Dear Editor:
To all concerned,
North Bergen committed itself to removing the preschool from Braddock Park by, or before Green Acres 09-01-21 deadline, in 2016, after it decided to buy Hi-Tech HS in NB.
Green Acres very leniently gave NB 5 years to accomplish this.
The 2018 NB special referendum committed $65 million taxpayer money to buy Hi-Tech, renovate classrooms and reorganize the school system.
The sole purpose for doing this was to move the preschool out of Braddock Park, thereby reaching compliance with Green Acres regs.
A secondary benefit was to be the reduction in classroom overcrowding.
You will have a big problem if you betray the mandate voters gave you by allowing the preschool to remain in the park.
That would be a misuse of $65 million.
If you go ahead with a permanent application, you risk having to provide 5X as much new park replacement land.
Green Acres has come to its senses and reversed its parking lot decision by now holding NB accountable for providing replacement land for its illegal diversion of the preschool parking lot.
Do the right thing and file a temporary application and get the school out of Braddock Park.
Stop wasting taxpayer money and jeopardizing the lives of young children and teachers.
If you proceed with a permanent diversion application, you will face opposition on other issues you hadn’t anticipated, which will further cost taxpayers and you will be subject to ridicule for your wasteful and callous actions.
Robert Walden
