Dear Neighbors,
Spring has come to Hoboken with flowers in bloom and I want to update you on the latest.
The 11th Street Islands look great
COVID-19 Updates
The rate of daily number positive tests in Hoboken has slowed, but New Jersey’s positive case rates continue to stay at levels comparable to what we witnessed last spring. Given these ongoing concerns, New Jersey’s State of Emergency is still in effect.
Hoboken’s recent positive test results include 13 on April 21st, 11 on the 22nd, 22 on April 23rd, 10 on April 24th, 3 on April 25th, and 6 on April 26th for a total of 4,902 cases confirmed to date. Two weeks ago there were 4,704 positive cases. Although the weather is warmer and more members of our community are being vaccinated, COVID-19 remains a real threat. Please remain vigilant. Wear your mask, practice social distancing when necessary, and be safe.
Last July we celebrated the landmark of having no COVID patients at Hoboken University Medical Center (HUMC). We now have 10 COVID patients at HUMC with no Hoboken residents being treated.
If you have any reason to believe you have been exposed to COVID and have not yet been vaccinated, please quarantine and then schedule an appointment for a COVID test at least 5-7 days after potential exposure. Please remember that wearing a face mask, practicing social distancing, and avoiding indoor gatherings beyond household members is the key to keeping our community healthy and safe.
Thankfully, there have been no COVID-related deaths in Hoboken these past two weeks, and we remain at 50 confirmed COVID deaths in our community.
COVID Testing
To get the City’s latest information on Hoboken’s test appointments and hours click here.
Free Testing for Hoboken Residents Only:
Riverside Medical (351 16th Street)
Dates: Mondays - Fridays
Time: 8 am – 3 pm
Location: 351 16th Street (Bijou Properties location)
Type of testing: Rapid 15 minute test (Abbott ID Now), and PCR
Who: Hoboken residents only
(appointments typically released online for the following week on Wednesdays)
Riverside Medical Group patients should call their Riverside primary care office to schedule a COVID test and should not use the online sign-up form. Patients without a vehicle should enter the test facility on Clinton between 15th and 16th Streets. Those driving should enter on 16th street between Clinton and Grand.
Free Testing for Hoboken Residents and Business Employees:
PromptMD (Jackson St. Gym, 605 Jackson St.)
Dates: Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays
Time: 8 am - 3 pm
Location: 605 Jackson Street
Type of testing: PCR
Who: Hoboken residents and Hoboken business employees
Medicine Man (605 Jackson Street)
Date: Wednesdays and Saturdays
Time: 2 - 7 pm (Wednesdays), 9 am - 1 pm (Saturdays)
Location: 605 Jackson Street (updated location)
Type of testing: PCR
Who: Hoboken residents, Hoboken business employees
In addition to Hoboken’s four free, public COVID-19 facilities, you can visit City MD at 231 Washington Street or PromptMD at 309 1st Street, and walk in without an appointment to get your COVID-19 test at their private facilities. To be safe, you should call ahead to confirm test availability.
Vaccination News
Our vaccine operations have been expanded due to increased allocations from the State of New Jersey and Hudson County. Each week, we distribute 1,170 doses of Pfizer vaccines and complete the second doses of Moderna and Pfizer vaccines.
As of April 16, 24,500 Hoboken residents have been provided with at least one Pfizer or Moderna vaccine dose, and 15,000 were fully vaccinated. To date, The Hoboken Health Department and Carepoint have administered over 7,340 first dose vaccinations, along with 3,547-second doses. In those statistics, Johnson & Johnson shots have been counted as second doses with more than 215 dosages having been dispensed by local pharmacies. Johnson & Johnson vaccines have been re-cleared for use by the CDC and FDA, so Hoboken Health Department, with Hoboken Family Pharmacy, has resumed the program of vaccinating homebound residents.
I got my first shot on April 6th and got my second shot Tuesday. The City of Hoboken and HUMC handled everything very smoothly and I am happy to have received both my shots!
Shot #2 at HUMC -- I didn’t feel a thing!
Thanks to Mayor Bhalla and the City’s Department of Health and Human Services, for running the vaccination process so smoothly. Rounds 1 and 2 went off without a hitch and minimal wait times.
