'Christmas in July' bike giveaway set

Used bikes collected by the Dairy Queen are refurbished.

Plainfield's third annual 'Christmas in July' bike giveaway is set for the Salvation Army next Wednesday (July 23), starting at 10:15 AM.

Used bikes are gathered in as donations throughout the year at the Plainfield Dairy Queen and refurbished by owner Donna Albanese's husband Rich DeMair. In the past five years, DeMair has restored and refurbished more than 775 bikes.

The bicycles are then donated to Plainfield youngsters at an event at which they are also given bike helmets and safety tips.

The event is coordinated by the Plainfield Salvation Army, and bike helmets are donated by Children's Specialized Hospital.

Pre-registration is required to be eligible for a bike. Simply go to the Salvation Army at 615 Watchung Avenue (corner of East 7th Street) between 9 AM and 3:30 PM through July 22 to register. Staff will notify eligible recipients.

Plainfield Today readers interested in supporting this ongoing activity are encouraged to drop off used bikes at any time during the year at the Plainfield Dairy Queen, 1367 South Avenue. Donna, Rich and hundreds of Plainfield kids will thank you.

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  -- Dan Damon [follow]

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Plainwood Square summer concert (and car show) tonight

Crowds enjoy the outdoor concerts at Plainwood Square Park.

The Plainfield SID's summer outdoor concert is set for this evening from 6 - 9 PM at Plainwood Square Park.

Titled 'Three Women and Some Jazz', the evening features guests Crystal Jones, Sherry Winston and Pam Purvis. The program is coordinated by Plainfield's favorite event coordinator Pat Fields.

George Withers, of G-Wiz Auto Entertainment, hosts a car, truck and bike show at the same time across the street in the C-Town parking lot.

See you there!

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Proposed South Avenue project well-received at merchants' meeting

JMF's Kevin Codey discusses the proposed South Avenue project.

 

Plainfield's newest development proposal was well-received at a meeting this past Tuesday morning hosted by the Plainwood Square Merchants Association at Freppe's on South Avenue.

About fifty South Avenue business owners joined by several residents and elected officials heard a presentation and discussion led by Deputy City Administrator Carlos Sanchez and Kevin Codey of JMF Properties, the prospective developer.

After moderator Donna Albanese, president of the merchants group, led brief introductions of the attendees, Mayor Adrian Mapp offered a few words of greeting and shared his enthusiasm over the proposal, turning the presentation over to Mr. Sanchez.

Sanchez emphasized that though the project was at the conceptual stage, the Mapp administration's determination was that the developer's track record and demonstrated management expertise merited an open presentation to the business community that would be most directly affected to get input and answer questions.

So much of the success of these projects depends on the impression made in the first few minutes, and Sanchez set just the right tone -- warmly cordial yet professional to the fingertips, optimistic and upbeat but realistically cautious about how the process unfolds. Anxious questions did not faze him, and folks relaxed at once.

JMK's Kevin Codey then briefly explained the firm's background and outlined the project.

Headquartered in Cedar Knolls, JMK has more than 20 years experience in residential and commercial development in New Jersey (see their website here). Codey noted that one of the principals is a member of the NJ Sports and Exposition Authority (for those with magic decoder rings, this means the firm is politically well-connected -- a positive signal for anything to get done in New Jersey).

Codey mentioned some of the firm's more recent projects in New Brunswick, Maplewood, Springfield, Florham Park and Denville and noted that JMK has focused on transit-village projects in the vicinity of commuter train stations.

The South Avenue project as proposed would consist of two 4-story buildings plus a clubhouse with pool on a completely landscaped site that would result from the acquisition of eleven properties (approximately 5 acres) in the 1300- and 1400-blocks of South Avenue.

The proposal is for between 210 and 235 market rate rental units, sixty percent 2-bedroom and forty percent 1-bedroom. Parking (at 1.5 spaces per unit, which is a frequently found measure) would be provided with a combination of garages at the rear of the buildings and some open parking.

