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Despite their location, their amenities are probably some of the best in jersey city:
-Doorman
-Fitness Center
-Yoga Room
-Indoor Pool
-Jacuzzi/Sauna
-Kids playroom
-Billiard Room/Poker Room
-Movie Room/Theater
-Dog Run
-Shuttle Service to the Path
And if I'm not mistaken (i'm sure someone on this thread will be quick to correct me!) i think their maintenance fees cover Cable or high speed internet, or something else...

The fees seem comparable to other "luxury" buildings in the area. Basically the amenities have to be there, or else why not move to a newer building that's closer to the path?

What has been established in these posts is that nothing has appeared in the Jersey Journal despite them being made aware of it last Friday. So now the story is not the hold-up or whatever, it is that the story was not reported.
Whatever sidebars there are to this the public is being kept in the dark. Not good.

I don't trust any management and I am sure they are all ripping us off---however---I lived in The Galaxy Towers in Guttenberg which has some of the same amenities as here at The Beacon but all kind of old and faded, except for the pools. The maintenance for our one bedroom one and a half bath was $800.00 when we left five years ago so it must be $1,000.00 now. I moved into a big townhouse in Secaucus in Harmon Cove after that and the maintenance was only $500.00 which included two covered parking spots but the only amenity they had was an outdoor pool open three months. So all considered it works out about even.

Can someone post the link to the Jersey Journal story? I cannot find it.

Anyhow, I happened to encounter the several police cars at the store that night.

Could it be that there is more to the story than an armed robbery? Has anyone ever shopped at that store? I don't want to pass any judgment, but let's just say that I think that place was a little bit "different." In other words, I am not really surprised....no matter what neighborhood it is in.

Much of what happens goes unreported and it's not a stretch to believe requests are made to "sit on a story". The story in last Saturday's Journal about a possible heir to the present Police Chief intimated being "political" could only help you get the job.

I was going to ask this today... I feel there is far more crime in my area then what is actually reported... do you think they (JJ) leave things out because of "friends?" Curious to hear everyones input

They are doing something about crime. They're ignoring it.

All developer consessions are automatically granted, regardless of the 100:1 opposition by the community involved.

You might as well put a bunch of trained monkees up there.

The developers come in with a crate of bananas.

The give each monkey a banana, and then the monkey hits a button that says "YES, Variance Granted".

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Let's stop making excuses about crime. Healy and his rubber stamp council should do something about crime.

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a few months ago, i met at guy at the Van Vorst dog park who basically accused that place of being a front for al qaeda terror money.

it wasn't idle chatter. it was a conspiracy theory, with footnotes.

Shocking! An employee of an organization that robs people all day is caught stealing!

Groov - same thing with me. Nothing will happen to them. The guy who boots all the cars illegally parks his car at the end of Warren EVERY WEEKEND to go fishing and stare lecherously at the women.....

Maybe it's just a coincidence, but I sent in my parking permit renewal form along w/a check for $15 more than a month ago to the JCPA - check was cashed but I never received my permit.

Finding this truck is really a no-brainer. Check the NJ DMV files & run them through the system one by one.

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Saw a truck this morning on Jersey Ave., same year, same color, with a contrator's box, but it was a black box, not silver, and there was no W in the license plate, and there was no damage up front, and the truck looked like it had enough grime on it not to have had any bodywork done recently. All black pickup trucks are getting a serious eyeballing downtown, I think.

Hopefully, someone will spot the truck and get this guy off the roads. With all the cameras around, I can't imagine why this guy hasn't been caught. That truck probably crossed through Holland Tunnel traffic--there must be tons of cameras there. I wonder if JCPD has reached out to the Port Authority to see if they have footage that captured the trucks full license plate number.

Couldn't agree with you more, TBG.

East end of the Bergen Tunnel

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The organization that you describe already exists - One Jersey City.

If you are currently covered under an employer's plan, I think COBRA payments have been drastically reduced this year. You should be able to extend your current plan for 6 months with COBRA. When I did it 3 years ago, my COBRA payment was around $600/month and I had to drop that after 2 months and go without insurance until I got another job a few months later. It was ridiculous. But I hear COBRA payments have been significantly reduced, so look into that.

Wherever it happned in Jersey City it would be enough to make the daily tabloid but an armed robbery just across the street from City Hall while a council meeting was going on is news. Did the Healy team squash this story?

Don't feel bad. It's worth having the cops looking into it. Did the plate first letters match the reports?

New Jersey is just so f*c#ed up.

I saw a truck this weekend that looked eerily the same as the one from the videos (or maybe I am just paranoid), so I called in the plate number and direction the truck was heading. Then, I realized that I feel bad if they pull this guy over and it is obviously not the person they want. If it is him/her on the other hand, I will feel great about it. I dunno...I am conflicted.

