BREAKING: Renata's 'mystery' posts demystified (somewhat)

Renata has had mysterious graphics on her blog for two days.

Plainfield Today readers who follow CLIPS or check out BOE member Renata Hernandez' blog Standing in the Gap may have been puzzled the last couple of days at the oblique graphics suggesting you get your behind to Emerson School this evening at 6:00 PM.

And this with Renata having a special BOE she must be at at 6:30 PM across town at Plainfield High School.

Seems the mystery is (somewhat) demystified by the following comment on a Plainfield Today post that popped up this morning --

H.E.R.I.T.A.G.E.. Inc. has left a new comment on your post

DONAVON SOUMAS, H.E.R.I.T.A.G.E., INC IN COLLABORATION WITH THE CITY OF PLAINFIELD AND THE HONORABLE MAYOR SHARON M. ROBINSON-BRIGGS WILL ANNOUNCE A NEW PROGRAM TO PROMOTE PEACE IN AN EFFORT TO MAKE WORLD HISTORY IN THE QUEEN CITY

WHAT: Donavon Soumas, H.E.R.I.T.A.G.E. Inc. and Plainfield City Mayor Sharon M. Robinson-Briggs will join forces on a special community press conference to announce a new program to promote peace and make world history in this 2010 back to school season.

WHEN: Wednesday, September 8, 2010 at 6PM

WHERE: Emerson Elementary School
305 Emerson Avenue
Plainfield, NJ 07062

WHO: H.E.R.I.T.A.G.E. Inc, is a non-profit organization established nearly 7 years ago in 2003 to address the growing need to offer training resources in the arts for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds. The group is also known for its famed H.E.R.I.T.A.G.E. Show Choir youth ensemble which is comprised of children ages 7 to 17 under the musical direction of Donavon Soumas. This group has the distinction of being the 2006, 2008 and 2009 McDonald's Gospelfest champions in the Youth Choir category.

PR CONTACT: Bernadette Odoms pressinfo@heritageprograms.org or 877-532-COUNTME

Posted by H.E.R.I.T.A.G.E.. Inc. to PLAINFIELD TODAY at September 8, 2010 4:08 AM

So, the meeting is about the H.E.R.I.T.A.G.E. Show Choir, and Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs, and a 'new program to promote peace' and make world history.

We understand Mayor Robinson-Briggs is putting together an event in Cedar Brook Park featuring the choir.

Are the events related?

In contrast to Renata's non-informative teasers, the H.E.R.I.T.A.G.E. item covers the bases: What, When, Where, and Who.

Mystery partly solved.

The Why is evidently to be explained tonight.

---

-- Dan Damon [follow]

View today's CLIPS here. Not getting your own CLIPS email daily? Click here to subscribe.

The Unhappy Fall of Assemblyman Jerry Green

Congressman Frank Pallone and Asm Jerry Green. (Photo, Courier News)

The Fall campaign season is under way, and Plainfield's Assemblyman Jerry Green has reason not to be happy.

On the one hand, he has not made peace with New Dem Rebecca Williams, who defeated Green's choice in the June Democratic primary election.

Besides the churlish language he indulged in against Williams during the primary, he also accused her of making a rude gesture at him -- which Williams denies -- when she came upon the scene outside his home, where pranksters had lined his sidewalks with Williams' campaign signs.

Though Williams is ready to campaign, she has said she expects Jerry to apologize. The thought of apologizing cannot make the Assemblyman happy.

Then there is the matter of money.

Looks like money will have to be spent on the Fall campaign, and that also cannot make the Assemblyman happy.

Assemblyman Green, who is also chairperson of the Plainfield Democratic City Committee, has shown no great enthusiasm for an expensive campaign on behalf of his two local candidates -- Williams, running for the Wards 2/3 at-large seat, and Bill Reid, the incumbent running for re-election in Ward 1.

With their high visibility and name-recognition in their respective wards, Green may have figured he could get away without spending any money, especially since most folks are disinclined to do any work for him unless paid to do so.

Williams and Reid may be less of a factor in Green's having to spend money on the Fall election than Congressman Frank Pallone.

