North Bergen will host a slew of events for Hispanic Heritage Month, through Oct. 15, Mayor Nicholas Sacco and the Township Commissioners have announced.

North Bergen’s robust Hispanic population has contributed to society through their talents, culture, and traditions. The township will support the celebration of rich cultural traditions and significant achievements of the Hispanic and Latin American communities through a number of events in September and October.

While COVID-19 prevented many in-person events for Hispanic Heritage Month last year, this year the township and library are hosting a wealth of activities online and in person, including dance classes and performances, concerts, crafts, and movies.

The month’s events are in full swing. A Special Adult Book Club via zoom for “Of Woman and Salt” by Gabriela Garcia was held on Sept. 15, and a Children’s Latin Dance Class by Oneida’s Dance Studio on Sept 18.

Upcoming events

On Sept. 21, the township hosted Taco Tuesday and an outdoor showing of the movie “Coco” at 6:30 p.m. at the Kennedy Branch Library parking lot at 2123 Kennedy Blvd.

Oneida’s Dance Studio will perform a Flamenco and Salsa Showcase on Sept. 22 at 6 p.m. in the Main Library parking lot at 8411 Bergenline Avenue.

The Museum of Latin American Art will hold a zoom event on Sept. 25 at 3 p.m.

A “Flamenco Flavor” outdoor concert will be held on Sept. 28 at 6 p.m. at the Main Library parking lot.

On Sept. 29, an Adult Latin Dance Class will be held at the Main Library parking lot at 6:30 p.m.

Another Taco Tuesday and an outdoor movie showing of “The Book of Life” will be held on Oct. 5 at 6:30 p.m. at the Main Library parking lot.

Among the highlights of the month is the annual Hispanic Parade of New Jersey, beginning at 1 p.m. on Oct. 3 at 80th Street in North Bergen and proceeding down Bergenline Avenue.

Wrapping up the month’s festivities is a family concert featuring 123 Andrés on Oct. 6 at 4 p.m. in the Main Library parking lot.

The final event will be a bilingual family concert featuring Baila Baila on Oct. 9 at 2 p.m. in the Main Library parking lot.

During the entire month, special take-home craft kits are available for free at any library branch. The crafts, themed for Hispanic Heritage Month, can be picked up on Mondays until Oct. 4 at the Main Library, the Kennedy Branch, and the Guttenberg Resource Center at the Galaxy Towers Mall at 7002 Blvd East.

For more information, go to nbpl.org/calendar or northbergen.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].

North Bergen is weighing two clean energy proposals, including a resolution that would condemn the proposed gas-fired power plant in Newark and a proposal for a community energy program.

Condemning Ironbound plant

The township is still reviewing resolutions proposed by North Bergen resident Bill McClellan and other members of the public regarding the proposed Passaic Valley Sewer Commission (PVSC) power plant in the Ironbound section of Newark, according to Township Counsel Tom Kobin. In the past, the Board of Commissioners has condemned the proposal of the NJ TransitGrid fracked-gas power plant in Kearny and called for the closure of the PSE&G Bergen Generating Station gas-fired power plant in Ridgefield.

“McClellan had raised this issue at the past couple of meetings,” Kobin said at the Sept. 8 commissioners meeting. “The power plant is presumed to be a gas fire power plant that would enable Passaic Valley to power the system in the event of a storm like Hurricane Sandy, where they were without power for 72 hours.”

The Food and Water Watch of New Jersey has proposed a similar resolution to the board condemning the proposal. Kobin said that some facts about the plant are disputed between Food and Water Watch and PVSC.

Who’s right?

“Food and Water Watch is saying this can be done with renewables,” Kobin said. “PVSC is saying it can’t be done with renewables. Food and Water Watch is also saying that this is a ‘peaker plant,’ which is a type of power plant where there’s high demands on energy. If there’s a heat wave, a ‘peaker plant’ would be used by PVSC could to power their system and not be using the grid to avoid brownouts and things of that nature. PVSC is saying it’s no longer designed to be a ‘peaker plant.’”

To get to the bottom of it, Kobin has asked Neglia Engineering to look into the power plant. Kobin said Neglia was chosen over the township’s engineers, Boswell and Remington, because it works for PVSC and wanted to avoid the conflict. According to Kobin, the township has also asked attorneys from Florio Kenny Raval to look at the proposal.

“I’ve asked Neglia engineering to look at what both parties are saying and give us their take on this,” Kobin said. “I’ve also asked the Florio Kenny Raval firm to quarterback this and look at it and give us their opinions on it.”

Kobin said the township will get a report on this by the next commissioner’s meeting or the meeting after the engineers and attorneys. The township will then make a decision on the resolution to condemn the proposed power plant.

