By Douglas E. Hall

Partial demolition, now underway, of what was once the second largest rolling mill in the country is the first step to the construction of a seven-story upscale spa and hotel wrapped in a metallic bold design of rock, brushed stainless steel and glass on the west side of River Road between Vreeland Terrace and the Edgewater Cemetery.

Photo by Lynne Grasz Hall

The transformation, estimated at a cost of $16 to $18 million will create a high-quality service for overnight guests as well as local clientele for a variety of treatments, including saunas, massages as well as several swimming pools.  The mill undergoing transformation was built 76 years ago by Alcoa, the aluminum manufacturer, for a cost of $3 million.  The old mill once extended from River Road to Undercliff Avenue, but developer Fred Daibes, who is building the spa, cut the western end of the mill off several years ago to create a small park.  Then he removed a larger section to construct affordable housing.  Bur Mr. Daibes saved a portion of the old mill to create a spa, a dream he had had for several years.

The concept of this spa is drawn from the Canyon Ranch, a spa in Lenox, Mass., according to the application that was filed with the Board of Adjustment for this project.  As such the new spa will address a unique approach to nutrition, stress management and staying fit while exploring the rewards of living a healthier, longer, more vibrant life.  The plan is to offer clients the opportunity to unwind with the most lavish spa treatments in the New York-New Jersey area.

The spa will consist of 49,137 square feet on multiple floors, along with a penthouse of 5,200 square feet.  The approved plans call for a hotel of 72 rooms with ancillary rooms for meetings and conference rooms. However final plans may contain some reduction in hotel guest rooms. Valet parking is provided within the three lowest levels of the building.  Access to the site is through three driveways, two from Vreeland Terrace and one from River Road, using the paved area in front of the cemetery, which is north of the building.

Photo by Lynne Grasz Hall

The first floor contains a lobby, reception, office, shoe lockers elevators and parking.  The second and third floors provide parking.  The fourth floor contains the spa, including reception, foot baths, a terrace, a wade pool, courtyard, men’s and women’s bath areas, and men’s and women’s locker rooms.  This floor also contains some hotel rooms.  The fifth floor contains a two-story lounge and café with kitchen and an area for spa services and saunas.  An outdoor courtyard is also located on this level with additional hotel rooms.

The sixth floor duplicates the fifth story area and contains more hotel rooms and a 2,300 square foot hotel lounge and meeting area as well as 1,380 square feet o office space.  The seventh floor contains a “kids” club, a terrace and family pool, a gym, staff lockers and lounge, a courtyard and additional hotel rooms.  The eighth floor or penthouse floor an indoor lounge area, a rock deck and pool.  The lounge has a roof deck over it.

Architect for the spa Mark Virgona explained that the plot consists of 43,000 square feet and the existing structure that occupies the site is approximately 42,100 square feet, resulting in nearly full coverage of the site.  He said that the center of the building is divided into three predominate uses: the garage, the spa and the hotel.  The garage occupies the building’s three lower floors.   The hotel units would be disbursed throughout floors four, five, six and seven as well as the penthouse floor.  The spa facilities would be located throughout floors four, five six and the penthouse floor.

At the Board of Adjustment hearing, traffic expert Hal Simoff opined that the proposed development could be constructed without significant impact on River Road and the surrounding road network.

Related posts:

1. Edgewater to be Given Museum Space in New Building
2. Edgewater’s new Main Street runs to the Hudson River
3. A Vision for the Superfund site: Marina, Ferry Terminal

Emily Kaufman of Edgewater and a member of the class of 2014 at Leonia High School, has won Honorable Mention for her Dramatic Script, “Savannah’s Gun,” in the 2013 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards competition presented by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers.

A very happy Emily Kaufman stands next to her English instructor Dr. Michael Pinker.

The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards is the longest running, most prestigious arts recognition program and the largest source of scholarships for creative teenagers in grades 7-12 in the United States. Past recipients include Andy Warhol, Richard Avedon, Sylvia Plath, John Updike, Robert Redford, Stephen King, Joyce Carol Oates, and Zac Posen.

Raquel Espasande, of  Edgewater and a student at Leonia High School was awarded a Bronze medal/Laureat National Certificate (6^th place in the Nation) in a national French language competition..  This contest, one of the most important, is sponsored by the American Association of Teachers of French. This year, they were 95,564 students of French participants in the United States. The contest consists of   seven different levels of French.  This is the second time, Leonia High School has participated in this contest, resulting in seven winners for this contest in Level 2 (24,219 participants) and two winners in Level 5 (5,312 participants).

Faustin Cantareil and Loup Cantareil, who are twins from Edgewater and are also students at Leonia High School  tied and both won Bronze medals/Laureat National Certificate (4^th place in the Nation) in the   French Contest.

