JERSEY CITY AND BEYOND — Jersey City officials are in discussions with officials in charge of the Formula One auto racing championship to bring the international race to Liberty State Park in Jersey City in 2012.
City spokesperson Jennifer Morrill confirmed on Sunday there were “preliminary discussions” that started three weeks ago with Formula One officials. Documents provided by the advocacy group Friends of Liberty State Park state that a 3.6-mile track would be built within the park for the race to “provide the least impact to city functions.”
Also, a deal with Formula One for the three-day race calls for a guaranteed five-year contract to hold the race in Jersey City, and that the track would be used by the public between race use for activities like walking and biking, and other sporting events. City would also provide funding to build the track.
Morrill touted the advantages of bringing the race to Jersey City.
“It is a marketing tool to bring people to Jersey City such as foot traffic and revenue to local businesses,” Morrill said.
However, this proposal has park activist Sam Pesin – whose father Morris was one of the creators of the 1,212-acre park that opened in 1976 – up in arms. Pesin made his displeasure known by posting information about the race at a display table during the annual Friends of Liberty State Park Luncheon on Sunday, and also encouraged the audience to discourage Mayor Jerramiah Healy and Department of Environment Protection head Bob Martin from bringing this race to the park.
But Morrill refuted the statement on city funding of the track saying the city would “never” commit funds for such an endeavor, if it was ever to take place. – RK