Secaucus says ‘No’ to recreational cannabis establishments

August 20, 2021

Cigarette,Handmade,With,Cannabis — Only medical marijuana dispensaries will be allowed for now

At a special meeting, just days before the state deadline, the Secaucus Town Council voted to adopt an ordinance prohibiting recreational cannabis establishments.

Municipalities across New Jersey had until Aug. 21 to make a decision on whether or not to prohibit recreational cannabis establishments. If the deadline passes, and a municipality does not act, all recreational cannabis establishments will automatically be permitted under state laws.

While the council was set to hold a public hearing on the matter at its July meeting, it did not act on the ordinance pending further approval from the planning board. The council got its approval and passed the ordinance at its special meeting on August 18.

Saying no, for now

The ordinance prohibits all cannabis establishments, except for delivery services located outside of town.

The only exception would be medical cannabis establishments. Secaucus is home to what is thought to be the only medical cannabis dispensary in Hudson County: Harmony Dispensary.

According to Town Administrator Gary Jeffas, the ordinance is essentially a placeholder. The idea is that these ordinances prohibiting the establishments will uphold the status quo while municipalities work out the details of what establishments they would permit, if any at all.

The council may vote on an ordinance formulated by the town without the pressure of an impending deadline by the state. That ordinance will flesh out the town’s policies in full, as opposed to the ordinance being rushed or the town being subject to the state’s policies if it didn’t act.

Enacting a sales tax

At the July 27 meeting, the council voted unanimously to adopt a two-percent tax on medical cannabis, the “Medical Cannabis Transfer Tax.”

“In the state regulations, you’re allowed to tax cannabis,” Jeffas said at the meeting. “The ordinance is just putting a mechanism in place, whereby any of the medical cannabis… We have a dispensary in town… would be authorized to collect the tax on the sales they generate out of Secaucus.”

Secaucus joins Union City, Weehawken and Guttenberg in passing bans on cannabis establishments other than medical dispensaries. Most of the municipalities that are passing these prohibition ordinances are also doing so as placeholders.

Meanwhile, Bayonne, Jersey City, Hoboken, North Bergen and West New York will allow some forms of recreational cannabis establishments.

WNY eyes medical cannabis?

West New York is also looking to permit medical cannabis establishments.

The West New York Board of Commissioners voted to introduce an ordinance that would change the zoning, in terms of the permitted land uses, to include medical cannabis dispensaries in the C-R Retail District, Service Commercial District, and Controlled Waterfront Development District. The board voted unanimously at its August meeting.

Any medical cannabis dispensary shall be required to submit an application for a license, accompanied by a fee of $6,000, with all documentation as set forth in the application. The annual license renewal fee, payable on the first day of January of each calendar year, is $15,000.

The ordinance does not specify a limit to the number of licenses. But the town is permitting only one recreational cannabis establishment, with similar application and renewal fees.

The town’s ordinance would collect two percent of the receipts from each sale by a medical cannabis dispensary.

The ordinance will be up for a public hearing at the board meeting on Sept. 4 at 6 p.m., held remotely. For more information, go to the town’s website at westnewyork.org and click on the event on the calendar webpage.

Read the ordinance online at: www.westnewyorknj.org/_Content/pdf/ordinances/Ord1621.pdf.

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].

Hudson County ousts homeless encampment from Braddock Park

Hudson Reporter

August 19, 2021

08nbtrees26 — Deer stand in the now cleared wooded area in Braddock Park. Photo courtesy of Daisy Maxey

Trees, bushes, weeds, poison ivy and other greenery have been cleared from Braddock Park in North Bergen to get rid of a homeless encampment between the lake and the preschool trailers near Bruin Stadium, according to Hudson County spokesperson Jim Kennelly.

At night, homeless people slept in the woods near the trailers, which concerned authorities. While no incidents have been reported, the west side of the lake is a problem area patrolled by police and the Hudson County Sheriff’s Department.

Kennelly said an attempted murder in May prompted the Sheriff’s Department and the North Bergen Police Department to escalate calls for the area’s clearance, especially the removal of large swaths of poison ivy. The goal is to make the area easier to patrol and to discourage the return of the homeless encampment.

‘Refuge destroyed?’

Some residents were dismayed by the removal of trees.

Daisy Maxey, a longtime Union City resident, recently wrote to the Hudson Reporter and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) about the trees.