Codey showed some photos of entrances and units in several projects; all were spacious and well-proportioned, with top-of-the-line amenities including stainless steel kitchen appliances and more.

It was emphasized that the eleven properties are in the process of being acquired, which is expected to take another eight months or so. (It was noted that the Netherwood Grill -- formerly Cafe Vivace -- is among the parcels being negotiated.)

Beyond that another 6-9 months was (optimistically) projected for all approvals and permits. Among the items that will need to be done to qualify for NJMHFA financing is a declaration by the City of the area as 'in need of redevelopment'.

Such a designation would not only ease the path to financing the construction, it would set the stage for the establishment of a PILOT (payment-in-lieu-of-taxes) agreement, which is an inducement that is standard practice in developments.

Codey was at pains to state that the project would bring very few children into the school district (always a concern, since schools get none of the PILOT payments and the cost must be assumed by the rest of the tax base). Sanchez pointed out -- with a wry reference to the Liberty Village experience -- that the details of a PILOT are among the points to be neogtiated between the City and JMF. (I was put in mind of the 50-year PILOT at a very low fixed rate that Malcolm R. Dunn negotiated for the Liberty Village project. Hopefully, there will be no such giveaways under the Mapp administration.)

Among the questions raised by attendees were --

• Traffic (a traffic study will be done on the impact on South Avenue traffic flow);
• Parking at Netherwood Station (the developer is proposing shuttle service to the station);
• Business disruption (Sanchez says the city will offer 'relocation assistance' for any affected businesses).

The only really unpleasant moment came when Councilor Gloria Taylor complained that she had not been informed of the meeting and learned about it through a constituent (she pointedly noted she does not read the blogs, where I had posted an open invitation based on the SID notification).

Taylor is a Council liaison to the SID and SID officials assured me that she is included in every email circulated by the group -- including the invitation to this meeting. Taylor is also said to have complained that she was not informed of the SID budget, which was adopted at Monday's Council meeting as a new item.

Taylor also complained at Monday's meeting that she had not received the emailed copy of the letter from Housing Authority director Randy Wood requesting the HAP ordinance be withdrawn.

Is there more going on here than meets the eye?

Mayor Mapp's closing remarks noted that one of his administration's goals was to change the perception that Plainfield was not business-friendly, and that this open meeting was part of his effort to make the process both more transparent and more efficient.

Donna Albanese remarked in closing, 'This is as close to perfect as we're going to get'.

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Reid tantrum caps bizarre Council meeting

Plainfield City Council behavior gives circuses a bad name.

Any comparison of Plainfield City Council meetings to a three-ring circus would be unfair to three-ring circuses, which are tightly organized and methodically executed public entertainments.

Last Monday's Council business meeting is a case in point: though entertaining at points, organization and execution fell well short of the best of circus routines.

An agenda that was chock full of REAL business (liquor license renewals, four ordinances on second reading and a host of public events) also had to accommodate a wrangle over the HAP ordinance 'conveying' Lot 9, confusion over adding new items to the agenda and a spectacular tantrum by Councilor Reid over giving the voters a say over an Open Space Trust Fund.

The HAP Ordinance

Despite a letter to the Council from Housing Authority executive director Randy Wood asking that the proposed ordinance conveying Public Parking Lot 9 from the city to HAP be withdrawn (see my post and the letter here).

Though the letter certainly could have been more coherent, there is no doubt that Wood was asking the ordinance be withdrawn so HAP and the Mapp administration could continue to consult on the matter.

Council President Bridget Rivers was adamant, saying 'this has become a Council ordinance, [Wood] has no authority to tell Council to take it off the agenda'.

(On this point, Rivers is technically correct, and my story stands corrected in this regard.)

In my post on the withdrawal request, I noted that Rivers had steamrolled adding the ordinance to the agenda for July 14, firmly shutting down discussion of issues with the proposed property conveyance.

Councilor Storch seemed hesitant about how to proceed. Giving the perception that he thought Wood's request should be honored, he moved to table the ordinance; the motion failed 3-2-1.

