TRENTON – The Senate approved legislation today sponsored by Senator Joseph Coniglio that would allocate more than $25 million to fund efforts in northern New Jersey to acquire or develop open spaces for recreation and conservation purposes.
“As the most densely populated state in the nation, we need to work doubly hard to make sure to preserve open space and parks for future generations,” said Senator Coniglio, D-Bergen. “This $25 million will give our towns and counties in North Jersey the ability to acquire undeveloped land to protect it from sprawl and provide our families with green spaces in which they can enjoy nature.”
Senator Coniglio’s bill, S-2241, appropriates $25,389,500 from the “Garden State Green Acres Preservation Trust Fund” and various other Green Acres bond funds to the Department of Environmental Protection to provide grants or low-interest loans to assist local governments in northern New Jersey to acquire or develop lands for recreation and conservation purposes. The appropriation would fund 55 different projects in Bergen, Morris, Passaic, Sussex and Warren counties.
“Neighborhood parks and playgrounds make our communities great places to live and raise a family. They are small oases which children and adults can visit to relax under the shade of a tree, toss around a football, or enjoy an afternoon picnic. With the acquisition of more open spaces in our communities, we hope to provide even more opportunities for our residents to visit a local park,” added Senator Coniglio.
The bill passed by a vote of 37-0 and now goes to the Assembly for their consideration