This past year, our thoughts in the warm months turned to many other diversions.  First up was The Free Meal Center, Cape May County’s first-ever daily soup kitchen.  We formed a non-profit organization on January 25, 2010 and took possession of the 4,275 square foot building situated on 2.38 acres on March 15th.  We spent the next eight months gutting the interior and improving the grounds and exterior of the building, thanks to the hundreds of dedicated volunteers who pitched in to make it a reality.  We received our building permit the day before Thanksgiving and now the renovations can proceed.

We also began the second story addition to our real estate office in Wildwood Crest.  The complicated footing is now in place, with a three-foot concrete block foundation above.  When the warm weather returns, we’ll begin building skyward.

We also began site work on our restaurant/sports bar in Green Bank, West Virginia.  We purchased the seven-acre bottom land on July 1st.  The beautiful property has 750-foot frontage on Routes 28 & 92 and 1,050 feet along Deer Creek, a 50-foot wide river that takes water from the Allegheny Mountains to the Greenbrier River.  The site work is just about done and the riverfront has been transformed into a beautiful setting. 

As you can see, we keep ourselves pretty busy.  And so, you’ll excuse us if we only find the time to relax and write blog posts in the winter.  Sit back and enjoy the next four months of opinions and observations on real estate and life in general.

- Mountain Man

Three Cape May County, NJ realtors decided to do something about it and formed a non-profit corporation called “The Free Meal Center”.  The goal is to serve lunch Monday through Saturday, plus breakfast on Saturdays.  The double meal on Saturdays is targeted at kids, who often don’t have a decent meal after school lunch on Friday until returning to school for free breakfast on Monday.

TFMC takes possession of a 4,000 square foot former restaurant on March 15th, just 12 short days away.  We’re still $4,000 short.  We hope to be open to the public by Memorial Day.

Check out our website at http://www.FreeMealCenter.com .  Perhaps you can see it in your heart to make a small donation.

Thank you for caring.

- Mountain Man and City Girl    http://www.MountainManandCityGirl.com

The blogsite of Jewell Real Estate Agency, Wildwood Crest, NJ    http://www.JewellRealEstateAgency.com

The township completed a full-blown revaluation in 2007, raising the total value of all properties from $1.5 billion to $4.73 billion.  While the new figure was more in line with reality, it came at the time when the real estate market was in a deadfall.  Property values were dropping about a half percent per month.

A petition signed by 1,500 property owners against the new valuations put the township on notice to expect plenty of costly tax appeals.  It would also cause an imbalance in values, since those folks out of a total of 15,930 property owners in the town that didn’t bother to appeal would unfairly be picking up the new burden.

Township Tax Assessor Art Amonette undertook an in-house reval in 2009, which cost just $25,000 instead of the $1 million price tag associated with a full reval.  Smart thinking, big savings!

The completed revaluation shows that the value of the township did indeed decline, from the previous $4.73 billion down to $4.1 billion, a drop of about 15%.  About 15,500 properties had their values reduced, while another 400 saw increases.

The range of change had some properties dropping 30%, as opposed to a high of a 10% increase.  Anyone who’s value dropped more than 15% will see a lower tax bill.  A reduction less than 15% will see the owner’s tax bill increase accordingly.

So once again, the playing field appears to be leveled for Lower Township property owners.  Town officials being proactive was a wise decision all around.

- Mountain Man and City Girl    http://www.MountainManandCityGirl.com

The blogsite of Jewell Real Estate Agency, Wildwood Crest, NJ    http://www.JewellRealEstateAgency.com

In a county that has hundreds of multi-million dollar vacation homes overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and Delaware Bay, there is a flip side to the coin.  Of 42,000 yearround families, nearly 4,000 households live under the poverty line ($22,050 for 4) and another 9,500 have social security as their sole source of income.  The unemployment rate is around 13%, and when you add in those who have basically given up ever finding gainful employment the jobless rate approaches 30%. 