Related posts:

1. Daibes saves the Day for Edgewater School Bus costs
2. Edgewater to open new second school Sept. 10
3. Edgewater Schools: New Leader, New Teaching Plan

Anyone who’s about my age will certainly remember the song, ‘A Boy Named Sue’ by Johnny Cash. It was such a big hit when it was released back in the sixties that even though Johnny Cash was considered a ‘country’ artist, everyone knew the song because it got so much radio play.

The song was actually written by Shel Silverstein, the genius who wrote ‘ The Unicorn’ a perennial Irish song that most people think really is an Irish song, and bestsellers like ‘A Light In The Attic’ the famous children’s book .The premise of ‘A Boy Named Sue’ is that the narrator’s father names him Sue to make him grow up tough enough to survive in the world without parental guidance from a man because the irresponsible father knew he wouldn’t be around. As with most comedy it stretches credibility a little to make a point.

Bob Batch

I’m going to digress a little bit here to mention that both my daughters have begun to plague me about the fact that I don’t ever write about them in these articles. (My son Tiernan seems content with his own pursuits and expresses no interest in my mentioning him, so I’ll spare him the embarrassment.)

Both my daughters, Alysanagh, the oldest, and her sister Brianagh, were named with what their mother and I thought were pretty names. Like their mom Bronagh though, both of their names were spelled with a silent ‘gh’ at the end. This is an Irish practice and we thought it would be a good way to acknowledge a part of their heritage at the time.

Anyway, one of my daughter Aly’s biggest complaints, among many, is that we made her name too complicated so she’s shortened it to Aly, which is more commonly used. Especially if you’re being mentioned in Us weekly, or People magazine.

Brianagh, although not yet militantly opposed to the spelling of her name, suggested that she and I sit down so she could tell me what to write about her. Since I’m not sure that many readers would be interested in her fascination with ‘My Little Ponies’ and fart jokes, I decided to save that interview for some other time.

Now that they’ve entered this space, I think I’ll take this opportunity to talk to them. One of the things I’d like to convey to my kids, and not exclusively about their complicated names, is that adversity in life is the thing that often makes you the most you can be. Sitting around with everyone praising your every action and agreeing to your every demand does not make you into much of a person at all.

In fact, one of the things that came to me very slowly was that your enemies can sometimes be more of a help in getting you motivated and at your best than your friends. It’s sort of like the space race back in the good old days when the USSR was our enemy. Oh, to go back to those times when we knew whose ass we wanted to kick and set about doing it!

Seriously though, if there were no trials in life, and all the traffic lights were green, and you could call in sick to work every day, and nobody cared if you paid your bills on time, and everybody just loved you because you’re you and special- how much effort do you think you’d put into anything.

When I was in my teens, Edgewater was the floor-waxing capital of the world. The reason it was, sat at the top of Palisade Terrace in the now long gone Garland residence. Ed Garland Sr. was one of those unique people who through tireless effort and unabashed chutzpa had turned the mundane chore of home cleaning into a must-have service for the modern home-maker. One of the Garland trucks could pull up to your house and in the space of an hour or so your rugs could be shampooed, your walls cleaned, and your floors waxed by super efficient machines ‘With that Garland Touch’.

Back in those days, before you could rent carpet machines and before self-shinning floors, and the do-it-yourself craze, a lot of people loved having someone come in and wax their floors. So much so, that there were about half a dozen floor waxing companies in Edgewater, and all the people who owned them were protégées, if you will, of Ed Garland.

Well, when I was still in High School I was hell-bent on getting a car. The dream back then was to save enough money to buy some $150 car that barely ran just to get on the road. To do that you needed a job. Somehow I got hired by Garland’s, which was like Boot Camp for Broom-Pushers every Saturday morning at the Volvo of America offices where Garland would take a group of new recruits to learn the intricacies of cleaning.

If you could master the skills of using a floor machine without running over the wire and having it smash into the wall, never pulling a push broom, and mopping without splattering wax everywhere, you might be able to go to people’s houses and work.

There was only one motivating tool at the Garland Institute and that was sarcastic criticism. If you had any notion that you were ever going to be congratulated for your proficiency or receive any praise for your effort, you would wait in vain. Garland wasn’t just your boss, he was your nightmare. But you know what? As big a ‘ball-breaker’ as Ed Garland, whom I later came to admire, was, he got you to do the job! Somehow, he got you to do a basically menial job with a sense of importance and responsibility- just to show him you could do it! And to spite him!

Don’t get me wrong, everybody needs a place they can go to where they’re nurtured and praised. Everybody deserves to be acknowledged for their efforts. But you’ve got to remember that things that seem hard to do make you work hard; and working hard makes you better at things. Finally, to my daughters who have hard names to spell, I want to say that like the guy in the Johnny Cash song I wanted to make life tough so that you learn to be tough. And just be glad we didn’t name you Bill or George or something like that.

No related posts.

