October 18
...serving up your daily dish.
Remember the rain last Friday and the press conference to discuss Anderson Park improvements? If you stayed dry, here's what went down, from the Star Ledger...
Inside, under the cover of a tent in the pouring rain, Joseph DiVincenzo Jr. was touting the latest upgrades at an Essex County park.
The county executive came to the 14.8-acre Anderson Park on Friday to fill in neighbors about a $900,000 face-lift for the park, undertaken in conjunction with the Green Fields Foundation.
He outlined the plan for new light poles, benches, trash cans and drinking fountains.
"What we're trying to do is keep all our parks uniform," he told a tent full of residents and county support staff.
Does that mean we can expect some dead geese and bulls-eye balls any time now? Meanwhile, the move to bag leaves in Montclair also got picked up by the Ledger, and of course, people are unhappy, namely landscapers:
Todd Brewster, who operates E.C.M. Landscaping of Montclair, is critical of Montclair's decision to pass the work off to homeowners rather than attempt to remove curbside leaves fast enough to meet the new state standards.
"How do I get the ball out of my court? That's all they think about," he said.
He's uncertain whether he'll purchase a large leaf vacuum or load up his trucks and haul the leaves away, both expensive propositions. He said he does know one thing, however. "The customers are going to get wracked."
Interesting note: West Orange is still picking up leaf piles, so if you live nearby...
October 18, 2005 in Only in Montclair | Permalink
Does anyone know if they mentioned plans to clean and preserve the memorial bench - actually the plaque next to the bench? It was for friends of mine who died in high school.
Posted by: hrhppg | Oct 18, 2005 9:32:25 AM
Be careful - uniform can mean synthetic turf and badly pruned trees standing in rows, sentry like. The CE like order and low maintenance - no shrubs, no flowers, no landscape conceits.
Posted by: emsquared | Oct 18, 2005 9:42:10 AM
Anderson Park is situated on Bellevue Ave and North Mountain Ave, couple steps from the Bellevue theater
Posted by: Liz | Oct 18, 2005 10:18:20 AM
Let's all bow our heads and pray for the poor landscapers and their customers who are getting "whacked". Hip hip hooray!
Perhaps the town should buy gigantic leaf-vacuum trucks after all. I'd be all in favor of it, as long as they pay for it by slapping a surcharge on landscapers.
Posted by: walleroo | Oct 18, 2005 10:44:09 AM
Okay Pete now you are freaking me out! Do we know each other?
Yes it is the bench for Chris and Matt - which has seen better days as it is a bit beaten up now.
Posted by: hrhppg | Oct 18, 2005 11:17:20 AM
If you want to help your yard, the town and the planet, don't just bag em and dump em. Use the leaves for mulch.
All you need is a 4' x 4' square of chicken wire or the like. Dump all the leaves in there and turn it over every few months. Next year at this time you should have some good quality mulch for your yard.
Every last leaf that falls in my yard stays in my yard and now I have a constant supply of dark, rich soil that helps make for some tasty tomatoes, etc.
Posted by: State Street Pete | Oct 18, 2005 11:22:17 AM
we might hrh, I am Class of 86. I didn't really know Chris and Matt directly. I knew/know their older brothers John and Fritz, who I still see from time to time.
if you don't mind I will email you directly to see if we actually know each other.
Posted by: State Street Pete | Oct 18, 2005 12:37:18 PM
