Dear Neighbors,
I hope you took some time this week to remember and thank our veterans 🇺🇸.
American Legion Post #107 Commander John Carey (Photo Credit: Jerry Lore)
Here’s the latest affecting our community.
Congratulations to Mayor Bhalla and the Entire Team Bhalla Council Slate!
On Election Day, Hoboken voters delivered decisive victories for Mayor Bhalla — electing him to a second term of office — and sweeping into office on the first ballot Mayor Bhalla’s entire Council slate — my colleagues Jim Doyle and Emily Jabbour and my friend Joe Quintero — for four-year Council terms. You can read the election results here.
Victory!
(with Joe Quintero, Mayor Bhalla, Emily Jabbour + Jim Doyle)
Photo Credit: Steve Lenox
Special thanks to the people of the 5th Ward who turned out in large numbers and delivered decisive margins of victory. I enjoyed reconnecting with many of you and your families this campaign and am energized to continue serving our community with Mayor Bhalla and a new Council in 2022.
COVID-19 Updates
The rate of daily positive tests in Hoboken and New Jersey is steady. The transmission rate for NJ had been below 1.0 for several months, reflecting that for each person who gets COVID, it is spread to less than one other person. With the spike of the Delta variant, New Jersey’s transmission rate had been at or above 1.0 for some time, and now the transmission rate is at 0.97.
As of November 11th, over 6 million New Jerseyans have been fully vaccinated with over 13.3 million doses administered in New Jersey. As of November 8th, Hoboken’s positive test results total 5,988 cases confirmed since the start of the pandemic. Two weeks ago there were 5,939 positive cases. Please stay vigilant, practice social distancing when necessary, wash your hands, and stay safe.
In July, we celebrated an extended stretch of 60 days of having no COVID patients at Hoboken University Medical Center (HUMC). With the emergence of the Delta variant, that streak was broken in August until October, but a month has now passed since HUMC has admitted a COVID patient. If you have any reason to believe you have been exposed to COVID, please quarantine and then schedule an appointment for a COVID test 5-7 days for those fully vaccinated and immediately for those unvaccinated after potential exposure. To find out when you should get tested, click here.
Hoboken is Providing the Pediatric Pfizer Vaccine for our 5-11 Year-Olds and Booster Vaccines to our Community
For all current information about Vaccines and Boosters click here.
Pediatric Vaccines
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has approved the pediatric Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5-11. The vaccines are safe, effective, and essential for stopping the spread of COVID in our community. You can visit the CDC website for more information and resources about the vaccine here.
Through partnerships between the Hoboken Health Department and local providers, pediatric vaccines are now available following authorization from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the CDC.
You can make an appointment with one of the City’s two clinics for tomorrow, November 13th, from 9 am to 1 pm at the Hoboken Boys & Girls Club (123 Jefferson St.) through Hoboken Family Pharmacy or at The Elysian Charter School (1460 Garden St.) through Medicine Man Pharmacy & Compounding. Adults will also be able to receive booster shots at this clinic. Click here to make an appointment.
Unlike the vaccine for those 12 years old or older, the pediatric Pfizer vaccine is given in two injections, three weeks apart, at a lower dosage. For more information on the CDC's authorization of the pediatric Pfizer vaccine, click here. For more information on the FDA’s authorization, click here.
Booster Shots
The City of Hoboken is offering Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson booster shots to eligible residents through a partnership between the Hoboken Health Department and local providers, following approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. You can click here to check the eligibility requirements for booster shots. Those eligible to receive the shot may choose the vaccine they wish to receive -- it is approved by the CDC to “mix and match” your booster dose with your initial COVID-19 injection. You can read more about the FDA’s approval of the safety and efficacy of the booster shots here.
Already, the Hoboken Health Department has administered more than 903 booster shots at our vaccine clinics!
Got my booster shot!
The Monarch Settlement is Done
It’s been a long time coming, but the Monarch settlement is done! This was a huge priority for me when I ran for Council two years ago — building on Mayor Dawn Zimmer’s work and the hard work of Mayor Bhalla and his administration. Thanks to Mayor Zimmer, Mayor Bhalla, my Council colleagues, the Fund for a Better Waterfront, and the Barry family for accomplishing this milestone.
This land swap agreement will revitalize a portion of downtown, provide the City with 1.45 acres of public open space in western Hoboken, and — most important — preserve public access to our waterfront, eliminating the threat of two eleven-story residential buildings on our 15th Street Piers. The City will take possession of the waterfront area and turn the piers and waterfront into public open space, completing our public waterfront walkway and preserving public access to the jewel of our City -- our celebrated waterfront.
The City has acquired 1.45 acres of currently undeveloped land at 800 Monroe St. for a future resiliency park that will provide open space to residents and mitigate local flooding. Ironstate will remediate this property by installing a cap of crushed stone that will alleviate ponding.
Under the agreement, Ironstate will acquire the City's antiquated DPW facility site at 256 Observer Highway. That property will be revitalized into a mixed-use development with roughly 30,000 square feet of commercial space and 360 residential units, 40 of which will be affordable. The development will include a 60,000-gallon stormwater detention tank to help prevent local flooding.
The City has three years to vacate the DPW facility and is currently exploring the possibility of acquiring property in the North End for a new DPW facility which may include a City Hall Annex with Hoboken Parking Utility offices and an Office of Emergency Management command center. Hoboken will also receive $3.5 million from Ironstate.
