user1111 wrote:
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Yvonne wrote:
For me that is not true, I lived on Van Vorst Park for 40 plus years. There was the annual Puerto Rican parade, and that was it. But under the Schundler Administration, he expanded parades and festivals. We even gave start up money for these festivals. At one point we give $5,000 for each festival. I believe those funds have been cut out. Personally, it is not fair to young children, when they become adults, they might have ?ringing in the ear.? There is a place for this activity, Liberty State Park, it is wide enough to accommodate festivals plus it has parking.

Really, before moving to JC I grew up in BK, and then later moved to Bleeker st in west village and HK in NYC and there were parades and events all the time and my ears are fine. I think most people who object to these sort of things just live in the wrong city. The only parade that I witnessed that was chaotic was the St. Patty parade due to all the alcoholics... other than that get over yourselves.

Yvonne wrote:
For me that is not true, I lived on Van Vorst Park for 40 plus years. There was the annual Puerto Rican parade, and that was it. But under the Schundler Administration, he expanded parades and festivals. We even gave start up money for these festivals. At one point we give $5,000 for each festival. I believe those funds have been cut out. Personally, it is not fair to young children, when they become adults, they might have ?ringing in the ear.? There is a place for this activity, Liberty State Park, it is wide enough to accommodate festivals plus it has parking.

Vigilante wrote:
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user1111 wrote:
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JCishome wrote:
Totally agree. JC is a multi-ethnic city, why are we in such a rush to turn it into Paramus? As someone noted below, the Bolivian parade is flat-out amazing. A little noise for a few hours is a small price to pay.

Maybe everyone down there is a senior citizen? No one really hangs out down there anyway, I find it the most non exciting place in the entire city, its like a ghost town.

Okay? It's quiet? People live there so maybe that's why they live there? All you A-Holes are so pro-noise until it's right outside your window every friggin' weekend. Yeah, I know, you don't mind, you like it. See how long that lasts. Idiots.

user1111 wrote:
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JCishome wrote:
Totally agree. JC is a multi-ethnic city, why are we in such a rush to turn it into Paramus? As someone noted below, the Bolivian parade is flat-out amazing. A little noise for a few hours is a small price to pay.

Maybe everyone down there is a senior citizen? No one really hangs out down there anyway, I find it the most non exciting place in the entire city, its like a ghost town.

janda wrote:
Most downtown residents support the festivals. The festivals are not just for a few hours, they are 12 hrs, most weekends both days. The problem is the level of noise. When you are on the street the noise from the festival is one thing but when you choose to go home you need for the music to not be deafening in your home. We want to have the festivals at Exchange Place, but the festivals must take the quality of life of the people that live in the area into consideration. I would support any other area in JC to enjoy their time at home as well.

JCishome wrote:
Totally agree. JC is a multi-ethnic city, why are we in such a rush to turn it into Paramus? As someone noted below, the Bolivian parade is flat-out amazing. A little noise for a few hours is a small price to pay.

JCishome wrote:
Totally agree. JC is a multi-ethnic city, why are we in such a rush to turn it into Paramus? As someone noted below, the Bolivian parade is flat-out amazing. A little noise for a few hours is a small price to pay.

Yvonne wrote:
I understand the problems with loud music. I endure the parades that marched down Montgomery Street passing Van Vorst Park. I still remember in the late 1990s when the music was so loud it set off the car alarms as they passed by. If you are visiting, you can always leave if things become too loud, but if you live near the scene of action, then you are a captive audience every weekend.

nyrgravey9 wrote:
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dtjcview wrote:

It's simply a poorly thought-out ordinance, irrespective of it's laudable goals to solve a local issue. What next? A Morris Canal park dog poop ordinance? A smoking ban at bus stops on Montgomery?

Come up with ordinances that work city-wide. They may be tougher to formulate, but JC residents deserve that consistency.

My understanding is that Exchange Place is being targeted for this because a significant number of people in surrounding residences complained about it. Why enact an ordinance city-wide for a problem that is very acute and localized?

dtjcview wrote:

It's simply a poorly thought-out ordinance, irrespective of it's laudable goals to solve a local issue. What next? A Morris Canal park dog poop ordinance? A smoking ban at bus stops on Montgomery?

