It’s more complicated than dividing an iris rhizome, but essentially the deal is this. Essex County will buy the Walther House of the Presby Memorial Iris Gardens for $1.1 million, which will shore up the non-profit’s much-depleted endowment. The township of Montclair will sell the iris gardens themselves – home to some 4,000 irises that attract an international audience each spring – to Essex County for $1. In turn, the county is to lease the gardens, which border Mountainside Park, back to Presby for $1 a year. Actually, as Presby prez Fran Liscio explained to us, the county will own the land the irises sit on, but the rhizomes themselves are actually owned by the Citizens Committee of Presby Memorial Iris Gardens, a group of 55 iris-loving citizens.
Presby was hoping to keep the deal quiet until all the i’s were dotted and the t’s crossed, but it became public when Phil Read’s story about the transaction ran in Sunday’s Ledger.
“This is a great example of how the whole community benefits when the town, the county and private gardens work together with so much enthusiasm,” said Liscio. “Because of this, Presby will be able to offer many more programs.”
Are there going to be credit-default swaps? If so, can we sell them to the Girl Scouts Cookie Trust Fund managers? Will this show up on our bonuses? Sounds like a great deal to me…
One dollar? Four bits? Hmmmm, sounds like the scheme that the town pulled on Paws.
Lot’s of lawyers getting rich and one lousy dollar for Montclair. Great. Maybe we could get $2 for Clary Anderson.
One lousy dollar, maybe, but it looks like if this deal didn’t go through we would have lost the gardens altogether.
Thank God it’s not tax payer money, eh?
(Really, what madness. Is there any wonder why our taxes are so high?)
Maybe “Presby” wanted to keep the deal quiet, but “The Town” should have had “transparency” in its financial dealings…
“…the gardens, which border Mountainside Park…”
Hmmm, last I knew, the gardens are within Mountainside Park, not bordering it. (Tax map.) How soon before we’re fenced out altogether?
ROC stop kvetching. If you want to ease our collective tax burdens go out and buy Presby yourself. Wait, that would mean you would have one less thing to kvetch about. I guess you’d pass in that case.
Brother, can you spare an iris?
First it was privitizing the skating rink. Next it was taking over Paws. Now we are selling the iris gardens to the county.
Will anything in Montclair be owned by MONTCLAIR???
Why yes. Montclair will still own a bike lane, but it will be on a county road.
I wish the PAWS shell game was as good a deal for PAWS as the Presby’s got. Three rizome monte.
Folks,
Just a few comments ……
The arrangement with the County on Presby is wonderful. The gardens are preserved forever as gardens, as is the portion of Mountainside Park that will transfer to the County.
The County will take over responsibility for maintaining that portion of Mountainside Park, saving Montclair money.
The “sale” of the Walther House to the County will preserve this important piece of property which will now be improved and restored as the showpiece it is. Perhaps another related organization may now also use the Walther House. The house and the property that it sits on is no longer available for purchase by developers to be subdivided and become condos.
Money from the sale will be made part of the endowment which will help defray operating costs, although the bulk of the costs will still have to depend on donations.
The Township will not have any responsibility for paying for the operation of Presby, although the Township will, as it has for scores of years, reap benefit from the gardens.
“Ownership” of the property will not change anything. Many are unaware that Anderson Park, for example, is a County Park.
Presby sees over 10,000 visitors from all over the world each year. This arrangement will preserve it.
No one looses.
Many good people worked to put this arrangement together.
If anyone has questions, I’m sure Presby folks would be more than glad to answer them!
Cary Africk
Council Liaison to Presby
I think the MVAU (for those new to the town, of which there are plenty, Montclair Volunteer Ambulance Unit) is next on the chopping block followed by MAM (again, newbies, Montclair Art Museum)
Thank you Cary. For being part of what appears to be a creative solution that will preserve a town asset without costing us more, but also for continuing to post here despite the snark. Now, can we pay the county a dollar to take over the BOE?
“that will preserve a town asset without costing us more”
Where do you think this money came from gurl? The county tax payer, that’s not “us” ? And I’ll bet this was purchased with either green acres money or open space money which are both borrowed.
So in times of economic distress, we may lose ambulance service and we’ve borrowed a million dollars to purchase a flower garden and you are clapping.
ROC,
Not quite. You and I have this difference of opinion re. Green Acres. I think it does good things, and you remind me that it’s borrowed money which, in effect, it is.
This project will use “some” Green Acres funding, true. Walking away from this money means the money would be used for some other project in the County also probably worthwhile.
