High Tech and McNair are both very competitive. My daughter chose High Tech because of its specialized programs in the arts (music, dance, theater, TV production, graphic design). Academic standards are good -- but not as rigorous (or stressful) as McNair. The new campus in Secaucus is amazing.

I have no idea if there is an arbitration clause built into the bylaws. In answer to Brewster's question, we have kept a positive balance in our account solely through the good will of the members, who value their investment in the building. I suppose we are lucky to have had such responsible owners over the years.

I'm part of a 4-unit condo association, and we have a bank account and pay our own bills -- no outside management company needed. Somebody has to volunteer to write the checks and do the bookkeeping (basically a thankless job).

In our association, all of the units have a slightly different square footage and pay a different percentage of common expenses. I think this would probably be true of a 2-unit building as well -- and give one owner more weight in the case of disagreement.

I remember the developer of our building had set up the association before the units were sold, which I assume is a requirement if you are selling condo units.

Art House Productions needs volunteers to help carry out its mission to engage, inspire, entertain and challenge Jersey City audiences with ambitious visual and performing arts programs.

We need volunteers for:
* Box office
* Gallery hosting
* Community outreach & flyer distribution
* PR/graphic design/social media
* Cleaning & organizing
* Production assistants, lights, props, set construction, wardrobe
* Fundraising
* Grant writing

If you?re ready to join the Jersey City arts movement, contact: hr@arthouseproductions.org

My daughter loves this program! Happy to answer any questions.

https://www.arthouseproductions.org/products/stages

You need to engage a buyer's agent who can explain the realities of the current market. This is a seller's market, and many properties listed for sale in JC are going above asking price. The listing agent's job is to obtain the best possible price for the seller, and that often means waiting until several offers come in on the property (not just accepting the first offer). The seller has no obligation (legal or otherwise) to accept the first offer they receive, even if it is at asking price. It's not a game -- it is just the reality of the market right now. When there are multiple offers the listing agent will ask all potential buyers for their "highest and best" -- giving you a chance to bid against the others. When you are given this opportunity, raise your offer and you have a chance to get the property if you are the highest bidder. Again -- a buyer's agent can really help you navigate this kind of market.

Does anyone know of a sump pump operator with a high capacity pump? I need one for a building that has a crawl space that was severely flooded this morning.

They have already done this. It is called Infinity Institute and shares an application with McNair. It is in Greenville. Many people still favor McNair because it's downtown, but I'm doing HS applications for my child right now and we applied to both. There are also some interesting new programs like Innovation HS and Great Futures. McNair is far from the only option.

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Thank you, Chama, and everyone who has made a contribution! Thanks to the generosity of the community we have already raised over $3000 to help the family.

The pile of stuff in the photo is all that was salvaged from inside the house. Restoration crews have been workng all weekend to secure the property and remove debris. It is truly heartbreaking.

My husband created an igg campaign to raise money for this family. Please contribute if you can.

http://igg.me/at/helpstanley

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off topic, but someone stole our jack-o-lantern too -- twice! My nine-year-old daughter carved it all by herself ... the first night we put it out, it got stolen! She was in tears. Then we made a replacement, and it got stolen on Halloween night!!! Seriously, what kind of person steals a little kid's jack-o-lantern???

Wow -- that happened to me too. Last week, with a fake charge from Paris. Chase caught it before it even posted to my account, so no harm done, except I have to get a new ATM card.

I usually use the ATM at Duane Reade, but have made deposits at the branch.

I wonder how many others got caught?

Strangely (or not) this is the SECOND time in the last 3 mos. that we have had false overseas charges, and have had to get new debit cards! Last time, it was both my card and my husband's.

Amy is an outstanding teacher -- my daughter LOVED her ballet and musical theater classes. The recital last June -- where 80+ costumed kids performed in a huge, Broadway-style theater was unforgettable!

Next Step Broadway is a great addition to the neighborhood, and a wonderful opportunity for JC kids.

