Jersey City Council approves $1M contract for COVID-19 vaccination site
By Daniel Ulloa/Hudson County View
The resolution before the governing body faced scrutiny since Bespoke was only formed in October, according to New York state filings, and only has two employees – despite claiming to have tested over 400,000 individuals during the pandemic.
“I have full faith in [Health and Human Services] Director [Stacey] Flanagan and everything she has done so far in the course of this pandemic,” Ward D Councilman Yousef Saleh said before voting yes.
“My kind of view on the matter is we can’t delay any longer, we have to get vaccines out to folks and there were some questions that were raised, we’ll see what the director says, that struck me as really legitimate about the company’s expertise but this is the group that the city’s going with and they have to deliver,” explained Ward E Councilman James Solomon before casting an aye vote.
Jersey City Council approves zoning measure to move Morris Canal Manor project forward
By Daniel Ulloa/Hudson County View
At Monday’s caucus meeting, Lavarro revealed Jersey City received $1 million from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to reimburse the purchase of the property, which was supposed to be incorporated into Berry Lane Park.
Acting Business Administrator John Metro said the dollars remain unspent, adding that the city can work with the DEP to find a comparable project where the money can be used.
Jersey City Redevelopment Agency (JCRA) Executive Director Diana Jeffrey said the site, known as Steel Technologies, was always privately owned.