As realtors, we get the opportunity to go into a lot of people’s homes every year.  In one home we had listed last year, we noticed that the five kids had different colored lips.  We soon discovered why.  The only food in the house was those frozen sugar-water ice pops that come in tear-away plastic tubes.  The refrigerator was empty except for condiments and the freezer was full of different flavored ice pops.  It’s sad.  In the homes of the elderly, we have seen them subsist on Saltine crackers the last days of the month.  They are proud and they don’t complain.

While so many have so much, these others have so little.

This month, we organized “The Free Meal Center” with a volunteer Board of Directors and incorporated as a New Jersey secular, non-profit, charitable organization.  By the way, the politically correct term nowadays is “meal center” and no longer is “soup kitchen”.  We found a 4,000 square foot former restaurant centrally located in the middle of the county on the main highway, Route 9, and negotiated a purchase price.  It has four dining rooms, four restrooms, a large kitchen area, and parking for 40 cars on the 2.2 acre property.  We will be able to seat 100 or more at a time.

We take possession of the building March 15 and hope to be up and running by Memorial Day.  We will serve lunch Monday through Saturday, plus breakfast on Saturday.  Meals will be free and open to anyone who walks through our doors.  We won’t even ask their names.  Our volunteers will treat everyone with respect and dignity.

The building does need a bit of work.  Part of the roof needs repairs, the interior needs painting, the bare kitchen needs equipment, and we need tables and chairs.  A few other repairs may become evident once we’re in the building, but its all no big deal.  We can do it.

We’ve undertaken becoming a 501(c)(3) tax deductible entity and expect to be approved in the spring.  Our website, http://www.TheFreeMealCenter.com should up on-line by next Tuesday, February 16, 2010.

If you’d like to help us help these less-fortunate folks, you can donate through our website next week, or mail a check to The Free Meal Center, PO Box 863, Cape May Court House, New Jersey  08210.  We’ll mail you back a tax deductible receipt.

Thanks for caring.

- Mountain Man and City Girl    http://www.MountainManandCityGirl.com

The blogsite of Jewell Real Estate Agency, Wildwood Crest, NJ  08260    http://www.JewellRealEstateAgency.com

I feel qualified to have an opinion about the Jersey Shore (the place, not the show) because, heck, I live here.  Our real estate office is located in Wildwood Crest, Cape May County.  We’re just four blocks from the beach and the beginning of the 39 city block long Boardwalk.  From Memorial Day to Labor Day, the population on our island swells from 14,000 yearround to over 250,000.

Our closest metropolitan area is Philadelphia.  It’s predominantly Italian and Irish heritage.  And it’s a rite of passage for families and their kids to vacation here.  It’s also an unofficial “tradition” that kids in their late teens and twenties come here in the summer to party.  Party hard!  Party hard away from their elders, out of sight of those who might inflict family repercussions.

I have a little more insight than most because I also owned a bar here from 2002 through 2004.  Though my tavern was off the beaten track and it attracted an older (30 to 75) crowd, I did become acquainted with many other bar owners and I did make the late night rounds more than once.

Long story short, I recently did catch two episodes of Jersey Shore.  It’s about these eight Italian-American young twenty-somethings who come to the shore town of Seaside Heights, NJ, about 50 miles north of us.  They have an assortment of MTV-generation names like Snooki, JWoWW, and The Situation.  The Situation?  Give me a break.

Anyway, they primp and argue at their rented beach house, then go out and drink and carouse, and inevitably come home and be promiscious with a newfound partner.  They call it “hooking up”.  You can call it what you like.

They also get into fights and do other immature, egotistical things.  They are an extreme example of typical summertime behavior.  Tone it down a little bit and they’re just like the others who go “Animal House” at the shore.

The Italian-American groups call Jersey Shore demeaning and not reality.  “That’s not how our kids act,” is their general feeling. 

Bottom line: 

Is this behavior the norm at the shore in the summertime?  Yes.  It’s called “sowing your oats” before settling down to a lifetime of responsibility and 2.3 kids and a soccer-mom vehicle and a mortgage.

