Happy Summer! Thanks to everyone who came out for the PADNA BBQ and Street Fair last weekend. We had a blast, and we hope you did too. Summer Break PADNA is on summer break. Meetings will resume in the fall, when elections will be held for the PADNA board. We are seeking people interested in shaping the neighborhood and bringing more events and attention to this special part of Jersey City. Exciting things are afoot! For more information, contact president@padnajc.org. UPCOMING EVENTS: Make My City We all like to say we support local business. But all too often, we wind up hopping on the PATH or driving to one of the big box stores. This summer, Jersey City merchants invite you to put your money where your heart is. Make My City is a week of discounts and promotions at JC's best independent businesses, designed to help you discover what you've been missing ... right outside your door. Shop for clothing and gifts, take a Pilates class, grab a bite, all without leaving your neighborhood. For a complete list of participating businesses, including the the PAD's own D.E.E.N and Big Drum Art and Framing, visit http://www.makemycity-jc.com/. Happening from July 18th through the 24th, Make My City challenges all of us to spend our money locally - eating at, shopping in, and exploring Jersey City's eclectic array of independent businesses. Local merchants add color and flavor to our neighborhoods, while making them more walkable and convenient - and just plain friendlier. (PS-thriving indie businesses also boost property values.) If we don't use them, we're gonna lose them. So c'mon, JC neighbors, Make My City! JC Food Co-op The JC Food Co-op will be having a general meeting on July 21 at 7PM - open to the public. The meeting will be held at St. Paul Lutheran Church, in the Church Basement (enter to the left of the Church, near ramp leading to the parking area).For more information, visit http://www.jcfoodcoop.com/. ONGOING EVENTS: Movies on the Wall - Thursdays at the Warehouse Café Every Thursday at 8, the Warehouse Café screens a movie for all to see. Go to www.thewarehousejc.com to find out what's next. Groove on Grove - Wednesdays Groove on Grove is in full swing Wednesdays at the Grove St. PATH station. Now in its third year, Groove on Grove bring live bands to the Grove St. Station every Wednesday evening. For up to the minute info on scheduling, check them out on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jersey-City-NJ/Groove-on-Grove/129579005875 Films in Van Voorst Park The 6th Annual Outdoor Summer film Series will again take place in Van Vorst Park on Wednesday nights. Screenings in July will begin at about 8:30 or later depending on sunset. August and September screenings will begin at 8:00 pm. The rain date for each film will be the following Wednesday. For full schedule, visit http://filmsinvanvorst.com/schedule/ Farmers Markets As a reminder, there are farmers markets just about every day of the week in Jersey City. Get your fresh on as follows (thanks to the Jersey City Independent for the rollup): Monday: Grove Street Farmers Market from 4 - 8 pm until December 23, with the exception of Labor Day. Located at Grove Street PATH plaza. Tuesday: Newport Mall Farmers Market from 12 - 7 pm through August. Located in the courtyard area outside of Pay/Half on the first floor of the mall. Tuesday: Sussex Street Farmers Market from 12 - 7 pm until December 21. Located at Sussex Street east of Hudson Street. Tuesday: Harvest Square Farmers Market from 3 - 6 pm until October 26. Located at Bramhall and Grand Streets. Wednesday: Hamilton Park Farmers Market from 4 - 8 pm until, weather permitting, December 22. Located by the gazebo. Wednesday: Journal Square Farmers Market from 11 am - 7 pm until November 24. Located at the Journal Square plaza. Thursday: Grove Street Farmers Market from 4 - 8 pm until December 23 with the exception of Thanksgiving Day. Located at Grove Street PATH plaza. Friday: Journal Square Farmers Market from 11 am - 7 pm until November 24. Located at the Journal Square plaza. Saturday: Van Voorst Park Market from 8 am - 2 pm through November. Located by the gazebo. Saturday: Paulus Hook Farmers Market from 11 am - 4 pm until December 19. Located at Washington Street south of Dudley Street. Saturday: Webb Park Farmers Market from 9 am - 2 pm until the end of October. Located at Webb Park. Gardening in Liberty State Park - Saturdays No experience necessary! 