Hi Brewster -- many thanks for the information and possible contact. Looking at a house that we may put a bid on and it's oil -- boiler is old and oversized so the rough cost certainly helps. Of course, the house has an underground tank as well. Given the age of the boiler, I'm not discounting that there may be an issue with the oil tank as well. Not sure how well they are able to test for leaks without really pulling it up. My neighbor just has his tank removed - it had a leak -- ended up costing $18,000. So, we'll see. Appreciate the offer on your guy.

Any estimated (better yet, actual) costs for converting from oil to gas, including all related costs, would be appreciated. Any recommendations regarding firms to do the work?
Not sure if PSE&G does this -- but I know they tend to just use local plumbers for some work and I guess they then tack on a surcharge to make some money.
Many thanks!

HeightsBrat, Thanks for the info. Found out they do not have a permit.

KOCTEP, I'm not talking about some small homeowner who wants to put up some new kitchen cabinets. First this a major real estate corporation with hundreds of buildings in Jersey City that is buying cheap, then doing massive renovations and then seeking very high rents (you could probably buy a whole town in the Soviet Union for a couple months of the rent they are seeking for some properties). The question of the justice of inflated rents aside, if they can get decent tenants who care and are invested in the property, fine ... but, we'll see.

Anyway, my reasons for wanting to know if the work is permitted: First this company knows better and should be getting permits. Second, let them pay increased property taxes for the renovations -- they can afford it, they will be charging enough rent, and why should my tax bill be increased to subsidize their work on the sly. Third, I'd like to make sure the work is done right. There have been too many fires in this town due to half assed wiring and I'm not about to vouch for their workers.

A neighbor who recently bought an adjoining house is apparently doing a major renovation (wood piled up in backyard 5 feet high). How can I tell if he acquired necessary permits? Are permits supposed to be posted?

There was a long post on US Masters Residential Property (aka Dixon Leasing), an Austrailian real estate firm, that was buying a lot of properties in Jersey City. Was just looking through some of the ownership/sales records and noticed they have moved a number of properties to various LLCs (e.g., FREMANTLE URF,LLC; HAWTHORN PROPERTIES, LLC; CARLTON URF,LLC). Transaction listed as sale "BETWEEN CORP AND STOCKHOLDER ".
Anyone know what advantages they are gaining (e.g., limiting liability; tax benefits)?

My concern is that the drug dealers will just move operations over to another area. If it were an unpublized all-out bust of any dealers and other bad guys, you may be able to get some arrests. But, once you let them know where you are focusing resources, then (if I were a dealer) I would just move my operations over a bit. Maybe I'm naive, but I don't see this as helping eliminate the problems -- may only move the problem??

I'm sure more will come out of this as time goes on. However, I will say that I have been going to Captain's meetings for several years. Cowan is the only Police Chief that ever showed up and he actually showed up twice during the first half of 2014. I will commend him for this and for listening to residents directly in an informal setting. I'll add that I did vote for Fulop but am starting to actually miss good old Jeremiah !

Without blaming the victim in any way and/or condoning the ass****'s behavior, I wonder if this was entirely random or if words, etc.. had been exchanged. Assuming there was nothing leading up to the incident, it amazes me that these punks pick on "weaker" victims (women, the elderly, etc.). What kind of macho bull can you claim from picking on someone weaker. Yes, no one should be targeted for such attacks (or any attacks), but it still amazes me that these jerks think punching someone who is not expecting it and/or who is weaker makes them a man. All is says to me, is that they are little chickens. If you want to fight, go box in a ring -- let's see how long you last.
Anyway, hope the guy gets knocked out in jail (plus a few other things). Kudos to the guy who came to his friend's aid.

I would just say keep calling the non-emergency number. Unfortuately, noise violations may not be the top priority, but repeated calls may get them to come. Not sure, if you have other neighbors who are also bothered and who will call too. Personally, I think something needs to be done about this -- I understand life and death priorities, but quality of life is important too. And, what ends up happening is good neighbors leave and you end up with the scum.
When calling the police, make sure you tell them where exactly where the noise is coming from (e.g. address - backyard), because if they don't hear it from the street, they may just leave. Supposedly the North District is giving out fines, which would definitely help. Not sure if they are doing the same in your district. Also, find out when your Captain's meeting is (each precinct has one), attend and bring up the topic. Warmer weather is here and the partying has just begun.
Re: day/night restrictions: see Chapter 222 of following link https://library.municode.com/index.aspx?clientId=16093
daytime limit basically is 65 decibels which is a lot lower than a blasting stereo.

