ESSEX COUNTY EXECUTIVE DIVINCENZO AND FREEHOLDER VICE PRESIDENT SEBOLD SUPPORT PUBLIC QUESTIONS 1 AND 2 ON NOVEMBER 4TH BALLOT

Referendums Would Allocate Additional State Funds to Preserve Highlands and Remediate Brownfield Sites at No Additional Cost to Taxpayers

Newark, NJ – Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. and Freeholder Vice President Patricia Sebold announced on Monday, October 27th their endorsement of Public Questions 1 and 2 on the November 4th ballot. If approved, the first referendum would allow the State to bond an additional $150 million for the Garden State Preservation Trust to protect open space in the Highlands Region from development at no additional costs to taxpayers. The second referendum would make more State money available for brownfield redevelopment, again at no additional cost to taxpayers.

Public Question #1 Part of the Appalachians, the Highlands region covers eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and northwestern Connecticut. It is an important natural resource that provides clean drinking water to more than half of New Jersey. The future of the Highlands is in jeopardy because of suburban sprawl. As a result of lower interest rates, the additional $150 million in bonds would be covered by funds approved by voters in a 1998 referendum and would not require any new taxes.

“The Highlands may be many miles away from Essex County, but we rely on the region to provide clean drinking water,” DiVincenzo said. “We must do all we can to protect and preserve this important area and prevent development from endangering our precious natural resources,” he added.

“ Open space is being developed at a frightening pace, and this initiative will help us save as much of it as possible, before it is all gone,” Sebold said. “Just as elected officials and citizens have used their efforts to preserve the Pinelands in the southern part of the State because of their environmental sensitivity, we must make every effort to protect the Highlands to the north for the same reasons,” she added.

The County Executive and Freeholder Vice President touted Public Question #1 as an ingenious way to preserve additional open space without raising taxes.

“ Supporting this will allow the State to borrow more money without any additional expense to taxpayers,” the County Executive said. “Just like a homeowner refinances their mortgage, the State took advantage of lower interest rates and refinanced bonds for the Garden State Preservation Trust. I commend Governor James E. McGreevey and Treasurer John McCormac for their innovative thinking to find more money to preserve our open spaces,” he added.

DiVincenzo and Sebold said voters should expand their perception of what is regarded as open space and include established urban and suburban parks. The referendum includes funding to create and improve parks in the State’s densely populated and developed areas, including Essex County.

“ Using Green Acres dollars to preserve farmland and natural areas is important to prevent sprawl, but just as important are maintaining our parks so our cities and suburbs are more attractive and livable,” the County Executive said. “A cornerstone of my administration is to improve our beautiful and historic County Park System, which provides valuable open space in Essex County. Our parks play an important role in the quality of life of our residents and having additional money available will allow us to maintain and improve our park and recreation facilities to continue to meet the needs of our residents,” he added.

An outspoken proponent for the creation of the County’s Open Space Trust Fund who currently serves as the Freeholder Board’s representative on its advisory board, the Freeholder Vice President explained that the extra funding will magnify the trust fund’s positive impact in more of the county’s municipalities. “By increasing the pot of State money that we can use as matching funds, we will be able to stretch our trust fund dollars even farther to acquire land and improve parks throughout the County,” Sebold said.

Shortly after taking office in January, the County Executive met with representatives of 11 local park conservancy groups and asked them to submit Green Acres applications for park improvement projects. In turn, Essex County agreed to match the amount of Green Acres funding the groups received. Green Acres funding formulas at the time allowed government agencies to receive a maximum award of $500,000 for park development projects regardless of need or size. However, partnering with the volunteer groups would allow each group to seek their own $500,000 award, thus maximizing the total Green Acres funding sought by Essex County. As a result of this partnership, Green Acres awarded Essex County $6.9 million. The Essex County Open Space Advisory Board then matched the Green Acres grants with money from the Open Space Trust Fund.

DiVincenzo also spearheaded a $2.5 million playground improvement initiative in which 12 of the 18 playgrounds in the County Park System received new rubberized safety surfaces and three playgrounds received new equipment. As a result of this program, all playgrounds in the County Park System now have modern equipment and safety surfaces that meet the highest National Playground Safety Standards. Other park improvement projects completed this year include upgraded pathways, entranceways and lighting.

In 1998, New Jersey voters approved a referendum to dedicate $98 million annually from State sales and use tax revenue over the next three decades to provide a stable source of funding for the Garden State Preservation Trust. Public Question #1 would allow the total amount borrowed to be increased from $1 billion to $1.15 billion.

Public Question #2 In 1996, voters supported a referendum to allocate revenue from the Corporation Business Tax to the Underground Storage Tank Fund. This fund provided assistance to clean up leaky tanks and other contamination associated with underground storage tanks. The fund collects between $20 million and $30 million annually and currently has a surplus of about $100 million. Support of Public Question #2 would expand the use of the Underground Storage Tank Fund to include economic development and environmental clean up costs for brownfields sites.

“ Cleaning up brownfield sites is not just an issue for urban communities. Every municipality in Essex County has brownfield sites and can benefit from the additional State support,” the County Executive said, adding that the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection has identified 1,095 brownfield sites in Essex County.

“Restoring these properties creates opportunities for economic development so we can strengthen our tax base and opportunities for new recreation space in developed areas,” Sebold said. “Having additional funds available from the State will help us in our efforts to keep our communities vibrant and strong,” she added.

DiVincenzo noted that in the spring Essex County produced a brownfield mapping project that identified 71 sites in Belleville, Bloomfield, East Orange, Irvington and Orange. Comprehensive information about the history, location and contaminants found on each site is included on CDs. The mapping project is a tool to help in the redevelopment of brownfield sites into productive commercial uses or open space.