Art Lofts Groundbreaking Next Week

Landmark Development is holding a groundbreaking ceremony next week on Gavett Place for a project combining apartments, commercial space and an entertainment venue across from the main train station.

The building will rise on the former site of Romond's Garage. Developer Frank Cretella received approvals in 2011 for the project, which he expected to pair with redevelopment of 12 apartments in the former Miron's warehouse across the street on Gavett Place. By last year, Cretella's roster of projects totaled eleven, in various stages of progress.

Art Lofts I will have 20 apartments. Originally Cretella proposed adding three stories to the garage, but since then the structure has been leveled for all-new construction.

May 6, 2014

May 21, 2014

Walking to the bank last week, I happened upon a rendering in the front window of the Courier News building. Of all Cretella's proposals, this one was perhaps the most exotic - a French bistro right on Park Avenue.

Maybe we'll get an update on that one soon.

--Bernice

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"Break" Was Over on June 23

Someone took my June 18 "Time for a Break" post seriously enough to stop reading the blog!

Let it be known that I resumed posting on June 23 and have put up 31 posts since then. Please, take a look at the June and July listings and see what you may have missed, if you also thought my break was indefinite.

--Bernice

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Council Passes Ordinance Despite HAP Withdrawal Request

"The only thing that's transit-oriented about this proposal is that it is being railroaded."

--Councilman Cory Storch

In an unprecedented action last week, a council majority decided to move to the July 14 agenda an ordinance submitted by the Housing Authority of Plainfield that had been listed as only a discussion item. The ordinance had to do with conveyance of city-owned land to HAP "either by sale or long-term lease," the site having been the topic of a conceptual Planning Board hearing last year regarding development of 86 apartments. At last night's regular meeting, the ordinance was passed on first reading, despite a request from HAP Director  Randall Wood that it be withdrawn. The rationale given by Council President Bridget Rivers was that Wood had no authority to tell the council what to do with its agenda, just as the council has no say over HAP agendas.. 

Councilman William Reid said the ordinance could be amended before final passage to resolve whatever issues were outstanding. But Wood himself, in his letter asking for withdrawal, said he had only expected the "draft ordinance" to be reviewed by Corporation Counsel David Minchello. That would be the more normal process than just accepting out of the blue a prepared document from an outside entity.

In the discussion as recorded by Plainfield View's David Rutherford, one can see Deputy City Administrator Carlos Sanchez backing up Wood's request to withdraw the ordinance until such time as his concept for a project on city-owned property can be discussed with the administration, as per a Friday meeting.

Once it was clear that action was about to take place despite Wood's request, Councilman Cory Storch made a motion for it to be tabled. Rivers seconded the motion, but when the roll was called and Councilwoman Vera Greaves was clearly unsure of what was going on, Rivers told her erroneously that the vote was to "take it off the table." Greaves abstained, Storch and Rebecca Williams voted "yes," Reid, Gloria Taylor and Rivers voted "no." Short of the necessary four votes, the motion to table failed.

The motion to pass the ordinance passed 4-2, with Williams and Storch saying "no" and Reid, Greaves, Taylor and Rivers voting "yes."  The next regular meeting is Aug. 18, at which time it could be passed on second reading and final passage.

Storch pointed out that the proposal for residential housing only was not in keeping with the mixed-use format for downtown development that can be seen all along the Raritan Valley Line. While construction may yield jobs for a time, commercial use is the key to adding permanent jobs, he noted.

Other points were made during this discussion. I urge the public to take 20 minutes and view the entire excerpt at the link above.  

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Muhlenberg Closing Marked Aug. 16

From Dottie Gutenkauf:

As you know, Muhlenberg Regional Medical Center was closed by JFK/Solaris in August, 2008.  Since then we have held annual commemorations of its closure.  Muhlenberg served Plainfield and the surrounding communities for more than 130 years—so we longer have a full-service acute-care hospital in our community, something that is sorely needed.

This year’s commemoration will be held on Saturday, August 16, at 3 pm at Park Avenue and Randolph Road, across from the Muhlenberg campus, and I hope you will be able to attend and that you will invite your pastors, friends, relatives, and neighbors to join us.

This is not a demonstration or a rally—it is a commemoration of what we have lost and an expression of hope for the future.  I hope to see you there!

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Is Open Space Tax Needed?

Among new items on Monday's agenda is an ordinance proposing that an Open Space Trust Fund should be established through a ballot question in the November general election.

