Berry Lane Park ahead of schedule
Mayor Steven M. Fulop and the Jersey City Redevelopment Agency announced on Jan. 28 that the next section of the Berry Lane Park Project will start work in early February.
The park is projected to be completed by the end of 2015, years ahead of schedule.
Last week, the JCRA board awarded a $7 million construction contract to Flanagan Contracting Group with work scheduled to begin on Berry Lane Park the week of Feb. 2. An additional $3 million will be spent on park equipment and planning costs, with the vast majority of funding being grant dollars.
Free ‘Dinner with the Doctors’ returns to Jersey City
To mark American Heart Month in February, Jersey City Medical Center – Barnabas Health will host its “Dinner with the Doctors” series on the topic “Heart Healthy Living” on Wednesday, Feb. 11 at Chandelier, 1081 Broadway, Bayonne, from 6 to 7 p.m. There is no cost to attend and a light and healthy dinner will be served. Presenting on the dangers of heart disease and treatment options will be Dr. Tyrone Krause, a board certified cardiothoracic surgeon at Jersey City Medical Center; Dr. Vladimar Znamensky, a board certified interventional cardiologist; and Dr. Sreeham Grandhi, who is board certified in cardiology.
“Heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the United States and a major cause of disability,” said Joseph F. Scott, President and Chief Executive Officer of Jersey City Medical Center – Barnabas Health. “At this upcoming event, three of the leading heart specialists in the area will provide an up close look at the problem.”
Dr. Krause, who did his fellowship training in cardiothoracic surgery at New York Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center and his general surgery residency at Robert Wood Johnson Medical Center, performs all aspects of adult cardiac surgery, including minimally invasive techniques for coronary artery bypass and valve replacement, aneurisms and arrhythmia surgeries. He specializes in working with high risk patients and will discuss advances in cardiac surgery.
Dr. Vladimar Znamensky is one of the relatively few interventional cardiologists in the New York metropolitan area to perform cardiac catheterization using transradial access, through the wrist, rather than through the femoral artery in the groin. Cardiac catheterization involves inserting a long, thin flexible tube called a catheter into a blood vessel and threading it to the heart to diagnose and treat certain heart conditions.
Dr. Sreeham Grandhi received his medical degree from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (now Rutgers) and completed a residency at St. Vincent’s Medical Center in Manhattan. Dr. Grandhi is a fellow of the American College of Cardiology. He has done research on heart disease and is well sought out speaker.
Due to limited space, registration to attend “Dinner with the Doctors” is necessary. To register, call (201) 630-2390.
Fulop and Sweeney in NJBIZ ‘Power 100’ top ten
In what could foreshadow the Democratic primary race for governor, NJBiz has placed Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop at number 10 in “The Power 100,” its ranking of the 100 most powerful persons in New Jersey. State Senate President Steve Sweeney, who is expected to oppose Fulop for the 2017 Democratic nomination for governor, came in at number 6
While Gov. Christopher Christie topped the list followed by South Jersey power broker George E. Norcross, state Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto was listed as no. 27, U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez at No. 51, and Nariman Farvardin, president of Stevens Institute of Technology, was No. 60.
Montgomery Street building gets $20 million makeover
A 15-story building located at 30 Montgomery St. is undergoing a $20 million renovation by its owners Onyx Equities LLC and Rubenstein Partners LP.
The 40-year old building will have a new lobby, expanded ground floor operations, and modern operational systems.
Federal director comes to Jersey City to promote Obamacare
With national studies showing that one in four Latinos still lacks health insurance, the federal government and Jersey City have teamed up to reach this community during a special Affordable Care Act enrollment last week. It’s part of Mayor Steven M. Fulop’s commitment to ensure all Jersey City residents have access to quality healthcare coverage.
Attending the event with Mayor Fulop were Katherine Archuleta, director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management; Jackie Cornell-Bechelli regional director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Region II; and representatives of the Jersey City Department of Health and Human Services.
During this final push ahead of the Feb. 15 enrollment deadline, Jersey City counselors who speak Spanish, as well as Tagalog and Creole, educated and enrolled residents in affordable healthcare plans through the federal exchange. Leaders of the Latino community also attended the event to help spread the word through their networks about the importance of enrolling for healthcare coverage.
Black Maria Film festival kicks off on Feb. 5
New Jersey City University will host the 34th annual Black Maria Film and Video Festival starting on Feb. 5
The festival will feature a number of short films and videos by independent film makers, and will start on Feb. 5 at 8 p.m. in Room 202 in Hepburn Hall, 2039 Kennedy Blvd.
The Hoboken Historical Museum, 1301 Hudson St. will be the next site on Friday, Feb. 6 showing the documentary “Yakona” along with several shorts. Tickets for that screening are $10.
Art House Productions at 136 Magnolia Ave., Jersey City, will feature short films at 8 p.m. on Feb. 7. Advance tickets are $10. Tickets at the door are $12.
The festival will close on Sunday, Feb. 8 at the AMC Dine-In Theater at Essex Green in West Orange.
For more information, contact Jane Steuerwald at (201) 200-2043 or jane@blackmariafilmfestival.org. Information is also available on the web site, blackmariafilmfestival.org.
Motivational `Think Before You Act’ Presentation
Michael Wojcik, and his father, Richard Wojcik ‘71, a St. Anthony alumnus, will be delivering presentation to the Saint Anthony student body about the dangers of alcohol and drug use on Feb. 4. Michael graduated West Virginia University in 2007 with a double major in Health Science and Physical Education. He was also a wrestling champion on the New Jersey state level and the collegiate level. He was ready to start a job at his high school, but three weeks before the start of school, Michael was involved in a serious accident which involved alcohol use, in which he suffered traumatic brain injury. He cannot earn a living as a teacher and wrestling coach because of that one decision. He and his father have devoted their lives to educating young people about the dangers of alcohol and to “Think Before You Act.”
Lincoln Birthday wreath-laying slated for Feb. 12
The Lincoln Association of Jersey City will hold its annual wreath-laying ceremony at the Abraham Lincoln statue near the entrance to Lincoln Park at Kennedy Boulevard and Belmont Avenue at noon on Feb. 12. The event is free and open to the public.
Best-selling author comes to St. Peter’s University on Feb. 12
New York Times best-selling author Kathleen Norris, who wrote “The Cloister Walk” and “Dakota: A Spiritual Geography,” books that introduced a new generation of readers to the wisdom of ancient monastic life, will be coming to St. Peter’s University on Thursday, Feb. 12.
Norris is the second poet to visit St. Peter’s though this series, which aims to introduce students and the public to poetry as a resource for deepening the inner life. The first Distinguished Poet in the series was Marie Howe, author of three collections of poetry, who spoke last October.
County completes $4 million in improvements
The Hudson County Board of Freeholders announced last week the completion of four county improvement projects that total $4,351,194. These projects include a scoreboard for Lincoln Park Fields 10 and 11 in Jersey City, road improvements were completed in the City of Bayonne on John F. Kennedy Blvd from 1st to 52nd Street, improvements to the Stephen R. Gregg Park Dog Run in the City of Bayonne, and improvements to the James J. Braddock Park Playground in North Bergen.