2013 MUNICIPAL BUDGET – The Governing Body introduced the 2013 Municipal Budget on April 15 that will result in an average $37.00 increase, or on average $3.00 a month, from 2012 in the amount of money tax payers pay for the municipal portion of their tax bill.  Remember, when you receive your tax bill, it includes three taxing entities, municipal, schools, and county.  The municipal portion is only approximately 45% of the total bill.  The 2013 municipal budget resulted in a $684,860 appropriation increase from 2012.  Total appropriations in 2012 were $23,984,495 and in 2013, they will be $24,669,355 or a 2.78% increase.  The tax levy, or the amount to be raised by taxes in 2012 was $19,032,942 and in 2013 the levy will be $19,434,880 or a 2.11% increase.  The main contributing factor to this increase in the levy is the inability to generate enough revenues other than taxes, to cover expenses.  Some of the main appropriation increases were debt service, the amount of money owed as a result of borrowing for capital projects $117,849, deferred charges or those charges directly related to the control and clean up of Hurricane Sandy, $235,000, and trash collection $268,000.  The Mayor and Council are always aggressively looking at ways to reduce cost.  The more revenues Edgewater receives, the less of a levy, or the amount we need to assess directly to the property owner.  Edgewater was fortunate enough to receive state fiscal aid in the amount of $750,731, the same amount as last year; this money will go directly to tax relief, or less the amount needed to be raised by taxes.  To counter the trend of lost revenues identified a few years ago, we initiated the collection of two new sources of revenue, ambulance billing and sewer fees.  The revenue projections for both billings are approximately $186,000 and $150,000 respectively which could decrease the overall tax levy.  In 2010, the municipal tax rate was .582 and in 2011, the rate was .698, and 2012 the introduced rate was .700, we do not yet have the 2013 rate as provided by the State of New Jersey.   On the typical residential assessment of $433,000, the average amount of municipal taxes to be paid will be $3,206.  A public hearing on the introduced budget will be held on May 20^th, permitting residents the opportunity to comment.

2013 ROAD IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM – The Mayor and Council are pleased to introduce the 2013 road improvement program that is tentatively scheduled to commence in early May of 2013.  All of the following projects will be subsidized by grants provided by the Bergen County Community Development Program, a federal grant program that provides funding for community based projects such as road paving.  Undercliff Avenue between Hudson Avenue and Valley Place will have their sidewalks and curbs replaced without road paving.  Edgewater Place and Hilliard Avenue will be re-paved, and Old Wood Road will have a new sewer line installed and the road will be re-paved.  Notices were mailed to all adjoining property owners and a reverse 911 message will be telephoned and e-mailed to the affected properties.  The Edgewater Police will post no parking signs the day before work will commence in order to clear the road.  Residents will be permitted to temporarily park their vehicles in the municipal lot at 915 River Road.

MEMORIAL DAY - Monday May 27 is Memorial Day, a day to remember our dedicated servicemen and woman who made the ultimate sacrifice for America’s freedom.  Due to the closure of Veteran’s Field, the regular 11:00am service at the flag will be incorporated into the Monument Park service regularly held at the Veteran’s Monument at Route 5 and River Road.  The day will begin at the Holy Rosary Church on Undercliff Avenue at 9:00am with a memorial mass with coffee and light refreshments immediately following, all faiths are invited.  At 10:15am, the memorial service at Monument Park at Route 5 and River Road will begin.  Immediately following this service, the American Legion Veterans extend an invitation to all to place flags at the graves of all veterans at the Edgewater Cemetery.

ANNUAL TOWN WIDE CLEAN-UP – The Borough of Edgewater invites residents to participate in the annual cemetery clean-up to be held on Saturday, May 11 from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.; please contact the Department of Public Works for details at 201-943-1700 ext. 5000.  Be part of this hidden historic treasure of Edgewater and assist your neighbors in maintaining Edgewater’s past by sprucing up our own historic cemetery that dates back to 1795 and is the burial location of Edgewater’s Native American Princess Go-Won-Go-Mohawk. 

The annual town wide clean-up and clean-out has been scheduled for the weekend of Saturday, May 18 and Sunday, May 19 from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.  Residents are urged to place bulky waste items such as furniture, toys, computer equipment and general household items, yard waste such as tree and shrub branches, cut and bundled, and any unwanted items.  The Public Works Department does separate the items, so all items are recycled appropriately.  The only items NOT collected are batteries, paint cans, household hazardous waste, propane tanks, and tires.  These items are recycled by the Bergen County Utilities Authority at locations and dates listed below 

HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE DISPOSAL

The Bergen County Utilities Authority is sponsoring its 2013 annual hazardous waste disposal program at three locations county-wide.  The following items are acceptable and will be accepted for disposal: aerosol cans, paints, pesticides, solvents, and many items commonly found in the home that cannot be disposed in regular trash.  For event details and information call 201-807-5825 or log onto www.bcua.org.  All events are open from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. rain or shine at the following locations and dates:

