Union City pushes landlords to enhance living conditions of local tenants
Landlords of Union City multifamily structures of five or more units must report a vacant apartment to the Rent Leveling Board Office should the vacancy continue for 90 days, according to an ordinance passed by City of Union City Jan. 4.
First-time violators will receive a fine of $500 per vacant apartment, and subsequent violations will carry a fine between $100 and $500 per vacant unit. Each day exceeding the 90 days will constitute a separate violation, according to the ordinance.
Such action, according to the ordinance, is meant “to protect the rights of tenants during the present affordable rental housing crisis in Union City.”
In an effort to enhance living conditions among local tenants, Union City Mayor Brian Stack sent out a letter to Union City landlords Jan. 5 soliciting them to fill out a form that will ultimately lead to compiling a list of all building superintendents and their contact information.
Stack states in the letter that “[the contact information] will be helpful if my office receives complaints about certain buildings and we wish to ensure that problems are addressed.”
Landlords who failed to return the form within 10 days of receipt would, according to the letter, receive a summons for not complying with the request.
In the letter, Stack reminded landlords that building superintendants are responsible for the maintenance of heating systems, removal of snow and ice around the building, general upkeep of the premises, and the adherence to policies of mandatory monthly exterminations and presentable garbage barrels.
NCAC to host free small business financing seminar
North Hudson Community Action Corp. (NHCAC) will host a free small business financing seminar on Monday, Jan. 24 at Union City High School from 7 pm. to 9 p.m.
The financing seminar will feature panelists from the Hudson County Economic Development Corp., the federal Small Business Administration (SBA), TD North Bank, and the Union County Economic Development Corp. Small business owners seeking financing for their businesses are urged to attend, ask questions, and meet potential lending organizations.
Union City High School is located at 2600 Kennedy Blvd. Free parking will be available at the Union City Parking Garage on 23rd Street, between Summit and Kerrigan avenues.
For more information, please contact Joe Lauro at (201) 819-2596.
Third-Tuesday-of-the-Month Bird Walk with the NJMC and BCAS
New Jersey Meadowlands Commission and the Bergen County Audubon Society will host a free two-hour guided nature walk at Laurel Hill County Park in Secaucus on Tuesday, Jan. 18 at 10 a.m.
Participants will look for ravens, raptors, waterfowl on the Hackensack River, and other birds.
Participants should meet at the big parking lot by the Laurel Hill ball fields at 10 a.m. or at the first parking lot in DeKorte Park in Lyndhurst at 9:20 a.m.
Check meadowblog.net for last-minute weather updates. Participants will have to sign a standard liability release for this event. To rsvp, contact Don Torino of the BCAS at greatauk4@aol.com or at (201) 636-4022.
NJMC announced winter/spring public programming
Nature-themed education workshops, local history talks, and classical and jazz concerts highlight a diverse schedule of public programming for all ages this winter and spring at the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission’s Meadowlands Environment Center.
The schedule kicks off at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 30, with a free talk on Bergen County’s role in the Revolutionary War. The program, co-presented by the Meadowlands Museum, features revolutionary re-enactors dressed in period costume who will also discuss the uniforms and equipment used by Continental Army soldiers.
Children can interact with reptiles, amphibians, and mammals during an Animal Junction program on Feb. 5, learn all about honeybees on April 16, and participate in a multi-sensory Spring Has Sprung event on May 21. Teachers are invited to schedule a class visit to the MEC on May 3 for “Maggie McGee Goes Green!” The musical production aims to educate young people about the importance of environmental stewardship.
Programs for adults are also offered.
Many of the programs are free; some have a nominal fee and require pre-registration. To view a complete schedule of events and register for a program, visit the MEC website, www.njmeadowlands.gov/ec. For more information or to request a schedule by mail, call (201) 460-8300.
The Meadowlands Environment Center is located in Lyndhurst’s DeKorte Park, a one-square-mile urban oasis of walking trails and water views framed by the New York City skyline. The MEC is also home to the Flyway Gallery, which hosts monthly nature-themed exhibits by local artists, and the Discovery Station, an interactive learning center for children focused on the marshes of the Meadowlands.