Officials Work To Clear Leaking Rail Car In Carteret

CARTERET – Earlier this morning, a Conrail tanker car sustained minor damage when the engine coupled with it during operations along the rail lines that parallel the New Jersey Turnpike at Exit 12 in the vicinity of Monroe Avenue, officials said.

Carteret firefighters and the Middlesex County Hazardous Materials Team responded to a Conrail train car leak earlier this morning. (Photo courtesy of the Carteret Department of Public Information)

Members of the Carteret Fire Department were dispatched at 10:16 a.m. and found a rail car leaking isopropyl acetate, a flammable liquid. Crews from the borough fire department were able to stop the leak shortly after noon, with assistance from Middlesex Hazmat and mutual aid from Woodbridge Township, officials said.

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Mayor’s Charity Fund Rewards Creative Children With Circus Trip

CARTERET—At this month’s Borough Council meeting, Mayor Dan Reiman presented mayoral commendations and circus tickets to eight Carteret school children. These were the winners of the first “What Can I Do For My Community?” contest, established by the mayor’s Children’s Charity Trust Fund, to allow youngsters to exhibit their creative talents and demonstrate their interest in their community.

Carteret Mayor Daniel Reiman poses with the winners of the “What Can I Do For My Community?” contest. (Photo courtesy of the Carteret Department of Public Information)

Sixty children participated in the contest, according to Reiman, from three public elementary schools and the Carteret Middle School. First place winners from each school received four tickets to the Ringling Bros., Barnum & Bailey Circus at the Prudential Center in Newark, while second place winners received two tickets. Categories included drawing, writing, poetry, and music.

According to Reiman, the contest was created to encourage school-aged children to think about the many ways in which they can participate in the improvement of their hometown, and to showcase creative abilities that might not otherwise have a venue for exhibition;

“There’s more to improving a town than large-scale redevelopment projects and capital improvements,” the mayor said. “Anyone who respects their community can help make their town better in a variety of ways. Many of our youngsters are conscious of this, and are also very artistic. Our charity’s contest provided a great opportunity for our school kids to show off their creative abilities, and communicate their concern for their community.”

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Carteret Awarded $1 Million Grant For Waterfront Pier Extension

CARTERET—The Middlesex County Board of Chosen Freeholders has awarded Carteret $1 million for the construction of a pier extension at Carteret Waterfront Park, Mayor Daniel Reiman and Freeholder Ron Rios announced last week. The funds have been earmarked via the Middlesex County Open Space fund, and will allow for the extension of the existing Veteran’s Memorial Fishing Pier.

The project will allow for a 690 ft. addition that will extend southwards along the Arthur Kill. The addition will accommodate a variety of recreational uses by residents and visitors that include fishing, walking, and bird watching amongst others. The extension will preserve many of the aesthetic features of the existing pier, according to Reiman, and serve as a buffer against wave cycles and currents. The pier addition will also serve as a breakwater, separating the Arthur kill from the borough’s future marina.

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Mayor Announces UEZ Funding Award For Carteret Health & Wellness Center

CARTERET—Mayor Daniel Reiman and the Borough Council announced last week that the Carteret Health & Wellness Center was awarded a $500,000 UEZ funding grant at the New Jersey Urban Enterprise Zone Authority’s at Dec. 10 meeting. 

The UEZ Funding will be used for site improvement costs, including demotion of existing structures, and environmental preparation of the site of construction.  To date, approximately $10 million has been raised for the state-of the-art health and fitness facility through state and county grants, private endowments, and redevelopment fees generated by local business and litigation settlements.

A junior Olympic-sized swimming pool will be housed in the facility’s 7,000 square foot aquatics center.  The pool, along with the Health and Wellness Center’s many other amenities, will be tailored to meet a wide variety of health and recreational needs, and will allow for programs that will benefit different age groups.

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Perth Amboy Animal Control Disappointed Carteret

CARTERET—Shoddy service from Perth Amboy animal control officials has jeopardized some $90,000 in fees from Carteret that would have been due under the terms of a shared services agreement.

The two neighboring communities agreed in 2005 to have Perth Amboy’s animal control agency provide service to Carteret for about $22,000 a year.

As a result of Perth Amboy’s failure during the first two years to deliver the quality of service called for in the contract, which runs through 2009, Carteret never paid for the service, according to Mayor Dan Reiman.

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Borough To Upgrade Ball Fields At Carteret Park

CARTERET—Mayor Dan Reiman joined with Councilman Randy Krum this week to announce that Carteret Park’s baseball and softball fields are undergoing reconstruction. Made possible by Carteret’s local Open Space referendum, $35,000 has been earmarked for materials needed to upgrade turf and surrounding amenities for Umansky Field and Leniart Field, with another $35,000 for in-house labor.

Adjacent to Carteret Middle School, the fields were first constructed in the 1960s. According to Randy Krum, both fields are used extensively by the middle school and high school, along with the number of recreational leagues the town hosts. Age, usage, and poor drainage have contributed to the deterioration of the fields, according to the Borough Engineering Department.

Both facilities will receive new infields, along with new batters boxes and new pitching mounds. Other upgrades will include new fencing, sidewalk repairs, and drainage improvements for both fields. As a cost saving measure, all work will be performed in-house by the Parks Department, and overseen by the Engineering Department.

