The Secaucus Town Council meets usually twice per month in person at Town Hall.
Secaucus is planning to update various previsions of its zoning code regarding things like pre-existing conditions and driveways.
Mayor Michael Gonnelli and the Town Council voted to introduce an ordinance that would do so at its March 8 meeting. Town Administrator Gary Jeffas explained the changes at the request of Gonnelli. The ordinance is intended to prevent unnecessary things from coming before the Zoning Board.
“A lot of time before the Zoning Board, a lot of recurring structures would come for no reason,” Jeffas said. “The reason we say no reason is because they’ll be coming because they have a pre-existing condition that is an exception to the zoning ordinances.”
Most of the pre-existing conditions did not need to be rectified by the Zoning Board, Jeffas explained. The new ordinance seeks to clarify that for homeowners or those performing property renovations.
“So what this is doing is, the Zoning Officer looked at it, cleaning some of that up,” Jeffas said. “For example, if you’re going to put a dormer on your house and not increase the space, you don’t have to go before the Zoning Board because you’re not increasing the square footage of the flooring… If you have a deck and your going to replace it, you don’t have to go before the Zoning Board. Sometimes steps, the front stairs, exceed the setback but they are pre-existing.”
“So we’re eliminating conditions were people often wind up before the Zoning Board where pre-existing conditions force them to do so,” Jeffas said. “So it’s just making it streamlined, so they don’t have to appear before the board for minor changes to its property.”
Provisions for driveways
Gonnelli asked if this ordinance included new means for filling in driveways, to which Jeffas explained there is a new provision regarding that to help prevent flooding.
“Also in this ordinance is, if you have a sloped driveway, that often causes flooding, which we’ve had many times on heavy rains,” Jeffas said. “You can come before the construction department so you can fill them in so they’re level to reduce flooding. And you don’t have to go before the Zoning Board for a request for that because it’s alleviating a flooding condition, making it easier for the homeowners to handle that.”
The council also introduced an ordinance that would amend the section on “Streets and Roadways” in the zoning code to updating replacement materials for sidewalks, driveway openings, curbing, and curb cuts. The idea is to require concrete after the driveway meets the sidewalk and continues until it meets the street to make road maintenance easier.
“If anybody is doing work on their home between the street and the start of their driveway, so the sidewalk and the driveway, that would have to be replaced with concrete. So if people are doing pavers, they don’t do it up to edge of the driveway, because often times that becomes problematic when we’re doing road work and road projects. It’s harder on maintenance.”
The ordinances will be up for a public hearing at the next meeting of the Secaucus Town Council. That meeting will be on March 22 at 7 p.m. in the council chambers on the first floor of Town Hall at 1207 Paterson Plank Road. For more information, go to secaucusnj.gov.
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].
Residents have had issues with aspects of the parking space line repainting in West New York, as seen here via Google Maps.
As West New York addresses what officials in town consider to be a top issue, parking, residents have voiced concerns about some aspects of their efforts.
Jackie Granchamps, a West New York resident, said at the March 9 Board of Commissioners meeting her concern is the way parking space line repainting has been done on some streets in town. She is not the first resident to bring up issues with the town’s line repainting.
“The issue of parking has been something that has been on my mind recently,” Granchamps said. “I’ve lived in West New York for four years and I’ve never been able to get a paid parking spot in any of our garages. It’s really at a premium. I’m finding now with a lot of influx of other areas, parking is at a premium. There’s also a lot of unsafe behaviors because of the lack of parking. What I’m finding now is that even Boulevard East, which used to be a parking spot of last resort is full even by 6 p.m.”
According to Granchamps, the line repainting has exacerbated the existing issue: “The parking spots have been drawn so large, it’s actually cut down on the number of parking spots quite a bit.” She suggested redrawing the spaces smaller on one side of the street as a compromise to keep some of the new larger spaces.
“The larger cars that are being accommodated by these larger spaces can be still used, but the majority of cars in our neighborhood are compact cars and they would fit,” Granchamps said. “For instance, three large spaces can accommodate four or five compact cars.”
The other problem she pointed out was motorcycles were taking up one large space.
“What we can do is put in dedicated motorcycle parking. We could have in one large space, five motorcycles parked as long as everyone parks with their nose against the curb.
