Because so many professionals are involved with local development projects, Hudson County is having trouble finding independent people who can serve on the 12-member Hudson County Construction Board of Appeals.
The board is like the county’s version of a city’s zoning board of appeals, hearing development projects that relate to county roads, property, and land adjacent to county property. They also may hear projects from towns that do not have their own local zoning boards.
While the county freeholders voted on Sept. 25 to confirm Manuel Fernandez as a new board member, county officials are concerned about the inability to fill other key posts on the board because of the intertwined relationships many professionals have with various construction projects that could pose conflicts of interest.
The county board is supposed to have 12 members, and right now, the board only has six. County Administrator Abe Antun said the state statute requires that members of the board have specific expertise and credentials, particularly in areas such as electrical, plumbing, construction and such. The board also needs to have alternates with the same credentials.
“The individual has to be licensed in these areas,” Antun said. “Some are unwilling to serve; some have conflicts.”
Backlog of cases
County Counsel Donato Batista said the board hears appeals from all over the county, but because the county doesn’t have a full complement of members, there is a backlog of cases needing to be heard.
Freeholder Jose Munoz was concerned about membership on the board representing local municipalities, because he wants to make sure that West New York, Union City and other communities have a say in decisions. He was concerned about the fact that some members were actually from outside of Hudson County.
“I see we have someone from Weehawken on the board, but no one from Union City,” Munos said. “Some members are not even from Hudson County.”
But Antun said the county has been forced to seek personnel with few or no ties to local projects, most of who would be outside Hudson County.
Bill Gaughan, who serves as chief of staff for the county executive as well as a Jersey City councilman, said the board has tapped people like Ray Meyers, who also serves as director of the Jersey City Building Department because Jersey City professionals would go before their own board, not the county’s.
“This is the reason we are looking for professionals in those towns, because they will most likely not have conflicts,” Antun said.
County Engineer Bob Jasek said the county board often risks failing to have a quorum when it meets.
County looks for state funding for parks
Hudson County has applied for millions of dollars in state money to upgrade many of the county parks.
The freeholders passed resolutions at their meeting on Sept. 25 seeking state Green Acres grant funding for improvement to the Little League ball fields in Washington Park in Union City, restoration of playgrounds and lake improvements in Bayonne’s Stephen R. Gregg Park, and the construction of a football/soccer stadium in J.J. Braddock Park in North Bergen.
The Washington Park ball field project is expected to cost $3.7 million, of which county officials are hoping to get $1.85 million from the state. The projects in Bayonne are expected to cost almost $4 million, of which the state could pay about half. The football field project in North Bergen has an estimated price tag of $3.7 million, of which $1.8 million could come from the state.