Dear Editor:
20 years ago, North Bergen took away part of Hudson County’s Braddock Park when it illegally placed its trailer preschool (aka as TCUs/Temporary Classroom Units) in the park.
Braddock Park is protected against non-recreational development by NJDEP Green Acres, but Green Acres is not enforcing its regulations.
Green Acres even produced fraudulent reports which omitted that when it inspected what was supposed to be a ball field, it instead found the preschool site.
Fraud has plagued this issue for 20 years and counting.
Green Acres funds (our taxpayer money), have been used to undermine Green Acres regulations!
Further, these TCUs are old and unsafe.
State regulations require that each TCU have two exits in case of emergency (they had one), but for 16 years, they were not inspected properly and this violation was ignored.
Several years ago during a bad storm, two TCUs burned down; fortunately classes were not in session, otherwise there might have been a catastrophe because of this violation.
North Bergen and the NJ Dept. of Education covered up this and other very dangerous TCU conditions, some of which have been fixed.
TCUs are known for having bad air circulation – this is a problem now that we have experienced coronavirus.
Please email the governor and OAG, tell them the unsafe illegal preschool should be removed from Braddock Park ASAP and North Bergen-Hudson County and NJDEP officials should be investigated for their misconduct:
citizens.services@njoag.gov
constituent.relations@nj.gov
Please pass this on.
Robert Walden
