VernonsOwn BLOG

Elections are coming up. They are always important. This years are extremely so. The shape of our towns future is at stake. Actually looks like they (Town Council) will get everything through prior to it anyway as the Mayor wants all the redevelopment ordinances ready by this Monday’s meeting. But I digress. It seems this would be enough to support the form of government that an inspirational thinker on the NJ.com forum (melons) has been bringing up that’s based on what exists elsewhere and that Steve Imburatto suggested .

If I understand it correctly each of the lake communities would appoint a representative and a mayor would be elected by the public. This sounds like it would work but in my gut I’d say not. Why? Well we had mayors before and we went away from that because it didn’t work.

The type of government we have now should work too but does it? I think not! But again WHY?

First, if people are voting their party irregardless of all else and the largest party is so and so, then any hope of not just putting those same problems back in place is lost. That’s not necessarily the case here but I have seen and heard a lot of people vote that way. And if a portion of voters are doing that then the cards are stacked from the get go. This isn’t a Vernon only scenario but exists through out the USA.

Second, there are big machines behind a lot (all?) of what goes on in town. When it comes close to election time those machines and the money behind them go into high gear. Unfortunately we do not have an even field in Vernon. It’s not two big machines countering each other it’s mainly the one that is supported by the big $$ developers. And so the cards are stacked further.

With this being the case it doesn’t matter what model of government we use. The way it functions will only be different on the outside. Underneath the skin it’s still the same process of decision making by the same decision makers.

Unfortunately Vernon doesn’t have an individual or two with enough money and that care enough (loves) about Vernon the way most of it’s residents do.

I do believe that some of the canidates running out of both parties are good cannidates but with the machine in place it’s a mute point. We’ve lost the fundamental necessity set forth by our countries initial declaration signers. We’ve lost a working checks and balances goverment.

Ok this is getting a bit long so I will post it now, put more later, and yes there is a way to fix it. I’ll put my ideas on that in my next post but let me again revert to the inspirational “melons” for at least this now - SPEAK* !

And expanding on that I say - SPEAK LOUDLY - SPEAK in numbers - but become the “Voices” of Vernon and SPEAK.

*will rephrase or delete this if I am incorrectly portraying one of “melons” sentiments.

Hi.. Brief diversion from the bringing things up to date from where this all started. It seems appropriate as the article in the Advertiser just ran this past Thursday. I thank Rosa and the Advertiser for covering and printing about this site. The piece in the Advertiser was based on 5 questions I was asked. Here are those questions and my full answers to them.

1) What Inspired you to create the survey? (And the Website)?

I’m a resident of and have a small business in Vernon. I’ve been attending Town Council and Planning Board meetings because of the impact I felt the proposed Redevelopment would have on us all and on generations to come. Based on what I’ve read on forums, in talking with other small business owners, in talking with tourists and residents, and what I’ve witnessed at township meetings I came to a conclusion. Our town is lost, it’s running out of food and water, communication channels are failing or non-existent, and the maps we have don’t include everyone or allow us to see the real big picture.

It’s like a jigsaw puzzle has fallen off the table. The pieces were scattered. The family is split into factions. The factions don’t or won’t share, talk, or try putting it back together as a family.

I created the survey and the web site in an effort to help us put all the pieces on the table. Decide what the big picture really is. Find out what pieces are missing. And get the family back together at the table to put this jigsaw puzzle back together while having a good time doing it.

2. How long have you lived in Vernon?

All my life - on and off. Left to go to college and again when my job required it but only in body not in the love of or desire to live here. I’m not sure that will hold true much longer but rather than just bail I decided to step up to the plate and swing away.

3. What in your view are the critical issues that will “make or break” Vernon over the next five years?

Two items come to mind but are extremely related. They are:

1) The Redevelopment Plan(s) - find and layout all the pieces, have all agree to what the final puzzle should look like, let all be part of assembling, benefiting, and enjoying it when it’s complete

2) Becoming a truly sustainable Township - One for all not all for one or two. A place that’s great to live in not just for us but for every generation to come.

