BAYONNE BRIEFS

Worker burned at county building

County officials airlifted a steel worker to the Saint Barnabas Medical Center Burn Unit in Livingston as a precaution after he had suffered second degree burns to his legs and knees while working on a county building in Kearny.
County spokesperson Jim Kennelly said the action was taken as a precaution after sparks ignited his paints while the man was working inside a building at 110 South Hackensack Ave.
Kennelly said federal and state authorities were notified, and that inspectors from the federal Occupational Health and Safety Administration will be coming to the site to review the safety precautions.
Kennelly said this is routine when a worker is injured.
The county building is currently being renovated for use as a garage to house emergency vehicles and uses for the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, part of an overall strategy for reorganizing many of the county’s resources in Kearny, Jersey City, and Secaucus.

City of Bayonne joins Twitter

Mayor Mark A. Smith announced that the city of Bayonne has joined Twitter, the electronic message service. Twitter enables participants to send short updates called “Tweets” of up to 140 characters. The City of Bayonne will use Twitter to send concise emergency information and other brief announcements.
The city of Bayonne’s Twitter address is @cityofbayonne. Anyone doing a Twitter search will be able to find the municipality’s messages at Twitter.com/cityofbayonne. Bayonne’s Tweets can be texted to cell phones. Phone owners can sign up for the texting service by entering 40404follow_cityofbayonne. Standard text messaging rates will apply.
Smith said, “By joining Twitter, the city of Bayonne will improve our ability to communicate with people who live, work, and do business here. Our municipal Tweets will join our website, TV station, and telephone community notification system as ways of keeping the public informed.”

‘Bayonne Bleeder’ interviewed

An interview with the “Bayonne Bleeder,” boxer Chuck Wepner, will be broadcast on the “Bayonne Today!” show on Oct. 30 and 31, with a repeat on Nov. 2.
The program appears exclusively on Cablevision Public Access Channel No. 19 at 9 p.m. on these dates.
“Bayonne Today!” features interviews with local people and organizations that are of interest to the people of Bayonne.
For this program, the interviewer is Leonard P. Kiczek, former mayor and co-host of “Bayonne Today!” Kiczek is an avid fight fan and a long-time personal friend of Chuck Wepner. Although taped several years ago, Wepner comes across as the same vibrant and tireless individual, as he is today. Kiczek’s admiration for Wepner and his interest in boxing spark the enthusiasm in this program. Even people not interested in the sport should enjoy this program.
If there are any questions, contact Andrew Balik at (201) 437-5391.

Council votes on property maintenance ordinances

The City Council recently voted to require any licensed food establishments to furnish and maintain trash receptacles for dealing with the waste.
In order to provide a uniform appearance to vacant properties, the City Council also voted on an ordinance that would require property owners to install fencing around vacant lots.
Councilman Joseph Hurley said this would do away with many of the unsightly conditions by providing a uniform appearance to all these properties.
The City Council also moved ahead with plans to rename one block of Church Lane between East 22nd and East 23rd streets to honor Pope John Paul II. This block is near Mount Carmel Church.

Trash and recycling contracts extended

Due to an appeal of a superior court ruling on the most recent bids for trash and recycling services, the City Council recently voted for a one-month extension with Suburban Disposal until the appeal can be heard. The court ruled last week that the city had properly awarded the contracts to Galaxy Waste disposal, but Suburban appealed, said City Attorney Charles D’Amico.
“We cannot award the bid until the appeal is heard,” he said, but added that the month extension is at a rate lower than the previous contract.

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