One afternoon, a North Bergen resident walked to Fredmon Park, which sits on the Palisades overlooking the Hudson River – but instead of enjoying the weather, he was greeted with garbage all along the perimeter of where the park ends and the cliffs begin.
Ernie Feniello asked his friend David Kronick, an activist, former state assemblyman, and current commander of the Jewish War Veterans, if there was anything that could be done.
Kronick soon realized that Fredmon Park and his veteran’s post were named after the same person, George J. Fredmon, and wished to do something about the mess.
Bill McClelland created a device called the “Bag Snagger.”
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He gave North Bergen resident Bill McClelland, who once worked in his legislative office, a call and asked him to aid them in cleaning the park. McClelland, with his brother and a friend, created a device called the “Bag Snagger” more than 15 years ago. The tool consists of four steel rods in the form of a grappling hook. It is attached to a pole that can reach up to 40 feet to grab bags stuck in trees.
It has since become popular for dealing with landfills, which are often overrun with bags. Bette Midler and her New York Restoration Project, along with the Central Park Conservancy, have used it.
The Bag Snagger allowed the three men to reach out past the fence of the park last Wednesday and remove garbage ranging from coffee mugs to plastic bags.
Over a decade
“This is the accumulation of how many years now…at least a decade or more, so if you clean this us nicely now, it will stay nice a lot longer,” said McClelland last week. “It puts the bug in people’s minds that maybe this isn’t the place to trash.”
McClelland said that some of the garbage around the cliffs is from people dumping it, while other litter is brought to the park by wind.
Kronick thought it was a shame that people who visit the park to enjoy the stunning views are greeted by garbage.
Ferniello wondered whose responsibility it is to clean up past the border of the park. According to Kronick, since J.F.K. Boulevard East is a county road, Hudson County does have jurisdiction, but only up to the wall of the park. And even though the park is maintained by the town of North Bergen, they did not know if the cliffs, where most of the garbage had landed, were considered private property.
“Whose responsibility is it to maintain these parks once they get [state] Green Acres funds and are created?” said Ferniello. “Is it the county, the town? Is it people like Dave?”
The Bag Snagger was created when McClelland and his business partners became frustrated with seeing plastic bags in the area and being unable to reach them. His brother, a jeweler and metal smith, created the design for their own peace of mind. It wasn’t until Bette Midler’s husband called them to purchase one that they realized the Bag Snagger could be a business plan.
McClelland said that during a good year, they sell about 50 of them.
Planting for the future
Regardless of whose responsibility it should have been, they decided that with Earth Day around the corner, they would try and take away as many plastic bags and garbage as they could with the Bag Snagger.
Kronick also sprinkled wild flower seeds along the dirt outside the fence in the hopes of beautifying the area.
“I live right up the block,” said Ferniello. “Look at the view; it’s our piece of heaven.”
Tricia Tirella may be reached at TriciaT@hudsonreporter.com.