4. Do you have any political party affiliation that would be relevant to what you’re doing?

No. My party is what’s right for the people and the town of Vernon. Like the website says “Of the by people, by the people, and for the people of Vernon”.

5. What’s your sense of the climate in the township (political, social, economic)?

Climate - Extremes. Polarized to the n-th degree.

Political - I think the type of government we have in place could and should work well. It is the actual execution; excuse the pun, that’s killing us.

Social - Major issue(s). It’s like everyone are over wound tops zooming, bashing, and flying off at each other. Unfortunately I’ve been guilty of it too at times. People do not really seem to be enjoying life, are mad, frustrated, and have lost hope. I see, read, and hear about more and more people being short with each other. The family is at war with itself.

Economic - Local small businesses are closing up, moving out, or scared to move in. In my opinion the current proposed solutions aren’t solutions or aren’t the ones that will work for the masses. It is one of those puzzle pieces I mentioned earlier. Sad thing is no one’s been looking at it. It’s make or break time with what happens in the three redevelopment zones. Right now I’m not feeling good about it but I have seen movement by the Council. That is what encouraged me to go forward with the web site and the surveys.

Is all Lost? NO - Puzzle solvng anyone!

I was hearing things at the meetings. I was continuing to talk with as many people as I ran into about the redevelopment plans and where the town was headed. I ran into Don while out walking to lunch and asked him about moving the firehouse. I did not write it down so I won’t try to rephrase.. I’ll just say .. it sounded like a lot of bargaining and dealing to me. Unsure who was leading and who was following.

I ran into someone who used to be active in town politics and one of our local parties. They mentioned to me that, in the past the idea had already been brought up to make “Legends” a place for seniors and a culinary school with Rutgers on board to do it. Seems the powers around the campfire back then just tabled it. Again this was hearsay but I thought wow that was one aspect of education I had not thought of. Putting Rutgers culinary curriculum makes as much if not more sense than what I had originally proposed in my “Vernon IS” piece. Wow two curriculum’s with a state college right in town!

Imagine it .. a state college that could as part of their classes prepare meals for the seniors there, learn nutritional and practice nutritional meals for the seniors, for the pediatric side with the day care there, do part of the counties meals on wheels, and healthy medical meals for the local hospitals. Lets also not forget that they could be doing gourmet meals at the remaining portion of the hotel that is open to the general public AND moonlighting or doing part of their training/apprenticeship in several establishments in town or at the resort(s). And on and on.

One other thing I found in talking to people was that we had residents that were very interested in going to the enclosed waterpark in the Poconos but it is always booked solid. So I thought I need to do some research on waterparks especially that one since it’s the one that keeps getting brought up at meetings and by our own residents.

Remember I’m backtracking still to bring you up to date. This posts really are about things from months ago.

So I had handed in the two pieces I had written and a few other small definition pieces and never heard back a peep from any of the council people. Also I gave these pieces to every board listed on the township website. Did not hear anything from anyone. One day Don Teolis and I passed each other and he mentioned that Austin Carew said “thanks on what I had written”. Don also mentioned something to the effect of “this is a big train and it’s already in motion”. It was a while ago so that’s my best recollection of his wording.

It seemed to me like there was no option but to attend meetings. I started, and still do, going to Town Council and Planning Board meetings to watch, learn, and listen. Oh boy.

Hi again. Sorry for the time delay. When I handed in the piece on what “Vernon Isn’t” I did not want to just complain or negate or the “B” word. I felt it was important to also provide alternatives. To provide another vision or option if you will. I did that with “Vernon IS..”. Since I wrote that I found out some other stuff that would alter it. I also was going to shorten it but then you wouldn’t be able to see the full evolution that brings us to today. So please take the time to read this and better yet add some posts to our forum so we can discuss it and I can learn how the “voices of vernon” feel. Here goes:

THE FUTURE OF VERNON IS ..

or

Money Does Grow on Trees

and in fields, pastures, mud, dirt, and water!

