Dear Neighbors,
With a new school year upon us and the cooler breezes of fall in the air, I want to update you on the latest in our community.
COVID-19 Updates
As of Thursday, 743 Hoboken residents have been confirmed as testing positive for COVID-19. The number of positive tests is steadily increasing, including 10 new cases in just two days this week, after flattening to around 590 cases for several weeks in July.
With this recent uptick in positive cases, I want to urge folks if they have any reason to believe they have been exposed to COVID-19 to schedule an appointment for a COVID-19 test with Riverside Medical Group at 15th and Jefferson 5 days after that exposure. You can schedule that appointment by calling the CERT Team at (201) 420-5621 (Mon. - Fri. 9 am to 1 pm), as Riverside is testing Hoboken residents and employees who work in Hoboken 6 days a week, Monday through Saturday, and the tests are done at no cost to you. Please remember that wearing a face mask and practicing social distancing is key to keeping our community healthy.
Thankfully, 679 people have recovered entirely. Since March 30th, 31 Hoboken residents have died from COVID-19. For those of you who have endured such a difficult loss at this extraordinary time, know that you continue to have the full support of our entire Hoboken community. We are with you. Together, we send you our prayers and extend to you our wishes for your comfort, healing, and peace.
A New and Improved Clinton Street 126 Bus Line is Here!
Tuesday, September 8th was a major landmark for customer service on NJ Transit’s 126 Clinton Street bus line.
One year ago, running as a first-time City Council candidate, I spent a lot of time speaking with morning commuters on long bus lines at the Clinton and 9th St. and Clinton and 11th St. bus stops. While those lines offered a good opportunity to meet 5th Ward residents, those lines were a major source of frustration for Hoboken’s NJ Transit customers who live “West of Willow”.
Mayor Bhalla and the City Council acted — closing the bus stop at Clinton and 6th Street and opening a larger bus stop at Clinton and 5th St. which allows for a “layover space” for empty NJT buses midway on the Clinton St. route, where much larger, modern, “articulated buses” can be staged and start their route empty at 5th Street, and head uptown for NYC (check out the size of the “articulated bus” at our new bus top in the photo below!). This and other innovations to the 126 Bus Route allow 65 percent more customers to be served during the morning rush, and the customers at the Clinton and 6th St. — the heaviest used bus stop on the Clinton route — will see immediate benefits, as will customers uptown at the Clinton and 9th St. and 11th St. stops.
Thanks to Governor Murphy, NJ Transit President Kevin Corbett and to President Corbett’s team at NJ Transit, as well as to Mayor Bhalla and his administration, and Assemblywoman Chaparro for seamlessly working together to invest in an improved customer experience on the 126 Bus Route — a route serving more than 9,000 Hobokenites every day during ordinary times (and the route that I have taken on my NYC commute for more than 20 years).
Open and Summer Streets with the Hoboken Business Alliance
By popular demand, “Summer Streets” and “Open Streets” are continuing through September and during the first week of October on Washington Street every Thursday and Saturday from 6 pm until 11 pm, and on Sundays from noon to 8 pm.
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September 17, 19, and 20: Washington Street from Newark Street to 2nd Street.
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September 24, 26, and 27: Washington Street from 8th Street to 11th Street.
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October 1, 3, and 4: Washington Street from 2nd Street to 5th Street.
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Every Saturday and Sunday in September and October: 1st Street from Washington Street to Garden Street, as well as Sinatra Drive from Newark Street to 4th Street with extended hours between noon to 11 p.m.
Hoboken’s Outdoor Dining Program is Extended through 2021!
On Tuesday, Mayor Bhalla and the City Council announced the extension of outdoor dining in Hoboken through 2021. While indoor dining remains at 25% capacity, outdoor dining has become essential to the survival of our Hoboken restaurants. Permits for parklets and strEATeries presently expire on October 31st and without an extension, outdoor structures must be removed on November 1st. Our announcement includes guidance on snow removal procedures, seasonal canopies, outdoor heating, and the process for restaurants to apply for extended outdoor dining permits through 2021. You can view the outdoor dining guidelines here and find links for applications for businesses and other helpful information here.
You can read media coverage about Hoboken’s extending our outdoor dining program here.
Drive-in Movies Have Come to Hoboken!
Hoboken is hosting a series of family-friendly drive-in movies in partnership with the Hoboken Business Center (50 Harrison Street) from September 10 through October 3. You can register for a “night at the Drive-in” and purchase your tickets ($25) here. Here’s the current drive-in schedule, starting tonight:
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Fri., Sat., Sept. 18 & 19: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse - (2018, PG, 1h 57min.)
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Thurs., Fri., Sat., Sept. 24, 25 & 26: Toy Story 4 - (2019, G, 1h 40min.)
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Thurs., Fri., Sat., Oct. 1, 2, & 3: Bohemian Rhapsody - (2018, PG-13, 2h 14min.)
