Lol, I think you're right T-Bird!

Yet another thing thing Fulop talks about and Healy reacts to. Healy is like a four-year cicada. He's asleep until March of every election year and then he surfaces, runs around frantically trying to accomplish things and then no one hears from him for four years.

It would be really interesting to look at the overtime and unusual spending by the city in March and April (road resurfacing, increased ordinance enforcement, the sudden appearance of a cop on every corner) and compare it to the past three Marches and Aprils. I'd be willing to bet that is a very good reason the budget hasn't been put to a final vote yet.

There are a lot of house that are occupied that look like they're abandoned and are downright ugly. Can the City do something about them?

A priest from St. Patrick's cathedral is out enjoying the fine spring weather in Central Park, when he sees a robed, bearded man carrying a cross slowly walk out of the park and down 5th Avenue. The priest instantly recognizes him as Jesus Christ, come back to earth. People are flocking to the man, but he keeps slowly, purposefully striding down 5th Avenue.

The priest hurries ahead of him and rushes into the cathedral, goes straight to the Cardinal's office, bursts into a meeting and announces "It's HIM! Christ has returned, and he's coming here!" The Cardinal and his advisors are in a tizzy, and not knowing what to do the Cardinal picks up the hotline to the Vatican.

The pope answers and the Cardinal breathlessly explains that Christ has returned, "and he's coming HERE! What shall we do?!?"

There's a moment of silence on the line, and the Pope replies: "Look busy."

Community advocates, non-profit housing developers, the city's own experts have been pushing for YEARS for the city to DO SOMETHING about abandoned properties. The latest legal mechanism for enforcement has been in place for 18 months. We're sure it's just a coincidence that we see a flurry of activity in this fine spring season.

Let us celebrate the fine work by Mayor Healy and his administration to bring about this long-anticipated action.

(I wonder if it includes this Journal Square ?scab? ? Healy is a freaking joke!)
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EDITORIAL: Journal Square site left to wither
Published: Monday, October 26, 2009, 12:01 AM
By The Jersey Journal The Jersey Journal




David Jolkovski/The Jersey Journal
Journal Square's "scab" park dominates the streetscape in Jersey City's transportation and cultural hub.

In May, in front of that barren and fenced off Journal Square lot that once was home to the Universal and its rotisserie chickens, Bettinger's, several bakeries, Hotel on the Square and more, a tent was put up in the rain. Nearby there was a sign with an artist rendering of apartment towers advertised as a New Beginning.

There was a crowd made up mostly of construction labor union people, plumbers and electricians, who were told to be there by their union. They had high expectations of work because of the promise of tall residential towers going up on what could be taken for the city's biggest dog run.

This was a city election campaign dog-and-pony show on behalf of Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy. Healy was joined by U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez who endorsed the mayor for re-election in a speech that ticked off Healy's talking points about lower crime and stable taxes.

When Healy spoke, the theme was about "change you can see." He told the union members that work would begin on the Journal Square project in just a few months. The applause was loud.

Mr. Healy's words were very hollow.

About the same time, before the city election, the administration was orchestrating what it called a "A Vision for Journal Square," where the administration put on a display of what new development is possible for the transportation and cultural center of the city. Only Disney World looked better. It is now six months later and the city still has "scab" park.

The Journal Square lot is so bleak that even weeds do not grow on what must be cursed ground. It is almost the Journal Square's Chernobyl site, ignored and detested. One cannot even call for use of the property as a parking lot, dog run, or anything else because of the safety factor. Only the area pigeons enjoy it.

The administration will make the same excuses about how the economy has hurt the project. Six months ago, the economy was worse. The best this administration will be able to come up with may be to cherry-pick several projects for the usual developers, but even this may be beyond City Hall's capability.

http://www.nj.com/hudson/voices/index ... _journal_square_site.html

Quote:

You can try submitting it here, and there is a way you can do it anonymously. You might want to check to see if the building has been added.

Anyone know how to add a building to the registry? The one on my block never shoveled snow and is a general eyesore.

Aiyana Cronk/The Jersey Journal

Its election season

Jersey City says it's declaring war on vacant and abandoned buildings.

This morning city officials from a host of departments fired the first salvo, a warning to building owners: Adhere to new policies, regulations and deadlines, or face the prospect of the city placing a lien on the building -- and in extreme cases, demolishing it.

?Abandoned and distressed properties not only lower home values and drain equity of nearby homes, but they also create real and potentially serious public safety concerns,? Mayor Jerramiah Healy said. "We have seen fires start in vacant buildings and drug activity occur, and by ensuring these properties are properly secured, we can reduce this type of dangerous activity and also improve the quality of life of the neighborhood."

City officials used an abandoned building on Jewett Avenue as a backdrop in announcing a tough-love policy for landlords and new signage regulations to ensure that first responders stay out of harm's way in dealing with vacant and abandoned buildings.

The city is ordering owners of these buildings to follow U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development guidelines when boarding up a building -- five-eighths inch plywood that fits snuggly in the windows, with no blind spots; and there must be a 2x4 attached to exterior plywood with common nails and appropriate screws.
The fire department's updated "vacant building marking system" calls for placards with various symbols to be placed on the building, signifying a hole in the floor, open roofs, damaged fire escapes, and if the conditions are so severe that no entry is permitted.

"This signage will go a long way to protect our first responders and they're an invaluable tool," Jersey City Fire Director Armando Roman said. "Our responders will enter a building for rescue no matter what, but these signs will help them to identify compromising issues from the outside."

Donald Hong, who owns the building at 24 Jewett Ave., is glad to see the city doing something about abandoned buildings like the one next door.

"My concern is that the squatters and junkies off the street will start a fire, or bring crime to the neighborhood," Hong said. "I'm just so happy to see that the city is being active and this is happening. It's good for everyone."

In December 2011, Jersey City created a Vacant Building Registry to crack down on negligent property owners. City officials say there are currently 892 buildings on the list and nearly $300,000 has been collected in registration fees and fines.

Next week letters will go out to owners of the vacant buildings notifying them about the new regulations and providing them with deadlines for adhering to the new board-up rules.
City officials also announced it would purchase abandoned or vacant properties or take them through eminent domain under the Abanadoned Properties Rehabiliation Act.