Speakers Offer background on Liberty Village Saga

Two people added some back story Monday to the Liberty Village controversy, while Deputy City Administrator Carlos Sanchez attempted to focus on action needed for the Section 8 complex's next chapter and Assemblyman Jerry Green called for a probe by Rep. Rush Holt on residents' rights.

Current owner Sam Perelman began his remarks by citing "a lot of misinformation" at the town meeting called by three City Council members. He echoed the timeline Sanchez had explained, the property being built in 1982 with a 50-year "payment in lieu of taxes" agreement. There was also a 30-year management plan with the Housing Authority of Plainfield. In 2009, the senior partner died and Perelman said he met with HAP staff, but was not allowed in the complex.

Perelman said he "knocked on nine doors" and took pictures and statements.

"I saw things I was disgusted by,' he said.

His investigation led to a lawsuit that was settled by not having HAP manage the complex any more, and the owner sought the "biggest and best" management company, which he identified as Interstate. He said for 78 of the 96 units, improvements included 105 refrigerators and stoves, 38 cabinets, 25 new hot water heaters, new roofs on all buildings, re-tiled bathrooms and window bars.

"We did everything," he said.

He said his company "looked very hard" to find a new owner and settled on Tryko, which owns 6,000 units.

"We're at a crossroads now," he said.

The PILOT was brought to the council on April 8 and did not get moved to the agenda.

"We want Tryko to be the new owner," he said.

Regarding use of a community room, he said it was necessary to use it as a staging are for the repairs, which other speakers said resulted in the complex going from an unacceptable rating from HUD to a much higher one.

He asked the council members, all seven of whom attended the meeting, to please vote for the PILOT agreement.

In another revelation, a former manager at the complex told residents, "There are things in place to prevent the kind of things you were subject to."

She said the property was never registered with the state Department of Community Affairs and so was never inspected for 26 years. The state usually inspects multi-family dwellings every five years. However, HUD inspections revealed sub-par conditions that yielded unacceptable scores.A new manager was able to improve the Real Estate Assessment Center (REAC) scores.

(David Rutherford's Plainfield View has video of most of this. See and hear for yourself.)

4/22 correction from Bridget Rivers

Good morning,

1st I would like to say thanks for coming out last night. I just want to make one correction I did say I would not push to have a special meeting until I have everything that was mentioned in WRITING.

The residents were promised many things in the past which were not delivered, and there is nothing in writing from the owners to substantiate that. I do not want the same thing to happen again.

I was not there when the now owners took over management from the housing authority so I have nothing to do with what was done in the past, but I can speak up for the residents now.

 I will have a special meeting to make sure the deadlines are meet.

I also would like for the new potential owners to meet with the residents. You must know no matter what I have the residents best interest at heart.

Guys I cannot allow the residents to get burnt on this one. Please understand. As always your I appreciate constructive criticism.

Thanks

A Quick Summary of the Liberty Village Town Hall

Council President Bridget Rivers (l.) addresses residents at the town meeting

Billed as a night for truth to be told, Monday's "town meeting" on the future of Liberty Village took on a Rashomon tone as two speakers said a sale must take place by early May and Assemblyman Jerry Green said he will ask Rep. Rush Holt to effect an extension.

Carlos Sanchez, the city's new economic development director, gave an audience of about 60 Liberty Village residents and others a detailed scenario of the situation leading up to the proposed sale of the 96-unit subsidized housing complex. The parties involved include HUD, the current owner, a management firm and a prospective buyer. The City Council's only role is to agree to amend and transfer a "payment in lieu of taxes" agreement to the new owner in order to effectuate the sale. Sanchez described all the improvements and amenities that will come with the sale, but said it must happen by May 7 or 9 when the Section 8 contract is due to expire.

Green came to the table frowning and as Sanchez said the new 20-year contract was needed "to assure your rents don't go up," Green blurted, "I ain't got all night to be here," demanding that Sanchez finish. He expressed displeasure that as "head of housing in the state," he was not called about the deal, although later he said he knew about it last year. He chided Sanchez for talking about a laundry and community room "when HUD is about to close them."