The meeting is 8 p.m. in Municipal Court, 325 Watchung Ave.

The suggested rate is two cents per $100 of assessed value, which would be $20 per year on a home valued at $100,000.

There is no special reason given for proposing the open space fund at this time. One hopes there will be an explanation at the meeting. I most likely cannot attend the meeting, but among questions that arose in my mind were how this relates to the Union County Open Space Trust Fund, what amount of open space now exists, how this fund might benefit the Green Brook Trail or the proposed parkland linked to the Lampkin House and whether activating the Environmental Commission might be a better first step.

The Environmental Commission was established by ordinance in 2001 but no members were ever named. Its duties were described in this section of the ordinance:

Sec. 3:36-7.  Powers and duties of Commission.

    Subject to the availability of duly appropriated funds by the Governing Body, the Commission shall have the following powers and duties:

    (a)     To conduct research into the use and possible use of the open land areas of the municipality and may coordinate the activities of unofficial bodies organized for similar purposes.

    (b)     To study and make recommendations concerning open space preservation, water resources management, air pollution control, solid waste management, noise control, soil and landscape protection, environmental appearance, marine resources and protection of flora and fauna.

    (c)     To advertise, prepare, print and distribute books, maps, charts, plans and pamphlets which in its judgment it deems necessary for its purposes.

    (d)     To keep an index of all open areas, publicly or privately owned, including open marsh lands, swamps and other wetlands, in order to obtain information on the proper use of such areas and, may from time to time, recommend to the Planning Board plans and programs for inclusion in the City Master Plan and the development and use of such areas.

    (e)     Subject to the approval and appropriation of funds of the Governing Body, to acquire property, both real and personal, in the name of the City of Plainfield, by gift, purchase, grant, bequest, devise or lease, for any of its purposes and to administer the same for such purposes subject to the terms of the conveyance or gift. Such acquisition may be to acquire the fee or any lesser interest, development right, easement (including conservation easement), covenant or other contractual right (including a conveyance on conditions or with limitations or reversions) as may be necessary to acquire, maintain, improve, protect, limit the future use of, or otherwise conserve and properly utilize open spaces and other land and water areas in the City.

    (f)      To appoint such clerks and other employees or consultants as it may from time to time require, provided that the cost of such appointments are within the limits of funds appropriated to it by the Governing Body.

(MC 2001-42, December 3, 2001.)

In recent years, a small budget has been allotted to pave the way for the commission's activation (as I understand it - Bill Nierstedt can explain the particulars).

Open space has to be designated and accounted for according to certain rules. In 2008, a so-called "pocket park" on West Front Street didn't quite meet all the criteria, reminding people of a similar snafu that held up development of the Park-Madison lot for a while.

I came across an excellent report for West Orange on open space. It is long and very comprehensive but well worth a look if this is an issue that interests you.

--Bernice

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Garden Pix

These flowers are just so cheery! Click image to enlarge for a slide show.

Lilies are so reliable. When I look at catalogs, I just want to order them in dozens.

Pale peach with green throats - pretty lilies.

Neglect has allowed the berry canes to run rampant, producing a treat for the birds.

Triple-flowered lilies, a legacy from our dear former neighbor Edna.

We have yellow Cosmos and orange Cosmos and a few that look hand-painted.

Along with the first cicada song and sighting of goldfinches this week, we had the first purple spires on the Butterfly Bush.

Hope your garden is providing you with enough enjoyment to make up for all the work of tending it!

--Bernice

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Jerry's Piety Party

I was surprised this week when Assemblyman Jerry Green deviated from posting canned press releases to reacting to my post on the Union County Improvement Authority. I read it over and even printed it out, but found his post to be such a stew of platitudes and non sequiturs that I just didn't know what to say in response.

Meanwhile, blogger Dan Damon took a try at deciphering it and concluded it was just "Jerryspeak," the assemblyman/head of housing/ party chairman's own argot. Councilwoman Rebecca Williams found it to be "stunningly hypocritical" when she read it, offering seven of her own past posts documenting examples of Green's smarmy tactics.

Perhaps the most puzzling part of Green's post was this:  "If you cannot say anything positive about any elected officials, such as the Mayor, Council members and myself personally, please place that negativity somewhere else, but not in Plainfield. We do not need that here." Could this be the same Jerry Green who condemned Mayor Adrian O. Mapp as "every bit as bad for Plainfield as I feared" even though he supported him in the 2013 primary and general election?

