Week in Review: Redevelopment 5 Deal Approved, BOE Recognizes Student Hero, More From Candidates

The Fort Lee Mayor and Council passed five resolutions at their regular meeting Thursday, the cumulative effect of which clears the way for the two parcels of land, commonly known as Redevelopment Area 5, to become what officials hope will be a bustling retail and residential center near the George Washington Bridge.

The agreement among the Borough of Fort Lee, Tucker Development Corporation and Fort Lee Redevelopment Associates puts an end to years of arduous negotiations and ongoing litigation, paves the way for retail, residential, hotel and office space to be built on the 16-acre site adjacent to the bridge and include restaurants, a large public park and a movie theater, among other amenities.

Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich called it “historic.” (read full article)

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Four of the six candidates for the Fort Lee Board of Education turned up at the Fort Lee Public Library Tuesday for another candidates forum—this one hosted by the United Republican Club of Fort Lee.

Helen Yoon, Tracy Mattei, Paul Umrichin and incumbent Joseph Surace provided brief summaries of their platforms and qualifications, followed by a Q&A with the audience in what was described as a town hall-style event moderated by Martha Cohen. (read full article)

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The Fort Lee Board of Education opened its regular meeting Monday by honoring the Fort Lee High School student and baseball player who quite possibly saved a man’s life last week, while risking his own, when he used his own last-measure resources to help a fellow diabetic and a total stranger during a diabetic episode onboard a flight from Florida.

The school board also made official its previous decision to renew and expand its partnership with Bloomfield College on a program that brings teachers from South Korea to Fort Lee schools for six-month stays to be mentored by Fort Lee teachers in an American classroom setting, signing a formal memorandum of agreement. (read full article)

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The Fort Lee Board of Education, Superintendent, Mayor, Police Chief and other school and police officials paid tribute to some unsung heroes Wednesday—Fort Lee’s school crossing guards.

At an appreciation breakfast held at Lewis F. Cole Middle School and sponsored by all six Fort Lee school PTAs and KPAC, 45 Crossing guards were recognized for their service to the community, receiving certificates of appreciation from Crossing Guard Liaison Officer Daren Baumgardt of the Fort Lee Police Department. (read full article)

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The Bergen Record reported this week that three members of an ex-For Lee family were acquitted in Superior Court in Hackensack Wednesday of assaulting police officers during a 2008 traffic stop.

But the Record said Mario Alvarez and Waljude Rodriguez were found guilty of lesser offenses—the third-degree crime of resisting arrest, which carries a penalty of up to five years in prison. (read full article)

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At just 13 years of age, Fort Lee’s Marc-Dimitri Akda has become one of the top Taekwon-Do competitors in the world.

Last month he became the youngest competitor in the history of the ITF Taekwon-Do  World Championships in New Zealand to earn a medal. (read full article)

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Students at Fort Lee School No. 3 raised $11,257, all of which is being donated to the Japanese Red Cross, through the school’s “Helping Hands” project. (read full article)

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And Candidates for municipal, county and state elections were announced Monday, the filing deadline to run in the June 7 primary. (read full article)

The week in review appears every Sunday on Fort Lee Patch.