Hudson County helicopter haters — help is on the way, thanks to the county executive and Kearny’s mayor.
Hudson County Executive Craig Guy says he’s received commitments from HHI Heliport CEO Jeff Hyman that he intends to alleviate the rampant helicopter activity throughout Hudson County.
Moving forward, 90% of the trips originating out of the Kearny heliport will take place during the hours of 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. in the spring/summer/fall and 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. in the winter.
Additionally, Guy says HHI has pledged it will not contract another tour company to replace the now-defunct New York Helicopters. Without this additional tour company operation, it is estimated annually 3,000 movements per year will be reduced in the area.
Guy says he will hold HHI Heliport accountable by following up with the company within 30 days to ensure these standards are enforced.
“Unfettered helicopter flights over Hudson County are unacceptable. This is a safety issue, a quality-of-life issue and an environmental issue. It is time to hold these operators accountable for their actions,” Guy said. “The remedies HHI has offered are but a first step to addressing concerns of Hudson County residents. This issue remains the highest priority for me and Congressman Rob Menendez — we will remain vigilant in ensuring the lives of our people are not constantly harassed by helicopter flights. We will be watching and will take stock of the situation and see if HHI is meeting its commitments. The proof will be in the pudding.”
Kearny Mayor Carol Jean Doyle says she is pleased with the direction she, the county executive and Hyman are taking.
“As mayor of Kearny, I, too, heard the complaints from Jersey City and Hoboken, in person and in emails as well,” Doyle said. “The issue of the helicopters did not go unnoticed. I attended the meetings with County Executive Craig Guy and his team. We are confident the changes Mr. Hyman from HHI promised along with testimony from 2014 will give much needed relief from the helicopters. I will continue to work with the county executive and Congressman Menendez to continue to monitor this situation.”
Lastly, Hyman chimed in.
“County Executive Guy made clear that changes must be made to our operation and we will continue working with the county executive’s office, as well as other Hudson County elected officials and the community-at-large, to make sure we are effectively responding to their concerns,” Hyman said.
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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.