Dear Neighbors,
As August comes to a close I want to wish those with kids a pleasant back-to-school season! I hope you make the most of the last days of summer.
Community Painting 🏳️🌈 Event Tomorrow!
🏳️🌈From 8 am to 2 pm tomorrow, Saturday, August 27th, you can help Hoboken show its pride at the City’s celebratory Pride crosswalk painting at Newark and Washington! Register to paint by emailing ndebenedetto@hobokennj.gov. Rainbow chalk and rainbow tattoos will also be available for children. 🏳️🌈
Community Bike Ride on Sunday
Join your neighbors for a safe, family-friendly ride around Hoboken for cyclists of all ages led by Bike Hoboken and Councilmember Emily Jabbour accompanied by a Hoboken Police Department escort. It’s a fun way to see your city, get some fresh air, and meet your neighbors. You can also check in at 10:30 for a bike safety session before the scheduled 11 am ride. There will also be a social gathering following the ride around 12 noon at the PilsenerHaus and Biergarten, just around the corner at 15th and Grand.
Environmental Capping begins at 800 Monroe
The planning process is underway to develop Hoboken’s 4th resiliency park at 800 Monroe St. This is an important new step from the Bhalla administration to make real, significant efforts to reduce rainwater flooding in west Hoboken, as this park is envisioned to hold hundreds of thousands of gallons of water during storm events. You can read about this new park in my newsletter from earlier this month. Demolition of the former groundwater treatment infrastructure has begun to allow for the installation of a clean stone cap. This work should be completed by mid-September.
The work will require heavy equipment and noise is expected. As per the City of Hoboken Noise Control Ordinance, all work will be conducted between 8 am and 6 pm on weekdays. Water trucks will keep all surfaces damp during grading and demolition to minimize dust.
Site access will be through the existing Monroe Street gate. During weekday construction, on-street parking will be restricted between 9th Street and the site entrance on both sides of Monroe Street. You can learn about the construction status of this project and other City projects here.
Join me at the Next Hoboken CAPS Forum on September 9th
There will be short presentations on public safety topics related to the upcoming school year, followed by a question-and-answer session. Complimentary coffee, beverages, pastries, and snacks will be served.
Hoboken’s Recreation Division Announces New Golf ⛳️ Clinics
Hoboken Recreation launched a pilot youth golf program to gauge interest in the sport and teach golf fundamentals to children between the age of 9 and 13. Golf clinics will take place on Saturdays between 4 and 5 pm with First Tee at Harborside Park, located at 1500 Park Ave.
The clinic schedule is:
- September 17th for 9 - 10 years old
- September 24th for 11 - 13 years old
- October 8th for 9 - 10 years old
- October 15th for 11 - 13 years old
Registration opened earlier this week. Due to limited capacity, registration is first-come, first-served per clinic. Upon reaching capacity, the City will create a waitlist and seek to open additional clinics based on interest. You can register your child here. For more information or if you want to volunteer for the 2023 golf program, please contact the City's Recreation Division at Recreation@hobokennj.gov.
Monkeypox Update and Vaccine Clinic Locations
New Jersey has a total of 420 cases of monkeypox as of August 22nd with 118 cases located in Hudson County.
The State is providing monkeypox vaccinations for eligible individuals. Eligible individuals include those who have had known contact with someone who tested positive for orthopoxvirus or monkeypox in the past 14 days, people who attended an event where known monkeypox exposure occurred within the past 14 days, and men who have sex with men.
Monkeypox Vaccine Locations by Distance
Hyacinth AIDS Foundation/Project Living Out Loud!
Location: Jersey City
Phone: 201-706-3480
Bergen New Bridge Medical Center
Phone: 800-730-2762
The Prevention Resource Network, a program of the Visiting Nurse Association of Central Jersey
Location: Asbury Park
North Jersey Community Research Initiative (NJCRI)
Location: Newark
Phone: 973-483-3444 ext. 200
To see all locations throughout New Jersey please click here.
If you believe you’ve been infected with Monkeypox, please contact the Hoboken Health Department at (201) 420-2375 for additional guidance, information, and contact tracing.
Also, you can visit the CDC’s Monkeypox page here for additional information.
COVID-19 Updates
As of August 22nd, Hoboken’s positive test results total 13,622 cases confirmed since the start of the pandemic. Two weeks ago, there were 13,538 positive cases.
New Jersey’s transmission rate is presently at 0.86. Please stay vigilant, practice social distancing when necessary, wash your hands, and stay safe.
Thankfully, HUMC is now hospitalizing no one with COVID. 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.
Sadly, one more COVID-19 related death was recently reported in our community, a 90-year-old resident, increasing Hoboken’s COVID death toll to 66 since the start of the pandemic. We are still processing the loss and grief that profoundly affected our community during the height of the pandemic. Indeed, the National Center for Health Statistics recently reported that in 2020 life expectancy in New Jerseyans declined more than two years — from 80.1 years in 2019 to 77.5 years in 2020. Just devastating.
COVID Testing Updates
To get the current Hoboken COVID testing and hours click here.
Testing for Hoboken Residents and Business Employees:
605 Jackson Street (Administered by Medicine Man)
Date: Wednesday
Time: 8 am - 12 pm
Location: 605 Jackson Street
Type of testing: PCR
Who: Hoboken residents, Hoboken business employees
At-home testing
The NJ Department of Health and Vault Medical Services offers free, at-home COVID-19 saliva test kits. To order your kit go to learn.vaulthealth.com/nj. I ordered four free test kits from the federal government for my family, and you can order yours at https://www.covidtests.gov/.
COVID Vaccination News
To get current information on Hoboken vaccinations and clinic schedules click here.
If you are a Hoboken resident and would like a copy of your vaccination record, please contact LMedeiros@hobokennj.gov. Vaccination records are also accessible for all New Jersey residents through the Docket app.
Coffee with Cohen
On Tuesday, I hosted my 61st Coffee with Cohen event at the 5th Ward’s newest coffee shop, Mojo Coffee at 8th and Bloomfield. Thanks to the friends and neighbors who joined me for a lively discussion and questions about taxes, development, parks, and cannabis over coffee and pastries.
Thanks to Mojo Coffee for hosting and to Councilmember Emily Jabbour, Hoboken Business Administrator Jason Freeman, and Hoboken Democratic Party Chair Rachel Hodes for attending.
Many past Coffee with Cohen events are recorded and hosted on my Facebook page and you can watch them here.
Councilmember Jabbour Launches a Newsletter
Recently, my Council colleague Emily Jabbour launched a new and informative newsletter “Hoboken Happenings” to share community events, local fundraisers, and updates regarding municipal meetings. You can subscribe to this email newsletter by clicking here or emailing hobokenemily@gmail.com.
Staying Up To Date and Reaching Out For Assistance
I regularly issue this newsletter every other Friday. You also can stay up to date by following me on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. 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
Hoboken City Councilman
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 prior newsletters) on my website philcohen.org.
