The sooner they get this going the sooner we get to enjoy all that the new park has to offer. I know it's during the "peak" season but who cares? There is a park literally 3 blocks away. If they can get it done this year then they can have it ready for us early next year or maybe even at the end of this year. At some point it will have to be closed off for a portion of a peak season, why not now? Close it and get it done, I'll go somewhere else for my recreational activities...for now.

Adonis Wrote:


Quote:

+1

I appreciate all the hard work that must have gone into getting this project ready to break ground. I'll miss the park while it's closed, but even more than that, I'm eager to see it when it's done.

Open Letter to Hamilton Park Neighborhood Association:

cc: www.jclist.com (Posting)
Mayor Healy
Councilman Fulop

re: Hamilton Park Closure

To: Jen, Steve, and the rest of HPNA:

Please feel free to close Hamilton Park at your earliest convenience so that the park renovations can be completed ASAP. I am aware I will not be able to use the park during the reconstruction however I am perfectly capable of finding other things to do while the park is being renovated.

Thanks for all of your work and patience,

Regards,

Greg Rutha

Quote:

WTF are you talking about? Construction work happens all the time in the winter.

I understand being upset that the park will be closed during the summer, but ...
1. First of all, people have been waiting for this project for years. To start complaining now about the time of year in which it's being completed just seems ridiculous. Let's just be glad it's finally getting done.
2. I don't think it's fair to ask that the work be done in the winter. The people working on the project deserve comfortable working conditions. (Not to mention that snow, ice and salt would slow the project anyway.)
3. I'm really grateful to be living near the park, and not everyone has that luxury. It will be a bummer not to have all of it available for a while, but we're lucky to have it in the first place, and we're lucky to also be within walking distance of VVP.

By the way, if you have a dog that needs to run around, there is also VVP, or you can take your dog for a leash walk.

The "main (only!) recreational outlet"???? Really?

There's a park less than 3 blocks west of Hamilton Park.

An inconvenience is not a crisis. Particularly when that inconvenience is for the greater good.

This thread is amazing.

"1) Why close the Park for nearly the whole spring and summer? Nothing can justify closing this Park over the peak season -- there must be another way! If this will take 8 months (as I?ve heard), shouldn?t it start in October? Whatever the reasons for starting now ? the funding just became available, they can?t work over the winter, etc. ? it?s baloney. "

Have you seen many outdoor projects being done in the winter? The ground is frozen solid - especially with the kind of winter we just had.

during the planning and voting on the park renovation, i recall talk that the work would largely be done so that some of the park would remain open, except for a relatively short period when the entire park would be shut for major drainage and infrastructure work. that was somewhat comforting but now isn't part of the equation. it should be. the park seems large enough to be worked on a quarter or third at a time, no. Keeping a slice of space open would make a huge difference.

Don\'s letter also voiced my concerns about having the park closed completely, instead of being closed by quadrants as I thought had been agreed. Now the park is going to be renovated during the Spring, Summer and Fall season and no one will be able to enjoy it.
I too have dogs that need to run in the temporary dog run and feel really put out by finding an alternate site.
If anyone is interested in letting the Mayor know how you feel about Hamilton Park being closed completely, instead one part at a time, there is a phone number you can call to the Mayor\'s office to voice your concern about this issue.
It is: 201 547 4900.
If enough people call this hot line number, maybe we would be able to utilize parts of Hamilton Park while under its construction. At least by phoning and communicating to the city how you feel about having the park closed, is something you can do that is pretty effortless and may mean the difference of enjoying a bit of the park instead of feeling deprived until the park is open again.

Don makes several good points but aside from winter what isn't peak season for Hamilton Park? i advocate start it and get it done with..I don't trust that the money will be there in the future. In my opinion The long term benefits far outweigh the the inconvenience.

Open Letter to Hamilton Park Neighborhood Association:

cc: www.jclist.com (Posting)
Mayor Healy
Councilman Fulop

re: Hamilton Park Closure

To: Jen Steve, and the rest of HPNA:

Hi, my name is Don Mankoff, and I?ve lived in the neighborhood for 5 years (first at 8th and Coles; now at 8th and Erie). I?m writing about the closure and renovation of Hamilton Park.

First, a big thanks to your organization for advocating on behalf of the Park and the community.

