DeBaun auditorium was packed last night; attendance of "450" was quoted by several speakers.
Whatever it was, Hoboken turned out bigly for the Army Corps of Engineers hearing. How bigly? Speakers were allotted 3 minutes tops, and the meeting went 3 hours and 45 minutes, so you do the math!
Why did the Army Corps of Engineers hold this hearing? To gauge public reaction to NY Waterway’s permit application for a diesel oil refueling and maintenance station on our waterfront (the UDD site).
Well, public reaction they got.
The NY Waterway piñata was hit from every angle: environmental, legal, quality-of-life, historic, nostalgic, scientific... boom, boom, boom. Everybody took a swing; from residents to elected officials to lawyers to public interest environmental groups to statements from individuals who couldn't attend.
When it breaks, what will fall out: candy or diesel fuel?
When it breaks, what will fall out: candy or diesel fuel?
We do not know. But among the meritorious arguments made by everyone, the one which has to resonate was made by Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla, City of Hoboken attorney Joe Marazetti and several others: that the hearing was illegal because NY Waterway had not provided an Environmental Impact statement required by [a bunch of legal mumbo-jumbo] with their permit application. Whoa.
Yep, Bhalla and Marazettti left the government panel neck-deep in mumbo-jumbo.
So, if NY Waterway's application was deficient, then the hearing was premature. The public is entitled to see the Environmental Impact report, plus time to review it prior to any public hearing.
GA's TWO CENTS
In no particular order, these things caught my attention.
(1) The first speaker of the night was Union City Mayor Brian Stack--in absentia. Stack did not send an official from the Union City Mayor's Office to read his statement. No, he had the Hoboken mayor's Chief of Staff John Allen read it for him. Don't miss the message there: honoring Stack with kicking off the night, Stack speaking through the Hoboken Mayor's Office. Pick your descriptive word: unity, solidarity, cooperation. All of it is positive for Hoboken. From previous ambivalence, Bhalla has forged a good relationship with our powerful State Senator Stack.
(2) Ward Council attendance was appalling. No absent Ward Councilmembers had a statement read for them on behalf of their constituents. All are up for re-election in 2019.
(3) Shockingly, Giattino was a no-show-- NY Waterway's proposed diesel refueling site (or future park) is in her ward. Nor did the councilwoman have a statement read on her behalf. Over 6,400 6th ward residents went unrepresented last night. This is appalling. Whether or not she is seeking re-election, there is no excuse for not taking a stand-- one way or another-- for a project which has huge environmental impacts on her ward, and the city at large.
(4) At-Large Councilpersons Jim Doyle and Emily Jabbour were there and spoke; Vanessa Falco was a no-show.
(4) Ruben Ramos gave the first campaign speech in the 2021 mayoral election. Oh, yes. Listen to it and tell me if you disagree.
(5) Hoboken Freeholder Anthony 'Stick Romano got heckled. After his name was called, and he approached the podium, someone very loudly yelled out: "Stop taking ICE money, Romano!" Perhaps the heckler was alluding to the pay raises the Hudson County Board of Freeloaders voted for themselves after renewing a lucrative contract with U.S. Immigration and Law Enforcement (ICE). Romano voted for both the ICE contract and a salary raise.
That's it for now. GA wants to thank everybody who came out last night and showed the Army Corps of Engineers we want CANDY not DIESEL FUEL.
And more thanks go to the lovely John Heinis for providing last night's live stream, which you can watch if you missed the meeting.
The comments opposing the relocation of New York Waterway's repair and refueling station were almost unanimous, apart from three: One speaker who attends every council meeting, gave full throated support for this environmental nightmare, and misread (as only she can do) the crowd's laughter at NYWW's attorney, when he tried to evoke images of the American Dream as a reason for approval. another frequent speaker at all things public droned on with his list of alternative facts, and another hairy hearing helper of Waterway's cause made everyone's ears bleed when she screeched hysterically at the Army Corps for her three minutes.
ReplyDeleteChilling testimony came from those who understood the nature of diesel fuel, exhaust and particulate. Also of note was the comment from one speaker who said that the Army Corps of Engineers seldom denies these types of applications.
One speaker, pointing out that Hoboken Terminal was the first choice in NJ Transit's own study, called attention to the fact that it isn't being seriously considered because LCOR wouldn't want it at that site as they plan their great wall of overdevelopment for the southern end of Hoboken.
Thought the testimony of those who understand the science and technology of Waterway's fleet, it became clear that they are operating a fleet of leaky tubs, using an archaic and dangerous fuel. These are not the Tesla's of the ferry world. An avid fisherman and boater spoke about the wake of the ferries destroying the walkway, and a wonderful soul and longtime community activist read a letter from latino fishermen from Hoboken and other towns, who rely on the nearby pier to feed their families.
The good people of Hoboken came out in droves in the middle of the summer, in the middle of the week, and they have spoken. Let's hope the Army Corps of Engineers denies this application and has them move to Hoboken Terminal despite LCOR's objections.
Annette Chaparro spoke well, too, and brought up the traffic issue. Basically, if there is ever an accident/incident at that location it would be a logistical nightmare for emergency services. A few others (though too few) also brought up traffic which is within Amy Corps purview to examine the impact of 150 employees driving in and out of the site, as well as ferry buses driving all about.
ReplyDeleteI missed the intros so I didn’t catch the name of the guy with the uniform. It seemed he wasn’t taking notes for some time as people were speaking. However, with the comment from the fisherman/boater about the ferry wakes he picked up his pen and started writing. And then occasionally took notes after that, usually when someone with expertise spoke knowledgeably about technical stuff (sediment, etc.) or referred to prior reports.
Not sure what Cunningham is doing for my ward these days. I haven’t seen him at recent NW Resiliency Park meetings either. He doesn’t post anything on his FB page.
Cunningham is so lazy that he couldn't even be bothered to send his own message to his constituents...he actually (no lie) FORWARDED Jen's email to HER constituents and added a "hey, check this out" type cover note. un-freakin-beliveable (or, sadly, TOTALLY believable)
DeleteI think this was the colonel, shown here without his glasses: http://www.nan.usace.army.mil/About/Leadership/Bio-Article-View/Article/637400/lawrence-s-mazzola-pe/
DeleteJust left the meeting with the MAYOR RAVI BHALLA, he was intently listening and interviewing each constituent one at a time on ISSUES at his OPEN MEETING for
ReplyDeletethe PUBLIC . NICE JOB MR. MAYOR.........................
Whether you live near the proposed site, or even use the ferries, this impacts the whole city. It's unconscionable that only 3 council members showed up. Councilman Ramos doesn't count, because he showed up in the guise of mayoral candidate Ramos, yelling sound bites like this was some kind of a high school pep rally. What an arrogant idiot. He missed an opportunity to speak directly to the people who will be deciding the fate of the last link in our waterfront park system.
ReplyDelete