NJDEP Revitalization Program for LSP

- DEP WEBPAGE for LSP REVITALIZATION PROGRAM

- LSP Organizational Sign on Letter to Governor Murphy on May 2, 2024

- Billionaire Paul Fireman's travesty LSP Task Force, created by his LSP non-protection law written by his lobbyist and with Fireman's two front groups and other funded surrogates on it

Fireman's and Bob Hurley's Sports & Entertainment Complex plans are Exclusionary, Admission-Fee & Traffic Jam-Causing and will block public access to people coming to use the park in many free ways.

-1/29/24 NJDEP Commissioner Shawn LaTourette great 11-page Revitalization Update response to the heads of the assembly and senate who wrote a letter critical of the Revitalization process based on misinformation from lobbyists of Fireman.

- Excerpts from NJDEP Commissioner's 1/29/24 letter explaining purposes & features of the flood-resiliency interior habitats 

Please see the Jan. 30 and Jan 31 editorials below that blast Fireman and the legislators.

- DEP Bureau Chief of Office of Natural Resource Restoration's informative letter explaining benefits and reasons for Interior nature and science-based resiliency flood & climate change tidal saltwater wetlands feature in the spectacular habitats and trails Restoration plan.
News Stories, Editorials, Columns
- 5/22/24 The Jersey Journal Op-ed by Bill Vibbert, LSP's first superintendent "LSP retrospective: The vision emerges"
Bill Vibbert served as the LSP superintentend from 1969 to 1976. "At that moment, the Liberty Park vision shifted from an urban-developed plan including restaurants and boutiques submitted by the consultantsto a park featuring no only the major themes of transportation, immigration and liberty, but also recreation and protecting the remarkable wildlife resources that were everywhere. I remember Commissioner Sullivan saying, "We're not doing that, wer are going to connect the park to the residents." The (NJDEP) vision from that moment became natural, cultural and historic resources and passive recreation. (in 1978, the completed Geddes Master Plan after dozens of public meetings, was approved by the NJDEP for a free and green Central Park-type park).
 
 
- 6/8/24 NJ Spotlight News (PBS) by Senior Political Correspondent David Cruz on his weekly show "Reporters Roundtable"  His one minute editorial comment on"The most Jersey thing covered in past political year". Starts at 23 minutes and 50 seconds into the video.
"Mine was from Hudson County where I covered meetings on redevelopment of LSP. It is so NJ that an out-of-town billionaire golf course owner would lay down millions of dollars to essentially buy off elected officials in an effort to convince local residents that the NJ DEP has a plan to flood the park and by extension, the surrounding community of longtime poor and working-class residents. The lie is one thing because – that’s not the plan at all - but those elected officials who perpetuate the lie deserve a “Bronx Cheer” or more appropriately the “Jersey State Bird” which nests nearby in the bird sanctuary that the billionaire wants to pave over". 

- 5/23/24 The Jersey Journal by Mark Koosau "Declaring victory: DEP’s redesign plan for Liberty State Park survives, despite billionaire’s efforts" 
"In spite of months of pressure from some members of his own task force and hundreds of thousands of dollars in outside lobbying efforts, the state official (DEP Commissioner Shawn LaTourette) refused to bend. The People’s Park Foundation and Liberty State Park For All, headed by Hall of Fame basketball coach Bob Hurley and former Rutgers’ football star Elnardo Webster, respectively, have argued to convert the park into a super-sized athletic complex with a stadium and arena that would seat thousands.The three-phase revitalization of the park that started last October includes remediation and restoration of the 234-acre contaminated interior with wetlands and meadows, as well as athletic facilities and other features on the northern and southern ends of the state park. LaTourette said he expects to have plans for the northern end of the park along Audrey Zapp Drive retooled... He added that public engagement will continue and expects the next open house on the park to be held by September. “Public involvement in the coming months, with the consultants’ revised and narrowed-down proposals, continues to be crucial, and I have faith that (LaTourette), with the governor’s support, will listen to the voice of the people in shaping the park’s future,” Pesin said.
- 5/19/24  Jersey City Times Op-Ed by Eric Allen Connor "Fireman and His Puppets Pose a Continuing Threat to Liberty State Park" 
 Fireman and his puppets have waged war on the DEP, the Friends of Liberty State Park, and the people of Jersey City. In 2022, Fireman-backed groups lobbied legislators in Trenton to pass a bill that killed the protection act and threatened to open the park up to commercialization. They have run a disinformation campaign through text messages and social media claiming that the DEP is racist, that the agency is trying to flood the park, and that there will be no sports or community amenities allowed in the park. Each and every one of those claims were lies. Jersey City residents have suffered because of Fireman’s petulance and his associates’ greed. Fireman-backed organizations like the People’s Park Foundation and Liberty State Park for All spent millions of dollars trying to use public money to build a garish and expensive sports and entertainment complex on public parkland. The people of New Jersey have overwhelmingly rejected those plans at every turn.
- 5/13/24 Jersey City Times by Aaron Morrill  "LaTourette Rules Out Fireman’s Plan for Liberty State Park Interior"
"At an open house on Saturday, Commissioner of Environmental Protection Shawn M. LaTourette ruled out a plan put forward by
billionaire Paul Fireman to build a stadium complex in LSP's interior. Asked in an interview if he was confident that DEP plan, which
includes walking and bike trails as well as wetland restoration (and meadows), would come to fruition, LaTourette didn't mince words.
"Of course I'm confident because I've already paid for it and it's already under construction...There's no question in my or the
governor's mind that this is happening." "Said Sam Pesin, President of Friends of LSP, of the gathering "The Commissioner is
providing essential democratic participation opportunities at this major crossroads of DEP's Revitalization process to shape LSP's
future. It's reprehensible that Bob Hurley and Elnardo Webster Jr., heads of billionaire Paul Fireman's two front groups and members
of the Fireman-stacked task force, who push lies for their privatization goal of an exclusionary, destructive Sports and Entertainment
Complex, didn't attend."
- 4/9/24 The Jersey Journal by Mark Koosau "DEP asks LSP task force: What kind of fields, courts are needed"
LaTourette said Liberty State Park can contribute, but ultimately cannot solve the city’s recreational space problems. However, he reminded city and school district officials that the DEP can help them acquire land for such needs.Sam Pesin said “it’s great and essential that so many spoke wisely and passionately in continuing the 47 years of the broad public consensus for a free and green Central Park-type park and against commercialization and privatization.”

