Bayonne Mayor Mark A. Smith joined U.S. Senator Robert Menendez, Congressman Albio Sires, and other officials at a ground-breaking ceremony today for a new fire station on Bayonne’s East Side. The new firehouse is being constructed with $3.56 million in funding from President Barack Obama’s economic recovery legislation. The building will rise near Route 440 on the western edge of the Peninsula at Bayonne Harbor, the former Military Ocean Terminal.
Mayor Smith said the fire station project is “a win for our citizens and our firefighters.†Smith also cited the economic benefits of the construction jobs created for unionized building trades workers at the site. Smith described the future fire station as “state-of-the-art,†and said it would offer the Bayonne Fire Department the best in training, equipment, and fire apparatus. The Bayonne mayor thanked Senator Menendez, Senator Frank Lautenberg, and Congressman Sires for providing the leadership needed to get the funding required for construction. Continue reading Mayor Smith, Senator Menendez, and Congressman Sires Join Other Officials for Fire Station Ground-Breaking Ceremony
Students at Bayonne High School recently participated in a Cablevision Power to Learn Black History Month event that explored the legacy of the Greensboro Four. Participating in the event, which was presented in conjunction with the Smithsonian Channel, was original Greensboro Four member Joseph McNeil who spoke with students about the civil rights movement, along with Assemblyman Charles Mainor, Assemblyman Jason O’Donnell and Mayor Mark Smith. Pictured (l. to r.) with participating students are Bayonne NAACP President Al Strickland, New Jersey NAACP President James Harris, Assemblyman O’Donnell, Principal Richard Baccarella, Mayor Smith, Teacher Deidre Hurley, National Museum of American History Director of African American Culture Christopher Wilson, Greensboro Four Member McNeil, Assemblyman Mainor, Cablevision Vice President of Education Trent Anderson, Bayonne BOE Director of Language Arts, Social Studies and Service Learning Dan Ward, Smithsonian Channel Representative Lakeisha McCoy and Cablevision Director of Government Affairs Don Viapree.