The Auditor's Report

Totally broke and still spending. Do we believe that? What happened to the $5 million dollars for the sale of Liberty School?  Money is missing. We need to hear more about the deficit and less about imaginary concessions that both the Teachers and the Board are keeping close. Do we see the Mayor in full support of  the Board of Education?

Community Baptist Church Hosts The Master Plan Public Hearing

June 27, 2012. Englewood's Master Plan Public Hearing at Community Baptist Church was so well attended that the line of participants waiting to sign in extended out the doorway of fellowship hall through the lobby to the front door. Several of the presenters came into the lobby with sign in sheets when it became clear that the process of signing in was burning daylight.


The fellowship hall filled with a diverse group of eager Englewood residents overwhelmed the Mayor and his staff. They had set up the room expecting 50 people and there was well over a hundred. Mayor Huttle started the meeting with comments about diversity and slogans like "one body," "one city,". He alluded to being happy about the city wide excited faces in the group. He introduced it as the Planning board's Master Plan. "We want as much input as we can possibly get from the general public." 

"A Master Plan is a policy document that guides the use of land within a municipality in a manner that protects public health and safety and promotes the general welfare. A Master plan identifies community objectives and strategies for achieving them. The Master Plan lays down the framework for the planning board and governing body to develop the elements of good land management and use. This includes meeting local housing and economic development needs and protecting important natural resources. The State of New Jersey requires that each municipality’s Master Plan be updated at least every 10 years." 

He introduced the team of consultants selected by the City of Englewood to prepare the Master Plan and facilitate the public engagement process. Mark Keener of Brown & Keener Urban Design, a division of RBA,  Use this link to learn more about this company. http://www.bkurbandesign.com/?page_id=96
Rob Lane and Rob Freudenberg of Regional Plan Association (RPA)      
Use this link to check out Regional Plan Association's websites and past projects. http://www.rpa.org.

It was explained that a Master Plan was not needed if the town in question was built out. It was also suggested that if the Plan was thought "Perfect" action should be taken to keep it that way. It was suggested that Englewood was not perfect. Wow! You think? The first Consultant was introduced as Mark. They all seemed nervous. We were instructed to consider the following topics:

• Job accessibility 
• Bedroom community
• Concerned with institutions, hospital, library, schools
• Centers of life in the community
• How does one keep Commerce relevant
• Re-purposing of industrial area
• 
  

It was suggested that this is where things are likely to change

This does not appear a happy
camper.

• light rail
• Car dealerships
• Use of space to park cars downtown
• Hospital can creep out into community and neighborhoods (Creep was his word)
• Decommissioned schools
• Industrial Area
• There was no mention of James Street. Why? That is downtown...Uhmmmmmm...
• Rob Lane was the next speaker. He is a pleasant seeming guy that reminds one of Woodstock. He many have just been a bit too impressed with the number of people of color in the room. He admitted that he had never conducted a session with so many people. (He told us what we were allowed to discuss) He wanted us to come up with the top 3 things the Master Plan should take on in the following areas:
• Economic health

• Revitalize industrial area, decide what would be best use 
• Objective: Live, work, create jobs in town
• Community health
• Bring Community together
• Integrate Houses of Worship
• Expansion
• Manage Traffic and Parking
• Support and integrate the Library
• Downtown
• Neighborhoods
• Industrial
• Hospital
• Parking Deck..route 4 park and ride

Dacey was the Facilitator of my group. We drew the short
straw and got the Industrial area. There was leading talk about changing the zoning of the area to include other types of businesses. There was no talk of what specifically the area is zoned for right now. 

• How progressive does Englewood want to be?
• It was suggested that the Green Way was the way to go.
• Object to increase the resale value
• Employ more people
• Encourage entrepreneurs
• Create an area where people will live and work together in mixed use structures
• Create jobs and tie the area to downtown
• Apple store..apps
• Gizmos demonstration stores that have parent store in another place
• side walks
• bike racks
• parking
• trolley (rumor is that this service will be discontinued)
• Entertainment
• How do we connect downtown to Crowne Plaza and buildings south of route 4
• Suggestion was to spruce up Van Brunt St. to make is more attractive a route
• bike racks, bike lanes, perhaps cobble the street, light posts like the Ave.
• Make it and extension of the Ave straight through to route 4 up an over.

Then it was time to quit and report back to the large goup. The groups were encouraged to give short reports of suggestions agreed upon in each. Unless, I missed one, there were 15 groups. I jotted down phrases and key words from each group. This went quickly and my notes are a bit less than copious in this area.

1. Parking resources used and allocated. Stores are serving one population and not others. This needs to be addressed
2. Unification and less segregated. Lincoln & Liberty Schools still related to Education or Recreation Traffic- inefficient system
3. Recreation Center - young and old people to have access. Get rid of the animals and deer- control - re-route trolley to cover more of the City...add another one
4. Industrial area - mixed use residential for just young people commuting to the City. Retail service
5. Jobs. Tax revenue. Subdivide in mixed use space. Community Center. Senior Citizens. Youth. Revitalize 
6. MacKay Park. Revitalize Sports.
7. High Tech - businesses must be supportive of each other. Focus is on residents time & work
8. Revitalize Downtown - recreation center for youth. An open space plan
9. More dynamic Chamber of Commerce
10. Repair Ice Rink. Deal with the flooding on Forest Avenue. Reprogramming of Historic Preservation
11. Neighborhoods - MacKay Park re-open. House and work connect each other. Unity Day. Interfaith Day. Public Schools need work. Better utilization of funds or 
12. Downtown - vacancy issue. Attract businesses more people using downtown. Community Center. Lincoln School and Fire House area. Educational Center. How will the Light Rail service the Community.
13. Community Neighborhoods - Environmental activity that services the neighborhood. Keep the character of the neighborhood. Deal with the public schools. businesses. light rail
14. Industrial area. The area should be rezoned to create a mixed use of space. Entrepreneurs should be encouraged to bring in their businesses. Loft type residences with a live where you work idea. Vibrant community. Van Brunt St should be spruced up as a connecting thoroughfare from Downtown to Crowne Plaza, up and across route 4 to the residential area on the South side. Green ways. Bike paths and bike racks. Light rail to connect folks from hospital through downtown to the south side of route 4.
15. Neighborhoods is core of Englewood and should be focus. Retail encroachment. Community Center needed. Repair the ice skating rink. Provide roller skating. Deal with traffic problems, parking problems, speeding accountability for Master Plan is responsibility for everyone. The information included on Master Plan should be in other languages of the residents in town.
16. Neighborhoods - Community Center. Vocational Training- Have Englewood Day again. Whatever is done must benefit the current residents of Englewood. Attract business and firms that help keep the neighborhood healthy and stable.

