Report On Yesterday’s UEZ Meeting
The money that was allocated for the Blue Claws stadium repair was met with much opposition. While the Blue Claws brings no financial benefit to our town. There is no denying the reality that we are bound by an unfair contract that will cost us dearly for years to come. This 1.2 million dollar repair is just a drop in the bucket. If UEZ money were not available, we would be required to pay for it with our tax dollars. It is a very high price to pay for a past-time that is enjoyed by very few of any people in our town. That all being said, the responsibility falls upon us to do the repairs. It would be irresponsible of us to put anybody in danger at a game. For members of our community that are on the board to suggest that we not repair dangerous lighting poles is ludicrous. But we need to find a way to make the Blue Claws stadium fiasco profitable at least to the point that we will not have to foot the bill for future repairs.
A discussion arose regarding funds for advertising local businesses. It was pointed out that giving businesses free reign for advertising would be irresponsible. Imagine if my obnoxious ads were paid for by the UEZ. That would be ironic. Advertising funds should be reserved for businesses that are seeking UEZ funding, and fit all criteria. If the UEZ has a vested interest in a businesses success they should then fund a portion of their advertising to ensure its future.
The properties along Clifton Avenue, for parking, was explained to the board. I believe everyone understands the benefit to creating parking parallel to all the stores on Clifton Avenue, creating an alternate route for shoppers to navigate the downtown.
Again I realize the zeal and excitement many of you feel in believing that I have a conflict of interest because I purchased one of the properties. Everyone loves a scandal. But there is none. I was above board the entire time. I approached the UEZ to quickly purchase the property before a certain opportunist grabbed it. They were not prepared to buy it in two days. I have been holding the property for all this time waiting to sell it at the appraised price. I will not appeal the price like most normally do. I just wanted to see the parking made. If there are any objections I will gladly keep the property. It is prime location and has ample parking surrounding it. I discussed it with the UEZ and it was agreed that the parking and access to second street would benefit the town more than an additional building being built in the area.
I am sure there will be a few bloggers on here that will always take umbrage with all proposals we make for UEZ fund allocation in the future. Whether it will be to purchase blighted properties in the downtown to renovate, and attract new businesses, or the myriad other proposals that we will make to bring business, jobs, and a better image and quality of life to our town.
I would list them all now, but we want to keep you reading the scoop. So Kim, and all the rest of you, stay tuned for more exciting ideas to come. And before you criticize every other one, please by all means, feel free to post your own. We are always open to other ideas, and I will abandon the downtown revitalization in a second, if you can find a more deserving project that fits UEZ criteria. Having a one track mind in regards to town development can only breed bad ideas such as the Blue Claws or its close friend the future smart growth plan.
Hershel
There are 50 Comments to "Report On Yesterday’s UEZ Meeting"
Notice how Hershek said that he will sell the property to the Township at the appraised value. HH if your motives are as you say then forget about appraised value. sell it for what you bought it for. Vhamaven Yovin.
Hi hershil welcome back.. One thing boggles my mind, you claim that since you have not heard any better proposals, your agenda to improve your downtown must be the best place to spend the funds. I don’t believe that just because you have the loudest voice your gonna get the $$. Maybe we should hold on to the money let’s not spen just because it is available. We can open businesses in countless other more desireble locations for a fraction of the cost. Who cares about the downtown slum, the modern community of Lakewood enjoys shopping in strip malls. THEY ARE EVEN CHANGING THE LOGO OF HISTORIC DOWNTOWN. HH get with the times move on!
Any details on where the 1.2 million is being spent on the stadium?????I noticed last year they replaced the roof of the Stadium. Most basic roof shingles last 20 years and decent shingles can last 35 plus years.. Why was the roof Replaced?????
“If there are any objections I will gladly keep the property.”
For the record: I object!
Kim- You should move on and let the few that want to fix this city try and hopefully get it done. HH- youdaman!!!!
There is nothing wrong with Hershel making a few dollars. He can sell it at apprasied value and he is correct that many fight the apprasied value to milk it for every penny.
