| Environmentalists urge money for open space |
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Friday, December 08, 2006 Environmental leaders yesterday pressed Gov. Jon S. Corzine and the Legislature to replenish the diminishing Garden State Preservation Trust fund with an additional $381 million. A coalition of leaders gathered at West Side Park to make their plea to lawmakers. The fund is used to preserve open space, farmland and historic sites. It is expected to run dry in 2007 unless more money is put into the fund. According to the Coalition for Affordable Housing and the Environment, the city of Newark has the lowest ratio of open space to population of any major American city. "The need to protect open space and create parkland in cities like Newark is critical because our community is under enormous development pressure and open space has almost disappeared," said Carol Johnston of the Ironbound Community Corporation. Paul Chrystie, executive director of the Coalition for Affordable Housing and the Environment said lawmakers need to move swiftly because the state is losing 50 acres of open space a day. "The trust has been a tremendous success, but there is more work to do and there are critical needs to address," said Chrystie. Other speakers included Vaughn Crowe of the West Side Village Collaborative and Karim Arnold of Newark's Division of Parks and Grounds. |
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