WOODCLIFF LAKE—Five-plus years after its purchase, and following $400,000 in remediation costs due to soil contamination from prior uses, the long-planned passive park proposed at the former Galaxy Gardens site at Werimus Road and Woodcliff Avenue should open to the public.
The park’s opening date is likely late summer to early fall of 2023, said an architect hired to help design the park and manage construction. He estimated construction costs at $3.5 million. The site was purchased in 2018 for $1.65 million.
Mayor Carlos Rendo said most of the park’s costs have been underwritten by county grant funds, municipal Open Space funds, and private donations.
“The park is finally coming together. It’s a great thing to take an environmentally-impacted area, clean it up, and give it back to the community,” said Rendo.
He called the park’s development a partnership of the county, community, and council for nearly a decade in planning and development.
As of this month, no official name had been selected for the park, which informally is “Galaxy Gardens Park,” sited on approximately 2.1 acres at a busy intersection of two county roads.
The naming rights are one fundraising item up for negotiation, said Rendo. He noted an anonymous individual donated $750,000 to the park and that Party City kicked in $250,000.
The estimated costs to develop the park break down as follows: $599,340 for a Party City Pavilion; $201,120 for bathroom facilities; $631,400 for landscapes, planting and site work; $790,900 for other park improvements; $542,600 for site lighting/electrical work; and $691,340 for the general contractor, bonds, insurance and contingency (25%).
Architect and landscape designer Francis Reiner, DMR Architects, offered a brief video and site renderings at the virtual-only June 20 Borough Council meeting to provide an overview of what residents can expect to see in some 15 months.
“This will be a truly transformative project that will provide an outdoor gathering and recreation space in a borough that doesn’t have an official downtown district,” said a statement from Axiom Communications, a public relations firm hired by the borough.
Reiner said the planned park will include a performance space, including an amphitheater with seating for 250 to 300 people, a shade structure, a pergola, quarter-mile walking paths, a playground for children, a pavilion, benches, a dog park, a large centrally located water feature, and a space for community events such as holiday tree lightings, menorah celebrations, plus arts and music festivals, and public shows and presentations.
The park will include 13 parking spaces, and Rendo said residents will be encouraged to walk to the park when possible. He noted the dog park will feature separate play areas for small and large dogs.
Reiner said this summer his firm will be preparing construction drawings for a future park and will likely go out to bid in early fall. He said he hoped park construction could begin by later fall.
Last summer, the borough offered an online and printed survey to find out what features were most preferred by residents in a new park. Some suggestions included: a gazebo, water feature, veterans memorial, walking tracks, dog park, and areas for sitting, reading and picnicking.
“All of that was taken into consideration when we got involved and those ideas formed the background and basis for the park design. It was based on lots of public outreach,” said Reiner.
He said the park will be passive recreation, as it lies across the street from borough-owned ballfields and the Old Mill pool.
By the time the park is built, it’s likely to cost more than $5 million, said officials, although large portions are funded by county grants and private donations. The borough reported obtaining a $500,000 Open Space grant recently from the county after completing its site remediation work, which was delayed by the pandemic.
The borough website explains that “As part of the process, we will be offering other naming rights and ways to donate including trees, benches, brick pavers, etc. It is our hope and intention to secure enough donations to cover much of the cost. We are also evaluating using the annual open space funds that are generated (approximately $200K) to offset a portion of a bond we would issue for work to include the park.”
For a park preview, visit wclnj.com/news-hidden/433-concept-plan-for-new-park-at-galaxy-gardens-site.
Rendo posted the new park design unveiling on his Facebook page. He noted that the proposed park “will be the most beautiful park in Bergen County. Sponsorships and naming rights will be available.”
Rendo broke a split 3–3 council vote in early 2018 to purchase the 2.1-acre site for $1.65 million, which was opposed by many residents due to contamination concerns from prior uses as a garden center and a gas station over the years.
The Borough on Oct. 20, 2021 announced that Party City Holdings Inc., “the global celebrations leader,” was moving its U.S. headquarters here, to the empty ESAI building, 100 Tice Boulevard, in the second half of 2022.
Party City Holdings Inc. was approved for the first award under the Emerge Program, New Jersey’s new job creation incentive program, part of the New Jersey Economic Recovery Act of 2020 (ERA).