Charlie Rengel gets to be a congressman even though he had been bought off. The world we live in is corrupt. Hershel is not. I do not like the way peopl think and try to “bashmootz” him just because he is trying.
Singer was on the comittee for everty decision that was made. Can anyone check his voting record to see how he voted on all the stadium decisions? Chambersbridge land deal/management?
Hershel chin up and keep up the good work! You are saving everyone big money.
I appreciate it!
I object as well. Keep the property.
Give that 1.2 million to the EMS squad so it can stay forget about the blue claws
the stadium would be profitable if #1 the original plan of building shopping outlets with big box anchors along the avenue of the states/Americas was followed, from my understanding it was supposed to be developed into shopping plazas like in Brick along RT70 but instead it will eventually be homes, all those stores going up by the new costco plus costco itself could have been here bringing in revenue, #2 we should be allowed to attend the games, very few people in our town attend the games but its not like we don’t want to, i’d like to take my children for a fun night out as they like baseball
hi. nothing to add but the other topics are lonely
HH,
You want to sell for fair price so that it brings more business to the downtown. How about making a parking lot yourself?? if it is so good for business than it will bring YOU more customers. Do not do what those on fifth have done!! I know it is easy public money, but you are selling your soul too easy. I say easy, because they want to shut you up so they will buy it reagardless of its real value to the downtown. I’m not saying you can’t make a fair buck. Just not at the taxpayer/businesses expense. I do like the direction you are taking in cleaning up the downtown, but getting yourself bought so easily is really low.
Let the UEZ use the money to redo sotre frontage and signage all around town. Let them expand and actually lend money at their very low rates to help struggling businesses. This property buying and building parking lots will be pointless if noone comes to these stores if they are closed. The stores need the advertising money NOW! And more than only 20-40 businesses as was projected.
In these difficult economic times let’s help the businesses get through these times and save these grand projects for flourishing times.
Dear dovdov,
First of all let me say, I love your books. The parking plan as it stands, was started way before I decided to either fix up our downtown or close up shop. Let me make it very clear. My store is growing daily. My business never suffered from the downtown deterioration, and I have plenty of my own parking. The reason I wanted to leave was only because one of the main expectations of creating the store was to help start the revitalization of the downtown. After watching it decline for the last three years, I was simply too embarrassed to have a store that I take so much pride in, in the center of a slum. The truth is that I actually jeopardized the creation of parking by making waves like I did. I was told to shut up if I wanted the parking to happen. Do you see me shutting up? I will not be bought, threatened, cajoled, or made to feel a part of the current well connected elite in exchange for my silence. Please don’t bother with any of that. I am looking for solutions to some serious problems. A few anonymous bloggers that represent those people that want the status quo will not deter me from my goal. Please try and use this forum for positive ideas we can all discuss. And kim, I commend the affinity you have for that wonderful pinnacle of architectural convenience we cal the strip mall. Unfortunately they are owned by private people, or corporations, and cannot be funded with UEZ money.
I find it mind boggling that a man(woman?) With your intelligence does not understand the importance that a public main street has for the well being of any town lucky enough to have one. If you can rip yourself away from your keyboard, please go see Red Bank,Teaneck, Westfield, or any of the other pleasant shopping areas throughout New Jersey. You must belong to the group for the preservation of historic strip malls.
KIM!keep up your objective approach!
ok when the blue claws are gone built another school there.
Hershil, please stop getting side tracked with the fact that I am anonymous. This entire site is basically anonymous even the editor is not named! Your the odd one…Please stay focused on the comments themselves. Who I am is a purely philosophical question.
Then sell for the cost to you plus your expenses. This will prove your point! As of now it looks like it stinks and I don’t completely believe what you are saying.
I have an idea, to get the Blue Claws issue sorted out.
Who said the UEZ will be for ever & Singer got us this mess for..
Why don’t we get the township board to amke a new local Tax on Baseball games.
$2.0 0- 3.00 a ticket , at least that will cover policing & repairs, & something back into the Township.