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Disgraced Ex-Mayor Attacks Officials: Interrupts council with complaints about South Amboy investment

James Failace

CARTERET — Ex-Mayor James Failace has emerged after six years of public silence, leveling personal attacks to stir up political support for candidates challenging allies of the current mayor in the weeks before the Nov. 4 election.

Failace, whose bid for re-election was defeated by Mayor Daniel Reiman in a 2002 landslide, made allegations during a recent Borough Council meeting concerning a real estate partnership formed in 2005 by Reiman, Middlesex County Freeholder Ronald Rios and Hank D’Orsi, the owner of H. D’Orsi Contractor.

Reiman said business venture, called HD Partnership, was formed in September 2005 to buy an abandoned gas station on South Pine Street in South Amboy for $240,000 and spent another $60,000 on remediation and environmental agency approvals. Each partner held a one-third interest in the project.

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Carteret Requires Background Checks For Youth Organizations

CARTERET— Employees and volunteers of all youth organizations who receive public subsidies or use borough fields will have to undergo mandatory criminal background checks, mandated by a recently-passed ordinance.

The ordinance, which was passed unanimously on Sept. 9, will provide a new precautionary measure to safeguard Carteret’s children. The background checks will be performed by the N.J. State Police. Current volunteers and employees must undergo a background check within one year, and all new volunteers and employees must have background checks prior to their approval.

“Our children are some of the most vulnerable of our community citizens,” Mayor Daniel Reiman said, “particularly when in public areas where they may not be under the direct supervision of their parents. This new ordinance will help safeguard our children from potential danger when involved in organized sports and athletic programs that utilize our public facilities. Although this is primarily a precaution, the Council and I believe in taking every preventative measure within our means when it comes to protecting our younger residents.”

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County Details Plans For Reconstruction Of Contaminated Carteret Park

MIDDLESEX COUNTY—Middlesex County and Carteret officials announced the county’s plans for the remediation and reconstruction of Joseph Medwick Park, now that the county has completed its environmental studies on the 83-acre park.

“It is a project, that once complete, will restore the natural beauty of the area while offering first-class recreational facilities,” said. Middlesex County Freeholder Director David S. Crabiel.

Once completed, Medwick Park will boast recreational facilities, including baseball and softball fields, a playground and open areas for residents to enjoy.

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Carteret Council Expands Sewer Rebate Program

CARTERET—Mayor Dan Reiman joined with Public Works Commissioner Iris Colon last week to announce that the borough’s popular “Senior Sewer Rebate” program has been expanded to include veterans and disabled residents. Through the program, qualifying residents may apply for a $50 rebate towards their annual sewer fees.

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Carteret Dedicates Peter J. Sica Memorial Highway

CARTERET—Last Friday, against a backdrop of outgoing traffic, Mayor Daniel Reiman welcomed state and county dignitaries, residents, and friends and family of the late Mayor Pete J. Sica, for a rededication ceremony honoring the local hero that has become immortalized in Carteret’s history, and the highway that is his namesake.

Mayor Daniel Reiman presents a plaque to Barbara Sica, Peter Sica’s wife

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Construction Begins On New Burger Express

CARTERET—Representatives from Chick’s Holiday Time, Inc. joined Mayor Daniel J. Reiman last week to announce that construction has begun on the highly anticipated Burger Express.

The new business has been relocated from its former home on upper Roosevelt Avenue, where it was shut down through eminent domain by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority in order to make room for the $130 million Turnpike Interchange 12 improvement project. The new Burger Express will be located at 215 Roosevelt Avenue.

An artist’s rendition of the completed Burger Express

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Reiman Receives VFW Award

CARTERET–Last month, Mayor Daniel Reiman was honored by Veterans of Foreign Wars Commander-in-Chief George Lisicki, who presented him with the organization’s Gold Medal of Merit. The medal is the highest award that can be bestowed on any individual by the national VFW Commander-in-Chief, and recognizes commitment to both active military and veterans. Past recipients include Bob Hope, John Wayne, Martha Ray, President Eisenhower, and Senator John McCain.  

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Carteret Signs $100 Million Redevelopment Agreement with P.C. Richard

CARTERET—On Tuesday, Mayor Daniel J. Reiman and the Borough Council announced that the borough had agreed to a $100 million redevelopment deal with A.J Richard & Sons, Inc. (parent company of the P.C. Richard’s Home Electronic Super Center) for Phase I of the West Carteret Minue Street Retail Redevelopment Area.

As part of the redevelopment agreement, P. C. Richard & Sons will construct of a 33,000 sq. ft. retail and clearance superstore on Minue Street, fronting the New Jersey Turnpike. The retail and clearance superstore is planned to open in the fall 2010. In addition to the new Carteret retail and clearance superstore, 15 acres of existing light industrial space will be converted into office and warehouse/distribution space for PC Richard & Son’s operations. The property conversion and development will call for the acquisition and remolding of a 330,000 sq. ft. warehouse, distribution facility and the construction of a 20,000 sq. ft. office building.

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Carteret Administration Proposes $1.2 M In Cuts To Defeated School Budget

CARTERET—Mayor Daniel Reiman proposed a $1.2 million cut in Carteret’s defeated school budget at a special joint meeting of the Borough Council and School Board on May 19.

The reduction is from the School District’s proposed 2008-2009 total school year budget of $50,236,683, which called for a general fund tax rate levy of 2.416 up from the 07-08 actual tax rate levy of 2.371 per $100 of assessment.

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