In December, the Summit Common Council approved an amended Memorandum of Understanding with the Summit Park Line Foundation, paving the way for the Park Line to continue with engineering and to proceed to full completion. The Foundation plans to work closely with the City of Summit on this community project, part of Summit’s master plan.
The Park Line Foundation was founded to assist Summit in creating a pedestrian linear park, similar to the High Line in NYC, along the abandoned Rahway Valley Railroad. The 1.2 mile path runs from Overlook Medical Center into Briant Park.
The City of Summit acquired the rights to the land at no cost from the state of New Jersey to convert it into a park. The Park Line Foundation was instrumental in this achievement.
Park Line Foundation president Dr. Robert Rubino added, “it’s been a long road to get [to our] vision of taking some fallow land… and recapturing the less than 1% raw, natural land we still have in this fully developed community. We’re well on our way to turning what was largely brown space into green space.” During the Council meeting, he thanked everyone who contributed their time, talent, and money to the project, particularly calling out Naidu and Bowman for their advocacy. He said the Park Line is about “Connecting our community – neighbors to nature, neighborhoods to downtown, and downtown to the parks.”
The Summit Park Line offers a green space for pedestrians, in addition to being a venue for public art, agriculture, and historical displays. The Park Line provides a safe alternative for transportation, especially for the eastern portion of town.
For more information: SummitParkLine.org; info@summitparkline.org
Facebook: @summitparklinefoundation