“That area was beautiful and was a refuge for birds, animals and people,” Maxey wrote. “I walked in the wood earlier this year and was lucky enough to photograph several lovely yellow-shafted Northern Flickers woodpeckers. I walked there again on Saturday, Aug. 7, 2021, and it was like a bomb had exploded. Trees ripped down, tire marks of a bulldozer through the few remaining trees. I saw two small deer who appeared quite traumatized and desperate; they seem to be stranded there between the highly populated running path around the lake and the busy highway that runs through the park.”

Maxey asked the NJDEP why residents weren’t notified about the plan to clear the trees and if repercussions to wildlife were considered.

“What about the joy this brought the people who used it?” Maxey wrote. “I don’t know why Hudson County cannot tolerate one speck of nature.”

NJDEP approval not needed

According to Kennelly, the county doesn’t have to alert the NJDEP for tree removal.

“The County of Hudson is under no obligation to get approvals for what is considered by DEP as simply maintenance of a passive parks area,” Kennelly said. “In this case: poison ivy, dead weed trees, brush and trash were removed from this area, which in addition to being a home to birds and deer was home to a camp of homeless individuals.”

A representative from NJDEP Green Acres, Maude Snyder, said she understood that “this is very concerning to the residents of Hudson County who have enjoyed this park for over 100 years” but that there was no recourse.

“Unfortunately, Green Acres regulations are limited and in this case do not enable us to regulate the management of local parks,” Snyder said.

Kennelly added that a representative from NJDEP recently complimented the County Division of Parks for its care of all grounds, including that of Braddock Park, after the trees had been cleared.

“In a misguided effort to be watchdogs for nature, those making these claims are actually impeding safety in the park and ‘saving’ little of any significant natural value,” Kenelly said. “The homeless camp, the site of an attempted murder, had to be uncovered. The poison ivy and weed trees, not any mature, healthy tress, needed removal. The brush and trash needed removal. In time some ground cover will return, allowing deer more camouflaged passage. We have an entire bird sanctuary that is part of our park system.”

‘It will grow back’

Birds will still have trees to peck in this area, according to Kennelly. Within a year, new greenery and trees will return, just more spaced out, he said.

The homeless people were not in the park when the wooded area was cleared. Kennelly said they normally sleep in the park at night but are gone during the day.

Kennelly encouraged homeless people sleeping in the park to seek shelter assistance. There are a number of shelters in Hudson County. For a partial list, go to www.hud.gov/states/new_jersey/homeless/shelters/hudson.

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 opens waterfront pool

Hudson Reporter

August 18, 2021

08weecomplex26 — The new pool complex via the Township of Weehawken

Weehawken has opened its new municipal swimming pool complex along the waterfront.

The over $10.5 million project was largely funded by developer, the Open Space Trust Fund, and some state grants.

The complex consists of a splash park, an infant pool, a family pool and a general swimming pool. It is part of the township’s recreation complex, which includes space for concerts, children’s playgrounds, and a pier.

Years in the making

Hundreds attended the Aug. 17 grand opening, which marked the culmination of three years of work, delayed by the pandemic, weather, and other factors.

“The construction of the complex, as you can imagine, has been greatly hindered by the coronavirus pandemic,” Mayor Richard Turner said in a statement. “Bids were awarded in June of 2019, and the site’s soil and grading preparation began in September 2019, which lasted approximately four months before any construction could begin.”

This was followed by several shutdowns due to snow and weather-related issues in January and February of 2020. The pandemic shutdown came in March of 2020, lasting several months. Work began in earnest in June of 2020 and proceeded until earlier this summer.

“During the construction period, contractors faced the same issues we all faced with employees either being sick or quarantined,” Turner said. “The recent shortage of materials, supplies, and parts on backorder further compounded the timeline.”

However, the project eventually got back on track and is now complete and open to the public

Test run

While the pool will be open only for the remainder of the summer, and possibly longer, it comes at a perfect time as a heat wave melts the county. This year will serve as a test run for next year.

“Obviously it will be a shortened season, and weather permitting, we anticipate opening weekends in September,” Turner said. “In effect, this will be a test period for all of us to experience the complex’s benefits and plan for the entire season opening in May of 2022.”

The pool is open to township residents only. No extended family or friends will be allowed. Admission is free. Proof of residency is required.

Pool times are available at weehawken-nj.us. Register online.

