Officials have offered their condolences following the passing of a Weehawken World War II veteran.

Remembering Joe

Joseph J. Fredericks Jr., a lifelong Weehawken resident, died on Nov. 16. He was 97. Fredericks was a member of one of the longest established families in the township, with ancestors living in Weehawken since 1867.

During WWII, Fredericks served in the Office of Strategic Services in the European Theater of Operations, the precursor to the modern day Central Intelligence Agency and Special Forces.

A combat engineer, he was called on by the United States Army to be a part of a Special Forces operation in 1944. He and another engineer from Jersey City were tasked with delivering supplies to resistance forces by parachuting in the middle of the night to resistance groups in various countries.

Fredericks was also the Deputy Chief of the Weehawken Fire Department and taught fire safety in schools. He retired after 36 years but remained active in the community through the Red Cross, St. Lawrence Church, and the VFW Post 1923.

For the past 15 years, he served as cochair of the Memorial Day Parade Ceremony on Boulevard East.

‘A true American Hero’

In a joint statement, Mayor Richard Turner, First Ward Councilwoman Carmela Silvestri-Ehret, Second Ward Councilwoman Rosemary Lavagnino, Third Ward Councilman Raul Gonzalez, Councilman at Large David Curtis, and Township Manager Giovanni Ahmad mourned Fredericks’ passing:

“Joe was part of what is called America’s greatest generation. Joe was a symbol of all the men and women who had to leave their homes and give up their lives to protect this country. He was devoted to remembering those who fought in World War II, especially those soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice.”

They continued: “Joe loved Weehawken, and Weehawken loved him. He was an inspiration to all; he knew everyone and everyone knew him. A true American Hero in every way. Rest in peace, Joe. Weehawken will be forever grateful to you.”

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Following public outcry, Weehawken has tabled an ordinance that would have banned wood burning in outdoor fire pits. Instead, the township will form a committee consisting of one council member and residents to discuss the issue.

The Weehawken Township Council introduced an ordinance banning the practice at the virtual council meeting on Oct. 29.

Mayor Richard Turner said that the ordinance stemmed from individuals with lung conditions or asthma complaining about the smoke from wood burning in fire pits. Embers have also raised concerns about spreading fire.

The ordinance would have banned only wood burning in outdoor fire pits, not gas or propane.

Committee formed

The decision to table the ordinance followed outrage by residents at the Nov. 5 council meeting who argued that an outright ban punishes residents who burn wood responsibly.

Instead of holding a public hearing on the matter at the Nov. 23 meeting, the council will hold further discussions following the formation of the committee.

The committee will make recommendations to the council on the ordinance. Turner said the recommendations will be on the website and residents will have input.

The committee will be chaired by Councilman David Curtis, a retired Fire Chief from North Hudson Regional Fire and Rescue, and will consist of approximately five locals.

Turner appointed one outspoken resident, Roger Desmond, to the committee at the Nov. 5 meeting. Desmond is passionately opposed to the ordinance, questioning what other activities that create smoke could be banned.

Hot controversy

Desmond championed the camaraderie among neighbors through social-distanced get-togethers around outdoor fire pits.

As it gets colder, fireside meetups may be the only safe way for residents to gather.

Resident Lori Young said that everyone should not be punished over a few irresponsible folks and suggested a permitting process to weed out violators.

Pablo Galloy, a Weehawken resident for over 20 years, was concerned that the ordinance would ban him from cooking on his outdoor, wood-burning culinary oven.

“Losing my oven would be like losing a member of my family,” Galloy said.

Galloy said he also would miss connecting with neighbors around the fire.

Resident Scott Dennis said that the fireside get-togethers have been a great way for his children to interact with their friends safely.

Sharon Palm said she was concerned that without fire pits, residents would return to gathering inside and spread the virus.

Resident Sandra McKenzie said that she supports both sides of the argument. Living behind a senior home, she understands some residents may have issues with the smoke, but she supported the safe activity.

The next council meeting is on Nov. 23. Visit 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].

Weehawken introduced its 2021 Budget at the Nov. 5 township council meeting.

According to Mayor Richard Turner, the township is $3.4 million short in revenue this year due to COVID-19.

Addressing the deficit

According to Chief Financial Officer Lisa Toscano, the state has a system in place to address these revenue shortfalls. In addition to lost revenue, there are a number of expenses due to COVID-19.

