Crime up last year, down so far in '06
Biggest jump in Harrison, big drop in Weehawken
Thursday, August 10, 2006
By MICHAELANGELO CONTE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Crimes reported in Hudson County rose just over 2 percent last year, compared to a statewide drop of 3 percent, according to new statistics released by the New Jersey State Police.

The statistics, which can be viewed in detail at http://www.nj.com/news/crimestats, include violent and non-violent crimes reported for each municipality in the state.

The biggest increase in total crimes among Hudson County municipalities was reported in Harrison, which saw a 13.5 percent increase, followed by Bayonne at 12.5 percent and Jersey City at 6.5 percent.

The largest decrease in reported crimes in Hudson County was recorded in Weehawken, which saw a 14.8 percent drop. East Newark also had a double-digit decrease, at 11.6 percent.

There were 418 people murdered last year in New Jersey, the highest toll in a dozen years, but Jersey City and Hudson County saw even more dramatic increases. There were 49 homicides in Hudson County in 2005, the most since 1989, and 38 homicides in Jersey City, the city's highest total since 1982.

"The crime rate in Hudson County is below the five-year average, but it clearly is not acceptable," Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio said. "The municipal police departments and the Prosecutor's Office are working together to make an effort to reduce criminal incidents in 2006, and preliminarily that appears to be the case."

The 3,180 violent crimes reported in Jersey City in 2005 puts the city's violent crime rate per 1,000 residents at 13.3, an increase of more than 8 percent. The 8,807 non-violent crimes reported in Jersey City in 2005 puts the city's non-violent crime rate at 36.84, an increase of more than 6 percent over the previous year. Jersey City's overall crime rate in 2005 was 50.14, up from 47.08 in 2004.

In 2005 the crime rate also went up in the Hudson County municipalities of Bayonne, Harrison and Guttenberg.

Bayonne's overall crime rate in 2005 was 19.06 per 1,000 residents, compared to 16.90 in 2004. In Harrison, the rate was 32.05, up from 28.05 in 2004. In Guttenberg, the non-violent crime rate dropped, but an increase in reported violent crimes pushed the crime rate up from 20.47 to 21.52.

East Newark's total crime rate dropped from 18.43 per 1,000 in 2004 to 16.47 last year, while Weehawken saw an even steeper decrease, from 31.32 in 2004 to 26.8 in 2005.

Hudson County's overall crime rate of 36.0 per 1,000 residents is well above the state average of 26.9, but below Essex and four other counties. It also is an improvement from the five-year average of 38.2.

Jersey City Police Chief Tom Comey said the numbers for crimes in the city reported so far this year show a considerable drop from 2005.

"I hope we have turned the corner, but we can't rest now," said Comey, who became chief in June. "We have to aggressively pursue this to bring the number down even further."

During the first seven months of 2006, compared to the same period in 2005, murders are down 21 percent, rapes up 2 percent, robberies down 7 percent, aggravated assaults down 20 percent, burglaries down 22 percent, theft down 10 percent, auto theft down 18 percent and arson is down 34 percent, Comey said.

Funny you should ask -- I think the title of this article says it all --

All they need, and NYC just a ferry trip away
Monday, August 07, 2006

Dawn Dattolo is glad to be a statistic.

She and her husband - who works in Jersey City's financial district - moved to Port Liberte from Central Jersey two years ago after her kids left the nest.

"It's like our own little community here," Dattolo said. "We can take the ferry to Manhattan, go into Jersey City, and then return here."

Dattolo is admittedly not concerned with Jersey City politics, and in many ways who can blame her. Like others in her community, she and her husband have inherited a tax abatement, which means her taxes are stable, unaffected by the city's political winds.

"We still pay more than in Central Jersey. It's expensive to live here," Dattolo said - adding they pay more than $6,000 per month in maintenance and homeowner association fees on her property and the boat slip behind the house.

The only reminders that the development lies within an urban environment are the views of Downtown Jersey City and Lower Manhattan. The community boasts a bank, day care, ferry to Manhattan, cleaners, mini-market, restaurant and spa, among other amenities. However, Dattolo says she does take advantage of Jersey City's restaurants and night life more than Manhattan's.

"If you were dropped right in the middle of this community, you would never feel like you were in Jersey City," said Michael Darata, project manager for Applied Development. "This is for people who work in Manhattan, but want to return to the suburbs."

Jersey City, it's a model for hot market
Monday, August 07, 2006
By JARRETT RENSHAW
JERSEY JOURNAL

The marriage of the European-style Port Liberte development and the prestigious Liberty National Golf Course has sent home prices skyward and spurred developers' interest in an industrial area that dominates this part of the city.

Thus far, Applied Development of Hoboken has erected 805 units - a mixture of townhouses and condominiums - on the isolated corner of land in New York Harbor. The development features a man-made canal system that adds European charm and space for the residents' valuable water toys.

The next phase of development has already begun. It will include a mixture of medium and high-rise towers that will sit behind the current buildings. Once complete, which it's expected to be in 2012, the community will boast 1,813 residential units on 54 acres.

Liberty National Golf Course, dubbed the most expensive course ever built at $129 million, hugs the community's northern edge - creating a mental distance from the city and adding to the perception of suburban living in an urban setting.

The unique community is just another example of Jersey City's scorching real estate market. Units that five years ago sold for $240 per square foot are now selling at more than twice that, says Michael Darata, project manager for Applied Development, adding that several properties recently sold for nearly $2 million.

And now the golf course, combined with the success of the Port Liberte project, has spurred interest in this area of the city that has long been home to industry.

"We are now seeing a lot of interest in building residential properties between Port Liberte and Caven Point athletic fields and around Bayside Park, which is putting a lot of pressure on the industrial sites," said Bob Antonicello, head of Jersey City's Redevelopment Authority.

However, any major residential projects would have to include substantial changes to the zoning in the area, Antonicello said.

The future is now bright for Port Liberte, but it had a bleak beginning.

In the 1980s, a group of European investors and a Somerset bank that had begun construction at Port Liberte filed for bankruptcy after the real estate market went belly up and they were dragged down by the high costs of building the development's signature canals.

After a series of legal maneuvers, including a federal bailout of more than $1 billion worth of properties in the Garden State in the early 1990s, Applied Development bought the property.

From Curbed:
Upper East Side: Where The Better Half Parties

Thursday, June 23, 2005, by Lockhart

The Post reports today that hip downtowners are moving to the staid grounds of the Upper East Side, seeking a residential life that's, well, just more boring than life amid an endless sprawl of trendy bars and restaurants. Don't believe this is actually a trend? Take the word of Frederick Lesort, "owner of the eponymous uptown private club and a newly opened restaurant on Madison Avenue":
"Uptown may not be the trendiest crowd, but it's a much better clientele," he says. "It's more faithful. You don't have to be the hottest, trendiest restaurant. You just have to take care of people. The social aspect of it is not so crucial. But downtown, a place has to be trendy - and even if it is, within three months that's over, and it has to close."
Ah, Frederick's, that mellowest of nightlife venues, of which Citysearch notes, "Patrons are marked with a stamp of approval upon entry into the subterranean space." Adds another happy Upper East Side customer, "There is an Upper East Side element to me. I'm slightly preppy. I'm from Connecticut."

