In a video produced by the City of Hoboken, several residents are calling on Gov. Phil Murphy (D) to step in and save Union Dry Dock from becoming a ferry docking and refueling station for New York Waterway.Â
“I hear that they want to move the ferry maintenance facility to here, but it’s right next to all of these apartment buildings that are full of families,” Hoboken mom Blaire Perrin says on a video uploaded to the City of Hoboken’s Vimeo page.
“I can’t believe that they want to put a refueling station so close to a kids park,” adds Valerie Weisman, another concerned Hoboken mother.
The video comes on the heels of an announcement by the US Army Corps of Engineers that a public comment session regarding the future of Union Dry Dock will be held on July 18th at Stevens Institute.
Hoboken officials, as well as U.S. Sens. Bob Menendez and Cory Booker (both D-NJ), as well as U.S. Rep. Albio Sires (D-8), had previously pushed for more public input.
“New York Waterway has come in and they want to turn this into a diesel depot. They want to make it a[n] area where they store diesel fuel, refuel their ferries and they also provide maintenance to those ferries,” states activist Tina Hahn.
” … Gov. Murphy: the residents of Hoboken do not want a ferry maintenance, repair and refueling facility near our residential homes and playgrounds,” she says toward the end of the two-and-a-half minute clip.
The conclusion of the video says that residents would prefer a waterfront park over the refueling station and urges all concerned parties to contact the governor’s office at 609-292-6000.
Murphy spokesman Mahen Gunaratna was non-committal when asked to respond to the video in question.
“The Governor’s Office continues to coordinate with relevant parties to determine a solution that respects the voices of the local community and the needs of one of our most vital transportation partners,” he said in an email.
Editor’s Note: The story has been updated with a comment from Gov. Phil Murphy’s office.
