Dear Editor:
When Macy’s announced they would launch their July 4th Fireworks on the Hudson River it easily became one of our Township’s most anticipated events. We knew that we would have many residents and visitors celebrating in town because of the front row seat Weehawken had for the fireworks. Our number one goal was to keep residents and their guests safe. We are happy to say that we had a safe, fun, and enjoyable day.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank the Weehawken Police Department, North Hudson Regional Fire Department, Weehawken Volunteer First Aid Squad, Weehawken Office of Emergency Management, and Weehawken Department of Public Works who made our July 4th celebration safe and successful.
In order to make these efforts successful it took tremendous coordination and cooperation from all public safety departments throughout Hudson County. In particular the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the Hudson County Sheriffs Office, the Hudson County Office of Emergency Management, the Prosecutor’s Office, the Corrections Department and N.J. State Police. We’d also like to thank the New Jersey Office of Emergency Medical Services taskforce, which supplied numerous out of town ambulances as a safety precaution.
Because of the combined efforts of all the above agencies we were able to accommodate over 50,000 visitors to our township and ensure everyone’s safety. We are pleased to report that on July 4th there was not one major injury, mischievous activity, or property damaged. We also want to thank our residents, who were cooperative in dealing with a complex and sometimes confusing situation, for assisting township officials and visitors to help make the day successful. Once again Weehawken showed that by working together we can ensure an enjoyable old fashioned family oriented celebration of our nation’s birthday.
Mayor Richard F. Turner
Deputy Mayor/3rd Ward Councilman Robert J. Sosa
Councilman at Large Robert Zucconi
1st Ward Councilwoman Carmela Silvestri Ehret
2nd Ward Councilwoman Rosemary J. Lavagnino