BAYONNE, NJ – Residents of Hobart Street got a quick response from the city after complaining about deplorable conditions behind an unused factory in their neighborhood.

The factory, which manufactured military tanks during World War II, has largely lain vacant for the last few decades, parts overgrown with weeds, areas near the loading dock frequently flooded and a haven for swarms of mosquitoes.

Because of a lack of adequate fencing, the site has also served as a hang out for kids, many of whom enter the property from the east side where there appears to be little security.

The site also contains three large power transformers that supply electrical current to the whole area, leading to fears this might be disrupted if the factory remains unattended.

Councilman Neil Carroll III said the Bayonne Fire Department  entered the property shortly after the issue was raised and began draining the stagnant water. Hudson County Division of Mosquito Control also came to the property to abate the infestation of the pesky insects breeding in the water.

Carroll said the city has routinely put the property owner on notice about maintenance, and to some degree the property owner has complied – at least in regard to cutting down grass along the street. He added that officials are also seeking to have taller security fencing installed and pressing the owner to complete the cleanup of trash and largely abandoned trucks littering the property.

“If we get no response, we will have to take the next step,” Carroll said, meaning legal action.

Bayonne has had this issue in the past on other properties, but new development on many of these sites has made it mostly an issue of the past.

“This is one of the few left on this side of town,” Carroll said. 

The factory borders a largely residential area of the city near 3rd Street, where there are rows of townhouses, a senior building and some upgraded industrial facilities.