Rodriguez highlights parking plan
Mayor Gabriel Rodriguez thanked Granchamps, who has lived in West New York for four years.
“As I’m sure you’ve known, parking is probably our number one issue,” Rodriguez said. “We are in the most densely populated area in the nation, which translates to obviously a lack of parking. We’ve identified that we understand residents need for parking. There hasn’t been done much for parking in many years. We are not going to make that mistake.”
Rodriguez noted that the town is undergoing a plan to construct three parking garages on three existing municipal surface lots at 51st, 54th, and 57th Streets, with all in various states of the process. Additionally, the town is adding angled parking among other measures designed to add spaces.
“We’ve already got plans to create three garages to already established floor lots to remedy that,” Rodriguez said. “We’ve already started creating diagonal parking in some of our areas. We’re serving different avenues to see where that can be implemented because that adds parking.”
Rodriguez, addressing Granchamps’ specific issue with parking lines, said that was done in order to provide more order to parking and prevent vehicle damage.
“I completely understand your frustration in terms of size, but the problem that we were having before was that cars were getting damaged because people were trying to fit cars where they didn’t fit prior,” Rodriguez said. “But every solution that we try to provide, our solution can also encounter other issues as a result. That is an ongoing problem for the town of West New York, but we are addressing it as best we can.”
Rodriguez asked to continue the conversation offline with Granchamps to listen to any new ideas to potentially solve problem.
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].
Township Administrator Janet Castro described the application review process by North Bergen's cannabis committee.
The North Bergen Board of Commissioners has expressed support for two retail adult-use cannabis establishments, unanimously approving resolutions endorsing applications for the Class 5 cannabis retail facilities.
Township Administrator Janet Castro explained the purpose of the resolutions at the March 9 meeting.
Castro said there were a total of nine applicants for retail establishments, but the township settled on these two applications. This was after a review by the township’s cannabis committee consisting of Castro, the Chief of Police Peter Fasilis, and the Director of Community Improvement Pete Hammer.
The two businesses the township is supporting are Daily Muse at 6901 Tonnelle Avenue, and Green House Apothecary at 1600 Tonnelle Avenue. Castro said this is in line with the township’s ordinances regarding cannabis establishments, limiting it to two, one north of 43rd Street and the other south of it.
Mayor Nicholas Sacco touted the move by the township, as nearby municipalities in Union City and Weehawken have prohibited cannabis establishments.
“A lot of towns haven’t moved in this direction,” Sacco said. “However, we’re fortunate to be able to spread ours apart because we have the Tonnelle Avenue- West Side Avenue corridor. By doing this, I think it will help the town financially. Since legalization, it’s the right thing to do.”
Thorough review of applicants
According to Sacco, it was a “very arduous and stringent process.” Castro confirmed this, explaining applications were intensely reviewed by the cannabis committee.
“Anybody who had any interest partnering with the township and applying the license, we gave everybody an opportunity,” Castro said. “They came forward, provided presentations, business plans, projections, and of course location played a significant part of that process. We all evaluated them, we had a scoring criteria. We all came together and are recommending the two applicants, one uptown and one downtown.”
The CEO of Green House Apothecary at 1600 Tonnelle Avenue and 16th Street, Pharaoh Lozano, was present at the meeting and called the township’s support “a great honor but also a big responsibility.” Lozano said the business would be run by lifelong North Bergen residents with the goal of de-stigmatizing cannabis.
After the meeting, Lozano told the Hudson Reporter that Green House Apothecary would submit their application for the state licensing process on March 15. After that approval, the business would come back to the township to finalize everything before heading back to the state for final approval.
Lozano said he hopes to be up and operational by early 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].
The West New York Board of Commissioners met via Zoom on March 9.
Calls are again ringing out for the governing body of West New York to consider passing a resolution that would condemn a proposed gas-fired power plant in Newark in favor of a renewable energy alternative. And in Weehawken, those calls have been successful, as the Township Council passed a similar resolution.
The Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission (PVSC) is proposing to construct a gas-fired power plant in the Ironbound neighborhood of Newark. The planned Standby Power Generation Facility was proposed as part of a resiliency project in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy to provide back-up power to the facility.
