Historic Paulus Hook Association seeks public input to turn Jersey City lots into a park

Monday, February 22, 2010
By MELISSA HAYES
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

The four corner lots at the intersection of Washington and Grand Streets in Jersey City may not seem like a park.

Yes, they are technically a public space, and three of the corners are filled with trees. But they are gated and closed to the public. The fourth corner, behind School 16, has housed portable school units for about 20 years.

Those buildings are being torn down this summer, however, and the demolition has inspired members of the Historic Paulus Hook Association to renovate the unique space.

"The vision of the neighborhood with support from the school is that the four corners are renovated and one of the four corners would become the school's playground," said Andr?e Bourgon, secretary of the Historic Paulus Hook Association.

The corner served as a playground until the school needed the space and the other three corners were gated and locked in the 1980s when fewer people lived in the area.

Now with a community full of young families, the association hopes to bring that space back.

"The neighborhood wasn't as alive as it is now," Bourgon said. "The park is now something that is necessary. It could be a wonderful vital part of the neighborhood if only you could use it."

Stephanie Daniels, head of the association's parks committee, said the group is working with the city to start the renovation process.

The first step, she said, is to find out what the community's vision for the park is.

The association has created an on-line survey - http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PHPark - and is accepting survey responses through March 1 and plans to announce the results at its April 1 meeting.

About 250 responses have been submitted so far.

"The more answers we get, the more statistically sound our survey ends up being," Bourgon said.

They are going to announce the final plan on April 1, so that means this survey is meaningless as all decisions have been made.

It's great if they are restoring the cruciform park to the way it used to be and removing the trailers and asphalt.

The Historic Paulus Hook Association (HPHA) and the City of Jersey City are excited to announce plans to redesign Paulus Hook Park!

Paulus Hook Park is located on all four corners at the intersection of Washington and Grand Streets. YOUR input is needed to help guide the design of this park. Let your voice be heard by giving us your feedback, so the park redesign reflects the needs of the neighborhood and Jersey City. Please take 10 minutes to complete this important survey.

The survey is open to all Jersey City residents and will close on March 1st, 2010. Results will be presented on Thursday evening, April 1st, 2010 at the HPHA monthly meeting held at: 7:30pm in OLC Community Hall, 114-118 Sussex Street.

SURVEY LINK: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PHPark