8am to 11am every Saturday. Visit http://www.folsp.org/volunteer/gardening.htm Creative Grove - Fridays Creative Grove is an artist market with an eclectic group of artists, designers, independent crafters and makers. Visit them every Friday at the Grove St. PATH. More info here: www.creativegrove.org. NEWS ARCHIVE: Neighborhood Walk Through with City Representatives Last week, a walkthrough of the neighborhood was arranged by PADNA representatives with City Officials representing Parking, Signage and other government bodies, including staff from our Ward E Councilman Steve Fulop's office. Nine people attended and walked the streets of the PAD to see the state of things as well as learn about our specific requests around improvements to signage, curbs and sidewalks. The meeting and the number of people attending was encouraging, we have initial follow up in place, and the overall sentiment is that they want to work with us and with City Planning on the changing state of the neighborhood, from industrial to residential/retail. What's going on at the old Rascals lot? The former Rascals Comedy Club was scheduled for demolition, however in light of the current market conditions, the owner has chosen to refurbish the building to open a restaurant/bistro on the ground floor (word on the street is that it will serve Italian cuisine), and rehab the residential units on the second floor for rentals, until such time as it is appropriate to move ahead with the planned new construction. PADNA Summer BBQ Event - Save the date! This year's event is being planned for July 10! Save the date and tell your friends - we'll have music, food, the biggest art/craft fair yet, and hopefully a few more surprises ... if you are interested in volunteering or have ideas for the event, email president@padnajc.org. UPCOMING EVENTS: JC Food Co-op Forming! On Wednesday, May 19 there will be a Public Steering Committee Meeting for the JC Food Coop Initiative. It starts at 7:00pm at the OLC Church Hall in Paulus Hook. All are welcome. For more information visit http://www.jcfoodcoop.com/. They are also planning a fundraiser Wine Tasting event on June 11. Spring Festival of Children at Van Vorst Park The second Spring Festival of Children will be held on Saturday, May 22nd, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Van Vorst Park, on Montgomery Street at Jersey Avenue. The event is open to the entire community, and presents a FREE day of fun and learning with visual and performing arts, entertainment, workshops, a gardening tour and more. For more information, please contact Ozgun Tasdemir from Spring Festival of Children at ozgun@tourcom.com or 201-892-4180. Dance Baby Dance A family Disco Dance party will be held at Parlay Studios, right here in the district at 161 2nd Street. It will be held Sunday, May 23, from 3pm to 6pm. Space is limited. For more info, or advance tickets, call 646-331-6570. Bike JC's inaugural Jersey City Ward Tour Bike JC announces its inaugural Jersey City Ward Tour, a ten-mile bike ride through five of the six wards of Jersey City, will be held Sunday, May 23. The Tour starts and finishes at Exchange Place, leaving at 11 am sharp. The festival at Tour's End features a bike rodeo hosted by the Jersey City Police Department; a BMX demonstration hosted by Grove Street Bicycles; food from Made with Love Café; music, and more. Registration is free - for more information visit www.bikejc.org. ONGOING EVENTS: Spring has sprung in Jersey City. Get in on these ongoing events just a stone's throw away: Gardening in Liberty State Park - Saturdays No experience necessary! 8am to 11am every Saturday. Visit http://www.folsp.org/volunteer/gardening.htm Groove on Grove - Wednesdays Groove on Grove is back for it's third year, and will bring live bands to the Grove St. Station every Wednesday evening. Here is a link to more info and bands that have been scheduled so far: http://www.jerseycityindependent.com/2010/05/03/2010-groove-on-grove-schedule-taking-shape/ Dance Baby Dance A family Disco Dance party will be held at Parlay Studios, right here in the district at 161 2nd Street. It will be held Sunday, May 23, from 3pm to 6pm. Space is limited. For more info, or advance tickets, call 646-331-6570. Grove Street Farmers Market - Thursdays, kicks off on June 3 For a roundup of ALL the farmer's markets in town, see http://www.jerseycityindependent.com/2010/05/13/bring-on-the-fresh-jersey-city-farmers-market-season-begins-saturday/ Movies on the Wall - Thursdays at the Warehouse Café Every Thursday at 8, the Warehouse Café screens a movie for all to see. Go to www.thewarehousejc.com to find out what's next. Creative Grove - Fridays Creative Grove is an artist market with an eclectic group of artists, designers, independent crafters and makers. Visit them every Friday at the Grove St. PATH. More info here: www.creativegrove.org. April is shaping up to be a busy month! See below for Upcoming events and other items of note to the community. PLEASE NOTE OUR GENERAL MEETING WILL BE HELD ON MONDAY, APRIL 12 (not Tuesday as usual). Upcoming Events: April 10th (Saturday, 11am) Civic JC and Citizen's Campaign will host a Civic Leadership Forum to explain how average citizens can apply to serve on the public oversight boards for Jersey City's 39 municipal agencies, commissions, and boards. For more information click here. April 10th (10am-4pm) 125 1st Street. Visionary Church with NY/NJ Blood Center will be hosting a Blood Drive right in our district. Appointment times are recommended and can be made by visiting www.nybloodcenter.org, or by calling 1-800-833-BLOOD (25663). April 12 - 7:30pm PADNA General Meeting - Warehouse Café, 140 Bay St. ***note date change!!!