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Message |
    
Township Committee
Citizen
Username: Towncommittee
Post Number: 1
Registered: 8-2004
| | Posted on Friday, August 6, 2004 - 11:28 am: |     |
Dear Maplewood Resident,
As we desire to be as inclusive as possible in deciding where the new Maplewood Police facility will be located, the township committee has decided to poll as many Maplewood residents as possible. Please answer the questions on this poll and return them to townshipcommittee@yahoo.com. Please pass this electronic poll on to all your friends and neighbors in Maplewood. If they do not have Internet access, they may return their results in mail or in person to Town Hall:
Township of Maplewood
Coordinator of Maplewood Police Station Poll
574 Valley Street
Maplewood, NJ 07040
Introduction: The Maplewood Township Committee resolved several months ago to locate a new Police facility at the present location of the Bette White Dance Studio and two adjacent buildings on Springfield Ave. The decision to take these properties by eminent domain has caused great controversy and the township committee wishes to gauge public attitudes towards the plan and several alternative plans we are considering.
All your responses in this poll should be in the form of a number from 1 to 10, where 1 indicates a strong disagreement and 10 a strong agreement. You may add your own comments to each result, but these will not be officially counted.
Question 1: Do you favor the current proposal, the Bette White Site? _______
1=strongly disagree
5=neutral
10=strongly agree
Comments: _______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
Question 2: Since the center of so much life in Maplewood is in the Village, we are considering placing the Police station there. The only building with adequate size is the movie theatre, whose owners would be fully compensated for the property.
Would you favor the Multiplex Site? _______
1=strongly disagree
5=neutral
10=strongly agree
Comments: _______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
Question 3: Some towns have experimented with "Virtual Police Stations." Maplewood could run one on the township web site (http://www.twp.maplewood.nj.us/). All citizen services could be provided online and dispatch would be completely computerized and automatic. There is an up-front cost of investment in equipment and software, but no building is necessary.
Would you want to see a Virtual Maplewood Police Station (the Virtual Site)? _______
1=strongly disagree
5=neutral
10=strongly agree
Comments: _______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
Question 4: Another proposal sites the police station on Springfield Avenue east of Maplewood in Irvington. This has several advangages including greatly lowering the cost of land aquisition.
Do you favor the Irvington Site? _______
1=strongly disagree
5=neutral
10=strongly agree
Comments: _______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
Question 5: Many parents have expressed concern about security in our schools, especially Columbia High School. Sufficient space could be added on as extra floors and in the rear of Columbia High School in order to house the police presence as well as the school. We also feel this would help to keep law and order in CHS.
Do you favor the CHS Site? _______
1=strongly disagree
5=neutral
10=strongly agree
Comments: _______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
Question 6: One potential site with no space constraints at all is the current site of the Maplewood Country Club. Acquiring the property would probably be expensive (the post-reval assessment was almost $9 million), but the excess land from the former golf course could be put to other revenue-generating purposes, perhaps even a mall or water park.
Do you favor the MCC Site? _______
1=strongly disagree
5=neutral
10=strongly agree
Comments: _______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
Question 7: For a time the township committee considered building the station at the current location of the Hilton Library. This plan was met with considerable opposition, so we are instead considering the site of the main library in Memorial Park. This site is in a central location, already owned by the township, and the library needs can be taken up by the Hilton library.
Do you favor the Main Library Site? _______
1=strongly disagree
5=neutral
10=strongly agree
Comments: _______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
Question 8: The township has been endeavoring to share more public services with South Orange, and it has been suggested that having two middle schools in one school district is excessive. By consolidating in the South Orange Middle School and using the former Maplewood Middle School location for the police station we can save large amounts of money without disrupting local businesses.