Though Mayor Mapp and the Administration weighed in about issues with the proposed ordinance, it was to no avail. Councilor Reid reported he had spoken with Wood that very day and flatly contradicted the contents of Wood's letter.

When Councilor Williams tried to read from a copy of Wood's letter that she had received, Councilor Taylor interjected 'I never received it ... I have no problem with it [the ordinance]'. Reid and Greaves also claimed not to have received the email with Wood's letter.

Storch made an impassioned appeal that Council decisions should be 'in the public interest' and that this ordinance contravened the Master Plan and the spirit of transit-oriented development. He closed his remarks by saying 'the only thing transit-oriented about this proposal is the way it is being railroaded', which brought a roar of laughter from the audience.

All was to no avail. The fix, as Olddoc suggests (see here) was in. David Rutherford has posted a video of the complete discussion (see here).

The vote went down 4-2: Greaves, Taylor, Reid and Rivers for; Storch and Williams against. Councilor Tracey Brown was not present.

The ordinance will be up for second reading and final adoption at the August business meeting.

Agenda Confusion

The addition of eight resolutions and an ordinance as new items led to some agenda confusion.

After some clarification, Council decided to add the resolution in one fell swoop (congrats!) and then the proposed ordinance (after some confusing back-and-forth about numbering inconsistencies).

The resolutions included two liquor license renewals with conditions (La Bamba, Ben Franklin Liquors), the SID budget, commemoration of Muhlenberg Hospital's closure, rejecting a bid for animal control services and closing Gavett Placce for a groundbreaking ceremony.

Because David Minchello has been appointed Director of the Law Department for Trenton under newly elected mayor Eric Jackson, two further resolutions made Minchello city solicitor (he has resigned as Corporation Counsel) and appointed Vernita Sias-Hill as his replacement as Corporation Counsel.

All the resolutions passed unanimously.

Reid's Tantrum

Councilor Bill Reid actually threw two tantrums during the meeting.

The first came during the discussion of the HAP ordinance and he became so unruly that Council President Bridget Rivers forced a recess when she was unable to gavel him down. Watch David Rutherford's video of that exchange here.

To my mind, Reid's more embarrassing performance was in relation to the new item, MC 2014-17, an ordinance to put the question of establishing an Open Space Trust Fund to the voters on the November ballot.

Such a referendum can be authorized by an ordinance adopted by the governing body.

If he had got on his high horse over the Mapp administration's failure to bring the matter to the Council in a timely fashion, he would have been on much better ground. (Why was it brought up under-the-gun, so to speak?)

Instead, Reid veered off into one of his rants about how high taxes are (true) and how he was agin' it (true). He didn't want to hear about how the funds generated would be used to advance recreational purposes for all the residents (conveniently forgetting he had a few minutes before given an impassioned plea for the Mapp administration to do something about youth hanging out around San Houma Liquors on East 2nd Street).

Despite efforts by fellow Councilors to point out the vote was not about a tax but about giving the general electorate the say in the matter, he could not be convinced.

When the vote went down -- 5-1 -- his NO reverberated through the room.

So here we are, still searching for the meaning of 'just and capable government' for Plainfield.

And City Council gives three-ring circuses a bad name.

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Off to South Avenue developer meeting

Large-scale development is being proposed
for the 1300 and 1400 blocks of South Avenue.

 

Off to the Plainwood Square merchants meeting with a potential developer this morning. The developer's proposal would bring a massive project to Plainfield's South Avenue commercial neighborhood. See more about the meeting here.

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Was Sharon trying to poison us all and drown our kids?

Once again, Plainfielders' attention is being drawn to the failures and incompetence of former mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs' administration -- now with restaurant health inspections and the safety of our public pools.

In a front-page story in Sunday's Courier News print edition, reporter Sergio Bichao does his usual excellent job in digging into the details of a story -- this time the long-term failure of the Robinson-Briggs administration to conduct timely state-mandated health inspections of Plainfield's 325 food establishments (see story here). The story includes an interactive map of all food service locations, with indications of their last inspection.

