Dear Editor:
On behalf of the Board of Trustees of the Journal Square Restoration Corporation, I believe it is time we acknowledge publicly the work and efforts of the Journal Square Task Force headed by Wayne Anderson and Carl Czaplicki. Both are charged by Mayor Glenn Cunningham with taking the lead for the City of Jersey City in bringing much needed and overdue attention to problems confronting the Square. Under Anderson’s and Czaplicki’s able guidance, the Task Force, comprised of representatives from every municipal agency or department having any role or responsibility for sanitation, code enforcement, public safety and health along with representatives from the Port Authority of NY/NJ and the Journal Square Restoration Corporation, has been meeting weekly to identify issues that needed to be addressed in the Square and then developing the interdepartmental cooperation to address the issues.
In the six weeks since the Task Force was created, inspections have been made of properties and businesses in and around the Square which have encouraged property owners and business operators to better organize their garbage disposal and the appearance of their property. Maintenance of the Square has improved and the new fountain is once again in operation. Double-parked vehicles are being moved and traffic now flows more smoothly. Representatives from the Jersey City Police Department and the Port Authority Police Department are also increasing their visible presence throughout the Square. The Restoration Corporation, which re-instituted our own maintenance crews in late August, have added 20 new maintenance workers in two shifts to those of other public and private entities helping to keep the Square clean.
The Journal Square Restoration Corporation greatly appreciates the increased and overall support among all municipal departments for making the Square a cleaner, safer and better-looking district. The Task Force, as well as Mayor Cunningham’s attention to the Square, is moving Journal Square in the right direction. We hope the priority given the Square by the municipality’s various departments and agencies continues to grow and improve the quality of life that affects our commuters, employees, shoppers and local residents on a daily basis. We have a way to go but evidence points to efforts being made to go there together.
Scott Harwood, President
JSRC Board of Trustees