Grand Marshal for St. Patty’s Day Parade announced
Bill Noonan, a member of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee for ten years, will be the grand marshal for the Hoboken St. Patrick’s Day parade on March 5.
Other honorees named by the parade committee include Kathleen Caulfield Critides, Irishwoman of the Year; Tom Foley, Irishman of the Year; Freeholder Anthony Romano, Honorary Irishman of the Year; Kevin Houghton, Irish Policeman of the Year; and Jim Wallington, Irish Firefighter of the Year.
A Hoboken Irish Party held by the committee will be on Sunday, Feb. 20 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Our Lady of Grace School Auditorium on Willow Avenue at Fifth Street.
The Hoboken Irish Party will feature live music, dancing, a hot corned beef dinner and an open bar. Tickets for the party are $50 each and can be purchased in advance at Mulligan’s and Willie McBride’s, or call (201) 420-7842. The Hoboken St. Patrick’s Parade Committee has also made arrangements for the Annual St. Patrick’s Mass at Our Lady of Grace Church to take place at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 26. For more information, visit www.hobokensaintpatricksparade.org.
City to present Black Youth Empowerment Luncheon on Feb. 19
On Saturday, Feb. 19, musical artist Joell Ortiz will make a guest appearance at the Richard Hicks Black Youth Empowerment Luncheon at the Hoboken Boys and Girls Club, 123 Jefferson St. from 1 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. The inspirational speaker this year is Executive Director of the Housing Authority Carmelo Garcia, and the keynote speaker is Pastor Malcom Cummins.
County seeks bids on 14th Street Viaduct project
Hudson County is seeking bids this month for an expected $55 million reconstruction of the 14th Street Viaduct connecting Hoboken with Union City.
County Engineer Bob Jasek said the county expects to receive bids shortly, and if one proves acceptable, construction on the two and a half-year long project could start by mid-year.
The federally-funded project was initiated by Hudson County after the collapse of the I-35W Mississippi River Bridge in Minneapolis. The project is being administered through the County, the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority, and the New Jersey Department of Transportation.
“We will be keeping the bridge open to traffic both ways during the whole project,” Jasek said.
Two lanes of the bridge will be reconstructed, leaving the other two lanes to allow traffic to continue.
The 14th Street Viaduct is about one quarter of a mile long and rises more than 70 feet, carrying an estimated 20,000 vehicles a day. Because the 100-year-old structure is considered a landmark, New Jersey’s Historic Preservation Office has required that certain steps be taken to have the replacement conform to certain design requirements.
Hoboken’s State of City address to take place in DeBaun Auditorium at Stevens
Mayor Dawn Zimmer announced last week that her upcoming State of the City address will be on Feb. 22 at 7 p.m., and now the location is set. It will be held at the DeBaun Auditorium on the campus of Stevens Institute of Technology, according to city spokesperson Juan Melli.
The State of the City is something unusual for Hoboken, and not a common practice for past mayors.
The DeBaun Center is located in Edwin A. Stevens Hall, on Fifth Street between Hudson and River streets.
Restaurant near uptown road collapse shut down
The restaurant Lua has been shut down temporarily due to construction hazards which stem from the October 2010 road collapse of Sinatra Drive North, near 14th Street, according to a Fox5 report. The report also said the workers at the restaurant have been laid off. Lua is looking forward to celebrating a re-grand opening, according to an employee.
The Hudson County Board of Freeholders voted on Jan. 13 to approve a $2.1 million contract to Sparwick Contracting, Inc., of Lafayette, N.J., for the repair of the road. The work stabilizing the section will be completed by May, according to officials. They said the work has been ongoing even during the recent snowstorms in order to make sure the area is stable.
Hoboken High School commemorates ‘Go Red for Women’
Students and faculty at Hoboken High School (HHS) participated in a Go Red for Women health campaign, sponsored by the American Heart Association, the HHS Hispanic Culture Club, HHS Student Council, HHS Class of 2014, and the audio/video department, according to a release.
Go Red for Women is a movement started by the AHA in 2004 to increase awareness of heart disease in women.
The students created a music video entitled “Hoboken High School goes Red,” which will be aired on Hoboken Channel 77 in the coming weeks.
The video, created under the direction of Doug MacAulay, a video production teacher, Christopher Munoz, a History teacher, and Edward Barfield, an English teacher, will also appear on YouTube and the American Heart Association website.
“This was a way to heighten awareness for the students and promote a healthy lifestyle while having some fun with it as well,” Munoz said in a release.
City recommends planner for downtown Hoboken terminal redevelopment project
A review team in Hoboken made up of city officials and members of community groups has unanimously recommended Wallace Roberts & Todd, LLC to conduct the redevelopment plan for the first phase of work near the downtown Hoboken Terminal. The proposed contract is not to exceed $77,000. Before Wallace Roberts & Todd, LLC can begin work with Hoboken, they must first be approved by the City Council. A resolution will be put forth at the Feb. 16 council meeting.
NJ Transit is proposing development downtown near the site of the Hoboken Terminal, including the construction of an 18-story office building. NJ Transit officials have said a “world class tenant” is interested in the proposed office property.
Mayor Dawn Zimmer has pushed for the city to establish an inter-local agreement, which would give Hoboken more of a say in the development alongside NJ Transit.
Zimmer is continuing to negotiate the agreement to clarify that the city “has authority over the redevelopment process for the entire 52-acre project,” according to a city release.
Hoboken introduces new City Assistant Comptroller
Tejal Desai, formerly of the Hoboken Municipal Hospital Authority, has been introduced as the new Assistant Comptroller for the city of Hoboken.
Desai will be responsible for advising the administration on the city’s financial condition and making recommendations on fiscal policies and financial transactions, according to a city press release.
Assistant comptroller is a position that hasn’t been filled recently, but is in Hoboken’s employee organization table, according to Mayor Dawn Zimmer.
The job is full-time, and Desai will earn $80,000 annually.
“Given the history of what’s happened in Hoboken, it is important that we continue to rebuild the finance department,” Zimmer said Monday.
Desai received an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago, and worked in public finance investment banking for Bank of America and in the Corporate Treasure Department of the Dow Chemical Company, according to the city release.