Dear Liberty State Park advocates,

A great temporary Victory thanks to your advocacy because late Saturday, the LSP Marina Lease was TAKEN OFF the Monday State House Commission AGENDA!!! stopping the DEP Commissioner's plan to get approval and sign it!

The DEP Commissioner Shawn LaTourette now wants his corporate giveaway lease on the agenda of an unusual mid-Jan. Commission meeting, days before Mikie Sherrill becomes Gov., so he has a chance to sign it for no good reason.

Unless there are updates, we'll let you know after Christmas about what actions we can take -but for now let's enjoy the holiday season after our temporarily stopping the DEP's assault on LSP's sacredness,character, purpose. history, openness and our legacy to future generations.Governor Sherrill must review the lease and delete the huge marina buildings!.

LaTourette said that "sometimes he has to "make unpopular decisions" but he never should do so for this priceless urban green oasis park behind Lady Liberty and Ellis Island with the overwhelming 49 year and current broad public consensus opposing privatization no matter what money is promised.

THANKS to all of you all who have again strongly stood up for LSP in opposing the marina lease after the battles against billionaire Paul Fireman and his front groups' Caven Point Natural Area and stadium plans (DEP omitted marina warehouse renderings at its Aug. master plan open house).

THANKS also to the Friends' great partner organizations: NY/NJ Baykeeper, NJ Conservation Foundation, NJ League of Conservation Voters, NJ Environmental Lobby, JC Parks Coalition and Bike JC.

THANKS also to elected officials who spoke at our rally:State Senator. Raj Mukherji (who also met with LaTourette), JC Mayor-Elect James Solomon, Hudson County Commissioner Bill O'Dea and Congressman Rob Menendez. Also State Senator Angela McKnight sent a press release against the lease!

Tom Paciorkowski, a JC attorney (a Friends member) sent a letter on Friday to the State House Commission on the major flaws in the DEP lease and lease process and we expect Tom will try to invalidate this lease if it gets signed.

The LSP advocate and former NJ Sierra Club Director Jeff Tittel's 12/12 powerful op-ed, "Stop the Liberty State Park dirty deal: Vote no warehouse in the people's park!" was made into a 2 minute video here with photos of LSP.

The update in our previous email:

The DEP finally posted a new proposed lease with its specific Terms Sheet, which the Commissioner signed on 11/17 and has keep secret until yesterday!

The lease terms would allow a still gigantic 2.3 acre, 70 ft high boat warehouse instead of 3 acres but adds a "Support Building" of 55 feet high and 1/3 of an acre so both buildings together are 2.6 acres; the bottom floor has unnecessary features for LSP and upper floors are for the Marina. On the LSP 1st floor, it includes a police substation, probably just to protect boaters.

The DEP's "Summary" to the State House Commission doesn't even mention the warehouse size (it's hidden in Attachment 4 of the Terms Sheet")

The boat warehouse shouldn't exceed the half acre limit in the National Park Service 1990 Decision for this land funded for "public outdoor recreation".

As the Jersey City Times editorial "An oversized 'Home Depot' Has no Place in Liberty State Park" stated, "Next to the now-rejected “mini-Meadowlands” that the billionaire Paul Fireman tried to foist on the park two years ago, the construction of a 500-unit boat storage facility at the entrance to the park is one of the worst ideas we can imagine."

We wish you a peaceful holiday season and terrific LSP experiences!

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Thanks very much to all who have contributed to the Friends in our fiscal year which started on 7/1 ! Info for donating is here.  

Thanks for your activism for LSP's future! Your Park - Your Voice!

Liberty Park’s open vistas, history, and beauty and its urban open space make the park sacred ground.

Sam Pesin, President. Eliza Wright & Rafael Torres, Co-Vice Presidents. Alison Cucco, Secretary. Rick Cordner, Treasurer. Trustees Gladys Vasques, Roberta Fluellen, and Sara Schultzer.

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