Residents and activists have been rallying municipal governments to oppose the plant, as they did with the proposed NJ TransitGrid fracked-gas power plant in Kearny. Many were concerned that the plant would likely be used more than just in a back-up scenario, adding to pollution in the surrounding area.
Last June, the PVSC announced that it plans to reevaluate its current proposal for the power plant at its sewage treatment facility in Newark after community members and environmental activists from across the region opposed the plan in favor of renewable energy.
Regardless of the announcement, activists are keeping the pressure on PVSC. In Hudson County, Hoboken and Jersey City have passed a similar resolution against the proposed power plant, even after the announcement in June. North Bergen is still weighing the measure.
And West New York could be next. Resident Brielle Jeffries proposed the resolution to the West New York Board of Commissioners at its September meeting. At the time, Mayor Gabriel Rodriguez said he was in touch with West New York’s Environmental Coordinator Rosemarie Suarez regarding the issue and asked for a conversation offline from the virtual meeting.
Resident seeks resolution
That was in September of 2021. No resolution has been passed in the months since the first discussion. Jeffries again addressed the board at its March 9 meeting, asking them to pass a resolution to oppose the plant in favor of a renewable energy solution.
“I’ve been on here before but I wanted to bring up again the issue of the proposed power plant that is going to be built in Newark by the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission,” Jeffries said. “This has been proposed for a while now and the votes have been postponed due to some of the arguments against it. Of course, Newark is already a very polluted area, and we want keep this area safe as possible to the residents around there. So again, I’m asking that West New York pass a resolution against that proposed power plant. Instead, the Passaic Valley Sewage Commission can very easily propose a clean energy power plant.”
Jeffries encouraged West New York to join the municipalities already against it.
“So far, Jersey City, Hoboken, Kearny, Maplewood, Livingston, and Alpine have passed resolutions opposing the project,” Jeffries said. “I think it would be great if West New York did as well. We already have a templated resolution that West New York can just place its name on and show support for this. I’ve sent a few emails and I did try to get in touch with Rose as well, but it would be great if we can get this on the agenda for next town meeting.”
Rodriguez said the town will look at the resolution.
“Thank you Brielle, we will be sure to take a look at that,” Rodriguez said. “Thank you for sharing.”
A rendering of the proposed power plant in Newark.
Weehawken too?
In Weehawken, the township council passed a resolution opposing the proposed power plant.
William McClelland, of the Don’t Gas the Meadowlands Coalition and the Food and Water Watch first addressed the Weehawken Township Council about the issue at its Feb. 23 meeting.
“They are determined to use a gas-fired power plant. Our organization is opposing this construction because it will contribute to the already enormous amount of pollution in this area of New Jersey,” McClelland said. “The Ironbound section of Newark has been bombarded with pollution over the years.”
In response, Turner was on board, noting the township had opposed similar situations in the past: “We did the same thing with the New Jersey Transit facility they were going to build in Kearny.”
Turner instructed McClelland to forward the resolution to the Township Clerk’s Office to revisit the issue on March 9, the next council meeting. At that meeting, the council unanimously voted to approve a resolution expressing their opposition to the PVSC’s proposed fossil fuel power plant in the Ironbound section of Newark.
At the March meeting, Turner added: “During Sandy, the Passaic Valley system shut down. It almost overflowed. And the same thing with our plant, the North Hudson sewer plant. And when it goes down, they both go down for many months. So everybody is trying to figure out how to make sure that doesn’t happen. Passaic Valley’s proposing a $150 million dollar fossil fuel back-up power plant. The fear is that it will be used more regularly in an area that’s already polluted. So they’re suggesting renewable energy-based hybrid micro-grids.”
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].
The Jersey City Council at their March 9 meeting. Photo by Mark Koosau.
At the latest Jersey City Council meeting, the council looked at legislation for raising their own salaries, un-tabling amendments for the Morris Canal Manor, and the purchase for an armored vehicle.
Council members increase own salaries
The council adopted an ordinance amendment that will increase the council members’ own salaries, with council members going from $60,000 to $85,000, and the Council President from $65,000 to $90,000.
The last time the council increased their own salaries was in late 2019, where salaries went from $36,180 to $60,000 by January 2021, and the Council President’s salary went up to $65,000.