Do you favor the MMS site? _______
1=strongly disagree
5=neutral
10=strongly agree
Comments: _______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
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parkbench87
Citizen
Username: Parkbench87
Post Number: 1017
Registered: 7-2001
| | Posted on Friday, August 6, 2004 - 11:45 am: | |
This Poll can not be legitimate |
Earlster
Citizen
Username: Earlster
Post Number: 462
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Friday, August 6, 2004 - 11:58 am: | |
TC, you forgot the most important option:
Rumor has it, that the Les Saisons site is available by eminent domain. In exchange Art could get a zoning variance and then open up his B&B in the current Police Station. Including a full 'wet bar' on flooded days.
 |
ReallyTrying
Citizen
Username: Reallytrying
Post Number: 474
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Friday, August 6, 2004 - 12:55 pm: | |
pb87, of course it isn't! Right away, it's clear it's a spoof. And a good one, too! |
just me fromsouthorange
Citizen
Username: Jmfromsorange
Post Number: 757
Registered: 7-2003
| | Posted on Friday, August 6, 2004 - 2:04 pm: | |
this is too funny!!! |
Hank Zona
Citizen
Username: Hankzona
Post Number: 1544
Registered: 3-2002
| | Posted on Friday, August 6, 2004 - 2:42 pm: | |
Hopefully noone on the TC will have a Calabrese-type reaction to it. |
Joan
Citizen
Username: Joancrystal
Post Number: 3468
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Monday, August 9, 2004 - 4:34 pm: | |
Township Committe:
That's a nice collection of previously unconsidered sites you have there but you left out my all time favorite.
This site meets all of the following criteria which have been put forth by people on virtually all sides of the police station location debate:
1. The site is large enough for a police station.
2. It has more than ample parking.
3. It is located on Springfield Avenue near the Irvington border.
4. It is bordered only by major roadways.
5. It is not on the town tax roll.
6. It is located very near to two major public safety facilities run by the Township (allowing for the possibility of shared facilities.)
7. It does not border on any one family houses.
8. It does not house any residences, mom and pop businesses, or cultural institutions.
9. Surrounding properties are sufficiently close to the ground to allow for optimum use of green architecture.
10. The neighbors already hate the present use to which this site is being put and would welcome a police station in its place.
Do you favor the NJT Bus Garage site ____
1=strongly disagree
5=neutral
10=strongly agree
Comments: _______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
|
mrmaplewood
Citizen
Username: Mrmaplewood
Post Number: 128
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Monday, August 9, 2004 - 5:00 pm: | |
Great idea. Eminent domain. And let them ride through to another community out the line. It would serve them right for all that sewerage they dumped on us at the train station. |
ajc
Citizen
Username: Ajc
Post Number: 2874
Registered: 9-2001
| | Posted on Monday, August 9, 2004 - 6:03 pm: | |
Joan, the state would never allow it... |
Joan
Citizen
Username: Joancrystal
Post Number: 3470
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Monday, August 9, 2004 - 6:18 pm: | |
Art:
It's as viable as any of the other proposals in the poll which introduced this thread. |
ajc
Citizen
Username: Ajc
Post Number: 2875
Registered: 9-2001
| | Posted on Monday, August 9, 2004 - 6:52 pm: | |
Maybe so, but not as sensible as using our present PD, rescue squad, or library properties. Plus, the cost to NJT and/or the state, (the taxpayers) would be astronomical. |
jet
Citizen
Username: Jet
Post Number: 527
Registered: 7-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 10, 2004 - 10:40 am: | |
Citizen
Username: Jet
Post Number: 526
Registered: 7-2001
Posted on Tuesday, August 10, 2004 - 10:38 am:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
How about not doing anything . I'm still choking over paying my 3rd qt. taxes. This PO station thing is sure to hit us in the pockets pretty hard. What is wrong with the station we have anyway & if it's so bad what are we going to do with it when it's empty. This thing needs to go to the voters of this town. |
Joan
Citizen
Username: Joancrystal
Post Number: 3472
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 10, 2004 - 4:30 pm: | |
Jet:
The current police station is hitting us deeply in the pockets right now. It's inadequacies have been cited as one of the contributing factors for the extremely high turnover we have in police officers in this town. It has been demonstrated that experienced police officers are taking pay cuts to work elsewhere. A new police station is a move in the right direction.
