Minions from Edgewater and Weehawken to arrive shortly. But the legacy of the Russo administration and the cost to Hoboken is not over.

You can add seven figures to the number as they kept those wood pilings that are rotting and making an even bigger mess as Hoboken tries to move forward.

The culture of corruption in Hoboken's past is being added on to our present. No doubt Ma and Pa Russo are laughing about it all with Michael Russo.

This will not be the last waterfront disaster we need to deal w/ b/c of the shortsightedness of previous administrations.

"Sinatra Field was built by the City of Hoboken" in the 1990's. Hmmm, who was Mayor back then?

Ah yes. Now I remember.

The ole Stick to the next generation scam.

How much more would it have cost to do the darn job correctly to begin with?

What a waste of community resources.

I would like someone to explain how the destruction of the shipworms (essentially clams) "exponentially increased" over the past 3 years. Exponential growth is multiplicative, not additive and it simply makes no sense whatsoever unless there was some incredible shipworm bloom.

Seems interesting why the population is thriving off the Hoboken shore and not in other places along the Hudson which still have a great many wooden piers. Aside from engineers on the job- it would be interesting to see what is going on from a marine biology perspective.

Too bad the taxpayers must pay the price for Dawn's delay in addressing this issue in a prompt manner 3 years ago.

They grow exponentially--no surprise, thats just what they do. Female lays a million eggs over lifespan w/no known predators.

Who approved piers and roads being build on 100 year old wood pillings that had shipworm issues?

RIVA POINT, weehawken NJ had the same issues BEFORE the pier and roads were built in Hoboken.

The engineers knew then that the piers were collapsing yet, someone approved the construction on these wooden pilings- endangering the residents and citizens in Hoboken.

who approved this construction?

CaptJcked-- they wouldn't have hard shells and lays millions of eggs if they had no predators-- are they an invasive species? I don't know enough about them but seems like the marine engineers should have known they reproduce "exponentially" 3 years ago and rushed this project---

The road and piers hould never have been built on 100 year old wooden pilings that had shipworms.

The answer to the question on who approved building on the old wooden timber:

MAYOR ANTHONY RUSSO.

Costing Hoboken millions even after he's been in and out of jail.

Prosbus--they have no protective shell, they use their shell like a rasp.. Liik like a ling worm w/jaws... See also. http://www.nytimes.com/1993/06/27/nyregion/in-cleaner-harbor-creatures-eat-the-waterfront.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm

Exponential growth rather than additive growth simply means that the speed of growth depends on the size of the existing population. Populations grow exponentially, you wouldn't expect the same growth from a colony of 200 people as from 2,000 or 20,000 people. Similarly, the stock market going up 100 points was a bigger deal when it was 1000 than 10,000. If you want a biologist to explain that to you, pay for it out of your own wallet.

Who approved the construction of the pier/soccer field and the road that collapsed?

"The wood piles as well as the wood deck keeping the field up are about 100 years old.
Parts of the pier on which Sinatra park rests, collapsed in 2009. While initially, three years ago, the wooden piles holding up the soccer field had a 30 to 50 percent section loss, it has now changed to 50 to 100 percent, engineers explained on the site on Monday.

A rapid increase of shipworms eating at the wood that is holding up the pier has made it impossible to follow the firm's and the city's plan to rehabilitate the piles by encasing them in reinforced concrete"

pp- What has caused the "rapid increase"--

Excellent points by Outofcontrol IMHO--

Where is that community pool and community center Raia, Russo and group promised us?
union city, seacaucus, west new york, jersey city etc... all have community pools- they have less per capita income, lower taxes and much less growth and ratables than Hoboken. Why dont we have a simple community pool and community center like every other town/city? What has happened to all that money that was made during the boom? where'd it go?
why weren't these fields built then?

No OOC, Russo didn't bring in the worms. He just built the park on the wooden pilings after being told the worms would eat them.

ooc, prosbus:
again,
Who approved the construction of the pier/soccer field and the road that collapsed?

Who built the roads and piers?

Ooopsie!- think you may be telling a little fib....found my answer- wuickly actually

"The Hoboken mayor and the Hudson County executive who commissioned much of the waterfront improvement in the 1990s also served time. So did the developer who did some of that work, for paying bribes to the county executive."

great read, for anyone interested!

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/08/nyregion/08hoboken.html

I thought you said the "army corps and the DEP" had the oversite?

Outofcontrol

10:38 pm on Monday, June 25, 2012

The Port of NY/NJ Authority, The Army Corps of Engineers and the NJDEP...The road had the additional approval of the County.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/08/nyregion/08hoboken.html

The park, with a heavily used soccer field and riverfront walk, sits on century-old timbers that were riddled with shipworms, or teredos, tiny mollusks that bore into wood. Engineers had warned of this problem when the field was being developed in the 1990s and had recommended replacing the pilings, but that advice was disregarded.

