Public Meeting on HNBL Master Plan, July 26

[Steenrapie]

It is evident to everyone driving past that great progress is being made at Historic New Bridge. Remediation of the former BAPCO property and the fall of the old junkyard fence makes this Revolutionary War battleground visible to over 40,000 vehicles daily. Suddenly, people are stopping in, expressing their interest and support and asking questions.

By now, many of us know the compelling stories associated with these cherished landmarks, but here is your opportunity to learn what the future holds and to voice an opinion on plans for future amenities such as a proposed visitor center and battle monument, befitting the significance of what one County official called, in 2004, the “most important historic site in the County." Who knows, after decades of concerted effort, we may someday even get public restrooms on the site!

The Historic New Bridge Landing Park Commission will hold a special meeting at 7:00 PM on Monday, July 26, 2010 at the Steuben House, Historic New Bridge Landing, 1209 Main Street, River Edge, NJ 0766, to discuss the Alternatives presented for public comment in their draft Master Plan.

Anyone interested in reading the Draft Master Plan for Historic New Bridge Landing and reviewing the Alternatives for the Zabriskie-Steuben House, Visitor Facilities at the Hackensack Avenue Gateway and the New Bridge Battle Monument may find the plan posted at http://www.bergencountyhistory.org/pdfs/HNBLPC_MasterPlan_2Draft_2.pdf Comments may also be mailed to the Historic New Bridge Landing Park Commission, PO Box 4131, New Bridge Landing Station, River Edge, NJ 07661.

[Albert]

New Bridge Landing getting a business plan
Monday, August 9, 2010
BY ASHLEY KINDERGAN
The Record
STAFF WRITER

RIVER EDGE — A state commission charged with administering a Revolutionary War battleground is planning for the site's future.

The state Department of Environmental Protection granted conditional approval to the Historic New Bridge Landing Park Commission's draft master plan, a document that outlines alternatives for future development there.

Final approval of the master plan will pave the way for a discussion about what resources the site will need from the state, commission officials said.

DEP Commissioner Bob Martin told the commission in a June 15 letter that it will need a business plan for one of the big-ticket items contemplated: a visitor's center on state land.

"The business plan must be approved by the Department and include not just the number of staff needed to run any new facilities, but how the commission will fund and sustain permanent staff at the park and cover utilities and other operational costs of any new facility prior to development," Martin wrote.

The creation of the master plan is another step in the birthing process of the commission, which was empowered to administer the site in legislation signed by Gov. Jon Corzine last year. The state still provides funding for the site's upkeep and the Bergen County Historical Society funds activities and programs.

"[Approval] will allow us to move forward with planning in the park and also provide us with the funding mechanism that goes along with the new legislation that was enacted last year," said commission Chairman Michael Trepicchio.

Kevin Wright, a New Bridge commissioner and secretary of the Bergen County Historical Society, said that putting together a business plan is "an excellent idea" that will help create a realistic and sustainable future for the site.

Legislators and commissioners have said they hope the parcel of land at Hackensack Avenue and Main Street, where George Washington led a crucial retreat across the Hackensack River in 1776, can become a historical tourism destination and a boon to the local economy.

The master plan offers several alternatives, ranging from doing nothing at all to lifting the Steuben House above flood level, building a visitor's center and erecting a battle monument.

The plan also suggests creating a volunteer docent program to help guide visitors, hiring an executive director and hiring three part-time staff members to open the park on weekends and for special events.

To pay for some of that, the commission may charge admission fees in the future, officials said.

"We're not looking to fund this entirely on the dole," Wright said. "We certainly want to make it as self-supporting as possible."

Separately, the Bergen County Historical Society is raising money to build a museum to house its collections on land it owns at the site.

The state gave the commission approval to hire one seasonal employee to work at the Steuben House this summer.

The Bergen County Historical Society recently started storing artifacts in Steuben House again and opening it to the public for special events. A 2007 nor'easter flooded the house and damaged the society's collection.

E-mail: kindergan@northjersey.com