"I'm starting at Washington to find out whether they  failed to negotiate," he said, telling the residents, "I asked Congressman Rush Holt to find out what rights you have."

Sanchez had previously given details of the proposed sale at council meetings on April 8 and April 15. On Monday, current owner Sam Perlman backed up the need for a decision in early May and the fact that the PILOT agreement is integral to the sale. The prospective owner was still observing a religious holiday as he was last week and did not attend Monday's meeting.

Although it was suggested that the council could schedule a special meeting to vote on the PILOT, Council President Bridget Rivers said, "I never said I would have a special meeting to get the PILOT signed."

(There was a lot more to this meeting, but I can't write any more right now. Look for more tomorrow. It was also taped for PCTV and two other bloggers were there.)

Houses of Worship Tour May 3

A couple of weeks ago I met a Plainfield woman in Westfield at a downtown bus stop. We were chatting about city churches, especially Grace Church and its Tiffany windows. She mentioned how she always intends to go on the tours of churches, but never quite manages to do it. Well, here is the 2014 info and I hope my bus stop friend makes it this time. I do not ordinarily post event notices, but this one is for her.

--Bernice

Liberty Village "Town Meeting" No Guarantee of Action

Tomorrow night at 7 p.m. in Ruth Fellowship Ministries, there will be an "urgent" meeting on the future of Liberty Village, a 96-unit subsidized housing complex in the Fourth Ward.

At issue is an impending sale of the complex to a buyer who needs City Council approval to continue a "payment in lieu of taxes" (PILOT) agreement that dates back to 1982. The buyer will increase the percentage of the rent roll paid to the city from 6.28 percent to 10 percent and will make numerous improvements at the site. Deciders on the actual sale will be other authorities.

This is not a City Council meeting. Only three council members will take part: Council President Bridget Rivers, who represents the Fourth Ward; Councilwoman Vera Greaves, who holds the First & Fourth Ward at-large seat; and Councilwoman Tracey Brown, the Citywide at-large representative. No votes can be taken.

Those expected to attend to answer questions are Deputy City Administrator for Economic Development Carlos Sanchez, Housing Authority of Plainfield Executive Director Randall Wood, principals of Liberty Village Estates Urban Renewal LLC and their attorney, William Eaton; and possibly someone from HUD, according to Rivers.

Sanchez and Eaton have already explained the situation at two council meetings. Plaintalker reported on those meetings on April 8 and April 16 . Eaton has stated a May 1 deadline sought by the buyer, as the Section 8 contract for the current owner expires on  May 6. However, as indicated at the two meetings, speakers have said the council should hold out for more concessions and Rivers said she believes the council has until May 31 to render a decision.

For the April 15 council meeting, the prospective buyer was observing Passover and was not present, although Eaton again answered questions and stressed the need for the PILOT agreement to continue.

"I think all the information has been provided," he said.

But Rivers called the process a "rush, rush, rush" and said the council had until May 31 to act. She alluded to things she was told by unnamed outside sources regarding the deal.

Brown attempted to review the facts as already presented.

Greaves told Eaton on April 15, " I wasn't here last week and I have no idea what this project is about.," and added, "I actually need to figure out what is going on."

She later reacted emotionally to a resident's comments on the matter by saying, "She's getting on my nerves, honest to God."

No action can be taken Monday as it is not a legal council meeting. If the three get their questions answered to their satisfaction, a special meeting can be called at which the full council may act. But Gloria Taylor and William Reid also questioned the deal and there is no guarantee that it will pass unless a majority feels comfortable in approving the PILOT. Stay tuned ...

--Bernice

Easter Greetings

Happy Easter!

Wishing all who celebrate Easter
a lovely day with family and friends

Budget Sessions Coming Up

I regretted not being able to attend the City Council's first budget session Thursday night, as I decided instead to cover the Planning Board hearing on Muhlenberg's application to relocate the satellite emergency department. Both were held at 7 p.m. in two different locations.