"Several pieces of walkway, park and road along the Hudson River have collapsed, Yet these are not ancient structures: most were built in the 1990s, and in some cases neglected maintenance and unheeded warnings may have made matters worse"
Hoboken far outspent its revenue, City Council members accused the mayor of concealing a fiscal crisis, and some of its spending turned out to violate state law.

Peter J. Cammarano III, mayor for just a month, went to prison for taking illegal campaign contributions. His was hardly an isolated case of corruption. The Hoboken mayor and the Hudson County executive who commissioned much of the waterfront improvement in the 1990s also served time. So did the developer who did some of that work, for paying bribes to the county executive.

They're trying to wiggle, it's not working that well.

Of course he got quiet. His father is not only a convicted felon who used his position to enrich his entire family at the expense of the people of Hoboken, he was also a completely incompetent mayor.

That's exactly what I said, Pied Piper, but you didn't like that answer, so it must be the mayor who delayed the repairs, right?

:)
The Hoboken mayor and the Hudson County executive who commissioned much of the waterfront improvement in the 1990s also served time. So did the developer who did some of that work, for paying bribes to the county executive."

great read, for anyone interested!

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/08/nyregion/08hoboken.html

The park, with a heavily used soccer field and riverfront walk, sits on century-old timbers that were riddled with shipworms, or teredos, tiny mollusks that bore into wood. Engineers had warned of this problem when the field was being developed in the 1990s and had recommended replacing the pilings, but that advice was disregarded.

Knowing full well who and what the Russo's are Elizabeth and Richard Mason decided that they were the right people to become their political partners.

Have to wonder if the Russos have become the political equivalent of shipworms that have eaten away the the moral underpinings of the Masons are they were just both rotten to the core from the start. :-)

You really need to find a screen name and stick with it already or are you just unwilling to do so b/c you know just about everything you say and stand for is complete garbage?

Large numbers? Well not exactly and y have the NY Times story to contend with so guess "a minion" will do what is needed to get paid.

"Engineers had warned of this problem when the field was being developed in the 1990s and had recommended replacing the pilings, but that advice was disregarded."

From the NY Times story.

Can we please not have the use of shorthand. Thanks

We got bike lanes!

Actually my takeaway from this is you are so blinded by your hatred and ignorance that you just got what you wanted out of the article instead of reading it or reading the mayor's memo and actually having some idea of WTF is going on and why the Sinatra park plans need to change.

Its been 3 years since this situation was brought to Dawn's attention and the delay has CLEARLY exasperated the original issues concerning the shipworms. Dawn and her people cannot do ANYTHING in a timely, effective and efficient manner. Whether it is the 1600 Park Ave project, getting a stop light put in, staffing our police department, contract negotiations, school improvement (Dawn's Kids First group has been a literal disaster).
One thing Dawn and her people ARE good at is not taking any responsibility for anything-- just blame it on the past. People are catching on to this and are getting tired of it.

CG: Whether it is the 1600 Park Ave project, getting a stop light put in. We all know that this required a bond, and we all know who voted down the bond. The funny thing is you almost could have had a defensible shot here, but you had to pick the complete wrong thing.

While I agree that the current Mayor is not perfect, it's certainly better than all the rifraf from the previous administration (for example, school scandals, allowing our police department to be way too topheavy, contracts all around which favored friends, rampant corruption and bribery). If you give me a better option, I'll consider it, but if you say the current Mayor isn't fixing the mess that the last guy made, so let's bring in Tim Occhipinti and Mike Russo, I don't see that playing.

Kim curiousgal Cardinal, who would you prefer as Mayor and why? Please tell us all about it

puzzledone- I disagree. We know Dawn WANTED to bond for a stop light. We also know that there was more than enough money in our budget to pay for the damm light so that a park could be put in place. But, easier to blame it on others than be proactive and get something done.

We all know that the right thing for municipalities to do is to bond for long term infrastructure like the traffic lights.

We also know that it has been the goal of Councipersons Mason, Russo, Castellano and Occhipinti to try to sabotage the finances of Hoboken to force a tax increase for their own political advantage. Disgusting but that is what we have come to expect.

But hey you knew that ! :-)

We all know 1) there was PLENTY of money to put in a stop light and 2) its easier to blame the council minority on something than actually ACCOMPLISH something. Also, having the light bonded would bring attention to the fact that 1600 Park is FAR from ready to be an operational park.

CG, in that case, why didn't Mason and Russo provide the bond. That way they could point out that the park was not completed. Timmy loves to have speeches like that.

Mayors Russo and Roberts were given 78mm, Mayor Zimmer got handed a bill that increased the municipal rate by 80%- the fact that this city gets anything is impressive, especially considering the tax levy doesnt go up.

