Dilapidated Eyesore Sites - Oxwall
So....Oxford made the NJ12 news last night. That OxWall property is a joke.
http://www.news12.com/articleDetail.jsp?articleId=280435&position=1&news_type=news
Most towns have some type of eyesore. What can possibly be done? What has been done in other areas? If there are environmental hazards, can Federal money be sought? Forget about getting any kind of State aid....LOL
Obviously the township can't afford to clean it up and raising taxes is out of the question since many the taxpayers in Oxford are delinquent already. It's really a shame.
Calico696 By the way, I love when they say "quaint, rustic business district". LOL there are about five stores.
I just don't understand why it should cost so much money to clean it up.
I think a committee should be formed to figure out how to fix this issue. I bet you there could be a lot of volunteers recruited to help with this clean up. How about fundraising to clean this up? There has to be a way. I also believe it's been way toooooo long
How about locating the owners which I don't understand why it's so difficult to figure it out. Shouldn't taxes still be paid on this property? (could be wrong) but if my house burns to the ground I would think I would still have to pay taxes. Also, if a title search can be completed on homes why can't it be completed on a commercial property??
Nosila Calico, I definitely agree with you there are eyesores all over, in every town. And I have always asked the same question, what can be done to fix it. Even when I was working for a municipality with quite a few roadside eyesores, I would ask and never get an answer.
A few Im sure we've all seen. In Budd Lake, the old Yacht Club and the Blue Bird Inn. In Roxbury, whew where do I even start? Lets start at the old circle heading east on 46.
1. The old gas station next to the Clay Oven
2. Just passed the Canal Plaza there is an old abandoned I think it was a launry place
3. Wait we passed one on the west bound side, Smiles II
4. The old roller rink
5. The old Suzuki place, I think its a cable company now
6. The few houses just passed Midas
7. The towing company before the BMW dealer
8. Well from this point down to the Mine Hill border, both east and west bound sides, nothing but eyesores.
Now these are in a high visibility area. I could name a few that are horrible, disgustiong health issues on the back roads in Roxbury. Actual residences that are comletely disgusting.
How about Rt 10 now
1. Well I'll make this one short and sweet Rt 10 east and west, from Hillside Ave to the Randolph line. Blah!
And sorry to make this so long, but here's one that really gets to me, as I have a very strong passion for the preservation of the Morris Canal. The preservation of the inclined plane at the Ledgewood Basin. Whoever did the work on the turbine chamber and the cover over it did a wonderful job. However there is a lot more to that site that is worthy of being seen. The last time I was up there the whole water channel coming down from the chamber was comletely overgrown and crumbling.
My point is, there needs to be something done state wide to help this state become beautiful again. More volunteer groups. Or maybe instead of forming groups to clean up the easy spots like the Main Streets or whatever, how about picking specific eyesores and diving in taking care of them one spot at a time.
One question, what ever happened to S.L.A.P. or S.W.A.P.? A town I worked for in the passed would get whichever of these groups were not the inmates, to come and clean certain spots that were "eyesores". Kills 2 birds with 1 stone.
SeeintheReality Seein - There are two main problems with the OxWall site. One, somebody actively owns it (it's not Town property) and two, there are believed to be environmentally hazardous materials within the site. Obviously, when contamination is a factor, cleanup needs to be done in accordance within certain Federal guidelines.
I hate eyesores. It's embarrassing. On Saturday morning I was looking out my front slider at the beautiful landscaping and flowering trees, only to have my view distracted by the big ugly red work truck parked in the street, courtesy of our discourteous neighbors.
Tracy Tracy - Although I understand what you mean, a work truck is nowhere near the same as the OxWall issue. I could complain about how poorly a lot of people in my town keep up their property, but it is nowhere near the same as the OxWall issue.....LOL
STR... You could have saved a lot of time describing Roxbury eyesores by just saying "Kenvil" (-;
iPhone-imal Calico I definitely understand what you mean with that site. In the past I worked for an Environmental clean-up company and was have taken multiple HAZ classes.
