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« on: March 31, 2009, 01:06:15 PM »
I have liked some of the changes in the city over the past 4 years. Honestly, most of the biggies were done by the Upper Main Alliance, but the administration was supportive. There have been some positive changes to the sanitation system, especially an increase in recycling. There have been alot of ratables brought into town.
BUT - I question some of the recent choices that seem as if the city is being sold to Hackensack University Medical Center piece by piece. First it was the strip on Essex Street between Prospect and Summit, but that ended up being what seems like an improvement, even if the process wasn't very graceful.
Then the hospital started gobbling up property near 2nd street and down to 1st street. Again, maybe they were "blighted" properties, maybe not.
There was, of course, the infamous EMT decision, where the hospital was given a contract to provide EMT service. I am not so concerned that the new EMTs are not qualified, since I would like to believe that those who were hired by the hospital are as dedicated to the health and safety of their patients as anyone, but I was concerned about the way it was handled, and the motivation behind it seems, well, suspect. The city insisted on going through with this to save each taxpayer, what, about $20 a year? Despite the fact that most taxpayers were quite vocal about not wanting it.
Now I'm hearing rumors (just rumors, I don't know for sure) that the city has been given some sum of money by the hospital and HUMC is now going to be buying the Sears building and property to build more hospital buildings. There is also a rumor about building an EMT training center at Foschini Park.
Can someone let me know if these rumors are true? If they are, they are worrisome, and if they're not, I'd like to set the record straight.