Secaucus ordinance would update police fees for extra-duty service

June 7, 2022

06secfees16 — The Secaucus Police Department recommended the changes to extra-duty service fees.

Mayor Michael Gonnelli and the Secaucus Town Council introduced an ordinance at the council’s May 24 meeting updating police fees for extra-duty service.

Extra-duty employment includes police related employment not performed during regular duty hours. The extra-duty service is conditioned on the actual or potential use of law enforcement powers by a police officer, including but not limited to, traffic details and side jobs paid through the Secaucus Police Department.

Under the proposed ordinance, the current fees for extra-duty employment services provided by the Secaucus Police Department would be kept on file in the Town Clerk’s Office. The fee for extra-duty employment shall be paid by the person or entity requesting the services and an itemized invoice shall be provided by the Department.

The ordinance also allows for the establishment of fees for records and documents. After the meeting, Town Administrator Gary Jeffas described the introduced ordinance in an interview with the Hudson Reporter. Jeffas said was spurred by interactions between the town’s police department and PSE&G.

“When PSE&G does a job, they pay our police back for the time that they spend having their cars on the site and protecting the traffic,” Jeffas said. “So we’re allowed to have an administrative fee. And PSE&G essentially said: ‘If your administrative fee is from an outside company that you’ve hired, we’re not paying that company fee. You can’t pass that through to us, but if your municipal employees do the work, you can pass their administrative fee on.'”

According to Jeffas, Secaucus did not fall under the aforementioned scenario, but wanted to make that clear to PSE&G.

“Our employees do it, and always have,” Jeffas said. “So we’re just passing a resolution to kind of make that clear to PSE&G, that if they’re getting billing from Secaucus, that’s all in house being performed. Because they don’t want an outside agency having exorbitant fees and just people passing it off to them.”

This ordinance, along with two others regarding licenses for both vaping and food establishments, will be up for a public hearing and final passage at the next council meeting on June 28. For more information, go to secaucusnj.gov and click on the link on the calendar webpage.

For updates on this and other stories, check www.hudsonreporter.com and follow us on Twitter @hudson_reporter. Daniel Israel can be reached at [email protected].

North Bergen to allow overnight residential permit parking in Braddock Park

Hudson Reporter

June 3, 2022

06nbBoC09 — Cars seen parking on Boulevard East in Braddock Park outside the North Bergen pre-school. Image via Google Maps.

North Bergen has altered parking regulations in and around James J. Braddock North Hudson County Park.

The township previously adopted an ordinance regulating parking permits and courtesy parking permits. Based on a recommendation from the North Bergen Parking Authority, there is a need to amend the times parking permits are required in Braddock Park, as well as clarify that violations of courtesy parking requirements in the township is prohibited.

As such, Mayor Nicholas Sacco and the Board of Commissioners have adopted an ordinance doing so.

Per the ordinance, all streets in the park will now allow permit parking from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., seven days a week. This applies only to residential permits and includes Boulevard East, Park Drive, Park Drive North, and Park Drive South.

From 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., three hour courtesy parking is allowed, now able to be enforced by the township. Parking in excess of the aforementioned provisions is considered a violation.

North Bergen Parking Authority Executive Director Robert Basilice explained the changes at the May 25 meeting.

“We are implementing inside the park, a couple of ordinances,” Basilice said. “One being the Parking Authority being able to enforce the three-hour limit in the park that the county imposes on people that are in the park. Another is residential parking, which the mayor, commissioners, and commissioner [Anthony] Vainieri were able to get the park to be used by residents overnight, as long as they have residential parking permits. So they’re able to park in the park now.“

Sacco added: “We have parking pretty much everywhere in the park.”

Street sweeping schedule altered

The township has also previously adopted and amended ordinances prohibiting parking on portions of specified streets at specified times for street sweeping. This ordinances amends previous ordinances to add the streets in Braddock Park.

Street sweeping will occur on all streets within the park, on the west and south sides of the streets on Mondays from 8 to 10 a.m. by the county. Street sweeping will occur on the same streets but on the east and north sides on Thursdays from 8 to 10 a.m. This will be suspended on state and federal legal holidays.