Pallone?

The Congressman, to whose district Plainfield was added after the 2000 Census and the subsequent redistricting, has never -- up to now, anyway -- had to pay much attention to Plainfield. And that's about the amount he has given -- the occasional visit, the occasional taxpayer-funded Congressional 'newsletter', the occasional campaign mailer.

But this time around it's different.

Plenty of Democratic Congressional seats around the country are in play this Fall, and it seems that Pallone's may be one of them.

In an August poll, his Tea Party-backed Republican opponent Anna Little (Mayor of Highlands) stood just 6 percentage points behind (see here). That is what they call 'within striking distance'.

Pallone is taking the challenge seriously.

Several readers reported getting phone calls from Assemblyman Green's staff on Sunday, August 29 (one as late as 10:00 PM), beseeching their attendance at an event at the Plainfield Senior Center on Monday the 30th featuring Congressman Pallone.

Turns out that was for the benefit of a CNN segment (as yet unaired) on this Fall's contested Congressional races.

Then, lo and behold, I caught sight of two white men in well-tailored blue blazers, jeans and with open collared dress shirts (they might have been L.L. Bean) striding purposefully through the Art Festival at Library Park this past Saturday.

They stood out not because they were white (there were plenty of white folks there) but because they were a little too preppy, a little too overdressed for the casual crowd.

Drawing closer, I saw that it was Congressman Pallone, presumably with a young staffer, working the crowd. Good for him!

Assemblyman Green was nowhere to be seen.

Campaigning without the Assemblyman is unheard of, and I wondered what that was about.

At any rate, it looks like we'll be seeing more of Congressman Pallone this Fall, perhaps more than we ever have.

And the pressure will be on Assemblyman Green to deliver those much-needed Democratic votes in November.

Just when he thought he was going to get away with a low-cost -- or even no-cost -- campaign.

Exactly how to make an Assemblyman's Fall unhappy.

---

• PolitickerNJ:  "Little campaign poll shows GOP challenger within striking distance"

-- Dan Damon [follow]

View today's CLIPS here. Not getting your own CLIPS email daily? Click here to subscribe.

Board of Ed considering Dr. Bailey again, again?

State's investigation highlighted matters inviting
questions of Dr. Bailey's collusion or competence.

Seems the Plainfield Board of Ed may be running the risk of disregarding the voters' message from last April's election: CLEAN UP THE MESS IN THE DISTRICT.

Word in the street is that among the items that to be discussed -- and possibly  ACTED UPON -- at tonight's special Board of Ed meeting is the hiring of former  personnel director Dr. Garnell Bailey as an Assistant Superintendent.

If true, this would be A BACKWARD STEP for the District by bringing back one of the officials most intimately involved in the shenanigans around Dr. Gallon's spurious hirings of his Florida pals, as detailed in the state's OFAC investigation.

As I wrote in June on this matter (see here) --

How would hiring Dr. Bailey clean up the mess? It wouldn't, in my opinion.

I went back over the OFAC report, which details her involvement in the personnel matters that are the subject of the investigation and is indirectly damning of her performance in the Plainfield district (see report here, PDF).

With regard to the hirings of both Kelly and Borge, Dr. Bailey failed to include or overlooked matters of importance -- there was no mention of a requirement of a vice principal's certificate (Borge) though Bailey and Centuolo had made it a condition, and the rating sheets were incomplete (Borge) and non-existent (Kelly), see pages 4-7.

On page 7, the state investigators conclude that Bailey was 'unable to produce rating sheets for most candidates (including in-house as well as external), and noted additionally that there were 'irregularities with sixteen staff that required remediation'.

These are part of the core competencies required of a Human Resources director. Dr. Bailey has not demonstrated the level of execution that a responsible Board of Education should require in its due diligence.

In addition, it is troubling that Dr. Bailey's is 'in the job market' again so soon after leaving Plainfield for the Pleasantville school district.

The voters certainly had an expectation that tossing the incumbents would mean cleaning house in the Plainfield school district where there were tainted actions taken and poor personnel placements.