Community energy aggregation program

Kobin shared details about the community energy aggregation project proposed by residents and members of the public at previous meetings.

“That’s a program whereby a town enters an agreement with an energy provider, and the residents in the town are made customers of that energy provider unless they opt out,” Kobin said. “The residents would have to opt out, otherwise they’re mandatorily in the program and buying their energy from whoever the township selects as the energy provider.”

Mayor Nicholas Sacco and other township have opposed the program’s opt out aspect. Sacco previously said: “The opt-in opt-out program is a disaster,” Sacco said. “You don’t know what it’s like to try to force on people.”

“We want to research it and figure out where it’s been implemented and how it’s worked,” Kobin said.

Residents shared the names of towns that have used the program. “We did contact those towns, and as far as we can decipher right now, none of them have adopted an energy aggregation program,” Kobin said.

Not in Hudson yet?

According to Kobin, Hoboken has a program for purchasing energy for its municipal buildings, but it’s not a mandatory program for residents. Bayonne had such a program, but it was rescinded, Kobin said. He is waiting on further documentation to figure out why.

Weehawken is currently researching the program, according to Kobin. Jersey City and West New York have no programs at this time, but the latter is looking to have one in the future.

Kobin said the township is going to send a letter to each Hudson County municipality from Township Administrator Janet Castro asking for more information.

“We’re going to find out what they’re doing with this energy aggregation program and give us the benefit of what they’re looking at and what they’ve researched,” Kobin said.

Kobin said that he’s spoken with the township’s energy consultant, who is working on getting more background information on the program.

Reducing carbon footprint

The township is continuing to reduce its carbon footprint and deal with green energy, according to Kobin.

North Bergen is currently in the process of converting municipal buildings to LED lighting, “which is reducing our carbon footprint greatly,” according to Kobin. All heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) units in municipal buildings have been converted to more efficient units.

A bike share program is in the works. Kobin said the township previously put together a bidding process for a bike share program, but there were no bidders.

Now, the township is working on a co-op bike share program in which towns can get together and take bids.

“Then it might be more effective for a vendor to bid on,” Kobin said.

The North Bergen Parking Authority installed charging stations for electric cars at the municipal parking lot on 5th and Liberty. In the bid documents for parking facilities in the township, a component requires the construction of charging stations.

Green infrastructure

Water storage cisterns are being installed beneath municipal buildings for storm water management, like one under Town Hall to reduce storm water runoff. The township is incorporating them into bid documents so they are constructed when renovating municipal buildings.

The township is seeking an energy supplier for municipal buildings that uses more renewable energy.

“We want to try and do things where you’re reducing the carbon footprint using renewable energy here in New Jersey,” Kobin said. “If you just buy credits, which a lot of people do, you might be subsidizing something out in California, which is good for the globe of course, but we want to try and reduce emissions here in the state so it’s more immediate. We’re working with our energy consultant looking at other alternatives to use renewable energy as a source.”

The North Bergen Board of Education has installed solar panels on its roof. The township is in discussions with the board and the vendor to see if some municipal buildings are tailored for it.

The public responds

A representative of North Bergen Earth Talks, identified only as ‘Ms. Sustainability,’ thanked the board for looking into community energy aggregation.

Sam DiFalco of Food and Water Watch thanked the commissioners for looking into the resolution for the power plant and encouraged the township to also embrace the community energy aggregation program.

“Last week’s devastating storm reminds us that we have no time to lose when it comes to fighting climate change,” DiFalco said. “One thing North Bergen can do right now is help lower emissions associated with electricity usage in the township.”

DiFalco pointed to community energy aggregate programs successfully implemented in Edison, Red Bank, and Collingswood, and East Brunswick is in the process of starting one.

Cost savings?

A member of the public said residents have saved $100 a year on community programs compared to default PSE&G, and it would bring “great cost savings” to North Bergen residents.

“I know that there is some concern about this program being a default opt out and also concern that residents may feel like it is forced on them, but this program actually gives residents a choice or another option than the default monopoly utility or those renewable energy options that are offered by third parties but always end up costing more and locking residents in,” DiFalco said. “Residents can opt out of the program contract if it is something they don’t want to do.”

DiFalco urged North Bergen to start a cooperative program with other Hudson County municipalities, akin to the Sustainable Essex Alliance, for community energy aggregation.

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].

Following Hurricane Ida, North Bergen residents poured into the virtual Board of Commissioners meeting calling for solutions to prevent the massive flooding caused by the storm.

North Bergen resident Roger Kasada said flooding is an “enormous problem” and called for resiliency projects to mitigate flooding.

“We’re past the prevention of climate change,” Kasada said. “It’s already here. These floods are going to continue to get worse. My basement was flooded with almost three feet of water. I’ve lost all my appliances and everything that I had in the basement. My neighbors have also lost a lot of what they own in their basement. Many of us are not in the financial position to take on a catastrophe like that.”