Most of the problems with the present police station building have to do with inadquacies in sqare footage rather than structural soundness. For example, there is insufficient space for the police officers returning from patrol to write their reports and the men and women officers have to share a single bathroom and locker room. |
Reflective
Citizen
Username: Reflective
Post Number: 556
Registered: 3-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 11, 2004 - 12:18 am: | |
OK
Let's refurbish the recreation center to handle report writing, the gym, and the court. The new rec center would sit on the basketball court which would be relocated next to the police gym. That way the cops could actually go face to face on the playing field with real opponents.
Or we use eminent domain to condemn the law building between the police station and the fire station. In addition to efficiently centralizing
Maplewood's Homeland Security Force, the law firm can easily afford the small economic sacrifice as part of their first time ever contribution to society, specifically our local community.
Their political contributions to local, county and state and federal politicos don't count as contributions, but only contribute to maintaining our high tax misery.
Let's have a new poll about removing the law firm, which could easily relocate to Springfield Avenue at their own expense. That would be a real value added contribution and solution to the TC's messy little dilemma.
And linking the police, fire and emergency service responders should be worth a large Homeland Security grant in the present environment.
Of course, this assumes some creative writing and thinking ability which is noticeably lacking in this elected body. |
jet
Citizen
Username: Jet
Post Number: 531
Registered: 7-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 11, 2004 - 9:16 am: | |
I don't know Joan , I have heard other things on this site & by POs . I think their gripes have more to do with pay, & personnel. Not locker rooms. |
D. Richards
Citizen
Username: Baddriving11
Post Number: 37
Registered: 6-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 11, 2004 - 1:41 pm: | |
Does getting paid in the bottom part of the county and about 10,000 a year off of what other agencies pay their officers have anything to do with the turnover? |
Joan
Citizen
Username: Joancrystal
Post Number: 3497
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, August 15, 2004 - 1:17 pm: | |
I would think a reputation for lower salaries poses a real problem when it comes to attracting the best and brightest of the potential police officers to the MPD but salary comparisons can be misleading since most if not all police officers are paid on a step plan where the salary increases based on the number of years of experience (and sometimes additional college study or other criteria).
A police force which has a high turnover because its more experienced officers are leaving the force is going to have a lower average salary because more of the police officers are at the bottom of the pay range for their rank. We would need more complete salary data (comparative entry level salaries, number of years of service required between steps, number of steps within each rank, maximum salaries for top of grade in each rank, opportunities for additional pay due to special assignment, additional education, overtime, shift pay, fringe benefits, etc.) to determine where our police force actually stands money-wise. |
Ed May
Citizen
Username: Edmay
Post Number: 2104
Registered: 9-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, August 15, 2004 - 5:20 pm: | |
Personally I still favor putting the new Police Station at the site of the Hilton Library and creating a modern library at DeHart Center. |
Reflective
Citizen
Username: Reflective
Post Number: 557
Registered: 3-2003
| | Posted on Sunday, August 15, 2004 - 9:14 pm: | |
Ed
I counter with the police station at Dehart, with an outdoor pool, gym and firing range for all of us.
The modern library and an arts center will go where the current Hilton library is and the so-called baseball field are. The area where the fenced bb field is, used to be used for ice skating until some elected officials got concerned with out of towners using it. But in the 70's and early 80's wow, for resident skating.
The current police station could become a second high rise law building which at least would increase ratables, 25 years from now when the tax abatements granted (for building there) to the great privileged law class cease. |
sbenois
Citizen
Username: Sbenois
Post Number: 11705
Registered: 10-2001
| | Posted on Monday, August 16, 2004 - 12:09 am: | |
I favor using the site of the First Aid Squad with additional land from the pool parking lot.
Then I would divert land adjacent to the pool for replacement spots- from the Homestead - to offset the land that is lost from the Pool parking lot.
Further, we should take enough add'l land from the Homestead to put in a nice playground and 2 paddleball courts, both to be paid for with Green Acres money after we convince the Homestead that giving the land is going to lower their tax bill.
Then we should sell the police station on Dunnell to Arturo for a new B&B called Les Saisons Deux - The Legal One. This would more than offset the tax loss.
|
wharfrat
Citizen
Username: Wharfrat
Post Number: 1304
Registered: 6-2001
| | Posted on Monday, August 16, 2004 - 5:16 am: | |
Take a deep breath S....
