Governor Murphy put $235 million worth of projects into reserve until the state comes up with money to pay the funding. One of those projects included $4 million for Urban Parks, $4 for the Turtle Back Zoo in West Orange, $250,000 for the Morris Canal Park, $3 million for Irvington Township Camp Irvington Repair and Redevelopment and $125,000 for the Bellville Recreation Program, and $1,100,000 for the Franklin Twp. Stream Restoration.

“The Murphy Administration is targeting urban parks and the environment. It’s bad enough that he signed legislation that will take funding away from urban areas and state parks, now has decided to freeze over $12 million for parks in urban areas. Money will be held for important projects like fixing streams in Franklin Township or funding Belville’s Recreational program. New Jersey’s parks, especially those in urban areas, have been suffering for years from declining funding and repairs left undone. Now Governor Murphy has continued to take any funding left for urban areas,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club.

Governor Murphy will also hold $3 million for Irvington Township Camp Irvington Repair and Redevelopment. The program provides year round programs of wholesome recreational activities for all of the Township of Irvington’s residents.

“Governor Murphy is holding people and children hostage to this budget from a recreational standpoint. The Irvington recreational program in the Highlands is a camp for kids to learn and understand nature. It is shameful that Murphy will freeze critical funding for recreational programs like these,” said Tittel.

On June 26, Gov. Murphy signed into law A4477(McKeon)/S2920 (Smith) allocating constitutionally dedicated Corporate Business Tax (CBT) revenues for Fiscal Year 2020 and thereafter. The law also makes provisions to New Jersey’s open space and farmland preservation programs.

“Freezing urban park monies and signing the open space funding bill is a one-two-punch that will hurt urban parks. The new law for open space money takes funding away from urban areas and state parks, and sends it to wealthy exurban areas. This reinforces the funding inequities that continue to damage lower-income and minority communities. Urban areas have a real shortage of open space and parks that has a significant health impact in those communities. The lack of parks also discourages redevelopment and hurts economic growth. This funding law will continue to make those disparities worse,” said Tittel.

Parks and open spaces in many of the state’s suburban and rural areas are prevalent while urban areas continue to suffer. Funding inequities continue to enhance those disparities in green spaces. Residents in many lower-income and minority communities must travel significant differences just to go to a park or find an open swimming area.

“For years state parks and parks in urban areas have been significantly underfunded. It is critical that the Murphy Administration and the state legislature find a more equitable way to fund our parks and open spaces. Fast-growing places like Jersey City and New Brunswick need more funding for their parks. We need money to open new parks and plant trees and restore natural habitats in the parks we have. We need more money for capital improvements in all of our parks. That will require a more stable source of funding. There are 17 million people a year visiting parks in New Jersey, generating $4 billion in tourism revenue. That’s why we need to invest more,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club.