What exactly are our concerns here? I mean, are we opposed to this development?

Does anyone know the name of the body of water that extends west from the Hudson between Morris Canal Park and Liberty State Park? Basically what the footbridge crossed? Where all the boats are?

This is totally off-topic, but has anyone else noticed that almost every cop in the JCPD is like 40 lbs. overweight?

Am I just seeing a limited sample?

I mean, Chief Comey is like 350 lbs., how are they supposed to chase bad guys?

How about the Main Branch Library in the NJ room?

The guy who wrote "I Am the Law," the biography of Frank Hague, said it is true and the city clerk is the one who uses the desk now.

Sent the PATH a message asking how they could justify cutting back service amid record ridership. Amazingly, got a prompt reply:

Hi, Dan ?

Thanks for reaching out.

We are very aware of the growing demand for PATH in the region, and have a number of modernization and capital projects in process to help expand capacity. Though we lost a few months of progress on these programs due to Superstorm Sandy, work is now being done again. You can read about some of these programs here: http://www.panynj.gov/path/path-modernization.html

In the near future, we are also planning on expanding the platform capacity for stations on the Newark ? WTC line to allow for 10-car trains. We are currently only able to run 8-car trains on that line due to shorter platforms at Grove Street Station. With the purchase of additional cars, we will also be able to expand our schedule once the Automatic Train Control signal program has been completed.

In the meantime, targeted service reduction is necessary in order to allow for work on these capital programs to continue, and for post-Sandy repairs to be completed. Our Transportation Division takes a number of factors into account when suggested changes to the schedule, including travel demand forecasts, ridership patterns, passenger feedback, and connections to other services, to name a few. We appreciate your understanding and patience with the new schedule.

I hope this information is helpful.

Sincerely,
Chris

PATH Customer Service

Are we sure about this new schedule thing? Not putting a schedule currently in effect (as of yesterday, right?) and leaving the old one up on the website seems beneath even the PATH.

I just want to +1 all the complainers and haters and -1 the supporters of the PATH system.

And I also want to give a huge +1 to whoever asked why the real estate developers aren't lobbying for better PATH service. The region whose real estate would benefit from more consistent and frequent PATH service is worth literally billions of dollars in new development; nobody thought to have a sit-down with the two states about that?

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I might reject this premise. JC still seems mostly designed for cars and in many places downright hostile to pedestrians.

Some of the most populated areas even in Downtown (thinking Grand and Columbus here) are basically highways and I struggle to think of a single example of anything the city's done to become more pedestrian-friendly.

5 blocks of bike lanes after like all of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Hoboken et alia are already painted over with bike lanes is a minor effort, in the scheme of things.

Has anyone ever heard of a debate at 1 p.m. on a Tuesday? Who do they think is free to go to a debate at that time ... alcoholics, the unemployable ...

Put a sign in my window yesterday morning and by last night my water had been shut off and I got a delinquent tax notice demanding five years of unpaid property taxes plus interest ... just kidding.

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Exactly what I figured!

A sign in the window says they're repairing the kitchen and equipment from damage from Sandy.

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The 2012 budget lists $103.3 million of PILOTs and a $215 million property tax levy.

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Those of us who work in the bond market don't call it a failure or a success. We call it a default.

The lenders are taking an equity stake because they know the company can't meet the debt payments. You can't call it "betting on the success" of the casino; that's what they did when they lent the money initially. This is "making the most of a bad investment."

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So true. The improvement in the city the last 10 years IS the newcomers.

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After I posted this I went to the building department and looked at the proposal on file.

Roughly where the existing Boys and Girls Club structure is they're going to build a 10-story tower, and farther east roughly where the basketball courts are they're going to build a 40-story tower (might be 45, can't remember exactly). Grove will slice through all the way to I guess what I would call Regent Street, don't know if that street is even named running along the lightrail tracks.

Awesome.

I do have my worries about the viability of the business, but at least this would be the only bookstore in all of Hudson County except for Symposia in Hoboken, right?

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Not a temporary condition. The system is poorly managed.

http://www.jerseycitymuseum.org/index.cfm

Can anyone look at that website and tell me that there's any indication whatsoever that this museum is closed?

I mean it's just ridiculous, all it says is that the museum is open on Saturdays from noon to 3 p.m. You'd think someone could update the site.

I agree that this is essentially a budget gimmick, however I don't agree at all that it increases the cost of anything. Quite the contrary.

It prevents other types of costs from growing, since the deferred charges in future years count as part of the budget and the growth in most types of budgetary spending is capped.

Are you asking "what it's all about" as in what the money is spent on? Or how emergency appropriations work?

The city is only allowed to spend money appropriated in the budget. When an unexpected cost arises, such as severance pay for retirees, the city is not legally allowed to spend the money on it.

So, it adopts an emergency appropriation, which is essentially a supplemental spending approval. Under NJ accounting law, there's no such thing as money spent outside the budget. The emergency appropriation authorizes the city to spend the money and book it as an asset (believe it or not). Therefore as far as the city's balance sheet is concerned, no money was spent: it merely converted $9.5 million of cash into a $9.5 million asset (called a "deferred charge").

The city then charges that asset off in future budgets (typically 1/5 a year for five years).

In other words, the 2013 through 2017 budgets will each include $1.9 million to pay for the cost which was actually paid in 2012. The $1.9 million a year will not actually be spent: it will merely reduce the value of an asset on Jersey City's books.

How would that work? The polling site at NYC wouldn't have the Jersey City ballot, would they

Anyone know what the mail situation is in downtown JC?

I've gotten nothing since Monday and I'm starting to worry; had a few things I've been expecting and have had extremely negative experiences with the integrity of the 07302 Post Office.

Hi, first-time poster here!!!

Does anyone know where to find the design plans for the site that is currently the Jersey City Boys & Girls Club? Or even what it's called?

I know they're building a new JCB&GC now and will tear down the existing structure once it's done. I've heard they're going to build condo towers, and I'm trying to figure out where on the property they're going to be.

Thanks!!!