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Time: 9:30 am

Appellate Court Part G, Room 1114
Veterans Courthouse, 11th Floor
50 West Market Street, Newark, NJ

Oral arguments set for today in the NJDEP waterfront permit case surrounding the Monarch Project towers. The NJDEP will defend its granting a permit to Shipyard Associates to build two eleven story towers on a Hoboken pier.

Opposing the NJDEP permit, the City of Hoboken and the Hudson Tea Building Condo Association.

From the desk of NHSA commissioner Anthony Soares:

I’m writing to you and to your readers who have reached out to me asking about my health and well-being after my August accident and I want to say thank you to all of them. During my recovery the messages and calls really meant a lot and it shows what a great city Hoboken truly is!


It’s a great city no matter which side of a political issue you’re on and and it’s nice to see so many people who participate in the political process put their names out there to serve on volunteer boards and paid elected seats and stipend commission seats.


The North Hudson sewage authority has experienced it’s five most challenging years since its inception as a municipality authority. It was a challenging time but also an exciting time for me. We are fortunate in Hoboken to have an extremely supportive mayor and council especially when it comes to flood mitigation and cooperation on a daily basis. Mayor Zimmer has put forth quite a bit of innovative ideas and then the NHSA has shared many with her and her team too.


From separating the sewer lines and outfall lines in the two new resiliency parks to the second flood plan, we are definitely and unquestionably the most innovative sewage authority and public utility in the area.


Over the past six years we’ve eliminated two public relations firms, closed out  several million dollars in bond debt, and added flood modeling technology at our plants and throughout the system. No longer will we see the days of wooden collapsed connection lines.


Our executive director embraces modern technology and our chief engineer leads several contractors who are global innovators in their field. I’ve learned a lot on the sewage authority and I want to give my point of view as to what I think the council should be looking for in a commissioner.


While it’s always nice to have someone who is aligned with your political view points; I think the important part is to have someone that works well with the team. Unlike the City Council or the  school board, Hoboken will only have three members on the NHSA, so diplomacy is key and getting along with others and convincing them through friendly interactions is vitally important to Hoboken 


I have known Paul Blanos as a neighbor for just a couple of years and I’ve spoke to him on occasion about government and some politics but most importantly what it was like being a Willow Terrace resident during and after Hurricane Sandy. Paul understands firsthand what flooding can cause.


Paul is the only candidate I have seen who is completely non-political and not that there’s anything wrong with that; I believe he will be a breath of fresh air and bring objective thinking to the body. I’m a believer that the seats are not lifetime entitlements and I also believe that change is good.


The NHSA could use someone like him.


From chasing Board of Education and housing authorities who weren’t paying their bills to taking 6:00 AM phone calls when a neighbor has a backed up sewer line, this position requires quite a bit of interaction with your neighbors. It doesn’t require being a civil engineer, an accountant, a CFO, a developer or a professor.  It simply needs a practical thinker who is honest, diplomatic on the board to others and willing to do a lot of work for the stipend of $5000 per year pretax.


Commissioner Gardiner, and Assadourian have been a pleasure to work with as well as the rest of the board. I hope the City Council takes into consideration my experience on the board and my input that I’ve made to them personally and publicly now that I believe Mr Blanos deserves serious consideration and their vote.


Tony Soares Read More...

Based on Mayor Zimmer’s twitter account, open office hours will be held at 221 Jackson tonight.

Reminder – I will be holding my open office hours on Monday (12/12) from 5-7 pm at 221 Jackson Street (community room)

— Dawn Zimmer (@dawnzimmernj) December 12, 2016

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City of Hoboken announces:

=&0=& The City of Hoboken has settled contract negotiations with four employee unions – the Hoboken Police Benevolent Association (PBA), Hoboken Municipal Employees Association (HMEA), Hoboken Municipal Supervisors Association (HMSA), and Local 108 RWDSU (part-time). The contracts were approved by the City Council on December 7, 2016.

The contracts extend through 2017 and provide for annual raises of 2 percent. In addition, the City negotiated the elimination of longevity payments for new employees in the agreements with the PBA and both municipal employees unions and the elimination of terminal leave for new employees in the agreements with HMEA and HMSA. These important concessions by the unions will help keep the City on a fiscally responsible track for the long term. Read More...

A sneak attack on Pearl Harbor is remembered today on National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day.
A newspaper report on December 8th, 1941 captured the events in this headline:

The President-elect, Donald Trump issued the following statement:

Hi MSV readers, I’m very glad to share the news that we have awarded the contract and construction is about to begin in early January on the Washington Street redesign project! In addition to repaving the entire roadway from Observer Highway to 15th Street, the project will make significant improvements to the infrastructure and safety along the entire corridor. The improvements include the installation of concrete bump-outs at corners with high visibility crosswalks, 15 new traffic signals with pedestrian countdown timers, an emergency pre-emption system and optimized signal timing, all of which will make Washington Street safer for residents and visitors.  The project will add 15 rain gardens and drainage improvements to capture rain water and reduce flooding, as well as the proactive step of replacing the century-old water mains all along Washington Street, among other improvements This is an exciting project that will dramatically improve our city’s main commercial corridor. The project was scheduled to begin in the fall, but a frivolous legal challenge by one of the bidders meant that we could only move forward with awarding the contract last week. We will have regularly updated project status updates and much more information at www.washingtonstreetproject.com, which will go live on Friday, December 9.   Thank you,   Dawn

City of Hoboken announces:

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The contract for construction of the $17 million Washington Street rehabilitation and redesign project has been awarded and construction is scheduled to begin in early January. In addition to milling, paving and striping Washington Street from Observer Highway to 15^th Street, the project also includes: Read More...

Councilman Ravi Bhalla wrote on Facebook earlier highlighting the City of Hoboken’s purchase of the BASF property in northwest Hoboken:

Today is a historic day for Hoboken! Mayor Zimmer is signing the contract to acquire 6 acres from BASF to be utilized for open space, parking and flood prevention. This will be a great benefit for residents in the western area of Hoboken and all of our residents. I look forward to now beginning the process of working with the community to build a great park!

Mayor Zimmer signs off on the BASF property purchase in northwest Hoboken.