Clifton Merchant Magazine - January 2004

Clifton Merchant Magazine • Volume 10 • Issue 1 • January 9, 2004

What’s in store for

2004 2003 in Review • Developments • Schools People to Watch • Is the Grass Greener in Wayne?

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JANUARY

2004

inside…

Looking Back at 2003 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Clifton’s Economic Future . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Delawanna Development: Clay St? . . . . . . . .21

…on our cover Looking back and looking ahead: take a moment to consider all that happened in 2003, and all the work that remains to be done. On the following pages, we tour the city, reporting on developments, trends, issues and people sure to be in the spotlight during 2004. Happy New Year and all the best to you and yours.

Railroaded: Athenia Mason Moves . . . . . . . . .25 Three Years of Commercial Gains . . . . . . . . . .33 People to Watch in 2004 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40 Meet The Commissioners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52 Code Enforcement: Up Close & Personal . . . .58 Municipal Meetings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62 The City That Cares: Organ Donor Stories . . .66

Is the Grass Greener in Wayne?

43

A Well-Documented DeLosh . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63 Will She Be Going to Greece? . . . . . . . . . . . .77 Birthdays and Celebrations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80

Don’t worry, this is not Latteri Park.

Construction continues on School #17 in the Lakeview/Botany area.

It is expected to finish on time and within budget by Sept., 2004.

Learn about this, and the possible fate of Latteri Park, on page 37.

Clifton Merchant Magazine is published monthly at 1288 Main Ave., Downtown Clifton • 973-253-4400

Just a Suggestion: We’ve all seen Clifton cops filling in for School Traffic Guards—it does not make sense. A cop and a car crossing kids costs about $60 per hour.

Because of safety issues, it also takes the officer out of service, unable to respond to calls. And it happens all too often. Part of the problem is that the Guards have intrusive hours and low pay. Why not hire a few of these people full time and when they are not crossing kids, put them in a small official vehicle and have them working as meter maids? They can work in tandem with the street sweeper, writing summons for vehicles parked on roads about to be cleaned. They can also go into municipal lots and to shopping districts and ticket cars that park beyond the posted hours. These can be revenue generating jobs that would free up police officers to do police work. It is not a flawless idea, just a suggestion.

Trade the Farm: On Route 3 East we lease (for $1 a year from the State of NJ) a few acres of prime real estate to grow trees. On the opposite side of the highway, there’s the Anderson Tract, a tough to develop plot of land (see page 26). Can’t city officials work out a deal in which these two properties are swapped? The tree farm is smaller but viable for development. The Andersen Tract hasn’t been developed for all these years for a reason. Let’s get creative with the land we have remaining.

The City That Cares But Doesn’t Share: Recently, the Passaic Board of Education asked to use Clifton’s half of a shared property – the long vacant former Herald News building, which straddles the Main Ave. border of the two municipalities – to build a school for 750 students.

Clifton’s City Council said no, citing the loss of a tax ratable. So the building remains an eyesore on the edge of town, much too small for Clifton to use for its own upcoming school, and with no other uses planned for it.

This could have been the continuation of the Main Ave. redevelopment but now it may have planted a seed of animosity that will come back to hurt us the next time we need a little help from our neighbors. Couldn’t the city have asked for a payment in exchange for the lost ratable?

What about negotiating improvements along other shared borders, like in Botany Village or on Van Houten Ave? Our cities and its leaders need to work more closely to solve common problems, not build walls around our town.

Focus at the Jan. 12 Meeting: The Board and Council members meet on Jan. 12 to discuss sites for the proposed new schools. Will our 16 elected municipal leaders work together to devise a solid plan to solve the school problem or will they agree to disagree?

4

January 2004 • Clifton Merchant

Opinion

by Editor and Publisher Tom Hawrylko

Cop as crossing guard: there is a better way.

Athenia Steel: In my hands is a letter from the City Manager responding to a question I’ve put to the City Council about the former Athenia Steel property. The land has only one entryway, on the highly travelled Clifton Ave., and that entryway is obscured from motorists in one direction by the rail overpass. In the interest of safety and smooth traffic flow, whatever is built there needs a second entrance and exit. I suggested that a second entryway be put at the dead end near Fornelius and Svea Ave., which already leads right into the property. Their letter say this is “determined not to be feasible,” with no further explanation. I went to a Council meeting and asked for clarification.

Councilwoman Gloria Kolodziej invited me to see that intersection after school, to witness the traffic it already endures. Well gee, Gloria, I invite you to see the traffic mess on Clifton Ave., especially after the senior citizen complex (and the hockey rink, recreational fields and/or the school) is completed on the Athenia Steel property. Let’s be proactive and solve this problem.

Hire a Planner: With a new year underway, we again ask, how long can a big city like Clifton continue to function without a full time planner?

Clifton Merchant Magazine

Letters to the Congratulations to the Paul VI HS Reunion and Dedication Committee. From the beautiful liturgy, to the dedication and reception, everything was perfect.

We had many wonderful times together at Paul VI. It was nice to relive those memories. Starting life at Paul VI was a great beginning.

Dan & Ginny Kelleher, Clifton

I commend you both (Publisher Tom Hawrylko and Writer Daniel Wolfe) for putting together a great article from a variety of sources (Deforested & Developed?, November, 2003). There was much to condense into a single story and I’m glad you featured Peter Both and Marie Kuhnen since they are widely recognized as the foremost long-term naturalist advocates for Garret Mountain. Inspired in part by your article, I visited Rifle Camp Park recently and observed six deer, four migrating hawks and a nice stand of evergreen mountain laurel...all in Clifton’s ‘backyard’. There were also a good number of other visitors out enjoying the park and I’m sure some were Clifton residents. Keep up your fine environmental journalism and I hope you continue your series with articles on Weasel Brook Park and Main Memorial Park. Let’s look for additional support from your readers for the preservation and restoration of the mountain and other open areas and resources within our community.

Joe Labriola, Clifton

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Editor

Corrections: December’s Clifton Merchant Magazine ran with two errors. In our Shop Clifton First section, we mistakenly wrote that Clifton’s John Maxwell contributed to the book Wonderful Passaic. The collection Maxwell contributed to is Climbing The Rainbow, another book about Passaic history. Both may be ordered at http://www.wonderful-passaic.com/. We also printed a note about a boy requesting business cards through the Make-A-Wish Foundation. This was in error; according to the Make-A-Wish Foundation’s web site, the boy, Craig Shergold, fulfilled his wish in 1990 through another organization, and today is alive and well and attending college.

Our policy is to publish corrections or clarifications as needed. If you feel an article is not accurate, please contact us.

Clifton Merchant Magazine’s graphic designer for close to five years, Fabian Calvo, is starting a new job with TeleNations on Jan. 12. The issue you’re reading right now is the last one to feature his design expertise. Fabian’s creative eye and knowledge of his adopted hometown all factored into the smart look he created for us, month after month. You were a valued member of our team, Fabian, and we’ll miss you.

Tomahawk Promotions 1288 Main Avenue Downtown Clifton, NJ 07011 973-253-4400 • CliftonMagazine@verizon.net

EDITOR & PUBLISHER Tom Hawrylko BUSINESS MANAGER Cheryl Hawrylko GRAPHIC DESIGNER Fabian M. Calvo STAFF WRITER Daniel Wolfe WRITERS Jack DeVries, Joe Torelli, Paula Zecca Clifton Merchant • January 2004

5

J A N U A R Y

2 0 0 3

Then…

…Now

Clifton Merchant Magazine began 2003 by restating our promise to keep readers informed and provide a broad forum for public opinion. We discussed and challenged Governor James E. McGreevey’s Smart Growth initiatives to tame urban sprawl and called on municipal officials to create stronger links with Trenton.

In our economic development review, we illustrated Clifton’s retailing paradox—the growing presence of national and regional retailers combined with struggling neighborhood merchants.

Along Van Houten Ave., there was talk of re-energizing the long-dormant Athenia Business Association. Creating a Special Improvement District (SID) in the area (as well as in Botany Village) was also discussed, looking to stimulate economic growth for smaller merchants.

Banks, office buildings, and other commercial structures continued to pop up across the city. While these businesses stimulated economic growth, residents complained about the corresponding increases in traffic, noise, and exhaust fumes.

Clifton’s Master Plan, the blueprint for city growth, was scheduled to be rewritten early in the year, and residents hoped it would contain stricter guidelines for development.

Unfortunately, McGreevey’s highly touted Smart Growth initiatives did not gain much Legislature support, with lawmakers refusing to fund many of the incentives targeted for municipalities. While Clifton did acquire state money for several projects—such as a $600,000 grant to develop recreational facilities on the city-owned Athenia Steel property— those funds were drawn from other programs.

Commercial development continued at a rapid pace. A giant Target Heartland store opened in Clifton Commons II in November and a new Acme super store will follow in Styertowne in February, 2004. Downtown Clifton merchants cheered the opening of a new post office, construction of a 32-space municipal Main Ave. parking lot, and the establishment of several new commercial and retailing ventures.

A revitalized Athenia Business Association was organized in February at about the time the city received $250,000 state grant to improve appearances along Van Houten Ave. Merchants in Botany Village continue to pursue the formation of a Special Improvement District, while Athenia merchants have decided not to pursue SID designation at this time.

Despite a series of public meetings at which residents provided input to the Master Plan, the final version of this critically important document was not published and made available to the public in 2003.

––––––– All Stories in this Section by Joe Torelli –––––––

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January 2004 • Clifton Merchant

F E B R U A R Y

2 0 0 3

…Now

Then…

More than 120 Clifton residents hired an attorney to stop C&L Developers from building 17 townhouses on vacant Grove St. property, citing the 637-unit Cambridge Crossings development as an example of uncontrolled development. The residents said they would prefer singlefamily homes in their neighborhood.

The often-delayed construction of senior citizen housing on the former Athenia Steel site was set to begin on March 1. No progress was reported on cleaning up the remaining 29 acres on the property so that construction of recreation facilities could begin.

School Superintendent Dr. Michael Rice provided a progress report on his “Six Points of Focus” for moving the district forward, and Clifton Merchant Magazine published a petition seeking a one-year moratorium on city housing development.

C&L Developers opted to build eight single-family homes rather than the 17 townhouses it had originally planned. While there were disagreements between the developer and neighborhood residents over the location and maintenance of a property access road, construction is underway.

Construction of the senior citizen housing project began in May 2003 and is scheduled for completion before the end of the summer of 2004. The two-story complex can be seen rising on the site adjacent to the NJ Transit railroad bridge, just off the intersection of Clifton and Paulison Avenues.

Former property owner, National Standard of Niles, Mich., has not started cleaning up the remaining 29 acres. Under terms of the property sale to the city, National Standard is responsible for the cleanup.

Nearly 1,300 Clifton residents signed a petition calling for a moratorium on housing construction. The petition was presented to the City Council; however, the moratorium is not permissible under New Jersey law unless a clear danger to the health of citizens is present.

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Clifton Merchant • January 2004

7

M A R C H

Then…

What do the Mayor and Council think about big issues facing the city? From the proposed moratorium on residential housing to an elected or appointed Board of Education, Clifton Merchant Magazine asked each Council member for their views on eight important questions concerning the city’s future.

Clifton resident and political activist Matt Ward, a former Board of Education commissioner, advocated abandoning the city’s CouncilManager form of government in favor of Mayor-Council structure. Noting Clifton’s dramatic change during the past 70 years, Ward said a MayorCouncil government would make elected officials more accountable to voters.

What is your competition doing to get ready for spring?

2 0 0 3

…Now The Council was split on the issue of a city moratorium on housing construction, with four members opposed (Anzaldi, Gaccione, Kowal, Welsh) and three in favor (Hatala, Kolodziej, Tatarenko). However, the entire Council agreed that the city’s Master Plan should not call for any further high-density housing construction.

On the question of an elected vs. appointed Board of Education, five Council members favored maintaining the elected Board while two (Gaccione, Welsh) said an appointed Board would provide a better pool of qualified candidates.

While communities such as West Milford and Little Falls voted last year to change their forms of government, no similar action is planned in Clifton.

Under New Jersey law, the state has delegated governing powers to the municipalities. Voters are free to determine their own form of government, but must operate under one of two statutes enacted by the Legislature.

Ward remains in favor of changing Clifton’s form of government; however, he recognizes that convincing voters to sign a petition placing the referendum on the ballot will be formidable. Twenty percent of Clifton’s registered voters (approximately 7,500) would have to endorse such a petition.

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A P R I L

2 0 0 3

Then…

…Now In a resounding show of school support, voters approved a tax-levy referendum for an $84.5 million School Budget—only the fourth budget approved by the public in the past 15 years. They also voted to increase taxes by another $808,000 for capital improvements to Christopher Columbus Middle School. And, by an overwhelming margin, they agreed to continue school board elections.

The Voting Results: $84 million tax-levy referendum ................Yes 3,679 (57%) ......No 2,725 $808,000 capital improvements tax levy....Yes 3,708 (64%) ......No 2,092 Continue with School Board elections .......Yes 3,935 (70%) ......No 1,693 Elected as Board Commissioners for three-year terms: Joseph Kolodziej, Lizz Gagnon, and James Smith.

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Clifton Merchant Magazine gave a dozen residents the opportunity to express their views on issues facing the city. They offered suggestions for improving hard-to-understand zoning regulations, traffic congestion, overcrowded schools, and environmental preservation.

The eight candidates running for three open Clifton Board of Education posts were interviewed before the election and answered questions about their qualifications, escalating school budgets, test scores, and school overcrowding.

In addition to electing commissioners and voting on a budget, Clifton’s voters were also presented with a referendum asking if they wanted to continue Board of Education elections in the future or turn that responsibility back over to the City Council.

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Clifton Merchant • January 2004

9

M A Y

2 0 0 3

Then…

In October, the Clifton City Council unanimously amended the zoning laws on Dundee Island, reducing the number of housing units that can be built there from 40 per acre to eight.

The action effectively made construction of townhouses on the property economically infeasible.

As a result, property-owner Akbar Ghahary said he would double the size of the existing manufacturing facility to 200,000 square feet, rather than relocate the plant as previously announced.

In December, the Council revealed its intent to purchase the remaining Dundee Island acreage and transform it into a nature preserve, using open space or Green Acres funding. The number of acres available for purchase will not be known until plans for the factory expansion are complete.

Development of the Anderson Tract is under consideration by The Alta Group, which plans to build a retail center on the land closest to Route 3. Public meetings were conducted to seek input on the Master Plan, but a final version was not given to the public in 2003.

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The May Clifton Merchant Magazine focused on environmental issues, highlighting Town & Country Development Corp.’s proposal to build 540 townhouses on Dundee Island. The ecologically sensitive property is situated on 13 acres near Ackerman Ave. along the banks of the Passaic River. Town & Country, builder of the 637-unit Cambridge Crossing complex on Colfax Ave., had secured Clifton Planning Board approval for the project.

The 20-acre Anderson Tract near Costco in Delawanna, a piece of pristine Clifton wilderness, was also being considered for development. While much of the tract has been designated as freshwater wetlands, a portion of it was eyed as a potential hotel complex site.

The Passaic River Coalition announced the publication of a Natural Resource Inventory and the often-postponed updated Clifton Master Plan was scheduled to be available for review.

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January 2004 • Clifton Merchant

J U N E

2 0 0 3

Then…

…Now

Carlos Rodrigues, manager of Plan Implementation for New Jersey’s Office of Smart Growth, was invited to tour the city and provide recommendations on Clifton’s Master Plan. He reviewed a draft of the revised plan, though it was incomplete and had not yet been reviewed by the public.

Rodrigues found the plan lacking in a number of areas.

Specifically, he found that it did not include an assessment of the city’s strengths and shortcomings, or a neighborhood-by-neighborhood vision for future development.

For Rodrigues, a Master Plan needs to combine a planner’s technical analysis with direct input of people who live in the city, soliciting the community’s input through neighborhood meetings, surveys and/or questionnaires.

The public was invited to review and provide input on the rewritten Master Plan at special meetings conducted by the Planning Board at City Hall in July, August and September.

Although the July meeting was crowded with concerned and outspoken citizens, by September, almost no members of the public attended, and those who did showed up late.

Despite the recommendations of Carlos Rodrigues and the concerned citizens of Clifton, few major updates have been made to the April 2003 draft version of the Plan (available at the city’s web site, www.cliftonnj.org). The final version of the Master Plan should have become public record as of the Dec. 18 Planning Board meeting, but the City Clerk’s office had no copies for the public to read until January, 2004, even though copies were already circulating among the city’s elected officials. The Master Plan was also not updated on the city’s web site.

Consultant Jill Hartmann, who wrote the Master Plan, said she was puzzled that no copies had yet been given to the public.

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J U L Y

2 0 0 3

…Now

Then…

Bowing to pressure from area residents, Coan abandoned his plans to construct townhouses at 272 Grove St., and no zoning variances were granted to him. However, K. Hovnanian has not given up on plans to build the townhouse complex along River Rd. and their quest for a zoning variance continues. In the meantime, K. Hovnanian has twice sent representatives to the interested citizens of Clifton, answering questions about the impact of their River Rd. proposal.

The Clifton City Council passed a resolution denouncing NJ Transit’s plans for the bus maintenance facility and lodged a formal protest with Governor James E. McGreevey. Local representatives to the state Legislature, Assemblyman Peter Eagler and Senator Nia Gill, joined the Council in condemning the plan. Both said they would work within the state government to have NJ Transit reconsider.

To date, McGreevey’s office has not formally acknowledged the Council’s protest, and NJ Transit failed to respond to requests for further information.

City Manager Barbara Sacks said a meeting between city officials and state representatives was scheduled later this month to discuss next steps.

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Smart Growth objectives clashed dramatically with both residential and commercial development projects. The controversy continued between C&L Developers and area residents over whether to build 17 townhouses or eight single-family homes at 76 Grove St. In addition, developer Joseph Coan announced plans to erect six townhouses at 272 Grove St. where he’d demolished an existing one-family house.

K. Hovnanian Companies sought a zoning variance to build 94 townhouses (18 in Clifton) on property straddling the Clifton/Passaic border along River Rd. At the same time, NJ Transit finalized plans to build a bus terminal on a Kuller Rd. property that it had purchased after initiating condemnation hearings.

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January 2004 • Clifton Merchant

A U G U S T

2 0 0 3

…Now

Then…

Community involvement and civic activism were joint themes in August. Information was provided about the candidates who would be running for county and state offices in the November elections, residents were encouraged to get involved in civic affairs, the continued delay in publishing the Master Plan was criticized, and the need to hire a full-time planning officer for the city was discussed.

Smart Growth and quality of life issues continued to occupy many Clifton residents. Neighbors of the Richfield Reformed Church on the Clifton Ave. Extension were planning to file a formal appeal of a variance granted to Commerce Bank allowing the bank to construct a 24-hour drive-thru facility on 1.2 acres of land it had purchased from the church.

