Youth Invited to Safe Night Party

SOMERVILLE – Somerset County youth in grades 7 to 12 are invited to enjoy an evening planned by their peers and adults at which there are no weapons, alcohol, drugs or arguments and where they can party, play and learn.

This year’s “Safe Night’ program titled “Hollywood” will be held Saturday, April 18, from 6 to 10 p.m. at Somerville High School, located at 222 Davenport St. Participants are encouraged to dress like their favorite movie star.

The registration deadline is April 9. Admission is $5 for advance registration and $7 at the door. Admission includes refreshments and door prizes. Seating is limited to the first 200 participants.

“The ‘Safe Night’ program is more than a one-night event. It’s an experience that youth will remember for many years to come because of the life-long leadership, team building and character-building skills they will learn,” said Freeholder Patricia Walsh, human services liaison.

“This is the 10th year the county is hosting a ‘Safe Night’ program, which brings youth together to openly discuss important and relevant topics such as resolving conflicts peacefully, managing emotions and preventing violence, in a fun-filled, safe environment,” she said.

The evening will begin with a welcome by Freeholder Peter S. Palmer, Youth Council liaison, and a legislative address by Sen. Christopher “Kip” Bateman.

Afterward, teens will experience firsthand what it feels like to drive while drunk by wearing Fatal Vision simulator goggles.

Youth from S.T.O.P. (Students Tackling Ordinary Problems) will provide a dramatic interpretation addressing teen problems.

Students also will participate in basketball and Nerf dodgeball. The evening will end with a dance, games and door prizes.

First time this year, a bake sale will be held for Relay for Life, to raise money for the American Cancer Society

The “Safe Night” program is presented by the Somerset County Youth Council, Somerset Council on Alcoholism & Drug Dependency, Somerset County REBEL, Somerville High School , Somerville High School REBEL and Middle Earth.

“Safe Night” collaborators and co-sponsors include the Somerset County Board of Freeholders, Somerset County Department of Human Services, Somerset County Youth Council, Somerset Council on Alcoholism & Drug Dependency, Somerset County REBEL, Somerville High School , Somerville High School REBEL and Middle Earth.

The “Safe Night” program was begun by former police officer Olusegun “Olu” Sijuwade through the City of Milwaukee Health Department in 1994.

For registration and information about the “Safe Night” program, contact Sarah Murchison of the Somerset County Department of Human Services at 908-704-6307 or murchis@co.somerset.nj.us.

Safe Night Brochure & Registration Form

North Plainfield Adult Sports League

There will be a meeting on March 31st for anyone interested in participating, or just helping to promote,  the Adult Sports League.  For more information, please contact Larry LaRonde at npadultsports@comcast.net

Villa Maria – Council Attorney Bernstein’s Reply To Tax Settlement Question

At the council meeting, I expressed my disappointment regarding the amount of back tax that North Plainfield settled for, with regard to the Villa Maria. Using the information provided in the settlement document, I compared the taxes listed ($347K) and the amount settled ($125K) and came to the conclusion the developer received a 64% tax savings.

If I interpret Mr. Bernstein’s response correctly (the audio), the $347K amount was in appeal and the expected success of that appeal would have lowered the amount extensively. According to Mr. Bernstein, it was also in the best interest of the boro to settle, rather than incur additional legal cost with the additional possibility of losing the suit. Furthermore, there are a large number of appeals that are coming up and it was Mr. Bernstein’s advice that the boro would be better off taking this one off the list.  Listen for yourself…

Audio Excerpts from March 23rd Borough Council Meeting

Public Comment regarding Shade Tree/Public Works 

Police Budget Review

Rescue Squad Presentation - President and Captain

It seems to me the boro would be better served by a combination of professionals and volunteers. Not to take anything away from the hard working and dedicated volunteers, but the president really seemed out of his element. Ok, he’s new and trying to wrap his hands around the mis-management of the past year or two. But the squad needs someone with financial management experience. The president has done the right thing in reaching out to former officers and the boro for help, but they need that help right now.  Maybe the fire chief could step in, in the mean time, and help them put together a budget that has a prayer of being met.

If a tax payer stipend is granted, the council has finally realized that the outlays should be done on a monthly basis, to be given upon acceptance of a satisfactory monthly financial statement.  Let’s see how that goes. At least they’ll be documents on record….

Hal Hirsch (co-editor)

NPCCR April Monthly Meeting

NORTH PLAINFIELD
CITIZENS for COMMUNITY RIGHTS

MONTHLY MEETING
APRIL 2, 2009
7 pm
Vermuele Community Center
614 Greenbrook Rd. at Clinton Ave.ADAM BERKSON

Speaker, Demonstrates

HOW TO APPEAL YOUR REVALUATION ASSESSMENT

FREE! ● ALL WELCOME!

Villa Maria Tax Settlement

Thanks to Frank D’Amore for getting a copy of this.

And now for your viewing pleasure….

VM Tax Settlement

The way I’m looking at these numbers, with a $125,000 settlement, Mr. McNerney got a 64% tax savings.  Am I interpreting this correctly? Shall we all ask for the ‘Villa Maria Discount’ on our tax bills??  …And it should be noted no money was designated for late payment fees, either.

With the economy in the skids and the municipality hurting for cash, a settlement of $125 large was low hanging fruit for the boro.  But in the long run, I believe Mr. McNerney has taken advantage of the boro again, for his own profit.  And we’re, again, left holding the bag.

