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Citizens Challenge Perth Amboy City Council and B.A.

PERTH AMBOY – Local resident and frequent Council attendee Stanley Sierakowski continued to disagree with Business Administrator Greg Fehrenbach about when Perth Amboy could have applied for transitional aid and the amount of money they should have requested. Sierakowski waved a printout that he retrieved from the NJ Department of Community Affairs website where several towns asked for millions in aid and received about two-thirds of what they requested. Sierakowski wondered why Perth Amboy only asked for $2 million when the City should have requested three times the amount and maybe would have gotten $4 million instead.

As in the past Business Administrator Fehrenbach told Sierakowski that because of Perth Amboy changing from a fiscal to a calendar year we received a certain amount of money last year. This year we were only eligible to apply for $2 million in transitional aid to help offset property taxes.

Sierakowski still was not satisfied with the B.A.’s response. But despite the differences about when and how much aid Perth Amboy received, Sierakowski concluded by saying, “You should always ask for twice as much as what you need. Then maybe you would have received more than enough to stabilize taxes.

Several residents from Hidden Village II also appeared before the Council as they did at the March 14th meeting. Although they expressed the same concerns, about their water bills being very high, they were also upset this time about the excessive garbage littering their street and the loud music. Some residents wondered, “Why should we have to go around several times a week to pick up all the trash accumulating on Johnstone and Washington Streets.

One resident in Hidden Village II who relocated from one of the boroughs in New York said when she came to Perth Amboy, she fell in love with the town and especially the residents but never realized that her quality of life would be lowered. She loves the people she has to think about possibly moving out of town. It was also brought to the Council’s attention that in Hidden Village II of the 48 Units, 8 are foreclosure as of now and there are probably more to come.

Another resident of Hidden Village II also stated that it would not look good for Perth Amboy to have so many abandoned properties situated in one area. “We are asking the Council to put yourselves in our shoes and maybe we can work together to find a solution to this problem.”

Local Musician Jeff Saxon sympathized with the Hidden Village residents and he made a proposal to the Council that he would be glad to help compose a song or perhaps draft up some kind of campaign to make the citizens aware that we should all work together to make sure our town is as litter free as possible. This would only enhance the town’s image.

It was noted at a previous Council meeting by B.A. Fehrenbach that the City hired a firm who will be distributing recycling containers throughout the business district which would help greatly in reducing litter. The company supplying those containers would not only maintain and empty them but there will also be space available for those who like to advertise on the receptacles. The City would also generate a small amount of revenue from the receptacles.

President of the Board of Trustees of the Perth Amboy Free Public Library Barbara Sottilaro read the following statement at the 3/28 meeting:

I’m very happy that the library roof has been done and that the city is finally moving forward on a renovation, albeit much more minimal than what the trustees, the director and many in the community had hoped for.

I would like to know if this renovation project, as it stands now, precludes the planned renovation and expansion that the library trustees have worked on and hoped for and that the city, especially the children, so desperately needs.

The recently formed Friends of the Library are planning another Taste of Perth Amboy, most likely in October and I am still looking for that “angel investor” that Mr. Fehrenbach says we need.

B.A. Fehrenbach answered, “No, this would not preclude the proposed expansion to the library.”

Friends of the Library member Renee Skelton wanted an explanation as to why the City did not apply for the library to be put on the Historic Registry. “There are two different sets of standards,” B.A. Fehrenbach replied, “On is for historic preservation and one is for historic restoration. To restore a building to its original structure may be more expensive.”

“Preservation work is time consuming, very costly and a very specialized field,” stated Orlando Perez. Perez has worked on buildings that were under restoration.

The Morristown Library was offered as an example of expansion. B.A. Fehrenbach said, “I will reach out to entities in Morristown who helped to get grants for their library. I will see what kind of funding they received and how they went about applying for it.”

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