Transcript of Recorded Regular Meeting : : Proceedings
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CITY OF UNION CITY HUDSON COUNTY, NEW JERSEY UNION CITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY : : TRANSCRIPT OF RECORDED REGULAR MEETING : : PROCEEDINGS : Via Zoom Video Conference Union City, New Jersey Tuesday, February 16, 2021 Commencing at 4:38 p.m. M E M B E R S P R E S E N T: VINCENT BONITO, COMMISSIONER, (Remotely) EVA FESTA, COMMISSIONER, (Remotely) WILMER IZQUIERDO, COMMISSIONER, (Remotely) CARLOS VALLEJO, COMMISSIONER, (Remotely) PAUL CASPER, VICE CHAIRMAN, (Remotely) LUCIO FERNANDEZ, CHAIRMAN, (Remotely) M E M B E R S A B S E N T: A L S O P R E S E N T: LADY JIMENEZ-TORRES, Assistant Secretary to the Board, (Remotely) KENNEDY NG, Executive Director, (Arrived at 4:47 p.m., Remotely) FLORIO, KENNY, RAVAL, LLP BY: ALEXANDER J. CORRADO, ESQ., (Remotely) Board Attorney 2 I N D E X PAGE CALL TO ORDER 3 PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 4 ROLL CALL 5 AGENDA 1. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES FROM THE MEETING OF JANUARY 19, 2021 5 2. APPROVAL AND RATIFICATION OF PRIOR PAYMENT OF CLAIMS 7 3. APPROVAL FOR THE PAYMENT OF BILLS AND PREPARATION OF CHECKS 8 4. REPORT ON STATUS OF PROJECTS 9 5. PUBLIC COMMENT 14 6. OTHER BUSINESS 16 ADJOURNMENT 16 3 1 MS. DILLON: Okay. 2 On the record. 3 CHAIRMAN FERNANDEZ: Lady or Alex? 4 THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY: Okay. 5 CHAIRMAN FERNANDEZ: You going to run the 6 -- the meeting? 7 THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY: I’m going to run. 8 I’m going to start it. 9 CHAIRMAN FERNANDEZ: Okay. 10 THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY: Please take 11 notice that on Tuesday, February 16, 2021, at 12 4:30 p.m., a Regular Meeting is scheduled for the 13 Union City Redevelopment Agency. 14 In accordance with the Open Public Meetings 15 Act, P.L. 1975 c 231 and the Governor of New 16 Jersey’s Executive Order 102 and 104 regarding 17 COVID-19 Emergency Actions, this is to advise 18 that the Union City Redevelopment Agency will 19 hold this regularly scheduled meeting, virtually, 20 via videoconferencing software. Formal action 21 may be taken. 22 It gives the information for the following 23 link to join the meeting at I.D. number 919 5015 24 7327 pass code 717512 or you can join by 25 telephone, dial 646-876-9923 and the following 4 1 meeting I.D. 919 5015 7327, the pass code 717512. 2 Public comment can only be made if you 3 attend the meeting via the Zoom app. For 4 individuals who cannot join using the Zoom app, 5 you may submit written comments/questions by 6 contacting the Board Secretary via email at 7 [email protected] prior to the meeting. The 8 comments/questions must include the individual’s 9 name and address, which will be read into the 10 record. 11 Please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance. 12 13 (Whereupon, the Pledge of Allegiance was 14 said by all.) 15 16 THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY: Adequate notice 17 of this meeting has been provided as follows: 18 Notice of this meeting, setting forth the 19 time, date, location, and the agenda, to the 20 extent known, was forwarded to The Jersey 21 Journal, The Record, and The Hudson Reporter, has 22 been posted on the bulletin board in City Hall 23 and has been made available to the public in the 24 Office of the Municipal Clerk. 25 I’ll pass it on to Alex, now. 5 1 MR. CORRADO: Hello, everyone. 2 I hope everyone is doing well. 3 4 ROLL CALL: 5 6 MR. CORRADO: Let’s do roll call. 7 Fernandez? 8 CHAIRMAN FERNANDEZ: Here. 9 MR. CORRADO: Casper? 10 VICE CHAIRMAN CASPER: Here. 11 MR. CORRADO: Izquierdo? 12 COMMISSIONER IZQUIERDO: Here. 13 MR. CORRADO: Festa? 14 COMMISSIONER FESTA: Here. 15 MR. CORRADO: Bonito? 16 COMMISSIONER BONITO: Here. 17 MR. CORRADO: Vallejo? 18 COMMISSIONER VALLEJO: Here. 19 MR. CORRADO: All right. 20 Great. 21 Everyone’s here. 22 23 1. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES FROM THE MEETING OF 24 JANUARY 19, 2021: 25 6 1 MR. CORRADO: All right. 2 The first item on the agenda is the 3 approval of the minutes from the meeting of 4 January 19, 2021. 5 Do we have a motion? 6 COMMISSIONER FESTA: I make a motion. 7 MR. CORRADO: Do we have a second? 8 COMMISSIONER BONITO: Motion. 9 MR. CORRADO: Okay. 10 MS. DILLON: I’m sorry. 11 Who is the second? 12 Was that Commissioner Casper? 13 COMMISSIONER BONITO: No, me. Bonito. 14 MS. DILLON: I’m sorry. 15 Who? 16 COMMISSIONER BONITO: Bonito. 