Clifton Merchant Magazine - July 2004

Clifton Merchant Magazine • Volume 10 • Issue 7 • July 9, 2004

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Does This Proposal Make Sense? . . . . . . . . . . .4 Three Reports on Athenia Steel . . . . . . . . . . .20

While many thought the Board of Education would present either Latteri Park or Athenia Steel as a school site, they selected neither and offered only the Mayer building to solve school overcrowding, a move, which many contend, is just another band aid solution.

The next 30 pages explain more...

Voices of the City . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32 Bishop Rodimer Retires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46 Business News & Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50 Call or Write Elected Officials . . . . . . . . . . . . .58 Register To Vote . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60 A Mountie to Lead the Mustangs . . . . . . . . . .61 Her St. Peter’s Journey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73 Clifton Teachers’ Art Exhibit . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78 Close but its no Federici . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80 Birthdays and Celebrations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82

This is Clifton. Page 34

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

Clifton Merchant Magazine

To the Board of Education: Here is a proposal for solving the school overcrowding situation which involves: • No cash outlay for land purchase • No loss of ratables • Solves the student parking problems • Affords a positive opportunity for high school students to participate in sports and other activities • Invigorates the use of the Clifton Public Library and the nearby commercial areas • Provides an additional ratable for the City Relocate the High School to the CCMS location: 1) Pave the field across the street from CCMS for student parking and then 2) On top of this parking lot, build a three story school for use by the 11th and 12th grades. Maybe include a gym/auditorium and a swimming pool and hockey rink.

3) Construct connecting bridges from this new building over the street to the CCMS building and maybe dedicate the CCMS structure for the 10th grades.

4) Fill in or relocate the pond and construct a first class soccer/baseball/lacrosse/hockey, etc. facility at this site.

5) Add additional student parking by paving the area between Day St. and the stadium which with #1 should come close to solving student parking problems.

Convert the present High School on Colfax Ave. into the Clifton Middle School site and relocate the CCMS and WWMS students into this location.

This would empty and free up the WWMS site for another use. Maybe under this item, the 8th and 9th grades could be in the Colfax location and the 6th and 7th grades could be in the WWMS location.

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July 2004 • Clifton Merchant

Editor

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Letters to the

1288 Main Ave. Clifton 07011 Tom.Hawrylko@Verizon.Net

Also under this item, excess space would exist at the Colfax location for the School Administration. Presently at School #6, on Clifton Ave., the Administration building could be sold and become a City ratable.

Benefits of the Proposal: 1) No land would have to be purchased.

2) The land for the High School building at the CCMS location should be clean and thus no environmental problems should exist.

3) No City ratables would be lost and possibly a City ratable could be gained if the School Administration offices could be relocated to the Colfax Avenue location and if the School #6 site could be sold.

4) As sports and activities facilities would be at the new High School location at the present CCMS site, more students would become inspired to and want to participate in sports and activities.

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A Challenge for the Board of Education: As a resident, taxpayer and father of two sons attending Clifton Public Schools, I am disheartened by the recent action taken by our School Board members to address a small portion of the problem of overcrowding.

While a school for 500 might let some water out of the high school dam a few years down the road, the bigger picture needs to be addressed now. A solution is long overdue.

Your action—which was no action in my opinion—was a failure to address the long term needs of our students by not having a December referendum for a badly needed 1,700 student school.

Over the past several years, there have been many studies, surveys, site tours, presentations, meetings, community hearings and public forums on the need for additional schools.

There have been joint City Council/School Board meetings, with many opinions voiced and expressed.

The headlines included: ‘School Site Opposed’, ‘Rally Held to Fight School’, ‘Clifton Firm Spurs Opposition to School’ and ‘Residents Reiterate No Park for School.’

And you cannot forget the petitions that this issue has brought out: Petition against Latteri Park, Petition for Latteri Park, Petition against the Farm, and the Petition against the Mayer Building.

In addition, there has been money spent on building designs and layouts for at least three sites.

While a later referendum may be presented somewhere in the future—and another $25,000 will be spent on traffic and environmental studies for Latteri Park—we are still without the solution to the entire problem of overcrowding in all of our schools.

I challenge Board members to make the decisions that you were elected to make. The information you need to address this issue has been researched and is available. Listen to the public and address the issue now.

Don’t worry about how many votes you may lose if you vote the wrong way. There is no wrong way, remember, this is for the children.

Thomas V. Lyons, Jr., Co Chair Clifton Public School Community Advisory Committee

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What Now? ––––––––– Story by Fran Hopkins ––––––––––

M

any Clifton residents were disappointed with the Board of Education’s failure at its June 9 meeting to select a site for a desperately needed 1700student grades 8-9 school. The Board postponed a decision pending receipt of results of additional environmental and traffic studies for both the Athenia Steel and Latteri Park sites.

By missing the deadline, the Board delayed the opening of such a school by a full year, from Sept. 2007 to Sept. 2008.

However, the Board did vote to proceed with plans for a Dec. referendum to create a school for 500 high schoolers at the Mayer Textile building at 290 Brighton Rd. This school, which would open in Sept.

2006, would provide partial relief for overcrowding; but the complete solution requires the construction of the grades 8-9 school as soon as possible.

To find out more about why the Board failed to act and what it plans to do next, Clifton Merchant spoke with all nine Board members. Here’s what they had to say.

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July 2004 • Clifton Merchant

Joe Kolodziej, Board President Joe Kolodziej welcomed this writer to his office, Conveyors by North American, on Huron Ave. in the Athenia section. It’s a family-owned and run business and the atmosphere was casual as Toby, mom’s Pomeranian (mom is Clifton Councilwoman Gloria Kolodziej), settled herself nearby during our interview.

Kolodziej was asked why the Board failed to make a decision on selecting a site for a grades 8-9 middle school at its June 9 meeting.

“The Board said, ‘this is a half-century decision; let’s do it right rather than fast,’” Kolodziej said.

Because the majority of the Board still had questions about one or both sites under consideration – Athenia Steel and Latteri Park – the Board voted to obtain environmental tests and traffic studies for both sites, Kolodziej explained.

Why is it necessary to do environmental tests at Latteri Park? “It’s possible that there may have been some dumping there years ago,” Kolodziej said. “We found that at Lower Weasel Brook Park (site of School 17) and that cleanup cost $1.8 million. The Latteri Park property is twice as big. We decided to get these studies done now so that we can compare apples and apples,” Kolodziej said.

As for the Athenia Steel property, Kolodziej is optimistic that the contaminants known to be present, such as lead and arsenic, can be cleaned up fast enough for a school to be opened on the site in September 2008.

In contrast to Kolodziej’s optimism, the Board’s own environmental consultant, Melick Tully of South Bound Brook, and the City’s consultant, Matrix Environmental of East Hanover, differ significantly on the environmental status of the Athenia Steel property; as a result, the Board agreed at a special meeting on June 17 to turn over its consultant’s reports to the City.

The City Council, in turn, authorized the expenditure of $25,000 at its June 21 meeting to obtain soil samples for testing by both Melick Tully and Matrix Environmental.

Kolodziej estimated that the environmental test results and the traffic study information for both locations would be available to the Board at its end-of-July meeting (the Board meets only twice during the summer – the end of July and the end of August).

“We should be able to make a decision on a site by the end of the summer,” he predicted.

A decision by August or September could mean that a referendum on the grades 8-9 school could be placed before voters next April, Kolodziej said.

But there’s no guarantee that the Board will approve either of these two sites.

When asked if he’d support building the school at Latteri Park if Athenia Steel proves to be environmentally unsuitable, Kolodziej said: “I wouldn’t vote to put the school there. It was meant to be an elementary school site.”

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When asked if he’d support building the school at Latteri Park if Athenia Steel proves to be environmenJoe Kolodziej tally unsuitable, Kolodziej said: “I wouldn’t vote to put the school there. It was meant to be an elementary school site.”

We asked about the School 14 proposal that was floated for a short time; after being leaked to the Herald News, the idea to tear down School 14 and build the grades 8-9 school there was quickly withdrawn on June 9 after the School 14 community expressed its outrage at a special June 1 meeting with the Board. “That idea probably would have died in executive (closed-door) session,” Kolodziej said. “I believe it was leaked by some Board member who opposed the idea.”

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Asked if he would support building the school at Latteri Park, Leeshock responded, “Yes, if I have Jim Leeshock exhausted all other possibilities.” Leeshock also supports moving ahead in December with a referendum on the Mayer building.

Jim Leeshock, Board Vice President “I voted to table Mr. Tahan’s June 9 motion on Latteri Park,” Jim Leeshock said. “I felt I needed more information on Athenia Steel as well as the environmental and traffic studies from Latteri Park before I could make an educated decision.” Leeshock expanded on why the Board couldn’t make a decision on either

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In the meantime, Kolodziej supports moving forward with the Mayer building on a December referendum.

“For the sake of the kids, something needs to be done about the overcrowding at the high school.” The Board voted 8-1 to keep Mayer on the December referendum, with Marie Hakim voting against the placing the plan Finally, this writer asked Kolodziej (and the rest of the Board) about the perception that the City Council has an inordinate influence on the Board’s decisionmaking process. (Examples: the Council has vocally and officially opposed construction of a school at Latteri Park, a property owned by the Board of Education; the Council, which had jointly agreed with the Board to site a school at Schultheis Farm, withdrew its support, prompting the Board to do the same.)

Kolodziej doesn’t see an “inordinate” influence.

“The Board and the Council are two separately elected government bodies in town that serve the same people,” he said. “There will be occasions when one body may vocally oppose the other body’s action or decision. This is all part of the democratic process and in the end, the voters of Clifton get to weigh in and decide what the final outcome will be. But in my opinion, the appropriate role for either body opposing an action is not to just condemn a decision but to offer alternative solutions that might be more beneficial to a larger segment of our population.”

Latteri or Athenia in time for the December referendum. “A good board member makes informed decisions,” he said. “You have to do your homework on each issue. Decisions need to be based on facts as well as on input from professionals like the architects, superintendent, and staff, at the same time you consider input from committees, the community, and parents.

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“In my opinion,” said Hakim, “at least five Board members are waiting for a miracle to clean up Athenia Marie Hakim Steel. No matter how many deadlines the City Council has missed in presenting us with information on the environmental conditions, some are holding out for this ‘miracle’”.

“I also believe that if the Latteri Park site had been put to a vote (by the Board) that night, it would have been defeated,” Leeshock added.

Leeshock explained what it is he needs to know about Athenia Steel before he can consider it as a school location. “I need to know that there is a plan in place to remediate the site, if the area the City is offering us is environmentally clean, and if it isn’t, what’s there and how long it will take to clean it to meet the Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP’s) standards.”

Asked if he would support building the school at Latteri Park, Leeshock responded, “Yes, if I have exhausted all other possibilities.” Leeshock also supports moving ahead in December with a referendum on the Mayer building because “it will provide us with the earliest relief possible at the high school level.”

Leeshock commented on the role of the City Council in Board decisions. “In my two years on the Board, I don’t feel the City Council has had any influence on my decision-making process,” he said. “I believe the Council should not be involved in the Board’s decisions. While I respect the members of the City Council, they have their job to do and I have mine and if we can help each other in the process, great; but I have 10,500 children to provide for in an educational setting and that is my first priority.”

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Marie Hakim Immediate past Board president Marie Hakim has a distinctly different take on things. Hakim was the lone supporter of Tahan’s June 9 motion to vote on Latteri Park as a school site and has strong opinions as to why the Board failed to reach a decision that night.

“A number of Board members are controlled by a member of the City Council and in my opinion, are purposely stalling so that we would miss our deadline,” Hakim said. “I believe their hopes are that all we will have left is Athenia Steel as a site. The City has done a similar stall on the environmental status of Athenia Steel and so far their stall is working.

“What needs to be done is a large number of citizens need to start packing the Board room and the Council chambers and demanding the use of Latteri Park,” Hakim said.

Hakim doesn’t pull any punches when discussing Athenia Steel as a school site.

“I know that for years we have not been given all the necessary information we need,” she said.

“This is why (Athenia Steel) has never been accepted before. I also know that there is a major contamination issue that cannot be addressed until all tests are done. Any tests run now would take at least, if not more than, two years before any construction of a school, if allowed, could begin.”

Rumorville There’s no shortage of ideas when it comes to selecting a site for a new school.

Over the past few weeks, City Clerk Dick Moran (acting as a private citizen) floated a proposal to expand CCMS. There’s also talk about revisiting the availability of Pope John Paul II Elementary School, as well as the purchase of the Globe Products building on Bloomfield Ave. People also talk about filing in the pond at Main Memorial Park or using the wetlands behind the WPAT radio station site on Broad St. on which to construct a school.

Moran proposes that grades 10-12 be relocated to Christopher Columbus Middle School by adding on to that structure. Grades 8 and 9 will be moved from both CCMS and Woodrow Wilson Middle School to the present High School. CHS would also house the Administration offices, freeing up the School 6 building for sale and conversion to a city ratable. He said sixth and seventh graders could move to WWMS. Then there’s the Pope John Paul II Elementary School on Valley Rd. Superintendent of Schools Dr. Michael Rice commented on the idea of approaching the new Bishop of Paterson about the former Paul VI High School. “We don’t see any evidence of interest on the Church’s part in selling that school,” Rice said.

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A Board member during the 1990s, Hakim was asked why additions to the schools during the 1990s didn’t solve the overcrowding problem. “For many reasons, including increased enrollment, and mandated programs, services, facilities and courses. We’ve also never had a demographic study that has not fallen drastically short in projected enrollments.”

Hakim opposed a Mayer-building-only referendum, the only Board member to do so in a June 9 vote. “I support Mayer but only in conjunction with another structure for 1500-1700 students,” she said. “I cannot support it alone and personally do not think it will pass alone.” She would vote to locate the grades 8-9 school at Latteri Park.

We asked Hakim what she thinks the Board is waiting for. “In my opinion, at least five Board members are waiting for a miracle to clean up Athenia Steel. No matter how many deadlines the City Council has missed in presenting us with information on the environmental conditions, some are holding out for this ‘miracle.’”

Lizz Gagnon Lizz Gagnon is anxious to make a decision on a school site but wants it to be an informed one. “I think we need to have all our t’s crossed and our I’s dotted,” Gagnon said. “I think we should get all the answers first – I don’t want to put the cart before the horse. As Board members,

“I think we should get all the answers first – I don’t want to put the cart before the horse,” said Lizz Gagnon Gagnon. “As Board members, we have to look at everything. We’re tired of band-aids. We’re trying to come up with a good concept that people will accept, whether it’s in your backyard or mine.” we have to look at everything. We’re tired of band-aids.

We’re trying to come up with a good concept that people will accept, whether it’s in your backyard or mine.”

Gagnon supports Latteri Park as the site for the new school. “Let Latteri be on the ballot and let the voters decide,” Gagnon said. “I hate to take away a park, but there would still be a park area there.”

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Gagnon said: of Athenia: “I’ve heard through the grapevine that DEP won’t allow building on the northern part while cleanup is going on (on the central portion, the most contaminated part). And the Board’s consultant spoke with the DEP. He has concerns. I believe him but, to be fair, I’ll listen to both sides.”

