Dear Historians, Preservationists, Educators and Citizens,
The Barbarians are at the Gate in Bergen County.
This column showed up in THE RECORD today, Thursday, March 21 – isn’t the
15th supposed to be the Ides of March? Would anyone like to take this on,
as in a "letter to the editor response?" The level of ignorance of, or lack
of concern for the value of history, architecture, technology and education
is amazing.
TREATMENT PLANT FUSS SHOULD END WITH A BANG
by
MIKE KELLY (a regular columnist for the BERGEN RECORD)
One sound is missing from the decade-long din of debate over an old water
treatment plant in Oradell.
Ka-boom
Yes, gentle readers, the sound of demolition. Let’s blow up this big old
hulk of a building. Enough already.
No one wants to destroy a piece of history. The old Hackensack Water
Treatment Plant definitely has its historical significance. This plant was a
national prototype for water filtration.
But that’s just the point – this fight is about water filtration. It’s not
worth a decade-long war.
No one doubts the value of clean water. But in the long perspective of
American history, water filtration is, well, just that. It’s important. But
it falls into the same category as, say, asphalt.
Yes, asphalt was important to America. You cou8ld even say asphalt did more
than almost anything else to make America what it is, for better or worse.
But is asphalt worth an "educational center?"
Why is thee such a fuss to preserve the machinery that gave us clean water?
To even hint at such a question is to incur the wrath of historical
preservationists, definitely a passionate lot.
"A safe supply of water was essential," said one, speaking as if he had just
discovered the Earth is round. Said another: "It tells our future
generations how important water was."
Gee, really?
The preservationists also refer to this plant as a prime example of
"industrial Romanesque" architecture. Hey, folks, this is a brick factory
building. What’s next? The "Taj Mahal of filtration plants"?
Such statements illustrate a basic problem with the long winding debate over
the water treatment plant – far too many otherwise bright people have lost
perspective. They believe that anyone who utters even the slightest
criticism of this old building is a modern –day Visigoth. Today, by golly,
they’ll demolish the water treatment plant! Tomorrow? Well, tomorrow,
they’ll burn all the old books in the local library.
Enough. Please
This fuss started 10 years ago, when the Hackensack Water Co. gave the4
treatment plant to Bergen County. The treatment plant was obsolete, and the
water company figured the county might like to turn the 13-azcre site into a
park.
The county dropped the ball, refusing to come forward with a strong vision,
instead seeming to look to the public for ideas.
Enter a non-profit group calling itself the Water Works Conservancy, Inc. –
definitely a group with a vision. The conservancy, citing all manner of
research about water filtration, offered a plan to convert the building into
an educational center.
This was one of those plans that sounds terrific – until you take a look at
the cost. The conservancy figures it needs almost $15 million and the
group’s head, Maggie Harrer, says she could easily raise the money.
"We could have it done by now," she insist.
Maybe so. But considering not enough money was raised to refurbish Ellis
Island, you have to ask if Harrer is too optimistic. When you hear her also
argue that America would lose "100 years of irreplaceable technology" if the
plant is demolished, you understand why her critics say she seems to
exaggerate.
The tragedy is that this land could easily be a beautiful park, a woodsy
island in the river, with no distractions. One thing stands in the way –
that brick treatment plant.
You heard it here first.
Ka-boom.
###
Letters to to the Editor can be sent to :
[log in to unmask]
or by Fax: 201-646-4749
Please copy them to WWC at [log in to unmask]
or Fax: 201-967-7517
Thank you for your help and support.
By the way, Our Website is starting up...we still are under construction,
and have a lot of photos that we haven't put on the site yet, but take a
look: Http://www.HWWC.ORG
All the best,
Maggie Harrer
President
The Water Works Conservancy, Inc.
Box 714
Oradell, NJ 07649
Phone: 201-967-0133
Fax: 201-967-7517
Website: Http://www.HWWC.Org
=========================================================
Important Subscriber Information:
The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes).
If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).
|
