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HACKENSACK, NJ — Mayor Caseen Gaines and the City Council have announced plans to transform a 7,501-square-foot lot on Main Street into a municipal park at no cost to taxpayers.

A New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection's (NJDEP) Green Acres Program grant will help fund the green space. Vice President of the city's grant consultants Bruno Associates, Joseph DiFranco, commented on feedback received by taxpayers.

“What has stood out most to me throughout this process is the level of enthusiasm and engagement from the Hackensack community,” DeFranco said. “The feedback reflects a genuine desire for meaningful open space, and it's rewarding to work with a governing body that is in sync with its constituents and willing to take the steps necessary to turn a vision into a reality.”

The Mayor and Council will apply for state funding of up to $1,400,000. The amount is the maximum that the City qualifies for, as well as the estimated total project cost. Funds are subject to appraisal review and confirmation of eligible acquisition costs.

Located between The Woolworth Residences and Iconic Coffee, the next step of the pocket park project was for the Council to host a public hearing.

Held on Tuesday, Feb. 3, residents stepped up to the podium in City Hall to share their thoughts. Two residents were specifically concerned with the conditions of other Hackensack parks.

“I'd like to see some refreshing or updating of some of the other parks that are in the city as well, particularly Carver Park, which I believe is entitled to Green Acres grant money as well,” said resident Anita Rivers. “And then also the Anderson Street Park, that's right across from the Second Reformed Church. I think those two parks in the community, where there are a lot of children, would certainly benefit from an updated, refreshed green space.”

A Main Street resident, Patricia, agreed with Rivers's statement.

“My problem is that you are willing to spend money on a tiny park on Main Street, while the beautiful spaces we already have are severely neglected,” she said. “As my neighbor said, you know, I live within walking distance of the park on Anderson Street, for instance. It has mature trees and is nestled between two churches and a lovely school. It's off of Main Street, which makes it a lovely place for relaxation and enjoyment."

She further commented on the status of Anderson Street Park.

“However, there's a water fountain that’s almost never functioning during the warmer months," Patricia said. "It looks like a literal petri dish. There is almost no landscaping. The grass could use some help. More seating would also be welcomed. That little park deserves some TLC.”

Patricia said long-time residents seem to be ignored, and that the City is catering to newcomers that will reside in the luxury high-rise buildings being built in the area.

“They are welcome to walk down the street to one of our current parks,” she said. "…Don't neglect the structures and public spaces that have endured Hackensack evolution for something new and glitzy, just to look like we did something. It's an insult to the history and integrity of Hackensack."

Gaines emphasized that the new park aligns with the demand to bring people to Main Street. He believes many people are not spending time exploring the area by foot.

“I think it's important when people talk about a growing city, you can grow a city in lots of ways besides luxury apartments and thinking about opportunities to invite people to come,” Gaines said. “This pocket park is truly not something just for new residents. [It's] an attempt to get everyone to come to Main Street and have a reason to stay there a little bit longer.”

Another resident was concerned about the future cost to taxpayers for park maintenance.

“Yes, our maintenance is going to be a cost factor,” Carroll said. “But I don't think it's going to be that much of a cost factor, because we do have good existing DPW parks people that I believe can maintain that property, which is not large.”

Approving the resolution, Mayor Gaines will now apply for the NJDEP grant, which has a Feb. 27 deadline.

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HACKENSACK — Matthew Whitaker was on a cruise in the Caribbean when he won his Grammy, about 3,000 miles away from the awards show in Los Angeles on Sunday night, Feb. 1.

The 24-year-old music prodigy from Hackensack had finished a set with his band on a boat travelling from Puerto Rico to Florida, and was having dinner when his friend texted him a picture from the show of the Grammy stage with his name listed across the big screen announcing the category’s winners.

He and his band had been performing on the cruise boat for the past week and were in one of its restaurants when he got the text that he had won the award for best arrangement, instrumental or a cappella for his work on the song “Super Mario Praise Break.”

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“I got the picture and showed my bandmates and they were like, ‘You won!” he said. The band’s guitar player, Marcos Robinson, who also played on the song, shouted the news from their table, and the restaurant broke out in applause, he said.

“I was shocked — I still can’t believe it, honestly,” Whitaker said. “I’m really grateful and honored and blessed to have gotten the Grammy.”

Whitaker, who has been blind since birth, began playing the piano at age 3, when he taught himself some songs he had heard in nursery school on a toy keyboard given to him by his grandfather.

His first performance on stage was at the Apollo Theater in Harlem at 9 years old, where he won the Child Stars of Tomorrow competition during the theater’s amateur night talent show.

Whitaker, who grew up in Hackensack and still lives in the city, has released four studio albums and tours internationally and in the U.S. with other musicians and his own band.

Since last year, he has also been teaching at the Augustana University School of Music in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where he was named the university’s inaugural artist-in-residence.

When he’s home in Hackensack, Whitaker plays organ at his family’s church, the New Hope Baptist Church in Hackensack, where he also directs the choir.