If I have one quibble with the Courier, it is the alarmist tone of both the print headline (Eat, drink and be wary in Plainfield) and the online headline (Restaurants in this city went years without inspections). They paint with too broad a brush -- but of course the point is to get you to click on the link or pick up the paper and read.

What, if anything, was on Sharon's mind?

Robinson-Briggs fired both health officer Jadwiga Warwas and inspector Randy Mascaritolo, causing the inspections program to fall hopelessly behind. Did she intend to put everyone who dines out in Plainfield in harm's way? That would be a stretch, but her failure to address -- or perhaps even comprehend -- the magnitude of the problem boggles the mind.

Thankfully, as Mayor Mapp's new Health Officer Denise Proctor says in Bichao's report, there have been no reports of food-related illness in Plainfield.

But this is not the only lapse by Robinson-Briggs that endangered the public.

In the course of opening the city's three pools for the summer season, Recreation Superintendent Veronica Taylor was unable to locate state-mandated logs for the operation of the pools.

These logs are required by the state and track the usage, supervision, incidents and conditions of the pools while they are in operation.

Moving ahead, required health inspections of the pools, their equipment and water quality were scheduled -- only to discover that under the Robinson-Briggs administration this required inspection and certification had never been done.

Further, one of the three pools did not have the safeguards required to prevent youngsters being sucked into the outflow vents and drowning, a safety precaution that has been required for years. Plainfield's children were put at risk every time they used that pool during the Robinson-Briggs administration.

Again, who could imagine Robinson-Briggs would allow such a failure? Where was the oversight of the Recreation Division?

Thank God we have now got a mayor who is truly putting the interest of the public above all else, and capable division leadership to ensure the public's safety.

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BREAKING: HAP ordinance on Lot 9 withdrawn

The Housing Authority is asking the ordinance be withdrawn.

In a brief letter dated July 11, Plainfield Housing Authority executive director Randy Wood asked the Council to drop consideration of the proposed ordinance transferring ownership of public parking Lot 9 to a consortium led by HAP that wants to build affordable housing on the site.

The letter is astounding in that Wood asserts he was asking for the Council's 'consideration, advice and consent'. To those present at last week's meeting, it seemed quite obvious that Mr. Wood was asking the Council to bring the ordinance forward.

Council President Bridget Rivers brooked no discussion and insisted that a vote be taken at once to put the ordinance forward for first reading at the July 14 meeting. A majority concurred and the proposed ordinance was included in tomorrow's agenda as MC-2014.

The letter suggests that there are a number of other issues involved with the proposal, which I am sure will be discussed as matters progress.

I have posted a copy of Mr. Woods' letter online and below.

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HAP-Letter on Lot 9 Ordinance

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Road work slated to start

Plainfield Avenue is slated for milling and resurfacing.

 

Plainfield Avenue between West Fifth and Front Streets is scheduled to be resurfaced beginning on or around July 28.

The project is being managed by Union County through a shared services agreement with the City in which Plainfield is saving money on the cost of the project since it is folded into the county's summer road work scheduled countywide.

Though most of the county's program is being done at night (between 9 PM and 6 AM), for some unexplained reason the Plainfield work is being during daylight hours. For more on the Union County 2014 road projects, see the Westfield Patch's report here.

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Liberty Village sale closes, new owners take possession

Despite being sued to void its management contract for Liberty Village,
the Housing Authority still uses it to illustrate its website.

Multi-Housing News Online has published a story confirming the sale of Plainfield's Liberty Village to Tryko Partners of Brick (see story here).

This is the $9 million transaction that hinged on modifications to a 50-year PILOT agreement originally negotiated in the 1980s. Back in the Spring, a Council majority refused to put the PILOT on its agenda and remained adamant even as it was warned that residents would likely be put out in the street as a result of Council's intransigence.

