Hoboken Council-at-Large candidate Joe Quintero, a member of Mayor Ravi Bhalla’s ticket, laid out a plan to combat flooding this afternoon.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
His three-pronged approach seeks to reduce flooding in our streets through expanding resiliency efforts city-wide, keeping the Hudson River at bay during periods of high storm surge, and empowering all residents to be better positioned to deal with the consequences of flooding when it does occur.
“We are in a new era of frequent mega-storms. We must put in place a comprehensive approach to curbing flooding, one that attacks the problem on all fronts.That is exactly what my plan does,” Quintero said in a statement.
He wants to see the Southwest Pop-up Park become a permanent resiliency park, create a resiliency park at 800 Monroe St. – which the city acquired as part of the Monarch settlement – move forward with 61 locations identified by Rebuild by Design as areas that could include green or gray infrastructure, among other initiatives.
Quintero also calls for additional flood pumps and a resiliency park at the Hoboken Housing Authority, bringing back with the Office of Constituent Services with resources dedicated to flood issues, enabling flood risk assessments, and establishing an infrastructure trust fund.
“Ongoing maintenance of the two flood resistance structures are estimated to be several millions of dollars per year,” Quintero explained.
“An infrastructure trust fund, with participation from the City and associated public agencies, should be set up to ensure the north and south flood structures remain in good working order, to ensure costs are shared equitably, and to de-politicize any costs associated with ongoing maintenance. Additionally, any surpluses in the trust fund should be used solely for flood mitigation efforts.”
Expectedly, his running mates Councilwoman-at-Large Emily Jabbour and Councilman-at-Large Jim Doyle, along with Bhalla, are on board with his proposal.
“Joe Quintero brings innovative and important ideas to our ongoing efforts to combat flooding. His thoughtful approach to this big challenge facing our city is an example of why we selected him to join the Team Bhalla,” the mayor stated.