And again in July, when the appointment was rumored to be taken up again (see here) --

Rumor...has it that Dr. Garnell Bailey is being considered -- yet again -- for one of the positions. Bailey resigned her Plainfield job to go to Pleasantville; after less than six months she is back in the job market. Why?

...Dr. Bailey is identified too much with the mess under Dr. Gallon, as well as (based on a close reading of the OFAC report -- see here, PDF) questionable performance as HR director.

The Board of Ed needs to affirm a commitment to capable administration, free of the taint of the Gallon era, and stop being the employer-of-last-resort for old hometown chums.

To be clear, the (re)hiring of Dr. Bailey would be a signal that the SLAM team's great campaign talk of getting to a post-Gallon, progressive place for the Board of Ed was just that -- campaign talk.

If there truly is a need for an Assistant Superintendent (and that is a separate question altogether), the Board of Ed needs to conduct a wide search for a qualified applicant with 'clean hands' in order to help the District truly move on into a post-Gallon future.

Let's hope attention to the voters' will and the best interests of the District prevail.

---

• Plainfield Today --
• 6/7/2010:  "BOE would go backward, not forward, in hiring Bailey"
• 7/27/2010:  "Board of Ed: Bailey redux?"
• OFAC:  "Plainfield School District Personnel Practices Review" (PDF)
  

-- Dan Damon [follow]

View today's CLIPS here. Not getting your own CLIPS email daily? Click here to subscribe.

BREAKING: Two shootings on Labor Day

Plainfield did not escape the Labor Day weekend without more violence.

I am told there was a fight with shots fired about 11:30 PM on Labor Day night at East Third Street and Wiley Avenue -- taking the violence to the East End, which has so far been largely spared.

A few minutes later there was a shooting in the 1100-block of West Front Street, with a 17-year-old male shot in the leg.

As one officer said to me, 'Of course, retaliatory shootings are imminent'.

Of course.

---

-- Dan Damon [follow]

View today's CLIPS here. Not getting your own CLIPS email daily? Click here to subscribe.

Is there a future for the Plainfield Art Festival?

Plainfield sculptor Dolores Stewart was one of artists exhibiting.

Saturday's weather was perfect for the 47th Annual Plainfield Outdoor Festival of Art. That, unfortunately, was about all.

Take it from a couple of the attendees --

Bob said --
...I attended the Festival today and was so disappointed. I attended my first Festival of Art in 1984 and was in awe at the many artists of all kinds. Since the current administration has been in office the Festival has gone down hill at full speed.

I got there in time with my family in time to hear the mayor speak. She didn't get any applause where I was and she didn't deserve any. I used to be so proud of Plainfield's Festival of Art and Car Show and people came from all over the state. There were, perhaps, a dozen artists including jewelry and other arts. I can remember when the park was covered with artists and visitors from all over the state. I'm also sad to see that the City has not attended the beautiful and large trees in the Library Park...

Rob said --
I went..and LOVED IT AGAIN. This is my 2nd time attending since I live across the street it's so easy to go. My windows in my apartment were open all day so I could enjoy the music.

I would love to have seen it when there were many more artists and vendors though as it honestly seemed like there were less this year, than last.

I was very glad to see students there selling food ( I believe there should be food vendors ringing the entire perimeter of the park ). Maybe we could get the council to make this an event run by a commission or committee ?? I would certainly volunteer ( like I tried with the shade tree commission )as I know several artists who would attend.

One thing, as a city, I would do to get more people having a positive buzz over this. For all the crap this administration wastes money on ( and YES many more before it ), why not buy a tank of helium and 1000 balloons and get a group to simply give them away to kids. PLAIN BALLOONS NOT VOTE FOR ( insert current shill of the local party boss )or even PLAINFIELD ARTS FESTIVAL. Or have support the Art's and charge .50 or $1 for the balloons. If kids are happy, parents are happy. This would MINIMAL costs, less than food at a government function was or is.

There were about half the artists and craftspeople of last year, which was about half of the year the City took over the event.

The fine artists I spoke with all put a cheerful face on a terrible situation. Dane Tilghman, an artist from Pennsylania told me he used to exhibit regularly but had not done so for several years. His comment, 'What happened?'