HH, one more thing: if this deal isn’t to quite you down, than why are you keeping yourself so cool about the 1.2mm for the stadium? This money is for good use you say. To be used for much need repair to this delapidated 10 year ols union built structure. When the money is set aside- you just know it will be spent! If there is no cheshbon up-front than we are allowing oursepves to be robbed blind once again! And you write it off as if it no big deal! Why should we belive your not being bought when just a few weeks ago you were on the other side of the fence!?! Your going to probably answer (so ill save the editor the need to approve another comment) that you are against all future waste! What happened to the noise you made a few weeks back about the scandel in the stadium?? Why did you back off?? I have sadly come to the realization that the downtown (your pocket) is what you care most about.
Btw… The money tree is not for all!!
Dovdov. The sale price will probably not cover my cost plus expenses and taxes. I didn’t ask what they are purchasing it for. But it seems the value went down and I will probably lose a little money. But if I owned It for ten years and made money on it that would be ok? Neither you or kim have given me one concrete criticism other than you can’t understand why or it stinks or you have conflict of interest or I hate the downtown. I cannot take either of you seriously. If you have something to prove. Do it. If you don’t, go comment on the schools. For all I know you both might be some guys pet hamster that got loose on his keyboard and banged out these comments accidentally.
Hershil. I put my hamster back in the cage. Seriously your whole focus on the downtown is so lame. Nobody cares. Just because I can’t find any other places to use uez money doesn’t mean it should go to save the downtown slum. I mean I hear people saying all the time how disgusting it is and that it is a breeding ground for crime, and drugs. But what makes it the uez problem to take care of that. The criminals need to go somewhere why near me? I don’t live anywhere near the downtown.
Hershel., please tell us about the numerous other properties in the downtown area that you own and how much you expect the value of these properties to increase if the downtown area is revitalized per your plan,???
HH if you are so rich why not donate the property so we can have more uez money for our ads. Our businesses need to be able to afford ads. What good is more parking spots we need to run more ads for our own business. Parking will only benefit the store that it is closest to. But money for our ads benefits us and the magazine we advertise in. When we have a sale and we can advertise more it will help save the customer money if we place a coupon. Or we can place ads that can create jobs when the ads bring in more money for our business and we will create jobs because we have more money. Stop being so selfish and share the uez money for better things. Your ideas are stupid. Ads create jobs not new stores.
Dearest dovdov. My fingers hurt. I did not back off of the stadium. There will be heads that will roll on this fiasco. I am more convinced than ever that this stadium deal as it stands will be costing us dearly for many years to come. But the fact is that these light poles are an imminent danger to attendees. We are left with three choices.
1. Pay with UEZ money.
2. Pay with tax dollars
3. Do nothing, and get sued for millions.
I think the answer is clear.
That being said, I am working on a plan to get out of the contract which we were tricked into. The only way out of this is to get the american baseball inc. To pay a fair share of their profits. We also need to show how angry we are at those that got us into this mess in the first place. We need to voter them out once and for all to prevent them from abusing their power further.
Please stop saying I was bought. It sounds so silly. Kol hapoisel bmumo poisel. You obviously can’t see yourself resisting the temptation, and you can’t understand how I can. Well, so far so good. As a matter of fact, I can’t understand how someone can live with themselves taking any sort of bribe. I’d rather be able to sleep at night.
Editor: the hamster comment is not from me please dont post it with my name on it. thanx
Hey!where’s hershel??
Dear kim. I really didn’t know you had a hamster. My daughter owns a chinchilla. To question??. If you must know, I own my store which will never be for sale, especially when the downtown gets fixed up. And I own the famous ICE house which will be a part of the parking plan. This plan predated my opening my mouth. I was told to be quiet if I wanted the parking to happen. I wasn’t. So to suggest that I orchestrated this for personal profit is ludicrous. Yet, I strongly believe this parking plan will be the first step in saving the downtown. I will at a future date post a map with the amount of parking spots, and their proximity to clifton ave stores. Someone mentioned the parking lot on fifth street. I originally thought it was a waste of money. But if you go there you will see how beneficial it will be to the stores between fourth and fifth which has a najor parking issue. We will also be adding convenient signs guiding visitors to all the accessible new parking.
Realize as well that the original idea that this replaced was a seven story parking garage in one corner of the downtown that would have been an eyesore, and benefited nobody.
