I sent my response, before I had finished. Here is the Guest Editorial WWC
wrote for the Bergen Record last week. It will perhaps fill you in better on
the real issues.
Also, check out our website: Http://www.HWWC.org
It is still under construction, but has a lot of info.
Best,
Maggie Harrer
President
The Water Works Conservancy, Inc.
Box 714
Oradell, NJ 07649
Phone: 201-967-0133
Fax: 201-967-7517
Website: UNDER CONSTRUCTION Http://www.HWWC.org
Take the High Road to Van Buskirk Island
By Maggie Harrer, President, and the Board of the Water Works Conservancy,
Inc.
On February 21, 2002, the New Jersey Historic Sites Council rejected—by a
9–0 vote—Bergen County’s request to demolish the historic Hackensack Water
Company (HWC) site on Van Buskirk Island. The Council said the County needed
to preserve this nationally important historic site. Department of
Environmental Protection Commissioner Bradley Campbell plans to issue the
final decision this month.
The Council concluded that the County has not fully recognized the historical
significance of this site.
Bergen County also insisted that flooding at the site would prevent
preservation. The Council challenged that concern. Most of the historic
sites in the nation and in New Jersey lie in similar flood plains including
Harper’s Ferry, New Bridge Landing and the Trenton War Memorial. Expert
witnesses, engineers and architects testified that flooding is a manageable
issue.
The hearing made it clear that this is not a choice between park or
preservation. Historic preservation with environmental restoration is a
win-win for Bergen County. The WWC’s and the County’s proposals contain
exactly the same amount of open space and parkland. The key difference is
whether the historic site will hold:
ß A beautifully preserved 19th-century water treatment plant with a museum
and 100 years of technology, an innovative education center, and Hackensack
River Research Center; or
ß The County’s proposed artificially created "Roman ruin" standing in a
formal garden, with office space, an amphitheater, and a landfill "knoll"
behind it.
As a member of the Council remarked, "Bergen County should celebrate this
wonderful historic resource. It is National Landmark eligible, and National
Landmarks are few and far between. Bergen County is very lucky to have one."
The County deems it "cheaper" to spend $9.1 million ($5.1 million in to
demolish the historic site and $4 million to create a park) than to work with
a national coalition of organizations to save and restore the historic
site—at no cost to taxpayers.
The County’s proposal raises serious environmental issues: the proposed
"embayment" further damages the already flow-compromised Hackensack River by
diverting even more flow from the River; the bay becomes a collection pool
for debris that float upriver with each tide; and the landfill "knoll" adds
to the flooding problems.
Now is the time for Bergen County to walk a new path.
By choosing preservation, Bergen County will join thousands of citizens and
experts in this unique endeavor. The Water Works Conservancy (WWC) offers its
full support and advocates a feasible, innovative environmental and historic
restoration of the site. WWC is joined by a large majority of citizens who
value the environmentally sound preservation of our heritage. The State and
National Coalition to Save the Water Works— comprised of a host of state,
national, and international organizations—has offered expertise and
resources, both financial and professional.
The goal: transform the historically significant site into a multipurpose
facility within a 10-acre restored habitat park. The HWC site, which operated
uninterrupted until 1990, is nationally significant because it is a rare,
surviving example of a 19th Century water works and includes the oldest
existing example of the American system of mechanical filtration that enabled
the processing and delivery of clean, safe water.
The HWC exemplifies the early 20th-century development of a pure municipal
water supply, crucial to a nation whose citizens drank water with foul taste,
foul odor, and bacteria from untreated sewage dumped into rivers. In 1901,
diarrhea, dysentery and typhoid were rampant. Most of this remarkable
complex, buildings and equipment, pre-dates World War I, and survives with
remarkable integrity. The site is the only intact facility of its kind in the
nation.
WWC calls on Bergen County to choose the high road without further delay. Wo
rk with WWC and environmentalists, save our historic waterworks and save
taxpayers over $5 million.
Our children and future generations should be able to walk along natural
paths, discover the Hackensack River, stand in awe in the Pump House watching
the rotating wheels of a four-story steam engine, and discover the excitement
of hands-on science in the restored labs and Environmental Education Center.
That’s priceless.
If you agree, please e-mail or write Commissioner Bradley Campbell, NJ DEP,
Division of Parks & Forestry, Historic Preservation Office, PO Box 404,
Trenton, NJ 08625- 9494, [log in to unmask]
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