“From eight to ten is the county sweeping in the park,” Basilice said. “Outside the park is where we are sweeping, and we’re going to be changing the hours along Boulevard East to be later.”

Basilice noted the street sweeping changes on streets outside the park would be made later at another date date, likely changing the time to be 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. or 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the future. He noted coordination was ongoing with the county to ensure that parking for the pre-school in Braddock Park is unaffected on Boulevard East.

“We coordinated with the county, because when we do the sweeper outside, the people that are outside have to find parking somewhere else,” Basilice said. “So we want them to park inside the park. Then on the days that there isn’t parking inside due to street sweeping, they have to be able to park somewhere outside. We’re trying to coordinate it so that whenever there is street sweeping, whether it’s the county or us, our residents have somewhere to park.”

Sacco said the times can change for the sweeping depending on how things go, to which Basilice agreed.

“The two places that may be affected are Riverview North and South,” Basilice said. “If those two areas are affected, we can always adjust enforcement around there.”

For updates on this and other stories, check www.hudsonreporter.com and follow us on Twitter @hudson_reporter. Daniel Israel can be reached at [email protected].

‘Serene Saturday’ in Secaucus

Hudson Reporter

June 3, 2022

06secstreet09-01 — The street was renamed after Rev. Dada Vaswani.

Secaucus has recently renamed a road to honor a late local faith leader.

In May, Mayor Gonnelli accompanied by Councilman Bill McKeever, Councilwoman Orietta Tringali, Didi Krishna Kumari and several residents gathered to rename the driveway leading to the Secaucus Animal Shelter. A tour of the animal shelter took place prior to the unveiling.

The street was dedicated to the late Rev. Dada Vaswani of the Sadhu Vaswani Mission, an avid animal lover who has been an activist for the animal rights for decades. Vaswani has also long supported the humane treatment of animals at the Secaucus shelter, making the street renaming fitting.

Gonnelli and Kumari led the street renaming and street sign unveiling ceremony. A psalm was sang prior to the unveiling, with pictures of Vaswani accompanying the song. Additionally, a coconut was broken on a fence post adjacent to the street sign as a ceremonial offering.

The street is now known as Rev. Dada Vaswani Way. That sign is blue, his favorite color. A hymn was sung following the unveiling. Then a ribbon to open the road was cut.

Members of the Sadhu Vaswani Mission sing amid the sign unveiling for the late Rev. Dada Vaswani.

This was followed by another sign unveiling. This one is green, the typical street sign color. Another hymn was sung following this unveiling.

Afterwards, Mayor Michael Gonnelli, spoke briefly. He noted the Secaucus Town Council would soon pass a resolution to rename the street.

Gonnelli said: “I don’t know what to say. This is a wonderful day. It is wonderful for all us. I pray for Dada every day of the year.”

“It’s a great day,” McKeever said. “It’s great to see everyone come out. It’s a great honor to have this in Secaucus.”

Mayor Michael Gonnelli praised the late faith leader of the Sadhu Vaswani Mission at the street renaming in his honor.

Later in the day, those in attendance gathered for the official groundbreaking for the Joy and Peace Garden, which will be constructed on Meadowlands Parkway. Members of the Native Plant Society and the Secaucus Environmental Department planted native flowering plants to mark the official start of construction on the garden. The space will have community garden plots and a variety of plants and walking paths, of which the Sadhu Vaswani Mission has in part contributed toward its inception.

The events culminated at the Sadhu Vaswani Meditation Garden at the Recreation Center on Koelle Boulevard where children sang songs and presented recitations. The faith-filled day ended with a lunch for all who attended.

Watch the three-hour back-to-back events online at youtube.com/watch?v=rlox2Okk2_c.

For updates on this and other stories, check www.hudsonreporter.com and follow us on Twitter @hudson_reporter. Daniel Israel can be reached at [email protected].

