President's Message   January 1, 2013  

 

WARM WISHES FOR A HAPPY NEW YEAR!  The Radburn Citizens' Association welcomes its new officers for 2013 at the next meeting on Wednesday, January 16 at 7:30PM in the Grange clubroom.   We have exciting plans for upcoming events and other items of interest to residents.  The more input you bring, the better our events will get.

The Fair Lawn Planning Board is expected to memorialize its conditional approval of the Landmark at Radburn site plan in a public meeting on Monday, January 14 at 7:30PM in Borough Hall.

Remember, the Radburn Citizens' Association is your place to discuss anything and everything about Radburn.  You make Radburn a unique neighborhood and a great place to live. 

We are updating our email contact list.  Read more and sign up for announcements at www.radburncitizens.org

             

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President's Message, November 15, 2012

Election Results!

Dear Neighbors,

The election of the 2013 Officer slate for the Radburn Citizens' Association is complete.

Elected were:

• Eric Schutz, President, and RA Trustee: 31 votes
• Igor Yeliseyev, Vice President: 30 votes
• Larry Koplik, Secretary: 30 votes
• Walter Weglein, Treasurer: 30 votes

The President serves for a two year term, and each of the other officers serve for one year terms.  

The current officers' terms end on December 31, 2012.  The new officers' terms begin on January 1, 2013.  We will swear them in at the first RCA meeting of 2013, to be scheduled by the incoming RCA President.

Sincerely yours,

Marshall Chandler, RCA President 2011 & 2012

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President's Message, November 7, 2012

Trick or Treat  Wow, what a turnout for the annual Halloween Party on the Sunday before Sandy!  At one point, we stopped counting heads at 150!  Clearly, a lot of neighbors knew this would be their kids' only chance to show their costumes.  And what a great bunch of creative costumes we saw.  A special thanks to the volunteers who made it all happen:  Sarah and Jeff Cameron, Sue and Chip Hedeman, Lini and Ignacio Castellana, Jenny Lechner, Emily and Eric Schutz, Gail Goldschmidt, Cindy Locke, Brian Farley, Henry Fowler and thanks to those who brought the treats.  We couldn't have done it without YOU!

 

Mark Your Calendar The next Radburn Citizen's Association meeting will be at 7:30pm on Wednesday November 14th.  This will be an important meeting, as we will be electing RCA officers for 2013.  All Radburners are welcome to come out and vote in person.

 

Who Are the Nominees?  All nominations were accepted, and the nominations closed during the October 17th meeting.  We only received one nominee for each officer position.  They are Eric Schutz for President, Igor Yeliseyev for Vice President, Larry Koplik for Secretary, and Walter Weglein for Treasurer.  While they are running unopposed, we must conduct an election at our next meeting on Wednesday, November 14th.  Be there! 

 

Civic Affairs   The next Planning Board presentation by Landmark Development has been scheduled for Monday, November 19th at 7:30pm at the Fair Lawn Borough Hall.  If you have questions or comments about this project, please plan on attending.  Should you wish to write to the Planning Board, send your correspondence care of Cathryn Hochkeppel, at 8-01 Fair Lawn Ave., Fair Lawn, NJ  07410

 

How about that Sandy!  Those of you still without power, we are thinking of you.  May PSEG find you SOON!  Send us your pictures from the storm and the aftermath to radburnca@gmail.com.  We will put the best ones here on our website.

 

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President's Message, October 25, 2012

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Landmark's Landscaping Plan - Overhead Development View

Download printable copy here.

 

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Dear Neighbors,

A decision by the FL Planning Board on Landmark's plans is coming soon.  

 

It is likely that their decision will be made at their next meeting on Monday, November 19th.

 

At that meeting, there will be an opportunity for all citizens to comment and make statements without having to shoehorn their concerns into question form.

 

You can also write to the Planning Board members before then.

