Newark, New Jersey: A local park has been recognized by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA announced today that Riverfront Park along the Passaic River in Newark is one of three projects across the country selected to receive the 2015 National Award for Smart Growth Achievement. Riverfront Park won in the Plazas, Parks, and Public Places category.
The park, which is part of the Essex County Parks System, regularly features concerts, events, and activities. In the summer, boat tours of the Passaic River and of Port Newark in the Newark Bay are offered. The 19-acre Riverfront Park was constructed in recent years near the Clay Street Bridge at the site of an abandoned metal smelting plant. It opened to the public in 2012, and is located just across Raymond Boulevard from Riverbank Park, another Essex County park.
According to the EPA, "the park provides Newark’s only public access to the river and outdoor recreational space for a neighborhood where the amount of green space dedicated for use as parks is far below the national average".
Riverfront Park will be expanded along the Passaic River in the coming years.
The other two winning projects were the Jackson Walk in Tennessee and a public-private partnership between the City of Hamilton, Ohio and developers of historic properties.
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