You can read more about the Monarch settlement here.
Funding for Sinatra Drive improvements
The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) has awarded the City of Hoboken an $876,000 grant for resurfacing and accessibility improvements to Sinatra Drive between 4th and 11th Streets.
This funding will be combined with NJDOT’s $325,000 grant award in January to expand the Green Circuit along the waterfront, making Sinatra Drive safer for all modes of transportation, and approaching our Vision Zero goal of eliminating all traffic-related deaths and injuries by 2030. For more information click here.
COVID and Travel
The CDC has issued travel recommendations for both vaccinated and unvaccinated travelers. All travelers leaving the State should check with the travel destination and transportation carrier (i.e., airline, cruise ship) to see if there are additional health and safety protocols or requirements, such as proof of a negative COVID-19 test within days of departure. Travelers should also check with their employers, schools, and other entities that may have quarantine policies.
The CDC recommends delaying your travel plans until you are fully vaccinated.
Domestic Travel
The CDC advises that unvaccinated individuals should get tested 1-3 days before their trip, 3-5 days after travel, and stay home and self-quarantine for 7 days after domestic travel. Vaccinated New Jersey residents are no longer required to quarantine when traveling domestically outside the state. For more information, click here for the CDC’s guidance for domestic travel.
International Travel
The CDC requires all air passengers arriving in the US from a foreign country to get tested for COVID-19 no more than 3 days before their flight departs and present their negative result or documentation of having recovered from COVID-19 before boarding the flight. For more details on international travel from the CDC click here.
COVID Testing Updates
To get the City’s latest information on Hoboken’s COVID tests and hours click here.
Free Testing for Hoboken Residents and Business Employees:
605 Jackson Street (Administered by Medicine Man)
Date: Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays
Time: 9 am - 12 pm Mondays, 4 - 7 pm Wednesdays, 9 am - 5 pm Fridays
Location: 605 Jackson Street
Type of testing: PCR
Who: Hoboken residents, Hoboken business employees
605 Jackson Street (Administered by PromptMD)
Date: Wednesdays and Thursdays
Time: 8 am - 12:30 pm
Location: 605 Jackson Street
Type of testing: PCR
Who: Hoboken residents, Hoboken business employees
605 Jackson Street (Administered by Riverside)
Date: Tuesdays and Saturdays
Time: 9 am - 2 pm
Location: 605 Jackson Street
Type of testing: Rapid (15 Minute), PCR
Who: Hoboken residents, Hoboken business employees
City MD
City MD at 231 Washington Street also offers COVID-19 tests. You can walk in without an appointment and get tested during regular hours.
COVID Vaccination News
As of November 11th, nearly 100% of our seniors (65 and older) have received their first dose, and 99% of our seniors are fully vaccinated. Thanks to our seniors for stepping up and protecting themselves and our community!
86% of Hoboken residents 12 and older have been provided with at least one dose, and 79% are fully vaccinated.
83% of Hoboken residents 18 and older have been provided with at least one dose, and 76% are fully vaccinated.
93% of Hoboken residents 30 and older have been provided with at least one dose, and 85% are fully vaccinated.
75% of all Hoboken residents have been provided with at least one dose, and 68% are fully vaccinated.
Mayor Bhalla and the Hoboken Health Department continue collaborating with local providers to offer a free COVID-19 vaccine clinic this week for Hoboken residents and employees of Hoboken businesses at the following location and times:
Walk-in Vaccination Clinic
Where: 605 Jackson Street
Who: Hoboken residents, Hoboken business employees, Hoboken students
Day: Monday and Tuesday
Time: 3 pm - 8 pm
Vaccine Offered: Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, Moderna, and boosters
Ages: 18+ (J&J, Moderna), 12+ (Pfizer)
Administered By: Medicine Man Pharmacy and Compounding
To get the City’s latest information on vaccinations and clinic schedules click here as new information is posted daily.
CVS pharmacies in Hoboken Downtown, Midtown, and Uptown locations also are supplying the COVID-19 vaccine. To track CVS’s Hoboken vaccine supply click here. Walgreens pharmacies in Hoboken Downtown and its two Uptown locations are supplying the COVID-19 vaccine. To track Walgreens Hoboken vaccine supply click here. You can also receive the vaccine at the County’s vaccination center in Kearny. Click here to make an appointment.
Coffee with Cohen . . . the home edition
Last year, to practice social distancing, rather than eliminate my monthly Coffee with Cohen events, I turned to the internet. At my last Coffee with Cohen event, I invited Chris Halleron, editor and publisher of H-MAG, and we discussed his time at H-MAG, why local media matters, and his insights into Hoboken’s political scene.
I addressed the latest on COVID vaccines, COVID testing, Moderna boosters, and the City Council and Board of Education elections. Over 250 people have watched this event and you can check it out here.
My next Coffee with Cohen event will be on Monday, November 15th at noon and I will host Bob Foster, the Founding Member and Director of the Hoboken Historical Museum and Rand Hoppe, the Museum's Collections Manager. I hope to see you there. Do you have any questions? Please send them to HobokenPhil@gmail.com as I try to address each one. These events are hosted on my Facebook page Philcohenforcouncil and you can watch them here.
You can also follow me on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. 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.
Phil Cohen
5th Ward Councilman
City of Hoboken
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.
