Category: LegacyImport2

Topping Off Ceremony Held for $184M Patient Tower at Jefferson Washington Township Hospital

Jefferson Washington Township Hospital reached a major milestone on Thursday, February 20th, as a “topping off” ceremony was held for its new $184 million patient tower, slated to open in summer 2021. Jefferson leadership and staff — including Dr. Stephen Klasko, President of Thomas Jefferson University and CEO of Jefferson Health — were in attendance, along with NJ state and local officials, as the final beam was lifted by a crane and put in place.

The 7-floor, 243,500-square-foot tower, being named in honor of Jefferson board member and benefactor John P. Silvestri and his family, will feature 90 private patient rooms, a two-story lobby, Same-Day Surgery Unit, roof helipad, café with outdoor dining, and more. The $222 million overall Washington Township hospital campus transformation began in 2018, with construction of an 8-level enclosed parking facility, completed in April 2019.

Shown at the Topping Off ceremony, from left, are

: Stephen M. Sweeney, New Jersey Senate President; Joseph W. Devine, President, Jefferson New Jersey Division and Chief Experience Officer, Jefferson Health; John P. Silvestri, Vice Chairman, Jefferson Health New Jersey Hospital Board of Trustees; Joann Gattinelli, Washington Township Mayor; and John W. Graham, Chief Administrative Officer, Jefferson Washington Township Hospital.

FACE OF DEFENSE: Major Energy Management Project Completed at CG Academy

NEW LONDON, Conn. – The largest Utility Energy Savings Contract ever awarded by the Department of Homeland Security was recently completed at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.

One of the smallest and most specialized of the nation’s five federal service academies, the Academy has been located in New London since 1910. The institution moved to its present home, a sprawling 103-acre campus on the west bank of the Thames River, back in 1932.

One of the smallest and most specialized of the nation’s five federal service academies, the U.S. Coast Guard Academy campus has been in its present location New London, Conn., since 1932. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Senior Chief Petty Officer NyxoLyno Cangemi.

The energy savings project, which began in late 2017, has transformed the 87-year old campus into a more resilient, modern and sustainable institution.

The project included $39 million in capital improvements designed to reduce total electricity imported from the grid by nearly 80 percent, reduce overall energy consumption by 48 percent and reduce annual energy costs at the Academy by more than $2 million.

The Academy\’s fuel oil-fired boiler plant was replaced with a high efficiency natural gas plant, and supplemented with a combined heat and power plant that generates one megawatt of electricity onsite with a microturbine engine. U. S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Lauren Laughlin.

The project has substantively updated the institution’s energy infrastructure and impacted a number of facilities from student barracks to the academic laboratories. Overall, more than a dozen upgrades were completed in 30 different buildings across campus. “Anytime we can invest in the infrastructure onboard the service’s only accession point for officers we are making an investment in the long term strength of the service,” said Rear Admiral Bill Kelly, Academy Superintendent.

A natural gas plant was included in the project that was supplemented with a combined heat and power plant that generates one megawatt of electricity onsite with a micro-turbine generator. The result greatly improves the reliability of the Academy’s electrical systems and increases the institution’s energy resiliency.

In addition, the project incorporated renewable and onsite energy generation and implemented numerous energy and water conservation measures, lighting improvements, and the installation of rooftop solar arrays.

One of the main outcomes of the project is that the overall energy savings takes the Academy, previously the third largest consumer of energy within the U.S. Coast Guard, out of the service’s top 10 energy consumer list altogether.

The institution worked with the energy company Eversource and subcontractor Ameresco to manage the project which is funded through energy cost savings. According to Eversource, the improvements will reduce the Academy’s carbon emissions by around 7,800 metric tons of CO2 per year, which is equivalent to taking more than 1,600 cars off the road.

RELATED:

FACE OF DEFENSE

AMERICAN HERO

Good News for Atlantic City International Airport

SPIRIT AIRLINES TO INCREASE FLIGHTS

AT ATLANTIC CITY INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

Egg Harbor Township, NJ – February, 2020 – Spirit Airlines is increasing their number of flights at Atlantic City International Airport (ACY) with additional frequencies for three of their key markets. The additional flights are to/from Fort Lauderdale, FL; Orlando, FL and Myrtle Beach, SC. The Airport anticipates a positive response for Spirit\’s increased service from both the local community and visitors to the Southern New Jersey region as well.