His Grammy, the first in his career, is for his work with the 8-Bit Big Band, a jazz and pops orchestra that reimagines video game music as big band jazz, on “Super Mario Praise Break,” a medley of songs from Mario games in a gospel arrangement.

“To be nominated and win in the best arrangement category, it’s just amazing,” he said. “The style — it’s gospel mixed with video game music — it’s not something you see all the time. It’s pretty unique.”

Bryan Carter, one of the other musicians that was a part of the arrangement, was on stage to accept the Grammy award, with Charlie Rosen, the band’s leader, said Whitaker, who got back to New Jersey on Tuesday, and was going Wednesday to his university in South Dakota to start spring semester.

Whitaker is beginning to work on a new album he hopes to release next year and will tour with Rosen in June playing piano and keyboard in cities across Japan.

The Grammy win is a meaningful milestone for Whitaker in his already accomplished career.

“Honestly it means a lot to me — my very first Grammy,” he said. “I feel so grateful. It’s only up from here.”

A single-family home that sold for $928,000 tops the list of the most expensive residential real estate sales in Hackensack in the past week.

The area saw a total of 14 residential real estate sales during the past week, averaging $491,311. The average price per square foot was $390.

The prices in the list below include real estate sales where the title was recorded during the week of Dec. 29 even if the property sold earlier.

10. $343K, condominium at 326 Prospect Ave., Apt. 5H

The condominium at 326 Prospect Ave., Apt. 5H in Hackensack has new owners. The price was $342,500. The condo was built in 1987 and has a living area of 1,376 square feet. The price per square foot ended up at $249. The deal was finalized on Dec. 6, 2025.

9. $405K, condominium at 241 Union Street, Apt. 301

A 1,036-square-foot condominium at 241 Union Street, Apt. 301 in Hackensack has been sold. The total purchase price was $405,000, $391 per square foot. The condo was built in 2005. The deal was closed on Dec. 8, 2025.

8. $519K, single-family home at 321 Simons Ave., Unit 323

A 1,268-square-foot single-family residence at 321 Simons Ave., Unit 323 in Hackensack has been sold. The total purchase price was $518,972, $409 per square foot. The home was built in 1929. The transaction was completed on Dec. 6, 2025.

7. $538K, single-family home at 253 Sutton Ave.

The sale of the single-family home at 253 Sutton Ave. in Hackensack has been finalized. The price was $538,000. The house was built in 1929 and has a living area of 1,678 square feet. The price per square foot ended up at $321. The transaction was completed on Dec. 9, 2025.

6. $560K, single-family home at 193 Krone Place

A sale has been finalized for the single-family house at 193 Krone Place in Hackensack. The price was $560,000. The house was built in 1936 and the living area totals 1,465 square feet. The price per square foot ended up at $382. The deal was finalized on Dec. 6, 2025.

5. $581K, single-family home at 131 Davis Ave.

A 1,649-square-foot single-family house at 131 Davis Ave. in Hackensack has been sold. The total purchase price was $581,000, $352 per square foot. The home was built in 1936. The deal was closed on Dec. 6, 2025.

4. $584K, single-family home at 178 Fairmount Ave.

The single-family residence at 178 Fairmount Ave. in Hackensack has new owners. The price was $584,000. The house was built in 1936 and has a living area of 1,248 square feet. The price per square foot ended up at $468. The deal was closed on Dec. 6, 2025.

3. $675K, condominium at 245 Prospect Ave., Apt. 18D

The sale of the condominium at 245 Prospect Ave., Apt. 18D in Hackensack has been finalized. The price was $675,000. The condo was built in 1986 and has a living area of 1,662 square feet. The price per square foot ended up at $406. The transaction was completed on Dec. 8, 2025.

2. $709K, single-family home at 127 Poplar Ave.

A sale has been finalized for the single-family home at 127 Poplar Ave. in Hackensack. The price was $708,888. The house was built in 1936 and the living area totals 1,944 square feet. The price per square foot ended up at $365. The deal was finalized on Dec. 11, 2025.

1. $928K, single-family home at 184 High Street

A 1,798-square-foot single-family residence at 184 High Street in Hackensack has been sold. The total purchase price was $928,000, $516 per square foot. The home was built in 1946. The deal was finalized on Dec. 8, 2025.

A newly uncovered $15 million budget gap has pushed the Hackensack School District into a financial crisis that could force major cuts, local officials said this week.

Current board members in the Bergen County school district are blaming the massive shortfall on decisions made under prior leadership.

At a Hackensack Board of Education meeting Wednesday night, school board president Jennifer Harris said concerns about the district’s finances surfaced shortly after a leadership change in January 2025, when some of the current board members started their terms.

The leadership transition continued in June, when then-Hackensack Superintendent Thomas McBryde was suspended and replaced by Assistant Superintendent Andrea Oates-Parchment without a public explanation.

It was not until last summer that board members began receiving complete and accurate financial information about the budget, they said. The board then hired a new independent auditing firm.

An audit of the 2024–25 school year, along with a review of the current budget, ultimately revealed the estimated $15 million deficit, officials said.

