HOBOKEN — Mayor Dawn Zimmer said Friday that she will ask the City Council to vote on a specific proposal for the future of the City’s public works municipal garage at the upcoming Council meeting on July 14.
“What we are proposing will save taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars and have no impact on any residential areas,” said Mayor Dawn Zimmer. “No traditional site-based solution comes close to the cost savings of this innovative approach.”
In a press release, the city said:
“The city currently requires indoor space for vehicle maintenance and outdoor space for vehicle storage. There is the possibility that the city could end up with two garage locations if the City entered into a lease for a temporary new location and retained the existing municipal garage if the developer is unable to close on the sale. Additionally, the cost to retrofit a leased location which we may only need for a few months would cost at least $100,000, not including the cost of monthly rental. To avoid this scenario, the administration is proposing a creative solution which addresses the City’s vehicle maintenance and storage needs while saving taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The administration has decided to outsource all maintenance of its vehicles for 60 days until the status of the existing municipal garage site is clear on the planned closing date, August 13, 2010. By outsourcing the maintenance, the city eliminates the short term need for indoor garage space.
To address the City’s needs for outdoor vehicle storage space, the Administration will introduce a Resolution authorizing the closure of Clinton Street between 15th Street and 16th Street. Appropriate easements will be provided for adjacent property owners. The impact on traffic will be minimal since there are already plans for the closure of Clinton Street beneath the 14th Street Viaduct as part of Hudson County’s plan for that structure’s rehabilitation later this year.
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