On Saturday, Friends of Liberty State Park (LSP) held a protest rally opposing the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s (NJDEP) proposed lease agreement with Suntex Marinas. The 60-year lease would allow the company, which operates the Liberty Landing Marina, to build a 3-acre boat warehouse at the park’s northern entrance on Audrey Zapp Drive. The proposed structure would be 75 feet tall and hold 500 boat racks. Friends of LSP called the project a “monstrous attack against the integrity and beauty of this sacred park.”
Sam Pesin, president of Friends of LSP, invited several speakers, including Jersey City mayoral candidate and former Ward E Councilman James Solomon, Congressman Rob Menendez, Senator Raj Mukherji, Hudson County Commissioner Bill O’Dea, and Friends of Berry Lane Park President Jerome Choice. The JC Resistance Choir performed songs such as “We Shall Overcome,” which protesters sang along to. Additional attendees included Ward E Councilwoman Eleana Little, Jack McKee of A Better Path, and Hamilton Park Neighborhood Association President Diane Atwell. More than 200 people attended, including local artists, cyclists, and environmental advocates.
Friends of LSP have opposed privatization efforts for 49 years, including the previously defeated proposal by Paul Fireman for a sports and entertainment complex at Caven Point. The group is now urging residents to contact Governor Mikie Sherrill to oppose the lease…