>Questions for Mayor Pfund and co-consiprators:
1) The local economy is now in the toilet. As a result, parking problems have eased significantly since your 2002 survey was taken. Are you aware of this?
2) Higher fuel prices and huge toll hikes will force more residents into mass transit venues. Thus, more parking will be needed near the train station and at the Route 17 Park & Ride. Do you agree?
3) You couldn’t build Village Hall on time or on budget, so why on earth would you try your hand at building a parking garage?
4) North Walnut Street isn’t the right place for the garage. Traffic flow will be a mess if you put a garage there. Have you asked your Village Engineer for his opinion?
5) Why are you willing to condemn 120 Franklin Avenue, plus lots behind the stores on Oak Street, but you aren’t willing to tell Ken Smith that you’re taking his business?
6) How do you plan to fund this project, estimated in today’s dollars to cost at least $9 million?
7) Why are you building more retail outlets when there are plenty of vacant store fronts already in the CBD?
8) Why only 12 affordable housing units? Isn’t our current COAH obligation significantly higher?
9) No member of the public, repeat NOT ONE TAXPAYER, has stepped forward at a Village Council meeting in support of this ridiculous project. You’ve had several taxpayers speak against it, but ZERO in favor of it. With this in mind, WHY ARE YOU MOVING FORWARD??????????
and added later ….
10) What about the loss of every single parking space in the existing North Walnut Street surface lot, plus several parking spaces on North Walnut Street itself, while the garage is being constructed? Wouldn’t it make more sense to build a new surface lot, or parking deck, at a location where existing spaces would not be lost due to a prolonged building construction project?
11) Councilman Harlow has proclaimed “if we build it, they will come.” Pascack Valley Hospital made the same proclamation about their new building addition. Are you aware of what just happened to Pascack Valley Hospital Mr. Mayor?
