New Secaucus Park At Foot Of Farm Road Now Open To Enjoy

SECAUCUS, NJ — The new park at the bottom of Farm Road in Secaucus is now open for the public to enjoy.

The park had its official ribbon cutting at noon Wednesday, attended by Secaucus Mayor Mike Gonnelli, various members of the town Council and Craig Guy, the Democrat who is running to be the next Hudson County Executive.

(Guy is the chief of staff to current Hudson County Executive Tom DeGise, who decided not to run for re-election. DeGise's daughter is Jersey City Councilwoman Amy DeGise, who lost her driver’s license for one year and had to pay a $5,000 fine after she left the scene of an accident after she hit a man on a bike in July 2022; watch the video; it happens at the 1-minute mark. The man was flung off his bike; DeGise never stopped and didn’t report the collision until later that day. Amy said she did not realize she hit him and that's why she does not appear to ever hit the brakes.)

Guy declined to say anything on the record Wednesday about his boss' daughter.

Anyway, enough about Amy DeGise.

The Farm Road Park is on the Hackensack River and connects with the popular Secaucus walking path along the river. There is a pollinator garden, a walking path and a gazebo.

For decades, two industrial sites used to sit on this property: A tire company and a plastic laminating business called Estelle Laminations.

Gonnelli said he knew the woman who owned Estelle Laminations and he asked her "over and over again, for years" to sell the property to him. Gonnelli said he "begged her" to sell her land to the town.

It is a choice location right on the Hackensack River; it is unknown if any real estate developers or anyone else ever tried to buy the property.

Gonnelli said several years ago, she agreed. About six years ago, the town of Secaucus paid the estate of Estelle Laminations $100,000 (yes, that is the correct number) for the property. Hudson County, under DeGise and chief of staff Guy, directed an additional $317,000 grant to help clean up the site and turn it into a park.

Secaucus town administrator Gary Jeffas said he had no idea if anyone else except the town of Secaucus ever tried to buy the property, but he speculated that the environmental clean-up that was required at the site may have scared developers off.

The end result is Secaucus residents have a beautiful new waterfront park to enjoy.

On Wednesday, Secaucus residents James and Susan Jacobson praised that what used to be a vacant, contaminated lot on the river has now been turned into a park.

"When we bought our house here everyone said we were crazy; they said um, there's an industrial site right across the street from you," said Susan. "Look at it now. It's beautiful."

The town of Secaucus owns the land under and around the gazebo. In an interesting twist, the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority — the powerful entity that owns Giants stadium — owns the small triangle of land immediately to the right. However, Secaucus and the NJSEA have an agreement that that triangle has to remain open space in perpetuity.

Gonnelli often fights with the NJSEA over tax dollars that he says are owed to the town of Secaucus.