Community meeting on Christ Hospital sale
On Monday, Dec 12 at 7:30 p.m. the Hilltop Neighborhood Association in Jersey City will hold its regular meeting. Among the agenda items to be discussed will be the impending sale of Christ Hospital to a private for-profit company. The Hilltop Association has invited members of the nurses’ union, Health Professionals and Allied Employees, to attend. Since the hospital serves the larger Jersey City community, the general public has been invited to this meeting.
However, other agenda items may be discussed by the members, including the search for a new school superintendent and planned post office closings.
The Hilltop Neighborhood Association meets in the basement of St. Joseph’s Parish at 511 Pavonia Ave., located between Baldwin and Chestnut.
Fulop to reintroduce ‘truth in parking’ ordinance
Ward E Councilman Steve Fulop said last week that he will re-introduce an amendment to city parking rules that ensures prospective tenants and condo buyers, particularly those in high-rise apartments, are made aware of parking limitations in their new neighborhoods before they sign a lease or finalize their purchase.
The change would amend city parking rules to require that landlords and real estate agents inform new renters or buyers that on-street residential parking may not be available in their neighborhoods, and that alternative parking may require additional fees.
The city identifies certain residential neighborhoods where qualified residents can apply for parking permits through the Parking Authority. The permits cost $15 a year and allow parking for more than two hours in specific zones. Cars without permits can park on the streets in these neighborhoods for up to two hours.
However, other areas of the city, including those with a number of high-rise apartments and condominium complexes, are not zoned for longer-term parking under any circumstances. Residents in those neighborhoods are often required to pay for parking in private facilities.
The City Council unanimously approved a measure in December 2009 that would have also required landlords to disclose to tenants parking conditions in their neighborhoods. The change was, however, vetoed by Mayor Jeremiah T. Healy.
“The mayor’s veto was clearly protecting developers at the expense of residents. Now I believe new members of the council will [make sure] this fundamentally fair change stays passed,” Fulop said.
Fulop is likely referring to the recent addition of At-Large City Councilman Rolando Lavarro to the City Council, and could also be referring to Michele Massey, who could be appointed this week to the council’s vacant Ward F seat.
Fulop said he decided the amendments were needed after repeated calls to his office from unhappy renters.
“People have a right to know what they are getting into,” Fulop said. “We don’t have enough on-street parking for everyone, but we can make sure that prospective residents know that.”
“This time, I hope the mayor understands that this is an issue of fairness,” Fulop added.
Under the amendments, prospective tenants would be notified in writing of parking circumstances in their building and community, and sign a form in acknowledgement.
Public meetings about school superintendent search
Beginning Saturday, Dec. 17, the Jersey City Board of Education will host a series of six “town hall” meetings on the search for a new school superintendent. The purpose of the meetings is to get parent and community input into the search for a new superintendent.
Current School Superintendent Dr. Charles Epps will leave the position Dec. 31.
The first of the meetings will be held on Saturday, Dec. 17 at 10 a.m. at Conwell Middle School (MS No, 4) at 107 Bright St.
The next day, on Sunday, Dec. 18, there will be another town hall meeting at 2 p.m.at Lincoln High School, at 60 Crescent Ave.
Subsequent meetings will be held on Tuesday, Dec. 20 at 6:30 p.m. at Zampella School (PS No. 27); Saturday, Jan. 7 at 3 p.m. at Williams Middle School (MS No. 7); Wednesday, Jan. 11 at 6:30 p.m. at Snyder High School; and Friday, Jan 20 at 6:30 p.m. at the Martin Luther King Jr. School.
Massey gets the Ward F nod in Jersey City
In a statement released Wednesday, Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy announced that he will nominate Michele Massey for the Ward F City Council seat.
“Michele is very well known to myself and a whole host of other people in Jersey City as an active, concerned, knowledgeable, and diligent member of the Jersey City community,” said Mayor Healy. “She knows about neighborhood revitalization, which this entire city is experiencing, and we think she will be a very positive addition to the City Council. [We] look forward to her confirmation and to working with her for the betterment of Ward F and all of Jersey City.”
The Ward F seat was left vacant after the ward’s longtime representative, Viola Richardson, was elected to a Council-at-Large seat during last month’s special election.
Massey’s appointment must still be approved by the full City Council. The council will hold its final public meeting for the year on Tuesday, Dec. 14.
If Massey is approved by a majority of the council members, she will serve in the seat until a special election in November 2012. The winner of the special election will then serve out the remainder of Richardson’s Ward F term, which ends in May 2013.
Massey is currently the executive director of the Monticello Community Development Corp.
Coat, food drive at Holy Name
The Catholic Archdiocese of Newark is running a coat and food drive through Jan. 3, 2012. Donations of winter coats and non-perishable food items can be dropped off at Catholic cemeteries, including Holy Name Cemetery and Mausoleum in Jersey City, during business hours. Holy Name Cemetery and Mausoleum is located at 823 West Side Ave. Office hours are held from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesdays, and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays.
The Archdiocese asks that the devout give in memory of their deceased loved ones.
Clothing, toy drive downtown
On Sunday Dec. 11, residents can donate toys and gently used coats and other winter clothing at the office of Ward E City Councilman Steven Fulop from noon until 3 p.m. Fulop’s office is located at 353 Second St., at the corner of Newark Avenue.
The office has partnered with the Garden State Science and Technology Institute in Journal Square, which will have used coats dry cleaned before they are donated.
City partners with Jersey Cares for coat drive
The city has partnered with the volunteer organization Jersey Cares for the 16th Annual Jersey Cares Coat Drive to help needy local residents stay warm this winter.
Clean, gently used coats of all sizes will be collected in a large bin at City Hall through Dec. 15.
The coats will be distributed to shelters, religious organizations, and community centers in Jersey City that have people in need of warm clothing for the winter. The Sharing Place, Hope House, the International Institute of Jersey, Mt. Sinai Gospel Church, the York Street Project, and the Parish of the Resurrection are among the organizations that have already requested coats from Jersey Cares.
Jersey Cares is an affiliate of the Hands on Network, an innovative alliance of volunteer catalysts throughout the world. Volunteering with Jersey Cares is easy; once you have registered and logged in, choose from hundreds of opportunities in our Monthly Calendar Projects, participate in an Annual Event, run a Collection Drive or get your company involved in our Corporate Service Program.
Coats will be accepted at City Hall between the hours of 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.