County on the Move (ca. 1957 - 1958)

[Music] la it is the year 1945 World War II has just ended the Allied Nations have won a complete Victory the world is at peace once more do you remember how Bergen County looked in 1945 it was relaxing country living our Suburban areas for the most part were undeveloped our Countryside was picturesque with with corn fields perhaps many of us remember the countless Acres of wastelands and marshes with their familiar Cattails here and there one could even find an old-fashioned General store which often doubled as the town post office yes Bergen County was growing but the pace was leisurely the growth barely noticeable but the moment wartime restrictions were lifted on steel and other critical materials things began to happen Bergen County was on the move with dramatic suddenness Fields were uprooted Woodlands were cleared large housing and apartment developments began popping out all over the building boom was on Big Industry also joined the unprecedented rush to our County hundreds of manufacturing and distributing firms found it advantageous to move here sprawling metal lands gave way to huge industrial centers the largest of the many industrial Giants which have come to Bergen County since the end of World War II is this automobile assembly plan which occupies 30 Acres near Route 17 in Mawa as our population skyrocketed schools became overcrowded as did our churches many communities were forced to build new schools or add wings to their present structures new places of worship were rushed to completion or old churches were enlarged to meet the ever increasing demand for more space the shortage of beds in our voluntary hospitals proved so serious that hackensac Hospital built a wing which added 138 more beds Anglewood Hospital increased its bed capacity by 100 Holy Name Hospital enlarged its facilities to add 116 more beds Hasbrook Heights hospital built a new Wing the hospital was built in Ridgewood with with a bed capacity of 110 construction of still another new hospital in Westwood began in 1957 the impact of the County's sudden and spectacular post-war growth was equally felt by the public utilities here is the new reservoir of the hackensac water company completed in 1956 to increase its water reserves by 52 billion gallons rising in The Meadows of Ridgefield is this huge electrical power station of the Public Service Electric and Gas Company on which construction started in 1956 this Generating Station will have a rated capacity of 580,000 KW the New Jersey Bell Telephone Company was called upon to install 227,000 more telephones in Bergen County alone during the first 12 years after World War II since rapid population growth also means an enormously expanded potential market for food clothing and supplies Mammoth shopping centers were attracted to Bergen County these multi-million dollar projects include more than 100 stores and parking space for about 12,000 cars the rapid residential and Industrial growth of our County soon made apparent the need for for additional Highway facilities among the first to be built was the Palisades Interstate Parkway linking the George Washington Bridge with New York State The Fabulous New Jersey Turnpike divided the meal lands of Eastern Bergen County the Garden State Parkway was extended from pay County cutting through the old celery farms in paramis and the apple orchards in the pasac valley to connect with the New York State throughway however such progress had its price hundreds of homes in the paths of these modern fasts speed super highways had to be moved or demolished concrete and asphalt were beginning to replace the once familiar green look of historical Bergen County our county-owned roads which like our state highways had been adequate only a few years ago were suddenly outmoded the board of freeholders launched a Long Range Road rebuilding program priority was given for example to the widening of Forest Avenue in schenberg Road two main County arteries major County bridges are steadily being replaced by larger and more modern spans zo's disposal fast became a health Menace In many communities Municipal treatment plants could not meet the increased schools more roads in fact more of all public facilities here was a health problem which would have seriously inhibited the growth of many towns had the board of freeholders not taken the leadership by creating the Bergen County Sewer Authority it was this body with the cooperation of the freeholders which built a trunkline sewer system and a common treatment plant to serve 12 municipalities the authorities facilities are now being extended to serve 16 more communities realizing that desirable Park Properties were rapidly being acquired by home builders and Industry the board of freeholders took a vital step to preserve the Suburban character of our County by establishing the Bergen County Park commission more than 3,000 Acres of desirable land have since been acquired for Park purposes and many areas are now opened for public use as the county continued to grow it became apparent that there was a need for a specialized countywide Educational Service again the freeholders took the initiative by constructing the County vocational and Technical High School which today has an enrollment of 700 students the school is also used for adult education in the evening to help meet the critical need for additional Hospital facilities in Bergen County the board of freeholders built this ninstory County Hospital in paramis opened in 1953 it has a bed capacity of 365 when many communities were faced with still another problem that of refu disposal the freeholders sponsored a sanitary landfill operation in The overp Meadows this project not only is assisting towns in the disposal of their refuges but is also reclaiming vast Acres of wasteland for future use as a county park no agency or facility in the county could escape the post-war pressure of a steadily mounting population courtroom and Jury Room room space became seriously inadequate there also developed an urgent need for more County administrative space this led to the groundbreaking in 1957 of a new Wing to connect the courthouse county Administrative Building and the county jail County government also took the leadership in building a diagnostic center with special facilities for the care of older delinquent children now all of this has happened since 1945 but what about tomorrow what does the future hold for Bergen County because of its proximity to New York City and the many other advantages it offers Bergen County's population will continue to rise spectacular building proceeds at an incredibly Fast Pace industry is still moving here with an eye to the Future the board of freeholders is constantly striving to keep ahead of this population tidal wave additional County parks are being developed the people voted funds for these Parks here for example is the 18-hole County golf course at Rockley on which construction began in 1957 plans are complete for many new or improved roads and bridges the need has been anticipated for expansion of The Vocational School Bergen Pines hospital and other buildings soon a county Penitentiary must be built the burdens and responsibilities of government both at the county and Municipal level have greatly increased since 1945 the price of our progress is being bought with deflated dollars a school for instance which cost a million dollar in 1945 might cost as much as $2 million today because our dollars only buy about one half as much as they did in 1945 it has become necessary to raise wages many times and yet the number of daily working hours remain the same all workers whether in business or government naturally receive a higher salary today than at the close of World War II this is one of the principal reasons why government costs have increased as the value of the dollar goes down the number of tax dollars required to pay for essential governmental Services goes up the additional tax income which our County and Municipal governments have received from an increased population has not been sufficient to meet the simultaneous demand for new schools sewers roads Bridges Parks more government employees and salary increases increasing costs are a part of the price of progress and sudden growth too many of us are inclined to think of government only in terms of what we pay in taxes rather than what we receive in government services and yet people want more services the records show that the demand for additional County governmental Services has more than doubled since 1945 now surely we don't want our children to go uneducated for lack of school facilities are sick and injured to suffer for want of Hospital facilities all of us want good roads Bridges police and fire protection health services and recreational facilities because we want these things we must share the cost government problems in 1945 were mainly routine but that picture has changed because our county has changed and because our whole National economy prices then no longer can we have efficient govern government at yester Year's cost government's greatest need today is to bring about a closer relationship with those whom it serves where there is public interest there is public understanding where there is public understanding there will always be good government