Kanye West's new book offers, um, Kanyeisms

Saturday, June 20, 2009
By TOM SHORTELL
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Rapper Kanye West, a former Hoboken resident, was a self-confessed book-hater. But a book by a Jersey City resident made him change his mind. The 32-year-old music star says he was blown away when he came across J. Sakiya Sandifer's book "Think, Think, Think and Think Again."

"His book was simple and to the point," West said in a statement. And it inspired West to write his own book in a similar format, with Sandifer's help.

The result is "Thank You and You're Welcome," what West calls "a fun collection of my theories and philosophies about getting the most out of life."

West's book is not traditional, admits Sandifer. Spiral-bound, only five square inches, the 52-page book contains West's personal proverbs - Kanye-isms, as West calls them - such as "Believe in your flyness . conquer your shyness."

Sandifer said the book breaks all the rules of a traditional book. "But that doesn't mean . it's missing any content," he added.

"Thank You and You're Welcome" revolves around the concept of using and being used by people, Sandifer said. He and West challenge the negative connotations of the word "use," arguing that if people can't use you, then you are useless.

"When you say thank you, you just focus on what you're getting. You're not leaving those people better, just on what you took," Sandifer said. "We felt that was the basis of what we were trying to tell people. You have to focus on what you're giving as well as what you're getting."

Sandifer claims that the book, which costs $10.99, has sold 500,000 copies at West's rap events and another 16,000 to 20,000 in bookstores. The book will be featured at Barnes & Noble's new arrivals table from July 14 to 27. While it is ranked high at Amazon.com (hovering around 8,000), it comes accompanied with several reviews that are less than raves. Wrote one reader: "Kanye West seems mildly amused that these things called 'words' can actually be written down and combined into interesting groups called 'phrases' or sometimes even 'sentences.' It would be adorable if he were 5 years old."

Body found on Conrail tracks in Downtown Jersey City tunnel

Sunday June 21, 2009
Jersey Journal


Todd Aiken, 44, of Jersey City was struck and killed by a Conrail train in a tunnel not far from here in Downtown Jersey City.

The body of a 44-year-old Jersey City man was found inside a Conrail train tunnel in Downtown Jersey City, The Jersey Journal reports.

Authorities wouldn't say what they think Todd Aiken was doing inside the tunnel, at the foot of Ninth Street. (The nearest intersection is Brunswick Street.)

Aiken, whose last known address was at Reed Street and Bergen Avenue, had been cut in half at the waist, Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio said.

Investigators from the state Regional Medical Examiner's Office in Newark pronounced Aiken dead at 1:35 a.m. Friday, DeFazio said, adding that CSX police contacted homicide investigators at DeFazio's office at about 2 a.m.

The body was spotted by a train operator, officials said.

'Transit villages,' including Jersey City's, stall with slumping economy

by The Jersey Journal
Sunday June 21, 2009

Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy in April as he walks by site of proposed mixed-use development next to Journal Square Transportation Center. The plan has stalled along with the economy.

The slumping economy has derailed a number of the state's planned "Transit Villages," according to The New York Times.

This news comes as no surprise to residents of Jersey City who have watched a mixed-use development planned for Journal Square next to the PATH Transportation Center come to a standstill.

Despite Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy's pre-election press conference in April, in which the last of the demolition was celebrated, there is still no date for construction to begin on the $500 million development, which is to have some 1,600 apartment units.

Police conducting investigation of JC Parking Authority

Hudson Reporter
Ricardo Kaulessar

The Jersey City Police Department is conducting an investigation of the Jersey City Parking Authority, a police spokesperson confirmed last week.

Lt. Edgar Martinez said the department's Special Investigations Unit is doing an investigation but did not give any details since it is an ongoing investigation.

A City Hall source said the police are looking at a Parking Authority employee who allegedly signed checks without authorization and deposited them into a personal account. -

A Charity Benefit & Art Exhibition: The New Way to Sell Real-Estate





JERSEY CITY, N.J., June 22 /PRNewswire/ -- There's auctions, short-sells and price gouging going on in today's Real Estate market, but you wouldn't know it by looking at m650 Flats in Jersey City. Brunelleschi Construction (BrunCon) has taken a different approach to boosting the sales of their luxury lofts.

BrunCon, a premier urban developer of adaptive re-use properties in Hudson County, was established based on the principals of their Renaissance namesake, Filippo Brunelleschi. Much like this architectural forerunner, they believe in working within a neighborhood's existing fabric to create a vibrant community - socially, architecturally and environmentally. A recent recipient of the 2009 Adaptive Re-Use Preservation Prize, the boutique style luxury lofts at m650 Flats shatter the cookie-cutter mold of urban developments and offer amenities not often found outside of Manhattan.

While other condo communities are taking measures to cut costs and sell off their inventory, BrunCon is throwing a party! On Saturday, June 13th, m650 Flats hosted a charity benefit and artist exhibition. "The event supports their dedication to local community revitalization, while paying homage to their Italian ancestry," says Kristin Ehrgott, founder/president of Mindseed, a boutique marketing and events company enlisted to create the event.