Check your email I may have something that may help.
oops. Sorry to all the Grammar and spelling Police. Please remove the "was" from my previous post.
Yeah I know, Calico. I know what you mean as well. There are more serious eyesores around here, but I didn't want to cause a riot on here by mentioning them. :o)
Hey now, I could have. But there are some nicer sections of Kenvil. I grew up next to Lincoln Roosevelt School, on the Kenvil side of the fence. But aside from that area(and that one nasty disgusting house in the Chase, Bent, Nixon, Hunt section) yes, Kenvil, how did we put it, the Kenvil Flats. LOL
nosila - Did you click on the link to hear the news report? The guy said it belongs to an LLC that has only one asset, that property. The property has a listing of an address in Warren NJ and you can find the owner of that property. But as an LLC, they're still protected. It's also not assured that the address is the actual owner - it could be a lawyer or other caretaker that's been hired to gather the mail by the LLC. The only sure way to know who the owner is would be to get the list of members of the LLC. And that could have changed any number of times at the drop of the hat and it doesn't have to be made public.
Yes, the taxes are still due to the LLC. But with no other assets the LLC might just not pay them and there's little the town can do other than take the property away. And I'd bet if the town did that, then they'd be on the hook for the cleanup $.
GC GC- Sorry I didn't have access to listen to the video I only read the article where it stated "Officials say that they aren't even sure who owns the property anymore" so that's where I got that from...sorry :(
One man's eyesore is another man's country charm. It's like the people who go shopping for antiques each weekend...that's just someone else's garbage.
emaxxman I don't think there are many that would consider the Oxwall site charming in any fashion since it burned. Personally I have an affection for abandoned buildings and even I have to say it needs to go, LOL.
Some of the articles I read said that there were hopes to keep the water tower as a landmark, though, so I guess you can say there is some industrial charm left there . . .
Aquarius Oxwall tools build a big form round it fill it wit concrete and put a band stand on it faceing the Manor
Caged Animal The Oxwall clean-up has entered stage two. The asbestos was dealt with in stage one and now demolition has begun.
It will be nice to have that mess gone, but I can't help but wonder what disaster will unfold going forward. It seems to me that nobody on the Town Council has the tax paying residents' best interests at heart.
Just another example of our Americana being torn down due to progress. How will our children know about these great walls of history if we just abandon them? Next thing you know, you'll have something useful there with no historical charm.
I wish they could put a small office building there and get some doctors and dentists in town. Unfortunately, I'm not sure what they will be "able" to build there due to the toxic mess that it was. There has been talk of eliminating the street that runs between Oxwall and Shippen Manor to create an area for festivals and the like. We will see what happens.
Hope they can do something, too. It is an area so rich with history...Shippen Manor and the homes above it on the hill are beautiful!
mammadone Calico696 -
I am a regular follower of this forum, as it is the best source for local weather updates, home repair recommendations, etc. And your contributions are always well articulated. I would love to meet you (if we haven't already), as I can assure you we very much had the tax paying residents in mind as we carefully went about planning this cleanup effort through proper channels/guidelines. As residents, tax payers and full-time job holders (aka not career politicians) ourselves we are doing our best to be stewards of everyone's best interests. As for future plans, all options are on the table and we are open to suggestions. Right now the plan is to just get the property to "flat and grass"...and then let's explore the possibilities (responsibly, of course). Please send me a message to my email if you would like to talk in person. mayor@oxfordtwpnj.org
MayorOxford SeeintheReality ~ the SLAP program in Morris County is alive and well. Roxbury actually utilizes it for road cleanup. SLAP participants are not allowed to use power tools, lawn mowers, climb ladders over a certain height. They are also not allowed to work on Personal homes or Privately owned businesses.