Agree with several others - call the North District (201-547-5477) when they are partying. Be aware that there are noise restrictions both day and night, so you don't have to wait til 10PM if the partying is very loud. If you let it go, it will likely only get worse. Per district captain, they are fining people and hopefully one fine will do the trick.
With regard to Dixon, the most you may expect is that they may "talk" to the tenant. I had issues with Dixon renters and tried this route, but found it very frustrating dealing with Dixon (e.g., "they can make as much noise as they want until 10PM" and other incorrect excuses -- Again, noise ordinances cover day and night noise restritcions). To me, while they talk a good talk, Dixon doesn't really care -- they just want their rent. But, maybe you'll have better luck.
My advice - call the cops and, as Heights mentions, go to the Captain's meeting (this Wednesday at 7:00).

Does anyone know where this happened?

Thanks, all! Never heard of a "nest thermostat" -- will need to look into it. Anyone know who much it costs to have the form insulation done in an crawlspace (flat roof) -- Any recommendations on who does is good job is appreciated.

Just an FYI... I have heard that cable boxes are incredible energy consumers because they basically stay on even if you use the remote to turn it off. They are improving new ones to conserve more energy. But if you have an older one (especially if you have mulitiple boxes), buy one of the on/off plugs (you can get them in the 99 cents stores) and use it for your cable box. Turn the switch on the plug off which will then totally turn off the cable box. You'll need to turn on the switch on both at the plug and at the cable box and it will take a minute for the cable box to restart. Also, don't turn off the switch on the plug if you want to record anything (if DVR cable box). Admittedly, it can be an inconvenience if you want immediate reception (not wait a minute). But we have 3 boxes in our house and our electric portion of the bill is usually around $65 (when not using air conditioning, etc..).
Quote:

May be a stupid question and I know a lot has to do with size of house, whether attached or detached, thermostat settings, etc..., but was curious how much it cost to heat different types of houses. We're spending around $200/month (total gas bill) for small, attached 2 bedroom house. Have been looking for something detached that is larger -- wasn't sure what the increased heating costs may be. Friends in CT. with a very large house are spending $500/month.

Also saw this last night. Also listed in a similar thread.
I think anything that will promote a bike-friendly environment in JC is great. We are way behind other municipalities in promoting biking as a greener alternative. Hopefully, Fulop is serious about implementing (vs. planning) bike lanes throughout the City. Hoboken's bike lanes are great. Currently, JC roads continue to be very questionable with regard to safe biking. Will be interesting to see if the program really takes off in JC -- I really hope it does.

I'm all for a bike sharing program in JCs... hopefully, more cycliists in Jersey City willl lead the way to implementation of bike lanes (not sure what the time frame is for the proposed 54 miles of lanes). But, I suspect the situation for bikers trying to do the right thing by riding in the streets will only become more dangerous as traffic jams and road rage increase over Pulaski Skyway and 139 closures/renovations.

Hoboken has implemented some very good bike lanes; Jersey City needs to wake up and do the same.

I know during the very cold spell, some (city-owned?) community centers were opened as shelters for several days (cots, coffee, etc..). My understanding is that police went around and let the homeless know. I know there were takers in the Heights. Once it warmed, "shelter" availability ended.

Would definitely encourage you to do so. Not familiar with Ward F. I know Harrison also has an association and Astor Place and the Marion section may also have one.

You may also be interested in attending the local Captain's meetings that are held in the differnt districts monthly. There have been previous positings regarding when these are held. You could probably also reach out to the officer for your district who could tell you the night of the Captains' meeting. They likely know the area's neighborhood associations as well.

For those in the Heights, see the following link of neighborhood associations. Te Sparrow Hill Association is not currently active but residents from this area have joined the Nelson Ave. meetings. I actually like the Heights Hope meetings. http://www.jcheights.com/community-block.shtml

Good topic for posting. There have been some morning when I turn on the water and the smell of chlorine has been very strong. I did get a PUR water faucet filter which seems to help, although the terminology on a lot of filters is confusing (e.g. "removes the smell and taste of chlorine"). New York City's tap water, even years ago, tasted much better than JC water. Any additional info on this topic is appreciated.

I usually feel comfortable with the bike lanes in Hoboken and even more so with those in NYC. As mentioned in numerous other posts, bike lanes or clearly marked "shared lanes" are needed in Jersey City. Many drivers in Jersey City do not have any regard for other drivers, pedestrians, or biker riders. They also are not used to bikers and there is insufficient signage reminding drivers to "share the road". There have been many incidents of hits and runs, drag racing, and more than a couple of times when cars have just driven into storefronts. At certain hours and on certain streets, riding a bike in Jersey City streets is very dangerous. Solve the problem by making the city more bike-friendly and bike-safe.

Just had some work done at Jersey Cycles on Central Avenue.
Great work at very reasonable prices. Managers are great - You may recognize the owners from Metro in NYC.

The "shootings" vs. "homicides" would be interesting. I agree the stats would be much worse if the shooters were better shots. I know there was a flurry of shooting on Montgomery during the summer (mosque), but very few (if any) resulted in a death. SpotCrime maps crimes; but I have a feeling their stats were under-reporting incidents for a while (don't remember seeing the Montgomery shootings listed there as they were happening).