My point about time passing without a complete resolution of the August 2013 UCIA settlement kind of got lost in the rhetoric. "It has taken ten years to get to the point that we are at now with this issue," Green admits. Why so long? According to this 2006 Plaintalker post, the issues date back to 2001. The city finally has a document and a check, but not full compliance with terms of the settlement. Green heads the local Democratic Party and the Regular Democratic Organization of Union County. Surely he could use his power to speed the process. I think it is a fair question to ask why it is not happening.

Recent events have left Green with a public image of his own doing. Browbeating bloggers as negative will not get him the new political clothes he needs for re-election in 2015. I must agree when he says, "We need to hold our community in high regard and not lower it to gutter-style politics." Let's see whether he can live up to his own advice.

--Bernice

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BOE Filing Coming Up

The filing date for November school board elections has been changed from Primary Day to July 28. Candidates must submit petitions to the Union County Clerk's Office by 4 p.m. on July 28.

For more information, including a link to the Candidates' Kit from the New Jersey School Board Association, see the 2014 Instructions for Annual School Election Petitions.

There are three three-year terms up for election each year. Incumbents holding seats expiring this year are Dorien Hurtt, Jameelah Surgeon and Alex O. Edache. The winners on Nov. 4 will take office on Jan. 1, 2015.

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Park Hardware Opens Larger Store

Park Hardware has a new location, a new logo and a special offer to welcome customers.

As previously reported in Plaintalker II, the Cardona family took over the longtime business after it was put up for sale three years ago. Brothers Rich and Doug Borchers both passed away after 30 years of serving customers.

The new owners added equipment rentals and were also bilingual, a plus as the city's Latino population had increased 67 percent from 2000 to 2010. But the store itself became cramped as many new items were added. When another longtime family business, Williams Surgical, vacated its store on the same block, the Cardonas decided to take the larger space.

Contractors and home handypersons alike will find what they need at the store. Local customers say they appreciate having a hometown hardware store right in the Park & Seventh shopping district.

Business retention is key for any community, but operations manager Jhon Cardona said staying in Plainfield was an easy decision for the family.

"This is where we come from," he said, explaining that he and his father, Luis Cardona, made Plainfield their home after moving from Colombia.

To welcome customers to the new location at 623-627 Park Avenue, the owners are offering a one-time 20 percent discount to those who give an email address. They will receive a coupon which can be printed out and submitted to receive the discount. Jhon Cardona promises "no spyware, no promotions," just a discount.

Jhon Cardona

"We have a set group of customers who are very loyal," he said. "We're starting to see a lot of new faces, which is good."

Park Hardware
623-627 Park Ave., Plainfield
Hours: 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Phone: (908) 754-9137

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Gooaal!

My goal in summer is to have a pretty garden, but I am finding the neighbor children's soccer practice to be a menace. At first, I couldn't figure out how my Hosta was getting smashed. But then I saw a soccer ball come sailing over a garage roof and forcefully bouncing onto the plants.

As much as I tried to get excited about the World Cup, I took a dimmer and dimmer view of soccer practice by these aspiring young players. In a "Hey, you kids!" moment, I asked them please to be more careful, but they denied any culpability. I thought of seizing the ball the next time it landed on a plant, but I was never outside at the right moment.

So here's how I like the Hosta to look:

and here's how some of it looks now:

Defeat! Neighbor kids 1, me nil.

Oh well, it will grow back next year, I suppose.

--Bernice

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The Hazards of Finger-Pointing

Dr. Yood's account of an exchange at Monday's council meeting reminded me of a cultural lesson learned many years ago.

As related on Doc's Potpourri, Housing Authority Director Randall Wood and Deputy City Administrator Carlos Sanchez got a "time out" ordered by Council President Bridget Rivers because Sanchez allegedly pointed his finger at Wood.

It brought to mind the reaction of one of my charges at a special needs school where I worked in the 1970s. No matter what was going on, everything had to stop if a finger was pointed.

"Don't point at me, my momma ain't dead!" my student exclaimed.

I never learned the origin of this perceived offense and in recalling it last night, I found I am not alone in being mystified. Writing in The`Dallas Weekly, Vincent Hall says he knew the consequences of the act, but not the exact basis for it. He raised the cultural significance of the act in relation to Arizona Governor Jan Brewer's finger-wagging in the face of President Barack Obama in 2012.

"Brewer is lucky she didn't get her 'skirt dusted' for such a despicable and tasteless display of political incivility," he remarks.