-----------------

From the NY Post

DOWN WITH UPTOWN - FED UP WITH DOWNTOWN, A NEW CROWD FALLS FOR UPPER EAST SIDE; IT'S A NEW UPTOWN WHIRL

BYLINE: MAUREEN CALLAHAN

In the same way that something tragically uncool often becomes kind of cool (like tunics, or Justin Timberlake) the staid, charmless Upper East Side is becoming the neighborhood of choice for those New Yorkers who would consider themselves avant-garde, anti-establishment and ahead of the curve: namely, downtowners.

"In my neighborhood, there are a couple of really funny Williamsburg-type kids who are up there and loving it," says Upper East Sider Will Hooks, a 27-year-old assistant art director at Entertainment Weekly who himself moved from Williamsburg two years ago. Hooks finds his new neighborhood cleaner, calmer, cheaper and less sartorially stressful.

"In Williamsburg, I had to wear my corduroy pants or my tight jeans, and I was very emo-ish - even though I didn't listen to emo," he says, laughing. "I had mohawks. I had a mullet - and I'm black! That totally worked there, but it wouldn't work uptown."

Though freed from the strictures of the scenester dress code when he fled uptown, Hooks (who lives in a pocket of what is technically Spanish Harlem and home to a growing yuppie scene) asserts that even today, "you could not peg me as an Upper East Sider - especially with the downtown mentality that I have."

Citing boredom, overcrowding, poorly dressed tourists, cost of living, filth and the dilution of the scenester strain by, ironically, uptown kids, an increasing number of downtown habitues are opting for the novelty of Upper East Side living.

"We just sold an apartment on East 86th street to an East Village couple who had lived downtown forever," says Mary Jo Taubner of Douglas Elliman, who claims she's seen a definite spike in downtown-touptown migration over the past year. (Jonathan Miller, president and CEO of Miller Samuels Real Estate Appraisers, says he too has noticed a similar pattern emerging.)

Still, swaying lifelong scenesters to the Upper East Side is, Taubner says, "a harder sell. I have to reassure them that they aren't moving to an entirely different town."

What convinced the couple from the East Village, Taubner says, was that the Upper East Side triplex has a sister building in Gramercy Park with the same layout and architecture.

"That was what finally swayed them," she says. "They saw they could live similarly to the way they had downtown."

For every anxious East Villager who worries he'll be consigned to a ring of hell that consists only of Banana Republics, sports bars and D'Agostinos, there are those drawn to the Cinemascope beauty and aspirational quality of the Upper East Side.

That old-school idea extends culturally, with popular nightspots like Session 73 (one of the city's best jazz clubs) and gourmet shops like Agata & Valentina.

The stretch of First Avenue between 79th and 86th streets is studded with quirky boutiques that are more often found downtown (note the Tibetan shop). Even the beloved downtown Israeli eatery Rectangles - which closed its East Village location last year - has just reopened on the Upper East Side, where it bustles nightly.

"I've lived in New York City for 24 years, the bulk of it downtown, and I just moved uptown yesterday," says Frederick Lesort, owner of the eponymous uptown private club and a newly opened restaurant on Madison Avenue.

"I love the luxury of living next to Central Park," he rhapsodizes. "I love the style, the elegance, the architecture. People uptown make more of an effort to get dressed up; uptown is a bit more civilized on the weekends. I would never go out downtown from Thursday night through the weekend - someone described it as Six Flags Great Adventure."

Lesort - who also moved to be closer to his two establishments - also believes it's easier to cultivate and keep a clientele uptown, because people care less about the ephemeral heat of a place than how they're treated and the quality of service.

"Uptown may not be the trendiest crowd, but it's a much better clientele," he says. "It's more faithful. You don't have to be the hottest, trendiest restaurant. You just have to take care of people. The social aspect of it is not so crucial. But downtown, a place has to be trendy - and even if it is, within three months that's over, and it has to close."

But for some transplants, the Upper East Side's crucial flaw is precisely the lack of any discernible nightlife. Ex-Williamsburg resident Hooks says he does everything uptown - but socialize.

"I don't want to see guys in khakis getting loud over sports," he says. Instead, he cabs down to the Lower East Side to hang out at stalwarts like Max Fish or Pianos or The Hat - although he's nevertheless likely to run into his domestic-beer-drinking, khaki-wearing Upper East Side brethren down there on Friday and Saturday nights.

"It's like Disneyland - it looks like the kids from the bar on 86th Street just came down and took it over," he says.

"A friend of mine who was visiting was so disappointed. He was like, 'There used to be so many cool dive bars down here.' But you know - and take this with a grain of salt - all the cool kids moved to Williamsburg."

"If you want to grab a drink with a friend, you either wind up at a really expensive hotel bar or some sports bar on Second Avenue with no ambience," laments 33-year-old Kate Igel, who moved, reluctantly, to the Upper East Side after getting priced out of the West Village.

She did not opt for Williamsburg, she says, because "I'm not hipster-y enough. There is an Upper East Side element to me. I'm slightly preppy. I'm from Connecticut."

Igel says the bulk of her friends live downtown, and she always commutes to see them, not the other way around - and she doesn't blame them.

But on her visit to the West Village Tuesday night, Igel says she was shocked by the amount of garbage - "I forgot about the overflowing trash cans" - and still can't get over the inflated real estate.

"Sporadically, I'd go look at other places downtown, but I'd get so depressed. I saw this one place on Cornelia Street that was a dump. I have a beautiful, rent-stabilized onebedroom on 70th and Lex that I can afford on a teacher's salary.

"I live near the park, which I really missed. I have all the conveniences of life here."

That said, Iger freely admits that she'd love to move back downtown.

"I'd do it in a heartbeat," she says. "I never thought I would end up here."

---

UPPER EAST SIDE (Tale of the Tape)

Average 1br rent: $2,171

Weekend scene: Empty, with most natives in the Hamptons and chic inhabitants at the Met or in Central Park

Nightclubs: '80s-era decadence of plush, members-only club Frederick's

Famous residents: Vera Wang, Aerin Lauder (left)

Crucial difference: Shuns trendiness to the point of crushing boredom

Common satorial challenge: Tyranny of the Gap

DOWNTOWN

Average 1br rent: $2,213*

Weekend scene: Overrun with fanny-pack-wearing tourists and inebriated bridge-and-tunnelers

Nightclubs: Bottle service for tacky teen tarts and models at Butter, Marquee, Cain

Famous residents: Olsen twins, Chloe Sevigny (right)

Crucial difference: Embraces trendiness to the point of crushing boredom

Common satorial challenge: Tyranny of the white belt

*In the East Village. Rental figures from Citi Habitats
Posted by: Carla at June 26, 2005 11:31 AM

I totally called this shit. I knew once I moved to the UES, it would become hot(t).

