The Bloomfield Council voted 6-0 on Monday night for an ad authorization to put the construction of a “Butterfly Discovery Center” on Lion Gate Drive out to bid. Councilman Chalet was absent.
Tim Delorm of Terra Noble Design presented the plan to the council at the beginning of the meeting. The site for the park was acquired by the township in 2012, and Delorm had presented several ways in which the site could be utilized as open space at a meeting in May of last year. The design presented at Monday’s meeting called for the development of a park to attract butterflies and act as an educational center.
The entrance to the park will include an “outdoor classroom” that can be used by educators or other group leaders. There will also be a map with a key showing the various locations within the park. The entrance and plantings will be arranged in the shape of a butterfly, and will include various species of flowers and other plants that will attract the insects at all stages of their life cycles. Plants will include coneflowers, black-eyed Susans, butterfly weed, and milkweed, which is particularly attractive to Monarch Butterflies.
The area surrounding the meadow will be reforested with appropriate species of trees, with the whole park acting as a sanctuary for the butterflies. There will be a walking path around the perimeter of the park, with benches, picnic tables and Adirondack chairs for people to rest and enjoy the park. Six interpretive signs are planned to be distributed in the park, explaining aspects of the butterflies’ habitat and life cycle.
Delorm said he anticipated the overall cost to be approximately $600,000, and said his company is working with the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission to see whether some of the work can be accomplished by their organization. In addition, he said, they would be reaching out to other organizations that may be able to volunteer their help. He also said they would ask for a cost for annual maintenance as a separate item in the RFP, so the cost of outsourcing maintenance could be compared to the cost of doing the maintenance with township resources.
In other business, the council voted to allow the transfer of Bar Cara’s liquor license to the Lukic Restaurant Group, LLC, which is buying both the business and the license. Councilman Hamilton and Mayor McCarthy both abstained. McCarthy explained the owner of the restaurant is a family member.
Township Engineer Paul Lasek announced that the county would hold a public meeting regarding the replacement of the Berkeley Avenue Bridge sometime in July. He said he would publicize the date when he learns more.
During the public comment period, Bloomfield resident Geoff Gove questioned why the Bloomfield Animal Shelter is still not taking new volunteers. He also asked about the status of Memphis, the dog that had been sent to South Dakota last September by the Health Department and Neighbor-to-Neighbor Network to be trained until he was deemed adoptable by his caretaker. At that point, local dog trainer Jeff Coltenback was to have been allowed to adopt the dog. Gove questioned why it would take 9 months for the training to take place. McCarthy said he would look into the status of the dog. He also said that Coltenback had been in touch with the trainer.
The next council meeting will not be held until July 15, 2013, due to the summer schedule. It will be a regular meeting, and will take place at 7 p.m. in the council chambers.
In typical Bloomfield fashion, no mention of accessible parking was mentioned in the “Butterfly sanctuary”. Have you been down that road before? Just to make a U-Turn you will be disrupting the Lion Gate community. Also, wasn’t that site deemed uninhabitable? Did the town clean it up or do they think Butterflies will carry the waste to Narnia?
Jimmytown, I live near Liongate and make U-Turns on the cul-de-sac a couple of times a week without inconveniencing anyone. About 20 cars can comfortably park there — more if you use Broad street. As a Realtor, I would expect most homeowners in the “Liongate community” to be anticipating the positive impact of such a park on their property values.
It’s well known that the trainer has not been in touch with Coltenback. LIES from the Mayor.
No new volunteers since June of 2011
In shelter volunteers “fired” in March of 2012
questions about dogs that disappeared RECENTLY from petfinder – are they dead? wERE THEY KILLED? wHO GAVE THE ORDER?
rumors that Memphis was euthanized or conversely is in Sturgis SD
recent revelations that the Town Attorney billed for his hours spent on the MEMPHIS FIASCO when the BOH has their own attorney and the Head of the health Department has always claimed that Bloomfield spent no taxpayer monies…
the refusal of the Neighbor-to-Neighbor (NTNN) shelter volunteers to walk dogs from the shelter in the Memorial Day Parade (in order to give them exposure and get them adopted).
And to top it all off the suggestion at a town council meeting by Mayoral Candidate Venezia that NTNN be given the contract for Shelter Services without going out for State mandated bidding (the contract is about $250,000 and more if you throw in shared services to other towns). The state mandates public bidding when a contract is over $17,500.
We had high hopes of a better, more organized Bloomfield Animal Shelter when the town council voted that the township administrator, Ted Ehrenburg take over the shelter on March 1, 2013 but here we are over THREE (3)months later with no changes, no transparency, NO WORD ON Memphis, and NO NEW VOLUNTEERS.
Unless you live at Lion Gate, I don’t see a reason to pull into the community a couple of times a week to make U-turns. Of course as a Realtor you tend to drive down a lot of streets but the average person I can’t see this scenario. This is a narrow street. I know because I crashed my first car in 1997 into that bridge, sending the fire hydrant into the ravine! Add 20 cars parked on that street and you will most likely have to pull into the community and make your U-turn at the end of the complex. But hey, for 600k we might get a few consultants who can tell us the same as any garden center what plants will attract a few butterflies for 3 months of the year
The 5.7 acre tract was purchased to help prevent flooding in the area- it was denuded by the previous owner because he wanted to develop it- most of the trees were clearcut – and all that is left is weeds and some trees that are down by the water.
It needs to be replanted so that it can be utilized – both for open space- a passive park – and for flood control- the trees help sip up the water. Whether Geoff parks there or not is immaterial- of course you know that the town council has approved a development at Scientific Glass- which is right nextto the park 104- two and three bedroom apartments- and there didn’t seem to be any concern about parking or ingress and egress- it’s gonna be awful.
Jimmytown, all Broad St. residents must move their cars to allow street cleaning once a week. Liongate is one alternative along with the opposite side and Glen Ridge Parkway. It’s also wider than most older side streets. When cars are parked on both sides, it’s not hard for most drivers to pass in opposite directions. If you’d taken a look around when you crashed your car, you might have noticed that “ravine” to be a spring fed brook surrounded by densely forested marshland — another reason for nature lovers to visit Liongate. https://bloomfieldgreenways.blogspot.com/2010/10/all-saints-eve-on-liongaqte.html
Thank you Geoff, It has been 16 years and I am going by memory only, which has faded in the last decade or so!
He also said that Coltenback had been in touch with the trainer.
I’m sure that comes as a big surprise to Jeff!