During Hurricane Irene, Aug. 28, 2011, a tree in front of Rutgers building CC fell across Nichol Ave and took down some wires.

The City almost immediately removed the tree from the street and attached the wires with caution tape to a nearby London Plane tree in front of 155 Nichol.    

This video was taken Jan. 31, 2012, with the cameraman standing with his back to Rutgers building CC.   

(download)

Click here to download:

wires.mp4 (20.23 MB)

Neighbors who are members of the Second Ward Block Club teamed up with the Unity Square Partnership to celebrate National Night Out (Aug. 2, 2011) with a block party.

Photos (and a short video) here: http://goo.gl/PM0r7

Updated July 21, 2011: At the City Council meeting July 20, Police Detective Michael DeBonis testified that a security guard at the Topicana had been found to be carrying an exposed firearm illegally, and that the State Police knew about this as well.  Question: was anyone charged with a firearms violation?  Take a look at this one-minute video. And see Jennifer Bradshaw's story in the new, local newspaper the New Brunswick Patch.  

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On July 6, 2011, City Council held its third public hearing on the renewal of a liquor license for the Tropicana Restaurant, Bar and Grill at 2 Georges Road. A 30-minute video record of the event has been posted online.

According to police testimony before City Council at the previous meeting (June 15, 2011), the Tropicana Restaurant, Bar and Grill has been operating illegally as a nightclub for more than a year.  The area is zoned C1 and taverns, bars and nightclubs are illegal in a C1 zone.

During part or all of this period of illegal operation, off-duty New Brunswick police officers were working at the restaurant on weekends.

At the June 15 hearing, neighbors of the restaurant testified that they had been bothered by music from the restaurant for more than year -- specifically loud, pounding bass sounds. On July 6, Council Vice-President Escobar reported that people who live near the Tropicana "feel the vibration in their homes." And she said, "I know people that live right behind it, and they have to suffer with that noise every night."

A noise that crosses a property boundary and disturbs people in their homes is a violation of the city noise ordinance. Section 8.28.050 of the noise ordinance lists as a "forbidden act" the creation of a noise that "disturbs a reasonable person of normal sensitivities." (Section 8.28.010). The ordinance provides fines up to $1250.00 per day for noise violations. (Section 8.28.110)  So far, the Tropicana has not been issued any summonses for noise disturbances.

As an active member of the Second Ward Neighorhood Block Club and Crime Watch, I can attest that noise disturbances from the Tropicana have been discussed regularly at our monthly public meetings for more than a year, and city officials present at our Crime Watch meetings have been concerned about the issue but have been unable to resolve it.

At the City Council hearing July 6, police detective DeBonis reported that, a few weeks ago, a "gross violation" of the city's noise ordinance occurred at the Tropicana, verified by a police officer.  But no summons was issued for that noise violation.

At the July hearing city Planning Director Glenn Patterson described the illegal nightclub operation of the Tropicana, and he said the Tropicana had been sent "notice of correction" but he said no summonses have been issued.

At the July hearing, Council member Egan and Council President Recine both said that they believed the Tropicana was not operating as a restaurant, but as a club.  

It seems as if the Tropicana is being treated with kid gloves even though city officials, including police officers, and elected city officials acknowledge publicly that the Tropicana has been violating the city's noise and zoning ordinances. 

At the Council meeting July 6, a final decision on the renewal of the Tropicana's liquor license was delayed until a fourth meeting, to be held July 20 at 5:30 p.m. on the second floor of City Hall.

As a temporary decision, the Tropicana was ordered to stop its loud music at midnight each night. This is not much help for neighbors who start work at 6 a.m., or earlier, and therefore try to get to sleep long before midnight. 

Wires are hanging near the ground from utility poles all across the city.   Once you start noticing them, you see them everywhere.  This sends the message to our kids: wires are safe.  I've seen kids batting wires with their hand for fun. 

In the photo below, the left pane shows wires hanging from pole 60689 in front of 149 Commercial Ave.  The right pane shows a wire hanging from pole 60080 NBK on Commercial Ave at Feaster Park.

In the photo below, two wires are hanging from pole 60077 NBK at the edge of Paul Robeson School.    

And the photo below shows a wire hanging from pole 60769 NBK right in front of the entrance to the Robeson School.

As I say, once you start noticing wires hanging from utility poles, you see them everywhere in the city.  It's an epidemic.  If it's not against the law to leave wires hanging near the ground, it should be. 

Kids are helping the city get the word out, litter is bad, recycling is good.  Art on view in the Municipal Court building July 2011.  Thanks, kids!  Well done!

The clothing drop box at the Exxon station (corner of Commercial and George) has been tagged with graffiti for more than a year.   Is no one responsible?  Does no one care?

There's a move afoot to give the Cook-Douglass neighborhood -- and perhaps the Cook-Douglass Campus itself -- a new name. We understand that the dean of Cook College is involved, along with Mayor Cahill's office.  But residents of the Cook-Douglass neighborhood have not been consulted.  We suspect it is an attempt to push Douglass College further into the background, though this is merely our speculation.  Douglass grads may want a say in all this -- have they been invited to join the conversation? 

Thanks to Rutgers for fixing Douglass Building CC on July 13 -- repairing broken windows and gutters, and replacing loose, dangerous sheet-metal flashing.  And thanks to the Second Ward Neighborhood Block Club and Crime Watch for providing a forum for discussing these neighborhood issues -- and to Mike Beltranena in Mayor Cahill's Office for urging Rutgers to make these repairs.  

Here are our original posts on the subject:

Sheet metal is falling off of Rutgers building CC on Nichol Avenue, as are slate roof tiles. In the spring, high winds deposited a large piece of sheet metal across Nichol Ave. So far no one has been killed or maimed by the jagged, flying debris.

May 28, 2011: Despite promises made to neighborhood residents in summer, 2010, Rutgers is allowing some of it's Douglass buildings on Nichol Avenue to fall into disrepair. Broken windows, flashing and gutters falling down, roofs dropping slate dangerously to the ground below.  If a private landlord allowed a building to deteriorate like this, the City would take action.  Why is Rutgers exempt?

Rutgers has some shiny new buses, and that's great.  But the worst part of bus-riding isn't the buses, it's bus stops that don't protect you from the elements -- blazing sun, cold wind, lashing rain.  Many Rutgers bus stops are in a scandalous state of disrepair.  For example, when you're waiting for a bus in the decrepit, vandalized bus stop in front of College Hall on George Street, watch where you sit or put your hands -- you could end up in the hospital.  The condition of many Rutgers bus stops is a disgrace -- and a deterrent to the use of the those shiny new buses.