Hoboken residents have a right to be skeptical when they hear that Pier C Park will be open soon. They’ve been told that story before. But Mayor Dawn Zimmer says that at least some of the park could be open in the very near future.
“We are trying to get Pier C partially open,” Zimmer said on Thursday. “We have to go through the state to get approval, so I can’t provide the exact date.”
The residents of Hoboken were told previously the park would be open by September 2009. It didn’t happen. Then it was announced the park would be open by July 1, 2010. But it wasn’t. Now, with summer gone, Zimmer hopes that part of the park can be open in the near future so residents can enjoy the island park, located on the waterfront near 3rd and 4th streets, for the remaining enjoyable weather this fall.
“We have approval from our insurance companies to open a part of the park,” Zimmer said. “The playground area would not be open but the esplanade and the walkway would be.”
“It’s painful to see that it’s 99 percent finished. There are additional things that need to be done. It’s going to be a beautiful park for the community to enjoy and we want to provide that.” – Mayor Dawn Zimmer
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The park was 93 percent complete in October 2009, according to Joseph Branco, the owner of EIC Associates, the Springfield-based contractors who are handling the job.
“It’s something we want to get finished,” Zimmer said. “It’s painful to see that it’s 99 percent finished. There are additional things that need to be done. It’s going to be a beautiful park for the community to enjoy and we want to provide that to them.”
The project development began a decade ago, when the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey contributed $24 million for the demolition of the original Pier C and creation of a waterfront park. The original pier was one of the filming locations for “On the Waterfront”, the classic film about political corruption filmed in Hoboken.
What’s holding it up?
During the process, the city has said the playground equipment was found to be dangerous because the stainless steel items in the park get too hot in the sun.
Another problem was a burst heat pipe. Previously, EIC has said the mishap was their fault and it would be corrected by the contractors. Zimmer said on Thursday that there have been repairs to the pipes, and they are no longer an issue.
The main problem which has held up the park opening is the guardrails. Since the park is on an island, many children will walk along a curved walkway over the river out to the playground.
“There are additional safety handles and things that need to get added before we’d be able to get approval [to open the whole park],” Zimmer said.
Zimmer said it has been difficult to negotiate because “there is no liquidated damages clause in the contract.”
The mayor also said the biggest lesson she learned from Pier C is that “you can’t pay enough for good legal counsel.”
“The prior administration paid the architect mostly everything up front, so we had no leverage,” Zimmer said.
The blame from City Hall has been passed around, but the residents, and the council, want answers. Over the past year, the park has been brought up at council meetings, usually by members critical of the mayor, and pointed out as a failure on the part of the city. Zimmer hopes this will change when the park partially opens soon.
After years of missed deadlines, the city still cannot commit to a full open date.
“I wish I could but that’s why I’m taking the initiative to get it open on a partial basis,” Zimmer said. “People could go visit it for the rest of the fall, especially given everything with Sinatra Park.” That park has been closed after pilings weakened by shipworm damage caused a portion of it to collapse into the river.
So, Hoboken, the day could finally be coming where Pier C Park opens. But after missed deadlines over the past few years, some residents may need to see it to believe it.
Ray Smith can be reached at RSmith@hudsonreporter.com.