General

Shop Bayonne! Introducing a Property Tax Reward Program

by Evelyn Bonilla

buez luncheon March 1st 2013
Nick Campanella,  Managing Director   from  Fin Credit Inc. holding the “Shop Bayonne.” card at the recent March 1st, 2013 luncheon to announce the program to Bayonne businesses

 On March 1st the program was introduced to Bayonne business owners and Bayonne residents at a special luncheon hosted by the Bayonne Urban Enterprise Zone and the Bayonne Special Improvement District.   And a special mailing will go out to Bayonne Businesses and Bayonne residents explaining how the program works.

 “Shop Bayonne” is a program initiative that provides a tax credit to residents who make purchases from local businesses in town. Once you enroll in the program, you are assigned a property tax card similar to the reward cards you get in other stores; you’ll use it when you make your purchases with local merchants who are participating in the program. Residents who use their PTC-Property Tax Card will accumulate property tax dollars towards their tax bill.

Continue reading Shop Bayonne! Introducing a Property Tax Reward Program →

Business Views

River View Observer Financial Views-Declining Debt, New Tax Revenues Lead to Moody’s Upgrade of Bayonne’s Bond Rating

 CITY OF BAYONNE SEALMayor Mark A. Smith announced that Moody’s Investors Service has upgraded the City of Bayonne’s bond rating from Baa1 with negative outlook to Baa1 with stable outlook.  Smith said, “This upgrade is very good news.  It shows that Bayonne has made significant financial progress during my Administration.  Moody’s has raised Bayonne’s rating for the first time in more than five years. Our hard work and fiscal discipline are paying off. We have turned a corner and are moving in the right direction.”

            Moody’s cited several factors in its decision to improve Bayonne’s rating: 1) The agency recognized that the Bayonne Municipal Utilities Authority’s (MUA) joint venture with United Water and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR) removed $120 million from the local debt burden. The transaction paid off all the MUA’s debt and a portion of the debt of the Bayonne Local Redevelopment Agency. 2) Moody’s noted that the City no longer has any deferred charges.  All charges deferred in the past have been paid off. 3) The City of Bayonne has a declining reliance on tax anticipation notes (TANS) to cover its cashflow needs.  4) Bayonne has a large tax base.  5) Bayonne has declining debt.  6) Bayonne has new revenues from payments in lieu of taxes (PILOTS) coming from newly developed properties. Continue reading River View Observer Financial Views-Declining Debt, New Tax Revenues Lead to Moody’s Upgrade of Bayonne’s Bond Rating →

Page 5 Hudson People

Tweed Suits and Golden Gloves-Former Boxing Champ Al Certo on Choosing the Right Weave

By Sally Deering

Al Certo in his Secaucus Tailor Shop
Al Certo in his Secaucus Tailor Shop with photo of himself and boxing legends

 

How many people can say Frank Sinatra’s mother brought them into the world? Born in Hoboken under the watchful eye of midwife Dolly Sinatra (she was a neighbor), Al Certo was raised in Hoboken where he dreamed of being a dancer but, instead, built two careers as a professional boxer and men’s tailor, Certo weaved back and forth between those two worlds until he eventually hung up his gloves and threw himself into herringbones and tweeds.

al certo and tailor Certo’s Custom Tailors has thrived in Secaucus for more than 50 years. Back in the day Certo’s shop was two floors with eight tailors handling the orders; today, the top floor is now a pizzeria and Harsh Khindri who has been with Certo for 15 years handles most of the work.

 “He’s one of the greatest tailors I ever met,” Certo says. “He has gold in his hands.”

Certo’s tailor shop is filled with sewing machines and along several walls are rows of hangers with yards of fabrics like cashmere, wools and cottons. Above the hangers is a line-up of photographs mostly of famous boxers who Certo knew from his years in the ring. Sometimes they came to Certo’s shop to talk boxing and sometimes they picked out a suit. That’s what boxing legend Muhammad Ali did. Continue reading Tweed Suits and Golden Gloves-Former Boxing Champ Al Certo on Choosing the Right Weave →

General

Downtown Jersey City’s Italian Village 1973

If you know anything about Downtown Jersey City, you know that it has changed dramatically in the last 4 decades. Gone are the broken down piers that once faced New York City, making way for tall residental and commerical buildings with the influence of developers like Donald Trump and Simon LeFrak, the Siverman Brothers; and others.
The footage you are about to see reflects the old Jersey City from the 1970s.
In particular, the Village Section which was primarily made up of Italian Americans.

