By JACQUELINE DURETT
Correspondent
SOUTH AMBOY — The brief March 16 City Council meeting was largely a mix of congratulations and condolences.
At the meeting, officials expressed sadness at the recent passing of Edmund Paczkowski, who had owned the site that long housed the city’s Foodtown.
Paczkowski retired in 2012 and closed shop following Superstorm Sandy. However, he still owned the site, which became a C-Town supermarket. A fire last year destroyed the building, and the site now sits vacant. Paczkowski had been discussing with city officials possibilities for the site.
Paczkowski, according to his obituary, was 78 when he passed away on March 12.
“South Amboy lost a great friend,” Mayor Fred Henry said. “He will be missed.”
Other officials, including Councilman Tom Reilly, spoke of Paczkowski’s service to the city in the form of volunteer work, including with the Frog Hollow Swim and Tennis Club, where he served on the board. According to his obituary, that was just one of the many ways Paczkowski volunteered in the city.
“He’s going to be missed,” Council President Mickey Gross said.
“Ed was certainly a true South Amboyan,” Business Administrator Camille Tooker said. “He was certainly there for anyone who needed anything.”
On a different note, officials all commended the parade committee for a successful St. Patrick’s Day parade in the city on March 12. Henry said the police department’s efforts were especially appreciated.
“They make sure everything is done accordingly and that we stay safe in the city,” he said. “They continue to do a great job.”
“As usual it was a job well done,” Tooker said.
Tooker also took an opportunity to drum up support for another parade, one that hasn’t had the level of success that the St. Patrick’s Day parade has enjoyed: the city’s Memorial Day parade. She urged residents to support veterans.
“In the past we’ve tried anything and everything to get residents out to the parade,” she said. “Please, please try to come out.”
Also speaking about future events, Gross said he hopes to have an update at April’s council meeting as to whether the city will hold a Fourth of July fireworks display. In the past, the city has held a joint event with Perth Amboy.
Also at the meeting, resident Gary Kuhn complained that new signage at South Amboy Middle High School indicates that certain parking spots at the school are actually for the Sadie Pope Dowdell Library next door.
Kuhn said the original Dowdell parking signs were damaged by snow a few years ago, but the replacement signs were placed on the wrong parking spaces — ones that are numbered specifically for school use. Now those who were assigned those spaces are hesitant to use them, he said.
“If you could have that corrected, that would be great,” he told the council.
Henry said he would look into the issue.