The Bergen County Departments of Parks, totaling nearly 9,200 acres, includes twenty-one parks, nine historic sites, a nationally accredited zoo, six golf courses, and numerous active and passive recreation areas. In a year when COVID-19 has led to a growing desire to be outside, the work by the Bergen County Department of Parks and the enhancement of our open space has been more important than ever.
Since assuming office in 2012, my continued commitment has been to provide the residents of Bergen County with diverse recreational opportunities throughout the county parks system. In 2016, I worked alongside County Executive James J. Tedesco III and his staff to initiate the historic Bergen County Parks Master Plan.
The Master Plan, which was adopted by the Bergen County Board of Freeholders in December 2019, became the first long-term planning document for county parks in Bergen County’s history. The Master Plan clearly outlines an implementation strategy, including development goals and objectives for each park, historic site, and nature area within Bergen County.
Bergen County Open Space Trust Fund
The Bergen County Trust Fund was established in 1998. It is a dedicated program supporting open space land acquisition, recreation development, and historic preservation throughout Bergen County. The program is divided into two separate programs.
The County Program uses approximately 70% of the Trust Fund for countywide projects involving land acquisition, county recreation facilities, historic preservation, floodplain protection, and farmland preservation. County departments, municipalities, and qualified non-profits are all eligible to apply for project funding, if they relate to any of the listed categories.
The Municipal Park Improvement Program uses the remaining 30% of the Trust Fund. This program aims to help the County’s 70 municipalities improve their municipal open space and recreation facilities. The program is designed to supplement local efforts and therefore requires a dollar-for-dollar match from the municipality.
The program is administered by the Division of Land Management, Department of Parks and funding recommendations are developed by the Bergen County Trust Fund Public Advisory Committee. The committee is comprised of 15 members consisting of a County Commissioner representative, county officials, environmental and conservation groups, members of the public, and historic preservationists. The committee extensively reviews and evaluates all applications to both programs before making their recommendations to the Board of County Commissioners.
As the County Commissioner representative to the Bergen County Trust Fund Public Advisory Committee, I can personally attest to all of the committee’s hard work ranging from site visits, proposal reviews, and this year listening to virtual presentations. We are lucky in Bergen County to have so many active non-profits, environmental groups, and conservationists and to have their input and guidance on the advisory committee.
The Future of Bergen County Parks and Historic Sites
The Master Plan envisions a diverse Bergen County park system, which stretches from the Meadowlands estuary in the south to the northern peaks of the Ramapo Mountains and the Palisades.
In this vision, Bergen County Parks compliment municipal, state, and non-profit open space, facilitating a regional network of diverse, connected recreational lands. Public open spaces are linked to each other and the surrounding communities ensuring that all residents have equal access to public space.
While this vision will take time to fully develop, the Master Plan will provide a framework for all future acquisitions and open space capital improvement projects. Many exciting projects have been completed throughout the County since assuming office in 2012, but the 2020 Open Space Trust Fund round is one that is particularly exciting. It represents the first since the adoption of the Bergen County Parks Master Plan. As such, I am personally excited for the first round of open space projects that will embrace our long-term vision in Bergen County.
I will make sure to highlight many of those projects as they come to fruition.