The Uptown Farmers Market is Going Strong
This spring and summer, Hoboken residents have embraced the return of the Uptown Hoboken Farmers’ Market in a socially distant set-up, under the viaduct between Grand and Clinton Streets, open Saturdays from 9 am to 2 pm, until December. I am a regular at the Uptown Farmers’ Market where customers enter the outdoor market and follow directional arrows shopping in one direction and wait their turn to patronize the vendors safely. Your favorite vendors are there, including: Stony Hill Farms; Hoboken Farms; Pickle-Licious; Paolo Kitchen; bwe kafe; Choc-o-Pain; Cotton Cattle Company; Little City Books; and Fat Caps (a new addition selling nothing but delicious varieties of mushrooms) and many, many more! Thanks to Mayor Bhalla, Director of Environmental Services Jennifer Gonzalez, Sgt. Montanez and Hoboken’s OEM and Bijou Properties for this terrific public/private collaboration bringing a successful socially-distant Farmers Market to the 5th Ward and Uptown. Hope to see you there!
Congratulations to 5th Ward Newlyweds Myles Helfand and Donna Frese!
As a Councilman, I get a steady stream of requests for information and assistance from Hoboken businesses and residents. Please feel free to send me yours at HobokenPhil@gmail.com, as I try to be as responsive as possible. Today, I want to feature one special request.
Donna and Myles were anxious — finding it challenging to get their marriage license and all the answers to their questions from City Hall in the midst of the pandemic, and the clock was ticking. Both Myles and Donna sent me messages, asking if I could help. I reached out to Director Leo Pellegrini who introduced me to Ebony Rivera and Dawn DeLorenzo from the Vital Statistics and License Department and Dawn and Ebony came through! At a Zoom ceremony a few weeks later, with a few dozen of their closest family members and friends watching, Myles and Donna had a beautiful wedding. 🥂
Myles sent me this picture of his wedding day with a special note: “I don't think it would have happened without you. Thank you for using your platform to get us connected with the answers and services we needed.”
Myles and Donna, I’m so glad I could help. Thanks to Director Pellegrini, Ebony, Dawn, and all the folks at City Hall who helped Myles and Donna have this joyous moment in their lives. Best wishes to Donna and Myles for a happy marriage and a blessed future together!! 💐💐
Your Critical Census Responses Are Needed and Time is Running Out!
Despite the extraordinary circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, Hoboken’s 2020 Census participation rate has been solid, and as of September 3rd, we are at 67.6% self-reported participation citywide but the deadline of September 30th is fast approaching.
I strongly encourage all residents to respond online at www.my2020census.gov, over the phone, or by mail. While the self-response period has been extended, we need you to respond ASAP. In order to be eligible for critical funding for our schools, roads, housing initiatives, non-profits, Medicaid, Medicare, and so much more, it is critical that all Hoboken residents complete the 2020 Census. It takes less than ten minutes to fill out the questionnaire online and the deadline for responding is September 30, 2020. Your response will have a big impact on our community. You can learn more about the importance of completing the Census here and here.
Best Wishes for A Happy New Year to Those Who Celebrate
Sunset this evening marks the beginning of the Jewish New Year or Rosh Hashanah. Rosh Hashanah commences the period of high holidays for the Jewish people, kicking off the holiest days or “high holidays” on the Jewish calendar. Rosh Hashanah is a joyous celebration of the lunar new year, traditionally celebrated with a festive meal, and apples and honey, symbolizing our hope for a sweet new year.
Ten days later, the high holidays conclude with the holiday of Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish year. Yom Kippur traditionally includes a ritual fast and prayers of atonement, repentance, and memorials for members of our community who died in the past year, as well as our departed friends and loved ones. To those who celebrate, I want to share my best wishes for a happy new year.
Coffee with Cohen . . . the home edition
To practice social distancing, rather than eliminate my monthly Coffee with Cohen constituent events, I turned to the internet. On Monday, September 14th, I hosted my most recent Coffee with Cohen Livestream event. Over 180 people have already viewed the event. My favorite part of Coffee with Cohen is answering your questions, including the question “What will happen to Hoboken’s Halloween celebrations this year?” — if you haven’t seen the event, you can check it out here. You can also submit your questions to HobokenPhil@gmail.com and participate, as I try to answer each question. The event is hosted on my Facebook page @Philcohenforcouncil and you can watch it here.
As long as we have this state of emergency, I plan to continue hosting Coffee with Cohen twice a month. My next event will be at noon on Monday, September 28th and I hope to see you there.
As always, if you’d like to reach out with any questions or concerns at any time, or if I can be of any assistance to you or your family, do not hesitate to contact me at HobokenPhil@gmail.com
Stay safe everyone!
Phil Cohen
5th Ward Councilman
City of Hoboken, New Jersey
HobokenPhil@gmail.com
(862) 234-9053
P.S. You can learn more about me and my ideas for Hoboken (as well as read this newsletter and my prior newsletters) on my website philcohen.org.
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Paid for by Phil Cohen for Hoboken City Council |
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