- 4/9/24 The Jersey City Times by Aaron Morrill and Ryan Kilkenny "Jackie Robinson’s Granddaughter Echoes Fireman-Funded Group’s Talking Points"
The featured speaker during last night’s Zoom meeting, Robinson, like the People’s Park Foundation, criticized the DEP’s wetland restoration and flood resilience plan for part of the park’s interior. Sam Pesin, president of Friends of LSP, called in to praise DEP Commissioner Shawn LaTourette’s work on progressing the park’s revitalization, noting that it includes about 60 acres of recreational space. Pesin encouraged Robinson to speak directly with LaTourette about the interior and revitalization process. He suggested that the foundation consider donating through the New Jersey State Parks and Open Space Foundation.“I have faith that this DEP is going to do the right thing,” said Pesin, noting the potential for the park interior to be a “nature wonderland.”

- 4/8/24 The Jersey Journal guest column by Nick Lawrence Don’t fall for disinformation - DEP’s vision for LSP is the right one

- 4/7/24 The Jersey City Times  by Aaron Morrill  "How Much Active Recreation Does LSP Need? No One Knows - The LSP Design Task Force is being asked to weigh in on plans for athletic facilities without essential information. 
During the public comment portion of the 3/2  meeting of the LSP Design Task Force, Jersey City native Steven Finn stated. “There should be some formal needs assessment of what are the recreational needs of youth in Jersey City…that would include an inventory of all the public and private recreational spaces…what are their conditions, are they functional, are they in need of repair…who uses it, what programs are held there, when is it in use, and any other criteria that would be relevant to establishing what the deficit is.”

- 4/6/24 The Jersey Journal Editorial LSP Task Force members' ties to misinformation unacceptable
The group’s allegation that the state Department of Environmental Protection and “Trenton” are looking to “flood” the park and “almost 200 acres will get washed away” is patently false, proved by the fact that they point to no real source for this supposed information and no expert opinions... In fact, the Fireman contingent’s apparent inability to listen to no one but their billionaire pal should disqualify them from the privilege of sitting on the panel.


- 4/2/24 The Jersey Journal by Mark Koosau "Fireman-back groups step up claims DEP will 'flood' Liberty State Park. Here's what actually happening"
DEP officials have clarified multiple times they will not “flood” the park, and Commissioner Shawn LaTourette previously emphasized such actions by funded groups are “purposeful disinformation, and it needs to stop". In actuality, the plan for the contaminated interior of the park calls for less than seven acres of open water and the reintroduction of “native ecological features” that will mitigate flooding.Sam Pesin, president of the Friends of Liberty State Park, slammed the text campaign as “despicable, greed-based, science-denying lies about the spectacular habitats flood resiliency plans created by DEP, Army Corps scientists and Princeton Hydro consulting scientists".

