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Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop speaks at tonight's city council caucus meeting, Oct. 6, 2014.

Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop spoke at last night’s city council caucus about a deal with the New York Department of Sanitation that will bring $10 million to the city for completion of Reservoir 3 in the Heights in exchange for expansion of a Jersey City facility handling New York waste.

“This is an opportunity for another showcase park and that will really be the most significant park project in Jersey City,” Fulop said tof the agreement in which IESI NY Corp. is to commence a containerized municipal solid waste operation near Liberty State Park for up to three decades.

The mayor said the deal will allow IESI to expand its industrial property at Greenville Yards in exchange for a $10 million Host Community Payment to be applied to the reservoir project. He said it will also provide Jersey City with $250,000 annually in host transfer fees for operations at the waste transfer facility.

The expansion of Greenville Yards will remove 800,000 tons of waste currently driven through Jersey City streets. It will instead be transported in sealed containers of barge-to-rail, never entering the Jersey City community, the city said in a press release.

The renovations to Reservoir 3 in the Heights will include perimeter running and walking tracks and pathways, preservation of existing historic structures, new lighting, new park amenities such as a floating walkway across parts of the water, a kayak launch, beach area with water access, as well as nature and wildlife habit areas, the press release says.

"We are very pleased to partner with Mayor Fulop and Jersey City on this opportunity," IESI spokesperson Chaya Cooperberg said of the ordinance which will be introduced by the regular council meeting tomorrow night. "This operation will contribute to the community's environmental sustainability and provide funds to support the city's capital needs."



Also tomorrow, an ordinance will introduced for an emergency appropriation to pay contractual obligations resulting from the retirement of city employees. Councilman Michael Yun noted that the payments will go to 28 civilian and 100 uniformed retirees, with about $6 million going to the uniformed.

The council will also introduce an ordinance to appropriate $36.5 million for purposes including the reconstruction, renovation, rehabilitation and improvement of city public parks and fields, playgrounds; public buildings and facilities; road work and traffic related equipment, purchase of vehicles, and other purposes. About $34 million of it is to be raised by issuing bonds.

Currently the city has about $450 million in outstanding bonds and it pays about $60 million per year in debt service, officials said.

Finally, an ordinance will be introduced to give a 20-year tax abatement to the developer of Columbus Hotel, which is to be located at 80 Columbus Drive Downtown.

“A 20-year tax abatement in that area is ridiculous - they don’t need a 20 year tax abatement,” Councilman Richard Boggiano said.

But a spokesman for the developer of the 152-room, $25 million hotel said it will be competing with other hotels and an abatement will give its lender more confidence to say “This will work.”