IV Vitamin Therapy in Secaucus, NJ

In a shocking move for the local and state cannabis industry, New Jersey officials revoked the Harmony Foundation’s licenses for cultivating and manufacturing adult-use marijuana over unpaid fees, while also approving a number of Jersey City and Hoboken applicants.

The state Cannabis Regulatory Commission voted unanimously Thursday afternoon to revoke three of the four licenses it awarded to Harmony back in December — a cultivator license at its Secaucus location, and cultivator and manufacturing licenses at its Lafayette, Sussex County, location.

Commission officials said that Harmony did not pay the $700,000 that was due for those licenses, prompting them to vacate it. However, Harmony will still be able to continue its retail operation in Secaucus since the fee for that license — $100,000 — was paid in February.

The move is one of the few times state officials had, even if it was momentarily, disciplined a cannabis business.

While Harmony’s Secaucus store, which is the only recreational dispensary open in Hudson County, will still be allowed to operate, it will eventually not have its in-house products to sell after its cultivating and manufacturing licenses were revoked.

Officials said that Harmony may submit new applications if they wish to continue those types of operations.

In a statement issued after the vote, Harmony’s CEO Shaya Brodchandel said that he was “baffled” by the decision.

“The rash decision that was taken is an alarming wake up call to the New Jersey entrepreneurs that are seeking to work within the confines established by state regulators to further grow the cannabis industry,” he said.

Harmony officials confirmed that they did not pay the $700,000 that was owed but claimed that they had reached an agreement with the commission in terms of paying their licensing fees and launching their Secaucus store.

They did not comment further on what the agreement was or if they’ll appeal the decision.

“I think their failure to pay speaks for itself,” Dianna Houenou, the CRC’s chair, said Thursday. “Non-payment is inherently noncompliance. If you have not paid for the license you don’t get the license.”

The latest blow isn’t the first time that Harmony ran into trouble. There had been some scrutiny against the company back when it was trying to open as a medical marijuana dispensary, as well as multiple lawsuits by former staffers and executives.

In the most recent lawsuit, investors claimed that Brodchandel and another operator put the company $30 million in debt and diverted funds to an Israeli cannabis business run by Brodchandel’s brother.

A judge said in that case that while Harmony had demonstrated “atrocious” record-keeping practices, it did not need an outside consultant to control the company, which the investors sought.

In the meantime, the commission on Thursday unanimously approved four Jersey City cannabis applicants, as well as one Hoboken applicant, with licenses to sell recreational cannabis.

The four Jersey City applicants approved were Decades Dispensary in the Heights’ Central Avenue, Jersey Leaf on West Side Avenue, Garden Greenz in Downtown’s Newark Avenue, and Strictly CBD in Communipaw.

While the state licenses are essentially the last major step to opening a store, the Jersey City applicants will not open immediately pending final checks by local and state officials.

The Garden Greenz is planning to open this summer, owner Brian Markey said; Strictly CBD is hoping to begin sales by July, said co-owner Jeffrey Devine, and Jersey Leaf is expected to open this September, according to co-owner George Margetis.

An opening date for Decades Dispensary could not be determined.

The four applicants join three other city applicants who have all gained state approval. Any of them could become the first recreational store to open in Jersey City, where none have yet to open.

Also approved was The Jersey Joint in Hoboken, who are planning to open in the city’s north end. Its expected opening date is the fourth quarter of this year, pending the construction of a new building for the store.

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New Jersey Transit (NJ Transit) is advancing plans to implement environmentally friendly transit access between its Secaucus Junction Station and the Meadowlands Sports and Entertainment Complex. The Secaucus to Meadowlands Transitway will utilize mostly existing infrastructure and roadways to provide additional capacity and ensure the area has the necessary public transportation system in place to attract and maintain some of the world’s largest entertainment and sporting events, boosting economic prosperity in the region and throughout all of New Jersey. The project also includes construction of a new ground level terminal at the Meadowlands and modifications to the existing bus circulation configuration and terminal at Secaucus Junction, to seamlessly and continuously move a stadium’s worth of people between Secaucus Junction and the Meadowlands Sports and Entertainment Complex, anchored by MetLife Stadium, seven miles away.

“NJ Transit is taking another exciting step towards advancing an innovative and environmentally friendly solution to move additional customers between Secaucus Junction and the Meadowlands Complex,” said New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) Commissioner and NJ Transit Board Chair Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti. “This critical initiative will support economic growth in the state while effectively meeting the anticipated travel demands to New Jersey’s premier sports, retail and entertainment destinations.”

