Two months ago, Christopher Findlay dreamed the possible dream. Or so he thought.
Findlay, a resident of the Heights, wanted to celebrate the Fourth of July at Fisk-Riverview Park by showcasing live music using Jersey City talent. “What would the Fourth of July be like without hearing the ‘Star Spangled Banner’ from the Jersey City Brass Band?” he asked last week.
Beginning in May, Findlay, a community activist who volunteers for the Meals on Wheels program, recruited musical acts for the event that included: The Jersey City Brass Band, Evelyn Rue, and Dog Food. In addition to music, he planned to have comedian/magician Eddie Ruiz and the dance troupe Caribbean Soul perform.
Only one thing stood in the way of Findlay: the permit.
“I filed for the permit at the beginning of June for the use of the park to watch the fireworks with live music,” Findlay said. But after repeatedly walking into bureaucratic stumbling blocks in an effort to obtain the permit required to hold such an event on public property, Findlay walked away with his dream deferred.
Although he is upset that the permit was denied, he said he would be happier if he knew “one direct reason why they won’t allow this.”
However, heads of various city agencies claim they gave Mr. Findlay a few direct reasons.
Taking it to the street
“He originally said he wanted to close Ogden Avenue off,” said Supervising Planner Monty Zucker. “However, the residents on the block have indicated that they don’t want the street blocked off on July 4th.”
Findlay acknowledged that Zucker explained to him the wishes of the Ogden Avenue residents.
According to Maryanne Kelleher, director of the Department of Recreation and cultural affairs, 75 percent of the residents must sign a petition of support to close off a street. The residents of Ogden Avenue, a street that runs through Fisk-Riverview Park, are often represented by a group known as the Riverview Neighborhood Association. Kelleher said that the group did not want the street to be closed. Vito Brunetti, the chairperson of the Association, was not available for comment last week.
Findlay said that the reason he filled out the form for street closure was because he thought it was required. “I was told by cultural affairs that I had to fill out every single form of paper work. They were very indecisive as far as what they wanted from us,” Findlay said last week.
Kelleher said that the department is trained to assist community members with the process, and would have been able to help him further if he had planned the event earlier.
But Findlay did not give up. “When I was a kid, my father told me never to stop if you believe in something,” he said. So he retracted his initial request to close off the street. That’s when he encountered another obstacle: liability insurance.
Catch-22
Findlay would have had to pay the city a few hundred dollars for a day’s worth of insurance, but he decided to raise the money from area businesses. He said that because he didn’t have a permit, some people were reluctant to donate.
According to Kelleher, in the first page of the 72-page special event planning packet, it states that you need to have $1 million in liability insurance. She said a few Jersey City insurance agencies sell “one-day special insurance policies” for a few hundred dollars.
“I can’t even think about giving out the permit if he doesn’t have insurance,” said Rodney Hadley, director of the Division Parks and Forestry. Because liability insurance is so vital, city agencies tell applicants to attach proof of insurance to the front of the application. The division of Parks and Forestry reviewed Findlay’s application.
Hadley said that he spoke to Findlay and explained that he needed insurance. Findlay acknowledged that Hadley did explain he needed liability insurance. Rather than purchase the liability insurance himself, he hoped to raise the necessary funds to purchase liability insurance from the help of some local sponsors.
“I talked to some grocery stores in the neighborhood about being a sponsor,” said Findlay. “And Swanson Realty was interested. But no one would help me until I showed them the permit. But I couldn’t get the permit without the liability insurance. I was caught between a rock and a hard place.”
Despite the explanations from the Division of Parks and Forestry and the Department of Cultural Affairs, Findlay was dissatisfied with the response. He intended to get the answer he wanted by questioning the City Council at Wednesday night’s meeting by delivering a 10-page speech.
Due to time constraints, Findlay was unable to get to the main point of his speech and never asked for the “one direct reason” he originally sought. He still intends to celebrate the Fourth of July at Fisk-Riverview Park, but without live music.
Meanwhile, the city officials involved said that they appreciated what Findlay wanted to do.
“I think that it’s good that community members want to participate and get things done,” said Director of Public Works Kevin Sluka.