Before they adopted the ordinance, an amendment adopted unanimously by the council adds back a provision that will allow members to waive the increases by providing written notice 30 days prior to the effective date of the ordinance, with the effective date being 20 days after the day of adoption.
“I don’t think this salary increase can even compensate you for a 24/7 job, and you really won’t understand until you’re in the seat,” said Councilman Yousef Saleh, who said that he gets calls in the wee hours of the morning and that “sometimes you’re the person of last resort and someone’s best last hope.”
“But a lot of my council colleagues – they have to sacrifice so much and I know they do,” he continued. “Something has to give it their livelihood or their lives in order to give this your all, and to be as good a council person as you can be.”
On the other side of the coin, Councilman Frank Gilmore, who opposed the ordinance said that “the only people who received raises were people who were connected and who knew someone,” noting that he was a former employee for the city’s recreation department. “The hard work of city employees wasn’t afforded that opportunity to have that raise,” he said.
The council voted 6-3 to adopt the ordinance, with Council members Amy DeGise, James Solomon and Frank Gilmore voting no.
Morris Canal Manor amendments un-tabled
The council then voted to un-table and eventually adopt an ordinance for the Morris Canal Manor project, which laid out the plans for a 17-story residential mixed-use building and community center on 417 Communipaw Ave., the former site of Steel Technologies.
The ordinance had been tabled last month after concerns were brought up over the lack of community input on the project and how it would affect the Bergen-Lafayette neighborhood. It was also the subject of a lawsuit that caused it to be sent back to the planning board last year.
Corporation Counsel Peter Baker said in his legal opinion that the findings made by the planning board were not arbitrary and capricious (meaning that a government body would have abused its discretion, acted outside the bounds of law, or committed a clear error).
He then recommended un-tabling the ordinance, saying that defeating it would expose the city and potentially the council to legal liability “as the project will be delayed unnecessarily, as the council’s only decision at this point is as to the findings of the planning board.”
June Jones said that they will challenge the Morris Canal Manor ordinance and potentially go back to court. Photo by Mark Koosau.
Gilmore, who has been a vocal critic of the project, objected to un-tabling it, saying that it was “a level of disrespect,” and noted that the community had been in conversations with the developer on the project. “It was very clear – the stance of the community, the stance of [me] – that we just can’t support such a project in its current form,” he said.
June Jones, the president of the Morris Canal Community Development Corporation that was part of the aforementioned lawsuit, said that she was “very concerned” about pulling the ordinance back in, and argued that the findings were not consistent with the city’s Master Plan.
Both Gilmore and Jones were also concerned about the height of the project.
“It’s just not a place for it to be in the neighborhood that they’re asking it to be built on,” said Jones after the meeting. “Morris Canal has three and five stories; there may be seven stories, but certainly not 17.”
The council voted 7-2 to un-table the ordinance, with Solomon and Gilmore voting no, and then adopted it 6-3, with Solomon, Gilmore and Councilman Rich Boggiano voting no.
Jones said that the community plans to show a presentation on Friday that has an alternative use for the site with the same density but without the “offensive height.” She also said that they’re going to challenge the ordinance and potentially go back to court.
Other legislation
An ordinance introduced unanimously would require employers in Jersey City that employ more than four employees to require posting a minimum and maximum salary and or hourly wage, and benefits for said posting or advertisement. The ordinance follows similar moves that were done across the river by New York City, as well as Colorado.
The council then unanimously passed a resolution to approve the purchase of a “Rook” tactical vehicle from Ring Power Corporation for $429,500 by the Office of Emergency Management, via the Urban Area Security Initiative grant.
They also unanimously adopted an ordinance to dedicate Columbia Ave. from North to Leonard St. after well-known resident John Seborowski, Sr., who died in March of 2020. The street will be dedicated as “John Seborowski, Sr. Way.”
For updates on this and other stories, follow us on Twitter @hudson_reporter. Mark Koosau can be reached at [email protected] or his Twitter @snivyTsutarja.
A rendering of what the parking garage will look like when completed.
The West New York Planning Board has reviewed the town’s plans to construct a parking garage at the site of the surface parking lot on 57th Street.The garage is one of a few the town plans to construct on its current municipal lots to alleviate parking problems including at 51st Street and 54th Street.
