If you’ve lived in Kearny long enough, you know this is not a fun place to be when it rains excessively. In fact, it can be downright maddening.
But this is not about drainage — instead, it’s about trees — something Kearny direly needs for a myriad of reasons, one of which, of course, is to put an ease on storm water draining.
Earlier this year, Gov. Philip D. Murphy announced an initiative to offer $15 million to municipalities to take on environmentally sound projects that will improve life not just for today, but for generations upon generations to come.
The town, realizing the availability of significant money, under Town Administrator Steve Marks’s guide, is in the process of applying for a portion of the grant and has begun to inventory the current tree population. This is being done to allow the state to track the environmental impact on the upcoming projects.
If the town is awarded the grant, it is likely more than 300 new trees will be planted in Kearny, this in addition to the 100 trees corporate partner Amazon has already committed to.
There is absolutely no downside to this grant. The trees will have an incredible effect aesthetically, will provide better shade, especially in summer months, improve storm water drainage capabilities, improve the value of homeowners’ properties — and so much more.
In more simple terms, this is all a no-brainer. But it isn’t always easy to get a grant. And that’s why the work the teens are doing — and that Marks is doing — is critical.
And fortunately, you can help.
We encourage all residents to add to the town’s application by sending letters of support to Mayor Alberto G. Santos. This will assist the state in its decision making — and see this is something residents not only want, but would treasure.
And the more the support, the better.
So take a few moments sometime this week. Let the mayor know you approve of the grant application and what would follow. And with luck, Kearny will soon be better and greener than ever before.
Drop off or mail letters to the Mayor’s Office, 402 Kearny Ave., Kearny, N.J. 07032. Let them know The Observer sent you!
Learn more about the writer ...
Kevin A. Canessa Jr. is the editor of and broadcaster at The Observer, an organization he has served since 2006. He is responsible for the editorial content of the newspaper and website, the production of the e-Newspaper, writing several stories per week (including the weekly editorial), conducting live broadcasts on social media channels such as YouTube, Facebook, and X, including a weekly recap of the news — and much more behind the scenes. Between 2006 and 2008, he introduced the newspaper to its first-ever blog — which included podcasts, audio and video. Originally from Jersey City, Kevin lived in Kearny until 2004, lived in Port St. Lucie. Florida, for four years until February 2016 and in March of that year, he moved back to Kearny to return to The Observer full time. Click Here to send Kevin an email.