Hudson County co-working spaces receive $731,550 in state loans
Two co-working spaces in Hoboken and Jersey City will receive a cumulative $731,550 in loans from the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, EDA CEO Michele Brown announced Wednesday. The money is intended to fund acquisitions, improvements, and other activities associated with expansion of the spaces.
Co-working spaces allow entrepreneurs and small business owners to rent individual desks within a communal office. Comparatively cheap compared to the long-term leases required by most office buildings, the spaces are often favored by technology start-ups.
In Hoboken, Mission 50 Workspaces was approved for a $556,550 loan. The company hopes to expand from its current 3,000 square foot space to a 13,000 square foot facility near mass transit.
Mission 50 president Greg Dell’Aquila, the former head of the Hoboken Chamber of Commerce, said the state loan would fund “some combination of construction of space, furniture and fixtures and working capital.”
As the only co-working space in Hoboken, Mission 50 already boasts 300 individual members and a pipeline of 200 additional member companies.
In downtown Jersey City, co-working space Indiegrove received a $175,000 loan. With the state cash infusion, Indiegrove founder Zahra Amanpour plans to expand in his company’s current location on Newark Street.
Indiegrove has 135 members, of which more than 50 percent are from the tech industry.
“This funding will support the earliest stage New Jersey entrepreneurs and technology startups by partnering with three thriving co-working spaces in Hudson and Monmouth Counties,” said Brown in a statement. A co-working space in Asbury Park received an additional $240,000 loan.
Port Authority tables proposal to end overnight PATH service
Port Authority Chairman John Degnan has agreed to table a bi-state reform panel’s proposal to eliminate overnight PATH service, Senate President Steve Sweeney and Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto announced on Wednesday.
Sweeney and Prieto secured the commitment from Degnan at a recent meeting organized at their request. In a Jan. 13 letter to the legislative leaders, Degnan said the concept has not been presented to the Port Authority Board of Commissioners and would not be presented for the indefinite future.
“Solving problems requires leadership, negotiation and open communication, and we would like to thank Chairman Degnan for his willingness to work with us to resolve this important issue by working together,” Senator Sweeney said. “This is a victory for the hundreds of thousands of New Jerseyans who ride on the PATH system, especially the low-wage workers and young people who rely on the line as their principal mode of transportation.”
“Port Authority reform was never supposed to be about cutting vital rail services for hard-working residents,” said Speaker Prieto (D-Hudson/Bergen).
“I thank Chairman Degnan for listening to our voices and for taking the idea of PATH overnight service cuts off the table,” said Mayor Dawn Zimmer in a statement. “With 56% of Hoboken residents using public transportation to commute each day – the highest rate not just in the state, but in the nation – the success of our community and region is intrinsically linked to a robust mass transit system.”
“I want to thank Mayor Zimmer for her leadership and my council colleagues for standing together as one city in opposition to this proposal by unanimously passing a resolution last week opposing cuts in service,” added Hoboken City Council President Ravi Bhalla.
In a report released on Dec. 27, the Bi-State Special Panel on the Future of the Port Authority said cutting weeknight overnight PATH service would save the agency $10 million per year. The PATH’s yearly budget is around $330 million.
The overnight service cuts were opposed by a broad swath of Hudson County and New Jersey politicians, including U.S. Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and U.S. Representative Albio Sires (D-8), many of whom gathered in Jersey City to condemn the idea on Jan. 5.
March to honor fallen police officers is Jan. 17
The Jersey City Police Detective’s Benevolent Association (JCPD-DBA) will host “A Walk to Remember” on Saturday, Jan. 17, in honor of the 118 police officers who were killed nationwide in the line of duty in 2014. The walk will take place in Liberty State Park in Jersey City at 12 p.m. with registration beginning at 10:30 a.m. Friends, family and supporters will meet at the foot of Audrey Zapp Rd., North Cove Field. The JCPD-DBA invites the public to join in remembrance of police officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice, and in support of the families of fallen officers. Contributions to the DBA’s Fallen Officers Fund will be accepted. If you have questions, please contact Detective Ed Dolan at (201) 726-0698.
Jersey City names new housing chief
The Board of Commissioners of the Jersey City Housing Authority has selected its preferred candidate for the position of executive director – Marvin Walton, a Jersey City resident and public housing professional with 13 years of leadership experience at three of the nation’s largest housing authorities.
“The selection of Marvin Walton speaks to the talent we are bringing to Jersey City government as we focus on building communities and creating greater opportunities for all of our residents,” said Mayor Steven Fulop. “The Jersey City Housing Authority has been a tremendous partner in restoring neighborhoods in Jersey City and providing access to quality affordable and public housing in all areas. With Marvin at the helm, we will be able to advance our goal of creating more affordable housing throughout the city.”
