Passaic has a new plan to get drug users and dealers out of a city park. What we know

Matt Fagan, NorthJersey.com
·2 min read

PASSAIC — Mayor Hector Lora is trying a new approach in the hope of making Carnie Bragg Memorial Park a less attractive spot to those who buy, sell and use drugs, legal and illegal, and those who consume alcohol in public.

The park, once a popular place to hold community events, such as the annual Christmas tree lightings, has since the pandemic become rife with gambling; buying, selling and use of drugs; and most recently violence, Lora said. The park, he added, was intended to be a family-friendly area. That has changed.

Passaic is applying for a $500,000 grant from the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs to build a concession stand at Carnie Bragg Memorial Park.
Passaic is applying for a $500,000 grant from the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs to build a concession stand at Carnie Bragg Memorial Park.

A new concession stand, the mayor said, may be the answer, as other efforts to eliminate these illegal activities at the triangular pocket park on the Clifton border have been unsuccessful.

Unlike the other, much larger parks, Carnie Bragg is a tiny triangle at the intersection of Myrtle and Main avenues. A memorial dedicated to the late Carnie Bragg Sr., a funeral home director and pillar of the community who espoused opportunities for youths in Passaic County, is in the park.

The mayor has enlisted the help of the city's Enterprise Zone Development Corporation in the hope of obtaining a $500,000 grant for the building of the concession stand, which would then be rented out to the highest bidder. He said ideally it would be used by a group such as the Passaic VFW that would benefit from a new revenue stream.

At times Bragg Memorial Park is filled with loiterers who are are drinking and imbibing other drugs, city officials said. Passaic's Urban Development corporation is seeking a $500,000 grant to build a concession stand at the pocket park which it is hoped will attract people other than those merely wishing to hand out.
At times Bragg Memorial Park is filled with loiterers who are are drinking and imbibing other drugs, city officials said. Passaic's Urban Development corporation is seeking a $500,000 grant to build a concession stand at the pocket park which it is hoped will attract people other than those merely wishing to hand out.

Not easy to turn a park around

In the past year, Lora said, he enlisted the help of local police and the Passaic County Sheriff's Office to see if they could clean up the park, which is at the gateway to the city and near houses of worship and schools.

It has been difficult, he said, especially since the legalization of marijuana and reformed bail laws.

More: Passaic County will spend $3 million to improve local parks, historic sites. See the list

"I've tried a lot of different things, such as putting a sheriff's camera on the spot as well as sending police patrols," he said. "I am taking a different approach."

Design for a concession stand at Bragg Park in Passaic.
Design for a concession stand at Bragg Park in Passaic.

The concession stand

The stand would be similar to others in the city, such as the Boathouse Café in Third Ward Park, or the stands at Dundee Island and Pulaski Park. The city builds the concession stands and then seeks a bidder to operate them.

The Urban Enterprise Zone Authority has already approved phase one of the Carnie Bragg Concession Stand Project, but it requires municipal approval of the submission, acceptance and expenditure of grant funds.

The City Council approved the request to seek New Jersey Community Affairs Department funding during its meeting last Tuesday night.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Passaic has new plan to get drug users and dealers out of a city park