We've tried red pepper. It works, but you have to use a lot. Once you sweep it up, the ants will return within a few days, so you have to keep it out...looks pretty strange, but it's effective.

Actually, you CAN just apply to the school you like the most. All you have to do is fill out a "Request for Open Enrollment" form and deliver to the school you'd like to attend. The zoned students have priority, but, if there is room, your child will be admitted (on a first come, first served basis).

I don't know much about the schools in your area, but if you join the "jcschools" yahoo group I'm sure you will find somebody with info.

HPMS tuition for the current year is published on its website: HPMS

My daughter has been there for the past three years, and we love it. The teachers are wonderful, and the environment is warm and nurturing. I would be happy to answer any specific questions if you want to PM me.

Brooklynboy - keep in mind that parents are busy people ... sadly, we don't have time to hang out on JC list for hours on end, so please be patient is you want school advice.

There is also a great yahoogroup called "JC Family" that has lot of local school info.

Actually, LSC does offer free admission to JC school kids. I don't know the specifics, but it's my understanding that any child enrolled in an "Abbot" district school gets free membership.

We lived down the street from Crescent Court for two years, and I felt safe there, even walking home at night after dark. If it was very late, I'd usually take a cab from the PATH. It's quiet, but not totally deserted. Never experienced any crime myself, but a couple of neighbors did have cars broken into -- if you have a car, you might not want to park on the street.

oops, sorry!


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The Newark Ave WaMu branch was scheduled to be closed before Chase took over. I am hoping Chase will decide to extend the lease, because we use that branch all the time.

Re the building at 390 1st St, it has been comdemned for nearly two years. A year or so ago, we met a guy who claimed to be the new owner, and said he had inherited the place (and a rental building across the street) from a relative who bought it at an inflated/overvalued price. He seemed surprised that the building was in such poor shape, and expressed a desire to make improvements. As you can see, nothing has happened, so I suspect it wasn't financially viable. I am not sure what typically happens in this kind of situation ... probably the building will go (or has gone) back to the bank, and will get sold to someone else...but how long will the city let a condemned property sit there? Forever? I'm afraid it is a hazard, especially if the park next door is renovated. It truly looks like it might fall down.

My family had a wonderful dinner at the Embankment last Friday. The food was outstanding -- my husband said the rib-eye steak was the best he'd ever had-- and the service was excellent. We also had a great bottle of wine at a very good price -- the sommelier knows what he's talking about. The atmosphere is lovely, tranquil and relaxed, and the place is also surprisingly kid-friendly. We were celebrating my six-year old daughter's birthday, and she was treated like royalty by the attentive staff. There's also plenty of outdoor seating for the upcoming warm months. We will be back often.

We just moved from that block ... a great neighborhood. Very quiet and inhabited by many families that have been in JC for years.
The walk to the PATH takes about 15 min, but you can hop one of the little jitney busses on Newark and get there faster. I did not feel comfortable walking home from the PATH late at night by myself, but I did it with my husband on several occasions and never had a problem.
The little park that's currently chained up is supposed to be rehabbed soon -- I heard the developer of Crescent Court was going to help out with the renovation.

Yep - we are having that too.

Just want to second what Atticus said -- we also used Wayne Ratti and he was awesome. I can't imagine a more thorough and knowledgeable inspector.

I'm thinking about buying a house in the historic district, but I want to do some renovations, including an exterior deck. Where can I find the guidelines for what is and isn't possible in a historic district?

My husband and I are thinking about buying a house in the historic district downtown, but the purchase is contingent on some renovations we'd like to make. Can anybody tell me where to find info on what is and is not allowed?

That was my daughter exactly! I would put in a baby einstein dvd so I could take a shower. The funny thing to me, though, is that they measured the babies understanding of words -- from what I remember, those dvd's don't have any words in them, only images and music. Why didn't they measure the baby's understanding of Mozart and Bach? Seriously, the baby einstein dvds seem to be geared more towards "right brain" activities (music and visual development). Perhaps the babies that like them are just right-brained, visual learners? From what I have heard, not all babies like or pay attention to the videos.