Dear Editor:
I am writing in opposition to the proposal regarding Church Square Park for expansion of the basketball areas. This proposal would harm the park and take away usable park areas for the majority of visitors. I visit the park regularly and it seems to me that the basketball court areas are underused most of the time, whereas the park area itself is filled most of the time with park-goers. In other words, expansion of the basketball court would favor a smaller group over the vast majority of park users, in a park that is already somewhat overcrowded. In addition, cutting down large trees to make room for the basketball courts would be harmful for visitors and for the environment.
Cutting down trees would reduce shade and expose visitors (especially children) to more UV radiation, which is harmful. Cutting down trees for the basketball courts would also increase the sun’s heating of the asphalt of the enlarged courts, and thereby increase the air temperature of the park overall. Hoboken is already as hot or hotter than Newark or Manhattan in the summer, and parks should be an oasis, not a furnace. Meanwhile, in winter the increased basketball areas would be completely unused. As a result, I strongly oppose the plan to expand the basketball courts in Church Square Park.
Sincerely,
Frank S. Kalamajka