The future of Vernon is in it’s “roots”!Towns are actually corporations. Vernon needs to run itself like one - a successful one. Business’s that are looking to succeed in hard times revert back to their core. What was it that they originally were, what were their values, what was it that made them what/who they are?Vernon needs to do that. Vernon needs to renew itself, revitalize itself, and ressurect itself by embracing and getting back to it’s “roots”.Vernon isn’t a ski resort or a waterpark. Vernon is farmlands, lakes and lake communities, creeks, orchards, wildlife and wildlife preserves, fields, it’s heritage, it’s cultures, and a ski resort/waterpark. It’s about love of the great outdoors and all the activities that can be enjoyed here. It’s about it’s people.

Vernon needs to prune back the runaway growth. We need to aerate and provide nutrients to our core resources like farms, orchards, Indian artifacts, water, wildlife, residents, schools, and businesses. We need to allow light to reach “all” of Vernon so that it can thrive.

The future of Vernon is in becoming a “Geo Eco Sustainable Green Community”Vernon has a chance to be a leader in this area. It means looking outside the box, expanding the box, creating a new evolving box . Vernon can’t be satisfied with Eco-Tourism. It needs to become a true “GEO Sustainable Township”. We need to not only adopt the current guidelines but expand them to the next level.VERNON where - ECOLOGY and TECHNOLOGY - evolve together.In doing so more doors will be opened, more grants available, more business opportunites, more educational opportunites, more non-service oriented jobs, and the all important goal of maintaining or lowering property taxes, school budgets, and the township budgets.It means saving Vernon now and for future generations. The recent soliciting of signatures and reversal of the open space tax decision shows that Vernonites care about their environment. They also care about their town and what it’s becoming and/or losing. They are residents in Vernon for a reason. If Vernon saves itself but all it’s current residents then want to move somewhere else, the Mayor, Council, and state officials have failed.We can succeed if we truly become a “Geo Eco Sustainable Community”. It will bring in revenue. It will open doors and opportunities for every resident and every business in our town. It will create new jobs including production and technology jobs. It will provide a way to unite our factions. It put Vernon on the radar scope of the media around the world. Think of the type of people that National Geographic Geo-Destinations web site attracts.

It’s a way to raise property values for resale without raising the property’s assessment value for taxes.

The treatment of waste water with subsequent recharging of the Vernon aquifer is a great first step.

The future of Vernon is in changing and soliciting who we are marketing to.The obvious fallout of the previous idea is that we also become a geo-sustainable eco-tourist destination. We have to stop being the day, or should I say night, destination of thousands. We need to stop being the weekend only destination of thousands. We need to reverse our marketing strategy related to the direction of the traffic and our proximity to the metropolitan masses. Those people will not be stopping to shop in our town center. We need to eliminate the locust.We need to think geosustainable full lodging. We need to have migrations not swarms.As a geo-community we can and will be marketing to tourists, students, families, and/or business people that are going to stay for at least a week if not a month. Europeans and others will do that. We need to market that “from here - NYC, Philly, etc.- are easy day jaunts”. That you can have a green holiday and the city too. You can paint the natural wildlife and catch a night of it at a broadway play or better yet at our own local playhouse.

We need to market to the growing geo eco community that is out there. The community of artists, naturalists, culturalists, businesses, vactioners, scholars, outdoor sports enthusiasts, and familes that will stay for more than 2 days. The community that want to be away from it all but can visit the city for a day trip. The customers of our township that respect and will protect it, shop in it, and even DONATE to it.

The future of Vernon is in compromises, appreciation, and unity.Compromises by all on issues. Appreciation of each other, our surroundings, our differences, our needs, and our goals. Unity in everyone getting a seat on the train to a successful future for ALL.