Dane Tilghman, Three Men.

Dane Tilghman, artist.

Another artist said, 'I haven't even sold enough to pay for my gas and lunch'.

Hello, Robinson-Briggs administration!

It was great that you picked up the Art Festival and vowed to keep it going.

But you are now at a real crossroads.

You can put a plume in your cap if you recover the lost ground --

• BRING BACK THE ARTISTS (which means ahead of time, by someone who understands that artists have to make a living by selling their works); and
  
  
• PROMOTE THE FESTIVAL by making sure it is listed in everything from New Jersey Monthly to the New York Times events calendars and in the arts magazines and websites.

Otherwise, admit defeat and cancel.

Well, there is a third option, just turn it into a celebration of the Mayor and forget the art.

(Sorry for problems with pix, will try fixing later. -- Dan) 

---

-- Dan Damon [follow]

View today's CLIPS here. Not getting your own CLIPS email daily? Click here to subscribe.

The mayor's big 'Nyet': Robinson-Briggs vetoes two ordinances

The Mayor makes her move.

Plainfielders may be forgiven if they think that Council-Administration relations resemble War and Peace, without the stunning costumes.

Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs has advanced the plot by -- as everyone in town by now knows -- VETOING two Council ordinances passed on second reading at last month's business meeting. Not one, mind you, but TWO!

The ordinances were concerned with 1) getting timely information on spending into the Council's hands, and 2) lowering the bid threshold, hopefully leading to more public bids (the Council has expressed concerns about the lack of public bidding on sundry contracts).

Olddoc and Bernice have picked up on the 'timeliness' of Her Honor's veto, which I am sure will occupy at least some of the Council's time this evening.

Here is the relevant section from the City Charter (taken from Councilor Burney's online charter here) --

2.9 Ordinances; veto

• Ordinances shall be prepared, introduced, considered, and acted upon as required by law. No ordinance may be enacted without the affirmative vote of a majority of all the councilmen.
  
  
• Ordinances adopted by the council shall be submitted to the mayor, and shall within 10 days after receiving any ordinance, either approve the ordinance by affixing his signature thereto or return it to the council by delivering to the city clerk together with a statement setting forth his objections thereto or to any item or part thereof. No ordinance or any item or part thereof shall take effect without the mayor's approval, unless the mayor fails to return the ordinance to the council within 10 days after it has been presented to him, or unless council upon reconsideration thereof on or after the third day but not later then its next regular meeting following its return by the mayor shall by a vote of 2/3 of the members resolve to override the mayor's veto."

Overlooking the anachronistic sexist language, there are two concerns: 1) the timeliness of the rejection, and 2) the grounds for the Mayor's objections.

While I AM interested in whether Her Honor was timely in her veto, I am equally interested in what she found so objectionable.

What can possibly be wrong with giving the Council timely financial information?

What can possibly be wrong with encouraging public bidding for contracts expending money from the public purse?

Hopefully, all will be made clear at tonight's Council meeting.

The Council will have more than one option at its disposal.

As for the War and Peace drama, the Robinson-Briggs administration might do well to ponder Charles-Joseph Minard's famous graphic representation of Napoleon's defeat at Moscow (see here full size).

Minard's famous depiction of the fate of Napoleon's army.

---

CITY COUNCIL AGENDA SESSION

7:30 PM Tonight

City Hall Library

---

-- Dan Damon [follow]

View today's CLIPS here. Not getting your own CLIPS email daily? Click here to subscribe.

Back-to-school: Vintage photo of Dan's 3-room schoolhouse

Pomfret No. 4 School, Laona, NY, 1948.

Plainfield kids heading back to school tomorrow put me in mind of the annual back-to-school ritual when I was a kid.

I was finally able to track down a photo of Town of Pomfret School No. 4 (above), thanks to YWCA interim executive director Donna Dolce.

Preparations always included a trip into town for supplies: packages of 3-hole lined paper and replacement protractor, ruler and compass from the G.C. Murphy 5¢ & 10¢ store, plus some No. 2 pencils. (The school supplied black enameled wooden stick pens and steel pen-points for penmanship lessons; the ink was kept in little glass bottles set into the tops of the desks.)