Bergen Community College, 400 Paramus Road, Paramus

Sunday, June 23

Sunday, October 20

Bergen County Utilities Authority, Empire Blvd. Moonachie

Saturday July 20

Campgaw Reservation, 200 Campgaw Road, Mahwah

Saturday, May 18

Saturday, September 7

Saturday, November 2

ELECTRONICS, TIRES, AND DOCUMENT SHREDDING RECYCLING

The Bergen County Utilities Authority will be sponsoring the 2013 annual recycling event for computers, electronics, tires, and the shredding of paper documents.  For event details call 201-807-5825 or log onto www.bcua.org, all events will be from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. rain or shine at the following locations:

Bergen County Community Services, 327 E. Ridgewood Ave, Paramus

Saturday, August 17

Campgaw Reservation, 200 Campgaw Road, Mahwah

Saturday, June 22

Saturday, October 26

SUMMER CAMP INFORMATION – As the community is aware of the closure of Veterans Field due to soil contamination, the borough has decided NOT to schedule summer camp activities at the Community Center due to the scheduled rehabilitation and restoration project that will result in heavy equipment being used throughout the site of Veterans Field.    As an alternative, a modified camp will be held utilizing the Eleanor Van Gelder School.  Due to the alternate site, some programs will have to be modified or eliminated such as before and after camp, as well as some traditional programs that have used Veterans Field as the venue.  As with previous camp registrations, registration is based on first come, first serve with a waiting list that will be generated for openings that may occur.  Registration information for the modified Edgewater Summer Camp program was provided through the Eleanor Van Gelder School.  Registration will take place on Saturday, May 4 from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at the Edgewater Community Center, 1167 River Road.  Space is limited and acceptance is based on first come, first serve, it is highly recommended that residents seek alternative programs. In order to provide a fulfilling and safe environment, especially this year due to the circumstances, the Edgewater program must be limited and modified.

MUSIC AT THE MARINA IS BACK – The following successive Thursday’s will be the free concerts for the entire family at the Edgewater Marina, 989 River Road, from 7:00pm to 8:30pm.  Bring a chair or blanket and listen to the cool sounds of summer along the river.  June 27, July 4, July 11, July 18, July 25, August 1, August 8, August 15, August 22, and August 29.

VOLLEYBALL AT THE MARINA IS BACK – The following successive Tuesday’s will be free volleyball for the entire family at the Edgewater Marina, 989 River Road, from 6:30pm to 8:30pm.  June 25, July 2, July 9, July 16, July 23, July 30, August 6, August 13, August 20, and August 27.

GRAN FONDO BICYCLE TOUR – Residents are urged to use caution on Sunday May 19, 2013 as bicyclist from around the world compete in a 100 mile bicycle tour from the George Washington Bridge, to Bear Mountain, to the Lincoln Tunnel.  Hudson Terrace in Fort Lee will be closed southbound from 6:30am to 5:00pm, River Road from Route 5 to Hudson Terrace will be closed both directions from 6:30am to 8:00am only.  Residents are urged to utilize Route 5 or Gorge Road.  Bicyclist will be using River Road as the race route in Edgewater but will be riding single file, motorist are urged to use caution while driving.

Related posts:

1. Edgewater Borough News January 2013
2. Edgewater Borough News March 2013
3. Edgewater News April 2013

1, 8, 15, 22, 29; Wednesday, 11:30 AM: “Babies’ Lapsit” UP to 18 Mos.: A storytime, a sing-along, a mommy/daddy/care-giver and me time!

Please reserve your child’s space by enrolling through the library’s website.

1, 8, 15, 22, 29; Wednesday, 4:00 PM: “Chess Club” Ages 7+: Basic instruction provided. Please reserve your child’s space by enrolling through the library’s website.

2, 9, 16, 23, 30; Thursday, 10:30 AM: “Mother Goose Group” Ages 18 Mos. OR “capable walkers” and up: Those children who are too old for the Wednesday “Babies’ Lapsit” program are encouraged to join “Mother Goose Group!” Stories, sing-along, bubbles and more! Come see what all the fun is about!

2, 9, 16, 23, 30; Thursday, 4:00 PM: “Starter Chess Club” Ages 5-6: Children who learn to play Chess tend to excel in mathematics, develop spatial thinking skills, and possess an advanced ability to think strategically. NO new children will be accepted into the program, enrollment for the Summer Session will commence on Monday, June 3.

2, 9, 16, 23, 30; Thursday, 5:00 PM: “Beginner Guitar with Joe” Gr. 4+: Basic instruction provided. Enrollees MUST provide their own instruments.  Please reserve your child’s space by enrolling through the library’s website.

3, 10, 17, 24, 31; 10:30 & 11:30 AM: “Storytime Yoga” Ages 1-4: Children with parents and caregivers who place value upon exercise and healthy living become adults who value the same. NO new enrollees will be accepted into the program.

