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Bergen County Real Estate News : December 2008 – Week 1

Bergen county news with an emphasis on aspects affecting real estate, residency and community issues.

December 2008 – Week 1 Issue

Alpine celebrates Thanksgiving
Potential land continues to be in a mess
Fort lee budgets
Awards for rental buildings
Holiday season celebrations begin


Alpine celebrates Thanksgiving

Residents of Alpine in Bergen County celebrated Thanksgiving in a special way. The Kearney House at the Palisades Interstate Park had a touch and feel of the bygone days as life from the 1800s was replicated at the tavern. Visitors listened to music from the bygone years, ate bread and cheese and drank hot cider. A fire was also set up for heating water that would be used to clean dishes after eating the meal. These annual celebrations are a regular affair and are usually celebrated on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. This gives visitors a touch and feel of North Jersey before the industrial revolution. The host of the show which took place from 1pm to 4pm also narrated stories from yesteryears. While there are no charges to attend the event, there was a suggested donation of $3 per adult and $1 per child. The Kearney house was purchased in 1817 by James and Rachel Kearney. However after James death in 1831, Rachel started to run a tavern here for the various ship workers and tradesmen. Even today, various tavern nights are conducted through the year to remind people of its history. The house belongs to the bygone era as it has no running or hot water and no electricity. Also the wooden beams in the ceiling are not higher than six feet.


Potential land continues to be in a mess

High potential land at the Overpeck site has long been underused despite efforts by many communities. Comprising of approximately 1200 acres, this stretch of land comprises of sections given by Leonia,Teaneck, Ridgefield Park, Palisades Park and Englewood. Way back in 1951 when the land was taken from these townships, there had been plans to construct a world-class park. However despite a golf course and few recreational facilities, the park was mainly used as a trash dump till 1975. From then various plans were laid out for the region, all of which failed. Recent efforts by residents of Teaneck and Ridgefield Park resulted in a lawsuit which forces the county to construct a park by the end of September 2009. While there were plans to close landfills using money from dumpers by using imported landfill; none have succeeded so far. Also as per ‘The Record’, the project has managed to generate only $7.6 million as dumping fees till the end of October. While many compare Overpeck to Encap, supporters of the former state that Overpeck is not in as bad a shape as Encap.


Fort lee budgets

Under new pressure for budgeting carefully, Fort Lee is all set to start its new program called third-party billing. Under this initiative insurance carriers will now be billed for ambulance rides of the client. The program is scheduled to begin this month and is likely to bring in up to $700,000 as funds into the borough. Till date, money was being taken from borough residents for ambulance services. However this would not be the case anymore. Also in case where residents do not have insurance, no one will be billed. This option can only be availed by residents of Fort Lee however. Residents of neighboring towns who use Fort Lee ambulance services will be billed for the balance costs minus what is paid by their insurer. Officials are hopeful that this new initiative will help in saving money while also offsetting operating costs for the ambulance and fire department.


Awards for rental buildings

In its efforts to improve the standard of living, the North Jersey Apartments Association (NJAA) has been inspecting various apartment complexes across the region. In this regard it has researched through 575 apartment complexes over 15 years and has short listed the best names in the industry. To commemorate their efforts, the association has also announced 2008 Garden State Awards for few of the rental sites that were understood to be ‘best managed’. Among the various awards, the most prestigious title of ‘Management Company of the year’ was awarded to Kamson Corp. of Englewood Cliffs and a few other firms. Officials from the NJAA stated that these awards help bridge the gap between tenants and builders as they help the latter understand the needs of tenants better. The competition has been tough and the standards for judging the best apartments have been tougher. Various parameters like the entire property stretch, apartment amenities, construction, maintenance and even boilers and offices have been considered.


Holiday season celebrations begin

As the holiday season begins in Bergen County, various towns plan their events for the upcoming festivals. Dumont has started preparing for its winter festival that would take place in its park. Hayrides are being planned to take passengers through the park pathway. There are also plans for a train ride for children at the Babe Ruth field. A wooden Christmas tree would be decorated for the event and the park would be lit up with beautiful lights. The event managers also plan Santa’s visit to the farm, courtesy of the escorts from the Fire department. Children participating in the event will also receive festive holiday bags with an assortment of gifts. The funding for all this is being planned from the donations made by the local businesses of Dumont. Hot chocolate and refreshments would be served at the venue. On the other hand the Teaneckrecreation department also announced its youth and adult activities for the season. These activities are catered for various age groups like pre-school, youth and adults. These programs include yoga, art, dance and also pottery classes. Details on the events can be availed at the Richard Rodda Community center, where residents can register themselves. Most of the events would also take place in the center.


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