Walk-In Vaccinations Are Now Available — No Appointment or Registration Needed
Hoboken Health Department is offering walk-in vaccinations without an appointment or registration TODAY and next week as well at the following times and locations:
Hoboken Family Pharmacy and Hoboken Health Department
Day: TODAY Friday, April 30
Location: 605 Jackson Street
Time: 9 am – 1:15 pm
Vaccine: Moderna
Ages: 18+
Who: Hoboken residents, Hoboken business employees
Hoboken Health Department
Days: Tuesday, May 4 and Thursday, May 6
Location: Carepoint (Clinton Street between 3rd and 4th Streets)
Time: 3 pm – 5:30 pm
Vaccine: Pfizer
Ages: 16+
Who: Hoboken residents, Hoboken business employees
Eligible Hoboken residents can also seek vaccine appointments through Hudson County's Kearny site. You can check for appointment availability and register here.
CVS pharmacies Midtown and Uptown Hoboken locations are supplying the COVID-19 vaccine by appointment as well. To track CVS’s Hoboken vaccine supply click here.
To get the City’s latest information on vaccinations, including how to register for your vaccination, click here. To sign up with the City click here.
Hoboken Little League Is Back!
Hoboken Little League’s season started on April 19th. I send my best wishes to all the players and families and hope that everyone enjoys the return of America’s Pastime in the City where the first official recorded baseball game was played on June 19, 1846.
Our baseball monument at 11th & Washington (in the 5th Ward)!
In particular, I want to wish good luck to Cohen’s Commanders this season! Have a great season everyone. Play Ball!
Stanley Gettens represents Cohen’s Commanders
The Uptown Farmers Market Returns Tomorrow!
Last year, Hoboken residents embraced the Uptown Hoboken Farmers’ Market in a socially distant set-up. Tomorrow, May 1st, the Uptown Farmers Market returns from 9 am to 2 pm and for each Saturday to December, after an extended, four month, “winter break”.
Thanks to Mayor Bhalla, the Department of Environmental Service’s Dave Calamoneri, Sgt. Montanez and Hoboken’s OEM and Bijou Properties for this terrific public/private collaboration bringing back a successful, socially-distant Farmers Market to the 5th Ward and Uptown Hoboken. Hope to see you there! You can read more about it here.
Registration for Spring Fling is Ending Tomorrow
Spring Fling is back! Our community-wide day of service dedicated to freshening up Hoboken's parks and public spaces takes place Saturday, May 8th from 10 am to 2 pm in various Hoboken locations.
Spring Fling will bring Hoboken residents, businesses, and community groups together for a high-visibility "hands-on" service project. Spring Fling projects include cleaning up a beach, street, park, or other public property, weeding, planting, or mulching a public area, or painting benches, railings, or other public amenities.
Safety during the pandemic is the highest priority. Projects will be allotted to teams of no more than 10 people to ensure social distancing. Masks will be required and gloves will be provided. Rather than gathering at Church Square Park, volunteers will meet at assigned project locations. Volunteers can register as teams or individuals. To register or learn more, click here. Registration ends tomorrow, May 1st. The City will notify volunteers of their assigned project and meeting location via email on May 6th.
Important Arrest in High-Profile Criminal Investigation
Since the late-night shooting of an Amazon employee last October, I have been in regular contact with Chief Ferrante about the progress of the case. Last week, the suspect was arrested and had his first hearing on Wednesday.
An extraordinary amount of police work went into this case — including the Officers on the midnight shift who secured the crime scene and likely saved the life of the victim. In particular, Officer Christopher Barral performed life-saving measures prior to the ambulance arriving. Thanks to Lieutenant Michael Costello, Sergeant Joseph Lucignano, P.O. Tyler Soto, P.O. Jesse Castellano, Det. Adam Colon, P.O. Christopher Barral, P.O. Joshua Campoverde, P.O. Tyrone Huggins, and P.O. Jason Montalvo who all responded to the crime scene.
I often describe the Hoboken Police Department’s investigations unit as the “best of the best”. Well, this case is a great example. Physical evidence and video evidence from the crime scene were collected and analyzed. Next, the HPD Investigations Unit followed every lead through interviews and extensive evidence collections. Lead Detectives Michael Miranda and Christine Collins spent months analyzing the information and worked closely with the New Jersey State Police Cyber Unit. Detective Sergeant Jonathan Mecka and Detective Sergeant William Collins actively led this complex investigation.