The increased frequencies are as follows:

–       Beginning on July 9, 2020, Fort Lauderdale (FLL) will increase their frequency to three flights per day; up from two flights per day

–       Beginning on July 9, 2020, Orlando (MCO) will increase their frequency to 19 flights per week; up from 14 flights per week

–       Beginning on June 13, 2020, Myrtle Beach (MYR) will increase their frequency to nine fights per week, up from seven flights per week

\”We are excited our long-time partner, Spirit Airlines, has responded to the increased growth and corresponding demand within the Southern New Jersey region,\” said Stephen F. Dougherty, Executive Director – South Jersey Transportation Authority. \”We also look forward to continuing to work with Spirit and local stakeholders to secure additional services at ACY in the future.\”

\”In 1992 we launched service to Atlantic City. Nearly 30 years later, we proudly continue to grow with more nonstop flights to Orlando and Fort Lauderdale,\” said John Kirby, Vice President of Network Planning for Spirit. \”As the only major airline headquartered in the Sunshine State, we are pleased to offer our Guests in Atlantic City even More Go to the state we call home.\”

Over 1.1 million passengers used ACY in 2019 with Spirit providing 91% of the total. These additional frequencies will help the Airport realize its goal of surpassing 1.2 million passengers in 2020.

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The Community of Lodi Awarded Veteran Friendly Municipality Certification

From left, appearing in photo: Councilmen Joseph P. Leto IV and Emil Carafa, Jr., mayor Scott A. Luna, Peter Lupo and deputy mayor, Vincent Martin. Photo by Paul Roe

[Lodi, New Jersey – February, 2020] Lodi was presented with the Veteran Friendly Municipality Certification this evening by Peter Lupo of the New Jersey State Veterans Chamber of Commerce. During a brief ceremony at the start of the regular borough council meeting, Mr. Lupo presented the certificate to Lodi mayor, Scott Luna, councilmen, Joseph P. Leto IV and Emil Carafa, Jr., and deputy mayor, Vincent Martin.

The borough clerk,Carole D’amico, municipal manager, Vincent Caruso, and several other members of the Lodi government were also on hand at the council meeting.

Mr. Lupo praised the borough for its recognition of the challenges faced by veteran owned businesses and for the hardships veterans often face when trying to find meaningful employment. He added that Lodi goes beyond words and takes action to make substantive improvements to economic opportunities for veteran businesses in the community.

The certificate reads, in part, “This municipality strives to make the lives of veterans better and is therefore awarded the Veteran Friendly Municipality designation for 2020”.

Municipalities earn the certification by passing a resolution to award 6% of public contract dollars to veteran owned businesses and to achieve workforce composed of 5% veterans. The Lodi resolution also provides for 3 veteran only parking spaces in municipal parking areas and a promise by the township to proactively notify veteran businesses of upcoming bids and contract opportunities. To date, the certification has been presented to Paramus, Hackensack, Garfield, South Hackensack, Rochelle Park, Fairview, Garfield, Marlboro Township, South Plainfield, Union City, Freehold, and a continually growing list of municipalities.

The resolution was adopted by unanimous vote by the borough council. It will give veterans a chance to be more competitive for public bids and contracts

The mayor and council accepted the certificate from the chamber and paused a moment for a group photo.

The New Jersey State Veterans Chamber of Commerce is a 501c6 nonprofit organization focused on making New Jersey’s economy fairer to veteran owned businesses, as well as veteran job creation.

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NJ TRANSIT Makes Advancement in Positive Train Control Project

FRA Gives Approval for Revenue Service Demonstration to Begin

NEWARK

– The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has given NJ TRANSIT approval to begin Revenue Service Demonstration (RSD) of its Positive Train Control (PTC) system, moving NJ TRANSIT one-step closer to meeting the

federally mandated deadline of PTC certification by December 31, 2020.

“Entering the RSD phase of PTC is a major milestone and a testament to the incredible work by our employees working around the clock with our contractors to ensure this important safety technology implementation remains on schedule,”

said NJ TRANSIT President & CEO Kevin Corbett.

“Two years ago, we had just 10 months to take the project from only 12-percent to 100-percent complete toward the December 31, 2018 federally mandated interim milestone for installation – we were successful.  With this announcement, and the continued support from the FRA, I’m confident we will meet the December 31, 2020 federal deadline for full implementation of PTC.”

The FRA’s approval allows NJ TRANSIT to initiate RSD on the Morristown Line between Summit and Denville.  Previously, field testing has been conducted on test trains that did not carry customers.  During RSD, NJ TRANSIT’s current safety technology called Automatic Train Control (ATC) will remain active and will not be affected by the testing.

