Pequannock News

Pequannock Blues, Hurricane Irene 2 Years On: Part III

2013-06-07T17:01:00.000-04:00

By Christopher Lotito

Pequannock Blues, Hurricane Irene 2 Years On: Part III

In August of 2011, thousands of Pequannock residents were affected and displaced by the preventable tragedy of Hurricane Irene and the flooding that ensued. Today, Pequannock News works to keep their story alive and make it available for those who have the power to change our situation and end repetitive flooding in Pequannock.

PSE&G trucks lined up to process the numerous
requests for utility service after
Hurricane Irene in August of 2011.

In Part I we discussed some of the organizations locally undertaking the mission to reduce and eliminate flooding in the Passaic River Basin. In Part II we considered the progress that has been made on Christie's 15 Point Flood Mitigation Plan since Hurricane Irene. Now in Part III, we'll examine a few of the potential fixes to flooding that have been killed off for one (political) reason or another.

Potential Flood Fixes Graveyard:

Description: Funding to complete real dredging and shoal removal along the rivers. This means putting machines in the river and pulling out sand, dirt, tires, and whatever else is down there.
Benefit: Significant. The bed of the river has become increasingly shallow over the 77 years since the Morris Canal was officially abandoned. Removing accumulated silt and shoals would put the water back where it belongs, in the river, and also serve to reduce the risk of snags forming as trees, branches, leaves, and debris accumulate in the now shallow waters. As a further benefit, deeper waters are cooler waters and NJ could save funds it currently invests into addressing the occasional fishkills that occur as a result of high river temperatures.
Cost: Not as much as you'd think... It's going to cost money to put machines in the river, to remove the sediment, then to move the sediment to a location where it can be stored / dumped without ending up back in the river after the next tropical storm. However, townships throughout the region have started to acquire some of the equipment as a method to reduce their costs (allowing their own staff to complete related work, rather than having to bid the job to a private firm). Even if a township does not own dredging equipment, since any dredging project should be a regional effort, chances are some town will be able to provide use of that equipment at a reduced cost.
Cause of Death: Murdered by the NJ Department of Environmental Protection's obstructionist agenda. With the NJ DEP, we're lucky we're even allowed to put boats in a body of water anymore. It's a fact: in their zeal to protect the environment, they've identified the greatest threat as the human population and done their best to eliminate our presence via more red tape than is almost conceivable. Consider this 2011 article, one of several, in which Pequannock and other townships pressured the DEP to issue the necessary permits to complete simply the work of removing fallen trees from the river: http://www.northjersey.com/news/120045089_Flood_relief_efforts_begin_as_state__towns_aim_to_de-snag_waterways.html -- In that situation, the DEP took an obstructionist tact, delaying work extensively by issuing demands such as multiple photos of each tree scheduled to be removed from multiple angles. It got so bad, that the Pequannock Township Council wrote to the Governor for help, but by the time the permits were issued it was too late and Hurricane Irene occurred.

Description: Plans to repair the Pequannoc Spillway and Pompton Feeder Dam, removing 100 years of sediment accumulated behind them to make room for the water they're supposed to retain.
Benefit: Locally significant. Floods are not just water, they're volume of water, over distance, over time. Maintaining these two dams the way they're supposed to have been for the past 100 years would restore the flood storage capacity they provide, holding water that could be in our homes upstream while downstream drains to make room.
Cost: Negligible (compared to most of the alternatives and other suggested projects). This is a tiny project, digging out debris and soil from the riverbed at a mere 2 locations with just 4 points of entry into the water (maybe only 3). -- Not to mention, the money used to restore these dams should by rights be taken from the money the NJ DEP has saved over the past 100 years of not bothering to complete any maintenance work on them. They've had the funding for that, they've just used it elsewhere.
Cause of Death: Ignorance / Disinterest. The Dam Safety Management department has no interest in maintaining, inspecting, or repairing these dams because they pose no threat to human life. That's correct, I have correspondence indicating that no safety inspections were being performed on these dams until the recent feasibility study performed by Civil Dynamics. Meanwhile, local residents do not know enough about to these 2 structures tucked way back in the woods to mount a coherent public education campaign to pressure the State or County into maintaining them properly.
Description: Meaningful discussion or even funding to consider channelizing the existing riverbeds or else constructing a flood tunnel or other bypass channel or spillway to do something with the floodwaters other than send them through residents' homes.
Benefit: This is the silver bullet that the DEP insists does not exist, a permanent solution to flooding in the Passaic River Basin. If we completed a massive flood mitigation project, by definition, it would be overbuilt and over-designed to ensure that we never have to deal with flooding again.
Cost: Massive. However, worth comparing to the cost of buyouts and other mitigation work that is less worthy and being carried out instead. How about the loss of taxable residential properties (and even commercial tax ratables or large scale development opportunities)?
Cause of Death: Discordant organizational philosophy. How's that? Well, FEMA the NJ DEP, and others have decided that the only remedy for flooding that they will willingly fund (unless forced to do otherwise at the point of a Governor's decree during an election year) is to buyout homes in the floodplain. Not your home (probably), not my home, but someone's home, somewhere. Why do these organizations feel this way? Well for one thing, none of them are in the floodplain, so that has to count for something. Honestly, it's the organizational equivalent of telling people that if there's a flood, it's their fault for being in a flood to begin with. I can't give you an answer as to why this philosophy is the case within the bounds of this article. I have been told by insiders that a number of higher ups in the NJ DEP are rampant militant environmentalists who have no problem moving entire communities out of the way to save some wildlife (though I have no way of proving this...other than the fact that this is what they are doing). I can tell you that the Passaic River Coalition and other private lobbyist groups like it are able to apply for and have received funding from the government, which comes from our taxdollars, to pursue their own political agendas and that this fact makes the entire buyout system suspect.

There are no conclusions as many of our readers look out the window at the falling rain right this moment and wonder if they shouldn't start moving things upstairs. The only reasonable conclusion available is that we in Pequannock are stuck in a supremely ill-conceived scenario where we have dutifully paid into the flood insurance program for decades and now that the money is needed, funding is available only for one specific remedy for political purposes (buyouts) which the vast majority of homeowners are not eligible for and do not support.

I leave you with this, where on June 3rd 2013, the NJ State Legislature has pointed out that it is no longer acceptable for the NJ DEP's flood hazard maps to be 15 years out of date, nor for the NJ DEP to require developers and others to use their out of date maps rather than the more up to date FEMA ones when applying for permits: http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/legislativepub/digest/ldoa060313.pdf -- Of course, you know, that's just if it passes the vote.

Christopher Lotito is a member of the Pequannock Historic District and Open Space Commissions as well as the author of "Torrent," a book about flooding in the region. Lotito's personal mission is to reduce new taxes, drastically reduce flooding, and preserve more green spaces for our children. Christopher Lotito Profile

Pequannoc Trail, a New FREE Interactive Local History Game

2013-05-31T09:00:00.000-04:00

By Christopher Lotito

Amateur historians and plain-ol' history buffs will get the chance to travel the old "Pequannoc Trail," even if they missed the Memorial Day kickoff at Friendship Hall this Monday past. Now, anyone with a web connection can try out the interactive local history game provided through the Pequannock Township Historic District Commission.

Enjoy the presentation embedded below:

New Pequannock Photography Exhibition, This Thursday

2013-05-28T08:30:00.000-04:00

By Christopher Lotito

Readers are invited to join photographer Christopher Lotito and friends for an evening of art, drinks, and free Tex-Mex. Lotito will host an artistic soire, open to the public, at the American Legion Post #242 downstairs-lounge, in Paul Revere Hall adjactent to Gilly's Restaurant, this Thursday from 7pm to 9pm. -- Free food, cash bar.

The subject matter will include local photography of Pequannock as well as a variety of new works featuring travels to Washington DC and parts of the tri-state area.

Following the event, Lotito's photography will be available for viewing in the gallery space at the First Reformed Church of Pompton Plains for the month of June.

We Remember

2013-05-26T21:00:00.000-04:00

From Pequannock News to all our service men and women, past and present, we remember you.

Pequannock Blues, Hurricane Irene 2 Years On: Part II

2013-05-23T09:00:00.000-04:00

By Christopher Lotito

Pequannock Blues, Hurricane Irene 2 Years On: Part II

In August of 2011, thousands of Pequannock residents were affected and displaced by the preventable tragedy of Hurricane Irene and the flooding that ensued. Today, Pequannock News works to keep their story alive and make it available for those who have the power to change our situation and end repetitive flooding in Pequannock.

2011 Flooding in the Village section of Pequannock Tsp.
caused by Hurricane Irene.

For most people in New Jersey and the tri-state area, Hurricane Irene and the flooding that it spawned began in the Gulf of Mexico, perhaps some 20 days prior to the event. A scientist might put the origins of that flood much earlier, but those who really know saw the beginnings of the disaster in June of 1993, just after the rainy season of Spring had ended and as the hot Summer sun was making for some beautiful weather, we watched and read as Christine Todd Whitman threw our dreams of a unified flood mitigation project under the wheels of her political campaign labeling the entire concept a boondoggle. This worked well for her. There are examples throughout the world of huge flood mitigation projects such as those carried out under repressive regimes in China, by the Roman Empire, or piece by piece beneath the streets of Manhattan as the dutch raised the city from the swamp that lay beneath the majority of that land. The truth is, big projects require a big financial commitment and it is often challenging to secure the public support necessary to achieve that funding. Not only lawmakers, but the public must be on board to pay that bill and often-times the best arguments, the RIGHT arguments for these projects are highly technical and can require a lot of specialized background with a stiff learning curve for beginners (including freshmen Senators and Congress critters).

