Youth life in Winslow, Township Camden County offered fortune and dysfunction.
Place two parents, ten children, and an occasional pet, in a small two-bedroom farmhouse, and numerous issues find incubation. No matter the problems inside our home on isolated Moore Ave., a safe haven of New Jersey pine trees always delivered enchantment.
Atop a thin mattress of brown and green pine needles, well, a young black boy could watch cumulus clouds slip above the canopies of decades-old trees and dream beautiful dreams.
My life amid trees as boy and man have formed a unique bond. So, when discussions arise about equal access to parks, trees and water bodies, these eyes, mind, heart and soul offer a unique perspective.
The installation of barriers at Cadwalader Park dismisses a necessity that people, especially residents caught up in downtown urban life, should have uninhibited access to the near 100-acre Frederick Law Olmsted masterpiece.
People living near the park deserve equal access, enjoyment and all other aspects of park life although Cadwalader rests just outside their doorsteps. Such proximity and accessibility can easily lead to ideas regarding possession.
Like it or not, sharing Cadwalader Park seems like the only real option as Trenton moves forward.
In a post-pandemic world, after years of being confined to both quarters and masks, emotional, physical and psychological repair lies in the rolling hills and splendor of Cadwalader Park.
By the way, a backyard garden in Chambersburg provided necessary outdoor time during the height of COVID-19. Me and Mother Nature enjoyed a torrid affair as Paul Robeson namesake tomatoes blushed.
In a May 2021 article published in The Dirt, a landscape and architecture magazine, authors Roxanne Blackwell, Jared Green, and Lisa J. Jennings offered these insights.
“As contemporary American communities plan and design networks of public parks that serve as common ground for an increasingly diverse society, it is important to maintain Olmsted’s core values – democratic access to public spaces – but to also imagine what true inclusion in public spaces looks and feels like for all communities.
“For public spaces to be truly inclusive and accessible, they must be comfortable for all visitors. This can only happen if diverse communities have the opportunity to guide the planning and design process; see their identities, ideas, and cultures reflected in designed spaces; and enjoy these spaces in comfort and safety.”
An initial article discussed the process involved before permanent gates were installed inside Cadwalader Park. No matter which side of the park obstructions one stands, the fact that Mayor Reed Gusciora and Maria Richardson, recreation, culture and natural resources director, held no public forum should cause concern.
Without those vital conversations, Mr. Gusciora’s decision appears covert, created inside his head or his Hiltonia living room, concocted during a round of cocktails, perhaps even initiated by a desire to turn back the clock and recapture history.
Unfortunately, narcissism, an affliction suffered by many politicians, mixed with power, produces tunnel vision. In many minds, a man elected to be our mayor moves toward being their mayor, a voice for affluence.
A decade has passed since government leaders and community members raised concerns about allegations that city workers had turned a Cadwalader Park cottage into their own personal playpen.
Cordelia Staton, a former councilwoman, made these comments during public comment.
“These are the little things that happen in a city that really make people question the integrity of the government,” Staton said.
“There are so many little latent arrogant things that are going on that people aren’t noticing.”
Mayor Gusciora needs to walk back this decision regarding gates at Cadwalader Park. Of course, controlling flow of traffic sounds important although gates should start in the open position.
Tuesday provided another beautiful day for being outdoors, yet, no children visited the renovated playground during my visit. Several people walked dogs while security guards buzzed the property.
Mr. Olmsted, who would have been 200 years old on April 22, likely turned over in his Old North Cemetery grave in Hartford, Conn. Cadwalader Park, now a gated property, accessible only to walkers, a disregard of elderly, handicapped and people who love the social joys of cruising?
Mr. Olmsted would have created a more acceptable solution than closing traffic to vehicles.
Circumstances have lead us to this moment in time when sound reasoning needs a victory, when our best selves must create an inclusive Cadwalader Park, a place where vehicles coexist with bicyclists and pedestrians; and where diversity flourishes; a place where this mother lode of nature cultivates community.
Still dreaming, after all these years.
L.A. Parker is a Trentonian columnist. Find him on Twitter @LAParker6 or email him at LAParker@Trentonian.com.