At the August 2021 NJ Transit Board of Directors meeting, staff was authorized to enter NJ Transit Contract No. 21-017 with HNTB Corporation of New York, N.Y., for Concept Development and Preliminary Engineering, Final Design Engineering and Construction Assistance for the Secaucus-Meadowlands Transitway. At that time, funding was authorized to complete Phase 1 Conceptual Development and Preliminary Design services in the amount not to exceed $3.5 million. On July 19, the board authorized HNTB Corporation to enter Phase 2 for an amount not to exceed $34.9 million, plus five percent for contingencies, subject to the availability of funds.

NJ Transit sought proposals from planning, architecture and engineering design professionals with the intention of leveraging existing rights-of-way and partnering with adjacent transportation infrastructure owners (such as NJDOT and New Jersey Turnpike Authority) to quickly and cost-effectively implement environmentally friendly transit access between NJ Transit’s Secaucus Junction Station and the Meadowlands Sports and Entertainment Complex.

As part of the overall project, transit modes studied and advanced as a part of this work shall be configured such that they are capable of either being implemented with zero-emission vehicles or be readily transitioned to zero-emission vehicles in the future, with the capability of being scalable to fully autonomous vehicle operation as demonstrated advances in the industry allow.

“By once again advancing this innovative project, NJ Transit shows we are more than ready to tackle the world’s largest events,” said NJ Transit President and CEO Kevin S. Corbett. “With this project advancing, NJ Transit is poised to provide an exceptional service experience to the Meadowlands Sports and Entertainment Complex, bolstering New Jersey’s prominence on the global stage."

Redistricting pushed back to 2025, and also the district is looking into building an addition at Clarendon for an influx of PreK students:

Patch Staff

|Updated Fri, Feb 16, 2024 at 2:12 pm ET

SECAUCUS, NJ — There were many revelations at the Secaucus Board of Education meeting Thursday night:

1. Redistricting pushed back to Sept. 2025: First, school superintendent Erick Alfonso formally announced the district is delaying to Sept. 2025 plans to redistrict its two elementary schools. (This was already announced earlier this week in this letter Alfonso sent home to all parents.)

"We really listened to parents who told us their many concerns with this, and that they felt it was rushed," Board president Kelli D'Addetta told Patch after the meeting. "We received so many emails, so many calls, having parents stop me on the street, outside CVS. We said what is the rush to do this? There is no rush."

Alfonso said many parents presented "legitimate concerns" and he wants to respect them.

"We listened to all of you; thank you for your concerns and support," he said publicly Thursday night. "We are definitely taking it into consideration."

Find out what's happening in Secaucuswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

This is the proposed plan to house PreK-2nd grades at Clarendon Elementary, and 3rd-5th at Huber Street.

Millridge School, currently for PreK, may not house students at all and instead become BOE offices, said Alfonso. Alfonso said he still very much wants redistricting to happen; it remains a key goal of his, for all these reasons he cited at the Jan. 29 special meeting on this topic.

2. Here is probably the biggest news of the night: Alfonso and the BOE are considering building an expansion wing, most likely at Clarendon Elementary.

After the meeting, both Alfonso and D'Addetta explained why they think Secaucus will have to expand at the elementary level: First, Gov. Phil Murphy declared all towns in the state must start offering full-day PreK by the 2027/2028 school year. Secondly, in addition to RVR — the luxury apartment building nearly finished by XChange — two more final apartment buildings are coming to XChange. They will be built in the next few years, and will house approximately 500 apartments total.

These two things will result in approximately 300+ 3- and 4-year-olds entering the Secaucus school district in 2027/28. This is according to student population predictions the district has already done, said Alfonso and D'Addetta. That's why Secaucus submitted an application to the state DOE to start offering full-day PreK, which will be available to families via a lottery system.

"We cannot just wait until '27 and then scramble to find a place to house them," said D'Addetta after the meeting. "We have to start preparing now."

The school district would first have to do an expansion plan and see where expansion makes the most sense (it is likely Clarendon, said D'Addetta, as there is much more space there than at Huber Street). Then the district would have to get voters' approval to issue a bond (in the millions) to fund the construction, said Alfonso.

This means every resident of Secaucus would be asked in a public referendum (vote) whether they approve issuing a bond to expand Clarendon School. Should a majority of Secaucus residents vote to expand Clarendon, property taxes will almost certainly go up for all homeowners in town, although it is far too early to say by how much.

3. Mayor Mike concerned about a property tax increase: This is what prompted Secaucus Mayor Mike Gonnelli to speak at the meeting.