Yorkville is the new Williamsburg, without all the pretentious and desperate trendy people of gentrified Brooklyn.

And Michael and I are living la-harge.

(Don't hate)
Posted by: Art at June 27, 2005 10:07 AM

art, i'd be living large, too, if i had your job.

also, the article sort of says that the ues is still lame. it's just that downtown has become unbearably hip.

ahhhhh, the joys of brooklyn.
Posted by: Anna at June 27, 2005 11:12 AM

I agree I hope this doesn't happen! I also think it would be great to stop any new construction from making a parking garage on the first floor.

What a backwards idea!

I think you are talking about the "whites only" policy of the early 50's Levittown

Here is a ten year old NYTimes article

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage ... 731F93BA15751C1A961958260

I think you meant to say

3. Yuppies using dead-end street as a private park


Quote:

Killing suspect advertised sex services

JERSEY CITY, N.J., Aug. 3 (UPI) -- Investigators say a young prostitute charged with watching as her boyfriend killed a New Jersey teenager placed an online ad offering sex the next day.

Police told the New York Daily News that Krystal Riordan posted her craigslist.com ad on July 26, the day after Jennifer Moore was killed in a motel in Weehawken. She used the name "Lisa" and offered a $150 special.

Draymond Coleman allegedly found Moore walking along the West Side Highway drunk and brought her back to the Park Avenue Motel in a taxi. Moore, 18, of Harrington Park, N.J., had come into the city with a friend to go to a nightclub in Chelsea.

Police say Riordan, angry about paying for the cab and about Coleman bringing Moore to their motel room, watched as he raped and killed her and then helped him dispose of the body.

Riordan is being held in Hudson County in New Jersey.
------------------------------------------------------------------


Prostie posted ad after slay?

BY ROBERT F. MOORE and ALISON GENDAR
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS

The baby-faced hooker who allegedly watched while her ex-con boyfriend raped and strangled a New Jersey teen tried to sell herself for sex on craigslist a day after the murder, police sources said.

Krystal Riordan, charged with helping Draymond Coleman ditch the body of 18-year-old Jennifer Moore, tried to make money by billing herself as "Lisa" on the popular online flea market, a police source said.

The 20-year-old posted her ad July 26 - just a day after police say Coleman strangled and suffocated Moore as Riordan watched, and did nothing.

"Cold-hearted, to say the least," said another police source.

Riordan billed herself as a New Jersey escort working out of Weehawken, where the murder occurred.

Her ad offered a "$150 special."

Cops said that after Riordan watched the murder in a cheap motel, she helped Coleman, 34, stuff Moore's body in a suitcase and toss it in a Dumpster.

Riordan's family said the troubled young woman was under Coleman's thumb, and had been selling her body throughout their two-year relationship to meet his demands for money. The couple has a year-old daughter.

Coleman, a small-time pimp, is charged with murder. Riordan is accused of tampering with evidence and hindering prosecution.

Coleman allegedly enticed Moore into a taxi as she stumbled drunken and lost along the West Side Highway after a night of partying at the Guest House in Manhattan.

The duo rode to the Park Avenue Hotel in Weehawken, where security video revealed Coleman half-carrying Moore through the lobby.

Riordan was apparently furious that Coleman brought another woman to the motel where the couple had been staying - and then stuck her with paying for the taxi ride.

Study: Diversity rises in suburbs

By Haya El Nasser, USA TODAY
Suburban counties, once the bastion of white America, are becoming multiethnic tapestries, and white populations are inching up in some urban areas after big losses in the 1990s, according to new Census estimates out Friday.

"Suburbs and especially fast-growing outer suburbs are not just attracting whites anymore," says William Frey, demographer at the Brookings Institution, a think tank. "All minority groups are coming. They're a magnet for blacks as well as Hispanics and Asians."

The changes are dramatic in the South. About 74% of the growth in the U.S. black population happened there from 2000 to 2005. The region also generated about 71% of the national growth in whites, 42% of the Hispanic growth and 27% of the Asian growth.

"Things are becoming much more multicultural in areas that weren't before," says Frey, who analyzed county population estimates for July 1, 2005. "The South's growth is probably more balanced than other regions in racial and ethnic contributions."

Atlanta suburbs in counties such as Gwinnett, Clayton and Cobb had some of the largest gains among blacks, more evidence that the return black migration to the South that began in the 1990s continues.

Most suburban growth across the USA was buoyed significantly by Hispanics and Asians.

Some cities and close-in suburbs that lost whites throughout the 1990s gained or at least stemmed their losses. In New York City, Manhattan lost 18,000 non-Hispanic whites in the 1990s but gained 51,000 from 2000 to 2005. Queens lost 175,000 whites in the '90s but has lost less than a third of that so far this decade. Fast-gentrifying Brooklyn lost 43,000 whites in the '90s but has added more than 5,000 since 2000.

"Not only are young people going to Manhattan because it's an exciting place to be, but also empty nesters are going," says James Hughes, dean of the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University in New Jersey. "But prices have been bid up so high in Manhattan that it has spilled over to Jersey City, Brooklyn and Queens."

A study earlier this year by CEOs for Cities, a Chicago-based network of urban leaders, found that adults ages 25 to 34 are 30% more likely to live within 3 miles of central business districts.

"It's part of the continuing story of the comeback of cities," says Carol Coletta, president of the group. "Diversification is taking place, and that's generally good news for everyone. When poor people are isolated or racial minorities are isolated, it's not good for the economy."

Other trends:

? Almost half of the growth among whites took place in small metropolitan areas. Blacks, Hispanics and Asians gravitated more toward large metropolitan areas.

? More than a third of Asian growth took place in large metro areas in the West.

? Hispanics account for 71% of the Northeast's population gains this decade.

The question is will the voters who lose tear up their voter registration cards and leave them on my stoop!
-----------------------------------

Ariz. considers $1 million voter lottery

By PAUL DAVENPORT, Associated Press Writer

PHOENIX - "Vote your pocketbook" could take on a whole new meaning in Arizona.

The state is considering a proposal to boost turnout during elections by awarding a $1 million prize to one randomly selected voter, just for casting a ballot.

"It gives them something to shoot for," said Rosie Coyote, 55, a process server from Phoenix. "It gives them motive. I think it's a good idea."

But others warn that the raffle would trivialize the electoral process, distort the outcome and violate state or federal law.

Arizonans will vote on the reward idea Nov. 7. The proposal made it onto the ballot in June after supporters turned in nearly 184,000 signatures, or about 50 percent more than required.

If the measure passed, election officials would assign a number to each voter who casts a ballot in a state election. The state commission that oversees the Arizona lottery would then hold a public drawing to pick a winner, with the prize money coming from unclaimed lottery prizes.

