For the last eight months, the condition of the grounds at the Edison State Park have been deplorable.
A leaking oil tank at the museum building was excavated and left at the site, along with the gaping hole, mounds of dirt and old oil drums containing the residual oil. The area adjacent to the front entrance of the museum building is unsightly, unsafe and hazardous to the many visitors to the park. We have seen small schoolchildren climbing on the mounds of dirt directly over the open pit filled with a couple of feet of rainwater. A feeble plastic safety fence surrounds the site. The site is an embarrassment to the state of New Jersey, the township of Edison and the residents of the Menlo Park section of Edison. We have seen contractors remove oil tanks, backfill the hole and take away the tank all in one day. Apparently, all that we can conclude is that the state and the township cannot get their act together on the cleanup of the site. Surely, if a similar situation existed at a private residence or commercial enterprise, it would not be acceptable to the NJ-DEP or township health/safety officials.
Another safety issue is the traffic on Christie Street. Autos speed at 40 to 50 mph past the museum entrance and parking area, which is a 25 mph residential zone. Trees and underbrush along the south side of Christie Street impede the visibility of visitors backing out of the parking area. A stop sign should be installed on Christie Street and Middlesex Avenue, and the trees and underbrush should be trimmed back the protect visitors and neighborhood children.
The restoration of Edison Tower, which is rapidly deteriorating both externally and internally, needs major funding. While some progress has been made with the installation of a brick walkway containing the names of families and organizations who donated to the restoration fund, and the removal of the large, unsightly cyclone fence around the tower, the effort is lagging due to the lack of funds coupled with indecision and lack of cooperation on the part of the state and the township. Apparently, a few years ago, the township missed an opportunity for state funds because it could not come up with matching funds. This is a questionable excuse for the township, which has managed to come up with funds for other projects such as the site of the Revolutionary War battle at Oak Tree Road and New Dover Road. More recently, the Edison town council rejected a resolution to allocate funds from the open space fund for the restoration. It is unclear why. And furthermore, why should the state place matching fund constraints on improving a state park? The state also seems to be able to come up with millions for farmland and open space preservation as shown by the recent newspaper articles regarding the proposed Cornell Dairy acquisition.
Why acquire more property when it cannot or does not want to maintain and improve what it already owns? If a renovation plan for the tower including source of funding is not developed and implemented soon, then it will be too late. The place where Thomas Edison, the "Man of the Millennium," developed inventions in electric light and sound, and the electric system infrastructure that revolutionized our way of life, deserves more respect and consideration.
John and Joan Zemkowski
Edison