3, 10, 17, 24, 31; 4:00 PM: “Wee Read” Gr. 2-4: Ms. Faten leads young readers through each month’s book and accompanying discussion. Participants are encouraged to read the entire book, but all that is required is an effort and a positive attitude. Refreshments provided. Please enroll via the library’s online registration template.

6, 13, 20; 4:00 PM: “Kids in the Kitchen with Chef Reema!” Gr. K+: Using ingredients and supplies courtesy of Whole Foods Market, Chef Reema teaches children and caregivers how to whip up some absolutely delicious foods that require minimal expertise and “heat.”

7, 14, 21, 28; 4:00 PM: “Bookworms Book Club”Gr. 4-6: Sue Price and friends read and discuss wonderful books every month. In conjunction, snacks and occasionally pizza are made available to participants. Students need NOT read the entire book, all that is required is an effort and a positive attitude! Please reserve your child’s space by enrolling through the library’s website.

7, Tuesday; 5:00 PM: “Scrabble Tournament” Gr. 4+: Before there was “Words with Friends” there was …. “scrabble.” That’s right, a board-game. Come try the often imitated but never duplicated game of “Scrabble.” Winner(s) will receive a prize. Please reserve your child’s space by enrolling through the library’s website.

8 Wednesday; 4:00 PM: “Outdoor Sand Art”  Ages 2 ½+: Sue Price will lead young artists through a fun Sand Art project.  Due to the nature of the program, space is limited. Kindly enroll, via the library’s online registration template, at your earliest convenience.

10, 24 Friday; 3:00 PM: “Tiny Hands Art Class” Ages 18 Mos+: Children are encouraged to exercise and explore their naturally creative natures. A variety of materials and projects are made available, and children are urged to use materials that are unfamiliar to them and to “get messy!” Fun for everyone! Please enroll via the library website.

11 Saturday; 11:00 AM: “Burgers and Books BBQ!” Open To All!: The library will be holding the 1^st annual “Burgers and Books BBQ” fundraiser! Your local librarian/grill-master(s) will be whipping up juicy Hamburgers ($3) and yummy Hot-Dogs ($2), accompanied by cups of soda or bottled water ($1)? Now THAT’S a BBQ. In conjunction, a reusable and eco-friendly book-bag will be provided to each attendee; cram as many books into the bag as it can physically accommodate for just $10! All proceeds will be put into library programming.

13 Monday; 5:00 PM: “Monopoly Tournament” Gr. 1+: Back by popular demand, the Juvenile Monopoly Tournament! Please enroll via the library’s online registration template.

16 Thursday; 10:30 AM: “Huggy/LovieSorytime& Sleep-Over!” 10:30 AM: This week, enrollees are encouraged to bring a beloved stuffed animal to storytime! Your stuffed animal/lovie will then spend the entire day AND night at the library. Staff members Jamey Feuer and Susan Price will conduct the stuffed animal sleep-over and take pictures of YOUR buddy playing with the other animals and exploring the library. These photos will be made available for all Storytime attendees to see. Fun and NOT to be missed!

21 Tuesday; 4:00 PM: “Tuesday @ the Movies; “Beautiful Creatures” Ages 13+: Tuesday @ the Movies is always popular. This month, we’ll be watching the movie based upon author Kami Garcia’s wildly successful YA novel of the same name. Please enroll via the library’s online registration template.

30 Thursday; 10:30 AM: “Miss Spider’s Tea Party with Trader Joe’s!” 10:30 AM: Your best buddy stuffed animals got to enjoy a party courtesy of the library earlier in the month, this week, with some help from the wonderful folks at Trader Joe’s of Edgewater, it’s your turn! Every year, the library and Trader Joe’s partner up for a special initiative entitled, “Miss Spider’s Tea Party.” Snacks, refreshments and fun for everyone! Please enroll via the library’s online registration template.

Adult Programs

1. 1.       ADULT MOVIE SEERIES PRESENTS: “THE INTOUCHABLES”  Monday, May 6^th

from 7-9 pm

Rated  R

Directed by Olivier Nakache, Eric Toledano

Starring: François Cluzet, Omar Sy, Anne Le Ny

After he becomes a quadriplegic from a paragliding accident, an aristocrat hires a young man

from the projects to be his caretaker.

1. 2.      TUESDAY @ THE MOVIES PRESENTS:  “SAFE HAVEN” Tuesday, May 7^th

 from 7-9 pm

PG-13 Directed by Lasse Hallström

Starring: Julianne Hough, David Lyons, Josh Duhamel

A woman with a mysterious past lands in a South Port North Carolina where her bond with a widower forces her to confront the dark secret that haunts her.