Council President Bridget Rivers insisted the Council was being rushed (see my April post here), but as it turns out she had been aware of the potential sale and PILOT issues for over a year.

Things came to a head at a special meeting called by Mayor Adrian Mapp on May 5 (see my post here) specifically to address the PILOT matter. With the council chambers packed with angry residents from Liberty Village who had been roused to action by a flyer distributed by Councilor Rebecca Williams (who represents a portion of Liberty Village), the matter finally came to a vote.

After hearing from the angry and upset residents, Council voted unanimously to adopt the amended PILOT agreement.

Tryko Partners, the purchasers, agreed to a list of capital improvements, including sidewalks, exterior and interior repairs and improvements and renovating the community center -- all to be done within 24 months of the transfer of the property.

In the course of the controversy, it came to light that the Housing Authority of Plainfield had been contracted to manage Liberty Village and that the development had been severely neglected under its stewardship. So badly neglected that the owners had to take the Housing Authority to court to have the management contract voided.

The Housing Authority, which performed so poorly in this instance, iks now coming to the Council demanding the City give it the property known as Public Parking Lot #9 for development as affordable housing. More on that later.

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Jerry Green comes out against 'gutter-style politics'?

Jerry Green comes out against 'gutter-style politics'?

Jerry Green opposing 'gutter-style politics'? At first glance, you might think so if you read Jerry's most recent blog post (see here).

It has been months since Jerry posted anything but press releases from the Assembly Democrats and I had gotten sloppy about checking his blog every day, so I missed this Tuesday's post until this morning. I was caught short by the title -- Union County Improvement Authority (UCIA) -- and wondered what he could be writing about.

Turns out it is Jerryspeak for an attack on Bernice in particular and 'the bloggers' in general.

Jerry was reacting to Bernice's post of the prior Sunday (see here) noting that a year after the so-called 'settlement' of the UCIA-City of Plainfield issues, there were still unresolved items -- including use of the parking deck by Plainfield residents and the matter of the relocation of the 'Tree Grows in Brooklyn' clock to the plaza.

Well, the terms haven't been fulfilled. But Jerry doesn't speak to Bernice's specifics. Instead, he says --

As time goes on, I will continue to work with the County and the City of Plainfield in the right direction on this matter.

-- whatever that means.

What Jerry really seems to take offense at is the suggestion that he is the boss, and that he is at war with Mayor Adrian Mapp.

All this from the man who is caught on video (see below or here) saying 'I run this mother****er'.

As for Jerry Green coming out against 'gutter-style politics', we'll just have to wait and see.

I suspect it's just Jerryspeak.

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Off to the peg-leg people

Morning appointment with the peg-leg folks.

See you tomorrow.

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Developer to meet with merchants on South Avenue proposal

Proposed development would be near Plainwood Square Park.

 

A developer with plans for a Plainfield project on South Avenue is slated to meet with merchants on July 15 to discuss the proposed project.

In an announcement emailed to Plainwood Square merchants and Plainfield SID members on Tuesday, PWS president Donna Albanese urged members to attend the meeting with the unnamed developer, adding that Deputry City Administrator Carlos Sanchez would be present and Mayor Mapp is confirmed to attend.

The proposal involves eight properties located near Plainwood Square Park and if successful would bring a large upscale development to the area. The meeting provides an opportunity for the business community to review the developer's plans and have questions answered about the impact on the proposed development for the South Avenue business community.

The meeting is set to begin at 9:30 AM SHARP, Tuesday, July 15 at Freppe's (the former Freshwaters restaurant), 1442 South Avenue. Parking is available on site and in the C-Town lot across the street. RSVP to Donna at plainfielddq@comcast.net or by phone at (908) 755-5994.

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Council praises Recreation for successful July 4 Parade

Mayor Mapp distributes flags to some of the younger parade-goers.

 

Plainfield City Council took time out from undermining the initiatives of the Mapp administration to praise the city's new Recreation Superintendent Veronica Taylor for a highly successful 91st annual July 4 Parade and fireworks celebration.

