UPDATE: Mayor Nick Sacco and the North Bergen Board of Commissioners announced that full heat and hot water service has been restored at Westview Towers. The landlord’s contractor completed the replacement of all heating equipment in the building’s boiler room on Wednesday. After final inspections by Township officials, service was confirmed restored for all tenants.
ORIGINAL POST: After Assemblyman-elect Larry Wainstein posted a video on social media concerning the lack of heat and hot water at Westview Towers, the Township of North Bergen issued a press release this afternoon stating that Mayor Nicholas Sacco and the Board of Commissioners are aggressively advocating on behalf of the tenants of the complex, which is located at 6115 Granton Avenue. After being notified of the outage, the Township demanded immediate corrective action from the landlord. The municipality has informed the landlord that penalties of up to $2,000 per day will be imposed until full heat and hot water service is restored.
In a statement, Mayor Sacco said, “Keeping our residents provided with safe and warm living conditions is non-negotiable, and the conditions at Westview Towers are unacceptable. The Township will use every tool available to hold the landlord accountable, and in the interim our Building and Health Department staff are on-site and working tirelessly until this issue is resolved and every tenant has the services they deserve.”
In direct communication with the contractor, Township officials have been advised that all heating equipment in the building’s boiler room requires replacement. This work is currently underway and the contractor has pledged that heat will resume Tuesday night, with hot water service expected to be fully restored on Wednesday.
Until that occurs, warming centers remain open for affected tenants at the Terrace Building at 6800 Columbia Avenue and at Lawler Towers at 6121 Grand Avenue. The North Bergen Building Department and Health Department continue to monitor the situation closely to ensure all repairs are completed properly and as quickly as possible.