Whodunnits - TV in October 2011

I'm a real fan of detective shows on tv. Criminal Minds. CSI NY. The Mentalist. Rizzoli & Isles.

I've been enjoying a new one called Prime Suspect, with Maria Bello. Her character reminds me a bit of Kojak. Maybe it's the hat? To be sure, she's also got the attitude. Watch for Maria Bello to garner a nomination for her portrayal of a female NYPD detective struggling to solve crimes in a man's world.

I've also been watching Unforgettable, a new show with Poppy Montgomery, who used to be on Without A Trace. I've always had a bit of a crush, so I've been hopeful that her new series would succeed, but the jury is still out. I suspect the story line is too complex and gimmicky to last.

I read at Collider that Tim Roth is shopping for a new series since Lie To Me was cancelled earlier this year. I miss the cast of that show and hope they find new vehicles soon. My Tivo Season Pass Manager awaits.

14th Annual Keyport Country Jamboree and Chili Fest

Keyport is having its 14th annual chili fest today. Local food outlets will be offering samples from noon to 5 pm, all hoping to be voted Best Chili. You'll need to buy a sampling kit for $5. There will also be a cake, pie and jam contest on Sunday from noon to 4 pm.

The weekend is a country jamboree, so there will be plenty of bands. Local stores will have their wares on display. Activities will be centered on West Front Street and will run 11 am to 6 pm Saturday and Sunday 8 - 9 October 2011.

UPDATE: My wife and daughter and I spent a few hours touring the chili fest vendors. We sampled lots of chili, watching people and listening to music all along the way.

We went down the right side of West Front Street from Espresso Joe's to Lenora's and then McDonagh's. My wife and daughter both fancied Espresso Joe's chili, while I favored Lenora's. None of  us liked McDonagh's chili. A woman leaving McDonagh's commented on the nice plate that the chili came on and the accompanying crouton, telling her husband knowingly, "Presentation is everything!" but we thought their chili tasted like cigarettes. It won the chili competition. Argh.

Outside of McDonagh's was a cowboy playing guitar on a portable stage and a cowgirl dressed in black doing rope tricks with a lasso.

We went up Broad Street to Seaport Diner. They offered their chili with a little triangle made of corn meal. They put a pico de gallo on top. I noticed that an Italian restaurant is due to open where Drew's Bayshore Bistro used to be. Trinity Restaurant didn't participate in this year's chili fest for some reason.

Next we went down East Front Street to Drew's new location. Drew offered a black bean chili as well as a sweet potato bisque. The chili came with shredded cheddar and the bisque was topped with Craisens and chopped nuts. Oh my God! Mmmmm! There were also chili brownies to try. Drew's came in 3rd place? How could that be? Especially given the supposed winners?!

We continued down East Front Street towards Church Street. Along the way I saw the Spanish-American Club and an interesting old building with a small belfry. Across the intersection, we visited Papa Ganache. They had a vegan chili that was quite yummy. They had row upon row of cookies and cupcakes on display, some on top of the counter and others inside a glass case. I just had to have a chocolate chip cookie, so my wife and daughter also indulged. I heartily recommend their desserts.

We left Papa Ganache and walked towards the shore, then down 1st Street. There was lots of excitement in a park area along the water. An announcer was conducting organized competitions with kids on skateboards and scooters. Looked like fun. We ran into a guy from the Constitution Party encouraging us to vote their line this November. They sounded like a tax revolt group with links to the Tea Party. Check them out if you're interested. I'm not.

We got to Broad Street, where we visited the Bayshore Bar and Grill. The chili was a bit too sweet, like they'd added honey or maple syrup. Uptown Bar and Grill, like last year, wasn't all that into the festival. They told us they were out of chili. Again. I'm not sure why they bother.

We walked up the hill back to West Front Street, then over to Main Street to visit Jersey Shore Subs and Soups. They had loud speakers out front and an unpalatable chili mixture that -- I'm sorry to say -- I actually had to spit back out into my sample cup. We all agreed it was the worst chili of the day, without a doubt. Somehow it came in 2nd place in the voting.

We ended our tour by hitting the food court chili entrants -- Bahr's and Chilango's.  Bahr's had a seafood chili that was interesting but more like a soup than a chili. It probably needed a thickener of some sort. Chilango's was a Mexican dish -- ok.

The voting didn't reflect the relative quality of the chili choices today. I'm not sure what happened. Whatever. Here's some photos of what I saw today. Congratulations to all who participated. Tomorrow should be fun, too.

Cleanup Set for Cliffwood Beach Park - 22 October 2011

Aberdeen Township is sponsoring a beach cleanup at Cliffwood Beach Park on 22 October 2011 from 9 am to noon, according to a township press release.