For the past six years, Walton has served in leadership roles at the Newark Housing Authority, the largest housing authority in New Jersey and the eleventh largest in the nation, with a portfolio of 44 public housing communities and a total of over 8,000 rental units. He has served as the deputy executive director for the past four years and previously served as chief financial officer.
New deputy mayor will oversee economic development
Mayor Steven M. Fulop announced on Jan.14 that the former deputy secretary of state for New York and Jersey City resident, Marcos Vigil, is joining the administration as the city’s newest deputy mayor, as the mayor ”continues to bring top tier professionals to Jersey City government to implement his vision for creating the best mid-size city in America.”
Vigil has served for the past four years as the deputy secretary of state for New York in the administration of Gov. Andrew Cuomo. During his tenure with New York State, Vigil headed the Division of Consumer Protection and represented the Secretary of State as chair of the New York State Real Estate Board, a regulatory body overseeing real estate professionals.
As deputy mayor, Vigil will oversee economic development and real estate, working closely with the Department of Housing, Economic Development and Commerce as well as the Jersey City Redevelopment Agency. He will also collaborate on policies related to government operations. Vigil will earn a salary of $110,000.
Open house at St. Dominic Academy
Saint Dominic Academy will host an open house for grades 7 and 8 on Feb. 11 at 6 p.m.
The events will feature complete information about this accelerated program for young girls, including Shadow Day opportunities, curriculum review, project presentations, tours of the school and details about the application process for grades 7 and 8 for September, 2015.
Information can also be found on the website (www.stdominicacad.com). Questions can be directed at any time to Andrea Apruzzese, Director of Admissions at (201) 434-5938, ext. 14 or to aapruzzese@stdominicacad.com . Saint Dominic Academy is located at 2572 Kennedy Blvd., Jersey City.
Hoboken Catholic Academy holds 2nd Annual Poker/Blackjack Night fund-raiser
Hoboken Catholic Academy will host its 2nd annual poker/blackjack tournament fund-raiser on Friday, Jan. 30.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. in the school gym at 555 7th St., Hoboken.
Come play some cards, have dinner, and enjoy a drink with friends/family.
For more information, please contact Mike Tennaro at (201) 659-4175 or visit www.hobokencatholic.org.
Free breast cancer support group for Latina women
To support Latina patients and survivors with breast cancer, Jersey City Medical Center – Barnabas Health and Curémonos, a community-based organization, will hold its “Let’s Talk/Let’s Learn” support group in Spanish on Feb. 12, March 12, April 9, May 14, and June 11 at the Cristie Kerr Women’s Health Center, 377 Jersey Ave. on the Jersey City Medical Center campus, from 4 – 5 p.m.
At this time, attendees will have the opportunity to share with each other information on coping with such issues as treatment side effects, improving communication with doctors and family, and regaining self-esteem, and to meet the hospital’s new bilingual oncology nurse navigator Michelle Ashley.
“A breast cancer diagnosis is an experience that changes your life and fills you with fear. Coping can be especially difficult if doctors don’t speak your language, or you don’t have family nearby to support you,” said Dora E. Arias, Founder and Executive Director of Curémonos, which was created to provide education, support and advocacy to medically-underserved women with breast health concerns or a breast cancer diagnosis. “With the support of Jersey City Medical Center – Barnabas Health and program sponsor Genentech, we are offering Latina women a setting where they can share their fears, questions, suggestions and successes both during and after treatment.”
“For more than a year, the hospital has held, and will continue to hold, a very successful support group for English-speaking breast cancer patients to share their experiences and feelings,” said Dr. Julie DiGioia, medical director of the Cristie Kerr Women’s Center. “Thanks to our partners, we can now offer a similar opportunity to members of the community who are undergoing many of the same experiences but speak primarily Spanish.”
The English speaking support group will meet from 5 – 6 p.m. at the previously mentioned dates at the Cristie Kerr Women’s Health Center.
The program, which will be held every month, is free and refreshments will be served. To register, call Vivian Rohrsetzer at (201) 915-2000 x 4855.
Sires named as ranking member of Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere
Rep. Albio Sires was selected by his peers on the House Foreign Affairs Committee to serve as the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere for the 114th Congress.
Sires has served as a member of the subcommittee since 2006.
The Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere has jurisdiction over issues pertaining to the countries in South America, North America, and the Caribbean. Sires was also selected to continue to serve as member of the Subcommittee on Europe, Eurasia, and Emerging Threats.