Housing group: NJ won’t release integrity monitor reports on Sandy contracts (via NJ.com)
A housing advocate group today said New Jersey has declined to release integrity oversight monitor reports on Hurricane Sandy contracts that are required by a state law passed last spring but state officials have contended those reports aren’t yet…
State Senator Joe Kyrillos came out swinging this afternoon regarding the news that the Department of Housing and Urban Development denied the Christie Administration’s request to allow victims of Superstorm Sandy to continue to rebuild their homes while they are applying for Reconstruction, Rehabilitation, Elevation and Mitigation (RREM) grants.
Kyrillos implored HUD officials and New Jersey’s congressional delegation to do whatever is necessary to allow Sandy devastated residents to rebuild their lives.
“It’s ridiculous, to say the least, that the people of New Jersey are being denied access to grant money because they are trying to rebuild their lives after the worst storm ever,” Kyrillos said. “The people of my district and the surrounding areas were some of the hardest hit and their federal government should not be hindering their recovery. Our home owners should be able to rebuild as they apply for grant money and I urge our congressional delegation to get to work immediately”
Senator Kyrillos added that the people deserve a reasonable return on their federal tax dollars in the form of Sandy grants.
“A lot of good has come out of the $1.83 billion in initial aid to New Jerseyans, but the reality is that more resources are needed for this state to recover from nearly $37 billion in damages,” Kyrillos said. “New York has received about $4 billion more, so the time is now for HUD officials and our congressmen to turn their eyes to our state.”
The Associated Press reported today that HUD denied a Christie Administration request to waive a rule that all reconstruction work must stop when a property owner applies for RREM grants. The federal government wants be sure that historical structures are protected and that the properties are rebuilt to the new elevation standards. No work that is completed prior to a HUD approval of the plans will be reimbursed with RREM grants, even if the work complies with the standards.
Posted: February 19th, 2014 | Author: Art Gallagher | Filed under: 13th Legislative District, Chris Christie, Joe Kyrillos, RREM, Superstorm Sandy | Tags: Christie Administration, HUD, Joe Kyrillos, RREM, RREM grants, Senator Joe Kyrillos | 5 Comments »
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has turned down a request from the Christie Administration that the rule requiring that reconstruction work on homes damaged by SuperStorm Sandy stop upon the homeowner applying for Reconstruction, Rehabilitation, Elevation and Mitigation(RREM) aid, according to an Associated Press report posted on NJ.com and other outlets.
HUD rules require that the plans for all work on properties receiving RREM grants be evaluated and approved by the government. Work done without the RREM approval is not eligible for reimbursement under the program, even if the work complies with all requirements. This process has created a major logjam is funds being awarded and homes being rebuilt.
In an undated letter obtained late Tuesday by The Associated Press, HUD rejected the state’s request.
HUD says the rules, which have been the source of many complaints from homeowners struggling to rebuild after the October 2012 storm, are intended to make sure historically significant properties aren’t damaged or demolished, and that aid is not duplicated among the numerous Sandy reconstruction programs offered by federal and state governments.
Yolanda Chávez, HUD’s deputy assistant secretary for grant programs, wrote to New Jersey Community Affairs Commissioner Richard Constable listing other reasons why the rule can’t be dropped as well.
“If the construction does not meet elevation requirements and must be undone, resources will be spent with no benefit to the recovery,” she wrote.
If you’re going to Governor Christie’s Town Hall Meeting in Middletown tomorrow, expect to hear about this rule and others as the source of the delay in RREM funding, and as an explanation for why the multi-family projects outside of Sandy impacted areas, notably the Belleville and New Brunswick projects that have been in the news, have been approved while Jersey Shore residents are still waiting and not living at home.
Posted: February 19th, 2014 | Author: Art Gallagher | Filed under: Chris Christie, Christie Administration, RREM, Superstorm Sandy | Tags: Chris Christie, Christie Administration, Christie Town Hall Meeting, Reconstruction Rehabilitation Elevation and Mitigation, RREM, RREM grants, Superstorm Sandy | 7 Comments »
Christie bridge scandal: NY lawmaker says NJ can reform Port Authority (via NJ.com)
TRENTON — With the George Washington Bridge scandal reviving calls to reform the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, a longtime New York State lawmaker says New Jersey can make the powerful agency more accountable almost immediately. Richard…
Analysis: U.S. Attorney’s Trail Shows Hoboken Charges More Serious (via NJSpotlight)
With subpoenaed documents trickling in to investigators and a third Christie appointee taking the Fifth Amendment, legal experts are debating which charges Christie appointees are likely to face, how evidence of a coverup could bolster a corruption…
Responding to partisan and media charges by those hoping to expand the Bridgegate controversy that has besieged the Christie Administration into misuse of Sandy funds, HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan told MSNBC’s Chris Hayes last night that he is confident that the Obama Administration is carefully monitoring federal funds targeted for homeowners. Donovan said that federal money for Sandy victims is being distributed faster than relief for any previous natural disaster.
Congressmen Frank Pallone and Bill Pascrell wrote to Donovan yesterday asking that HUD investigate New Jersey’s dealings with a terminated contractor that had been assigned the administration of Community Block Development Grants and that HUD appoint a federal official to the usage of those funds in New Jersey.
Pallone’s spokesperson, Ray Zaccaro, did not respond to a request for comment about Donovan’s remarks. We are awaiting a call back from Thomas Piepnykosky, Pascrell’s spokesperson.
Posted: January 30th, 2014 | Author: Art Gallagher | Filed under: Bridgegate, Frank Pallone | Tags: Bridgegate, Chris Hayes, Christie Administration, Congressman Bill Pascrell, Congressman Frank Pallone, HUD, HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan, MSNBC | 1 Comment »
Will New Storm Brew Over Hiring and Firing of Shore Rebuilding Contractor? (via NJSpotlight)
Rebuilding of the Jersey Shore in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy has been touted as Gov. Chris Christie’s signature accomplishment in his first term. But the administration recently fired — with no public announcement other than a posting on a state…
Will the Bridgegate Scandal Change the Way Christie Governs? (via NJSpotlight)
For all the talk about how the George Washington Bridge scandal is going to affect Gov. Chris Christie’s national ambitions, what about closer to home, what about the “business of the people” as it’s conducted in New Jersey? Christie gives a State…
Fort Lee woman died as GWB closures delayed medical help (via NJ.com)
TRENTON — The controversial lane closures at the George Washington Bridge in Fort Lee last September delayed emergency responders from attending to at least four medical situations — including helping a 91-year-old woman who laid unconscious and…
Governor Chris Christie released the following statement late this afternoon regarding the conduct of his staff related to “Bridgegate,” the George Washington Bridge lane closures in September.
“What I’ve seen today for the first time is unacceptable. I am outraged and deeply saddened to learn that not only was I misled by a member of my staff, but this completely inappropriate and unsanctioned conduct was made without my knowledge. One thing is clear: this type of behavior is unacceptable and I will not tolerate it because the people of New Jersey deserve better. This behavior is not representative of me or my Administration in any way, and people will be held responsible for their actions.”
Posted: January 8th, 2014 | Author: Art Gallagher | Filed under: Chris Christie, Christie Administration, Port Authority | Tags: Bridget Ann Kelly, Chris Christie, Christie Administration, George Washington Bridge, Port Authority of NY/NJ | 1 Comment »© Copyright 2024 | MoreMonmouthMusings | All Rights Reserved