Called to the microphone, Taylor gave the credit to the teamwork shown by all the city's various divisions, directors and employees -- mentioning the police, fire, public works and economic development personnel in particular.

Taylor's enthusiastic acknowlegment of the cooperation of elected officials and city employees led to the only round of applause in the overlong and sometimes contentious Council meeting (of which more later).

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Clergy changes at historic Plainfield congregations

The bell tower of Grace Episcopal Church,
which houses the Pittis Carillon, was rebuilt several years ago.

Two historic Plainfield congregations -- Grace Episcopal and Crescent Avenue Presbyterian -- are marking clergy changes this summer.

The Wardens and Vestry of Grace Episcopal Church announced that the Ven. Dr. Gideon Arinzechukwu Uzomechina has been appointed priest-in-charge effective October 1.

Father Uzomechina will be taking the place of Rev. Carolyn Eklund, who was called to a parish in Maine last year. He is a native of Nigeria, where he earned a D. Min. degree and served several parishes in the Anglican Church of Nigeria. He currently serves as priest-in-charge of St. Alban's Episcopal Church in New Brunswick.

Father Uzomechina and his wife and three children will relocate to Plainfield in September. A priest-in-charge is appointed by the congregation's leadership body with the consent of the diocesan bishop for a stated period of time. At the end of the term, the bishop and congregation may consider a permanent appointment.

Crescent Avenue Presbyterian Church has also had a recent change, with the installation of the Rev. Lynn Santulli on June 8 as the congregation's permanent pastor.

Lynn had served as interim pastor after the Rev. Rob Martin took a call to a congregation in Ohio. Recent changes in the governance of the United Presbyterian Church made it possible for the Crescent Avenue congregation to call its interim minister as its permanent pastor.

Lynn is an energetic and forward-looking leader for this historic Plainfield congregation, whose magnificent neo-Gothic building is host to so many Plainfield musical and cultural activities.

Lastly, it should be noted that St. Mark's Episcopal Church is also looking for a new rector following the retirement of the Very Rev. Canon Leroy Lyons. That congregation, which is the church home of Mayor Adrian Mapp and his family, is considering candidates to replace the much-loved Father Lyons.

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Dirty politics and the Raritan Valley Coalition?

The Coalition advocates for transportation-related issues.

 

Are dirty politics at work in the Raritan Valley Coalition? The group, which advocates for a one-seat ride to New York and other improvements for NJT's Raritan Valley Line riders, is composed of representatives of communities serviced by the line -- including Plainfield -- and keeps up a website here.

I had been dimly aware that Plainfield was to host a meeting of the group, but had lost track of when it was supposed to be. Turns out it was recently.

But the meeting wasn't held in Plainfield. Why not?

Word in the street is that an unnamed elected official put pressure on RVC leadership to move the meeting site.

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  -- Dan Damon [follow]

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Independence Festival under way today

Yum!

 

Plainfield's 5th annual 'Fiesta de Independencia de E.U.' gets under way today through Sunday in Lots 8 and 8A between Somerset Street and Watchung Avenue. It runs from 11 AM to 11 PM.

The festival, begun by Faraon's nightclub owner Edison Garcia in 2009, was the first major Latino event to draw tens of thousands of visitors to the Queen City.

Family friendly, the event's offers carnival rides and midway games as well as vendors with Mexican and Central American food specialties. Music is offered throughout the day and evening from a sound stage set up in a sequestered beer garden area.

Admission is free.

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The Pillars Bed and Breakfast is closing

The Pillars, Plainfield's only bed-and-breakfast inn.

Sad news comes that Plainfield is losing its only bed-and-breakfast inn, The Pillars.

The magnificent mansion, set on spacious and lovely grounds on Central Avenue in the Van Wycks Brooks Historic District, has been a refuge for business travelers and others for over two decades.

Originally founded by retired Presbyterian minister Chuck Hale and his partner Tom, the couple spent years remodeling the expansive house to provide bedroom-and-bath suites.

