Federal Grant Will Provide Funding to North Pulaski Park Improvements on the Passaic River 

Passaic County has received a federal grant of $3.349 million to support the renovation of the North Pulaski Park located in the East Passaic neighborhood in the City of Passaic.   

Secretary of the Interior, Deb Haaland, allocated $61.1 million in grant funding to communities in 26 cities across the United States to create new parks and trails, or support substantial renovations to existing parks through the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership (ORLP) Program.  

Director of the National Parks Service, Chuck Sams, recently visited North Pulaski Park in Passaic on Thursday, May 12th with State, County, local officials, and Trust for Public Land along with other partners to share the news about the only grant in the state of New Jersey in this round of funding. Director Sams stressed the importance of parks in urban communities and to watch for additional rounds of funding in the near future. 

“This funding is huge for the Passaic community and will help not only enhance outdoor recreation along the Passaic River, but will create jobs and provide economic opportunities for the city, as well as provide a beautiful park for everyone to take in views of the Passaic River and enjoy time in nature.” said Scott Dvorak, New Jersey State Director for Trust for Public Land. “Trust for Public Land worked with the community to determine needs for the park with residents expressing an overwhelming desire for a place to exercise, walk, play, and enjoy all of the benefits that close-to-home nature can provide so we’re thrilled to see this project come to fruition.”   

Community outreach to county and city residents was led by Trust for Public Land in partnership with the City and the County. The community-led design for the North Pulaski Park Renovation project will reflect the neighborhood’s character and culture, and will make East Passaic a healthier, more resilient, beautiful, and fun place to live.  

Amenities in the newly renovated North Pulaski Park include a new and larger playground area, adult fitness equipment, picnic groves, tree-lined entrances, native plantings, walking paths and a river overlook walk.  

According to Trust for Public Land ParkServe© data, there are 12,791 residents living within a 10-minute walk of North Pulaski Park, with nearly 66 percent considered low-income with an annual income of less than $35,000. Access to parks, green space and public lands improves physical, mental, and economic health and this important investment will help ensure that more residents of all ages and backgrounds benefit from access to the great outdoors.  

About Trust for Public Land  

Trust for Public Land (TPL) is a national nonprofit that works to connect everyone to the benefits and joys of the outdoors. As a leader in equitable access to the outdoors, TPL works with communities to create parks and protect public land where they are needed most. Since 1972, TPL has protected more than 3 million acres of public land, created more than 5,000 parks, trails, schoolyards, and iconic outdoor places, raised $84 billion in public funding for parks and public lands, and connected more than 9 million people to the outdoors. To learn more, visit tpl.org.