More on the way

This is the first phase of renovations to the recreation complex. According to Turner, there are several other phases to go.

Future plans include renovating nearly an acre of unused space adjacent to the complex.

“Eventually we hope to have a multi-purpose pavilion for ice skating in the winter and various uses in the summer,” Turner said. “When we’re all done, we will probably have the largest contiguous waterfront complex for active and passive recreation other than Liberty State Park.”

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].

Latin Grammy Winner Samuel Torres brings his world-class talents to Summer Concerts on the Hudson

Hudson Reporter

August 14, 2021

Samuel Torres photo_congas_skyline_by Juan M. Soria — Samuel Torres (Photo by Juan M. Soria)

Samuel Torres is a Grammy Award-winning winning percussionist, composer, and arranger. A native of Bogotá, Colombia, Torres was exposed to music at an early age thanks, in part, to an extended family of musicians, which included his uncle Edy Martínez, a pianist-arranger who earned fame in the New York salsa scene of the 1970s.

A classically trained percussionist with a degree in music composition, Torres established himself as a musical force in his homeland at a young age. His career took flight when acclaimed Cuban trumpeter Arturo Sandoval asked him to join his group shortly after Torres moved to the U.S.

Since then, Torres has gained renown in his own right through his work as a performer, arranger, and producer in the worlds of Latin jazz, Salsa, Latin Pop and Jazz. He has worked with top artists including Lila Downs, Paquito D’Rivera, Tito Puente, Arturo Sandoval, Chick Corea, Angélique Kidjo, Ricky Martin,

Marc Anthony, Shakira, and Rubén Blades, among others. In addition, Torres has released several albums of his own work, most recently the Latin Grammy Award winning Regreso (2019), which he recorded in collaboration with the New Philharmonic of Bogotá.

Torres will be joined by an 8-piece band and guest vocalist Maria Raquel, who has performed around the world and is known for her powerful voice and unique interpretations of Cumbia and Salsa. Aside from leading her own trio and quartet, Maria is the lead singer of the Astoria Salsa Company.

This concert will take place on Wednesday, August 18th at 7 PM at Lincoln Harbor Park, located just north of the Chart House restaurant, directly on the west bank of the Hudson River in Weehawken, New Jersey. The concert is weather permitting, and a rain date is scheduled for the following night.

Public transportation options include NJ Transit bus #158, the Hudson Bergen Light Rail, and NY Waterway Ferry to Lincoln Harbor. And for those who choose to drive, free parking is available.

The Hudson Riverfront Performing Arts Center, Inc. (HRPAC), a New Jersey nonprofit organization, presents this summer long series of open-air concerts free of charge to the public. Concerts are family friendly. Audience members are asked to bring a lawn chair or blanket and picnicking is permitted on the lawn. For more information including the full summer concert schedule, Covid policy, directions, parking info, rain dates, and updates, please check the HRPAC website…www.hrpac.org… or call the concert info line at 201-716-4540.

West New York ordinance would bond millions for new library

Hudson Reporter

August 13, 2021

08wnylibrary19 — West New York's current library. It may bond millions for a new one. Photo via Google Maps

The West New York Board of Commissioners has introduced an ordinance that would appropriate $17,000,000 for the construction of a new library. West New York is now home to one library, at 425 60th Street across from Town Hall.

Under the ordinance, the town would bond $4,500,000 toward the cost. Another $12,500,000 will be covered by the New Jersey State Library via the state’s Library Construction Bond Act.

The total estimated cost of the project is $25,000,000, according to the ordinance introduced at the August meeting. It is not clear where the rest of the funding would come from.

Read the ordinance at www.westnewyorknj.org/_Content/pdf/ordinances/Ord1721.pdf.

A public hearing will take place at the board’s Sept. 15 meeting at 6:30 p.m. The board meets via Zoom. For more information, go to the town’s website and click on the event on the calendar webpage.

Details scarce

Mayor Gabriel Rodriguez did not immediately respond to a request for details.

In an interview with the Hudson Reporter, Library Director Weiliang Lai said the project is in its the early stages.

According to Lai, the town is now in the process of issuing the bond after having been approved to receive the state grant a few months ago.

The new site is currently home to a smaller older structure, purchased from the Board of Education by the Town in 2017. The building is the former home of the board’s special services department, at 5602 JFK Blvd.

Lai said the current library will likely be used for something else, however he is not sure what that could entail. There is no time frame yet for when construction will begin.