 

The hearings on Landmark's application for their "high intensity development" (their own description) have been underway since March.  A group of citizens created yourneighbors.org and have hired an environmental consultant to monitor this application.  Both the citizens and the Planning Board members have voiced numerous concerns about the safety and appropriateness of the plans presented by the developer:

 

• The pollution at the building site, which has been a toxic site for years
• The dangers presented by a pedestrian crossing at Ramsey Terrace
• The health hazards of a ten-foot-deep pit to be used for flood management
• The potential for parking overflow into streets neighboring the development
• Concerns about adequate fire department access to the congested streets and tight turns
• The isolation of the "affordable units" along the railroad tracks
• The traffic problems presented by adding 165 households into the heart of Fair Lawn
• There have been plenty of other concerns, including trash removal, snow removal, child safety, and others

The developer has made some very minor concessions, without budging on the root cause of all of these problems, which is cramming 165 units onto this site (about four times the typical density of Radburn).

 

Let's remember that Landmark successfully sued the town of Fair Lawn (meaning, us, the taxpayers) to force this development on us.  The basis for their suit was the Council on Affordable Housing , which required Fair Lawn to make a provision for low income housing.  Isn't it amazing that the developer now wants to duck their obligation to integrate the "affordable units" into the project, instead locating them in a "special" section, hard up against the railroad tracks.

 

The Fair Lawn Planning Board is in the difficult position of having to approve this development unless they find it violates a zoning ordinance based on the court ruling that resulted from Landmark's lawsuit.an ordinance that requires the "full integration" of affordable units, and conformance with Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) standards  

 

The Planning Board members need to hear from YOU.  I urgently ask you to write to them. Thoughtful letters, urging their courage in standing tall against approval as-is of this application, need to be sent now.  All correspondence will become part of the public record, and should be sent care of the Planning Board Secretary, Cathy Hochkeppel.  Mailing address, and the names of the Planning Board members:

 

Chairman:  Peter Kortright                 

Vice Chairman:  Brent Pohlman

Secretary/Administrative Officer:   Cathryn Hochkeppel

                                                  8-01 Fair  Lawn Avenue

                                                  Fair Lawn, NJ  07410

 

Members:         Tom Carney  (Mayor's Representative)

                        Deputy Mayor Edward Trawinski (Class III)

                        Todd Malkin

                        Larry Metzger

                        Jim VanKruiningen (Class II)

                        Joan Fragala

Kenesha Brathwaite

Alternate #1:      Joseph Mele

Alternate #2       Cristina Cutrone

 

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HooHooHA! The annual RCA Halloween Party is this Sunday, October 28th.  Check out the flyer for the details.  A frightful time is guaranteed to all!  We still need a few more volunteers for setup this Saturday, starting at 11:00am.  Call Sue Hedeman, Sarah Cameron, or Stephanie Chandler to help make this event special for the kids.

 

Mark Your Calendar The next Radburn Citizen's Association meeting will be at 7:30pm on Wednesday November 14th.  This will be an important meeting, as we will be electing RCA officers for 2013. All Radburners are welcome to come out and vote in person.

 

Who Are the Nominees?  All nominations were accepted, and the nominations closed during the October 17th meeting.  We only received one nominee for each officer position.  They are Eric Schutz for President, Igor Yeliseyev for Vice President, Larry Koplik for Secretary, and Walter Weglein for Treasurer.  While they are running unopposed, we must conduct an election at our next meeting on Wednesday, November 14th.  Be there! 

 

Civic Affairs   The next Planning Board presentation by Landmark Development has been scheduled for Monday, November 19th at 7:30pm at the Fair Lawn Borough Hall.  If you have questions or comments about this project, please plan on attending.  Should you wish to write to the Planning Board, send your correspondence care of Cathryn Hochkeppel, at 8-01 Fair Lawn Ave., Fair Lawn, NJ  07410

 

A Photo Album   Thank you for the great pictures from Family Day 2012!  See the best of them here:

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SPECIAL NOTICE:

Radburn resident Ron Coll is collecting clothing for the INN (Interfaith Nutrition Network)

this month. Donations can be dropped off at his house, 10 Ramapo Terrace, or he will

pick up if donors call him at 201 791-6487. Ron will obtain receipts for all donations.

THANK YOU!

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Landmark Appears Before Planning Board

Trustees Approve New Development Contract 8-1

The Radburn Board of Trustees voted 8-1 to approved a revised contract for the sale of Daly Field to Landmark L.L.C. on Monday night. The only vote against approval was cast by Citizens' Associatiion President Art Murray. The trustees voting to give the developer up to four more years to close the deal for a minimum of 165 units on Daly Field and the adjacent Hayward property were: Lou Weiss, Marion Paganello, Sue Mecky, George Brouca, Aleece Nolan, Lisa Meltzer-Press, Annabel Schlair and Christine Nunn. Read more about the meeting as reported by Fair Lawn Patch.