I remember being piqued in the mid-90s by Chuck's early adoption of an online presence for The Pillars (the website is here), which he said brought it a steady clientele of business travelers on temporary or short-term assignments to Fortune 500 companies in the area.

The gracious home, nestled in Plainfield's largest historic district, attracted visitors who were more adventurous and discerning than those who would settle for flopping at a motel.

Eventually, Chuck and Tom decided to 'retire' and sold the business to Lamont Blowe and Nancy Fiske, the current owners. (I put 'retire' in quotes, because the Hales continued to fill in for other inn owners when they needed a break or had to be away from their B&Bs.)

Lamont and Nancy quickly became community fixtures, participating in everything from the VWB Historic District to the Girl Scouts and the Plalinfield Chamber of Commerce.

'Plainfield had never been a destination in the usual sense,' Lamont recently said. The inn's clientele had continued to be drawn from business travelers, along with those who needed accommodation because of weddings or funerals in the area.

But in the age of the Internet, Skype and online conferencing resources, large corporations no longer make as much use of temporary assignments.

The death knell, Lamont says, was sounded by the closure of Muhlenberg Regional Medical Center in 2008, drying up one of the more reliable sources of clients for the inn.

Lamont and Nancy will still be in Plainfield and active in community activities. (If you're a nature enthusiast, you may also bump into Nancy in her work for the Audubon Society.)

A contents sale is being planned -- I will try to keep everyone posted. Meanwhile, take a moment to drop by The Pillars at 922 Central Avenue or send them an email at info@pillars2.com to thank Lamont and Nancy for all they have meant for Plainfield.

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Festival and July 4 Parade highlight holiday weekend

The July 4 Parade is always a hit with youngsters.

Plainfield has a full roster of activities for the July 4 holiday weekend, with the 91st annual Central Jersey July 4 Parade on Saturday morning and a fiesta in lots 8 and 8A celebrating American Independence.

The parade steps off at 10 AM on Saturday and proceeds down East Front Street from Johnston Avenue to Park Avenue. After years of delayed starts under the previous administration, indications are Mayor Adrian Mapp's team will run a more timely event. The celebration of the nation's Independence Day will conclude at dusk with fireworks at Cedar Brook Park.

A concert originally planned for the late afternoon was rescheduled after Council declined to approve the proposal.

Since 2009, Edison Garcia of Faraon's nightclub has sponsored a fiesta celebrating American Independence in public parking lots 8 and 8A between Somerset Street and Watchung Avenue.

The fiesta features food, vendors, entertainment and a sequestered beer garden as well as carnival rides for the whole family and runs from 11 AM to 11 PM. The Ferris wheel and other rides were already being set up in the public lots on Tuesday -- meaning the city has already started losing parking revenues for the event.

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Futbol: US vs. Belgium on large screen at Library today

Team USA fans at World Cup 2014.

 

Plainfield futbol fans can watch today's World Cup match between the US and Belgium on the large screen at the Plainfield Public Library today at 4 PM.

Though it is the world's most popular sport, soccer (as it is known in the US) has never reached as large an audience here as have the homegrown sports of baseball, basketball and American football.

That, however, is changing. According to Forbes magazine, the US-Portugal match got the highest ever viewership of a futbol event on ESPN. Estimates are that today's game could pull between 13 and 16 million US viewers. Not too shabby.

Meanwhile, those who have been paying attention have noticed that World Cup fever has made a real difference in Plainfield the past couple of weeks.

Depending on what countries are playing, shopping at stores and businesses and downtown traffic have been practically non-existent at times. Particularly impacted it seems, were the SID's 6th Annual Block Pary on Saturday and a Health Fair on Sunday (for which piles of garbage remained unremoved as of Monday afternoon -- who is in charge here?).

The Plainfield Public Library is at Park Avenue and West 8th Street and is an accessible facility. Parking is available in the 8th and 9th Street lots.

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