Pequannoc Spillway in the north section of Pequannock
Tsp. one of the structures that might be repaired
or retrofitted to help alleviate flooding in the region.

Since that time, no real progress has been made on flood prevention. New Jersey has made some efforts to remove the people, as though their presence were the issue in what has historically been the most densely populated state in the union, providing infrequent and inconsistent funding for limited flood buyout programs. A greater solution to actually prevent the flooding from occurring at all and indeed even the act of maintaining existing and natural flood mitigation infrastructure has gone by the wayside. Just ask any old-timer who remembers jumping from the Rt. 23 highway bridge into the deep waters of the Pequannock River on Pequannock Ave as their friends rowed past in a boat. Gone are those halcyon days and the river adjacent resort homes with their own boat launches have become "shallow creek adjacent" except for when those waters burst their banks, which has been on a yearly basis as of late.

Following several years in a row of severe repetitive seasonal flooding, someone pointed out that it might be a good idea to provide State funding to remove the trees, snags, vehicles, and dumpsters from the rivers to make room for the water to flow downstream. That resulted in the issue of the 15 Point Plan for Flood Mitigation which was in January of 2011, months before Hurricane Irene that August. Virtually no progress was made between January of 2011 and August of 2011. Since then, more progress has been made, but how much?

The most recent progress on the 15 Point Flood Mitigation Plan date to March of 2013 and includes:

Personal possessions discarded in the wake
of Hurricane Irene.

Federal acceptance, by FEMA, of 7 applications by municipalities to buy out 149 flood afflicted homes using approx. $32 million in federal funding with roughly $8 million in matching "Blue Acres" funds from NJ taxpayers. Notably, this $8 million was re-appropriated from the "Green Acres" fund out of projects which were stalled or discontinued for a variety of reasons.
No additional homes listed to be elevated through the use of FEMA funds since April of 2012.
No additional condemnation of acreage by the Army Corps of Engineers for the purposes of flood mitigation since September of 2012.
The Army Corps of Engineers has performed an additional taxpayer funded study, following which they have refused to modify or improve the operations of the Pompton Lakes Floodgates (this from April of 2012).
Completion of $350,000 (approx.) in river desnagging completed by Pequannock, Wayne, Pompton Lakes, and Riverdale, under the management of former Pequannock Township Engineer Dave Battaglia. December 2012 saw the final DEP inspection of this work, which it was hoped might lead to larger grants from DEP. (EDIT: Have just received word parts of this project are still underway.)
December 2012 saw a final decision not to remove 2 feeder dams upstream of Pequannock Township which may be used to provide flood storage in unpopulated parklands in Pequannock, Wayne, and Pompton Lakes.
As of January 2013, a variety of changes were up for final consideration and likely adoption in the addition of flood regulations to the state construction codes governing properties under the National Flood Insurance Plan. In particular, many of these applied specifically to the flood proofing of commercial properties.
As of March 2012, the NJ DEP had expedited the permitting process for stream cleanings, in stark contrast to when they required Pequannock Township to provide multiple photos of each individual to be removed from the river in the Summer of 2011, prior to Hurricane Irene. As a result of that unrealistic standard, no river desnagging was completed in Pequannock in 2012 prior to Irene, exacerbating an already bad situation. It's unclear if this permitting red tape has been permanently slashed, or just within the confines of this disaster and this specific report.
In February of 2012, the NJ Office of Emergency Management provided flood response training at the NJEPA conference in Atlantic City. The Update Report does not list any additional training provided since that time.
In February of 2013, the USGS confirmed that additional gages for the monitoring of rivers and streams had been installed and were functioning. This one is particularly positive as it was discovered during Irene that a number of the few existing gages were not operating property, were easily inundated, or broke as a result of that flood (defeating their very purpose). On the other hand, it's unclear what difference additional gages will make without modifications to the operations of the Pompton Lakes Floodgates.
As of February 2013, additional Inundation Mapping was completed for Saddle River with four additional sites scheduled to be completed by the end of March.
In September of 2012, the NJ DEP and Army Corps of Engineers kicked off a series of public information meetings about the updates being described here. Though the sessions were question and answer, Pequannock News attended one and does not believe that they were anything more than publicity efforts for the beleaguered State flood response groups (NJ DEP, Army Corps of Engineers, etc.).
In general, since Christine Todd Whitman defunded the flood tunnel project in the 90's, no large projects to permanently address the flooding problems in the Passaic River Basin have been seriously considered or even come close to applying for funding. After Irene, with a lot of public pressure, the Army Corps of Engineers was engaged to re-evaluate just the possibility of even debating permanent solutions to the flooding. As of February 2013, they've announced that they will have a draft plan available by later in the year, some 2 years after the disaster.
In May 2013, updated Flood Risk Maps began to be distributed to North Jersey communities. On he one hand, this may require additional insurance by residents who are relatively unlikely to flood. On the other hand, this will make flood insurance available to some residents who flood who had not previously been in the flood zone. Of course, this depends entirely upon where your house is.
In March 2011, the NJ DEP recommended that all municipalities consider a moratorium on any new development in the floodplain, however no effort has been made to render this recommendation compulsory since that time.

Why has so little progress been made since Hurricane Irene? Why has so much of it focused on flood buyouts? In Part III we'll take a look at some of the past progress as well as the lack of the same in solving North Jersey's flooding problem.

Author Christopher Lotito has penned several titles, including the best-loved business tome, "Craigslist for Heroes, Rogues, and Middle Management," a guide to doing business online in the 21st century.

On the Trail of Old Pequannoc

2013-05-22T10:47:00.002-04:00

By Christopher Lotito

Family friendly and fast to play, you'll learn
what everyday life was like in Old Pequannoc!

Wagons East! The Pequannock Historic District Commission will provide a new game for young and old alike to play at the 2013 Memorial Day Parade this year. The name of the game is "The Pequannoc Trail," a historic simulation based loosely on "The Oregon Trail" classic computer game, which can be completed in less than 10 minutes.

The Pequannoc Trail is not electronic, but available as a walkthrough simulation in Friendship Hall. The game itself takes place in 1887 and in it, you choose 1 of 4 historically inspired characters from that time period and get to experience a "week in the life" in 1887 Pequannock with 3 major events occurring.

Players will on no account be encouraged to memorize any facts or figures, but instead to gain a greater understanding of the post-Civil War / "Victorian" Era of Pequannock history as it were.

Play as a black Civil War Vet, the Constable, a Native
American, or the refined Authoress!

What was medicine like at the time?

What forms of entertainment existed?

What was crime, punishment, and the law like?

Make it through and you just might be inspired to read the 1880's hit, "The Chronic Argonauts," a lost to history predecessor to H.G. Wells' "The Time Machine." You might even want to listen to some 1880's music, like versions of "In the Pines" that weren't recorded by Kurt Cobain, who knows?

Stop by our display, during or immediately after the parade, for this FREE family friendly event and see how you might have survived a week in the life on the Pequannoc Trail!

"Craigslist for Heroes, Rogues, and Middle Management," written by Christopher Lotito, is the most important work written about buying and selling through the world's largest electronic classifieds service in the 21st Century. Available on Ipad now.

David K. Harding, Friend to History, Rocket Scientist

2013-05-21T21:36:00.002-04:00

By Christopher Lotito

Well, Rocket Scientist might be a creative description of Harding's work as an Aerospace Engineer, yet it seems fitting for someone who remained passionate about that topic and so many others for at least as long as I knew him.

I didn't know David well, but we had spoken on a number of occasions and I was surprised and saddened to hear of his passing. He had attended a few of my presentations at the Pequannock Public Library, one of his favorite hangouts, and hung around afterwards to discuss Reaction Motors, his own experiences, and whatever historical topic struck his fancy at the moment.

Though he had only been in Pequannock for 7 years, David was a fixture, and a welcome one, at Historic District Commission events, at the Library, and the numerous other places you tended to run into him. ...and, well, he was a well-dressed guy in a time where that can be a scarce commodity.

David was also the holder of 5 patents and inventor of a warhead delivery system, a lightbeam amplifier, a jungle fighter aircraft conversion kit, and a cargo submarine through his company Harding Enterprises Engineering Services LLC.

David's obituary fails to shed additional light on the quirky business cards that he was know for handing out, but it does point out that he was a Past Master of the Masons' Fidelity Lodge in Ridgewood NJ, a fact I learned firsthand in a somewhat comical social foie pas when I failed the traditional Masonic greeting while inadvertently wearing a Masonic tie-pin at an event. Since all stories in some way end up in Pequannock, it may come as no surprise that this tie-pin was bought at the Wayside Shop, where I had simply thought it was a nice antique tie-pin.

There's not too much else I can say about David. His obituary is here http://www.obitsforlife.com/obituary/708348/Harding-David.php and even if I hadn't read it there, I would already have guessed, in lieu of flowers donations can be made in David's name to the Pequannock Public Library or his church, Cedar Cliff United Methodist Church of Haledon.

Rest in Peace David!

Pequannock Blues, Hurricane Irene 2 Years On: Part I

2013-05-21T08:30:00.000-04:00

By Christopher Lotito

What's left of a lifetime of personal possessions spread
out as trash post-Irene on Village Rd. in Pequannock Tsp.