1. 3.      ADULT GUITAR FOR BEGINNERS WITH TOM: Saturday, May 4,11,18,25

from 3-4 pm

1. 4.      ADULT GUITAR FOR INTERMEDIATE WITH TOM: Saturday, May 4,11,18,25 from 4-5 pm

1. 5.       SEMINAR: “HOW TO PLAN YOUR RETIREMENT” PRESENTED BY MARC BAUTIS   Monday, May 20^th from 7-8 pm

( Marc Bautis is a Wealth Manager and the founder of Bautis Financial)

Shape Up Your Finances and Make Your Money Last a Lifetime. The Retirement Income Planning Workshop will help you determine if you are on track for retirement with your savings and how to convert your savings to an income stream that will cover your expenses during retirement.

Learn strategies to:

•   Prevent outliving your money
•   Minimize your expenses during retirement
•   Create a stream of guaranteed income

•   Combat inflation and rising health care expenses

•   How to optimize your withdrawals
•   Maximize your Social Security income
•   Contain market volatility and  investment risk

1. 6.      TUESDAY @ THE MOVIES: “PROMISED LAND”  Tuesday, May 21^st from 7-9 pm

Rated- R    Directed by Gus Van Sant

Starring: Matt Damon, Hal Holbrook, Frances McDormand

A salesman for a natural gas company experiences life-changing events after arriving in a small town, where his corporation wants to tap into the available resources.

1. 7.      ELDER LAW: LEAGAL ISSUE FACING SENIOR CITIZENS: SEMINAR PRESENTED BY BENJAMIN D. ECKMAN

Wednesday, May 22 from 7-8 pm.

This seminar addresses the major legal issues faced by elderly people, including plans for incapacity, power of attorney, financing long term care, and other issues related to the elderly population.

To register for these programs, call the library at 201-224-6144 or register online at www.edgewaterlibrary.org

Burgers ‘N’ Books Book Sale and BBQ —- will be held on Saturday, May 11^th from 11 AM to 3 PM. Come and enjoy some hamburgers, hotdogs, soda and ice cream and support your library on a nice Spring Day! Purchase a bag of books for $10 — choose whatever books you may be interested in!

Related posts:

1. Edgewater Free Public Library events | April 2013
2. Edgewater Public Library Events | March 2013
3. Edgewater Free Public Library : December 2012 Events

May 5: Charles L. Carroll of Edgewater, 70, prominent trainer and owner of race horses, died of a heart attack at Jamaica Race Track, Long Island, one hour before his horse, Rosarian, a five-year-old, won the first race of the day, 1939.

May 12: Elliott Underwood, founder with his father, Dr. Benoni Underwood, of two newspapers in Edgewater, The Borough News and The Borough Citizen in 1910, died at the age of 76, 1950.

May 14: Page 1 of the Palisade Post tells of “factional warfare” at the Edgewater Union Church (later to become the First Presbyterian Church) between Presbyterians and undenominational worshipers, 1909.

May 16: The New York Times reports the Momus Co., a film producer located in Edgewater, produced its first comedy film, “Dr. Cupid,” 1915.

May 16: Former Army Sgt. Howard Hopper, 25, a discharged wounded veteran said his donation to the Alcoa plant blood drive was a give-back for the three pints of  blood he received when he was wounded in Europe, 1945.

May 28: Lorentz Kleiser, internationally-known artist and designer of hand loomed tapestries died at his home in Red Rock, N.Y.  In 1913, he founded the Edgewater Tapestry Looms on Undercliff Avenue, just north of Route 5.  The tapestries, considered by experts to be of the highest quality, are in museum collections across the country, including the Newark Museum.  They were made for churches, public buildings and private homes.  Three of these tapestries hang in the Nebraska state capitol in Lincoln.  The buildings that housed the looms remain and were converted to apartments several years ago, 1963.

May 30: “Boats, Maps, seized at a German Camp”  by the FBI in the Colony section of Edgewater, the New York Times proclaimed in a headline.  The story quickly disappeared from news reports raising the possibility that home-front hysteria of World War II may had prompted the raid, 1942.

Related posts:

1. Edgewater Timeline for Februarys Past
2. Edgewater Timeline For Marches Past
3. Edgewater Timeline For Aprils Past

The fundraiser will benefit the 22^nd Annual Edgewater Arts & Music Festival, to be held on September 8, 2013, on Old River Road. The festival is considered one of the best in the tri-state area.

Tickets are $40 per person (fully tax-deductible), and can be paid by cash or check at the door or by contacting the following:  Lynne Grasz—lmgrasz@aol.com, Karin Thieme—k_thieme@verizon.net; or call Fleming’s directly: 201.313.9463.  www.edgewaterartsnj.org

Related posts:

1. Edgewater Arts & Music Festival wine tasting
2. Winners announced at 20th annual Edgewater Arts & Music Festival
3. Edgewater Arts Council issues “Call for Artists” for Sept. 9 Art & Music Festival

Bus service to New York from Edgewater on the 158 line was delayed late Monday morning (April 29) when a bomb scare developed at the Port Authority Bus Terminal.  Passengers departing from the front of the bus told the driver that a man had “jumped off the bus”, departing from the rear exit leaving a black bag on the bus.

