David Refkin, chair of Green Ridgewood and a Ridgewood planning‑board member, told the Bergen County Board of Commissioners that Green Ridgewood is working with Columbia University's Climate School to produce an actionable plan for Saddle River County Park aimed at reducing flood risk, restoring ecosystems and improving public amenities.
Refkin said the project — "Saddle River Reimagining: Bergen County's Green Gem" — pairs a Columbia graduate‑student team with local stakeholders to prepare recommendations on flood mitigation, ecosystem restoration, circulation and educational uses. "This is Green Ridgewood's second project with Columbia," he said, and the new study will also examine policy frameworks and advocacy strategies for implementation.
The plan team has interviewed the six municipalities that border the park (Ridgewood, Paramus, Glen Rock, Fair Lawn, Saddle Brook and Rochelle Park) and state and federal entities including the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Refkin said. He asked the county — as the park owner — to provide information on operating and capital budgets for the park, and said Green Ridgewood will meet this week with a county parks staff member identified in the meeting as Lucene.
Refkin said a 2019 park master plan exists but is not accessible on the county website; he also cited a 2015 Central Bergen Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan that the student team found and described as an apparently substantial document. He invited any commissioners who wish to be interviewed by the Columbia team, and asked the county to consider purchasing a small parcel adjacent to the park that could protect the river from runoff if a proposed four‑acre development in Paramus proceeds.
Refkin said the students' timeline is compressed: recommendations will begin to be developed as soon as the following week and a final report is expected in late August. He asked the county to engage with the project as it moves toward potential implementation and funding discussions.
The comments were delivered during the meeting's public‑comment period; Refkin emphasized that any plan would require county approval and funding before work could proceed on county‑owned land.