Pequannock Blues, Hurricane Irene 2 Years On: Part I

In August of 2011, thousands of Pequannock residents were affected and displaced by the preventable tragedy of Hurricane Irene and the flooding that ensued. Today, Pequannock News works to keep their story alive and make it available for those who have the power to change our situation and end repetitive flooding in Pequannock.

Pequannock's colors are the blue and the gold and this seems a natural choice. The blue is evocative of the meandering streams and river that traverse the valley, home to some of the best brown trout fishing on the East Coast, one of several factors that made Pequannock a resort community in decades past. The gold may seem a surprise at first, but not when the town is viewed from Mountainside Park in early Spring, when golden grasses and shoots pop up all across the valley. What is it Robert Frost once said? "Natures' first green is gold, her hardest hue to hold..." That's all we're trying to do in Pequannock, to hold on to what we have and to share it with the next generation, as our parents did for us. We have a slice of paradise here and it's true, it's not so big a slice as in some other places, but it's our slice and ours to safeguard and pass on down the line when the time comes.

Flooding on Jackson looking towards Rt. 23
during Hurricane Irene.

Many Pequannock residents who view the moving images which still pour in from the Hurricane Sandy devastated Jersey shore have a special place in their heart for these victims of disaster because Pequannock has survived a recent disaster as well.

In August of 2011, Pequannock was devastated by Hurricane Irene, whose rains resulted in flooding that affected the entire community. During that time, I was serving on Pequannock's Flood Committee and more recently have served on Pequannock's Open Space Committee in order to gain a better understanding of the flood buyouts that we're completing using State and County funding. If you're concerned about flooding and policy in Pequannock, there are about 5 groups* whose work you'll be interested in:

The Pequannock Township Flood Committee handles a lot of the lobbying to local and regional politicians, encouraging them to continue funding flood mitigation programs and ensuring that the public has a voice. They also bring a lot of information back to the residents.
The Pequannock Township Open Space Committee has been engaged in completing flood buyouts in the township using money that became available as a result of Hurricane Irene to establish an attractive green zone as a natural buffer along the river, reducing the township's risk of catastrophic flooding.
The Pequannock Planning and Zoning Boards provide much of the voice to determine what flood-resistant architecture will be the standard in Pequannock in the future, including what the setbacks need to be for elevated homes, how builders can comply with State flood home-elevation regulations while creating an attractive facade, etc. They are of course aided in this by the Township Engineer and the Construction Department.
The Pequannock Township Council is and always will be the primary face of Pequannock's flood affected at the County and State political levels, ensuring that flood victims as well as all of Pequannock's residents receive consideration at freeholder events, budget meetings, barbecues, and inaugurations for as long as flooding is a problem in Pequannock.

Note: As an aside, the Parks and Recreation Department takes control of the majority of the open space which is acquired by the Open Space Committee through flood buyout programs and is the steward of those properties, addressing the recreation needs of the township, so they also play a part.

No rest for residents on Madison St. in Pequannock
returning from vacations to clean up their lives and their
homes.

What progress has been made on Christie's 15 Point Flood Mitigation Plan, handed down in the wake of several years of worse than normal seasonal flooding in January of 2011 and well before August's Hurricane Irene? Pequannock News has provided a bevy of information and updates on this topic before, but frankly, progress over the past few months has stymied in the face of increased focus on local buyouts and a less than surprising focus on Hurricane Sandy relief.

In Part II we'll look at the latest and greatest from the Christie Administration's DEP in addressing a longstanding flooding problem in North Jersey.

*By no means exhaustive. Citizens interested in the specific duties and activities of a given Commission, should attend a meeting. In general, Committees / Commissions have no legislative power, as that is held by the Council. Commissions receive a very modest budget each year, Committees do not. -- This list addresses flood policy, flood response is handled differently and by different agencies.

In addition to Pequannock News, Christopher Lotito is the author of the pop-business book, "Craigslist for Heroes, Rogues, and Middle Management" If you've ever wondered how to sell anything from a Clydesdale to a Buick for as much as possible using only duct tape, your wits, and the world's most popular online classifieds site, this is the book for you! (Clydesdales, make gas. Buicks, use gas.)

Homecoming Troops Get Support from Pequannock

2013-05-13T16:56:00.001-04:00

By Christopher Lotito

Pompton Plains Paul Revere Hall
by Flickr: Christopher Lotito

The Sons of the American Legion in Pequannock Township is looking for new members and also hopes to start a Daughters of the American Legion group on Thursday May 30th, 2013 at 6:30pm.

With the likely withdrawal of 50,000 or more American troops from Afghanistan by next year, more and more soldiers are looking forward to civilian life stateside. A number of those are returning to friends and family in Pequannock, NJ and moving forward to build lives and families from there.

At the same time, the number of aging veterans requiring medical treatment and assistance increases each day as World War II and Korean Vets get older and even Vietnam Vets approach their golden years. In fact, by Wikipedia's account, there are no longer any surviving veterans of World War I, a shock to many who recall them as fond fixtures at Memorial Day parades and events throughout the 20th century.

Pequannock hopes to welcome back our veterans with a bit more than a handshake and a "Thank you for your service!" through the founding of a Sons of the American Legion Chapter under the auspices of American Legion #242 Lookoff Post at the historic Paul Revere Hall.

This past week, founding members Rich Phelan and Christopher Lotito met with other charter members and leadership from the American Legion #242 to hammer out the leadership roster and start planning for future events.

Melissa Florance-Lynch was also in attendance, representing a number of women who have expressed interest in participating through a Daughters of the American Legion group, which is still in the works.

All who are interested in participating with the Legion, which provides a number of services including: Veteran's grave decoration and maintenance, Memorial Day Parade planning, and several charitable dinners and events throughout each year, should attend the next meeting Thursday May 30th at 6:30pm in the newly renovated downstairs lounge facilities at Paul Revere Hall next to Gilly's restaurant at 700 Newark-Pompton Turnpike in Pompton Plains.

Immediately following this short organizational meeting, the reception for member Christopher Lotito's June photography show will occur, with refreshments. All who read this are welcome to stop by to view the new work and enjoy some refreshments.

Christopher Lotito is a member of the Pequannock Historic District and Open Space Commissions as well as the author of "Torrent," a book about flooding in the region. Lotito's personal mission is to reduce new taxes, drastically reduce flooding, and preserve more green spaces for our children. Christopher Lotito Profile

How to Root Forsythia

2013-04-30T13:46:00.000-04:00

By Christopher Lotito

Forsythia en fleurs (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

If you grew up in Pequannock, NJ you know what a forsythia bush is. In fact, looking at aerial photos of the township, you might be tempted to say Pequannock is the Forsythia Capital of North Jersey, with literally thousands of plants in bloom on hundreds of properties throughout the township.

A relatively recent emigrant of the 1830's from only 2 cultivars in Europe and Asia, the forsythia has held the public interest since that time, taking the place in Pequannock at least that is often held by other flowering plants elsewhere (cherry blossoms anyone?). Forsythia Suspensa, with its long drooping branches, is a Pequannock child's first play-fort, whether along the back of Hillview Elementary playground or at home, and is often the first decorator plant selected when later that child grows to own their own home.

One of the attractive features of the Forsythia is its ability to take up space and even to form a somewhat unrulier and much brighter alternative to a dogwood hedge. Bolstering this use, the Forsythia is easy to propagate, being reproducible from cuttings and preferring shady locations and acidic soil.

To root cuttings of a Forsythia it's important to keep a few things in mind:

Forsythia cuttings should always be taken when the plant is OUT of bloom. 6 inch long cuttings with 4 to 6 buds on the branch are your best bet.
The easiest method, rather than cutting, is to weigh a low hanging branch down to the ground with a stone, then cut and transplant the offspring that develops after it has rooted of its own accord.
If you choose to take cuttings, when planting leave about 3 inches below the ground and 3 inches exposed.
Forsythia require well drained soil and will rot if left in very damp soil for long periods of time. This is especially true of cuttings planted in the Summer months when shoots are young and have not achieved a protective woody bark yet.
Forsythia love acidic soil and so make a great companion plant to your evergreens and pines.
You can use rooting hormone to help your Forsythia cutting along, but it is not necessary. If you use it, hormones that are rubbed on the end of the cutting will be more economical than those mixed with the soil.
Forsythia cuttings being rooted can benefit from frequent watering, though it's important to remember to keep the soil relatively dry through good drainage.
Though some cultivars of Forsythia are very hardy (and popular in the midwest for just that reason!), cuttings taken in the Fall will be best cultivated in a pot inside through the Winter months.

...and that's it! With no care whatsoever, your Forsythia will probably live indefinitely and the plants have been known to reach over 10 feet in height and 30 feet in circumference, making it a focal point in your landscaping not for years, but for decades to come.

Christopher Lotito is the author of "Craigslist for Heroes, Rogues, and Middle Management" a book about selling things on the internet, marketing, and learning about the world from the crowds around you.

Pequannock Taxpayers Billed for Badanco Spite

2013-04-21T14:45:00.000-04:00

Pequannock PV Park, one of North Jersey's
most attractive chemical and pesticide
free swim lakes.
(Photo credit: Christopher Lotito)

By Christopher Lotito

In the Summer of 2013, Pequannock residents are facing yet another hefty bill for damage done to a local wildlife refuge by former Metrostars Developer Mounir Badaan. After a conflict with local zoning laws, Badaan has systematically destroyed the ecology at his Pequannock flood-zone development site, making the once safe haven for geese, ducks, swan, and fox an unwelcome home for anything.