Supporters see the reward as a way to boost participation in elections. Arizona's turnout of registered voters in the 2004 general election was already high at 77 percent, compared with nearly 61 percent nationally.

"One of the goals that I've had in my lifetime is to see that all Americans have health care like every other major country on earth. One of the ways to do that is to make sure that everybody votes," said Mark Osterloh, a Tucson ophthalmologist and political activist who headed and bankrolled the reward campaign. He also ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination for governor in 2002.

Casey Mammen said the financial incentive trivializes the electoral process.

"Voting is a privilege of an American. That's the way it should be viewed, not as a bribe to get me to come do what I have the privilege to do," said Mammen, 33, a pastor in El Mirage.

David Garcia, 36, said the idea makes him uncomfortable: "The government encouraging democracy through a monetary reward I think starts to go down some slippery slopes. Just for some reason, mixing the two together doesn't sit well with me."

The Arizona Chamber on Commerce and Industry, the state's biggest business lobby, calls the idea misguided and dangerous, saying a reward would encourage people to cast a ballot "even if they are completely uninformed and uninterested."

"It's too cute by more than a half, and I think Arizona voters will reject this kind of gimmickry," Chamber spokesman Farrell Quinlan said.

Osterloh rejected the criticism. Like people who do not bone up on the latest car models unless they are about to buy one, non-voters would take the time to learn about candidates and issues if they decided to vote, he said.

The idea's legality is also in question. Federal law makes it a crime punishable by a fine and imprisonment for up to two years to make, offer or receive "an expenditure to any person, either to vote or withhold his vote." An Arizona law makes it a misdemeanor to "treat, give, pay, loan, contribute, offer or promise money or other valuable consideration" to induce a voter to go to the polls.

Several attorneys said the state law would probably not be a problem because the voter reward law effectively would provide an exemption for the drawing.

And an attorney consulted by Osterloh, Anthony Ching, said the federal prohibitions wouldn't be triggered because the chance of winning the $1 million is just a possibility; there is no expectation of something of value.

A voter would get one entry in the drawing for voting in either the primary or general election, or two entries for voting both times. Considering a combined 2.6 million ballots were cast in Arizona in 2004, the chances of winning would probably be better than the 1-in-4.5 million odds for the $1 million jackpot in the Arizona lottery.

"Here, nobody's giving anything," said Ching, a former top official in the Arizona Attorney General's Office. "The mere expectation that you may win ... doesn't have any value."

Other attorneys disagreed.

"I think it's illegal," said Gabriel "Jack" Chin, a University of Arizona law professor. "The chance (to win) is valuable. Somebody wins."

___

Associated Press Writer Terry Tang contributed to this report.

I might be wrong but I think this was done by the Feds not the local JC Police -- maybe someone on here knows if the local police helped.

The little cigars that are only used for smoking drugs and are often sold to underage kids should also not be sold, but these little glass pipes that look like roses in a tube should be banned.

http://www.sptimes.com/News/081001/Fl ... crack_pipe_by_any_o.shtml

I think these are very tiny bags of heroin that are aimed at kids and the poor. I think they are meant to be smoked -- not sure really -- I do however hate how every little corner store in this town sells cheap cigars that are used to mix with these drugs and how they sell glass crack pipes -- including the store by the Dixon Mills that was robbed and helped bring in the Gardian Angels. They keep them behind a small closed cabinet behind the counter.

Hi FastEddie -- some of these buildings are on the boarder of Union City and Jersey City -- most are grouped in small clusters but also many sites are not at all contiguous - many of these properties are on Summit Avenue and some are on Paterson Plank Road.

The stenciles do say they are "not for sale" and are owned by the state of NJ -- or some such thing.

I first thought Chromium fill sites but I guess not.

There are a lot of properties in the Heights boarded up with NJSCC stenciled plywood.

From what I can tell NJSCC stands for New Jersey Schools Construction Corporation.

Any info on all these properties?

BIG BLUE BUSTS NET 153
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
By JACK HERMAN
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

In advance of National Night Out, Jersey City law enforcement launched a six-day, city-wide sting operation that netted more than 150 people from some of the city's most notorious locations on charges from drug possession to prostitution.

Dubbed "Operation McGruff: First Bite," city police made 153 arrests and recovered 70 pounds of marijuana and 2,500 bags of heroin - along with one of city's most wanted outlaws.

"We thought that everyone should know the Jersey City Police Department does not rest," Mayor Jerramiah Healy said in announcing the initiative at a news conference yesterday at Clerk Street and Carteret Avenue. "It is ever vigilant against the forces of crime."

Freshly appointed Police Chief Thomas Comey set the wheels in motion a few weeks ago when he had the department assemble a list of high-crime areas to target based on statistics.

Each of the six nights had a detail comprised of 20 officers in the street and another seven to eight on duty in the Bureau of Criminal Investigations, said Street Crime Unit Commander Captain Kenneth Teschlog.

The Police Department enlisted the help of the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office, State Police and the state Department of Parole.

"What we had to realize was that like every major city in the Northeast, we fight violent crime every day," Comey said.

Undercover units under the direction of Teschlog worked to arrest 137 in the "hot zones" on the streets, while members of the city's Detective Bureau arrested another 16 yesterday morning who were deemed particularly dangerous and wanted on warrants, Comey said.

Highlights include:

The capture of Leroy Williams, 34, of Bergen Avenue - one of the city's Most Wanted - who allegedly slashed a man's throat in a May aggravated assault.

The interception of the delivery of 2,500 bags of heroin, leading to the arrest of Noel Diaz, 25, of the Bronx.

The arrest of Roy Gayle, 49, for possession of six large bags of marijuana in a school zone with intent to distribute.

Sixteen juveniles were arrested in the sting in incidents that included a robbery and threatening undercover police officers - even after finding out who they were, Teschlog said.

Sixteen prostitutes were also arrested, and 90 arrest warrants were cleared, Teschlog said.

Officials said the sweeps of targeted areas will continue.

"I want residents to know that this not a one-shot deal," Comey said. "'First Bite' is just that, a first bite, with many more bites to come."

School funding battle won't be pretty
Thursday, August 03, 2006

They are not exactly endangered species, but the number of Abbott school districts is likely to be reduced from 31 once New Jersey establishes a new public school aid formula.

However, resolving competing interests among urban, suburban and rural school districts is one of the most vexing issues before the Legislature.

The Senate Education Committee - headed by Shirley Turner, D-Mercer - and the Assembly Education Committee, led by Craig A. Stanley, D-Essex - will hold public hearings this month to develop a new school aid formula.

Changing school funding - $10.4 billion is at stake - is only part of the issue facing the lawmakers and Gov. Jon S. Corzine.

Corzine summoned legislators into special session on July 28 to talk about how to implement long-term property tax relief.

Along with pension reform and consolidation of services at the municipal and school district levels, Democratic-controlled committees will look for budget cuts.