We don’t know who to credit for this film but it is a wonderful look at a Jersey City long gone and we are happy it was taken.

Pay close attention to the camera angle as the camera pulls close ups on building being offered for sale at the time.
Enjoy and The River View Team thanks the person or persons who took this film.

Live On Stage, Local Live Theater

STAGEfest 2013 at The landmark Loew’s Jersey Theatre in Journal Square

danceteam    
Presents Sally Deering’s
One Act Play   
  ”SIT ON MY LAP”     
The play is about an old Vaudevillian and the reporter who
comes to interview him at the Actors’ Home —
              and its a comedy!!             
                                  Starring  William Cantor and hank morris
Directed by   dorcey winant –  Production Designer  David Bayne
Fri, Mar. 22, 7:30 pm, Tix $10

  Sat, Mar. 23, 12:30 pm, Tix $15
           Sun, Mar. 24, 4 pm, Tix $10
7:30 pm, Tix $10
For more info:  201-667-3636
                                             To Order Tix Online at Brown Paper Tickets
Dining

La Reggia Restaurant, Banquets & Lounge Fine Italian Dining at “The Little Italy of Secaucus”

By Sally Deering

 

The beautful dining room at La Reggia Restaurant in Secaucus
The beautful dining room at La Reggia Restaurant in Secaucus

When you step inside La Reggia restaurant in Secaucus your senses are seized by the distinct aromas of fine Italian cheeses and a warm and inviting atmosphere where tables are dressed in white linens and the wait staff is dressed in long white aprons – an homage to fine European restaurants where food and service are of the highest caliber.  

 Once you are seated at one of those beautifully dressed tables in the warm glow of La Reggia’s inviting dining room, you can understand why it’s affectionately called “The Little Italy of Secaucus.” 

 La Reggia serves Italian-American cuisine prepared with only the freshest vegetables, seafood and meats that go straight from the marketplace to the chef’s kitchen and then to your plate.  Co-owners Chef Enzo Carputo and Alfonso Corbosiero set the standards high at La Reggia and ever since it opened its doors in 1998, those standards continue to be met.

 Chef Enzo creates exquisite Italian dishes that surprise, impress and ultimately satisfy beyond expectation. In his own words, “I want to educate the people, I want them to know what real Italian Food is,” he says.

Born in Naples, Italy, Enzo Carputo came to the U.S. in 1980 and settled down in New Jersey. He learned to cook at a young age and his talent led to a career as Executive Chef for several fine restaurants where his dishes earned Five-Star ratings. At La Reggia, Chef Enzo will sometimes step away from the stove to visit with the guests in his dining room. Continue reading La Reggia Restaurant, Banquets & Lounge Fine Italian Dining at “The Little Italy of Secaucus” →

General

Jersey City Posts Storm Warning for March 5th and 6th, 2013

Jersey City Mayor’s Office & OEM Issues Reminders Ahead of Winter Storm Warning

 

JERSEY CITY SEAL LOGOJERSEY CITY  – Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy, and the Jersey City Office of Emergency Management, are asking that the residents of Jersey City take the necessary precautions in the event of dangerous weather conditions.

The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Weather Advisory for the New York and New Jersey metropolitan area from tonight at 6 P.M. through 6 P.M. EST Thursday evening, with snow accumulations expected between two to four inches, and an additional one to three inches on Thursday night through Friday evening.

This storm is also expected to produce a heavy mix of rain and snow, which combined with strong winds, could lead to downed tree branches and power lines. Wind gusts can possibly reach up to 50 mph along the immediate coast this evening through Thursday morning.

“We are urging all residents to eliminate all non-essential driving tonight and to avoid double parking and parking close to corners,” said

Mayor Healy. “This will greatly assist us in the clean-up of this storm and the passage of plows, if necessary; as well ensure the safety of other drivers and pedestrians.”

The city snow team, which is comprised of representatives from the

 Mayor’s Office, the Jersey City Incinerator Authority, the Department of Public Works, the Office of Emergency Management, and the Parking Authority, has been meeting regularly in advance of the winter weather to fine tune the city’s snow plan.

