Massa Administration authorizes repairs to Corsi Estate,
resurfacing of Hedden Terrace & Canterbury Avenue
Governing body makes appointments to Rec Commission,
authorizes support for YMCA Grant for $15,000
Granell calls upon Republicans to make budget suggestions to
fulfill their campaign promise of a tax rebate
NORTH
ARLINGTON - The North Arlington Mayor & Council met Thursday and made some
productive strides to fix and repair two streets and one of the borough's
recreational facilities along Schuyler Avenue.
The
council authorized $4,800 for mold remediation to ensure the integrity of the
property. In addition, the building will be waterproofed at a cost of $10,700
by Lyndhurst contractor Garofolo Contracting.
"The
building has some serious concerns and we want to make sure that these
structural issues are addressed," said Council President Steve
Tanelli, the liaison to the borough's Recreation Commission.
The
council also approved three new members of the Recreation Commission in James
Dombrowski, Mike Santos and Maureen Keegan as well as a new board director,
Rita Healey.
Dombrowski
has been an active member of the community for the better part of four
decades and a resident of North Arlington since 1956.
Employed
by the Bergen County Utilities Authority (BCUA), Mr. Dombrowski formerly served
as a member of the North Arlington Board of Education and is currently a member
of the Library's Board of Trustees. A former senior league coach and avid sports
fan, Mr. Dombrowski is a reporter with The Leader Newspapers.
Married
with two children, Mr. Dombrowski is a graduate of Rutgers University, Newark
College of Arts & Sciences.
Mike Santos is another longtime activist who
also served as a trustee with the North Arlington Board of Education. A coach
with various recreational programs, Santos is a product of the North Arlington
school system.
Maureen
Keegan, the mother of QPHS Girls' Basketball's all-time leading scorer Courtney
Keegan has previously served as a member of
the commission. Formerly of Lyndhurst and wife of QPHS Hall of Famer Bob
Keegan, Maureen is also a graduate of Rutgers University, Newark College of
Arts & Sciences.
Keegan
will fill the vacancy created by Rita Healey, who will now serve as director
for a stipend of $7,000 annually.
"These are four committed individuals
who care about kids and the programs this community sponsors. These
are three individuals along with Rita that will do a great job in
maintaining the high level of offerings and choices we have here in North
Arlington for residents of all ages," observed Tanelli, himself a former recreation commissioner &
director.
Mayor Pete Massa
and Council President Tanelli were also pleased to
award contracts to resurface Hedden Terrace as well as Canterbury Avenue. The
cost of the bids accepted were $141,561 and $69,152 respectively.
"Infrastructure
maintenance is an important part of our strategy to keep North Arlington an
appealing community. We have assessed the
needs of many streets and these two arteries make sense in keeping to that
objective," said Massa.
Both bids
were one of twelve and were in fact the
lowest bids of those submitted for council consideration.
The Massa
Administration was also pleased to announce that the Bergen County Community
Development Agency has proposed a grant for $15,000 for seniors and the
disabled. The funds will be used specifically
in North Arlington for NA seniors.
"Administrator
Terence Wall and Mayor Massa have been diligent in securing new dollars and
this is an example of that effort, " observed Tanelli.
In the
last two years, the Massa Administration has
secured nearly $2 million dollars in grants & aid dollars dedicated to
various projects like street paving and specific infrastructure needs.
While the
governing body has for the most part worked well together, Councilman Al
Granell reminded the two Republicans of their obligation to participate in the
budget process of which both council members Joe Bianchi & Rich Hughes are
members of the borough's finance committee.
In fact
according to borough sources, Bianchi & Hughes have yet to vote no on a single resolution, appointment or payment of
claims.
As
chairman of the Finance Committee, Granell is seeking specific input from
the GOP freshmen in wake of their opposition to last year's 33% tax hike which
swept them to office.
"The time has come for both of them to
provide me with specific suggestions in terms of both revenue and
expenditures as it relates to the proposed budget currently under construction.
We have met with department heads and I will
propose very specific expenditure reductions that will decrease the size
and cost of government without relying on outside revenue sources. These
efforts have greatly impacted spending and I'm very confident that when we
introduce this budget we will have the
support of residents based on the hard work already completed. But
nevertheless, I would like to think our two
new members would want the chance to keep their campaign promises of a tax
reduction. I'm open to any reasonable suggestions that take us to that place
financially," said Granell in an interview with NA Today.
Asked if
this year's tax increase will be anything like last year's, Granell responded
by saying, "I think homeowners will
be satisfied when this process is complete."
Granell
was asked to comment about recent distortions on a competing web site
which criticized him for supporting Barack Obama for the Democratic Party's
nomination.
"It's
kid of silly. I will support the nominee like
any other good Democrat. You got the feeling from the way the rhetoric was
rustling that Senator Obama was a Republican. The fact is I'm the only local Democrat to support the Obama campaign here in
North Arlington. Mayor Massa and Municipal Chairman Nick Antonicello
supported Hillary in the primary and I respect those choices. That's why we
have primaries. The fact Senator Obama has
captured eleven straight primaries & caucuses tells me he will probably be our
nominee. In politics, you kind of want to acknowledge the hard reality that
Barack is going to be the eventual
nominee. I guess it was a slow news day over at Inside Bergen. I didn't realize my support
was irritating to some," said the first-term Democrat from Jersey
City who's wife also serves as a member of the North Arlington Board of
Education.
