Englewood Farmer's Market: What happened to our Country Fare?

The empty wet hole where my grandchildren's 

beloved playground used to stand.

Recently, while photographing the Depot Square Playground, I decided to do a little shopping at our 

Englewood Farmer's Market. I was very disappointed in the prices and the participation. I found myself wondering, "where are the farmers"? There was only one Farm represented, a bakery, a soap salesman and a food truck. I attributed it to the fact that it was an overcast day. and the fact that the Park 

has a very dismal look without the Playground equipment.

I purchased 5 sweet potatoes and some fresh ginger. I could have purchased these items at Shoprite, but I wanted to give some business to the Farmers.

Those 5 sweet potatoes and piece of ginger 

cost $7.55

 As it is, these 5 potatoes and piece of ginger cost $7.55. I almost walked away without the vegetables when I heard the price, but I am forever conscious of the plight of farmers. I grew up on a farm and still grow vegetables to this day. This was a difficult season. The rain and the overabundance of the Mexican Bean Beetle, plus the Deer grinded our Community to a near standstill. Needless to say, I was not happy at the cost, even under these circumstances.  I left the area wondering how much each vendor was required "to pay for the privilege to set up shop" in the park.

There is also something else the folks who make the decisions did not take into consideration. The playground was a bonus attraction to persons visiting the Farmer's Market. The large number of vendors filled the small Park and gave the visitors a feeling of a Country Fair. My grandchildren loved it. They played in the playground while I shopped and took photos.  The present appearance of the Park is not a good companion to a poorly purposed Farmer's Market.

Alstedes seems to be the only farm participating.

Compare to 2012

Was it the weather, the cost of the space rental, the planning or the dismal appearance of the site?

That hefty $7.55 for such a small amount of produce

may be a factor for some, I'm just saying.

This is Your United States Post Office!

Do you know who owns the building that houses the United States Post Office in Englewood, NJ? On August 27, 2019, I spoke to Residents as they entered the building. They all had the same disgust as I that the building and grounds have been allowed to fall into such disrepair.

Are the powerful in Englewood doing this own purpose? Will this be the next place to become part of the famous "Opportunity Zone"? One of the Residents told me that he heard that the building was for sale and that the Annex would be the only brick and mortar place that we would have to serve as our Post Office.

Has United States mail become obsolete? Are they going to force us all to pay our bills and communicate online in the near future? The Englewood Public School District recently instituted a mandatory filing out of important student forms online. If Parents do not fill out forms online, the student schedules will not be available to the Parent.  Last year, Parents and Guardians in a Title I School District were locked out of Genesis all year long. They were in effect being blackmailed into filling out forms online. What about important medical forms? What happens if a child is seriously ill and the Parent or Guardian did not have the where with all to fill out the form online or did not have a computer. These forms may not be filled out on a cell phone.

Tonight I received a call from a Parent who was trying to fill out the application for Free and Reduced lunch on line. Keep in mind that the Free and Reduced Lunch Program is Federal. Is it a bit outside of the law to mandate that Recipients of Title I Funds to fill out these forms online. This particular parent was having a serious problem because there was no way to send the form to anyone after filling it out. He said that there was no recipient listed to whom the form should be sent and there was no submit button. Do you see the problem here?

 Going paperless is given as a choice from many bill collectors. They give you the option of going paperless, yet they use 5 and 6 pages to give you a bill. Are they urging you to go paperless so they can fill your email with all manner of ads to purchase other products?

There is a 5 year Strategic Plan to revive the United States Post Service. It will supposedly make our US Postal Service "Future Ready". Did they let the local Government in on this plan?

 Our Mayor is always pushing for New Residents. They actually advertise programs and events designed to welcome "new residents". Is this an inviting site for a "New Resident". I wonder how "new residents" feel when perusing this train wreck. One would think that when inviting one into your home, one would clean it up. This property is assessed at 2.7 million dollars and does not pay any taxes. It says that the owner is the United States of America. Who exactly is the United States of America? What is up with the United States Postal Service.

 Is this the sign of the times. I also visited the one in Teaneck Avenue near the Bank. The property is not well maintained there either. Is the Post Master General in charge of all of this?

"The Postal Service’s Five-Year Strategic Plan, covering the fiscal years (FYs)
2017 to 2021, is intended to provide our stakeholders, including Congress, our
employees, our business partners, our customers and the American people, with: A comprehensive mission statement covering the major functions and operations of the Postal Service. An identification of those key factors external to the Postal Service and beyond our control—both in the external business environment and forecasted trends—that could significantly affect the achievement of the overall goals and objectives. A description of the Postal Service’s overall goals and objectives, aligned with national performance assessment goals and objectives. A description of the program evaluations used in establishing or revising overall goals and national performance assessment system objectives. This document satisfies the reporting requirements articulated in Title 39 USC Section 2802. "

 I had to call out for service once inside the Post Office. It took a while for the Postal Worker to come to the window. As I purchased my stamps, I asked who was responsible for maintaining the exterior of the building. She said the custodian.

 I suggested that perhaps someone should remind the Custodian of what is contained in his job description, because he clearly was not doing a very good job of maintaining the grounds.

This old shed and the truck parked beside it are serving as habitats for rodents of all kinds. One does not think of a United States Post Office looking like this. The old Post Office out in the Country where I am from in North Carolina looks like a mansion compared to this. Check out the front of the truck in the photo below. It is literally being overgrown by weeds. Is this a sad reminder of what is happening to our Government and our Country?

Was the Resident correct in what he had heard? Are they selling the building that houses The United States Post Office in Englewood, New Jersey? 

Is everything in Englewood, New Jersey for sale, including the people?