Now, Pequannock residents may have to pick up a $12,000.00* bill for Badaan's spite, paying to have geese removed from the township's swim lake which has become a health hazard after the deforestation of Badanco's adjacent property.

In 2012, Pequannock Valley Park, a small man-made swimming lake funded by taxpayer dollars, was closed on the hottest weekend of the year as a health hazard due to accumulated fecal matter from displaced geese entering the water there. That closure generated a loss in revenue of thousands of dollars** used to defray taxpayer fees and resulted in the swim lake being regarded as unfit for use by swim teams throughout the region who refused to compete at the site.

Spite Houses and Gardens

Currently, Pequannock's zoning laws do not govern the removal of privately owned trees on privately owned property, usually a good thing except when a developer like Mounir Badaan or the adjacent Edwards Engineering site opts to defoliate their property to an extreme some residents have called "reminiscent of Southern Vietnam."

In the real estate world, a "spite house" is defined as a structure constructed with the main purpose being to do harm to neighbors or others in the vicinity. A famous spite house is the Richardson Spite House at Lexington Avenue in New York City, which was constructed in 1882 at 104 feet tall, but only 5 feet deep, as a way to get back at the neighbor who had tried to purchase the land with a lowball bid. Spite fences and spite gardening are also common, with the Badanco site on Alexander Ave being an example of the latter.

In 2002, Mounir Badaan unsuccessfully attempted to gain permits to construct a stadium for the Jets on the then heavily wooded site in the heart of the flood zone (and with two lakes of its own on the property), but was rebuffed by local officials. Without having ever put a shovel in the ground, Badaan still opted to spend tens-of-thousands of dollars to remove nearly every tree from his site, despite lacking any of the permits necessary to begin any construction several years back, making this a prime example of North Jersey spite gardening.

Once forested, Badaco's site is now a morass of
compressed mud and tire tracks littered with stumps
and flood refuge, inhospitable to the local
wildlife.

At present, due to the site's exposed nature, most wildlife have abandoned their safe and natural habitat at the Badaan site for the nearby PV Park swim lake and Woodland Lake, where they are forced to contend with human hazards, pumping machinery, and other dangers. Pequannock officials recently received an estimate of some $6,000.00 for a kite expert to harass and intimidate geese at the lake with his eagle kite, a process which even if effective would likely have to be completed several times annually. Pequannock officials are currently considering a geese cull at the site, with the help of a local wildlife management expert who will donate his time free of charge to help control the population.

Attempts to donate the meat to a local food pantry have been met with concerns that the meat may be not fit for human consumption.

Widely regarded as the best option, return of the wildlife to their natural habitat at the Badaan site is deemed unlikely so long at the developer continues to own the property. That property, once a private swim club, has decreased in value rapidly over the past decade as it has become nearly entirely unbuildable as a result of frequent flooding. Badaan's best hope may be for a buyout, not by State groups who are unlikely to show interesting in acquiring already vacant floodway property, but by private charitable organizations such as the Open Space Institute which recently spent $2.2 million to purchase 702 acres of undeveloped lands in Woodbury New York for the purchases of conservation.

Best Option for a Failing Real Estate Developer

If conserved, the Badanco site could once again serve as a valuable natural resource providing a buffer between humans and animals in a residential community where sheltered lakes and ponds can be few and far between. Such a buyout could be a win-win for the township as well as the much beleaguered Badanco which announced in 2012 that due to failed business dealings, it would need to triple the occupancy of its Argonne Woods development in Butler from 69 residential units to 180 rental units. Whether or not the stretched-thin company will survive long enough to see such a potential solution, remains to be seen.

*Officials recently evaluated kite based, dog based, and sound and light based geese deterrent services. Kite based geese removal starts at $6,000.00, all options would require multiple applications.
**PV Park remained closed for 3 days in a row over the hottest weekend of 2012, resulting in thousands of dollars in lost gate-fees that weekend alone and unknown loss in concession revenues, not to mention an unnecessary blow to consumer confidence.

Christopher Lotito is the author of "Craigslist for Heroes, Rogues, and Middle Management," a comprehensive manual for building and growing businesses with the use the web-based classified advertising.

Massacre at the Marathon and the "East Coast Tragic Culture"

2013-04-16T13:01:00.003-04:00

By Christopher Lotito

I have spent all of 6 nights in Beantown in my life. It took less than 24 hours for me to nearly get stabbed by a street person, try more beer brands in a night than I'd probably tried in my entire life up until that point, and to view and thoroughly misinterpret that eclectic hoarding of American historic sites that make up much of the city. I had a great time. It is with regret that I welcome Boston as the latest member of the East Coast Tragic Culture to be re-initiated into the fold.

The events of Monday, and let's just call them what they are: an attack on American culture perpetrated by weak and cowardly individuals indoctrinated into a culture of violence, have served to re-invigorate the modus operandi of Bostonian culture. When I grew up and cigarette advertisements were still a thing, Western Americans were always portrayed as rugged individualists, living off the land, dependent only on themselves for survival. In the Southern part of America post Katrina we saw a cultural identity of communalism with strong focus on neighborhoods and large extended friend/families. Jet over to England and you'll recall that the British stiff-upper-lip has recently received a modern/retro makeover in deference to the "Keep Calm and Carry On" slogan.

So when Bostoners become the victims of horrible tragic events, what core values do they fall back on? I like to call it something akin to militant-individualism, in other words: the East Coast Tragic Culture. If Western individualists are rugged, Easterners are militant practitioners of personal sovereignty, dwelling with no small amount of irony in perhaps the most legally restrictive part of the United States when it comes to defending yourself.

East Coasters revel in their reactions to adversity. New Yorkers and New Jerseyans who suffered through life in the aftermath of 9/11, even the ludicrous security measures we imposed on ourselves, hold that as a badge of honor. Our winters are a slush-filled nightmare of coastal weather and freezing temperatures, our cities are a simmering pot of peoples from all over the world who came to America via New York and haven't managed to make it any further in yet, and anyone close enough to New York City to commute to it bears the distinction of having the moxie to live within the afterglow-zone of Kim Jong Un's most coveted target. Seriously, you thought the Cold War was over? Try living in New Jersey where you're always halfway between Boston and NYC, halfway between NYC and Philadelphia, or halfway between NYC and DC!

...but it's not about New Jersey, it's something about the East Coast, it's something about the region that spurred authoress Edith Wharton to pen the novel "Ethan Frome" with many a scene that captures the absolute beat-down that man suffers at the hands of East Coast weather even when everything else in his existence is to his benefit. Instead of "Built Ford Tough" they should sell trucks with the slogan, "Built Albany Tough" or "Built Dorchester Tough."

East Coasters get hit by Hurricane Irene? We rebuild because, "The HECK with Hurricanes!*" Superstorm Sandy whacks us because nature realized it needed something larger than a hurricane to show us who's boss? Have you seen the new construction going up along the East Cost? The part closest to the ocean, that's where we keep our favorite toys, that's how much we mock nature's might. I swear if there were a volcano in Cambridge, the residents would rebuild on its slopes and use it as an excuse to remodel their kitchens. (*East Coasters probably don't say "heck.")

...and then there was Newtown. What do you say about Newtown? It defies comment, the wholesale massacre of innocents in that way... and yet, just a couple months after this unconscionable act of unfathomable sorrow, while parents of that tragedy still walk past the untouched bedrooms of their dearly departed children, that community has already raised $20.4 million in charitable aid and succeeded in the monumental act of getting the Senate to agree to at least discuss stricter gun laws. That last is something that no one else has managed to do and included the backing of 16 Republican Senators, amazing in and of itself.

So now Boston joins the club that no one ever wants to be a member of: the East Coast Tragic Culture. I have seen Boston at its brightest, as a historic and infinitely walkable city whose extensive, if not clean, public transportation is no match for pub-crawling your way back home from sightseeing on a warm Summer's eve.

Yesterday, I saw Boston going through some of its worst times in recent history... and I also saw marathon runners switch sports to hurdle tall barriers into still smoking debris fields to perform combat medicine by sheer force of will, and not experience, upon the victims of the bombing. I saw race officials in their clean new coats turn from a celebratory air of festivity to running their own marathon with victims in wheelchairs to whatever ambulances they could find. I saw a 78 year old who was blown off his feet by 2 bombs and still came in 2nd in his division. I saw police officers used to walking the beat and probably doing a fair amount of traffic enforcement turn in an instant on film and run into the clouds of thick noxious smoke with their service pistols drawn and low like soldiers in a foreign land.

Yesterday I saw Boston going through some of its worst times in recent history and yesterday I saw Boston at its brightest, shining through. You don't end up a part of the East Coast Tragic Culture by geography or by having bad things happen to your community, you earn that spot by your actions in response to the tragedy that inevitably befalls all communities over a long enough span of time. Boston has earned their place yet again, through the heroism and spirit of its people.

Christopher Lotito is a member of the Pequannock Historic District and Open Space Commissions as well as the author of "Torrent," a book about flooding in the region. Lotito's personal mission is to reduce new taxes, drastically reduce flooding, and preserve more green spaces for our children. Christopher Lotito Profile

Pequannock Seniors Concerned About $230k "Kindergarten Tax"

2013-04-04T21:24:00.000-04:00

Tax (Photo credit: 401(K) 2013)

By Christopher Lotito

On Wednesday April 3rd 2013, Pequannock's 2nd and final Board of Education Candidates Debate occurred at Cedar Crest Village. During that debate, one hot topic among Cedar Crest's seniors, most on fixed incomes, was the Board of Education's decision to increase taxes by some $228,767.00 to inflate classroom usage and stave off the closure of one of the district's under-utilized elementary schools.