17 MS. DILLON: Okay. 18 Thank you. 19 MR. CORRADO: Okay. 20 Fernandez? 21 CHAIRMAN FERNANDEZ: Yes. 22 MR. CORRADO: Casper? 23 VICE CHAIRMAN CASPER: Yes. 24 MR. CORRADO: Izquierdo? 25 COMMISSIONER IZQUIERDO: Yes. 7 1 MR. CORRADO: Festa? 2 COMMISSIONER FESTA: Yes. 3 MR. CORRADO: Bonito? 4 COMMISSIONER BONITO: Yes. 5 MR. CORRADO: Vallejo? 6 COMMISSIONER VALLEJO: Yes. 7 MR. CORRADO: All right. 8 Item number 1 passes. 9 10 2. APPROVAL AND RATIFICATION OF PRIOR PAYMENT 11 OF CLAIMS: 12 13 MR. CORRADO: All right. 14 Item number 2 is the Approval and 15 Ratification of Prior Payment of Claims. 16 Do we have a motion? 17 VICE CHAIRMAN CASPER: Motion. 18 COMMISSIONER FESTA: I make a motion. 19 MR. CORRADO: Was that Festa for the 20 second? 21 COMMISSIONER FESTA: Yes. 22 MR. CORRADO: Okay. Great. 23 All right. 24 Fernandez? 25 CHAIRMAN FERNANDEZ: Yes. 8 1 MR. CORRADO: Casper? 2 VICE CHAIRMAN CASPER: Yes. 3 MR. CORRADO: Izquierdo? 4 COMMISSIONER IZQUIERDO: Yes. 5 MR. CORRADO: Festa? 6 COMMISSIONER FESTA: Yes. 7 MR. CORRADO: Bonito? 8 COMMISSIONER BONITO: Yes. 9 MR. CORRADO: Vallejo? 10 COMMISSIONER VALLEJO: Yes. 11 MR. CORRADO: All right. 12 Item number 2 passes. 13 14 3. APPROVAL FOR THE PAYMENT OF BILLS AND 15 PREPARATION OF CHECKS: 16 17 MR. CORRADO: The next item is item number 18 3. 19 It’s the Approval of the Payment of Bills 20 and Preparation of Checks. 21 Do we have a motion? 22 COMMISSIONER FESTA: I make a motion. 23 MR. CORRADO: Do we have a second? 24 VICE CHAIRMAN CASPER: Second. 25 MR. CORRADO: Okay. 9 1 Fernandez? 2 CHAIRMAN FERNANDEZ: Yes. 3 MR. CORRADO: Casper? 4 VICE CHAIRMAN CASPER: Yes. 5 MR. CORRADO: Izquierdo? 6 COMMISSIONER IZQUIERDO: Yes. 7 MR. CORRADO: Festa? 8 COMMISSIONER FESTA: Yes. 9 MR. CORRADO: Bonito? 10 COMMISSIONER BONITO: Yes. 11 MR. CORRADO: Vallejo? 12 COMMISSIONER VALLEJO: Yes. 13 MR. CORRADO: Okay. 14 Item number 3 passes. 15 16 4. REPORT ON STATUS OF PROJECTS: 17 18 MR. CORRADO: Item number 4 is the Status 19 of Projects. 20 So, I have some news to share. 21 With respect to 2704 Kennedy Boulevard, I 22 reached out to the attorney on that project, and 23 the attorney advised that they have submitted an 24 application to the Union City Planning Board to 25 construct three family dwellings on each 25 by a 10 1 hundred lot. 2 Her understanding is that the City planners 3 are working with the Union City Board of 4 Commissioners and the Roosevelt Redevelopment 5 Board to revise the plan accordingly. So that is 6 good news. 7 Does anybody have any comments on that 8 particular project, or questions? 9 Okay. 10 All right. 11 The next item that I have is -- or the 12 project that I have –- 13 Sorry. 14 -- is PBG Realty. 15 As I mentioned in our January meeting, the 16 contract has been extended into February 2021. 17 Obviously, due to the COVID-19 crisis. However, 18 it’s still in effect. 19 While they were expected to move forward in 20 February, I was advised by their attorney, Elaine 21 Berkenwald, that the tolling had been extended to 22 March 15, 2021. Obviously, with COVID, 23 everything’s been knocked out of whack. 24 So, I will continue to reach out and see if 25 there’s any other movement or any other delays 11 1 with respect to that project. So, I’ll reach out 2 early next month with their attorney. 3 And then, lastly, with respect to the 4 Yardley project, there has been nothing new to 5 report here. There’s been no further movement on 6 Yardley. And this is -- this can be attributed 7 to, again, the COVID-19 situation. 8 Other than those updates, I have nothing 9 else to report on. 10 Unless anyone has any questions or 11 concerns? 12 COMMISSIONER FESTA: I have -- I have a 13 question regarding 2704 Kennedy Boulevard. 14 MR. CORRADO: Sure. 15 COMMISSIONER FESTA: Is that the only move 16 from the redevelopment? I know there was a 17 section that was part of the Roosevelt Stadium 18 for redevelopment. 19 Is it being removed? 20 MR. CORRADO: Is that being removed from 21 our agency, you’re saying? 22 COMMISSIONER FESTA: Yeah. 23 MR. CORRADO: That I’ll take a look at and 24 hopefully, I’ll get an answer shortly. 25 COMMISSIONER FESTA: Okay. 12 1 MR. CORRADO: Okay. 2 Anyone else have any other questions? 3 Okay. 4 If no other questions, do we have a motion 5 to accept the Status of the Projects? 6 COMMISSIONER FESTA: Make a motion. 7 CHAIRMAN FERNANDEZ: Motion. 8 MR. CORRADO: Okay. We have a motion and a 9 second. 10 Who’s the second by? 11 CHAIRMAN FERNANDEZ: Fernandez. 12 MR. CORRADO: Okay. All right. 13 All right. 14 Fernandez? 15 CHAIRMAN FERNANDEZ: Yes.