Michael Nelson, project architect, presented the preliminary plans for the parking garage to the board. The presentation was a courtesy review and discussion, and no action was taken other than the draft of a letter confirming to the West New York Board of Commissioners that the Planning Board had looked over the project.
The existing parking lot is around 94 parking spaces. The new planned garage will hold approximately 197 parking spaces.
“The planned structure parking is for 197 parking spaces with potentially spaces beyond that pending the bid environment and if we’re able to award a bid offer alternate to the project,” Nelson said.
To the north of the parking lot is 58th Street, to the west is Bergenline Avenue, to the south is 57th Street, and to the east are buildings. The entrance would be on 57th Street. Underneath the first floor drive ramp is storage space for the town, according to Nelson. The three-story parking garage has multiple stairways and an elevator.
Three or four stories depending on bids
While the rendering and current plans call for three-stories, West New York is also exploring the possibility of a four-story parking garage. The town has asked the project architects to look into a bid alternate for an additional floor.
“There is that option, if the numbers are competitive enough, to have another floor,” Nelson said. “That’s been worked into the bid documents.”
The architect incorporated embroidery designs into the brick facade as an homage to WNY’s history.
However, the number of stories selected for the parking garage will all depend on the nature of the bids received for the project. According to Nelson, the structure can be built to have additional stories in the future but the road layout would prevent that.
“The difficulty with adding floors to parking garages is the really tight logistics,” Nelson said. “This site in particular is highly constrained because of the tight fabric of the street… We could design the structure to support future lodes, but the reality is, it’s not feasible to get a crane of the order of magnitude that’s needed to lift the additional pieces 120 feet on to the building.”
Incorporating textile industry history
According to Nelson, the town’s history was taken into consideration when designing the facade of the parking garage.
“When we began work on the project, one of our first endeavors was to review the site in the context of the neighborhood, as well as the relevance of the building within the town. We drew from some of the town’s rich textile industry and history. That began to dovetail with some of the residential vernacular in the neighborhood, brick structures and brick patterning.”
Another view of the parking garage from 57th Street.
The brick design is meant to highlight West New York’s history as a former textile industry hub. The brick patterns aim to emulate that and the surrounding neighborhood.
“The precast concrete structure with brick veneer, brick patterning, and tones and colors were derived from early studies from spending time in the neighborhood and researching some of the town’s history,” Nelson said.
Pedestrian walkways approximately 13 feet in width will run around the perimeter of the building.
Board favors parking garage plans
Chairwoman Clara Brito-Herrera praised the project, but was in favor of the option for the larger parking garage.
“Beautiful project,” Herrera said. “It will definitely enhance the neighborhood and is much-needed… One of the things I like the most about the design is the safety feature with the glass as you’re walking in the building and the passageways from one street to the next. It’s easy access and it’s a beautiful project.”
Vice Chairman Jorge Gomez echoed Herrera that the rendering of the parking garage was “beautiful” and that he was also in favor of the larger option.
“If there is a way to add more parking to it, like another level, that would be even better,” Gomez said. “But it looks great and it’s exciting for the town.”
The parking garage could be three or four stories tall depending on how contractors place bids to construct the project.
Commissioner Margarita Guzman expressed her excitement for the project.
“I really like the embroidery design,” Guzman said. “I know that this is going to be very well received by the community because one of the problems that we are facing is parking. And this is one of our promises and we are delivering.”
Commissioner Andrea Bounsiar said: “It’s aesthetically pleasing, very necessary, and I like the glass features for security.”
Commissioner Jonathon Castaneda called it a “great project” and Commissioner Ignacio Amaro added it was “very beautiful.”
Project timeline
According to Nelson, in terms of a timeline, the goal is to present bids for the project to the Board of Commissioners on April 20. He added that the structure and aesthetic of the building is what drives the schedule.
“After the project is to be bid, the contractor would mobilize shortly after,” Nelson said. “Hopefully in June the timeline would start with early submittals with the contractor who’s ultimately awarded the project to that’s needed for fabrication of the precast concrete components in the works.”
Nelson said the town is “backing out the schedule so that the site doesn’t remain dormant for any period of time.”
He added that he anticipates completion by mid-November of 2023. This garage, along with the others, aims to add hundreds of parking spaces in West New York.