Efforts to file an appeal with the City Council over the variance granted to Commerce Bank failed.

According to city ordinances, the people filing an appeal must provide the Council with transcripts of all meetings at which the variance request was discussed. At six dollars per page (the official charge for acquiring transcript copies from the agency hired by the city to record Zoning Board meetings) a single copy of the transcripts in question would have cost the residents nearly $4,500. They simply did not have the funds to mount the appeal. Construction of the bank branch is now nearing completion.

Despite the fact that Clifton is one of the ten largest cities in New Jersey, it does not have a full-time experienced professional planning officer to provide vision and leadership. The critically important function of planning the city’s future continues to be farmed out to consultants on a project basis. August’s public Master Plan meeting was the only one of the three to take place in the municipal courtroom, instead of the cramped conference room.

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Clifton Merchant • January 2004

13

S E P T E M B E R

2 0 0 3

…Now

Then…

Dr. Michael Rice, superintendent of Clifton Public Schools, discussed the major challenges facing the district.

Among the initiatives introduced to meet the challenges were an audit of the entire school curriculum, the hiring a full-time personnel director for the district, significant enhancements in the math and science programs, and publication of a comprehensive five-year plan for the school system.

After several months of relative peace between the City Council and the unions representing Clifton’s firefighters and police officers, tensions mounted once again. Firefighters were upset over the Council’s decision to remove exercise equipment from fire stations, and police officers were disappointed by the city’s refusal to consider revising police work schedules.

Clifton Merchant Magazine published a questionnaire soliciting public opinion on the future of the city.

A committee of educators, community members and administrators delivered a comprehensive five-year planning document to the Board of Education in November. Included in its recommendations are closer partnerships with community groups, stronger alliances with local businesses, new facilities to reduce overcrowding, and the institution of an allday kindergarten. The Board has not yet accepted or rejected the plan or any of its contents.

The hard line drawn in the sand between the City Council and firefighters over the removal of exercise equipment from city fires stations appears to be blurring. According to new FMBA President Kevin Danielson, the Council and the union are nearing a “middle ground,” in renewed negotiations over on-the-job physical conditioning; however, Danielson added that it is too early to reveal the details surrounding union discussions with the city. Unfortunately, the news is not as encouraging for Clifton police officers in their quest for new scheduling considerations. The issue, adamantly opposed by both the Council and police officials, is currently awaiting the decision of an arbitrator.

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January 2004 • Clifton Merchant

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O C T O B E R

2 0 0 3

…Now

Then…

A Pennsylvania developer’s proposal to construct an extended-stay executive hotel facility on the vacant Brogan Cadillac site was presented to the City Council for approval and assistance in getting the project started.

After two years of work, the Community Advisory Committee appointed by the Board of Education presented its recommendations to ease school overcrowding. They proposed building a new school for 8th and 9th grade students at Latteri Park, as well as purchasing and renovating commercial property on Brighton Road to accommodate up to 500 students.

Among the more significant results of the public opinion survey published

by Clifton Merchant Magazine was the fact that 90 percent of respondents said they were concerned about overcrowded schools, but only 62 percent were willing to pay higher taxes to remedy the situation.

On November 8, the City Council adopted an ordinance creating a Passaic Avenue Overlay Zone to help pave the way for construction of the extended-stay executive hotel complex. The ordinance established standards for corporate suites between residential and commercially zoned areas and was expected to speed development of the hotel facility. As a result, the developer, Togar Corporate Suites of Lafayette, Pa., is planning to start construction in the Spring, even though area hotel owners are threatening to appeal the ordinance.

Reacting to highly negative public opinion, the City Council sided with protesting Clifton residents and unanimously opposed the recommendation that Latteri Park become the site for a new school.

Council members are currently working with the Board of Education to identify other sites for the facility and, according to Mayor James Anzaldi, have classified several locations, not considered by the Community Advisory Committee, as potential candidates.

Shook Funeral Home, Inc. Roy, Dear Nancy & r sincerest t to extend ou an w I d an s the passing My daughter d support for an es ic rv se ur ur sympathy thanks for yo er, Stanley. Yo th fa d an d t through this of our husban helped us ge ds or w ng rti and comfo time for us. e funeral most difficult d set up at th an , es ic rv se tion, ing Kevin The organiza tire staf f, includ en ur Yo . ul tif au ssion and home were be ndness, compa ki ed nd te ex s, metery in and the driver sion to the ce es oc pr l ra ne fu than support. The more involved ., which was Pa extra n, us ow ve st ga le It oy D fortable. m co d an t ie this kind of most, was qu uld count on co e w ow kn neral Home. comfort to from Shook Fu n io nt te at d Stanley service an d I know that an ul tif au be as The funeral w ing place. in his final rest d fie ort, tis sa tly is grea kindness, supp n for all your ai ag u yo k Than thy. rt and sympa service, comfo Sincerely, d Basia Flynn na Dubiel, an ia D l, ie ub D Heddy

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Clifton Merchant • January 2004

15

N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R

2 0 0 3

…Now

Then…

Controversy over the Community Advisory Committee’s recommendation to build a new school at Latteri Park occupied the thoughts of many residents and elected officials.

Speaker after speaker addressed the subject at Municipal Council and Board of Education meetings, as well as at special public forums, including a “Clifton Tomorrow” meeting sponsored by Clifton Merchant Magazine.

While residents offered a wide range of opinions on the causes of the dangerously overcrowded conditions in some city schools, many argued that building a school on the Board-owned park property was not a viable solution.

Elections were held for two State Assembly seats, one State Senate seat, and three County Freeholder seats. And for the second time in two years, Clifton voters were given the opportunity to establish an open space trust fund through a ballot question that, if approved, would raise property taxes by a nominal amount.

The clearing of thousands of trees continued on Garret Mountain to make way for the construction of an 810-unit townhouse complex that will straddle the Clifton/West Paterson border.

Residents bemoaned the loss of yet more open space and warned of the environmental dangers that will result from the loss of vegetation.

Residents, including those in the relatively new grass roots organization, Clifton Unite, continue to fight the building of a school at Latteri Park. Some residents have volunteered to lend their professional expertise to the Board of Education and Municipal Council as the two elected bodies meet to formulate alternatives to alleviate school overcrowding. The two groups took a holiday break from these discussions, and met again in January to tour the still-confidential sites being considered as alternatives to Latteri Park.

In the meantime, programs designed to identify and remove illegal students from city schools resulted in the permanent expulsion of 23 students to date during the 2003-2004 school year, in addition to the 143 that were identified and ejected over the past two academic years.

Despite citizen outcry demanding more open space and a halt to over-development, Clifton’s Open Space Trust Fund ballot question was defeated by a slim margin of approximately 3,700 votes to 3,500, despite endorsements by City Winners of the elections to various public offices were as follows: State Senate, Nia Gill. State Assembly, Peter Eagler and Sheila Oliver. Passaic County Freeholders, James Gallagher, Lois A. Cuccinello and Sonia Rosado.

K. Hovnanian Companies, preparing for the construction of a 810 unit senior housing complex—114 in Clifton and 696 in West Paterson—dramatically changed the scenery along Route 46 by clearing away trees on Garret Mountain.

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January 2004 • Clifton Merchant

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PA S S A I C C O U N T Y F R E E H O L D E R S Left to right, standing: Peter C. Eagler, Walter W. Porter Jr., James Gallagher and Michael G. Mecca Jr. Left to right, seated: Sonia Rosado, Freeholder Director Elease Evans, and Deputy Director Lois A. Cuccinello.

Clifton Merchant • January 2004

17

O U T L O O K

2 0 0 4

Retail Follows Rooftops T

here is good and bad news from all the residential development of this past year: with roughly 1,500 dwelling units planned or built in Clifton in 2003, a boost to the economy was inevitable. With those apartments, townhouses and condos came thousands of new residents, and ultimately, built-in shoppers. “Retail always follows rooftops,” chanted Harry Swanson, Clifton’s economic development director. “And if there’s one thing we’ve got in Clifton, it’s a lot of new rooftops.”

Along Route 3, Clifton Commons added Target Stores as the anchor in the 14 acre second phase expansion of this retail mecca. Across the highway, Styretowne Shopping Center has completed a facade renovation and added new stores, including a soon-to-open 55,000 square foot Acme; meanwhile renovations continue on the 45,000 square foot Rowe-Manse building.

Elsewhere in Delawanna, the once dilapidated Bradlees shopping center on Main Ave., towards Nutley from Clifton Commons, has been completely renovated and is now anchored by Kohl's.

Across Main Ave. at the intersection of Clay St., property owner Carmen Maggio, the former owner of Rowe-Manse Emporium, has a proposal before the Board of Adjustment to convert four commercial properties into a retail establishment. When you add it all up, Swanson said Clifton Commons and Styretowne, in

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January 2004 • Clifton Merchant

combination with its ‘big box’ neighbors Kohl’s and Costco, form the nucleus of Clifton’s outdoor mall. “The area has become stronger commercially and economically,” said Swanson. “Delawanna has become big box city.”

Traffic, congestion and a burden on municipal services are the flip side to all this growth the city is experiencing.

While that has been well documented this past year, here is an overview of economic development trends for 2004:

The last element in the evolution of Styretowne Shopping Center (top) is the Rowe-Manse Emporium building, above.

The 45,000 square foot three-story store is now being gutted and sub-divided to accommodate national retailers.

The Big Box “Why go to Willowbrook?”

Swanson said, when Clifton’s Route 3 and Delawanna sector is becoming an extensive outdoor mall. “Wayne does not have a Route 3 face,” Swanson said; when people drive into New York along Route 3, they see and often stop to shop or be entertained in Clifton.

Destinations include the 16 screen movie theater in Clifton Commons or they head off the highway and go to Costco, Kohl’s or Styretowne Shopping Center.

Since 1999, Styretowne has undergone extensive renovations and this first quarter should see the final phase of construction. The 55,000 square foot Acme Supermarket on the lower level will open the first week of February. The parking lot has a new configuration to accommodate increased traffic to Acme and other lower level stores.

To further address traffic flow, a signal is being installed at the Allwood Rd. exit, right near the new Acme. The Bloomfield Ave. entrance to the center is being moved closer to the Route 3 ramp and a signal will control traffic. Further, the Allwood Circle is being redone.

Late last year, Alice’s Cards & Gifts, took the place of Bernie’s for Kids on the main level. These new additions follow projects that began

The Main Ave. entrance to Clifton Commons has established an aesthetic look to the area, one that carries into the Kohl’s shopping center, a block towards Nutley.

in 2000 when A.C. Moore and Marty Shoes joined Atlanta Bread and Pet Stuff which opened in the building next to the new Acme.

The old Rowe-Manse Emporium building will remain a prime retail location. The interior of the 45,000

square foot structure is being divided and renovated to allow for multiple tenants. It is anticipated the first 8,000 square feet will go to a national apparel chain this month, the first, management said, in a diverse mixture of tenants.

☛ 1040

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Junction of Routes 3 & 46, Clifton

1-866-46-FETTE www.fetteford.com Clifton Merchant • January 2004

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A

T H EN I A

M A S O N S U P P LY

973.473.2758 N E W L O C AT I O N

70 Rosalie Ave.

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January 2004 • Clifton Merchant

The neighborhood of Clay St. at Main Ave. in Delawanna is a mix of residences and industry as the photo above illustrates. That may prove a challenge to the developer who wants to link four commercial properties and convert them into thousands of feet of new retail space. At right, Main Ave. headed towards Wendy’s, Route 3 and the entrance to Clifton Commons. The photo below is taken from the beginning of Clay St; across Main Ave. is the entrance to the revitalized Kohl’s shopping center.

Baby Box Route 3 may be the new breeding ground for Clifton’s most ambitious retail projects, but many of them can be considered self-contained projects.

One of the most notable new projects the city will consider in 2004 is in Delawanna, near the intersection of Clay St. and Main Ave. Owner Carmen Maggio wants to convert a series of commercial buildings and a parking lot into more retail space, a project which would need zoning variances.

“The standard has been set by Clifton Commons,” Swanson said, indicating that if the project is approved, the new structures will echo the distinct architectural design of Clifton Commons.

This is a sentiment Swanson said is shared by member of the Zoning Board of Adjustment, which approves changes on a case-by-case basis to individual properties in Clifton.

☛

Clifton Merchant • January 2004

21

Spencer Savings may purchase the former Goodyear building on Main Ave. Construction is underway at the Commerce Bank on Clifton Ave. and at Banco Popular on Main Ave.

Banks Follow Growth Banks tell a lot about a community. They follow money and population growth. Whenever a new bank moves to town, that means there’s enough new cash to support them. And in Clifton, Swanson said, there is enough new cash coming into town to support seven new banks over the next five years.

As 2003 came to a close, Clifton had two banks under construction: Banco Popular next to the Corrado’s Market on Main Ave., and Commerce Bank on the Clifton Ave. extension.

In 2004, Clifton expects to add a Spencer Savings Bank and a second Commerce Bank, both in the Downtown Clifton retail area. It is anticipated that Spencer will purchase and renovate the boarded-up Goodyear store across from Main Memorial Park while Commerce is in negotiation with some retailers to pur-

A

chase a series of properties so they can add a second Downtown Clifton location. That’s four banks in two years, giving Swanson a running start on his goal of seven banks in five years.

While each bank adds to the image of Clifton, there are also other benefits: Swanson said each new structure is a one-and-a-half- to two-million dollar tax ratable.

☛

M A N U F A C T U R I N G

L O S S

With all this influx of new business, there have also been some casualties. The most notable is Shorewood Packaging Corporation, a part of International Paper’s Consumer Packaging group, which announced the closing of its Route 3 facility in Clifton.

While the cardboard box manufacturer will not close until late-February, the city is already doing what it can to help the 50 or more displaced workers find new employment. This location is a manufacturing facility, not a retail store. Shorewood will also close its Teaneck manufacturing facility. The prime Route 3 property they’re shutting down could provide a good location for any retail or industry coming to Clifton in the near future.

Last year, International sold a portion of their land to their neighbor, Liberty Lincoln-Mercury.

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January 2004 • Clifton Merchant

T H E

R O U T E

Robert Robertazzi’s $8 million dream will soon become a reality.

Since the summer, a crew of construction workers have been shaping one of the boldest new buildings of Clifton’s Route 3 face.

Robertazzi, the owner of Liberty Lincoln-Mercury, along with his family, has purchased the land next to its current location and is creating a four star showroom.

“This is a dream come true,” said Robertazzi, who with his wife Elaine, first purchased the LincolnMercury franchise in 1983. “To create a building from scratch, designing the showrooms, service bays and waiting rooms—I got to admit, it’s been a lot of fun.”

What even makes it all the more fulfilling, said Robertazzi, is that he and his wife work side by side with their family, Renee and John Chirico. “We’re building something that our kids—and perhaps their kids—may someday work within,” said Robertazzi.

Scheduled to open in Feb., the new facility is a three stories, about a football field long, 100 feet wide and spread over 2.5 acres between Route 3 and Allwood Rd.

3

I M A G E

O F

C L I F T O N

Robert and Elaine Robertazzi, their daughter Renee and son-in-law John Chirico are the principals of Liberty Lincoln-Mercury on Route 3 West.

The Robertazzi’s are building on land they purchased from their neighbor, International Paper. The front of the dealership, shown above in mid-December, will be an eye-catching rounded glass facade that rises two stories. When visitors enter the 30,000 square foot structure from the Route 3, they will be

The Allwood Ave. facade of the new Liberty Lincoln-Mercury lacks signage.

on the building’s second floor, a 7,000 square foot showroom known as the Grand Salon. It will fit 25 vehicles, but another second-floor showroom will fit 75 more cars for visitors to see. There is also a third level to this massive facility, which has a balcony visible from the second floor.

Another 90 new vehicles will be parked on the roof as well.

At Liberty Lincoln-Mercury’s new dealership, the entire car-buying and servicing experience has moved indoors. The first floor entrance from Allwood Rd., below highwaylevel, is the dealership’s service facility, with bays for 30 cars (the old building had only 16 service bays). Customers will drive their car right into the service area.

Robertazzi said while the Route 3 marquee and elegant building will create a positive image for the dealership and the city, he is hoping to work with Allwood Rd. business owners and city officials to create a signage and beautification program along the busy city road.

Clifton Merchant • January 2004

23

Togar Party How do you increase tax revenue without increasing the student population? Build a hotel. Togar Corporate Suites offers a different flavor of hotel. Its corporate hotel specifically targets travelling business executives who regularly spend long stays, but have permanent residences elsewhere. The four-story complex will be built on a 4.75 acre plot of land on Passaic Ave. previously occupied by Brogan Cadillac.

While the corporate hotel is a self-contained community, its tenants will visit Clifton’s restaurants and shops, providing a steady stream of new customers.

Because of the long-stay nature of the Togar hotel model – regular tenants may leave their clothes and belongings behind for their next visit – travellers do not have to shop for a new hotel each time they need to

Brogan Cadillac on Passaic Ave. may be converted into a campus offering long term stays to travelling executives, as the photo below illustrates.

come to Clifton. As a result of an interpretation of the municipal code, competing Clifton hotels have joined to file a lawsuit stop the project, due to the similarities between a ‘corporate suite’ and a residence.

Despite such legal roadblocks, when compared to other projects, the project has met with quick approvals by the Planning Board and the City Council. Togar will take two years from approval to complete construction.

Swanson is hoping the project gets underway soon.

“We’re losing $2,000 a week by sitting around and doing nothing,” Swanson said of the expected tax revenue the project could produce when completed.

☛

W I L L

I T

H E L P

Raise your hand if you think an old 4-way intersection would have worked at the Allwood Circle.

Instead, the Passaic County Engineering Dept. has designed a roundabout. The project construction was suspended until April, due to weather concerns. When completed, it’s supposed to make the intersection safer.

What’s the advantage to roundabouts over traditional traffic circles or 4-way lights? Roundabouts have been found to be safer than traffic signals and able to handle large volumes of traffic successfully.

On the topic of safety, several key issues have roundabouts outperforming traffic signal controlled intersections.

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January 2004 • Clifton Merchant

O R

H I N D E R

A standard 4-way intersection has 32 potential collision points when you account for all the turning movements from each of the roadway approaches. Roundabout have only 8 potential conflict points.

Next, the curving nature of the roundabout approaches and inner circular island require travel speeds

T R A F F I C ?

to be low to maneuver through the intersection whereas ‘green time’ of a traffic signal can produce high travel speeds when the roadways are not congested.

Finally, the center island of a roundabout eliminates the possibility of head on collisions. A recent study published by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has found that intersections controlled by roundabouts saw a 39% decline in accidents, accidents resulting in injuries fell 76% and accidents resulting in death or incapacitating injury fell by 90%.

Sure roundabouts are popular in Europe, but don’t they also drive on the other side of the street?

Look for completion this summer.

