[Nexis4Jersey]

Kearny still wants NJ Transit train station, mayor says

By Rose Duger | For The Jersey Journal
on January 08, 2015 at 11:32 AM, updated January 08, 2015 at 11:34 AM

KEARNY -- Leaving a legacy for future generations of Kearny residents was the theme running through Mayor Al Santos’s annual state-of-the-town address at Tuesday’s reorganization meeting.

As he outlined priorities for 2015, Santos noted that elected officials many years ago had the vision to pursue long-term plans including the construction of the Gunnel Oval athletic complex and Riverbank Park that benefit today’s residents.

For Santos, the modern-day equivalent of that vision includes persuading NJ Transit to revive plans to construct a new train station on Bergen Avenue below Schuyler Avenue. The transit agency had targeted Kearny for a station years ago, but scuttled the plan when Gov. Chris Christie canceled the ARC tunnel project to build a new Hudson River transit tunnel.

Now, with bi-state concerns about train capacity and the poor condition of existing tunnels, Santos figures the time is ripe to present Kearny’s case.

“This is one thing I have not given up on,” he said. “I think the state will have to reverse its nearsightedness on that issue.”

Santos also outlined priorities including building a new athletic complex at Gunnel Oval, replacing aging water transmission lines, repaving streets, continuing to pursue development of recreational facilities at the Keegan Landfill and supporting large-scale redevelopment projects on Passaic and Schuyler avenues.

“I think today we need to make decisions that will improve the quality of life in this town for years to come,” he noted, adding that short-term goals including bolstering the ranks of the police and fire departments and holding the line on taxes are also top priorities.

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/2...l#incart_river