Tenants! It's Heat Season!

The cold snap reminds us that it's time to review what the Municipal Code says about heating requirements for rental property:

Heating Requirements.  Except as hereinafter stated, from October 1 of each year to the next succeeding May 1, the interior of every dwelling unit or rooming unit, bathroom and water closet compartment shall be maintained at least at sixty-eight degrees Fahrenheit (68°F) whenever the outside temperature falls below fifty-five degrees Fahrenheit (55°F) during the daytime hours from six (6:00) a.m. in the morning and eleven (11:00) p.m. in the evening.  At times other than those specified, interiors of units of dwelling  space shall be maintained at least at sixty-five degrees Fahrenheit  (65°F) whenever the outside temperature falls below forty degrees Fahrenheit (40°F).

Except as hereinafter stated, from May 1 to October 1, every dwelling unit, rooming unit, bathroom and water closet compartment shall be maintained at a temperature of sixty-eight degrees Fahrenheit (68°F) during the daytime hours from six (6:00) a.m. in the morning and eleven (11:00) p.m. in the evening whenever the outside temperature falls below fifty-five degrees Fahrenheit (55°F).  At times other than those specified, interiors of units of dwelling space shall be maintained at least at sixty-five degrees Fahrenheit (65°F) whenever the outside temperature falls below forty degrees Fahrenheit (40°F).

If you don't have heat, you can call Inspections at (908) 753-3386 and get help.

"Best Practices" Score Limits State Aid

Any Plainfield resident with an interest in municipal government would be well advised to take a look at the 2012 "Best Practices" inventory for which the city received a 66 percent score. Based on that score, the city will receive only 1 percent of the final 5 percent of state aid for the year. But someone who follows local government closely might think that even some of the "yes" answers for best practices are dubious. For example, the administration claims that all contracts are reviewed and approved by the corporation counsel and a qualified purchasing agent, but has either been in place since July?

And how about the "no" answer on whether the three last budgets and the 2012 proposed budget are online? South Plainfield, where the city's acting chief financial officer is CFO as well as borough administrator, has its proposed 2012 budget statement online, if you want to see what we're missing. Every municipality has to submit this document to the state, so basically it just has to be scanned in to be online locally. It even includes the state aid amounts (CMPTRA and ETR) affected by "best practices" scores.

Among other answers, the city said "no," it does not publish all salaries online, nor is there an up-to-date assessment of all grant-funded programs. A property revaluation is not being considered, nor is employee time and attendance reviewed. The entire document should be on file in the City Clerk's office.

The Plainfield City Council is supposed to certify Tuesday that it has reviewed the Best Practices Inventory as prepared by the chief financial officer. If the acting CFO is still only giving the city from five to eight hours of his time weekly, can he possibly have the same grasp on city practices that a full-time CFO might have?

As a CFO himself, Council President Adrian Mapp has pushed for proper fiscal practices in the Plainfield administration, but he cannot do more from the legislative branch than advocate for best practices. The administration has been relying on a part-time CFO for most of the year and the latest announced strategy to get a full-time one is to take the search to the annual League of Municipalities conference in November. Meanwhile, the adminstration could also do some soul-searching on its practices involving both fiscal and personnel issues as reflected in the 2012 inventory. Fix the "no" answers and make sure the "yes" answers are truly correct, and maybe things will go better in 2013.

--Bernice 

More Seattle Scenes

Mount Rainier at sunrise was my last image of the Pacific Northwest on Thursday as I flew home to Plainfield. My final photo roundup includes more on spiders, Seattle's new giant Ferris wheel and the Pike Place Market.

It looks like quite a haul for this spider early on Wednesday morning, but later the facts proved otherwise.

The stiff breeze that accompanied us on our bus trip downtown deposited a lot of airborne debris in all the many spider webs in Audrey's yard.

Seen up close, the bits of fluff resembled a combination of flying birds and bumblebees - the joke was on the orb weavers.

It was exciting to see the new giant Ferris wheel from the bus to downtown Seattle. It's right at the water's edge, which gave me vertigo just thinking about it.

Another view from the bus. Read about the "Great Wheel" here.

As we arrived at the famous Pike Place Market, a Google car whizzed by the shops.

A premier tourist attraction, this market has a mind-boggling array of foods. Here are some quite exotic forms of pasta (click to enlarge any image).

This is just one of many fruit and vegetable stands in the market.

"Oh yeah! Purple carrots!"

Seafood abounds in the market.

I think I'll gain weight just looking at these pastries.

On to Westlake Center. The plaza's trees have blue trunks and there is a giant chess set laid out.

 A water wall adds interest to the plaza. Audrey and I browsed at Nordstrom Rack for bargains before heading back to West Seattle.

If you ever get a chance to visit Seattle, go! You will love it.

--Bernice

New Deputy Clerk Coming?

The City Clerk's office has been without a deputy clerk for several months now, but an appointment is listed as a new item on Tuesday's agenda.

No doubt City Clerk Abubakar Jalloh would welcome a new deputy clerk as election time approaches. The roster for the Nov. 6 general election normally would only have two City Council seats locally, but this time it will also have the school board election for four seats, a charter study commission election to fill five seats and the charter study question as well. Of course, with the presidential election at the top of the ballot, a large turnout is expected.

