Pedestrian friendly plaza approved on Newark Avenue
After having addressed many of the concerns over access to businesses, a divided Jersey City Council voted 6 to 3 on July 15 to permanently close a portion of Newark Avenue near Grove Street to create a pedestrian plaza near several downtown businesses.
Councilmen Richard Boggiano, Michael Yun, and Daniel Rivera voted against the measure.
The one-block stretch from Erie to Grove streets was originally developed as a pilot program last year, although some members of the public and City Council members raised concerns about emergency vehicles and others accessing doctors’ offices and other businesses.
Boggiano said this closed one of the main avenues in and out of the Grove Street area.
Downtown Councilwoman Candice Osborne said all the concerns raised last year have been taken into account.
“I’ve been working on this legislation for over a year in partnership with the Downtown SID and Harsimus Cove Neighborhood Association,” she said. “Brian Platt from the Mayor’s Office volunteered to be the project manager for the plaza and has done an excellent job and keeping everyone coordinated.”
She called the change “very exciting.”
Mayor Fulop moves to Jersey City Heights
A cheerful Jersey City Mayor Fulop confirmed last week that he and his girlfriend Jaclyn Thompson will be moving to new digs in the Riverview section of Jersey City Heights.
The mayor has closed on home on Odgen Avenue, an area of the Heights that overlooks Hoboken and borders the Washington Park area near Union City. The three-bedroom home has a vast skyline view.
Zillow assesses the home at $739,000. However, it last sold for $415,000 three years ago.
Laughing, Fulop, who was accompanied by Thompson at the Fourth of July festivities in Liberty State Park, confirmed that he will be moving shortly.
Fulop has been long said to be a future contender for governor of New Jersey.
Sugartown 5K run will help grieving mother
Hudson County Board of Chosen Freeholders and Hudson County Executive Thomas DeGise sponsor the Second Annual Sugartown Charity 5KRun/Walk (Speak Out-Stop Domestic Violence. The event will take place on July 19, 2015 at Liberty State Park, South Cove, Audrey Zapp Drive in Jersey City.
This year, the Sugartown Charity 5K is dedicated in memory of Damien Rose Bruno, who was 3 months old when he was killed at the hands of his father. Damien’s mother survived the attack, a victim of domestic violence.
Proceeds from this event will benefit Damien’s mother, Saydee Lee Figueroa, and Women Rising of Jersey City. Women Rising has been helping women and their families for over 100 years. Women Rising assists women in the workforce development and job placement, provides safety and shelter from domestic violence conflict and provides safe homes for children.
City worker resigns over anti-Fulop email
A city employee that issued a scathing negative critique of Mayor Steven Fulop and allegedly sent it to other employees has resigned, according to city spokesperson Jennifer Morrill.
Among the accusations, the email claimed Fulop had sold out the city.
Morrill said the employee who resigned had improperly used the city email system for the diatribe, although the city has yet to determine if the person who sent out the email was also its author.
A possible motivation for the email was the fear that the city may plan to privatize some of the police and fire dispatchers.
CarePoint names a new chief of systems operations
CarePoint Healthcare announced the appointment of W. Peter Daniels as executive vice president and system chief operating officer. In this senior leadership role, Daniels will supervise the overall system operations at CarePoint Health including all three hospitals (in Hoboken, Bayonne, and Jersey City), out-patient facilities and physician offices. He brings over 30 years of experience in hospital administration and management to the system.
“We could not be more excited for Peter to join us,” said CarePoint Health Chief Executive Officer Dennis Kelly. “His wide range of experience and depth of knowledge will allow him to hit the ground running as we continue to invest in our people and infrastructure to better serve our communities for decades to come.”
Daniels joins the leadership team along with Kirat Kharode, Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer, who joined CarePoint Health from Jersey City Medical Center this spring. In this role, Kharode has been charged with developing a direction for organizational growth and ensuring that CarePoint Health continues to meet the needs of the community.
“Kirat is one of the rising stars in healthcare in our region and we are excited to have him as part of our leadership team,” said Kelly. “He will allow us to focus on providing the right care at the right time in the right setting for the patients we serve.”
Prior to joining CarePoint Health, W. Peter Daniels was Chief Operating Officer of Hospital Services at Cook County Health and Hospital System, a large and complex health care system in Illinois. Throughout his career, Daniels has not only led several high profile projects, he’s held numerous senior leadership positions at major New York/Metropolitan area health care systems including as president of Ocean Medical Center, a member of the Meridian Health System in New Jersey.
Daniels received a bachelor’s of science degree from the University of Notre Dame, a master’s degree in Business Administration with a specialty in finance and quantitative analysis from Long Island University and is a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives. He was a co-founder of a telecommunications company, has co-authored several professional publications, and has taught graduate students in business administration at Mercy College in New York, and a course in public health at Elmhurst College in Illinois. He has lectured extensively, has served on numerous boards and has been an active participant in many community activities, including as a volunteer for the American Heart Association, American Cancer Society and Boy Scouts of America.