*** Monday instead of Tuesday due to conflict with Board of Ed Forum April 13 - 7pm to 9pm Board of Education Candidates Forum, 96 Sussex Street. Sponsored by the Historic Paulus Hook Association (second forum on the 15th, click here to view the pdf) April 17 - starting at 9:30am PADNA Spring Clean Up, meet at Warehouse Café, 140 Bay St. Legal Update PADNA's appeal on the matter of the Jersey City City Council radically amending the PAD Redevelopment Plan to accommodate the wildly inappropriate development goals of Pennsylvania-based national developer, Toll Brothers, has been scheduled. The appeal will be heard by the Superior Court of NJ, Appellate Division, on April 13th, 9:30am at the Middlesex County Courthouse in New Brunswick. For background on the suit, visit the Legal Update section of www.padnajc.org. Other Items: Please be advised there was an increase in reported burglary and theft to autos in the East District (all of downtown) this past weekend, and break ins are up sharply this year overall. Please remember to remove all personal items from vehicles upon exiting, and secure all windows and doors. Also, please report suspicious activity by calling the Police non-emergency number at 201-547-5477. VOLUNTEER to help plan the 5th Annual PADNA BBQ - sign up today! It is our FIFTH year hosting a barbecue and festival in the neighborhood. We are now seeking VOLUNTEERS to help with the planning and execution of the event. We will have a planning meeting in the next several weeks. For more information or to sign up, email communications@padnajc.org. Google Competition - Win High Speed Internet for Jersey City Google recently announced a competition to bring super high speed internet access to one lucky city in America. This is a test project to improve the availability of high speed internet service for all Americans. Jersey City is vying for this opportunity and competing against many other cities. The community group "High Speed Jersey City" is working with the City of Jersey City to win this competition and to improve the lives of all of its citizens. Here's how you can help: Go to the web site High Speed Jersey City. Click on one of the "comment" options, such as "Residents Answer Here" to answer the question "What Would You Do With The Fastest Internet in America?" Don't forget to dream big! Tell your friends and family to post comments as well. Visit and join the Facebook site: Google Competition - Win High Speed Internet for Jersey City Visit and follow the Twitter group: @highspeedjc Nominate Your Community. Please forward this email to everyone you know. Have more ideas on how to help? Send them to HighSpeedJerseyCity@gmail.com Landmark Loew's Theatre Ongoing: the Landmark Loew's Theatre in Journal Square is a sight to behold on its own, see their calendar of upcoming events at http://www.loewsjersey.org PADNA MONTHLY MEETING TUESDAY, March 9th, 7:30 pm at the WAREHOUSE Cafe 140 Bay Street Meet your neighbors, discuss quality of life issues, learn what's new in the neighborhood, review upcoming events and initiatives! 4th Street Arts Chili Cook Off THIS SUNDAY, February 21, right in our district, 4th Street Arts Chili Cook Off! 2pm to 6pm @ Parlay Studios 161 Second Street (the warehouse facing Provost St. btwn 1st and 2nd) http://www.4thstreetart.com Bike JC Tuesday, February 23 - Bike JC meeting, 8pm @ Made With Love Bakery (530 Jersey Avenue btwn Newark and Christopher Columbus) Bike JC is a newly formed organization seeking to advocate for safer, more bicycle-friendly policies in Jersey City. For more information on the group's formation and mission, see this article in the JC Independent from December. There is also an online petition located here. City Council Meeting Wednesday, February 24 - City Council Meeting, 6:30 pm @ City Hall (280 Grove St). For those concerned about increased taxes in Jersey City, protesters will be making their voices heard at the next City Council meeting. For an introduction to the issues, see click here JC Friday's Friday, March 5 - JC Fridays - the next JC Friday is coming up. Check this site for up to the minute schedules, but expect to see local businesses featured in this quarterly day of free art and events: http://www.jcfridays.com/ PADNA General Meeting Tuesday March 9 - PADNA General Meeting - the next PADNA meeting is March 9th, 7:30 @ the Warehouse Café, 140 Bay St. PADNA wishes you a festive and peaceful holiday season and a joyous New Year! There will be no general meeting this January ... see you in Feb! Friday, December 4th - JC Fridays Local buildings and businesses (including DEEN, the Warehouse Café, and BigDrum Art and Framing) will be hosting various free art events for this quarterly JC tradition. For a complete listing of events and more information, visit http://www.jcfridays.com. Sunday, December 6 - Neighborhood Clean Up Bundle Up and meet at Warehouse Cafe (140 Bay) for a warm beverage before we start! 