But as for the MVAU, it IS NOT being eliminated. The Council has SUGGESTED they look into other ways of partially meeting their budget needs, specifically CHARGING for their services in cases where people have insurance that would cover the ambulance service.
MVAU’s EMTs are now 3 volunteers, and all the rest are being paid. It is a GREAT service.
But if people are paying insurance premiums anyway, and if ambulance service is covered, why shouldn’t the insurance company be billed? It’s not like someone is going to get a “discount” on the insurance because they agree not to file any ambulance claims.
Cary Africk
2nd Ward Councilor
Cary,
the fact that the green acres “slush fund” will slosh elsewhere does not negate the fact that the taxpayer has just gone into (further) hock for a 1.1 million dollar flower garden at a time when state pension are not being funded, the school board is “talking VERY seriously” about significant cuts, tax revenue is falling dramatically and the state hovers on potential bankruptcy.
The further fact that people applaud such madness only goes to show why we’re in such dire straights to begin with.
It’s like you’ve lost your job, you have a hard time making your mortgage payment, you’ve cashed in your 401k and you then put a trip to Disney World on your Visa because they’re having a great sale.
Bravo!
(and have a nice trip)
I love the Iris gardens and if I had to vote on using my tax dollars for it, I would. It really is a gem. That said.
I don’t believe for a minute that this deal will last long. The county will want the real estate for something ($$$) down the road and the gardens will be gone.
Other towns in the area have volunteer ambulance services. How do they deal with the lack of volunteers?
The West Orange First Aid Squad, for instance, has a sign up form on its web site. They also attempt to attract college students to cover the daytime shifts by paying $1000/ semester towards tuition for those who volunteer.
Montclair should look at what other towns do, see what works and adapt those methods to our circumstances.
Right,
As usual, you have a very defensible point of view. Maybe the “correct” response in this environment is to simply stop taking on more debt, or to absolutely minimize the debt taken on.
That has been seriously suggested, for example, in our Board of Ed. But what do you do when the roof starts leaking, or the stage can’t be used because of hazardous electrical problems, etc.?
The amount being used by Green Acres isn’t the entire amount. I think it’s “only $200K.”
But again, the gardens brings in TEN THOUSAND visitors a year. What’s that worth to the town, to the community? Is it worth a $200,000 investment in Green Acres funds?
Let’s take this discussion off line, if possible. I’d like to hear more of your thinking. I don’t have all the answers.
Oh, and nachos? There’s something like a 99 year automatically renewed agreement on the property, and since it’s park property it can never be sold to developers and furthermore our agreement with the County says it would come back to the town in that event. It’s not going away.
Good suggestions, Bit, on ways of getting volunteers!!
Cary Africk
“That has been seriously suggested, for example, in our Board of Ed. But what do you do when the roof starts leaking, or the stage can’t be used because of hazardous electrical problems, etc.?”
I am not against specific borrowing for specific projects. As long as they are transparent and open to public debate via a political process.
But green acres funding really amounts to a slush fund. A “credit card” handed out to politicians all over the state who rush as fast as possible to find “worthy” projects to add to the bill before some other politician does.
That’s not the path to financial responsibility.
I’ll bet the remainder or a good portion of the remainder or all of it) comes from the Essex County Open Space Trust Fund which is also borrowed money.
This country is being eaten alive by borrowing for “worthy projects”.
This little example is but a microcosm of the enormous problem.
“Maybe the “correct” response in this environment is to simply stop taking on more debt, or to absolutely minimize the debt taken on.”
It seems painfully obvious to me that we should “minimize the debt taken on.” at all times not just now. Sadly not with our politicians. Thus the problem.
p.s.
And the reason the Green Acres Slush fund exists is because if you floated a bond issue in montclair or Essex County for a million dollar flower garden in a time of layoffs the voters would send it packing.
Not to mention a multi-million dollar “County Environmental Center” where you can attend maple sugaring lessons for free.
p.p.s.
And I’ll say one more thing and connect this to the BID.
The reason such things like Green Acres and the BID are popular with politicians is that it is taxpayer money put to use without responsibility for the expense falling on the politicians head.
Vincenzo and you Cary can and will say over and over again, “a million dollars for flowers? Don’t blame us! If we don’t scarf this money someone else will.”
or
“$410,000 collected by a council imposed “levy” (otherwise known as a tax) spend on marketing? Don’t blame us! We have nothing to do with this money collected under our authority which we rubberstamp and pass on to a private entity….”
I guess political responsibility for spending public tax money is just so wearying it’s best if it’s avoided. Besides it’s just so damn inconvenient when the public blocks such spending, it’s best if that “Process” is bypassed….
p.p.p.s.
