Have you ever noticed that there aren’t a lot of parks in Hoboken? I have. I think I can count the number of parks in the city on one hand and those that exist aren’t very large. I’ve been seeing flyers, mailings, and advertisements for different pro-park non-profit groups and got interested in what they have to say. After meeting them, its become very obvious we do not have a good park development plan - and quite the contrary, have an over development problem.
I’m not going to get into the problems of over development yet - I’ll save that for another day. But what I will do is try and put those who come to visit this blog in touch with the various organizations that support more park space for our us, our children, and our pets. If you like what they are working towards, please contact them and lend any support you can in any way possible. Even by hosting a fundraiser or donating talent or time can make the difference.
One group that seems to represent everyone is Hoboken Parks. On their site (now added on the ‘Links’ section of the sidepanel) they have a map of Hoboken with all the parks (or lack thereof) and they highlight some sections in need of attention. They have an e-mail list you can join and a way to contact the mayor and town council to express your support and desire for more parks.
The other group that I came across was the SouthWest Parks Coalition. Their site (also on the ‘Links’ list) is newer but, so far, informative. They focus on one area of Hoboken but their ideals are the same as the other groups. If you happen to live in that area, I would ask you to use their website to join their mailing list and offer any support you can lend. They, like Hoboken Parks, are probably very low-budget and even the web hosting is an expense that most people take for granted.
I want to be neutral when it comes to Hoboken politics because everyone has a right to an opinion and there are many opinions out there that are always up for debate. In this forum, I just want to bring attention to the things about this great town that need changing - no matter who represents what and why.
And to that end, I think that Hoboken needs more parks. It doesn’t take visit to these websites or a college degree to see that parks increase property value and, therefore, taxation revenue. Unchecked construction can lead to over development and with a housing glut lower one’s value by flooding the market with vacant units. The more land for parks, the more gentile the neighborhood becomes and the few units YOUR property has to compete with. Safe construction also addresses the flooding problems that many areas of Hoboken have; we would be remiss to not work on a solution that offered more ground to soak up the water while reducing the number of people adding sewage to the problem.
I am confident that the Hoboken Parks and the Southwest Parks organizations will prevail. I am going to watch the mayor’s reaction very closely and make sure his puppets in the council hear what these groups have to say and act in their favor. I know I cannot, in good faith, vote for someone who doesn’t take what these groups have to say seriously and who doesn’t work towards promoting park space in this town.
Please get involved if you can. I know I will.