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peteglider
Citizen
Username: Peteglider
Post Number: 1298
Registered: 8-2002
| | Posted on Saturday, July 16, 2005 - 11:45 am: | 
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Dave, good point. Although I wonder -- since this will be a new and in-town theater, whether it still won't do fairly well. Wonder if the Maplewood movie theater has had the same level of downturn as nationally? For me, driving to the Loews (E Hanover or Springfield) is such a production -- between parking, the long long ticket lines, even longer lines for concessions, then hoping you get a good seat! Pete |
susan1014
Supporter
Username: Susan1014
Post Number: 818
Registered: 3-2002
| | Posted on Saturday, July 16, 2005 - 11:59 am: |
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Two thoughts...
Honestly, we'll probably go to more movies here in town than we go to elsewhere (but still, we are not the core clients for a movie theater).
Also, Paper Mill is not, I suspect, the right comparator for this theater. I sincerely doubt that SOPAC is going to compete directly in the area of big mainstream musicals that run for a month. Honestly, Paper Mill has never excited me that much -- paying fairly high ticket prices to go to Broadway revivals (and the one new show a year) is not my top priority. Not to denigrate it, but it just isn't my niche, other than an occasional kiddie show.
I would love to have a better idea of its plans, and think that it is time for the paid director to actually communicate with the community (not just hand out refrigerator magnets).
I'm actually not concerned that it be 100% in the black, since I think it will provide benefits to local businesses and perhaps even property values. I am concerned that the deficit for which the town is responsible (after donations) be modest, and hopefully decline over time.
Having said all of that, I really am looking forward to being a regular supporter! I'm hoping this will be a real asset to the town. |
Spitz
Supporter
Username: Doublea
Post Number: 1203
Registered: 3-2003
| | Posted on Saturday, July 16, 2005 - 12:07 pm: |
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I don't think it was ever envisioned that the theater part would be 100% in the black. As I mentioned above, it had been stated in the past that expectations were that the revenues from the movie operator would offset any losses from the theater, and that the project would be self-sustaining.
Edited to add: The total costs of the theater that have to be covered are not just operating costs. They include payment of interest and principal on indedtedness incurred for the project. My recollection is that at a BOT meeting a few months ago, Jessica said that SOPAC thought it could meeting the normal operating costs. For other costs, it would have to look to the Village and a continual fund-raising effort.
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composerjohn
Citizen
Username: Composerjohn
Post Number: 363
Registered: 8-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, July 16, 2005 - 12:22 pm: |
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FYI: there's an article in this Sunday's NYTimes about The Paper Mill Playhouse losing money and subscribers. It's in the NJ section. |
Rastro
Citizen
Username: Rastro
Post Number: 1292
Registered: 5-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, July 17, 2005 - 6:57 am: |
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I blame (credit) TiVo and OnDemand-type programming (does Cablevision have something like that? DirecTV doesn't. Well, thewy have TiVo, but not OnDemand. I say we ban those technologies in SOMa to ensure the theater does well!
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MHD
Citizen
Username: Mayhewdrive
Post Number: 2611
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, July 17, 2005 - 9:56 am: |
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Rastro,
Good point. The problem is that Calabrese's "vision" is from some time around 1975 when even VCR's were still a fantasy. To him TiVo is probably as futuristic as interplanetary travel.
Anyone ever been to that guy's store? It doesn't look like it's been redecorated, let alone cleaned since the Ford Administration. Talk about stuck in a time warp. |
red_alert
Citizen
Username: Red_alert
Post Number: 145
Registered: 3-2005
| | Posted on Sunday, July 17, 2005 - 10:03 am: |
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MHD, you need to be corrected - that is the redecorated version. |
peteglider
Citizen
Username: Peteglider
Post Number: 1301
Registered: 8-2002
| | Posted on Sunday, July 17, 2005 - 3:28 pm: |
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MHD --
Have you ever been in Bill Calabrese's store for, say 15 minutes while waiting for an RX? The place is amazingly busy. There are often 4 pharmacists going full blast, plus a couple of clerks and others, too. I note when RX's are new, the pharmacist who filled the RX makes a point of coming out to the customer to give directions and ask if there are questions.