“We’re still working on the grants,” Lai said.

Old ideas find new life

The idea to build a new library was once part of the platform of Rodriguez’s mayoral opponent, Dr. Felix Roque.

Roque, incumbent mayor at the time, was challenged by Rodriguez in 2019 and lost. During that campaign, Roque said he wanted to construct a new library and turn the current library into a new police headquarters.

While that plan did not come to fruition under Roque, parts of it may see new life under Rodriguez.

Reading is fundamental

In June, the town announced that Little Free Library book exchanges would be coming to all West New York parks beginning the first week of that month.

Little Free Library (LFL) is a nonprofit organization that aims to improve book access by fostering neighborhood book exchange boxes in hopes of inspiring a love of reading and building community.

Following their installation, West New York provided residents with the first round of books, from early childhood books to novels for adults. For more information, go to LittleFreeLibrary.org or westnewyorknj.org.

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].

Improvements to Secaucus’s Laurel Hill Park underway

Hudson Reporter

August 13, 2021

08secpark19 — Residents will use waterfront walkway at Laurel Hill Park, with the Portal North Bridge in the background.

Laurel Hill Park in Secaucus is undergoing major renovations. Located on the western end of New County Road, the county park is near Meadowlands Parkway, New Jersey Turnpike Exit 15X and County Avenue.

“Laurel Hill Park is getting many upgrades with new facilities and an expansion of offerings for different sports, thanks to Hudson County Executive Tom DeGise,” Mayor Michael Gonnelli said in the town’s August newsletter.

In recent years, the park has evolved from an unused open space to a well-outfitted outdoor area. Currently, there are fields for soccer, baseball and cricket, a boat launch, canoe and kayak rentals, boating tours, children’s playgrounds, fishing pier, dog park and well-maintained walking and bike trails. The park also offers amazing views across the Hackensack.

Work underway

Work has already begun, and upgrades to the largest park in Secaucus are on the way.

They include six new tennis courts, two volleyball courts, two basketball courts, a new parking lot with 50 more spaces and a new playground with aquatic features. The bike and walkway system, parking lots, existing playground, landscaping, gazebo, boat launch and shoreline will be refurbished.

“This is a huge gain for Secaucus. Our residents can enjoy state-of-the-art features, new playgrounds, and extensive pathways right here in Town,” Gonnelli said. “I am happy to see open spaces being upgraded for everyone to use, no matter what outdoor activity you may enjoy. I thank Hudson County Executive DeGise for making Laurel Hill Park a priority.”

Funds for these additions and upgrades have been procured through grants.

Cleaning up the Hackensack

“Additionally, there is a major push underway at both the state and federal levels to clean up contamination in the Hackensack River,” Gonnelli said.

There is state support for federal designation of the Lower Hackensack River as a Superfund site. The designation is the next step toward cleaning up the river.

“We will share updates as these projects progress,” Gonnelli said. “Both these efforts will improve the quality of life for Secaucus residents with more recreational opportunities and better use of our open space.”

According to Gonnelli, “open space builds communities by bringing people together. It is where we meet friends, play, exercise, enjoy music and dance, and take in the beauty of nature. Secaucus is blessed with plenty of open space, so go out and enjoy them this summer.”

Parkland for bridge?

While the park is getting an overhaul, it’s also losing some land. The county is diverting approximately 2.445 acres of a wetland area in the southern portion of the park for a bridge easement for the construction and operation of the planned Portal North Bridge.

Part of the planned Gateway Project, the Portal North Bridge would replace the current Portal Bridge which spans the Hackensack River from Kearny to Secaucus. The approximately 110-year-old, decrepit, swing-style Portal Bridge is notorious for breaking down and getting stuck in the open position for marine traffic, stranding commuters and bringing Amtrak and NJ Transit service to a halt.

The existing right-of-way is not sufficient to accommodate the construction of the new bridge while maintaining operations along the Northeast Corridor. The northern bridge approach structure and a construction and maintenance platform would be permanently located on and over the diverted land.

Compensated for unused wetlands

The area is a tiny sliver of wetlands with no amenities. It is not accessible to the public, except by water.

Prior to the diversion, a public hearing was held before the New Jersey Department of Environment Protection, because the park was partially purchased by NJDEP Green Acres funds.

The land being diverted is appraised at $13,700. As compensation for the land, $54,800 will be deposited into the Garden State Preservation Trust Fund.

