PASSAIC COUNTY RIBBON CUTTING FOR DUNDEE ISLAND PARK

The Passaic County Board of Chosen Freeholders unveiled the County’s first new park in 50 years

(Passaic County, New Jersey) – Today, the Passaic County Board of Chosen Freeholders held a ribbon cutting for the County’s newest park, Dundee Island Park in Passaic City, New Jersey.

Dundee Island Park – a $12 million dollar project funded by the Passaic County Open Space, Farmland, and Historic Preservation Trust Fund, Passaic County Capital Budget, and a $5 million dollar grant from the NJDEP Office of Natural Resource Restoration Newark Bay Complex Grant –  is the County’s first riverfront park and first addition to the Passaic County Park System in 50 years.

“My colleagues on the freeholder board and I are ecstatic about this grand addition to our County Park System and to the City of Passaic. We have truly transformed this space into a beautiful recreational area and green open space for our residents. This was truly a community driven project. Here in Passaic County, community input matters because our communities are what make our county so great, and we’re happy to be able to state that the development of this park has been community driven, which included several community input forums and stakeholder meetings from its inception,” stated Freeholder Director Sandi Lazzara.

The Dundee Island Park project construction has been managed by the Trust for Public Land through an agreement reached by the Passaic County Board of Chosen Freeholders, City of Passaic, and the Trust for Public Land. The new Dundee Island Park includes an array of elements, including an elevated field house with a concession and restroom facilities, a refurbished soccer field, playground, spray park, fitness and exercise equipment, a community garden, boat launch, river walk, landscaped improvements, ornamental security lighting throughout the entire park, art and place making features, including a sculptor designed by a local artist, and an amphitheater.

Dundee Island is located completely within a floodway and significant investments were made to include green infrastructure elements to absorb water during flood events and protect surrounding residential and commercial districts.

“Dundee Island Park is an amazing addition to the great city of Passaic, and we are excited for the community as well as visitors who will enjoy this new park for years to come,” added Passaic County Freeholder Director Lazzara.

This is the first step in a long-term plan to develop a riverfront park along the Passaic River. The current features of Dundee Island Park are a part of Phase I of the long-term plan to develop a riverfront park along the Passaic River. Design and community input on Dundee Island Phase II is underway, with the County, City, and TPL working under the same model to refurbish the abandoned freight rail bridge into a pedestrian greenway into Bergen County, incorporate North Pulaski Park into Dundee Island Park, and connect Dundee Island Park and Pulaski Park into one vast recreational facility.

For more information, visit passaiccountynj.org/passaic_county_park_system/parks.