Should Italian-American groups be offended?  No.  Get over it.  It’s also Irish-American kids and CEO’s kids and teachers’ kids and mayors’ kids.  And your kids!

- Mountain Man and City Girl    http://www.MountainManandCityGirl.com 

The blogsite of Jewell Real Estate Agency, Wildwood Crest, NJ    http://www.JewellRealEstateAgency.com

The GOP resurrection all started in Virginia on November 3, 2009 when Bob McDonnell, the former state Attorney General, trounced Democratic State Senator Creigh Deeds by a 59% to 41% margin in the gubernatorial race.  It was the biggest margin of victory in the Commonwealth since 1961.  McDonnell, who took the oath of office last Saturday, replaced Democratic governor Tim Kaine.

That same fateful November election saw Republican Chris Christie knock off incumbent New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine by 87,000 votes in a race that was almost too close to call.  It was the largest margin of victory for a first-time Republican in the Garden State since 1969.  Christie, like his Virginia counterpart, was a former Attorney General (US).  Similarly, both states now have two Democratic senators and a new rookie Republican governor.

Christie was inaugurated yesterday.  While emphasizing that he was in Trenton to implement “change”, he put his finger on the problem in New Jersey politics.  “Too much time has been spent assigning blame instead of accepting responsibility,” he said.

Yesterday also marked the end of the Democratic reign of one of Massachusetts’ Senate seats.  Since John F. Kennedy defeated Henry Cabot Lodge in a big upset back in 1952, the Bay State has been decidedly Democratic.  When Kennedy won the Presidential election in 1960, the seat was passed to a Democratic family friend, who then stepped aside in an pre-arrangement to secede to Ted Kennedy in 1962.  Teddy, who held the Senate job for over 46 years, was unable to directly take the seat from brother John in ’60 because he wasn’t yet 30 years old.  This youngest Kennedy son passed away last summer.

The Senatorial election yesterday went to Republican Scott Brown, a former State Senator, who routed Democratic Attorney General (sound familiar?) Martha Coakley.  The combination of Coakley’s lack of charisma and poor campaign strategy was her undoing.  Brown, who once trailed in the polls by 30% and then as recently as two weeks ago by 15%, took 52% of the popular vote.

The vote was also a reflection of the fallout from the Obama presidency, which ran on a platform of being an agent of change but so far has been decidedly ineffective.  An all too-familar ring of a presidential candidate being a “Washington outsider” resonates with voters, but the reality is usually that once they set up shop inside the Beltway they get sucked into “politics as usual”.  They find that compromise and cutting deals is a survival tool.

Saving the best for last, the Massachusetts election was also perhaps a yardstick for the popularity of the universal health care reform being presented to the American people.  Brown will now cast the deciding 41st vote in the Senate against the bill, effectively putting the issue to rest for a while.

Maybe it’s time for the Obama administration to focus on the issue that Americans care most about – the economy and jobs.

- Mountain Man and City Girl    http://www.MountainManandCityGirl.com

The blogsite of Jewell Real Estate Agency, Wildwood Crest, NJ    http://www.JewellRealEstateAgency.com

State Senator Raymond Lesniak recently introduced bill S3167, which would indeed legalize such popular games as poker, baccarat, blackjack, roulette, craps, slot machines, and more.  With New Jersey’s distinction of having the toughest gambling laws in the United States, implementing the on-line form seems a natural and comforting fit.

Currently, there are thousands of global internet gambling sites.  They are illegal in New Jersey, in part because there is no way for the state gaming commission to determine whether these games offer fair odds.  Many who do still gamble illegally on the internet complain of not being able to collect their winnings.  Would you trust a gambling site located in the Philippines or Bulgaria?

The other reason they are not legal in New Jersey is rather obvious – Atlantic City.  The state’s 11 casinos generated $3.9 billion in revenue in 2009.  While down from $5.2 billion in record-setting 2006, it still is a major contributor to state coffers.

