Hurricane Sandy Cometh

Hurricane Sandy is being touted as a once in a lifetime mega-storm and it may well prove to be just that but for some local retailers, it must also seem like a once in a lifetime economic phenom as well.  At our local Greenwich Lowes this Sunday morning, people were lined up before opening in hopes of being one of the lucky ones to snag a new generator.  A store bound shipment of 240 generators was being anticipated and did in fact arrive during the night. The result : all 240 were immediately snatched up and gone in a blink of an eye.

Brother Can You Spare A Generator ?  Empty Shelves at Lowes

"Hi Honey...I'm here at Lowe's, We're in luck!...Got the generator! but wait...Arghhhhhh!!!....WTF?...No Gas Cans???

Not a Flashlight to Be Had Today

Going, Going,....Almost Gone:  Shop-Rite Bread Aisle

Catching Up With Town Council Candidate Frank Becker

Hard Drivin': Council Hopeful, Frank Becker

As I've noted before, Pohatcongers are becoming increasingly interested and involved with matters of local governance and blog posts on these topics tend to attract quite a bit of interest.  Along these lines, recent council elections have become more competitive and turnout has been increasing. There is a good chance that this years council election could see a real surge in voter participation.  One of the candidates running for the vacating council seat is Frank Becker, who has become somewhat of a regular at council meetings over the last couple of years.  Time for some Q&A with our candidate...
 

Pohatcong Blog :  Good morning Frank. One of the things I've remarked on in my past comments is that we have a contracting economy out there and that statistically, family incomes are in decline.  However, against this backdrop, we are still seeing municipalities in New Jersey, Pohatcong included, with annual budgets that are increasing and fueling a seemingly never ending tax spiral for local tax payers. I've noticed that this is an issue that very much concerns you and you have come up with some ideas that can potentially reverse this process . Care to expand?...

Frank Becker:  Property taxes in NJ are the highest in the nation and Pohatcong property taxes are among the highest in NJ.  I started attending township council meetings to find out why.  Amazingly, The township borrowed over $3 million - about $2,500 per household - to pay for an expansion of the municipal building.  Going forward I requested that the township get approval from residents and taxpayers before borrowing and spending on large projects.  Mayor Kern followed up on the idea and introduced an ordinance requiring voter approval through referendum before borrowing and spending more than $400,000.

Since running for council I have been knocking on doors and  introducing myself to residents.  People tell me that they can no longer afford the high taxes in Pohatcong.  As a councilman and former Chief Financial Officer of a business, I will continue to find ways to save taxpayer dollars. 

Pohatcong Blog: It doesn't surprise me that people are finding that Pohatcong has become an increasingly unaffordable place  to live and it is really sad that alongside our  sagging economy, many people are seeing the value of their homes getting crushed. Speaking of the economy, I have frequently felt that not enough has been done to develop and promote our local economy here in  Pohatcong.  We have some wonderful small business' here in town that are quite unique e.g. our vineyards.  What do you think could be done to change and improve that?
 

 
Frank Becker: We can do more to support our current local small businesses and to promote the start of new business.
Pohatcong Township has been very successful in promoting big box stores, fast food restaurants and gas stations along Route 22. These businesses often require more police protection and other township resources than can be supported by the taxes paid by the establishments. Yet there are other businesses which require little support and pay proportionately higher taxes. Warren Glen Market is the kind of small business that is an asset to the community and needs to be supported. The market is a very light user of township resources. Yet when the market wanted to put up a sign, the township placed roadblocks in the way. The township needs reasonable zoning rules which are applied consistently.
Whenever possible and competitive, local contractors should be used by the township. For example, a local architect wasn't even invited to bid on the municipal building expansion even though he lives on Municipal Drive. Now the expansion is not only extravagant at a cost of $3 million but it is also behind schedule. My wife, Trish and I moved here seven years ago, drawn to the historic and natural beauty of the township. When we added a carriage house to our home we used the skills of that local architect as well as a local surveyor and two local excavators. We also purchase our driveway stone from the local quarry. We value local businesses.
Our vineyards and our farms are integral to the rural atmosphere we all enjoy. Wherever and whenever possible we need to support our vintners and farmers. For example, if a vintner needs a new building, the township needs to expedite the approval process. The township also needs to support the farmers' right to farm.

Pohatcong Blog: As readers of this blog may have noted, one of my recurring themes has been on the need for local communities and especially individuals to develop strategies that can make them more self-reliant, i.e. resilient in the face of increasing global economic uncertainty.   As I peer down the road, there is nothing to dissuade me from my argument that harder times lie ahead, certainly not the deteriorating situation we have with global energy resources which feed our industrial economy in every way.  If you believe, as I do, that our world is about to get a whole lot smaller, then it all comes back to our local communities: our families, friends and neighbors helping each other-and less reliance upon government redistribution programs as the people's savior.  I have urged people to get involved with local government, insist on better information flow, support local food banks, do practical stuff like plant vegetable gardens instead of lawns, take some responsibility for their personal safety, etc.  If elected to town council would you support these type of activities / initiatives and do you see anyway that from your newly elected position that they can be enhanced and/or expanded upon?

