What to do with Bonnabel Park?
That is the question a committee comprised of residents is intending to answer.
The park is a 3-acre stretch of land running alongside the Hackensack River.
The committee has met twice since its formation, said the council liaison, Victor Cioce.
"I was working with the committee to give an idea of the property so they could familiarize themselves with it and come back with recommendations to the mayor and council about what is the best use of the property," Cioce said.
So far the committee has received an aerial view of the property, which identified the specific location of where it begins and ends, Cioce said.
Cioce said it is "too early to tell" what use the committee members will come up with, though in the past Mayor Victor Polce assured it would be used as passive recreation.
Committee member Leon Lepselter, a 29-year resident, said he walked through the park with his wife and would like to see trails and picnic tables put in.
"The paths should not be concrete though, maybe wood [so people] don’t get ticks or stones. If people walk through the underbrush they could pick up ticks," he said. People could enjoy the underbrush but not have to walk in it."
He thinks the committee is "pretty much in agreement on what they would like to see" the area used for.
Officials purchased the property last year from its owner Henry Bonnabel for $950,000, paid for with Green Acres, Borough Open Space funds and a municipal bond ordinance.
Located off of Old Tappan Road and close to the River Vale border, the land has been lauded for being rich in historic significance. It was formerly the site of Lachmund’s Hotel, a structure used for entertainment in the late 1870s. Its proximity to the Hackensack River and the fact that it claims many unique "specimen" trees, landed it a place in the borough’s Environmentally Sensitive District.
E-mail: wilde@northjersey.com or call 201-894-6706