The 2014 budget process is of interest because the city finally has a permanent chief financial officer in place and a new finance director, in addition to the seven-member Citizens Budget Advisory Committee and a new budget consultant who is the former Union County finance director. The meeting Thursday was on budgets for the city's two largest groups, the Police and Fire divisions. Perhaps Councilman Cory Storch of the council's Finance Committee will give a recap on his blog or maybe the session will be aired on PCTV.

There are three more budget meetings. At 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 22, the meeting will be held in the Anne Louise Davis Room at the Plainfield Public Library and the topics will be Economic Development and Administration & Finance, which includes Information Technology & Media, the Health Division and the Purchasing Division. For the first time since 2005, the city has a cabinet-level person in charge of economic development, so that should be interesting.

At 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 23, also at the Plainfield Public Library, the budget deliberations will cover the Inspections and Recreation divisions within the Department of Public Works & Urban Development, as well as the mayor's office, which now includes the new position of chief of staff.

The last currently scheduled meeting is on Monday, April 28 at 7 p.m. in City Hall Library. The topic is listed as feedback from the council and the CBAC and "other" matters.

These deliberations are meant to lead to any changes in the introduced budget. The amendments must be published and a public hearing will take place before final budget passage. This process in recent years has drawn little citizen interest, but with a new administration and the current political climate, there may be more attention to budget matters.

The public hearing has been advertised for 8 p.m. on May 5 in Municipal Court, "at which time and place objections to the Budget and Tax resolution for the year 2014 may be presented by taxpayers or other interested persons."

From the legal notice: "Copies of the detailed budget are available in the office of Abubakar Jalloh , City Clerk, at the Municipal Building, 515 Watchung Avenue, Plainfield, New Jersey, (908) 753-3000, during the hours of 9:00(A.M.) to 4:00(P.M.)." 

--Bernice

Planning Board Carries SED Application to May

Time ran out Thursday before the Planning Board completed a hearing on Muhlenberg's proposal to relocate the satellite emergency department, so it will be continued in May.

About 50 residents attended the meeting at the Plainfield Public Library, examining displays of plans for the new SED and hearing testimony from JFK Health System's vice president for corporate facilities, Frank Tsemberlis; engineer Matthew Robinson; and architect Robert Ryan. The board also took questions from the public, but by the time a 10:30 deadline rolled around, it was too late to hear from a planner that attorney Wendy Berger said was the final witness on the application.

The Planning Board meets next on May 1 and May 15, and testimony and deliberations may span both meetings. No further notice will be given, so anyone interested in the case was advised to mark their calendars with the May dates. The meetings begin at 7 p.m. in City hall Library.

The SED is now located in Muhlenberg Regional Medical Center, which closed as an acute care facility in 2008. Plans call for a modern, more efficient SED on the first floor of Kenyon House, at the Park Avenue and Randolph Road corner of the property. A new garage will be constructed to house two emergency vehicles. The improved SED is expected to serve up to 21,000 patients annually, up from 17,000 currently served.

While Thursday's meeting was about relocating the SED, some who spoke were more interested in what will now become of the vacant hospital. The property was subdivided into three parcels in 2007 and the largest   is where in 2012 JFK Health System envisioned 600 apartments.

In public comment, resident Clare Zanfini gave a history of the hospital and alluded to "the upcoming atrocity." She recalled hearing that if the city did not go along with the plan for 600 apartments, there would be no emergency room. Now, she said, "We all know this is the opening salvo. They have not considered almost 4,000 people that might be moving in."

Planning Board Chairman Ron Scott-Bey banged his gavel to bring the discussion back to the application.

Among details elicited by other speakers, Tsemberlis answered Dan Damon's question on ownership by saying Muhlenberg owns the parcel but the SED operates under JFK's license "like a tenant." The two entities have common ownership and share a board, he said. The Community Hospital Group is the parent organization.

In answer to resident Nancy Piwowar's question on how the  applicant proposed to educate the public about the relocation, Tsemberlis said there would be a print and digital advertising campaign to publicize the changes.

Resident Dottie Gutenkauf said she read that JFK Medical Center in Edison spent $30 million on their new emergency department and asked how much the Plainfield one will cost. The answer was from $2.5 to $3 million, but the annual volume in Edison was described as 70,000, in contrast to 17,000 in Plainfield.

--Bernice