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The sequence of photos below illustrates our overnight actvities this morning between 2am - 3am to deter people from sleeping at the kiosk. P.O. Beck and P.O. Clavel encouraged 11 homeless people to move-on...they encountered no resistance.
Portions of Newark Avenue in Jersey City will be closed Friday and Saturday nights for the Navratri Festival
Navratri is a nine-day cultural and religious festival celebrating deities worshipped by people worldwide. The Jersey City celebration, in its fourth year, will be held on Newark Avenue between Kennedy Boulevard and Tonnelle Avenue. Those streets will be closed from 7 p.m. Friday to 2 a.m. Saturday and from 7 p.m. Saturday to 2 a.m. Sunday. The same closings will be in effect Oct. 6 and 7.
The Jersey City Asian Merchant Association, in cooperation with the Govinda Sanskar Center, Journal Square Restoration Corp. and the Urban Enterprise Zone, is sponsoring the event.
Music, dancing and traditional foods will be featured. The event also hopes to raise money for scholarships at Hudson County Community College and to support a hospital in Hudson.
In previous years, the event has been popular, with estimates of more than 10,000 people attending.
JOURNAL STAFF
© 2006 The Jersey Journal
© 2006 NJ.com All Rights Reserved.
Sgt. Frank Cocarro and P.O. Greg Tolluck keep a close eye on the kiosk area this afternoon during the 3pm-7pm shift.
In preparation for this week's Navratri Festival SID Maintenance crews are cleaning and painting cobra light poles, removing weeds and painting over graffiti. Additionally, the Operations Management team is working with the City of Jersey City, Councilman Steve Lipski and PSE&G to repair pot holes, fix trip/fall hazards, repair lamp outages and replace missing light poles. On Friday, the streets, sidewalks and awnings in Little India will be washed down with hoses and high pressure water.
600 Pavonia was clear of illegal parkers this afternoon during the busy 11am-1pm period. The Journal Square Ambassador illustrated here keeps a close watch at the curbline for any potential violators.
Port Authority contractors filled in the damaged areas of the compass today (left). United Water has been inspecting the area in and around Twin Donut (right) for a water main break that is causing water to leak onto the PATH tracks.
P.O. Dave Rodgers keeps a close watch on the kiosk and plaza area:
Field Supervisor Leslie Johnson paints the benches around the Christopher Columbus Statue this morning.
Click on photos to enlarge
Sgt. Carrittini requested the identification of the individual shown and the purpose of his visit to Journal Square. The request for identification was not honored. The individual is known by JSRC personnel and JCPD off-duty officers to frequent the district in and around the area of the Kiosk and Port Authority. The individual was encouraged to continue their progress to their destination and was seen departing Journal Square.
P.O. Ray Kazcewski responded to a call on Saturday from Raju Patel regarding a dispute over a parking space in the JCAMA parking lot. The individual was advised and moved on without incident.
P.O. Ray Kazcewski responded to a call in front of KFC on Saturday afternoon regarding an inebriated individual. The individual was placed in an ambulance and removed from the district.
P.O. Ray Kazcewski advised an illegal vendor on Saturday who attempted to set-up in front of Fabco Shoes. The vendor left the district immediately.
Saturday, September 23, 2006
By KEN THORBOURNE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER
There's now a price tag on the three buildings standing in the way of redeveloping a key block of Jersey City's Journal Square - and the city plans to seize the properties if the owners don't sell.
The buildings - one home to a KFC, one to a McDonald's and Song's Hallmark store and one vacant - are collectively worth $5.2 million, according to appraisers under contract with the Jersey City Redevelopment Agency, the entity overseeing the redevelopment of the block, next to the PATH Transportation Center.
The agency's board voted Tuesday night to formally accept the appraisals and begin negotiations to purchase the properties. If agreement can't be reached with the owners, the agency will seize the properties through its powers of eminent domain, said JCRA Executive Director Robert Antonicello.
In May, the agency signed a deal with Journal Square Development LLC - a limited partnership created by Jersey City-based Harwood Properties - to build a two-tower retail/residential complex on the block.
But in order to do so, these three buildings have to be removed. Harwood Properties is under contract to buy the other properties on this block.
Lowell Harwood, managing partner of Harwood Properties, attended Tuesday's meeting and said the board's vote allows the $350 million project to move forward.
"We're just getting started," Harwood said. "We're not done."
Harwood has said he hopes to break ground early next year and anticipates a two-year construction timetable.
Under the terms of the agreement inked in May, Harwood was supposed to first negotiate with the owners on his own before the agency stepped in. Harwood said he made offers to the owners but they never responded. Harwood Properties is also on the hook to reimburse the agency whatever money it has to shell out to buy the properties.
Robert Kang, who owns 15-16 Journal Square (McDonald's and Song's Hallmark) acknowledged that he was contacted by a broker representing Harwood but said the offer was so low he never responded.
He declined to say what the offer was, as did Harwood. Antonicello said the city is satisfied that a fair offer was made. Florham Park-based developer Fred Kruvant, who owns 12 and 14 Journal Square, didn't return phone calls seeking comment.
Including materials and equipment still inside the properties, the KFC building is worth $1.4 million and the vacant one, where there used to be a Wendy's, is valued at $1.2 million. The McDonald's/Song's Hallmark property is worth $2.4 million, according to the appraiser.
Former Planning Board member Jeffrey Kaplowitz, who is a commercial real estate broker in Jersey City, said the city's offer seems fair.
"I don't think those are unreasonable prices, give or take 10 percent," he said.
Handicap dome plate at curbline.
The vagrant illustrated below was observed this morning and apprehended by P.O. Steven Beck. This particular actor has a history of panhandling and has been arested previously. He was encouraged to leave the district and was escorted outside of the district by P.O. Beck.
The male illustrated below is another consistent inhabitant of the kiosk.
The two individuals illustrated below are consistent inhabitants of the kiosk area. The male on the right frequently sleeps next to the kiosk during the summer months.
The individual illustrated below was issued a summons on Monday for panhandling in front PS 11 on Bergen Avenue, she is also known to panhandle in front of the post office.
