Well, the fight over the future of New Jersey's most visited state park was once again being waged this weekend during a public hearing held by the Department of Environmental Protection.

To talk about design ideas for the roughly 1200 acre property along the Hudson River.

Members of a controversial design task force have been criticized for their ties to a wealthy developer in the area who wants to commercialize and monetize the open space.

But there were few new options presented during the Saturday meeting, and as senior correspondent David Kruse reports.

Tensions were high after the DEP called out the task force for purposely misleading the public.

Liberty State Park is an amazing place with breathtaking views and wide open spaces.

But on some days when the tide is low and the river is exposed, sediment bakes in the sun for a bit, it can smell a little rank.

But it's the Hudson.

So what are you going to do?

Still, there is another smell around the park nowadays, the stink that a lot of residents are getting from efforts funded by billionaire golf course owner Paul Fireman to turn the park into a commercial sports and entertainment venue.

A lot of them were holding their noses at the DEP session this weekend.

We don't have what we need for our people on this side of town.

And I think we mission what you're doing is the great intent.

You still have your open space.

Give them the space, but give it out.

I don't care what you put here, but put something that these babies are able to ride their bikes or anything to do is nothing here.

Thank you for diligently working on this project to make sure that Liberty State Park hence the term state park, remains a public park for the people.

The meeting was a presentation and public session of the Liberty State Park Task Force, giving input and updating folks on progress and plans for the park's restoration.

Recently stocked with associates of firemen who've received hundreds of thousands of dollars from the golf course owner.

The task force was an opportunity for them to show their faces as part of an official body.

Here's County Commissioner Jerry Walker and former basketball coach Bob Hurley, whose foundations are funded by firemen.

Sounding more like youth advocates than guys pushing for stadiums in the park.

The reality is, you know, in Jersey City is this certain areas you could go to a safe space and Liberty State Park is one of them.

So the kids on the south side of Jersey City deserve an opportunity like that.

And I'm really interested in us all getting together without the public to be able to just talk about what we've read and get a better consensus.

And as if to demonstrate their lack of interest in public input, none of the firemen associated task force members hung around for the actual public portion of the meeting, leaving in their wake a series of fliers pushing the false narrative that the DEP plan would intentionally flood the park and the surrounding community.

I regret that there is misinformation on this point within the public dialog.

This project will not cause flooding in Liberty State Park or in the surrounding community.

This project is a solution to flooding.

They were saying We want fields and people living fields.

You know, I didn't hear anyone say, I want a stadium there.

I want a an arena that's going to allow thousands of people to come.

In and drive in.

Bob Hurley's great coach.

But he's not a hydro engineer.

He's not an ornithologist.

The question is, where is that information coming from that he's sharing?

And hopefully he stops sharing that or either comes up to speed.

But those are the questions.

Where is this information coming from and why is it being spread when we all know it's misinformation?

That's a good question, albeit rhetorical at this point.

If money is speech, advocates for large scale commercial development of Liberty State Park have a megaphone.

The question will ultimately be who is the state going to listen to?

I'm David Cruz NJ.

Spotlight News.