Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-07-17
URGES ADDITION TO
WEST SIDE PARK
Essex Co. Commissioners Make
Seventeenth Annual Report.
Seek Swamp Land.

In their seventeenth annual report,
which was issued today. the Essex
County Park Commission recommends
an addition to West Side Park in this
city. According to the commissioners
there are many reasons which make
1t desirable to add to West Side Park
the block bounded by Thirteenth and
Fourteenth streets and Sixteenth and
Eighteenth avenues. When the park
was constructed in 1897 1t was thought
that its twenty three acres would be
ample to meet the needs of the sur
rounding population.
The rapid growth of the city in that
direction, however, has SO built up the
neighborhood that the Fairgrounds
are already too small for the thou
sands of boys and girls who crowd
them all summer long. The block In
question Is a portion of land known
as the Magnolia swamp, an appar-
emily bottomless bog. It Is almost
impossible to erect any buildings on
It which will maintain their equilib-
rum and most of them settle grad
ually into the swamp.
The building department and Board
of Works urged the commission to &C
quire this land and thus prevent
further danger along this line. The
commission has approved the sugges-
ton and issued the necessary re-
quest to the Board of Freeholders for
the money, and it regrets that this
improvement must be delayed by ina
bility to float the bond issues. Should
the money be forthcoming the city Oh
Newark has agreed to close Four
teenth street, thus uniting the new
section with the old park, and the
commission will transfer the play
grounds to the new area and consid-
erably enlarge them. The acquire
ment would add s.3 acres to the park
area.
The Legislature of 1912 au-
thorized the issuance of additional
park bonds to the amount of $350,00O;
100000 of this amount was for the
location of park in the township
of Verona. The site suggested was
known as Verona Lake. 1t was
agreed that 1t would make a most
agreeable addition to the park sys-
tenn and would undoubtedly be fire.
quented by people from all parts of
the county. When, however, the cost
of its purchase and development was
gone into II soon became apparent
that the appropriation was INSULT
cient to purchase and develop the
site. The board felt that it was I'M
saS1 30, Ao1y
ables any more property, which could
not, on account of insufficient funds.
be properly developed. and which
might lie useless and unproductive
for years. The commission, there
fore declined to ask the Board of
Freeholders to issue additional bonds
and informed the citizens of Verona
that if park Is to be constructed
in that locality they must secure
enough money to purchase and i'm
prove a suitable area. Atsaata .
The commission also vetoed the
suggestion of a park in Glen Ridge.
They say that as the commission is
building along county lines for the
people in the county as a whole.
and unless a park can serve more
than one municipality it should not
be developed at county expense, but
left to.local endeavor. Although the
Legislature of 1911 authorized the ex-
penditure of 100000 for park pur-
poses in Glen Ridge, the act au-
thorizing the issuance has since been
repealed.
The commission has found 1t nee
essary to increase the lighting facili-
ties in Branch Brook and Weequahic
parks and in the East Orange Park
way The nursery for young trees
has been removed from Weequahic
Park to the South Orange Mountain
reservation. The commission in its
report states that some of the 200
deer in the South Mountain reserva-
ton should be sold, as the herd is
too large for the present Enclosure.
One of the most noticeable improve
ments which took place under the
commission during the year 1912 was
the repaving of Park avenue. This
none of it assessed against the abut-
ting property owners.
Last year the department of agri-
culture at washington sent to the
Essex County Mosquito Extermina-
ton Commission some seeds of a
South African plant, which was said
to have an odor so offensive to mos
uitoes that they would not go to any
place where 1t grew. Although the
Park Commission experimental to
some extent with the seed 1t was
found that the climate in these parts
was too cold for the plants.
In their report the commission
urged the public to cooperate with
them by observing all the rules in the
different parks throughout the coun-
ty. This applies especially to the
boating at the various parks. The
commission reports rapid progress in
the improvements in Fairgrounds In
the parks.