heights news - Central Avenue Special Improvement District

C.A.S.I.D. Management Corp.
366 Central Ave., Suite 201
Jersey City, NJ 07307
www.JCHeights.com
Jersey City
Heights NEWS
Official Newsletter of the Central Avenue Special Improvement District Management Corporation
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Spring 2008
Everything Jersey City Festival!
Saturday, May 17, 2008 on Central Avenue
What are YOU doing on Saturday, May 17? How about
taking in some free concerts, letting the kids try out a rock
climbing wall, enjoying some zeppoles and checking out the
offerings of some of the area’s best artists, crafters, and
merchants? If this sounds like your kind of way to spend a
Saturday, Central Avenue is where you’ll want be on May
17 to help celebrate the first annual Everything Jersey City
Festival!
The festival is expected to bring over 10,000 people from
all over the Heights and the surrounding area to Central
Avenue, making it the first festival of its scale to take place
on a main street in Jersey City in a very long time. There
will be something for everyone: music and food for all tastes,
shopping for the grown-ups, and rides for the kids. The
festival will take place between Hutton and South Streets
on Central Avenue between 11 AM and 6 PM. Admission
is free, and the festival is handicap
accessible.
“The
Everything
Jersey
City
Festival will give the entire Jersey
City community a chance to come
together and celebrate our pride and
harmony,” said Mayor Jerramiah T.
Healy. “I can’t think of a better way
to showcase our many outstanding
artists, musicians, businesses and
community organizations.”
Festival supporters gather on Central Avenue to celebrate the festival banner-raising
ceremony on March 19.
The festival will feature three stages
of free music concerts, including
Continued on page 6
NEW Discounted Fare on the 10/99s: Round Trip from the Heights to NYC = $4.50
Coach USA bus routes 10 and 99s have been operating on
Central Avenue in Jersey City since August 2007, offering
Heights residents a convenient one-seat ride to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City. While ridership
is increasing along the centrally-located route, Coach USA
is working in partnership with the Central Avenue SID
(CASID) to improve the accessibility and affordability of the
local transit infrastructure even further.
To entice new riders and improve the overall viability of the
10 and 99s routes, which are the only routes to service Central Avenue, Coach USA Red & Tan in Hudson County has
announced plans to offer a promotional fare to and from the
Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City. The new
fare, which will be available only to riders boarding north of
Journal Square on the 10 and 99s bus routes starting April
7, will be $4.50 round-trip, a 44% discount off the previous
round-trip fare of $8.
Riders can pay the $2 one-way fare in cash on New Yorkbound buses. To pay the
discounted fare on return
trips from New York, riders must show tickets purchased in advance. These
tickets will be available for
sale at Goehrig’s Bakery
Continued on page 3
Heights news
Spring 2008
Central Avenue SID
Management Corp.
366 Central Ave., Suite 201
Jersey City, NJ 07307
Ph: (201) 656-1366
Fx: (201) 656-4037
Email: casid@jcheights.com
Board of Trustees
Michael Yun
President
Garden State News
366 Central Ave.
Domingo Handal
Vice President
Amourville Ice Cream
290 Central Ave.
Sanford Fishman
Treasurer
Bond Drugs
371 Central Ave.
Gary Solomon
Secretary
Hauptman Carpets
307 Central Ave.
Marco LoSchiavo
Trustee
Nino’s Shoes
344 Central Ave.
Grace Cutri
Trustee
DC Travel Bureau
341 Central Ave.
Gilbert Mendez
Trustee
Mendez Agency
263 Central Ave.
David Diaz
District Manager
Brittany Hopkins
Director
Editor in Chief,
Central Avenue News
Irwin M. Rosen, Esq.
Corporation Counsel
Cynthia Hadjiyannis, Esq.
Corporation Co-Counsel
Gilbert Sunshine, CPA
Board Accountant
Oliwa & Company, CPA
Auditor
Paid For In Part By
The State of New Jersey
Urban Enterprise Zone Program
Dear Reader,
2
Message from the Board of Trustees
With only weeks left before May 17, we are
pleased to report that plans for Jersey City’s
biggest main street festival are quickly becoming
a reality! Our city has numerous festivals
and celebrations for specific communities
and neighborhoods, but as the title of the
Everything Jersey City Festival indicates, the
CASID wants to offer an opportunity for all of
us to come together and celebrate everything
about where we live - our talented musicians
and artists, our enterprising local businesses,
and the non-profits, civic organizations and
public servants who make our city better every
day.