Union City man charged for recording woman in her home without consent

Hudson Reporter

May 25, 2022

06uccharges02 — Mario Lopez Esquit, image via Prosecutor's Office.

On Tuesday, May 24, members of the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit filed charges against a Union City man for recording a woman inside of her home without her consent.

24-year-old Mario Lopez Esquit is charged with one count of Invasion of Privacy, a crime of the third degree.

He was processed at the Hudson County Correctional Facility where he is currently being detained on other charges.

Lopez Esquit is scheduled to make his first court appearance on the latest charge on May 25.

The Prosecutor’s Office has also filed a motion for detention which is tentatively scheduled to be heard on Tuesday, May 31.

Lopez Esquit was previously arrested on January 18, of this year for possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material.

Prosecutor Suarez credited the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit, the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the New Jersey State Police, and the Union City Police Department with the investigation.

The above charges are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

For updates on this and other stories, check www.hudsonreporter.com and follow us on Twitter @hudson_reporter. Daniel Israel can be reached at [email protected].

Secaucus repeals plastic bag ban following new state law

Hudson Reporter

May 25, 2022

Secaucus has officially repealed its single-use plastic carry out bag ban, although the move follows the state of New Jersey’s ban and only seeks to remove the now-superfluous ordinance.

The town was one of the first in Hudson County to enact a ban in 2019 when it first adopted its ordinance prohibiting the use of single-use plastic carry out bags in retail establishments and promoting the use of reusable carry out bags to reduce plastic pollution.

Now Mayor Michael Gonnelli and the Secaucus Town Council have determined that the ordinance should be repealed as current laws and regulations have been enacted by the state address this. The state’s new law took effect on May 4, and includes a ban on polystyrene foam food service products and mandates plastic straws by-request-only on top of banning single-use plastic carry out bags.

According to the ordinance, the council will now support the new law through the education of local businesses and residents and enforcement efforts. As a certified Sustainable Jersey community, the town strives to promote environmentally-friendly practices and sustainable growth through a variety of initiatives.

The council voted unanimously to adopt the ordinance repealing its single-use plastic carry out bag ban ordinance. After the meeting, Town Administrator Gary Jeffas confirmed the ordinance was being repealed since it was now trumped by the state law.

“We did ours a couple of years ago,” Jeffas said. “So now the state’s takes over.”

Read the ordinance online at: secaucusnj.gov/government/meeting-documents/2022-mayor-council-meeting-documents/2022-agendas-mayor-council/981-05-24-2022-mayor-council-meeting-agenda/file.

For updates on this and other stories, check www.hudsonreporter.com and follow us on Twitter @hudson_reporter. Daniel Israel can be reached at [email protected].

Secaucus introduces 2022 calendar year budget

Hudson Reporter

May 18, 2022

05secbudget26 — The Secaucus Town Council meets in person in the council chambers nearly twice each month.

Secaucus has introduced its 2022 calendar year budget. This year’s budget totals $64,203,932.17.

The Secaucus Town Council voted unanimously to introduce the roughly $64 million budget at its May 10 meeting. The public hearing on the budget will be on June 28 at 7 p.m. in the municipal chambers of Town Hall at 1203 Paterson Plank Road in Secaucus. For more information, go to secaucusnj.gov.

Town still coping with revenue loss

Following the introduction of the budget, Town Administrator Gary Jeffas broke down budget in an interview with the Hudson Reporter. Jeffas said the council can now adjust the budget if they so choose.

“Our budget is introduced, so it goes to the council now,” Jeffas said. “It’s their budget now and if they want to cut anything else from it they can.”

According to Jeffas, the town is still coping with revenue loss due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, like last year, the town will use $1,145,754.33, the other half of its $2,291,508.66 total American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds. Previously, the town applied the first half, $1,145,754.33, to the 2021 budget back in October.

“We are going to use our American Rescue Plan funds for revenue losses from our hotel tax and our parking lot taxes,” Jeffas said. “Those revenues were hit hard. So we are using those funds in this year’s budget.”

Small tax increase incoming?