Garbage collection has been suspended for this evening, however street sweeping and parking enforcement will remain in effect until further notice.

 

 

REAL ESTATE PROFILES

REAL ESTATE-YOUR HOME:Advanced, Custom Timber Frame and Log Home Manufacturers Make Design-Build Process Faster, Easier

 

House 1 metcalfehousewcap

Virtual tour of dream home simplifies the design process, sophisticated CNC equipment speeds construction

 

house 2 apsleycottagesmall

While building a custom home or vacation home has long been the dream of many couples, too often challenges in visualizing it, customizing it, or making changes have gotten in the way.  Or the design-build process has taken too long, with complications or hand-cutting materials on site delaying the project and unnecessarily raising costs.

 Fortunately, some of the most advanced timber frame and log home manufacturers are now simplifying the design process and expediting turnaround using technologies such as computer videoconferencing, 3D virtual home tours, and sophisticated automated prep and cutting of logs before the homes are constructed.  These advances are enabling customers to easily visualize and change home design – from significant layout changes to refinements such as raising or lowering a ceiling or window – which typically have been expensive and time-consuming to do after construction is underway.  Continue reading REAL ESTATE-YOUR HOME:Advanced, Custom Timber Frame and Log Home Manufacturers Make Design-Build Process Faster, Easier →

General, Hudson Then...Again

Hudson Then . . . Again- INFLUENZA

by: Maureen Wlodarczyk

 

1918 Spanish Flu Patients
1918 Spanish Flu Patients

When I was five years old, we moved from Jersey City to Union Beach, a place where my parents could afford to purchase a small ranch house with carport. For many years after, I spent two to three weeks each summer back in Jersey City, visiting my maternal grandparents at their apartment on Rose Avenue in Greenville. I loved staying with them and being the center of my grandmother’s attention. My grandparents never owned a car so my grandmother and I would take the bus to Journal Square to shop or see a movie. One summer I unexpectedly came down sick, very sick. My grandmother tucked me in up to my chin in her own bed and called for the family’s faithful physician, Dr. Front. He was what used to be called a (very) “tall drink of water,” and had to duck his head when coming through the doorways of the apartment. When he appeared at my bedside, I am told that my eyes opened wide like saucers. No doubt. Looking up from my sickbed to take in the whole of him was quite an experience. His diagnosis: the grippe.

Today, the word grippe, coming from a French word meaning “seize suddenly,” has been replaced by the modern term “influenza,” the two words being essentially synonymous. For decades before that summer I took sick in Jersey City, Hudson County residents had been stricken by periodic grippe outbreaks including in 1889 and 1892. The most serious of those was the 1918 “Spanish” influenza pandemic that first broke out in Europe and killed thousands of soldiers on the battlefields of World War I before making its way to the United States.    Continue reading Hudson Then . . . Again- INFLUENZA →

Live On Stage, Music Views

MUSIC -If You Play It, They Will Come – Union City Chamber Players Enchant Local Audiences with Classics

By Sally Deering

 

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAOne of the great things about living in Hudson besides its close proximity to Manhattan is the community of artists who reside here and share their talents. Dancers, actors, singers, musicians, visual artists – you name it! – lots of creative folks who perform professionally call Hudson home and some even find time in their busy schedules to share their talents with local audiences, like the musical artists who call themselves the Union City Chamber Players.

 

Union City Chamber Players (L-to-R) Pianist Marina Korsakova-Kreyn, Violinist Peter Borten and Vocalist Bernadette LaFond

Violinist Peter Borten; mezzo-soprano Bernadette LaFond; and pianist Marina Korsakova-Kreyn are Union City residents and professional musicians who banded together to share their love for classical musical and their talents as classical musicians. At St. John’s Episcopal Church in Union City, recently, the trio presented a classical program, a “Love Concert” that featured Gounod’s “Ave Maria”; Mozart’s violin sonata K.526; French love songs by Faure and Massenet; Strauss’s “Stiller Gang” and Rachmaninoff’s “In the Silence of the Secret Night”. Continue reading MUSIC -If You Play It, They Will Come – Union City Chamber Players Enchant Local Audiences with Classics →

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