Now I?ll cut to the chase: as you know, Hamilton Park is truly the lynchpin of recreation for the community, especially during mid March through mid November. I play tennis there twice a week; my daughter?s in the playground daily; I walk my dog there every morning; etc. And I?m typical. I understand it?s about to be closed for an extended renovation. I?ve got serious concerns. I don?t blame you by the way ? I readily admit that like most residents, I haven?t been very involved, and I don?t know who to blame. But I value your group and its mission, so I wanted to share my concerns and ask you to take action:

1) Why close the Park for nearly the whole spring and summer? Nothing can justify closing this Park over the peak season -- there must be another way! If this will take 8 months (as I?ve heard), shouldn?t it start in October? I can?t believe the City would choose April to close this Park, which is the main (only!) recreational outlet for so many residents. Even if the renovation would take 2 years instead of 1 to complete over two winters, it would be a million times better than closing the Park over the summer. Whatever the reasons for starting now ? the funding just became available, they can?t work over the winter, etc. ? it?s baloney. There must be another way!

2) If this absolutely must be done during the peak season (which I will never accept), then at least close the Park in segments, no?

3) Why no advance notice to the community? -- posted around town, online, in newspapers, etc., announcing on the start date and (most important) finish date. The (non-existent) notice should have discussed alternative park areas -- both existing park areas and temporary facilities the City could make available. Better late than never, by the way.

4) Are we protected if the project takes longer than planned (like every municipal construction project in the history of time!)? There should be severe penalties in the contract, along with contingency plans and notice requirements if there are delays.

Bottom line: could you imagine the non-emergency closure of Central Park, or a major park in Montclair or Maplewood -- for an entire summer no less? Of course not ? those governments wouldn?t THINK of being so unresponsive (and even cruel) to the needs of their citizens. And the citizens wouldn?t stand for it. Only Jersey City would do this to its own residents. I?m asking you to mobilize your supporters and the community to get the City to find another way to do this.

I?d be happy to discuss this further, or to help out if I can -- feel free to contact me.

Sincerely,
Don Mankoff (tel # omitted from jclist post)

Quote:

I want to be among the first of Jen's friends, neighbors and supporters, to say how much Jen Greely will be missed!

Jen was responsible for producing the excellent survey of what people who use the park wanted in the renovations, and she did this among other duties as President of the Hamilton Park Neighborhood Association. Mind you this was all done while raising her children and always a cheerful welcoming smile on her face. I know that Jen has contributed much to Jersey City and specifically the good that comes out of these many years of persistence to have the renovation of Hamilton Park benefit us all.

Well done Jen and Good Luck to you and your Family and thanks for everything these past years.

Quote:

It will be on the outside of the park, exact location still being worked out but the City has signed off on it being held outside. The Farmers Mkt starts (tentative date) Wed, 6/3, from 4pm to 8pm and will run through October. The HPNA anticipates having the same fantastic vendors as last year.

Also, I noticed a couple people on here asking me for information on the renovation. I'm in the process of handing the community aspect of the project over to others in the HPNA as my family has decided to move out of JC. Stevehpna is doing a great job keeping everyone in the loop here on JClist. You can also subscribe to the HPNA mailing list (look for HPNA-JC-Public through yahoogroups) or check the blog at http://hpnajc.blogspot.com as that will be regularly updated.

Jen

does anyone know where the Farmer's Market will be moved to now that HP will be closed for the summer?

Quote:

Your Boy Healy screwed up again.

Unlike some people we hold our politicians accountable. A little warning from the city would've been nice. There are several pre-K classes that use the playground in Hamilton Park and yesterday they were thrown out of the park without warning. Most people want the renovations but there is a civilized and professional way to approach the process. Yes, many people knew that this project was coming someday but not everybody. It must have been a shock to residents who knew nothing about this to suddenly have THEIR park taken away. Several dozen photocopied notices posted a couple weeks ago would've done the job but the city dropped the ball. I have no doubt that the city dropped the ball on this and is deflecting the blame to Green Construction. Green Const. obviously had the greenlight from the city, they even had professional signs stating the park was closed starting Monday (posted yesterday!) and had started the prep work. My guess is that Healy and Fulop got dozens of calls from angry residents asking "WTF"? They then pulled the permits for a few days to assuage the residents.

Quote:

couldn't agree more.....

Quote:

agreed.

hamilton park is pretty big and it seems from the renovation plan that the bulk of the work is going to affect just the east half. does the entire park have to be closed for the duration of the project? why can't part of the west half remain open while the east side gets redone? i understand there might be liability issues and the need for staging areas and equipment storage, but given the size of the park there must be a way to keep some portion of it accessible.