Gives A Summons Without Observing It Is Appalling

When a citizen's daughter parked at the Aberdeen-Matawan train station recently, her father somehow ended up with a ticket for littering. According to the 6 Sep 2011 Council minutes, Dad told the Council that his daughter paid the daily fee at the parking machine, but the parking machine allegedly dumped her parking receipt on the ground instead of giving it to her. Ever efficient, the local authorities found the stub on the pavement, figured out which car this "litter" belonged to, and issued a summons to Dad. "I'm no litterer," Dad told the Township Council at their September meeting. He complained that he'd have to take a day off work to defend the ticket, which didn't seem fair. A Council member agreed to look into the matter.

By the way, I've taken the liberty of interpreting this story from the minutes for you. In my opinion, this portion of the minutes, reproduced below as they appeared, is barely literate. Feel free to leave your comments on whether the minutes provide an adequate version of this story.

Jay Mandel
3 Rockwell Circle
Mr. Mandel stated he received a summons on littering at the Train Station. He is against littering. This summons he has to appear in Court, he has to take a day off to go. Summons was on Ordinance 4-15.2 . They are saying the receipt from the machine was not taken. My daughter has paid and no receipt comes out. Code Enforcement sees something on the floor and gives a summons without observing it is appalling. Especially in these economic times. I just want to bring it to your attention, some people cannot take the time off from work. Dan McCarthy thanked Mr. Mandel and stated we will check into it.

Monticello at Red Bank

My wife and I had a wonderful dinner experience at Monticello at Red Bank last night. The restaurant is at 69 Broad Street near Monmouth Street.

We indulged in two of their specials: I had sole stuffed with lobster and my wife had a New York strip steak with Portobello mushrooms and gorgonzola cheese. Each meal came with mashed potatoes with julienne carrots. My yummy half house salad had grapes, cranberries, nuts and other stuff on it. My wife had a half Caesar salad.

We brought our own bottle of red wine, a Domaine Fabrice Gasnier Cuvee Vielles Vignes 2009, which we sampled and bought from the Wine Academy in Hazlet and has become our favorite.

The dining room is about a dozen tables deep with plenty of room for comfortable conversation. The walls are decorated with large classic paintings of the Raphael genre. The soft lighting made dinner cozy. We thoroughly enjoyed our meal and service was excellent -- prompt and friendly.

Horse Feathers

Did you see what Tuesday's Asbury Park Press said is the single most important issue in New Jersey's new 12th Congressional District, to which Matawan has recently cleaved? Horse racing. Apparently the people of Matawan are going to be up to their eyeballs in advocacy for installing slot machines at the track. Nothing like a good racino.

I'm kinda glad Aberdeen doesn't have to get directly involved in that sort of horse trading. We're in a different district, thank goodness.

History: American Can Company, Cliffwood (1962-1966)

The American Can Company moved to Cliffwood in 1962. Its plant was sold to Midland Glass in 1968. I found the following articles related to American Can in editions of The Matawan Journal from 1962 to 1966.

The 1 Nov 1962 edition of The Matawan Journal, front page, says that the Republican incumbent for Matawan Township Council, Sigmund Kowalski, was defending his seat that Tuesday against his Democratic opponent, Gilbert Hickman of 24 Sweetbriar in Cliffwood. Mr Kowalski, who was finishing his first 3-year term on the Council, lived in the River Gardens section of the Township and worked as a foreman for the American Can Company of New York.

The 3 Jan 1963 edition of The Matawan Journal, front page, has this small piece on the company's start in what was then Matawan Township:

To Start Construction
 
American Can Company's Glass Division will begin construction in January of a 200,000 square foot
facility on its 51-acre site in Cliffwood, Matawan Township, it was announced today by William C. Stolk, company chairman. American had previously announced that the site would be the new home of its glass division.

The 22 Oct 1964 edition of The Matawan Journal, First Section, pg 3, contains a third quarter earnings report for the American Can Company. It includes this comment about M&T Chemical acquiring the Hanson-Van Winkle-Munning Company:

All figures for both 1963 and 1964 have been restated to include the results of Hanson - Van Winkle - Munning Co., Matawan, acquired by M&T Chemicals Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary, in September 1964.

(Check the 17 Aug 1972 edition of The Matawan Journal, front page, for an article about the closing of the M&T Chemical plant in Matawan. The article contains a detailed history of the company, which opened a branch in Matawan in 1911.)

The 7 Jan 1965 edition of The Matawan Journal, pg 3, includes comments from President and CEO of American Can Company William C Stolk, who claimed his company's 1965 sales would be even higher than 1964, which was a record-breaking year.

The 5 Aug 1965 edition of The Matawan Journal, front page, included the following article and photograph:

American Can Co's Cliffwood facility will be doubled with construction completed by May 1966. Expansion will double the number of employees, production, and parking facilities.

