Zoning Board postpones hearing due to erroneous notice

A Feb. 26 Bayonne Zoning Board meeting was postponed after an erroneous date of the meeting was mailed on notices to neighbors of the site of a proposed Muslim community center. The meeting was supposed to be a hearing for residents to comment on the city’s $3 million settlement proposal that resulted from the board’s rejecting the Muslim group’s zoning application in March 2017. No revised meeting date has been announced. When that meeting occurs, the Bayonne Zoning Board will formally approve the city’s settlement agreement, which entails the application’s approval.
The non-meeting was held at the Bayonne Board of Education auditorium to accommodate neighbors speaking before the vote. In an empty auditorium, Zoning Board Chairman Mark Urban said, “This was a notice case, and there was a defective notice. Therefore, the board doesn’t have jurisdiction over an effective notice.”
According to city officials, the letter was written by Bill Finnerty, the zoning board attorney for Bayonne Muslims, the nonprofit that applied to convert the 24th Street warehouse.

Bayonne Community Bank robber sentenced to 46 months in prison

A federal judge in Newark imposed a sentence on Feb. 20 on Patrick O’Boyle, 60, from Bayonne, for nearly four years in prison and three years of supervised release for robbing a Bayonne Community Bank branch in Jersey City in 2016, according to court records. O’Boyle entered a guilty plea in November to one count of bank robbery
Holding his left arm to his side as if holding a gun, O’Boyle demanded the BCB bank teller on Washington Street in Paulus Hook to give him “your 100s, 50s, and 20s, and make it quick because my car is double parked outside,” on May 25, 2016. O’Boyle walked out of the bank that day with $1,200 but was apprehended the same day.
It wasn’t the first Hudson County bank O’Boyle robbed. According to previous reports, O’Boyle held up a Chase bank for $6,000 on the same street in 2010 and was arrested walking onto the light rail soon after. Two days later, he robbed a Capitol One, also on Washington Street, which later landed him in prison for 31 months with three years of supervised release. His last release was June of 2015.

Man chases accomplices of dirt bike thief

A 33-year-old Prospect Avenue resident chased down a 25-year-old and 17-year-old from the Bronx who accompanied a man who made off with a stolen dirt bike from the Prospect Ave. resident on Wednesday, Feb. 21. The dirt bike, advertised for $2,500 on “Letgo,” an online marketplace app, was stolen after the thief allegedly gave the Prospect Ave. resident a cash envelope full of monopoly money as collateral. By the time the resident realized the money was fake, the thief was out of sight and his two friends fled in a car.
When the victim tried to stop the man and the teen, they “suddenly accelerated” and tried to strike him with the vehicle, according to police. The resident then pursued the accomplices down Port Terminal Boulevard on the former Military Ocean Terminal base until the two men struck an elevated curb, which caused heavy frontend damage to the car and effectively ended the chase, police said.
The two Bronx men were charged with aggravated assault, two counts of theft by deception, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, two counts of conspiracy, and one count of being a fugitive from justice, according to police.
The case is under investigation while the dirt bike thief is at large. Whether one can ride a dirt bike to the Bronx remains uncertain; dirt bikes are allowed through tunnels or over bridges traversing the Hudson.

Camden County files racketeering suit against oxycontin makers

In what is being called a legal first, Camden County has filed a racketeering lawsuit against Purdue Pharma, the company that makes the opioid drug OxyContin, and three members of the Sackler family, who own the company, ROI-NJ reports. The defendants “executed an epic scheme to deceive doctors (and the public at large) into believing that opioids can be prescribed for long periods of time, with little to no risk of addiction; a blatantly false premise,” the suit contends. Overprescribing of opioid drugs has led to the heroin epidemic, and Camden County says its police have been left to deal with addicts and overdoses.

Hudson County CASA is seeking volunteers

Learn how to become a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) volunteer and help foster children find safe and permanent homes. The next information session will be held at the Hudson County Courthouse, 595 Newark Ave. Rm# 901 on Tuesday, March 6 at 6:30 p.m.
Hudson County Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) is a nonprofit organization committed to advocating for the best interests of abused and neglected children. CASA works through trained community volunteers to ensure that needed services and assistance are made available to children while helping to move them toward safe and permanent homes. Hudson County CASA volunteers are everyday people who make a direct impact in foster children’s lives. They are trusted, dedicated adults who seek to improve children’s wellbeing. CASA volunteers get to know their assigned child and his or her circumstances and provide valuable information to the court. Judges rely on the volunteers’ recommendations to make the best decisions about the children’s futures.
For further information, visit www.hudsoncountycasa.org.