New Plan Concepts*:

A). What is Eco TourismEco-tourism focuses on local cultures, wilderness adventures, volunteering, personal growth and learning new ways to live on our vulnerable planet. Responsible ecotourism includes programs that minimize the adverse effects of traditional tourism on the natural environment, and enhance the cultural integrity of local people. Therefore, in addition to evaluating environmental and cultural factors, initiatives by hospitality providers to promote recycling, energy efficiency, water re-use, and the creation of economic opportunities for local communities are an integral part of ecotourism.Ecotourism is considered the fastest growing market in the tourism industry, according to the World Tourism Organization with an annual growth rate of 5% worldwide and representing 6% of the world gross domestic product, 11.4% of all consumer spending - not a market to be taken lightly

B). What is Sustainable Tourism

Sustainable tourism, like a doctor’s code of ethics, means “First, do no harm.” It is basic to good destination stewardship.Sustainable tourism does not abuse its product-the destination. It seeks to avoid the “loved to death” syndrome. Businesses and other stakeholders anticipate development pressures and apply limits and management techniques that sustain natural habitats, heritage sites, scenic appeal, and local culture.It conserves resources. Environmentally aware travelers favor businesses that minimize pollution, waste, energy consumption, water usage, landscaping chemicals, and excessive nighttime lighting.

It aims for quality, not quantity. Communities measure tourism success not by sheer numbers of visitors, but by length of stay, distribution of money spent, and quality of experience.

C). What is GeoTourismGeotourism adds to sustainability principles by building on geographical character-”sense of place”-to create a type of tourism that emphasizes the distinctiveness of its locale, and that benefits visitor and resident alike.Geotourism is synergistic: All the elements of geographical character together create a tourist experience that is richer than the sum of its parts, appealing to visitors with diverse interests.It involves the community. Local businesses and civic groups work together to promote and provide a distinctive, authentic visitor experience.

It informs both visitors and hosts. Residents discover their own heritage and how the ordinary and familiar may be of interest to outsiders. As local people develop pride and skill in showing off their locale, tourists get more out of their visit.

It benefits residents economically. Travel businesses do their best to use the local workforce, services, and products and supplies. When the community understands the beneficial role of geotourism, it becomes an incentive for wise destination stewardship.

It supports integrity of place. Destination-savvy travelers seek out businesses that emphasize the character of the locale. Tourism revenues in turn raise local perceived value of those assets.

It means great trips. Enthusiastic visitors bring new knowledge home, telling stories that send friends and relatives off to experience the same thing-a continuing business for the destination..

D). Imagine if you will …Painters/artists/photographers coming here to capture wildlife and nature in various media. Classes taught and supplies sold. Contributions of their work going to our local gallery on Vernon Xing where a portion of any sales, along with a portion of the class costs/supplies going to open space bird animal habitat preservation (no more need for open space tax?). Numerous galleries doing the same with the same kind of recharge the tourism/town funding.It’s no surprise the Ninja Turtles were(are) such a big hit. Kids love turtles. Vernon has it’s own endangered species celebrity in it’s Bog turtles. A viewing point with coin operated scopes to view them in their natural habitat plus specially created natural indoor/outdoor habit(s) we build to help insure their survial and allow observation and studying of them. Gift shops with shirts and memoriablia with portions of sales going to their protection. Naturalists, schools, a town mascot, etc etc Oh and let’s not forget our, like they’d let us, Black Bear population with associated clothing, stuffed animals, books on, etc. Portion of funds to say “developement of human treament programs and/or a protected area where they would not be hunted. Biologists to study them both.The Lenape Indian museum in our town center complete with photos, art, artifacts, and of course a gift shop. How about shifting through the dirt with your children looking for artifacts (arrowheads). A recreation of an Indian village. Maze festival celebrating the culture and history along with shows/demonstrations. with .. get the idea.

We already have a huge natural preserve just on the other side of 565. There is the Appalachian trail. Etc.

The bike trail is moving along. Rentals of bikes for riding similar to on Nantucket or Block Island. Naturalists also love to walk and how about piping snow making to turn them into winter cross country wonders. We also have a huge potential for maps showing what has got to be one of the most awesome collection of log cabins, wood slab sided homes, and just beautiful walking/biking experiences in the Highland Lakes area. Pride of ownership, potential revenue, and yes a willingness to sense of community would spur more.

