Pier A in Need of 'Major Repair,' Council Will Have to Approve Bond

The structure of Pier A Park is "in need of major repair," according to a recent memo from Mayor Dawn Zimmer to the city council members. 

Shifts of the river have resulted in a change of the mud line, Zimmer wrote, which is exposing the steel pipes holding up the pier to corrosion. 

Problems at Pier A park after Boswell Engineering completed a report on the pier.

A bond will have to be passed to pay for the repairs of the park, according to Zimmer. But, she wrote in her memo, there may be a way to spare Hoboken's tax payers the money. 

When Pier A was constructed, a trust fund was set up. Developers of the adjacent properties were required to put in $700,000 to that fund, to maintain Pier A Park, according to the redevelopment agreement.

"Because the funds exceeded the amount necessary to maintain the surface of the park, it has a current balance of about $2.9 million from developer contributions," Zimmer wrote. 

The city is negotiating with the Port Authority and developers Applied Housing and SJP Properties to expand the permitted use of the fund, to use the money for structural repairs as well as the surface upkeep. 

"We are hopeful an agreement can be finalized soon," Zimmer wrote. She didn't specify a time frame. 

"Given the importance of Pier A to our community, and our unfortunate experience with Frank Sinatra Park," Zimmer wrote, "it is critical that we move forward with the necessary steps to complete these repairs."

At the next council meeting, the first reading of a bond ordinance to pay for the park's repairs will be in front of the City Council.