Hal Hirsch, co-editor

North Plainfield settles with Villa Maria site owner over unpaid taxes

The Courier-News article:

http://www.mycentraljersey.com/article/20090317/NEWS/903170362/1016/NEWS0205

Long ago the borough had taxes due to them from the church on the corner of Greenbrook Road and West End Avenue.  Apparently, because Sundance School (which occupies a large portion of the church building as a renter) was not owned and operated by the church–that portion of their property was taxable.  So there were back-taxes due.  But who knows how that was settled.

The article makes a few things unclear…

First, it says:

The borough challenged the exemption for both 2007 and 2008, and when Watchung Hills won an affirmation from the Somerset County Tax Board, the borough appealed the decision to the Tax Court of New Jersey in a case that was pending before the settlement was reached.

But a little further down, it says:

Quoting figures obtained from the tax assessor’s office, borough Administrator Dave Hollod said Watchung Hills would have been responsible for a total of $189,000 in 2007 and 2008 taxes if the borough followed through with its litigation and won the case, but he added that the administration and Corporation Counsel Eric Bernstein agreed that the settlement made more financial sense.

So, we didn’t follow through with the litigation and settled instead.  So we actually GOT $125,000 instead of $189,000.  Did this make more financial sense because our attorney fees would’ve eaten up the other $64,000?  Or because we had already lost at the local level and therefore were better off taking what we could get rather than risk losing all of it at the appeal level?

And the article states:

A recent re-evaluation of the site yielded an assessment of $3.97 million, Hollod said.

Was this the revaluation done by the company the borough hired to do the revaluation of all properties in town?

And really, when can we expect to hear something from any of our elected officials on this?  I see plenty of “Latest News” on the website which includes a letter to NP residents from the new Mayor when he took office, Foresclosure Fast Facts and a letter from the Mayor congratulating the First Aid Squad on their 60th anniversary ( :O ).  NOTHING about the most talked about property in the borough–and this settlement happened in February.  So it’s not like they haven’t had the time.

So much for change.

March 9th, Borough Council Meeting – Audio

Finally got the audio up from the March 9th, Borough Council Meeting.

audio

I Got the Preservation Board Blues

by Morgan Shevett

It is dark days ahead for those of us with homes subject to the whims of the Historic Preservation Board. The word is that the reasonable CB Bowman has stepped down as chairperson. The new chair is Robert, (I repair my home with hickory I chopped down with a flint axe I made myself with 2 rocks and some string, just like our forefathers!), Hitchcock. I personally had to sit through a 5 minute diatribe on how he removes and repairs all of his wood windows by hand and doesn’t understand why everybody else cant or wont. At the end of his speech I felt it necessary to surreptitiously check to make sure my manhood was still intact for fear that it had fled in the face of his manliness. He is really butch.

What are Mr. Hitchcock’s qualifications for the role of chairperson, other than a love of all things crotchety and a sweet collection of plaid woodsmen shirts? For that matter, what are the qualifications of any of the board members?

Does Mr. Hitchcock have a degree in architectural history? Has he or any members taken an accredited course in historic preservation? what , if any, are the qualifications to be on this board? It seems, and I hope someone can prove me wrong, that the only qualification is to be buddies with the mayor or someone else on the board.

I know for a fact that someone, who shall remain nameless, was asked to be on the board by someone on the board. This person had no previous experience or special knowledge of historic preservation other than that he has done nice work on his own home. Seems an arbitrary way to choose someone who will rule on what other people can and cant do to the homes they own.

I own a home that is subject to this board and I have never voted for any of them, I have never been asked who I think should be on the board. Hell! I haven’t even met half of them. Yet they decide the standards of what alot of us can or cant do to our homes.

What exactly are these standards? There is a basic outline of what work requires you to petition the board. There is nothing that explains what the base standard is though. What materials you can use and what changes you can make are subject merely to their whims. There is no standard. They have no formal training in what is or isn’t an historic feature. Its all guess work and gut feelings for them. I have yankee gutters on my home that I wanted to remove. They cause leaks and ice dams that constantly threaten my roof. I was told they had to stay cause they are historic and need to be preserved. I know for a fact that yankee gutters were still regularly being installed up till the early ’70s. The board had zero idea when mine were installed, they just knew that they didn’t know when they were installed so they must be historic. How ridiculously arbitrary is that?

In these economic hard times, how many of these homes are going to fall into disrepair because owners will be unable to do the restrictive and expensive repairs that the board will require them to do? Rather than do an inexpensive fix that can protect the integrity of these homes, an owner will have his home rot because he cant afford the boards arbitrary standards. I hear that there is a an empty home or two that could be providing income to this town but sit empty cause the owners cant rehab them to the boards pleasure.

Now I know that when I bought this home that there were certain responsibilities and added expenses that came with it, so just relax yourself. I did not know that these responsibilities were going to be overseen by a board that is chosen by, and acts on, whim. It is time that owners of homes subject to this board be allowed to openly choose it’s members, demand that these members have some sort of training, and that we be given the standard template upon which their decisions are made.

I would like to close by apologizing to Mr. Hitchcock for my earlier characterization of him. I have only seen him in one plaid woodsman shirt so it was fatuous of me to say that he had a collection of them. I do not have any information that would infer that he has any more than the one……………..call it a whim.

Giant Yard Sale at Vermeule

Sponsored by Friends of Vermeule Mansion (at the corner of Greenbrook Road and Clinton Avenue)

Saturday, April 25, 2009 (rain date April 26, 2009): 9:30am to 3:30pm

Cost for 10′x10′ space is $10 if paid by April 20th; after the 20th it is $15. NO REFUNDS–tax deductible contribution

No tables or chairs provided (bring your own)

Sellers set up at 8am–sign in at the driveway.

You must take your unsold items with you!

Questions can be asked of Peggy Glicklich at 732-868-6940. She can send you a form to sign up.