Author Topic: Boys & Girls Club proposal  (Read 19410 times)

Offline Editor

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Boys & Girls Club proposal
« on: July 14, 2004, 11:00:38 AM »
This article recently appeared in The Record:

Fighting for a place for kids to play
(Link requires free registration to The Record)

What's the consensus on the proposed project?

The article says:

[Hackensack resident, Larry] Riley's vision of locating a Boys and Girls Club in Hackensack has been stymied by the same lukewarm reaction the city demonstrated against other non-profit agencies. The city and county should be glad to give him a few dollars.

Is this a good project for Hackensack or simply one more county/state agency imposing itself on the city?

Perhaps someone would like to formulate a poll on this issue.  (Click "Poll" above to get started).
« Last Edit: July 14, 2004, 11:22:11 AM by Editor »



Offline Editor

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Re: Boys & Girls Club proposal
« Reply #1 on: July 15, 2004, 10:19:00 AM »
Opinion in The Record (7/15/04):

I read with interest Columnist Lawrence Aaron's "Fighting for a place for kids to play" (Other Views, July 14).

Larry Riley was a neighbor of my relatives in Hackensack. I have never seen the man sit down. He has been and continues to be a tireless worker in his efforts to establish a Boys and Girls Club in Hackensack. More voices must be heard so that this dream can become a reality. My grandchildren attend the Boys and Girls Club in Lodi, and we certainly look forward to the day when they will be able to attend the club in their own town.

Larry's boundless energy in this endeavor and others is greatly appreciated.

Virginia Overholser

Paterson, July 14

Offline Anderson

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Re: Boys & Girls Club proposal
« Reply #2 on: July 15, 2004, 11:15:05 PM »
It's a nice idea but I'm not sure anyone knows that Hackensack is the home to the Police Athletic League (PAL).  It's located on Hackensack Ave. next to the BC Academy.  I haven't been there but I've heard it's very nice and has some really good programs.  Why doesn't this group consider getting on board with the PAL and help make it a state of the art facility for BC kids?

Offline MAILATHON

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Re: Boys & Girls Club proposal
« Reply #3 on: July 16, 2004, 08:55:20 AM »
LET'S GET MORE INVOLVED WITH CREATING A CLUB FOR CHILDREN FROM AGES FIVE TO EIGHTEEN, WHICH WOULD INVOLVE THE ADOLESCENTS THAT ARE AT VERY VULNERABLE AGE AND LET THE POLICE ATHLETIC LEAGUE REMAIN AS A SEPARATE ENTITY. THE P A L
IS LOCATED NOWHERE NEAR ANY BUS ROUTES AND WOULD BE  IMPOSSIBLE TO GET OUR KIDS THERE.

Offline Anderson

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Re: Boys & Girls Club proposal
« Reply #4 on: July 17, 2004, 08:24:18 AM »
The question would be why can't the Hackensack bus circuit be expanded to include the PAL?  It could turn around at Riverside Square.

Offline sayhey

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Re: Boys & Girls Club proposal
« Reply #5 on: July 18, 2004, 04:45:21 PM »
The Boys & Girls club of Lodi doesn't have a big problem with gambling as you make it out to be Eric.  I sense the problem with gambling is more with you.  I seen up close that the B & G of Lodi is successful with the kids and gambling hasn't effected the organization one bit.  I used to live in Lodi and the after school program they have is excellent.  The B & G of Lodi would come to the school to pick the kids up to ensure the kids arrived safety and stay involved.   Gambling gave the B & G a source of income in order to keep the doors open.  Unless you have another way to fund the B & G, then give it a chance.  It still beats kids hanging out in the street getting into trouble.

ericmartindale

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« Reply #6 on: July 18, 2004, 06:57:10 PM »
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« Last Edit: November 12, 2009, 06:09:38 AM by ericmartindale »

Offline sayhey

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Re: Boys & Girls Club proposal
« Reply #7 on: July 18, 2004, 09:15:46 PM »
It looks like the B & G is between a rock and a hard place.   This is where the City could step in and help provide assistance.   I just think the City would see the B & G as a program taking away from the recreation dept.  Unless the people of Hackensack donate enough money yearly, the only other way for the B & G of Hackensack to survive would be Bingo.  There is no easy answer.   Also, Eric you can't always worry about what others (neighboring towns) thing of you.  Trust me, their minds were made up decades ago about Hackensack.  We have to worry about what's best for Hackensack and it's people.

Offline Editor

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Re: Boys & Girls Club proposal
« Reply #8 on: August 04, 2004, 10:17:11 AM »
Latest story in The Record:  Advocate for kids steps up his fight

The article says:

Among the possible locations they have considered: the old Bergen County Prosecutor's Office on Linden Street, and what was Guy-Ross Chevrolet on River Street. The latter was recently knocked down, and a Commerce Bank will be built there.

Instead of pursuing a large structure, however, Nardino and Riley said they could locate in a Main Street storefront and offer a limited amount of programs.