In April 2008 a judge ordered the Radburn Association to conform to Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), which requires detailed disclosure of finances to residents. None of the information provided by the Radburn Association currently is in conformity with GAAP. In fact, the trustees of the Radburn Association have gone to court to appeal a judge's decision that requires the Radburn Association to make financial disclosures in accordance with GAAP, even as they say they are developing such a policy.

Full financial disclosure plays a role in the price Radburn homeowners may receive when selling their homes.Just what are these principles and what will Radburn need to do to come into compliance?

View the analysis by Certified Public Accountant Gary Konecky.

CA Committee Offers Election Reform Proposals

The Citizens' Association elections reform committee in August, 2006 submitted proposals to the Trustees for modifying Radburn's nomination and election procedures. A special meting to discuss these proposals took place on July 19, 2006. The proposals were delivered to the trustees for review in mid-August, 2006, but to date have not received a response.

Radburn Election Proposal 1 Radburn Election Proposal 2

Radburn Election Proposal 3 Radburn Election Proposal 4

View Curent Radburn Association Bylaws

View Current Radburn Association Certificate of Incorporation

Daly Field Contract Available for Review

We have obtained a copy of the contract for the sale of Daly Field from The Radburn Association to Landmark Companies L.L.C. Unfortunately, virtually all of the relevant terms of the contract, such as the purchase price, the contingency dates, and the zoning contingencies, have been blacked out ("redacted," in legal parlance).We are working on getting an unedited version of the contract, so stay tuned. Thanks to Donal A. Meyers for obtaining this copy.

View the Daly Field contract.

CPA Analysis of Radburn Association Finances

After reviewing recent tax returns and public statements from officers of The Radburn Association, Certified Public Accountant Gary Konecky has concluded that the RA has been engaged in "massive" deficit spending, and apparently lacks adequate Trustee oversight of management and significant expenditures. Konecky believes that these factors indicate material weakness in the RA's internal control, which is classified by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) Professional Standards as a reportable condition. Fraud risk factors, as defined in these standards, appear to be present in the RA's operations, according to Konecky.

View Gary Konecky's analysis of the Board of Trustees 2006 Public Budget Meeting.

View Gary Konecky's professional analysis of the 2006 Radburn budget as presented to citizens in December.

View Gary Konecky's follow-up report as presented to citizens in February.

View Gary Konecky's follow-up report for May, including reference documents.

Read Gary Konecky's open letter to the Radburn Board of Trustees.

Radburn Association Audit

The Radburn Association commissioned an audit of its finances for 2005, which was concluded in the fall of 2006. As a result of the accountants' suggestions, the Radburn Association announced on November 30, 2006 that it now intends to:
1. Update written job descriptions for the three full time employees and annually review
their performance.
2. Create passwords for all computers.
3. Formally approve annually the Managers employment contract, including related
benefits.
4. Establish a threshold amount for approval of contracts with vendors.
5. Memorialize the Finance Committee's oversight responsibilities.
6. In addition to the current practice of distribution to all Trustees of monthly financials
including a cash flow statement, provide to all Trustees the monthly list of bills paid that
is currently distributed to the Officers.

Radburn tax returns available: If you'd like a copy of The Radburn Association's tax returns for any year from 2000 to 2005, please send a request with your telephone number to: . These returns are available to the public because the RA is a not-for-profit corporation

All About the Radburn Citizens' Association

The purposes of the Citizens' Association are (a) To serve as an open forum to give opportunity for the consideration and discussion of matters of public interest (b) To act as an agency for the presentation to the Radburn Association and to other public or private bodies, of community opinion arrived through public discussion and other appropriate means. (c) To provide a common meeting place for the members. (d) to foster the development of community life and a realization of its benefits and responsibilities. (e) To cooperate with other organizations in the furtherance of the above purposes for the welfare of Radburn and the entire community of Fair Lawn. View the Citizens' Association's constitution, by-laws and more...