North Bergen will supply emergency medical services to Guttenberg after the Board of Commissioners passed a resolution at their May 23 meeting.
From June 1 through May 31, 2019, North Bergen’s EMS division will give emergency medical and ambulance transportation services to its much smaller neighbor. Guttenberg requested the assistance, a reflection of the cooperative services between both towns. Guttenberg sends all of its students to North Bergen High School, another shared services agreement extending back for decades.
Emergency technicians will bill Guttenberg residents’ insurance policies for any work, as they already do in North Bergen.
They will only accept whatever residents’ insurance will cover, and not the difference, according to town officials. As a result, Guttenberg will not pay anything for the services. Currently, North Bergen’s EMS workers respond to around 6,000 calls a year, Township Administrator Chris Pianese said. However, adding Guttenberg shouldn’t bring much workload, as that town’s EMS workers only respond to around 600 annually.
“It’s a good agreement,” Pianese said. “We’re both going to feel out each side to see how it goes.”
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“It’s a good agreement. We’re both going to feel out each side to see how it goes.” – Chris Pianese
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West Side Avenue drainage project
The New Jersey Department of Transportation has struck a $9 million funding agreement with the town for roadway improvements to West Side Avenue. The funding will cover the entire project, including engineering costs. The work will pay for drainage and paving work on the street.
But before that, North Bergen will first test all the sewer lines on the street to see where they are failing, which will include hiring an outside company to televise all the lines via a camera system. That assessment itself will just cost around $300,000 to $400,000 to complete. The entire project will run around 24 months, according to Pianese. Last July, the commissioners passed a resolution to accept the money from the state, but the newest resolution officially approves the agreement. North Bergen Mayor and State Sen. Nicholas Sacco has worked with former Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto on allocating the money for the work in the past.
Previously, the town has used Urban Enterprise Zone dollars to help fund sewer improvements on West Side Avenue.
Click it Or Ticket!
Commissioners also issued a proclamation supporting the nationwide Click It Or Ticket campaign, which ran from May 21 through June 3. The initiative sees police use zero tolerance enforcement of local seatbelt laws. It also uses paid advertising and the support of government agencies, local coalitions and school officials to increase safety belt use.
According to state statistics, New Jersey’s seat belt usage rate is around 94.07 percent, up from 93.35 percent in 2016. The Division of Highway Traffic Safety announced a goal of 95.5 percent for 2018.
Handicapped parking
An ordinance adopted at the meeting will establish a restricted handicapped parking space for Leonor D. Pasols, at 1416 9th Street.
Hannington Dia can be reached at hd@hudsonreporter.com