The driver then left the bus parked in the lane where he discharged his passengers and called his supervisor, who called the police.  A supervisor arrived on the scene before the police and checked the bag’s contents and found no explosives.  Police, who mistakenly headed for the departure platform of the 158 and were subsequently delayed to the actual location of the bus, admonished the supervisor for tampering with a potentially explosive bag.  Police confirmed that there was no bomb found.

Related posts:

1. Daibes saves the Day for Edgewater School Bus costs
2. GPS Feature Added To Ferry Shuttle Bus

Ryuho Okawa

 To People Who Have No Motivation

Q. Nowadays I feel so lazy, I don’t feel like doing anything. I want to change this but I just cannot motivate myself to make any effort. What should I do?

Motivation is not Something That Comes from Heaven

Your problem is you are suffering from a lack of motivation. If you think about why you are unwilling to do anything, I am sure that part of the reason will be that you live in a slipshod fashion. In many cases, this kind of attitude is due to the fact that you have a low opinion of yourself. This is something I want to make clear from the beginning.

Some people live day-to-day, taking things as they come, vaguely hoping that they will come into money someday, for example, that they will find some money lying in the street or hit the jackpot on the slot machines. They feel this way because they lack ideals and live their lives with a happy-go-lucky attitude.

There are many different reasons for a lack of motivation, so I can not draw simplistic conclusions. Some people may lack physical strength or be ill, others may recently have had a business failure, yet others may have repeatedly suffered a broken heart. I do not know what your particular reason is for your lack of motivation, but if this is your problem and you wish to know how to overcome it, I will write a prescription for you.

There are three things that I would like to say. The first is that you should check and try to discover the cause for your lack of motivation. I am sure that at some time in the past you must have suffered a setback, and as a result you have convinced yourself that you lack ability. The first step, therefore, is to discover the reason that you lack ambition.

Once you understand why you do not have enough motivation, the next step is to consider just how you would like to change yourself. How do you wish to deal with yourself, as someone who has completely lost all motivation? Do you want to motivate yourself or are you happy just to sit back and wait for motivation to come to you from Heaven? Do you think that some alien race will come to Earth and leave behind something that will motivate you? Do you think that you will be given an amulet that will enable you to work harder and do well in business?

People who are content to wait for some outside factor to motivate them can wait forever. There is the possibility that something like a meteorite may come crashing down from the sky, so you have the choice just to sit around and do nothing until that happens. Sometimes a lack of motivation can be a temporary phenomenon and in this case, waiting for motivation to return can be said to be one method of recovering.

However, for people who feel that they cannot afford to continue as they have been and want to do something about it, what I am about to say is very important. The third point I wish to make is that you should try to create an image of your ideal. If you are able to create an image of your ideal self, or if you feel a desire to improve yourself even slightly, there is still a way you can recover.

Dangling the Carrot in Front of You

So what should you do to increase your motivation? If this does not happen automatically, it is important that you yourself make an effort to achieve this, and the only way of doing this is to create an objective.

What I am trying to say is that if you dangle a carrot one or two kilometers away, a horse will not move. If you wish to motivate a horse which has lost its willingness to work, you need to hold the carrot right in front of its eyes. Similarly, you are like a horse without motivation and in order to become motivated, you also need to have a carrot dangled right in front of your eyes, that is to say, you need a goal, but it should not be too big.

The carrot should not be a task which is so grand that it will only be recognized by future generations. You need to look for something close at hand, that will provide you with a feeling of satisfaction upon accomplishment. In other words, it is important to find something close by that needs effort to accomplish, and afterwards to savor the sense of achievement and success. The important thing is to choose just one subject and work on improving it. This is the attitude you should take.

I am afraid that I do not have a cure for people who are happy to wait for some outside power to help them, who expect something to drop from heaven. All I can say to people like this is they should wait until they feel like doing something about it. However, to people who want to help themselves, I say start with something close to hand. Remember what I said about how a horse becomes more willing to move if you dangle a carrot right in front of its nose, so look for something within easy reach that you can get to work on.

www.happy-science.org  & www.happyscience-nj.org

Happy Science NJ

725 River Rd. #200

Edgewater, NJ 07020

(Edgewater Plaza bldg.)

tel:201.313.0127

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3. Happy Science: Overcoming Past Trauma

By Douglas E. Hall

Edgewater Harbor, a waterfront community nestled just east beyond this town’s new Borough Hall is shaping up as solid addition to the development  along the borough’s three and a half mile Hudson River  shoreline  that has been underway for several years beyond the past decade.

Although much has yet to be built in Edgewater Harbor, a ribbon cutting for the new community is set for Thursday, April 4 at 11:30 p.m.

