Rep. Pascrell Responds to Finalization of Great Falls National Historical Park Management Plan

PATERSON – Today, U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ) commented on the finalization of the Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park (NHP) General Management Plan / Environmental Assessment (GMP/EA). This report was prepared over four years and is intended to guide management of the park over the next 20 years.

“Finalizing the General Management Plan bodes well for the future of the Great Falls.  I am glad to see that the National Park Service has incorporated many of my recommendations and that they have listened to the input of residents," Pascrell said. "NPS continues to make progress by laying out an excellent blueprint for our Paterson park. I am encouraged to see projects like the full rehabilitation of the raceways, the revitalization of Hinchcliffe Stadium, and the development of the ATP site as an industrial history park are included in this plan.

“The National Park Service went to extraordinary lengths to develop a plan that combines both the historic significance and the aesthetic beauty that the Great Falls has to offer," Pascrell said. "It is this combination that will serve as a reminder of Paterson’s diverse history and set our National Historic Park apart from others across the nation.

Rep. Pascrell first introduced the Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park Act in 2006.  This bipartisan legislation designated a National Historical Park at the Great Falls in Paterson. The bill passed the House of Representatives in 2007 and was signed into law by President Obama in March of 2009 as part of the larger Omnibus Public Lands Management Act of 2009.

“Full implementation of this plan will allow the Paterson Great Falls National Historic Park, the jewel of the Silk City, to awaken the economic engine of our region that Alexander Hamilton envisioned years ago," Pascrell said. "Once adopted, this plan will allow park administrators to ramp up hiring, bringing on more full time employees, to carry out the twenty year guiding vision of the park. While the fight is not over, ‎once plans are funded and implementation begins, we will be able to build on the investments and hard work we have already accomplished.”