‘Relationship Happiness’ coach to speak at open house
An open house event on July 23, 6:30 p.m., at Alaris Health at the Atrium Assisted Living, will feature guest speaker Sally Warren discussing “Relationship Happiness.” A PhD in Holistic Life Coaching, a doctor of naturopathic metaphysical psychology, a nutritional consultant, and a master herbalist, Warren is also an ordained nondenominational minister, certified instructor, and energy healer.
The open house starts at 6:30 p.m. at 330 Ninth St., Jersey City, and snacks and refreshments will be served. A door prize will be raffled off. For reservations call (201) 716-8004.
Rock ‘n’ roll barbeque
Lucky 7’s is holding a rock and roll barbeque at 322 Second Street on Saturday, July 18 from 1 p.m. until closing. The event features a number of local bands starting off with Head Cheerleader at 1 p.m. followed by Sunshine and the Rain, Windsor Field, Bern & the Brights, Overlake, Coy Kids, Desir Decir, Sharkmuffin, the Money Shot and Wyldlife.
City Hall declared an area in need of redevelopment
The Jersey City Council voted this month to seek redevelopment status for City Hall as well as the parking lots near it, and a property owned by Silverman on York Street.
The parking lot, which is primarily used by city employees, could be developed into market rate housing if the Jersey Planning Board agrees to allow the designation.
The 110-year-old City Hall itself suffered significant damage as result of the Hurricane Sandy.
Councilmen Richard Boggiano and Michael Yun voted against the measure.
City gets $200,000 grant for ‘healthier’ Jersey City
The state Department of Health and Human Services announced this week that the City of Jersey City has been awarded one of 10 four-year, $200,000 grants from New Jersey Health Initiatives and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to support Mayor Fulop’s Partnership for a HealthierJC.
The grant funds support multi-sector, community-focused coalitions under NJHI: Building a Culture of Health in New Jersey – Communities Moving to Action, an initiative to strengthen communities across New Jersey to make sustainable system changes and policy-oriented, long-term solutions for healthier living.
Grant funded communities have received $50,000 for their first year, with an additional $150,000 granted in total over the final three grant years (provided the coalition members raise at least $35,000 in matching funding during the final two years of the initiative). During the first year, teams from each coalition will participate in a Boundary Spanning Leadership Institute, to develop tools and build skills to work on multi-faceted community issues, culminating in the development of an action plan to collectively address the most pressing needs of their community.
Bitcoin arrives in Jersey City
ATM manufacturer Kointron installed this week the state’s first bitcoin ATM at the Smoke Shop in Journal Square, the busiest area of city.
This ATM, however, will take a larger service fee than typical, from 8 to 15 percent.
Kointron also has plans to open an ATM in Hoboken next, and expand throughout New York and across the nation.
Hudson County director of corrections to retire
Hudson County Director of Corrections Oscar Aviles will retire as of Aug. 1, said Hudson County Executive Tom DeGise.
Deputy Director of Corrections Tish Nalls will succeed him.
Aviles, 49, served 26 years in the Hudson County Corrections Department and was appointed director in 2004.
Aviles is credited with significantly enhancing the skills and professionalism of both officers and supervisors as well as developing programs to reduce recidivism among discharged inmates.
He recently came to an agreement with Union County to share youth detention services, eliminating the need for the youth facility previously houses in Secaucus.
“It is with sadness, but great appreciation for his outstanding service, I accepted the news from Director Aviles regarding his planned retirement,” said DeGise. “Oscar has become a national leader in the field of corrections, recognized for his humane and innovative approach to the vexing issues facing county correctional facilities in urban areas where the cycle of addiction and incarceration exacts a brutal toll on those caught up in it and demands ever-higher bills for taxpayers.”
Local officials oppose NJ Transit fare hike
Mayor Steven M. Fulop along with the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) and a group called New Jersey for Transit issued a statement on July 15 condemning New Jersey Transit’s decision to raise fares by nine percent and eliminate six bus lines and two train lines, which was approved despite viable immediate and long-term solutions presented by the “Fight the Hike Campaign.”
“While I am disappointed in today’s decision by the NJ Transit Board members, I am not surprised as this has been the pattern of leadership at the agency,” said Mayor Fulop. “NJ Transit should be exploring the expansion of transit and building the strong transit system commuters deserve to create long-term sustainability as we outlined. Working families in Jersey City don’t need an added tax and there are alternative measures to fixing NJ Transit’s budget issues.”