If you are a Heights resident, CASID member
or community leader, we hope you will take a
careful look at this special edition of the Heights
News to learn more about the festival, how it
will affect you, and how you can participate.
If you’ve picked this newsletter up for the first
time at the festival, welcome to Central Avenue!
Organizing the Everything Jersey City Festival
is just one of the ways that the Central Avenue
Special Improvement District Management
Corporation (CASID) guides and promotes
the positive social growth and economic
revitalization occurring in the City of Jersey
City. In addition, we provide supplemental
management, maintenance, and improvements
to the Central Avenue business district. If you
have ever seen a street maintenance worker
keeping Central Avenue clean, holiday lights
brightening our dark winter evenings, or
banners and TV commercials promoting our
local businesses, you have seen the CASID
at work. Visit our website, www.JCHeights.
com, for more information about all that we do
on behalf of residents and businesses in the
Heights and Jersey City as a whole.
We would be remiss if we did not take this
opportunity to thank the many supporters
who have helped us realize our vision for the
Everything Jersey City Festival over the past
months. You can read more about the festival’s
many sponsors from Jersey City’s business and
civic community on the next page, but we want
to offer special thanks to Mayor Jerramiah T.
Healy and the City of Jersey City Municipal
Council, in particular Councilmen Bill
www.JCHeights.com
Gaughan (Ward D) and Steve Lipski (Ward
C), CEO Eugene Nelson and Roberta
Farber of the Jersey City Economic
Development Corporation, the State of NJ
Urban Enterprise Zone Program, Director
Maryanne Kelleher and the staff of the city
Division of Cultural Affairs, and all the
city officials who have served on the Festival
Planning Committee, in particular those
from the Jersey City Police Department, the
Jersey City Fire Department, the Jersey
City Parking Authority and the Jersey
City Incinerator Authority. Also, we thank
Hudson County Executive Tom DeGise, the
Board of Chosen Freeholders, and Director
Bill LaRosa and Eileen Gaughan from
the county Office of Cultural Affairs and
Tourism. And last but certainly not least, we
want to thank the community leaders and
residents in the Heights for their patience
with the temporary inconveniences caused by
the festival and their willingness to share their
neighborhood with the rest of the city for a day.
The support we have received from all of you
has made it possible to organize a premiere
festival for everyone in our area to enjoy.
We welcome your feedback on this year’s
festival and ideas for future events - don’t
hesitate to e-mail, call or stop by the office.
Enjoy your spring, and we’ll see you at the
Everything Jersey City Festival!
Sincerely,
President Michael Yun and
the CASID Board of Trustees
Heights news
Spring 2008
3
Festival Offers Central Avenue Businesses a Chance to Shine
By playing host to the Everything Jersey City Festival,
Central Avenue businesses know they’ll have to deal with
some inconveniences on May 17th - the street will be closed,
and their regular Saturday customers may stay away. Still,
a survey of business owners conducted in December 2007
found that over 90% support the festival and look forward
to the the exposure it will bring to this traditional main
street business district.
“We’re going to see people passing by our storefronts during
the festival who might have moved to Jersey City within
the past few years but have never come to see everything
that’s available right here on Central Avenue,” said CASID
trustee and Festival Planning Committee member Marc
LoSchiavo. “This is a great opportunity for us as business
owners to show Jersey City who we are and what we have
to offer.”
CASID members have first priority in obtaining booth
spaces at the festival and pay a significnatly discounted
exhibitor rate. To ensure that Central Avenue businesses
get the maximum benefit from the festival, the CASID
has also arranged for exhibitor booths to be laid out in the
center of Central Avenue, allowing festivalgoers to see and
shop at both the booths and permanent storefronts. Many
businesses will be participating in the festival by hosting
sidewalk sales, selling festival food and offering giveaways
to entice customers to return to their establishments after
the festival. Businesses and exhibitors from elsewhere in
Jersey City have also been invited to participate, making
the exhibitor offerings truly reflect the range of products
and services that are available here every day.
Coach USA, continued from page 1
8 Steps to a Successful Festival
for Central Avenue Businesses
1. Apply and pay for a sidewalk sale permit or exhibitor
space - call the CASID office at (201) 656-1366 if you
haven’t already done so. Merchants who set up displays
without a permit on the day of the festival WILL be
subject to heavy fines from city inspectors.
2. Choose inventory that will show off what your business
has to offer and sell well at a festival.
3. Plan a professional-looking booth or sidewalk sale
using a canopy, table, skirt and clear signage.
