The J. Owen Grundy Pier Park at Exchange Place has been closed for several weeks, but on Monday a broader area was fenced off, and today they cut down all of the trees. It looks awful at the moment, but hopfully improvements are being made there finally. I'm assuming the work that's going on there has to do with the bond sale mentioned in the article. I'm surprised it's getting started so quickly. Does anybody have more detail on this project?

$32M in bonding for city projects
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
By PATRICK VILLANOVA
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

The Jersey City City Council has approved the sale of $32 million in bonds, part of which will fund ongoing construction of a new West District police precinct, a public safety communications headquarters, and a new firehouse.

The new West District precinct on Communipaw and Monticello avenues is the first police facility to be built since the South District precinct was built in 1955.

Police Director Samuel Jefferson said the new $6 million precinct will take roughly two years to complete and will be equipped with up-to-date security, including metal detectors and bulletproof vestibules.

A new communications building, to be located on Bishop Street, will coordinate communications for police, fire and emergency services, Jefferson added.

The city received an $11 million federal grant to pay for the communications equipment, he said. The city will match that amount, earmarking $11 million of the $32 million bond sale to building and outfitting the facility, Jefferson said.

"This was a long time coming that we needed a communication center, not just for the Police Department, also so we can work in conjunction with each other," Jefferson said.

Roughly $2 million of the bond sale will go toward the ongoing construction of a new Rescue 1 Fire Department building, he said.

Although almost half of the bonds will be used to improve police and fire operations, roughly $7 million will go to the reconstruction and improvement of several public parks and fields.

These projects include construction of a pier and sea wall in J. Owen Grundy Park ($2 million) and a new swimming pool in Ercel Webb Park ($4 million).

The bonds also will fund the $3.8 million rehabilitation of the Jersey City Main Library, as well as provide $1 million for renovations at the Five Corners, Greenville and Miller branches.

An estimated $250,000 will be used for the acquisition of new traffic signals and equipment for the Division of Traffic Engineering and Transportation.

In addition, $2.5 million will pay for the resurfacing, widening and construction of various public streets, as well as a city-wide environmental cleanup.

The Division of Information Services will receive new software and computer equipment, costing $2 million, while the Incinerator Authority will receive $1.2 million to purchase new vehicles, including several trucks, two street sweepers and an excavator, officials said.