I don’t hold you responsible for a system not of your making Cary. But its a broken system and we should all be working to fix it.
I think that voters are generally in favor of Green Acres spending when it’s construed to mean last-ditch acquisition & preservation of critical natural areas that would otherwise be lost to development.
I’d argue that that kind of spending needs to continue in any economic environment.
The problem, as ROC as pointed out time & again, is that the fine print in Green Acres initiatives allows funds to be used for all sorts of other items of questionable criticality. I don’t think that a lot of voters understood that that’s what they were authorizing.
Devil’s in the details, as always.
P.S. I don’t mean to put words in ROC’s mouth re public spending for land acquisition.
I still applaud this idea. It won’t cost Montclair more and the Green Acres money is already ‘spent’ money. I’d rather have it allocated in a way that benefits something like the Iris Gardens and Montclair.
ROC,
Don’t you think you and I could accomplish a LOT more if we just sat down, on a regular basis, and spoke one on one? You have a lot of good ideas that would help all!
I promise not to divulge who you are.
Cary Africk
Is the County REALLY going to maintain those gardens as they have been maintained? OR are they going to go to ruin as the Rose Garden did in Brookdale Park under the County “maintenance program”.
Maintenance will ONLY keep people coming to view the beds and MAYBE stay for a stroll in Town.
Otherwise they should just sell the rhizomes and plants, as it will just be an Essex County neglected garden.
Has anyone seen any “maintenance ” on the County’s part around Kips Castle? Oh, I believe another “Green Acres” project that took the castle off the tax rolls.
I HEARTILY agree with ROC.
Good grief!
The iris gardens will still be run by the Presby group. The PARK, i.e. the grass behind the gardens, will be maintained by the county. They’re subcontracting the mowing, etc. out.
The contract provides for the PERPETUAL maintenance of the iris gardens by the Presby folks. They’ve really got their act together, and the garden looks the best it has ever been! And, did you see the varieties of iris that now bloom TWICE per season? Incredible!
I suspect we’re going to see better and better things in the gardens. Again, this is a BIG plus!
Cary Africk
What’s in it, for “the county,” anyway?
Cary – you would definitely not want to waste precious time sitting with ROC – nothing to be gained as far as I can tell. ROC has quickly forgotten that Open Space and Green Acre funding are among the few tax initiatives that New jerseyans have consistently supported, even while voting against most other tax proposals.
But, I do agree on one point…the expense of caring for Presy gardens has simply been shifted to include the residents of Bloomfield, Belleville, Irvington, Newark, etc. – many of which can barely afford to care for their own parks.
Eek!
The operating costs of Presby will STILL be paid for from donations, and from the interest from the endowment.
The County is BUYING the Walther House, and the property the Walther House sits on. That’s what the $1.1MM is for.
And let’s remember that Montclair sends a good chunk of its taxes to the County.
The County runs many activities that are non “centric” to the towns they are located in. Consider the WONDERFUL environmental center in Roseland (stop ROC: don’t even say it). It is utilized beyond anyone’s imagination bringing learning experiences and nature to thousands.
And if Bloomfield, Clifton or any other town has projects similar to Presby, I’d say “let’s do those too!”
Cary Africk
sure, let’s do ’em all. What the heck. Corzine is kicking the unfunded state pension freight train down the road a bit. We’ve got LOADS of unspent money!
Normally Joey D would hold a press conference to share the good news with the tax payers of Montclair and Essex county. But Joey D is being sued by the Communications Workers of America (CWA Local 1081), because he holds to many — Ahhhhhh “News Conferences”. That’s right ,140 news conferences last year alone. According the SSL, Essex section, front page, right smack next to the Iris garden “deal” article.
The complaint states that union staffers were “obliged to participate in self serving soirees… as extras” to give the impression that Joey D’s press conferences were well attended and of interest to the community.
The CWA alleges that they are being distracted from doling out “an onerous caseload of administering food stamps and other services to welfare recipients.. ” (Don’t even ask how communications workers became community activators)… In December ’08, the CWA filed suit against the county claiming Essex reneged on a 9.5 % salary increase. Instead of a pay increase, Joey D cut 219 jobs and asked union workers to accept a 3% raise in the first year and zero the following 2 years. The CWA contracts expired Dec. 2007.
You can at least bank on a nice big sign, front and center, with the Essex seal on it and a big grinning, “brought to you by,” Picture of Joey D
Unfortunately, the news surrounding Presby were released before all the details were worked out. The intention was, and is, to have a public announcement.