Their recommendations, expected this fall, will be translated into legislation, which will require Corzine's signature.

Former Education Commissioner William Librera has suggested the Abbott districts be sharply reduced, and Hoboken is always among those mentioned.

That could still leave Jersey City, Harrison, West New York and Union City among the special needs districts that receive increased funding as a result of a State Supreme Court directive.

The Abbott districts now share about $4 billion.

Turner and Stanley are in position to protect aid for urban districts, even if Abbott designations are changed. They'll have company with Hudson County legislators and other urbanites in working to avoid adverse reductions.

Republicans are united against the Abbott-dominated aid formula and some rural and suburban Democrats privately say they feel the same way.

Unless some bipartisan school accord is reached, the funding debate could provoke bitter partisanship.

Just how partisan aid distribution can become was illustrated by Assembly Republicans, who denounced "Abbott-border district aid" in the amount of $21,903,000 as "nothing but pure political consideration" for Bayonne, North Bergen, Weehawken, Kearny, Clifton and Hillside.

4 arrests, and another 9,000 bags seized
Thursday, August 03, 2006
By JACK HERMAN
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Just a day after city officials announced the results of a six-day sting that netted 2,500 bags of heroin and 70 pounds of pot, officials said yesterday they had scored again, seizing more than 9,000 bags of heroin - worth more than $100,000 on the street - in a raid Tuesday night.

Three Jersey City residents and a Scotch Plains man were arrested after searches of houses on Bergen Avenue between Oxford and Clinton avenues and Orient Avenue between Bergen and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, said Hudson County First Assistant Prosecutor Guy Gregory, whose office has teamed up with the Jersey City police to investigate heroin trafficking.

Patrick Taliaferro, 32, of Orient Avenue; Edward Wall, 36, of Ocean Avenue; Shakenya Daniella Williams, 27, of Bergen Avenue, and Wayne Neal, 33, of Scotch Plains, were all charged with possession and distribution, Gregory said.

Detectives recovered the heroin after executing a search warrant at the Bergen Avenue house on Tuesday, Gregory said. At the Orient Avenue house, officers encountered a large Rottweiler, which attacked them, officials said. Gregory said the officers were forced to shoot and kill it.

The investigation targeted several groups operating as an organization throughout Jersey City - particularly in public housing complexes, Gregory said.

The federal Drug Enforcement Agency and state Division of Criminal Justice also participated in the investigation, Gregory said.

One year to 21 months for 4 admitted mobsters
Thursday, August 03, 2006
By MICHAELANGELO CONTE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

The first four sentences were handed down yesterday in connection with the federal probe into illegal gambling in Hudson County that has led to 16 arrests, including the man said to be New Jersey's highest ranking member of the Genovese crime family, officials said.

John Dennis, 49, of Jersey City, a reputed Genovese associate, pleaded guilty to a federal charge of conspiracy to collect extortionate extensions of credit and the collection of an extortionate extension of credit, said Michael Drewniak, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Newark.

He was sentenced to 21 months in prison and fined $5,100, Drewniak said .

Nicholas "Nicky the Snake" Ladagona, 63, of Jersey City, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to make extortionate extensions of credit and was sentenced to one year and one day in prison and fined $5,000, Drewniak said.

Ludwig "Ninny" Bruschi, 71, of Jackson, pleaded guilty to operation of an illegal gambling business/numbers operation and was sentenced to 16 months in prison and fined $3,000, Drewniak said.

Joseph Bruno, 48, of Jackson, a reputed Genovese associate, pleaded guilty to conspiracy in connection with sports bookmaking and running a numbers operation, Drewniak said. Bruno was sentenced to one year and one day in prison and fined $1,000, Drewniak said.

All but one of those arrested as part of a sting last August have pleaded guilty to various charges.

Michael Crincoli, 46, of Jersey City, a reputed made member of the Genovese family and the owner of a deli on West Side Avenue, did not plead guilty and was convicted of racketeering and loansharking in May.

When the arrests were made, prosecutors said it was a severe blow to the most dominant organized crime family in New Jersey. The defendants, they said, were part of a group that since 1997 had run lucrative gambling, extortion and loan-sharking rackets throughout the region, using Hoboken social clubs and the Jersey City deli as their bases.

Those arrested included Lawrence "Little Larry" Dentico," 82, of Seaside Park, who was a member of the "Administration" running the Genovese family, and Joseph "Big Joe" Scarbrough, 67, of West Orange, a reputed high-level Genovese associate.

Russell Fallacara, 39, of Keansburg, a reputed Genovese associate and former Jersey City Incinerator Authority inspector, was also among those arrested.

Dentico, Fallacara and Scarbrough have not been sentenced.

I have an idea for the New Jersey license plate slogan

New Jersey
over 1300 governments ready to serve you
---------------------------------------------------

I am all for consolidating, after all their are 1,389 local governments, there is one for every 6,000 residents.

There are way too many schools systems, local fire departments and other government departments in New Jersey. Jersey City isn't bad in this regard because we are a big city -- but we could still consolidate with Hoboken and maybe Bayonne. The rest of Jersey is really crazy and we are all paying for it. A good example is that there is vastly more fire fighting equipment in North Jersey than in all of NYC. All this leads to gross corruption and waste.

To cut property taxes, sharing government services may be key

By TOM HESTER Jr.
Associated Press Writer

August 2, 2006, 2:51 PM EDT

TRENTON, N.J. -- New Jerseyans love neighborhood schools, town halls, county identities and local fire departments. After all, the state has 1,389 local governments, or one for every 6,000 residents.

And each local government collects property taxes.

As New Jersey begins working to cut its reliance on its highest-in-the-nation property taxes, a special legislative committee will spend the coming months determining how best to entice those governments to either consolidate or share services.

"At the root of the property tax crisis is the duplication and inefficient delivery of services," said Sen. Robert Smith, D-Middlesex, who will co-chair the committee.

Here's what the panel may consider:

Q. What do all those governments do?

A. New Jersey has 21 county and 566 municipal governments, 616 school districts and 186 fire districts.

Q. How does this compare to other states?

A. New Jersey has more municipalities per square mile than any other state.

Q. If shrinking these governments lowers my property taxes, why hasn't it been done already?

A. Politics, bureaucracy and a desire by residents to have their own schools and communities are reasons. Elected officials are wary to propose forced consolidation, and residents have often been hesitant to support it.

Plans to merge Princeton Township and Princeton Borough were defeated three times in the 1990s. Occasionally, someone talks about merging the nine fire districts in Hamilton, Mercer County, that charge different tax rates, but nothing has been done to change that system with the fire departments proving influential in local politics.

It's also difficult for a community that follows civil service rules to enter into agreements with communities that don't operate under those rules.

Q. How much money could be saved by shrinking local governments?

A. A 2003 Rutgers University study found reducing the state's 616 school districts by half would save $365 million after four years, doing little to cut the $20 billion collected annually in New Jersey in property taxes.