The Hoboken Police Department collaborated with several other agencies and departments including the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office, the New Jersey State Police Cyber Unit, the Bayonne Police Department, the Passaic County Homicide Unit, the Paterson Narcotics Unit, and the Paterson Major Crime Unit. The suspect, now detained, is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Congratulations to the Hoboken Police Department for its excellent work in helping break this case and bring closure to a shooting that shook our community. I will monitor the case and update you as the case proceeds to trial. You can read more about it here.
Public Meeting on Proposed Redevelopment of 930 Monroe St.
The community is invited to participate in a meeting on Monday, May 10th, 2021 at 6 pm regarding the proposed redevelopment of 930 Monroe Street, located in the Western Edge Redevelopment Plan area. Monroe Properties, LLC, the Conditionally Designated Redeveloper, will present its development proposal and answer questions from the public.
There will be no votes at this meeting, it’s just a presentation of the plan. The Council will consider a formal Redevelopment Agreement with Monroe Properties, LLC as well as a proposed Amendment to the Western Edge Redevelopment Plan at a future meeting. The public is encouraged to attend via Zoom through this link.
Hoboken’s Expanding Compost Program
On Earth Day, Mayor Bhalla announced the expansion of Hoboken’s free residential composting options for residents. In addition to the four existing drop-off locations, the Hoboken Department of Environmental Services and Community Compost Company will triple the size of the program by offering free residential compost at eight additional composting spots this spring. In 2020, Hoboken’s drop-off composting program diverted 27.71 tons of food waste from landfills, and offset 1,584 gallons of gas and nearly 35,000 driven miles. With the expansion, the City’s full composting program is estimated to avoid 5.6 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions from traditional waste disposal, which is the equivalent of removing 15 cars from roadways.
The following new locations for compost drop-offs to be added later this spring:
- Harborside Park (near shade structure in the center of the park)
- Jackson Street Community Garden
- Maxwell Park (near Boathouse)
- Multi-Service Center (near rink on Adams Street between 1st and 2nd Streets)
- Southwest Park (on Harrison Street between Observer Highway and Paterson Avenue)
- Stevens Park (on 4th Street at River Street)
- Viaduct (14th Street at Adams Street)
- Columbus Park (near 9th & Clinton Street)
The following locations currently accept compost drop-offs:
- City Hall (near patio behind City Hall on Bloomfield Street between Newark and First Streets)
- 7th & Jackson Plaza (near Portland Loo restroom on 7th Street between Monroe and Jackson Streets)
- Church Square Park (near restrooms in the center of the park)
- Elysian Park (near restrooms on the north side of the park)
The City of Hoboken and Community Compost Company increased the composting program in 2018 to include curbside pickup of food scraps for local schools and businesses and to introduce a free compost collection at the City's Public Works Garage. In 2020, the free residential drop-off program extended to 4 sites. Residential food scraps can also be picked up from your doorstep by Community Compost Company on a bi-weekly basis for a fee.
The food scraps gathered by the Community Compost Company are recycled into compost for farms to fertilize their soil. Typically, Hoboken garbage is hauled to a landfill in West Virginia, where tipping fees alone average $106 per ton of waste. Compared to this, food scraps and other organic materials are transported to a farm in upstate New York, costing approximately $20 per ton. Our expansion of the compost program is estimated to save Hoboken taxpayers $75,000/year.
For more information and to sign-up for composting, click here.
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, I hosted my most recent Coffee with Cohen Livestream event. This week I welcomed special guest Chesleigh Meade, Trustee and Operations Manager of the Hoboken Community Center’s Food Pantry. We discussed how the Hoboken Food Pantry addressed the extraordinary demands of 2020, how the Pantry is making a difference to address food insecurity in our community, and how residents can help. I also discussed the latest on COVID testing and vaccinations, and much, much more.
My favorite part of Coffee with Cohen is answering your questions. This week you asked about early opening hours for the running track at JFK stadium and the City’s plan to repave 11th Street between Grand and Adams. I also shared the results of my poll about the Uptown Farmers Market’s returning May 1st. Over 650 people have viewed this event and you can check it out here.
Do you have questions you would like me to address at my next event? Please send them to HobokenPhil@gmail.com as I try to answer each one. The event is hosted on my Facebook page @Philcohenforcouncil and you can watch it here. My next Coffee with Cohen event is Monday, May 10th at noon and I hope to see you there.
You can also follow me on Twitter at @philiphcohen here or on Facebook here. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, or if I can be of assistance to you or your family, please 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.
