Mayor Michael Gonnelli and the Secaucus Town Council have plenty of programs for seniors underway. Second Ward Town Councilman James Clancy made the announcement at the August 23 meeting of the council.

New senior walking initiative

The council invites seniors to its “Let’s go for a walk” program, Clancy announced. Residents are invited to walk with the town at the nearby American Dream mall. The program began earlier this month on August 1.

Going forward, the program will take place on the first and third Monday of the month at 10 a.m. Bus transport is provided.

“We invite our seniors to talk a walk through the American Dream” Clancy said. The events will be on September 12 and September 19.

Mayor Michael Gonnelli said that there will be people on site to take blood pressure during the event. For more information, call 201-865-4422.

Senior congregate meals return

Clancy also announced the return of congregate meals for seniors.

The meals will take place at the Community Center currently serving as a temporary Senior Center at 145 Front Street. The Senior Center at 101 Centre Avenue was demolished because the town is currently in the planning phase of constructing a new facility.

The suggested donation is $1.75 per meal. The meals take place every Monday and Thursday at 11 a.m.

Call 201-330-2094 to reserve a meal. Gonnelli said this was the day that the seniors had bingo there.

“You have lunch and you have bingo,” Gonnelli said.

For more information on these and other opportunities, 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 disrael@hudsonreporter.com.

Secaucus is considering a multi-million dollar bond ordinance for various improvements across town, which will include more funds for the new senior center.

The $6,535,000 ordinance was introduced at a Town Council meeting in late July, with an upcoming hearing this month. Mayor Michael Gonnelli was absent at the July 26 meeting, so Third Ward Councilman Bill McKeever chaired the meeting.

The ordinance includes funds for the completion of various public improvements, and the acquisition of new or replacement equipment or machinery, new information and technology equipment, new communication and signals system equipment, and new automotive and electric vehicles including apparatus and equipment.

Roads and senior center improvements

After the meeting, Town Administrator Gary Jeffas explained the gist of the bond ordinance to the Hudson Reporter. One of the biggest items was another approximately $1.5 million for the new senior center at 101 Centre Avenue. 

“This is essentially due to cost overruns,” Jeffas said of the previously estimated $7.8 million project. “We didn’t start building yet.”

The cost estimate has increased due to inflationary prices.

“The architectural estimates, now that they are able to drill down more, they just said that with everything else, costs are increasing, so we had to put more money into that,” Jeffas said. 

The other major object of the bond ordinance is approximately $2 million for various road paving projects. 

“We’re going to be repaving five roads this year,” Jeffas said.

Roof repairs, Millridge Field improvements, and electric vehicles

Other highlights of the bond ordinance includes roof repairs to the recreation center in the amount of approximately $500,000.

“We have a basketball recreation center that we have to redo the roof,” Jeffas said. “It’s a big barrel roof. So there needs to be some shoring up with the steel structure and a new roof on it due to age.”

Another approximately $520,000 will further pay for already-completed improvements to Millridge Field.  

“We approved a project a couple of years ago where we do in the field with turf,” Jeffas said. “It’s a flood area so we had to raise it a bit. Based on cost estimates, we need a little more money for that one.”

Another big ticket item in the bond ordinance is approximately $1 million for new police vehicles. 

“We applied for a really nice grant on a total electric 25 yard garbage truck,” Jeffas said. “The state granted us that… A large number in that overall vehicle purchases was taking advantage of that grant.”

Grant offsets price of electric garbage truck

Jeffas said the grant helps offset the cost of an electric garbage truck to the point that is cost as much as a diesel truck, which costs considerably less.

“Hypothetically, if a truck would normally cost $500,000 electric, you could buy the same truck in diesel for $250,000,” Jeffas said. “So what the state would do is give a grant of $250,000 so you can essentially buy the electric vehicle at the same cost to the taxpayer as the diesel.” 

In order to get the grant, the town has to retire their current diesel garbage truck, drill a hole through the engine block, and show the state that the truck cannot be used again. 

The council also introduced another ordinance that would see a $30,000 down payment for improvements to the town’s swim center. Another ordinance introduced is one that would see the removal of a bus stop on Meadowlands Parkway.

Additionally, the council adopted ordinances related to new flood plain management regulations to bring the town in compliance with the state, as well as changing parking meter pricing and hours, among others.

The introduced ordinances will be heard at the next council meeting on August 23 at 7 p.m. in the council chambers in Town Hall at 1203 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 disrael@hudsonreporter.com.

A French national and executive of a Secaucus-based pharmaceutical company has admitted making false statements to gain control of the rights to sell a weight-loss drug in the United States, according to U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger.

Alain Bouaziz, a 69-year-old and a French citizen and resident of the United Arab Emirates, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Evelyn Padin in Newark federal court to an information charging him with one count of making false statements to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court, Bouaziz represented himself to be the chief operating officer of Hexim Pharmaceuticals. Hexim, a company headquartered at 600 Meadowlands Parkway in Secaucus, was previously known as Alkopharma USA Inc.

According to the U.S. Attorney, beginning in February 2018 Bouaziz submitted forged documents and made false statements to the FDA to try to gain control of Sanorex, a weight-loss pharmaceutical owned by a major international pharmaceutical company. Bouaziz sent letters and documents by email and in hard copy to the FDA falsely stating that Hexim had purchased the New Drug Application for Sanorex and requesting a meeting about marketing Sanorex in the United States. These representations were false because neither Hexim nor Alkopharma owned the rights to distribute Sanorex.

The count of making false statements is punishable by a maximum term of five years in prison and a maximum fine of up to $250,000, or twice the gross gain or loss caused by the offense, whichever is greatest. Sentencing is scheduled for December 14.

U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Fernando P. McMillan, with the investigation leading to the guilty plea.

The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Hayden M. Brockett of the Health Care Fraud Unit in Newark.

For updates on this and other stories, check www.hudsonreporter.com and follow us on Twitter @hudson_reporter. Daniel Israel can be reached at disrael@hudsonreporter.com.