City moves to attain 6-acre property for Hoboken’s largest park
The city of Hoboken announced plans on Monday, Aug. 31 to attain a large patch of undeveloped property in the northwest sector for what-would-be the mile-square city’s largest park. At the park, which would be relatively the same size as Pier A Park, the city also intends to build a municipal garage. It would be built on the industrial site currently owned by BASF (previously Henkel/Cognis).
The park would have at least one million gallons of integrated flood mitigation capacity for stormwater.
“This 6-acre property is the city’s last remaining option for acquiring such a large amount of contiguous land for open space,” said Mayor Dawn Zimmer.
The project is one of three “resiliency parks” planned for Hoboken – in addition to Southwest Park and Seventh Street & Jackson Street Park and Plaza.
During the recent City Council meeting on Wednesday Sept. 2, the council voted to introduce a series of measures that will be put for final approval at a future meeting: authorizing the use of eminent domain to acquire the northern parcel of BASF’s property for the use of a parking garage, a $16.7 million loan ($11.9 million for the Northwest Park and $4.8 million for construction of the Southwest Park) and a $1.6 million parking utility loan for the planned municipal garage.
See next week’s paper for a larger story on the council meeting.
14th Annual Sept. 11 Interfaith Memorial Service scheduled
For the 14th year since the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, which claimed over 50 lives from Hoboken, the city will host the annual Interfaith Memorial Service on Friday, Sept. 11.
The service, which will be held at Pier A Park on Sinatra Drive, will begin at 6 p.m.
Members of the public are invited to share in the dedicatory service for the family and friends of the victims in the community, as well as the nation. Mayor Dawn Zimmer will attend, as well as members of the clergy, Hoboken Police Department and Fire Department.
As the zip code which lost the most people, the attacks claimed 57 Hoboken residents including the following, from a list compiled by The New York Times and the AP: Jean A. Andrucki, 42, Peter Paul Apollo, 26, Donna Bernaerts-Kearns, 44, Christopher M. Colasanti, 33, Michael S. Costello, 27, Gavin Cushny, 47, Michael DeRienzo, 37 Douglas Frank DiStefano, 24, Neil Dollard, 28, Margaret Ruth Echtermann, 33, Meredith Emily June Ewart, 29, Peter Feidelberg, 34, Jeffrey B. Gardner, 36, Michael Edward Gould, 29, Pedro Grehan, 35, Scott Hazelcorn, 29, Matthew D. Horning, 26, Joseph Anthony Ianelli, 28, Thomas Patrick Knox, 31, Gregory James Malone, 42, George Patrick McLaughlin Jr., 36, Michael Joseph Mullin, 27, John J. Murray, 32, Martin Niederer, 23, Brian Novotny, 33, Keith K. O’Connor, 28, Dominique Pandolfo, 27, Joseph O. Pick, 40, Scott Rohner, 22, Joshua M. Rosenblum, 28, Nick Rowe, 29, Ronald J. Ruben, 36, Richard L. Salinardi, 32, James Kenneth Samuel Jr., 29, John T. Schroeder, 31, Alexander Robbins Steinman, 32, Lesley Thomas-O’Keefe, 40, Melissa Vincent, 28, Meredith Lynn Whalen, 23, James Patrick White, 34, Deborah Lynn Williams, 35, Michael R. Wittenstein, 34. (If you feel a name was omitted, email editorial@hudsonreporter.com and put Hoboken in the subject head.)
In Hoboken, you can now dress like the opposite sex (but you still can’t sell dirty books)
In a day and age when same-sex marriage is legal across the United States and gay pride parades are as common as those for any other group, Hoboken is working to catch up with the times.
On Wednesday, Sept. 2 the City Council voted to approve changes to what they referred to as an “outdated” law that could offend transgender residents and visitors.
Prior to the vote yesterday, appearing in public in clothing of the opposite sex was considered by law to be “indecent exposure” and could be penalized, according to outdated ordinance 145-19 Indecent Exposure. The law originally said, “No person in this City shall appear in any street or public place in a state of nudity or in a dress not belonging to his or her sex, or in an indecent or lewd dress…” The council struck out the part about “in a dress not belonging to his or her sex” and changed “lewd dress” to “lewd attire.”
The change was approved 9-0 after being introduced in August.
However, the ordinance will still advise that people can’t “sell or offer to sell any indecent or lewd book, picture or thing or shall exhibit or perform any indecent, immoral or lewd play or other representation.”
“It was my feeling that the ordinance was outdated, to put it diplomatically, and could be construed as offensive to transgender residents or had their freedoms were constricted based upon the restrictions on the ordinance on the way they dress,” said City Council President Ravinder Bhalla during the meeting.
Bhalla – who sponsored the ordinance along with Councilman David Mello and Councilman Michael Russo – added at the meeting that he doesn’t feel “there should be a connection between the way you dress and what your sex is.”
Labor Day: Hoboken mom gives birth in Lincoln Tunnel in Uber Car
Oh, those Hoboken moms who go to New York to deliver. They always leave their friends wondering, “Well, what if you run into traffic in the tunnel?”
It’s not such a far-fetched question to ask, especially if you go into labor during rush hour.
According to Crain’s New York and other media outlets, on Tuesday, Sept. 1 around 5:15 p.m. (gulp), a 32-year-old Hoboken woman was heading into the Big City in an Uber vehicle to go to the hospital and give birth.
