State Park proposed as starting point for Ground Zero visitors
At a recent public hearing, a proposal was floated that would avoid traffic congestion in Manhattan caused by visitors to the new 9/11 Memorial at Ground Zero. The plan calls for visitors to drive to Liberty State Park in Jersey City instead.
They would then take a ferry to Battery Park and walk to the memorial from there. This would also lessen crowding on PATH trains.
Sam Pesin, president of the Friends of Liberty State Park, told the Jersey City Reporter, “Ground Zero visitors must pay to park in the ferry lot across from the park’s Liberty Landing Marina, where the water taxi dock is. The ferry parking lot bonds have not been paid off yet, so the additional revenue from parking would help pay off those bonds, and in the future, parking revenue from Ground Zero visitors would benefit Liberty State Park. But there must not be any more parking lots built in Liberty State Park.”
Mayor to give State of the City address
Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy will give a state of the city address on March 16 at 6 p.m. at City Hall, 280 Grove St. The speech will include such topics as public safety and the city budget, and it will outline his top accomplishments and future initiatives.
Request for state funds to restore city landmark to be revised
One of Jersey City’s most historic landmarks is the Apple Tree House at 298 Academy St., reportedly where George Washington met the Marquis de Lafayette. A decades’ long restoration is nearing completion.
The City Council was scheduled to approve an $800,000 request for grant funding from the state for the project but pulled the request in light of the state’s austere budget proposals. City officials will revise the plans to lower the cost before the request is resubmitted to the council. The city plans to relocate the Cultural Affairs office to the Apple Tree House.
Chili Cookoff is on!
4th Street Arts will host its second annual chili cookoff on Sunday March 6 from 2 to 6 p.m. at Parlay Studios, 161 Second St. in Jersey City. The event is designed to promote awareness of the local artist community and raise proceeds for local art and music initiatives. A variety of chili-cooking competitors will be judged by their peers. There will also be live music. $5 admission. Visit www.4thstreetarts.com
Fulop endorses slate for BOE
Ward E City Councilman Steven Fulop has announced his endorsement of three candidates for the upcoming Board of Education election. The election for the school board will be held on Wed., April 27.
In a statement released last week, Fulop announced his support for Carol Harrison-Arnold, Marvin Adames, and incumbent Sue Mack. The three candidates will run together as a slate.
“I couldn’t be more excited about these three candidates,” said Fulop “In addition to one incumbent, we are looking to encourage a new wave of young activists who are smart and capable and who care about making the schools meaningfully better. We are trying to get past the days when the Board of Education was used as a political patronage dumping ground. My hope is that we are going to run these candidates hard and get them elected. They are running for the right reason: to improve the schools, not for politics.”
Adames currently works as the chief municipal prosecutor in Newark. Harrison-Arnold, who also holds a law degree, is the former president of the Lincoln High School Parents Council, a board member at Hoboken Charter School, the president of Monticello Community Development Corp., and a director of Jersey City Episcopal Community Development Corp. Mack is a five-term member of the board and is a past board president.
The Jersey City Education Association, the teachers’ union, has also endorsed Harrison-Arnold, Adames, and Mack.
A slate of three Fulop-endorsed candidates swept the 2010 elections last spring. Should at least two of Fulop’s candidates win this year, a majority of the nine seats on the school board would be allied with the councilman.
A Fulop-backed majority on the council would have a significant impact politically. The councilman is widely assumed to be gearing up for a 2013 run for mayor. Also, his allies on the board could force a decision to conduct a national search for a new superintendent of schools.
Other candidates are likely to enter the race by the filing deadline, Tuesday, March 8.
Cooking oil to be used for fuel
The Jersey City Economic Development Corporation has teamed up with Greased Lightning, a company that specializes in recycling cooking oil. Recycled oil is sent to local refineries where it is converted into bio-diesel fuel, a substitute for diesel fuel. Instead of paying to have their grease carted away, restaurants will be paid 10 cents for each gallon collected. Nearly 60 local businesses have been recruited.
Judge denies request for overseer for Liberty Humane Society
On Tuesday, Superior Court Judge Thomas Olivieri denied the request of a group of former Liberty Humane Society volunteers that an outside person be appointed to manage the LHS shelter in Jersey City. The judge said the plaintiffs had not provided enough testimony from witnesses to show the need for an outside overseer.
The volunteers sued last year charging former and current shelter board members and employees with eight counts, including racketeering and extortion. Olivieri also said that most of the charges were not in his jurisdiction and referred them to Hudson County Superior Court.
Habitat for Humanity Hudson County taps new officers
Habitat for Humanity of Hudson County elected a new president and appointed three new board members. David Donnelly, Jersey City councilman (Ward B) and senior program manager for the United Way of Hudson County, will serve as president. Newly appointed board members are Graciela Cruz-Beyer, first vice president and controller at Kearny Federal Savings Bank, Erich Sekel, associate director of campus ministry at St. Peter’s College in Jersey City, and Bridget Hamill, associate at Murray, Frank and Sailer LLP law firm in New York City.
Jean Quinn of The Provident Bank, former president of HHHC, will remain on the Board of Directors. Secretary John Frey, previously with Pascack Valley Hospital, and Treasurer Olga Del Rio of The Provident Bank will remain officers and board members.
HHHC promotes home ownership with volunteers building houses in partnership with Hudson County residents in need of adequate housing. www.habitathudsoncounty.org.
Girl Scouts welcome acclaimed author
The Biblioteca Criolla in partnership with Girl Scouts Heart of New Jersey will welcome acclaimed author and academic advisor for ASPIRA, Edna Zalenski, on March 23. Zalenski will discuss her book, Los Cuentos de mi Abuelito (The Stories of my Grandfather), and present Voces Latina, a hands-on workshop about the importance of writing, writing formats, calligraphy, and relaxation exercises to improve writing. The workshop is open to girls in grades 6 and up. The event is from 1:30-3:30 p.m. at the Biblioteca Criolla, Jersey City Public Library, 4th floor, 472 Jersey Avenue, Jersey City. Register by March 15 by contacting Maria Villalobos at (973) 842-4241 or Mvillalobos@gshnj.org. The event is free for registered members of Girl Scouts and $12 for non-members. Reserve early. Visit www.gshnj.org.
New law will spur banks to serve low-income areas
State Senator Sandra B. Cunningham, who serves Bayonne and the southern part of Jersey City, sponsored a bill that gives banks incentives to operate in underserved low-income areas. The bill, which was put forward as a result of the sudden closure of Bank of America in the HUB shopping center on Martin Luther King Drive, was signed into law last week.
The bill will allow municipalities to establish, in conjunction with the Department of Banking and Insurance, banking districts in areas that have significant populations but no access to commercial banks. Commercial banks that open in these districts would be eligible to serve as a depository for state and or municipal funds.