T R O U B L E With a new yard and an expansive showroom on a 4.5 acre spread just off Lakeview Ave., Athenia Mason can grow another generation or two in its hometown.

There’s one problem, however, a lack of rail access, so vital to Ken Kievit’s business.

“We need to have a rail line running into our yard to deliver the thousands of tons of building materials we handle,” said Kievit, owner of Athenia Mason Supply, located on Clifton Terrace for the past 57 years.

The Clifton Terrace Property will soon be levelled and paved to become a 168 car parking lot for NJ Transit rail commuters, a stop on the way to the new Secaucus Junction, a transfer station.

The Secaucus Junction was completed in Dec., 2003. It allows commuters from 10 of the state’s 11 train networks, including the two Clifton rail stations, to travel directly into Manhattan without going through Hoboken or Newark, cutting commuting time.

The new 312,000 sq. ft. Secaucus station will attract 4,700 commuters daily – hence, the need for more commuter parking at points along the line, which forced Athenia Mason Supply to relocate.

But a rail line is just as vital to Athenia Mason as it is to NJ Transit: the thousands of tons of masonry supplies Kievit handles each week needs a freight railway to keep his business efficient.

So last year he purchased the vacant lumber yard property off Lakeview Ave, on Rosalie St., the former New York Sash & Door, which backs to a rail line.

Since he was activating a dormant freight line to the relocated business, Kievit sought assistance from NJ Transit, which runs the Clifton Terrace and Rosalie Ave. rail spurs.

W I T H

N J

T R A N S I T

Ken Kievit, owner of Athenia Mason Supply, has relocated the business to 70 Rosalie Ave., which is located off of Lakeview Ave., near Clifton Ave. “They promised to help us secure rail services to our new location,” Kievit said, “and they never followed through on it.” As a result, for the past year or so, NJ Transit has been playing hardball with Kievit as it refuses to provide any funding to him help offset the cost of activating an existing freight line to the new property.

The half-mile line, running from Bay State Milling on Getty Ave., behind Corrado’s, near the Clifton/Paterson border to the Rosalie Ave. property, is overrun with weeds and trash, and requires replacement of up to 500 railroad ties before it can be activated.

The price for activation may run as high as $350,000, an onerous amount for a small business owner.

“We’re talking about operating a freight line and keeping about 50 good paying jobs in our city in an era when more and more jobs like this just disappear,” said Kievit, a 1966 CHS graduate. “They got to be able to give us some help.”

Thus far, he estimates that the building restoration alone cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $300,000. When factoring in the property’s purchase price, building and rail line renovation costs, and the expense of relocating, Kievit’s investment to stay in Clifton will amount to considerably more than a few million dollars.

Could Kievit had simply moved instead to a property with a functioning rail line? Not if he wants to stay in Clifton, as they are few properties which offer rail access.

With the clock ticking, Kievit and his crew were working on Jan. 2 and through the weekend, moving supplies into the renovated yard, creating a dust-free showroom and setting up offices.

“I’m still hoping NJ Transit can offer some economic development incentives for this type of move,” said Kievit.

When called, NJ Transit was unable to clarify the details of their agreement with Kievit.

Clifton Merchant • January 2004

25

By Murray Blumenfeld I am so happy this issue came out a week late because I didn’t have the time in December to write this column. Thank you Tom Hawrylko - editor & publisher.

First and foremost I would like to wish all my readers a healthy and happy New Year.

May all your wishes come true for the year 2004.

Now that Christmas is over, I can look back and say we did a great job handling the rush. I’d like to thank my staff for a job well done because they worked longer hours and they were really kept on the go. I would also like to thank the many customers that were so kind in bringing us cookies and candy for us to nosh on during the rush. Thank you so much for the gifts.

Watches, earrings and bracelets were the big sellers for the Christmas season and now we are working on filling in all the empty spaces. We will be getting in a lot of new things between now and Valentines Day so come in and take a look. White gold and platinum remained the number one seller in engagement rings and wedding rings.

I’d like to congratulate all the couples that got engaged at Christmas time and I wish them well. I hope they enjoy the diamond purchased at Morré Lyons and I hope they remember our free “clean your diamond” service.

We are now busy sizing jewelry. If you got a gift of a watch or a ring that is too big or too small, bring it in, our service is great. (Even if I do say so myself!)

The birthstone for January is Garnet. Garnet has been treasured for thousands of years. This lovely red stone was once thought to cure fever and promote good health and it was worn for protection when traveling.

As usual it was nice talking to you and God willing, I’ll talk to you again next month. www.morrelyons.com

JEWELERS RICHFIELD SHOPPING CENTER 1354 CLIFTON AVE • CLIFTON • 973.777.4329 1295

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January 2004 • Clifton Merchant

The Third River as it flows through the Anderson Tract.

The Anderson Tract The Alta Group has plans for the Anderson Tract that will take advantage of its Route 3 location and access by constructing an outdoor mall on the six to eight acres closest to the highway. Alta President Laury Pensa described it as a “lifestyle retail center,” filled with specialty shops.

Due to the ecologically sensitive nature of the land, the Clifton Environmental Commission has contacted Pensa about his plans for the property. “Their concerns are that we comply with the (Department of Environmental Protection),” Pensa said. “We will absolutely comply with the DEP. We will be protecting the wetlands, the pond, and the river.”

The 20-acre Anderson Tract near Costco, which is still primarily undeveloped wilderness, was rumored as far back as May to have been sold for commercial development. Much of the property is NJ DEP-designated freshwater wetlands and flood plains and thus undevelopable.

The Third River, a feeder to the Passaic River, runs through the property and had for many years fed the old Yantacaw Pond. A dam supporting that pond, previously seen from River Rd. near Oak St., washed out in 1984.

While much of the 20 acres is natural, one company with offices on the Third River, Whatman Inc., has landscaped the area and created an aesthetically pleasing and relaxing lunch spot. But what is to become of the rest of the Anderson Tract?

☛

Federal Mortgage Offers Senior Citizens A Reverse Mortgage 1319

F

or some 30 years now, Anthony A. Accavallo, shown here, has been helping make the American Dream become a reality, right here in Clifton.

As President of Federal Mortgage & Investment Corp. at 1111 Clifton Ave., Clifton, he and his firm have written millions of dollars worth of mortgages which have allowed people to purchase homes. And while that work has been fulfilling, Accavallo said he is getting his greatest satisfaction these days by helping senior citizens with reverse mortgages.

A reverse mortgage is a special kind of mortgage loan for seniors. “It is a safe, easy way to turn your home equity into tax-free cash,” he continued.

“Unlike a home equity loan, you do not have to make monthly payments.

Instead, a reverse mortgage pays you.

More importantly, you do not have to repay the loan for as long as you live in the house. It’s a great way to keep your home and get money from it at the same time.”

The name “reverse mortgage” describes exactly what the mortgage is — it is the exact opposite of a conventional mortgage. That is, with a conventional mortgage the borrower pays the lender but with a reverse mortgage, the lender pays the borrower.

In the past, a senior citizen in need of money would have to take out a loan against their house and immediately start making monthly payments again or sell their home.

How do I qualify for a Reverse Mortgage?

It’s simple. You and your co-borrower must be at least 62 years old.

You must own your home free and clear or have just a small balance on your existing mortgage. Best of all, there are no income or credit requirements to satisfy.

How can I receive my money?

You can receive it in several ways: •Equal monthly payments as long as you live in your home •Equal monthly payments for a certain period of time •As a line of credit you can draw upon as needed, for whatever reasons •As a lump sum draw at closing •A combination of the above, to meet your requirements.

But a reverse mortgage allows seniors to borrow against the equity they already have in their home... and they never have to make a monthly payment.

Each reverse mortgage candidate is required to attend a free counseling session with a local independent housing agency approved by FHA (Federal Housing Administration).

Candidates are encouraged to bring other family members with them to help in the decision-making process.

“This process ensures that the borrower understands the program fully and aides them in determining whether or not a reverse mortgage is for them,” said Accavallo.

When must I repay the loan?

You must repay the loan if you no longer live in your home.

In the event of your death, your heirs can choose to repay the loan and keep the house or sell the house and repay the loan, What are interest rate charges & fees?

•An adjustable rate of interest is charged on reverse mortgages •Closing costs are typical for any mortgage closing and all may be financed •No out-of-pocket expenses at closing Are Reverse Mortgages safe?

•Yes, FHA and FannieMae guarantee the payments you receive •FHA and FannieMae also guarantee you will never owe more than your house is worth — no debt left on estate

Federal Mortgage & Investment Corp.

Not a Government Agency Mortgage Bankers Licensed by NJ Department of Banking & Insurance Licensed by NY & CT Department of Banking 1111 Clifton Avenue, Clifton, NJ 07013

1-800-788-1184 www.federalmtg.com Clifton Merchant • January 2004

27

Xanadu’s & Xana-don’ts

Faith in Clifton

One of the problems with developing the Anderson Tract is that the developable portion is near ecologically sensitive land, making development a delicate process.

In addition, the proposed Xanadu mega-mall at the Meadowlands could affect commercial development throughout northern New Jersey. The 4.76 million square foot entertainment, office and hotel complex is expected to provide 20,000 new jobs upon its completion in 2008. While it will certainly attract new shoppers, it could also numb commercial interest anywhere outside the mall. Areas such as the Anderson Tract could either ride Xanadu’s coattails or be forgotten in the frenzy.

The 214,000 square foot warehouse and distribution building on the Givaudan site was completed by the Morris Construction Company this past year, making it the construction company’s third building in the Delawanna industrial site. Morris Construction built the massive site on speculation – “They had confidence it would be rented,” Swanson said. That confidence paid off. The new building was rented within six to eight months, making it the newest addition to one of the premier distribution sites in northern New Jersey, Swanson said. The other buildings on the site are distribution centers for Allied Office and Harve Benard.

A

Q U A R T E R

Back on Oct. 1, 1978, Nicholas Tselepis made the leap. He abandoned a career in engineering, for which he’d earned a bachelor’s degree from the New Jersey Institute of Technology, to start his own real estate business in Clifton.

And 25 years later, Nicholas Real Estate Agency is still in business, and still in Clifton.

It all started innocently enough.

“I got started looking to buy property,” Tselepis said of a task most prospective homeowners deal with as part of their lives. “I got fascinated with it. So I got into it part-time, and I made more money than I did in engineering.”

It made sense to Tselepis that if he enjoyed something, and he made good money at it, he should pursue it as a career. He wasted no time in getting his start. The first Nicholas Real Estate Agency opened at 1489 Main Ave., but after only two years he moved to his current location at 1624 Main Ave., where his business has been growing ever since.

Despite his continuing success, Tselepis hasn’t detached himself from the field. He still eagerly gets his hands dirty in the day-to-day operation of his agency.

“Even though I’m the owner,” he said, “I’m a producing agent.”

Although Nicholas Realty has over

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January 2004 • Clifton Merchant

C E N T U R Y

☛

O F

Nicholas Tselepis 30 full-time agents, a seller can call the office and work with Tselepis directly. His first year, he sold around $1 million in real estate.

Nowadays, he sells $20 million, a success that he’s sustained over the past several years..

In addition, several of his agents are fluent in foreign languages, including Greek, Spanish, Italian, Polish, Hindi, and Dutch; this makes his office even more accessible to prospective buyers and sellers.

For all his success, Tselepis never saw the need to leave Clifton, even when he moved his office back in 1980. “This is my base,” he said. “It has a very big diversity of properties to accommodate everybody.”

N I C H O L A S Indeed, one of Clifton’s most marketable points is its location.

With buyers looking for a familyfriendly environment within easy commuting distance of New York City, even the ailing economy did not have a lasting effect on the real estate business. The growing economic development within the city means that even those without jobs in New York won’t have to travel far to find the means to support their families.

Another part of the city’s appeal to prospective homeowners looking to move is the variety it has to offer. Clifton has upscale townhomes and expensive properties bordering Upper Montclair, but it also has starter homes, apartments, and multi-family homes. It is a diverse suburb both in its population and in its options for living.

For families, a key consideration in a new home is the quality of local schools. Clifton Public Schools do not disappoint; test scores show a steady improvement in the academic achievements of students, and the Board of Education is actively looking to expand the school system to accommodate higher enrollment.

“We intend to stay in the local area,” Tselepis said of the future of his business. “We’re expanding, but we’re still going to be here.”

C O N D O S ,

Gina Yarrish

R E S A L E S ,

David Anthony

Condominiums such as those in Cambridge Crossings on Colfax Ave. are selling quickly and at a premium while two-family homes in any Clifton neighborhood are considered gold.

“Everything sells in Clifton,” said Dan Norton of Weichert Realtors.

Whether it’s an expensive condo or a low-priced starter home, there’s a buyer standing in line to grab it.

“Buyers love new,” said Janet De Palma of Franklin Realty, whose firm opened a Clifton office in April 2003, said that the freshness of the big developments has become a good selling point. “People like new,” she said, “and they would rather have a bigger home on smaller property.”

DePalma said she just sold a Cambridge Crossings for for $425,000. De Palma said the development is attracting wealthy new residents, who can easily afford a higher cost of living. And although many are coming in from outside Clifton, there are also those who are moving into the new units from other areas of the city.

“More homes may have come on the market (because of new development),” said Carole Viola of ACV Century 21. She said that traditional homes are becoming available as people move out of older houses and into newer townhomes, favoring the low-maintenance nature of the newer dwellings.

However, there was a downside to this new development: “It’s had a lot of bad publicity,” said Gina

R E A L

Carole Viola

Yarrish, president of La Corte Agency. She refers to the criticism by residents who argued there would be an increase in traffic and a burden to the public schools.

But even with the negative press, people aren’t deterred from living in Clifton. “Multi-family homes move fast,” Yarrish noted.

Norton said lower-priced homes, ranging from $250,000 to $350,000, are selling quickly. And there is no pressure for the starter and multi-family homes to mimic the prices of expensive new condos and townhomes.

Rikki DiMaria of JK Realty agreed. “There’s a certain buyer for condos and townhouses, but I don’t see that affecting the singlefamily market,” she said.

Local realtors have observed that people looking to buy a single-family home aren’t easily distracted by the flashy new developments.

There’s something for everyone.

Clifton’s best selling point is its location. “Every highway in the area goes through Clifton,” said

Dan Norton

E S T A T E

David Anthony of Coldwell Banker.

From here, motorists have direct access to most of New Jersey. And with the completion of NJ Transit’s Secaucus Junction, Manhattan is an easier commute by train.

“The real estate market has been very strong, and interest rates have stayed low,” Anthony said.

While the realtors noted that there is a buyer for every home out there, it’s the buyer who has the advantage. Those looking to sell should enter the market with an open mind.

“Sellers need to be aware there has been a change,” Viola said. “I have seen some properties starting to under appraise,” she added, meaning that they sell for less than expected.

For buyers, this is great, but for sellers, there is one ray of hope.

“There is an availability of properties (for buyers), but not an overabundance of properties to choose from,” Viola said. While buyers may have no trouble finding a home they can afford, it might not be the home they expected.

Has someone with deep pockets been holding out, waiting for a home just like yours to appear on the market?

And even the lower-valued homes are earning themselves a steadily higher price. “If you have a two-family home to sell, you’ve got gold,” DiMaria said.

Janet De Palma

Rikki DiMaria

Clifton Merchant • January 2004

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Clifton’s Engineering Dept. reports these improvements for city roads in 2004, which include: • Streetscape improvements for the Market St. business district.

• A 17 car public parking lot will be built on Van Houten Ave. near Huron Ave. to support the Athenia business district.

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• East Clifton traffic signals at the following intersections will undergo improvements: Lakeview and Crooks, Piaget and Third, Clifton and Third, Clifton and Getty, Clifton and Lexington, Lexington and Ackerman, Randolph and Lake and Clifton and Lakeview.

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• There will be a new traffic signal installed at Piaget Ave. and Getty Ave. in the Lakeview section. This will address an existing visibility problem at that intersection.

In addition, the following streets may see a range of improvements, ranging from resurfacing, reconstruction of roadway pavement, sidewalk and curb repairs to tree plantings and other aesthetic repairs: • Livingston, Major, and Fifth Sts.; Hepburn, Merrill, Claverack, and Garrabrant Rds.; Maplewood, Kensington, Mandeville, Lenox, Lehigh, Hamilton, and Huron Aves.; Mountainside and Nottingham Ters.; Comfort, Everson, and Addison Pls.; Stuyvesant, Garret, Hamil, Hadrys, Malcolm, and Stanchak Cts.; Combee Ln. and Fenlon Blvd.

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Angela Kashey and her family were among the 150 people who blocked the development of 17 condos on Grove St.

Here’s an inventory of some of the housing projects underway and proposed in our community: Cambridge Crossings: In 2003, residents began moving into the 637-unit townhouse community Cambridge Crossings, across from the high school on the former Shulton property. Construction will continue through 2004.

K. Hov. at Delawanna: These proposed 18 townhomes on old River Road will connect with 76 more units in Passaic. The portion in Delawanna will replace industrial and commercial properties.

Grove Hollows: An old barn and a 1930s-era house at 76 Grove St. will be replaced with eight singlefamily homes by C&L Developers.

Senior Horizons at Clifton: 125 age-restricted units being built by Regan Development on the site of the old Athenia Steel plant will be completed this fall.

Four Seasons at Great Notch: Developer K. Hovnanian is currently clear cutting trees and clearing out a former quarry on Garret Mountain off Valley Rd. near Route 46 as it makes way for a massive 810 unit senior citizens housing project.

☛

No More Housing As Swanson said, retail follows rooftops, and part of what has sustained this extensive commercial growth three years in a row are the various new housing projects.

However, this past Oct., the Council voted to lower the density on new residential developments to eight units per acre, their first significant step in slowing housing development in Clifton, and that will likely cause residential development to plateau. To get an idea of what density per acre translates into visually, some portions of Cambridge Crossings on Colfax Ave. have 20 units per acre.

That density change has already stopped one project from proceeding: Dundee Island.

Located on the Passaic River off Ackerman Ave. near Botany Village, this project was proposed

by Town and Country and would have added 390 apartments.

Instead, the owner of the 13 acre property may split the land and use a portion of it to expand his industrial business. The other portion may be purchased by the city and the Passaic River Coalition to create a nature preserve.

680 Route 3 West • Clifton • 973-471-7717 Clifton Merchant • January 2004

31

Athenia Merchants Lack of parking is a problem in all business districts. This year, the City Council will address that problem in Athenia as it approves construction of a 17-space parking lot at the intersection of Huron Ave. and Van Houten Ave., which will extend an existing municipal lot up to a soccer field. This project, near Richardson Park, is part of the ongoing improvements planned to be completed in the Athenia business district, which extends from city hall to the Passaic border.