- 4/2/24 The Jersey City Times by Aaron Morrill "Critics Slam Robotext Alleging a Plan to 'Flood Liberty' State Park"
"For its part, the DEP believes the restoration plan will mitigate flooding in the surrounding area. In a letter last year, David Bean, the Bureau Chielf of DEP's Office of Natural Resource Restoration, predicted that "the project will reduce the area of inundation associated with both 100-and 500-yar tidal events...reducing nuisance flooding and flooding storm-induced flooding in surrounding areas...
3/7/24 The Star Ledger Op-ed by Eric Allen Conner "Something to say about Liberty State Park? Team Fireman wants you to shut up" ..."every member of the People's Park Foundation-Hurley included-left the task force meeting before the public got a chance to speak."

- 3/5/24 Jersey City Times Op-ED by Eric Allan Conner "Hurricane Hurley Hits Liberty State Park" The goal of the People's Park Foundation has never been about helping the youth of Jersey City but advancing the avarice of Paul Fireman. Fireman could have spent his millions on improving the existing facilities at the decaying Caven Point sports complex that abuts his property. Instead, he spent that money on lobbying Trenton, producing slick ads, and, lately, fear-mongering flyers.

- 3/4/24 Television NJ Spotlight News by David Cruz "LSP plan faces billionaire-back pushback"

- 3/3/24 The Jersey Journal by Mark Koosau "LSP design task force presents some new options but nothing that would appease critics" “It is our duty to leave to those next generations our open spaces in our parks improved and not impaired in value,” state Sen. Raj Mukherji said in the public comment session. “Those measures that would guide us in the direction of revenue generating amenities or towards the direction of commercialization ... impairs the value of a state park.”

- 3/2/24 NJDEP YouTube Video of task force meeting and afternoon public speaking Fireman's surrogates left before the public spoke in the afternoon. The elephant in the room during the morning task force meeting was that Fireman's gang didn't mention that last week Fireman's son-in-law and Hurley announced that they revived the sports and entertainment complex within 7000 seat commercial Concert venue and 5000 seat football stadium and that they continued to push the flooding lies to eliminate the 165 acre habitats area because the wetlands area is where they want their commercial venues. Many hundreds of smear attack flooding flyers were distributed in Jersey City and Bayonne.

- 3/29/24 The Star Ledger Editorial "A moment of truth for Liberty State Park" "And Hurley is officially all-in on large-scale development, with must-haves that include the 5,000-seat football stadium, a 7,000-seat amphitheater, and a 250,000-square-foot community center. Such facilities already have been rejected by DEP commissioner Shawn LaTourette - with both vigor and empathy - but that doesn't change the Hurley's mission: He was paid a reported $300,000 the last two years to hand out T-shirts, traffic in deceit, arouse community resentment, and smear the advocates who have kept LSP free from developers for 47 years."

- 2/26/24 The Jersey Journal Letter to the Editor by Steve Krinsky "Hurley misses beauty of LSP" But if Bob Hurley really wants more athletic opportunities in Jersey City, he should get Paul Fireman and his friends to fund the refurbishing of the Caven Point Athletic Complex (just west of the golf course) and other facilities in Jersey City, closer to the neighborhoods where kids live. They obviously have money to throw around. Why not use it to create something instead of trying to poach this great state park? 
- 2/23/24 The Jersey Journal Editorial "Redouble efforts to save LSP from billionaire's vision" "The sad reality is that deep pockets are funding Hurley's charade - pockets large enough to purchase high-paid lobbyists whose job it is to play the long game, do an end run around the wishes of the public, and convince people in power to do the wrong thing. Local officials, local and state legislators, and Gov. Murphy must assure us that the park is not for sale, literally for figuratively."

- 2/21/24 The Jersey Journal by Mark Koosau "As state advances Liberty State Park redesign, Hurley rallies supporters in fight for sports mecca plan" "The Hudson River waterfront park, Hurley says should have a 5,000-seat football stadium, a 250,000 square-foot community center and a 7,000-seat amphitheater." "Liberty Park is jam-packed on all nice weekends and most of the 5 million annual visitors come to enjoy the park as a park, " Pesin said. "The Friends of LSP supports the DEP's plans for unstructured recreation, open space and nature, and the 60 acres of free active recreation."

- 1/31/24 Star Ledger Editorial   “N.J. pols cave to a billionaire (cont.)"  ...this is yet another warning that a plutocrat's ability to reach into the highest echelons of state government is a serious and dangerous thing, even if it is only used to get a meeting cancelled so that he can rethink his strategy for hijacking the process.

- 1/31/24 TV PBS Spotlight News piece by David Cruz “Another clash over LSP revitalization”

- 1/30/24 Star Ledger Editorial “Lawmakers who should know better dance to Fireman’s tune" "LaTourette,who seems to have Gov. Murphy's support, is an intrepid administrator...has laid out a blueprint that is ecologically sound, physically alluring, and welcoming to all - he is especially proud of carving out a whopping 60 acres for active recreation -- and he has vowed to protect our state's greatest open space from commercial predators."