Quote:

Believe me, nothing is more unfathomable to me than the continued display of overall ineptness from this city's government(s).

I am all for accountability, and to a degree understand the concerns raised here (there are bigger, more troubling issues than this).

That said, after 21 years here, my expectations have dropped somewhat.

Quote:


Unlike some people we hold our politicians accountable. A little warning from the city would've been nice. There are several pre-K classes that use the playground in Hamilton Park and yesterday they were thrown out of the park without warning. Most people want the renovations but there is a civilized and professional way to approach the process. Yes, many people knew that this project was coming someday but not everybody. It must have been a shock to residents who knew nothing about this to suddenly have THEIR park taken away. Several dozen photocopied notices posted a couple weeks ago would've done the job but the city dropped the ball. I have no doubt that the city dropped the ball on this and is deflecting the blame to Green Construction. Green Const. obviously had the greenlight from the city, they even had professional signs stating the park was closed starting Monday (posted yesterday!) and had started the prep work. My guess is that Healy and Fulop got dozens of calls from angry residents asking "WTF"? They then pulled the permits for a few days to assuage the residents.

You folks really need to get your life priorities in order....

Never seen such a bunch of whiners in my life....

This e-mail went out tonight to the HPNA-JC-Public yahoo groups:

As you may know Hamilton Park was temporarily closed earlier this week without prior notification to our schools, businesses, and residents.
This was due to an error on the General Contractor's part. The HPNA contacted the Division of Architecture as well as the Mayor's office and the contractor was ordered to remove construction equipment, temporary barriers, and closure signs until the Division of Architecture says otherwise. The contractor has since apologized for not keeping the City informed of their actions and the City has reaffirmed their commitment to communicate with us and foster an environment of community involvement. The HPNA plans to meet with the Division of Architecture later this week to discuss a closure date for Hamilton Park (which will likely be on or about 4/30/09). Our understanding is that the park will remain closed throughout the summer and should be opened again this fall.

As you know it's been a long (years!) hard fight to get the park renovated and many of us are looking forward to the project finally being completed. Certainly no one wants to derail it now. That being said, we are working with the City to obtain alternative locations for neighborhood kids to safely play and hopefully will have some positive news after our meeting on Friday. (To be clear nothing has been promised regarding alternative spaces and space or no space the city will proceed with the renovation as planned.)

Either way we'll continue to do our best keep everyone informed via our newsletter, announcements at HPNA meetings, and postings to this group.

Thanks,
Olu
HPNA President

Yesterday evening it was great! It was the world's largest dog-run out there! Can't wait till it's "closed" again.

Actually i heard it was the body of a headless daschund

I heard that they had to stop digging when they uncovered a headless body.
Did anyone else hear that?

oops... i forgot the quotes on the top part of my post... sorry

There was an outcry because there was no communication from the city before they blocked the entrances and put up no trespassing sings (nice touch), they didn't tell anyone. This is our park that many of us are in every day. We like to know what's going on and we don't want to get surprised like this even if we have all been waiting years for the rennovation to get done. Healy and Fulop should stand up now, take responsibility and commit to keeping us in the loop. I'd like to hear from the city how long the park will be closed (both planned and worst case scenario) and I also want to know why the entire park is going to be closed.[/quote]

dont you go to the meetings?
God i wish you people would just chill out and let them do the job. The faster they close it, the faster they reopen it.

I saw this coming.


http://jclist.com/modules/newbb/viewt ... id=192114#forumpost192114

Amy wrote:
Why was there an outcry when the park was closed? This renovation has been in the cards for years now. We should have all rejoiced when they closed the park and finally got to work. The sooner they start, the sooner they finish.


There was an outcry because there was no communication from the city before they blocked the entrances and put up no trespassing sings (nice touch), they didn't tell anyone. This is our park that many of us are in every day. We like to know what's going on and we don't want to get surprised like this even if we have all been waiting years for the rennovation to get done. Healy and Fulop should stand up now, take responsibility and commit to keeping us in the loop. I'd like to hear from the city how long the park will be closed (both planned and worst case scenario) and I also want to know why the entire park is going to be closed.

Why was there an outcry when the park was closed? This renovation has been in the cards for years now. We should have all rejoiced when they closed the park and finally got to work. The sooner they start, the sooner they finish.

ETA: I saw a couple of the trees that are marked to come down. One of them is right along the path leading to the 9th St. entrance. Maybe it will be in the way of the new playground, but it seems a shame.