Come up with ordinances that work city-wide. They may be tougher to formulate, but JC residents deserve that consistency.

nyrgravey9 wrote:
DTJC, just to clarify, the poop ordinance is already in existence, city wide as is the leash laws. Significantly increased enforcement is next on the agenda. Since dog owners refuse to regulate themselves, well, the city is just going to have to help out a little in the reeducation on this matter. And they will.

The excuse of "sorry officer I didn't know" isn't going to cut it either.

frankm wrote:
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DanL wrote:
just to clarify - the proposed ordinance pushes Friday and Saturday nights back to 10pm and Sunday thru Thursday back to 8pm, music (and alcohol) pushed back an hour further to 9pm on weekends and 7pm weekdays including Sunday evening. If it becomes a trend, it would impact Groove on Grove and other Grove St. events, Diwali and numerous other ethnic festivals and feasts throughout the city. I guess in my mind Exchange Place is a commercial/mixed use area with a 25 plus year history of hosting events and festivals.

Hopefully, there is further discussion and compromise. Either way, for me its disappointing that the ordinance went on the council agenda before any public discussion (beyond perhaps the local neighborhood assocation.)

The councilperson who initiated the ordinance has been oddly silent here, and most everywhere else including absent from the council meeting when it was introduced this past week.

The councilperson, Candice Osborne, is not silent on this and she was present at the meeting when it was introduced last week.

She's answering questions on this proposed ordinance on her facebook page. I recommend you take a look there and it may clear up the many misperceptions posted here.
https://www.facebook.com/candice.osborne

She's also posted a link that explains more detail about the proposed change.
http://candiceosborne.com/updates/wee ... to-the-festival-ordinance

The bottom line: This focuses only on Exchange Place and it's goal it to strike a balance for the residents in that area while keeping the festivals alive and well. This does not affect Groove on Grove, Diwali, and the many other festivals throughout other parts of the city.

Many of the residents I've spoken with in the Exchange Place/Paulus Hook area (I live there too), attend these festivals as a form of entertainment, want them to continue (which they will), but also would like for them to quiet down at a reasonable hour on an evening when they they have to get up early for work the next morning.

DanL wrote:
just to clarify - the proposed ordinance pushes Friday and Saturday nights back to 10pm and Sunday thru Thursday back to 8pm, music (and alcohol) pushed back an hour further to 9pm on weekends and 7pm weekdays including Sunday evening. If it becomes a trend, it would impact Groove on Grove and other Grove St. events, Diwali and numerous other ethnic festivals and feasts throughout the city. I guess in my mind Exchange Place is a commercial/mixed use area with a 25 plus year history of hosting events and festivals.

Hopefully, there is further discussion and compromise. Either way, for me its disappointing that the ordinance went on the council agenda before any public discussion (beyond perhaps the local neighborhood assocation.)

The councilperson who initiated the ordinance has been oddly silent here, and most everywhere else including absent from the council meeting when it was introduced this past week.

JCishome wrote:
Why are so many people bent on turning JC into a quiet suburb? I live within hearing range of the Exchange Place festivals. Sure, it gets a little thumpy with that loud bass the youngsters seem to like, but it's just temporary, and it's kind of a fun sound of summer.

JCishome wrote:
Why are so many people bent on turning JC into a quiet suburb? I live within hearing range of the Exchange Place festivals. Sure, it gets a little thumpy with that loud bass the youngsters seem to like, but it's just temporary, and it's kind of a fun sound of summer.

DanL wrote:
just to clarify - the proposed ordinance pushes Friday and Saturday nights back to 10pm and Sunday thru Thursday back to 8pm, music (and alcohol) pushed back an hour further to 9pm on weekends and 7pm weekdays including Sunday evening. If it becomes a trend, it would impact Groove on Grove and other Grove St. events, Diwali and numerous other ethnic festivals and feasts throughout the city. I guess in my mind Exchange Place is a commercial/mixed use area with a 25 plus year history of hosting events and festivals.

Hopefully, there is further discussion and compromise. Either way, for me its disappointing that the ordinance went on the council agenda before any public discussion (beyond perhaps the local neighborhood assocation.)

The councilperson who initiated the ordinance has been oddly silent here, and most everywhere else including absent from the council meeting when it was introduced this past week.