Organic natural products are becoming big business spelled big $$$. Lets not be so fast to turn our farmland into condo’s, waterparks, etc. We already have an organic natural dairy farm/cheese/bread making facility in our town which along with Heaven Hill Farms are listed on New Jersey’s web site as places to visit. (By the way we aren’t listed as part of the fall folliage or other attractions in NJ web pages). Getting our local farms up and running again can translate into tourism - how about adding an indoor tractor/ farm implement museum and/or working farm exhibit like in Lambertville, NJ. We have tons of possibilites that make for long term repeat visitors. Possibilities that have staying versus gimic power (sustainablity).

Legends resort becoming senior and low income housing as well as college/business dorms for remote curiculmn training. The tennis courts turned into an indoor skating center, the olympic and indoor pools available to schools and tenants. The cabaret becoming an indoor movie theater/ bingo lounge. The senior center relocated here. Child day care here. Rutgers / Sussex County remote classes set up here. The golf course becomes a training/research facility as well as a golf course. I mean seniors and golf just seem to go together. The large conference rooms and in the summer parking lot become flea/antique markets with crafts from various senior art classes, local school classes, and our own local artistans. Donations are collected along with partial proceeds to help fund the school and senior activities. Grants applied for and used both from goverment and from industries (remember the research on the golf course). Habitats are set up for bog turtles, endangered plants, and nesting boxes for wild birds. The golf course becomes a habitat providing protection and impact studies for biologists/naturalists/photographers. The cart path becomes a walking nature path too with various trees identified and brochures/guides available (money towards seniors). The people who have RCI investments now have a real investment property. People coming here as a three generation family. The seniors can stay on site or go with the rest of the family as they explore all Vernon, Sussex and Orange Counties have to offer. We don’t destroy/disturb exising land to build a senior housing center.

The firehouse stays where it is, again not destroying disturbing natural areas but becomes a tourist destination as well. A builiding commorating our long history of local fire departments and civil servants. It’s also a visitor training center on fire prevention, biking, automobile, and home safety. Visitors children can complete the course and be awarded honoray firefighters badges. A gift shop and various summer food festivals along with donations from the just mentioned center to help fund our firefighters, EMT’s, and other volunteer organizations. Donations for our Police department and the PAL too.

The township becomes a unified package resort like Sandals and others where people are coming for the long haul and not the day trip.

E). Take it up a notch to .. WOW they have / do that in Vernon!The new town center and any other village created from day one with recycle/reuse/community benefit designed in. Vail Colorado and other places in the United States are trying to engineer this in but we like Lech, Austria (where Vail got the idea) can build it in right from the start. Generating heat/electricity for the entire center from the waste products we generate. This has the three-fold benefit of cutting down on landfill/waste water accumulation, reducing ownership costs - your waste helps pay your heating/electric bill, and using technology to benefit the environment. OK four fold technology related jobs and research.It doesn’t end there with waste products from restaurants/deli’s/and other sources going to create biodiesel fuels. Including growing our own sources in our fields/corn/orchards by products. These can be utilized to reduce the costs of running school buses or township vehicles helping to reduce municipal/educational budgets.Then there is heating of the schools and/or lighting of our athletic fields using biomass. These aren’t pipe dreams. These technologies already exist and are being used elsewhere.

[Looking for some savings, Council Superintendent Murray Dalgleish developed Idaho’s first public school biomass heating system - a project that’s expected to save Council $1 million on fuel over the next 15 years."]

[About 30 public schools in Vermont are heated by biomass, said Tim Maker, executive director of BERC - with two or three schools being added each year. Vermont is the leader, but "it’s slowly permeating out from Vermont," said Maker, noting that Maine has one school biomass system and New Hampshire has two. His group is now helping install school biomass systems in New Mexico and South Dakota.

With biomass, "we can switch our rural communities off fossil fuels and onto local resources," Maker said. "That’s money that could be kept in the local regional economy instead of shipping it to energy companies in other parts of the country, or suppliers in other countries."]