Jeffas said there would likely be a tax increase this year, although that isn’t set in stone as the council is now reviewing it.

“There is going to be a tax increase, but that’s not finalized because now the budget goes to the council,” Jeffas said. “They need to look at it, and determine if there’s anything else they want to cut or change. I think there will definitely be a small tax increase. And most of that is related to COVID-19, contractual salary increases, and increases in our health insurance.”

Overall, Jeffas said the town was in a good position all things considered.

“The budget looks pretty good so far for this year,” Jeffas said. “As of now, the final number won’t be set until they hold the budget hearing and adopt it.”

For updates on this and other stories, check www.hudsonreporter.com and follow us on Twitter @hudson_reporter. Daniel Israel can be reached at [email protected].

West New York reopens refurbished McEldowney Field

Hudson Reporter

May 17, 2022

05wnypark26 — An aerial view of the upgraded park, via the Town of West New York.

West New York has officially reopened Patricia McEldowney Field following recent renovations. Mayor Gabriel Rodriguez, Commissioner Cosmo Cirillo, and Commissioner Victor Barrera among other officials joined residents and local youth to cut the ribbon on the refurbished park.

“We are happy to welcome everybody back to McEldowney Field,” Rodriguez said in a video put out by the town commemorating the reopening.

Rodriguez touted the upgrades to the park, the highlight of which includes a new baseball and softball field. Two new mini-soccer fields are incorporated into the design, with of them being for toddlers.

“As you can see, we revamped the field,” Rodriguez said. “It is brand new for your children and your enjoyment.”

In addition to the field after which the park is named after seeing a makeover, the adjacent courts also got a facelift.

“We’ve got new tennis courts and new pickleball courts all for you guys,” Rodriguez said.

There were also additional lighting, security, and fencing components constructed at the park. Meanwhile, the skate park at McEldowney Field was refurbished and outfitted with modern features in 2021.

Rodriguez encouraged residents to take advantage of the upgraded amenities now available to the public. The park is located off of Boulevard East near 62nd Street, with two pedestrian walkways leading down to the amenities on the Palisades cliffs.

“Come on down and enjoy the new field,” Rodriguez said. “It is open and ready.”

The park’s reopening marks the completion of three-pronged parks plan including the renovation of Miller Stadium and Centennial Field as well as McEldowney Field. Meanwhile, the town is moving forward with several other park renovations, outside of recreational fields, with estimated completion for many projects estimated to occur in 2022 and 2023.

For updates on this and other stories, check www.hudsonreporter.com and follow us on Twitter @hudson_reporter. Daniel Israel can be reached at [email protected].

Union City man arrested for sexual assault of 12-year-old girl

Hudson Reporter

May 16, 2022

05ucassault26 — Hermes Navarro-Cuevas, image via Prosecutor's Office

A Union City man has been arrested for sexually assaulting a minor, according to the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office.

Following an investigation by the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit (SVU), Hermes Navarro-Cuevas, a 26-year-old of Union City, was arrested on charges relating to the aggravated sexual assault of an underage girl.

The crimes occurred in January and February of this year when the victim was 12-years-old. The victim was known to the defendant.

On Friday, May 13, at approximately 12:40 a.m., Navarro-Cuevas was arrested by members of Homeland Security Investigations at Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark.

He was turned over to members of the SVU and then remanded to the Hudson County Correctional Facility in Kearny pending his first court appearance.

The Prosecutor’s Office has filed a detention motion which is tentatively scheduled to be heard on May 18. Navarro-Cuevas has been charged with Aggravated Sexual Assault, a first-degree crime; Sexual Assault by Contact; a second- degree crime; and Endangering the Welfare of a Child, a third-
degree crime.

Following his arrest, SVU Detectives discovered that Navarro-Cuevas has an outstanding criminal warrant out of North Carolina for an armed robbery that occurred in the town of Holly Springs. He was additionally charged as a Fugitive from Justice.

The above charges are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Prosecutor Suarez credited the SVU and the Union City Police Department with the investigation and Homeland Security Investigations, the Port Authority Police Department and the Special Victims Unit with the arrest.

