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Community Corner

Public Input At Project Play Hearing

At public meeting, some supporters of the plan expressed disappointment at the pace with which the initiative is advancing.

Project Play, the initiative to upgrade playgrounds in Church Square Park, has been underway for more than a year now, but the city held its first official meeting Thursday night in City Hall to gather input from the community—a measure mandated by city law and a discussion that represented a milestone for the group behind the proposed improvements. An earlier—less formal—meeting was held in the park in May. 

Sixth Ward Councilman Nino Giacchi, who serves as the chairman of the Quality of Life subcommittee, welcomed about 25 residents to the meeting before turning the floor over to Zabrina Stoffel, who, together with Regina Gannon, launched the initiative in May 2009.

Gannon wasn't there in person, but on speaker phone from Hoboken University Medical Center, because she delivered her baby boy yesterday, Stoffel said.  

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Stoffel gave those residents in attendance a basic overview of Project Play's proposals, which include replacing decaying ground toys in two playground areas on the park's south side and replacing the current swing set. Stoffel added that the group also wants to replace old benches that have fallen into disrepair.  

"We want to create a safe, fun, innovative and environmentally sustainable playground," Stoffel said, noting that Project Play is raising the funds to finance the improvements at virtually no cost to taxpayers.

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"We don't propose for the footprint of Church Square Park to change," Stoffel emphasized, preemptively addressing what she expected to be a point of contention. At the unofficial May meeting, tensions flared when a few residents expressed concerns that the initiative intended to make changes outside of the three play areas.

Gesturing to illustrations drawn up by Columbia Cascade, an Oregon-based company that specializes in landscape architecture, Stoffel said that the swing set would actually make a minor change to the footprint it currently occupies.

To fit more swings in the area, Stoffel said the design would encroach upon what she called "the pathway to nowhere," a slab of concrete sidewalk between the swing set and a patch of dirt that is usually grass, but has been trampled and dried up this season.

Residents who spoke mainly lauded Stoffel and Gannon's proactive efforts to improve the park, and actually broke into applause at one point.

A few people asked questions about the total cost of the project, which Stoffel said could ultimately total between $300,000 and $400,000. To date, Project Play has raised about $25,000, she said, partly through sponsorship from several local businesses. Giacchi said that discussions on the cost of the project are premature because the designs haven't been finalized yet.

Several residents who described themselves as supporters of the cause expressed concerns that the project is moving forward too slowly and suggested that, for their kids to be able to enjoy the upgrades, the project should be broken into smaller parts to help expedite its completion.

Project Play is not without a handful of critics who are protective of Church Square Park. Among them in the audience was Hobokenite Dan Tumpson.

"What disturbs me is that Church Square Park is a very historic, green, natural park and this has been damaged considerably over recent years," said Tumpson.

"If you do a big project such as this," Tumpson continued, "it may trigger extensive state regulations about fencing, lighting, the amount of plastic stuff you have to put on the ground. It could be very expensive."

Hobokenite Cheryl Fallick, who has attended previous meetings on Project Play, spoke and raised concerns about the installation of more lighting in the park, a point Tumpson echoed.

After the discussion, Giacchi invited residents to peruse the visual aids Stoffel brought to the meeting and to supply feedback via comments written on Post-It notes.

"I thought it was nice that two people were kind of taking responsibility for it," said fifth ward resident Francoise Vielot of when she'd first heard about the initiative.

Now a major proponent of Project Play, Vielot, a 34-year-old mother of two children, said her son has been injured with splinters from the decaying wood planks in the playground equipment and that she'd like to see the improvements fast-tracked.

"I know why it's moving at the speed it's moving at," she said. "A lot of parents in here feel like our kids are going to be too old by the time anything gets resolved."

Director of Environmental Services Jennifer Maier said she was pleased with the turnout and that residents can expect the next public meeting to take place sometime next month.  Her response to those disappointed with the pace of progress was, "I think that what makes things move the fastest is concern from the neighborhood."

"I think it's a fantastic project," said Mara Lawler, who has two children under three-and-a-half years of age. "We live right off the park and we're there just about everyday. For me the big thing is the safety," Lawler said of why she supports Project Play.

Stoffel felt bolstered by having completed the first official public meeting, a major step in the right direction for Project Play.

"I think this couldn't have gone better," she said.

Due to its 200-plus-year history as Hoboken's town square, Church Square Park can be an explosive topic in Hoboken, but it endures as a place cherished by residents of all stripes, a sentiment on prominent display last night in the remarks from people of varying viewpoints.

"It's a little oasis," said Stoffel, "in a concrete jungle."  

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