NJ TRANSIT continues to conduct and expand its non-revenue testing on its other rail lines and is working collaboratively with Amtrak and freight operators to ensure interoperability of all PTC systems.

In December 2018, NJ TRANSIT marked 100-percent completion of the FRA’s 2018 year-end milestone for PTC that included installation on 282 locomotives and cab cars, 326 miles of wayside infrastructure such as poles and antennas and trained 1,745 employees.

Measure Brings the Project a Step Closer to Full Funding Grant Agreement for Replacement of 109-Year-Old Bridge

NJ TRANSIT is commending the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) decision to give an improved project rating to a proposed replacement of the Portal Bridge.  The 109-year-old swing span over the Hackensack River, and its history of mechanical breakdowns, has long been a chokepoint for rail customers travelling the Northeast Corridor (NEC) between New Jersey and New York City.

“From day one, my administration has worked closely with our congressional delegation and Secretary Chao’s team to enhance this critical project that cannot wait another day — we have committed the entirety of New Jersey’s local share in the form of $600 million in EDA bonds, completed critical early construction work and developed shovel-ready plans for major construction. Today’s decision by USDOT puts us one step closer toward our ultimate goal; replacing this unreliable, century-old bridge and reducing delays for NJ TRANSIT customers,”

said New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy.

“New Jersey remains ready and willing to work cooperatively as a full partner to ensure that this project, which affects the commutes of tens of thousands of our residents daily, is completed as expeditiously as possible.”

“We are very thankful that the FTA has improved its rating of the critical Portal North Bridge project,”

said Amtrak Board Chair Tony Coscia.

“A new bridge will significantly increase reliability for the 200,000 daily Amtrak and NJ TRANSIT customers that cross the Hackensack River each day. We thank our partners at NJ TRANSIT for their leadership, FTA and DOT for their cooperation, and all of our federal and state champions in New Jersey, New York and across the country for their continued support as we look forward to progressing this critical element of the Gateway Program.”

“Any rail customer that commutes between New Jersey and New York City will attest to the importance of the reliability this bridge has on the quality of their daily lives,”

said New Jersey Department of Transportation Commissioner and NJ TRANSIT Chair Diane Gutierrez- Scaccetti.

“This antiquated bridge remains a single point of failure on the NEC, which makes its replacement a top priority. We’re grateful that the USDOT recognizes how critical this link is to the economic viability of this region and look forward to getting construction underway as soon as possible.”

“We are extremely pleased with the USDOT’s decision to advance the Portal North Project closer to a Full Funding Grant Agreement (FFGA). This critical project can’t wait any longer as this nearly 110-year-old bridge is a frequent source for delays and frustration for our nearly 90,000 customers who travel to and from Penn Station New York every day,”

said NJ TRANSIT President & CEO Kevin Corbett.

“We thank the USDOT, and our partners at the FTA and FRA, for their support of this shovel-ready project that will increase capacity and ensure reliability for the more than 450 NJ TRANSIT and Amtrak trains a day that cross the Portal Bridge.”

In September 2019, NJ TRANSIT, as the Project Sponsor in partnership with Amtrak, submitted a revised financial plan to the Federal Transit Administration (FTA).   The revised plan was adjusted to reflect FTA and USDOT feedback on a previous submissions, making more local money available for the project while keeping costs in check.  NJ TRANSIT and the state of New Jersey doubled the share of local funding toward the project, increasing the state’s contribution from $300 million to $600 million dollars.

Advancing the Portal North Bridge Project towards construction is critical to eliminating the major disruptions to train service on the NEC between Newark, New Jersey and New York Penn Station. The NEC is the busiest passenger rail line in the United States, and a long-term outage of the Portal Bridge over the Hackensack River would result in catastrophic delays from Boston to the nation’s capital.

Between NJ TRANSIT and Amtrak, more than 450 trains a day cross the current Portal Bridge carrying passengers making almost 200,000 daily trips. NJ TRANSIT alone carries approximately 90,000 customers (180,000 passenger trips) between New Jersey and New York City on an average weekday.  The bridge regularly opens to allow for marine traffic to pass, and each opening causes delays on both lines. When the 109-year-old bridge fails to properly close, the delays cascade to affect tens of thousands of customers and their families.

The replacement Portal North Bridge is designed as a high-level, fixed span bridge that will allow marine traffic to pass underneath without interrupting rail traffic. The project is one hundred percent designed, fully permitted, and has seen early work completed on time and under budget. These successes make it especially well-positioned to begin construction to provide increased reliability and capacity to rail passengers throughout the region and nation in the near-term.