This is phase one of the downtown improvement. Phase two will be to actually bring in businesses with high gross taxable revenue that can feed the uez coffers for tax relief, or to further fund new businesses. Compare that to the negative revenue we are currently making from previous ideas.
I was told by my managers that I should not bother defending myself to anonymous critics. But I believe so strongly in what we are trying to accomplish, I just can’t resist trying to win you guys, and your hamsters, over.
Hershil, I don’t think you were bought I think you own the place!!!
Who are your managers and what self interest do they have in the downtown??? Again, everyone on the scoop is annon I even suspect that you use other names at times… Agav how about a pet store downtown?? Maybe even sell pets with the toys??!
Hmmm.I wonder who your managers are?are they also anonymous!!!!!
Hershel has so many well thought out ideas to improve the township.
Show me any other official with clear, concrete, detailed plans and solutions. He is a practical problem solver who sees the big picture
as well as the details. His ideas are not perfect but he’s got ideas and more ideas and more ways to improve the safety and economic growth of this town. Isn’t that what governance is all about?
I am HH
Hymie Himmelstein
herbert hoover
hiram homygoodnes
Who cares who is who KIM? Unless you just want to character assassinate in which case your baseless and uninformed accusations and innuendo make more sense. So stop asking people to give you things for free – its unamerican and unethical. If HH the toyguy makes a profit on selling the building to the town, so be it. If he takes a loss, you won’t cry over it…and surprisingly neither will he. I know altruism breeds suspicion and even delusions in some, but lets just give the man his props and move on to the next interesting topic – rumors of someone caring about 70 kids out of school??? nah doesn’t sound realistic
Hey Kim, you got an agenda or what.
Kim you just fell into the lair of the hh trap. He is playing you like a fiddle. Just like he did with the high school guys. Just like he did with the uez. You will never get what u want from him. He don’t play favorites. Just get yourselves on the BOE and keep your nostrils clean like he does. If you want to bring something legit to the table, bring it, if not, get back to taking care of your hamsters. Pet store idea sounds great. Call it heimishe hintelech. Hh for short.
HH
You have me convinced. Though you are lying about this parking plan that you say is an old plan. Really. How come no one in town heard of it? We all heard of the bizarre parking garage and the Strand only parking lot. This won’t help anyone else as you are saying with the lot to lot driving through as you suggest as BP Graphics is in the middle! Another crazy idea! How you suggest this is such a great idea- pedestrian will suffer! The streets will be backed up with traffic as cars cross over?! Was this really thought out?? THIS parking idea is new! The garage and Strand (benefit) parking is old! I wish you luck with selling it, but I think you are not seeing clearly anymore.
never mention that the Blue Claws gives jobs to many lakewood people as well as surrounding towns. it put Lakewood on the map.
other towns are waiting
for us to through them to the curb. their gain it would be lakewood’
big lost. you have to look at the whole picture not just one page.
My agenda: Im not a be-robed basement blogger and generally speaking I dont care about politics or the downtown one way or the other. Although i wish HH much hatzlacha brocha and kol tuv in his personal life I am critical of his actions from the beginning. The ICE sign (and the whole campaign in general) in my opinion was a irresponsible action that is NOT the mahalach of a yid in golus. Although a quite campaign to improve our town has merits, it must be done al pe daas torah and not in a wild threatening way. (I actually fear for our safety… ) Therefore I continue to criticize and oppose most things hershil.. If hershil would openly declare that from now on he will seek daas Torah b4 making any rash and dangerous moves I will stop criticizing…
TLS editor: the 9:59PM dovdov wasn’t written by me.
To #9
WHY can’t you go to the stadium? WHO is telling you not to go? In detail please!
This is America, you know land of the free…although some would like to make Lakewood into a shtetl.
Dear dovdov.
This parking plan was in discussions for three years now. The first property was purchased over a year ago behind the fourth street parking lot. The next three properties are being purchased soon. There is a lot of red tape to deal with. The parking lots will extend from fourth to first street. BP graphics does not enter the picture. It is across the street. Although it would be great if we could connect the new fifth street parking lot to all the rest. That would require bp graphics to sell a portion of their lot to the town.