But luckily, before they were able to penetrate the tunnel and get stuck midway through the canal, the woman realized she couldn’t wait any longer. The Uber driver got the attention of Port Authority police officers.
“The Port Authority says an employee delivered a healthy baby in just minutes. It was the second baby senior agent Greg Nimmo has delivered while working for the authority,” says Crain’s. “The mother, who had been traveling to the hospital from Hoboken, was transported to a hospital along with her new daughter.”
Uber ID’d the driver as Erick Rodriguez.
According to the report, Uber New Jersey General Manager Ana Mahony said, “Uber is fast becoming the go-to option for expecting parents who need a reliable ride to the hospital.”
Hoboken Italian Festival to kick off four-day celebration
The Hoboken Italian Festival, also known as the Feast of the Madonna Dei Maritiri or “The Feast,” will run from Sept. 10 to 13. First held at the end of the 14th century, the festival pays tribute to Madonna dei Martiri – a religious tradition that began in 1188 when crusaders arriving at the port of Molfetta on Italy’s Adriatic coast found an icon of the Virgin Mary floating in the water. A number of Italian-Americans in the community trace their heritage back to Molfetta and “The Feast” has been celebrated in Hoboken for the past 88 years.
“This year we have a couple of new things as well,” said Greg Gallo, a member of the Society Madonna dei Martiri, which produces the event. “The [54 year-old] statue of the saint was restored this year and we imported our arches all the way from the fest in Italy.”
The festival will include a procession, food, games, amusement rides, face-painting, magicians, stilt walkers, a cannoli-eating contest, fireworks, live music, a grape-stomping competition, and a Frank Sinatra singing contest.
The procession, which will be held Saturday, Sept. 12, begins at 1:30 p.m. at St. Francis Church at 308 Jefferson St., heads into the Hudson River via the ferries, and returns to the festival’s location at Sinatra Park, Sinatra Drive and River Road.
On Thursday, 80’s tribute band Rock Kandy will honor Jon Bon Jovi and Italian Sound will perform as well. Friday, dubbed “Freestyle Friday,” will feature Latin freestyle vocal group TKA, Latin singer Coro, and pop/rock band RocKel. Sunday’s lineup includes Garden State Jazz Orchestra, Blame It On The Girl, The Surftunes – A Nationally Touring Salute to the Beach Boys, and “My Kind Of Town,” Best of the Best Sinatra Tribute Contest with special guest judges.
The Italian Festival will run from 5 to 11 p.m. Thursday and Friday and from noon to 11 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. To learn more visit www.hobokenitalianfestival.com.
Yo La Tengo releases 14th album
Hoboken’s own Yo La Tengo – an indie rock band renowned for their repertoire of cover songs – released their 14th album on Friday, Aug. 28. “Stuff Like That There” touts acoustic-heavy songs by Ira Kaplan, Georgia Hubley, James McNew, and Dave Schramm, the band’s original guitarist who rejoined the group for this album.
Fresh off a stint as the house band for NPR’s “Morning Edition” program on Tuesday, Aug. 25, the group has developed a cult following since they sprung on the scene in 1984. “Yo La Tengo” translates to “I have her” in Spanish. What the group indeed has is a knack for covering songs in a way that feels simultaneously original and nostalgic. This new album, which covers various artists from the Cure to Hank Williams, draws from that very concept which they first visited on their 1990’s release “Fakebook.” Thus far the band, who perform an annual Hanukah show at Maxwell’s Tavern, has received rave reviews for their newest LP. To learn more visit www.yolatengo.com.
JCMC hopes to use 9/11 as a teaching tool
Jersey City Medical Center, a Barnabas Health facility, will use the anniversary of 9/11 to help prepare the community for treating wounds during an emergency.
“On the 14th anniversary of this tragic event, Jersey City Medical Center will once again prepare the community for future disasters or emergency situations,” said Joseph Scott, president and CEO of Jersey City Medical Center. “Following the city’s memorial services, we will host a seminar for the people who live and work in our community to help prepare them for the possibility of any future natural or man-made disaster or a family emergency. We may not be able to predict an emergency, but proper planning and preparation can often make a difference should one occur.”
This year’s program will provide critical information on managing wounds during times of disaster or personal emergency.
The event will take place on Friday, Sept. 11 from 2 to 3 p.m. in 5 and 6 at the hospital, 355 Grand St., Jersey City. The event is sponsored by Quikclot. The free sessions will be presented by the hospital’s EMS and emergency medicine staff and the American College of Emergency Physicians.
On Sept. 11, 2001, the hospital and Jersey City fire and police departments treated some 2,000 people injured at the World Trade Center. This was more than any other hospital in the New York City region.
For more information on the event, call (201) 915-2218.
Barsky Gallery’s new ‘Pop Art Story’
Making their U.S debut, two European Contemporary powerhouses have opened their newest exhibition at The Barsky Gallery in Hoboken on Sunday, Sept. 6.
In addition to showcasing the series of Serbian-inspired work by Nikola Bozoic and Vlad Scepanovic, entitled “Pop Art Story,” the gallery will donate 10 percent of the exhibition’s proceeds to the Community Food Bank of New Jersey dedicated to fighting against hunger and poverty.
“I’m humbled to be able to partner with two brilliant artists to improve our community, and give their art the exposure it deserves,” said gallery owner Albert Barsky who partnered with Serbian Art Forum to make the exhibit possible.
“Pop Art Story” will run through Sept. 19 at the Barsky Gallery, at 49 Harrison St. To learn more visit www.barskygallery.com.