NJCU published policy brief on impact of charter schools

The New Jersey City University (NJCU) Urban Education and Teacher Unionism Policy Project has published a new policy brief to spark conversation about tensions and controversies concerning the role of charter schools in serving historically underserved communities of color.
In the report, President of the Massachusetts Teachers Association (MTA) Barbara Madeloni, candidate of the reform caucus, Educators for a Democratic Union (EDU), responds to questions about the union’s involvement in the campaign to “lift the cap” on the number of charter schools in the state. Dr. Marilyn Maye, NJCU Associate Professor of Educational Leadership at NJCU, has written the commentary.
Dr. Lois Weiner, NJCU professor of Elementary and Secondary Education, is project director.

Winefest at Harborside slated for March 10

Harborside in Jersey City is welcoming back Jersey City Wine Fest for the second year. Wine aficionados can travel around the world of wine at its waterfront walkway property on Saturday, March 10 from 6 to 9:30 p.m.
This festival will sample hundreds of new wines from around the world: the United States, Australia, Chile, Germany, South Africa, Spain, and many more. Participating wine importers and wineries will highlight their selection of world-class styles, including Cabernet, Chianti, Malbec, Moscato, Pinot Noir, Torrontes, and more.
Live music, access to delicious food, and interactive games will also be available onsite along with views of the beautiful NYC skyline from Harborside’s Atrium. General Admission ($60) and Designated Driver ($15) tickets along with additional information can be found at https://www.ticketfly.com/event/1624731-jersey-city-wine-fest-jersey-city/.
The event will be held at Harborside 3 Atrium. The entrance is on Christopher Columbus Dr. at the Hudson River Waterfront walkway next to the PATH station.

Head of Archdiocese of Newark mistakes Twitter for text message

Cardinal Joseph Tobin posted on his seldom used public Twitter account last week, “Supposed to be airborne in 10 minutes. Nighty-night, baby. I love you,” in an apparent message originally meant as a text message to his sister. Some social media users and internet observers chided the cardinal over the mistake, while most seemed less speculative about Tobin’s personal life.
Tobin, 65, who was appointed last year as the Sixth Archbishop if Newark, took the post down immediately and issued an apology via Twitter.
“However, the tweet continues to be widely diffused and has sown some misunderstanding,” Tobin tweeted Friday. “I want to apologize to the priests and faithful of the Archdiocese of Newark, if my carelessness has caused any confusion or embarrassment. I promise to be more careful with future use of media.”

Marist High School may be at risk of closing if unable to raise about $1.5 million by April 24. The reasons include years of declining enrollment (only 76 freshman students enrolled by the February 4 deadline and 306 in total); the closing of Catholic elementary schools that graduate students to Catholic high schools; increased costs and tuition;and competition from charter schools. These factors have contributed to a structural deficit and possible closing of Bayonne’s only Catholic high school, which will celebrate 63 years of operation in September.
Since 2008, the number of freshmen enrolled declined by half. “Fewer students results in less revenue, creating a deficit that has depleted the school’s reserves,” reads the school’s fundraising page on its website, adding that the school’s founders, the Marist Brothers, “are not in a financial position to assist Marist High School going forward.”
Other private schools, charter schools, and magnet schools in the area have increased enrollment in the same period, such as Jersey City’s McNair Academic, County Prep High School, and Saint Peter’s Prep, all while Catholic elementary schools that used to feed students into Catholic high schools like Marist continue to close. “And free is free,” said Head of Schools, Alice Miesnik, noting the competitive challenges private Catholic schools have in today’s school market.
“First, it was the downturn in the economy back in 2008, then we raised our tuition and people couldn’t bare it, then charter schools start springing up,” she said. All this, despite Marist offering “a really warm family spirit, a lot of special programs, like engineering, focus programs for kids with [individualized education programs], and a fantastic art program.”
News of the school’s possible closing did not come as a complete surprise to Miesnik, who was well aware of its recent financial challenges and already working to address them. An online “save the school” campaign was already underway, as were efforts to raise money through various events, a spring fundraiser (a super 50/50 raffle); a fall walk-a-thon;and mandatory student-run bake sale. “We’re planning all kind of events small and large to make money,” Miesnik said.
The administration is putting all its energy into fundraising. Miesnik said it’s planning to ask its long list of successful alumni for donations, as well as certain corporations that have donated in the past.The Marist Parent Association is pitching in, hosting a “card party” on April 22, which is similar to a tricky tray.
“I can’t say that it’s definitely closing,” Miesnik said. “If we’re effective and can raise the money within a month, like I think we can, and increase enrollment, we’ll be OK.”
Marist’s fundraising efforts in the coming weeks are critical for the school’s survival; news of its possible closing hit parents and teachers hard.
“Some people get angry, some get sad, others get creative,” Miesnik said. “We’ve had the whole range of emotions. But now we’re doing what families do which is pull together in a crisis.”

