Dear Editor:
In response to Ms. Patricia Tehrani’s questions in her letter of May 5, here are the facts:
Yes, the situation for ferry commuters will be greatly improved once the infrastructure is in place, i.e., roadway improvements, crosswalks, walkways, etc.
The waterfront fields she said were given back to the “Blue” building owners were not ours. They were “Blue” building parking lots, loaned to us while we renovated Weehawken Stadium, which is now done. We will have new fields and much more when our 11-acres recreation is completed.
The original stairway to the waterfront could not be restored as it does not meet modern building codes. That is why it collapsed in the first place. As for the new stairway, it is not rusted. That is a deliberately created oxidizing process that makes the stairs virtually maintenance free. You will see the same thing in new bridges and guardrails along highways.
Yes, roadway improvements along the waterfront will be made and will tie in with River Road to the west of us to facilitate traffic flow.
And, yes, fire protection has been more than responsibly considered. A new state-of-the-art firehouse is being built at our border in West New York at the developer’s expense. Furthermore, regionalization of our fire departments now brings twice the number of firefighters and three times the number of fire engines and plumbers to a first call compared to the response before regionalization.
I trust these answers will reassure Ms. Tehrani about her concerns.
Vincent Giusto
Director of Public Works, Weehawken