In a city that values diversity as much as we do here, the corollary is to learn the cultural do's and don'ts so that civility does not take an unnecessary hit during important discussions.

--Bernice

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Dispatcher Training Offered

Plaintalker is posting this information as a public service.

Dispatcher Training Made Available to Job Seekers

The John H. Stamler Police Academy is pleased to announce a special Alternate Route course option for individuals with no prior experience who are interested in becoming trained as 9-1-1 dispatchers.  The required nine days of training, which includes the five-day Emergency Communications Operator (ECO) Certification and four-day Emergency Medical Dispatcher (EMD) Certification courses, are open to individuals who currently are not employed by a law enforcement agency.  The courses will run consecutively from Monday through Friday, August 25-29, 2014 and Tuesday through Friday, September 2-5, 2014, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

“The courses will provide the basic level of certification required by the state for personnel working for a police department or other dispatch agency where 9-1-1 calls are answered,” said Eric G. Mason, the John H. Stamler Police Academy Director.  “Students who successfully complete this training will possess the fundamental skills required to begin working as a 9-1-1 call taker and will be eligible to be certified by N.E.C.I., a national 9-1-1 training agency, and the New Jersey Office of Emergency Telecommunications.”   

The five-day ECO course content includes an overview of dispatch procedures, legal and liability issues, techniques for handling 9-1-1 calls, handling a caller with special needs, and the history of the New Jersey 9-1-1 System. This course includes a full day of role-playing involving simulated 9-1-1 calls.

The four-day EMD course provides the next level of certification for personnel who are already certified as an Emergency Communications Operator (ECO).  This course is required for anyone working for a police department or other agency that receives 9-1-1 medical calls. Topics covered include responsibilities of the Emergency Medical Dispatcher (EMD), legal/liability issues, giving medical instructions by telephone, and the use of emergency medical dispatch guide cards. The course includes more than a day and a half of role-playing involving simulated 9-1-1 medical calls.  

To attend the EMD certification course, students must already hold a valid CPR card from the American Red Cross or the American Heart Association. The course tuition, which includes payment for the manual and certification fees, must be paid in full prior to the first day of each class. Tuition for civilian job-seekers is $475 for the ECO course and $450 for the EMD course.

Course registration forms are available online at www.ucnj.org/policeacademy, or call 908-889-6112.
                                                                               

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A Cat Tale

Mau at ease

Mau, the feral cat who joined our household in 2008, put on quite a dramatic show when my daughter arrived to help me out with my hospital visit. The minute Audrey entered the apartment, Mau began yowling as if his world was ending on the spot. He ran to to deepest corner of a hall closet and began literally to climb the wall.

No amount of cajoling or chiding could make him stop. Finally I dragged him out and put him on the enclosed porch, where he managed to disappear. We put his food and water out there in hopes that he would feel safe enough to eat and drink. Oh, and the litter box went out there, too.

We were all mystified. People say Audrey and I sound alike when we speak, so it wasn't her voice that set him off. It's true that I have visited Audrey in Seattle more often than she has visited us since Mau arrived, and when she and Peter arrived the last time, Mau was also inhospitable, but still, such drama seemed excessive. When someone spent time in the apartment to install a wireless system recently, Mau looked on with interest and did not disgrace himself with such bad manners.

After Audrey left, Mau emerged by degrees, warily peeking into the front room and skulking away at the slightest noise. Eventually he sat down and relaxed, though with much tail-twitching to show he was still on high alert.

I knew it was the old Mau when he went from being excessively demonstrative and lovey-dovey to coming up behind me and attacking while I was trying to blog. A cat expert explained this play-fighting (which feels like actual fighting) by saying Mau thinks of me as a litter-mate.

Mau using the netbook as a pillow.

Unlike Audrey's beloved cat, Ichiro, Mau does not sit on laps or otherwise act as a companion, though he has one endearing trick, meowing a little song while bringing me a trophy such as a toy mouse or bird.

Ichiro

  Ichiro became ill and died recently after 13 years of loving companionship with Audrey and Peter. They miss him very much.

--Bernice

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Arlington Heights Remediation on Monday's Agenda

A vacant lot at Randolph Road and Arlington Avenue may be nearing the end of a long environmental remediation project.

The City Council will be asked to approve a final payment of $1,811.97 to Brownfield Redevelopment Solutions Monday to close out the Arlington Heights project, bringing the total to $97,714.11.