Once full construction begins, the remainder of the Portal North Bridge Project is estimated to take approximately five years.

*Gloucester City St. Patrick\’s Parade, Sunday, March 1

GLOUCESTER CITY, NJ– The NJ Irish Society presents events and initiatives year-round as part of paying tribute to our strong history of tradition. Based in the heart of Gloucester City, NJ Irish Society was formally founded in 2019 after serving the community as a whole for decades, with our event roster featuring the sensational

“can’t miss” Irish Parade

and growing series of cultural programming and festivities.

The New Jersey Irish Society is vested in sustaining a vibrant community with excellent quality of life for the residents and visitors. Gloucester City has a rich history of Irish heritage dating back to the 1600’s when Irish Quakers first settled in the Town of Gloucester, now known as Gloucester City. That tradition continues today with the City ranking 9th in the nation for Irish American population.

The New Jersey Irish Society is working closely with the City of Gloucester, Camden County, area businesses, community groups and residents to keep these traditions alive in our community. \”We began in 2016 with our inaugural St. Patrick’s Day parade, which brought thousands to the City and its businesses to celebrate the holiday. We are thrilled to be celebrating our 5th Anniversary as South Jersey’s not-to-be-missed parade extravaganza, featuring the best in entertainment!\”

This year\’s parade is being held on Sunday, March 1, 2020 starting at 1PM. The parade route begins at Martin\’s Lake, Johnson Blvd and Baynes Avenue to the end of Monmouth Street ending at King Street.

RELATED:

The Irish of Gloucester City Celebrate The 100th Anniversary of Irish Independence

Sunday, March 06, 2016

UPDATE SEE MORE PHOTOS Photo (s) Credit CNBNews Staff The Most Reverend Dennis J. Sullivan, Bishop of the Camden Diocese, (center) and Monsignor William Hodge, (left) Pastor of St. Mary\’s Parish, Gloucester City lead the…

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Firefighters Want to Know More About Proposed Pennsylvania Fire Commission

By Steve Bittenbender |

The Center Square

A Pennsylvania House committee is weighing a measure that seeks to make changes in how fire and emergency services are administered in the state.

The Pennsylvania Legislature courtesy of The Philadelphia Inquirer

The House Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee took up House Bill 1819, which would create a state Fire Commission.

State Rep. Austin Davis, D-McKeesport, the bill’s sponsor, said his district includes professional and volunteer-led fire departments that face issues regarding the ability to provide essential services and the ability to recruit and retain members.

“The communities I serve in southeast Allegheny County are facing many of the same challenges in the delivery of fire and emergency medical services that we’re witnessing across this commonwealth,” Davis said.

He told the committee he’s watched as it passed more than 20 bills that have origins from the Senate Resolution 6 Report recommendations from 2018. But, while programs and incentives may offer relief, he said they don’t necessarily address the bigger, underlying problem that will allow communities to offer emergency services for years to come.

So, Davis’ bill seeks to make “a big structural change” to the way the state organizes its support for local emergency service agencies. It would take the Fire Commissioner’s office and make it a 13-member commission that would include state fire chief – who would take over the duties of the commissioner.

Eight of the commission members would come from geographic districts within the state. The governor would appoint and the state Senate would confirm them. While the chief would serve as the chair of the commission, the chief would only vote to break a tie.

While Davis’ bill drew support from the firefighting community, they did offer the committee some recommended changes to the bill.

State Fire Commissioner Bruce Trego expressed concern about the power structure between the chief and the commission.

“Having the commission serve in an advisory capacity would allow the commissioner to continue serving the commonwealth Fire Service,” Trego said. “The commission would be able to provide the commissioner with recommendations for the future of the fire service but provide the commissioner with the authority to decide on the appropriate actions.”

Trego added current law allows for a Fire Safety Advisory Committee. While that committee hasn’t been functional in several years due to funding issues, Trego said it could handle some of the responsibilities set out in Davis’ bill.

Trego also had concerns about the geographic makeup of some of the districts, which he felt may be too large.

Jay Delaney, chief of the Wilkes-Barre Fire Department and the president of the Pennsylvania Career Fire Chiefs Association, did not like that the proposed commission includes representatives from business and industry, architectural firms and insurance companies.

“Private industry representation should not be part of the independent fire commission,” he said.

State Rep. Frank Farry, R-Feasterville, who chairs the committee’s subcommittee on security and emergency response, said he appreciated getting the insights from the firefighting community on the bill.