yep, the decor is 1970's yellow and beige. but the customer service is top notch, friendly, professional. (I switched to RX Counter after repeated bad experiences with another in town pharmacy. wish I had made the change *much* sooner). (and my kids like the 10 cent candies on the way out)
IMO Bunny's decor is also decidedly unchic bar/lounge *dark* -- their food, service, and overall atmosphere are great. I'm there more now after the election than before ;-)
So -- the morale of the story -- good shopkeepers, businesspeople, with pleased customers may or may not have politics you can agree with -- go ahead and make the most of it! (consider the yellow formica or fake flowers "charm")
Pete |
Lizziecat
Citizen
Username: Lizziecat
Post Number: 747
Registered: 5-2003
| | Posted on Sunday, July 17, 2005 - 3:49 pm: |
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Funny, my experience at the Prescription Counter has been the opposite of Pete's. I don't mind waiting for a prescription, or having to come back later. But when they give me someone else's prescription, when they don't have the number of doses that the prescription calls for, and worse, when I am waited on by a rude, nasty little cow who doesn't know the meaning of courtesy, I take my business some place else. |
jayjay
Citizen
Username: Jayjayp
Post Number: 89
Registered: 6-2005
| | Posted on Sunday, July 17, 2005 - 4:03 pm: |
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Why does it have to be one or the other? Why can't you have great service and have a professional-looking establishment? The answer is, you can if you want to and care enough about your customers. Good service (good food, whatever) shouldn't be an excuse for letting your place get run down and shoddy. That's not charm, Pete. That's a negative hit on your property value. |
MHD
Citizen
Username: Mayhewdrive
Post Number: 2613
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, July 17, 2005 - 5:32 pm: |
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Pete,
One would just think that someone who is supposedly so "devoted" to the town, would invest something into it, instead of a Porsche and a Lexus for himself. |
Sheena Collum SHU
Citizen
Username: Sheena_collum
Post Number: 275
Registered: 4-2005
| | Posted on Sunday, July 17, 2005 - 5:52 pm: |
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So I moseyed my way over to SOPAC to see how things were coming along...
AND - trust that I am really excited about the entire thing BUT - HOW IN THE WORLD IS IT GOING TO FIT?
 
I showed one of my friends the picture of what SOPAC was going to look like (on the fence) and she goes "Sheena... now that's just not gonna fit" lol.
But I'm happy things are moving along...  |
noracoombs
Citizen
Username: Noracoombs
Post Number: 91
Registered: 8-2002
| | Posted on Sunday, July 17, 2005 - 7:45 pm: |
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Sheena--I thought the same thing! I was over there a few weeks back, when they had only one wall up, and I tried to picture a theater AND five movie screens stuffed inside that tiny footprint of a foundation. I don't see how they're going to do it! Maybe it's on two or three levels? |
susan1014
Supporter
Username: Susan1014
Post Number: 824
Registered: 3-2002
| | Posted on Sunday, July 17, 2005 - 8:08 pm: |
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I believe it has three levels planned, with the top one being party space with a view???
(I'm remembering something I read long ago, so could be totally wrong) |
Just The Aunt
Supporter
Username: Auntof13
Post Number: 1779
Registered: 1-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, July 17, 2005 - 8:14 pm: |
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I agree with Peter. Bill's place is always very busy! I also know he goes out of his way for his customers. I know of more then one person he's opened after hours to get them medication they've needed.
No matter how busy the place is the staff always is friendly and the pharmacists are always willing to answer question.
