Part of Paterson Great Falls park could be named for late Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr.

PATERSON — Congress may name a section of the Great Falls National Historical Park after the late Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr.

A bill that would name the park’s overlook area — directly across the Passaic River from the waterfall — after Pascrell has been introduced in Congress, Rep. Frank Pallone, D-Middlesex, announced Tuesday.

The iconic Great Falls footbridge — which is currently being rebuilt for safety reasons — also would bear Pascrell’s name, Pallone said.

Pascrell, who died Aug. 21 at the age of 87 after serving 27 years in Congress, was one of the leaders in the effort to convince the federal government to designate the Great Falls area as a national park in 2009.

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“Without Bill’s leadership, this beautiful park — an emblem of Paterson’s role in America’s industrial rise — might not exist,” Pallone said in his press release. “His tireless work to protect and promote the Great Falls ensures that future generations will understand its significance.”

Pallone last Friday issued a statement that he would seek to rename the national park after Pascrell. But government officials said there is no precedent for naming an entire national park after a member of Congress.

The section of the Great Falls park nearest the waterfall is named after Mary Ellen Kramer, who decades ago fought to preserve the area and prevent development there. She was the wife of the late Paterson Mayor Lawrence “Pat” Kramer.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Part of Paterson Great Falls park could be named for late Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr.