I couldn't believe how long it took them to do this faux brick intersection at Columbus and Warren. It was easily a couple of months with 2 cops there everyday.

Jersey City gets faux everything from the faux bluestone on Newark Ave to this faux crosswalk brick. This city council hasn't wanted to create anything with lasting curb appeal or style for decades and decades. The stairs at Grove Point are perfect example - these schmucks saw the GP plans and said nothing when it was completed. It's as if the stair builders quit on the job.

I remember talking with people in the know about this extension and they all said that traffic calming measures would have to be in place before this even happens. One was to not even have the extension open to traffic heading into JC at certain times. Remember this is not a giant 4 lane highway that was talked about a decade ago. It's a narrow two lane with stop lights.

Don't believe all the hype that all these DT JC nutters will try and have you believe.

I wonder who will get disciplined for this utter lack of police invistigation if that barrel does contain the remains of Lehrer. How is it possible that not one police officer or anyone from forensics checked the basement. Lazy, incompetent or both?

Besides it looking like an unfinished construction site it still cost over 20 million.

Michael Bloomberg's 22,000 SF manison on 35 acres in the Hamptons cost 20 million and it has stables, tennis court and pool. This memorial doesn't even have a broom closet.

http://gawker.com/5823301/mayor-bloom ... million-hamptons-hideaway

Some one really needs to see where all this money went to build these two cement walls for over twenty....million....dollars. Remember, this memorial wasn't designed and built by some famous sculptor.

Yes, yes we all know it's built and the money was spent but wouldn't you like to know how the 20+Mil was spent? There are giant ocean front homes in the Hamptons designed by blue chip architectural firms with gyms, pools, media rooms and tennis courts for that kind of green.

Sure, the memorial overlooks Manhattan, the Hudson River and it's in a national park but seriously how can they justify 20+Mil for these two giant walls? They didn't even have enough money to clad the outer walls in steel! Instead we get, "architecturally finished concrete" that the architects claim will make it look more attractive than the typical flat, drab coating of most concrete finishes.

Spin on you crazy fools.

Let's look at 10 facts but first please try and remove yourself from all the emotional issues that surround this memorial:

1) The Empty Sky Memorial cost over 20M and took years to figure out and complete yet we still just get a half complete memorial because the original drawings called for steel clad outer walls to match the inner walls. Sadly, the mis-managed money dried up and now the millions of visitors who stroll through LSP each year see what appears to be two enormous, unfinished cement walls. Lovely!

2) Many of the architect's (Frederic Schwartz and Jessica Jamroz), renderings, especially the aerial view drawings the committee of 12 victims' family members saw and ultimately voted on, were misleading and did not show the true effect on the skyline by the hill. They also cleverly failed to show the adjacent historic 1889 CRRNJ Terminal.

3) This memorial was authorized by the executive orders of ex-Governors Donald DiFrancesco and James McGreevey yet zero public hearings were granted though memorials in NY and PA had public hearings. Last I checked we still lived in a democracy?

4) Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy, along with the entire Hudson County legislative delegation, petitioned former Gov. Jon Corzine to halt the project.

5) Friends of Liberty State Park (FOLSP) received 1000's of signatures from citizens throughout the world to halt the memorial and discuss the effects of the memorial's design in that location.

6) The memorial's location wasn't properly zoned to be that close to an historic building (NJ- CRRNJ Terminal) yet they found away to sneak it through.

7) The architects achieved their goal of making the memorial's vistors look East towards the new Freedom Tower. However, it is at the tragic expense of the prized North and South site lines.

8) It's simply to big of a foot print for that area. By putting such a big memorial and making a hill there a once vibrant area used for concerts and other events is now gone.

9) There is already a memorial at Liberty State Park called, "Grove of Rememberance."

10) It's built and the money is spent but I think Sam Pesin, the president of Friends of Liberty State Park (FOLSP) put it best when he said, "There should have been public hearings for a public memorial in a public park that is in the shadow of the Statue of Liberty, the world's greatest symbol of democracy."

We all have opinions on it's design but this goes much deeper - this is about the government and just how bumbled, greedy, and egotistical it can be. That includes the flashy architects at Frederic Schwartz.

Mies, to say these two gargantuan walls are minimal is preposterous and then to say this memorial is not an intrusion defies any sort of logic.

This isn't merely a case on ones design taste it's about the sheer madness of government and how mismanaged it really is.

Christie, the architects, the 911 Memorial committee should all be held accountable for this eyesore.

mies wrote:
I have lived in JC for over 25 years. I love Liberty State Park. Were very lucky to have such a beautiful park right here in our back yard. The views of NYC are amazing. I wasnt sure about the memorial when planning began. As time went on I could understand the concern about diminished views caused by the new structure. Now that the memorial is close to completion I have to say that I really like the way it has come together. I love all the grand open spaces in the park. They offer a great contrast to the dense urban sprawl within the city itself. In my opinion the memorial is not intrusion but an enhancement. The design design is very minimal, elegant and ingeniously designed to focus your attention on downtown NYC and reflect figuratively and literally on the past, present and future. I had the chance to get close to the monument the night after the recent storm. The sunset was spectacular that night and the dramatic and ghostly reflections in the monument were breathtaking. I think you get a taste of that in some of the pictures someone recently posted. See it for yourself up close and personal before you decide that it is a detriment to our city and our park. All art is subjective. Not everyone is going to like every building or monument. The WTC towers were never cherished as much as they are now as before they were gone. I hope they finish the monument soon so we can all enjoy it in its finished state.[/quote]

I didn't realize Cahill, the Chairman of the New Jersey 9/11 Memorial Foundation was a fool. What sane person what utter such contemptible dribble: 'We felt pretty strongly it wasn?t going to block the view any more than a tree would block the view."

I suppose we could blame the ego driven architects at Frederic Schwartz and thier initial memorial renderings that all these grieving and uneducated in public space design gushed over and ultimately voted on.

This is a quote from their web-site regading this monumental mess - It looks to be updated to me:

"The brushed stainless steel twin walls are 210 feet long, the width of each side of the World Trade Center Towers. They rise 30 feet, standing parallel to each other with a 12-foot wide paved path of bluestone between them. The walls are a grid of 3/8 inch, marine-grade stainless steel plates, measuring 4 feet by 8 feet. Like the World Trade Center, the stainless steel reflects the constantly changing light of day. The memorial invites visitors to literally and metaphorically look toward the empty sky in memory and look forward as a community.

A gently sloped mound is channeled by a path that directs the sight line to Ground Zero, peeling back the earth to reveal this powerful perspective. A low, grassy berm softly rises to ten feet creating an amphitheater like incline that faces Lower Manhattan. Groves of dogwood trees will both buffer and beautify the site and in a cycle of strength and renewal, the dogwoods will distinctly reflect the changing seasons."

It's a travisty of public space design not to mention a cauldron of heat when you stroll through its stainless steel, sun reflecting walls. I bet you their "empty sky" design gets some sort of heat reflecting canopy at some point.

I encourage all who feel the same way to email them with your disaproval.

fschwartz@schwartzarch.com

TheBigGuy wrote:
I think, outside of landscaping, they have completed this "memorial" It appears that there is no plan cover the the the exterior of the two horizontal cement slabs... unless they plant tall bushes it looks unfinished... there are stainless steel panels with the names of the victims inscribed on the inside/ between the slabs... I thought they were going to cover the exterior with the same types of panels, guess not so the viewing perspective from most angles are two cement slabs buried into a mountain of dirt... looks very cheap and cheesy and if you have to explain the symbolism of the design to explain the memorial, seems like it was over thought??? Hard to believe this was the best they could do??[/quote]

"The victim?s ordeal began Thursday after he left work at 4:30 p.m. and went with a woman to an Elizabeth motel." So, could we imply from this great piece of investigative journalism that the victim was also a "John" or did this woman force him to the motel where she rendevoued with the thugs in the parking lot to hash out their brilliant plan.

Architects like the ilk of Frederic Schwartz need to make a statement. It's in thier DNA to design outlandish, thought provoking structures. Purely ego driven.

Here's a quote taken from their web-site about this 9/11 monument mess:

"A low, grassy berm softly rises to ten feet creating an amphitheater like incline that faces Lower Manhattan. Groves of dogwood trees will both buffer and beautify the site and in a cycle of strength and renewal, the dogwoods will distinctly reflect the changing seasons."

"Low, grassy burm?!

Love how they mention a 10 foot rise but conveniently leave out the hulking 30 foot walls.

Their design, even without all the dog wood trees tastefully arranged around the monument, is a monumental failure in outdoor public space design.

Sadly, Schwartz's design, "Empty Sky" was selected by unanimous vote by the Family and Survivors Memorial Committee, from 320 designs submitted with NO vote from the public. Total sham.

If you want to express you opinions drop them an email:

fschwartz@schwartzarch.com

I encourage you all to email the offices of Frederic Schwartz, the bone-headed architects who designed this disaster in public space design.

I can only assume the lead designer on this project completely forgot about all the great North and South views that would be forever altered. It's a damn shame.

fschwartz@schwartzarch.com

i received my Liberty Lines - JC Public School flyer in the mail yesterday and they did mention the C.A.S.P.E.R after school programs but no way to learn more about it. The Big Brother/Big Sister programs got a few mentions. Perhaps these need more attention or some better PR. In my view the very important Big Brother/Big Sister programs need a national PR/marketing overhaul.

It's an abomination of public spce that these grandious architects from Frederic Schwartz of NYC had zero concern for any of our North or South sight lines from arguably the most important and visited State Parks in the USA.

This is not a crowning achievement for them considering they have done a number of well thought out projects. Drop them a line.........

212 741 3021
office@schwartzarch.com
http://www.schwartzarch.com/projects/new_jersey_memorial.html

Here is the curent view of the 9-11 Memorial from Paulus Hook. Note the white sail boat to the left of the wall. Though it's not a very tall sail boat before the monster wall was built you could watch it sail around the tip. Not any more.

As a JC resident for nearly 10 years I think what Martinez says is pure PR spin and hog wash:

"Lt. Edgar Martinez said police are continuing to enforce the 11 p.m. curfew for minors and said parents will be held responsible for children on the street after 11. There will be no tolerance in this and we will be enforcing the curfew rigorously,? Martinez said.

If your going to make bold statements at least have a comprehensive curfew plan in place. I doubt very much that Healy and the police commissioner give much thought to curfew laws because I have never seen or read about these laws "rigorously" enacted on, budget issues or not.

I would rather they just admit curfew laws in many ways are just plain ineffective. In fact, studies show that more delinquency and crime happens in the hours just after school then during curfew hours. It seems to me that JC should give more emphasis to the benefits of afterschool programs for at risk youth. The other sad fact that results in defending curfew laws is that once a kid enters into this juvenile justice system and all the stigma that goes with it they are more likely to continue down the road of criminal activity.

I makes no sense whatsoever to fight a $42 ticket even if you are in the right. If you have zero to do and want to see and hear some on JC finest citizenry then go for it.

Click to enlarge

Spent some time at Liberty State Park today. I know at this point nothing can be done about the 911 memorial monstrosity down there but I sure hope Frederic Schwartz, the architects invloved, get an earful from time time.

212 741 3021
office@schwartzarch.com
http://www.schwartzarch.com/projects/new_jersey_memorial.html

If you haven't been down there lately you really must see just how obstrusive and un-sightly these gigantic cement walls are.

This is a start. These types of awareness signs do not exist in JC. I have not seen them anywhere. Surely the city could determine the most dangerous intersections and install these. Afterall, many drivers have no idea that there is a new law regarding stopping for pedestrians/bikers in painted cross walks.

http://www.tapcostore.com/State-Law-Stop-for-Sign-p/1636-00039.htm

Until the JCPD really cracks down on these motorists disobeying the law so it gets ingrained into our heads then those of us who do walk and bike these streets do so at our own risk. Never assume that a motorist will stop for you in a painted cross walk.