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Clifton Adult Evening School Call for our Spring Catalog 973.470.2438 In person registration at Clifton High School Monday, Feb. 2nd & Thursday, Feb. 5th – 6 - 9 PM Senior Citizen registration 3:30 - 5 PM Classes Begin Monday, Feb. 23rd & Thursday, Mar. 4th

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January 2004 • Clifton Merchant

This area, at the intersection of Huron and Van Houten, and adjacent to a municipal lot, will be paved to add space for 17 cars. Since the land is city owned, the project, including new fencing at the soccer field and landscaping, is expected to cost $100,000.

In early 2003, the city was awarded a $250,000 grant from the NJ Dept. of Transportation to conduct streetscape improvements along 1.1 miles of the Van Houten Ave. business district.

To make the grant effective, the city asked for merchant input, and as a result, a long-dormant organization—the Athenia Business Association—had been revitalized to help decide how best to utilize funds from the grant.

Matt Grabowski, who lives, works and own commercial property on Van Houten, was named president. Together, with a committee of merchants, they worked out a plan and a series of events to bring life back along the Avenue.

They began that with a dinner dance in April at which 125 members of the ABA, friends and supporters attended.

In addition, the association also hosted a street fair in late-summer and then created a Halloween event at Richardson Park.

A theme was developed for the district and signs are now located on the Avenue stating: Welcome to Athenia: the Heart of Clifton. Also, directional signs to landmarks, decorative lighting and trash receptacles, as well as landscape improvements, such as tree planting and removal, have been added.

Thus far, the work of the new business group has produced results and more significantly, influence with the members of the Council.

“It’s something we haven’t had for awhile,” said Gina Yarrish of the LaCorte Agency, vice president of the ABA. “We’ve set the stage in 2003 and we’ve created a lot of momentum. We expect we will have another productive year.”

☛

3

Y E A R S

O F

For the third consecutive year, Clifton has added over 500,000 square feet of commercial growth.

These projects ranged from new shops in Downtown Clifton to the second phase of Clifton Commons.

Commercial development, said Economic Development Director Harry Swanson is positive because it doesn’t burden schools, but it does add jobs and tax revenue. When more taxes are collected from industry, it means less must be collected from residential property owners.

Some of the leaders of the Athenia Business Association: George Shevchuk of The Window Mill, Gina Yarrish of the LaCorte Agency, Dave, Alberta and Greg Lacki of Lacki’s Jewelers, Matt Grabowski and Krystyna Bladek of Krystyna’s Travel.

C O M M E R C I A L reduced their vacancy rate down to the 6 percent range. Since 4 percent is considered the normal turnover rate, it’s clear that things are picking up. But these five retail corridors are not alone.

In addition to the city’s five main retail corridors, Clifton is growing a new retail powerhouse along Bloomfield Ave. Next time you visit Home Depot or Styretowne

On average, one new commercial building was constructed, renovated, or opened every month in 2003, according to Swanson. In addition to its large outdoor shopping centers, Clifton has five key retail corridors: Main Ave., Van Houten Ave., Lakeview Ave., Allwood Rd., and Botany Village/Botany Plaza.

Three years ago, Main Ave.’s vacancy rate (the retail version of an unemployment rate) was 15 percent. Today, Main Ave. and the four other corridors have each

Clifton’s Economic Development Director Harry Swanson.

G R O W T H

Shopping Center, keep driving past it, across the railroad tracks that intersect Bloomfield Ave. Lefty’s Sports Academy, a warehouse for the past 30 years, opened up its cavernous interior to the public in 2003. It transformed the old storage space into batting cages and party rooms. “I had the feeling that there was a need in the area,” said owner Joe Lo Carro.

Across the street at Shoppers Vineyard, owner Howard Nadel expanded his space and inventory with a recently completed twoyear renovation project.

Palermo Supply Co. opened a second retail location with a friendlier retail face, keeping its warehouse location at 400 Allwood Rd. in Clifton but still taking advantage of the potential Bloomfield Ave. has to offer.

Couple this with the decreasing vacancy rate at the five main retail corridors, and it shows a trend of growth that is already having a positive impact on Clifton’s economy.

Clifton Merchant • January 2004

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Downtown Clifton Early this year, city officials and the Downtown Clifton Economic Development Group will conduct a survey of visitors and store owners to get their opinions of the pluses and minuses within the Special Improvement District.

The Downtown Clifton Special Improvement District, or SID, is located along Main Ave., from the Passaic border to the Route 46 overpass and on Clifton Ave. from First St. to Getty Ave. Businesses within the district agree to pay a higher assessment on the retail and commercial portions of their property tax. The city collects the funds and then returns it to the SID to be used for projects in the designated area.

In Downtown Clifton, these funds subsidize the green awnings and some facade improvements which contribute to an improved look for the Avenue. The group also has a full time executive director and has hired supplemental maintenance services to keep the district clean.

Since the SID was established in 1999, a number of projects were designed to attract people back to the area.

The centerpiece and catalyst for it all was to be the Walgreens at the intersection of Main and Clifton Aves. and its neighbor, the U.S. Post Office which, on June 14, consolidated its Paulison Ave. and Washington Ave. locations to Main Ave. In many ways, those projects did get things rolling.

For instance, construction is complete on the new twostory Passaic Bergen Ambulatory Surgery Center, owned by Dr. Shams Qureshi, on the corner of Main and Prescott Aves.

Also, new construction—or at least demolition of old eyesores—has been underway in the business district as well.

The former Firestone building at the corner of Main and Hillman Aves., was finally torn down after its decade-long abandonment. The former gas station at

JC

Main and Grace Aves. was razed in October to be replaced by an laundromat/coffee shop but a slow approval process by the county has stalled the project.

Across from the MidTown Grill, Harrison Career Institute took over the former Salvation Army space and renovated the 8,000 sq. ft building. It offers training in the healthcare and technology fields.

Across from the landmark art-deco DeLuxe Cleaners, the owners of El Mexicano Restaurant took advantage of an $8,000 grant offered by Downtown Clifton and created a sit-down restaurant.

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While both the new construction and the facade improvements along the Avenue have a certain look, some of the newer buildings in Downtown, such as Spa Roma Beauty Salon, looks substantially more elegant than the surrounding shops.

Is it so bad for newer stores to look...well...newer?

January 2004 • Clifton Merchant

C.Genardi Contracting Inc.Clifton

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772-8451

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Next door to them, Mike Duch of Homemade Pirogis relocated his shop from Lexington Ave. after a fire wiped out his business. He is expected to open later this winter.

But sometimes, simply completing a new structure isn’t enough.

Two years ago, the city purchased and razed a former used car lot on Main Ave. between DeMott and Clinton. In its place, a 32 space parking lot was created along with a small building, best described as a kiosk.

The idea at the time was to have the Clifton Police use the building to write reports and create a presence on the Avenue.

However, the kiosk was not completed until late this past year and remains unoccupied. Part of the city’s upcoming survey could consider whether there is more of a police

G R O W I N G Clifton has long been a city of immigrants, and lately the faces of the immigrants have changed.

Despite this new trend, the culture of Europeans is still active in filling restaurants and churches with their own cultural flavor.

And today, according to census data highlighted in a Dec. 11 Clifton Journal article, the numbers are starting to show an increasingly large Hispanic population – 15,608 in a city of 78,672. That’s nearly 20 percent of the population, a substantial increase from the 1,542 Hispanics recorded by the 1980 census.

The cultural identity that is firmly establishing itself in Clifton brings with it a boost to the economy – a number of businesses, including banks, employ a bilingual staff to target Hispanic residents and involve them in the local economy.

One of the clearest indicators of this trend is the recent interest Banco Popular, considered the

presence needed in the Downtown area. If so, perhaps the unmanned kiosk finally will be filled.

There are a few other properties which seem to be stagnated: At 62 Madison Ave., next to the municipal parking lot at Clifton and First Ave., the city is entering a second year of negotiating condemnation of a vacant manufacturing plant so it can purchase the property, demolish it and add more parking.

The two-acre Bellin’s Swim Club, next to the former Herald News building, will likely reopen this Memorial Day despite past negotiations to convert the property into a senior housing campus.

Finally, do you think the city will ever remove the U.S. Post Office name from the city-owned property on Washington Ave., a

H I S P A N I C

space it vacated months ago? Some of these questions, and more about Downtown Clifton, will likely be presented to shoppers and merchants in that survey.

☛

I N F L U E N C E

largest Hispanic bank in the nation, has taken in Clifton. With one branch operating from Botany Village Sq., and another being constructed on Main Ave. near Corrado’s, it’s a sign that Clifton’s Hispanic population has continued wealth and buying power.

Ernesto Graciela, owner of Eden Musical on Main Avenue

This municipal ‘kiosk’ on Main Ave. in front of a city parking lot was finally completed this past summer but who will use it and when remains unclear.

Census data also shows increasing wealth among Hispanics. From 1990 to 2000, the number of Hispanic households with an income of $100,000 or more has risen 137 percent.

Nationwide, banks and credit unions are responding to this trend by becoming more bilingual. With staff able to communicate in Spanish, these financial institutions can involve customers who may have been unable to fully invest their money due to a language barrier present at banks that focus primarily on English-speaking customers.

Will businesses target other minority groups the same way?

Clifton is an attractive place to live, due to its location and the quality of its schools; this is something that appeals to all cultures.

And as Clifton becomes more diverse, more culturally distinct banks and restaurants may show up along the city’s busy streets.

Clifton Merchant • January 2004

35

Botany Village

Business Resources

Historic Botany Village and its adjacent but relatively new neighbor, Botany Plaza, offers some of the greatest opportunities for retail growth in the city.

Yet, despite its quaint turn of the century design, merchants in and around the Village Square still struggle to find their niche.

Over the past few years some longtime shop keepers such as Parian Jewelers, Marchesin Shoes and Maria’s Ravioli have relocated to other communities.

Despite those losses, owners of other businesses, from J. Michaels Florist, Stefan & Sons, Johnny’s Tavern and other diverse merchants, such as Competitive Caskets, still keep an organization going and the historic shopping district alive.

To address some of the long term problems in Botany Village and Botany Plaza, city officials and merchants are studying the creation of another Special Improvement District. To manage the study, the city hired consultant Don Smartt, whose organization worked with merchants and city officials from 1997 to 1999 in the creation of the SID along Main Ave. Botany Village events for 2004 include Street Fairs on May 1 and Oct. 2, a Blues Fest on June 12 and the return of the annual Labor Day Fest in the Park on Sept. 3-6.

Business owners looking to expand or relocate most anywhere may consider these resources: Clifton’s Economic Development Office can cut through red tape and help businesses set up shop quickly. It provides listings of warehouse, industrial, retail and office space within Clifton. The office also has details on Clifton’s revolving loan program, offers help with the NJ Economic Development Authority loan programs and can help make connections SBA lenders. Call 973-470-5200.

Downtown Clifton targets sit down restaurants and bakeries as growth industries, offering grants of up to $8,000.

For information on these programs or for details on other Downtown Clifton opportunities, call 973-253-1455.

The Passaic County Workforce Development Center and the Workforce Investment Board retrain under- or unemployed residents. The Center on Lakeview Ave. can also provide a business subsidies for on-the-job training in certain categories of employment and offer customized training programs.

Call 973-340-3400.

The Passaic County Office of Economic Development provides assistance to firms seeking to relocate or expand within the 16 communities it represents. The department initiates large scale real estate development projects, offers assistance in securing loans and lines of credit, provides info on energy initiatives and cost saving training programs. Call 973-881-4427.

T H E

C O U N T Y

Passaic County Community College is working with the NJ Commerce and Economic Growth Commission to develop statewide programs that support urban enterprise zones and the NJ Small Business Development Centers.

The first of these programs, the Entrepreneur Certificate, will be offered at PCCC this summer to those starting a small business.

Another innovative program at PCCC links the school with the NJ Office of the Attorney General to offer homeland security training programs. It’s all part of a plan to deploy NJ’s 19 community colleges in support of the state’s education, workforce and economic development priorities.

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January 2004 • Clifton Merchant

C O L L E G E

PCCC has three locations offering two year degrees, specific skill building and program certificates: the main Paterson campus, the Wanaque Academic Center and the Public Safety Academy, Wayne, home for Fire Training and Emergency Medical Technician programs.

R E S O U R C E The new programs and other initiatives are designed to give schools like PCCC a greater role in the state’s education, economic and labor programs, said President Steve Rose. “It sends out a message that we are an affordable and valuable resource to the residents of the 16 communities of Passaic County,” he said.

Rose said that PCCC will soon develop a 12th Grade Option Program that will allow qualified high school students to enroll in community college courses.

A plan is also in the works to improve customized training services to businesses through Passaic County’s Workforce Development Partnership Program.

For info, call 973-684-5900.

Schools in Review All the buzz surrounding Latteri Park and its potential use as a new junior high school may have eclipsed what else was going on with Clifton Public Schools this past year. Here’s a reminder.

The most notable achievement is School #17 in Botany/Lakeview: expected to be completed on time (opening for the Sept., 2004 school year) and within budget, it will allow the redistricting of Schools #11, #12, and #15.

School #17 will have four rooms designed for kindergarten in addition to its 20 classrooms for general use. As a result of this design, there is flexibility in how the administration will use the space.

For instance, the school district can pilot a full-day kindergarten program here or it may move other special services currently housed at other elementary schools to the new facility.

In addition to the soon to be completed school, rising test scores indicate that Clifton students still receive a solid education despite overcrowding concerns. The NJASK4, formerly known as the

strategic plan to follow as a guide for strengthening ties between the schools and the community.

After studying the issue of overcrowding for two years, the board’s volunteer Community Advisory Committee considered 18 sites on which schools could be build to accommodate the increasing student population. On Sept. 24, the 11 member committee presented a short term solution with the purchase of a commercial property at 290 Brighton Rd. to house 500 students and a long term plan to put a new middle school at Latteri Park.

ESPA, is a standardized test that was taken by Clifton fourth graders last spring. On average, the math and language arts scores improved from the test scores in 2002.

This past April, voters approved the school budget and voted to keep an elected board. (The public also approved a separate funding question to allow masonry and roof repairs at CCMS.) As a result of the budget approval, nurses were added in every elementary school and 30 new teachers were hired.

The administration, over the last few months, introduced and adopted a

☛

• • • • • • •

Latteri Park Allwood Place & Hampton Road Board owned, no cost to purchase No loss of a tax ratable School for 1700 students Total cost: $39.4 million 3.75 years to completion No eminent domain action necessary Most cost effective solution

Clifton Merchant • January 2004

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Mayer Textiles 290 Brighton Road • School for 500 Students • 2.5 years for completion • Would be a loss of a tax ratable • Total cost: $13.5 million dollars

The recommendation fired up the entire community over the issue of school overcrowding and spawned a new grass-roots organization, Clifton Unite, which opposed siting the school at that Rosemawr neighborhood park.

At its Oct. 21 meeting, the City Council voted 6-0 to support Clifton Unite and oppose school construction on Latteri Park, a property which the Board of Education has owned since 1950.

Since that action, the Board and the Council have met numerous times and have reviewed all the sites considered. Additionally, other sites were reviewed and the list continues to be narrowed down.

Vacation is Over On Jan. 3, a handful of (two) City Council and (three) Board of Education members went on a bus tour to look at some of the properties they’d discussed as potential sites. These include:

but it has since become available to purchase. Its location is not ideal; on a map, it sits between Woodrow Wilson Middle School and Clifton High School, and would add traffic to the already busy roads in that area. At six acres, the property is smaller than some of the others considered, but it could still fit the 1,700 students.

It also doesn’t have the environmental problems other properties are perceived to have, giving it a strong advantage.

The quarry on Garret Mountain by Valley Rd. This property is already being prepared for an 810-unit senior housing village by K. Hovnanian Companies.

All of these locations are being considered for a large school that would serve as a long-term solution to the problem of overcrowding.

Globe Products at 750 Bloomfield Ave. This site was rejected initially because it was too difficult and expensive to acquire. The estimated projected cost was $67.2 million, and since the property is in use and not for sale, it can only be acquired through eminent domain, a lengthy and difficult legal process. However, it is in a good location and can easily fit the target number of 1,700 students.

The former Athenia Steel property on Clifton Ave. Although it is already owned by the city, there are questions about soil contamination in up to 29 acres of land, and the only part of the site that is clean enough to use already has a senior citizen complex being built upon it.

Schultheis Farm on Grove St. This site was not an option for the Community Advisory Committee,

• • • • • • •

38

January 2004 • Clifton Merchant

Globe Products 750 Bloomfield Avenue 11.44 acres Property not for sale 50 to 90 percent rented Would be a loss of a tax ratable 6 years for completion Estimated total cost for school and property: $67.2 million Environmental cleanup issue

School # 6 745 Clifton Avenue • Would serve 350 students if converted back to a school (too small) • $5 million/2.5 years for renovations • Administration offices would have to be relocated

Buildings that were considered for the 500 student school were also visited and reviewed: The Mayer Textile building at 290 Brighton Rd. could be completed in 2.5 years for $13.5 million, and it would immediately remove 500 students from the overcrowded high school while the larger building is under construction. It will then become a magnet school.

School #6 at 745 Clifton Ave. is used as the administration building for Clifton Public Schools. In its current state, it could only serve 350 students, and it would still require a $5 million renovation that would take 2.5 years to complete.

M O R E

In addition, both this property and Athenia Steel are on a highly travelled segment of Clifton Ave., making traffic an issue as well.

On Jan. 12, the 16 elected officials of the Council and the Board will meet to consider these sites, and possibly others that haven’t been disclosed. There is not even a deadline for their decision, and in the end, there is no promise that the two groups will ever agree.

Throughout these discussions, the Board has stood by its

T R O U B L E

Have the resident’s protests fallen on deaf ears, or have they not shouted loud enough?

With the full support of the City Council, Clifton residents have protested the proposed NJ Transit bus facility at 99 Kuller Rd. The 313,000 square foot facility would service 250 buses each day, adding traffic, noise and pollution to the area every morning and evening.

The property itself is appraised at more than $2.9 million. Since NJ Transit is an agency of the state government, it is tax exempt. If a private company were to use that property instead, the city could take in $95,000 a year in taxes.

Some have predicted a domino effect of lost ratables.

W I T H

Community Advisory Committee’s recommendation. Although they have kept an open mind and considered other sites, they did not hastily discard a conclusion that came from two years of research.

The question is: if, after all this work, if no agreement is reached, what will the Board of Education decide? In the rush to show a unified leadership for the city, did anyone consider that the two groups may have no other choice but to agree to disagree?

☛

N J

The Rempac Foam Corporation has an 80,000 square foot factory next door on Kuller Rd. Trucks from Rempac have been allowed to use space on the adjacent property to execute wide turns; if NJ Transit does not allow Rempac to continue this practice, the factory may have to move, taking 80-100 jobs with it.

T R A N S I T

A joint meeting of the Clifton City Council and the Passaic County Freeholders has been tentatively scheduled for Jan. 26 or 27 in Conference Rm. 101 at Clifton City Hall, 900 Clifton Ave. Clifton’s City Council has already made several attempts to discuss the issue with Governor James McGreevey and others at the state level, but these requests have thus far been ignored.