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].
Acorn Park's playground will soon be accompanied by more passive park amenities. Photo courtesy of the town.
Secaucus is hoping to turn a currently empty lot into new parkland, according to Town Administrator Gary Jeffas.
The town is currently developing land next to Acorn Park at the terminus of Farm Road, adding to the parkland in the area.
“We have a park on Farm Road that will abut it,” Jeffas told the Hudson Reporter. “So what it will basically do is double the size of the current park.”
The existing park contains a playground situated near the Hackensack River and the town’s river walk. The park is also along the Secaucus Greenway, a 1.6 mile walkway which starts on Millridge Road across from the baseball fields, heads into Mill Creek Point Park, continues south along the Hackensack River, passes Secaucus High School, Acorn and Trolley Parks and ends at the Extended Stay Hotel on Meadowlands Parkway.
Years in the making
Jeffas said the project had been in the works for a number of years.
The site used to be a commercial property, a tanning company that used to produce leather, before the town bought it for $100,000. The town also received a $300,000 grant from the county toward converting the lot into a park.
It was thought that the soil may be contaminated by tanning by-products from the previous owner. As a result, the land needed to be remediated.
“We had to clean up the site, do some contamination work from the prior owner,” Jeffas said. “It took longer than it expected just to get the site all ready”
Now that the remediation is complete, the town is planning to award a contract to construct the park. And the town was set to send out bids for the new park on March 2. However, town engineers came across an issue requiring additional work be performed and the bid was postponed.
Regardless, the plans are very much still in motion and the project was sent back out to bid. It’s not clear what the total cost of the park will be until bids come in and a contract is awarded.
“It’s going to cost more than that for us to build a park,” Jeffas said of the approximately $300,000. “So the town is going to fund the rest out of our budget.”
Bids are now due in for the project by March 16, when Jeffas said he would have a better idea of the total cost.
Architectural drawings of the planned park.
New park plans
The plans for the new park calls for a small surface parking lot with approximately 20 spaces that would serve it and the existing park.
“We’re going to put in a parking lot because there’s not one down there for the park,” Jeffas said.
A path will lead from the parking lot to a gazebo. Around it will be some benches.
Off of that gazebo is a path leading to two dog runs: will be small dog and large dog run. There will be a dual water fountain for both humans and dogs. Another path diverges from the gazebo that will lead to a gravel path along the Hackensack River.
“We have a design right now with two dog runs, one for larger dogs and one for smaller dogs,” Jeffas said. “We’re going to have a gazebo proceeding with a path that leads right to our riverwalk.”
One portion of the park is yet to be finalized that is currently slated as a rain garden.
“We’re going to have some seating and some picnicarea,” Jeffas said. “It’s going to be a passive park with the dog runs and all new plantings and trees on the perimeter.”
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].
Former Jersey City recreation payroll clerk Angela Rivera was sentenced for fraud on Friday.
A former Jersey City Department of Recreation payroll clerk was sentenced to three years in state prison for stealing approximately $80,000 by fraudulently inflating payroll hours for certain relatives and associates.
Angela Rivera of Jersey City was sentenced by a Superior Court judge in Hudson County on Friday for the scheme. A former payroll clerk and senior analyst for the department, she will be required to pay full restitution to Jersey City and is permanently barred from public employment. She had pleaded guilty last year for second-degree theft by unlawful taking.
According to the Attorney General’s Office, Rivera had stolen $80,553 from Dec. 31, 2016 through Feb. 23, 2018 by inflating payroll hours for certain former part-time and seasonal employees who were relatives or personal associates, altering the timekeeping spreadsheets for those employees and causing paychecks issued to show additional hours that they didn’t work.
A number of those paychecks were deposited into Rivera’s personal account after she forged the employees’ signatures to endorse the checks over to her, while others were deposited into accounts controlled by the employees named on the checks.
“Government officials and employees have a duty to handle public funds with honesty and integrity,” said Acting Attorney General Matthew Platkin in a statement. “If they breach that duty, we will hold them accountable.”
Rivera was a supervisor for the Housing Code Enforcement when she was charged by the Attorney General’s Office on Dec. 18, 2019, and was suspended without pay at the time.
