| Author | Message | ||
     Ed May Citizen Username: Edmay Post Number: 984 Registered: 9-2001 |
Art When is our next Maplewood Republican County Committee Meeting? Ed Ed May | ||
| bobk Supporter Username: Bobk Post Number: 2300 Registered: 5-2001 |
I am not familiar with the NJ statute on bids. However, in most locales there is some wiggle room on this with wording along the lines of "responsible lowest bid" or "financially solvent contractor". Since I believe we had the contractor who was hired to do one of the bridges (Baker St.?) also go belly-up a couple of years ago delaying work for quite awhile, this is something to think about. | ||
| ajc Citizen Username: Ajc Post Number: 617 Registered: 9-2001 |
Ed, The Essex County Republican Committee meeting this Thursday night to vote for a new chairman for the party has supplanted our November Maplewood meeting. Our December meeting will be a social event. The date, time, and location will be announced. | ||
| eb1154 Citizen Username: Eb1154 Post Number: 246 Registered: 5-2001 |
Bobk, I think you're right about a little wiggle room but, I think the one doing the hiring has to be the one who had the problem with the contractor. The TC can't refuse a contractor because South Orange had a problem with them, or atleast that's the way I think it works. We are not alone with these kinds of problems, it happens to every town. These contractors know how to play the game. They go bankrupt and come back with another name next year. I heard this contractor was reliable, but then he lost his son this year and he just couldn't handle it both with the work and with his personal life. | ||
| bobk Supporter Username: Bobk Post Number: 2304 Registered: 5-2001 |
Eb, thanks. Still I can't help but feel that as far as contracting work out MW is the Joe Bifstickle (spell?) of municipalities. We seem to end up on the short end of the stick regularly. I hope that the Town has the CFO look over the financials of the contractors we are thinking of doing business with before signing contracts. | ||
| fickle Citizen Username: Ffof Post Number: 860 Registered: 5-2001 |
Can this be fixed NOW? The netting/fencing that is all over the ground on the path behind the library is NOT from the contractors. Our own guys did this - with good intentions, i'm sure - but the whole thing is all over the ground now. I've tripped on it. THere is a low point with a huge puddle (dry today but after a rain it takes about 3 days to dry up) and with a freeze, there will be commuters flat on their faces. You can't walk around it because of the netting. Bad sitch-ee-ation. | ||
| ajc Citizen Username: Ajc Post Number: 620 Registered: 9-2001 |
Bobk, I believe that hiring, firing, approving contracts, delegating responsibility, and following up to make sure the job gets done is pretty much a hands on, full time management kind of responsibility. The township committee has to deal with these problems by having the most professionally qualified personnel they can afford. Running this town or for that matter any town is no joke.... What is the gross income of this baby anyway? Think about it. This is big business. Lets see, how many employees, department heads... I think Jerry summed it up best a few months ago on-line when he said in effect, we/me/the TC? are just part timers. Now how much can the residents of Maplewood expect from a few part timers running a multi-million dollar business? That’s something to really think about, isn’t it? Anyway you look at it, it always comes down to we get what we pay for, or in government what we vote for.... so lets all listen to Mr. Fickle, quit bickering... Speaking of management and the person who takes on the ultimate responsibility to Maplewood’s residents, who will be Mayor for 2003? Is Vic going to run again? If not, should the TC give us a Lame Duck Mayor? How has he rated against Ellen and Jerry? I think these are fair questions given the state of affairs we have in town… Well then if not Vic, who besides Jerry has the experience? So then is Jerry going to run again? Does anyone think this too early to be thinking about the future of Maplewood? Personally, I don’t think so… this is the time for voters to let our township committee members know what we expect from them. Now, wouldn’t it be just great if the voters realized that their responsibility goes far beyond just pulling a lever and then expecting everything is going to be just perfect if their candidate wins? | ||
| fickle Citizen Username: Ffof Post Number: 861 Registered: 5-2001 |
Jer, Vic, anyone...but what's to be done with the fallen down fencing? | ||
| Joan Citizen Username: Joancrystal Post Number: 1165 Registered: 5-2001 |
Cfa: I like your idea of having a volunteer day to clean up the area and restring the snow fencing (it is down by Oakview avenue too). Does anyone know if there would be an objection from the town because of possible problems with liability insurance and the like? | ||
| vicdeluca Citizen Username: Vicdeluca Post Number: 176 Registered: 5-2001 |
I am at the League of Municipalities Convention but when I get back I will address this. As for volunteers, they should not put the fences back up due to potential liability issues. | ||
| fickle Citizen Username: Ffof Post Number: 862 Registered: 5-2001 |
thank you. | ||
| ajc Citizen Username: Ajc Post Number: 625 Registered: 9-2001 |
Thank you too Vic... and congratulations on the Money Magazine article, it's the talk of the town!!! BTW, make sure them League of Municipalities Convention people know that us folks back home are shooten for a repeat next year!  | ||
| vicdeluca Citizen Username: Vicdeluca Post Number: 178 Registered: 5-2001 |
The DPW has fixed the fence in the park. | ||
| fickle Citizen Username: Ffof Post Number: 863 Registered: 5-2001 |
The fence is still down as of this morning. Why is it there to begin with? Are we talking about the same fence? It's the one along the stream right behind the library. And what will be done about the walkway where an enormous puddle collects everytime it rains? With the fencing there, it becomes impossible to go around unless you want to walk in some seriously deep muck. This is not good for the commuters, and once it freezes... | ||
| Joan Citizen Username: Joancrystal Post Number: 1175 Registered: 5-2001 |
The fencing just west of the river on the Oakview Avenue side of the park is down again too. To make matters worse, the fencing is lying all the way across the foot path -- a real trip hazard, especially with a masking coating of snow a possibility in the next few days. | ||
| pcg Real Name Username: Pcg Post Number: 73 Registered: 5-2001 |
Why is the fencing there, at all? There is no construction work going on, no equipment, just mud and leaves. | ||
| ffof Citizen Username: Ffof Post Number: 1076 Registered: 5-2001  |
Okay. It's March 24th. The park needs a ridiculous amount of work. When will progress begin? Or, when will it end? Should I get 611 signatures to show the TC that people do care about a nice looking park? (I couldn't resist  ) - Finish retaining wall - Clean up construction site - plant new grass (maybe sod)* in so many places I can't even list them all here. - plant new bushes - what did I leave out? *by the way, the areas that need new grass should have been replanted last fall so that we could all enjoy the grass this spring. So sod (more $) would be nice. | ||
| bobk Supporter Username: Bobk Post Number: 2784 Registered: 5-2001 |
Ffof, you beat me to it. I was in the park over the weekend and their sure is a lot of work to be done. When we left this subject last fall the Town was pressing a claim against the surety for the bankrupt contractor. Certainly enough time has passed so that a recovery has been made and the work should proceed shortly. At least I hope there hasn't been another hitch in the process. Since the TC is currently trying to break their addiction to MOL (sometimes I wish I could) I guess we wiil not know if anything will be done or not. | ||
| ffof Citizen Username: Ffof Post Number: 1079 Registered: 5-2001 |
CLEAN/PLANT/FIX/RESEED THE PARK ALREADY! bobk, seriously, i am a full-fledged junkie. it's pathetic! it (MOL) has given my procrastination tendencies a raison d'etre! | ||
| Joan Citizen Username: Joancrystal Post Number: 1536 Registered: 5-2001 |
Ffof: You left out the vomit on the sidewalk just past the bridge on Oakview Avenue where Oakview Avenue cuts through the park. It has been there for two days now. Hopefully tomorrow's rain will finally wash it away. |