Increase service! Jest not! For the past 8 years (as long as I'm in JC), any new schedules only had cutbacks in service. For the priviledge of paying an increased fare, I'll expect the reward of having to wait another 5 minutes for late-night service (was 30 min., now 35 min., expect 40 min.). ..., and please, don't forget to cut down even more on the cleaning of the subway cars. ... One of the worse systems in terms of total distance area covered by the system and number of fare increases coupled with decreased service.

With regard to past experiences .. I have had to call the police and, in the past, the response and outcome was fairly good. However, most recently, I had to call numerous times and it took over 1.5 hours for the police to finally show up. This was unusual and I am concerned that it may be a result of police being pulled into other areas for patrols, sweeps, etc... I hope this is just one aberrant instance and not indicative of what will come. I understand the need to focus on higher priority issues, but quality of life is critical to making sure good neighbors stay and that our blocks just get taken over by those who have no respect for others.

I hope the new administration does figure out how to better handle this issue; but again, I am concerned about the most recent experience. I hope that we get to a point where the police start to give out summons, and not just talk about giving them out. Hit the trouble-makers in the pocket. Escalate for repeat offenders. The law is there, use it.

Definitely, follow HeightsBrat info and call the police dispatch number provided. Also, as HeightsBrat mentions, check the code -- there are noise restrictions for day and night (so if anyone gives you the 10PM line, they are full of it). 65 decibels is not very loud -- just google decibel rating (60 db is quoted at "normal conversation"). The JCPD seem to be more receptive to responding even if the issue is during the day. However, if they are busy, this may be deemed low priority and you may need to call multiple times. Keep calling even if it is frustrating. If you can get other neighbors to call, more power to you.
I continue to be suprised by how much good neighbors are willing to take from bad neighbors. In the end, the bad neighbors will only get worse as they are continue to get away with doing whatever they want.
If the problem persists, go to your precinct's Captains Meeting and voice the problem. They usually will give you additional good advice -- In the past, if there is a history of multiple complaints, they were willing to take more proactive measures.
Do not just live with it.

I have no issue with having more Police in the Heights. But, to Kitten's point, the article says "officers and supervisors fanned out across the city's south and west districts,". The Heights is in the North District. I'm actually more concerned that they may reallocate Heights officers to those areas where there have been shootings over the last several weeks.

FYI. There is a meeting with the new Public Safety Director at PS 28 (167 Hancock) this Monday at 6:30. Hope those looking to improve the Heights show up so we don't end up losing our cops to other areas.

I've been in the Heights for several years, but west of Pershing Field. I've never had any problems here and feel safe coming home, even when it fairly late (11PM). From my experience (also knock on wood), you don't have the same crime issue that other areas have (e.g.,shootings on every other block south of Montgomery on Bergen). You can check Spotcrime.com for details.
East of Pershing Field may be more block by block so you should walk around at different hours. Franklin can be noisy -- not sure if that's an issue for you. There's some garages on Franklin that tend to blast music, etc... I've heard more problems with Palisades Avenue, possible drug dealing, etc.. However, the area has a very good and very active Neighborhood Association - Riverview (Becky leads it). http://riverviewneighborhood.org/ and I have found these associations to be great. I would recommend checking when their next meeting or event is and then going and speaking to some of your potential neighbors. From our end, the Police are responsive so if you have problems they will respond. They also have a monthly Captains meeting in the school over on Beacon west of Kennedy -- I believe on Wednesdays at 7PM. Do a search on this site for Captain's meeting and you'll find it.
Finally, they have also just districted parts of the Heights (the area you mention is within the area, I believe) and they are encouraging artists and restaurants to come into the area, which most feel is a good think. They are also finally beginning to rebuild the "100 Steps" down to Hoboken, another good thing.
Good luck!

With emphasis on sketchy corner bodega ???
I just wish there would be a "real" supermarket with decent prices. I know the smaller markets can't compete pricewise with the large chains. But, as a result, the "less affluent" neighborhoods end up with these smaller markets that have limited products and relatively high prices.

Any one know what supermarket is coming to Bergen and Fairmount and what the timeline is? Since Shelly's closed, there is not much in the immediate area.

Was unable to make meeting on the latest McGinley Sq redevelopment effort (http://photos.nj.com/jersey-journal/2 ... housing_authority_11.html).
Any feedback from those who may have been at meeting? Any chance of this having any more success than the past McGinley Sq. redevelopment project which looks to be dead since St Peter's backed-out? From what I read, only 3 projects will get funding, so seems like a long shot just based on odds.

Curious if the area around Bergen / Monticello between Montgomery and Communipaw Avenues will have a chance of getting better. Seems like there has been a rash of shootings there over the past couple of weeks. Any feedback is appreciated.