What the heck happened to that 78mm? How much waste was there????????????????????????????????????

I'm not saying bonding does not make sense---or even that it is not a financially unwise thing to do--- I'm saying that Dawn used bonding as an excuse not to get the park down. There was more than enough surplus to put a light in. So, the town goes for a few years without a park at 1600 Park Ave because it is better to bond than purchase a stop light. Really?

I'm sorry, who do you think I am? You seem to have missed the gender, to start with. And I'm sick of my tax money paying for developer kickbacks and dinners at frankie and johnnies, as well as the Russo family tree.

CG stands correct, everyone else is spinning this 6 ways til Sunday. I guess the Mayor has a bigger staff than we thought.

Yes, zimmersbroomstick is the one who spots spin, and CuriousGal who has been caught spinning lies and half-truths hundreds of times is the one who is right on point. Why don't you go back to the grocery store on washington avenue.

CuriousGal

Is it me or is it every time I post a first name they jump right to the "not me, not me" aspect? Then they hint they know so and so or they say they're going to flag things, don't you wish they'd just be honest and say "ok, its me". They think it's ok to call you out by name, and Lane, me, Matt and others but I am doing it, it's bad and unfair. You started it minions, were just playing too.

Ok, you got me. I'm Kate whoever. Seriously, either you are right and I am who you say I am, or you are wrong, and I am just plain old me. What can i say. I can either admit you are right (which I assure you, you are not), or I can say you are wrong. If I say you are wrong, you will keep implying you are right, as if you know something, but given that you are wrong about pretty much everything on here, I consider the source. The only worry I have is for Ms. Kate. I assume she's a nice person, and I don't want you harassing her for the fact that I have continued to expose how ridiculously moronic you keep on being.

correction, owl: zb=today's brand new commenter, the latest in a long long long line who knows everything and is plugged into local politics but for some strange reason just never commented here before. funny, that.

aka, an old guard troll.

Cg- as always you're in a haze...Russo and Roberts got 78mm
here's what they promised:

At a news conference announcing plans for the new Pier C, which city officials estimate will take two years and $23 million to build, Mayor Anthony Russo called the Olympic-sized municipal swimming pool the "crown jewel" of the new plans.
Pier C park will be chock full of amenities, including a municipal swimming pool, an ice skating rink, concessions stands, tennis courts, a running track, a covered pavilion, a children's play area and public bathrooms

Zimmer got a bill for an 80%increase in local levy and nearly NOTHING to peanuts- to build and renovate the 6 parks.

What happened to that 78mm??? How much money did your buds make off the residents?

Sell what you are peddling somewhere else, it aint workin here.

Ladies, enough already. I know and my sources have told me so. You want to bust my chops, I'm going to bust yours.

DEP and Army Corps of Engineers. Don't forget the Feds. They usually move far slower than the state when it comes to issuing permits.

The OLD GUARD political flacks can't even spam PATCH without making themselves and their patrons look even more negative, nasty and petty. :-)

None of our council allies are in the news for driving with a suspended license and were not in the news for assaulting other council members. How is that spam? You spin the best Hobbs. Did Dawn make your coffee right for you this morning?

Did you sell any stones today?

Thank you for proving my point about being negative, nasty and petty. :-)

Negative? You're the ones with the rap sheets. You get put on the spot and its all true and you routinely deflect it. Keep to the stones, you're blogging is terrible.

True H.O. but Mason, Russo & Co feel the need to try to deflect from Occhipinti's out of control childish behaviour. They have a lot of money invested in Tim and he is self destructing. :-)

So the newpapers post that Ochhipinti goes on a tare against Bhalla, Lincoln and Mello, and zb's take is mello assualted and beat up other council people.

ZB then claims that "this is not made up this is all facts".

So much for ANY hope of ANY reliability or factual info, coming from ZB

Khoboken

You recreated my name, and my avatar and made a comment and then say its Finboy? You then took it down. We know what you did, we all know 16 people can have the same user ID with a different email address. You think I'm so and so and you make stuff up, take a screen shot of it and then take it down and send to GA, you're clever, i hear you used my avatar too. You're very clever, but you got caught this time and Lamarc appears to be all over it lol. See ya in the paper wimpy.

Stop cleaning your ears out w/ that broomstick b/c that causes brain damage. Based on your posts, the damage is already pretty bad so don't compound the problem by continuing to stick broomsticks into that empty cavity you call a head.

Red, if I recall you're the one who likes flesh broomsticks? Hows the 2 daddy thing going anyway?

the what? you have just proven you have no clue who I am, no clue at all.

Who is going to die in Hoboken from a collapse next? Time will tell

Piers and Administrations, collapsing every day. Wake up Hoboken