Like Hakim and Norm Tahan, Gagnon was on the Board in the 1990s when it was hoped that additions to various schools would solve the space issues. “We thought we were taking care of the problem, but the demographic projections were underestimated,” she said.

Though she supports use of the Mayer building, Gagnon thinks that two separate referenda is a waste of taxpayers’ money, noting that running a referendum costs $60,000.

Gagnon acknowledged that the School 14 idea had been hers. “I did bring up School 14 and School 16 about four months ago. But I was thinking of them in terms of building out and up. I never brought up demolishing a school or putting kids in trailers,” she said.

The Council’s involvement is a mixed blessing, she said. “We’d like to have the Council’s blessing on whatever decision we make. On the other hand, I don’t like to hear that they’ve made a motion or resolution against us – it ties our hands. Let the voters decide.”

“I really think we should be looking at other solutions,” said Traier. “I think we should revisit the Paul VI property or do something at Christopher Columbus / Main Memorial Park. Or John Traier build two smaller schools instead of one 1700-student school.”

John Traier In Board member John Traier’s view, Latteri Park is not an appropriate site for a 1700-student school.

“It’s too small of an area in a residential neighborhood,” he said. “I can’t believe they foresaw a threestory, 1700-student school there.”

Traier still has environmental questions about Athenia Steel, but expects that the answers will be available within 30-60 days. “The expert opinions are all over the lot,” he said. “I’m trying to find where they’re different and where they’re the same.

“My decision on Athenia Steel will be based on if it can be remedied in a reasonable period of time,” Traier added. “Traffic and noise problems would have to be addressed. It’s a question of the cost and time required.”

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If Athenia Steel proves unacceptable as a school site, Traier said that he’d be dragged “kicking and screaming to Latteri as a solution.”

“I really think we should be looking at other solutions,” he stated. “I think we should revisit the Paul VI property or do something at Christopher Columbus / Main Memorial Park. Or build two smaller schools instead of one 1700-student school.”

Recognizing that Clifton residents are becoming discouraged with the Board’s lack of a decision making, Traier said, “I understand everyone’s frustrations with the Board,” he said, adding: “But a lot of Board members don’t want to lose the park.”

Traier noted that he opposed an effort in April of 2003 to make Board of Education members appointees of the City Council.

“The voters opposed that by two-and-a-half to one,” he said.

“But since then, there’s been discussion of the Council trying to control the Board.

“I think we should bring the Council in and discuss things with them. But we’re an independent body and we have to make decisions that are best for the students,” Traier said.

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July 2004 • Clifton Merchant

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Clifton Merchant • July 2004

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Keith LaForgia Board newcomer Keith LaForgia welcomes the testing and studies underway for both the Latteri Park and Athenia Steel sites.

“I’m not going to make a decision on either property without having the facts first,” he said.

LaForgia admitted that, while he favored Latteri Park as a school site when he was running for a Board seat in the Spring, he has since changed his position.

“After reviewing the plans – I didn’t have all these facts when I was running – I think that a 1700student school is too big for that site. I don’t think the public knows this. Our architect says a school this size should be on 10 acres. Latteri is only seven-and-a-

LaForgia wasn’t ready to say if he would or wouldn’t support a school at Latteri Park. “I have to wait and see the test results,” he said. “But the property is too small for that building.” half acres and the Athenia Steel site is 12 acres.”

LaForgia wasn’t ready to say if he would or wouldn’t support a school at Latteri Park. “I have to wait and see the test results,” he said. “But the property is too small for that building.” He did

It is estimated that combining the purchase price and retrofitting costs, the total cost of the Mayer building at 290 Brighton Rd would be $13.5 million. The Board will ask voters to approve this expense in a December referendum. If it passes, the building will be able to accommodate 500 high school student in September, 2006.

Keith LaForgia

say that he would have voted for Latteri Park now if he was thinking only of his own children, one of whom is currently in middle school.

“But I have to think of what’s best for all the kids, not my daughter only,” he said. LaForgia suggested that other sites are still being looked at but said, “I can’t comment on where they are right now.”

While stating that the Council doesn’t have a role in the Board’s decisions, “their backing would make the process go more smoothly,” LaForgia said. “Ultimately the decision we make affects the whole city; it’s a city problem, not just a Board problem, and I think the right thing to do is to come up with a collective decision – whatever we need to do to get it (a referendum) passed.”

☛

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July 2004 • Clifton Merchant

Kim Renta “Latteri Park is not a good choice for a school for several reasons,” said Board newcomer Kim Renta. “There’s very little green space left in Clifton. It would be the wrong thing to do if there’s a possibility that we can convert an industrial site. And Latteri Park isn’t large enough for the size school they want to put there,” Renta said.

“Seventeen hundred students there is an abomination. It would be shoehorning a school onto a site that’s too small to handle it.”

“The northern portion may have small pockets of problems – areas of concern – but I’m very optimistic they’ll be able to be corrected within a doable timeframe,” said Renta. She Kim Renta thinks that Athenia Steel is a “great location” and added, “No one will protest a school there.”

A Review: The Short & Long of It From April, 2001, a diverse group of 11 volunteers comprising the Community Advisory Committee worked to find a solution to the growing problem of Clifton’s overcrowded public schools.

They consulted with school administrators and principals as well as city officials. They toured the city and visited 18 locations which could be developed into schools.

They solicited input from parents, architects and real estate professionals. And after over two years of study, in Sept., 2003, they presented a solution which they believed addressed both the immediate need and the long-term implications of increasing school enrollment.

The short-term plan called for the purchase and renovation of a commercial property at 290 Brighton Rd., the Meyer building. With a projected renovation time of 2.5 years and a capacity of 500 students, this option would provide immediate, if minor, relief to the high school. At a cost of $13.5 million, it was also one of the cheapest solutions available.

The long-term plan advised the construction of a school at Latteri Park. Though it would take almost four years to complete, the new building looks to the future as it could accommodate 1,700 students.

Since the Board already owned this park in the Rosemawr section of town, it would only have to pay construction costs, which were estimated at $39.4 million.

The committee advised using the Latteri Park campus for 8th and 9th grades, and the Brighton Rd. campus for grades 6 through 8.

To save open space, only 6.5 of the 7.5 acres at Latteri Park would be used for the new school; the remaining acre would be developed into ballfields and park space.

The plan called to build at both properties simultaneously, thereby addressing both the short- and long-term needs of the city at once.

But, as had been extensively reported over the past year, the selection of Latteri Park proved to be a volatile one. On June 9, the Board decided to present to voters a single option: in December, there will be a referendum on the purchase of the Mayer building.

Renta said that she never felt Latteri was the right choice, even last Fall when it was first recommended by the Community Advisory Committee and long before she became a Board member. “I would not support a school there,” she said.

On the other hand, Renta is “optimistic” about Athenia Steel. “(Preliminary) testing came back fairly good for the northern portion (i.e., where a school might be built).

The northern portion may have small pockets of problems – areas of concern – but I’m very optimistic they’ll be able to be corrected within a doable timeframe.” She thinks that Athenia Steel is a “great location” and added, “No one will protest a school there.”

Noting that she has two children, one currently at School 2, Renta said, “I wouldn’t put my kids in any harmful situation.”

Renta supports the Mayer referendum in December to provide some relief for overcrowding at the high school in September 2006.

Concerning the role of the City Council, Renta believes that “we (the Board) need the Council’s support with the public. The Council and Board should agree. I would hope that the Council will support us in whatever decision we make.”

☛

Clifton Merchant • July 2004

17

Norm Tahan

Jim Smith

Newly re-elected to the Board this past April, but a veteran of a six-year Board stint during the 1990s, Norm Tahan is vocally unhappy with what he describes as a “do-nothing, delaying” Board. “What more information do these people need?” Tahan asked.

“If you do nothing, you don’t get criticized,” Tahan said is the approach that Board members are taking.

Tahan also said he thinks that “someone outside the Board is controlling the Board, at least in regards to the Latteri site. They are heavily pushing Athenia Steel, no matter how hard the evidence is against using Athenia Steel.” When questioned, he declined to identify the person to whom he was referring.

Tahan is completely opposed to building a school at Athenia Steel. “It will take three years to clean up the site and two years to build a school,” he said. “A school at Athenia Steel won’t be open before 2011-2012.”

Tahan said that he thinks that a Mayer-building-only referendum in December is “the biggest band-aid solution of all time.”

“Without the other proposal (a school for 1700 students) it’s a waste,” he stated. “It will take 500 students out of the high school in 2006 but there will be 500 more students in the high school in 2007. So there will be the same number of students at the high school in 2007 as there are now.”

“I know Mayer is important, but it won’t pass (alone),” Tahan predicted of the December referendum.

“We should present the whole package together.”

Tahan thinks that the City Council “shouldn’t make decisions involving the school system. They do have influence on the voters in this town, “ he said, “but they have enough to do with things in the city without micromanaging things that aren’t in their arena.”

“I’m extremely disappointed in the school board’s lack of decision-making ability,” Tahan concluded.

Board member Jim Smith believes that the Board could not make a decision on a school site on June 9 because of information that still wasn’t available to the Board as of that meeting.

Smith is not particularly enthusiastic about either site but is open to both, pending the results of the environmental tests and traffic studies. “I’ve been against taking away a park, but we must keep the option open if there’s no other reasonable option available. Latteri Park is not my first choice – I don’t think it’s big enough and I don’t think that the streets in the area are wide enough. I’m hoping that other areas can be looked at before taking a park.”

Athenia Steel, Smith believes, has “so many issues” that he was never optimistic about it as a school site.

“Besides the environmental issues there are traffic problems, noise problems, and lack of access to the property.

Smith is not particularly enthusiastic about either site but is open to both, pending the results Jim Smith of the environmental tests and traffic studies. “I’ve been against taking away a park, but we must keep the option open if there’s no other reasonable option available.

Latteri Park is not my first choice.”

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Newly re-elected to the Board this past April, but a veteran of a sixyear Board stint during the 1990s, Norm Tahan is Norm Tahan vocally unhappy with what he describes as a “donothing, delaying” Board. “What more information do these people need?” Tahan asked of his colleagues.

“But as much as I believe that our kids deserve the ‘best’ solution, I don’t believe there is any ‘best’ or ‘ideal’ solution in Clifton anymore,” Smith said.

However, he believes that Athenia Steel would be a “quicker” solution because there will be “much less opposition from the neighborhood.”

Similarly, Smith “is not thrilled with” but supports moving forward with the Mayer referendum in December. “We have an emergent situation that has to be addressed,” he said.

While Smith doesn’t think the City Council makes decisions for the Board, he does believe that its backing is necessary in order to get a referendum passed.

“Historically, we need their support of our decisions – some say it’s a waste of time and money to put up a referendum that the City won’t support. The City doesn’t support Latteri Park but they do support Athenia Steel.”

The City Council & the Mayer Building We asked Gloria Kolodziej if the Council will or will not support the Board’s December referendum on the Mayer building. “Six out of seven of us are on record as not being in favor of using Mayer Textile for a school,” Kolodziej said. But will the Council actively oppose it? “I can only speak for myself, but I will not actively oppose it,” she said.

Dr. Rice’s Thoughts “Mayer has to move forward in December,” said Dr. Michael Rice, Superintendent of Schools. “A December referendum, if passed, will permit the opening of a 500student school in September 2006. Short of that, we have no relief for the high school overcrowding.”

Rice also doesn’t believe that the new school could open in mid-year; that is, by missing the December referendum, instead of opening in September 2007, the 1700-student school won’t open before September 2008. “To open the school in mid-year would be an unmitigated disaster,” Rice said, citing the complications of differing schedules for 8th and 9th graders and the move a couple of thousand teachers and students from three different schools.

Rice is adamantly opposed to viewing a December referendum on the Mayer building only as a “band aid” solution by the Board. “Mayer is not a complete solution; its primary purpose is to reduce the number of students at the high school,” Rice said. “The Board is absolutely aware that we need to do more than Mayer and is absolutely committed to the second piece (i.e., the 1700-student school).

“They want to wrap up a decision in the next few months so that a referendum can be held about six months after that.” And if that is the path to be taken, voters will have their say this December on the Mayer building then in April, 2005, they’ll vote on a budget and perhaps another school site in the same election.

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Athenia Steel:

Is this the Site for a School?

–––––––––––––––––––––––– Story by Fran Hopkins –––––––––––––––––––––––––

I

n recent weeks, the Board of Education has met behind closed doors to discuss school sites, particularly conditions at the Athenia Steel property.

Besides the known issues of inadequate access – currently there’s only one road in and out of the property, and that’s to Clifton Ave. – and excessive noise from adjacent Parkway Iron, lingering questions about contaminants at the site and the Board’s desire for additional information resulted in

20

July 2004 • Clifton Merchant

a missed June 9 deadline to make a decision regarding the December referendum.

The specifics of these executive-session discussions have been unavailable to the public until now. Clifton Merchant has obtained documentation in the possession of the Board, the City Council and the NJ Dept of Environmental Protection that reveals some startling information concerning what the experts have to say about the environmental status of Athenia Steel. ☛

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1915: The bustling Athenia Steel Site. Courtesy Clifton Public Library.

AT H E N I A S T E E L T I M E L I N E January 1907 – A small steel mill opens in Athenia to manufacture flat spring steel, clock spring steel, and steel umbrella ribbing. The founders are Fredrik Forsberg, a Swedish immigrant who holds the patent for a continuous hot rolling mill, and F. G. A. Fornelius, who becomes the plant’s first vicepresident. The purchase price for the original 18.5 acres is $1,850.

January 1937 – Athenia Steel’s reputation attracts the attention of National Standard Company of Niles, Michigan which purchases the company from its founders for an undisclosed price.

August 1984 – Developer Clement Piscitello, builder of Clifton’s Williamsburg South condo complex, invites the City Council to join him in a plan to transform the now 35-acre tract into a 400-unit townhouse complex. Mayor Gloria Kolodziej, citing the developer’s lack of tangible details, says the proposal is “not an urgent matter” for the city. Councilman Gerald Zecker tells Piscitello: “you’re going to have problems,” since the site is “in a flood plain” caused by periodic spillover from the Weasel Brook, which runs through the property. National Standard, reacting to the presentation, says it does not plan to sell the plant that now employs 205 people on three shifts.

22

July 2004 • Clifton Merchant

June 1987 – National Standard says it has received purchase offers from several parties who promise to continue operating the plant which manufactures cold-rolled strip steel and flat wire for use in saw blades and oil rings. Despite the plant’s profitability, the company claims that its products are “no longer competitive.” The prospective buyers are not identified.

January 1988 – National Standard announces Athenia Steel will cease operating at the end of February, leaving 150 people out of work.

November 1990 – The former Shulton and Athenia Steel tracts are rezoned as planned development sites, which allows the properties to be used for commercial development, as well as manufacturing. To date, no developer has announced interest in building on the entire property. Hartz Mountain Industries had signed a contract with National Standard for the Athenia Steel portion of the property, but the deal fell through.

June 1999 – The city stands to receive $275,000 annually under a federal HUD grant. The application must be made with one other neighboring community since Clifton is not deemed needy enough to apply on its own.