This special meeting is open to the public. This will be the first time the freeholders have been asked to address the public on what their role will be in this issue.

Although there has been rumors that they will side with Clifton, the meeting later this month will set the record straight.

Clifton Merchant • January 2004

39

People to Watch Leadership in a changing city, the ability to triumph over pessimism and the strength to ride herd over some old Clifton Mustangs are why we have focused on a handful of people who have the opportunity, energy and vision to cultivate and nourish our community in 2004.

Barbara Sacks, appointed City Manager in Oct., heads the list. In her role as the city’s Chief Executive Officer, Sacks reports to a sevenmember City Council. It is her job to fulfill the Council’s wishes and at the same time provide innovation and solve problems.

Elected officials used to calling the shots as if they were the city’s CEO are finding Sacks’ quiet but strong manner a little vexing.

Others are admiring the studious woman as she explores the city and its politics. Already, Sacks has handled chaos well.

In Nov. she reached out to key staff and some old contacts to solve the garbage crisis. She is now preparing a study to compare the cost of a contractor vs. a municipal service. She also earned the respect of the members of the FMBA when she negotiated a solution to the issue of weight training in firehouses.

As the Council begins its 2004 budget review, Sacks is looking to add staff, perhaps even a full time municipal planner. It will also be up to her to negotiate a new con-

Al Grecco

40

City Manager Barbara Sacks.

tract with the PBA, whose members have been working without one since Dec. 2000. That may be a tough group to satisfy.

Sacks recently compared Clifton to an orchestra. In many ways, she said, the city is as diverse as a musical organization. An orchestra has string, woodwind and brass sections; Clifton has Delawanna, Dutch Hill, Botany Village and other neighborhoods. An orchestra has someone select the music being played—the Council. Then it’s handed over to the staff—Sacks— to interpret the music/policy and turn it into something beautiful.

Now that’s a creative perspective.

Dennis Mikula

January 2004 • Clifton Merchant

Chet Parlavecchio

Albert Greco, Clifton’s Director of Human Services, is at retirement age (56) and has enough years of service (33) to pick up a pension.

Instead, his goal for 2004 is to build a ‘Boundless Playground’, a barrier-free play area where kids in wheelchairs or with disabilities and those without disabilities can play together, side-by-side.

Working with the Committee for Individuals with Disabilities, Greco said the ‘Boundless Playground’ can be built in Chelsea Park and he began a campaign to raise $55,000 to fund it. He hopes the city will match that amount when it’s time for the 2004 budget review.

The inspiration for the project is Stephanie Webb, whose ever-smiling 14-year old sister Katlyn suffers from a rare brain and spinal condition, Chiari Malformation and Syringomyelia. To support the project, call Greco at 973-470-5763.

Dr. Michael Rice accepted the job as Superintendent of Public Schools in July, 2002, knowing full well that he was assuming leadership of a large district plagued with a growing set of problems. It is a job he seems well suited for.

During his 18-month tenure thus far, he’s helped the Board of Education and the community keep the focus on kids. Together, they resolved labor issues and continue to find allies in helping to shape a new vision for Clifton Schools.

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That groundwork paid off handsomely when this past April, voters passed the school budget and preserved the right to vote for Board commissioners.

This year, Rice has a suitcase of challenges ahead of him. The budget needs voter approval every April.

And with 10,571 students in the schools, the ongoing issue is overcrowding and the need for school expansion. Ever an optimist, Rice hopes to get the seven-member City Council and nine-person Board of Education members focused on a short and long term solution within the next few weeks so a plan can be presented to voters this year.

Candidates for the Board of Education election in mid-April include newcomer Keith La Forgia, the father of two girls. He’s active in a variety of civic affairs, including the Mustang Football Booster Club.

La Forgia has been attending Council and Board meetings and sharing his well-written opinions in letters to the editor of local papers.

Clifton Fire Capt Norm Tahan, who previously served on the Board a total of six years, is also considering another run for office. Bill Sichel, who fought the good fight in trying to stop a housing development on Grove St., is another resident considering a run for public office.

—In Memorium— Some memorable friends passed over the last few weeks. We remember...

The Original Fighting Mustang Joe Grecco, 89, who coached CHS football from 1945 to 1963, winning 12 State sectional championships, with a record of 137-38-3.

Motorcycle Officer John Samra, 42, the first Clifton police officer killed in the line of duty, on Nov. 21.

Father Lawrence Pollak, 90, served at SS. Cyril and Methodius Church for three decades.

Clifton Fire Captain Gary M. Bolcar, a firefighter for 21 years, died Oct. 9 in a motorcycle accident.

42

January 2004 • Clifton Merchant

Superintendent Dr. Michael Rice.

Mustang football coach Chet Parlavecchio, who brought the program back to respectability with a 6-3 record and a playoff visit in 2003, may announce he is moving on. He came to resurrect the program in 1999, preaching weight room, team and character. “A great program here,” Parlavecchio said in 2002, “could be 6-5 or 7-4. If we could do that every year, then we’ve got ourselves a successful program—probably a playoff program.

We have the right to expect the playoff experience, probably within the next two years.” Goals achieved. He continued: “When I relinquish this program, it’s going to be on firm footing with happy kids and a happy community.”

If Parlavecchio decides to move on, the Board of Ed already has an eye on some homegrown talent, Dennis Mikula. Now at age 26, the ‘95 CHS grad is in his second year as head coach of Bayley-Ellard Catholic HS in Madison. There, and at his previous post as head coach at Paterson’s Don Bosco Tech, Mikula’s record is 22-13. Mikula’s leadership star has been rising since he was an even younger assistant CHS football coach in 1996.

Is the Grass Greener in Wayne?

Story by Daniel Wolfe –––––––––– Illustration by Michael Rossi

–––––––––––

W

ayne is the greener pasture.

Sometimes, when issues get heated here in Clifton, someone steps up to say, “We should be doing what they did in Wayne.”

One recent example: to address school overcrowding, Wayne will finish building its third middle school by September, 2005, whereas Clifton still has no clear sight of when or even where its next school will be built.

Wayne has nearly 25,000 fewer residents living on over twice as much land as Clifton, but they still face the same problems: overdevelopment, lack of open space, and school crowding.

In a way, Clifton’s elected leaders are undergoing a test. Since Nov. 10, the City Council and Board of Education have been meeting together to address the need for a new school building. But is the very structure of Clifton’s government a hindrance to this project?

Clifton has a Council-Manager form of government, the type of government that encourages unity by treating all of its leaders as equals. All seven City Council members run in the same election.

Wayne has a Mayor-Council form of government, with staggered elections. Six of the nine voting members of its Town Council represent the six geographic wards in Wayne. In practice, the responsibilities of ward representatives are different from those of the other Council members. Dr. Ernest Reock of Rutgers University’s Center for Government Services said, “We generally regard that the Mayor-Council form emphasizes strong political leadership.”

This is not to say that Clifton can’t have strong leaders or that Wayne’s leaders can’t show unity. But the very same problems that linger in Clifton are being solved in Wayne, with the strong support of the voting public.

Part of the success of the Mayor-Council form of government stems from how voters choose to interact with their elected leaders.

The average voter is more likely to talk to the person who, they feel, values their vote the most. Since a ward representative has to appeal to a specific section of town to stay elected, citizens tend to contact that person first.

Consequently, the remaining three at-large representatives become less visible to voters, allowing them to be more proactive than reactive in the work they do.

☛

—Public School Facts— Wayne

Clifton

Students: 8,767

Students: 10,571

High Schools: 2

High Schools: 1

Middle Schools: 2 (soon 3) Middle Schools: 2 Elementary: 9

Elementary: 13 (soon 14) Clifton Merchant • January 2004

43

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January 2004 • Clifton Merchant

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A Tale of Two Taxes: Preserving Open Space “The mayor in Wayne is given a lot more authority,” Reock said. When things happen in Wayne, there is a specific person voters can thank – or blame.

Wayne Mayor Scott Rumana is a former at-large Town Council representative. “More of my work in the past was initiated work, not responsive work,” he said.

As mayor, Rumana proposed a fund to preserve open space. Although it was a program he personally proposed, he knew it was a way to respond to voter concerns.

“In 2001, I really saw something I had never seen,” he said. “I wasn’t hearing the first word out of somebody’s mouth being, ‘Taxes are the number-one problem.’”

Everyone hates taxes, Rumana said, but finally there was something they hated even more. He learned this by going door-to-door while campaigning.

“People were coming to the door and saying, ‘I am sick and tired of overdevelopment’,” he said. To Rumana, a longtime advocate of the environment, there was a way to address their concern: a tax to preserve open space.

When election day came around, the tax was approved in Wayne. Although Clifton has a similar anti-development sentiment, Clifton’s open space fund failed in the same election.

What was the difference?

When the open space fund was put on the ballot in Wayne, it was not substantially different from the one Clifton voters considered. There are two possible reasons things happened differently in Clifton: the voters, and the Council members.

Voter sentiment may not be at the level needed to justify this tax. In the October, 2003 Clifton Merchant

“People were coming to the door and saying, ‘I am sick and tired of overdevelopment’,” he said. To Rumana, a longtime advocate of the environment, there was a way to address their concern: a tax to . preserve open space

Cost of Leading:

Annual Salary Comparison Wayne

Clifton

Mayor: $18,500

Mayor: $4,500

Business Admin: $112,000

City Manager: $130,000

Council Pres.: $10,000

Council Members: $4,000

Council Members: $9,000

Total: $158,500

Total: $212,500 (note: above numbers do not include the value of health benefits)

Magazine, our reader survey indicated that 24 percent of respondents thought taxes were the biggest issue in Clifton, whereas 23 percent thought the biggest issue was development. It’s a near-tie, but to Clifton voters, taxes are still the bigger problem.

As for the message from City Council members, Clifton City Council member Steve Tatarenko said, “There’s an absolute need that we preserve any square footage that we have available.” When asked why, he added, “and stop additional building.”

So here’s the difference: in Clifton, voters were told, “Keep open space, and (if you ask why) stop overdevelopment.” But in Wayne, they were told, “Stop overdevelopment by keeping open space.”

It was a subtle difference, but it worked.

People and Pennies Another factor in why these projects pass is that Wayne residents have more money to support them.

According to Reock, the average income per taxpayer in Wayne in 2000 was $36,250. In Clifton, it was $21,000. The average home in Wayne is also valued at $100,000 more than the average home in Clifton.

However, in Clifton the burden is spread among 25,000 more taxpaying citizens, so there is a balance.

In the end, cost alone isn’t what determines the future of any municipality. Wayne still has a lot of problems it can’t solve with just money.

No Easy Solution Despite having more land and fewer residents than Clifton, Wayne still faces problems with overdevelopment.

“The values of the properties are very high,” Rumana said, “and the ability to make money in developing this property is also very high.”

☛

Clifton Merchant • January 2004

45

The open space fund was the first step in discouraging developers from targeting Wayne. It has the effect of putting the proverbial cookie jar out of reach.

“With an open space fund, you can just cut it off,” Rumana said, karate-chopping an imaginary map on the table in front of him. “The open space fund is the one thing that you can use to stop overdevelopment.”

In Clifton, the open space fund failed, so all the City Council can do is use existing zoning laws to make undeveloped land less desirable. Recently, Clifton’s City Council voted to reduce the zoned density of the undeveloped portion of Botany Village’s Dundee Island from 40 residential units per acre to eight per acre.

After that decision, developer Town & Country abandoned its interest in building a five-story apartment structure on the property.

But now that Wayne has the resources to keep undeveloped land away from developers, there is still work to be done. The effect of existing developments is already showing itself on Wayne’s tax bills.

Joseph DiDonato represents Ward 2 in Wayne, a section of town that includes Town Hall. He has served on the Town Council for 24 years, and he’s seen the township change.

“We’ve lost our balance between residential and commercial/industrial properties,” DiDonato said. He said that once, Wayne received 35 percent of its income from commerce and industry. “It’s 13 percent now, so taxes went up.”

Wayne already has the Willowbrook Mall, one of the biggest commercial centers in Passaic County. Yet, it

Wayne Town Council

—Population & Density— Wayne

Clifton

Population: 54,000

Population: 78,672

Area: 26.6 sq mi

Area: 11.75 sq mi

Registered Voters: 32,646

Registered Voters: 36,840

still needs more to balance out its tax structure. For that, Wayne has a weapon Clifton lacks: A full-time planner, appointed by the mayor.

A Man, A Plan, A Municipality “For our system,” Rumana said, “the closest model we have is how the federal government is set up.”

Like the U.S. president, the mayor of Wayne doesn’t vote on legislation, but can exercise veto power over anything the Council decides. And, just as the U.S. president appoints a cabinet, Rumana personally appoints the key officials who run the municipality.

These officials include the township’s business administrator, attorney, public works director, and planner. The planner is a full-time employee whose work guides the economic future of the township.

“His job is to review every application that comes into town,” Rumana said. “He gives the Planning Board insight, but he doesn’t tell us what he thinks is right or wrong. He tells us what his perspective is.”

In Clifton, planners are still used, but on a per diem basis. Whenever a project comes up, such as the adoption of a new master plan, an outside consultant is

☛

Clifton City Council

• Four Elected At Large

• Seven Council Members (including the Mayor), elected At Large.

• One Mayor, Elected At Large

• All serve four-year terms.

• All serve four-year terms.

After the election ends, the Council members decide among themselves who shall be mayor. The mayor is traditionally the person who receives the most votes. All run in the same election. The next election is in 2006.

• Six Ward Representatives

Elections are every two years. Ward representatives run in the same election, and were most recently elected in 2003. The Mayor and At-Large representatives run in a separate election, and will run again in 2005.

Board of Education In both municipalities, the Board of Education is a nine-member body with elections every April for three of its members.

All members are elected at large.

46

January 2004 • Clifton Merchant

S T Y E RT OW N E S H O P P I N G

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The Artisan’s Touch 973-471-0001

The Men’s Gallery 973-777-4700

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US Post Office 973-473-4946

CVS Pharmacy 973-778-7630

Corbo Jewelers 973-777-1635

Bertelli’s Liquors 973-779-0199

The Season’s Fine Chinese Cuisine 973-777-8073

Pet Stuff 973-778-1617

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Taste of Tuscany 973-916-0700 The Shoe Doctor 973-777-4700

Footnotes Bookstore & Learning Center 973-779-6122

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Marty’s Shoes 973-471-4140

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Dunkin Donuts & Baskin Robbins 973-473-9631

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ACME Supermarket: Coming Soon!

Clifton Merchant • January 2004

47

Pictured above is a circa-1950 photograph of Clifton, back when the city’s current form of government was only 16 years old.

For perspective, that’s Route 46, Parkway Iron and the former Shulton Plant and plenty of open farmland.

hired. This person is only a part of the municipal government until the project is finished and they collect their check. Then they and their knowledge vanish until they or another consultant is needed again.

Defending the Status Quo Clifton has nearly 25,000 more residents, but three fewer representatives on its City Council. In a city that prides itself on its small-town image, is it time to consider a big-

ger, more complicated – and potentially more productive – form of government?

Clifton Mayor James Anzaldi said that population is the wrong number to look at.

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Ward 5 Ward 4 Ward 2

Ward 3 Ward 6 Ward 1

A map of Wayne. Each of the six wards is guaranteed to have one representative on the Town Council. In addition, there are three Town Council members elected at large. While the ward representatives are advocates for specific sections of town, they, along with the at-large members, address city-wide concerns as well.

“Wayne, in land area, is spread out much more than Clifton,” he said.Because Clifton voters live so much closer to one another, there is no need to divide the city into voting wards to guarantee proper representation, Anzaldi said.

However, consider the aforementioned density reduction on Dundee Island. The night that decision was made, several Botany Village merchants spoke in opposition to reducing the property’s density. They wanted the five-story apartment structure, as it would provide new customers for their shops.

But the resolution to reduce the density was passed unanimously.

Although Council members say they do not ignore any part of their constituency, not one member of the City Council lives in Botany Village.

Dividing Clifton into wards may not have changed the course of history in that instance. Although all Wayne voters have one representative who comes from their voting ward, there are five more members of Town Council whose attention is devoted to other portions of town.

In Clifton, all seven City Council 50

January 2004 • Clifton Merchant

members are responsible for all areas of the community.

“The residents,” Tatarenko said, “no matter where they are, have throughout the last five years called me directly on specific concerns to complain or compliment. If there was an issue I felt I should get involved in, I did.”

The key difference in form of government is in who runs the municipality. In Wayne, the elected mayor represents strong political leadership, Reock said, whereas Clifton’s hired city manager represents professional management.

Wards have nothing to do with it.

“You can have a CouncilManager form of government with wards,” Reock said.

Anzaldi added that the city manager is, in his opinion, a stronger figure than the mayor in a MayorCouncil government. Whereas Wayne’s mayor needs to appeal to voters (which is, of course, no easy task), Clifton’s city manager needs to provide a solid resume. It’s a full-time job that requires very specific qualifications; she doesn’t need to do any campaigning.

Consider also, Anzaldi said, that while the city manager can be removed at any time by majority vote, it is still not the vote of just one person. However, again invoking the example of the federal government, when a new president is elected, that president usually appoints a whole new cabinet.

This means that every four years, Wayne could have a new planner, attorney, public works director, and so on. “That doesn’t make good government,” Anzaldi said. “In Clifton, the mayor changes and the Council changes, but usually good employees always remain.”

Which is Better?

Clifton’s government promotes unity and stability. Wayne’s government promotes leadership and responsiveness to voter concerns.

Which is better for Clifton?

Each community is unique in its needs. What works for Wayne may not work for Clifton, but then again, Clifton has had the same form of government since 1934.

This predates the Faulkner Act of 1950, which is the legislation that permits the form of government Wayne uses.

Is Clifton behind the times? Or is its current form of government effective? If there is a need for change, it may be done by Council resolution or by city-wide referendum. To put the question on the ballot, 20 percent of registered voters – 7,368 people – need to sign their names to a petition.

And then, whatever the result, it is still up to the elected leaders to work within that structure to best serve their community. “The individuals who are elected to office are much more important than the form of government,” Reock said.

A map of Clifton. Although the seven at-large City Council members live throuhgout town, none reside among the residents of Delawanna, Dutch Hill, Clifton Center, Albion, Botany or Lakeview.

Stefan Tatarenko Steve Hatala Montclair Heights/Greglawn Athenia/Richfield Section Section

Botany/Lakeview

Ed Welsh Hazel Section

Frank Gaccione Allwood/Rosemawr Section

Don Kowal Athenia/Richfield Section

Gloria Kolodziej Athenia/Richfield Section

Clifton Center Hazel Albion Dutch Hill

Athenia/Richfield

Mayor James Anzaldi Hazel Section

Delawanna Allwood/Rosemawr Montclair Heights/Greglawn

—Please respond by Jan. 19— Please provide your opinion on which form of government is best for Clifton. Fill out this questionnaire, along with your name and phone number, so that we can publish the results in February. ____Clifton’s current Council-Manager form, with Council members elected at large, and the Mayor selected by the seven Council members. ____A modified Council-Manager form, with Council members elected by ward. ____Wayne’s Mayor-Council form, with most Council members elected by ward and some elected at large. The Mayor is directly elected by the voters. ____A Mayor-Council form where all Council members and the Mayor are elected at large.