JrzyGirl88 Good to see Mr Mayor of Oxford hangs out here! Kudos to see there is now an official town Facebook page along with the township's website updated (Township Records/Meeting Minutes) to keep residents in the loop.
I'm all for bringing in ratables to the beleaguered downtown. The key has always been to getting the Oxwall site out of there so as to increase the visibility from Rt 31 especially coming from Rt 31 north driving south. Now that this is happening hopefully it will be a boon to the businesses currently there as well as creating interest in opening new business in the existing empty storefronts.
I recall reading some months back that the Cambridge Pavingstone Company was exploring the possibility of moving into town?? Anything new concerning that?
Vic Vic - I agree 100% about the ratables. Been saying it for years. I'm also curious about what happened with Cambridge. Obviously, they chose the other site that they were looking at but I'm wondering why Oxford fell short.
The empty storefronts on Wall Street need to be addressed to relieve the "ghost town" feel of the town. The new liquor store is doing very well, so it shows that the right business can thrive here. My husband and I try to patronize as many places in town as we can, but unfortunately that is limited to the liquor store, gas station, barber shop and hair salon. It would be nice to have a restaurant that serves dinner in town again instead of always having to travel to other areas.
I'm also glad about the new Oxford Facebook page and the fact that the Township website has finally been updated. Progress is always a good thing, lets keep moving forward.
Thank you the kind words. We are leveraging the internet and social media to get more information out there, in order help greater numbers be better informed. In the past our town, like many other small towns, has been victim of rumors and intentional(?) misinformation. I, and the rest of the Committee, are committed to sharing facts...even if they are not the best news. And if we put it on the website and Facebook more can see it.
*As for Cambridge Pavers, we were very excited about that prospect to bring both ratables and jobs. Plus add numbers for a lunch crowd, gas purchases, etc. Unfortunately we were one of 2 finalists and the other location was chosen. Reasons were closer to owner, existing infrastructure,etc. In hindsight I feel we might have been used for leverage to get a better deal with preferred town...but we made a bigger impression than the owners realized and almost snuck in! Maybe the next company will give us a chance (especially without that huge mess downtown!)
As for new business, the Liqour Store made a big investment to improve that facility and is paying dividends for them and us. The owners of Jack's Barn are almost done renovating one of the Scranton mansions behind Shippen Manor. It is beautiful! It will be available as a B&B, rental for parties/events, etc. It is called 20 Belvidere.
And I just got word someone has purchased the old Good Times/Enzo's restaurant on the corner.
Long way of saying....there is hope on the horizon to shake the "ghost town" label!
Great to hear the potential news about Good Times/Enzo's. It would be great to have a place to eat there in town.
btownguy Mayor - Excellent news about the former Good Times building. Does the purchase of the building include the liquor license as well? Additionally, I had heard awhile back that someone was set to by the pizzeria building. Any truth there?
BTW - We have met on a few occasions.
justintime glad to hear efforts are underway to remove that pile of rubble in Oxford. Moved from Oxford over 10 years ago, but still have a little nostalgia for the place. The Oxford School was wonderful and the town's country setting could be better utilized with that toxic mess out of the way.
Denise Why not call Darrin of Bergen Tool fame in, he's an expert in toxic mess demolition sites, just ask him
eapos 
Njnick*Sorry for the delay all. Out of the country right now for work and heading home in a few hours.
Njnick- New demo pics posted of the Oxwall site on FB.
Calico696- Not sure on the liquor license for the restaurant. This is a new sale. I would imagine so...but can't confirm. Pizza place was purchased by an investor who has it for lease (I am told). So....if anyone has a lifelong dream to open a pizza place, it would save me a drive to Leo's! ;-)
llc's are listed with the state, and you can see who owns
them. yes they can use a lawyer as the agent but they
must be nj residents
who lets all of nj be turned into thos truly ugly, low
use stripmalls? cvs, walmart...fast foods ...they all
make enough money to do some decent architecture
that enhances and promotes the area they move
into.....but no one seems to care...
last issue: why cant we save that beautiful old greystone
building? does hackettstown have any historic preservation
people. Morristown does and they are reasonably vocal.