ARTchitecture 4 Abruzzo featured an artist exhibition and custom mural by Duda Penteado, an open bar and hors d'oeuvres on the roof deck and a silent auction with items including a Vespa S50 scooter and luxury home furnishings from Desiron and Teroforma raised just shy of $7000 for the UNICO fund benefiting earthquake victims of Abruzzo, Italy.

"Incentives are attractive, and we offer plenty - a $5,000 credit at closing, 5 year tax abatement, paid monthly maintenance dues through the end of 2009, not to mention included garage parking (in New Jersey's first state-of-the-art robotic garage) - but other properties offer incentives as well, our residents are looking for something more unique, a sense of community in a luxury property without the exorbitant price," says Anthony Carrino, partner at BrunCon.

The event proved to be a great success. One hundred and thirty people attended the event, toured the fifteen available luxury lofts and resulted in three offers the very next day! "The event and the results exceeded our expectations, not only in terms of sales, but recognition and support as well," said Carrino. "Mariano Vega Jr., City Council President and other notable attendees came out to support our cause and everyone had a really good time; you throw a great party and you're sure to be the talk of the town for weeks to come!"

About Brunelleschi Construction

Brunelleschi Construction, LLC is a premier urban developer of mixed-use and adaptive re-use properties, working within a neighborhood's existing fabric to create a vibrant community. We strive to develop the ideal product - socially, architecturally and environmentally. www.bruncon.com.

CONTACT: Kristin Ehrgott, Kristin@mindseedevents.com, +1-973-945-0362

Photos (C) GLK Creative: http://glkcreative.com/Slideshows/m650/index.html

BIG A.D. PAY BOOSTS
Reading program expansion cut for supervisors' raises

Monday, June 22, 2009
By AMY SARA CLARK
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

What's in a name? A huge pay hike, if you are an athletic supervisor at one of Jersey City's public high schools.

The Jersey City Board of Education recently promoted the district's five high school athletic directors to "athletic supervisors," a change in status that brings with it a combined salary hike of $132,244.

And at least one teacher is calling a foul since budget cuts have forced the district to hold off the planned expansion of a reading intervention program for at-risk first graders that called for 10 additional teachers.

"They're cutting all these jobs," the teacher said. "Reading is supposed to be really important, and then they're making all these athletic directors into supervisors. How many more supervisors do we need?"

The teachers had spent the past year training for the program, which has about 100 teachers district-wide. But they were told last month that despite their training they would remain in their regular positions next year, said the teacher, who didn't want to be identified.

Of the five athletic directors - Thomas Mullahey of Snyder, Robert Murden of Ferris, Artie Williams of Lincoln, Hugh Dwyer of McNair Academic and Richard Nisbet of Dickinson - Mullahey got the biggest hike, $47,557. Nisbet received the lowest, $18,720.

School officials confirmed they are not expanding the reading program, but said the district had no choice but to promote the athletic directors.

"I know people are upset about the raises, but there are valid reasons," said district spokeswoman Paula Christen.

The athletic directors were in the same union as coaches and teachers, and did not have the power to officially hire, fire, evaluate or supervise the coaches. That duty fell to Michael Venutolo, the district's director of athletics and nurses, Christen said.

But the directors believe they need to have the final say in athletic personnel decisions, and the district agreed - as did the state. Since at least 2003, the state Department of Education has required all new athletic directors to be certified as supervisors and all five of Jersey City's directors have the certification.

Because they are supervisors, the athletic directors were moved out of the teacher's union and into the administrators' union, which has a different salary guide. The lowest salary a supervisor can receive is $101,380 based on the contract, but athletic supervisors who have been in the district for more years were contractually required to get larger pay hikes, Christen said.

The Jersey City athletic director salaries appear to be in line with rates paid elsewhere in the county.

Bayonne's director of athletics makes $104,000. Hoboken's athletic director makes $104,551. Union City has an assistant principal in charge of athletics who makes roughly $130,000 a year, said Union City schools chief Stanley Sanger.

The new salaries took effect on May 22.

Murden said his promotion was necessary to perform his job adequately.

"When you come right down to it, we had no say as to who was hired and fired," Murden said. "I would have to work with the person, and if it did not work out to be a good appointment, I would have to clean up the mess."

Although the contract for Jersey City teachers does not specifically bar members of the same union from supervising each other, the union does not recommend it, said New Jersey Education Association spokesman Steve Baker.

although it's true for all big cities, jc is probably one of the worst. The lesson here is always watch both directions before you cross, dont assume because of the light you have right of way, due to the high concentration of maniac drivers here. And at the end of the day, he's protected inside a metal box while you are not.

I lost count the number of times i would've gotten ran over if i wasnt specifically watching the opposite side on that 1 way street intersecting montgomery. Nevermind the double DO NOT ENTER and ONE WAY signs. People just drive right through while there is a walking sign.