A haircut and a new pair of jeans plus a couple of long-sleeved shirts and we were ready to go.

Opening day included a welcome back treat from Miss Cumro, who taught (and wrangled) grades three, four and five in one room, plus the mandatory 'How I spent my summer vacation' essay.

Everyone loved summer vacation, but we were always ready and eager for the new school year to get under way, because it also meant the Chautauqua County Fair would be opening with its (to us) huge midway, and judging for best animals, cooking and fruits & vegetables. There were tractor pulls. Young courting couples enjoyed the egg-tossing contest, where they both took a step back after each toss of the egg -- the point being to be the couple that tossed it the farthest without breaking it. A special treat every year was an appearance by Joie Chitwood and his famous Daredevils racing car team.

As for school, the building with its large windows and plain 'sanitary' woodwork and simple paneled doors signal that it was built in the early part of the 20th century, when concerns over public health led to the banishment of overwrought Victorian decor in favor of light, airy interiors -- where supposedly there would be fewer germs. Don't know about the germs, but the rooms were wonderfully light-filled, even on the darkest winter days, and a great environment in which to study and learn. Though it must be said the window sills were high enough that we were prevented from seeing anything lower than the treetops so as not to be distracted from the three R's.

Alas, with the centralization of the school district all the outlying K-8 schools were demolished in favor of the sprawling single-story complex of today (which is similar to Cedar Brook School, but on an enormous scale).

Do the buildings in which kids learn play a role in how well they learn? And what values they inculcate?

What do you think?

---

-- Dan Damon [follow]

View today's CLIPS here. Not getting your own CLIPS email daily? Click here to subscribe.

City tree falls across Field Avenue. Negligence?

Just fell over.

After Mother Nature gave Plainfield's 47th Annual Outdoor Festival of Art a compliment with a beautiful day, she gave us the back of her hand on Field Avenue, where a towering maple toppled in the light breeze late Saturday afternoon.

Driving by this tree many times a week, it had never seemed worthy of special attention, but as you can see, it was rotten to the core (hmmm, is there a metaphor in there someplace?).

Chatting up the officer who had been dispatched to ward off erstwhile drivers, I explained the Robinson-Briggs administration has in the past opposed a tree condition census by the Shade Tree Commission, presumably because knowing the condition of dead and dying 'city' trees would expose the City to liability in case one fell on a car or person.

Wouldn't an up-to-date census with an action plan that could be proved was being implemented lessen the possibility of liability issues? As it stands (or, rather, falls) now, one has to wonder if the City isn't liable for 'negligence'.

---

-- Dan Damon [follow]

View today's CLIPS here. Not getting your own CLIPS email daily? Click here to subscribe.

Perfect day for Art Festival, will the compliment be returned?

Bev's advice for shoppers.

Looks like a perfect day for Plainfield's 47th Annual Outdoor Festival of Art, a compliment from Mother Nature. I'll be there, and hope to see you there, too.

It's an open question whether things will be on an uphill trend or continue the slow slide seen the last couple of years.

Whatever, the weather couldn't be more perfect.

So the 'rain location' won't be an issue.

 

Will fine artists of previous years return?

 

 

It's also about just having fun.

---

47th Annual Outdoor Festival of Art

10 AM - 4 PM

Library Park
West 8th Street and Arlington Avenue
(RAIN LOCATION: Washington Community School)

---

-- Dan Damon [follow]

View today's CLIPS here. Not getting your own CLIPS email daily? Click here to subscribe.

Plainwood Square concert closes summer; many thanks to Pat Fields

Pat Fields tirelessly plans and promotes the summer concert series.

Last night's 'makeup' concert at Plainwood Square drew an enthusiastic crowd of upwards of 200 for a performance by Ray, Goodman and Brown that had been interrupted by rain during the original August gig.

It was good seeing friends from all over town (a little shoutout to old friends Betty Blake, Jean Black and Al and Rosemary Pittis, and elected officials Cory Storch, Adrian Mapp and Lenny Cathcart).

