Sewage line break causes water warning
Raw sewage flowed into the upper bay area of New York Harbor nearly Liberty State Park all the way to the Kill Van Kull at the tip of Bayonne after a sewer main ruptured on Nov. 20.
“Crews located the leak yesterday afternoon (Nov. 23) and have begun repairs, which are expected to go until Tuesday,” said Jennifer Morrill, spokesperson for Jersey City
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection said the public should avoid contact with water until further notice. This warning extends to fishing and other activities that take place near and on local waterways.
The 54-inch high pressure sewer line near broken near the Hudson Bergen Light Rail Line between Martin Luther King Drive and Randolph Avenue.
In order to make the repair, the Jersey City Municipal Utilities Authority had to discharge untreated sewage into the waterways, according to the DEP.
The condition of the existing sewage and water systems has been a concern of residents and community groups in Eastern Jersey City, who believe that increased development has put an additional burden on existing resources.
Fulop promotes small business
Two days before the start of the Holiday shopping season, New Jersey Main Street Alliance, small business owners, and Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop assembled at Word Bookstore and Café in Jersey City asking people to stay home on Thanksgiving, then to shop locally on Saturday, Nov. 29.
“Jersey City offers many great small business shopping options for this holiday season,” said Mayor Fulop. “Unlike the big chain stores, these local businesses are the backbone of our city’s economy. I would ask all New Jerseyans to stay home on Thanksgiving and enjoy your family, then come to Jersey City or the Main Street in your town and shop locally on Small Business Saturday.”
For Small Business Saturday, local businesses offer special discounts, some exclusive to American Express card holders.
Council to eliminate employee parking
Confronted with a court ruling that the city must continue to provide parking to city employees if spots are available in the area of the municipal court, the City Council – over the objections of several council members – is expected to eliminate the parking spots to make way for private development.
By selling off the municipal-owned land, the city gets out of the obligation to provide employees with parking near the city’s police/fire/court complex on Summit Avenue.
At the Nov. 24 caucus meeting, council members Richard Boggiano and Michael Yun said the city should retain the parking lot in order to avoid having city employees and others who currently use the lot spill over onto local streets. Yun suggested that the parking lot located at 362 Summit Ave. might be made available overnight to local residents to reduce parking congestion.
While Councilman Frank Gajewski said the city is not obliged to provide parking for city employees, Councilwoman Candice Osborn said the city should have a “plan b” to accommodate parking impacts.
Councilwoman Diane Coleman supports the sale of land because it would put the property back on the tax rolls.
The change if approved at the Dec. 17 meeting would phase out the parking at the lot, leaving 35 spots available over the 18 months the construction of the new residential building will take.
One man arrested in Eighth Street armed robbery
A surveillance camera helped in the arrest of one of three suspects in an armed robbery on Nov. 18 after the victim could not identify them.
A 29-year old man was robbed at gunpoint by three men wearing ski masks on Nov. 18. Although the police picked up the three men and found one later with a ski mask, the victim was unable to identify them. Later, however, police were notified by an ambulance company employee about men going through a leather messenger bag – stolen in the robbery. From the video, police were able to identify the three men stopped earlier as possible suspects in the robbery. One of these was later arrested. The police are currently seeking the other two.
The robbery took place at about 8:30 p.m. near Eighth Street when one of the three men pointed a handgun – believed to be a 9mm Beretta. After punching the victim in the stomach several times, they fled with his bag containing $250 in cash as well as an umbrella, black gloves, a cellular phone charge and a bag of brownies.
A police unit responding to a description of clothing the suspects wore stopped three men near Chestnut Street and Pavonia Avenue. The victim, however, could not identify them because the men who had robbed him were wearing ski masks.
Based on the video tape, the police arrested and charged Enrique Pryor with the robbery. The other two suspects are still being sought, a police spokesperson said.
Jersey City to mark World AIDS Day
For the 27th year, Jersey City will commemorate World AIDS Day on Dec 1 at City Hall.
Local officials, health official and clergy are expected to talk and the event will include display of AIDS Memorial Quilt and a candlelight vigil. Free HIV testing will be provided. The event will be held in City Council Chambers from at 280 Grove St. from 3 to 7 p.m.
City to save $2.5 million with bond refinancing
Mayor Steven M. Fulop said this week that the city has saved taxpayers more than $2.5 million in future debt service payments by refinancing approximately $68 million in outstanding bonds. The savings came about because of an improved bond rating for Jersey City.
Earlier this month, financial investors service firm Moody’s announced that it had upgraded Jersey City’s municipal bond rating to an A1 with stable outlook citing the City’s “improved financial position” and “rising income levels.” The report by Moody’s further noted that Jersey City’s A1 stable rating is higher than that of the State of New Jersey, who has an A1 negative rating.
“We saw an opportunity to lower our debt service by refinancing our bonds, which provides added funds in our budget so we can continue to hire additional police officers and firefighters, improve city parks and infrastructure, and create more recreational opportunities for our youth,” said Mayor Fulop. “This year, when we crafted our first budget we began looking toward the future to develop a framework and bond refinancing was one of our objectives. I am pleased we were able to achieve these significant savings for the taxpayers.”
According to the report issued by Moody’s, the service has assigned an A1 rating with a stable outlook to Jersey City’s $34.7 million General Obligation Bonds, Series 2014. Concurrently, Moody’s has upgraded Jersey City’s underlying general obligation rating to A1 with a stable outlook from A2 with a positive outlook, affecting $833 million of city and city-guaranteed long-term general obligation bonds.
HCCC Foundation to hold holiday extravaganza on Dec. 4
The Hudson County Community College (HCCC) Foundation’s 17th Annual “Holiday Extravaganza” gala will take place on Thursday, Dec. 4 at 6 p.m. at the College’s Culinary Conference Center, 161 Newkirk Street in Jersey City. Proceeds from the event – the largest and most festive of all of the Foundation’s fundraisers – will be dedicated to scholarships for deserving students, faculty development programs, and the College’s physical expansion. The theme of this year’s event is “Travel back to the beginning … 1974,” in celebration of the College’s 40th Anniversary.
Hudson County Executive Thomas A. DeGise will be honored at the gala in recognition for his steadfast support of Hudson County Community College and its students. The Foundation “Holiday Extravaganza” features a hospitality hour and gourmet dinner feast prepared by the chefs/instructors of the College’s nationally acclaimed Culinary Arts Institute, with service provided by students from the HCCC Culinary Arts Institute/Hospitality Management program.
A limited number of tickets still available at a cost of $500 each. These may be purchased by phoning HCCC Vice President for Development Joseph Sansone at 201-360-4006 or emailing jsansone@hccc.edu.
Historic downtown one of the most expensive to rent in
Market Watch, a realty website, said Historic Downtown Jersey City is one of the most expensive places to rent in the nation.
“There’s a high inventory of low-rise buildings and brownstones, complemented by parks and cultural attractions, in downtown Jersey City,” the report said. “It’s also just across the Hudson River from Manhattan. It costs, on average, $3,068 to rent a one-bedroom apartment in this area.”
The site said the single most important factor when choosing an apartment or rental home to live in among the 2,500 people surveyed by Apartments.com, was affordability and low rent. The website assembled the most expensive neighborhoods in the nation, among which was Historic Downtown Jersey City. This started with the 20 urban areas with the highest cost of living, and the least affordable neighborhoods. Historic Downtown was among the 14 most expensive places to live in the nation, according to this account.