For over three years, the Secaucus Public Library and Business Resource Center has offered free admission passes to the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum, the American Museum of Natural History, The Guggenheim, and The Brooklyn Museum for Secaucus residents who are library patrons. The ever popular program, however, is being curtailed and the free passes to the American Museum of Natural History will no longer be available, effective April 1. The American Museum of Natural History is no longer making the free passes available to libraries under the current criteria and the existing passes will expire March 31.
The passes are available on a first come/first served basis to Secaucus residents, 18 or older, who possess a Secaucus library card in good standing. Due to the popularity of the program, the passes must be reserved in advance, although on rare occasions, pending cancellations, they could be available for last-minute use. Reservations can be made at the reference desk on the second floor. A $50 cash deposit, required when the pass is picked up, is refunded when it is returned. The loan time for the passes is pick-up on Tuesday and return no later than Thursday and pick-up on Friday and return no later than Monday. For more information, contact: (201) 330-2083.
St. Patrick and St. Joseph Day celebration On March 10, Immaculate Conception Church celebrates St. Patrick and St. Joseph Day with the Knights of Columbus in the auditorium. The KoC will host an all-you-can-eat Irish and Italian meal as well as entertainment from 6:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. The cost is $30 per person and $15 per child under 12.
Tickets can be purchased at the church gift shop or by contacting Neal at (201) 223-7967.Tickets must be ordered by March 1.
Boat slip rentals available to public at NJMC River Barge Park
The New Jersey Meadowlands Commission (NJMC) will hold information sessions on 17 available boat slip rentals at the NJMC’s new River Barge Park on Mar. 14 at 6 p.m. and Mar. 17 at 9 a.m. The March 14 meeting will be held at the Meadowlands Environment Center in DeKorte Park in Lyndhurst. The March 17 session will take place at River Barge Park, off Outwater Lane in Carlstadt.
The seasonal rentals offer the first new slips in the Meadowlands District in a decade. The maximum boat length for each slip is 28 feet. The marina includes a launch ramp, waste disposal system, a wash-out yard, and a hose bib on the courtesy dock. Electrical service is not available on the docks. River Barge 5.5-acre park includes a paddling ramp, riverfront promenade with seating, catch-and-release fishing, park trail, education pavilion, historical and interpretive signage, and native plants.
For those who cannot attend the information sessions, an overview and frequently asked questions sheet will be available beginning on Mar. 14 at www.njmeadowlands.gov. For more information contact Lisa Cameron at (201) 460-4658 or lisa.cameron@njmeadowlands.gov.
Friends of the Secaucus Public Library first trip of 2012
The Friends of the Library will take a guided tour of Greenbrook Sanctuary, a 165-acre woodland nature preserve overlooking the Palisades cliffs, on April 21 from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. Transportation will be provided by bus, leaving from the library’s parking lot at noon and returning approximately 4 p.m. The all-inclusive cost per person is a non-refundable $15, which includes a donation to the Palisades Nature Association.
Space is limited to 20 persons, so interested participants should reserve their seat on the bus as soon as possible by (201) 330-2083 or by emailing may@bccls.org. Reservations will not be confirmed until payment is received. This trip is open to all and you do not have to be a member of the Friends of the Library to attend.
Research Paper Writing Workshop at the library
Carol Ellison, an adjunct professor at Rutgers University and an award-winning technology writer, will conduct a writing workshop at the Secaucus Public Library and Business Resource Center on Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. The author of McGraw-Hill’s Concise Guide to Writing Research Papers, Ellison will focus on the topic “How to Write Winning Research Papers.” To register, call: (201) 330-2083 or email may@bccls.org.
Charges against former Assemblyman and JC mayoral candidate Lou Manzo dropped
A Federal judge on Friday dismissed charges against former Assemblyman and Jersey City mayoral candidate Lou Manzo, according to a report from NJ.com. Manzo, one of 46 public officials and religious leaders arrested in the summer of 2009 as part of the massive Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) sting known as Operation Bid Rig, was charged with allegedly accepting a $20,000 bribe from Solomon Dwek, a government informant who posed as a developer.
Dwek attempted to have his phony real estate deals expedited by public officials in exchange for cash. Several public officials who were ensnared in the scandal pleaded guilty and went to jail, including former Jersey City Council President Mariano Vega and ex-Hoboken Mayor Peter Cammarano, while a handful of others went to trial, with mixed results.
Former assemblyman and Jersey City Councilman L.Harvey Smith and Anthony Suarez, the former mayor of Ridgefield, were acquitted in 2010 of taking bribes from Dwek as part of Operation Bid Rig. But former Secaucus Mayor Dennis Elwell and former Jersey City Deputy Mayor Leona Beldini were tried and convicted. Elwell awaits sentencing on March 6.
Manzo has long argued that Operation Bid Rig was politically motivated to help the 2009 gubernatorial campaign of Chris Christie. Christie was the U.S. Attorney in Newark when the sting operation was set in motion and most of those arrested in connection with it were Democrats.
U.S. District Court Judge Jose L. Linares may have been persuaded by this argument. In a ruling announced Feb. 17, Linares dismissed two charges that Manzo crossed state lines to commit a crime and two charges that he failed to report the crimes (bribery) of others to authorities. Last year, Linares also tossed two extortion charges against Manzo.
Hartz wants to bring 1,000 luxury housing units to Jersey City’s 99 Hudson St. Hartz Mountain Industries and Roseland Property Company said Tuesday that they will build a 1,000-unit residential complex at 99 Hudson St. in Jersey City, adding another luxury housing address to the city’s waterfront -- but the project is subject to the revival of a state tax credit program.
The $450 million rental housing project would create more than, 2,000 construction jobs, they said in a release.
The project will be developed subject to revival of the NJ Economic Development Agency’s Urban Hub Tax Credit program, which was suspended after depleting its $250 million allocation.
“We submitted an application several months ago that fully qualified for the tax credit program,” said Emanuel Stern, president and COO of Hartz Mountain Industries. “As we have seen through the history of the program, the economic climate – especially as it pertains to financing – will not permit a project like this to proceed without assistance. Our application to New Jersey Economic Development Authority for the Urban Hub Tax Credit program delivers instant economic impact and smart growth benefits that will last for decades, so we are hopeful this necessary program is quickly revived so we can commence construction.”
Post a Comment