Great Falls National Park Update

The Great Falls National Park and the vision that has enabled its designation to be realized, is beginning to take shape as we roll through the summer.


Yesterday, Park Superintendent Darren Boch, announced that we have hired the park's first Ranger, Ilyse Goldman, effectively doubling the National Park Staff in Paterson at this point in time.


Other things of note that were discussed at yesterday's Park Advisory Commission Meeting:

An August “art in the park” event in which artists will use the foundation of the steam plant as the canvas for a 3-D chalk drawing.

A program in conjunction with the Paterson Education Fund that will train city middle school teachers to use the national park as a classroom.

A July 25 event that will allow about 60 Paterson children to explore the river on rowboats. That program is being conducted with the help of the Bronx-based nonprofit group called Rocking The Boat.

(Recorded by patersonpress.com)

Taken from njcdc.org 

In addition to these happenings, the New Jersey Community Development Corporation has deployed its Great Falls Youth Corps to begin distributing information and providing free walking tours to visitors at Overlook Park as we attract hundreds of visitors to see the Great Falls every day.  The Great Falls Youth Corps is made up of 15 highly motivated youth from the surrounding areas that are working to service the National Park by way of tours, public outreach, community service and maintenance, and public awareness and education.  They are led by School Board Commissioner and NJCDC youth program leader, Manny Martinez.

In addition to the GFYC, Mr. Martinez is also leading the newly developed Urban Youth Corps in a beautification project for the next six weeks.  The Urban Youth Corps is made up of 8 young members of the community and they will be servicing the areas of the Jersey Gardens across from the Route 19 ramp leading onto Grand St., the Upper Raceways, walking trails behind Mary Ellen Kramer Park and the trail leading up Lou Costello Pool, as well as various other areas in the Historic District that require their service.

Yesterday, members of both youth groups addressed the National Park Advisory Commission in order to inform the commission of the details of their projects, their reasons for wanting to join these projects, and simply to express their gratitude for having a chance to be a part of such a historic enterprise as preparing Paterson for the development of America's newest National Park.  

As a former leader of the Great Falls Youth Corps and other NJCDC programs, I would like to extend my thanks to these young people for their passion and dedication to Paterson and its rich history.  Many folks still are unaware of the vitally significant role that Paterson has played in American and World history but with these young people advocating and educating others on that exact history through the power of technology, social media, and their own relationships with their peers, we are beginning to see momentum take shape at the site of the National Park.  Keep up the good work GFYC and UYC and continue to follow Manny's lead.  It has been a pleasure watching you all take the things we have taught you and use them to empower yourselves and your fellow citizens with the knowledge of Paterson's significant history.

There is little doubt that you are all playing a vital role in ensuring Paterson's future becomes even more prosperous than its storied past.