BREAKING NEWS - Manalapan's Race To Build Low-Income Housing Is Moot As Christie Now Plans To Abolish COAH!

DaTruthSquad was right - again. In December, da Democrats who led da Manalapan Township Committee said they had no choice and just had to build a 110-unit apartment building for low-income residents. They pushed through a plan to do this -- without an actual plan --- only a builder who wanted to do it - on a brownfield - near no local infrastructure - on a road that was already too crowded - and 1/4 of a mile from da nearest bus line - with no sidewalks to get them there!

This blog was outraged that da Manalapan Township Committee, led by then-mayor Commissar Klauber and Queen Michelle, loser by a landslide for da State Assembly Roth would even try this folly, especially with a new anti-COAH governor days away from taking office. But they know better, and they felt, with no traffic impact study or study of any kind, to go forth with Klauber's Corner at Oil Slick Estates.

Well, fast-forward just a week later ---- brand new Governor Christie says "Get rid of COAH."

Now, da very first bill in da New Jersey State Senate - S1 - is what?????

Sponsored by, of all people, Roth supporter Sen. Raymond J. Lesniak, is a bill to ABOLISH COAH!!!!!!

It's 27 pages - worth reading - - because da Manalapan Township Committee apparently didn't!

Under his plan, COAH would be ABOLISHED -- and left up to da towns as to how to handle this -- not da builders and those whose palms they grease!

Lesniak says in a statement, "For decades, COAH has burdened property taxpayers with millions of dollars in unnecessary cost of compliance by municipalities with its maze of ever-changing rules and regulations. And, COAH has discouraged job creation by adding housing requirements and fees based on the number of jobs created and private dollars invested. COAH will be replaced by the State Planning Commission and by a system that establishes a standard of fair share low- and moderate-income housing for which a municipality can decide among three different compliance mechanisms."

Now, how does this impact Manalapan?

1. Besides proving daTruthSquad right again, it means da $1.6 million in taxpayer money that was going to spent on building just 80 apartments does not have to be spent!

2. Manalapan can come up with a better way to use da land.

3. If Manalapan no longer has a COAH obligation, they can stop building and create more open space, and maybe even add some infrastructure and ratables to offset da ever-growing tax burden on da residents.

DaTruth is, when Ryan Green was running for Manalapan Township Committee, he was screaming that we have to stop building and to let Governor Christie end Manalapan's COAH problems for us all. DaTruthSquad was saying da very same thing. However, Queen Michelle, Ruler of Low-Income Manalapanistan and da lame-duck Commissar said they knew better, and didn't listen to us. Don Holland, as he usually does, rubber-stamped da Queen and Commissar's blueprint for disaster. Even Andy Boy knew better on this one, and voted against da plan which even he smelled would be a receding hairline away from being abolished!

Now, TruthTellers, here's a question for you --- How much money did da Manalapan Township Committee spend on a low-income housing plan to satisfy an obligation that could be voted on being abolished within da next six weeks???????

That's a question someone should bring up at da very next Manalapan Township meeting.

And, to be sure, everybody and their in-laws are jumping on this proposal, including da New Jersey State League of Municipalities, a large number of Democrat and GOP'er State Senators and Assemblyfolk, our own District Assemblypeople (you know, da ones da Queen wanted to replace) and our brand spanking new Governor probably is buying a brand new pen right now just to sign it into law!

DaTruth is, this is another example of waste of taxpayer money on da local level. A number of people came forth when this was debated in an open public hearing in Manalapan and begged and pleaded that da Manalapan Township Committee wait just a month of two to see what Governor Christie would do da minute he took office. However, with a Village plan and its ratables stalled by da Township of Manalapan for 6 years and counting, da Queen and her former Commissar knew that we needed low income housing immediately, with no time for little things like studies, or how contaminated da ground soil is, or how these low-income folks would get to da bus stop 1/4 of a mile away on a road with no sidewalks or places to shop for basic food items, unless they needed liquor or Chinese food.

How much money was wasted to an engineer firm? How much money did da former Township Attorney get for whatever work he did on this? Did this building firm ever give money to Manalapan candidates? Why did Manalapan have to rush for a project that is now days away from becoming moot?

DEMAND THAT DA MANALAPAN TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE IMMEDIATELY PUT A STOP TO DA LOW-INCOME HOUSING FOR ROUTE 522 THAT BOTH MANALAPAN AND ENGLISHTOWN RESIDENTS BOTH DON'T WANT!