4. Clean and decorate your storefront for the festival.
Make it look as inviting as your booth or sidewalk sale so
people will stop in!
5. Prepare for parking constraints. Because parking
will be prohibited on Central Avenue and several side
streets, the CASID will provide shuttle service from
several parking lots in the area during the festival - see
page 7 for details.
6. Inform your regular Saturday customers and
employees about the festival, street closure and parking
restrictions ahead of time.
7. Sell, sell, sell and promote, promote, promote at the
festival! Be sure to have enough staff on hand for the
day and make your display interactive by demonstrating
a product or offering a sample.
8. Explore the festival for a few minutes and gather ideas
for the next one!
(475 Central Ave.), Garden State News (366 Central Ave.)
and Mendez Agency (263 Central Ave.). A $0.50 handling
fee may apply.
of the convenient ride into the city from the Jersey City
Heights on the 10 and 99s” said Coach USA South District
General Manager John Emberson.
In response to customer feedback, the company is adding
two additional New York-bound trips making stops along
Central Avenue during the morning rush hour as of April
7. With the additional service, being offered on a trial basis,
New York-bound buses will stop on Central Avenue at Hutton St. at 7:03, 7:25, 7:49, 8:03, and 8:37 AM, arriving at
the Port Authority Bus Terminal approximately 30 minutes
later.
For more information about Coach USA bus schedules and
fares, visit http://www.coachusa.com/redandtan or call (908)
354-3330.
Also as of April 7, the 10 and 99s will no longer operate
any trips along Palisade Avenue. The three southbound
evening trips that currently travel along Palisade Avenue
will now travel on Central Avenue. “By lowering the fare to
New York and improving service during the morning rush,
we want to encourage more commuters to take advantage
www.JCHeights.com
Heights news
Spring 2008
4
Everything Jersey City Festival
Hutton Street Stage
Meet Your Elected Officials - 1:00 PM
Join Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy, County Executive Thomas A.
DeGise, festival hosts Councilman Bill Gaughan (Ward D) and
Councilman Steve Lipski (Ward C), and bagpipers from the
Jersey City Fire Department for a procession to the South
Street Stage.
D. Plumbers
Rollicking Western Tex-Jazz-aBilly!
Surati
Noted traditional and contemporary Indian
performing arts company led by awardwinning founder-director Rimli Roy
Ray Rodriguez y Swing Sabroso
Salsa Dura para bailar!
The Eamonn Ryan Band
Not your father’s Irish band!
Open House and Student
Showcase at the Hope
Center for the Visual and
Performing Arts
110-116 Cambridge Ave.
(Through the municipal parking lot
south of Bowers Street)
GUIDED TOURS
Heights Historical Landmarks
1:00 PM - Meet in front of CapitalOne
Bank (corner of Central & Bowers)
Offered by the Jersey City
Landmarks Conservancy
www.JCHeights.com
Jersey City Reservoir
Check www.JCHeights.com for
meeting time & place.
Offered by the Jersey City
Reservoir Preservation Alliance
Heights news
Spring 2008
5
Entertainment Lineup
South Street Stage
For the
Kids
BuzzUniverse
11 AM
An eclectic blend of rock, jazz, latin & world grooves
Amy Speace
Catchy Americana with
indelible hooks, sharply
observed lyrics and a gritty
urban edge
•
•
•
•
•
Moonwalk
Super Slide
Rock Wall
Clown
JC Fire
Truck
• Kid-Friendly
Exhibitors
• ...and much
more!
to 6 PM
Runaway Orange
Radio-friendly pop-rock for everyone!
Professional
Cake Decorating
Demonstration
The Legendary Teenagers
World-famous doo-wop group performing
their hit “Why do Fools Fall in Love”
2 PM Sponsored by
Goehrig’s Bakery
Lincoln Street Stage
Sponsored by Nino’s Shoes
DJ Commandante hosts bands, dancers and more!
Visit www.JCHeights.com for updated info on the
Lincoln Street Stage lineup.
www.JCHeights.com
Spring 2008
Heights news
6
Festival Sponsors Turn Dream Into Reality
Visitors enjoying the free
entertainment at the
Everything Jersey City
Festival on May 17 may
not realize it, but the
bill for all the necessary
equipment, performers,
marketing and staffing
for the event adds up
to over $100,000. While
Festival supporters Freeholder
Chairman Jeffrey Dublin,
the Central Avenue SID,
Freeholder Eliu Rivera,
the City of Jersey City
Mayor Jerramiah Healy and
and Hudson County are
Councilman Peter Brennan join
providing
significant
CASID President Michael Yun at seed money and in-kind
the festival banner-raising held
services to launch the
on March 19.
event, sponsors from
Jersey City’s business
and civic communities have enthusiastically stepped
forward to bring the event to fruition.
