NJ riverwalk project in Paterson honors late Congressman Bill Pascrell

PATERSON, N.J. (PIX11) — It’s supposed to be a joyous moment for Paterson, but many are carrying a sense of melancholy.

As the City and Great Falls National Historical Park unveiled a $7.6 million Riverwalk project, the late Congressman Bill Pascrell is on the minds of many, especially Mayor Andre Sayegh.

“We all wish that he was here,” said Sayegh. “He fought for us to be here. This would not have happened without him.

“I feel like he’d be talking about how the Great Falls would lead to a great future for Paterson,” Sayegh continued.

The project transformed an industrial site into a multi-acre space with walking paths, seating, and a lawn for picnics and recreation, all alongside the Falls on the Passaic River.

“I used to come to this park when I was a kid, I was six years old, five years old, we used to come to this park and had a wonderful time,” said Paterson resident Timmy Grier.

The National Park attracts around 300,000 people a year, and Grier thinks the riverwalk will increase that number.

Though he lives in Virginia now, Paterson native David Cherry enjoyed exploring the new space.

“If you grew up here, you would know this wasn’t like this before,” said Cherry. “It was just a big old boulder and everything. Now… it’s marvelous.”

The project is not all done; before the rear section of the park opens to the public, the EPA will be coming in to remediate potential asbestos inside the smokestack. Sayegh says that should take a year or less.

Pascrell had fought for federal funding to bring improvements to Great Falls; back in May, in one of his last public events, he announced $1 million in federal dollars into a separate project for a new pedestrian bridge.

Sayegh says his legacy will forever remain here.

“He had said repeatedly that this should be a national attraction, that this should be one of the most desirable destinations in the United States of America,” said Sayegh. “This, the Quarry Lawn Riverwalk project, achieves that objective.”

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11.