Questions indeed - ones that need to be asked. And that's daTruth!

Why Da Rush To Build Manalapan's COAH-induced "Love Canal II"?

Imagine opening up a newspaper to da real estate section for apartments to rent, and you read this:

"Apartments For Rent - 1-2-3 bedrooms. Close to no transportation. Not anywhere near grocery stores. Prime location atop a "brownfield." Not responsible for future health issues or kids born with three ears. Only low-income or poor people need only apply. Apply at "Da Landfill At Manalapan."

Our guess is, if you are looking for an apartment to rent, this ad may not induce you to fill out a change-of-address form. Now, you may be thinking this can't be possible, but this is Manalapan, where when it comes to politics - anything's possible.

Da project for this apartment building is courtesy of da Manalapan Democrats, who want to, for da sake of COAH and to avoid merely da potential for builder's remedy lawsuits, want to build an 80-unit building on land once occupied by a petroleum company. Even before they can do anything, da land will need to be cleaned up, which is why some Englishtown residents have called this scheme "Love Canal II." However, that may not even be da worst problem.

When it comes to da Village in Manalapan, da Democratic-led Township Committee and Planning Board demanded so many studies it has stalled the project for 5 years. It even seemed at times they wanted to have studies done about having studies done to have studies done. However, for this bit of brilliance, they didn't even do a traffic study on da one-lane road that heads into da traffic catastrophe that is Englishtown.

Oh, and if you think that's all......

ISSUE 1: Da nearest mode of public transportation is located over 1/4 mile away, meaning those low-income residents without chauffers, stretch limos, luxury SUV's or a bicycle will have to walk on a road with no sidewalks to da nearest bus stop - in da next town over!

ISSUE 2: Route 522 is a nightmare on a good day, so what happens when you have people walking on da road at all hours of da day and night?

ISSUE 3: Route 522 is a 1 lane road each way which goes into Englishtown, usually causing traffic chaos. So, if any of da new low-income residents have cars, then add that traffic into da already crowded road. If they're walking, then watch out for people walking very close to da road.

ISSUE 4: 2 words - BROWN - FIELD! We'll bet you'd love to uproot your family to what some have even called a "landfill." While it isn't a "landfill," it certainly has some form of contaminated soil, enough that they expect to spend a lot of money to clean it up. We bet that will make those parents feel better at da playground.

ISSUE 5: For those new low-income residents, da nearest staple items you'll be able to walk in d street to get to is an ice cream store, take out Chinese food, a sandwich shop and a liquor store. By da way, all of those places are in Englishtown - so Manalapan residents don't even get da ratables!

ISSUE 6: Speaking of Manalapan residents, since da low-income apartment building was cut from 100 to 80 units, it means Manalapan residents will have to pay $1.6 million, as opposed to $1 million from da trust fund for this to be built! So, you pay more, get less.

ISSUE 7: There will be a bus that will stop at da new "Apartments At Love Canal II - that's a school bus to take da kids to already crowded Manalapan schools.

ISSUE 8: Da state has a brand new governor who not only hates COAH, but promised to gut it like a fish - which begs da question again --- Why Rush?????

So, to recap --- no sidewalks - no public transportation in Manalapan for them - da nearest food is in da next town - down a crowded road - a new governor who hates COAH - no Manalapan ratables - more kids for da schools - and let's not forget da land is contaminated and needs to be cleaned up!

For a litle fun, since da Manalapan Township Committee has decided to go along with this venture, we let da TruthTellers come up with da new name for their COAH-induced scheme. Here's da Top-10 names of da new low-income apartment building:

10 - "Kevorkian Estates"

9 - "Klauber's Contaminated Corner"

8 - "Da Apartments To Nowhere"

7 - "Love Canal II"

6 - "Englishtown's Suburbs"

5 - "Superfund Center"

4 - "Mr. Holland's No-pus"

3 - "Toxic Towne at Hazardous Acres"

2 - "Da Mistake in Manalapan"

1 - "Roth's Run-Down Shanty-Towne"

DaTruth is, if da Manalapan Township Committee gave this some thought, they may want to wait just two months to see what Governor Christie wants to do with COAH obligations, which you know he'll probably discuss in his state of da state address. Considering da Village was debated and studied for 5 years, is just 2 months too much to ask to see if Governor Christie will help Manalapan's obligations?