12pm to ?? Bags and Gloves are being generously donated by Powerhouse Arts & Music / Visionary Church of Jersey City, 140 Bay St. They are also conducting a Holiday Drive to benefit York St. Project (www.yorkstreetproject.org). The York St. Project is a Jersey City-based non-profit that provides housing, education, and childhood development with counseling and life-skills training to more than 300 economically-disadvantaged women and children each year. They have published a wishlist on their website that can be downloaded here. Please note that due to Health Regulations, all items must be new. York St. Project has made specific requests this year for books, DVDs, gift certificates, vouchers to movies and other events, etc. Boxes are located at some local buildings - if you can coordinate/gain permission at YOUR building to host a donation box, please contact dwightbraswell@gmail.com. Thursday, December 17 - DCNA Holiday Party Information about location and time will be forthcoming Saturday, January 9 - Blood Drive for NY Medical Center Hosted at Powerhouse Arts and Music / Visionary Church of Jersey City 140 Bay St. (1st St Side) There will be no December General Meeting. Happy Holidays! We are VERY excited to welcome our newest neighbor The WAREHOUSE (located at 140 Bay St. ground level at the corner of Bay & Provost). The WAREHOUSE is a a café and arts space and will be hosting PADNA's October meeting on Tuesday the 10th at 7:30pm. Come out to see the space and hear the latest and greatest goings on in the District, as well as discuss goals for the next year. SAVE THE DATE The 4th Annual Powerhouse Arts Festival Saturday, September 12 Save the date for PADNA's biggest annual event yet - The 4th Annual Powerhouse Arts Festival will take place on September 12 from 11:00am to 6:00pm. The annual Powerhouse Arts District Neighborhood Association's barbeque and crafts fair will have all the fine arts, nifty crafts, music, cheap beer and block-partying good times of last year, but we're adding a bunch more vendor spaces and hopefully some live art this year. We are now seeking VOLUNTEERS for the day of the event. We will need people to help with set up, grill-manning (or woman-ing), beer pouring, etc. There will be free food and drink for all who volunteer, plus that special warm and fuzzy feeling that comes with contributing to a good cause. For more information or to sign up, email Jessica. The festival is also a fundraiser for the Association. Much of our operating income for the year comes from the Fest - so tell your friends and come eat, drink, and be merry in service of the neighborhood. RECENT NEWS >>> Powerhouse Stabilization In case you missed the news, the Powerhouse is scheduled to undergo the first phase of its long-awaited restoration. On June 11, the City and Port Authority held a press conference in front of the Powerhouse to announce the launch of the work. The $3.4 million project will include replacing the windows and roof, as well as installing new drainage systems. This is the first step towards reinventing the building as a commercial and entertainment complex. >>> Hamilton Park Renovation Noticed the fences around Hamilton Park? The park is currently being renovated. Recently lead was found on the site, but fortunately it was under the asphalt, so no one was exposed to it. The site will now undergo mandatory environmental testing. For more info, click here. UPCOMING EVENTS >>> Newport Neighborhood Association Summer Concert & Wine Tasting with N'Kenge (this Friday!) The Newport Neighborhood Association, in partnership with Linwood Wine & Liquor and Liberty Health presents a Summer Concert & Wine Tasting with N'Kenge on Friday night, July 10th at Newport's COSI Restaurant in downtown Jersey City. We invite you to welcome in summer from 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm with a LIVE performance by dynamic R&B star N'Kenge, who recently performed at President Barack Obama's Inaugural Ball. There will be a selection of fine wines along with COSI hors d'oerves, a live auction and some surprises. Admission requires a donation of only $20 but $25 if you wait until Wednesday, July 8th so get your tickets today by calling 201.736.8654. >>> Films in Van Vorst Park Every other Wednesday, volunteers run a free outdoor summer film series in Van Vorst Park just after sundown. This week its 'Man on Wire' - a very effecting movie about a tight rope walker's daring, and very illegal, high-wire routine performed between the World Trade Center towers in the 70s. The film won the 2008 Oscar for Best Documentary Feature. For more info visit: http://filmsinvanvorst.wordpress.com/schedule/ >>> Grove Street Path Plaza It seems like every day there is something going on at the Grove