Pizza fundraiser brings in over $2,000 for homeless shelter
A pizza party fundraiser at Johnny Pepperoni in Hoboken on Aug. 14 proved a huge success for The Hoboken Shelter. The event, organized by shelter volunteer Erica Seitzman and the staff of Johnny Pepperoni’s raised more than $2,000 for the shelter.
“We can provide a warm meal for our guests for $2, so this wonderful support from the community will go a long way to helping those in need in our community,” said Jaclyn Cherubini, executive director. “A healthy meal is the first step to getting people back on their feet.”
Mayor Dawn Zimmer surprised Cherubini by not only turning up to support the event but also by presenting a check for $50,000, which will go a long way to helping those most in need in our community.
The mayor had first surprised Cherubini with this donation at the 30th Anniversary Celebration in May after the shelter lost a lot of federal funding.
Overwhelmed by the community’s generosity, Seitzman thanked all the attendees for coming at the end of the night and reminded them not to forget the need for in-kind goods the rest of the year. “We love Hoboken,” said Seitzman. “Donations are still coming in from the event and we are looking forward to hosting another event at Johnny Pepperoni soon.”
Cherubini adds that the funds raised will cover an entire day’s worth of meals, more than 400, and will help one of their guests make the move from The Shelter to a home of her own. “That’s the goal,” says Cherubini. “Taking them from the streets, to our shelter, to a home of their own.”
Art exhibit opens
On Saturday, Aug. 18, an exhibition, REVERIE, opened at the hob’art gallery, 720 Monroe St. Three members of the gallery present artwork in the handmade paper, digital montage, and mixed media. The exhibit will be open through Sept. 9, and a reception to meet the artists is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 25, from 5-8 pm. Gallery hours are Saturday and Sunday, 12 to 5 p.m. and by appointment.
“Heather Corey’s trademark sculpted paper images create a textural experience inspired by the feminine form that strives to seduce the viewer,” the gallery noted. “Janet Kolstein’s Giclee prints are the product of assemblage, digital photography, and computer manipulation that play with the notion of narrative and character. Erik Attia’s mask making combines his creativity, love of wildlife, and human culture through painted masks adorned with natural elements.”
Gallery information can be obtained on the website www.hob-art.org and from Director France Garrido, (201) 319-1504 or director@hob-art.org.
Winners of Hoboken Library Children’s Summer Reading Program
It was an exciting summer for young Hoboken readers. A total of 246 children from Hoboken read 6,324 hours in the Hoboken Library’s Summer Reading Program, “Dream Big!” The library actually conducted two separate programs, one for individual children who came to the library and one for summer students at the Jubilee Center, which serves children in the Hoboken Housing Authority buildings.
Readers calculated the hours they read and did short book reviews on the books they enjoyed. For the first time, children (sometimes with the help of parents) were able to log in their hours from their computers which added a new dimension to the program. The top readers were Amelie Baveja, Ethan Zhang, Jaidah Morales, MatalieMisyak, and Patrick Groo.
Amelie, as the top reader with 190 hours reported, wins a Color NOOK and tickets to the Clearview Cinema, as well as books, a t-shirt, a tote bag, a trophy, and more. Other winners received Clearview tickets, a t-shirt, a totebag, and books.
The children were honored at a Celebration of Reading party on Thursday, Aug. 23 with ice cream from Ben and Jerry’s and a performance by Company’s Coming Theater. This party honored all children who read at least 10 hours and their families.
Hoboken wants permanent construction code official
HOBOKEN – The city announced last week that it is seeking applications for the full-time position of Construction Code Official. In 2011, the city terminated longtime official Al Arezzo. As noted in a Reporter story two weeks ago, Arezzo has filed a suit to get his job back.
But he may have some difficulty. It was reported in the press last week that Arezzo’s license was suspended this past March by the state due to an alleged conflict of interest in a Monroe Street project that sought construction approvals in 2001. According to a report, the state said that Arezzo had a “member interest” in the limited liability company that owned the project and should have recused himself.
The Reporter story about Arezzo’s suit was published a week ago Sunday. On Tuesday, the city issued a press release saying they are seeking a new full-time official. They have been working with an interim official since 2011.
The city’s release about the job says, “The city seeks honest and professional candidates to manage the construction office efficiently and treat all residents and business owners with respect and fairness.”
In 2011, Arezzo was suspended and then later terminated in Hoboken for allegedly not completing required training courses for his job.
Arezzo maintained in his suit that all of the scheduled training sessions were during the times that the state mandated that Arezzo and other construction officials were required to be in their office to deal with permits.
Arezzo’s attorney, John Lacey of Connell Foley, LLP said in the Reporter story that an administrative law judge recently found that the city’s decision was “overly severe” and instead reduced the penalty to a six-month suspension. Lacey said the judge’s decision will now be reviewed by a Civil Service Commission, who will make the final decision.
The city has filed an exception to the decision to get it reversed, according to Lacey.
Summer activities still to come in Hoboken
Family Fun Nights at Shipyard Park continue on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. with a performance by Polka Dot, aka Ron Albanese.
Come out to the Spaghetti Dinner Block Party on Thursday Aug. 30, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on the Sinatra Drive walkway between First and Second streets. Tickets are on sale through Monday, Aug. 27, $20 for adults, $10 for children, $12 for seniors, and $200 to reserve a table of 10. The meal includes four kinds of pasta, meatballs, sausage, eggplant rollatini, salad, assorted rolls and breads, plus dessert. Entertainment will be a performance by Sinatra Idol winners David Arellano and Greg Myers.
For more info: www.hobokennj.org/spaghetti-dinner-block-party
For further information, please call Geri Fallo at (201) 420-2207.
New method announced for reporting sewer-related emergencies
The North Hudson Sewerage Authority (NHSA) announced that customers now have two new ways to report sewer-related emergencies 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The new system also allows customers to track the status of those issues until they are resolved.
Customers in the NHSA service area, which includes Hoboken, Union City, Weehawken and West New York, can now either call an emergency telephone hotline number, (866) 689-3970, or submit an online form available through the Authority’s website at www.nhudsonsa.com (click on the “Contact Us/Report A Problem” link on left side of the home page), to report emergency issues such as sewer odors, sewer backups in the home or a business, suspected breaks in a sanitary sewer or storm drain, missing manhole covers or other sewer-related issues.
“We are very pleased to inaugurate this state-of-the-art reporting system, which makes it easier for our customers to report emergency issues,” NHSA Chairman Richard J. Wolff said. “We particularly like the tracking feature, which allows customers to get updates on the status of these issues as they are being addressed.
“This Authority has a very long track record of employing best practices in engineering, wastewater management, environmental policy, and financial and operational management,” Wolff continued. “This is another example of our commitment to remain the best-managed wastewater authority in the state of New Jersey.”
When reporting a problem through either the hotline or online, customers will be asked to provide the location and specific details of the problem. They also will be asked to provide contact information such as their name, phone number and email address so NHSA staff can contact them regarding the status of the problem.
The information is then used to create a work order, and customers will be offered the order number for their records and to track the status of their request.
Once an issue has been identified through the hotline or online form, it is prioritized and assigned to NHSA staff for resolution. After the problem is corrected, the work order is closed, and the customer will be advised of its resolution if they have provided contact information. Using the work order number, customers also can use the hotline to get updates on their issues prior to resolution.
These tools are intended for emergency problems only; customers should call the NHSA’s main telephone number, (201) 963-6043, between the regular business hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, or send an email to info@nhudsonsa.com, for routine matters.