I wish Bill's place took my insurance. I'd much rather go there then where I currently go. |
Just The Aunt
Supporter
Username: Auntof13
Post Number: 1780
Registered: 1-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, July 17, 2005 - 8:19 pm: |
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A view of what? |
cmontyburns
Citizen
Username: Cmontyburns
Post Number: 1086
Registered: 12-2003
| | Posted on Monday, July 18, 2005 - 10:39 am: |
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The prescription counter is probably the best pharmacy I've ever used. Walgreens and Rite Aid have been disasters for me, with untrained pharmacists, long waits, and endless screwups. The Prescription Counter is full of friendly pharmacists who know their stuff, the place is always hopping, and they deliver your stuff for free. I actually like the dated look of the place.
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jayjay
Citizen
Username: Jayjayp
Post Number: 91
Registered: 6-2005
| | Posted on Monday, July 18, 2005 - 12:08 pm: |
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cmontyburns-
You LIKE the look of the place????? What's to like? I had some hope when he "renovated" a few years back. But that was quickly dashed. If someone wants to do a professional pharmacy without all the front end stuff, there are ways to do it. Schraft's in Livingston is one way. And there are others, which are not as limited in scope as Schraft's. Look, I understand its hard for independents to compete, but the answer is not to neglect the physical plant. Better service may buy you some time, but don't count on it alone for the long term. Come on, he is the Village President besides. His place should be the best, not among the worst.
But I drift, this thread has lost its focus. |
Two Sense
Citizen
Username: Twosense
Post Number: 350
Registered: 7-2004
| | Posted on Monday, July 18, 2005 - 4:22 pm: |
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While I currently disagree with about 90% of our government's decisions and actions, Prescription Counter is among the last of a soon-to-be-extinct category of know-your-customer, service focused pharmacies. Calabrese always has been available to address our sometimes complex medical needs, and always has worked hard to help out in a pinch -- including extending an expired, renewable prescription over a weekend, until the MD could be reached Monday morning. And, if my insurance company's 3rd party administrator can't process a submission, he willingly says, "Don't worry about the payment. We'll try to submit it tomorrow."
Since there appears to be no correlation between effectively governing and effectively serving customers' medical needs as a pharmacist, don't look to Rite Aid or CVS to go the extra distance when you're sick or injured. |
Pizzaz
Supporter
Username: Pizzaz
Post Number: 2188
Registered: 11-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 27, 2005 - 12:35 pm: |
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Very little progress to report in the last two weeks. Is the delay related to the bond ordinance past on first reading this week? |
Stevie
Citizen
Username: Rodman
Post Number: 6
Registered: 5-2005
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 27, 2005 - 4:49 pm: |
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When we moved to town two years ago we chose the RX Counter because we wanted to support independent pharmacies since my wife's family were and are pharmacists and we wanted some place that delivered. We found them rude and incompetent and they didn't seem to care whether they had our business or not. We finally had it and switched to the Medicine Shoppe in Livingston which is much better. |
MHD
Citizen
Username: Mayhewdrive
Post Number: 2652
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 27, 2005 - 4:58 pm: |
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Stevie,
Sounds like he runs his business like he runs our town. |
Stevie
Citizen
Username: Rodman
Post Number: 7
Registered: 5-2005
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 27, 2005 - 6:00 pm: |
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When we moved to town two years ago we decided to use RX Counter in order to support independent pharmacies (my wife's family were and are pharmacists) and they delivered.We had the same experience as Lizziecat. We found them consistently rude and incompetent and they seemed like they didn't care whether they had our business or not. We finally had it and switched to the Medicine Shoppe in Livingston which is much better. |
Glock 17
Citizen
Username: Glock17
Post Number: 16
Registered: 7-2005
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 27, 2005 - 6:25 pm: |
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Simple, simple, simple.
The South Orange Performing Arts Center will not be in that lot.
That's merely a launch pad for the jitneys that are actually shuttles that will take people to the SOPAC moonbase...where South Orange has actually developed one of the huge craters.
THE PUNCHLINE: Now, if they could only take care of the moon-sized craters in town!