Four relatives and associates of Rivera who allegedly took part in the scheme, Ashley Cuevas, Gabriel Villanueva and Carlos Huertas of Jersey City, and Alfred Coriano of Bayonne, were also charged by summons in 2020 with third degree theft by unlawful taking, for allegedly depositing paychecks into accounts they controlled that they knew reflected hours that had been fraudulently inflated by Rivera.
The four were suspended without pay in 2020 and were admitted by the court into the Pre-Trial Intervention program last year, subject to payment of the full restitution. If the defendants complete the program, the charges against them will be dropped.
A spokesperson for Jersey City did not respond for comment on the sentencing.
For updates on this and other stories, follow us on Twitter @hudson_reporter. Mark Koosau can be reached at [email protected] or his Twitter @snivyTsutarja.
The Weehawken Township Council meets in person with a virtual option via Zoom.
Bike advocates continue their quest for a protected bike lane on Boulevard East from the Lincoln Tunnel in Weehawken, through West New York and Guttenberg, culminating at Braddock Park in North Bergen. However, they continue to face pushback from local officials as the proposal conflicts with plans underway to install angled parking on Boulevard East in a number of municipalities.
Boulevard East has been designated a “High Crash Corridor,” with federal funds allocated and a design earmarked for a protected bike lane on it. But even though Boulevard East is a county road, local officials still get a say, and they are objecting over the loss of parking.
Cycling enthusiast and Weehawken resident Cara Nasello has addressed the Weehawken Township Council at its past two meetings in February calling for a protected bicycle lane that would run through the township along Boulevard East. The protected bike lane would go on the eastern side of Boulevard East with parking remaining on the western side of Boulevard East. In response to the calls for the protected bike lane in Weehawken, Mayor Richard Turner said that it was not possible without losing a large number of on-street parking spaces.
“I don’t have children myself, but I talked to a number of my neighbors, and they all would like a protected lane that would be safer for their children to ride on,” Nasello said. “What would be great about the bike lane is that it would help connect our parks.”
The protected bike lane would run along Boulevard East connecting parks starting with Hamilton Park and the Old Glory Park in Weehawken, and Donnelly Memorial Park and Patricia McEldowney Field in West New York, before reaching Braddock Park in North Bergen.
“Green space is very limited along the cliff,” Nasello said. “There’s not a lot of open space and this would be a great way to create a scenic route on the Boulevard… It’s a good activity for a child, or even somebody a little bit older.”
According to Nasello, it can also encourage people to use bikes to commute.
“My partner bikes to work,” Nasello said. “He goes bike riding to Lincoln Harbor. From there, the traffic is really fast and it helps reduce congestion… You’re going to have more people that will feel like they can bike to work.”
Nasello also claimed the protected bike lane would help preserve the Palisades.
“Weehawken has done an amazing job conserving the cliffs,” Nasello said. “You guys just bought a property to prevent development on the cliff in our town, and I think that’s all fantastic. But I think putting angled parking on Boulevard East, you’re essentially creating a parking lot instead of a scenic route that people can bicycle on, enjoy the history of the road. Rather than that, let’s create something for the people.”
A rendering of the proposed protected bike lane via Bike Hudson County.
Mayor Turner rejects proposal
In response, Turner said the protected bike lane would result in a loss of on-street parking which would be unacceptable.
“We would all like to have bike lanes,” Turner said. “But the the problem is, we will lose so many parking spaces.”
According to Turner, 275 parking spaces would be lost with the installation of the protected bike lane on eastern side of Boulevard East. He said part of the problem is the extension of curbs at intersections exacerbating the loss of spaces.
“At the minimum, if we put an exclusive bike lane, we will lose a minimum of 275 parking spaces from the Speedway up,” Turner said. “We’re subtracting spaces based off what the county would do with the intersections on the West side and the intersections on the East side. When the county talks about their intersections, they require no parking within 25 feet, that would be a new requirement. If the intersection and the bus stops have to go from 50 feet to 100 feet, we lose another 80 to 85 spaces. That’s the county count of parking spaces, so the neighborhood would lose 275 parking spaces. While we would love to have bike lanes, our infrastructure doesn’t permit it… There’s no place for the residents to park. That’s the problem.”