Some may recall that the lot once was the site of a gas station and remediation plans date back decades to when Gunthild Sondhi was in the Planning Division. The parcel is catty-corner to a lot where twelve condos were built. Six more were planned for the 0.4 acre vacant lot. The developer withdrew in 2007 and according to my notes, the site needs a redevelopment plan as well as a developer.

The site is among eleven project areas that the Union County Improvement Authority was supposed to guide through redevelopment. However, little progress took place during the past eight years and now the administration of Mayor Adrian O. Mapp is revisiting some of the project plans.

The regular council meeting is 8 p.m. Monday in Municipal Court.

--Bernice

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More`Summer Events Awaiting Council Approval

Groups are seeking permission for another batch of summer events, ranging from the Plainfield Municipal Utilities Authority's annual Environmental Fair to processions honoring an Ecuadoran saint, Our Lady of Cisne.

Approvals may be granted at Monday's regular City Council meeting, 8 p.m. July 14 in Municipal Court.

Events include:

- A Community Concert on from 4 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 6 in Plainwood Square Park on South Avenue.

- Processions from 5 to 6 p.m. on Aug. 29 and 30 conducted by St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church in honor of Our Lady of Cisne.

- A Customer Appreciation Day outside Hugo's Lounge from 3 to 11 p.m. Aug. 9 on Church Street.

- Also a Community Health Fair from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Aug. 9 on Church Street, sponsored by Iris House Inc.

- The Plainfield Fire Division's Annual Community Appreciation Day, from noon to 8 p.m. on Sept. 1 (Labor Day). Location not indicated on agenda.

- Fourteenth Annual Hispanic Heritage Festival sponsored by the Latin American Coalition, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sept. 6 on North Avenue between Park and Watchung. Flor Gonzalez, president of the Latin American Coalition, describes it as an alcohol-free cultural event.

- PMUA's 15th Annual Environmental Fair from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 6 in Library Park.

- Community Expo sponsored by Chosen Generation Community Center, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sept. 20 in Library Park. According to background material in the council packet, the program is a "youth job readiness initiative."

Several of the groups requested waivers of the daily fees. I did not attend the council meeting Monday, so cannot say whether those requests were granted.

--Bernice

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A Year Later, UCIA Settlement Terms Unresolved

Being only halfway through my mandated four weeks of restricted activity, I was reduced to simple tasks such as filing papers and came across the much-vaunted settlement with the Union County Improvement Authority.

The City Council approved the settlement last August, clearing up some issues dating back to 2001.

UCIA Chairman Daniel Sullivan, the former freeholder who replaced Charlotte DeFilippo as head of the authority, presented the $1.09 million check to the council in December, in a supposed show of a new age of cooperation between Plainfield and the UCIA.

However, conditions of the agreement, such as installation of a street clock and city use of the UCIA parking deck, are still unresolved as the one-year anniversary of the settlement approaches.

Has Sullivan, now also head of the Union County Utilities Authority, become as inimical toward the Queen City as his predecessor, who was also chairman of the Union County Regular Democratic Organization? Or is the current chairman, Assemblyman Jerry Green, dissing the city as part of his campaign against Mayor Adrian O. Mapp? If so, the rest of the population just becomes collateral damage in the political wars.

And that is too bad.

--Bernice

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Minchello Adds Trenton Title

Plainfield Corporation Counsel David Minchello was named acting director of Trenton's Law Department Tuesday, according to nj.com reports.

Formerly the city solicitor, Minchello began serving as Plainfield's corporation counsel following the departure of Dan Williamson in 2012 to become executive director of the Plainfield Municipal Utilities Authority. His firm, Antonelli Minchello, received three payments of $75,000 in 2012. In January, he was appointed corporation counsel by incoming Mayor Adrian O. Mapp.

His LinkedIn page now lists both the Trenton and Plainfield titles. 

Jackson served as Plainfield's director of Public Works & Urban Development since September 2011. He took an unpaid leave of absence in March and ran for mayor of Trenton. He was the top vote-getter in the May primary and won a June run-off against Paul Perez to take the mayoralty. He was sworn in Tuesday and made several cabinet appointments. According to nj.com, Minchello attended the inauguration, but declined to comment about his appointment

According to Trenton's Municipal Code, the head of the Law Department is not a director but is the City Attorney, with duties similar to those of Plainfield's in-house corporation counsel. Plainfield's code describes the corporation counsel as a salaried employee, though Minchello's firm has been paid for his services here. 

