“It’s a quality of life issue” were the words long time resident, Henrietta Dwyer, used to address Mayor Silverio “Sal” Vega and the commissioners of West New York.
Dwyer, a resident of West New York for over 30 years, attended the meeting on Wednesday at City Hall to address the parking situation in town.
“The length of the meters penalizes citizens,” said Dwyer.
Dwyer spoke about the stretch of infrastructure between 60th and 68th streets on Park Avenue.
According to Dwyer, the signs maintain that those parking on the street have to pay between the hours of 9 a.m. and 9 p.m.
Dwyer said the rule causes a huge inconvenience.
“It’s zoned in a residential area,” she said.
Adding, “What if someone comes home from work at six? They have to reluctantly fill the meter again at eight.” Mayor Vega replied to Dwyer, saying that although the parking authority is an autonomous agency of the town, suggestions would be made to promote resident parking.
“We have to create an environment where residents have advantages,” said Vega, “When you come home, you don’t want to compete with other neighbors [for spots].”
Tsolig Shahinian, a recent resident of West New York, shared similar concerns.
“Sometimes, I look for parking for 30 to 45 minutes,” said Shahinian.
The mayor sided with residents saying that even with dismissed fines, the penalty takes time and money out of someone’s life.
“Within a reasonable amount of time, we’re going to need resident parking throughout,” said Vega.
Reshaping EMS
Among other issues discussed at the meeting was a necessity for a competitive Emergency Medical Services unit (EMS).
A resolution was adopted to allow the McCabe Institute for Emergency Preparedness to become “EMS Director” in order to implement recommendations and requirements made by McCabe upon evaluation of the EMS system in West New York.
The report performed by McCabe outlines “several immediate actions that need to be taken without delay,” the resolution stated.
Most notably, as mentioned in the caucus meeting, was a “boiler repair” at EMS headquarters.
The EMS director was needed in order to enforce policies for purchasing, training, reporting, quality assurance, and risk assessments.
The resolution also stated that the current conditions warrant a declaration of “emergency”; at the next meeting, the Town Health Officer and Director of WNY Police Department, Oscar Fernandez, will provide a report to the board to update the status of the town’s EMS and decide whether conditions still remain dire.
Mayor Vega noted that the changes were “long overdue.”
“They have been active and provided service for many years,” Vega said, “but have been neglected in equipment and [their] headquarters.”
“We want to make sure we make an effort to make a change and provide [proper medical] service to all the people of West New York,” said the mayor.
Members honored
The town also swore in a new member to its team.
Vincent Rotoli took oath officially on Wednesday as West New York’s newest member of the Planning Board. Rotoli was sworn in by Town Clerk Carmela Riccie, Mayor Vega, and Commissioner Alberto Rodriguez.
During the meeting, the mayor and commissioners also awarded Hudson Honda of West New York a proclamation thanking them for contributions made to the community.
Citing blood drives and toy drives, Hudson Honda’s General Manager Christopher Tropiano accepted the award on behalf of the dealerships president and vice president.
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