Frank Becker:In general I believe in less government rather than more government.  I also believe in local control rather than state mandates.  The municipal building expansion is an example of abusive state mandates.  The state mandated a separate bathroom for the judge, a separate office for a part time prosecutor which is only occupied a few hours per week and a separate locker room for female police officers even though there are none on the force.

It has been proposed that Pohatcong contract with a single garbage collector and include the cost in our taxes.  I oppose this idea because it moves  control from the individual to the township and limits competition.

I also believe more in self reliance than government entitlements.  On a personal level, I volunteer my time and talent for the greater good and encourage others to do the same.  I feel better when I give willingly rather than having my income taxed and forcibly redistributed.  I am seeking a seat on Pohatcong Township Council because I have the time, talent and energy to serve my community.

Pohatcong Blog: Well thank-you Frank for taking the time out answer some questions and for your well-detailed responses. You have certainly run a very energized campaign for what I've heard and I wish you the best for Election Day on Tuesday, November 6th.

Random Notes: 9-23-12

It Is What It Is....Now Deal With It.

1. More Fast Food For You !
 Good news for our local LGBT community (but bad news for chickens):  They will no longer have to travel to distant out-of-state locations to stage their in-store kissing protests.  Scheduled to open sometime in February, at the site of the former Pizza Hut store near the Phillipsburg Mall, is a brand new Chick fil A restaurant.  Readers may recall that company CEO, Dan Cathy, has been embroiled in some controversy this year since his critics have charged him with being supportive of anti-gay groups and organizations.

 2. Municipal Election Shifts to November
As many are already aware, this year's municipal elections are moving to November largely due to the need to save some money by not having two elections every  year.  Up for grabs is one vacating council position, and it looks like this will be a two horse race between newcomer Frank Becker and incumbent, Kevin Snyder. Becker has already gained the endorsement of Mayor James Kern and has been making a name for himself, at council meetings, for his strong advocacy on behalf of a greater, more direct role for taxpayers- especially on matters that directly affect their economic well being.  His opponent, the phlegmatic  Kevin Synder, has had an uninspiring term as councilman and faces an uphill battle to retain his seat due to his lackluster performance.  Voter turn-out is anticipated to be larger than ever for our local candidates race thanks to the new November tie-in.

3. Road Woes
For those residents who live in close proximity to Still Valley and Warren Glen Roads, the early September closing of most of Municipal Drive, completes a perfect trifecta of  commuting inconvenience. Here's an update:

Ravine Road: Still closed.  A recent squabble has broken out between Greenwich Township (fix it and keep the road open) and Pohatcong Township ( we'd like to but don't have the spare 400K right now).  Don't look for a re-opening anytime soon.


Still Valley Road / Tunnel:  A new contrator, Works In Stone, has been hired to complete  masonry repairs to the interior of the tunnel.  Talk was of completion by this November.  We're keeping our fingers crossed on this one but wouldn't be surprised by yet more delays.


Municipal Drive:  Work is well under way.  See Below:

With Most of the Stone Retaining Wall Removed

View from Opposite Direction Alongside Pohatcong Creek

Catching Up With Karen Weeks

Pohatcong Resident & Current PTA President, Karen Weeks

In past blog posts, I have observed that there is a renewed interest on the part of many of the town's residents in matters local and a willingness by some to become more actively involved.  Well Karen Weeks certainly fits that bill.  She has been a regular and vocal presence at many of our board and council meetings, passionately expounding on the many things that concern her.  Time for a little Q & A.

Pohatcong Blog:  So Karen, at one of our recent Board of Ed meetings you really caused a stir and had that normally staid body squirming.  It seems that while surfing the net, you came across a couple of real estate sites that really hammered our local schools.  Care to elaborate?

I have been attending Board of Education meetings for about 6 months prior to asking the question to the Board of Education. I was concerned about the committees and most of the time, these committees did not meet or had nothing to report. As a faculty member of a private college, there is always things to discuss about curriculum (what works, what does not, how do we improve). I was feeling concerned, so, I happened to type into Google “NJ school rankings” and found a site called school digger.com. This site listed NJ schools by a numeral ranking according to NJ ASK scores. From what I gathered, the information is pulled from the Department of Education website. If you have ever logged onto this website, it is difficult to decipher. School digger.com makes it easier for people checking out an area to look to see what the school ranking is for that area. The question I posed to the school board was why our school is not comparable to other school districts in our area? I know the NJ ASK test is not the end all to say all; however, I feel we should be comparable to Alpha and Lopatcong. This also lead to questions like if a person found a house in Lopat and Pohat that were the same and they liked these houses equally. The deciding factor came down to the school district. If these people were to type in “NJ school rankings” and this is what they found. Where do you think they would buy their home? The question to the school board had nothing to do with the PTA nor was I representing the PTA in any form. I am a concerned parent and taxpayer in this township. I want to make that crystal clear. 

Now with that said, I believe that Pohatcong is a nice school with great students. I spend a great deal of my time and effort helping parents and teachers with resources to help with their child’s education. I firmly believe in education and also believe that our children need a solid foundation in math, reading and comprehension before moving onto other areas (technology being one). Pohatcong school adopted the state of NJ’s curriculum of the Common Core Standards. Parents need to be aware of the curriculum change and how it affects their child’s education.