HomeGoods, TJX Companies’ off-price home fashions concept, has leased 24,000 square feet to anchor the 100,000-square-foot retail component of Edgewater Harbor, a mixed-use redevelopment between  River Road and the Hudson River.  Levin Management serves as exclusive retail leasing agent for the property.  Levin’s leasing representative Jake Frantzman negotiated the long-term lease. Jerry Welkis of Welco Realty represented HomeGoods in the transaction.

“And while the heart of the development is HomeGoods, indisputably a big box store, many of the rest of the leases will go to smaller shops to further promote the downtown feel of the development,” Frantzman said.  “We’re trying to bring in restaurants, we’re trying to bring in any smaller boutiques or any retail that would really fit the market well,” he said.

A project of National RE/sources, Edgewater Harbor sits on the 21-acre former Unilever facility, providing Hudson River views and a coveted Gold Coast address.  At build-out, Edgewater Harbor will include 480 high-end loft and apartment residences and a 1,900-foot river walk along the Hudson. The property’s first two residential buildings feature ground-level retail space along the project’s Main Street; HomeGoods was the first tenant committed to that portion of the project.

Other tenants who have signed up include Great Clips, Floris Nails & Spa, European Wax Center, Five Guys Burgers and Fries, and Haven Riverfront Restaurant & Bar.  Retailers already open at Edgewater Harbor include CVS Pharmacy, Moe’s Southwest Grill, AT&T, Beach Bum Tanning, Epique Massage and Edgewater Dry Cleaners.

“Redevelopment efforts spanning from Weehawken to Bayonne have really kicked into high gear, making the Gold Coast a magnet for residents as well as retailers,” said Frantzman. “Strong demographics, along with excellent visibility and access, make Edgewater Harbor the perfect location for HomeGoods as it continues expanding throughout the New Jerseymarketplace.”

Based in Framingham, Mass., HomeGoods was introduced in 1992 and now operates about 400 stores throughout the United States. The retailer offers home fashions at 20 percent to 60 percent less than department and specialty store prices. Its broad and fresh array of merchandise includes giftware, home basics, furniture and accent furniture, lighting, rugs, bedding, decorative accessories, children’s furniture, seasonal merchandise and wall décor, and items for the kitchen and dining room, among other fashions for the home.

Edgewater Harbor’s retail component serves a population of more than two million people within a five-mile radius. Some 896,000 households within that same radius boast an average income exceeding $107,000. The property’s location – equidistant from the George Washington Bridge and Lincoln Tunnel – makes it easily accessible to shoppers from both New Jersey and Manhattan.  With today’s consumers more value conscious than ever before, off-price companies have carved a unique niche in the retail industry, allowing shoppers to affordably update their homes and wardrobes without sacrificing quality or style. “Edgewater Harbor, with its prime location just south of the intersection of River and Gorge roads, continues to attract high-quality tenants,” said Michael Cohen, vice-president of leasing. “We are excited to bring the HomeGoods concept to area shoppers, and are confident the new store will be a welcome addition to the local retail community.”

Having celebrated its 60^th year in 2012, Levin Management is one of the nation’s leading retail real estate services firms, with a strong focus in the northeastern United States and an owner’s approach to the business. Today, the North Plainfield, N.J., company offers a full range of services for a diverse 90-property, 12.5 million-square-foot portfolio. These assets include neighborhood, community, lifestyle and power centers, as well as enclosed malls, downtown stores and mixed-use projects in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and North Carolina. Levin specializes in repositioning, retenanting and renovating retail properties – areas that have become particularly vital for today’s institutional, fiduciary and individual property owners.

Headquartered in North Plainfield, N.J., Levin Management offers a full range of services for its clients, including leasing, property management, accounting, construction management, and marketing. The company’s management and leasing portfolio includes more than 90 diverse retail properties totaling more than 12.5 million square feet in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina and Florida. Properties range from neighborhood, community, lifestyle and power centers, to enclosed malls, downtown stores and mixed-use projects.

Levin’s ownership approach to the business has earned it a number of distinguished awards. The company was named “Firm of the Year” by the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM), New Jersey Chapter No. 1; one of America’s five fastest-growing real estate managers by Chain Store Age; Top Retail Company by the Mid Atlantic Real Estate Journal; and one of the nation’s Top 10 Redevelopers by Chain Store Age for the second year in a row. In January 2011, Commercial Property Executive magazine ranked Levin 30th among Top US Real Estate Companies. In August 2011, the publication again honored Levin as one of the industry’s Top Property Managers.

National Resources, the developer of Edgewater Harbor, built a new 25,000 square foot Borough Hall and Police Headquarters for $3.7 million as part of the negotiations to construct the new development.

Related posts:

1. Hudson River waterfront walkway
2. New mixed use buildings on Old River Road progresses
3. New Mixed Use Development for Old River Road Begins