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Councilwoman Jen Giattino on progress for a new 6-acre park, opposing County tax increases

by SmartyJones

From the desk of Sixth Ward Councilwoman Jen Giattino:

Jen Giattino 6th Ward Update
PROGRESS ON ACQUISITION OF A NEW 6-ACRE PARK
The BASF site at 11th & Madison Streets is home to the future 6-acre active recreation park designed to accomodate a 5 million gallon underground storm water retention chamber.

Future 6-acre active recreation park designed with 5mil gallon underground storm water retention chamber.
As Councilwoman and Council President, one of my highest priorities has been securing more park space and upgrading our existing parks. I am pleased to report we have made substantial progress in both these areas, which are critical to our quality of life. 
We are moving forward with plans to acquire a new 6-acre park at the BASF site at 11th and Madison Streets along with a new multi-purpose park that will include active recreation. An underground storm water retention chamber that can hold at least 5 million gallons of water will be installed on the property. This is a key element in the City’s comprehensive flood prevention plan.

A combination of low interest financing and open space funds will be used to purchase the property and for park construction. As I said during one of the Council sessions where I pushed allocating some of the funding for the project, this is the last, best opportunity for the City of Hoboken to obtain multiple acres of contiguous open space. I am pleased to report we are seizing this opportunity.
IT IS TIME FOR THE COUNTY TO 
STOP SOAKING HOBOKEN TAXPAYERS
I worked hard, together with the Mayor and my Council Colleagues, to produce a budget with no increase in the city tax levy this year. Unfortunately, the same can not be said for our county government —which continues to raise taxes every year and saddles Hoboken with an unfair share of the burden.

The county tax levy is increasing by an unacceptably high 4.49%, with an outrageous nearly 12% increase for Hoboken due to a flawed county formula based on property values. Less than 1-out-of-ten county residents live in the City, yet more than 1-out-of-5 tax dollars to pay for county government now come from Hoboken taxpayers.

It is time to bring county government into the 21st century, putting in place needed cost-efficiencies and targeting pockets of waste. As Hoboken residents, it is time to make an extra effort to make our voice heard during next year’s county budget process.


I will be reaching out to my fellow Council members in other Hudson County cities to see if we can make common cause and prevail upon county government to hold the line on spending. In a more than $500 million county budget this is a doable task.
ROAD IMPROVEMENTS UNDERWAY
IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD
Visit the hobokenNJ.org for complete schedule of road resurfacing.
Beginning this week, Bloomfield Street, between Observer Highway and 14th Street, is being repaved. Repaving is also underway between Hudson Street and Castle Point on 8th and 9th Streets. According to the City, the work should take about 2 weeks to complete.
PLEASE NOTE: The “No Parking” on Garden St. and Park Ave. has been removed until the repaving on Bloomfield St. has been completed.
Check hobokennj.org for a complete schedule of resurfacing around town.

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