I have learned a great deal when I posed that question to the school board. The biggest lesson that I have learned is being involved and being aware of what is going on with our school and our township. I encourage everyone to attend our town and Board of Ed meetings.

 Pohatcong Blog: It does not surprise me that you found this lack of engagement on the part of our BOE and many people would readily agree with you on that. This leads me to another issue that you find flabbergasting and perhaps one which the larger public in town has not even heard of.  I am talking about the 1.9 million project to install solar panels at Pohatcong School.  In your opinion, was proper scrutiny applied in this case or not?

 To tell you the honest truth, I am not sure. I do not know what was said by any of the BOE members in executive session about the solar panel project. I know it was not really discussed in any meetings that I have attended besides one BOE member asking what (those in attendance of the presentation) thought about the presentation. What I do know is that I was at the presentation given by the solar panel company Eneractive. I am able to ask questions, as well as, anyone else in the audience and by the BOE. I was concerned because there really were not a lot of questions with an expensive project. I only knew about the presentation about the solar panels because I attend the BOE meetings. I did not know if was scheduled for that night. I was told in the meeting the presentation was advertised in the Express Times, along with the BOE meeting. I did ask the business administrator and BOE secretary about any other bids for the solar panel project. I was told,

“The company came highly recommended to us from other school districts, had impeccable references and was recently ranked #24 on Forbes’ 2011 list of “America’s 100 Most Promising Companies”. As they are a “professional service” provider the school is not required to go out to bid for their services. We did receive proposals from other consulting firms that specialized in the same line of work but Eneractive proved to be the most promising. Should the BOE decide to move forward with the solar field project, a formal bid process will be required and followed to secure the best price for the purchasing and installation of the solar field.” 

I am not sure where the BOE is at with their decision about the solar panels.

Sorry if it is long. I feel there needs to be some sort of description versus yes or no answers.

 
Pohatcong Blog: Well Karen, that certainly is an intriguing narrative and one that cries out for some serious follow-up and I for one, would like to see some independent, cost benefit analysis done before any financial commitments are made.  Shifting gears a bit, I sense that people are really becoming more interested in politics on the local level since it can have a more immediate impact on their day to day lives. Certainly, having seen you now at various meetings, I think you are part of that trend here in our town. That being said, if by some magical power, I could enable you to change a couple of things about this town , what do you think they would be?

I love this question. I agree with you that more people are involved in politics at the local level. I believe we, as taxpayers, should know how our tax dollars are spent. I would like to see more people involved in questioning why we are doing the same old things year after year. If it is not working, fix it or change it. I do not like the excuse that is the way we always do it. If that was the case in medicine, health care workers would not be washing their hands. We would not have any advancements. I would like to see the town actually save some money if not used and not look for new ways to spend it if it is in the budget. 

I would like to see nice fields at our school for our kids to play on. I would like to see more thinking out of the box to formulate a business plan that would sustain Pohatcong Township for years to come without the overkill of taxation. I would love to see Pohatcong Township grow, bring in new businesses, and bring in new families to our area. I am tired of seeing many for sale signs in my area or empty houses. I would like our children to have an excellent education, not an adequate one. I am tired of the good enough excuse. Well, it is not good enough for me. We need to have passion and drive to change our township. I like where I live. I like my house, my neighbors, my lot and my township. We, as a community, need to work together to make this change.

Thanks  for your blog and questions.

Thank-you Karen for your time and continued effort. It's been fun!

Pohatcong Photo Gallery: Summer 2012

Patrolman Robert Paulus (in uniform) Shows Off Some Police Gear During National Night Out

Hooping it Up During National Night Out- Thursday August 7th

Town Council Candidate Frank Becker (Left) With Pohatcong Mayor James Kern (Right)

After the Finesville Dam is Removed , Volunteers Replant the River Embankment

Steady Rows of Grapes at Alba Vineyard

Getting Close to Harvest

Taking a Break From Scratching to Check out the Flowers

Front View of Municipal Building Addition in Early August

It's Harvest Time Again...

Some early summer pickings: Bush cucumbers, Onions, Tomatoes, Zucchini, Yukon Gold Potatoes.

 

 

First an apology.  I did not intend to go so long between posts but spring and early summer is project time and so I have been overly busy recently juggling multiple tasks along with all the other usual attendant responsibilities of life in our descending civilization.

Hopefully many of our blog readers have been able to plant their own gardens this year, and by now, are beginning to harvest the fruits {and vegetables}of their labors.  Looking back, weather-wise, to where things stood at about this time last year, this year certainly provides a stark contrast.  The flooding that occurred as a consequence of the July 5th storm of last year has almost been wiped from memory  by the near drought, dust bowl conditions we have now.  Fortunately, here in our little corner of northwest New Jersey,  things have not been as severe as elsewhere in the country-half of which seems to be in serious , crop-killing, drought.  Already there has been talk of an extremely diminished harvest this fall, so if this remains the case, brace yourselves for sky rocketing food prices in the near future.  All the more reason to keep busy in our gardens.