Park to the foot of Passaic Street. On Saturday, Councilwoman Karen Sasso said that the city's efforts to link Johnson Park to the foot of Passaic Street are on hold because the NJDEP didn't approve the city's plans to cantilever the pathway over the river embankment. The decision to secure narrow strips of land from a few objecting businesses hasn't been made. "A few of them are resisting", Sasso said. The pathway was completed last year in Johnson Park, and the Foschini Park link is under construction now. Sasso said that the city is talking actively with the Ice House, and it is anticipated that the Record campus will be redeveloped, including a pathway there. Two other multi-unit complexes have been approved between Brosses Creek and East Kennedy Street, adding more links to the pathway. Within 2 years, it appears that 90% of the riverfront in the City of Hackensack will have a riverfront pathway.
The following properties appear to be emerging as the final links: (1) Anderson Street to Passaic Street (2) The Susquehanna Railroad crossing and the adjacent Record campus. The latter will likely be redeveloped by 2013, (3) J. Fletcher Creamer construction yard and headquarters, (4) Self-Storage facilty (5) oil tanks and abandoned industrial properties from near East Kennedy Street to the Shop Rite Riverfront Plaza, and (6) the Truck Sales company at the Little Ferry border.
Which will be the last two properties to resist a pathway link? If I could place my money on this, I'd say that J. Fletcher Creamer will be the last commercial property, but the Susquehanna Railroad will be the last holdout. The railroad will resist an at-grade crossing of the pathway along the river. Railroads are notoriously difficult to deal with. They generally refuse to negotiate anything or consider community issues. They often feel they can remain totally above all local and state laws. The Susquehanna in particular has already proven this in their other dealings with the State NJDEP and environmental organizations regarding a controversy in the swamps of North Bergen in Hudson County. We'll see what happens.