Pequannock News received an email this morning from a scholarly-minded reader citing the recent study by Duke University which found that,

"...children may not have as positive an attitude toward school in full-day versus half-day kindergarten and may experience more behavior problems," ~Duke University

That same study also found that there was likely no increase in academic achievement from the additional classroom time and that even the slightest statistical bump in the same disappeared by 3rd grade. Between this and a number of readers expressing their concerns that full-day kindergarten may simply turn out to be charging the taxpayers for district run daycare, it seems appropriate to revisit the full-day kindergarten topic in detail.

Please consider this a follow-up to our April 30th 2012 article: "Pequannock Debates Closing Elementary Schools, a Recap of Facts"

In that article it was noted that: "In January of 2012, Board of Education member Ken Hardaker summed up Pequannock's school-demographic turmoil for the Suburban Trends stating, "You'd be playing Russian roulette with it because someone's building is going to close," he also noted that in order to continue to support the 3 elementary schools, taxes would continue to rise unless the demographics issue was addressed and that final say would lie with the voters via a ballot question."

Less than one year ago, Pequannock was discussing the prospect of closing an elementary school, because it simply wasn't needed. Now, less than a year later, the Pequannock Board of Education hopes to artificially inflate the student population by approximately 57* students and increase taxes by $228,767.00 (or $3,978.56 per student**) by doubling kindergarten instruction time.

As it stands, the district is slated to lose 181 students from its enrollment between Fall of 2013 and Fall of 2016, the Kindergarten inflation would reduce that enrollment loss to just 9 students in that time (projected) at an additional tax of $915,068.00*** over the next 4 school years (not accounting for inflation).

All of this, it is hoped, should justify keeping open the existing 3 elementary schools, as well as the Board of Education's proposed plan to tax residents an additional $3,400,000.00 (actually a bit more after interest) for additions to Stephen J. Gerace School.

That $3.4mil tax is likely to pass when put to a vote on April 16th, considering that in 2011, voters passed an additional $2,000,000.00 in school board taxes to pay for AstroTurf at Pequannock Township High School, even though this meant future difficulties with the township's fireworks displays.

Other issues raised by residents included:
Concerns that throughout all of this increase in taxes, the Pequannock Board of Education has continued to cut programs such as Latin, Orchestra, Home Economics and other life skills classes, wood shop, and others.
Candidates responded to these concerns asserting that there would be little need for those skills in the future and that our children needed to learn robotics design and computer skills rather than life skills.

Pequannock News also asked the candidates to reflect on how cutting 30% of the schools' music programs and adding kindergarten classes would help to remove Pequannock Valley Middle School from the state's list of under-performing schools. Tom Salerno was the only candidate to respond to the question, stating that these measures would not help and that the matter needed to be addressed.

*Actually, 57.5 students, presuming that by doubling the number of teaching hours offered to Kindergartners, the that instruction time increases from 57.5 x 7 (or 115 x 4) to 115 x 7. Numbers taken from Whitehall Report Fall 2013 projections.
**If it costs $3,978.56 to double a Kindergartner's instruction hours, does that mean we're paying $7,957.11 per Kindergartner per year all told? Or is the first half of the day more or less expensive?
*** = Current Tax Increase x 4 (Pequannock News is not betting on the school taxes going down).

Christopher Lotito is a member of the Pequannock Historic District and Open Space Commissions as well as the author of "Torrent," a book about flooding in the region. Lotito's personal mission is to reduce new taxes, drastically reduce flooding, and preserve more green spaces for our children. Christopher Lotito Profile -- Christopher Lotito's latest book, "Craigslist for Heroes, Rogues, and Middle Management" is the most comprehensive goto guide to marketing your business with Craigslist ever written.

Pequannock Board of Education Debate at Cedar Crest

2013-04-03T10:50:00.001-04:00

By Christopher Lotito

Come up to Cedar Crest Village (Woodland Commons building) to see the second and final Board of Education Candidates Debate tonight, Wednesday at 7pm.

These are the individuals who will have power over our taxes as well as the decision to cut Latin education and Orchestra from our schools, all residents are advised to attend.

Christopher Lotito is a member of the Pequannock Historic District, Open Space, and Flood Control Advisory Commissions as well as the author of "Torrent," a book about flooding in the region. Lotito's personal mission is to reduce new taxes, drastically reduce flooding, and preserve more green spaces for our children. Christopher Lotito Profile

Pequannock Schools Win NAMM Music Award, Axe Orchestra Program

2013-04-02T17:38:00.000-04:00

By Christopher Lotito

On March 18th 2013, Pequannock Township Schools were honored to be named one of the NAMM Foundation's Best Communities for Music Education. Therefore, residents were understandably a little confused when it was announced around March 25, just a week later, that the Pequannock Township Board of Education would be cutting the Orchestra program, including all students who have participated since 5th grade, in the Fall 2013 school year.

From the NAMM Foundation website: "The Best Communities designation recognizes collaborative, from-the-ground-up efforts of teachers, administrators, students and parents who continually work to keep comprehensive music education as an integral part of the core curriculum." -- Sounds great right? So how did Board of Education members vote to cut Orchestra (by name even) in the 2013-2014 budget PDF?

In a recent email to Pequannock News, Superintendent Victor Hayek stated the following, "Student interest in both Latin and Orchestra has been trending downward...We have to make difficult decisions regarding which programs we can offer that will benefit the maximum number of students." Here, Hayek states that enrollment is the problem, certainly not a surprise if true, since the Pequannock Board of Education considered cutting an elementary school for lack of students in 2011.

What is a surprise; on April 16th the Pequannock Board of Education will request additional taxes for the expansion of Stephen J. Gerace School, one of the same facilities considered for closure in 2011. The Board is also considering a new driveway to accommodate increased traffic from North Boulevard Elementary opening out onto residential West End Ave. It is unclear to many residents why additional taxes are needed for construction with reduced enrollment numbers and the cost-saving firing of a number of full-time faculty.

Superintendent Hayek is certainly no stranger to playing "axe-man" when it comes to school budgets. As Business Director for the North Caldwell school system, Hayek played a part in cutting the district's entire Spanish Program (replacing faculty positions with Spanish learning software). Commenting on those cuts, Hayek stated, "The board was forced to make changes that they didn't want to, but we had to. We were able to stay within our goals, keep all of our programs and maintain our class sizes." Unfortunately, it does not appear that Pequannock schools will be able to keep all of its programs if the Board of Education budget is passed by voters on April 16th. A request issued by Pequannock News on Thursday March 28th for the enrollment figures for Latin and Orchestra has received no response (Latin, too, is on the chopping block). There is no word on whether Pequannock's Latin faculty might be replaced with Rosetta Stone software, as in Caldwell.

Pequannock Board of Education President Bill Sayre neglected to comment on these topics, suffice to affirm via Facebook that he supported the proposed Board of Education budget and would be voting in favor of it on April 16th. At a recent Board meeting Sayre voted along with other members request a repeal of superintendent salary caps from the State of New Jersey, noting that the firm contracted to locate a superintendent in 2011, when Hayek was hired, had difficulty finding a sufficient number of qualified candidates from a very shallow pool. Sayre went on to state, "We got lucky under the circumstances, but I think that many other school districts have struggled quite a bit trying to find a good replacement. I think a lot of these superintendents are going to other states."

While most other Pequannock Board of Education members declined to comment on the situation, veteran Board Member Ken Hardaker provided some helpful insight into the true cost of the April 16th proposed referendums (sic), "Referendum which is a separate issue will cost an additional $41.53 per year on avg. household based on a 15 year bond. That would put the average homeowners share of the gym at $622.95 over the 15 year term."

Pequannock Board of Education Candidate Tom Salerno had the following to say on the topic (sic), "...it is true that enrollment in these programs have declined...this can be attributed to the inflexibility of the PTHS Block Schedule, not a lack of interest...the administration will be requiring that all PTHS Junior take a mandatory SAT Prep Course. We should be offering more opportunities for the students of our school district, not less!"

In a recent Facebook discussion, Councilwoman Winterfield weighed in (sic), "...taxes have increased 42% since the year 2000...It's time to define wants & needs. Not all the budget [dollar]s are for education. I'd be happy to sit down & talk about the budget increase impact on the residents of Pequannock who have lost their jobs & are still on unemployment for well over a year, senior citizens on a fixed income who choose between food & medicine, families that visit the food pantry ([the number] has more than doubled since the great recession has hit)..." (Ed's Note: Pequannock Food Pantry use has actually more than quadrupled since 2003.)

It is unclear at this time if the elimination of Pequannock's Orchestra program, a full 1/3 of the district's music educational offerings, would cause the NAMM award to be rescinded or merely render Pequannock ineligible in the future. The NAMM Foundation also provides generous funding for students and districts to ensure that music instruction remains a core element of their curriculum. Receipt of the NAMM Foundation's awards has also lead to further public funding, such as the North Babylon Union Free School District in New York that received $70,000 from the state based upon the reputation afforded by NAMM. That district noted that this helped prevent the closure of their music program as a result of cuts in state aid benefits.

Since NAMM's district grant applications are by invitation only, it is unlikely Pequannock would receive any future awards or grants after cutting its Orchestra program.