Your Name____________________________________Phone Number______________________ Mail responses by Jan. 19 to: Clifton Merchant Magazine, 1288 Main Ave., Clifton, NJ 07011

Clifton Merchant • January 2004

51

School Knights ––––––––––––––––––– Story by Daniel Wolfe –––––––––––––––––––

T

hey are Clifton’s parents, teachers, professors, and concerned citizens. They give their time freely – more than most people realize.

“Many of us put more time in the Board of Education than we do in our full time jobs,” said Marie Hakim, the Board’s president and a former student at Clifton’s schools.

Clifton’s Board of Education is an elected body of nine community members who set policy for Clifton Public Schools. Some have been here longer than others – Stephen Kolakowsky was appointed in 1987, before these seats even became elected positions, whereas newer members such as Jean Bernstein, Jim Leeshock, and John Traier are still serving their very first term.

“I knew it was a difficult job,” Bernstein said, “then I found out that it was more difficult and time consuming than I expected.”

“It was,” Leeshock said: “You’re elected! Congratulations! Now

Jean Bernstein, age 73 retired time on the Board: 3 years

52

January 2004 • Clifton Merchant

you’re meeting four nights a week to select the new Superintendent!”

The role of the Board itself, as described by Board member Joseph Kolodziej, is “not to run the district, but to make sure the district is run well.”

That’s the distinction between Board members and administrators: while administrators make hiring and disciplinary decisions and work full-time within the schools, the Board members set policy and meet almost nightly to see that the schools live up to state and federal educational standards.

In addition to special sessions for pressing issues, Board members also spend a lot of time educating themselves on how to better educate Clifton’s children. “People call them Board retreats,” Leeshock said, “but (Superintendent Dr. Michael) Rice likes to call them Board advances.”

And Board members agree that things have advanced. “Past Boards have not been as cohesive as they should have been,” said Traier.

“There have been perceptions of fighting. But I think the Board has really come together under our new superintendent.”

Marie Hakim, age 62 retired; presently an adjunct professor at William Paterson University time on the Board: 14 years

History Lesson Learning to cooperate was as much an individual experience as it was a group experience, especially for someone like Board member Ken Kurnath, who entered in a time of change.

“When I first came on there, the relationship between myself and the other Board members had to grow,” Kurnath said. A longtime advocate of elected Boards – and an unsuccessful applicant for the old appointed Board of Education seats – Kurnath was elected in April, 1989, the Board’s very first elected term. Along with former Board members Frank Pecci and Margaret Reilly-Petrone, he was one of three individuals representing the voters’ new approach to school policy-making. These three were mixed in among the experienced Board members who were still serving their appointed terms.

“You’re elected! Congratulations!

Now you’re meeting four nights a week to select the new Superintendent!”

—Jim Leeshock, Board of Education

But for someone like Board member Lizz Gagnon, there was more to her beginning than a simple change in how Board members were selected. At the time, in 1995, she considered herself an adversary of the Board. Gagnon was Home and School Association president for School #14, which was situated next to a power substation that gave the property one of the highest electromagnetic susceptibility measurements in Clifton.

“I got pushed into the role of defending our school and having our wire configuration changed,” she said.

During this conflict, Gagnon said she had the support of City

—School Board Candidates— Election Day is April 20, 2004 Get Started: The business office of the Board of Education, 745 Clifton Ave., has an easy to use packet for potential candidates. Call 973-470-2288.

Voter Petitions: A candidate needs only 10 signatures from registered Clifton voters. The forms have space for 12 names, in case some signatures prove invalid. Packets available late January.

Get Official: You must also submit forms accepting your candidacy and asserting your basic qualifications alongside your petition names.

Materials must be submitted at least 50 days before the election date.

Deadline is Monday, March 1, 4 pm.

Fund Raising: There are a variety of rules and regulations to be followed with political fund raising. Campaigns must file state reports on where contributions come from and documenting what expenses are made.

Those who do not file accurately and on time are subject to fines.

Annual Compensation: None.

Council, and many elected officials started suggesting that she run for a position on the Board of Education.

“You gotta be kidding!” she said.

“I was just fighting these people!”

Economics Jim Leeshock, age 44 owns a custom framing business time on Board: 1.5 years

But the fighting was only temporary. The members of today’s Board, Gagnon said, “are a family.”

And like most families, a lot of effort goes into raising the children.

“You’re there for the kids,” Gagnon said. “You have to keep the kids happy, and you have to keep the taxpayers happy.”

The taxpayers are key – nearly every member of the Board mentioned the taxpayers when asked about the group’s role in the community.

“People assume we have more power than we actually do,” Leeshock said. Although the

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“You have to keep the kids happy, and you have to keep the taxpayers happy.”

—Lizz Gagnon, Board of Education

Ken Kurnath, age 72 retired; presently employed by William Paterson University and Caldwell College time on the Board: 15 years

Board of Education sets policy, it’s the taxpayers who must approve their budget and decisions.

For example, the Board recently entertained a recommendation of using Latteri Park, which is already owned by the Board of Education, as the site for a new school building. The location is currently in use as a public park, and the proposal to build on it has sparked outspoken opposition, even from the City Council.

However, those close to the Board believed that most other options were too expensive to ever be approved by voters.

Ellen Nunno Corbo, who cochaired the Board of Education’s volunteer Community Advisory Committee, defended the recommendation at an Oct. 28 forum by

describing Latteri Park as “the only solution we could ask Clifton taxpayers to support with a prayer of having it pass.”

It was a sentiment later echoed by Kurnath: “I’ve lived in Clifton almost all my life. It’s a very difficult place to get money. People expect the best, but don’t pay for it.”

And often, people look for money where there isn’t any.

“People say, ‘you should cut your salaries,’ stuff like that,” Hakim said. “They think we get paid for this, and we don’t.”

The focus isn’t always on new schools. Board member Jim Smith said that even though “the Board fights day and night to keep our expenses down,” there are still a number of items he feels they should be able to afford.

For example,”Our administrative computer system is older than God,” he said. “It’s a fossil.” Although the aging system is responsible for tracking the grades of 10,571 students, the need is dwarfed by other issues that constantly demand the Board’s attention.

1416

Real Estate Closings Carl G. Zoecklein Attorney at Law

Recess The issue of the new school site can illustrate the contrast of student need and the taxpayers’ ability to support that need.

At a forum held Oct. 18, the Board of Education asked if there really was a need for a new school building.

Teachers came to say that their classes were too big to properly educate students. Students came to say that the hallways were so crowded that they could get injured, groped, or pickpocketed and not know who the culprit was. Parents came to echo both of these sentiments.

Lizz Gagnon, age 48 assistant tax assessor, City of Clifton time on the Board: 8 total

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Clearly, the prevailing message of the night was: for the safety and proper education of the students, there needs to be more space.

Then, on Oct. 28, the Board presented to the voters and taxpayers the Latteri Park solution. Since the schools already own the property, the only cost would be the construction of a new building.

Nearly every other property considered was said to be either too expensive or too small to work as a long-term solution.

But, despite this cost-conscious reasoning, numerous taxpayers started opposing construction at the park. Parents said their kids needed the park for recreation.

Nearby property owners said they did not think their streets could safely handle the increased traffic.

A few even contested the very need for more space.

But even though objectors had other suggestions for locations, there was no clear strategy for making the other locations as affordable to taxpayers as Latteri Park already was.

However, the 11-member Community Advisory Committee, who initially proposed the idea, left their proposal open-ended. Even during their final presentation, the

Stephen Kolakowsky, age 57 director of regional affairs for Church & Dwight in Princeton time on the Board: 16 years

committee said that if a better solution were available, they would welcome it.

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Jim Smith, age 39 teacher at St. Andrews in Clifton total years on Board: 10

Joseph Kolodziej, age 41 vice president of Conveyors by North American in Clifton total years on Board: 4.5

The next joint meeting is scheduled for Jan. 12.

Extra Credit In April, 2004, three of the nine seats on the Board of Education are up for re-election. They are currently held by Bernstein, Kolakowsky, and Kurnath.

Board members said that anyone can run, if their heart is in the right place. “All you need is 12 signatures,” Kolodziej said.

Kurnath added that experience is an asset. “If you haven’t worked in the school system,” he said, “you really don’t know the ins and outs of schools.”

But Gagnon, who has a different background than Kurnath, said it’s much simpler than that. “You don’t need to have a degree or an education,” she said. “You just need common sense.”

Although the Board members may seem to disagree on the level of experience a candidate needs, remember that the Board members aren’t the ones who choose their colleagues. It’s all up to the voters.

Leeshock was elected to the Board as the concerned parent of two Clifton students. He said that was all he needed.

“The biggest part that scares people is raising funds to run a campaign and then going out and campaigning,” he said. “But if you do it as a concerned parent, the sincerity comes through.” And in Leeshock’s case, it worked. hair nails color

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“I think we will come up with a solution over the next couple of weeks,” Traier said two days after the first combined meeting between the City Council and the Board of Education in November. Many Board members were pleasantly surprised by how productive the discussion went, especially considering that the City Council recently passed a resolution opposing the Board’s favored Latteri Park solution.

“It was very profitable and enlightening,” Bernstein said.

“Since we’re all interested in the same thing, we should do it all at the same time in the same place.

I’m only sorry that it didn’t happen sooner. I’m very optimistic.”

The second combined Board and Council meeting in November narrowed the selection to seven sites, and Latteri Park is still under consideration.

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Code Enforcement:

Taking it to the Streets ––––––––––––––––––––––––– Story by Daniel Wolfe –––––––––––––––––––––––––––

C

hristopher Palomino and Catherine Slater stood on the doorstep of what was possibly an illegal residence in Clifton. They are two of the four fulltime code enforcement officers working for the city’s Housing Department. Palomino has been to this home before; it’s not a new case for him. On this visit, he’s knocked several times, but there is no answer.

Code enforcement officers work like police officers. Their job is to handle violations of a very specific section of law. Like police officers, they each patrol a beat.

They conduct interviews and investigations, and testify in court whenever the law cracks down.

They patrol their beats for three to five hours a day, discovering new violations and investigating tips phoned in by residents and other city departments.

For graffiti and property maintenance issues, their own eyes are enough to confirm a violation. For suspected illegal apartments, they need to follow a paper trail to learn as much about the property as they can before visiting. After all, just because a home looks like it has too many families living there doesn’t mean it’s illegal.

There are some properties zoned to allow up to three families in one house.

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On a visit like this one, where Palomino is already familiar with the property, he has come to gather new evidence. He wants a tour of the inside, to see if the illegal basement apartment he once discovered is, as the court ordered, still gone.

He knocked again, louder this time, but there is still no answer.

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59

Pounding The Pavement Unlike an episode of TV’s Law & Order, there is no obviously guilty culprit sneaking out the back way. The reason no one is answering the door is that no one is home; every tenant in this multi-unit dwelling is either at work or at school. But even if someone comes to the door, that might not make Palomino’s job any easier. No matter how certain he is that this home is host to an illegal dwelling, he still needs permission if he wants to step inside. Many times, the person who answers the door refuses to let him in, Palomino said.

Without permission from a homeowner, tenant, or judge, the only evidence Palomino can personally gather from the site is what is visible from the street. He can report seeing too many doorbells, mailboxes, and air conditioners, but he can’t trespass to see if that means anything.

If, as seems to be the case here, no one is home, Palomino or his peers leave a card and ask to set up a time to perform an inspection.

If the homeowner is guilty, he or she will likely schedule the inspection only after the illegal dwelling has been covered up. In Clifton, basements cannot be used as apartments. All a landlord or tenant has to do is take a basement bed, turn it on its side, and suddenly it looks like a mattress in storage.

And despite what common sense says, the proof is gone. “We can’t make accusations,” Palomino said.

Fortunately, their resources extend far beyond asking tenants and property owners to cooperate.

Group Effort When other city departments visit a property on business, they are allowed in, and if they suspect a housing code violation, they report it.

In such cases, the housing officers follow the paper trail to see when this violation occurred. “Dwelling certificates can tell whether extra apartments are new additions after the owner moved in,” Slater said.

A dwelling certificate is issued whenever a building changes ownership. It requires a fire inspection, so a Clifton fire officer must examine the structure’s interior. While there, the fire officer can see what fixtures were already in place when the owner moved in.

If a bathroom was installed after the dwelling certificate was issued, then the Housing Department knows when and under whose ownership this happened. If there is no corresponding permit to allow the 60

January 2004 • Clifton Merchant

What is an Illegal Dwelling?

Think of it as bringing your own table and chairs to an already packed restaurant. There may be room on the floor for your table, but its presence now overburdens the cooks and waiters, and may even present a fire hazard. The more families that bring their own tables, the more difficult it gets to run the restaurant. A city is no different.

An illegal dwelling is an apartment that exists in violation of city zoning ordinances. In plain English, this means that each residence is only allowed to have a certain number of people living inside. A single-family home may not be used to house two families, for example. Part of the reason these laws are enforced is for the safety of the tenants, but also because illegal residents sidestep the city’s tax structure, straining the city cervices that legal residents fund through tax dollars.

addition, it is already a code violation. But what if, after all this investigation, the homeowner or tenant still won’t allow the housing officer inside? If the matter was discovered by, for example, a visiting police officer responding to a domestic violence dispute, they already have their evidence.

“Maybe the property owner won’t let us in, but we have a police officer who can testify,” Slater said.

Tips also come from the tenants who live at these very properties. “Sometimes tenants, on the verge of getting evicted, will come in and start talking about their landlord,” Slater said.

Guilty landlords sometimes volunteer information about other guilty landlords, in the hope of drawing attention away from themselves.

And, of course, there’s the hotline. Anyone can anonymously report a suspected violation by calling 973-470-5252.

Ongoing Issues With four full-time investigators, a hotline, and the cooperation of the police, fire, health departments and city manager, why are there still long-standing code violations in Clifton?

Simply put: “It takes time,” Slater said. “It’s not gonna get done overnight.”

At its heart, this is still law enforcement. Simpler

stuff, such as graffiti, can be fixed in minutes, but many of the violations end up in court. The city has to prove a case before a judge, and the property owners all have the right to defend themselves.

And many times, it gets even more difficult.

Absentee landlords aren’t easy to track down, especially if there are gaps in the paper trail.

If someone sold a property without alerting the city, there might not be a dwelling certificate or similar paperwork with the current owner’s name.

Even if the city has a name attached to a property, that person’s contact information could be out of date.

Palomino, who has held this job for eight years, described one long-unkempt property as “a pain in the butt. When I first got here, that was a problem then.”

When a property owner can’t be located, the officers keep looking. Someone, such as a relative or a mortgage company, can usually be found to take care of the property. But, as with everything else: it takes time.

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Good Cop, Bad Cop While Clifton may be a city of 78,672 residents, it is only 11.75 square miles in area. This means that each of the Housing Department officers has fewer than three square miles to keep in compliance with city codes. And they quickly get to know their part of town.

“We know our territories because we spend every day out on the road,” Palomino said. “You get to know everything.”

Slater, for example, knows which houses are most frequently hit by graffiti taggers, so she makes sure to inspect them when she goes out. She said she’s figured out which property owners keep a can of spray paint on hand just to paint over graffiti, and for those, a simple phone call is all that’s needed to bring the defaced wall back into compliance with city codes.

“For the most part, people work with you,” Slater said. She said she’s willing to return the favor. If someone asks for a few days to clean up a simple violation, she’ll agree, but she said she also checks back to make sure it’s done.

“If you B.S. me, you’re gonna talk to the judge,” Slater warned. “We always have that power – not to be mean, but that’s doing our job.”

Clifton Merchant • January 2004

61

January

M U N I C I PA L M E E T I N G S

Decisions regarding our city and its residents are made by numerous boards which meet monthly. However, there is no one phone number or web site that lists them all. To remedy that lack of info, Clifton Merchant Magazine will list meetings monthly. We have attempted to make this calendar as accurate as possible. In general, the City Council meets the first and third Tuesday of the month; the Board of Education, the second and fourth Wednesday of the month, the Board of Adjustment on the first and third Wednesday of the month and the Planning Board meets the third Thursday of the month. Since schedules sometimes change due to holidays and other conflicts, we list specific dates below.

12th

City Council/Board of Education: 7 pm at Admin Bldg, 745 Clifton Ave – 973-470-2288

13th

Advisory Board of Health: 7:30 at Mario’s Restaurant & Pizzeria, 710 Van Houten Ave – 973-470-5770

14th

Board of Education: 7 pm at Admin Bldg, 745 Clifton Ave – 973-470-2288

15th

Planning Board: 8 pm at City Hall, 900 Clifton Ave – 973-470-5809

15th

Traffic Safety Council: 7:30 pm at City Hall, 900 Clifton Ave. – 973-470-5854

20th

City Council: 7 pm at City Hall, 900 Clifton Ave – 973-470-5824

21st

Zoning Board of Adjustment: 7 pm at City Hall, 900 Clifton Ave – 973-470-5809

21st

Hazardous Materials Control Board: 3:30 pm at City Hall, 900 Clifton Ave – 973-470-5776

28th

Board of Education: 7 pm at Admin Bldg, 745 Clifton Ave – 973-470-2288

Feb 3

City Council: 7 pm at City Hall, 900 Clifton Ave – 973-470-5824

Feb 4

Cable-TV Committee: 7 pm at City Hall, 900 Clifton Ave – 973-742-8885

Feb 4

Clifton Arts Center Advisory Board: at City Hall, 900 Clifton Ave – 973-472-5499

Feb 4

Environmental Protection Commission: 7:30 pm at Health Dept Conference Rm, City Hall, 900 Clifton Ave – 973-470-5754

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January 2004 • Clifton Merchant

Citizen DeLosh ––––––––––––––––––– Story by Daniel Wolfe –––––––––––––––––––

S

Ellen DeLosh with Su-Ki

were charged twice for the same tax. This went unnoticed by City Hall, so it was up to active and alert citizens to find the error. “I don’t talk unless I have proof behind me,” DeLosh said. “And Elsie says you always have to do that. You have to have your facts straight.”

☛ 1527

omewhere upstairs in Ellen DeLosh’s Clifton Ave. house, there is a copy of every statement she has made during the public comment portion of Clifton City Council meetings. They were all written in advance, and they were never thrown out.

There is a scrapbook with a copy of every published letter she wrote to local newspapers. She also has pictures of herself with prominent local politicians like Jim Anzaldi and Bill Martini. In those pictures, there is also Elsie Seabert, the ‘Fighting Grandmother of Clifton,’ who earned her nickname through her steady and outspoken attendance at City Council meetings.