But Gov. Jon S. Corzine believes real savings can be found through consolidation and shared services.

"We know in every walk of life that economies of scale increase productivity and reduce costs," Corzine said. "Why would we not seek to replicate that in a significant way in our local governments and schools?"

Q. Haven't we heard all this before?

A. Yes. For decades New Jersey has talked about enticing governments to consolidate and share services, but Corzine said prior efforts offered little reason for local governments to actually do it. This year's budget, for example, includes just $15 million for shared services.

So Corzine wants to use $250 million from the recent sales tax increase to reward governments that consolidate and share services.

Immigrant killed in Heights
Attacked after work with knife
Monday, July 17, 2006
By JACK HERMAN
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

A 29-year-old Mexican immigrant was stabbed to death in the hallway of his Congress Street apartment early yesterday morning, Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio said.

Juan Roman Hernandez had just come back from Clinton Street in Hoboken, where he worked as a restaurant dishwasher, when the attacker stabbed him in both the back and chest at around 2 a.m., DeFazio said.

Investigators aren't sure where the attack occurred. Hernandez was found inside the building, but his bike was propping open the building's main door - which still had a key in the lock. However, there was no apparent blood trail, according to Rosa Esmeralda Hoesca, the tenant who found his body.

No arrest had been made, and no motive established, as authorities continue to investigate, DeFazio said. A folding knife - the apparent murder weapon - was recovered in the area, DeFazio said.

When authorities arrived, Hernandez was taken to Jersey City Medical Center and pronounced dead on arrival, DeFazio said.

Hoesca, who lives in an apartment below Hernandez's, said through an interpreter she saw Hernandez sprawled on the hallway floor and called out to him. When he didn't respond, she moved closer and discovered he was lying in a pool of blood. She then ran upstairs and told Hernandez's brother to call police.

Hernandez moved to the United States from Mexico three years ago and lived at the Congress Street apartment with his three brothers and an uncle for the past six months, his cousin Lola Avendano said.

He had a wife and kids in Mexico and planned to go back there in a few months, according to the building's superintendent, Melvin Aguiar.

"He had no problems with anyone," said his brother Adan Roman Hernandez in their apartment, which was adorned with a number of Mexican flags.

"He was a quiet, hard working guy," Aguiar said. "He was always on his way to work."

Authorities ask anyone with any knowledge of Hernandez's whereabouts from the time he left work to when he arrived home to contact the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office Homicide Squad at (201) 915-1345.

Keep in mind that even though Jersey City gets this 6% - "Hotels are allowed to deduct their real estate taxes - or, if they are tax-abated, their payments-in-lieu of taxes - from the total."
Whatever that means!

------------------------------------
Hotel tax could bring in $5 million
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
By KEN THORBOURNE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

A hotel tax bill that could mean an extra $5 million a year to Jersey City cleared the state Legislature Friday and now awaits Gov. Jon Corzine's signature, officials said yesterday.

"I'm pleased," said state Assemblywoman Joan Quigley, D-Jersey City, the bill's prime sponsor. "I also feel good it does not impact local residents. They only get the positive impact, not the negative."

Quigley, who sponsored the bill at request of Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy, said she expects Corzine to sign the legislation this month, "because he knows Jersey City needs the money."

A spokesman for Corzine, Brendan Gilfillan, said the Governor's Office is reviewing the bill, declining to comment further.

"Mayor Healy is a huge supporter of this (hotel tax legislation)," said Maria Pignataro, a spokeswoman for the mayor. "Instead of having to hit taxpayers up for more money, we get to receive additional money from visitors who are enjoying our city."

The bill, which applies to Elizabeth and Newark as well, would allow Jersey City to collect the full amount of a local occupancy tax levied on hotels, city Tax Collector Maureen Cosgrove said. Right now, hotel users are charged a 6 percent occupancy tax by Jersey City, Cosgrove said, but hotels are allowed to deduct their real estate taxes - or, if they are tax-abated, their payments-in-lieu of taxes - from the total.

State Sen. Bernard Kenny, D-Hoboken, sponsored the legislation in the Senate and Hudson County's other state representatives signed on as co-sponsors.

Ground has broken for two 500-foot skyscrapers, including 1,000 new condominiums and apartments, to rise at 77 Hudson St. near the waterfront.

The new project by K. Hovnanian Homes and Equity Residential is "just another step in the advancement of Jersey City," said Mayor Jerramiah Healy at the ceremony Tuesday.

The 1.76-acre parcel is located on Hudson and Sussex streets.

Randy Brosseau, a regional vice president at K. Hovnanian, said, "[We want to build] a building that will stand the test of time."

He added, "There are two words that describe our project best: Luxury and style."

Living in style

One tower will hold 420 condominiums to be sold by K. Hovnanian, and the other will hold 481 apartments operated by Equity Residential.

Equity Residential is expected to rent out the apartments during the winter of 2008, and K. Hovnanian is expected to occupy the condominium building during the spring of 2009.

K. Hovnanian plans to begin selling homes at the property around the end of this year.

The towers of 77 Hudson will be the first Manhattan-style skyscraper in Jersey City, and will feature a curtain wall system, with floor-to-ceiling glass, according to John Cetra of the New York architecture firm Cetra/Ruddy Inc.

Many nontraditional materials will also be used, including terrazzo-like countertops, chiseled marble, and custom-designed cantilevered master bathroom vanities, he said.

The condominiums, 75 percent with Manhattan skyline views, will include approximately 215 one-bedroom units, 144 two-bedroom units, 19 three-bedroom units, and 42 studios.

The apartments will include 132 studios, 209 one-bedrooms, and 140 two-bedroom units.

However, the towers will not only add housing to Jersey City, but also availability of extensive amenities.

The building will have nearly 19,000 square feet of retail space on the ground floor to hold new restaurants and stores, as well as a Spa/Fitness center, and a dramatic hotel-quality lobby. A parking garage will contain 920 spaces for residents.

On top of the 10-story parking garage will be a landscaped deck, connecting the two towers, with a pool and a dog run. K. Hovnanian Homes is one of the nation's leading home-builders. Equity Residential is the largest publicly traded apartment company in America.

Revitalization

The new towers of 77 Hudson will not only benefit the Hudson River Gold Coast, but also the other areas of Jersey City, Healy said.

"Jersey City revitalization began on the Hudson Waterfront about 10 years ago," he said. "I know that is has spread west to the Hackensack River and also to the northern and southern borders. Originally, there were areas where no one would invest. Now there are five or six bidders on every vacant lot or building anywhere in Jersey City." Jim Driscoll, the division president of K. Hovnanian, said that the project would be all around beneficial: to the city, new tenants, and the company.

"We can't foretell the direct effect it will have on the rest of Jersey City, but it is an excitable housing opportunity - affordable luxury living," Driscoll said.

Mayor Healy said that the construction of 77 Hudson might also inspire other residents in Jersey City.