Christopher Lotito is a member of the Pequannock Historic District and Open Space Commissions as well as the author of "Torrent," a book about flooding in the region. Lotito's personal mission is to reduce new taxes, drastically reduce flooding, and preserve more green spaces for our children. Christopher Lotito Profile

Pequannock Board of Ed Submits 2013-14 Budget to Voters

2013-03-27T16:55:00.001-04:00

taxes (Photo credit: 401(K) 2013)

By Christopher Lotito

The Pequannock Township Board of Education has made available via its website a PDF of the proposed 2013 - 2014 budget.

The new budget will request an additional tax of $228,767.00 from residents in order to fund full day kindergarten.
Residents will also address whether they should be taxed an additional $3,350,000.00 for additions to be added to Steven J. Gerace Elementary at the Board of Ed. Election on April 16, 2013.
If passed, total additional taxes will come to
$3,578,767.00 or just over $553.00 per household.

(The elementary school additions would be put out to bond so that figure is spread out across several years and its unclear what the interest on the bond might be. $3.35mil for the SJG addition is also noted as "estimated.")

The proposed budget states that without the addition of full-day kindergarten there would be no tax increase until FY2015. It does not appear that this will be an option provided to voters on the April ballot.

Students returning home from school on Thursday March 27th 2013 noted that they had been informed that both Orchestra and Latin would be cut out of the curriculum. The proposed budget lists Orchestra as well as Foreign Language along with the quote, "Course offerings & staffing will be based on student participation (i.e. class size)," but students noted that they had been told specifically about those 2 programs. Pequannock News is seeking additional details about this story now and will publish as they become available.

Christopher Lotito is a member of the Pequannock Historic District and Open Space Commissions as well as the author of "Torrent," a book about flooding in the region. Lotito's personal mission is to reduce new taxes, drastically reduce flooding, and preserve more green spaces for our children. Christopher Lotito Profile

Google, The Cloud, and the Death of a Magazine

2013-03-26T14:42:00.000-04:00

ReadyMade Lobby (Photo credit: Charles & Hudson)

By Christopher Lotito

In 2004 I visited a friend's house for a birthday party. In fact, it wasn't just a friend, but THAT friend, that one that everybody knows at least one of: that hipster friend. Here was a guy who was on the cutting edge of all your parents' favorite stuff. Vinyl? Check. Cheap reproduction 70's ephemera? You better believe that's a big ol' check! Learning to DJ on an external 90's era Compaq brand CD drive? Another check.

ReadyMade Workstation (Photo credit: Charles & Hudson)

Among the items scattered around his place were the early issues of "ReadyMade Magazine." For those not in the know, ReadyMade was a bimonthly DIY and design magazine centered largely around mid-century American decor that ran from Winter 2002 until June of 2011. After reading an article about how great a well appointed ranch-style home can be, I was hooked (bi-levels and splits have been the rage since the mid 90's but I've always appreciate the simplicity of the suburban ranch). I went home and promptly subscribed to ReadyMade Magazine for the next decade.

readymade.JPG (Photo credit: Johnnie Utah)

That was about 2 years before I would join the Historic District Commission and 3 or 4 before our historic train station would see restoration, a process during which I found Readymade quite helpful as a reference to the DIY skills that growing up as part of the computer generation had not always been quick to impart. When Hurricane Irene hit and we were forced to perform huge repairs and renovations to the house, I would apply ReadyMade's DIY skills to create decor that was attractive, but simple enough to replace if another flood occurred. When I joined the Community Garden, I would recall articles I'd read in those pages.

Readymade loves the Trogdor (Photo credit: roboppy)

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, especially when profits are put before quality, and in 2011* the magazine was sold to the Meredith Corporation, publishers of Better Homes and Gardens, which then forced Readymade out of business by insisting its staff relocate from Sacramento to Des Moines, Iowa (which none would agree to do). That of course coincidentally left BH&G with that much less competition in the design magazine market. Meredith Corp. also ran off with its subscriber's $25 subscription fees, rightly presuming that none would take legal action over that small an amount. ...all of that of course is only where our story begins.

*An aside, 2011 also saw the demise of GamePro, Computer Weekly, and ToyFare magazines... a rough year for print indeed!

Beyond frustrated, it was at this point that I had the idea to try to import the RSS feed from the magazine's blog page into Google Reader. The magazine had only had a couple digital issues, so the bulk of its materials were sitting in paper on my shelf, but it would be nice to have some record of what so many readers had enjoyed for a decade. That import worked and soon I had the full text of the blog (if not the magazine) from 2005 forward stored in my Google Reader account, or "in the cloud" if you will.

For the uninitiated, Google Reader is a free online RSS reader provided by Google. You give Google Reader the address of a blog you like, it saves every entry from the blog so that you can search, read, or email it later. It can even do this with older blog entries, they don't have to be new.

ReadyMade Magazine Cover (Photo credit: Charles & Hudson)

Perhaps not having learned my lesson from the fiasco with ReadyMade, I presumed that this record of one of my favorite magazines was now safely archived for future enjoyment. I was, unsurprisingly, incorrect in this assumption. Just this month, Google announced that it would discontinue the Google Reader product in July of 2013 (what is it about losing our favorite products in July?). The Internet yelled and kicked its heels and complained, but nothing short of a Google Spring revolution was going to bring back Google Reader. Google knew, and knows now, that it owns our voices in some small way while we use its products.

I will say that most of the time it's better to use Google products than it is to try to run your own server or use software on your desktop PC. Servers cost money in electric and bandwidth, desktop software has no redundancy. 90% of the time, it's best to use Google products and call Google "sir" all the while, but then there comes that 10% of the time. Every once in a while, Google, or Microsoft, or Optonline, or whoever provides your website, email, etc. is going to decide to pull the plug and all you can do is pick up the pieces. In some ways, Google is a lot like a hurricane. You can't reason with it, you can't pay it off. That's right, as profit focused as they are, Google didn't even offer to let us pay for Reader Accounts to keep the the service (something they DID do with the Google Apps accounts).

Readymade Print Archive (Photo credit: Ben Brown)

So I spent 20 minutes today figuring out how to export my ReadyMade Magazine feed from Google Reader. Google has not provided a solution to export your data and the trick I used was so complex it isn't worth recommending to anyone. Chalk it all up to part of the price we pay for using supposedly free services via the cloud. It's not less risk, the risks are just different. Stored in the cloud, your email is safer from viruses and system crashes, but more susceptible to hackers. Instead of paying for services in currency, you pay in time spent seeing advertisements and on occasion cleaning up messes like the Google Reader fiasco.

So where are my ReadyMade blog posts now? On my hard drive and, oh yeah, uploaded to Google Drive. Someday we have to "Stop Worry and Learn to Love the Cloud," right?

If I can get the XML converted to HTML easily, I'll post it somewhere for anyone who is curious / nostalgic.

Christopher Lotito is a member of the Pequannock Historic District, Open Space, and Flood Control Advisory Commissions as well as the author of "Torrent," a book about flooding in the region. Lotito's personal mission is to reduce new taxes, drastically reduce flooding, and preserve more green spaces for our children. Christopher Lotito Profile

Pequannock Knights of Columbus St. Patrick's Day Bash

2013-03-15T11:15:00.003-04:00

By Christopher Lotito

Amazing spread of traditional Irish foods cooked
fresh on premises!

Dinner, dancing, a show, and drinks, all just $35, 7pm - 11pm at 84 Lincoln Park Rd. in Pequannock - 3/16/2013

Tomorrow, Saturday March 16th, will see the return of Knights of Columbus #5943's highly successful St. Patrick's Day Dinner and Dance.

Don't make any funny comments or you'll get kilt!

Featuring DJ Johnny Shamrock's, traditional Irish music, bagpipers, and dancing the event includes Corned Beef, Cabbage, Trimmings, Pasta, and a wide spread of Desserts!

Tickets are just $35 each and Beer and Wine are included in that price!

You won't find dinner, drinks, AND a show for cheaper, making this a great event AND a great deal.

This event runs from 7pm to 11pm (and often later) at the Knights of Columbus at 84 Lincoln Park Rd. in Pequannock (07440).

Christopher Lotito is a member of the Pequannock Historic District, Open Space, and Flood Control Advisory Commissions as well as the author of "Torrent," a book about flooding in the region. Lotito's personal mission is to reduce new taxes, drastically reduce flooding, and preserve more green spaces for our children. Christopher Lotito Profile

Memorial Birdhouses on Madison St.

2013-03-12T12:10:00.002-04:00

English: A female House Sparrow perching on its nest in a birdhouse. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Please send smaller birdhouses than this ^.

By Christopher Lotito

Spring and the Easter season can often be a time for remembering loved ones who are no longer with us. In the spirit of treasured memories and new beginnings, those who would like to memorialize their loved one can help improve a local nature site by purchasing and decorating a birdhouse in their memory to be installed in the not-quite-yet-official park at the corner of Greenwood Ave and Madison St. in Pequannock.

Let me say that again:

You:

Buy or build a birdhouse ($4.99 at Michael's [$3.99 this week]).
Decorate it, preferably in your home's colors, your loved one's home's colors, or maybe some nice cape cod subdued primaries.*
Would probably be good to do this with outdoor paint.**
Put your loved one's name on the birdhouse or include some sort of weatherproof card (funeral cards are small and laminated!), or if you prefer, don't include anything.
Drop it off at 84 Madison St. before March 30th.

Me:

*I'll paint your birdhouse if you prefer not to.
**If your birdhouse is painted with non-weatherproof paint, let me know and I'll shellac it (spray can).
I'll install birdhouses in the woods/park across from the end of Madison St. (non-river end) on Greenwood Ave. Will also install card / name plaque (small please). -- I will try to install the ones I get early enough prior to Easter and to post photos in that time.

