NYC mayor offers FreshDirect $127.8M to keep company from moving to JC
Gov. Christopher Christie and the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (EDA) aren’t the only ones who can offer huge tax incentives to lure – or keep – lucrative companies from crossing the Hudson.
Last week, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that the city has agreed to a give online grocer FreshDirect a package of tax breaks and cash incentives worth $127.8 million. The company has accepted the deal and will move from Long Island City, Queens to the Bronx. The company had considered making a move to Jersey City after the state EDA offered its own package of tax incentives worth $100 million. According to several published reports, New York’s counteroffer includes $20 million more in cash, apparently a deciding factor for the company.
Critics have slammed Bloomberg for making this deal, arguing it’s too generous.
In exchange for the deal, FreshDirect has promised to build a new $112 million headquarters in the Harlem River Yards. More than 2,000 jobs will come to that area.
County golf course may be target of FBI raid of HCIA offices
Questions regarding overtime on construction of the new county golf course and possible part-time employees who were paid but did not show up may have been what led the FBI and other law enforcement agencies to seize computers at the office of the Hudson County Improvement Authority, said an official connected with the situation.
On Wednesday, five white vans arrived at the Summit Avenue office to remove computers from the HCIA offices.
The HCIA is an autonomous agency that has lent money over the years to municipalities for their projects. It also oversees countywide recycling, transportation, affordable housing and other services, and has used its bonding power to help fund large projects such as the golf course and parking facilities for the Red Bull Stadium in Kearny. Loans from the HCIA have helped various municipalities deal with budget shortfalls, such as the acquisition by the HCIA of public buildings in Union City and Bayonne over the last decade.
The county is currently constructing a golf course at Lincoln Park in Jersey City adjacent to Route 440. The work, which has been underway for more than a year, has included the demolition of buildings that formerly housed the Sheriff’s Department and other operations off Duncan Avenue.
The investigation, sources say, could also involve questions about the bonds sold to pay for the project.
Presidents Day ceremony at Apple Tree House
On Monday, Feb. 20 the George Washington Commemorative Society of Jersey City will honor George Washington with a wreath-laying ceremony at the Apple Tree House, located at 298 Academy St. in the city’s Journal Square community. The ceremony will take place at 11 a.m.
Apple Tree House, also known as the Van Wagenen House, is believed to be one of the locations where General George Washington and Marquis de Lafayette ate together under an apple tree and planned strategies for the Revolutionary War.
Leaders of local government will participate as well as members of the Knights of Columbus, veterans groups, the Ancient Order of Hibernians, and patriotic organizations. The public is invited.
Dr Richard Winant and his wife Dorcey Winant will provide historical insights. Afterwards, the group will adjourn to the nearby Jack Miller’s pub for a small reception and an Irish coffee toast to our nation’s first president.
NJ businesses make book donations to Jersey City
On Valentine’s Day, first and second graders at Alexander D. Sullivan Elementary School (P.S. 30) received free, new books as part of a statewide book donation co-sponsored by Tata Consultancy Services, Tata Sons, and First Book.
Collectively, Tata Consultancy Services and Tata Sons – two IT businesses in New Jersey – and the international nonprofit organization First Book plan to donate 10,000 books to students throughout the Garden State to foster a love of reading.
On Valentine’s Day, representatives from the donors were on hand at Sullivan Elementary to participate in reading circles and other activities. Students at Sullivan received free copies of the books “I Can Save the Earth” and “George and Martha: Two Great Friends.”
Working in collaboration with First Book, various Tata companies have since 2007 collectively donated more than 125,000 books, valued at over $1 million, to students across the United States, including 20,000 books to children in New Jersey.
“I am very grateful to Tata Consultancy Services, Tata Sons, and First Book for their generous donation to our school, and for their dedication to enriching the lives of our children,” said Christine Szczepanski, library media specialist at Sullivan Elementary. “This is a wonderful opportunity for our students and they are thrilled…to be given the opportunity to start their very own personal libraries with the books donated.”
Surya Kant, president of Tata Consultancy Services, added: “[This] event offers TCS employees the chance to build upon our previous volunteer efforts within the community by giving back to the children of New Jersey. Education is one of our core values at TCS, so we are especially proud to support First Book’s mission through this donation.”
Donate funds at Provident Bank to feed NJ’s hungry
Provident Bank is once again hosting a “Deposit $1 of Hope” fundraising drive at each of its branches to benefit the Community FoodBank of New Jersey. The fundraiser began Monday, Feb. 13 and will run through Monday, April 2.
“The Community FoodBank needs our help more than ever. A survey last year by the New Jersey Federation of Food Banks found that 49 percent of the 830,000 people they serve say they must choose between buying food and paying utility bills,” said Jean Quinn, vice president of public relations at Provident Bank. “With the high number of unemployed and working poor families visiting food pantries, every donation makes a difference.”
For every dollar contributed to the food bank, the organization distributes $9.59 worth of food and groceries to local food pantries, soup kitchens, senior centers, and homeless shelters.
More information is available at www.njfoodbank.org. To find a local Provident branch, visit www.ProvidentNJ.com or call (800) 448-7786.