“I think the testimony was fairly consistent in terms of some proposed changes that probably need to be made to this bill,” Farry said.

published by Gloucestercitynews.net with permission of

|

The Center Square

ICE, and Law Enforcement Agencies Address Dangers of New York\’s Green Light Law

WASHINGTON (February 21, 2020)– – The acting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) director and federal, state and local law enforcement officials hosted a news conference today to address how the Green Light Law in the state of New York impacts public safety. Hosted at the Rensselaer County Sheriff’s Office in Troy, New York, 17 federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies gathered to implore the State of New York to consider the ramifications of the Green Light Law.

“By restricting access to all DMV information, the Green Light Law stands as a dangerous roadblock to ongoing federal investigations into a broad range of criminal activity,” said Acting ICE Director Matthew T. Albence. “Information sharing is the lifeblood of law enforcement. The inability to access this information puts our sworn federal agents and officers, and the communities we serve, unnecessarily at risk.”

ICE is not asking the State of New York to provide a list of illegal aliens, or to identify which individuals in its databases are here illegally, Albence explained at the press conference. ICE needs access to the information – just like all other law enforcement agencies that work in the state – to support investigative efforts, not only in New York, but also across the country and around the world, he said. ICE’s ability to identify and dismantle a transnational criminal organization often depends on getting the right piece of information into the right hands at the right time.

The National Sheriffs Association, New York State Sheriffs Association, New York State Police Chiefs, Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, New York City Sergeants Benevolent Association, Rensselaer County Executive, Rensselaer County Sheriff, Rensselaer County Clerk, Washington County Sheriff, Saratoga County Sheriff, Albany County Legislator, Saratoga County Clerk, New York Fraternal Order of Police, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) New York, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of New York, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of New York, the Erie County Clerk, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection participated.

President of Philadelphia Teachers Union Calls Asbestos Issue a Humanitarian Crisis

By Kim Jarrett |

The Center Square

Pennsylvania state Sen. Vincent Hughes speaks Feb. 13, 2020, at a Philadelphia Federation of Teachers news conference on asbestos and other safety issues at city schools. Facebook / Sen. Larry Farnese

PHILADELPHIA PA–The leader of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers (PFT) is calling for Gov. Tom Wolf to address the asbestos issue in public schools now by declaring a state of emergency.

Wolf put $1 billion in his proposed state budget for lead and asbestos remediation in the state’s schools. But with two more Philadelphia elementary schools shuttering due to asbestos, PFT president Jerry Jordan said it’s not enough.

“But we must do more, and we must do it now,” Jordan said in a statement on the PFT website. “The facilities emergency in Philadelphia’s public schools is nothing short of a humanitarian crisis.”

The PFT created the “Fund our Facilities Coalition” to ask for $170 million to clean up Philadelphia’s schools. The group cites other issues besides asbestos, including rodent/pest control, water leaks and more custodial staff to keep schools clean. Several members of the Legislature, the Philadelphia City Council as well as U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle are a part of the coalition that has asked on several occasions for the governor to do something about the schools.

“We asked. We begged,” said State Sen. Larry Farnese, D-Philadelphia, at a PFT news conference. “And now we demand there be a state of emergency called in Pennsylvania because of the condition of our schools.”

Farnese is a member of the “Fund our Facilities Coalition.”

Some lawmakers have suggested Wolf could take money from the state’s rainy-day fund to pay for the remediation. But any money taken from the fund requires approval from two-thirds of the Legislature, Lyndsay Kensinger, a spokesman for Wolf,

told The Philadelphia Inquirer

.

\”A 10th Philly school has closed this year because of asbestos,\” said state Sen. Vincent Hughes, D-Philadelphia, the minority chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, on Twitter. \”We need emergency funding to fix our schools now! Broken and toxic schools must go. This is a public health crisis.\”

The PFT has called on the governor to declare a state of emergency for several months but has praised Wolf’s proposed funding for remediation using the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program.

“The governor’s proposal to open RCAP applications to lead and asbestos remediation to the tune of $1 billion has enormous potential,” Jordan said in a statement after Wolf’s budget address. “I am extremely encouraged that the governor is taking our voices seriously and has developed a plan to bring relief.”

Ten Philadelphia-area schools have closed because of asbestos issues in the past few months. The latest closings were announced Wednesday night when Philadelphia school officials announced the temporary closures of Clara Barton and James Sullivan elementary schools.

republished by Gloucestercitynews.net with permission of

The Center Square