Festival, continued from page 1
performances by The Legendary Teenagers (“Why Do
Fools Fall in Love”), Ray Rodriguez y Swing Sabroso, Amy
Speace, Runaway Orange, The Eamonn Ryan Band, Surati,
BuzzUniverse, and D. Plumbers. Performances by Don and
Rosita Dance Studio, the Kennedy Dancers, Jang Star Tae
Kwon Do and Family Fitness Martial Arts will round out
the entertainment lineup on the Hutton and South Street
Stages. A third stage at Lincoln Street sponsored by Nino’s
Shoes (344 Central Ave.) will feature Jersey City’s own DJ
Commandante and even more performances at the center
of the festival.
“There are over 30 ethnic and neighborhood festivals every
“We have been overwhelmed by the level of financial and inkind support that local businesses, leaders and institutions
have provided for the first annual festival,” said CASID
treasurer Sanford Fishman. “These sponsors have shown
real leadership in supporting such a significant new
initiative for Jersey City.”
“I strongly encourage everyone who enjoys the Everything
Jersey City Festival to thank our outstanding sponsors
by giving them your business and support,” said CASID
President and festival chair Michael Yun. “Without their
involvement, we could never put on a festival of this scale.”
For a complete list of festival sponsors, please see page 8.
In return for their support, sponsors receive significant
promotional benefits through the festival marketing
campaign, which includes banners, print advertising,
posters, direct mail, transit advertising, web promotion and
giveaway items. Businesses and individuals interested in
sponsoring the 2009 Everything Jersey City Festival are
encouraged to contact the CASID office at (201) 656-1366.
year in Jersey City, but the Everything Jersey City Festival
will be the first to welcome those from all walks of life to
one of our main streets,” said Festival Chair and Central
Avenue SID (CASID) President Michael Yun. “I encourage
everyone to come and see what Jersey City is all about!”
The Everything Jersey City Festival is being organized
by the Central Avenue Special Improvement District
Management Corp. (CASID) in partnership with Mayor
Jerramiah T. Healy, the City of Jersey City Municipal
Council and Division of Cultural Affairs, Hudson County
Executive Thomas A. DeGise, the Board of Chosen
Freeholders and Office of Cultural Affairs and Tourism.
The festival is hosted by Heights Councilman Bill Gaughan
(Ward D) and Councilman Steve Lipski (Ward C). For
updated information on the Everything Jersey City Festival,
visit www.JCHeights.com.
Festival Sponsorship and EMS Support Provided By:
JERSEY CITY MEDICAL CENTER/WILZIG HOSPITAL
• Modern Facility
• Latest Technology
• Outstanding Medical Staff
OUR MISSION IS
YOU!
355 Grand Street, Jersey City, NJ 07302
www.JCHeights.com
• Minutes Away by Light Rail
• Region’s Trauma Center
(201) 915-2000
libertyhcs.org
Spring 2008
Getting to the
Heights news
Everything Jersey 7
Heights Residents: Plan Ahead for a Hassle-Free
Festival
City
Festival
While the first annual Everything Jersey City Festival will be a great
opportunity for those with connections to the Jersey City Heights to come
together and celebrate, please be aware of these changes in traffic patterns,
parking and access to local businesses on Saturday, May 17:
85
Congress Street
Congress Street
Legend
• Central Avenue will be closed to traffic and parking between Hutton
www.JCHeights.com
Paterson Street
P
Bleecker Street
South Street
Light Rail
Shuttle
South Street
South
Street
Stage
10, 99s, 83
Thorne Street
P
Charles Street
Bowers Street
Bowers Street
10, 99s, 83
P
Lincoln Street
Lincoln Street Stage
Sponsored by Nino’s Shoes
Griffith Street
Griffith Street
Hutton
Street
Stage
Zabriskie Street
Parking Shuttle
Hutton Street
Hutton Street
10, 99s, 83
P
10, 99s, 87
Central Avenue
Street and South Street from 7 am to 8pm on May 17th to allow for
setup and cleanup. Bowers Street will be open to westbound traffic across
Central Avenue. Other side streets adjacent to Central Avenue between
Hutton Street and South Street will be closed to all traffic. Police officers
will be posted at each closed intersection to assist residents of the closed
streets in accessing their homes.