Wrap up: Envision an improve a quality of life recognizing the compromises, gathering the facts. Stay tuned. The next 2 meetings will be in different parts of town. 

The Master Plan Public Hearing was a start on a long journey to visibility. We are not invisible in the Community and our children are not invisible in the school buildings. Our children are not invisible. Everyone is visible. It was a beginning. The conversation has begun.

More photographs: if member of
facebook. I like walking away from meetings like these with something in my hands. The definition of Master Plan would have been a good idea.
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.257837767662863.56497.214938478619459&type=3

Yesterday's Photo Opp, Today's Environmental Hazard

Where Are the Cameras Now?

A little over a month ago this 3rd street area was filled with volunteers, cameras and excitement. Now that the cameras, the private corporations, volunteers and cameras are gone, this area has developed into something quite unwholesome. Workers came in with a backhoe and excavated the water line. In doing this they damaged the sewer. The backhoe is still abandoned at the site. Parents spend the day warning their children to stay off the dangerous piece of excavation machinery. One wonders where the  idea for all this unnecessary digging originated. The marker for the water line is clearly visible. It seems they wanted to run the line over to the east side of the garden in front of the old entrance to MacKay Park. The idea was that they would put the spigot or faucet inside the shed. I guess they thought folks would steal water if it was in the open. They were attempting to put down a water line for the garden so people would not be forced to walk. The magnificent thing about neighborhoods that are invested in a project is that they would have carried water to their beds. They were already doing so. It was something they were beginning to do together. 

Did anyone ask the residents how they would deal with watering the garden plots? I wonder. This is a swamp area. It is lowlands. The people here know that the need for water to be carried to beds like this would only arise in time of drought. 

What ever happened to the idea of calling the water, gas, or the city planner to find out where the sewer lines are? They are always warning us not to dig in our own backyards. Why did the digging go so deep? Was this an inexperienced worker/volunteer? Did anyone ever check into the requirements of what can and cannot go within 25 feet of the shoulder of streams that are located in the flood hazard area? The sewer pipe is pre-update of the law. This digging is not. Take this post as Fair warning to companies bringing construction into the 4th ward. Do the research before coming to dig in the 4th ward. How long is this gaping hole going to remain an "attractive" nuisance to the children in the immediate vicinity? The young man pictured in the black hoodie w/yellow lettering fell in yesterday while trying to get his soccer ball. The soccer ball remained while he ran screaming and entirely soaked by sewage into his mother's arms. He is very lucky to be alive. The soccer ball was still in the water. His mother refused to allow him near the trench again. The ball was retrieved by the family while I took this photograph. 

From now on things like this will not be allowed to
simmer so long in our neighborhood.

The trench is deeper than some of the children are tall. It is not covered at all. The gaping, smelly, mosquito attraction is about half filled with sewage and water. It is stinking up the area. The first very hot day is going to cook the contents into a really foul funk factory.

Make a pact with neighbors to make the calls.

Only in our Ward would this have been allowed to go so
long. It stops now.

When is it going to be covered? When is the line going to be fixed? We know. You have created an expense where there was none. The 3rd Street Community Garden is contaminated. Any further planting should be done only with flowers or shrubbery. Research should be done to determine when the ground will be clean again. It should become a lesson for children, but it won't. There are no cameras to point out mistakes. Is there a real need for that water line? To whom was the bill being sent anyway?

The 4th Ward Gazette Is A Community Project

It Is about FREEDOM...
It Is about Information and Education
It is about people living, learning, growing
and prospering in the same Country, 
State, County, School, 
City, 
Community, 
neighborhood, 
block, 
yard and home.

It is not about indoctrination or even tolerance. Integration begins in the heart.
Every group that lives in this town 
has a belief system.
Each system has tenants by which believers exist.
If I am not mistaken
Compassion for fellow humans
is pretty high on the list of all belief systems borrowing this small piece of the planet.
We should share the space in harmony without destroying it further. 

The 4th Ward Gazette is dedicated to uplifting the hearts and minds of people long overdue for some success & recognition. It is a warm friendly bear hug for a Community maligned, misunderstood and often neglected. Realizations of empowerment must grow with hope & the desire for prosperity. Young people must understand how information & knowledge are power. It is created to encourage voter registration, Community Organization, and Community Pride. The 4th Ward Gazette seeks Educational Excellence for all in a free public school system. The 4th Ward Gazette is dedicated to helping residents of Englewood find the "Pride of Place" that has all but disappeared. The 4th Ward Gazette encourages residents to work together to keep neighborhoods safe for the children, the elderly or others who might need the help of a good neighbor. In the collage above you will find a tatoo on an arm that impressed me. That is true Pride of Place. 

In the south, back in the day, it went like this: Don't ever forget where you came from.