*drum flair* |
Parkingsux
Citizen
Username: Parkingsux
Post Number: 68
Registered: 6-2005
| | Posted on Monday, August 1, 2005 - 2:33 pm: |
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What's up with this construction site? August 1, 2005....summer is half over!!!! |
growler
Citizen
Username: Growler
Post Number: 741
Registered: 11-2001
| | Posted on Monday, August 1, 2005 - 3:33 pm: |
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Launch pads take a long time to build. Besides, there was a hold up with the moonbase construction. Apparently Mr. Gross is in closed sessions with the moon people to get more land. |
cmontyburns
Citizen
Username: Cmontyburns
Post Number: 1130
Registered: 12-2003
| | Posted on Monday, August 1, 2005 - 3:35 pm: |
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When construction stops for more than a day or two, people howl about the lack of progress. When it starts up again, they howl about the thing being built. Some people just like to hear their own howling. |
Parkingsux
Citizen
Username: Parkingsux
Post Number: 69
Registered: 6-2005
| | Posted on Monday, August 1, 2005 - 3:43 pm: |
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two weeks... two more weeks, two months ???? Build the thing already.
Don't tell me it's been put on hold because of a lack of parking?  |
Nonymous Reingold
Supporter
Username: Noglider
Post Number: 8699
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Monday, August 1, 2005 - 5:43 pm: |
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I tried to point out the seeming contraditions but people didn't seem to notice. For example, people want to see development progress, but they when things get proposed, they worry about the effects on traffic and parking!
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susan1014
Supporter
Username: Susan1014
Post Number: 878
Registered: 3-2002
| | Posted on Monday, August 1, 2005 - 6:34 pm: |
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Steel beams seemed to be going in last time we were there... |
cmontyburns
Citizen
Username: Cmontyburns
Post Number: 1131
Registered: 12-2003
| | Posted on Monday, August 1, 2005 - 7:49 pm: |
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I noticed you, Nonymous. I always notice you.
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Pizzaz
Supporter
Username: Pizzaz
Post Number: 2196
Registered: 11-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 2, 2005 - 7:26 pm: |
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SOPAC Cam has been moved (with approval from Jamie) to view the Beifus Pit. Please visit at your pleasure.
BTW: Between 5:oo-7:oopm M t F, if lucky you'll get to view the dancing cop, my pleasurable friend, Butch Larken. 
http://www.southorangevillage.com/
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red_alert
Citizen
Username: Red_alert
Post Number: 152
Registered: 3-2005
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 3, 2005 - 10:27 pm: |
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Like watching paint dry and grass grow. Progress in South Orange moves at the same pace. |
MHD
Citizen
Username: Mayhewdrive
Post Number: 2740
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 30, 2005 - 4:25 pm: |
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Has there been ANY progress in the month of August since the walls went up? (I haven't been by there in a while myself) |
Leonard Neeble
Supporter
Username: Noglider
Post Number: 9148
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 30, 2005 - 4:34 pm: |
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I just checked the webcam, and it said:
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Dave
Supporter
Username: Dave
Post Number: 7230
Registered: 4-1997
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 30, 2005 - 4:51 pm: |
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For some photos of progress:
http://www.sopacnow.org/p-progress.php |
Leonard Neeble
Supporter
Username: Noglider
Post Number: 9153
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 30, 2005 - 4:54 pm: |
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Thanks.
Quote:The Village entered into a design-build contract with Arnell Construction to develop the plans for SOPAC and complete the building within 18 months of construction.
So it will be finished within 18 months after it's finished?
OK, I'm a smartass, but this seems like bad English.
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Pizzaz
Supporter
Username: Pizzaz
Post Number: 2387
Registered: 11-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 30, 2005 - 4:54 pm: |
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I need to reboot the computer (for some reason the cam unit broadcast picture comes down periodically with the Internet jukebox service we have). I'll get to it, tonight.
BTW: The camera is now facing north toward the Beifus Prairie entrance. |
Howard Levison
Citizen
Username: Levisonh
Post Number: 384
Registered: 1-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 30, 2005 - 6:57 pm: |
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To bad they don't date the pictures. |
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