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“If we’re effective and can raise the money within a month, like I think we can, and increase enrollment, we’ll be OK.” – Alice Miesnik
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Meeting with the public

At a meeting held on Tuesday, March 21, Marist High School hosted about 200 parents, teachers, administrators, and alumni to discuss possible solutions to prevent the school from closing.
Councilman Gary La Pelusa, a 1984 Marist graduate, who attended Tuesday’s meeting, said he is dismayed to hear that Marist is at risk of closing.
“I would hate to see Marist close because they have such a stellar reputation for their academics,” he said. “I will try to help them in any way I can. I really believe in a Catholic education. I think it’s very important that people have that option.”
La Pelusa said that he hopes the Marist Brothers and the school administration will heed the concerns and suggestions of parents and alumni. He suggested that, in addition to Marist’s fundraising campaign, it hold a “paver campaign,” where the school can lay bricks engraved with donor family names some place on Marist’s campus.
Others at the meeting raised the idea of the school selling some of its land to raise the money. “Now everyone thinks that’s a possibility, and we don’t really know that,” Miesnik said of the possibility of a land sale.“That’s something we’re exploring, but I don’t know that it has any legs at all.” The Marist Brothers would ultimately decide whether to sell any land.
If the school can’t raise the money, a contingency plan needs to be in place.
“In the weeks ahead,” reads the press release, “school administration and the Archdiocesan Schools Office will work with parents and current Marist students to assist with the transition to other Catholic schools within the Archdiocese. Currently faculty members will be placed on a preferred eligibility list for positions at other Archdiocesan schools.”
For now, all Alice Miesnik’s efforts will be put toward fundraising in time for the administration and the Marist Brothers to make the final decision in May on whether to close. “I’m doing everything I can to make this place a home for generations to come,” Miesnik said.“It’s a great place. Otherwise, people have to move on.”
Marist’s next public meeting will be Wednesday, March 29, at 6:30 p.m. in the cafeteria at Marist High School.For more information or to donate to Marist High School, visit marist.org/savemaristnj.

Rory Pasquariello may be reached at roryp@hudsonreporter.com.

The acceleration of development in Bayonne remains constant as the city council approved redevelopment plans and tax abatements for major development sites throughout the city at its regular meeting on Wednesday, July 19.

“If you’re looking to redevelop the area with higher-end places like Starbucks, you don’t want to have a cement manufacturing company come in and park and interfere.” – Joe Wisniewski

Concrete-block manufacturing plant denied

The council voted down a redevelopment plan for Clayton Block, a company that hoped to create a concrete block manufacturing plant from a property it owns but has not used since 2013 on Route 440 on the East Side. Many East Side residents came to June’s council meeting when the plan was introduced to speak out against it. Most of those residents came again to voice their concerns, which included noise, truck traffic, and pollution. “The reality is there is going to be a ton of trucks coming in,” said East Side resident Joe Wisniewski. “If you’re looking to redevelop the area with higher-end places like Starbucks, you don’t want to have a cement manufacturing company come in and park and interfere. “We [city council] all agree that it doesn’t fit our vision, and we have not changed our vision,” said Bayonne City Council President Sharon Ashe-Nadrowski. “In that location, it doesn’t really fit.”

Development marches on

The council approved a 30-year tax abatement for a 120-room Hilton hotel at South Cove Commons. While the redevelopment plan has already been approved, further details emerged about the hotel. It will be a hybrid of hotel and residential development, supplying 60 residential units on the top floor, according to Bayonne Business Administrator Joe DeMarco. The hotel will also include a restaurant, bar, and a banquet hall. DeMarco said the city will generate revenue from the annual room tax applied to hotel rooms. “So there would be [revenue] that the city would generate from, dare I say it, out-of-towners,” DeMarco said.

Residents were surprised to hear for the first time that St. Joseph’s Church on Avenue E was recently sold by the Archdiocese of Newark to a subsidiary of PRC Group, a developer and real-estate owner. The council approved a preliminary redevelopment plan for the site, which includes the parking lot across the street. The plan is not yet finalized, but Ashe-Nadrowski said the developer is considering constructing residential buildings, as well as pitching in funds to help restore the pedestrian bridge next to the property on 25th Street that spans the light rail tracks to Prospect Avenue.

The development of the former Hi-Hat property on 190 West 54th Street, approved in 2003, has long been stalled. But the development picked up steam at Wednesday’s meeting, as the council amended the 25-year tax abatement agreed upon two years ago. The new agreement will generate the same amount of revenue as the former agreement. The developer is now planning to lower the number of planned residential units from 248 to 220 while increasing the size of each unit.

The previous abatement agreed to pay the city 12 percent of the development’s gross revenue for 25 years. The new agreement has the developer paying 10 percent of gross revenue for the first five years, 12 percent for the next seven, 13 percent for the following seven, and14 percent for the remaining five.

Another 25-year tax abatement was approved for the former Best Foods site on 99 Avenue A. The property, which once produced products such as Hellman’s Mayonnaise, had been an industrial site since the early 1900s. Then Unilever used the property for warehousing until it closed in 2003. Since then the property has lain dormant. Ashe-Nadrowski said the new agreement will bring in $6 million more than if left unused.

Rory Pasquariello may be reached at roryp@hudsonreporter.com. Follow him @rory_louis.