NJ Transit has agreed to contribute $179,000 to Hudson County for the waterfront enhancements and trail improvements, among other park upgrades.

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 gets $10 million toward purchasing former High Tech High School

Hudson Reporter

August 6, 2021

08nbschools12 — The former High Tech High School on Tonnelle Avenue in North Bergen, via Google Maps

North Bergen will receive millions from the state toward opening a new high school campus at the site of the former High Tech High School on Tonnelle Ave., according to Mayor Nicholas Sacco.

On July 29, Sacco and Gov. Phil Murphy announced there was $10 million in the state budget to supplement funds to build the new school.

“I can’t tell you how honored I am that we have in the budget to help build that new high school and to take this community to a place that is has never been before,” Murphy said.

In a statement the day after the announcement, Sacco reiterated the importance of the state funds: “This funding will help move this important project forward.”

School realignment

The project is part of the school district’s $65 million realignment, initiated in 2018.

It aims to alleviate the overcrowded district by moving seventh, eighth, and ninth grade classes into the new campus. Tenth, eleventh, and twelfth graders will be at North Bergen High School. This is designed to make room in the elementary schools for Pre-K students to move out of classrooms housed in permanent trailers in Braddock Park, near Bruin Stadium.

It will cost approximately $37 million to purchase and renovate the former High Tech High School, approximately $15 million to renovate the current North Bergen High School, and approximately $12 million for other upgrades.

On Dec. 11, 2018, North Bergen’s Board of Education held a special election in which voters approved the plan to use $60 million in long-term bonds to finance the project. The township will have to repay only $34 million. The NJ Department of Education will pay the rest.

The remainder will be financed by the state. This additional $10 million will go toward purchasing the former High Tech High School, officials said.

Legal wrangling

The project faced problems even before COVID-19.

“It was delayed by a frivolous lawsuit filed by our political opposition and by the pandemic, which affected much of the planning and construction process,” Sacco said.

Days before the Dec. 11 vote in 2018, Sacco’s electoral rival at the time, Larry Wainstein, filed a lawsuit alleging that the township violated the Open Public Meetings Act, also known as Sunshine Law, when distributing public notice of the vote.

That suit was thrown out of Hudson County Superior Court just days before the vote took place. Shortly after Wainstein’s charges were dismissed, Diana Ortiz filed a lawsuit to have Wainstein’s case heard in appeals court, challenging the judge’s verdict favoring the North Bergen Board of Education. Ortiz ran unsuccessfully for a commissioner slot in the May municipal elections that year on a slate with Wainstein.

Ortiz’s complaint was dismissed in Hudson County Superior Court. The New Jersey Superior Court Appellate Division affirmed the lower court’s ruling in July of 2019.

Finally progressing?

While bonding was held up while the matter was in court, things began to move forward in February of 2020, when officials estimated the project would be complete by September of 2022.

A few months later COVID-19 hit, delaying things once more.

“Now we will be able to build this facility while limiting the impact on North Bergen taxpayers and giving our students the school they deserve,” Sacco said.

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 ordinance would bond millions for new senior center

Hudson Reporter

August 4, 2021

08seccouncil12 — The Secaucus Council meets in person, monthly, at Town Hall at 1203 Paterson Plank Rd.

The Secaucus Town Council has introduced an ordinance that would authorize the use of over $9 million in capital bonds for various public improvements. The $9,644,000 bond ordinance was introduced by the council at its July 27 meeting.

“This is our capital bond,” Mayor Michael Gonnelli said. “A lot of the money you’re going to see there is for the new senior center on Irving Street.”

A public hearing for the ordinance is scheduled for the council’s August meeting. For more information, go to secaucusnj.gov and click on the event on the calendar webpage.

New senior center

The most expensive item in the bond ordinance is for the construction of a new senior center, allotting $7,818,670 to cover the estimated cost.

“That number looks large, but the number is going to come down some,” Gonnelli said. “We got some grant money. And we got some money that we are going to be using from other areas.”

The ordinance allocates $510,000 for the estimated cost of storm sewer and flood mitigation control improvements at a number of locations and the installation of an automatic pump cleaner at the High School Storm Sewer Pump Station.

The ordinance also allots $308,550 for the resurfacing of various roads; $380,000 in supplemental funding for the construction of a passive park on Farm Road; and $189,080 for the estimated costs of other various improvements to public buildings and facilities.

