Another long City Council meeting kept officials and dedicated residents in City Hall up until after midnight Wednesday.
The council discussed several budgetary issues, including large bond ordinances (see story), but they had other important decisions to make.
The impending construction of a large pumping station to alleviate flooding in southern Hoboken has forced the city to move the existing taxi stand on the south side of Hudson Place, west of River Street, and its long queue of cabs that extends from the PATH station.
Construction of the pumping station is scheduled to begin in three to four weeks.
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The stand will now be located next to the NJ transit bus terminal and facing the river.
Within the next month, taxis will begin lining up east of the PATH station exits, across from the restaurant Teak.
After picking up their customer, taxis will make a U-turn at the east end of Hudson Place near the waterfront then turn right to exit Hudson Place onto River Street. Shuttle busses will also be picking up at this spot.
Sacs noted that, according to a study, the PATH taxi stand produces more fares per minute than taxi stands at Journal Square, Newark International Airport, or the Port Authority bus terminal in Manhattan.
He said the move will create three times more space for the taxis to line up, but it will also eliminate over 20 metered parking spaces at Hudson Place.
At the meeting, the taxi contingent complained that their input was not used to make the final decision, and that they could lose money over the move.
“We have to move it. We realize that,” said taxi owner Michael Flett. He predicts long delays as fares wait for taxis to queue, cars backed-up into the intersection at River Street, and “potentially, complete chaos in that area.”
The new location will be temporary, according to the council, and may not remain for the full two-year construction period.
After hearing complaints, Councilman Dave Mello, who chairs the transportation committee, said the council would accept Sacs’ recommendation and evaluate the move soon.
“If we’re wrong, we’ll adjust,” Mello said, also adding that taxis need to circulate to other points in the city. He will be looking into how that can happen.
The North Hudson Sewerage Authority’s construction of the pumping station is scheduled to begin in three to four weeks, Sacs said.
Amato’s Way
At the meeting, the city dedicated the corner of First and Adams streets as “Amato’s Way” honoring late City Councilman Andrew Amato, who passed away at age 78 on Feb. 4.
Amato served as the Fourth Ward councilman from 1991 to 1995 and was Public Works director from 1977 to 1981. He also served as the confidential aide to Mayor Steve Cappiello from 1981 to 1983. Amato also founded the Andrew Amato Civic Association.
His family accepted the honor at the meeting, including his wife Florence, who is also active in politics. Florence thanked Mayor Dawn Zimmer, who unveiled the street sign at the meeting.
The zoning zone
The council has made appointments to boards at nearly every meeting since its member turnover last year. The council was using index cards to count votes for nominations, but the majority has decided that isn’t going to work, so they have just now hammered out a new procedure.
From now on, the board will receive a nomination from committee for appointments. If the nomination fails to receive the votes needed, the floor will be open for other nominations.
Last week, the council voted to fill a seat on the Zoning Board recently vacated by Alex Corrado, who resigned his post after having apparently moved out of town, according to a report. The council promoted alternate board member Phil Cohen to the permanent seat on the recommendation of the council’s Zoning and Planning Committee. That move opened up Cohen’s alternate seat, which in the past might have been filled on the spot.
Councilman Michael Russo asked the council to immediately fill the alternate seat with another Zoning Board applicant, Irene Smith, who spoke on her own behalf at the meeting.
But the council majority denied his request. They voted instead to send the vacancy to committee for review. Two other alternate seats that were created recently are also vacant.
“We have Zoning Board applications coming out of our ears! What are we waiting for?” Councilwoman Beth Mason railed. “We can’t pass a budget. We can’t fill a zoning seat.”
St. Patrick’s security
The council also passed a measure that will save bar owners money to hire security guards only for the St. Patrick’s Day Parade on March 6.
Bar owners must pay a $70 fee to register bouncers, but the city is allowing bars to add security for the parade day at no cost.
The security personnel still need to be cleared by the city in order to work, but the bar owners will not have to pay the fee, which is meant for full-time employees.
Timothy J. Carroll may be reached at tcarroll@hudsonreporter.com.