Anyone wishing to report a sex crime should call the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit at 201-915-1234.

For updates on this and other stories, check www.hudsonreporter.com and follow us on Twitter @hudson_reporter. Daniel Israel can be reached at [email protected].

Turner considers what’s next for Weehawken

Hudson Reporter

May 13, 2022

Weehawken Mayor Richard Turner recently sailed to victory in the May 10 municipal election, continuing his service to the township than began in 1990.

Entering his ninth term, Turner described upcoming initiatives to the Hudson Reporter. He said it was reaffirming to not face any challengers.

“Who knows what factors go into people not running,” Turner said. “But I think it’s an affirmation that people, or most people at least, believe that the town’s moving in the right direction. We just went through some difficult two years.”

Despite the trials and tribulations of COVID-19, Turner is proud of the township’s response and thinks residents agree.

“I think people are pleased with our response to the COVID-19 pandemic, with testing and vaccinations,” Turner said. “We’ve been able to keep our municipal services going like all other towns around us. I think there’s a realization too that it’s not easy and it’s time consuming.”

And while everyone might not agree with the Turner or the township on everything, such as their rejection of the proposed protected bike lane on Boulevard East, Turner said he tries to work with everyone.

“While we run across people that have problems or don’t like something, we try to deal with them,” Turner said. “We can’t always agree with everybody, but we try and deal with it the best way we can. And I think there’s an appreciation for that.”

Early voting

This was the first time early voting was available in a municipal election in Weehawken. However, only 64 early votes were cast.

Turner said it shouldn’t be considered a case study on early voting in the township, considering the nature of the days early voting was available. The poor conditions and holiday weekend may have contributed to the low turnout for early voting.

“It’s not a good test case because it was a lousy weekend,” Turner said. “Friday it was rainy, cold, damp, and windy. Saturday, it was even rainier, damp, and windy. Then Sunday was Mother’s Day. So it’s not a really good test.”

However, Turner expects early voting to be utilized by more residents in future elections.

“I think there will be other opportunities, since early voting is part of the system now, to have a better test of it. But when you’re uncontested and you have really lousy weather, people are not going to come out to vote early. Tuesday was a nice day, so people came out and voted on that day.”

Plans in the pipeline

Turner touted a number of projects the township is going to move forward with in his upcoming term. The first he mentioned was an overhaul of Park Avenue.

“We’ve applied for a federal grant, I don’t know if we’re going to get it or not, to start improvements to Park Avenue,” Turner said. “The first thing we’re going to do is all our traffic lights. They are all antiquated on Park Avneue. There is a joint Union City-Weehawken road. The traffic lights are all antiquated. It’s getting harder and harder to find parts to fix them. So we’ve applied for a grant to start refurbishing Park Avenue with new traffic lights. Then we’ll go from there to sidewalks, curbs, and paving.”

Another thing Turner looks to accomplish in his next term is the completion of the municipal waterfront recreation complex.

“We’re going to have some form of an ice skating rink,” Turner said. “I don’t think it will be as elaborate as we first proposed because that cost much more money than we had available.“

Other aspects of the complex include a bridge connecting the waterfront walkways over a lagoon, among other things.

“Then we have other amenities on the side and a bridge connecting one side of the lagoon to the other,” Turner said. “We have funds for a bridge that’s connected to that.”

He continued: “The ice skating rink is a bit reduced. We have to fix the rip rap around it, so we got a lot of construction work to do around the pool complex, but that’s a major goal.”

Those are the final touches on the complex, otherwise, Turner noted. He touted the project as being a gem on the Hudson River.

“That will complete over 15 acres of contiguous passive and active recreation, which is the biggest waterfront park recreation site in Hudson County other than Liberty State Park,” Turner said. “It’s a mammoth undertaking.”

Electrifying the fleet

One of the other initiatives Turner is eyeing is the adoption of electric vehicle parking spaces to support the electrification of the municipal fleet, including for the Police Department, the Department of Public Works, and other such vehicles.

