Whatever happened to the Recreation Advisory Board?

Englewood City Council Meeting 
February 12, 2013

Note: Before proceeding, it is important to note that the Boy's & Girl's Club of Garfield admits to no special knowledge of Ice Skating Rinks. They have no knowledge of how to run one and have never, ever done so. They have found a 3rd party who will function as a consultant. This 3rd Party works out of an closed in or indoor Rink in Wayne and has no experience operating an Open Air Ice Skating Rink. What is wrong with this picture?

There was some talk out in the Community about a closed in or indoor rink. Several references were made to this idea by the Mayor and one other Council member, but this was not read off as one of the items on the list to be repaired or constructed. 

It seems that the REAL DEAL here is Indoor or Outdoor Rink vs. Open Air Rink. Why is this not being said clearly and openly? Why are we dancing around this old controversy? Perhaps the word we must all learn is compromise. Perhaps we might seek a compromise unlike the one of 1850.

For those of you who have never been inside, there is no place in that rink for other programs with children. It is a dilapidated ice skating rink. 

Ice vs. Roller or skate boarding

Indoor vs. Open Air 

Isn't that the gist of it? 

Where is the business plan? End this craziness. It is not worth

all of the fuss.

  

The Meeting

You just gotta love it when you get a group of men together in front of reporters with cameras. They filler-bustered 4 ways from Sunday about the Rink over two hours. It was like the Town Hall Meeting never happened. They wore us out again. There was, however, a major difference. It was hilarious. I have never had so much fun watching "elected officials" cover themselves.  We really must consider Livestreaming.

Council Woman at Large, Lynne Algrant regaled us with a reading of The allegory of the long spoons, which is a parable that shows the difference between heaven and hell by means of people eating with long spoons where on the hell side they are starving and on the heaven side they are sated.  (The people cannot feed themselves because they have no elbows, on the Heaven side they feed each other.)

The point of this reading seems to have been to chastise us as ungrateful 3rd and 4th Ward people. She ended by giving us another finely veiled threat about how we are never going to get a community center so we may as well shut up and enjoy what they deign to feed us from across the table. We vote for elbows. As a matter of fact, we vote for elbow room.

Oh, and by the way, that recitation was insulting and disconnected. Did the Lady Lynne imagine herself peering down from Mount Olympus as she chastised us for our ingratitude and opinions? 

The Vote:  Elected Officials must learn to mask disappointment when they do not get what they want. Last night's drama matched equally colorful characters, pitting Eugene Skurnick against Mayor Frank Huttle III.  I found myself agreeing with Mr. Skurnick, so times must be a-changing. School Board meetings are never this entertaining. This small, but overlong comedy should have been videotaped. Mr. Skurnick was in rare form. Sometimes his questions and comments were overlong, but they hit the point squarely. No one else on the City Council ever will. 

The repair of the Overpeck Creek drainage ditch retaining wall was separated out from the repair and renovation of the recreational facility. It never made any sense that the repair of the Overpeck storm drain, which is a necessity, should be lumped in with the repair and renovation of a recreational facility. 

Not really sure, but it seems concessions were made on repair and renovation of the rink. There was a vote of 4 to 1. Mr. Hamer qualified his yes with the explanation that he was voting for discussion not in favor yet.  Mr. Dacey, City Manager had a few dicey and defensive moments with Mr. Skurnick and accused him of performing for the cameras. Whenever cameras are introduced to a like situations, behaviors do seem to change. The City Clerk's temper and patience seemed short. 

Michael Cohen, the 2nd Ward Council man took over for the Mayor and invoked Jack Drakeford's name over 24 times. I am praying for a quick release of the book. All of a sudden everyone is the late councilman's protege'. There is such a disconnect here, because that makes absolutely no difference. Please stop doing it. It is disrespectful of the man. 

While the men held their contest over the rink, there was other stuff on the agenda that actually does affect the entire City.

They wore us out. We left before being afforded privilege of the floor.

The other Agenda:

• Bond Ordinance #13-01
• James Street Ordinance

Resolutions:

Every 3 years the 4th Ward is in the house & pay dearly.

• Rescind Shared Services Agreement with the Englewood Public School District to provide Information Technology.
• Award Professional Services Contract to Business Systems Unlimited, Inc. to provide information Technology Services.
• Ressolution for a Zero 2013 Municipal Budget
• Award Professional Services Contract for Feal Estate Appraiser to Defend the 2013 Tax Appeals filed with the Bergen County Board of Taxation
• Authorize Execution of Settlement Agreement with 'C" Cross Creek Home Owners-Association, Inc.
• Authorize Conveyance of Public Land
• Resolution Opposing Assembly Bill A-1196