HOBOKEN – Hoboken mayoral candidate and state Assemblyman Ruben Ramos took issue with the fact that on the hottest day of Hoboken’s year, a new pool expected to open sometime this month at the Boys and Girls Club remained closed on Thursday. Ramos claimed that the pool was supposed to be open by July 8, and though the city has maintained that it will open at some point this month, city spokesman Juan Melli said there is no date set yet.
Capitalizing on the high heat levels, which were expected to reach 103 degrees on Thursday, Ramos turned the temperature into a political issue, lambasting the city’s readiness for the heat wave.
“Heat indices have been in the hundreds all week, but this pool is still not open for anyone to use,” said Ramos. “Some of our residents are in life-threatening danger from this heat and the city can’t even fill up a pool for our kids.”
However, the city has opened the pool at Hoboken High School for residents to use five days a week from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. until Aug. 21, and has set up cooling stations at City Hall. Additionally, spray features are present in several city parks, including Church Square Park, Jackson Street Park, Madison Park, Elysian Park, Stevens Park, Pier A, Pier C, and Columbus Park.
Earlier on Thursday, the city sent out a heat advisory message, urging residents to check in on their elderly neighbors as well as to stay indoors in air conditioning as much as possible, to wear sunscreen outside, along with loose fitting light colored clothes that cover as much skin as possible, to drink water regularly, to not leave children or pets alone in a car, and to avoid exertion in the hottest part of the day.
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