Montclair’s Environmental Commission may be in support of the Nishuane Well project, but Montclair’s Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Advisory Board (PRCA) has concerns. The committee sent this memo in August regarding their concerns; Victor Lombardi, member, Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee, asked Baristanet to publish it here:
“With the exception of the continued participation with the committee by Renee Baskerville, we didn’t receive any response to this letter from the council or the mayor,” says Lombardi.
Here is the August memo:
The purpose of this memo is to present the concerns of the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Advisory Board (PRCA) to the Town Manager, Mayor, and Councilors concerning the proposed construction and operation of a water pumphouse in the Carey’s Wood section of Nishuane Park.
Background: On March 8th, 2012, Councilwoman Baskerville announced that Montclair Township was going to construct and operate a water pumphouse in Nishuane Park. Councilwoman Baskerville did not have a base plan or map for the proposed facility, but explained that the site was located in the Carey’s Woods portion of Nishuane Park.
At PRCA’s April 12 meeting, one of our members described a site visit to the proposed pumphouse location in Nishuane Park. David Smith of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s (NJDEP) Green Acres Program was present at the site to discuss the project, as the whole of Nishuane Park in encumbered under the Green Acres Program. Since that time, we have spoken with Mr. Smith to understand the Green Acres issues and provided him with a copy of the original deed to the Carey’s Woods acreage.
On May 10, 2012, Mr. Gary Obszarny, Director of the Montclair Water Bureau and Sewer Utility, came to the PRCA meeting to discuss the pumphouse project, going over the existing well, the purpose of the project, and the Green Acres requirements. According to Mr. Obszarny, Montclair does not require this new well to meet Montclair’s already approved future growth on Bloomfield Avenue.
PRCA concerns:
1. The original deed for the Carey property does state “This conveyance is made on the condition that the property be used as a public park.” We request that the Township lawyer review the document, but it would appear that the property should not be used for non-park purposes.
2. The entirety of Nishuane Park is encumbered under the Green Acres Program as Green Acres funds were used to upgrade the park in the past. Once in the program, land cannot be diverted (used for a non open space purpose) without going through a full Green Acres application and environmental review. Please note that according to Mr. Smith of NJDEP, this encumbrance does not void the original deed.
3. As has been stated in other venues, Montclair has only so much open space left, and the Carey’s Woods area is one of the few wooded natural areas in Town. Town parks should not be industrialized until all other alternatives such as another site outside the park, or water conservation and appropriate landscaping have been exhausted. While we do not know why the original 1983 drilling of this site was placed in Carey’s Woods, we are sure that no one currently involved prefers to locate a pumphouse within a public park.
4. We would also suggest that investigations for an alternative site could be funded from at least two possible revenue sources:
a. New real estate developments in town, such as the Orange Road Redevelopment Area, that would require the water capacity.
b. The revenue of sale of this water capacity to surrounding towns, which is already envisioned for this pumphouse.
The sum of this revenue could fund the work necessary to locate the pumphouse outside of our precious park land.The PCRA respectfully requests that the Town, the Mayor and the Council evaluate and respond to our concerns as listed above.
I’m responding personally, not as a member of the Environmental Commission. Others may have a different take. However, as someone who has helped lead the fight for preservation in Montclair, I know not every “build” needs to be opposed or should turn into a battle. NYC’s Central Park has multiple “outbuildings” similar to what’s proposed for this well station project. Some of them are built in stone just like what’s proposed here. They actually look quite nice – part of the park landscape.
It’s a matter of balance. We do need to ensure water accessibility long term and the best place to get clean water is from clean land. The well is Nishuane Park is ALREADY DUG. It was already approved by a prior Town Council in the 80′s. That’s democracy. Digging a new well would cost today’s taxpayers much more and would likely create hassles and a fight for those residents nearby if the station was built in a residential area. Further, the water department has allocated money for the project to actually improve the surrounding park landscape adjoining the constructed building. I understand they can even change the size of the hill nearby and make better slay riding for the kids.
At the end of the day, this project appears a minor blip in the open space park footprint. Once constructed, it should be quickly forgotten. So my personal take: there are plenty of other open space issues to get incensed about. We have allowed down-zoning and in-fill development for years without a coherent policy. That’s what’s really needed. Opposing this pre-dug well completion in the spot already agreed just to stop the outbuilding that would surround – is not the fight to gear up for. Especially in light of the long term town water gains/needs and after balancing the equities involved.
It’s actually funny that you allude to New York City’s & Montclair’s historic preservation efforts. They very closely parallel each other…and not in a good way.
As I understand some of the opposition’s POV, they don’t like to give up Montclair’s finite open space to provide a utility to Little Falls, Clifton & Glen Ridge. Furthermore, there has clearly not been even the pretense of evaluating alternate sites. Or, how much does it cost to dig a 260′ well these days compared to the $2MM for the rest. I don’t care anymore about the well.
Build the well! Build the well! Build the well! Yeah, Done!
PS: Next time, please don’t trot out the MEC for a blip when they should be doing more important things.
Also responding for myself, not the Parks committee…
While it’s true the hole in Nishuane Park is already dug, it was dug 30 years ago when we had different sensibilities about the environment. If now, 30 years later, we think it was a bad idea to put industrial infrastructure in a public park, should we pile on a bad idea with another bad idea?
The problem with trying to make an argument in this case is that it’s hard to capture how beautiful that land is. In the summer, it’s one of the most pastoral natural spaces in the town. Residents who appreciate that are understandably emotional about the issue, probably more so than, say, in-fill development.
Montclair is full of springs and underground waterways…
http://www.baristanet.com/2011/07/hidden-waterways-of-baristaville/ …and just uphill from Nishuane Park is an abundant body of water, Crystal Springs (presently encircled by Stonebridge Road). I believe that Nishuane Park was also a pond somewhere back in time on old maps.
Nearby Essex Fells has a very important ratable, underground water and this water is channeled underground via pump houses and sold to reservoirs for cities like Newark and Jersey City. Because of the water ratable and the fact that there is practically no school system, Essex Fells’s property taxes are comparably less than half for property owners. because of the water ratable, the requirement for protected green spaces is necessary and this requirement preserves a beautiful forest like landscape for Essex Fells and prevents overdevelopment from polluting the underground water tables. Adjacent to my property, there is a pump house in the woods that I can hear sometimes, but cannot see.
It all depends on the EPA and DEP regulations and codes, but it could be that since there is not too much built development between Crystal Springs (Stonebridge Road), Nishuane Park and Carrey’s Woods, the underground water table may be un contaminated enough to consider the production of water as a rateable for the township. There are already similar underground water taps at the top of Watchung Avenue and toward the Bonsal Reserve at the north end of town.