"Prosperity is contagious," Mayor Healy said. "People are suddenly taking care of their homes -sprucing them up, cleaning, and painting."

Cetra said, "[77 Hudson] will bring vitality, utility, and twenty four- seven community."

Residents will have just 10 minutes travel time to the Financial District in Manhattan. The location is three blocks from the Exchange Place PATH station, and across the street from a Light Rail stop.

There's even some good news for New York residents, officials noted.

"We're giving those on the east side [of Manhattan] a nice view of what's happening in Jersey City," Healy said. Cetra added, "We are enhancing the view from Manhattan."

Healy to decide on state aid request
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
By KEN THORBOURNE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy said he will decide this week whether to pursue what used to be called "Distressed Cities" aid from the state.

The biggest drawback to receiving the aid, now called "Special Municipal Aid," is that hiring and promotions would have to justified to and approved by the state Local Finance Board, Healy said.

But these restrictions might be worth it, he added.

Healy - who met last week with Department of Community Affairs Commissioner Susan Bass-Levin about the potential funding - wouldn't say how much money he thought the program could yield. But a city councilman briefed by the mayor on the subject said Healy believes the city could reap around $8 million.

For taxpayers still reeling from an 18 percent property tax hit from the municipality and a 9 tax hike from the county, the money would be nothing to sneeze at, Healy said.

"When I became mayor there was a $50 million-plus structural deficit," Healy said. "That goes back 15 years . I and the rest of this city are still carrying that burden."

In order to receive the money, the city would have to prove it faces stiff financial challenges, Healy said.

Mayor Glenn D. Cunningham pulled Jersey City out of the program because he didn't think the $2 million the city received was worth the hassle - or the label of a "distressed city."

Ward E Councilman Steve Fulop said he agrees.

"I think the distressed cities program shows a lack of pride," Fulop said. "And from my point of view Jersey City is not a distressed city.

"The first thing we should pursue is cost-cutting, which hasn't been done at all to any great degree," he added.

Several other council members, including William Gaughan, Viola Richardson, and Council President Mariano Vega, said the city - and its taxpayers - could benefit from the extra money.

Having to justify expenditures could be useful discipline, Richardson said.

Gaughan argued that Jersey City deserves the money because the city's economy has created a lot of jobs over the past decade and a half.

Vega would rather live with the state "straight jacket" and receive the additional money, he said, "than ask taxpayers for another tax increase."

So JCLAW, I assume agree with former Jersey City Mayor Bret Schundler.

("haha tourism" - maybe but I think with all hotels going for at least $200 per night in Manhattan -- more and more people will be staying in Downtown Jersey City. Remember that Hoboken has NO Hotels, and everywhere else close by in Jersey has no good subways, -- so where else are people going to stay -- there are only a handful of Hotels in Brooklyn too. Don't sell Downtown Jersey City short! )

------------------------------------------------

Visions of Liberty State Park 'west'
Monday, July 31, 2006

Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy is being shortsighted in championing a warehouse for the banks of the Hackensack River in Jersey City, former Jersey City Mayor Bret Schundler told The Jersey Journal last week.

Schundler, who favors using the land for open space, called the warehouse a "low-value investment" that would ultimately stymie the development of the city's western coast.

Schundler said Healy should think about the 87-acre PJP landfill as another Liberty State Park - an environmental oasis that attracts jobs and housing to the entire city.

The decision about what to do with the site is "hugely important," Schundler said.

"If you don't do it (use the land for open space), a lot of people are going to say the mayor doesn't have vision and sold out the west side of the city," he said.

Schundler said he's spoken to Healy about the issue and believes that Healy is operating under the false impression that the city would be stuck with cleaning up the landfill if the warehouse deal fell through - even though Waste Management, one of parties responsible for the site, signed an agreement with the state six years ago to pay to cap the site.

"I appreciate Bret Schundler's opinion as a former mayor and as a resident," Healy said. "However, I respectfully disagree with him entirely.

"It would be irresponsible of me . not to pursue economic opportunities for the blue collar residents of our city who have bills to pay and families to feed," he continued.

"As my administration sets out to reduce the financial burden on taxpayers set forth by previous administrations, I welcome the $100 million investment and tax ratables that Jersey City would receive on a property that has sat idly for over 40 years."

Healy said that he was aware of Waste Management's obligations and that Schundler, who "did a lot of talking" during their conversations, probably didn't hear him.

Lawmakers may be warming up to Manzo's school plan

Monday, July 31, 2006
By JOURNAL STAFF AND WIRE REPORT

A school funding reform plan touted by Assemblyman Lou Manzo, D-Jersey City, may be gaining momentum as New Jersey lawmakers try to come up with a way to cut back on the state's highest-in-the-nation property taxes.

Under Manzo's plan, residents would save up to 50 percent on school property taxes but pay more in income tax, which would be used to pay for schools. More of the state sales tax revenue would be diverted to schools as well, under Manzo's plan.

"Across the state, people are being unfairly and disproportionately taxed out of their homes," Manzo said.

Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts Jr., D-Camden, said Manzo's plan "is certainly something to be looked at as the Legislature moves forward with a special session in the weeks to come."

In addition, Roberts and Gov. Jon S. Corzine of Hoboken have promoted enticing local governments to merge and share services, but a 2003 Rutgers University study found reducing the state's 616 school districts by half would save $365 million after four years, doing little to cut the $20 billion collected annually in New Jersey in property taxes. The state would have to collect $6 billion less in property taxes per year just to be at the national average in terms of property taxes collected.

Other options being considered:

Lowering property taxes in areas where state planners want to encourage growth, such as cities and suburbs, and raising property taxes in areas where they want to discourage growth, such as rural and environmentally sensitive areas. An alternative proposal would be to tax land at a higher rate than buildings, which would favor redevelopment in cities and suburbs over new development in rural areas.

Collect school taxes at a single statewide rate, an idea that has bounced around for 30 years but has long been opposed by shore legislators who fear it would significantly increase property taxes in their communities. A less radical but similar idea is to consolidate all school districts into 21 county districts and collect taxes at a single per county rate.

On Friday, Corzine challenged lawmakers to "make history" by enacting comprehensive proposals to cut property taxes that have risen so fast for so long they are "overwhelming our citizens."

Majestic II - the sequel
Planning Board approves two projects downtown

Ricardo Kaulessar
Reporter staff writer 07/28/2006

COLUMBUS CORNER — This building on the corner of Christopher Columbus Drive and Wayne Street is sitting on the future site of Columbus Corner.

The developers who recently turned historic Majestic Theater into condominiums are planning a followup of sorts.

The original Majestic Theater, on the corner of Montgomery and Grove streets, is a six-story, 45-unit complex completed in 2004.

Developers Eric and Paul Silverman now have a larger project planned for the same block.

The Jersey City Planning Board at its Tuesday meeting approved unanimously the Majestic II Redevelopment Project, a two-building, 88-unit development that will encompass Montgomery, Grove and York Streets.