In Hoboken, a one-way bus ticket to Port Authority Bus Terminal will cost 30 cents extra starting in October. A one-way train ticket from Clifton to Hoboken will cost 25 cents extra. The 12:15 a.m. train departing Hoboken on the Pascack Valley Line will be eliminated.
The latest fare hike by New Jersey Transit’s is the fifth since 2002 and will affect the 47.3 percent of Jersey City residents who rely on mass transit to get to and from work, Fulop said.
Mayor Fulop in partnership with ATU launched in May an aggressive campaign called “Fight the Hike,” a non-profit entity, to raise awareness around NJ Transit’s fare hike and service cut proposal.
The Fight the Hike Campaign presented a three-pronged approach to eliminate the $60 million NJ Transit budget shortfall. The measures outlined included requiring NJ Transit to sell all vacant parcels of land owned by the agency statewide, establishing Transit Oriented Development (TOD) in urban areas as well as suburbs, and expanding bus and train capacity as ridership increases.
“I am deeply disappointed with the fare hikes and service cuts that NJ Transit approved,” said Assemblyman Carmelo Garcia (D-33) in a statement. “Raising fares while cutting service has a double negative impact on those residents. This is a time when public transportation should be encouraged and promoted, not cut and made more expensive.”
City taking applications for senior farmers market nutrition voucher
Applications for vouchers for the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP) for the 2015 season are now available.
The SFMNP program, which is funded annually through the federal Farm Bill, provides low-income seniors with vouchers that can be spent on fresh fruits and vegetables at our local farmers’ markets. This year, Jersey City has been allocated enough vouchers to serve at least 2,500 seniors.
This year’s income guidelines for senior farmers’ market vouchers for qualifying seniors are $21,775 maximum for individuals and $29,471 maximum for married couples. In 2015, couples may apply using a single application, instead of having to fill out 2 separate applications. Only Jersey City residents age 60 or older are eligible to apply. (Please bring valid ID with Jersey City address.)
Applications will be processed in the order in which they were received by the Department of HHS. The SFMNP vouchers for approved applicants are ready for distribution now. The vouchers will remain valid from July through November 30 of 2015.
This year, applications for vouchers can be obtained from the Division of Senior Citizen Affairs, at 199 Summit Avenue, Suite C2, Jersey City, NJ 07304. Residents may call (201) 547-5750, email ecclestonj@jcnj.org, or visit the Senior Citizen Affairs office to obtain an application and pickup a voucher in person.
Marion Branch Library closed until July 20
The Marion Branch Library, 1017 West Side Avenue, of the Jersey City Free Public Library will be closed until July 20 due to water damage from a roof leak.
The floor at the storefront branch sustained water damage, with library maintenance fixing the floor during the four-day closure. According to Chief Librarian Hussein Odeh, Branch Head Dolores Reyes had contacted the landlord, who agreed to fix the roof during those four days. The Marion Branch Library will reopen on Monday, July 20.
“The water damage, luckily, is not severe, and with both areas being fixed at the same time, the Marion Branch will be ready for the public on time,” said Chief Librarian Hussein Odeh. “As always, we apologize for any inconvenience.”
Gazebo floor collapses
A large section of floor at the Lincoln Park gazebo collapsed on July 12. Nobody was hurt, county officials said.
Freeholder Bill O’Dea said the county will authorize a contractor currently doing work on the fountain to do an emergency repair.
The gazebo was constructed at some point prior to World War II.
Saturday ‘Jump Start’ up and running again
The Jersey City Economic Development Corporation (EDC) announced this week the return of ‘Saturday Jump Starts,’ free career enrichment and college preparatory sessions offered in partnership with local companies, colleges, universities and nonprofit organizations.
The program, which is part of Mayor Fulop’s JC Summer Works youth employment initiative, is supported though a $15,000 grant from Activas.
Through Saturday Jump Starts, residents, ages 15 to 21, can earn certifications in digital literacy, CPR and babysitting, develop financial literacy skills with Operation Hope, hone their public speaking skills, and tour local companies. Participants can also earn community service credit from the Jersey City Public Schools. The program kicked off last week with a Babysitter Certification Course offered by the American Red Cross at the Bethune Community Center at 140 Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive.
The goal of the Saturday Jump Start Program is to expand horizons for younger Jersey City residents by providing them with real opportunities to learn new skills and to network with professionals and peers. This year, through the generous support of Actavis, the program has expanded the range and diversity of its events, including more college tours in partnership with local colleges and universities at Hudson County Community College, New Jersey City University, Rutgers University-New Brunswick and Farleigh Dickinson University.
Additional program partners include Jersey City Medical Center, American Red Cross, Operation Hope, and the Jersey City Public Schools.
The ‘Saturday Jump Start’ workshops are offered every Saturday through August 14th. To participate in the workshops, youth must register in advance at www.jerseycitysummerworks.org.