Under the grant, the city may use the money in a variety of ways, including build and buy existing property, or offer rent subsidies.

July 1999 – During a Saturday morning meeting, the City Council agrees to purchase the now 35acre tract for $5.5 million with a $250,000 down payment and $1 million due at closing. The Council also has a plan for construction of 250 subsidized senior citizen apartments in two four-story buildings on the site. Additionally, the plan calls for two regulation-sized baseball fields, two soccer fields, and four outdoor basketball courts. Mayor James Anzaldi says he wants to break ground within two years. As a condition of the sale, National Standard agrees to pay for an environmental cleanup of the grounds that had become contaminated from plant emissions.

December 1999 – City finalizes purchase of the property.

December 2000 – Passaic County releases a draft version of its Open Space and Recreation Master Plan. The plan recommends an increase in the amount of county-owned space by 25% and lists the Athenia Steel tract as one of the properties under consideration.

January 2001 – The City Council votes unanimously to rezone the Athenia Steel property to allow for construction of the senior citizen housing and recreational facilities.

This column was originally started by our founder, the late Murray Blumenfeld.

In his spirit, we continue its publication.

H

ope all of you have a wonderful month of July.

While fireworks commemorate this holiday, they

also light up the jewelry industry. A round of jewelry shows sparks the preview of the coming Fall and Holiday season merchandise. We have already begun making purchases and eagerly anticipate their arrival.

We're looking forward to a new exciting season.

At the rear of the Athenia Steel property, facing Route 46, Parkway Iron runs a recycling plant where metal and automobiles are crushed, an operation in existence since the 1940’s.

The New York Jewelry Show will take place from July

The Board Consultant & DEP’s Opinion

designs. It will be our job to hand pick a variety of

On June 9, 2004, the Board of Education’s environmental consultant, Richard Lev of Melick-Tully and Associates of South Bound Brook, wrote the following about Athenia Steel to the Board’s attorney, Anthony D’Elia, after speaking with Titus Magnanao, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) Case Manager for the National Standard/Athenia Steel case. “…the NJDEP will require that all areas of concern located at the National Standard site (i.e., both the northern and central portions) be addressed concurrently, and that limited ‘piecemeal’ proposals for the remediation of the site will no longer be acceptable. As such, the NJDEP Case Manager stated to us that NJDEP opposes further parceling of the Athenia Steel/National Standard property, since this approach would impede further investigation of the property.

Further, the NJDEP Case Manager did not recommend construction of the proposed school facility until completion of the remedial investigation, remediation of the central active portion of the property and closure of the landfill in accordance with NJDEP requirements, due to the potential for exposure to dust and vapor hazards associated with the required remedial activities.”

It’s not necessary to be an environmental expert to understand this. According to the Board’s own consultant, the State DEP does not recommend construction of a school on the Athenia Steel property until after cleanup of the entire property has been completed.

styles sure to please everyone's taste. These beautiful

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January 2002 – Clifton receives a grant of $250,000 from Passaic County to pay for designs of ball fields planned for the Athenia Steel tract.

July 2002 – The NJ DEP approves National Standard’s cleanup of the first six acres of the Athenia Steel site. Clifton pays $1.72 million for the six acres and City Manager Bob Hammer says a 125-unit senior citizen complex will be complete on the tract within 18 months.

”There have been a series of CRA reports and DEP comment letters dating back to April 2000 in which proposed work has been approved but not done. The NJDEP is frustrated that National Standard is just not moving forward.”

—Dennis Petrocelli, Matrix Environmental

DEP’s Position After Clifton Merchant obtained a copy of a series of memos and reports, we contacted the State DEP and spoke with Fred Mumford, DEP Press Office spokesperson, and Titus Magnanao, the DEP Case Manager cited in the abovereferenced letter.

Magnanao confirmed that his position as cited in MelickTully’s June 9 letter remains the same. “We’re looking for a remediation workplan for the entire property, not just the northern portion – the central portion too,” Magnanao said.

“We want a full investigation.”

In a NJ DEP letter dated Dec. 17, 2003, the state agency issued a Technical Deficiency letter citing property owner National Standard as being out of compliance with their agreed upon schedule of cleanup at the Clifton Ave. site.

☛

24

July 2004 • Clifton Merchant

October 2002 – Construction of the 125 unit senior citizens housing complex is projected to begin with completion April, 2004.

October 2002 - Dennis Fitzpatrick and a group of Clifton ice hockey enthusiasts present a proposal to the city to turn some of the property into a state-of-the-art ice-skating rink.

November 2002 – The anticipated groundbreaking for the senior citizen housing with scenic parks and recreation facilities has yet to begin. City Manager Bob Hammer reported that “there has been no active cleanup recently,” because the DEP did not receive a documented remedial action plan that was promised by National Standard.

June 14, 2003 – City Council members ceremoniously broke ground (above) for a 125 unit senior citizens complex on the site of the former Athenia Steel property. Located on Clifton Ave. near the intersection of Paulison Ave., the project takes a small portion of the 35 acre complex. While ideas have been floated to develop another 125 units of senior housing and various recreational fields on the remaining acreage, no definite plans have been announced. The first 125 units of housing are expected to be ready for occupancy by Fall, 2004. The project is in partnership with Regan Development Corp.

September 2003 – The Community Advisory Committee rejects the idea of using a portion of Athenia Steel for a school due to bad access, traffic congestion and unknown environmental contamination issues.

Federal Mortgage Offers Senior Citizens A Reverse Mortgage

F

or some 32 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?

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The frustration of dealing with National Standard, now owned by the Davis Wire company of Irwindale, Calf., can be read through in memo after memo.

In a note to City Engineer James Yellen, Dennis Petrocelli of Matrix Environmental, the firm hired by the city to monitor and manage the progress, recapped: “There have been a series of CRA reports (Conestoga-Rovers & Associates, an environmental consulting firm retained by National Standard to implement the remedial activities) and DEP comment letters dating back to April 2000 in which proposed work has been approved but not done. The NJDEP is frustrated that National Standard is just not moving forward.”

Perhaps that sounded a little harsh to a number of interested parties: In an April 19, 2004 e-mail from Matrix Senior Project Manager Karl Werner to Petrocelli, Werner wrote: “Remember—we are the City’s advocate and it doesn’t really come across in your analysis.”

Directly in front of the senior citizens housing complex on the former Athenia Steel tract, this vacant land is privately owned and for sale or lease. No plans have been introduced as of yet but the property is zoned for commercial use. If it becomes developed, it may add to the traffic congestion and cut down on visibility as seniors exit from the complex’s only entrance, which is to the right of this photo.

At Davis Wire, the Corporate Manager for Environmental Affairs, Tariq Ahmad, was reluctant to discuss the Athenia Steel property. In fact, Ahmad would not even verify that Davis Wire owns the property.

“I cannot confirm or deny information,” Ahmad said. “This is a sensitive issue.”

“Remember—we are the City’s advocate and it doesn’t really come across in your analysis.”

–an April 19, 2004 e-mail from Matrix Senior Project Manager Karl Werner to Dennis Petrocelli

Cleanup – When?

Given conflicting reports regarding the site, when can clean-up be anticipated? “We don’t want to speculate on how long it could take the property to be cleaned up because we don’t yet have all the facts,” said Mumford. “National Standard needs to complete a remedial investigation of the property first. The investigation will tell us what’s in the soil and water and what actions can be taken before the site can be re-used.

What’s there needs to be quantified – does it need to be removed? Or can it be controlled?”

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July 2004 • Clifton Merchant

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Levels of contaminants are important because if concentrations are high, the location is treated as a hazardous waste site and the material must be removed, Mumford explained. High levels in the soil can further contaminate the groundwater. On the other hand, if the levels are low, the material can be controlled (encapsulated or “capped”). The type of cleanup required can affect the time it takes to complete the remediation.

“Cleanups can take less than a year or several years, depending on the responsible company,” Mumford said, noting that would be the National Standard/Davis Wire.

Magnanao said that the DEP’s goal is to spur National Standard to finally finish the cleanup of the entire Athenia Steel property. This is why, per Melick-Tully’s June 9 letter, DEP no longer finds “piecemeal” cleanup proposals acceptable.

As recently as June 23, Magnanao sent a “Notice of Violation” letter to Tariq Ahmad at Davis Wire, the current “responsible party” for the property cleanup since National Standard’s bankruptcy. The letter threatens Davis Wire with penalties if the cleanup does not proceed. If the northern portion isn’t that contaminated, Mumford said, “Redevelopment can be incorporated with the capping of the contamination.”

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A similar scenario was encountered at Lower Weasel Brook Park, site of the new School 17, where contamination found during construction was encapsulated.

One problem with proceeding with construction on the northern piece of the property before the central portion is cleaned, Magnanao said, is that while working on the central portion, “National Standard might need to put testing wells on tin the footprint of the school or in the parking lot for purposes of testing for groundwater contamination.”

Again, this was referenced in Melick-Tully’s June 9 letter, when Richard Lev noted DEP’s position that parceling of the property could impede investigation of other parts.

Suitability for a School Use of the property as a school site was discussed further with the DEP. “Redevelopment of contaminated sites is done for construction of public schools,” Mumford said.

“A soil vapor diversion system to divert gas from the soil away from the foundation could be installed if necessary,” he added. “It’s similar to what’s done for radon.” If there was anything definitive in our dis-

Athenia Steel access over or below the Rail Line?

On one side of this rail line is Athenia Steel; the other backs up to commercial buildings on Paulison Ave., below. With only once entrance to the 35 acre property, the City Council and Board of Education officials have discussed creating a tunnel below the rail line to offer an entrance via Paulison Ave. Another option they discussed is finding a road level area, such as the one above, and creating a crossing from the former steel mill to Paulison Ave. The question is what will this cost and is there any publically owned land providing access to Paulison Ave? Finally, residents living near Paulison Ave. often complain of traffic lines backing up from the Route 46 ramp.

cussion with the DEP representatives, it’s that without the facts as to concentrations of contaminants, what remediation is needed, and how long it will take, it’s impossible to say with certainty when the site can be ready for school construction. This writer mentioned a Sept., 2008 date for the opening; Mumford said, “That is doable,

Athenia Steel access To Paulison Ave?

depending on how fast the testing and cleanup are done.”

Magnanao was quoted in the June 9 letter as advising against construction of a school while the central portion of the property is being remediated “due to the potential for exposure to dust and vapor hazards.” We asked if students could attend school on the northern portion of the site while cleanup was underway on the central portion. “I wouldn’t like to speculate on that without the data,” Magnanao said.

What About the Seniors?

Where on Paulison Ave. would an exit be created?

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July 2004 • Clifton Merchant

In the case of the senior citizens housing complex, Magnanao said that there is a clean border between that property and the contaminated central portion, so that there will be no health risks to seniors when the central portion is cleaned as long as “proper engineering controls are in place.” This includes OSHA controls for workers as well as off-site protections for nearby residents.

wou Pr ld opos use ed thi Sch s a ool re a.

R Pa oute rk 4 wa 6 yI ron

This sketch of the Athenia Steel property, provided by the city in 2002, shows the plans for ballparks and 250 units of housing. There has been talk of building an ice hockey arena as well as a school on the land.

Mumford was asked if DEP’s cleanup standards for residential construction and schools are different.

“They’re the same,” he responded. “The same public health standards must be met.”

He did note that the State’s New Residential Construction Off-Site Conditions Disclosure Act requires that purchasers of new construction be informed of nearby contaminated sites.

While “National Standard” does appear on the list of Clifton sites “with on-site sources of contamination,” since the newly-built seniors’ apartments on the Athenia property are rental units, it was his opinion that this law would not apply.

We asked Magnanao if there are any preferred uses for this type of contaminated property, such as a passive park or greenway. “It really doesn’t matter to the DEP, as long as the property is properly remediated,” he said.

Svea Ave.

6

W 37 Ca inth Cond mb ro o rid p Co ge Cou mmu Cr rt nit os an y sin d of gs

make it impossible for anyone, including the experts, to predict when the first spade of earth can be turned for a school. How, then, can the former steel mill realistically be touted as a timely solution to Clifton’s urgent school overcrowding problems?

Athenia Steel access to Svea Ave?

Will Clifton Listen?

“DEP’s overall message,” Mumford said, “is that it is prudent to do a complete investigation and cleanup of the Athenia property before any further development is undertaken.” However, Clifton is not required to follow DEP’s recommendations; Mumford noted that “The Board’s environmental consultant is familiar with the property and can advise the Board accordingly.”

While Clifton doesn’t have to follow DEP’s recommendations, Magnanao said, “It’s at their peril if they proceed.” The irony of this situation is painfully obvious. The troubling unknowns concerning Athenia Steel

At the intersection of Fornelius and Svea Aves., this dead end offers a direct link into the middle of the 35 acre tract. Yet plans presented by the City Council still offer only one exit and entrance, and that’s to an already congested Clifton Ave. Clifton Merchant • July 2004

31

Clifton Voices Writer Elaine Sanchez asked some citizens what they thought of the events regarding our schools…

Dawn Kaiser: I think that as elected officials, it was their job to have picked a site. This has been on the drawing board for years now. I like the proposal to build by CCMS, move the middle school students to the current high school and build a hockey rink and pool. That plan looks to the future and I thought it was pretty positive.

But I’m starting to doubt we’ll ever build another school because of the indecision of the Board. And every time there’s a proposal for a school in the neighborhood, the residents oppose it, and they always win, which is unfortunate. Elected officials are going to have to take a stand.

Ellen Delosh: I have faith in our Board and there are very good, dedicated people on it. I’ve heard that by December they will know what site they want. I think they certainly will be building another school, especially after all the time they’ve spent. And I just think they want to put a lot of thought before committing to something.

Dennis Fitzpatrick: As a taxpayer, you want to see the resources developed to benefit everybody. It seems that no matter where the Board turns, they are going to find part of the constituency who will be unhappy. The Board should make up their minds soon. I do know I have three kids in the school system, and they have a wonderful education. I want everyone to benefit the same way my family has. They should make the opportunities available to everybody. Keep the classrooms at a certain size and give the kids an opportunity to learn in the right environment. Overcrowding breeds problems. There’s certainly not going to be an easy solution. Eventually the Board has to let the taxpayers decide.

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July 2004 • Clifton Merchant

Mary Rogers: I talked to the Mayor a couple days ago, and he suggested the Boys and Girls Club as a good place for the school. There has been so many things proposed and suggested. They need to look at all the alternatives available and make a decision to solve the current crisis. Nothing has worked. Everything’s up in the air and the Board’s hoping something’ll stick.

Building another school would be doubtful and very difficult to get citizens to approve. They need to make a case for some of these things.

Joe Mathias: We will never build another school if the Board has anything to do with it because they figure out ways to divert everybody away from the solution. They should build on Latteri Park because the land was purchased in 1950 for that reason. It’s big enough to build a school and access roads for busses. And they would still have room for a park.

Rich DeLotto, Community Advisory Committee member: It is so disheartening to do this year in, year out. Politically, it’s over for the Mayer building and Latteri Park. As far as Athenia Steel, we’ve been asking the contamination question for five years, and there are still no answers. We should build on Main Memorial Park.