The area on Sandhill that the town owns becomes a BioMass Facilty to heat our schools and provide electric to them. Parents drop off their kids and their clipings/recyclables with the same minvan.The use, enhancement, and development of these technologies provides job opportunites for residents, training and learning opportunites for students, research positions for our colleges(state and county). And with energy costs ever rising we need to get off of fossil fuels wherever we can in the public sector. That or taxes will go through the roof! Imagine all our residents, tree trimmers, DEP trimmings going to heat our schools and/or provide electricity for them. Say more grants and low taxes. Getting several donated to needy residents with willingness to be part of the experiments/research as their only cost.Corn can be used to create totally biodegradeable containers that look like clear plasic. We can work with designers to create and test all aspects of it locally. Corn can be used to create methanol. We even still have small stills in the old cobblestone village that could be converted into research on it. We have a race track in Middletown where engines can be tweaked to provide power and longevity . Local mechanics and production facitilites for local research and development then become new job opportunites. More opportunites for involvement with schools and colleges. We are sitting on a gold mine.

The recharging of the aquifer has already been mentioned but deserves mentioning here again. New Jersey realizes the importance of protecting our water reserves. With all the wells in our township, associated septic systems, and potential for more houses being added or converted to year round use we need to be careful. The New England states already are designing and using the next generation of septic systems to mini individual home treament plants. They became pioneers in this field because their shellfish beds were being contaiminated. We need to do so before it becomes an issue. We need to do it as a total Geo Eco community. We have the opportunity to get grants, work with manufactures and colleges(Rutgers) to develop, evaluate, and provide new technology for ourselves as well as other communities around the world. Think engineering jobs, technology jobs, construction jobs, remote college curiculmns being taught here. Oh and then there is the research and development of utilizing greywater for watering golf courses, fields, etc instead of using wells or community water.

Think of the visits from engineers, planners, and tourists to see a community like this. The potential for business meetings to observe, train, and develop alternate forms.College curriculmns and certification programs being set up here.

The list goes on and on once you start looking at our townships survial and growth from this perspective.

Money Does Grow on Trees but it starts in it’s “roots”!

Vernon has them both.

Vernon, N.J where Ecology and Technology evolve together!

P.S. This expands to Wantage and Sussex County the “Garden” of the Garden State.

I wanted to back up a bit to show you the path that has been traversed to get to this point. Initially I just wrote stuff and had copies given to the various town boards and the town council. This is one of the first pieces they received. Later I started attended town meetings. Then I started speaking during the “open to the public” part of the meetings. Finally the website and survey were created. It was a natural, or unnatural progression. My perspective on this first piece has changed, if ever so slightly, but I’d prefer to present the original to you now. So here is “Vernon Isn’t”

THE FUTURE OF VERNON
ISN’T
The future of Vernon isn’t in a ski resort, water park, enclosed plastic playground, business conference center, new town center or any of the other so far proposed big attractions.

These things have been tried before and while there was brief success eventually we were left with Legends, struggling ski resorts, and no real economic base, industry, or sustainable rateables.

The future of Vernon isn’t in counting on the select few, big entity, organization, or realty mogul to shore us up.

Putting all our eggs in one basket only gets all the eggs broken, contaiminated, or stolen.We need to be planning for our residents, business, special interest groups, environment, everyone and everything, the real big picture, and not just the selected few.To many compromises, special breaks, and promises broken. To many opposing forces. Enough is enough learn the lesson. Likewise decisions that will impact us and generations to come need to be decided by more than 3 people votes.

The future of Vernon isn’t in thousands of tri-state commuters swarming into and out of the area like locust.

It’s not just about the numbers of people coming here. It’s the type of people we attracting and are poised to attract(1). They consume or destroy our resources and then are gone leaving garbage and destruction in their path, ala locust

The future of Vernon isn’t in a plan that would mainly create service industry jobs and opportunities.

These in and of themselves tend to be lower paying jobs with limited future and high seasonality. Not really the diversified, exciting, interesting, or college inspiring jobs residents would wish for their children.

The residents of Vernon deserve better. The businesses of Vernon deserve better. The natural beauty of Vernon that attracted residents to our township in the first place deserves better.

Current Plan ISSUES:

A) We are not a four season resort community! Being a four season resort community takes a lot more than just calling ourselves one.