"In Hudson County, mayors don't find out about things last minute," he said. "Last minute is not good for me to find out about stuff that's going on, when it affects the town as a whole."

Gonnelli said after the meeting he was referring to the possible expansion at Clarendon. Should a referendum happen, and the school district has to borrow money:

"This now affects all Secaucus residents, all taxpayers, not just school parents," said Gonnelli.

He pleaded for the Board to "work together," meaning work with the town.

"A referendum to increase your budget is something that people really can't deal with: Senior citizens, people who don't have kids in school," said Gonnelli. "If we work together we can address that, as long as we work together. We have to be a team ... Taxes are my number-one issue, I try my best to keep taxes stable."

Gonnelli also continues to play it coy as to whether he supports redistricting or not.

"They have a year to figure this out," was all he would say Thursday night.

4. Finally, a stakeholder committee will be formed to discuss how exactly redistricting will be carried out in the next year, should it get Board approval. That committee will be composed of two district administrators, two teachers, two mental health professionals, two parents and two Board members.

Gonnelli asked that two Council members also sit on that committee:

"I want to have two members of my governing body on that board, alright?" said Gonnelli. "I am asking you if you'd do that."

Alfonso agreed to the mayor's request.

"We will be adding two council members to the committee," the superintendent told Patch Friday.

A Google form will be sent to families with children in elementary school who are interested in joining this group.

Again, redistricting cannot happen without a majority vote from the elected members of the Secaucus school board. Some Board members, such as Enrico Bolognino and Melissa Howard already said publicly they support the idea. Other members of the nine-member board have been mum. No matter how much Alfonso wants this to happen, he needs a majority vote from the board.

"Board members and I have been in discussions with the Mayor and Town Council members to consider expansion options for our elementary schools. We are looking over details and aim to present a plan at the upcoming meeting next month," wrote Alfonso in this letter home to parents Wednesday.

Secaucus Superintendent Pushes Redistricting; Many Parents Displeased (Jan. 30)

Secaucus Making A Dramatic Change At Its 2 Elementary Schools (Jan. 19)

Watch the Feb. 15 school board meeting here. Alfonso starts speaking about all this at minute 30:54.

Mayor Gonnelli does not speak until the public comment portion, minute 47.

Four people are running for three seats on the Secaucus school board. Vote Tuesday:

SECAUCUS, NJ — The general election for Secaucus school board is Nov. 7, but early in-person voting begins this Saturday, Oct. 28.

Current Secaucus BOE members Joe Lewis, Lance Bartletta and Enrico Bolognino are running for re-election. They are challenged by Secaucus resident Melissa Howard, who is also the Bergen County treasurer.

Voters are asked to choose three.

There are no Secaucus Council seats up for election in 2023 or 2024.

You can vote early from Oct. 28 - Nov. 5:

You can now vote early in person at any the following locations in Hudson County. Unfortunately, there is NO early voting location in Secaucus. You do not have to live in those towns; any Hudson County resident can vote there. The early voting locations are open Monday-Saturday 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Bayonne Bayonne City Hall Council Chambers 630 Avenue C Bayonne, NJ 07002

Guttenberg Galaxy Tower Hall 7000 Boulevard East Guttenberg, NJ 07093

Hoboken Hoboken City Hall 1st Floor Conference Room (Newark Street Entrance) 94 Washington Street Hoboken, NJ 07030

Jersey City Jersey City Hall Ground Floor Caucus Room 280 Grove Street Jersey City, NJ 07302

Pershing Field Community Center 816 Summit Avenue Jersey City, NJ 07307

Hank Gallo Community Center 175 Lincoln Park Jersey City, NJ 07304

Jersey City Moose Lodge

60 West Side Avenue Jersey City, NJ 07305

Kearny Kearny Town Hall 1st Floor Records Room 402 Kearny Avenue Kearny, NJ 07032

Union City Mobile Trailer 610 New York Avenue

Union City, NJ 07087 Mobile Trailer 800 Kennedy Blvd (8th Street Entrance)

Union City, NJ 07087 Mobile Trailer 1601 New York Avenue

Union City, NJ 07087 Mobile Trailer 28th Street and New York Avenue

Union City, NJ 07087 Mobile Trailer 43rd and Bergenline Avenue

Union City, NJ 07087 Mobile Trailer 47th Street and Palisade Avenue

Union City, NJ 07087 Mobile Trailer 4912 Bergenline Avenue Union City, NJ 07087

West New York

Otis Senior Building 5800 Jefferson Street West New York, NJ 07093

West New York Kennedy Towers 430 62nd Street West New York, NJ 07093

Trailer 52nd Street Between Park & Broadway West New York, NJ 07093

Secure Ballot Drop Box: Place your ballot in one of Hudson County’s secure ballot drop boxes on Nov. 7 by 8 p.m.