Longhorne is partially correct. While most of the painted cross walk signs do have stop lights on Martin Blvd. I know that Bay Street does not. You will be taking your life into your own hands if you cross at Bay and Marin thinking a motorist will obey the law and stop for you.

Longhorn wrote:
Erie is where this really needs to be enforced, even if they have to put a stop sign on every corner. Marin is a thoroughfare, like it or not. Pedestrians should wait for the light to change before crossing.

"Stop for Peds in Crosswalk" painted before these cross walks, signage, anything to alert motorists ........whatever. The amazing thing is that there are none of these alerts in any of our dangerous intersections. Not one! This can't cost JC that much considering all the accidents and near misses which happen every day.

This is all on Jerry's watch people.

dtjcview wrote:

.......Don't put a "Stop for Peds in Crosswalk" as a sign at the crosswalk itself- paint it in BIG letters 1/2 a block away on the road itself. Duh.

We all need to be more aware of pedestrians at these cross walks. Period. Many times the police will have 'staged pedestrians' there to repeatedly ticket drivers - like shooting fish in a barrel. On any given day the JC police could make hundreds if not thousands of dollars on Marin Blvd. alone.

Why Jerry doesn't order up signage by all these painted cross walks that say, "Stop For Pedestrians - It's The Law" is beyond me.

Read my previous posts on this. This is just a gripe and something I would not have even bothered mentioning had I not seen it occuring more and more. For Gods sake it's not a HUGE issue, just an opinion I have. I can't believe I even have to qualify it. But here you go: Yes, there are many, many more important issues facing this city than oversized, sloppy police uniforms.

Glad it keeps geeting posted on though. Perhaps the Police Commisioner will hear about it and keep our officers in blue looking their best.

The fact that Jerry had this angst-ridden press conference regarding this proposal speak volumes about his concern for Fulop's growing popularity. I just hope these misguided rants continue because to most they only show a desperate man trying to hold on.

More logic from Fulop and Lopez. Interested to see how Jerry deals with this one considering all the cronyism that is involved in alot of these redundant positions.

Lopez, who hasn't always seen eye to eye with Fulop must be thinking about the future and his potential Mayoral appointment.

You must be a cop who has an ill fitting uniform SICULO. I suggest an alteration at DeCarlos's on Monmouth. My life is just fine. Thank you for the concern though.

SICULO wrote:

81905 wrote:
Is it me or has anyone else noticed the over sized uniforms many of the JC police choose to wear? Just this morning on Marin Blvd. I saw two more officers with pants 4" too long and shirts that were 2 sizes too big. There must be regulations they need to adhere to when it comes to size of their unifroms. Pure sloppiness in my opinion.[/quote

get a life!!! :-

This is a fairly open forum where we can post ideas, jokes, happenings and gripes, etc. I simply got a gripe off my chest. That said, over the last few years when I have seen seen a JC police officer 7 out of 10 times their uniform is too big.

Perhaps I am a traditionalist when it comes to this sort of thing. I also dislike the oversized pants most baseball players wear and how some postal carriers will wear their own (non-USPS) jackets. There just seems to be no oversite with who wears what size uniform and it seems to be getting worse. In my opinion there is a certain level of respect lost when our law enforcement doesn't look their best. Weight issues aside, a poorly dressed cop shows no pride in their chosen profession.

There was a time when police beemed with pride and looked top notch 24/7. Note the pant and sleeve lengths on these police officers from 1949 in the below link. Look around JC tomorrow and do a comparison.

http://tiny.cc/9iead

I suppose one could argue that most people back then tried a bit harder to look their best than what we do nowadays. However, when it comes to city officials, law enforcement, postal carriers, etc. there needs to be some order.

Is it me or has anyone else noticed the oversized uniforms many of the JC police choose to wear? Just this morning on Marin Blvd. I saw two more officers with pants 4" too long and shirts that were 2 sizes too big. There must be regulations they need to adhere to when it comes to size of their unifroms. Pure sloppiness in my opinion.