The Secaucus Town Council has approved a resolution supporting plans to improve the Meadowlands Parkway Bridge and approach roadways in the municipality.

“There’s a bridge on Meadowlands Parkway, right next to the Harmon Cove townhouses,” Town Administrator Gary Jeffas told the Hudson Reporter. “It goes over the Norfolk Southern rail lines.”

According to Jeffas, the town is transferring ownership of the bridge to the county as part of the plans.

“We own it currently, but the county is going to be taking the bridge over eventually. They’re working with us and the state on a design to replace it. It’ll be transferred to the county at some point in time, either during or once the work is completed.”

Designs are currently underway for what will be a replacement bridge. However, the county has held public hearings on the matter and a design is near finalization.

“They’re in design on that, and that’s why we had the resolution to support the to continue their efforts to design a replacement of that bridge,” Jeffas said. “It’s about a seven-year project.”

The county estimates the project will take about seven years or so, from design to building it out, according to Jeffas. He described it as a long-term project, which would be funded in some way by the county.

“We’re thankful for the county,” Jeffas said. “They’re doing a lot of parts on the bridge reconstructed. So that’s a big expense in and of itself.”

The county taking on the expenses lifts the burden off the town, which has already been making repairs to the bridge over the years.

“We made some repairs on it a few years ago with some grant money so the bridge is in good shape through its reconstruction,” Jeffas said. “Kind of like a long-term plan for that to happen.”

Adding a bike lane

The designs call for a full replacement of the bridge, according to Jeffas. The new bridge will be adding a walking and bike lane to the bridge.

“We’re looking to add a walking and bike lane to the bridge so that people from Harmon Cove Towers would be able to link up to walkways on the Meadowlands Parkway. Eventually, people will be able to walk in front of Harmon Cove townhouses on Meadowlands Parkway and then that would connect and go over the bridge. You would be able to walk over and then potentially walk down to the train station. Or bike to the train station via Seaview Drive.”

Secaucus currently has a bike lane on a portion of Meadowlands Parkway southbound near the Osprey Cove redevelopment and it connects to the path around Hudson Regional Hospital. The lane, the town’s first, was constructed in 2016 utilizing a $400,000 grant from the Meadowlands Commission.

According to Jeffas, the town is looking to add more in the future. The intention is to use grant funds to support the installation of the bike lanes.

“We have put an application in for a grant a few times,” Jeffas said. “We just haven’t been successful in getting it right now.”

The idea was actually to get a bike lane along Seaview Drive for the purpose of meeting up with a bike lane before the existing Meadowlands Parkway Bridge, over the new bridge, and all the way down to the train station along Scenic Drive. While the grants weren’t successful, the town is looking into alternatives.

“We are going to be repaving that road soon,” Jeffas said. “So we did ask our engineer to look at it, and see if in our repaving process, it was wide enough to potentially work in some sort of bike lane.”

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. 

Plans for the Secaucus’s new senior center at 101 Centre Avenue are currently being drawn up. Town Administrator Gary Jeffas told the Hudson Reporter that the new building design is being created by the project architect.

“It’s in architectural design,” Jeffas said. “So the architect is finalizing his plans.”

The plans are obviously necessary before any construction can begin. Meanwhile, demolition of the old center and environmental remediation of the site is complete.

“The old center is demolished, so the lot is all clear,” Jeffas said. “We’re ready to go, but we have to wait for architectural plans so we can go out to bid for the project.”

Jeffas said the town is still a couple of months away from having architectural plans in its hands to take review and approve. Then it will be time for the town to find a contractor to build the new senior center.

“Once we have the architectural plans, then we’ll put together a bid package,” Jeffas said. “We’ll have to bid it out, award it, and then obviously the construction can start.”

The timeline is to have awarded the contract by the early summer, barring any delays.

“I don’t know if I’m too hopeful, but we’re hoping by early summer to be through that process and at least having her awarded the job,” Jeffas said. “If we get it done sooner, that would be great, but I would say we’re probably still probably at least six months away from getting through a bidding process.”