However, since da Gang of Three want it, no matter what Manalapan residents want, they'll get it anyway.

Finally, daTruthSquad and all da TruthTellers urge you to donate to da relief funds helping da victims of da Haiti earthquake. They need our help, much more than we need that latte in da midday. DaTruthSquad urges everyone to give up something, and use that money for da victims of this terrible tragedy. They need our help at their most difficult hour.

And that's datruth.

Hey NO-MegaMallers - Guess Who Approved Highway Access Behind Your Back?

In 2004, a small faction of politicos decided to make da Route 33 Village project their pet project to delay, delay, delay da Cadre way. They went as far as to make outrageous claims to local residents that a XXX movie theater would be built there, a bus depot, low-income apartments, condos, and scared local residents into believing it would even be larger than da Freehold Mall.

They tried everything to block its building, using stall tactics which included study after study after study. Traffic studies, impact studies, studies about studies. One can only imagine some engineering firms reaped these windfall study profits. They even did a study about a road that was actually closed for construction at one point!

Then there was da "No MegaMall" campaign, a campaign that included a website that had ties to da Cadre. There were also promises made by certain politicians that promised it would never be built.

Well....

With absolutely no fanfare whatsoever - and not to be found in da local Snoozepaper - it appears that da "MegaMall" recently received what it wanted and needed all along -- direct access from Route 33. Back in 2004, it proposed a 500,000 square foot plan. That same size plan size is what they wanted back then, and it was EXACTLY what they were approved for now. Da difference -- it won't be a "Village" concept with parks, greens, walkways, a bandshell, recreation facilities and shops with an anchor store. Instead, it will be just another large strip-style mall with a large 2,500 space parking lot, much like da abandoned Value City department store strip mall where Target is on Route 9 -- exactly want area residents didn't want.

Should you be happy with this?

We have to wonder how much money was spent for da engineering firm to come up with da thought that traffic would be alleviated from Millhurst Road if there was access to da Village from Route 33. A 4 year old could have figured that out, and not at taxpayer expense.

The super-geniuses who did da study also figured out that Millhurst Road needs to be widened. Maybe since Manalapan approved 3,000 homes down da road from da Village it had something to do with that????

Now, there is nothing that will stop da "Village' "Strip Mall" from being built, along with its 2.500 parking spaces. Maybe that's good news though. It's not like Manalapan really needs a "Village-style" shopping area. Marlboro is going to build one within walking distance of Manalapan's border on Route 9 by Route 520. They approved that across the road from Pathmark and the Marlboro Plaza, and across da street from Lowes and Starbucks. Manalapan meanwhile not only has one of da lowest ratables in the county, placing da burden of taxes directly on homeowners, but one of the worst ratios in da entire state!

So, Manalapan residents driving on our roads will still be heading to Freehold and Marlboro and other places to shop, and one can only guess that's apparently OK to da Manalapan Township Committee's Gang of Three and their supporters.

Oh, and by da way, more congratulations are in order.

Da Manalapan Township Committee, despite a new governor who's anti-COAH coming into office, along with major dissent from Manalapan and Englishtown residents decided to build that low-income housing apartment complex after all. Da last we remember, didn't da Gang of Three apartment builders promise to do a traffic impact study on this project? If they did, could they have done it in just 2 weeks time?

Since we can only wonder how that came out - daTruthSquad decided to create a completely satirical encounter between an engineer and a politician:

Gang of Three member: "Hey engineer, you know, da one we put into office, we need a traffic study on Route 522. We need it in less than 2 weeks. Can you do it?

Billy Bob Engineer: "Sure, anything for someone who we donated money to. It will be both comprehensive, and cost about $10,000."

Gang of Three member: "Money is no object, especially when da taxpayers are paying for it!!!!"

(a week later)

Billy Bob Engineer: "Hey Gang of Three member, here's that 1000% Blue Ribbon comprehensive traffic impact study you wanted. We determined that Route 522 is a paved road that runs from Manalapan to Englishtown. Cars and trucks can use it. And, it's a pretty shade of asphalt with two really nice yellow lines down da middle of it."

Gang of Three member: "Are you sure traffic can actually use this road?"

Billy Bob Engineer: "I'd stake my reputation that that asphault road can be used by cars and trucks, much like most any road in Manalapan."