From Plainfield's Municipal Code:

Sec. 2:4-2.    Corporation Counsel; powers and duties.

    The Corporation Counsel shall be the chief legal advisor to the Mayor and to the Council. He/she shall be compensated with a fixed annual salary as established by ordinance. He/she shall be, subject to the provisions of Sections 2:4-3, 2:4-4 and 2:4-5, prosecute and defend all legal or equitable actions or proceedings in any court in which the City or any office thereof may be a party. He/she shall draft ordinance, resolutions, legislative bills and other documents and agreements required by the Mayor or a member of the Council. He/she shall advise the administrative departments, boards and commissions of the City other than the Planning Board and the Board of Adjustment (which are authorized and required to appoint separate counsel) as to all legal matters within their jurisdiction.

(A.C. 1969, 4.2, as amended by MC 1998-01, § 1, January 28, 1998.)

--Bernice

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What's in a (Nick)Name?

Hearing someone on the radio refer to "Los Ticos" made me recall a quiz I intended to post on national nicknames.

Can you identify the homeland of a Catracho? A Boriqueno? A Quisqueyano? Or a Bajan?

Here is a colorful compendium of World Cup team nicknames.

Meanwhile, hum a few bars of "Yankee Doodle Dandy" for the U.S. on the Fourth!

--Bernice

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Council to Discuss City Lots Coveted for Development

Monday's agenda includes discussion of possible conveyance of two city-owned lots targeted last year for very diverse development proposals.

The agenda-fixing session is 7:30 Monday in Municipal Court.

The Housing Authority of Plainfield and related entities proposed 86 apartments on the two lots, on a block bounded by Madison Avenue, West Second Street, Central Avenue and West Front Street. Developer Frank Cretella outlined plans for a "green market center comprising of a food incubator, a brew pub and artisanal distillery."

Neither plan got as far as applying to any land use boards, most likely because the city owns the lots.

See Plaintalker's October post on the Housing Authority proposal here

Read about Cretella's concept here

The Housing Authority request for the lots was up for discussion in March, but then dropped from the agenda. Monday's agenda does not state a proposed recipient for the lots.

--Bernice

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Scientist is Parade Grand Marshal

It may well be that Plainfield picked the better day for a parade, if the weather reports are to be trusted. Heavy rain is forecast for Friday, July 4 but the sun will shine on Saturday, July 5 when Plainfield's parade steps off at 10 a.m. on East Front Street.

The Grand Marshal is Dr. James West.

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Pool Report

Councilwoman Rebecca Williams, who serves on the council's Recreation and Public Safety committees, passes along an update on the status of city pools:

The following Municipal Pools have passed the required Health Inspection and will open at 12:30pm today Saturday, June 28, 2014.

 

1.        Rushmore Pool:  Kiddie Wading Pool only.  The main pool pvc liner is unrepairable, the liners will be removed and pool restored to concrete.

2.       Seidler Field Pool will open main and Kiddie Wading Pool.

 

Failed Inspection

3.       Hannah Atkins:  Both pools failed due to the drain covers not meeting code.

Pools will be drained Monday and repaired. 

 

Sign up for Free “ Learn to Swim” lessons are scheduled 12:30pm – 2:30pm  today at Hannah Atkins for the week of July 7^th – 18^th and Seidler Field for July 28^th – August 8^th.

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First Festival Opens Friday

Friday may prove to be a test of whether large festivals can do better this year with noise and crowd management.

Nightclub owner Edison Garcia received city approval to use lots 8 and 8A for his festival celebrating the Independence of the United States. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, it will run from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m..Since the festivals began about six years ago, the city has increased daily fees to $2,500 and this year requires organizers to hire six police officers in addition to whatever private security may be used.

Residents requested tighter controls around the beer stations this year to prevent young people from being too close and to manage cases of public intoxication. But despite a lot of talk about noise, no specific guidelines on volume were imposed. The sound carried a mile, according to some who complained. The music is to cease at 10 p.m.

Garcia will also hold a three-day festival in September, celebrating Central American Independence. Another nightclub group will hold one the same weekend in September, in addition to a parade from Rock Avenue to Roosevelt Avenue. The events attract thousands of visitors to Plainfield and both organizers say they create good will and get people to know the welcoming side of the city.

--Bernice

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Jackson Assumes Mayoralty

Eric Jackson's Inauguration is today.

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