New $7.8 million senior center

In August of 2021, the Secaucus Town Council voted unanimously to adopt a bond ordinance to cover the cost of the new senior center totaling $7,818,670. While the bond will foot most of the over $7.8 million bill, the town has received a number of grants and is using other monies to supplement the project such as from town reserves.

The move came after the town realized that oil tanks underneath the old center had been leaking for a number of years. Environmental remediation work needed to be done at the three buildings that composed the old center.

Because some of the contamination leached under the foundation, Jeffas said it was cheaper to start from scratch then to remediate the existing center. The old center was demolished before contaminated soil that was formerly beneath the building was removed. Now plans are in the works for the new center.

While the new building will primarily serve as a senior center during the day time, for the rest of the day and evening the facility will serve as a community center for residents to hold events and meetings. When the new senior center opens, it will be larger and more accessible to the handicapped. Amid the ongoing construction, the community center on Front Street is functioning as a makeshift senior center.

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. 

Two men have been arrested for alleged inside job burglaries in Secaucus.

On Jan. 12, at 9:30 p.m., the police arrested a 47-year-old male, Trent Janulis of Secaucus, and a 48-year-old male, Michael Schmidt of Jersey City.

Both face four counts of burglary, four counts of conspiracy to commit burglary, and three counts of theft. Janulis was also charged with criminal attempt to commit burglary, defiant trespassing, possession of a controlled dangerous substance (CDS) believed to be Suboxone, and possession of a prescription drug believed to be Viagra. Schmidt was also charged with possession of a CDS believed to be Suboxone.

Both Janulis and Schmidt were issued their complaint warrants and were subsequently transported to the Hudson County Jail.

The charges stem from an investigation conducted by the Secaucus Police Department in relation to numerous reported burglaries and thefts that occurred at 2 Day Transportation located at 901 Castle Road. According to police, the thefts occurred on Dec. 19, 24, and 25 of 2021, and Jan. 10 of this year.

Janulis was employed at the victim company, allegedly using that to allow himself and Schmidt to gain access. According to Secaucus Police Chief Dennis Miller, the two stole over $200,000 in perfume and laptops.

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 resident Nancy Talty, currently suffering from stage 5 kidney failure, is still in search of a kidney. 

Second Ward Town Councilman James Clancy has been trying to help the family locate a donor, reiterating the need for the vital organ at each meeting of the town council. Nearly a year after the Hudson Reporter first highlighted her need for a donor, Talty has not had any luck yet and the clock is still ticking.

“That family is still looking for someone to possibly donate a kidney,” Clancy said at the Jan. 25 meeting. “Time is running out for the person that needs the kidney.” 

Potential donors can call any of the following numbers to contact the family including: (201) 407-8267, (201) 240-7562, or (201) 865-3477. Or donors can contact Clancy through his office at the Municipal Complex. He urged as many people to come forward as possible to help with the chances.

“It’s been at least a year that I’ve been making this announcement,” Clancy said. “Time is running out and unfortunately, and they could really use someone to come forward. Not just one person, but six or seven or ten, because it’s very selective when it comes down to the testing that’s involved for the donor.” 

In urgent need of a donor

Nancy’s husband Bernie previously told the Hudson Reporter that Nancy received a kidney transplant more than 50 years ago from her identical twin sister Mary Ann in February of 1969, but that kidney has since run its course, and she is in need of another transplant. 

Doctors have said that the ideal treatment for her is a living donor. Receiving a living donor kidney would mean a greater chance of the kidney working immediately, lasting twice as long as a deceased donor kidney, and offering an improved quality of life. 

Due to kidney disease on both sides of her family, Nancy’s sons cannot donate, nor can Bernie because of underlying health conditions, he said. With 100,000 people on the waiting list for a deceased kidney, only 11,000 people getting a transplant each year from someone who has died and donated their organs. He said that a live kidney donor would also mean Nancy would avoid five to seven years of waiting for a deceased donor kidney. 

“I am praying and hoping that my sweetheart will find a living donor and avoid dialysis,” Bernie 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 disrael@hudsonreporter.com.