“One of our big new initiatives is going to be getting electric charging stations where we can, electrifying more of our fleet for municipal vehicles, police, and the DPW,” Turner said. “We’re looking to buy some electric vehicles for the Parking Authority. That’s a major initiative, switching over from the diesel to electric. And it’s expensive, but everything from police cars to traffic enforcement to DPW to garbage trucks, you get everything electric and there’s grants out there to do it, so we’re going to make a major initiative of electrifying our fleet and also providing electric charging stations throughout the township.”

For residents, Turner said that means working with redevelopers to include electric vehicle parking spaces in their new projects.

“As construction takes place, we have a private construction project in front of the Waterfront Park and we’re going to work with the developer to put in place some charging stations down there, which would be a big help,” Turner said.

And according to Turner, the initiative is already somewhat in motion with the acquisition of electric and gasoline hybrid vehicles.

“We’ve purchased our first police vehicles that are hybrid,” Turner said. “At least with the hybrid, you’re getting 40 to 50 miles a gallon, as opposed to a regular police car which probably gets 15 or 18 miles a gallon at best.”

Other upcoming initiatives

“Refurbishing Park Avenue, finishing the recreation complex, and electrifying the fleet and providing charging stations are the larger initiatives,” Turner said. “The smaller ones are our playgrounds need some repairs and revamping, doing some intersection improvements where we can do them. That’s some ongoing stuff that’s been postponed for two years.”

Turner also said he looks to start the refurbishing of a lot of playgrounds, which was not possible over the last two years due to COVID-19. He also noted the township recently renovated Weehawken Stadium, too.

“We just put artificial turf after 12 years,” Turner said. “New artificial turf will be at Weehawken Stadium. So we’re applying for a number of grants for a lot of things.”

The new police annex is another thing stalled by COVID-19 that the township is looking to complete.

“There’s a police annex we’re going to open up and it’s held up because we can’t get the computer chips to make everything work,” Turner said. “So we’re waiting on the computer chips to come in.

Turner said he was excited to get things moving again with the council.

“We’ve made a lot of progress. When most of us first got elected, we had 10 acres of recreation and park space. We now have over 50 acres. We’ve created new parks and playgrounds throughout the township. We mandated the waterfront walkway even before the state mandated it… One of the other things we want to do is continue the cooperative relations with the school system. We have a great school system and we work together on everything. The town complements what the school system does.”

Guiding the township, steadfast and steady

Moving into the future, Turner seeks to keep the progress up in Weehawken as the world continues to navigate through the pandemic. He and his council slate will be sworn in on July 1.

Turner concluded: “It’s all part of the country catching up to everything that was stalled for two years under COVID-19.”

For updates on this and other stories, check www.hudsonreporter.com and follow us on Twitter @hudson_reporter. Daniel Israel can be reached at [email protected].

Weehawken enters shared services agreement with library

Hudson Reporter

May 13, 2022

05weecouncil19 — The Weehawken Township Council meets in-person and remotely every other week.

The Township Council has voted unanimously to enter into a shared services agreement with the Weehawken Public Library. Mayor Richard Turner explained that the agreement loaned the library the services of the township’s labor attorney. The idea is to help the library as it overhauls Human Resources.

“The library has to update all their HR materials,” Turner said. “So we’re going to loan them the services without any extra costs of the town labor attorney.”

The rather dry meeting was mostly taken up by a Rent Leveling Board meeting, which is the same as the Township Council. However, of note, the council also approved a resolution to accept a $1,349 in grant funds.

The township council voted to accept the Weehawken Municipal Alliance grant. According to Turner, it’s for the Weehawken’s D.A.R.E. program.

The council voted unanimously to approve both resolutions. The next Weehawken council meeting will be held on May 25 at 7 p.m. both in person and with remote viewing options. For more information, go to weehawken-nj.us.

For updates on this and other stories, check www.hudsonreporter.com and follow us on Twitter @hudson_reporter. Daniel Israel can be reached at [email protected].