Here's the good part:

I'll photograph your birdhouse, hopefully with some nice birds making a home in it. Possibly with a mischievous squirrel (I don't control the squirrels, no one does).
I will post the photograph(s) at full resolution on Facebook and Pequannocknews.com (there will be a lot of photos and a lot of photos of the same birdhouses [so you'll have variety]).
You can do whatever prints you want from the photos.

In the Fall:

I might leave the birdhouses up for the Winter, or I might not, depends on how many I get and how they hold up to the weather. If you want me to take your birdhouse down, I will, provided their aren't eagles nesting in it or anything.

The Garden / Park:

Our park on Madison St. and Greenwood is a section of unpaved paper-street that has been wooded for decades. After Hurricane Irene, I decided that it would be great if that land stopped being a trash dump, so I cleaned it out, raked it, have tried desperately to grow grass there, managed to secure a bench, and have planted tons of flowers and some kitchen herbs. I'm hoping Pequannock will accept it as a park eventually since they already own the land and frankly, there'd be no reason to ever extend Madison St. in that direction.

You can get a birdhouse for anyone, so long as its appropriate. If a civic organization wants to put one up for a founding member or historic figure, that's cool.

This could be a really nice way to keep the memory of those who we've lost. If you have any questions or are interested, contact me through one of the million usual methods.

Christopher Lotito is a member of the Pequannock Historic District, Open Space, and Flood Control Advisory Commissions as well as the author of "Torrent," a book about flooding in the region. Lotito's personal mission is to reduce new taxes, drastically reduce flooding, and preserve more green spaces for our children. Christopher Lotito Profile

Aladdin Jr. at Holy Spirit School in Pequannock

2013-03-12T08:30:00.000-04:00

Aladdin, Jr. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Aladdin Jr.

Holy Spirit School

330 Newark Pompton Turnpike Pequannock, NJ 07440

Thursday March 21st - 10am

Friday March 22nd - 7pm

Saturday March 23rd - 7pm

Sunday March 24th - 5pm

For Tickets Call 973-835-5680

Or At the Door

Adults $10

Seniors $8

Kids 14 to 4 $5

3 and under Free

Pequannock BOE to Voters: $3.4mil for Gym, Yay or Nay?

2013-03-05T11:29:00.002-05:00

Stephen J. Gerace School, Pequannock

By Christopher Lotito

At a recent meeting of the Pequannock Township Board of Education, plans were presented for the addition of a gymnasium to be added on to the Stephen J. Gerace elementary school, noting that the $3.4mil funding for the project would be secured via a ballot question to voters at the April 16th school board election. Currently, the school has an all-purpose room which is used for meals, assemblies, and gym classes, but no dedicated gymnasium.

The project would include a gym with bathroom areas and the addition of a new entrance with dedicated kindergarten drop-off. The project would also include relocation of the existing outdoor play equipment. Additional parking will complement the new entrance and drop-off.

Construction costs are currently estimated at $3,400,000.00 for the approximately 5,600 sqft gymnasium (plus 1,154 in lobby, bathrooms, and storage). The project would extend the Stephen J. Gerace School's facilities across what is currently basketball courts on the North end of the school and out towards Ackerson Ave, along the Boulevard.

Among other benefits, the Board of Education has expressed that the new gymnasium will reduce the need for students to eat lunch in their classrooms and address scheduling concerns related to the school's current all-purpose room.

Facing a drop in enrollment of 200 students, as projected by the 11/2011 Whitehall study, the Pequannock Board of Education has worked to address those changes in demographics. As estimated, the school age population would dip by 200 students over the next 4 years, through 2017. (http://www.pequannocknews.com/2012/04/pequannock-debates-closing-elementary.html)

Responding to those projections, the Board of Education has previously examined the possibility of closing school facilities and has enacted both full day kindergarten and a school choice / voucher (which will at first allow 20 students from other districts to attend Pequannock schools).

Voters will consider the question of whether a gymnasium should be constructed at the Stephen J. Gerace school, along with the accompanying $45.00 tax increase per household, at the April 16, 2013 election.

In a February 21st article published by the Suburban Trends, Superintendent Victor Hayek noted that the Whitehall demographic report had "painted a picture of panic and a dire need for change," but that in reality, the reduction in enrollment would be gradual, spread across 5 schools, and did not indicate a drop so drastic as to require the closing of any school facility.

Christopher Lotito has served on the Pequannock Historic District, Open Space, and Flood Control Advisory Commissions as well as the author of "Torrent," a book about flooding in the region. Lotito's personal mission is to reduce new taxes, drastically reduce flooding, and preserve more green spaces for our children. Christopher Lotito Profile

How to Track Laws and Bills Via Email

2013-02-20T18:42:00.001-05:00

Wilson before Congress, 4/20/12 (LOC) (Photo credit: The Library of Congress)

By Christopher Lotito

Sunlight Foundation's legislation tracking tool "Scout," allows users to receive alerts for congressional bills, congressional speeches, state bills, federal regulations, and GAO reports via email, text message, and more.

What's this mean in perspective? YOU can get an email or txt message anytime a bill to fund "Hurricane Sandy Relief" is discussed... or maybe you're concerned about "Dupont" cleanup in "Pompton Lakes" (bad news, there are no results), or "Green Acres Funding in Pequannock." The possibilities are literally endless and you can perform a test search to see past action on a topic, all on one page, and ensure that you're creating a valid alert.

It's easy, just go to https://scout.sunlightfoundation.com/, type a keyword or phrase into the search box, and when you see results you like, press the "Create Alert" button.

Here's a general alert for "Pequannock" right here.

Christopher Lotito is a member of the Pequannock Historic District, Open Space, and Flood Control Advisory Commissions as well as the author of "Torrent," a book about flooding in the region. Lotito's personal mission is to reduce new taxes, drastically reduce flooding, and preserve more green spaces for our children. Christopher Lotito Profile

PSA: Places that Cats Hide / Where is My Cat?

2013-02-15T08:57:00.001-05:00

English: This is Fred, and he is inside our couch. Of course, he created the hole in the first place. He's a naughty cat who likes to scrounge for our food, kills birds in the backyard, and terrorize the other cats. He's adopted from the Humane Society, and his alley cat ways still show. He's one of those cats who still, past kitten age, like to fight with you in the morning. I hide around corners and try to scare him. We have a new couch. We still have Fred. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

By Christopher Lotito

Where is my cat?

Places that cats hide.

Places to look for your cat.

It's outside, the cat is outside, no one knows how it got there, but there it is. It is outside of your house.
Ok, it's crawled up inside a chair.
Asleep in a towel or maybe a paper bag.
Behind the couch.
Under the dresser, I know there's no room there, but somehow it squeezed in.
Behind the fridge, yeah, I wouldn't hang out there either, but it's a cat.
In the recycling bin.
Behind the radiator.
Behind the couch.
In the washer (who knows why?).
Between the couch cushions (really).
Inside a cabinet, yeah, I know they don't have thumbs.
In the dryer.
Under the fridge (probably eating crumbs),
BETWEEN the shower curtain and the shower liner.
Behind a houseplant.
Under a rug (it's like a blanket for your entire room).
Way up inside of stuff.
To the left or right of the mechanism inside the front of a Lazy Boy.
Outside, the cat is outside, did you check there?
In the dryer vent.
Stuck in your downstairs neighbor's kitchen ceiling meowing through a vent.
Rolled up in the blankets on your bed, even though you just slept there.
Wearing your clothes in the hamper.
Perched in a ficus.
INSIDE the fridge.
In, under, or behind a drawer, having squeezed in there around another drawer.
Physically hanging off the back of a curtain.
Asleep on top of electronics, like a VCR, because it's hot or maybe cats like vintage tech too.
Inside the trash can.
Inside your briefcase.
In a sleeve of your coat in the closet.
In your backpack, waiting to jump out.
Chewing on the inside of a reusable shopping bag.
The cat is outside, I don't know how it got there, but it is.
It's on the balcony, probably up inside the grill underneath the plastic cover.
Asleep in your motorcycle helmet.
Living with your neighbors that you don't talk to because they gave it food and have a shiny keychain.
At a shelter because it didn't have a collar or a microchip.
Inside the wall, yeah I don't know either.
Inside the wall having descended from the attic where the joists are exposed.
Inside the ceiling having crawled up through that closet that doesn't have drywall.
Inside the wall, having climbed in through exposed joists in the basement.
Asleep between the furnace and the wall.
Under your car cover in the garage.
Asleep under the hood of your car where it's warm.
Outside, the cat got out.
That place that you thought it couldn't get to / into.
The oven? Really?

Microchip your cats, it's cheap.
Put a collar and tags on your outdoor cat.
Just about every third houseplant is incredibly poisonous to cats, so check them out online.

Comment to add.

(how to find a cat, missing cat, missing pet, dog, chinchilla, guinea pig, hamster, parrot, badger, skunk, toddlers, mice, chimp)

Christopher Lotito is a member of the Pequannock Historic District, Open Space, and Flood Control Advisory Commissions as well as the author of "Torrent," a book about flooding in the region. Lotito's personal mission is to reduce new taxes, drastically reduce flooding, and preserve more green spaces for our children. Christopher Lotito Profile

How to Dig Dirt from Big Government: Part 3

2013-02-01T13:51:00.000-05:00

"Censored" rubber stamp (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

By Christopher Lotito

Sign the Whitehouse petition to reduce mass-killer media coverage by use of pseudonyms, thanks!