Vote by mail: Your ballot must be postmarked on or before the election day and be received by the county’s Board of Elections on or before election day or six days after election day. Visit USPS Informed Delivery Service to track your ballot.

You can track the progress of your ballot. Here’s how: Start by signing into your personal New Jersey Voter Registration System account information here. If you have trouble creating a profile please call 1-877-NJ-VOTER (1-877-658-6837).

Drop your ballot off in person to the Board of Elections Office at 257 Cornelison Ave. Jersey City by 8:00 p.m. on Nov. 7. A secure ballot drop box is located outside of the building.

Vote in person on Election Day, Nov. 7: Polls are open from 6 a.m. - 8 p.m. Not sure where to vote? Enter your address here: https://voter.svrs.nj.gov/poll...

SECAUCUS, NJ — Update, Feb. 15: The Secaucus school district now announced they pushed redistricting, should it happen, to September 2025.

Secaucus Mayor Mike Gonnelli will announce his thoughts on proposed redistricting at the Thursday night (Feb. 15) Board of Education meeting.

The public portion of the meeting starts at 7 p.m. in the Secaucus middle/high school PAC.

Gonnelli said he will stand up and reveal whether he supports redistricting or not.

This is the extremely controversial proposal to house K - 2nd at Clarendon Elementary, and 3rd - 5th at Huber Street. School superintendent Erick Alfonso wants this to be in place on the first day of school in September 2024. (Read: Secaucus Making A Dramatic Change At Its 2 Elementary Schools)

Find out what's happening in Secaucuswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

In the past two weeks, Gonnelli said he's received "hundreds" of text messages, emails and phone calls from town residents. Some support redistricting. But many are against it.

What is important for the public to know is that redistricting can happen with or without the support of Mayor Gonnelli. Alfonso wants redistricting to occur, but he needs a majority vote of the school board to make it happen. That vote would be taken some time this spring.

Although Gonnelli is a powerful figure in Secaucus, neither he nor the town Council have any legal say over decisions made by the school board — or how its members vote. Gonnelli acknowledged this much to Patch Thursday.

"They are going to vote how they're going to vote," he said. "But I will be making my thoughts known because this is something that affects all residents of town, whether you have kids in the schools or not, are a senior citizen, etc. There is going to be a lot more traffic from this."

The town of Secaucus does not control any of the school district budget. However, in the past the town has collaborated with the district on providing things such as school buses. That may happen again if redistricting goes through, as more school buses will be needed.

Again, redistricting can go through even if Gonnelli announces he is against it. However, he is influential in Secaucus, so what he says next Thursday night could sway some Board members who are still undecided.

What we know so far:

Redistricting is not a new idea. It was first brought up about 10 years ago, and various elected Boards of Education have batted it about ever since. However, the idea was not publicly discussed much, especially during the years of the pandemic.

This is why many Secaucus parents feel redistricting was sprung on them, and they said as much at public meetings.

At the massive Jan. 29 meeting, attended by dozens of parents, BOE president Kelli D'Addetta said she supports redistricting. In fact, one of the reasons the current BOE hired Alfonso was to make redistricting happen.

"Where the board stands ... is that we are in favor of Dr. Alfonso's proposal," she told Patch this Thursday.

"This current Board included this as priority in hiring Dr. Alfonso, and expressed to him the importance of this initiative," D'Addetta said Jan. 29. "We have full confidence that Dr. Alfonso will successfully move this initiative forward for the benefit of our students and families."

Alfonso said the No. 1 reason why he wants redistricting to happen is because it will improve the quality of education in Secaucus.

Redistricting will allow for "equitable distribution of resources and opportunities," he said. "This will ensure that all students have access to education and support, regardless of where they live in town."

All grade-levels will have the same teachers, in the same classrooms, he said. This will allow the curriculum to become more focused and more targeted per grade level. Special-education teachers and aides will be concentrated in the grades and classes that need them. If a student needs additional support, all the grade-appropriate aides and supplemental help will be concentrated in one place, in one building.

Next meeting: BOE meeting 7 p.m. Feb. 15 at the Secaucus High School - Performing Arts Center

Secaucus Superintendent Pushes Redistricting; Many Parents Displeased (Jan. 30)