The Businesses and Merchants of Downtown Paterson have once again signed on as the headlining sponsor of the Paterson Fireworks Spectacular, a $40,000 fireworks display set to launch on Friday, July 2, 2010.

The Fireworks will launch off of Garret Mountain overlooking the City. This offers residents the opportunity to view the display, one of Northern NJ’s largest, from the comfort of thier own backyards, community church lots, or the mountain itself.

“When cities across NJ and the nation are cancelling their shows due to the economy, the businesses and merchants of the Downtown Paterson SID are proud to sponsor this show in partnership with the City of Paterson,” said Sheri Ferreira, executive director of the Downtown Paterson Special Improvement District, Inc.

A raindate of Saturday, July 3rd is set.

For more information about the fireworks display call the SID at 973-881-7302. More information will be posted, such as additional sponsors, as the information becomes available.

The Paterson Rotary Club recently awarded $8,000 in scholarships to Paterson students. The William Hannah Memorial Scholarship is named on behalf of a former Rotarian and Paterson businessman saw the talent and potential of Paterson’s youth through his work with the Paterson Boys and Girls Club.

Each year, the Paterson Rotary Club and Ron Farrington, a former Paterson Rotarian, who administers the Fund, awards the academic scholarship to students who apply through the Paterson Boys and Girls Club with assistance from the Paterson Public School District’s Guidance Department.

This year, two $2,500 scholarships were awarded to repeat applicants who are attending four year Colleges. Habiba Umme is attending Montclair State University, and Honey Umme is attending Rutgers University.

Two Paterson High School Seniors received scholarships for their first collegiate years. Carolyn Andia, of John F. Kennedy High School was awarded a $2,000 scholarship. She will attend the School of Arts and Sciences at Rutgers University in New Brunswick and intends to major in Aerospace Engineering.  Sheronda Scotland of Eastside High School was awarded a $1,000 scholarship. She will attend William Paterson University and intends to major in Secondary Education.

Contact the Paterson Rotary Club at 973-881-7300. www.patersonrotary.org

Paterson Mayor Jose “Joey” Torres announced on  May 6th, the development of  a new upscale hotel and parking structure to be constructed on the grounds of St. Joseph’s Medical Center, also under expansion. The first hotel in several decades to be built in the Paterson, and the only hotel in a five-mile radius, this project is a tribute to the success of Paterson’s urban redevelopment, and the committment of St. Joseph’s Medical Center to the City of Paterson.

The Hotel which is a partnership between Medical Missions for Children, St. Joseph’s and The City of Paterson willinclude 180 standard rooms and short-term stay apartments, a 30,000 square-foot conference and special events center, a restaurant, a health club, rooftop terrace and garden, retail space and more than 200 parking spaces within the structure. The hotel will be developed by Multi Media Concepts, a company under the MMC Worldwide umbrella, and operated by Hyatt Corporation.

In a separate, but adjacent project that is a component of St. Joseph’s Healthcare System’s master facilities investment plan, St. Joseph’s will build a new 1,120-space parking garage that will be located at the southwest end of the Paterson campus. This will complement the $170 million hospital expansion and renovation project at St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center that began in 2008 and is scheduled for completion in 2012. The St. Joseph’s parking garage project will precede the construction of the Medical Missions for Children Hyatt Place Hotel at St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center.