We own it. There is no contamination. And as far as Latteri, save a small park and sell the rest to a developer for those beloved ratables. For the short term, we are going to need trailers at CCMS, WWMS and CHS. Rob Harsaghy: I think that the Board has done nothing at all.

Nothing. The Council is also responsible because they have not been realistic in solving this problem. The Mayer building is not going to solve anything. We definitely need another school for the 8th and 9th graders. If they add on to Columbus and Woodrow, that’s viable.

Right now, walkways between the wings at CHS should be the number one priority to help ease that crunch.

Teddy Harsaghy: The Board put their head in the sands and didn’t deal with the reality that Latteri Park is free and that’s where the school should be.

They need to listen to what the people say and put Latteri on the ballot. We need to totally change government in Clifton.

We need a strong mayor and ward council. A strong mayor would help steer this decision.

Joe Bohinek: The Board members dragged their feet just so there wouldn’t be anything on the referendum.

Without people on the Board who have kids in the school system, there’s no hope for anything in this town. We need to change the people that are there.

Clifton is going downhill real quick. It doesn’t look like we’ll build another school. No one wants to spend money. Everyone is saying, “Not in my backyard.”

That’s the problem.

Matt Ward: When the December 2001 referenda for the first new elementary school in Clifton in nearly 50 years passed, the opportunity existed to deal with school overcrowding. What’s happened since? The Board of Education — specifically those serving between May ‘02 and May ‘04 — squandered that momentum. First, the silly land grab for Schultheis Farm, followed by the preposterous idea to redo School #14. So what’s the answer? It’s clearly not the Mayer building or the contaminated and poorly located Athenia Steel. Board members serving during that time frame should resign. Results

are the only barometer in measuring leadership, and clearly, Latteri Park — the most compelling idea for taxpayers and students — has been shelved. Future solutions will now be scrutinized even more closely because of past actions.

Joyce Sunshine: I think the Board members dragged their feet because they don’t want Latteri Park as a school, no matter what the citizens want. I don’t know what their next decision will be, but it’ll probably be the wrong step. I feel they have their own agenda, and they don’t care what the citizens of the city think. I don’t know if they will ever solve the problem, but I think they need to build a school on Latteri Park. They could have the ball field and a beautiful park and still have the school because it has more acreage than WWMS. Joe Cupoli: Granted, it’s a thankless job, but these people ran to make decisions for our community.

Everybody knows we need another school. The fact that the Board put off the decision until the 23rd hour is disconcerting.There was a lot of politics and personalities involved. I wish someone could have emerged as a leader on the Board and forced a decision.

Procrastination cost us another year’s worth of not having a school. The crisis is over. We missed the referendum. All we can do is expedite the decision-making process for the next vote. We lost the battle.

Hopefully, we won’t lose the war. As Clifton is maturing—as the older population moves out and is reborn as the younger population—new people need to get involved in steering this community. We realize a city is only as strong as its community. And the community is only as strong as its educational system.

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Dutch Hill The signs are everywhere. Atop the street signs in a certain part of Clifton, in white letters on a blue background, are the words Dutch Hill. These signs are like the X that marks the spot on a treasure map: you know there’s something special here, and all you have to do is dig a bit deeper.

––––––– Story by Daniel Wolfe ––––––––

W

e’re still trying to keep some kind of identity,” said Ed Bush, a halfDutch (on his father’s side) Clifton resident who has lived in the Dutch Hill section all 79 years of his life. The only time he’s ever left was to serve in the Navy from 1942 to 1945.

“It was an interesting experience for a 17-year-old,” said Bush of his time in the Navy. He joined the Navy expecting to sleep on a ship instead of in the ditches and foxholes he imagined the Army endured. It didn’t work out that way.

“I ended up in the amphibious force,” he said, and had to spend many nights on beaches instead of a warm bed.

When the war ended, Bush returned to Dutch Hill, and never left.

“I always enjoyed Clifton,” he said. “It was a nice town.”

At age 22, he married his wife Elaine, then 21, who lived in Dutch Hill from the time that she was 12. They have two kids, Lorraine and Edward (not Edward Jr. — Ed Bush’s real name is Cornelius, a name he abandoned because his father and three cousins were also named Cornelius). The kids and their kids have moved to different states, but the Bushes stayed.

“I’d like others to see what it was like in the ‘40s and ‘50s,” Bush said of his neighborhood. “When I grew up here in the ‘30s, it was completely different than it is today.”

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July 2004 • Clifton Merchant

From left: Peter Ciamboli, Jim Scangarello and Adam Dull at Clifton Station, the adopted spot maintained by the Dutch Hill Residents Association. Dull and Scangarello are lifelong Clifton residents. Ciamboli lives in Roseland, but has been working with the Association on their adopted spot for the past two years. “I don’t live in the area,” he said, “but I wish I did.”

Many of the changes have come from diversity — the area is no longer the Dutch settlement it was in the late 1600s. The area’s roots can still be traced to those days, but it has also largely meshed with other parts of Clifton.

“It’s changed a bit,” Bush said.

“It used to be all Dutch; now it’s a mixed neighborhood completely.

We’ve had some great neighbors over the years. Good people.”

A lot has changed in Dutch Hill, but a lot has endured.

Take the Dutch Hill Residents Association, which began in 1967 and was incorporated in 1992. Jim Scangarello is its president.

He said the group’s goal is to retain the uniqueness of the neighborhood. “We keep an eye on each other and then we look to help the neighborhood,” Scangarello said.

Aside from reporting local concerns to the city, the Association takes active roles in its community.

Ed and Elaine Bush at their 50th wedding anniversary, Jan. 25, 1997.

Take, for example the most central item of the area, Weasel Brook Park, a former farmland that was sold to the Passaic County Park Commission in 1931 and formally dedicated in 1940.

Beyond the pond and along the Weasel Brook culvert, there is a ‘monster of a tire playground’, built by the Association in 1982.

“There was one fellow there who knew all about putting the tires in,” Scangarello recalled, even though the individual’s name escaped him The bulk of the project, which includes a tire-creature that different residents have called a dinosaur, a dragon, and the Loch Ness Monster; took place on a Saturday, and a few days later it was finished.

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Located near Third St., the tire playground has been rejuvenated (above) and is a favorite of kids.

Weasel Brook Park is also home to the Association’s annual fleamarket, held in June. The flea market is the Association’s primary fund-raiser (membership dues are only $5 per family, a much less substantial source of income), and allows the group to award several $300 scholarships each year to graduating high school students who live in Dutch Hill.

In addition to its annual scholarships and its activities with Weasel Brook Park, the Association has another pride and joy: its large adopted spot, an idea of Tim Gavin.

“We adopted a train station,” Scangarello said. Clifton Station in Dutch Hill, located off Clifton Ave., was adopted in 1990 through the Clean Communities Grant program. It was described by former Association president Kirk Johnson as “a cocoon that has slowly transformed into a beautiful butterfly.”

Standing next to a montage photo montage of the project, Scangarello proudly announced, “We worked on that for (over) twelve years, on and off.” Old photos show the station as almost crater-like: dirt and dust without any substantial growth or shrubbery. Over time, thanks to members of the Association, growth appeared, and Scangarello and Johnson even planted rose bushes.

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“I’m supposed to go and cut the grass one of these days,” Scangarello confessed. “NJ Transit is expanding the train station and I hope they take back responsibility for upkeep. The fact is that I’m 87 and I just can’t keep up with it much more,” In the meantime, people waiting for the train, sitting on benches on the edge of the grass, look more like park dwellers than commuters; you almost expect to see someone produce a bag of bread crumbs and begin feeding the birds.

On one side of the tracks, there’s a small clearing that seems almost naked without a picnic blanket spread out across it. Of his montage photos, Scangarello said, “We should put them in a museum. It’s history.”

Indeed, the Association has a rich history of its own. “I think we’re the oldest association in the city,” Scangarello said. At age 87, he’s been around long enough to know.

Like any other group, the Dutch Hill Residents Association started small. “Back then, we had no place to meet,” said Jo Messineo, the Association’s corresponding secretary, “We used to meet in homes.”

Then they moved to an elementary school, but it was so long ago, neither are quite sure which it was.

After a few years, the group started to meet at Hope Reform Church, but that didn’t last either.

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“Now we meet at Trinity Methodist,” Scangarello said.

They’ve been meeting there for almost eight years, and the group’s aging members are still involved to this day. “It’s the only thing that keeps me active,” said Scangarello who looks years younger than his age.

Looks aside, Scangarello said he and most of the board members have served over a decade and he’s hoping that some of the new people moving into the neighborhood will get involved. He’s getting tired.

As far as Messineo, she has other ways to keep herself active: around her home, among the news clips and photo montages of her Dutch Hill Residents Association involvement, are an assortment of her own award-winning paintings and pencil drawings.

Her latest is a self-portrait, and there are enough pieces of artwork that they alone adorn several unoccupied rooms in an otherwise vacant part of her home.

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“Half of the people who live in town don’t know where School 15 is,” said Laura Mikolajczyk. “We have an identity problem.

A lot of people think School 15 is in Passaic.”

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“So you see,” she said, showing off her artwork and speaking of her busy schedule. “I’m never bored. It keeps me busy and it keeps me out of trouble.”

Dutch Hill resident Laura Mikolajczyk isn’t a member of the Residents Association, but she is deeply involved with her community nonetheless. As a mother of two Dutch Hill students, she became active as a parent at School 15.

“Half of the people who live in town don’t know where School 15 is,” she said. “We have an identity problem. A lot of people think School 15 is in Passaic.”

Mikolajczyk agrees that Weasel Brook Park is an important part of Dutch Hill. “It’s a beautiful park, and people use it all day,” she said, “but the pathways, they need work. If you happen to be walking there at dusk, and you hit a pothole, you can hurt yourself.”

Scangarello is aware of this problem. “I would like to see someone put in new walks,” he said. “We’ve been asking for that for a few years now.”

The park’s walkways are weathered in some parts, but still very functional in others. They are in better shape than that one felled sign on the park’s edge.

But Mikolajczyk believes they could use some improvement. And over this past year, Passaic County has done a number of improvements in the park, including restoring a pedestrian bridge near Paulison Ave., shoring up the banks of the pond and giving the park an overall clean-up.

Despite living near an invisible school and an aging park, Mikolajczyk has made her community her life.

She’s been involved in the Home and School Association for 14 years, and served as the HSA president for about five years.

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Her first daughter, Sarah, graduated CHS in 2003 and is going to Montclair State University. “She wants to study early childhood education,” Mikolajczyk said of her daughter, who was accepted into the university’s teaching program. “She really likes young children.”

Her younger daughter, Jamie, is now in 7th grade at Columbus Middle School. Though she is no longer a School 15 parent, part of Mikolajczyk’s life is still at the school. “I work there as a lunch lady,” she said. She took the job six years ago, when she learned of it through her other involvements at the school.

Mikolajczyk said the job isn’t much different from parenting. “You make sure the kids get their lunch, and you make sure they eat some of it,” she said. “It keeps me busy for an hour or so a day.”

Mikolajczyk moved to Dutch Hill in 1983. “Most of the people keep their houses neat, their lawns mowed, and their snow shoveled,” she said. “I don’t think there’s much crime. I feel safe walking through the street.”

(Cornelius) Ed Bush, the lifelong resident with halfDutch ancestry, had his own thoughts on crime and safety, but it’s more a sign of the times than anything to do with Dutch Hill.

“Back then, if we had a dispute with anybody, we had a fight with our fists,” he said. “Nowadays, people bring out a knife or a gun.”

There are a number of charming homes in Dutch Hill, including the DeMott House, on First St., built in 1874.

So Dutch Hill is not immune to the changes that affect the rest of the world, and it is an evolving community, yet one that retains its identity. The signs atop the street posts remain, and children still play on the tire playground in one corner of Weasel Brook Park.

Traces of Dutch heritage are still evident, and even with the growing diversity of its residents, Dutch Hill remains an unique neighborhood of our city.

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Downtown

Clifton M

ichael Andalft, an attorney who owns and has renovated a series of buildings near the intersection of Clifton and Madison Aves., (pictured above) hopes to continue with construction on a vacant lot next to his property.

His buildings are now perhaps the most prestigious in the Downtown Clifton Special Improvement District, or SID, located along Main Ave., from the Passaic border to the Route 46 overpass and on Clifton Ave. from First St. to Getty Ave. So what is a SID? Basically a district in which landowners 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 to encourage development.

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July 2004 • Clifton Merchant

These funds subsidize the green awnings and some of the grander improvements which contribute to an improved look for the Avenue. Funds are used to pay for a full time executive director and for 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, 2003, 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

☛

Attorney Michael Andalaft has renovated a series of buildings near the intersection of Madison and Main Aves., (facing page) across from the new US Post Office.

Next to Andalft’s property, Joseph Cella, a lawyer who specializes in immigration law, earlier this year completed a renovation of his property at 1109 Main Ave., pictured below.

Gerry Dimitratos and Jimmy Doris (above) of the Famous Midtown Grill, at 1218 Main Ave., are in the midst of renovating their landmark building. The work includes a new facade and signage which gives the restaurant a classic yet contemporary look.

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two-story Passaic Bergen Ambulatory Surgery Center, owned

by Dr. Shams Qureshi, on the corner of Main and Prescott Aves.

Next to him, going towards the center of town, Kevin Trotter of Clifton Electrical has added new construction over a former parking lot for more retail frontage and second floor apartments.

Demolition of several 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. But actual construction on the site seems elusive.

At Main and Grace Aves. at former gas station was razed and to be replaced by an laundromat/coffee shop but a slow approval process by the county has stalled the project.

Parking for cars and more of it is an ongoing struggle in Downtown Clifton which has been addressed.

Jimmy Pappas of San Remo said the renovations have a positive business impact.

At the former used car lot on Main Ave. between DeMott and Clinton, a 32 space parking lot was created along with a small police office.

At 62 Madison Ave., next to the municipal parking lot at Clifton and First Ave., the city has purchased a vacant manufacturing plant and is scheduled to demolish it this month and add more parking.

Finally, in terms of landmarks, there is the two-acre Bellin’s Swim Club, next to the former Herald News building. The owners have reopened for another season but discussions continue to convert the property into a senior housing campus. Likewise, the adjacent Herald & News building remains vacant with no imminent plans.

From top left: the former Firestone building at the corner of Hillman is a never-ending construction project. Center top, the former gas station at Main Grace Aves. is being held up by Passaic County. Right, top, the completed medical building at the corner of Prescott and Main. Bottom left: the police kiosk at the Main Ave. parking lot. Center, this factory on Madison Ave will soon be a parking lot. Bottom right, Kevin Trotter of Clifton Electrical is adding retail space and second floor apartments.

44

July 2004 • Clifton Merchant

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Bishop Arthur J. Serratelli

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973.546.8410

Rodimer said of his pending retirement, during a wide-ranging interview on June 21 at the bishops’ residence on Derrom Ave. in Paterson.

“One of the reasons I’m so happy is that I am being succeeded by Bishop Serratelli, who has the three things I said in my letter to the Vatican that the diocese would need.