St. PATH plaza: Mondays and Thursdays - HDSID Farmers' Market - Every Monday and Thursday from 4:00 to 8:00 pm, visit the farmers market for locally-grown produce and other items Wednesdays - Groove on Grove. To find out who's playing, pick up a postcard or you can visit http://www.jerseycityindependent.com/2009/04/09/2009-groove-on-grove-schedule-shapes-up/ - note this was the original schedule and may have changed with all the exciting weather we've been having ... Fridays - Creative Grove Artist Market - Creative Grove is an artist market with an eclectic group of artists, designers, independent crafters and makers. Find the urban edge, new ideas, street art, underground and established artists and spontaneous installations. Above all, Creative Grove is a fun place to chill with your friends and family !! For more info, visit http://creativegrove.org/default.aspx SUMMER VACATION PADNA is on summer vacation - our July meeting will be cancelled. Actually we're busy planning the Fall Street Fair, and working closely with the city on improvements to parking in our neighborhood. Stay tuned for more updates. LEGAL UPDATE May 20, 2009 - PADNA filed an appeal on the matter of the Jersey City City Council radically amending the PAD Redevelopment Plan to accommodate the wildly inappropriate development goals of Pennsylvania-based national developer, Toll Brothers. Additionally, PADNA has opened a new case challenging the Jersey City Planning Board's approval of Toll Brothers preliminary site plan application for their PAD properties. Toll filed their application for site plan review January 20, 2009 and it was expeditiously heard by the Planning Board on February 17, 24 and March 10, 2009. The Board voted to approve the application March 10, 2009 while litigation over the underlying zoning was still pending. Read the Press Release > The PADNA Spring Cleanup took place on Saturday, April 25th and, once again, it was a huge success. Thank you to everyone who came out to help. Check out the photos here > JERSEY CITY ELECTIONS - MAY 12th The election for Jersey City mayor and nine City Council slots will take place on May 12, 2009. While PADNA, as a non-profit organization, cannot endorse a particular candidate, we can get your voices heard and your questions answered. To that end, we sent out this questionnaire to all candidates for Mayor and City Council. View their responses by clicking on the candidate name below (candidates without links have not yet responded to our questionnaire): NAME: Jerramiah Healy Dan Levin Lou Manzo L. Harvey Smith Phil Webb Peter Brennan Willie Flood Mariano Vega Emilio DeLia Andrew Hubsch Joseph Cassidy Betty Outlaw Lori Serrano Ronnie Greco Frank Scalcione Noemi Velazquez Abdul Malik Marie Day Michael Sottolano Rolando Lavarro Frances O. Thompson Andre Richardson Phil Kenny Douglas Salters Arthur Williams Paul Catsandonis Michael Manzo Nidia Rivera Lopez Norrice Raymaker Jimmy King Craig Bailey Asim Usman Adela Rohena Bill Gaughan James Carroll Christian Araujo Guy Catrillo Joseph Tarrazi Jaime Vazquez Azam Riaz Steven Fulop Viola Richardson Ron-Calvin Clark Calvin Hart Omar Barbour Tyrone Ballon LaVern Webb-Washington POSITION: Mayor Mayor Mayor Mayor Mayor At-Large At-Large At-Large At-Large At-Large At-Large At-Large At-Large At-Large At-Large At-Large At-Large At-Large Ward A Ward A Ward A Ward A Ward B Ward B Ward B Ward B Ward B Ward C Ward C Ward C Ward C Ward C Ward C Ward D Ward D Ward D Ward E Ward E Ward E Ward E Ward E Ward F Ward F Ward F Ward F Ward F Ward F SCHOOL BOARD ELECTIONS There are three open seats on the city's Board of Education (BOE) up for grabs in this year's school board election, which will take place: April 21st, 2009 2 p.m. - 9 p.m. GRACE CHURCH VAN VORST GYM 39 ERIE ST JERSEY CITY, 07302 The Board of PADNA came up with a short questionnaire and sent it to all 12 candidates. View their responses by clicking on the candidate name below (candidates without links have not yet responded to our questionnaire): Sean Connors Anthony R. Cucci Khaled Dardir William DeRosa Eric J. Goldsmith Mario Gonzalez   Charles W. Johnson Abdul J. Malik Azam A. Riaz Moshe Rozenblit Patricia Sebron Tom Wilen OPEN BOARD POSITION We are currently looking for a person to take over the position of Secretary on the PADNA Board for the remainder of the term which ends in June. The primary responsibility of the Secretary is to keep the minutes of the membership and Board Meetings. In accordance with the by-laws, any resident of the Powerhouse Arts District who is a member in good standing of PADNA may fill an open position on our board. If you are interested or know someone else who may be, please contact us by email at communications@padnajc.org. LEGAL UPDATE: Toll Brothers presentation before the Planning Board continued on Tuesday, February 24 and continued again at the Planning Board's meeting on March 10. Come to our meeting on March 17th (details above) to hear the updates.