The easy pace of the evening gave plenty of time for schmoozing and gossip (got a couple of good tips!) as well as the music -- tho it is was a little too dark for my little cellphone camera to get the musicians in performance.

Thanks are due to all the sponsors, but especially to Donna Albanese and the crew from the Plainwood Square Merchants Association who put this all together every summer for the entire community.

And to Pat Fields, tireless promoter and organizer of events for Plainfielder pleasure.

Thanks to all for another summer of music, fun and camaraderie!
 

Old friends Betty Blake and Jean Black joined others at the concert.

Plenty of room to bring your own folding chair.

Warming up the crowd.

Board of Ed member Lenny Cathcart stakes out a good spot.

Pat Fields and Plainwood Square leaders take the stage.

Look for the concert on Plainfield's cable channel,
thanks to BC Productions, which tapes city events.

---

-- Dan Damon [follow]

View today's CLIPS here. Not getting your own CLIPS email daily? Click here to subscribe.

Will rooftop nightclub on PNC Bank be visible from street?

Roofline of the old United National Bank, seen from Los Faraones nightclub.

Will the nightclub be visible from the street?

That is the question that seemed to concern Historic Preservation Commission members a good deal at last week's meeting where developer Frank Cretella made a presentation on his plans for the PNC building (known to locals as the United National Bank), a property at Park Avenue and West Second Street that is in the North Avenue Historic District.

There was also talk -- somewhat less -- concerning the proposed move of the 19th-century commercial building on the bank's parking lot, which was used by UNB as its 'Community Education Center', but since has been deglamorized to a records depository.

Much of the talk concerned whether the nightclub -- which will be 12 feet in height, sited on the left edge of the roof and set back from the Park Avenue side by 37 feet -- will be visible from the street.

It's a logical question, but one that Cretella's team had not been prepared to answer with any schematics.

I took some photos, and it seems to me that it is not likely to be visible from any approach, with the possible exception of standing directly in front of Los Faraones, a nightclub occupying another of Plainfield's historic bank premises (though this one is not protected by any historic designation, and you can tell the difference). 

Here are views of the old UNB building from several perspectives about which the HPC had questions --

The existing HVAC seems to be taller than the proposed nightclub.

View of the UNB/PNC building from Al McWilliams Plaza.

The roofline from Park Avenue, near Second Street.

Directly across from the bank at the Second Street corner.

The UNB/PNC building, as seen from North Avenue at Park Avenue.

There were also questions about the view
of the bank's roof from North Avenue. And the answer is.....?

---

-- Dan Damon [follow]

View today's CLIPS here. Not getting your own CLIPS email daily? Click here to subscribe.

Plainwood Square's free 'makeup' concert tonight

A photo from the July 2010 concert.

Plainfielders will get a free 'makeup' concert tonight for one rained out in August at Plainwood Square.

Ray, Goodman & Brown will be joined by CHANGE in this makeup for the August concert that was rained out in mid-performance. Ray, Goodman & Brown (formerly The Moments), is a world-class group with a true 'Love on a Two-Way Street' relationship with Plainfield audiences. The exciting soul, disco and R&B sounds of CHANGE will round out the program.

Sponsored by the Plainfield SID, the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders, Plainfield Cultural & Heritage Commission, and local businesses: Burger King, Dairy Queen, Investor's Savings Bank, KFC, McDonald's, PNC Bank and Wendy's.

Restaurants in the area will be open for your dining pleasure before, during and after the concert. Netherwood Heights Neighbors will continue their friendly practice of gathering for drinks on the terrace at Cafe Vivace.

---

Free Plainwood Square Concert
Today | 6 PM Sharp
At Plainwood Square Park
FREE.

---

-- Dan Damon [follow]

View today's CLIPS here. Not getting your own CLIPS email daily? Click here to subscribe.

BREAKING: North Plainfield Rescue Squad members arrested for drugs

A Brokaw Boulevard resident in Plainfield's West End spotted a North Plainfield ambulance parked outside their residence, I have just learned, and phoned the Plainfield police to report the occupants were engaged in lewd acts and perhaps had purchased drugs.