How to Dig Dirt from Big Government is a sporadic series covering the topic of researching information from governmental groups, who often are not quick to respond to requests. This can include FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) and OPRA (NJ Open Public Records Act) requests, as well as other legal means of obtaining information. It is hoped that providing this series of articles will help others to become more informed citizens and to ensure their representation in a system which may not always notice the "little guy" even when it's making it's good faith best effort. Consider FOIA & OPRA interchangeable in this series unless specifically noted.

In Review:

In Part 1 of this series of articles about submitting FOIA and OPRA requests, I began my plan to submit 3 requests for staff directories to the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance, and the New Jersey Department and Children and Families. This basic request would be a litmus test for public records access in New Jersey... if you can't even get a staff directory to help contact the people who work for the taxpayers, what hope is there?

In Part 2 of this series, I noted that I had only a single positive response to these 3 requests: the Department of Agriculture, who provided me in short order a staff directory, though it was not to the specifications I requested. At that time, the Department of Banking and Insurance denied my request under the claim of confidential personal information (despite communications with the Government Records Custodian that this information was a part of the public record). Since that writing, the Department of Children and Families has denied my request on the basis that they do not have a central staff directory, but they have worked with me via email to help provide some of the information that I was requesting in different forms.

So, what follows is some talk about the various departments' responses, filing a complaint with the New Jersey Government Records Council about the NJ DOBI denial, and some resources that I discovered through the process which are not well known, but might even have saved the trouble of these OPRA requests to begin with.

Filing a Denial Complaint With the New Jersey Government Records Council

I'm not listing the names of individuals I corresponded with here in this article. I do believe in government transparency, but I don't believe it's necessary to publicly shame state workers by name, whose time we pay for, when they acted in good faith to perform their job duties... even if I believe they may not full understand the regulations they were hired to uphold. (Ed.'s note)

So, as noted in Part 2, the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance denied my OPRA request for "Most recent staff directory, including at the least name, email, direct phone number, and title, for the NJ Department of Banking and Insurance."

The reasons given for denial? First, "Denial: 02.Inter/Intra-Agency Advisory, Consultative or Deliberative Material --- Pursuant to N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1." Well, I read NJSA 47:A-1. and it does not list staff directories and indicates that primarily records which are draft (not finalized) or contain personal information about a private citizen's personal life may not be released (though in practice, if you push they can be released with information redacted, as in the example of correspondence from you or me to a government official about a public matter). In other words, this didn't even feel like a particularly good effort to deny an OPRA request, let along a correct or legal one.

Several polite emails back and forth and the Government Records Custodian at NJ DOBI declined to reply further, at which point I did inform him I'd be taking it up with the Government Records Council (seems like fair play to me and I'll have to notify him anyway when I file the paperwork).

I headed over to the GRC website and downloaded the Denial of Access Complaint form. The website said to call or email first in case it could be resolved over the phone (for example, if I was wrong and had no case, why bother filing?). An email conversation with the GRC seemed to strongly indicate that a staff directory is in fact public record.

Filling out the paperwork: when you print out the form, it's 9 pages, but you only need 3 if you decline mediation. I would like mediation, but I declined it because I don't make any money off of this and I'm not looking to drive down to Trenton (which is probably where they would want to have the mediation) to argue my case. -- You can also, for a $200 filing fee, simply take the Government Records Custodian that denied your request to court... which I found was implied to be much faster and potentially more successful than a denial complaint, but I opted for the complaint for time, travel, and monetary reasons once again.

I was also able to fax the paperwork, which made things easier, though it'd be great if they let me submit it over the web or via email. I had to include my email conversations with the person who denied my request as well, no big deal.

So now I wait and see what happens. I expect that the least that will happen is that the individual in question will be more hesitant to deny OPRA requests in the future, as this probably causes a bit of paperwork. Hopefully, my request will be fulfilled.

Other Responses:

The Department of Agriculture sent over what looks to be a PDF from a website (more on that in a second). It didn't include email addresses. I didn't complain because this is a test to see how FOIA / OPRA works in New Jersey, not an opportunity to dig up every detail (though I did request the email addresses).*

*Worth noting: New Jersey residents have a right to email New Jersey State Staff at their professional email addresses. You do pay for both that service and the staff time to answer those emails, after all. I'd say probably any American citizen has the right to email, though I can see staff ignoring citizens clearly outside of their representation. At any rate, refusing to provide the public with email addresses for state staff does little good as a simple Excel formula can generate an accurate list of email addresses for any state employee in a matter of seconds, as long as you have their first name, last name, and department. In other words, anyone trying to hide state staff email addresses from the public is only fooling themselves.

...but I digress. So, good response from the Department of Agriculture.

The Department of Children and Families responded to my request with a denial, citing a long stretch of legalese copy and pasted from the same place the guy at the Department of Banking and Insurance got the information. Undaunted, I fired back a round of 4 or 5 questions asking for clarification: do the records not exist? do they exist but I can't have them? etc.

I received in response a note that the department I sent my request to does not have a directory for all the staff for all of the divisions of the NJ Department of Children and Families. Eventually, I got them to send me part of what they did have, thanked them, and took note of some other resources they recommended (which I will also discuss in minute).

Other Resources:

You may not need to file an OPRA / FOIA to get the information that you need. More and more state governments are becoming aware of the need for transparency and the benefits that everyone reaps when they put the data that they use every day directly onto a website for citizens to search. Wider availability of data ensures less queries from the public (and less staff time answering them), more eyes finding occasional cases of corruption more quickly, and the opportunity for researchers to uncover mathematical truths about our daily lives in America in new and exciting ways.

The Government Records Council and the New Jersey Department of Children and Families recommended that I check out the following resources, which frankly I did not know or had forgotten existed:

State of New Jersey Transparency Center - Featuring in depth budget reports, downloadable data, and the holy grail of OPRA-dom, public payroll records even down to the individual staff member: http://nj.gov/transparency
State of New Jersey Phone Directory - Fairly complete, does not include email addresses: http://www.state.nj.us/nj/gov/direct/

Also available are:

Asbury Park Press' Data Universe - Looks like a lot of OPRA / FOIA on behalf of the APP, includes tons of salary data for individual state employees that I couldn't find on the state website: http://www.app.com/section/DATA/DataUniverse
Morris County Tax Records - Lots of historic deeds data as well as most recent assessment and property taxes. Great if you're looking for a home and don't want to be added to a real estate agent's contact list just to find out the tax data on a listing (full disclosure: I'm a real estate agent) http://mcweb1.co.morris.nj.us/TaxBoard/SearchTR.jsp
Food Safety Reports Online - ...from the Pequannock Township Health Department, actual retail food inspection reports online covering 5 local towns, a great example of how governments can work to be more transparent without adding huge overhead costs to their budget. http://www.peqtwp.org/Cit-e-Access/webpage.cfm?TID=60&TPID=7555

Pequannock News to Adopt Cockerham's Mass-Killer Naming Scheme

2013-01-22T14:40:00.001-05:00

Front cover of The Shankill Butchers:
A Case Study of Mass Murder
by Martin Dillon (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

By Christopher Lotito

To sign the Whitehouse.gov petition, click here! https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/adopt-cockerham-mass-killer-naming-scheme-reduce-fame-those-who-commit-mass-murder/rL4Z8NcL

Rob Cockerham, blogger and citizen scientist, has a simple proposal: When a mass-murder occurs, stop giving criminals what they want. Instead of providing killers with fame (and on occasion fortune [book deals]) via the media echo-chamber, refer to these sick individuals publicly by hurricane-naming-style nicknames.

Pequannock News is pleased to announce that we will be one of the first media outlets to adopt this naming scheme. As a society, we must learn from these tragic events in order to better address future threats, but never should a murderer benefit, whether materially or by social stature, from the commission of these heinous crimes.

Pequannock News will refer henceforth to the Aurora killer by his Cockerham nickname: "Foot." The Newtown shooter will be known as "Fumble." The murderer of 5 individuals in Mexico shall be called "Ladle."

Cockerham had this to say about his naming system: "With the Nicknames for the Infamous scheme, real killers, living or dead, would be saddled with a pre-determined insult. Their real name could be forgotten, replaced by "Bowl" or "Pouty". For official business, police reports, in the courts, on wikipedia and in history books, the killer's real name would be used. I don't think we should re-write history, I just want to chill the effect of worldwide fame possible through newsworthy crimes. It's a simple, free change. Any news organization may adopt these nicknames without further consultation." ~Rob Cockerham

This naming scheme is not ridiculous. It's a way to defend our society from an epidemic of fame-seeking psychopaths that the mass media has made worse through their round-the-clock coverage (in a recent case placing news anchors in director's chairs at the site of the shooting within less than 48 hours). What's ridiculous is that we have to take actions like this. What's ridiculous is that we can't keep our children safe in our own communities.

Pequannock News has also started a Whitehouse Petition to ask the federal government to officially adopt a mass-murderer naming scheme, please take a moment to sign and help stop the cycle of violence and infamy which has become so prevalent: https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/adopt-cockerham-mass-killer-naming-scheme-reduce-fame-those-who-commit-mass-murder/rL4Z8NcL

Christopher Lotito is a member of the Pequannock Historic District, Open Space, and Flood Control Advisory Commissions as well as the author of "Torrent," a book about flooding in the region. Lotito's personal mission is to reduce new taxes, drastically reduce flooding, and preserve more green spaces for our children. Christopher Lotito Profile

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