Nasello countered that parking would not be lost to the degree that Turner asserted.
“A protected bike lane on the northbound side does not remove any parking in that section,” Nasello said. “It would be great for people coming down to Lincoln Harbor by bicycle.”
Turner noted that was near Lincoln Tunnel, making that a difficult area.
“I appreciate that, but there’s no way,” Turner said. “That’s a very difficult area to close lanes down.”
According to Nasello, limited parking spaces would be lost to the protected bike lane in Weehawken, citing the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority. Turner disagreed, maintaining that over 200 parking spaces would need to be nixed and added that removing the parking would force people to park elsewhere overnight.
“If you start forcing 275 regular residents into the inner neighborhoods, you’re going to have problems,” Turner said.
He added that Weehawken is in the “oldest, densest area of the country with a very old infrastructure. It’s very hard to accommodate everything. People want more parking spaces than we have.”
Emanuelle Morgen of Bike Hudson County also asked Turner to support the protected bike lane, later clarifying to the Hudson Reporter that Weehawken would actually lose 101 spaces per the NJTPA plan. At the meeting, Turner again argued that Weehawken would lose hundreds of parking spaces, losing at least 87 spaces on the west side and 175 on the east side of Boulevard East.
A map of the proposed protected bike lane on Boulevard East from Weehawken to North Bergen.
Nasello persists bike advocacy
The debate continued at the next meeting on Feb. 23, when Nasello again asked the council to consider the protected bike lane on Boulevard East and other transportation safety concerns. She said that she and other Weehawken bike advocates had taken a community ride on Monday, Feb. 21 around the area, gathering petitions of those in favor of the protected bike lane. The petition asks the council to pass a resolution supporting the “complete street” design featuring the protected bike lane.
In response to Nasello asking if to meet with the council and neighbors over the bike lanes, Turner said it was a “non-starter” and reiterated that the township cant give up the hundreds of parking spaces. Nasello again argued that less than Turner’s claim of 275 parking spaces would be lost.
“I do not believe that,” Turner said. He added that it would be too complicated and “too much” to install bike lines with the intersections on Boulevard East.
Nasello concluded: “It seems that we in Weehawken take parking our cars on public streets over the health and safety of human beings and animals.”
Turner disagreed, stating that’s not what he said. He clarified that he and the council are concerned about traffic safety, but when it comes to Boulevard East, parking takes priority over bike lanes.
Nasello agreed to disagree on the issue but asked about meeting with the council regarding other initiatives, such as a three way stop sign at the intersection of Hudson Place and Highwood Avenue. Turner instructed her to email the details to his office.
Throughout the exchanges between Turner and Nasello, it was hard to hear at times due to an echo over Zoom. Nasello said she would be at the next meeting in person to continue discussions and told Turner that he would be hearing from other bike advocates.
The Weehawken Township Council will meet next on March 9 at 7 p.m. at Town Hall at 400 Park Avenue. There is also a virtual option to watch via Zoom. 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].
Jonathan Haughey-Morales, via the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office.
Jonathan Haughey-Morales, a 30-year-old of West New York, has been convicted on all charges relating to a shooting in North Bergen in 2019 that killed Carlos Garcia and seriously injured three others.
A jury convicted Haughey-Morales on charges including first-degree Murder, three counts of second-degree Aggravated Assault, third-degree Unlawful Possession of a Weapon in violation, and second-degree Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose.
The verdict was delivered on Wednesday, March 2 before Judge Patrick Arre following a two week trial. On Sunday, May 5, 2019, at approximately 3:30 a.m., the North Bergen Police Department responded to a report of shots fired at 2033 46th Street in North Bergen.
Responding officers found four individuals, including an unresponsive male with an apparent gunshot wound to his torso, shot in the home. The male, later identified as 40-year-old Carlos Garcia and the additional victims, including two males and one female, were all transported by Emergency Medical Services to Jersey City Medical Center.
Garcia was pronounced dead at approximately 4:25 a.m. Haughey-Morales was identified as the suspect wanted in connection with the shooting and apprehended in South Whitehall Township, Pa., the following day.
Haughey-Morales is scheduled to be sentenced on Friday, May 6. The State was represented at trial by Hudson County Assistant Prosecutor Najma Rana.
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].
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