The new internet gambling bill, if eventually made into law, would require all gaming companies to be headquartered around Atlantic City.  The New Jersey Casino Control Commission, also based in AC, would be able to monitor the new companies, plus develop “technical standards for approval of software, computers and other gaming equipment used to conduct internet wagering, including mechanical, electrical or program reliablility, security against tampering, the comprehensibility of wagering, …. blah, blah, blah.”   Did you get all that?

Internet site operators would pay $200,000 the first year for a license, with a $100,000 annual renewal.  They’d also pay a $100,000 non-refundable deposit and another $100,000 towards treating compulsive gambling.  They’d fork over a 20% tax to the casino revenue fund and another tax would give money to the New Jersey Racing Commission.  No wonder so many groups are salivating over the prospect of internet gambling.

AC Mayor Lorenzo Langford spoke in favor of the internet gambling concept, while casino operators seem concerned that the bill might allow video lottery terminals (VLT’s) and slot machines at the state’s race tracks.  The AC casinos are currently paying the horseracing industry $90 million over three years in an agreement that bans VLT’s from tracks.

With New Jersey’s perilious money situation, internet gambling seems like a good revenue producer.  The AC casinos will survive because, let’s face it, you don’t have the glitz of the casinos and shows and entertainers and restaurants sitting at home on your computer.  And you can bet that the 11 casinos will be the first in line to get those new internet gaming licenses.  They see the possibilities!

- Mountain Man and City Girl   http://www.MountainManandCityGirl.com

The blogsite of Jewell Real Estate Agency, Wildwood Crest, NJ  http://www.JewellRealEstateAgency.com

New Jersey’s Assembly and Senate recently approved a bill which would regulate ATV’s, while at the same time creating three parks for ATV’s and dirtbikes.  Governor Jon Corzine, whose last day in office is today, is expected to sign the bill into law as he packs up his belongings.  If he doesn’t give it his John Hancock, incoming Governor Christopher Christie no doubt will enact ATV laws in the near future.

New Jersey prohibits dirt bikes and ATV’s from all public lands, which includes state parks, preserves, utility power lines, and roads.  Unfortunately, many riders have thumbed their noses at the law and police regularly have cat and mouse pursuits of scofflaws.  Many municipalities, including here in Middle Township, Cape May County where we live, have had to purchase ATV’s and train officers to catch the illegal riders.

The new ATV regulations going into effect would require all owners to register their machine within six months.  New vehicles have to be registered to take delivery.  The cost will be $50, plus a $10 surcharge to help fund the three riding parks.  The fine for getting caught without a registration will be $500.  Since the ATV’s and dirt bikes would now have license plates front and rear, police and the public should have no problem spotting unregistered vehicles.

There are 85 ATV and dirt bike dealers listed in New Jersey.  There are 25,000 riders, according to estimates.  Acquiring three riding parks will probably be difficult.  They’ll have to be located away from populations, wetlands, and water.  Presumably, they’ll locate one each in North Jersey, Central Jersey, and South Jersey.  Hopefully, the 1.1 million acre Pinelands will be off-limits in the South.

The root of ATV problems can often be traced to condescending parents, who buy their kid a dirt bike or ATV even though there is nowhere to legally operate it.  Soon a bunch of kids are tearing through private property, destroying gates and fences and rutting footpaths to the point that they are unwalkable.  The ruts also hold water, making ideal breeding grounds for mosquitoes.  And then there are the idiots who chase deer and other wildlife.  Irresponsible adults are as often to blame as teenagers for the many transgressions of riders.

That said, ATV’s aren’t all bad.  In West Virginia, where we also own a log home on 19 acres, ATV’s are permitted on any road that is not a “numbered highway”.  That makes zipping down to the neighbors for a cup of coffee as easy as hopping on your machine, which many have parked right outside the front door.  But West Virginia has just 75 folks per square mile (6% of NJ) and plenty of families own 100-acre tracts.  Riding in a National Forest, however, still results in confiscation of the ATV if caught.

