Union City’s School No.3 will open in 2012
Construction delays have delayed the opening of Union City’s School No. 3, originally slated to open in the fall of 2010. Current students will continue to be housed at Woodrow Wilson School in Weehawken on 80 Hauxhurst Ave. until next year.
The location of the new school will be 15th Street and New York Avenue. Construction setbacks and the need to obtain state approval for structural alterations have pushed the tentative completion date to July 2012, according to media sources.
Union City gets largest school aid increase
Hudson County public school districts will receive some extra aid from Trenton for the 2011-2012 academic year, according to figures released by Gov. Chris Christie’s office on Tuesday.
Hudson County will receive $878.4 million in education aid this year from the state, an increase of $87.4 million from the 2010-2011 year. Bayonne will receive $50 million in aid, which is an increase of $2.2 million from last year. Guttenberg is slated to receive $4.3 million, almost $300,000 more than what was received in 2010-2011. Hoboken’s schools will receive $9.4 million, an increase of $2.4 million from last year. Jersey City will receive $417 million this year, which is up $26.8 million from last year. North Bergen will receive $53 million in 2011-2012, an increase of $2 million from 2010-2011. Secaucus will receive $664,000 in state aid.
Union City’s schools received the largest county increase, pulling in $174.4 million this year in state education aid, up almost $29 million from 2010-2011. Union City also received the most money in Hudson County from the state in May when the state Supreme Court ruled that the state’s Abbott Districts (mostly urban education districts) were underfunded and the Christie administration was forced to fund them with more money. Union City received $32.8 million in May.
Sen. Brian Stack (D – Union City) is the mayor of Union City and is often viewed as a Democratic ally of the Republican governor.
Weehawken will receive $2.5 million this year, and West New York will receive $89.9 million. West New York will receive $14.8 million more than last year.
Christie spoke about the increase in education funding in a release on Tuesday. “This year, New Jersey increased state aid to school districts by $850 million over last year, restoring every dollar of the cuts we were forced to make last year and increasing aid by an additional $30 million,” he said. “Now is the time to complement the dollars spent with real education reform to bring a focus on student learning, accountability and results.”
Summer cleanup
Union City Town Hall encourages residents to dispose of large items that may be cluttering up space at homes and yards. During the week of Sunday, July 17 through Saturday, July 23 the city will collect furniture and yard debris. Washers, dryers, air conditioners, hot water tanks, oil, paint and hazardous material will not be picked up.
The following are the scheduled collection dates: The evenings of Sunday, July 17 and Wednesday, July 20 for Second street to 21st street; the evening of Monday, July 18 and Thursday, July 21 for 21st street to 36th street; The evenings of Tuesday, July 19 and Friday, July 22 for 36th street to 49th street.
Residents may leave the unwanted items after 8 p. m. in the front of their residence. For further information you may contact Mayor Brian Stack at his mobile number at 201-376-1942. No recycling items will be picked up during the week.
Union City Block Party
Mayor Brian Stack and his board of commissioners invite local residents to a town block part on Tuesday, July 19 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on the Seventh street between Central Avenue and Summit Avenue. There will be music, shows and activities for kids, clowns and free refreshments. Admission is free and seating areas will be provided. You may contact town hall for further information at 201-348-5747.
Summer hours for cultural center announced
The cultural center is located on 420 15th Street in Union City. The museum hours of operation during the summer months will be Saturdays from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. The Cultural Center has a Museum of Art, Union City Police Museum, Union City Art Gallery & Concert Hall, Union City Museum of History, and a Senior Citizen Center on the lower level.
The Senior Center is open Monday through Friday from 9 p.m. to 12 p.m.
For information on senior services offered at the center please call 201-348-5701.
Fares to remain the same after NJ Transit approves increased budget
NJ Transit’s Board of Directors approved a $1.9 billion operating budget and a $1.16 billion capital budget July 13 for the 2012 fiscal year at a meeting held in Secaucus Junction. Fares will remain stable while NJ Transit focuses on paying down debt.
The operating budget is $85 million higher than last year’s, according to news reports. Chief Financial Officer Kim Vaccari told the Star Ledger that the agency has been funding only its most critical needs, but faces significant increases in the cost of diesel fuel (NJ Transit consumes 36 million gallons a year) and health care.
She said the agency will even have to pay $3 million more to add a day of service because 2012 is a leap year.
The budget also includes spending on new buses, rail cars, dual-powered locomotives, and improvements to the Ridgewood station. The board of directors will also consider stopping the practice of non-union employees cashing out unused sick time.
The board reviewed the first customer satisfaction survey, just released, which asked customers to rate the agency on a scale from zero to 10 for various categories including service schedule and fares. The overall results were mixed: for example, the agency scored a 7.0 for “payment options” and a 4.2 for “on-time performance.” The survey was conducted online among 19,000 customers.