ROC: You are one tough cookie!
Cary Africk
I think when you try to boil the intrinsic value of the Iris Gardens down to a balance sheet line item; you loose the true meaning of what it contributes in actual value. Like the art museum it has some hard to pragmatically measure returns to society.
It’s a variety of art, nature and history that is as unique as the eye that beholds it. The inspiration, moment of escape necessary for revitalization of the spirit, joy of diversity within similarity; only found in such a place as this. There are others around the world, this one happens to be in our backyard.
There are, I believe, many boondoggles, graft, pet projects that benefit only a few that need to be identified and cut, just as there always have been, and the times says good time to do something to cut them; this is not one of them.
My only question is, if the rhizomes remain the property of the “55”, can they take their ball and go home if they don’t like the game? That would be a different spin.
cary, you are a noble and a valiant messenger.
the details of the agreement are still being negotiated and discussed. once it is complete we will gladly present it. the goal is to keep the magnificent irises in place where they belong, and to create an environment, both physical and financial, where they can happily do so in perpetuity.
we at presby are tremendously grateful for this opportunity. we live in a beautiful town; opportunities like this preserve more than a garden, they preserve the quality of life that a beautiful living museum such as presby supports in so many ways.
Good.
In fact maybe the county or city should mandate some public art (sculpture) in the space too.
ROC could also stand for
Rankled, Often Cvetching
“Kvetching” is with a “K”
Then you should change your name to
R O K
Obviously time to buy more million dollar flower gardens!
That’s a very interesting chart, ROC (or ROK).
Those years 1996-2000 really jump out at ya, don’t they?
Hey look at that – ROC is showing us all how fiscally responsible the Clinton Administration was. Bush inherited a sound economy AND a surplus.
well if we’re going to assign the 2000, 2001 and 2002 troughs to Bush, then the 2009, 2010 and 2011 troughs belong four square to Obama. Ok. Sounds like good logic to me. The 2009 trough looks pretty bad. Let’s take this up again in 2 years and compare Bush’s bars to Obama’s. Ok?
Well, that might work ROC (or ROK) if 2009,10, and 11 had already gone by.
But they haven’t. Hence there is a projection versus a, well, result.
We can certainly look at thinsg again in a few years or so. It sounds though (and I hope I’m wrong) that you’d rather Obama fail so as to prove you right.
Or am I confusing you with Rush? Sometimes I do that.
No. Looking at that trough scares me mightily. I hope he does not fail. But I am not sure his actions will lead to success either.
Personally, I think it’s specious to look at 2000 and blame it on Bush. As specious as blaming 2009 on Obama. But if we do one we have to do the other, it seems to me. It’s seems to be the way you all roll anyhow.
One bar does seem to stand out (or in, you might say) no matter who you all want to blame for it…
p.s.
And the solution is obvious, right? When staring at that graph depicting a (what?) 6 fold increase in debt – you spend spend spend, right?
Obvious.
I don’t know how “we” all roll, but I know that I am very tired of the ceaseless wailing and gnashing of teeth from Republicans about fiscal responsibility, when the facts show that they have demonstrated none themselves.
Of course bush is not entirely to blame for the economy, and had he succeeded he would not be entirely responsible for that either.
But “you all” love to trumpet the follies of Dems and “liberals”, and are happy to blame a windy day on the nearest liberal pol. The idiot Hannity called the stock market dip in November, fully two months before the oath of office was administered, the “Obama recession”.
So spare me the woebegone, put upon persona, please. That shouldn’t be how you “roll”.
George Bush probably should be lionized for helping end once and for all the unquestioning worship of the free market, which he accomplished by driving it over a cliff. Obama is piling up huge deficits ostensibly to stimulate the economy, but what most people fail to realize is that he’s remaking the relationship between the government and the economy. To paraphrase Clemenceau, the economy is too important to leave to the CEOs. As the world teeters on the brink of environmental catastrophe, the government will have to take over not only the banks but all private enterprise. Otherwise, the markets, in their infinite stupidity, would continue to reward greed at the expense of green. We can no longer hide our heads in the sand. A vast deficit will be just the excuse Obama needs to force this transition. Enjoy the spending frenzy while it lasts, little piggies, for your moment at the trough is about to end. The farmer stands ready with his shovel to hit you over the head.
It would not surprise me at all mathilda if the farmer with the shovel did indeed stand by you, ready with the shovel.
But likely for cleaning up rather than assault.
I like the garden, it’s pretty.
But I think it might be time for a significant shift in priorities. A million here, million there…pretty soon we’re talking about real money.