Maybe the Boys and Girls Club could take the form of a series of club locations at several properties throughout Hackensack.  There are several vacant commercial properties up and down Main Street, Hudson Street, etc.  This plan may have the advantage of:

1. distributing any traffic conjestion problem throughout several neighborhoods
2. appealing to children from different neighborhoods
3. serving as "testing ground" for what programs are favored.
4. bringing pedestrian traffic to areas that could use it
5. taking advantage of other resources (parks, mass transit) throughout Hackensack.

Example:  There is an Ice Cream/Sandwich shop under construction near Target on Main Street at the north end.    Memorial Park is across the street.  There is a NJ Transit bus stop across the street.  There are is a strip mall under construction on the next block.  Fairmount School is one block away. There is at least one vacant property on that block. Is this not a good location for a small chapter of the Boys and Girls Club?

The Hackensack Shuttle Bus, or a separate Boys & Girls Club shuttle, could connect the various satellite clubs when needed.

Just a thought.
« Last Edit: August 04, 2004, 10:43:02 AM by Editor »

Offline Editor

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Re: Boys & Girls Club proposal
« Reply #9 on: August 09, 2004, 10:08:47 AM »
From The Record's "Heros & Zeros" column:

Thumbs up to Hackensack resident Larry Riley for his ongoing, tireless fight to open a Boys and Girls Club in his city. The 72-year-old grandfather's efforts on behalf of children are in addition to his running a neighborhood watch and speaking out eloquently on many community issues.


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Re: Boys & Girls Club proposal
« Reply #10 on: August 19, 2004, 10:44:14 AM »

Janet

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Re: Boys & Girls Club proposal
« Reply #11 on: August 31, 2004, 04:26:20 AM »
The ratables problem is a valid one and the club should consider a more creative approach like giving free memberships in the amount of lost rateables as long as  any property is off the tax roles. If the place is big enough their membership from surrounding towns should cover it.

I'm watching closely as my father and I may invest in Hackensack properies.


Janet - Elmhurst IL

Offline itsme

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Re: Boys & Girls Club proposal
« Reply #12 on: February 28, 2006, 10:53:15 PM »
I thank you for bringing this subject up again.  I believe the Boys and Girls Club would be a wonderful idea for Hackensack.  While Hackensack has both the recreation department and the PAL, both are located on the edge of town and not centrally located.  There is a pool at the high school but not open to use by residents.  The cost to register a kid with the B&G in Lodi is minimal.  I estimate that it is less than the cost of registering a child for 3 recreation programs during the different seasons.  The B&G Club could offer tutoring classes, arts & crafts, swimming, karate among other programs.  A gym in the facility with bleachers would offer a safer playing surface than the kitchen floor at the Marinello Center.  I have watched several basketball games there where children have suffered serious injuries as a result of individuals walking on the floor in bad weather because there is nowhere else to walk.  I would be willing to volunteer my time to the B&G or any other recreation program however, I do not drive and would need transportation.  Centrally locating a community recreation program would make it easy for all.  Bus transportation & routes are already in place and even if there were not, anywhere in the Main Street area would be a breeze to walk.

Anthony

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Re: Boys & Girls Club proposal
« Reply #13 on: March 01, 2006, 07:33:26 PM »
A Boys & Girl’s Club sounds great, but I wish the city would take it a step further.  I wish the council would take the initiative to relocate the Rec Center to the middle of the city, maybe even attaching it to the Middle School, and making it a first rate facility other towns would look at with envy.

It would be an expensive undertaking, but aren’t our kids worth it?  A first rate facility with at least two basketball courts, pool, weight room, game room, and a computer room.  Something a little more innovative might be a music studio where the kids not as interested in sports could feel comfortable.  Adults could play at night and a true sense of community might actually develop. 

ericmartindale

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Re: Boys & Girls Club proposal
« Reply #14 on: March 01, 2006, 09:21:55 PM »
More recreation is always a great idea for a community such as ours. I'd love to see the city with three recreation/community centers, one in the First Ward (M&M), one in the center of the city (perhaps an expansion of Union Street Park?), and one somewhere in the Fairmount Section.

And then I woke up.  State laws dictate that city budgets cannot increase more than 2.5% per year. However, energy and insurance costs increase more than 2.5%, and the major constituent of the budget is salaries ---- they go up much more than that. As a result, the budget is squeezed more and more every year. It's now impossibly squeezed, and the thought of adding any new expense simply can't be considered because the Mayor & Council are struggling to keep the current programs running. The 2.5% cap has created a crisis situation in most of the 566 municipalities in New Jersey. It simply cannot go on much longer.

Something will probably happen legislatively within 5 years to remedy the crisis caused by the 2.5% budget cap, and then Hackensack should immediately consider adding more recreation/community centers.  In addition to athletics, recreation/community centers should have a computer room, at least one large multi-purpose room, ADA-compliant bathrooms, several small meeting rooms, as well as office cubicles for neighborhood and community organizations.

Edgewater built something really nice for only $7,000,000, and Teaneck's is even more extravagant.  Bonded over 20 years, seven million would cost about $375,000 a year, including interest.  For a city the size of Hackensack, that's actually a small line item, almost invisibly absorbed into the budget.

 

anything