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WASHINGTON – Two sons of Paterson, U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-8) and U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), joined together to announce today that a total of $750,000 in federal funds have been allocated to the planning of a Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park. The funding is included in the Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act (H.R. 2996), which was approved in the U.S. House of Representatives today with a vote of 247-178. The funding bill will go to President Obama for his signature after expected passage in the U.S. Senate scheduled tomorrow.
“With this funding commitment, the Congress has signaled that the federal government will be as passionate and as committed to this national park at the Great Falls as anyone in Paterson would be,” said Pascrell, a lifelong resident and former mayor of the Silk City. “Now we can move swiftly to advance our plan to transform this beautiful, powerful and historical treasure into a destination for people all over the country and a gateway to the future for the people of Paterson.”
“This investment in Paterson’s Great Falls will help initiate a plan to showcase the majesty of the falls,” stated Sen. Lautenberg. “The Great Falls are one of the most beautiful and historically significant places in the country and have the potential to promote tourism, create jobs and stimulate the economy. I was happy to have helped secure funding for this important project and look forward to further enhancing the Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park.”
The bill includes a $500,000 designation to the National Park Service secured by Pascrell and Lautenberg to create a general management plan for the Paterson Great Falls Historical National Park. A general management plan is the key founding document that guides each of our country’s national parks. General management plans are intended to be long-term documents that establish and articulate a management philosophy and framework for decision making and problem solving in parks. It defines the park’s mission and goals, identifies desired future conditions, and establishes activities that are appropriate within various areas of the park. General management plans usually provide guidance during a 15- to 20-year period. Once completed, the general management plan will detail the park’s physical layout and construction, as well as a guide to its interpretive history to provide a clear vision for the Great Falls’ transformation to a National Park.
This funding for the Plan development stands in addition to the $250,000 in operating funds requested by the Obama Administration budget.
Congressman Pascrell sponsored the original legislation with then-Congressman Robert Menendez and Senator Lautenberg that proposed the designation of about 35 acres within the 115-acre the Great Falls historic district as a national park. Senator Lautenberg helped shepherd his version of the bill through the U.S. Senate with Senator Menendez. The legislation was signed by President Barack Obama earlier this year.
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