- 1/29/24 Star-Ledger Guest Columnist Anjuli Ramos-Busot, New Jersey Director of the Sierra Club "Paul Fireman, get your billionaire's golf club out of our public park " We cannot allow Fireman's plans to privatize such a priceless resource to become a reality. Enough is enough."

- 1/28/24 The Jersey Journal by Mark Koosau "N.J. legislative leaders unhappy with DEP's direction on Liberty State Park revitalization plan" The letter, full of shameful misinformation that denies science, ignores the DEP's pledge of 60 acres of LSP active recreation, and ignores Jersey City's primary responsibility of creating and renovating sports facilities, shows how easy it is for billionaire Paul Fireman's lobbyists to manipulate legislative leaders for his goal of deciding LSP's future. This is another billionaire, Fireman power grab as he wants the public to only give input to proposals coming from this travesty task force created by his non-protection law and dominated by his front groups and other surrogates, and he wants to end the DEP's responsible and fair plan of public input to DEP consultants' recommendations.

- 1/16/24 The Jersey Journal by Mark Koosau "Nonprofit says kids need more ballfields at Liberty State Park, but it spent $1 million on salaries, lawyers, lobbyist and ads."

- 10/25/23 The Jersey Journal "Keep Liberty State Park free and open" The DEP, under the leadership of Shawn LaTourette, has done the public a great service. It is imperative that the park –- a park, not to be confused with a complex like the Meadowlands - remain free and open to the public throughout its acreage and that we respect its natural location and habitats." Leaders in both Trenton and Hudson County should give the DEP the support it needs to ensure that the entire park remains free, open to the public, and a place of beauty and wonder in the midst of one of the nation’s most crowded places.

 - 7/6/23 The Jersey Journal Editorial "Following the gobs of money in LSP debate"
"From what we can see, the initial $1.1 million investment (for Fireman's front group headed by Hurley) has so far only led to the lining of a few pockets, contracts for out-of-town companies, some misinformation here and disinformation there, and an overall ugly tenor that does the community a disservice. So, yes, Coach hurley, the public is interested in knowing that as you push for plans that threaten the sanctity of LSP, that you are compensated handsomely for doing so - - far above the average wage in Jersey City and Hudson County." The elephant tried to stomp on the mice, but it hasn't worked."

- 6/29/23 The Jersey Journal by Mark Koosau "Legendary coach Bob Hurley got $100K to promote billionaire's plan for sports complex at LSP"
None of Hurley$100K front group salary went to youth programs or playing fields. Paul Fireman's Foundation also gave Hurley's Family Foundation at least $250,000 and pledged another $375,000 for future payment. Fireman's IRS 990 tax filing wasn't available yet from 2022.
- 5/28/23 The Star Ledger Editorial "Liberty State Park: The good guys finally won"
"The ultimate vision of a pristine urban oasis – protected from garish development, political dithering, and billionaire hubris
 took a giant step closer to reality last week, when a massive plan to revitalize LSP was announced by the DEP
The glorious blueprint comes largely from the imagination of Shawn LaTourette, the tireless DEP commissioner who engineered a brillant plan for ecological restoration while adding an enormous array of recreational spaces - all as he withstood relentless pressure from moneyed interests."

- 5/26/23 The Jersey Journal Editorial "LSP plan on right track; proponents of outsized vision should move on"
"LaTourette and Gov. Murphy – even though the latter has been frustratingly silent on the issue, until releasing a statement of support late Wednesday -- deserve kudos for advancing the plan that makes the best sense for what the DEP is calling the “revitalization” of LSP. In doing so, they are pushing back against the considerable resources of a loud contingent, funded by the billionaire owner of the exclusive golf club next door, that has used fearmongering and misinformation in an ugly, divisive campaign for stadiums, arenas and concert venues. (That golf club owner, Paul Fireman, also happens to be a generous donor to political candidates and area nonprofits.)"

- 5/3/23 Jersey City Times "DEP Commissioner Appears to Put Kibosh on Stadium Plan at LSP"
"Sam Pesin, Friends of LSP President, praised Commissioner LaTourette saying, “What happened at the open house was a total defeat of the billionaire’s and his funded surrogates’ plans for a sports and entertainment complex. Their plans are in the dustbin of Liberty Park history.“

- 6/8/23 "A win for LSP - and the people of NJ!  NJ Conservation Foundation column on Revitalization plans
The plan was developed by DEP Commissioner Shawn LaTourette and his staff to improve the park while keeping it free and non-commercial. In truth, said Pesin and Remaud, communities of color are among the most frequent users of Liberty State Park - and the ones who would be the most hurt by exclusionary facilities with admission fees. "That's the beauty of the park, the diversity of the people behind the Statue of Liberty," Pesin said.