Gang of Three member: "Great, that's da best $10,000 of taxpayer money we've spent since we tried to shred da First Amendment against daTruthSquad!"

(laughter)

So, Manalapan will build what Englishtown residents have deemed "Love Canal II," since da land must first be remediated of contamination in da soil. We're all sure that will make all da low-income residents who will live there feel better when they're walking a quarter-mile on land without sidewalks to da nearest bus stop.

DaTruth is, much like da last minute politician spending spree in Trenton as Con-zine departs and an actual governor comes on board, Manalapan's Gang of Three have also been busy doing what they do best. After years of stonewalling, it seems da Village Strip Mall will actually be built. Hopefully - and we really hope this - it will attract da kind of shopping we people on da southern side of Manalapan need so we don't have to jump in our SUV's to Freehold, Howell and Monroe. And, as for our TruthTellers in da northern end of town, you get a 80-unit apartment complex for low-income residents to only partially help alleviate a COAH problem.

But wait, there's more....

As an added bonus, da Manalapan Township Committee will be sticking you with a larger bill - $600,000 larger - as you will see when you follow da bouncing ball of corruption!!!!!

You see, as COAH standards go, since da 110 units have been reduced to 80, that means da township taxpayers will have to pay more. If Manalapan built 110 units, taxpayers would only have to pay $1 million. But since it was downgraded to 80 units - and you get da project anyway, you da taxpayer will now have to pay $1,600,000 instead from its affordable housing trust fund!!!! Math, courtesy of da Asbury Park Press and da state.

So, in effect, you get da low-income apartment building anyway, you get da added kids to da schools, you get more people walking on Route 522, you anger da neighbors in Englishtown, you might even get more speeding tickets in Englishtown, and you pay more for it too!

Not a bad day's work by da Manalapan Township Committee.

All in all, just another day in Manalapan Town Hall. And that's daTruth.

A Hero Among Us

There are those who have taken both verbal and written shots at officers of da Manalapan Police Department. However, for all their hemming and hawing, all their baseless accusations, all their exaggerations about Police Chief Stuart Brown, DA one thing you cannot defer is that he is da leader of a great police department.

Last Thursday, one of his police officers saw a house on fire. Patrolman Peter Curran jumped out of his police car, and alerted the homeowner whose house was on fire, and his neighbor after that home also caught fire. Officer Curran's fast action saved the lives of 11 people, including an infant between those two houses.

Now, why is daTruthSquad talking about this?

Last year, da Queen of Manalapanistan decided, in what had all the appearances of a desperate plea to gather votes for her very failed bid for state office, made so many outrageous and seemingly preposterous claims about Chief Brown that a lawsuit for defamation brought by da Chief has since ensued. We also found out that according to da Queen, da Chief, unbeknownst to him, was under investigation for a number of instances of alleged wrongdoing, specifically against women. Of course, that was four months ago, and since then, there has not been even one word about that "investigation," and, by da way, it would be illegal to perform that investigation because da Chief was never notified he was being investigated, either orally, written, telepathically or using smoke signals, which is a violation of law, which could put Manalapan in even bigger trouble.

Da Queen's actions not only tarnished da Chief, but all da officers he commands. Because of her actions, da reputation of da Manalapan Police department remains a question mark, and what could be a long and drawn out lawsuit is now underway, launched by da Chief and handled by his attorney.

Da reason we are talking about Patrolman Curran's courageous act, is because of both his courage and also to show how important da Manalapan Police Department is, from da top down. You cannot mistake what Patrolman Curran did. He not only did his job, he save lives of men, women and children and is a true hero. Da Manalapan Township Committee should give Curran a proclamation at da very next meeting, highlighting his valor and commitment to his job, and Chief Brown should be standing at his side.

Anything less, would be a slap in da face to Patrolman Curran, da Manalapan Police Department, and officers anywhere.

It's time da Manalapan Township Committee's Gang of Three show that their police department is da very best in da county and state, and proudly give da police officers da praise they truly deserve. Patrolman Curran didn't just save one life - he saved 11 Manalapan residents, and for his actions, a proclamation is da very least da Manalapan Township Committee can do.

From daTruthSquad, thank you Patrolman Curran for your heroic act, and for serving da residents of Manalapan with honor and distinction, and for Manalapan's volunteer fire department for getting there to save those homes.

Their courage and sacrifice - that is what makes Manalapan great. And that's daTruth.