Monday, March 24, 2014

On Recreation and the Special Meeting

On Recreation

Last  week, the City Council approved hanging of a banner across East Sixth Street to advertise the Recreation Division's seasonal programs. Unless the division's page on city web site gets updated, residents will have to eyeball the banner to learn more.

Former Superintendent of Recreation Dave Wynn left city employment in September 2012, or thereabouts. Mayor Adrian O. Mapp said recently he intends to fill the position, but no name has yet been announced. By now, ball fields should be getting prepared for games and soon it will be time to check city pools to make sure they will be ready to open this summer.

Preparations should soon be underway for the July 4th celebration and the city's eleven parks must be readied for activities.

The person who becomes the next superintendent of Recreation must be willing to be more open with the council about the workings of the division, especially regarding the costs associated with major items such as the July 4th events. Wynn's tenure was marred with a lack of timely response to council inquiries on expenses as well as complaints about field management dating back to 2009. The new administration has a chance to do better with the next superintendent.

Special Meeting

The special meeting promised by City Council President Bridget Rivers to act on a temporary budget will take place at 6 p.m. Friday in City Hall Library.

There are two items on the agenda, according to the notice sent out by City Clerk Abubakar Jalloh:

1. RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE ADOPTION OF CURRENT FUND TEMPORARY APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE CY 2014 PRIOR TO ADOPTION OF THE 2014 MUNICIPAL BUDGET IN ACCORDANCE WITH N.J.S.A. 40A:4-20.

2. RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING A SIDEWALK AND STREET ENCROACHMENT TO ST. MARY’S CHURCH FOR THE PURPOSE OF CONDUCTING A RELIGIOUS PROCESSION.

Plaintalker will pursue details on these two resolutions and will post on them as soon as possible.

The first resolution failed to get enough votes Thursday to move it to the agenda. Council Finance Committee members said they wanted to review the temporary budget appropriations with a consulting firm that was approved Thursday. The appropriations must be passed by Monday, or the city will be unable to operate or pay employees, Corporation Council David Minchello told the governing body Thursday.

--Bernice

4 comments:

  1. mmmmmmmm..... well, we know of 5 people on the City Council who definitely had no problem with Dave Wynn's utter mismanagement of funds and the recreation department.. so filling his shoes ought to be quite easy for his successor ..
    About those monetary issues with that department ?? I am assuming the rug at City Hall got a little bumpier from the mess swept under it ???
    There's always room for more jello and more items to be "forgotten" here in Plainfield !

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  2. Great idea. Now let us have a banner that says:

    No Stealing [Snatching]
    No Cutting School
    No Pinching Girls as they walk by


    What a great town it will be then, no problems everyone will flock to downtown.

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  3. Maybe the five stooges think Sharon is still in office and no one will notice what they are doing. There may be a silver lining to the dubious cloud. Maybe the voters will finally get rid of these losers and put someone in who cares about Plainfield, not special interests. Its a shame that Rivers has so much time, she has to go also. I can only hope that Taylor has that proverbial chance of a snow ball you know where. Brown, well there is another problem. Who do we have to thank? You figure it out.

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  4. dave wynn's hatefulness continued long after he was gone which makes me think he still had some influence left there. The new superintendent should continue cleaning house and definitely conduct an audit of the finances. Hopefully whoever it is will understand their role in the community is to provide recreational services for all residents. And here's a concept, embrace those non profits that fill the gaps in providing activites for our residents that are not being paid by tax payor dollars. If they get it, maybe recreation will be the happy place it should have been.

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