County unveils additions to Garret Mountain Reservation

By: David Zimmer
NorthJersey.com
USA Today Network - New Jersey

..... Passaic County officials on Friday [07/14/2023] formally unveiled a $5.2 million project on the border between Woodland Park and Paterson.
..... In the second phase of a park improvement unveiled at Garret Mountain Reservation, the project added several major upgrades, including a playground, a fitness area and two parking lots. Offset by $3.4 million in state open space money, the project was designed to breathe new life into one of the county's most historic and frequented parks, said Orlando Cruz, a county commissioner.
..... Upgrades to the mountaintop park include an inclusive playground designed for various age groups and children with special needs, new parking lots and a renovated lookout area. A stone amphitheater, a gazebo, tables, benches and exercise equipment were also installed.
..... Assemblywoman Shavonad Sumter, D-Paterson, said officials were particularly focused on meeting the needs of the community with playground equipment that is safe and stimulating.
..... The project was designed to provide new recreational opportunities to residents and restore the park's nearly 90-year-old auto overlook area, Cruz said. It is off to a good start, he added.
..... "It's so wonderful to see the popularity of this new equipment, especially the sue of the exercise equipment on weekends," Cruz said.
..... Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh said park development in the city has greatly benefited from partnerships with the county. The partnership at Garret Mountain goes back to 1924, when Paterson and Passaic County officials started seriously considering buying land on the mountain.
..... Rather than compete and split up the mountain, Passaic County officials backed down. Paterson officials brought park's original 165 acres for roughly $184,000/ Passaic County officials meanwhile set up a framework for the development and maintenance of a comprehensive parks system and in 1927 founded the park commission, In 1928, Paterson officials sold the site to the commission for their original purchase price plus interest and fees.
..... The layout included Lambert Castle and its grounds, 95 additional acres on the mountain and a strip of land running next to the Lackawanna Railroad. In 1929, the famed Olmsted Brothers landscape design firm started sketching park development plans.
..... Works Progress Administration projects based on those plans that commenced in the mid-1930s included the auto overlook, pergolas at the southern end of Barbour's Pond and parking areas on the pond's north and south sides.
..... The first phase of the modern park restoration project included the installation of new pavilions, picnic tables and drainage infrastructure, Executed in 2018, the project also refurbished bathroom facilities at the site. It cost about $3.1 million and was offset by $1.375 million in state open space money, county records show.

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