Politics & Government
Fourth Ward Councilman Asks Mayor for Grant Money
Tim Occhipinti would like to see $3 million in unused grant money go to a park in the Fourth Ward.
Fourth Ward Councilman Tim Occhipinti asked Mayor Dawn Zimmer and Councilman-at-Large David Mello to consider rerouting $3 million in unused grant money from the Hudson County Open Space Trust Fund to a park in the southwest part of town.
According to Occhipinti, the deadline to reprogram funding is Wednesday July 20.
Occhipinti asked Zimmer in a press release on Monday afternoon.
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"I'm a little bit disappointed," said Zimmer, "that (Occhipinti) didn't reach out to me at all." She said she doesn't like communicating through the press.
Zimmer, in a brief phone interview on Monday afternoon, said she will send a communication to the entire council about the issue before the end of the week.
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"The Southwest Park can become a reality and over the past few months the City has made progress towards the creation of the park,” said Occhipinti. “We have a golden opportunity to put unused money towards a much-needed project in the often-neglected Fourth Ward and I’m afraid we are going to lose out.”
Zimmer—although not giving away any details about what's going to happen with the grant money—said that "a park in the South West is extremely important to me."
Both Zimmer and Mello—the officials that Occhipinti called on through the press release—are Fourth Ward residents. Zimmer, before becoming mayor, used to serve as the city's Fourth Ward councilwoman.
This year Hudson County is giving municipalities a “one-time” chance to re-program unused funding from the Open Space Trust Fund for eligible projects. The City of Hoboken is currently seeking to redirect this funding and can seek an extension for this grant, only if the City has demonstrated progress towards a project, said Occhipinti in his release.
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