New cars and equipment

The ordinance authorizes the purchase of new, additional, or replacement equipment and machinery; new information technology and telecommunications equipment and machinery; new communication and signal systems equipment; and new automotive vehicles, including original apparatus and equipment.

Replacement equipment for the DPW account will be an estimated $42,000. New information technology and communications equipment in Town departments, offices and agencies account for an estimated $17,700. The installation of fire alarm systems at various Fire houses is estimated at $18,000.

A total of $278,000 will account for the estimated cost of the purchase of an SUV, alcotest upgrade equipment, data switches and other equipment, computerized ticketing equipment for Parking Enforcement Officers for the Police Department; a dump truck for the Department of Public Works (DPW); a pickup truck for Buildings and Grounds; an SUV for the Construction Department; treadmills for the Recreation Department; and an SUV for the Bureau of Fire Prevention.

More dough for Fire Department

In late July, Rep. Bill Pascrell announced the Secaucus Fire Department would receive a $42k grant, on top of a $14k grant received earlier in the month.

Also at the July meeting, the council adopted an ordinance bonding $870,000 to cover the cost of a new pumper fire engine, including original apparatus and equipment.

A resolution was approved authorizing the execution of a contract with KME REV Group for the purchase of KME Fire Apparatus.

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].

Guttenberg Arts announces new exhibition

Hudson Reporter

August 3, 2021

Guttenberg Arts Gallery will present “Swallow,” an exhibition of work by Wendell Jeffrey, on view from August 12 — 29 at the Guttenberg Arts Gallery with an opening reception on Thursday August 12th, 7-9 p.m.

A print release will be held on Sunday August 22 in conjunction with the print fair “Print Riot 4”. The print by Jeffrey is a chine-collé lithograph editioned to 10 and will be available to purchase on the 22nd.

Guttenberg Arts Gallery is open by appointment only Tuesday – Saturday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. and virtually on their website. Patrons can schedule their visit or view the virtual gallery by going to www.guttenbergarts.org/exhibitions.

The installation of work includes drawings, paintings, sculptures and prints which were all loosely inspired by the wreck of the Swallow.

Artist Wendell Jeffrey explains: The “’Swallow” series traces the event of a shipwreck. I was taken by the idea of how an unscrupulous captain could possibly take a wager and recklessly race his ship in hopes of collecting the winnings, thinking nothing of risking the lives of his passengers and crew. Further exploring these dangers it lead me to the question of what is it that drives us to make these kind of judgements. When does chance cause actions beyond our control. What is it in that moment when the line is crossed regardless to others? It goes without saying that humans are good at causing problems and yet we also have wherewith into create a different story.”

In 1845 on April 7, The “Swallow” left Albany at 6 o’clock on Monday evening, with two or three other boats, to come directly through to New York. She had on board a large number of passengers, three hundred and fifty in all. Passing through the narrow channel at Athens, she ran upon a large rock. The bow ran up so high that it was impossible to stand upon the deck. In three minutes the cabins were full of water. The upper part of the boat soon took fire.

The “Swallow” wreck took place six years before the railroad was to reach Albany from New York. In the absence of a railroad, virtually all passengers, freight and mail moving between New York and Albany did so by steamboat. It was an era of fierce and unfettered competition. Steamboat racing was a frequent occurrence, the idea being that the first steamer to reach a landing would be the one to get the waiting passengers.

The wreck of the “Swallow” was one of the more spectacular disasters of the era and created a vivid impression all along the river. Occurring as it did before the age of photography, several artists scurried to the scene and soon their impressions of the wreck were immortalized for posterity in lithographs that quickly appeared on the market for sale.

Jeffrey has an MAT in Art Ed from the University of the Arts, Philadelphia and a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design. Currently a teacher at Ridge High, Basking Ridge, NJ and previously at the Teachers College, Columbia University, NYC, Wendell has completed numerous residencies, including Guttenberg Arts, Vermont Studio Center and Haystack Mountain School of Crafts.

Guttenberg Art Gallery is free and open to the public by appointment only. Guttenberg Arts programming is made possible by a grant from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a division of the Department of State, and administered by the Hudson County Office of Cultural & Heritage Affairs, Thomas a. Degise, Hudson County Executive & the Hudson County Board of Chosen Freeholders.

Schedule your visit by going to www.guttenbergarts.org/exhibitions.
For more information please contact [email protected] or 201-868-8585.

