Intense debate over the future of Liberty State Park erupted again this weekend at a meeting of the park’s Design Task Force, the entity created to advise the state on efforts to revitalize New Jersey’s most popular state park.
The 23 members of the task force include a variety of perspectives, from administration officials and conservation advocates to representatives of groups pushing for more “active-recreation” development in the park. The latter includes the People’s Park Foundation, a group backed by billionaire Paul Fireman, who has long-pushed for new development within the park’s protected boundaries.
Saturday’s meeting started with task force members discussing the state Department of Environmental Protection’s announced plans for the park, with plenty of criticism from the Fireman-aligned members. When the meeting resumed after lunch to hear public comment, the People’s Park Foundation members had left.
