Sh*t-Show on Tap Monday Night

Parking lot birthday

Holy cow!  Is it true?

Published yesterday on MSV:

 A Special Board Meeting has been scheduled and will be held on Monday, August 4th, 2014 at 7:30 p.m. in Council Chambers, City Hall, 94 Washington Street, Hoboken, New Jersey, for the following purposes: ...
4. Resolution terminating the contract of Executive Director Carmelo Garcia,  
5. Resolution appointing acting Executive Director 

Apparently so!  What does it mean?  

Does it mean no more $38.5K wee-wee-pads installed in HHA elevators?  You know, to keep the urine in the elevator where it belongs.

$665K to renovate 2 community rooms and a laundry room? 

$106.1K for a roof replacement at 655 6th street? 

What about those 14 Blue Star "new model" generators ordered with federal grant money, that just celebrated their first birthday in an HHA parking lot?   Happy birthday!

'Word on the street' is the generators were ordered for Vision 20/20.  Recall that the developer who was selected to build Vision 20/20 did not include back-up generators in his contract- a fact which Mayor Zimmer pointed out in her letter of May 1, 2013.  Here is what the Mayor wrote:

"I was shocked to learn that despite experiences with the power outages in Hurricane Irene and Sandy, that the project did not include a back up generator.  The developer made clear it was not part of the building design"

Well, 14 "Sandy-proof" generators were purchased in 2012, and are sitting in packing materials in an HHA parking lot since they were delivered in the summer of 2013.  Last April 30, the HHA went dark,  trapping at least one person in an elevator, and reminding folks that wouldn't have happened if those big metal hulks haunting the parking lot had been installed.

Just 2 months earlier, on February 23,the Hudson Reporter had these comforting words for HHA residents: 

The new generators were designed for outside use and specifically built to withstand Sandy-type forces of nature, HUD said, so they are confident that they will remain undamaged until spring. Garcia said that if not, they’re covered by a full warranty.In fact, HUD said, the generators were delivered in fall on purpose. At the time, HUD, Garcia and the vendor were aware that inclement weather might be looming, but the manufacturer wanted to prove that its new model generator, more powerful than previous iterations, could withstand the elements.

What a relief!

And leaving the generators in the parking lot proves they can withstand the test of time!

The generators' residency in an HHA parking lot has fueled rumor amongst HHA residents that the generators were ordered for Vision 20/20.   If true, the rumor raises questions whether they were properly-sized and engineered to work with the existing HHA buildings.  

Anyway, the generators, which operate fire suppression systems, were presumably on-order and being fabricated at the time Chief Blohm appeared at an HHA meeting  on February 14, 2013.   As GA reported on April 4, 2013: 

On February 5, 2013 HHA ED Carmelo Garcia was slapped with a Notice of Violation citing that he had "failed obtain the proper Building Permits for all the City of Hoboken housing buildings that were damaged by the Super Storm Sandy: electrical wiring, panels, switch gear, motors, motor controls, fire system and fire panels, fire pumps and any building structures"

Then on February 14, 2013 Chief Blohm appeared at the HHA to deliver his findings to the HHA Commissioners. There the public learned the stunning news:  6 HHA buildings were without properly functioning generators.

What do building generators do in a fire?  They power emergency lighting, exits signs, alarms, electric motor pumps for sprinklers.

One of the buildings with NO GENERATOR was 501 Marshall Drive, where the 5th floor meth lab found by police on Monday. 

Why do you think GA's been making a stink about these generators?

Thank G-d, nobody has been hurt, or worse- yet.  But, the HHA could be one catastrophe- a fire or extreme weather event- away from tragedy.  The black-out at the HHA last April 30 should have been a wake-up call. 

But I digress... 

As HHA Theater goes, next Monday promises to be a sh*t-show extraordinaire.  

I want Bayonne peeps to pay close attention.  GA hears Beth Mason has bought her way into the Davis camp.  Yep.  So, next Monday you may watch the spectacle in Hoboken, and see what you (allegedly) bought.  Or what (allegedly) bought you. 

Don't worry, Bayonne peeps.  

Should you have 'elevator problems' at Bayonne City Hall, your (alleged) gal can afford to buy $38.5K vinyl Pampers to swaddle it.  And that's what it's all about, right?

left: Violation Notice issued to HHA Executive Director Carmelo Garcia on 2/5/13, top right: 501 Marshall Drive, location of meth lab bot right: typical household ingredients used to make meth