Grate Falls park cleanup in last stage
With nearby tainted soil gone, new areas may open in May
By: Joe Malinconico
Paterson Press
PATERSON - After removing 77 tons of contaminated soil from industrial ruing near the Great Falls, a federal contractor has moved into the final phase of a $7.6 million environmental cleanup project that started in 2024.
.....
The contamination cleanup in an area commonly known as the ATP site involves the removal of lead and asbestos from a smokestack, boilers. and soil. The environmental work has delayed the opening of a $7.9 million expansion of the national park at the Great Falls by months.
..... The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said enough of the cleanup would be completed soon that the new sections of the park, called the Quarry Lawn and Riverwalk, could safely open sometime in May. [2026]
..... "Remaining activities will continue into early June [2026] and are not expected to affect normal sue of the park, through there can be periodic closures as work wraps up," the EPA, spokesman Stephen McBay.
..... The new park area includes outdoor exhibits featuring factory ruins highlighting Paterson's role in America's Industrial Revolution, a walking path along the Passaic River that's about 200 years long, and a 1.5-acre lawn where a quarry operated more than a century ago.
.....
The EPA's cleanup work involves factory skeletons that are less than 100 yards from the new park expansion, an area where public access will be blocked off.
Expanded access to green space
..... The opening of the park expansion can't happen fast enough for mayor Andre Sayegh. He hosted a "grand unveiling" press conference in September 2024, before the EPA started work. He also held a holiday lights display along the riverwalk in December 2025.
..... Sayegh, who is running for reelection on May 12, [2026] is planning another grand opening in early May. [2026]
..... "The completion of the ATP site cleanup and park expansion is a major step forward for our community," said Stephanie Cullins, executive director of the Hamilton Partnership of Paterson, a nonprofit that has been deeply involved in efforts to improve the area around the Great Falls for more than two decades.
..... "This project not only addresses long-standing environmental concerns, but also expands access to safe, quality green space," Cullins added.
..... The Expansion mostly has been funded by the National Park Service.
New footbridge
..... Earlier this year, [2026] Great Falls advocates celebrated the opening of a new footbridge that provides spectacular views of the falls and the new Vista Park, mostly a state-funded project that provides recreation space atop a cliff overlooking the city.
..... "The quarry Lawn and the Riverwalk are important pieces of a larger puzzle that has been coming together since the national park was created in 2011," said bob Guarasci, who was one of the original members of the Great Falls park commission that helped plan the amenities being added.
..... "These new additions will strengthen the visitor experience, cerate more reasons for people to spend time here, and help move Paterson closer to becoming a true destination where people come to experience our history, natural beauty, and the energy of our city," added Guarasci, who is executive director of the New Jersey community Development Corporation,a nonprofit with headquarters about two blocks from the national park.
..... The EPA's most recent status report on the cleanup said a contractor handling the final cleanup is constructing a "new contamination shower for workers" entering or leaving the area where asbestos is being removed.
..... The EPA report, the 32nd in a series since the cleanup started, said air monitoring tests have found no evidence of any toxic dust spreading from the work site.