Good idea. I will call them and see if they want to sell a piece of their lot for what they paid for it as well.
I will keep you posted.
This parking plan was thought out by many people. It is a no-brainer as far as its benefit, cost per space, and importance for future plans.
I will do my best to make sure certain people don’t turn this idea into their own personal way to get their friends contracts. You can trust me, I am not an elected official…….yet.
i don’t believe all the back and forth comments. to begin with, HH (I’m not a fan because of the way he presents some things) is interested in the downtown. this is a fact.his motives are either selfish or for the good of all. who cares. the fact is improving the downtown is good for all. anyone who doesn’t understand that is stupid. as far as blueclaws and the past contract, maybee the contract could have been better for lakewood. it is easy to look back and critizise but that does no good. we need to look foward. the fact is, it is paid for with UEZ funds. lakewood only has UEZ funds because of past efforts, specifically Singer. before it is suggested to clean house because of a percieved bad deal, look at this past good deal as well as many others and certainly good future deals. also if HH makes money on his investment, good for him. this is america, thats how it works. he could have lost money or someone else could have made the money. it is time to grow up.
שתיקה כהודאה??
who ever made the blue claws deal, shoul RESIGN, they have no place to be part of the township, RIGHT NOWWWW
Lkwd goy, I am not looking to simply criticize a bad deal. This deal was not simply bad judgement, it was blatant theft. We had our ability to improve our town responsibly, stolen from us. There is nothing wrong with having a baseball stadium. It is a pleasant, wonderful asset to have in lakewood. If it is planned responsibly, with a focus on redevelopment as well. But it is not an end all be all magic bullet to end the ills that plague our town. Your blind support of the person that arranged the funding for this project, only to cause us more problems financially, is very nice of you. I hope if I get elected you will not allow me to have such carte blanche regarding township resources. Nothing good can ever come of it.
The committeemen are now throwing up their hands and saying we need to do this, it is in the contract!!
You are giving your approval to such policy? I believe you are much smarter than that.
Sometimes we find it hard to throw out our old trusty mattress that has been causing us back pain for years, out of the fear of the unknown. We are afraid the new mattress might be worse. It could cripple us. But we go to the showroom, we look at it, try it out, seems ok,hmmmmm, we decide to take a chance.it takes some getting used to, and surprise! Our back pain is gone!
And after a few years when a new mattress is needed we get rid of that one.
Mattresses rarely support our backs for 25 years. Time for a new one.
And kim,
You want a guarantee that I will go to daas torah for every action I take? I will go if those that endorse the local candidate in the upcoming election, ask daas torah who they can support.
For a preview they can read the new Moshe Sherer biography pg. 209
HH,
So now we are going to open a Sleepy’s in Downtown?
HH, you call the contract blatant theft. please provide proof, and i will support you. theft is where someone takes something that doesn’t belong to them. who took something? the contract was negotiated by township administration, and then was approved by the township committe (5 elected officials). you seem to be pointing at an individual. you say this causes more problems financially. again i point out these are UEZ funds (and only a portion) which lakewood would not have except for the efforts of a particular elected official. you say nothing good can come of it and i disagree. i see the stadium as providing benefits. for the record i agree the costs are greater than the benefits, but to say nothing good comes out of it is wrong.
I am confused Hershel. You will only go to daas torah “if those that endorse the local candidate in the upcoming election, ask daas torah who they can support.” Either it is right toask daas torah and you do what is right or you don’t do the right thing. Make a choice and stop talking like a politician!
Why this commotion about a shleppy downtown. Lakewood is great for its Torah. Who needs a downtown? There are very few downtowns left in New Jersey anyway (maybe 5 or 10)
u rock scoop
Only before you take any rash loud actions. We have enough enemy’s…..
You have to think wait (relax) and ask. For example Its not always necessary to expose and create powerful enemy’s……….G O L U S!
Herschel.if you purchased it lishmah. Why don’t you just sell it for what. You bought it for. Plus closing costs. Don’t take a loss but don’t make a profit.