Let’s hope that New Jersey’s new ATV laws put an end to the illegal trespassing that so many riders feel is their inherent right.  This is a chance to legitimize their hobby.

- Mountain Man and City Girl

http://www.MountainManandCityGirl.com 

The blogsite of Jewell Real Estate Agency, Wildwood Crest, NJ  http://www.JewellRealEstateAgency.com

The war has taken the form of employee suspensions, court ordered re-instatements, lawsuits, and even an upcoming mayoral recall election.  It’s Peyton Place by-the-Bay.

There have been undercurrents of one side versus the other for a long time, but the war intensified in May, 2008 with the election of a new set of three city commissioners – Mayor Herb Frederick, Gerard McNamara, and Scott Golden.  The power had been transferred from the Hatfields to the McCoys.  The muskets and long rifles are loaded and ready.

The new mayor is a political rival of former mayor Chris Fox, who chose to retire from public life and not run in the election.  Along with his personable brother Alan Fox, the longtime police chief, the two Fox’s were visible leaders of the little borough of 400-something yearround residents for over a decade.

Amongst the goings-on recently have been the firing of the city clerk – an ally of Fox – by Frederick.  A judge ordered her back on the job.  Frederick then suspended police lieutenant Jackie Ferentz, another Fox ally, in March, 2009.  He accused her of a number of violations, amongst those performing duties only allowed by the chief.  But documentation alleges that Chief Alan Fox, who has suffered with illness for over a decade, appointed Ferentz as acting police chief before he retired.

Ferentz countered by suing Frederick for interfering with her ability to do her duties as chief.  She also joined with two other West Wildwood residents to successfully get enough petition signatures to force a recall election of Frederick.  You guessed it.  Frederick has filed a lawsuit to stop the February 23rd election.

And so life goes on in the sleepy little fishing town on the backbay.  Stay tuned.  We’ll have more stories of strife from the frontlines in the future.

- Mountain Man and City Girl

http://www.MountainManandCityGirl.com

When we got home from school, Mom was there with milk and cookies, or some other goodie.  The house was spotless and absolutely nothing was out of place.  The beds were always made to the point of perfection and the hamper was empty.  Clothes were hanging on the clothes line in the backyard.

We kids hurried to change into play clothes, then rushed out the door as Mom said cheerfully, “Dinner is at 5:30.  Don’t be late.”  Needless to say, a nice, hot meal of meat, potatoes, and a vegetable were on the dinner table at 5:30.  What a life!

We had one car, which Dad used each day.  To get anywhere, our options were to ride our bikes or walk.  Mom was not our chaufeur.  We kids (mostly me because I was the oldest) were expected to mow the lawn, rake leaves, and shovel snow.  No excuses were acceptable. 

But that’s not today’s reality.  In statistics recently released by the US Census Bureau, concerning families comprised of a married couple with kids under 18 years old, you can see that the American way of life has changed dramatically from the Ward and June Cleaver, Wally and Beaver (okay, Theodore) days.

Two thirds of these American families have both parents working.  That’s 17 million families where the kids probably don’t have a June Cleaver to come home to every day.  Called “latch-key kids”, they come home from school to an unsupervised house.  No wonder they live on junk food, fast food, and watch too much TV and spend too much time playing video games. 

Now only 28 percent (7.3 million families) of fathers are the sole breadwinners.  That throws the Ward Cleaver model right out the window.  Another telling statistic is that in 4% of families (just under a million), the wife is the sole supporter.  Maybe that’s why beer sales are up?  Just kidding.  A lot of that can be attributed to this recession which has eliminated many construction and trades jobs.  But does Dad take up the traditional homemaker role?  Only in 16% of the families, they say.

In today’s world, a family does without any frills unless both parents are employed.  It’s the way it is.  But how many kids can never share the memories I have of coming home after school to Mom’s freshly-baked chocolate chip cookies and a loving hug.

- Mountain Man and City Girl

http://www.MountainManandCityGirl.com