Expanded Public Safety, Economic Development and Affordable Housing on the West Side All Remain a Focus for Fulop Administration

Mayor Steven M. Fulop will deliver the final 2017 State of the City Address in Ward B tonight, Thursday, March 30th, at 6:30 p.m., at Casino in the Park. It is the final in a series of six speeches, one in each ward, taking the message directly to the residents to emphasize the important role each community and individual plays in the progress Jersey City is making.

While the speeches will address results citywide, including stable taxes for three years, growing the police department to over 900 officers for the first time in two decades, investment in areas off the waterfront, and the creation of more affordable housing than any prior administration, they will also focus on ward specific achievements and initiatives the administration will make a priority in 2017. Mondayâ€s speech will highlight changes for Ward B that include:

· The creation of a West Side Avenue Special Improvement District to specifically address issues along the commercial corridor, to develop a stronger partnership with the business owners to focus on street cleanliness.

· Revamping the tenant/landlord office with increased caseworkers and the creation of a tenant advocate lawyer database with resources and working with community groups to identify and address problem landlords.

· Traffic study in the southern end of the ward to understand the impact of traffic and development on the West Side community to alleviate the congestion experienced in this area and to continue to improve pedestrian safety.\

· The continued expansion of the Police Department, with the hiring of 50 additional police officers in two classes bringing the department to over 950 officers and installing over 200 new CCTV cameras in the areas they are most needed, and continuing to expand walking posts and community policing.

· Increasing affordable housing, with the Mayor committing to over 600 units of new affordable housing across the city, including breaking ground this year on the second veterans housing project.

In the Ward B speech, the Mayor will highlight administration initiatives across West Side that include increased foot patrols and community policing along West Side Avenue, the $820,000 investment in the creation of Boyd McGuiness Park, the creation of a West Side Avenue Restaurant Row, and a new historic district in the West Bergen-Lincoln Park neighborhood. The administration is also committed to the continued economic growth of the area, including the NJCU expansion, which will bring new investment and development, as well as jobs.

“West Side has been experiencing significant economic investment and growth, and is one of the areas that is starting to see real progress,” said Mayor Fulop. “But we know there is more to be done, and we are committed to working with the residents and community groups to address their concerns and focus on quality of life issues block by block.”

Any media wishing to attend any of the locations, is asked to RSVP to: jenniferm@jcnj.org.

The post Mayor Fulop Delivers FINAL State of the City Address Ward B Tonight Thursday March 30th first appeared on River View Observer.

JERSEY CITY – Mayor Steven M. Fulop will continue the series of 2017 State of the City Addresses today in Ward C, taking the message directly to the residents to emphasize the important role each community and individual plays in the progress Jersey City is making. A total of six speeches, one in each ward, will be delivered over the course of the next several weeks.

Mondayâ€s speech will highlight the development occurring in the Journal Square neighborhood with the focus on arts and culture, including:

●      Announcing new RFP with the Friends of Loewâ€s for the Loewâ€s Theater management and renovations to be released this Spring

●      New museum in Journal Square to open in the Pathside Building; Purchase of land from County underway

●      Revisiting zoning changes for both Journal Square 2060 and the Journal Square Arts District

●      Finalize plans for the Apple Tree House re-opening

While the speech will address results citywide, new development and social service outreach to the homeless community in Journal Square will also be major focuses for Ward C in the upcoming year.

“We have seen incredible growth begin to occur within this neighborhood, and our hope is that Journal Square will once again become the economic heart of our city,” said Mayor Fulop. “Through investing in arts and culture, improving neighborhood infrastructure, and collaborating with community groups, we are making incredible progress in building a dynamic and inclusive Journal Square.”

The State of the City Addresses will take place at 6:30 p.m. on each of the following dates:

●      Ward C, Monday, February 27th, Franklin L. Williams M.S. 7, 222 Laidlaw Avenue

●      Ward D, Thursday, March 2, Christa McAuliffe School P.S. 28, 167 Hancock Avenue

●      Ward E, Tuesday, March 7th, Grace Church Van Vorst, 39 Erie Street

●      Ward B, Tuesday, March 14th, Hank Gallo Community Center, Lincoln Park

●      Ward A, Monday, March 20th, CityLine Church, 1510 John F. Kennedy Boulevard

The post Mayor Fulop Continues 2017 State of the City Addresses Ward C first appeared on River View Observer.

“I am proud to announce that in 2014, we will introduce a budget with a tax reduction and flexibility for the Council.” That was one of Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulopâ€s final lines in his State of the City address Thursday night, when he addressed not only the progress of the city on various fronts since he took office last July but also how it is going forward in the upcoming year. But Fulop was more detailed about other accomplishments and goals while speaking in front of over 400 people inside the McMahon Student Center on the campus of Saint Peterâ€s University.

He spent time talking about how the cityâ€s consolidation of the Fire and Police departments into the recently-formed Public Safety Department enabled the city to save money to hire 26 more firefighters and 34 more cops, and how the additional cop manpower along with the employment of various crime-fighting initiatives will help the police bring crime down by double-digits by the end of this year.

He then said coming this Monday, the city will launch a reentry program for ex-offenders that will provide treatment, housing options, and job opportunities with the goal of reducing recidivism for ex-offenders by over 30 percent from the current average for those residing in Hudson County. This effort was described by Fulop as being in sync with his Marine training.

“We here in Jersey City also believe no person should be discarded, that no life is nonredeemable, so as a progressive and as a marine, weâ€re doing things differently,” Fulop said.

Fulop emphasized the role of job preparation in building Jersey Cityâ€s economy on two fronts: partnering with major companies such as

Pershing and Goldman Sachs to launch a summer internship program for top students in the cityâ€s high schools and putting together a mentor program for Jersey City students to learn on-the-job mechanical/technical skills coupled with academic courses at the New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark.

He also mentioned jobs in terms of the various companies bringing them to Jersey City such as Forbes and Nautica, helping to burnish the townâ€s reputation as the fastest growing city in New Jersey at the present time, even claiming that Jersey City will be the largest city by 2016.

However, Fulop is not just depending on the economic kindness of others to boost Jersey Cityâ€s image and population as he announced the city will carry out a $1.2 million marketing campaign, financed by the municipality and the private sector, to attract people to come settle here.

Fulop spoke further about the cityâ€s growth when he pointed out that the cityâ€s school system will have 4,000 more students in the next five years, many of whom will most likely be the children of those couples that officials hope will relocate as a result of Jersey Cityâ€s promotion effort. In that vein, the mayor highlighted three pre-k facilities that will open in coming years – two in the planning stages and one to open in the former home of a charter school – while pushing the cityâ€s school district to ensure that they not just focused on pre-k education in downtown Jersey City.

He also spoke during the address about some other items that will make Jersey City into “the best mid-size city in America”: the management and restoration of the Loewâ€s Jersey Theatre in Journal Square that has met with opposition from the current operators of the theater and their supporters over the cityâ€s handling of this issue; booming development across the city including 10 projects underway and 23 that have already been proposed or approved, and the creation of a special improvement district for the cityâ€s west side.

And while it seems City Hall has an ambitious mandate this year and beyond, Fulop early in the speech laid out how something so daunting can actually be doable. “We know expectations are high, as they should be. I know we will succeed. I believe in our team, and I believe in Jersey City,”

The post Fulop’s State of the City: Municipal Budget to Greater Police Presence first appeared on River View Observer.