The ski season in a great year lasts 3 to 4 months. The waterpark 2 months and a week. That’s 5 to 6 months out of twelve. Global warming is real. We already have had winters that were to warm or where it rained repeatidly during the season negating even the worlds best snow making equipment. Likewise while this was a great summer two seasons ago it was all but washed out and too cold for waterpark tourists. Adding a village and/or conference center won’t cure that nor will covering a section of the area in plastic.

People can shop anywhere and there’s a proposed mall going in by the fair grounds. Would people drive to stay here for a week to shop or drive to shop in town for a day?

An enclosed waterpark is a gimic that will only attract more locust. It’s also a potential target for terrorism.

If you go to DisneyWorld would you go to the water kingdom everyday for your vacation? Would you go to Florida just to go to the waterpark in DisneyWorld?

There are plans to build a $168 million dollar waterpark on Randalls Island just off Manhattan. Would people drive up to stay at an enclosed one here or utilize the already existing good one for more than a day. During the winter months will people really be thinking about going to waterparks?

We have all the components for a total package but no multi-interest multi-season plan that works. There isn’t an organization, group, or person that’s working on researching it, building it, tieing it all together, and promoting it.

B) Having a business conference center and/or hotels in the country doesn’t qualify us as being “green” or for eco-tourism.

There are very specific guidelines on green, eco, and/or sustainable tourism. They are ecology environmental lovers and just putting up buildings in green and/or sensitive areas isn’t it. The people attracted/going to them can see the FOREST through the trees. Jumping on a bandwagon to attempt to gain revenue and acceptance will/may only work for the short haul and will fuel the fire of special interest groups. A 7 story structure in what was a pristine open view is not green. If it gets built here it changes the entire landscape forever. If it fails - Legends2.

C) Factions, factions, factions!

We have people(groups) on this side of the tracks. We have people with plans on the other side of the tracks. We have slow downs, hostility, and no real winners. What we don’t have is a station that loads from both sides onto a train going to a future that’s designed with all aboard and with all heading to the same destination.

D) We’re small.

Vernon township itself is huge but our current mountain and waterpark can only handle so many people. The roads can only handle so many people. The infrastructure and associated costs for the infrastructure can only handle a small resort community. Enlarging the open area of the mountain for more skiing, adding large conference hotels, widening roads or getting mass transit to pump more people in and out of here is one option but it’s not the one our residents want.

Once you do this we can’t go back! It’s also will only eventually add to the gravity of the situation(see E).

E) We don’t have an economic infrastructure to support the township without raising taxes.

Vernon township has a real problem here but the past method of addressing it , build more housing, build more condos/timeshares/hotels, build bigger resorts is not going to fix it. It will just push us into a larger debt down the road.

Refuse disposal is running out of room in NJ with the Lafayette landfill filling faster than expected. The costs of transporting refuse to other states and the logistics will only go up, up, up.

The state already has recognized the need to protect our watersheds via the Highlands Act. We need to protect our wells.

The increased burden on our road departments and police forces will require them to be enlarged by a magnitude, especially with the type of people coming here. Look at the percentage of our budget that is law enforcement. The schools and education budgets will only follow the same path.

No we need a different plan/solution or a highly modified adaption/evolution of the current one.

1) As a small business owner over the last three years I have come in contact with them during winter and summer seasons. To many of them tend to be nasty and destructive with little regard for anyone or anything. This isn’t just my opinion I have been told horror stories from others who have had contact with them as part of their business. One great little restaurant closed and left our area due to it.

The second half of this is what “Vernon IS”. That I did put out online at another website that is part of MyCommunity.com websites. I’ll add it here too in case you never saw or read it there

Hi All! Welcome to VernonsOwn BLOG. The VernonsOwn site was created in response to what was perceived as a need. It is part of an evolution of events that led to it’s creation. This blog will help to show where it came from, where we are, and thoughts on where we need to head. It in concert with the “Voices of Vernon” forum will help us and others to share, learn, debate, frustrate, elate, and evolve into the township that is what all other towns wish they were. A great place to live, work, and play. A great place to visit or stay. A town of the people, by the people, and for the people of Vernon! Welcome!