“I said we would need a man who is holy, healthy and happy and he is all of those. Not only that, he loves people, he knows people. And he loves the diocese and he knows it,” said Rodimer.

“Then comes the matter of adjusting to retirement,” the 76year-old Rodimer said, along with “getting used to” not having to go to the office every day, or almost every day. Rodimer has been a priest for over 53 years.

It’s an adjustment he’ll be going through when he sets up house in his diocesan-owned retirement home in Rockaway Township. “They tell me it takes a couple of weeks,” he said with a grin.

Although Rodimer has donated many of his possessions to the Little Sisters of the Poor in Totowa, one item he’s keeping is a tiny carved ivory figurine depicting the Flight into Egypt, with Mary and the Baby Jesus riding on a donkey being led

by St. Joseph. He used to admire it when he’d take Communion every 1219

Bishop Frank J. Rodimer

week to its owner, an elderly lady at St. Paul’s, and she had instructed her daughter to give it to ‘Father Rodimer’ after she died. “You were always so good to my grandmother,” she told me.

“It’s sort of dangerous to admire things,” the bishop said with a grin.

“People think you want them.”

The bishop took a moment to consider a usual question to a retiree on what he felt were the major accomplishments of his life and whether he felt he had “made a difference.”

“I really don’t know if I made a difference,” he said. “I just tried to do my job day to day. I always tried

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After more than 26 years as Bishop of Paterson, Frank J. Rodimer retired on July 6 when when Bishop Arthur J. Serratelli was installed as the 67-year-old Paterson Diocese’s seventh bishop.

Many Clifton residents think of the retiring bishop as ‘Father Rodimer,’ because he was the longtime pastor of St. Paul Church in Downtown Clifton.

Maura Rossi of the diocesan newspaper The Beacon recently spoke with Rodimer about his tenure as bishop and his thoughts about retirement. The following are excerpts from her interview.

“This is going to be another part of my life. And I’m happy about it,”

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July 2004 • Clifton Merchant

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to be conscious of being present to people, of getting to know people, and having them get to know me.

“It’s really up to somebody else, though, not you yourself, to decide you have made a difference in people’s lives,” said Rodimer. “Most of us don’t know till much later, even, when somebody has done that for us.”

As for the inevitable question about the feelings he will be taking with him into retirement about the clergy child abuse scandal that has rocked many diocese, including his own, Rodimer said, “First, we have to get through this crisis and get through it in such a way that it will be better for the church and the people of the church.” This means, he said, taking precautions for the future so that such a thing will not happen again.

Rodimer also dealt with the perception of many people, including many Catholics, that the major reason the bishops handled the issue of sex abuse by priests as they did was to preserve the public ‘image of the institution.”

“There may have been some of that,” he admitted, “but if you think of the church as an institution, that is the least important way to look at the church. The church is people, and if you think you are trying to protect people by trying to conceal things from them you are trying to do a good thing the wrong way. If you are trying to protect people from being scandalized, to do it by concealing something evil is not a way to do it.

“That is a mistake,” he concluded.

Bishop Frank J. Rodimer after a Confirmation at St. Paul’s.

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✭ PAT R I O T I S M ✭ American Legion Quentin Roosevelt Post No. 8 presented awards to poster contest winners Michael Mejia, Esmeralda Monoig and Edwin Cruz, all of School 12; coloring contest winners Max MacDonald of School 13, Klaudi Perko of School 15 and Yasmin Flores of School 12; and essay contest winners Joann Wolwowicz, Kimberly Konwinski and Freddy Goestil, all of CCMS.

Clifton Vets will visit the new WW2 monument and Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, DC on Sept. 20.

The city is providing transportation on two busses and it is likely that they will fill up fast. Veterans and their spouses who would like to get aboard, call Tom Miller at 973881-4173 for all the details. There is a $10 fee and payment must be made in advance.

48

July 2004 • Clifton Merchant

✭

✭

✭

✭ ✭ Kate Laszyn of St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic School was the winner of the annual American Legion Contest run by Clifton’s post. In addition to the winner, also pictured above are Ted Harsaghy and Frank Smith, Teacher Susan Krasowski and Principal Sr. Kathleen Hutsko and children from the President St. school in Passaic.

✭

✭ ✭ ✭ Troop 3 Scouts and Clifton Elks Lodge #1569 host an annual Flag Day service every June 14. Pictured above are some of the participants from this year’s event. What is the meaning of the Flag?, the program asks. “The Flag, which we honor and under which we serve, is the emblem of our unity, or our thought and shape of this nation. It has no other character than that which we give it from generation to generation.”

Photo by Peter J. Bakarich, jr.

1704

Residential & Commercial Construction • Home Remodeling James J. Cupo • Craig Stoepker 973-423-3736 • 45 Pino Court • Clifton Clifton Merchant • July 2004

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The Clifton Rotary Club’s new officers were named at their 54th Annual Installation Dinner at the Clifton Arts Center. They are: Russ Schneider, President; Jeffrey Schulman, Vice-President; Robert Jaffe, Secretary and James Palmer, Treasurer. Past president Albert Greco received the Paul Harris Fellowship Award from The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International.

Immediate past President Marlene Lubinger received the Walter D. Head Award. Lubinger also noted that the club, over the past year, distributed over $20,000 to local chari-

ties and organizations as well as numerous world wide humanitarian efforts. Local highlights included a $4,000 scholarship to a graduate of CHS and an ongoing effort to support Clifton Helping Hands and St Peter’s Haven. The next fundraiser is the 2nd Annual Robert P. Hammer Golf Outing on Aug. 10 at Crystal Springs. Proceeds go to The Gift of Life Program which provides life saving heart surgery to under privileged children from foreign countries. Those interested in sponsoring or playing the golf outing should call Schulman at 973-742-3400.

Gloria Martini with Lawrence Goldman of the NJ Performing Arts Center.

Two new businesses have opened on Market St. in Clifton. Osaka Sushi II is at 116a Market St. and is operated by Adam Park, above left. He also owns Osaka I in downtown Little Falls. Rob Koleser, right, is the proprietor of Allwood Bicycles at 110 Market St., who has been wheeling locally in that industry for the past 18 years.

The Nicholas Martini Foundation has supported the New Jersey Performing Arts Center since its opening in 1997, as it improves the cultural, economic and educational opportunities of the region, said Gloria Martini, also president of the North Jersey Regional Chamber of Commerce. The Foundation is named for the philanthropic individual, who, prior to his death in 1991, served in many civil capacities including Mayor of Passaic and Passaic County Freeholder. Martini in 1970 also received the Golden Cross of Honor from the Italian National Foundation.

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July 2004 • Clifton Merchant

Demolition by Mikula Contracting continued through the July 4th holiday.

by Paul Powlson. It is believed he chiseled his initials ‘PP’ and the year ‘1713’ into a stone along what is now Piaget Ave. Since that time, the building has served as a farmhouse, a home and in 1933, with the return of legalized liquor, Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Cusak opened it for dancing and dining as The Cliftonia.

By Dec., 1944, Kurt and Mae Ramig took over the the Cliftonia and added a number of renovations and innovations. The most notable, of course, was when in 1961, the Ramigs renamed the restaurant the Norselander, and operated the establishment until Jan. 15, 1973.

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In 1974, Daniel Yee opened Lee’s as a Tiki bar and restaurant and operated it as such until the fire last summer. Over the year since it burned, the city fined Yee $3,000.

So what’s next for this corner location in Lakeview? Most likely, it will be a regionally operated convenience store, a city official said.

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Say Aloha to a Landmark: Work crews continued demolishing the former Lee’s Hawaiian Islander over the Independence Day weekend. An eyesore since its burned on July 26, 2003, the building on the corner of Lexington and Piaget Aves. was first constructed in 1713

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Named “Bergen-Passaic’s Most Preferred Hospital for Overall Quality and Image” since 1996 by people from Bergen and Passaic counties. People who responded to an independent survey by the National Research Corporation, one of the nation’s top researchers. People who recognized Hackensack University Medical Center as a leader in quality healthcare. People who voted Hackensack University Medical Center as their most preferred medical center for an unprecedented eight years in a row.

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July 2004 • Clifton Merchant

Skate Zone, located next to Weasel Brook Park in Dutch Hill, was home to a weeklong skateboarding workshop last August instructed by Bobby Puleo (in back, wearing white). Left to right: Patrick Lake, Brian Burak, Matt Goran, Joseph Pelczar, Jeremy Delaney, Michael Hopkins, Keith Bassford, Ryan Stallone, Megan Stolarz, David Burak.

Clifton Skatezone at Third St. and Weasel Brook Park has rails, ramps, grinds and other stuff perfect for extreme skaters. It also offers a ‘skatium’ with a set of dasher boards, goals and players’ boxes for roller hockey. That’s not all. There is also a 1,000 foot perimeter path that will provide skaters with a loop area to skate.

Open six days a week, membership fees range from $40 to $150. Skatezone was built with a state grant and it is managed by the Rec Dept. Call 973-470-5956.

New Jersey law requires all kids 14 and under to wear a helmet while on a bicycle, skateboard or roller skates. Riders who don’t wear helmets are 14 times more likely to be involved in a fatal crash.

Helmets can reduce the risk of head injury by as much as 88 percent. We encourage everyone—kids and adults—to use helmets when wheeling around town.

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Pork Chop Valdostano pork chop stuffed with prosciutto, fontina and fresh mozzarella cheese in a cognac cream sauce.

Salmon in Dill Sauce Penne in Vodka Sauce Clifton Merchant • July 2004

53

in memory of The

Original

Fighting Mustang A

s coach of the Clifton Mustangs, Dr. Joseph Grecco was known for his booming voice, inspiring halftime speeches, and winning football program. The players who were part of his teams during the forties, fifties, and sixties remember him for an added reason: Coach Grecco checked their report cards.

Besides excellence on the football field, Coach Grecco demanded effort in the classroom. The former scholar-athlete at Upsala College saw his players’ path to success paved by the lessons learned on the gridiron and continuing education.

To honor Coach Grecco’s legacy, a group of former players and friends, including Sarah and Fred Lombardo, Al Mardirossian, jr., Bob Papa, and Lou Poles, have established the Joseph Grecco Scholarship Fund, which will be awarded annually to one Clifton High football scholar-athlete. To share in that legacy, please send your donations to the address listed below.

Joseph Grecco Scholarship Fund 1337

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Planned or Random Acts of Kindness: Rev. Carlisle Dickson of First Presbyterian Church continues to organize the community in commemorating—not commercializing—the events of 9/ll/01.

As he has done over the past two years, Rev. Dickson is calling on those of different faiths, municipal, county and state officials as well as police, fire and veterans groups to organize a fitting remembrance of the events of 9/11/01.

In the week leading up to 9/11/04, he is encouraging a week of PRAK—Planned or Random Acts of Kindness. “It could be a blood drive at a couple of locations, finding some places where people could volunteer for an hour or a half-day... I don’t know... we’ll leave it up to the individual or an organization,” said Rev. Dickson.

To get people talking about the plans for this year’s commemoration, Rev. Dickson is hosting a meeting on July 15 at 7:30 pm at the

At the annual June reunion of the CHS classes from the 1950’s, from left, that’s Al Mardirossian, jr., Fighting Mustang Coach Bill Vander Closter and Rich Fincken.

church, 303 Maplewood Ave. All are invited. Those interested can call Rev. Dickson at 973-523-1272.

While details are still being worked out, Rev. Dickson is planning the inter-faith memorial at Lambert Castle, Valley Rd., from 7:30 to 9:30 pm on 9/11/04.

PRAK This: St. Peter’s Haven is getting kids in need ready to get back to school. With the help of the community, they will distribute fully loaded backpacks in midAugust to 110 kids. Call the Haven at 973-546-3406 to determine how you can make this happen.

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55

John Pontes, distance and sprints coach for CHS and Andrew Piotrowski, pole vault and hurdle coach, will host a track and field camp on July 12-16 for ages 7 to 13.

Emphasis will be on fundamentals of running, introduction to track and field, body awareness and to develop speed and stamina. For ages 14 to 18, a camp will be held July 19 23 to teach athletes to become students of their events so they can build upon their own strengths.

Events include pole vault, sprints(100m to 800m), hurdles(100HH and 400IH), distances (beyond 800 m), throws (shot put and discuss) and jumps (long & triple). Both camps run from 9 am

to noon at Clifton Stadium. Price for ages 7 to 13 is $110 and for ages 14 to 18 it is $130. Participants receive a t-shirt. Call 973-473-5060 or email andypv44@hotmail.com.

The CHS Athletic Hall of Fame will hold its 2004 induction Oct. 10 at the Brownstone from 2-5 pm.

Inductees include Louis Andreotta, Class of June ‘44; Edward Bednarcik, Class of ‘75; Edward Klimek, Class of ‘87; Larry Kondra, Class of ‘69; William Lahanas, Class of ‘88; Sam Poulis, Class of ‘88; Keiko Tokuda, Class of ‘98; Brian Torres, Class of ‘94; Laura Tynio, Class of ‘98. Info: Bob Zschack at 973-345-0618.

Open your heart and your home.

Joe Vespignani’s Soccer Camps for kids ages 3 to 10 is on July 12-16 and Aug. 9-13, 5:30 to 7:30 pm.

Camp is at the CHS varsity soccer field. The fee is $80 for one week or $150 for both, which includes a tshirt. Mustangs Boys coach Vespignani has thus far achieved a 99-14-6 record, two Passaic County Championships, two league titles, and was twice a finalist in the state sectional. Call 973-334-0207 or email VespignaniSoccer@aol.com.

Mustang Hoops Basketball Camp is Aug. 2 to 6 ($150) in the CHS gym. Directed by CHS coach John Michael Santulli, camp runs 9 am to 3 pm. Early bird and pay-in-full discounts. Make checks to Mustang Hoops Basketball Camp and mail to: 16 Addicts Rd., Westwood, NJ 07675. For more info, call 201-3109152 or email jmsan@msn.com.

Ken Kurnath’s roast will take place in the early fall. Kurnath will be honored for his 15 years on Clifton’s Board of Ed and his four decades of service to Passaic Schools. Call Norm Tahan: 973-569-0936. hair nails color

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July 2004 • Clifton Merchant

1284

Call Jill at 973.365.0220 to make an appointment.

88 Market Street, Clifton

Stan Lembryk’s Training of Champs Soccer Camp for boys pre-k to 8th grade is Aug. 9-13 and for girls pre-k to 8th grade, on Aug. 16-20, from 9 am to noon, at WWMS. CHS ‘87 grad Lembryk is the CHS girls soccer coach credited with not only bringing direction to the program but also producing numerous team wins and individual accomplishments. He is also director of USA Soccer Academy and head coach NY/NJ U18 Metro Stars (MLS). Cost is $120.

Call 973-686-1764.

MVP Basketball Camp II for boys and girls, grades 3 through 9 by former CHS boys basketball coach Pete Vasil, is Aug. 2-6, 9 am to 3 pm at St. Paul School on Main Ave. Vasil, who coached the Mustangs from 1997 - 2003 brought the team to three straight State playoff berths, a County Final Four, and two Prime Time Shootout appearances. Vasil is still a player and was recently named All-Tournament at the 20th Masters Basketball National Championship in Florida.