 Valentine J. Verhuce, vice president of glass products manufacturing for the American Can Co., yesterday reported the multi-million dollar facility his firm has constructed in Cliffwood will be doubled. Completion of the expansion program is anticipated in May, 1966.

The company executive noted the expansion program for the Cliffwood facility is almost one year ahead of what had been originally planned. The expansion will also permit a diversification of glass products manufactures at the plant.

Mr. Verhuce said ground already has been broken for the construction of two additional furnaces at the plant and construction is under way on a new parking lot to increase the present 400-acre capacity to 775.
 
The company will build a second warehouse of 200,000 square feet, doubling the present warehouse space, and expand the manufacturing area by another 100,000 square feet. Output capacity will be doubled and the number of employees will be increased from 450 persons to 900.

Mr. Verhuce said one of the new furnaces will be constructed to manufacture flint, or white glass as well as green glass. The second will run amber colored glass as well as the flint or white glass. The plant at present manufactures beer and beverage containers but will diversify its product when expansion is completed to include the manufacture of glass food containers. The overall production capacity will be increased to 900,000,000 units, Mr. Verhuce said. 

Described by the company as "the most advanced glass plant in the world," the present facility occupies 326,000 square feet of floor space on a 51-acre tract adjacent to Garden State Parkway. The plant was completed in December, 1963 and formal opening ceremonies were held in January, 1964. In May a 180-ton per day tank for molten glass was placed in operation six months ahead of schedule.

The 27 Jan 1966 edition of The Matawan Journal, pg 13, contains a photograph with the following caption:

Employees of the American Can Company, glass division, Cliffwood, enroll under the Monmouth County Blood Bank group plan  by providing over 200 donors. Left to right: Mrs Mary Stratton, RN, plant nurse; William F Eaton, president of the Glass Bottlers Union Local 119, which cooperated in the undertaking; Valentine J Verhunce, vice president of Rigid Containers, Glass Operations, American Can Company; and Mrs Margaret Donaghue, RN, head plant nurse.

NJ DEP and Aberdeen Construction Projects - September 2011

The 21 Sep 2011 edition of the DEP Bulletin lists the status of several ongoing projects in Aberdeen.

• The 2010 Road Improvement Program still lives. Aberdeen Township will be discussing it in its workshop meeting on 4 October 2011.
• The long-awaited construction of 115 townhouses at 376 County Road in Cliffwood was approved on 6 Sep 2011 with the issuance of a CAFRA permit to C&M Realty c/o Michael Bruno (pg 37/63). A Coastal Area Facility Act permit is required to construct residential, commercial, public, transportation, utility and energy-related facilities in the coastal area as defined by the Act. County Road parallels Whale Creek at that point.
• Montone Land Resources has some sort of interest in 357 County Road (pg 48/63). 
• The State is still tinkering with the long-awaited NJ DOT work on Route 35 between Matawan Creek and Old Bridge (pg 53/63).

UPDATE:

The Montone Land Resources application (1330-11-0002.1-FWW110001) submitted on 29 Jun 2011 and approved on 2 Sep 2011 allows a change in use of Fresh Water Wetlands (FWW) at 357 County Road in Cliffwood. Bob Kozachek is DEP project manager.

Aberdeen Council Agenda Lacks Details

The Aberdeen Township Council agenda sometimes needs a bit of translation. Some items are unintelligible. I just got the 4 Oct 2011 agenda in my email the other day.

• The obscure reference to a budget adjustment in Resolution 2011-110 looks to be a $4,600+ grant from the NJ Drunk Driving Enforcement Fund (DDEF). As of 19 September, Matawan hadn't spent two-thirds of its $5,500+ DDEF grant, according to the NJ Office of the Attorney General.
• A budget emergency is prompting the Council to add $90,000 to cover a water rate increase. Without access to the mentioned budget sheets, it is difficult to make sense of Resolution 2011-111. A doubling in the past year in statutory expenses to $1.45 million, for example? A reasonable person cannot make heads or tails of this resolution.
• Over $400,000 is going to CME Associates for engineering work related to the 2011 Road Improvement Program, according to Resolution 2011-112. Searches of Google and the Aberdeen website provide no details. Bid requests were promulgated by bidding websites a while ago but those posting are no longer available online.
• Resolution 2011-113 seeks to award a contract for the 2010 Road Improvement Program. No detailed resolution is attached.
• Resolutions 2011-114 and 2011-115 are for performance bonds for construction in Cliffwood Beach.
• Resolution 2011-116 is for sidewalk construction between Atlantic Avenue and Walgreens along Route 34. Last year the Council was discussing having this work done in the spring.