New Musical About Alzheimer’s Highlighted in Union City Concert

Hudson Reporter

August 2, 2021

Cast21 — The cast: Dylan Bivings, Daniel Robert Burns, Jay Chacon, Lauren Coccaro, Grace Juhe, Andrew Leonforte, Rebecca Monk & Devyn White.

An outdoor musical theatre concert, “A Good Day – Songs from Musicals by Eric B. Sirota, took place on Saturday July 24, ” at Ellsworth Park in Union City. “A Good Day” is also the name of Sirota’s newest original musical in development.

It’s a story of undying love. A widowed artist finds himself brought into the life of his childhood girlfriend, his first love, his muse, who spurned him over 50 years ago, and who now has Alzheimer’s.

The outdoor concert was a presentation of the Park Theatre, the historic 1300-seat performing arts center in Union City, and Write Act Repertory (John Lant & Tamra Pica), in association with the City of Union City and the Greater New Jersey chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association. The concert, featuring “A Good Day” included songs from three of Sirota’s other musicals: Frankenstein, Your Name on My Lips, and Go, My Child.

“A Good Day” was inspired by Sirota’s experience with his father, who had suffered from Alzheimer’s. In his last years the only way to reach him was through music, singing songs he knew earlier in life. Sirota wanted to write a musical touching on the power of music to rekindle memory and awaken the mind.

Then when making a condolence call to a friend who lost her mother to Alzheimer’s, he learned that she had been a cellist. In her last years when all other facilities were gone, if she heard cello music, she would hold and move her hands and fingers in perfect form, as though she was playing that music. He knew immediately who his characters would be. He had already created them in his earlier musical, “Your Name on My Lips,” which ends when they are only about 20 years old. The female character in “Your Name on My Lips” had been a cello player in her youth. While he makes use of these characters and their backstory, he wrote “A Good Day” to be entirely self-contained.

He describes it as “Music, memory, an old flame and Alzheimer’s – You just hope for a good day.” And while the subject matter is serious, the musical ends on a high note. (www.AGoodDayMusical.com)

Sirota wrote “A Good Day” in 2019, after receiving a Denis Diderot Artists-in-Residence grant to attend the Chateau Orquevaux residency in France. Revising drafts over the rest of that year, he had a complete script and score, as the pandemic hit. Having demo recordings of the songs done remotely early in the pandemic, he then had a series of virtual readings and workshops over the course of the following year. The July 24th concert was the first live performance of the material, and Sirota is hoping to gain interest in the work and further opportunities to develop it.

Another theme that runs throughout the show is the importance of arts education, something close to the writer’s heart. The music of the show is characteristic of Sirota’s work, using his classical inspiration melded with contemporary musical theatre styles, as it serves the story and characters.

The final segment of the July 24th concert featuring “A Good Day” began with the show’s opening number ‘Sundown.’ Sundowning is a condition often occurring in Alzheimer’s patients which makes the late day and night particularly difficult. But more than that, the song addresses all of the characters’ pains, losses and needs. With Alzheimer’s, it is not only the patient who is affected. It takes a major toll on their family/caregivers.

The concert was included as one of the Alzheimer’s Association’s 2021 “Longest Day” activities. The Longest Day is the day with the most light – the summer solstice. To shine a light on Alzheimer’s and dementia, people from across the world fight the darkness of Alzheimer’s by raising funds and awareness through an activity of their choice. Events need not take place exactly on the solstice. (http://act.alz.org/goto/AGoodDayMusical)

Eric B. Sirota is a composer/playwright, having written five full-length musicals which have appeared on New York stage. “Frankenstein” played Off-Broadway for three years and “Your Name on My Lips” had two productions at Theater for the New City, where Sirota was a resident playwright.

He studied musical composition at Brown University and is also a highly published research physicist with a PhD from Harvard. He was a recipient of the Denis Diderot Artists-in-Residence grant to attend the Chateau Orquevaux residency. As composer, he wrote the score for A Day at the White House, which was recently recorded as a radio podcast. Other works include The Flemington Oratorio and a dramatic musical setting of Unetane Tokef. He and his wife, artist Cara London, are also part of the group of dedicated volunteers and arts professionals who have worked to save and restore the Park Theatre.

For more information about A Good Day, or any of his musicals, you can contact Eric Sirota at [email protected]. To contact the Park Theatre, use [email protected].