City Administrator and Redevelopment Director Peter Pelissier told commissioners Wednesday night he was told by partners in the Station Bar & Grill that they could not do the project if they had to pay the city’s total calculation. The city doesn’t want to stop the project, he added, but is willing to work within the confines of the ordinance.
The calculation for the connection fee range, set by city ordinance, is based on a property’s historic data and previous occupants. The amount the developers want to pay, according to Pelissier, is about a quarter of the calculation by the city’s construction official. The developers, he added, have shared their calculation with the city and what they think they should be charged.
The Planning Board approved a minor site plan for the 6,900-square-foot project last June.
In case you somehow haven’t yet heard about “Rahway’s snow babe,” it first appeared Saturday via CNN’s iReport, before getting picked up in Wednesday’s Star-Ledger, and then on and on.
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I heard tell that the "snow babe" also made it to O'Reilly this eve! Didn't see it myself though. Wonder if he mentioned Rahway?
;)Word of mouth is a powerful thing.
This isn't the type of headline that any town should be proud of. I can't believe someone actually called the cops on a snow sculpture, and I'm even more shocked that the police would ask someone to put clothes on a snow-woman because someone was "offended" . . . Your tax dollars at work. Thanks, big brother! Un-friggin-believable.
As important as the snow babe story is, I think we need to focus on the bigger problems in Rahway, like the empty storefronts. A great bar/restaurant is trying to open and the city is gonna hassle them over sewer connection fees??? Another example of how priorities are lost in government. Given the economic climate, the city should be doing everything it can to attract businesses. This is crazy! I don't know how much these fees would cost but a $90k piano may be able to cover some of that cost. How about if the business remains open for at least 5 years than the city will refund the connection cost, or 20% a year. Let's not keep red tape from getting out of the red.
Waive the sewer fee or make a deal to pay it out over years. LETS GET THIS PLACE OPEN. New businesses are having anough trouble in town and this place could be great. The City needs to do everything it can to encourage businesses to open in downtown. there is alot of vacant space right now and this kind of thing is going scare other potential businesses away. Plus it sounds like it will be a great fun place !!!
Mayor – Kennedy: "It's all about the Arts" – BULLSHIT! As long as it doesn't interfere with the conservative beliefs of the government. What HYPOCRISY!Just a quick reminder: “Rahway is positioning itself to take full advantage of the visual and performing arts that will provide long-term employment and economic development as well as sustain an enviable quality-of-life that will benefit all of our residents and visitors. “Perhaps our slogan for 2010 can be summed up as ‘Rahway: It’s All About the Arts.’ the mayor said.Perhaps in 2010 it should be "Its all about censoring the arts!" What an ignoramus! Since when should the government be concerning itself about naked snowmen – or naked snow ladies for that matter.
The irony of the incident, considering Rahway is banking on the arts to help drive redevelopment, is rich but I hardly see how the mayor is to blame. I'm pretty sure he's not telling the police chief to crack down on potentially risque snow sculptures. I also don't get the impression it was Gestapo-like tactics, with cops coming over to club the sculpture into oblivion. More like: cop shows up on a complaint, "shrugs his shoulders" (so to speak), and says, "Eh, can you do something? We got a complaint." Don't get me wrong, I don't think it was a job for the PD whatsoever. I'm curious where the story would've gone if the sculptors declined to do anything.Here's a suggestion that might be crazy enough to work, and potentially piggyback on the media attention for the city's arts plans. Commission the mother and family who did the sculpture to do one of the handful of sculptures planned for downtown this summer.The bigger issue for me is the action based on one complaint, and the neighbor. It's sad that someone's (I'm assuming) first move is call the cops (and waste their time on something like this) rather than go talk to the neighbor. I kind of wish the media could find and interview the neighbor.I'd rather live in a neighborhood where someone would be comfortable enough to walk over and talk to me rather than call the cops. Besides, what if I wanted to install a Venus de Milo-like fountain in my front yard?BTW, not surprisingly, after being picked up by Associated Press, etc., the Snow Babe made worldwide attention, here's BBC News.