PATERSON – Above the Great Falls, Mayor Andre Sayegh climbed to the summit of his city and looked out over the brawling domain of steeples, bodegas, brick mills, beaux arts diehards, reborn ravages, Garrett Mountain and New York City shimmering in the distance.

“This is the highest point in the city,” he said.

Wait a minute. What about Garrett Mountain over there?

Some of the mountain’s steppes fall within Paterson City limits, the mayor explained, but not the crown. Right here, on a pile of rock overlooking the Passaic River – this is the top.

An exhilarating high point that affords not only an architectural history of the country but of Paterson’s unique biospheric locale and Big Apple proximity, for a while, it was a dumping ground awaiting an apartment complex. That project eventually fell through, enabling Sayegh to move on a complement to city development in and around the historic Hinchliffe Stadium.

Hinchliffe – which sits immediately above the Great Falls and includes a civil rights museum, affordable housing complex, and childcare center – forms the core of a $116 million citywide property investment project, which includes this parcel here, Vista Park, rehabbed for $1.4 million.

Sayegh said the park is part of his overall effort to remove derelict crime magnets and turn them into points of Paterson pride. Targeting October of this year as a completion date, Vista will feature a public picnic area, amphitheater, playground, and fitness zone.

On Friday afternoon, bulldozers tore over the area as they marked off the different sections.

“I would like to deliver the State of the City here,” Sayegh said, looking out at Silk City.

By way of background, from Paterson:

“The 6.4-acre parkland was purchased by the State of NJ in 2016 and is now being designed in preparation for construction later this year. The park concept plan envisions numerous passive recreational amenities appropriate for all ages, and will be open to all.

“In 2016, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s (NJDEP) Green Acres Program acquired 8.4 acres of vacant land on the cliff overlooking the City of Paterson and Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park (GFNP). This acquisition assures the use of the property as public open space in perpetuity.  It creates a continuous network of publicly-owned land along the plateau on the north side of the river, extending from the Great Falls to Ryle Avenue.”