April 29, 2009
Hon. Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr.
Essex County Executive
Hall of Records, Room 405
465 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.
Newark, NJ, 07102
Re: OPRA Request
9/11 Memorial Renovations
Dear Mr. DiVincenzo:
Attached, please find a copy of the article published within today’s edition of the Star Ledger, regarding renovations to the 9/11 memorial within Eagle Rock Reservation within West Orange, reporting that “Essex County teamed up with the Eagle Rock Conservancy, the Highlawn Pavilion restaurant and other organizations for a $982,000 facelift of the area, which includes an elevated 22-foot wide gazebo, handicapped-accessible walkways and a field of wildflowers”.
Please note the attached Open Public Records Request (OPRA) CWA Local 1081 has this day submitted to be provided all documentation within your administration’s possession regarding the following:
- A detailed delineation of exactly what respective portions of the $982,000 facelift were paid by “Essex County, the Eagle Rock Conservancy, the Highlawn Pavilion restaurant and other organizations”.
- The source(s) Essex County utilized to derive its share of the $982,000 as “County Sheriff Armando Fontoura alluded to the hefty cost of the renovation, which was built primarily with natural materials and will require upkeep”.
- The upkeep anticipated and the memorialized anticipated costs of the maintenance of the natural materials and the source(s) of the funding for same.
Sincerely,
David H. Weiner, President, CWA Local 1081
Essex improves 9/11 memorial view
The view of the Manhattan skyline from Eagle Rock Reservation in West Orange got a little clearer, and a bit more somber, yesterday when officials unveiled improvements to the county's 9/11 memorial, adding accessible lookouts and areas to reflect on the tragedy.
Essex County teamed up with the Eagle Rock Conservancy, the Highlawn Pavilion restaurant and other organizations for a $982,000 facelift of the area, which includes an elevated 22-foot wide gazebo, handicapped-accessible walkways and a field of wildflowers.
Architect Dan Dowd from Baretto/Dowd Landscape Architects was commissioned for the project. Dowd said that the view had been obstructed by the Highlawn Pavilion parking lot, but that the new field and the seating areas in and around the gazebo provide better lookout spots for contemplation.
"Now people can appreciate the view from elevated places, instead of looking at the face of a car," Dowd said.
Public officials and organizations announced the completion of the project yesterday after seven months of construction on the new gazebo. About 75 residents and officials welcomed the opening of the memorial.
"We have 17 parks here, and we now have a wonderful space to reflect on 9/11," said Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo. "There is no reason anyone has to go outside of Essex County, everything is right here."
County Sheriff Armando Fontoura alluded to the hefty cost of the renovation, which was built primarily with natural materials and will require upkeep.
"We are showing that even though resources are shrinking, we will continue to keep this place as pristine as we can," he said.
Halley
Bondy is a reporter for the New Jersey Local News Service. She may be reached at
hbondy@njlns.com