Cost is $125. Call 973-569-0407 or visit the Clifton Rec. Dept.

Three months of dedication and training resulted in success for students from the Academy of Koeikan Karate in Downtown Clifton. On May 16, they competed in the 2004 Koeikan International Karate-Do championships held at Felician College in Rutherford. They competed agains team from five states. Congratulations to the following students who won medals in the Kata (forms) and Kumite (free sparing) categories: Sensei Marco Lopez, Sensei Dan Neyra, Sensei G. Kadkoy, Nancy Ross, Bill Delaney, D. Lichtenberger, C. Restrepo, D. Restrepo, C. Polakowski, S. Slezak Jr., D. Scordilis, R. Arellano, G. Dailey, J. Martinez, D. Campoverde, C. Reyna, J. Gentile, M. McEachrane, M. Hernandez, G. Luziac, R. Baclayo, R. Ciser.

City of Clifton with the cooperation of the Board of Education and several civic organizations and other sponsors. It is conducted over two weeks, from 9-11:30 am, Monday through Friday, and this year will be held from July 19 through July 30. Safety Town is run at School 2 at 1270 Van Houten Ave., The fee for Safety Town is $20. To register, call 973-470-5853.

Safety Town is an annual program for children entering kindergarten to teach little ones the basics on how to keep safe and healthy at home, school and on the street.

The program is presented by the

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The Clifton Silk Soxs still call Nash Park home and offer the following schedule of fast pitch hardball there: 7/10 .....Newark Noon 7/11......To be scheduled 11 am 7/17 .....Maplewood (2) 11 am 7/18 .....Newark (2) 11 am 7/24 .....Maplewood (2) 11 am 7/25 .....Allamuchy, Noon For info, call General Manager Bob Potts at 201-796-6699 1311

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57

• CLIFTON’S ELECTED OFFICIALS • Politicians often respond to letters and phone calls. Below you’ll find the address and phone number of every elected official that has your vote to thank for their position.

We encourage readers to contact the elected officials as needs and issues arise.

Federal Office Holders President George W. Bush The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20500 202-456-1111 U.S. Senator Jon Corzine 502 Hart Senate Office Bldg Washington, DC 20510 202-224-4744 Local address: One Gateway Center, 11th Fl Newark, NJ 07102 973-645-3030 U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg 324 Hart Senate Office Bldg Washington, DC 20510 Local address: One Gateway Center, 1st Fl Newark, NJ 07102 973-639-8700 Congressman Bill Pascrell, Jr. 1722 Lonworth House Office Bldg Washington, DC 20515 202-225-5751 Local office: Robert A. Roe Federal Bldg 200 Federal Plaza, Suite 500 Paterson, NJ 07505 973-523-5152 State Office Holders

Freeholder Director James Gallagher 973-225-5415 Freeholder Deputy Director Lois A. Cuccinello 973-225-5416 Freeholder Peter C. Eagler 973-881-7891 Freeholder Elease Evans 973-225-5417 Freeholder Michael G. Mecca, Jr. 973-225-5414 Freeholder Walter W. Porter, Jr. 973-881-4460 Freeholder Sonia Rosado 973-881-4417

Governor James E. McGreevey The State House, PO Box 001 Trenton, NJ 08625-001 609-292-6000

Other Elected County Officials These individuals perform a variety of services and are elected to terms of various lengths:

State Senator Nia H. Gill 425 Bloomfield Ave, 2nd Fl Montclair, NJ 07042 973-509-0388

Surrogate William J. Bate Passaic County Courthouse 77 Hamilton St., Room 101, Paterson, NJ 973-881-4760

State Assemblyman Peter C. Eagler 1113 Main Ave Clifton, NJ 07011 973-458-1130 State Assemblywoman Sheila Y. Oliver 15-33 Halsted Street East Orange, NJ 07018 973-395-1166

58

Passaic County Freeholders All Freeholders can be reached by writing this address: Passaic County Administration Bldg 401 Grand St, Rm 233 Paterson, NJ 07505 973-881-4414 Individual names and numbers:

July 2004 • Clifton Merchant

Clerk Ronni D. Nochimson Passaic County Admin. Bldg.

401 Grand St., Room 130, Paterson, NJ 973-225-3632 Sheriff Jerry Speziale Public Safty Complex 435 Hamburg Tpk. Wayne 07470 • 973-389-5919

Clifton City Council All Council members can be reached by writing this address: City of Clifton 900 Clifton Ave Clifton, NJ 07013 Individual names and numbers: Mayor James Anzaldi 973-470-5757 Councilman Frank Gaccione 973-773-3788 Councilman Steven Hatala, Jr. 973-777-5389 Councilwoman Gloria Kolodziej 973-777-6600 Councilman Donald R. Kowal 973-881-3186 Councilman Stefan Tatarenko 973-777-4920 Councilman Edward Welsh 973-478-4031 Clifton Board of Education All school board members can be reached at this phone number: 973-470-2288. Individual mailing addresses: President Joseph C. Kolodziej 113 Fornelius Ave., Clifton 07013 Lizz M. Gagnon 34 Brookwood Rd.,Clifton 07012 Marie L. Hakim 299 Lakeview Ave.,Clifton 07011 James A. Leeshock 16 Harold Pl., Clifton 07013 James M. Smith 162 Beverly Hill Rd., Clifton 07012 John M. Traier 15 E. Parkway, Clifton 07014 Kim Renta 131 Pershing Rd., Clifton 07013 Norm Tahan 141 Rutgers Pl., Clifton 07013 Keith La Forgia 7 Myron St., Clifton 07014

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omeone once said that bad politicians are elected by good people who don’t vote. While it’s not quite that simple nor is it that easy to tell the good guys from the bad, it does come down to this: vote and have a voice.

On the next page, we’ve published a Voter Registration Form so that those of you who are not registered can. It is a simple form and all it will cost to complete is a minute of your time, (a copy if you don’t want to tear out the page) an envelope and 37 cents to mail.

Our ability to vote and have a say in how our city, schools and country is governed is one of those little things that we too often take for granted. For instance, in April’s School Board election, the budget passed by just three votes with 2,493 Cliftonites casting their ballots in support of the ‘04-’05 budget and 2,490 voting ‘no.’

It was an emotional roller coaster of a week after initial tallies on Election Day, April 20, showed that the budget had been defeated. The outcome was reversed on April 27 once 23 provisional ballots – votes certified after the election – were counted.

And then think back to the last Presidential Election in 2000 and remember how every vote counted (some same maybe they didn’t).

It is an amazing American right. Make your voice heard, Clifton: vote.

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registered to vote where you live now, Voter Registration: If you are not you may register by completing this form.

Mail to: Passaic County, Commissioner of Registration, 311 Pennsylvania Ave., Paterson, NJ 07503 • 973-881-4516 Print clearly in Ink. Use ball-point pen or marker Qualification of an Eligible Applicant You must be a citizen of the United States and, by the date of the next election, at least 18 years old and a resident of New Jersey and your county for at least 30 days.

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July 2004 • Clifton Merchant

A Coach for the

Right Reasons

by Jack De Vries

T

alk to any Clifton High School football player who played in the forties through the sixties and ask about their greatest team victory or defeat. It usually involves Montclair.

During those years, Clifton almost always lost to Montclair. When the Mustangs finally beat the Mounties in 1957 and 1959, it was like New Year’s Eve and the Fourth of July rolled into one. More than 13,000 fans were at the 1957 game at Woodman Field when the Mustangs fans ripped the goals post down and paraded back to Clifton.

The players still call it one of the greatest moments of their lives.

So it’s ironic to many that Ron Anello, Clifton’s new head football coach, is a former Mountie.

Don’t expect him to apologize for it. His brother Mike was a Mountie and his father Sylvester “Bull” Anello played for Montclair’s 1941 undefeated state championship team. His dad’s team sweater is framed and hangs on the wall of Anello’s Lafayette, N.J., home, constantly reminding of his bloodline.

He knows about Montclair’s rivalry with Clifton.

Heard about in his house. Watched it through the chainlink fence surrounding Woodman Field and in the stands at Clifton School Stadium when his father took him to see Montclair greats like Len Coleman.

He’s also aware of the Mustangs’ proud football legacy, including the accomplishments of Coach Joe Grecco and Bill Vander Closter, and sees it as one of Clifton’s strengths.

And he recognizes that he’ll feel a little strange “for a second” standing on the opposite side of the field when Clifton’s sophomore team plays against his old school.

But if you think this is a story about Clifton’s football tradition—about a former rival leading the Mustangs back to past glory—you’re wrong.

Now, more than any time in Clifton’s history, bringing in a new coach is about turning a page. It’s not about “adding to a tradition” or “continuing a proud legacy.” It’s about getting better. It’s about playing football.

It’s about the kids.

“Somebody asked me,” Anello says, “what my goals were for this season.

They’re simple: when we come off the field on Tuesday afternoon, we’re a better football team. When we come off the field on Wednesday afternoon, we’re better than we were Tuesday. Everything else falls into place.

“I never talk about winning and losing; I talk about things being done right.

☛

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July 2004 • Clifton Merchant

From Player to Coach Anello grew up a stones throw from Woodman Field, near the Upper Montclair border. He played his high school ball under Butch Fortunato, who coached not only his older brother, but his father.

During World War II, Fortunato, then an assistant, took over the team when legendary Montclair head coach Clary Anderson served in the U.S. Navy.

Anello’s first game as a freshman was against Clifton at Woodrow Wilson Junior High. As a senior, he would go on to earn a 1975 New York Daily News “honorable mention” at offensive center for the Mounties.

“I was fortunate to play for Butch,” says Anello. “He’d do anything for a kid, including help you get into college. If you weren’t doing your job in the classroom, he’d call you in and say, ‘Let’s get this thing in gear—you’re better than this.’

He’s a great human being.”

Anello says his favorite high school memory was his last game when Montclair beat Bloomfield at Foley Field before 15,000 people.

“In my sophomore year,” he adds, “we stopped Westfield’s 48game unbeaten streak. The following week, we beat Brick, who had taken over Westfield’s place as the team with the longest unbeaten streak at 37 games. But what I

Coach Anello and future Mustangs at Woodrow Wilson Middle School.

1303

remember most was the camaraderie. Playing for a school with the football tradition of Montclair, you were proud to wear that color.”

After graduating, Anello received offers from Wagner, Norwich, and Lebanon Valley, but choose to attend Trenton State. As a senior, he went on to earn allleague honorable mention honors, but his proudest achievement was being named the Delaware Valley Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame’s Scholar-Athlete.

“I played for (head coach) Eric Hamilton, who gave me my first crack at coaching as a graduate assistant. He taught me how to watch film and make practice plans. I wasn’t looking to get into coaching, but found it enjoyable. I thought, ‘They’re going to pay me for this?’ I couldn’t believe it.”

After coaching for Trenton State in 1981, Fortunato asked Anello to return to Montclair as an assistant coach. He spent three seasons there, and then moved on to Dickinson High School in Jersey City, where he coached for two seasons.

A quick stint at Snyder High followed (Anello was the head coach for girls’ varsity softball team) before he moved to West Essex Regional High School in North Caldwell as an assistant football coach.

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Coach Anello, wife Debbie, kids Gabriel, 14, and Brittany, 11 holding Ruby.

Clifton Connection Anello married wife Debbie in 1985. He remembers the day in 1987 when she gave him the news about their upcoming move to Clifton’s Acquackanonk Gardens section.

“I was coaching freshman basketball at West Essex at the time,” he says. “I was at our apartment in Bloomfield when my wife came home and said, ‘I bought a house today.’

“I said, ‘Let me sit down—you bought a house today? Like you bought a pair of shoes? Don’t you want me to see this house?’ She said, ‘My mother and I bought the house.’ True story. She said, ‘It needs a lot of work, but it’s just a starter home—we’ll only be there a few years.’

“She was right, it needed work.

At that time, I was young, had a lot of energy, and a lot of friends. We ripped that house apart,

☛ 1527

In 1987, Anello took over the Knights’ head job, a position he would hold until 1997.

At West Essex, Anello immersed himself in football, watching films, networking with other coaches, and talking with his mentors, which he continues to do to this day (“I talk to Coach Ham every other week,” he says.). He also learned from his assistants.

“A great coach and my dear friend Al Rotella once told me, “Ron, when you think you know it all, you’re just starting to learn.”

After disappointing finishes during his first two years, Anello’s teams went 50-25-2 during the next eight seasons, which included two berths in the North 2, Group 3 finals.

“I owe West Essex a lot,” he says. “They took a chance on young coach. I could have been there today, but wanted to move up the career ladder and jump to the administrative side.”

In 1997, Anello, who also has a master’s degree in education, accepted a position at Wallkill Valley Regional High School in Hamburg, N.J. Besides being the school’s athletic director, he continued to coach as an assistant on the football team and work as the girls’ varsity softball team head coach.

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While Clifton’s football legacy has been one of a state championships and packed stadiums, it’s also been one of rocky fields, political bickering, and disappointment. Seventeen coaches have lived through those seasons, all leaving their mark on Clifton’s football history.

Carlton Palmer (1921)

Harry Steinmark (1924)

Below are three Clifton coaches that pictures are not available for: Clifford S. Hurlburt (1922-1932)

64

Steve Holster (1925)

Art Donnelly (1926-1934)

Al Lesko (1935-1941)

Vic Dragon (1942-1964)

Joe Grecco (1945-1963)

Bill Vander Closter (1964-1979)

John Lischak (1980-1981)

Jack Jones (1982-1984)

Dennis Heck (1985-87)

Alex Kaplanovich (1988-1989)

John Iannucci (1990-1992)

James Kelly (1993-1997)

James D. Hill (1998)

Chet Parlavecchio (1999-2003)

July 2004 • Clifton Merchant

rebuilt it, and ended up living there 11 years. We loved it, but just outgrew it (the Anellos have two children, Gabriel, 14, and Brittany, 11).

“To be honest, if we could’ve found the right house for the money we had, we would’ve never left Clifton.”

While living in Clifton, Anello followed the city’s high school teams and watched the parade of football coaches come and go—many whom he knew personally.

“Clifton has such a rich (sports) tradition,” he says.

“I couldn’t understand why they weren’t giving the coaches a chance—it was like they were attacking their own.”

When the Clifton job came open this year, he carefully weighed the decision to go for the position. If he became the Mustangs’ head coach, he would be leaving the security of Wallkill Valley for one of the most politicized jobs in New Jersey high school sports.

Why did he take the position?

“If I didn’t feel I could help this school, I wouldn’t have even applied. I don’t have a magic wand—it’s a lot of hard work. I wanted to coach again, and this position was open. And a lot of people got in my ear and said, ‘Ron you’d be good there.’

What Clifton Can Expect After the Clifton Board of Education announced Anello’s hiring, Bob Csuka, a member of Clifton High School’s Athletic Hall of Fame and a former All-State player, called the new coach.

“I told him, ‘Let me be the first former Mustang to congratulate you,’” says Csuka. “‘Actually, you’re the second,’ Ron said. ‘Richie Lio (Szuka’s teammate on the 1966 state champion team) called me first.’”

