Three city charter schools felt the sting of election year politics, as money they had hoped to garner was swept away in a vote by the City Council, but those who torpedoed the funds said they had reservations about funding the schools in light other projects they deemed worthier.
In the end, the council approved more than $14 million in federal grant money for a number of projects around the city, but the vote left charter school supporters bitter at those who opposed the funding.
“They should be ashamed of themselves,” said Eliu Rivera, head of PACO, a local Puerto Rican group that shepherded the Liberty Community Charter School on 100 Monitor St. His school was up for $185,000 in federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding.
Ground was recently broken on the $8.5 million school, which Rivera hopes to open in September. The current PACO school is housed in trailers on Warren Street. Rivera said he would seek other sources to get the money to construct a gymnasium at the school.
In addition, nearly $400,000 was slated to go to Learning Community Charter School, an existing school on Canal Street at the foot of Grove, and about $235,000 was to fund the Urban League of Hudson County’s Whitney M. Young Educational Facility. But Ward A Councilman Robert Cavanaugh amended the resolution so that no money went to the schools, and instead redistributed the money to the Jersey City Division of Community Development and sent $635,000 to the Jersey City Redevelopment Agency for future work in the Morris Canal area, in Lafayette.
The amendment passed 5-4, those voting against included Rev. Fernando Colon, Council President Tom DeGise, Councilman Bill Gaughan and Mariano Vega.
The final measure to approve all the funding passed, 8-1. Only Vega voted in the negative.
Cavanaugh explained the move prior to the vote.
“There’s a finite amount of dollars with a limited amount of programs,” he said. He argued that money should instead go toward building recreation centers.
Other council members, like Bill Gaughan, had pointed out that the charter school facilities could be used to house a variety of community programs.
Council members had in the past raised questions over the legality of providing funding to charter schools.
The state law establishing charter schools prohibits municipal funding in the construction of the schools, but does not give guidance on expansion. The city had in the past gotten federal approval for the funding, but sought this past week the opinion of Housing and Urban Development. In a Feb. 26 letter, a director in the Newark office said that the office could not provide a “blanket determination of fundability without information that describes a specific proposal.”
That said, Kathleen Naymola, a director at HUD, found that an “‘area benefit’ activity is considered to benefit low/moderate income persons if the benefits are available to all residents of an area that is primarily residential in character.”
A founder of the Learning Community school, Caryn Rogoff, reacted bitterly following the vote. “I’m really disappointed,” she said. “I feel it was a cynical political move.”
Others had less tempered views.
“I thought it was one of the most politically asinine things I’ve ever seen,” said Tom Gallagher, Mayor Bret Schundler’s chief of staff. He said that those who voted against the funding had likely alienated the black, Latino, and young professional votes.
Council President Tom DeGise objected to the terms of the debate.
“It comes down to if you’re pro-charter schools, [then] you’re anti other schools,” the Snyder High School career counselor complained. As the vote went down, those in attendance rose from their seats and turned their backs on the council.
“We are not turning our backs on the people of Jersey City,” said Mary Donnelly, apparently in response to the silent protest.
Korean vets get statue
After three years of searching for a site, Korean War veterans were rewarded Wednesday night with a resolution authorizing the construction of a statue in their honor.
The statue would be built on Grand Street near the waterfront between the two Hartz-Mountain Buildings.
“It’s been very frustrating,” said Joe Casella, president of the Korean War Veterans of Hudson County. He said that 22 local war veterans had passed away in the past few years. “This site,” he said, “on the foot of Grand Street, would be wonderful.”
The veterans protested at City Hall several weeks ago over their inability to get a site in the city. Sixty-seven Jersey City residents died in the conflict, while 135 Hudson County residents perished.
Liberty Harbor North Redevelopment delayed
After an amendment to a massive redevelopment plan won Planning Board approval two weeks ago, the city is seeking more time to review the plan before sending it to the City Council for a vote.
The ordinance to amend the plan for Liberty Harbor North, an area in excess of 70 acres south of Grand Street, was withdrawn before it went to a vote Wednesday.
“It’s such a diverse plan,” said Councilman and Redevelopment Agency chairman Bill Gaughan, “so delaying it for two weeks is not a monumental thing. If we’re going to do this, let’s do it right.”
The city’s law department and outside legal counsel will be reviewing the amendments to the plan, which names developers Peter Mocco, and a joint venture of the Applied Companies with Shenckman-Kushner.
If approved, construction on the property could begin in the next several months, said Mocco business partner Jeff Zak.
Tax abatements, affordable housing agreements, for Barry
One tower of a two-tower, 55-story apartment building on Washington Blvd. at Bay Street, was awarded a 20-year tax abatement by the City Council Wednesday.
Developer David Barry said the group developing the site, Vector Urban Renewal, would begin construction in the next three to four months, and that the site could be completed in 18 months. The group will come back for a second abatement after the project is completed, he said.
Vector will make payments in lieu of taxes to the city of $1.5 million, with step-ups coming in subsequent years.
Rents at the luxury apartment break down as follows: a studio would cost $1,583, a one bedroom $1,833, a two bedroom $2,166, and a three bedroom $3,250.
The project, to be named “HarborSpire,” will be the tallest residential building in the state, said Barry. Barry also agreed to help find an affordable housing site with ACORN, a housing advocacy group. In a letter to Sharita Ulmer, Barry stated, “I commit to working with New Jersey ACORN to build an affordable housing development in Jersey City.”
ACORN has argued in the past that not enough affordable housing was being constructed in the city. Barry said he would be looking for a site in the Journal Square area.
A Newport project was also the recipient of a 20-year tax abatement. A 23-story, 415-room hotel to be constructed at the corner of Washington Blvd. and Thomas Gangemi Drive, it will pay the city $813,000 annually.