There will also be 96 parking spaces and 8,880 sq. ft. of retail. The Majestic II will be overlooking City Hall.

Currently on the block are an empty storefront (formerly a deli and a carpet store), a church that closed recently, and several apartment buildings with empty lots beside them.

Neighbors cautiously optimistic

Following a presentation by an architect and engineer, several area residents praised Silverman but urged him to do monitoring of the area when construction starts, to test the stability of the area. They also encouraged them to acquire empty lots on York Street for the project.

Silverman said he would work to ensure the monitoring and to acquire the lots.

The board, in approving the project, also praised the proposed construction. New board member Phillip Matsikoudis remarked that the "Silvermans do grade A work."

Board member Michael Sottolano said he looked forward to the project getting under way as it would be wonderful addition to the area, and will force city officials to get started on renovating City Hall.

Silverman after the presentation said that he was "happy, very happy." He also said that the groundbreaking will take place in the next six months, with the project taking a year and a half to complete.

The Silvermans are also currently renovating the old St. Francis Hospital near Hamilton Park into 225 condos and retail.

Columbus Corner



The Planning Board also approved on Tuesday a project known as Columbus Corner that will be built at the corner of Christopher Columbus Drive and Wayne Street as a part of Barrow Street.

The project will consist of one building with three sections: one seven stories, one 4.5 stories, and another at three stories.

There will be a total of 58 residential units with 45 parking spaces and 4,925 sq. ft. of retail.

The developers are Five Star Investments Inc., a development firm based in Jersey City whose principals are employees of the Del Forno Real Estate firm.

The project is named for the Columbus Corner Redevelopment Area it is located within. It is also partially located within the Van Vorst Historic District.

James Lindemon, the architect for the project, made the presentation in front of the board.

Planning Board member Leon Yost asked if there would be green space built into the project for tenants to have access to. Lindemon said the plans could be amended to allow for a "green roof."

Board member Sottolano complained that the different facades of the building did not blend in each other and considered the transition "too harsh."

The board placed seven conditions for the developer to meet before construction begins, including providing green space and communicating with the Planning Board and Historic Preservation Commission regarding the project.

After the presentation, Lawrence Perlaki of Five Star Investments, when interviewed, said that he was happy see the project get started after four years of delays.

------------
Sidebar

New Planning Board members

There are two new members of the Planning Board, both of whom started their tenure at the previous Planning Board meeting on July 11. The two are Philip Matsikoudis and David Ruiz Jr.

Matsikoudis is a former Jersey City police officer who currently works as an attorney. He is the brother of the Jersey City Corporation Counsel Bill Matsikoudis.

Matsikoudis' term on the board expires on June 30, 2010. He is replacing former member Robert Lopez.

Ruiz is currently an employee of the Hudson County Improvement Authority. He was picked to serve as an alternate member of the board, replacing Roseanna Petruzelli, who served in that capacity but has been promoted to a full-time member, replacing longtime board member Jeni Branum.

Ruiz's term expires on Dec. 31 of this year. Petruzelli's term expires on June 30, 2010 while - RK

Liberty State Park will host public hearing on placement of 30-foot design


Ricardo Kaulessar
Reporter staff writer 07/28/2006

The state will hold a public hearing on Aug. 16 so residents can comment on the prospect of a 30-foot high 9/11 memorial in Liberty State Park in Jersey City.

This past spring, the Friends of Liberty State Park (FOLSP), a volunteer organization dedicated to the park's preservation, requested a public hearing on the state memorial, to be erected at the northern end of the park.

Last week, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, which oversees state parks, notified FOLSP President Sam Pesin that the group could hold a public hearing on Aug. 16 in the park at 6:30 p.m. near the memorial site.

In case of rain, the meeting will be held in the CRRNJ train terminal a few hundred feet from the memorial site.

The memorial, titled "Empty Sky," will be made up of two 30-foot high and 200-foot long stainless steel walls perched on a 10-foot high grassy knoll. A jury chose it out of 320 entries submitted in 2004 as part of the New Jersey Memorial Design Competition, which former Gov. James McGreevey initiated.

Wants more choices

New York City architect Frederic Schwartz designed the memorial, and its construction cost $10.5 million.

The memorial has met with opposition because the 10-foot high knoll portion blocks the Manhattan skyline.

"It's a sacred view of downtown New York City, especially in light of what happened on Sept. 11," said Pesin, pointing out that the park was a center to medically treat those who were injured in the terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center.

Pesin said the lack of public input in choosing the memorial will be addressed at the meeting.

"We think a resolution could be found by the state revising the design or convincing state officials to revisit the eight final designs that were narrowed from the 320 submissions," said Pesin. "Then out of those eight, the public can choose two or three that would then be given to the victims' families for a final choice."

The public have their say



Pesin intends to invite Gov. Jon Corzine (who lives in Hoboken), DEP Commissioner Lisa Jackson, and other state officials to the public meeting. He also will invite representatives for the families of 9/11 victims.

"The families want this built as soon as possible but we hope they are patient," said Pesin. "There should not be a rush, there should be a consensus."

Pesin also remarked on the progress the public has made in this issue.

"At the end of February and March, when we started to contact state officials, they never showed any intention to hold a meeting," said Pesin. "I think they are now open to getting more public input."

Tanya Chauhan was among the members who wrote to the state asking them to hold a hearing.

Chauhan lives with her husband and daughter a few blocks from Liberty State Park. In an April 27 e-mail to the state, Chauhan mentioned that she was a "Jersey City resident, a 9/11 survivor, and a frequent user of Liberty State Park" who was "greatly disturbed at the plan for a hill in the front of the park."

She added, "First the Twin Towers were taken away, and now the great view of downtown New York is being taken away."

Politicians ask, but state backs it



Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy and State Assemblyman Louis Manzo (D-31st Dist.) also sent letters to Corzine addressing the need for a public meeting. As a result of the uproar over the lack of public input, Manzo drafted legislation to ensure that there will always be public meetings on any changes to a state park.

DEP Commissioner Lisa Jackson e-mailed a letter to Pesin on Thursday reiterating her support for the memorial to continue being built as planned.

Jackson stated that "Based on my review of the process and the project design, I have decided to support the completion of the memorial as presently designed."

Jackson pointed out that the day after the June 13 meeting, there was another meeting with a memorial committee of 9/11 survivors and families of victims to review the design, discuss the current status of construction, and gauge if family members willing to accept changes to the design.

She states in the letter, "It was the consensus of those family members present that this project should move forward as designed and that they did not want to delay this Memorial to their loved ones and the many victims of September 11, 2001 any longer."

Pesin took Jackson to task for making her decision before the public meeting takes place.

"The Friends formally disagrees with the commissioner's position is now asking the governor directly to listen to public input and reverse this decision," said Pesin. "Lisa Jackson's premature decision violates the spirit of democracy."

For more information on the meeting and about the memorial controversy, check www.folsp.org or call (201) 792-1993.