Csuka, who taught with Anello at West Essex, is extremely happy with his friend’s selection. “Clifton’s lucky to get him,” he says. “Ron faced a similar challenge when he came to West Essex, taking a job almost nobody wanted. He’s no-nonsense, fair, doesn’t play favorites—everything you want in a coach. He’s also extremely organized and will put the time in.

“Once he gets his program established, he’ll be successful—I’m sure of it.”

Another supporter is West Essex Coach Dave Drozjock, who was Anello’s defensive coordinator for a decade before replacing him seven years ago.

“Clifton’s getting a quality guy,” says Drozjock.

“He’s the most organized person I’ve ever met and has a great work ethic. He influenced my career by demonstrating the importance of being prepared.

He’s also loyal to his kids and expects the same from them.”

Csuka believes Anello will restore the Clifton football tradition that some believe is gone forever.

“I don’t buy that Clifton can’t have a great football team,” he says. “People say Clifton’s a soccer town now. They forget when I played that we also had great soccer teams. Look at the band—it’s as great as it was 50 years ago. Why can’t it be the same with football? There’re 3,000 kids in that school. You can’t tell me there aren’t 30 good football players there.”

Give Anello time, Csuka believes, and the program will turn around and the “coaching carousel” will end.

“Ron’s a likeable guy,” he adds, “but he won’t let the politicos run his program.”

Moving Forward Anello is now preparing for the upcoming season, hiring a staff and becoming familiar with the school. He marvels at the passion of Clifton fans at a recent softball game, noting the crowd was bigger than some that Wallkill Valley had for football contests.

He’s also heard his first Clifton rumors.

☛

Welcome to Clifton Coach Anello!

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CHS gridiron legends Bobby Boettcher and George Telesh are among the Mustangs noted in Robin Hodgson’s book, “The Glory Years: The Winning Tradition of Montclair Football.”

Hodgson gives an account of the history of MHS football from the late 1920s through the 1983 season. Among the stories are Montclair’s battles with Clifton, a rivalry that began in 1947.

George Telesh had the game of his young life as he led the way in the Mustangs’ 26-0 victory over the Mounties on Nov., 16, 1957 when CHS handed MHS its first home loss since 1948.

One Mountie recalled the day. “Clifton arrived with about 120 players and took up the entire field where we were trying to practice. They dressed up everybody they had to show strength and power, and the intimidation was almost overwhelming. Nothing seemed to work for us and Clifton was having an excellent game.”

Hodgson is a 1966 graduate of MHS, where she was a cheerleader. The book is full of familiar faces and names, including profiles on legendary coaches Clary Anderson and Butch Fortunato.

The cost per book is $25, plus $5 for shipping and handling. To purchase one, call Robin Hodgson at 973-595-1283.

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July 2004 • Clifton Merchant

“Some people have speculated that I’m sick—thinking I’m getting chemotherapy treatments because I’m bald,” he says.

“Actually, I have hypothyroidism—a sluggish thyroid that causes hair loss and lack of energy.

It’s an often undetected condition, and I discovered it when I began losing my hair. Now, I take daily medication and I’m fine.”

There have also been questions whether he can coach a team like Clifton in the tough NNJIL. “There’s pressure at every level,” he says, “no matter where you go. Coaches self-inflict pressure—it’s part of coaching. I’m not trying to downplay anything, but to keep it in perspective.”

Hopefully for Mustang football, Anello’s hiring symbolizes a new era, signaling that stability will return to the program.

“I sense there’s a change,” Anello says, “that people can accept it will take time to build (a program). If I didn’t feel that, I wouldn’t have taken the job. I feel a commitment from the administration, (school superintendent) Dr. Rice, (Physical Education, Health, and Athletics supervisor) Mr. LaDuke, and all the people I talk to.”

He also sees last season’s 6-4 finish and the berth in the state tournament as a “big turning point,” but knows his team must build from it.

Echoing Szuka’s comments, he says: “The numbers on definitely your side—we should get a hundred kids out for football based on percentages. And we’re going to institute a sophomore program. The kids have got to play more—that’s how you get better.”

“I’ve felt I’ve never worked a day in my life because I like what I do.

Is it time consuming? Yes. Do you have your headaches? Yes. Do people criticize you? Yeah—but if you worry about those things, you’re in the wrong business.”

Anello feels comfortable in Clifton. He mentions stopping for a soda at Henry’s on Van Houten Ave. and noting things haven’t changed much from when he lived in town.

And he appreciates Clifton’s hardworking reputation—one that fits well with his own.

“It’s my type of town. When I met with (former coach) Chet Parlavecchio, he said the kids work hard and come to play every day— that says a lot about their parents.”

Can a former Montclair Mountie rebuild a program in Clifton? That remains to be seen. But if Anello’s commitment, past success, and love of the job are any indications, the future looks positive.

“To be honest,” he says, “I’ve felt I’ve never worked a day in my life because I like what I do. Is it

time consuming? Yes. Do you have your headaches? Yes. Do people criticize you? Yeah—but if you worry about those things, you’re in the wrong business.”

“Coaching is what I do—I love the challenge of preparing a team to compete.”

Though he recognizes coaches are driven to win, his best memory, which also says a lot about his character, comes not from a victory, but a comment from a thirdstring offensive guard “One of my players told a teacher at West Essex, ‘Coach Anello cares about the ‘scrubs’—a word I never use—the same way he cares about his first-team players. That’s the nicest thing anybody could ever say about me as a coach—it meant the world to me.”

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SACREDPLACES

St. Peter’s Episcopal Church T

erri Hopkins wasn’t having much luck finding a church to meet the spiritual needs of her young family when she moved to Clifton a little more than five years ago. Then, one Sunday, she attended a mass at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, located on Clifton Ave. between 1st and 2nd Streets.

“It took a long time to find a church where I was completely comfortable,” said the mother of three. “But I was struck almost immediately by the kindness of the parishioners here and their genuine interest in me. I knew right then that our search was over.” Hopkins joined the congregation a short while later and quickly became involved in its ministry. Today she serves as Clerk of the Vestry (the congregation’s governing body, or council) and Director of its Sunday School.

A Church of Inclusion The kindness experienced by Hopkins and her family has been the hallmark of St. Peter’s throughout its 107-year history in Clifton. From its meager beginning as a small Sunday School class meeting in a hall above a general store, to the congregation that today sponsors St. Peter’s Haven, a mission program supporting the hungry and homeless in and around Clifton, the people of St. Peter’s have earned a reputation for their compassion.

A former rector of the church, the Reverend Jorge Gutierrez, who served the congregation for most of the 1980s, spoke of that compassion when St. Peter’s celebrated its 100th anniversary in 1996: “I have never before, nor have I since, served a congregation that could…be as bighearted and caring.” He added, “And never did you do this in such a way as to rob any person of their dignity.”

☛

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July 2004 • Clifton Merchant

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Father Hank Dwyer, the Ministering to current rector of St. the Community Peter’s, said it was that Unquestionably, the most same spirit of caring that visible component of the led him to the church five church’s ministry in Clifton years ago. He cited the is St. Peter’s Haven. Since congregation’s openness, the congregation established their progressive views the mission in 1986, it has towards ministering to provided emergency transiothers, and their support tional housing for more than of the Haven as the pri85 families in the area, and mary reasons he accepted food for hundreds of inditheir call. viduals in need each month.

“I’ve always believed “God sends mission that churches need to be opportunities to everyone,” more inclusive,” he said. said Dwyer. “It’s up to us to “We need to be open to do something about them. every one of God’s people, 17 years ago the people of especially those who have this parish saw homeless been largely ignored over families needing help, and the years. The people of they rose to the challenge.”

St. Peter’s obviously feel The idea for the mission Rev. Hank Dwyer believes in an active and inclusive church. program began shortly after the same way.”

In addition to the more the Church Vestry decided to traditional programs offered at the church, such as regtake down the former rectory next to the church and creular worship services, Sunday School, and adult Bible ate a garden refuge along Clifton Ave. One of the memstudy, Dwyer conducts a Serenity Mass on the first bers had read about an elderly couple living in a cardboard Saturday of each month, and the congregation actively box on the banks of the Passaic River and questioned supports the Center for Progressive Christianity. whether it was right to destroy the old house when it could Church members also conduct a coffee hour each be used to help others. That simple question led to the forSunday and they host several breakfast gatherings durmation of a committee that recruited volunteers both from ing the year. within and outside of the parish. They worked tirelessly to The Serenity Mass offers special thanks to God for raise the required funding from local businesses, the the miracles of recovery and healing made possible United Way, the Episcopal Diocese of Newark, and other through Alcoholics Anonymous and its Twelve Step sources. Finally, with the help of a matching grant from Program. The Center for Progressive Christianity, Hoffman-LaRoche, St. Peter’s Haven for Homeless according to its mission statement, reaches out not only Families was dedicated in October 1986. to mainstream Christians, but “to those for whom organToday, the number of staff members and volunteers has ized religion has proved ineffectual, irrelevant, or grown considerably and the program offers a full complerepressive.” ment of support services from its two locations: the origiAs for the coffee hours and special breakfasts that nal single-family house next to the church, and a recently are open to all, Dwyer jokingly said, “obviously we’re purchased two-family dwelling on Burgess Place. a church that likes to eat.” But he was quick to point “It is most important that the family members we help out the spiritual meaning of the gatherings and their receive employment training, and that their children conrole in the mission of the church. “The most important tinue in school,” said Dwyer. As a result, St. Peter’s teachings of Jesus happened around the table,” he Haven now provides educational programs, emergency said, citing several Bible passages. “So, table fellowneeds advocacy, pre-service placement, ongoing counselship is how we at St. Peter’s connect better to Christ ing, and transportation assistance, in addition to the emerand to his people.” gency shelter and food it supplies.

☛

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July 2004 • Clifton Merchant

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Call for our Fall Catalog 973.470.2438 In person registration at Clifton High School Thursday, Sept. 2nd & Thursday, Sept. 9th – 6 - 9 PM Senior Citizen registration 3:30 - 5 PM Classes Begin Monday, Sept. 20th & Thurdsay, Sept. 23th

www.clifton.k12.nj.us 72

July 2004 • Clifton Merchant

St. Peter’s Haven on Clifton Ave.

To those who wonder how such a relatively small parish (about 150 members with 80 or so who attend mass regularly) is able to sustain such a large mission project, Dwyer said it’s no mystery at all. “Our parishioners believe in what we’re doing.

We are blessed also with tremendous support from the public, community leaders, and Clifton businesses.”

That’s especially important at this time of year, added the priest. During the holiday season, St. Peter’s Haven prepares and donates 150-200 food baskets to needy families, in addition to the food it normally supplies through its daily operations.

“We have accomplished a lot for such a small congregation,” said parishioner Lauren Read, who recently returned home to Clifton after spending four years at Boston University. She has been an active member of the parish since her elementary school days but said that, even so, it is difficult to define precisely why St. Peter’s means so much to her and to parishioners like Hopkins.

Read said that she attended mass at a number of Episcopal churches while away at school, including a very formal ‘high’ church. “None of them were able to provide the sense of comfort and belonging I receive here at St. Peter’s,” she said. “This is a remarkable place, and not just because of the Haven. It’s how a church should be.”

SACREDPLACES

and its people

Her St. Peter’s Journey N

ancy Read ventured into St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, part of the worldwide Anglican Church, more than a decade ago. In short order, the former Roman Catholic was received into the Episcopal Church with the traditional laying on of hands by thenBishop John Shelby Spong.

Fast forward to 2004—though her years of ministry as a hospice nurse and chaplain and as a volunteer helping street women via St. Paul‘s Episcopal Church in Paterson—and Read has made history.

In June, she was ordained to the vocational deaconate, among the first people called to the permanent deaconate in the Episcopal Diocese of Newark in more than a quarter century.

This time, John Palmer Croneberger, (at right, with Read) the Ninth Bishop of Newark, laid his hands on the head of Read, now known as The Rev. Deacon Nancy Read, calling her to holy orders in the packed cathedral of St Paul & Trinity on Newark‘s Broad Street.

“Being ordained... has been almost a lifelong calling for me,” said Read, alluding to her childhood as a Roman Catholic considering a future as a nun. “My entering the profession of nursing was part of listening to God’s call.”

Nancy Read’s ordination—with four others from other North Jersey parishes—was a long time coming.

She had spent years in service, working with a prison ministry as well as Oasis, the diocese’s ministry for gay and lesbians.

There was, too, a host of course work, including weekly EFM, or Education for Ministry, sessions.

“May God’s blessing be upon you in your diaconal ministry,” Bishop Croneberger wrote in a Book of Common Prayer and Bible awarded to Read that day.

But there was more, for the bishop referenced Matthew 25: 35-36, a portrait of a deacon’s duties.

“For I was hungry and you gave me food,” it reads.

“I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me. I was naked and you gave me clothing. I was sick and you took care of me. I was in prison and you visited me.”

Soon, Read is to be assigned by the bishop to take up with her role as deacon at another North Jersey parish.

But it wasn’t before she gave the Trinity Sunday sermon at St. Peter’s, which on her day of ordination gave her a deacon’s stole fashioned to reflect Read’s interests.

Among them was the image of a cat and a dog, and a rainbow, symbolizing the Rainbow Bridge where pets are said to await their masters in haven. Read, who is married to journalist and Images of America: Clifton author Philip Read, has two children and a collection of pets.

“I have and will always consider this my home,” she said in her sermon. “Like some of you who will soon be leaving home to go off to college and the like, there’s only one true, real “home” when you think about it. You may move into a dorm or apartment and bring elements of home and place them there, but it’s never the same.

St. Peter’s will be that special first home that I will always cherish returning too now and again. Words just cannot describe what I’m feeling here, with all of you, in this place called St. Peter’s Church this morning.”

For a quarter century, the post of deacon in the Episcopal Diocese was a brief stopover on the way to be ordained a priest. Bishop Croneberger championed the change embracing the special role of vocational deacon.

Clifton Merchant • July 2004

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Do you love the swinging sound of an accordion, horn and a fiddle?

If so, then you know what a Polka is all about. And if you want to hear some of the old favorites, then be sure to be at Passaic’s Third Ward Park on July 20 at 7:30 pm. That’s when Grammy Award Winner Jimmy Sturr and his orchestra will perform a free concert, rain or shine.

Called America’s polka king, Sturr will perform at the band shell located at the corner of Van Houten and Passaic Aves., across from the train station. Bring your own lawn chairs.

The concert is sponsored by Passaic Mayor Sammy Rivera, Wawel Savings Bank, Polish and Slavic Federal Credit Union, Senator Paul Sarlo, Passaic County Community College and others. For info, call Greg Komeshok at 973-473-5111.

The Clifton Concert Series on Sunday evenings at 7:30 pm in Main Memorial Park, Park Slope and Route 46, opens on July 11 with the Montclair Community Band.

July 18, Kracker Jax does disco; July 26, Nick James and Amarillo offers the best of country; Aug. 1, Beatlemania; Aug. 8, the Ablemen do polka music and more; Aug. 15, Island Breeze offers a calypso festival; Aug. 22, Reminisce does the 50’s; Aug. 29 Boisterous Banjos.