• Cars parked within the festival area after 7 AM on May 17 risk
being towed at the owners’ expense. The CASID and City of Jersey
City are making every effort to notify local residents of the parking ban in
the days leading up to the festival. However, towing will be a last resort if
necessary to clear the area of parked cars for their own safety.
• Coach USA bus route 10 will detour on Summit Avenue between
Manhattan Ave. and Congress/Paterson St. during the street closure. NJ
Transit bus routes will run on
their normal routes.
• Due to the street closure and
Getting to the Festival
limited parking, the CASID
Festival attendees are highly encouraged encourages regular patrons of
to take advantage of Jersey City’s exten- Central Avenue businesses to
sive mass transit system to get to Central avoid hassles by running
their weekly errands before
Avenue on May 17:
Saturday.
Coach USA bus routes: 10 to Central and
Manhattan and detour along Summit
The one-day inconvenience of
NJ Transit bus routes: 87 to Central and the street closure will be offset
Manhattan, 83 to Summit and Bowers, by the many positive impacts of
85 to Central and Congress
the festival, including the many
Hudson-Bergen Light Rail to the 9th family-friendly
attractions
Street-Congress Street station - take the that will be brought to Central
elevator to Congress Street and take the Avenue, the opportunity for
FREE shuttle to Central Avenue
local non-profit and civic
PATH to Journal Square : take bus organizations to fundraise, and
10/99s towards New York or 87 bus to- the boost for local businesses
wards Hoboken
who participate as exhibitors.
Park and Ride: A FREE shuttle will be
available for festivalgoers who park in the The CASID appreciates the
Hudson County lot at Central Avenue and interest of the Jersey City
Hoboken Avenue. Limited parking will be community in bringing a
available in municipal lots near Central memorable festival to Central
Avenue (see map). Exhibitor parking will Avenue. We thank you in
be provided in the PS#7 and PS#28 lots.
advance for your patience
and your many contributions
Visit www.CoachUsa.com and www.
to the festival. Check www.
NJTransit.com for transit schedules and
JCHeights.com again soon for
fares. For driving directions to Central Avmore news and updates as we
enue, visit www.JCHeights.com.
plan for May 17th!
exhibitor
booths
street barriers
traffic flow
parking
bus stop
kid’s rides and
amusements
The Central Avenue SID Management Corp. Thanks
All of the Everything Jersey City Festival Sponsors!
City of Jersey City
County of Hudson
Jersey City Economic Development Corp.
State of NJ Urban Enterprise Zone Program
Jersey City Division of Cultural Affairs
Hudson County Cultural Affairs and Tourism
Jersey City Parking Authority
United Water
Liberty Health/Jersey City Medical Center
Sovereign Bank
PSE&G
Metro Honda
Milrose Consultants Inc.
The American Flag Company
Port Authority of NY and NJ
The Evening Journal Association
The Hudson Reporter
Liberty Academy Charter School
SuperCoups
Coach USA
Hudson County Community College
Hudson Medical Group
Advanced Healthcare Services
Christ Hospital
New Jersey Transit
Susan Newman Design
NY Waterway
Jersey City Incinerator Authority
Bank of America
State Farm Insurance
The Franklin Group
CapitalOne Bank
P.O.M Planning Services
Hauptman Carpets
Goehrig’s Bakery
Blimpie Subs & Salads
Immigration Advocacy Services
ChristHospital
JerseyCity,N.J.
Hudson County
Board of Chosen Freeholders
Jeffrey Dublin,
Chairperson
Doreen Di Domenico,
Vice Chairperson
Albert J. Cifelli,
Chairperson Pro-Temp
Maurice Fitzgibbons
Thomas F. Liggio
Jose C. Muñoz
William O’Dea
Tilo E. Rivas
Eliu Rivera
Milrose Consultants Inc.
Celebrating 20 Years of Excellence,
Innovation and Quality Service
www.hudsoncountynj.org
With a Special Thanks to:
Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy
Councilman Bill Gaughan
Councilman Steve Lipski
Councilman-at-Large Peter Brennan
Hudson County Executive Thomas A. DeGise
Freeholder Eliu Rivera
Assemblywoman Joan Quigley
Assemblyman Vincent Prieto
Congressman Steven Rothman
Congressman Albio Sires
Mayor
Councilman
Jerramiah T.
Steve
HEALY
LIPSKI
Councilman
County Executive
Freeholder
Bill
Thomas A.
Eliu
GAUGHAN DEGISE
RIVERA
U.S. Congressman U.S. Congressman
Albio
SIRES
Steven
ROTHMAN