DeLosh met her at one such meeting in the early 1980s.

“She always had her charts,” DeLosh said of Seabert, who died in June, 2000. “I used to hold them up for her. I was known as ‘the sign lady.’”

But as the retired DeLosh attended more meetings and spent more time with Seabert, her own role grew.

DeLosh, more than just a sign-holder, was key to the cooperative effort between herself and Seabert to correct a tax error in 1996.

DeLosh still has a copy of the preliminary tax bill, which she read in her kitchen while her nine-year-old Shih Tzu Su-Ki wandered around beneath the table.

Su-Ki is her house’s only other occupant, and Su-Ki loves apricots.

“I think the taxpayers (each) got 23 dollars back,” DeLosh said of the incident’s end result. The problem, as DeLosh described, was originally this: due to a miscommunication among city departments, taxpayers that year

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When the two presented a detailed mathematical reasoning of why they believed an error had been made, the city saw their facts and agreed. Taxpayers were issued a refund. At the time, she said, a lot of attention was drawn to this discovery, and it was perhaps her and Seabert’s most well-publicized victory as active citizens. But even after Seabert’s death, DeLosh continues to attend public meetings.

“Any issue that came up, I would research it and get the facts,” she said. This starts at City Hall, where they post a copy of City Council meeting agendas the day of the meeting. If she needs background, she goes to the City Clerk’s desk. Finally she goes home and writes her remarks for the night’s meeting.

All of this is done without the aid of computers. She doesn’t use the internet to research current events; she doesn’t even use a typewriter to prepare her speeches. But her collection of handwritten Clifton history is probably more complete and personal than any computer database.

DeLosh grew up in Paterson and moved to Clifton in 1955 with her husband Joseph, whom she met in school. When DeLosh arrived in Clifton, she was a registered nurse, and was pregnant with her only daughter, Ellen Marie, who now lives in California. “She calls me every night,” DeLosh said with a proud smile.

It was only after retiring that DeLosh began attending public meetings, but she takes it as seriously as any full-time job. Her friend Seabert, who started attending meetings roughly a decade before DeLosh did, first began in 1962 following her husband’s death.

Seabert was doing some construction on her house on Second St. after her husband died, and she encountered some problems with the city. So she went to a public meeting to address these problems.

After that, she never stopped going to meetings.

“She was a great person, Elsie was,” DeLosh said. “I miss her. I really miss her.”

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That’s Ellen DeLosh (left), a few years back, with Mayor Anzaldi and the late Elsie Seabert.

What issue is DeLosh working on now? “Everybody should be working to try to get this bus terminal stopped on Kuller Rd.,” she said, referring to the proposed 313,000-square-foot NJ Transit facility. The city has already taken an official stance opposing the facility, which could add 250 buses worth of traffic and emissions to Clifton roads.

DeLosh said this issue is a lot easier to be a part of than most. Rather than spending hours with a tax bill and a calculator, or requesting documents from the City Clerk before every City Council meeting, all someone has to do is this: “Sign the petition they have up at City Hall.”

If you happen to come in to sign the petition on the first and third Tuesday of the month—the days City Council meets—you might even see Ellen DeLosh, preparing for another night of community involvement.

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That’s when the 10th Annual Garden State Home Design & Landscape Show transforms the Armory into a Total Home Remodeling Showcase.

Hours are listed below.

The craftsmen from Blesing’s Hardwood Floors in Clifton are among the exhibitors at the show.

Vice-President Evandro Carvalho said they’ll be creating a mini showroom at the Armory featuring various species and styles of wood floors.

“Homeshows work out well for the consumer because it is a casual way for them to be educated about floors and the services which make us unique,” said Carvalho.

Over 100 exhibitors and a variety of displays will be at the four-day event. Look for appliances, sunrooms awnings, additions, windows, doors, fireplaces, flooring, carpeting, spas and pools... to help make it a “Total Home Improvement Showcase.”

Due to the Martin Luther King Holiday on Monday, January 19, the 10th Annual Garden State Home Design & Landscape Show will be opened from 10 am to 6 pm.

Visitors will meet landscapers, architects, builders and contractors who will take over the Armory and cover it with thousands of feet of lush gardens, sculptured shrubs, yard ponds, and cobblestone walkways.

Bring along some photos and your ideas and craftsmen like those from Blesing’s and landscape architects at the Armory will explain how to redo a room or tow or frame a home with foundation plantings and other shrubbery.

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973.326.1333 Clifton Merchant • January 2004

65

Season of Giving

By Daniel Wolfe

I

t will be just over a month after Christmas, and Marianne Reilly Dwyer is still in the spirit of giving. On Jan. 27 she will give a gift she can only give once, and it could last a lifetime. She will give Sal Scafidi her kidney.

Dwyer is married to Rev. Hank Dwyer, and her role in this story starts with him. It was Rev. Dwyer who originally learned of the opportunity to help Scafidi, a parishioner at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church for close to four years.

“His brother, I guess, was the best shot they had,” Rev. Dwyer said of the search for a living kidney donor for Scafidi, “and he was knocked down for medical reasons.”

Scafidi’s wife, Mary Ann, said this was very discouraging news. “We were really disappointed,” she said. “We counted on him.”

With his brother unable to help, Scafidi was told to expect a three to five year wait for an anonymous donor. Fortunately, the Scafidis happened to mention their situation at church.

“The day I heard about it,” Rev. Dwyer said, “ I said I’ll do it. I’ll get tested.”

But this is surgery, which is something that affects the whole family. “I realized, of course, I probably should have checked with (my wife) first,” Rev. Dwyer said. The next day, he explained the situation to Marianne, and she took it well. “She said well, if not you, then me.”

And it’s a promise she kept. Rev. Dwyer was disqualified as a donor for medical reasons, so his wife Marianne got tested, and found that she was a match.

“It’s not like bone marrow, where you have to be an absolute perfect match,” she said, “but they make sure that you are completely healthy. I could live very healthfully without one of my kidneys.”

Although there is still a chance Scafidi’s body may reject the donated kidney, “I’m just glad it’s happen-

New Jersey Organ & Tissue Sharing Network

1-800-SHARENJ w w w. S h a r e N J . o r g 66

January 2004 • Clifton Merchant

Top photo, Marianne Reilly Dwyer and Rev. Hank Dwyer.

Below, the Scafidi family, Mary Ann, Sal and their granddaughter, Cassandra Lee.

ing,” Scafidi said, relieved that this act of generosity spared him half a decade of dialysis treatment.

“It was a nice Christmas present,” he added.

Dialysis treatment can completely change a person’s lifestyle. Dialysis artificially cleanses the blood several times a day, often through the aid of a machine, in place of a healthy kidney. But with a healthy donor kidney, there are no intrusive dialysis machines to depend upon.

The Dwyers have been visiting St. Barnabas Hospital in Livingston in preparation for the procedure. Each now wears a donor awareness pin, which looks like a green ribbon, that they received from the hospital.

Neither has much experience with organ donation, and they’ve learned a lot in the process.

“The rate of success for the recipient is substantially higher with a live donor,” Rev. Dwyer said, echoing what he and his wife learned in the past month.

This fact was true for Edward Tierney, a 1972 Clifton High School graduate who now lives in Massachusetts and works for the U.S. Postal Service in Connecticut.

Tierney’s mother, Mary Claire Tierney, still lives in Clifton. She described her son’s history with kidney transplants, which he needed due to an uncommon hereditary condition called Alport Syndrome, which presents a higher risk of kidney failure in men than it does in women.

“My son had a kidney transplant over 17 years ago and it failed,” she said. “He had to go back on dialysis again.”

His first donor kidney came from a cadaver. His second, given to him on Dec. 17 at Hartford Hospital in Connecticut, came from a living donor – his 21 year old son Kyle, a senior at the University of Massachusetts.

“What better Christmas present from a son,” Mary Claire Tierney said. “I’m glad my son is alive. My grandson, I call him my hero because of what he’s done.”

Although most organs cannot be donated before death, there are several options for anyone who wants to become a living donor. Living donors may give a kidney, partial lung, partial liver, partial pancreas, bone marrow, and blood. After death, other organs may be donated, such as the heart and full lungs, liver and pancreas.

To learn more about organ donation locally, call the New Jersey Organ and Tissue Sharing Network at 1-800-SHARENJ. You may also visit their web site at www.ShareNJ.org. You can print an organ donor card from that web site, but it is also important to discuss your wishes with family.

Even if you carry a signed organ donor card, family members may still be asked for consent to donate organs in the event of your death, especially if you are under 18 years old.

973.470.8585

973.777.3771

1094 Main Ave • Clifton Now Open at 6 AM

601 Van Houten Ave • Clifton

Ed Tierney at CHS back in 1972.

Clifton Merchant • January 2004

67

…Discover Why Paramus Catholic High School has become the choice for more and more Clifton families • Proud to serve over 70 Clifton students • Talented and diverse student body expanded by 70% in six years • Small class size (average of about 25); no class more than 30 • Active retreat and community service programs • 350-networked Pentium II and III level computers including language lab and wireless laptop access in all rooms.

• New weight training/conditioning field house, track, and stadium.

• New courses including Forensic Science, Criminal Justice, Arabic, International Relations, HTML, Java Script, Dance, and Anthropology.

• 22 instructional rooms added in recent years.

• 105 courses including 10 AP and 25 Honors level.

• Class of 2003 earned over $15,000,000 in scholarships/grants.

Join us at our

Open House

Wednesday, January 21st, 2004 7-9 PM For More Information Call 201-445-4466 x104 Paramus Catholic High School • 425 Paramus Road • Paramus, NJ 07652

68

January 2004 • Clifton Merchant

The Paladins aramus Catholic is one of the few private coeducational schools in the area. Its individual learning programs are rigorous, challenging, and designed for highly motivated and academically gifted students.

P

“I never cease to be amazed at how quickly students discover new, lasting friendships here,” said James P. Vail, president at Paramus Catholic.

Courses in religion, history, languages, science, and the arts are standard for all students. However, there is also a strong emphasis on community service.

A dedicated staff creates a strong sense of religious culture within the school. As part of their religion courses, each student is required to complete community service hours. Weekends retreats are offered on-campus to teach students to get involved with their community.

Athletics are another highlight of PC. The Paladins compete in all major sports, including Football, Hockey, Soccer, Track, Basketball, Swimming, Wrestling, Lacrosse, Volleyball, Bowling, Cheerleading, and Dance. A new fieldhouse, track and stadium were recently completed and a large air bubble will soon go over the four tennis courts for winter activities.

Arts programs–from musical production, to band, choir and videography—are also offered and continue to be an important part of the curriculum.

In addition, the Paladins engage in many other enriching student activities through the student clubs. These include the Ski Club, Model UN, Student Council, Step Team, Newspaper, Chess Club, Acting, Math League, S.A.D.D., Multicultural Club, and Literary Magazine.

“There is no better way to decide if Paramus Catholic is the place for you than by spending a day with us,” Vail said. “Come and see for yourself the spirit and excitement of our school.”

Prospective students may arrange a day-long visit to Paramus Catholic, where they will be accompanied by a PC student and follow his/her schedule of classes.

There is no better time to become a Paramus Catholic student. “As our enrollment has expanded, we have re-invented ourselves each year,” Vail added. “We have added many top quality staff and begun many new and exciting courses and programs.”

As a college preparatory school, the lessons learned at Paramus Catholic stay with the students and prepare them for a fulfilling, ongoing academic career. The guidance department gives each student the proper individual care and attention to guide them to a rewarding future.

Call now to schedule a visit and find out more about Paramus Catholic. Reach us at 201-445-4466.

Clifton Merchant • January 2004

69

Catholic Schools Week T

here are many Catholic elementary and secondary schools in Clifton and nearby that share the religious values which emulate the teachings of Jesus. Many will be holding open houses during Catholic Schools Week, Jan. 25-31. Here is a preview of what some of those schools have to offer.

St. Paul School, 1255 Main Ave., has a new administrative team, Principal Christine Ross and Vice Principal Diana Shagawat, to lead the school in its 87th year. Both are former teachers at St. Paul, where personal attention is given to each student even after regular school hours. St. Paul morning care and aftercare programs provide students with an enriching environment while parents are at work. Call 973-546-2161.

Sacred Heart School, 43 Clifton Ave., extends its hospitality to families beyond what is expected of an ordinary school. Its New Jersey State certified Child Care Center is open to students from pre-school through 8th grade, allowing working parents to entrust their children to the same caring environment in the morning and afternoon that they value during the day.

The Child Care Center is even open on snow days, and a summer camp is also offered. Call 973-546-4695.

St. Andrew The Apostle School, 410 Mt. Prospect Ave., observed its centennial anniversary last year, celebrating 100 years of tradition while keeping its curriculum and materials up to date. New textbooks and software, combined with professional development training for faculty at the Diocesan Life Science Academy, provide students with a high standard of education that was a century in the making. Call 973-473-3711.

☛

S ACRED H EART S CHOOL 43 Clifton Ave. Clifton • 973-546-4695 Continuing a Half Century of Affordable Catholic Education Pre-School to 8th Grade • Middle States Accredited • Hot Lunch Program • Modern Air Conditioned Facilities • State of the Art Computer Labs • Summer Camp

www.sacredheartclifton.com 70

January 2004 • Clifton Merchant

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• State Certified Child Care (all year round, 6:30 am- 6 pm) • Full Day Kindergarten • Full Day Pre Kindergarten – Pre-School

Saint Paul School Academic Excellence in a Christian Atmosphere Accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools

1255 Main Ave • Downtown Clifton

973-546-2161 stpaulschool@aol.com www.stpaulschoolclifton.catholicweb.com

Pre-K to Grade 8 Morning Care Starting at 7:30am Aftercare Daily until 5:30pm & on Half-Day Sessions Departmental Junior High School Enrichment Programs for all Grades Maximum Ratio of 25 students to 1 teacher Academic Courses offered in: Language Arts • Literature • Mathematics Science • Religion • Social Studies Art • Physical Education • Technology Extra Curricular Activities: Basketball • Cheerleading • Drama Journalism • Instrumental Music Continental Math League Current Events League John Hopkins Gifted & Talented Many New Changes for 2003-2004!!!

Updated Early Childhood Playground & Basketball Court, Expanded Hot Lunch Program New Integrated Technology Program, New Administration

Registration Begins in January & our Open House is January 25, 2004 Come Visit Saint Paul School!

Clifton Merchant • January 2004

71

St. Brendan School, 154 E. First St., values the loving Christian environment it creates, providing the same values and attention children receive at home. While children at St. Brendan receive more than just an education, the education standards are top-notch, and last year six 8th graders received scholarships to the schools of their choice while two 7th graders attended the summer National Junior Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C. Call 973-772-1149.

St. Philip The Apostle School, 797 Valley Rd., treats each child as an individual. The focus here is to offer well-rounded intellectual and moral lessons, where religious values are melded with academic principles to provide a high standard of education. St. Philip has received both the 2003 Best Practice award and the Star School award from the Diocese of Paterson, in recognition of its programs that encourage multiculturalism and talent. Call 973-779-4700.

Immaculate Conception High School in Lodi preserves the females-only educational environment that studies have shown encourage academic success and strong leadership. By providing a place where gender stereotypes don’t hold girls back and there are strong female role models for them to learn from, Immaculate Conception High School can give your daughters the advantage they can’t get at most public or co-ed private schools. The girls-only setting also fosters strong social bonds and a solid religious identity. In addition, Immaculate Conception preserves the same values seen at co-ed private schools in terms of moral values, religious identity, and small class sizes that encourage students to grow as college-bound individuals. Interested parents and students are invited to an open house on Jan. 28 at 7 pm. Call 973-773-2665.

St. John Kanty School, 37 Speer Ave., promotes the religious values and personal attention that build a faith-filled future for its students. St. John Kanty offers a selection of extra-curricular activities that even include a Homework Club, as well as an after-school care program and full-day pre-K and Kindergarten.

Call 973-773-8090.

St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic School in Passaic preserves Byzantine-Ukrainian traditions in its teaching style and cultural atmosphere. St. Nicholas offers classes both in English and Ukrainian, making sure every child is included. In addition, St. Nicholas has updated technology, such as high-speed internet connections in its classrooms, so students can use this broad range of technology in their studies. The emphasis is on taking their education outside the pages of their textbooks and creating a whole person. Call 973-779-0249.

St. Clare School, 39 Allwood Rd., provides a stable learning environment which incorporates computers and other specialized equipment into its lessons. With science labs and an integrated technology lab, students are constantly challenged to use tools beyond ordinary textbooks and No. 2 pencils. By the 8th grade, students are able to put together presentations in Microsoft PowerPoint, the same software used in the modern business world. There are two open house sessions on Jan. 28. Call 973-777-7582.

St. Brendan’s

School Presen

ts:

Pope John Paul II Elementary School, 775 Valley Rd., has a staff that is devoted to excellence in teaching. This summer, several faculty members attended professional curriculum conferences at St. Peter’s Prep, Jersey City, and the Diocesan Life Science Academy. Back home, the school recently added an Early Childhood Center, with educational science and art stations that provide a nurturing environment for young minds. Call 973-458-9282.

10th Annual Tricky Tray Auction

“Night at the Oscars” Sunday, January 25, 2004 at 2 PM Tickets: $25 Includes Dinner and Door Prizes Come and Walk the Red Carpet of Prizes!

The Wayne Manor Rt 23 South, Wayne, NJ 72

January 2004 • Clifton Merchant

For more info call

973.772.1149

Pictured in the photo from left to right are: Christina Diduch of Clifton who attended St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic School in Passaic, Erika Rios who lived in Clifton and attended Christopher Columbus School, Aimee Hilario who lives in Clifton and attended St. Paul’s School in Clifton, Briana and Jacqueline Zygadlo who live in Passaic and attended St. John Kanty School in Clifton and Ivana Flores who lives in Passaic Park and attended St. Paul’s School in Clifton.

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“…forming young women of competence, compassion and commitment since 1915.”

• Partnership with Felician College • Honors/ AP Program • Community Service Program• • Full complement of junior varsity and varsity sports • Small class size allowing for individual attention • • Warm and loving faith community in the Felician –Franciscan tradition • • Administration, faculty and staff committed to each student’s success • • Easily accessible via Routes 3, 4, 17, 21, 46 and 507 •

OPEN HOUSE Wednesday, January 28, 2004, 7pm presentation followed by tours Be a “Freshman for a Day” — Call the Admissions Office: 973.773.2665

Clifton Merchant • January 2004

73

2004

Super Bowl Family Day

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The Eighth Annual Alcohol-Free Super Bowl Family Day will again be hosted by Clifton Merchant Magazine and the Clifton Recreation Department.