Free. Call 973-772-5291.

PL

Free Concert Directory: the Music Matador, Bob Obser, offers the 13th annual directory of free summer concerts happening in Northern New Jersey. Send a donation of $3 or more to Bob Obser, 6 Grant Ave., Clifton, NJ 07011. Call 973-772-5291.

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Jimmy Sturr, winner of 14 Grammy Awards, will bring his Polka Party to Passaic’s Third Ward Park on July 20.

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July 2004 • Clifton Merchant

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Joey Dee is famous for songs like the ‘Peppermint Passaic County is a wonderfully diverse area which ranges from city Twist’, ‘Shout’ and ‘Hot Pastrami/Mashed Potatoes’.

The Platters are a classic R&B group known for hits and suburban areas that offer a wide range of historical and cultural such as ‘Only You’, ‘The Great Pretender’ and ‘The Magic attractions and neighborhoods to the Touch’. Opening for The Platters will be Blondstreak, rural tranquility and beautiful vistas while Every Damn Day will be Saturday’s first act.

Co-chairs of the fair are Sue Amoresano and Phil of the northernmost portion.

To celebrate both the geographical and cultural Conroy and they can be contacted at 973-225-5382.

In addition to the free musical performances, a number diversity of the county, Passaic County Vision 2020 and the Passaic County Freeholders have established the of activities will be offered.

There will be carnival rides, an international food first county fair.

The Passaic County Fair will be held July 15-18, from court, displays of classic cars, corporate and municipal 11 am to 10 pm, at the Garret Mountain Reservation, exhibits and a growing list of events designed to please every member of the family.

West Paterson, near the Clifton border.

Admission is free. Parking is $3 at nearby Rifle Camp The goal of the event, said Vision 2020 President Park or the County Garage on Grand St., Paterson. Free James Van Sickle, is to create a fun, old-fashioned fair to showcase the people, crafts and diversity of the 16 shuttle bus service is offered. Free handicapped parking is municipalities of the county. That will be accomplished offered on Garret Mountain Reservation. via exhibits, multi-cultural performances and a celebration of the county’s history.

An area of the mountain top fairgrounds has been designated for crafters and cultural organizations.

Local performers interested in participating should contact entertainment coordinator Michael Daly via email talent@gmail.com. Questions? Call 973-225-5382.

In addition to local talent, a series of national and regional groups have been booked. Here is the main stage concert line-up, which continues to evolve...

On Thursday, July 15 at 8 pm, Kimon and The Prophets will open for New Power Soul, a 10 piece band that combines dance, rock, rap, reggae, soul and funk as well as the goofiest one-hit songs of the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s.

On Friday evening at 8 pm, Tito Puente Jr. & His Orchestra will perform a blend of pop, Latin jazz and dance, infused with mambo, cha cha and merengue. The opening group is Evan Toth & The Excuses.

Put on those bobby socks and grease back your hair for the weekend as Joey Dee & The Starliters perform on Saturday and The Platters on Sunday. Both shows Ethnic groups interested in performing at the fair should write to talent@gmail.com. are at 8 pm.

Clifton Merchant • July 2004

75

George Hayek, Clifton’s Favorite Caballero (at right), invites all to Clifton Schools Stadium on July 17 at 7 pm when the Hawthorne Caballeros (above) return for the 40th annual Drum Corps Grand Prix. Expect an evening of high stepping drum and bugle corps competition and exhibition...a fun night of Americana. A total of 10 groups perform. Tickets are $5 to $18 (group discounts available). To purchase tickets, call 973-423-9702 or log onto www.cabs.org.

Same Big Sound: You may remember them as the Garfield Cadets but now they are the Cadets Drum & Bugle Corps. The group hosts the Big Apple Invitational at Giants Stadium on July 22 at 7:30 pm. Featuring marching bands from across the continent, tickets are $10–$25. Call 1-877-512-TUBA or log on to yea.org.

Jimmy Stur r in Passaic’s Thir d War d Park 14 Grammy Awards

Free Concert on Tuesday, July 20, 7:30 Third Ward Park is at the corner of Van Houten and Passaic Aves. Rain or Shine

1707

Bring your chairs and put on your dancing shoes to enjoy the Big Band sound of Grammy Award winner Jimmy Sturr and his Orchestra -- called “the #1 Polka Band in the Country.” The concert is being hosted by the City of Passaic Recreation Department.

Call Greg Komeshok for more info: 973 473 5111.

The Jimmy Sturr concert is made possible through the generosity of the following sponsors and supporters: Wawel Savings Bank, Polish & Slavic Federal Credit Union, Passaic Mayor Sammy Rivera, Sheriff Jerry Speziale, Congressman William Pascrell, State Senator Paul Sarlo, Assemblyman Fred Scalera and Passaic County Community College.

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July 2004 • Clifton Merchant

Summertime Blues: Picture yourself on a breezy summer evening—Aug. 5, from 6 to 8:30 pm to be exact— cruising through New York Harbor aboard the AJ Meerwald, a restored 1928 oyster schooner, shown above.

Two outstanding blues bands are performing. Passengers are laughing, drinking and eating. The party is in full swing! On your left is the Statue of Liberty, ahead is the South Street Seaport. This is a ‘Blues Cruise’ and the best part—it’s a benefit for St. Peter’s Haven, Clifton’s food pantry and outreach program. Departure is from Liberty State Park, Jersey City.

Tickets are $30 and only 40 will be sold. Mail checks to St. Peters Haven, PO Box 2244, Clifton, NJ 07015, For info, call John Muller at 973-3409405 or the Haven at 973-546-3406.

Mandolin, Accordion, Voice & More: The Menconi Music Studio, 309 Lakeview Ave., is a great community resource for musicians of all abilities. From beginners to experienced, owner Anna Marie Menconi will design either group or individual lessons for all ages. This summer, sessions include fun and educational group programs for first time music students. Courses include Intro to Music, Intro to Guitar, Intro to Music, Pitch, Rhythm, and Notation as well as lessons on a diverse collection of instruments, from accordions to mandolins. Tuition for all beginning level classes is $60.

Tuition rates for advanced classes and workshops will vary. Tuition does not include textbooks or instruments. Call 973-253-7500 for info.

Our goal is to preview events in our community. From picnics to the performing arts, we want to know what our neighbors are doing so that we can share that good news on these pages. Mail you publicity and photos 30 days in advance to: Clifton Merchant Magazine Tomahawk Promotions 1288 Main Ave., Clifton 07011.

Mike Bertelli will always be the winemaster of Styertowne in the liquor store which bears his family name. But his two year old experiment on the lower level of the shopping center, the Artisian’s’ Touch, will close by Aug. 1. Bertelli, an accomplished sculpture, said he hopes to relocate the Artisian’s Touch somewhere soon. He is liquidating the inventory in Styertowne so stop in for some great buys.

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The Clifton Public Schools’ Art Faculty presents ‘Artists/Teachers’, an exhibit and sale of their artworks in various medias at the Clifton Arts Center Gallery.

The exhibit opens on July 14 and will be displayed through Aug. 7. There will be a reception open to the public on July 22, from 7-9 pm.

So often the public perceives art educators as teachers involved with instructing their students to become proficient in the visual arts and not thinking that the teachers are trained as artists as well.

Many faculty members have pursued graduate studies earning masters degrees in Visual Art. This show is representative of work in the fine and applied arts.

The participating artists/teachers are: Jennifer Carberry, Sophia Farmiga, Veronica Freschi, Nancy Bednarczyk, Raymond Haskoor, Aldo Putignano, David Iannicone, Jeffrey Labriola, Dorota Zarebczan, Angela Carozza, Kim Gaetano, Kelly Ricciardi, Laurie Kulick, Lauren Fox, Carol Harmon, Maria Mascaro, Cynthia Sauchelli and MaryAnn Baskinger.

These photos by Lauren Ashton Fox are of her sister, Kim Ashton, also an artist, who now attends Rutgers.

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July 2004 • Clifton Merchant

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The Clifton Mustang Band Alumni Assoc., in conjunction with this art exhibit, will hold its annual summer outdoor concert on the grounds of the Clifton Arts Center on July 24 at 6 pm.

Raindate is July 25. The concert is free and visitors should bring lawn chairs.

The Clifton Arts Center is a municipally operated facility. It is governed by an Advisory Board of Trustees and operated by the Clifton Arts Center, Inc. board, chartered as a non-profit agency by the State of New Jersey.

Top left, India ink by Jennifer Carberry.

Top right, Stained glass

by Ray Haskoor.

Right, Acylics by Nancy Bednarczyk.

The Gallery first opened to the public in January of 200. The Clifton Arts Center is located on the grounds behind the Clifton Municipal Complex near the intersection of Clifton and Van Houten Avenues.

Clifton Arts Center Gallery hours are Wednesday through Saturday, 1 to 4 pm. Group tours are available by appointment.

While at the center, be sure to take the time to view the many sculptures found throughout the rolling hills of the city hall campus.

This arts project is funded, in part, by the Passaic County Cultural and Heritage Council at Passaic County Community College, made possible, in part, by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of the State, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts.

Photo by Veronica Freschi.

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July 2004 • Clifton Merchant

In last month’s magazine we asked if this statue, in front of the former Gorny & Gorny Funeral Home, on the corner of Hazel St. at the Paterson and Clifton border, was created by noted Paterson sculpture Gaetano Federici. The former funeral home is being demolished to make way for a Paterson Public School.

As a result of our note, Mike Bertelli, a knowledgeable sculpture, looked at the piece and compared it to a catalog of Federici’s work and determined it was not by the artist.

We also got a call from the New Jersey Historic Preservation office who told us that the work has since been removed from the premises and put into safe keeping by Paterson Mayor Jose Torres.

Finally, Charles Galluzzo of the new Gorny & Gorny Lakeview Memorial Home on Lakeview Ave., the former owners, provided additional information on Federici, which prompted us to publish this story at right. While the statue may not be by Gaetano Federici, a bit of local history has been saved.

In 1978 Saveriana sold the items to Joseph Randazzo, a collector. By 1993, Randazzo decided to sell all 215 pieces and got in touch with an art auctioneer. A group of Paterson residents formed the Federici Collection Inc. in the hope of acquiring the collection.

That’s when the Martini Foundation stepped in. “We made the purchase in order to preserve it and keep it intact for the enjoyment of the public. Having the Collection housed within the College is a perfect partnership and a fitting home,” said Martini, a former Congressman for the 8th District who is now a US Federal Judge.

Federici was a nationally know sculptor who lived and worked in Paterson in the early 20th century.

Often referred to as the ‘Master Artist of Paterson,’ his public monuments are throughout Paterson.

These works include statues of Mayors Nathan Barnert and Andrew McBride in front of City Hall, Count Pulaski in Eastside Park, Christopher Columbus in Federici Park, Dean McNulty at St. John’s Cathedral and the famous Dublin Spring Water Boy. Born in Castlegrande, Italy, Federici came to Paterson at the age of seven in 1887. He studied sculpture at the National Academy of Design, the Arts Students League and with the prominent sculptor Charles Henry Niehaus before returning to Paterson in 1903.

The Federici Studio Collection at PCCC has been designated an Official Project of Save America’s Treasures. For tours and info, call 973-684-5444. For details on classic Federici photos, like the one below, call Federici Enterprises, operated by granddaughter Patricia Federici Fiorina at 973-838-5742 or visit www.liebermanart.com.

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ackan

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onk

Plaques, molds, sculptures, tools, furniture, photographs and other memorabilia from the studio of Paterson sculptor Gaetano Federici have been preserved and are now displayed at the historic Hamilton Club Building in Downtown Paterson.

The collection was gifted to Passaic County Community College a few years ago by the Nicholas Martini Foundation.

While Federici’s life-size work is found throughout Paterson, objects from the collection of the artist, who died in 1964, are on view throughout the Church St. building and Federici’s studio workshop has been recreated in a room on the third floor.

Bill Martini said the Foundation had purchased the Federici Studio Collection in the mid-1990’s just before it was to be sold at auction.

How the collection got back to Paterson is rather interesting.

After Federici died, his studio collection was sold to an old friend and admirer, Clifton contractor John Saveriana. The studio collection includes models for some of Federici’s more famous statues, including Father McNulty, and for a World War I memorial in Paterson.

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Federici at right, with Lou Costello in 1942. Courtesy of Federici Enterprises.

winemaster@bertelli.com Clifton Merchant • July 2004

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Happy Birthday To: Thomas Medvedich . . . . . .7/1 Marie Angello . . . . . . . . . . .7/3 Amanda Di Angelo . . . . . .7/3 Chris Torrao . . . . . . . . . . . . .7/4 Alex Alectoridis . . . . . . . . .7/5 Frank Rando . . . . . . . . . . . .7/5 Kayla Ann Snell . . . . . . . . .7/5 Lori Lill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7/6 Ron Curtiss . . . . . . . . . . . . .7/7 Angelo Grippo . . . . . . . . . .7/7 Edward Sepulveda . . . . . .7/7 Kristi Schopfer . . . . . . . . . .7/10 Alyssa Marie Misyak . . . . .7/14 Talat Judah . . . . . . . . . . .7/14 Ann Schamble . . . . . . . . .7/15 Michelle Ann Snell . . . . . .7/15 Derek Dobol . . . . . . . . . . .7/16 Jessica Dobol . . . . . . . . . .7/16 Radhika Patel . . . . . . . . . .7/17 Carrie Szluka . . . . . . . . . . .7/18 Alexander Razvmov . . . . .7/19 Ryan Saccoman . . . . . . .7/19 Cocoa Saccoman . . . . . .7/19

Ashley Jacobus . . . .

Megan Suaifan . . . .

Kaitlin Vinciguerra . .

Harry Quagliana . . .

George Shamar . . . .

Richard Ramdeen . .

Eva Gasporowska . .

Josephine Picerno . .

Joseph Lopez . . . . . .

Ornella Ganoza . . . .

Mohammed Elsarraj .

Gina Oliva . . . . . . . .

David Patti . . . . . . . .

Amanda Fabiano . .

Joanna Jedrzej . . . .

Mary T. Mancin . . . . .

Joyce Sunshine will be 65 on July 8th

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

.7/19 .7/20 .7/22 .7/23 .7/23 .7/24 .7/25 .7/25 .7/27 .7/27 .7/27 .7/28 .7/29 .7/29 .7/30 .7/30

Sal Latteri will be 81 on July 22nd

Kara Oakley and Jeff Liss who married on April 23!

Clifton Merchant Magazine is proud to be a WasteWise endorser.

This program is an EPA effort that focuses in three areas: waste prevention, recycling collection and buying or manufacturing recycled-content products. For more info on how to join or what you can do to help, call Clifton’s Recycling Coordinator Al Dubois at 973-470-2234 or go to www.epa.gov/wastewise.

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July 2004 • Clifton Merchant

East Ridgelawn Cemetery... ...invites you to visit our Mausoleum on Main Avenue to see the inspirational art adorning our new building. Within the Mausoleum, our artist has painted a serene and peaceful view, entitled ‘Eden’, where visitors can pause to celebrate the lives of those who have passed.

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