Police stopped the ambulance at Clinton Avenue and West Front Street and the two occupants were arrested for possession after marijuana was discovered. Both, I am told, were in uniform at the time.

The ambulance was released to another North Plainfield squad member who responded to the scene.

---

-- Dan Damon [follow]

View today's CLIPS here. Not getting your own CLIPS email daily? Click here to subscribe.

What about Muhlenberg's tax exemption?

Aerial view of the 17-acre Muhlenberg campus. (Google Maps)

As Olddoc reminds us today (see here) Plainfield enters a fresh budget season as summer comes to an end with the Labor Day holiday.

And my thoughts turn to the Muhlenberg campus and its tax exemption.

Whatever numbers the Robinson-Briggs administration provides to the Council for the current fiscal year's budget, the Council will still be faced with the perennial dilemmas: ever-increasing health-benefits and pension pay-in costs will drive another search for places to cut (Recreation? Seniors? Public Works?) in an effort to define just what are the city's 'core services'.

Another way to approach the problem is to look at expanding the tax base, not just piling more on the backs of the already overburdened residential property owners.

Despite efforts by Frank Cretella to get some development projects going, the overall impression is that Robinson-Briggs is not very encouraging to developers.

But the media recently has picked up on developer interest in the 17-acre Muhlenberg campus (see here).

Though Solaris declined to identify prospective buyers or plans for the Courier's Mark Spivey, rumors continue that at least one developer is not at all interested in a healthcare-related use, but is eyeing the property for residential development. (That is 'thinking down the road', given the current state of the housing market.)

At the same time, some are questioning the CONTINUATION OF THE TAX-EXEMP STATUS of the large Muhlenberg campus, given that there are profit-making activities carried on in addition to the satellite emergency unit mandated by the state as a condition for closure of the acute-care facility two years ago.

Also, since the acute-care hospital function has been abandoned by Solaris, the parent organization of Muhlenberg and JFK, the city might be in a stronger position if it were to hold some property taxes should be assessed against the now-exempt facility.

Today's Courier reported the courts sided with Hunterdon Medical Center in a tax appeal case (see here), where the town had held that HMC's health and fitness center did not meet the state's 'hospital purpose' threshold.

One has to wonder if the city would be on stronger ground than Readington if it asserted taxes were due, especially since Solaris has abandoned the 'hospital purpose'.

Any talk of taxing the property, though, would hinge on a valuation.

While a lot of numbers have been tossed out in the past few years (remember that Solaris was hoping for $100 million for a piece of the campus back in the heady days when Assemblyman Jerry Green proposed building a public school on the property), the current market is quite sobering.

The most likely comparison for the Muhlenberg campus is the pending sale of the 230-bed Meadowlands Hospital in Secaucus for $15 million to the for-profit MHA LLC (see here). According to a Plainfield activist who attended the state hearing on the sale held last week, the matter will be taken up by the state again at the end of September. (The state has questioned the price as low and challenged the lack of a public bidding process.)

In any event, finding a way to bring at least some of the 17-acre campus onto the tax rolls would benefit Plainfield tax payers in the long run, especially if Solaris looks to exit the entire situation when its mandated maintenance period for the SED ends next year.

---

• Olddoc:  "September 1: More just potpourri"
• Courier:  "Developers eye Muhlenberg, but not for hospital"
• Bergen Record:  "Hearing set for sale of Meadowlands Hospital"
• Courier:  "Hunterdon Medical Center wins tax appeal on fitness facility"
  

-- Dan Damon [follow]

View today's CLIPS here. Not getting your own CLIPS email daily? Click here to subscribe.

Queen City Baseball League's Labor Day Tourney

Queen City Baseball League players attended Council
earlier this year to lobby for fair treatment.

Plainfield's Queen City Baseball League has an end-of-summer Labor Day Tourney, starting TODAY at the Rock Avenue ballfields.

Read all about it and check the schedule in Augustine Dashiell's post at PLAINFIELD SPORT NEWS (see here).

---

-- Dan Damon [follow]

View today's CLIPS here. Not getting your own CLIPS email daily? Click here to subscribe.