This past weekend, Governor Phil Murphy authorized the opening of state parks in New Jersey. While Jersey City had already moved forward on opening five parks as of Monday, April 27th, Hoboken and other northern Hudson County cities have opted to keep their parks closed. On Tuesday, May 5th, Mayor Bhalla has announced that Hoboken will reopen parks gradually, as of this Friday, May 8th.
On May 5th, he sent out a Nixle alert saying that parks would be reopening as of May 8th.
“Based on the recent data demonstrating a downward trend in new, confirmed cases in Hoboken, and the important benefits of outdoor activities on mental health, we are moving forward with the first phase of a gradual parks re-opening in Hoboken beginning this Friday. I ask all residents to practice social distancing of at least six feet and wear a face mask or face cover at all times. If these critical precautions are observed, we can keep our parks open for the long-term and consider opening additional open spaces. If these rules are not respected and the safety of our residents is jeopardized by residents congregating in groups, we will unfortunately need to revisit whether or not parks can remain open.”
On April 28th, Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla announced that he along with Mayor Gabriel Rodriguez of West New York, Mayor Nicholas Sacco of North Bergen, Mayor Brian P. Stack of Union City, Mayor Richard Turner of Weehawken and Mayor Wayne Zitt of Guttenberg have come to an agreement regarding a regional and collaborative approach for the gradual reopening of municipal parks.
Mayor Bhalla shared in a Nixle alert on May 1st, saying, “If we were to start with the first phase of our gradual parks re-opening, we could have very well faced overcrowding challenges from residents in neighboring municipalities with closed parks, coming to Hoboken. This is the reason why we formed a regional coalition of Hudson County Mayors, so we can work together on this issue and make sure that the process of re-opening parks is a collaborative effort.”
Meanwhile, in Jersey City, Mayor Fulop opened five local parks as of last Monday the 27th, and has opened four more as of Monday, May 4th.
Here are the Hoboken parks that will be opening:
Church Square Park
Elysian Park
Southwest Park
Stevens Park
Columbus Park (Hudson County park)
7th and Jackson Park and Plaza
Harborside Park
Maxwell Park
Pier A Park
Shipyard Park
Shoprite Green Plaza
Sinatra Park amphitheater
14th Street Viaduct between Grand and Adams Streets (Hudson County Park)
Of course, as parks reopen, masks are requested, social distancing protocols will be followed, and restrooms, athletic facilities, etc will be closed.
Looking for other parks in the area?
Here is the list of parks in Hudson County that are open to the public as of May 2nd, 2020 {we will update this list here as they open and/or close}:
Audubon Park in Jersey City
Berry Lane Park in Jersey City
Enos Jones Park in Jersey City
James J. Braddock Park in North Bergen
Laurel Hill Park in Secaucus
Leonard Gordon Park in Jersey City
Liberty State Park in Jersey City
Lincoln Park in Jersey City
Pershing Field in Jersey City
Stephen R. Gregg Park in Bayonne
West Hudson Park in Kearny
The following are open for passive recreation, starting Friday:
Read More: Hudson County Mayors Collaborate on Eventual Reopening of Parks
“Our Hoboken parks contain primarily playground equipment – for example Madison Street Park, Jefferson Park and Pier C – which unfortunately will stay closed as we will be following guidelines from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Playground equipment could spread the virus as it is very difficult to keep it clean and disinfected,” Mayor Bhalla shared.
In Jersey City, while Mayor Fulop has opened several local parks, he already has canceled the Fourth of July Fireworks event that happens yearly in Jersey City on the waterfront, postponing to July 2021. He also has announced that farmer’s markets will be opening starting in early May.
See More: NJ Governor Murphy Unveils Plans ‘for Responsibly Reopening New Jersey’
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