I will be checking the packet at the Plainfield Public Library, but meanwhile only the name of Sherri Golden is on the agenda. Could it be the same Sherri Golden who is deputy clerk in the Township of South Orange Village? We'll soon find out.

--Bernice

Ban Plastic Bags, Please

Seattle has banned plastic bags, as I found out when I got to the check-out counter at Target last week on my trip to Westwood Village. I had brought one of my Envirosax bags with me from New Jersey, but had loaned it to Audrey and Peter for shopping on their trip to San Francisco. My choices were to pay a nickel for a sturdy paper bag with handles or to buy a red reusable Target bag. I chose the latter.

In Plainfield, I almost always bring my own bags to Twin City, either my L.L. Bean canvas bag or the Envirosax bags that roll up to the size of an overgrown Tootsie Roll. Twin City requires checking of bags, but the Envirosax ones easily fit in my purse, ready to unfurl at check-out.

I understand there is a study proposed on one-use plastic and paper bags in New Jersey. I am in favor of a future ban on such bags. A high proportion of the debris that the wind blows onto our grounds near Park & Seventh consists of black or white plastic bags. They get stuck in trees or land on my garden plants and are just a general nuisance. Twin City double-bags everything, so even the smallest errand can result in a welter of plastic bags at home. We do use them as waste-basket liners, but there is always an overflow of bags. Apparently most people discard bags from the newsstand or liquor store as soon as they leave the premises, because the whole block is strewn with them.

I have used two Envirosax bags for several years now, and recently used some PayPal dollars from the blog to get one more. Each bag can hold up to 44 pounds and they are washable. I think I am one of very few shoppers who currently bring reusable bags to Twin City. Some other stores give a small credit for bringing your own bags, but the main point is not to accumulate a bunch of non-biodegradable plastic bags.

Interestingly, my son-in-law has three cloth shopping bags that I made for him several years ago. He is the family chef and shops for fresh produce and groceries every day in the European manner. I was surprised that the bags have held up so long. It is easy to make such bags using a plain brown paper bag as a pattern. There are also ready-made ones available at craft shops, intended for embellishment but usable as is.

The trend to reusable bags is picking up (click here). I for one hope New Jersey will not spend too long studying what is already self-evident and will move on to action to ban plastic bags.

--Bernice

A Visit To West Seattle Junction

Seattle is full of distinctive neighborhoods and shopping districts. On Tuesday, Audrey and I took the bus to West Seattle Junction, the "downtown" of West Seattle.

Note the "Walk All Ways" sign at the main crossroads. Yes, you can walk catty-corner if you wish. A tradition in the making is having one's wedding party walk all ways here.

Street art abounds here, as well as throughout the city.

The Junction has lots of identifying markers, including banners ...

... and more street art.

Easy Street is "the longest running record store in Seattle."

The Junction has more than one bookstore, an increasing rarity in downtowns.

It's a bench! It's art! Have a seat and think about it.

The hanging baskets had just been removed for the changing season, but we saw one last example of the lush, colorful displays.

The Junction has an enticing array of restaurants and specialty food stores, as well as a farmer's market.

Many buildings, including this post office, have murals related to West Seattle. This one depicts Hi-Yu, the annual summer festival that features a parade and naming of a royal court.

 These whimsical tiles are at the base of a ...

...stately street clock advertising a local jeweler.

Cupcake Royale is a sweet part of the mix in the Junction, as is Bakery Nouveau. 

Check out the transportation sculptures on the bus shelter. (Click to enlarge any image.)

All in all, West Seattle Junction lives up to its claim as a "destination-worthy business district" offering commerce, culture and camaraderie. I enjoyed my visit very much!

--Bernice 

Seattle Images

Seen from the plane Thursday morning - the mountains were shrouded in fog. But every day has been sunny.

I was glad to leave mosquitoes behind in New Jersey. Seattle has none, just lots of spiders. Their webs are all over.

I think they are orb weavers. They spin new webs constantly.

Seattle has had very little rain this summer, but some plants have prospered anyway. This Fuchsia popped up like a weed in one part of the yard.

Here are two young Smoke Trees. Everyone's lawn is very dry right now.

On Friday, I walked a hilly route to the Westwood Village shopping center.

The QFC had lots of plants for sale.

These Chinese Lanterns had an autumnal look.

Seattle was instituting upgrades to its already very fine bus system. Seattle Metro people were handing out new schedules and maps and giving a close-up of the new RapidRide bus. Innovations will mean faster rides and more frequent service, as often as every 10 minutes at peak hours.

 Westwood Village has a Target, Staples and many, many more shops, including this liquor store that replaces a state-run store.

Back at home, Ichiro and I spent a lot of time outside. His agenda was prowling and snoozing. Mine was yard work and bird watching.

As always, coffee rules in Seattle! Here's my first cup on Monday.

We are not planning any sight-seeing on this trip, maybe just some shopping downtown and otherwise staying close to home. Ichiro and I were both glad to have Audrey and Peter back late Sunday night from their trip to San Francisco.

I will be interested to hear what went on at the City Council meeting. My flight back is on Thursday, so I will see my fellow bloggers and council mavens at Tuesday's regular meeting.

--Bernice