Skateboard Park Needs Explanations

Where barbed wire and rusting hulks of city vehicles now sit, someone is imagining a skateboard park, but you would never know it from two agenda items up for consideration Monday.

The titles just mention professional services contracts for soil testing at $6,595 and environmental "site investigation" services at $7,815. Checking documents in the council packet at the Plainfield Public Library Saturday revealed the ultimate goal for the site at 301-327 East Fourth Street.

The site has been used in the past for storage of abandoned vehicles and currently has obsolete city cars and equipment as well as construction material.

There are 43 resolutions and two ordinances on Monday's agenda and several discussion items, so it is unlikely that these two contracts will engender much talk, but they certainly set off a lot of questions in this writer's mind. For one, these contracts are only preliminaries to a project. Given the surprise trajectory of other recreation-related projects such as the Joe Black Field concession stand and the Bryant Park rest room, what kind of overall cost might be involved in clearing the site and building a skateboard park?

I don't recall ever hearing a comprehensive overview of recreation programs, although the City Council tried to get metrics on costs and usage. What state are the city's three pools in? How many residents, both children and adults take part in existing programs and are all fields ready for playing season? Maybe these questions should be answered before embarking on a new project.

And how was it determined that a skateboard park here is needed or desired? There are quite a few young skateboarders around, but what might they think of this location between the railroad tracks and homes where residents may not be enthralled with the sound of ollies and nosegrinds.? Did anyone ask skateboarders or residents about this project?

Perhaps all these questions have valid answers.  But at least some of them should be asked before things get too far along.

--Bernice

Happy Easter

Have a lovely day!

Branch Brook Park and Olmsted

I did not take notes at the Drake House talk on Branch Brook Park and the county park movement, but if you have time on this busy holiday weekend, take a look here. The information is basically the same as was presented by Kathleen P. Galop.

--Bernice

Jackson for Mayor?

...of Trenton, that is.

Click here to read a Star-Ledger story about the Trenton mayoral race.

Eric Jackson has a lot of fans here for his professionalism, responsiveness, knowledge of municipal government and generally pleasant demeanor. His term is concurrent with that of the mayor here, so would expire at the end of this year anyway.

At least we have seen a good example of an administrator after a very mixed bag of appointees who didn't measure up and/or fled the politics after a few months.

--Bernice

Commissioners: Save the Yew Hedge

Members of two city commissions are concerned about a plan to remove the yew hedge at City Hall.

Tim Kirby of the Shade Tree Commission said members learned of the plan this week. He forwarded this statement:

Tim Kirby and Jan Massey, both members of the Shade Tree Commission, have voiced their opposition to removing the yew hedge that lines both sides of the entrance way to City Hall. The Historic Preservation Commission also wants the yews to stay.

We don't know their age but they are old, venerable plants in good health. The design is a classic one and it gives the front facade of City Hall balance and structure appropriate for the Georgian Revival building. We don't object to some light trimming and shaping, but we do think they should be left intact. Yews are considered one of the finest hedge plants. In most parts of Plainfield, deer have decimated their ranks. We don't have a deer problem at City Hall, yet another reason to leave this established hedge as is.

Yews can live for many hundreds of years. City Hall dates back to the early 20th century and is part of the Civic Historic District.

Removal of the hedge would leave just a small wrought-iron fence bordering the plaza in front of City Hall. If you agree that the hedge should stay or that this decision needs further explanation to the public before any action, e-mail the mayor at sharon.robinson-briggs@plainfieldnj.gov and say so.

--Bernice

CSC To Hear Wyatt, Williamson, West

Thursday's (March 28) Charter Study Commission meeting will include interviews with former City Clerk Laddie Wyatt, who retired in 2010 after 23 years of service; former Corporation Counsel Dan Williamson, now executive director of the Plainfield Municipal Utilities Authority; and former Finance Director Ron West.

Wyatt and Williamson will answer CSC questions in person. West's responses to the interview question were recorded by a sub-committee and may be played if time permits.

The meeting is 7:30 p.m. in City Hall Library and is open to the public.

--Bernice

Preservation: North Avenue Windows, Tree Plaques

This was the rear of a building on North Avenue up until recently, when developer Frank Cretella bought it.

This is a big improvement, right?
Well, it would be if the building was not in an historic district. A representative of Cretella's company came to an Historic Preservation Commission hearing on proposed renovations to the building and apologized for the fact that vinyl windows had already been installed, front and rear. The commissioners said the old wood windows had to replaced with new wood windows.

The hearing was continued to March 19, but I missed it due to another meeting. I found out today that the change will be made.

It is good news that Cretella bought this building and several others in the North Avenue Historic District. After another building was demolished, Plaintalker feared this one was so far gone that it would be next. (See post here.) But things seem to be taking a turn for the better now.

It's still a shame that one of the significant buildings facing the train station was lost. See post here

On Sunday I was surprised to see the block with the building's date on the grounds of Drake House. At the time of the demolition, it was supposed to be saved, but as the post above shows, it was a rough operation and the block was feared lost in the rubble. It's good to see that it was preserved.

When I was on the Shade Tree Commission, there was another slice of history that I had hoped would be preserved. Many trees were planted in a 1970s campaign with plaques honoring the donors. You can still see the plaques, even though many of the trees are now gone. I had hoped that before a planned streetscape project took place between on Park between Second and Fifth the plaques would be removed to a safe place, as many of the names of donors are of historic significance.

From a 2008 post with this image: In the 1970s, citizens and institutions donated funds for tree plantings along Park and Watchung avenues and some other streets downtown. As you can see here, it's time for some new trees. This plaque is in memory of Katherine and A. Lodewyk de Leeuw, "who loved trees."

The North Avenue district dates back to the late 19th century and these plaques are only from the mid-20th century, but maybe they can also be saved.

--Bernice