“This problem was not created overnight,” Harris said. “Rather, it is the culmination of improper budgeting practices over the past several years.”

Board members sought answers about the budget problems from former board leadership, but the questions were not answered, Harris said.

Harris pointed to decisions made under former school board president Scott James-Vickery, along with updated information tied to rising health insurance premiums and changes in state grant funding, as contributing to the deficit.

But James-Vickery pushed back on that narrative Thursday, saying responsibility is shared among board members and that budgeting decisions are not made by any one person.

“The board president does not have any additional powers beyond other board members,” James-Vickery told NJ Advance Media in a phone interview. “My vote equals their vote.”

The former president said he does not know how the deficit occurred, adding that New Jersey’s school budgeting process includes multiple layers of oversight including being reviewed by an auditing firm and the county superintendent before a final public vote.

He also noted that at least three current board members have served for multiple years and said it is misleading to place the blame solely on former leadership.

“There are so many layers to this,” he said. “I don’t understand trying to lay the blame on a former board. That narrative takes the heat off them, when the focus should be on finding a solution.”

According to NorthJersey.com, James-Vickery abruptly resigned in December 2024 after delivering an hour-long, emotional final public report in which he described years of harassment and threats directed at him and his family. He had one year remaining in his second term when he stepped down.

Hackensack is a public school district in Bergen County serving about 5,300 students in grades pre-K through 12 across six schools.

No action was taken on the financial crisis at Wednesday’s school board meeting. Auditors are scheduled to publicly present their findings and answer questions at the district’s next meeting on Wednesday.

Administrators said they will present a proposed corrective action plan and will follow up with a vote on Jan. 28.

District leaders warned that closing the gap will require “difficult decisions,” including spending reductions that could affect staffing and school resources.

“This news is deeply troubling and disappointing,” Harris said. “Please know that this board does not take these decisions lightly.”

Statewide, New Jersey allocated more than $12 billion in K-12 school aid for the 2025–26 school year, an increase of more than $387 million from the prior year. Hackensack received roughly $40.6 million in state aid, a nearly 6% increase compared to the previous year.

Still, multiple districts across New Jersey have reported financial strain this school year, with some officials blaming the state’s school funding formula, which critics argue does not fairly distribute aid.

During the public comment section of the school board meeting, multiple speakers asked for more transparency on the budget and cautioned against cuts that could affect students and staff.

Hackensack High School Assistant Principal Patricia Lozano, who said she has worked in the district for more than two decades, asked the board to carefully consider the impact of any reductions.

“The news of a $15 million-plus deficit and possible staffing cuts is devastating,” Lozano said. “These are not just numbers on a spreadsheet. They represent people. People who care deeply for our children.”

Michelle Tavares, president of the district’s PTA Council, questioned how the deficit went unnoticed.

“How does a district find itself facing a $15 million shortfall without anyone currently in the district knowing this was coming?” she asked.

Hackensack's public schools are facing an estimated $15 million budget shortfall following an audit that reviewed the district's finances across multiple school years, school officials said.

Board of Education President Jennifer Harris said the figure reflects updated information learned after she issued an initial statement on Wednesday, Jan. 7.

Addressing the shortfall will require difficult decisions, including expense reductions that could affect staffing and resources, Harris said.

The Board of Education is scheduled to meet on Wednesday, Jan. 14, at 6:15 p.m., starting with public comment before entering executive session in the Hackensack High School auditorium. No public action will be taken at that meeting, Harris said. The Zoom link and passcode were shared on the Hackensack schools .

A public meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 21, when auditors will formally present their findings and answer questions from the board, according to Harris.

“Our focus remains on accountability, openness, and working diligently to stabilize the district while prioritizing the educational needs of our students,” Harris said.

Concerns about the district’s financial health surfaced after new board leadership took over in January 2025, prompting officials to assess both the district’s financial and administrative practices, Harris said. One of the first steps was appointing a new independent audit firm.

Harris said board members who served prior to January 2025 repeatedly raised questions about the district’s finances to the former board leadership but did not receive answers. Accurate and complete financial information began coming in over the summer once the board gained access to district records with the cooperation of central office staff, Harris said. That led to an internal review and coordination with the newly appointed auditor.

The audit included the legally required review of the 2024-25 school year and an analysis of the 2025-26 school year, Harris said. The process began in the fall.

According to Harris, the completed audit found that actions by the prior board leadership, led by former Board President Scott James Vickery (, citing Board drama and wasted resources) resulted in an estimated $13 million shortfall for the current school year.

“This news is deeply troubling and disappointing,” Harris said. “We understand the concern and uncertainty this creates for our students, staff, families, and the broader community.” She said the auditor determined the issue developed over several years, not in a single budget cycle.

“This problem was not created ‘overnight,’ meaning in the current budget year, rather it is a culmination of improper budgeting practices over the past several years,” Harris said, maintaining that the board will continue working with the county superintendent, independent auditor, legal counsel, and staff associations as corrective steps move forward.

Harris encouraged residents to attend the Jan. 21 meeting and hear directly from the auditors, adding, “We know this news is devastating.”