“Today is a sad day in the North Bergen School District as we have lost one of our own,” writes North Bergen Superintendent Dr. George Solter after news of a 6-year-old Lincoln School student passing away with the flu.

“Due to the recent flu virus outbreak, the North Bergen School District is taking every precaution possible to make each one of our schools a safe and healthy learning environment for our students.”

The school district has taken extra precaution by disinfecting school desk, doorknobs, handles, toilets, sinks and other surfaces with bleach to “help prevent the virus from spreading.”

“We would like to express our deepest sympathies to the family of our student, our hearts, thoughts, and prayers are with them during this difficult time,” expressed Dr. Solter. “We all stand together as a school, a district and a community during this trying time.”

Registration for swim team conditioning for boys and girls ages 5 to 17 will be open from Feb. 20, 2018 through March 29, 2018. This is a program to improve competitive swimming skills, racing starts, flip turns, and stroke technique.

Children must be able to swim and pass a swim test. This is NOT a learn-to-swim program. Register between 2 and 9 p.m. Monday to Friday at the North Bergen Recreation Center, 6300 Meadowview Ave.

Practice will be held on Tuesday evenings from Apr. 3 through May 22.

Proof of residency is required, along with a birth certificate/passport, and a non-refundable $35 registration fee. All forms of payment are accepted. For more information call 201-861-9601.

Attention dog and cat owners: Mayor Nicholas Sacco announced the township is holding a free Rabies Clinic on Thursday, Feb. 22, 2018 at the EMS building, 1812 43rd St. (corner of 43rd and Tonnelle Ave.).

Licenses can only be issued with a rabies vaccination certificate. The license fee is $8 if spayed/neutered or $11 if unaltered.

Cash, checks or money orders will be accepted. Checks must be made payable to the Township of North Bergen.

Contact the North Bergen Health Department at (201) 392-2084 for further information.

Several dozen residents of North Bergen and surrounding municipalities attended a community meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 30 to discuss the upcoming Hudson Tunnel Project. The meeting was sponsored by NJ Transit and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to inform the public about details of the project, including scheduling and mitigation measures being put in place to reduce impact to local residents.

The project aims to create a new rail tunnel from North Bergen into Manhattan to supplement the existing tunnel, which is over 100 years old and in urgent need of full reconstruction to repair damage from Superstorm Sandy.

The new tunnel will begin just west of Tonnelle Avenue in North Bergen and pass beneath the Palisades and the Hudson River. Construction is scheduled to begin in March 2019 and finish in December 2026. Rehabilitation of the existing tunnel would then begin in January 2027 and run through December 2030.

At the meeting, residents raised concerns about noise, dust, and traffic, among other issues. To address these concerns, residences above the construction and along the truck route will be provided with new sound-reducing windows, and vibration will be monitored during construction. Other mitigation initiatives will be implemented as well, and additional plans are being formulated.

More details and a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) are available at http://www.hudsontunnelproject.com. For further information email team@hudsontunnelproject.com.

After more than a decade of complicated legal wrangling, the Township of North Bergen is in the process of tearing down an eyesore property at 116 73rd Street.

The building, formerly an 18-unit condominium on a residential street, fell into disrepair over the years as tenants and owners moved out. It has been abandoned for about 12 years. However, the Township’s efforts to take possession of the property and demolish it were legally hampered by the numerous owners and lien holders.

Recently Mayor Nicholas Sacco and the Town Commissioners passed a resolution authorizing the Township to acquire assignments of the remaining tax liens on the property, held by three individuals and one entity.

Demolition of the four-story, 38 by 100-foot property began on Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2018 and is expected to take about two weeks to complete. The contractor hired to conduct the work began by collapsing the top floor and then gradually imploding the building to minimize disturbances to the neighborhood.

Once the building has been completely removed, the Township will hold public meetings with residents in the area to gather thoughts on next steps for the vacant property.

The North Bergen Board of Education released the following statement: “North Bergen schools will remain closed on Friday and all Saturday sessions are canceled.”

NJ Transit released the following statement: “Effective immediately, Thursday, January 4, NJ TRANSIT Bus Route Nos. 85 and 121 in North Bergen are no longer operating on a detour and have resumed their regular routes.”

No garbage and recycling collection on New Year’s Day, Monday, Jan. 1.

Monday’s scheduled garbage and recycling will be collected on Tuesday, Jan. 2. Tuesday’s scheduled garbage and recycling will be collected on Wednesday, Jan. 3.

Regular schedules will resume on Thursday.