The 2021 budget appropriations total approximately $47,202,912. Toscano said this is down about $4.2 million from last year’s budget.

She said this is because miscellaneous revenues are down. However, the township is cutting appropriations to stabilize taxes.

According to Toscano, there will be no increase in municipal taxes this year. However, the library tax, which is dictated by the state, has gone up $114,000. Toscano said that the township doesn’t have a say in that decision.

She said that appropriations could have been raised more, thus raising taxes in the process, but the township decided against it.

Now the budget goes to Trenton for approval, Turner said. The township will hold a public hearing and most likely unofficially adopt the budget in December, whether or not it hears back from the state. When the budget receives state approval, it will be officially adopted.

The public hearing will be held Dec. 9. For more information, visit weehawken-nj.us.

Cap bank

The township also introduced an ordinance alongside the budget that would establish a COLA cap bank.

Toscano said the state put in place the cap bank to raise appropriations to 3.5 percent if needed. Currently, appropriations account for 2.5 percent of the budget.

Toscano said that doesn’t mean the township is going to use those funds. If needed, Weehawken has three years to raise appropriations under the cap bank.

According to Toscano, this gives leverage to use this in the 2021 budget or in subsequent budgets.

A public hearing for the cap bank ordinance will be held on Dec. 9.

Coping with COVID

At the Oct. 28 council meeting, Weehawken introduced two ordinances and accompanying resolutions to address the budget deficit.

The first would consist of the township applying to the state to spread out the deficit over a period of time.

Turner said the township is trying to spread out the fiscal deficit over a five-year period amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Various categories of the budget have been affected by loss of revenue due to COVID-19.

The second ordinance would allow the township to remove COVID-19 expenses from the budget. Toscano said that Weehawken would be able to spread the expenses over several years.

The township is applying for grants from FEMA and hopes to secure additional federal funding. Turner said FEMA funds will offset 80 percent of the expenses.

Of the $2.7 million in relief funding already received by Weehawken, $1.6 million came from FEMA and CARES Act funding. This funding is vital because expenses from pandemic are “astronomical,” according to Turner.

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 has moved to ban wood-burning fires in outdoor fire pits, following numerous complaints.

The Weehawken Township Council introduced an ordinance banning the practice at the virtual council meeting on Oct. 29. According to Mayor Richard Turner, residents can still have outdoor fires using gas or propane.

Embers and smoke

Turner said some residents had complained about the smoke, many of them with lung conditions such as asthma. Embers have also raised concerns about spreading fire.

“Given the density we have, we feel very strongly in favor of this ordinance,” said Turner who noted that complaints have been on the rise.

Resident Roger Desmond asked if the ordinance banned indoor wood burning fires, too, considering they create smoke just like those in outdoor fire pits.

Turner responded that only fires burning in outdoor pits are prohibited under the proposed ordinance.

Fireplaces and cigarettes?

According to Desmond, indoor burning in indoor fireplaces and cigarettes create embers, and the ordinance should ban those as well.

Turner said that they’ve never had complaints about embers from chimneys and that many fireplaces have protective devices to prevent the spread of embers. Turner noted that the council does not have the authority to ban cigarette smoking.

Desmond noted that currently, if a neighbor complains about a wood- burning fire in a pit, the fire department arrives and asks that the fire be put out. He questioned how that differs from the ordinance.

Turner said the township is passing the ordinance, so the fire department doesn’t have to deal with the issue on a case-by-case basis.

When Desmond said that charcoal grills created embers and smoke and should be banned, too, Turner told him to save it for the public hearing for the ordinance in November.

Years of complaints

Another resident said his neighbor had frequently burned anything and everything in a fire pit, which caused frequent issues with embers.

Whenever the man complained, the fire department told him that it was the neighbor’s right to have a fire in his backyard.

Turner said that prior to the proposed ordinance, residents were allowed to burn wood in a fire pit in their backyards, but that they needed to be responsible. Since many residents were not being responsible, the township took action.

According to Turner, Weehawken has been trying to control the problem for years.

Turner said the township is looking to initiate eminent domain on that man’s neighbor, due to the neighbor’s reckless behavior; his house had apparently burned down numerous times.

A public hearing on the ordinance may be held at the next council meeting on Nov. 5. For more information, visit 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].