I'm in total agreement with you! |
ajc
Citizen
Username: Ajc
Post Number: 2902
Registered: 9-2001
| | Posted on Monday, August 16, 2004 - 3:04 pm: | |
Well "S", that plan sounds familiar. 
Listen, any plan that just uses town property suits me just fine... |
D. Richards
Citizen
Username: Baddriving11
Post Number: 40
Registered: 6-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 17, 2004 - 6:39 pm: | |
Joan: I wasn't speaking of an average salary...I was refering specifically to the actual base salary which this year is about 65,700 annually for a "top" step. I don't know the starting salary, but I am assuming its in the twenties. Pretty low, compared to other counties like Morris, Passaic, Union, Somerset and Bergen, However, for a real comparison Irvington PD pays its top step officers 72,000. Im not sure what South Orange pays their officers, but I know its about 2000-5000 more a year base for the top salary, but they pay a dismal starting salary of 24,000. Wasn't worth it for me to take a pay cut after learning to live on 66000 a year in IT. |
just me fromsouthorange
Citizen
Username: Jmfromsorange
Post Number: 791
Registered: 7-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 17, 2004 - 9:48 pm: | |
there's an article in today's (tuesday's) ledger about the poll (again).
http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/essex/index.ssf?/base/news-5/1092733937228952.xml
what happened at the meeting tonight? anyone know? |
jab
Citizen
Username: Jab
Post Number: 277
Registered: 3-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 17, 2004 - 10:33 pm: | |
The poll showed that the majority of people are against taking the Bette White site by eminent domain, so it is no longer being considered. Fred Profeta said he was glad that they did the poll to learn the true feelings of a random sample of the community. Ken Pettis expressed in no uncertain terms that he thought conducting a poll was a dangerous precedent. |
ajc
Citizen
Username: Ajc
Post Number: 2911
Registered: 9-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 17, 2004 - 10:44 pm: | |
Yes, the search for our new police department will continue, and Bette White gets to teach forever if she wants...
BTW, a good idea came at the end of the session. Rent, lease, or whatever the empty Shell station on the corner of Burnett and Springfield Avenue for a temporary sub-police station.
I know we have a sign at the Hilton Library, but if some of the proponents want an expanded visual presence, the Shell station would certainly provide it. This would also give the police department an opportunity to test the waters so to speak.
Having a police dispatcher sitting in the window (bullet proof of course) 24/7 might prove to be a worth while exercise in making the decision to move to a permanent location. |
Reflective
Citizen
Username: Reflective
Post Number: 558
Registered: 3-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 18, 2004 - 10:55 pm: | |
sbenois' counter makes alot of sense, I hadn't considered the economic advantage of ajc's B&B.
And the police in a five story high rise could keep an eye on the adjoining properties of the B&B to ensure that commercial activities against code aren't carried on.
Freddy should have another referrendum to vote on 1) Consolidate the police/fire and condemn the legal building on Dunnel or 2) centralize police/fire/EMS on the pool parking lot and connect by tunnel to AJC's B&B which could be the command center in color red situations.
Re ken's concern about the referendum, he is probably concerned because if a referendum had been taken when he was working to put up street traffic gates in Hillcrest, to keep out Newark neer do wells, oops, speeding cars taking short cuts thru his neighborhood, his and his neighborhood's plan would have been rejected.
Fortunately for ol' Ken, they had a republican committee which included the first elected black committeeperson, J Harry Smith, a republican, in fact!!!! a township committee which believed in making and being accountable for their decisions.
The gates were the right decision at that time for that part of town which was experiencing a high crime rate.
So
Fred - you now have two great alternatives above. Take another poll, get a broader sense. The only difference between you and Ellen D is that she would appoint a committee to study the issue and it would drop from public view.
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just me fromsouthorange
Citizen
Username: Jmfromsorange
Post Number: 793
Registered: 7-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, August 19, 2004 - 9:58 am: | |
51% against bette white 49% in favor. not an overwhelming one... |
ajc
Citizen
Username: Ajc
Post Number: 2961
Registered: 9-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, August 26, 2004 - 11:47 am: | |
"...not an overwhelming one."
Wrong, it was overwhelming! You had to be a part of it, and you had to be there... |
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