Kasada acknowledged that there are relief funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), but encouraged spending on township projects to prevent flooding in the first place.

“We need to talk about investments into resiliency, we can’t keep ignoring these problems,” Kasada said. “We need to address these problems right now as in planning for what North Bergen is going to do to mitigate these flooding scenarios. It’s all over town.”

Calls for resiliency projects

A representative of North Bergen Earth Talks who asked only to be referred to as “Ms. Sustainability,” echoed calls for resiliency projects and green infrastructure.

“I know the Green Team’s proposed mitigation tactic to flooding specifically is to dig retention tanks in the old High Tech parking lot,” they said. “This method is already implemented in Hoboken, and there is still massive flooding in the streets… [Trees] are fundamental in absorbing mass amounts of water during flash floods. All the pavement is what prevents our stormwater from draining properly all over New Jersey. Biodiversity is the most cost effective solution to help mitigate the outdated combined sewer system that we have in place… We do not have time to put off these solutions any longer… The more we delay, the more sewage water enters our homes.”

Resident Stephanie Martinez agreed.

“Mitigating flooding looks like reforestation and separating the sewer lines,” Martinez said. “We have to do so now. There’s going to be another storm coming, and even more storms because of climate change.”

Neighborhood flooding

Other residents said that they witnessed terrible flooding from the storm, but added that flooding in their neighborhood has been persistent for years.

“I’m reaching out on behalf of the community between Hudson and Broadway, 72nd to 79th Street,” resident Samir Patel said. “We’ve been enduring a sewer backup into our homes for at least five years. I’ve been living here two years, and I’ve had four floods with minimal rainfall. I spoke with my neighbors, and we all connected the dots that this issue has been persistent for a number of years and has been progressively getting worse. Some of us have individually invested into our homes trying to tactically fix the problem, not realizing our neighbor has the same issue, and this issue is confined to the Hudson and Broadway area.”

“We are pretty much in a dire situation between Hudson and Broadway,” resident Gabby Costello said. “There has been heavy duty flooding throughout the years… I have two kids. They’ve been traumatized by the situation time and time again. My basement is pretty much done with. I’m a single parent so I can’t afford to be paying so much into this… When you have sewage backing up, that’s an infrastructure issue. Why is this happening?”

“My house itself, every time it rains, just gets flooded,”  resident Claudia Mendoza said. “I had a lot of damage because of this flooding… I’ve lived in this house for the past six to seven years, and there are two times this year that were horrendous. I’ve never experienced something like this.”

Engineers weigh in

Mayor Nicholas Sacco questioned why the neighborhood is waiting until now to report the flooding and urged them to do so every time it happens. He said that the township would send engineers to monitor the houses when it rains regularly to see “how deep the problem really goes.”

In response to the neighborhood’s pleas, Township Administrator Janet Castro said she would follow up with Mendoza, Costello, and Patel regarding the issues in the neighborhood.

“Our systems are just unable to handle the amount of water of the surge,” Castro said. “Unfortunately we’ve got so many instances where people have these issues, countless number of residents with flooding.”

Meanwhile, the township is seeking FEMA relief funds for drainage-related upgrades. Castro said it is also looking for other funding and resources to address the problems.

Sewer overhaul

Sacco said that the township is working with the Passaic Valley Sewer Commission (PVSC) on addressing the township’s antiquated combined sewer system.

“They’re trying to separate the sanitary sewers from the rain water,” Sacco said. “That’s I think a $50 million project. [PVSC] is taking the lead on it. We did meet in North Bergen, and we had most of the towns around here as far as Newark. We talked with Passaic Valley because we need their help. No town can afford the cost of what the mandate would be. So we’re trying to work together with them to see how much they can pick up, and the rest the town will of course have to do. But that would do a great deal toward alleviating flooding.”

Sacco said the failed proposal for the PSE&G power plant in North Bergen would have paid for floodgates.

“The floodgates would have prevented the flooding from Bellman Creek, which overflowed and affected our schools,” Sacco said.

Looking for a developer

According to Sacco, the township is still pursuing a developer to redevelop the land, which would include the floodgates.

“We have to somehow get a developer in there who will pick up the cost of the floodgates for the Army Corps of Engineers,” Sacco said. “We did make that an area in need of redevelopment, but we’re not getting much help on it.”

Sacco said that while North Bergen was hit hard by Ida, so was the rest of the state. He added that the township wasn’t to blame for the historic flooding, which affected nearly every resident.

“I know [Commissioner] Allen Pascual got water,” Sacco said. “I’m on the tenth floor of an apartment building, and we got water through our roof. This was a one in 500-year storm.”

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].