The big football game is just the beginning of the fun. This year, the party is set for Feb. 1 at 5 pm at the Clifton Boys & Girls Club at 802 Clifton Ave. (enter from Colfax Ave.).

Watch the Super Bowl on two big-screen TVs while the kids play games in the gym and munch on hot dogs, chips, pretzels, and soda, all for $5 per family or $2 per person.

The games, which mix with the sporty theme of the day, are easy for children of any age and include basketball shooting, whiffle ball, football toss, and floor hockey.

Funding is provided by CASA—Clifton Against Substance Abuse—and an anticipated list of 21 sponsors who provide $100 each. Our first eight are listed at right. To add your name on the list, call Tom Hawrylko at 973-253-4400.

For info about the event, call Clifton Rec at 973-470-5958.

dr. barry raphael p.a.

1425 broad street, clifton, new jersey 07013 (973) 778-4222, alignmine.com N.J. Specialty # 3684

Happy New Year!

Dr. Barry, Elaine, Melissa, Adele, Traci, Denise & Susanne 74

January 2004 • Clifton Merchant

Please contribute $100 and join the...

21 Club Your Support Is Needed!

Checks should be made payable to:

Gambling Problem? call 1-800-Gambler or visit

www.800gambler.org

Become A 21 Club Member By Calling Tom Hawrylko At 973-253-4400

Clifton Recreation Dept., Mail to:

1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) 8) 9) 10) 11) 12) 13) 14) 15) 16) 17) 18) 19) 20) 21)

note: Super Bowl Party

Clifton Merchant Magazine 1288 Main Ave. Clifton, NJ 07011 Questions?

Call Tom Hawrylko @ 973-253-4400

Jim & Rita Haraka & Family Surrogate Bill Bate Steve & Ellen Corbo The Optimist Club of Clifton The Anzaldi Family Clifton FMBA Local #21 Schweighardt's Florist Barbara Dougherty in memory of Henry Dougherty

21 Sponso rs are neede d!

Please call Tom Hawr ylko 973-2534400

Clifton Merchant • January 2004

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Visit us in Athenia: 802 Van Houten Ave • 973-473-1997

We Don’t Sell Parts… …We Sell Service Machine Shop On Location No Order Too Large Or Small FREE DELIVERY

Two Stores In Clifton 973-473-1997

973-473-4999

802 Van Houten Ave • Clifton New Location

1103 Main Ave • Downtown Clifton New Location

Our Other Locations: 201.843.8040

201-845-8353

136 Essex St • Rochelle Park Open Sundays

101 Route 46 West • Saddle Brook Open Sundays

201.391.3333

973-857-2600

5 Hawthorne Ave • Park Ridge New Location

614 Pompton Ave • Cedar Grove New Location

201. 261.0411 59A E. Ridgewood Ave • Paramus New Location

973.338.9292 1278 Broad St • Bloomfield New Location

973-694-2228 1168 Hamburg Turnpike • Wayne New Location

973-423-1700 93 Goffle Rd • Hawthorne New Location 1036

Visit us in Downtown Clifton: 1103 Main Ave • 973-473-4999 76

January 2004 • Clifton Merchant

Ukrainians from Clifton and beyond gathered at City Hall on Dec. 16 to light a Christmas tree in memory of the 7 million killed in the forced famine of 1932-1933.

The famine-genocide was imposed upon Ukrainians by the Stalin regime after the people of Ukraine—the breadbasket of Europe—resisted the dictator’s control. This was the 70th anniversary of the famine’s end, and it is annually observed by Ukrainians.

The tragedy has also been recognized in formal legislation both by the US House of Representatives and the City of Clifton, as well as other elected bodies worldwide.

North Jersey has a growing Ukrainian culture, with two Orthodox churches in Clifton and a Byzantine Catholic church in Passaic. Followers of the Orthodox faith may also celebrate Christmas on Jan. 7 instead of Dec. 25.

In related news, the Pulitzer Prize Board voted against posthumously revoking their 1932 award to The New York Times’ Walter Duranty, whose prize-winning coverage of the Soviet Union has been perceived as apologist for the Stalin regime and consequently misleading. The Board announced its decision on Nov. 21, in response to a worldwide campaign to revoke the award

An Olympic Summer?

—By Raymond Tulling—

Jackie Pangilinan’s stunning athletic accomplishments may have gone unnoticed by many of her classmates and neighbors in Clifton, but the entire nation may soon know her name.

At age 17, Pangilinan is a worldclass swimmer who has been ranked 8th in the U.S. Her laps in the pool total over 8,000 yards a day. Light practices are now a rarity, as each day’s training becomes another rung on the ladder to her goal: competing in the next summer Olympics. She hopes to participate in this July’s U.S. Olympic Trials, held only once every four years.

“Being ranked in the nation is a huge accomplishment to me,” Pangilinan said, “but it really helps me to remember how much work it takes to get to that point.”

The CHS Mustang Band hosts its BeefSteak Feb. 6 at 6 pm at the Clifton Boys & Girls Club. The band will represent the state of New Jersey at a WW II Memorial Dedication in Washington D.C. on Memorial Day weekend. Proceeds will help pay for the trip but fundraising will continue. For tickets or to make a contribution, call Greg Lake at 973-772-1798.

That work and dedication also shows itself in the classroom, and her academic success has drawn the attention of the Ivy League.

Pangilinan has already been accepted at Harvard University where she will study business. Once she begins classes at the Cambridge, Mass. institution this fall, she’ll get involved in extracurricular activities in whatever spare time she can find.

Currently, Pangilinan is one of just 55 women in the nation who qualified for the 100 breaststroke and one of only 45 women who qualified for the 200 breaststroke.

In July, Pangilinan competes in the Olympic Trials in Long Beach, Calif. If she is one of the top two finishers, she’ll represent the United States in Athens, Greece in August. If she does not make the cut, she’ll continue to compete on a national level and focus on becoming an Olympian in 2008.

In the months she has left at Clifton High, Pangilinan said she will remain active with the CHS swim team and her club team in White Plains, N.Y. For 18 years, the White Plains Minnies have been the YWCA National Champions, competing at

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statewide and international levels and it is a competitive squad to be associated with. Despite that commitment, Pangilinan is also a member of the CHS swim team, receiving many awards over her four years as a Mustang.

Balancing it all seem effortless to Pangilinan and she credits the help of CHS swim Coach Andrea Bobby.

“Coach Bobby has been both a mentor and a coach throughout my high school career,” Pangilinan said. “She has always been there to listen to my problems and help encourage me along the way. By working around my schedule so that I could swim for Clifton, Coach Bobby has allowed to be part of a team that I loved swimming and competing for.”

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Clifton Merchant • January 2004

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Auto Show 2004–The New Jersey Auto Show will feature the original “The Fast and The Furious” car at the Meadowlands Exposition Center on Jan. 17-25th.

Admission is $8 for adults, $4 for children while toddlers under 4 are admitted free. In addition to displaying 200 new 2004 vehicles from over 25 manufactures, the New Jersey Auto Show also offers attractions like Hollywood Muscle cars and strolling tv cartoon characters who will meet, greet and take free pictures with the kids. For ticket information, call 800-736-EXPO. For discount tickets, see ad on page 59.

Blesing’s Hardwood Floors of Clifton will be among the 125 exhibitors at the Garden State Home Design & Landscape Show at the National Guard Armory in Morristown, Jan. 16-19. Landscapers, builders and contractors will transform the Armory into a Total Home Remodeling showcases. See page 65 for discount tickets.

LWOOD AL AY AND LEARN PL

TENAFLY ENAFLY PEDIATRICS EDIATRICS 1135 Broad St., Suite 208 • Clifton • 973-471-8600 Hours: Monday through Friday, 8:30 am – 5 pm Wednesday 8:30 am – 8:30 pm (for check-ups, too!)

Sunday 9 am – 12 noon • www.tenaflypediatrics.com

Dr. Maury Buchalter

Dr. Nancy Mallon

Dr. Robert Jawetz

Dr. David Wisotsky

1143

1074

Registration Now Underway!

• Nursery School • Pre-K Programs • Classes for 2 1/2, 3 & 4 year olds Open 9 am to 3 pm

Allwood Play & Learn, 94 Chelsea Rd.

973 779-4844 78

January 2004 • Clifton Merchant

We welcome new patients in Clifton and our other locations!

Tenafly 32 Franklin St 201-569-2400

Fort Lee 301 Bridge Plaza N. 201-592-8787

Paramus 26 Park Place 201-262-1140

Oakland 3 Post Road 201-651-0404

Clifton Merchant • January 2004

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Happy Birthday To...

Shaun LaGala . . . . . . . . . . . . .1/1 Chrissy Cetinich . . . . . . . . . . . .1/2 Amanda Esposito . . . . . . . . . .1/2 Kristin Reilly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1/2 Steven Hrina . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1/3 Rosalie Konopinski . . . . . . . . . .1/3 Emily Zawicki . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1/3 Mohamad Bekheet . . . . . . . . .1/5 Missy Fierro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1/5 Alexander Ortiz . . . . . . . . . . . .1/5 Gay Eaclie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1/6 Larry Homsany . . . . . . . . . . . . .1/8 Emmanuel “E” Ihim . . . . . . . . .1/8 Theresa Albanese . . . . . . . . . .1/9 Amanda Curtiss . . . . . . . . . . . .1/9 Joseph Perzely . . . . . . . . . . . . .1/9 Stefan Tatarenko . . . . . . . . . . .1/9 Fatma Bekheet . . . . . . . . . . .1/10 Ronald Calo . . . . . . . . . . . . .1/10

Happy Sweet 16 Ariana Hryckowian from Tato and Olivia

Richie DeMarco . . . . . . . . . .1/10 Katy Sokolik . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1/11 Nicole Unis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1/11 Megan Duffy . . . . . . . . . . . . .1/12 Daisy Colman . . . . . . . . . . . .1/13 Joe Musleh . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1/14 Mark Stuart . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1/14 Kyle Santiago . . . . . . . . . . . .1/15 Susan Hernandez . . . . . . . . .1/16 Jennifer Montanile . . . . . . . .1/16 Steve Nikithser Jr. . . . . . . . . . 1/16 Erin Prendergast . . . . . . . . . .1/16 Matthew Soprano . . . . . . . . .1/16 Selime Tutkun . . . . . . . . . . . . .1/16 Anna Tatarenko . . . . . . . . . . .1/17 Kim Barilari . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1/18 Erica Pangilinan . . . . . . . . . . .1/19 Lindsay Dueben . . . . . . . . . .1/20 Luke Falzo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1/20 Payton Bogatch . . . . . . . . . .1/21 Douglas Ciallella . . . . . . . . . .1/21 Matthew Gorun . . . . . . . . . . .1/21 Cindy Hawrylko . . . . . . . . . . .1/22 Daniel Shackil . . . . . . . . . . . .1/22 Alexander Stransky . . . . . . . .1/24 Catherine Coloccia . . . . . . .1/24

Open your heart and your home.

St. Nick had a ‘Grande’ time on Van Houten Ave. recently. Send written notices of your celebrations by the 15th of the month prior to Clifton Merchant Magazine, 1288 Main Ave., Clifton, NJ 07011.

Larissa Unis . . . . .

Sue Angello . . . .

Robert Duffy . . .

Ashley Gagnon .

Debbi Koch . . . .

Michelle Nahass Karen Rice . . . . .

Nicholas Grippo Scott Crawford .

Robert C. Henn .

Stephanie Smith Laura Kuruc . . . .

Sean Sabo . . . . .

Lisa Paitchell . . .

Jessica Sonn . . .

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.1/24 .1/25 .1/25 .1/25 .1/26 .1/26 .1/26 .1/27 .1/28 .1/28 .1/28 .1/30 .1/30 .1/31 .1/31

Happy Birthday to Amanda Esposito who turns 17 on Jan. 2.

Belated best wishes to: Laura Mikolajczyk who celebrated a birthday on Dec. 5 Michael Murolo who turned 7 on Dec. 14.

Many children are waiting for very special foster families...

Financial Assistance & Free Training Available

Call toll-free: 1-800-837-9102 N E W

J E R S E Y

To qualify to be a foster parent, you must be at least 21 years old, have a steady source of income and adequate space in your home.

www.fostercare.com 80

January 2004 • Clifton Merchant

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Best wishes to Anthony Domino, 92, of Trimble Ave.

Your Future Begins @

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Apprenticeship Program: Carpentry, Electrical, Machine Shop, Plumbing and heating are available.

For information call (973) 389–4101.

Passaic County Learning Center: We offer Adult Basic Education, English as a Second Language and courses to earn a GED. For information call (973) 684–0106.

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Our two semester course costs $695 per semester. and provides 96 hours of training.

Become a PC Techie with our Computer Repair Course. This 48 hour course will prepare you for the A+ Certification Exam No previous PC Experience required!

Tuition is only $695 • Enroll Now!

Licensed Practical Nurse Program: Passaic County Technical Institute also sponsors a year long full–time days Practical Nursing Diploma Program which prepares the student to sit for the New Jersey Board of Nursing Licensed Practical Nursing Exam.

Call for brochure... (973) 389-2020.

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Evening Trade Courses: • ACCA Refrigerant Handlers Certification • Accounting I & Automated Accounting/ Excel • Administrative Medical Assistant • Adobe Photoshop • Advertising Art and Design • Auto Body I & II • Automotive I & II • Bass Fishing • Blueprint Reading I & II • Cabinet Making • Cisco Academy-CCNA Certification • CNC Lathe, Basic & Advanced • Computer Aided Drafting Basic & Advanced • Computer Keyboarding • Culinary Arts Soups to Nuts • Engineering Drawing • Electricity I & II • Electronics I & II • Firemen’s Licenses:

Black Seals, Blue Seal & Red Seal • Food Service • Graphic Design • Heating • Home Remodeling & Improv.

• House Framing I & II • Housewiring • Industrial Wiring I & II • Intro to the Internet & E-Mail • Intro to Computer Programming • Machine Shop I, II, & III • National Electric Code • Nurse Aid • Personal Computer • Plumbing I & II • Plumber’s License Prep • Refrigeration I,II & III • Small Engine Repair • Sign Language • Skin Care • Welding Basic or Advanced • Word 2000

In-Person

Registration Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday: 6:30 - 9 pm

January 13, 14 & 15

For Info, Call (973) 389-4101

Classes Begin

Jan. 27

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Clifton Merchant • January 2004

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Rosemunda Castaldo received $600 in school aid from Hungarian Reformed Federation of America Fraternal Life Insurance. Clifton Branch Manager Ted Harsaghy presented the award to Castaldo, a junior at Montclair State University majoring in Human Ecology and Early Child Education. Castaldo also works part-time as an assistant manager at Mandee in Clifton.

Rosemunda Castaldo and Ted Harsaghy

Casey Casperino, 8, a third grader at School #12, has been growing her hair for the past two years to donate it to Locks of Love, a program for sick children who need wigs because they lost their own hair after illness or treatments. Casey heard about Locks of Love from Renee LaPeter, who was featured in the June 2003 Clifton Merchant Magazine for twice donating her own hair for the same cause. Both girls had their hair cut at Infatuation on Market St. by stylist Keri Gerlach, Casperino’s cousin.

The 9th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Jazz Festival & Dinner is Jan. 10 from 6 pm to midnight at the Italian-American Co-Op Hall at 282 Parker Ave., Clifton. The festival features the Palmer Jenkins Trio, the Bob Smith Trio, Jazzy Bear & Friends, Loretta Bradley, Jackie Sanders, and Al-Jaami’u. For info, call Seifullah Ali Shabazz at 973-478-4124.

Keri Gerlach and Casey Casperino

A Work In Progress: Exhibit of Local Historical Photos & Portraits by Michael Craft, is on display in Jan. at Planet Image, 1157 Main Ave. Clifton. Craft’s work features photography of homes, their interiors and homeowners. Call 973-574-1500 or email planetimageinc@aol.com.

Dr. David R. Moore, Chiropractor Pictured on the right, with Dr. Moore is Mike Ferber.

Mike is the current National Handball Champion in the doubles category for both the 4 wall and single wall events. Mike is one of the many athletes Dr. Moore works with in his practice.

Find out how Dr. Moore can help you, "Get BACK into Action!"

Mon • Wed • Fri Chiropractic Health Center 241 Crooks Ave • Clifton • 973.253.7005 Tue • Thu • Sat Elmwood Park Athletic Club 690 River Dr • Elmwood Park • 201.794.0155

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www.fitspine.net www.fitspine.net

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January 2004 • Clifton Merchant

New Lobby & Registration Opened June 1999

New LightSpeed CT Scanner Opened June 1999

ST. MARY’S HOSPITAL OF PASSAIC KEEPS GETTING BETTER.

New LDR/P Maternity Opened September 2000

Today St. Mary’s Hospital is newer, different and better.

New Critical Care Unit Opened January 2001

Modern Main Lobby and Private Central Registration - Opened June 1999 First to Offer Advanced LightSpeed CT Scanner - June 1999 New LDR/P Maternity Unit - Opened September 2000 New 10 Bed Critical Care Unit - Opened January 2001 New Same Day Surgery Center - Opened November 2001

New projects planned for 2002/2003 Emergency Department - Operating Suite - Endoscopy Suite

Now our 2nd Century Campaign is asking for your financial support to help make these important projects a reality.

For more information or a tour of our NEW Hospital call 973-470-3106.

New Same Day Surgery Center Opened November 2001

It doesn’t get any better than quality people with quality technology in a quality setting.

St . Mary’s Hospital 211 Pen n i ngto n A venue, P a ssaic, NJ 07055

Tomahawk Promotions 1288 Main Avenue Clifton, NJ 07011

PRSRT STD US Postage PAID CLIFTON, NJ PERMIT NO. 1185

NICK TSELEPIS Broker/ Owner

TOP 1% REALTORS

www.CliftonRealEstate.com

Buy or Sell A Home With Us & Use This Truck!

CALL TODAY!! 973-340-1202 Selling Your Home Will Cost You Thousands If You’re Not Aware of These 9 Critical Steps A new report has just been released which reveals 7 costly mistakes that most homeowners make when selling their home, and a 9 Step System that can help you sell your home fast and for the most amount of money.

This report shows clearly how the traditional ways of selling homes have become increasingly less effective in today’s market.

The fact of the matter is that fully three quarters of home sellers don’t get what they want for their home and become disillusioned and-worse-financially disadvantaged when they put their home on the market.

As this report uncovers, most home sellers make 7 deadly mistakes that cost them literally thousands of dollars. The good news is that each and every one of these mistakes is entirely preventable.

Industry insiders have prepared a free special report entitled “The 9 Step System to Get Your Home Sold Fast and For Top Dollar” To hear a brief recorded message about how to order your free copy of this report CALL 1-866-831-4517 and enter ID # 1700. You can call anytime, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and STOP wasting thousands of dollars on rent NOW.

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Home has 7 rooms, 4 Bdrms, Full fin. Bsmt. W/ Rec Room and 1 car attached garage.