Top Floors
A recent letter commented on air conditioning units in garret windows (which were called attics). The letter fantasized about these dwellings. Would people rent rooms that don’t have private entrances and sanitary facilities?
Garrets maximize the living space in dwellings. They are probably a feature of older homes and were part of the original construction. You can find such dwellings in other places than Perth Amboy. No one has found them to be sources of taxes and penalties.
Ronald A. Sobieraj
It’s Getting Out of Control
I was reading the community voice a letter from a concerned citizen about “Legal Weed in N.J. Creates Quandary for Students Schools”, May 4, 2022. But marijuana has been around for a long time, and it was smoked anywhere. This is nothing new. I remember students coming in class “High and Dry” and yes it was illegal to have it. The government had realized some drugs have become uncontrollable. Better to sell it and make a buck on it. California was the first state to legalize marijuana it in 1996. Hate to say it, but drugs have been part of life in America and its a BILLION-dollar enterprise, and you’ll be surprised who controls it. And yes, it’s getting out of control.
Orlando “Wildman” Perez
Is The
$33 Billion Gateway
Tunnel Ready To Proceed?
There is more to do after appointment of Kris Kolluri as CEO for the Gateway Development Commission in order to move forward with the $12.6 billion basic or full scope $33 billion Gateway Tunnel project. After all these years, why has the issue of who will oversee engineering, contractors and procurement not been resolved? Will it be NJ Transit, Amtrak or the Port Authority?
To win a Federal Transit Administration Full Funding Grant Agreement, any project needs documentation that the billions in matching local share is secured, along with an approved Project Management Plan, Quality Assurance and Quality Control Plan (monitors that the contractor builds to the design and engineering specifications), Fleet Management Plan, Annual Force Account (Amtrak and NJ Transit employees who work with and provide support to third party contractors) and Annual Track Outage Plan. There needs to also be approved Title VI, Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO), Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) and Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) programs.
All must be reviewed and approved by FTA to insure that this record investment is completed on time, within budget, built to the design and engineering specifications so that it will remain in beneficial use for the promised intended life.
Larry Penner
Retired
Former Director
Federal Transit Administration
NY Region
Office of Operations and
Program Management
(Larry Penner — transportation advocate, historian and writer who previously worked for the Federal Transit Administration Region 2 New York Office. This included the development, review, approval and oversight for billions in capital projects and programs for NJ Transit, New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority, NYC Transit bus, subway and Staten Island Railway, Long Island and Metro North Rail Roads, MTA Bus, NYCDOT Staten Island Ferry along with 30 other transit agencies in NY & NJ.)
Statement from Viridian
Partners
Plan Not Feasible for Perth Amboy
On April 5th, Perth Amboy Redevelopment Authority (PARA) presented PARA’s Vision Plan for the Downtown Gateway Redevelopment Project (“Gateway”). This plan includes 6,000 residential units as well 7,000 parking spaces and 700,000 square feet of retail and municipal buildings. As stated in the meeting, PARA never evaluated whether the Vision Plan was feasible.
Since the meeting, PARA has been blatantly untransparent with Perth Amboy residents by not making the proposed vision plan publicly available online. Viridian Partners was able to obtain the plan via an OPRA request, and we are attaching the full plan to this email. It can also be found in full at saveperthamboy.com.
Viridian Partners, the designated redeveloper for Gateway since 2015, hired Nassau Capital Advisors to evaluate the feasibility of PARA’s Vision Plan. Nassau Capital’s detailed financial report clearly demonstrates PARA’s Vision Plan does not work. The study concludes that PARA’s Vision Plan can never be built for several reasons:
•Based upon current costs of construction and the market value of each residential unit, the developer would lose $182,230 per unit.
•At 6,000 units, the developer would lose a whopping $1.1 billion! No developer would build a project to lose that kind of money.
•This site served as a solid waste landfill for decades. To clean up this space for basements and sub-terranean parking, as PARA’s plan calls for, the price of testing, air monitoring, dewatering and removal costs would be $143 per ton – approximately $100,000,000 for this entire site.
•PARA’s plan suggests both a performing arts center and a new public school. To build these, the cost would be approximately $120 million, which would prorate the capital cost of each of the suggested 12 apartment buildings built on site to $10 million per apartment building.
PARA’s Vision Plan is not financially feasible, and that is evident in both the above metrics as well as the attached presentation of PARA’s vision plan. PARA’s failure to analyze feasibility before and during preparation of their Vision Plan is utterly irresponsible.
“Sometimes doing nothing is doing something.” This process wasted $17,500 of public money producing the plan and, since August 17, 2021 (the date PARA announced it would pursue this Vision Plan process), lost an additional $1,487,256 of Perth Amboy’s tax revenue. PARA’s failure to enact a realistic redevelopment plan is costing Perth Amboy taxpayers!
We encourage PARA to engage with Viridian to work on a plan that benefits Perth Amboy.
Statement from 19th District
Legislators on Passing of
Jack McGreevey
It is with real sadness that we mourn the passing of our friend and mentor, Jack McGreevey.
Jack, a proud Marine veteran, worked in the 19th District legislative office in Woodbridge since 1998. His focus and passion was to serve the veterans who lived in Carteret, Perth Amboy, Sayreville, South Amboy and Woodbridge, ensuring they received the services and benefits in which they are entitled.
Over the years, we have watched Jack drive veterans to the local VA, standing with them as they applied for their benefits and then following up with them over the following weeks, months and years. Jack – who enlisted on his 17th birthday to serve in World War II – was so proud of his opportunity to serve in the U.S. Armed Forces; he considered others who fought to be his true brothers and sisters. He defended them passionately and fearlessly; his loss will have a tremendous impact on the entire veteran community in New Jersey.
Our deepest sympathies are extended to the McGreevey family, which has been so proud of Jack’s work. For us, it was a distinct honor to know the man, to work with him and to marvel over his decades of service to fellow veterans.
On behalf of the 19th Legislative District office, as well as the many constituents who Jack has served over the years, we express our appreciation on this very sad day. There was no one like Jack, and we are better public servants for having the opportunity to watch him work.
Senator Joseph Vitale
Assembly Speaker
Craig Coughlin
Assemblywoman
Yvonne Lopez
America is My Country
The last time I checked Perth Amboy was in the state of New Jersey which is located in the United States of America. When my Grandparents (both sets) came to this country from Europe around the turn of the 20th Century, they were proud of their heritage yet more proud to be Americans. They never referred to the country they left as “my country” but rather called it the “old country”. Though they kept some of the traditions of their native land and spoke the language of the “old country” at home, they learned English (our official language since it is what all of our documents are written) and celebrated the American holidays (since they considered themselves to be Americans first and foremost) and not European ones. Any flag that was displayed was always the American flag! It matters not where you came from, but rather where you are now! You can read into this whatever you wish! GOD BLESS AMERICA!!! Thank you!
The Honorable Michael Rusznak