BONNIE HAYNES does anyone want to sell me that old blue bird sign?
that is a classic of that era...and art in its own right.
quick before it fades to nothing
this was an old back country place when i grew up...
and those places have a spot in history...
I actually like the water tower on the site. Too bad they cant preserve that.
I'm hoping Oxford will come back with some businesses!
The owners of the Liquor Store did a beautiful job!! I commend them!
It would be great to have a family restaurant in town again; much needed.
I drove by today and it looks better already! You can see the old buildings on main street!
One step at a time!
Summer It would be nice if there could be a new water tower. But I'm sure it's expensive.
What kind of water tower was it, a large wooden one on a metal truss frame or just a brick standpipe?
It's a metal structure and I have my doubts about it's structural integrity at this point given the conditions of the structure that were surrounding it till recently. It perhaps has also undergone an intense amount of heat damage during a large fire back in 2007. It was before my time in the town but I believe the fire at that location was eventually ruled arson? back on the night of 3/21/07. The responsible party(s) have never been found/prosecuted.
http://www.northjerseyfireimages.com/NJ-Fires/Historic-Oxwall-Tool-Factory/
I'd be curious to know from any local old timers out there the history of the water tower? How long has it been there?
Looking to see new pictures on facebook page if anyone has any. I saw the pictures from mon and tues. They did a lot in the first two days. MayorOxford, any idea of when the water tower is coming down? Thanks.
"Why not call Darrin of Bergen Tool fame in, he's an expert in toxic mess demolition sites, just ask him":
Thanks for the pitch eapos, but I am not a expert, sometimes it doesn't take a expert to see when things are not being done properly.
I wish Hackettstown was this informed of the cleanup of Bergen tool, it is very impressive that your mayor is giving updates here on HL, and facebook is being updated as well, great job keeping up to date info out there, now teach my town!
Darrin Yellow Rock horse ranch on Mt Lake rd and the farm on rt 46 across from belvidere dinner neeed a lot of help but I know that he cant afford it
Oxford Mayor, any new details you'd like to share on how the water tower will come down? Some excitement on the FB page about folks wanting to be there to see it come down.
Will it be slowly disassembled like the tower in the following vid?
http://youtu.be/uFzBA1Pnj4E
Or will the workers take out one side of it's supports so it simply tips over?
Hello, all. We just posted pics from yesterday on the Facebook page. The tower removal is likely to shift to next week, with outside possibility of Friday. Original plan was to drop it on the site by taking out the supports on one side. More and more consideration is being given to removal by crane. While certainly not as "cool" as dropping, many other factors are swaying the decision to the slow/steady approach.
We appreciate the HL Forum interest in the project. All of you have an open invite to come visit!
I just checked out the latest pictures on Facebook. Looks like everything is moving along quite smoothly.
This is definitely an exciting time in Oxford!
Who knows, maybe there will come a time that we will need an "Oxford Life" website. ;-)
I thought I was the only one with interest in preservation of the water tank- I see it is a pretty well covered topic.
Too bad it couldn't be saved/ something about that as a visual landmark in Oxford works for me/ but understand it may be compromised/ beyond the large cost of stripping and repainting it if it was even viable.
Lastly - thanks Oxford mayor/ your contribution to this discussion here is informative and shows you as a good leader/ not ego driven as some can be in that position.
I hope the mayor of my town / Liberty is seeing the effective use if this forum/ he is good also/ this should be the model for other mayors of our small town areas to follow in regards to effective communication.
The Rhyme Animal Thanks all. (And great name - The Ryhme Animal- as now I have that Public Enemy song in my head!)
The words here have been very encouraging, and I share all the feedback across our social media outlets with my fellow committee members, as we are all doing our best to serve.
I will share once again here as things progress, but I may shift back to "lurker" status on HL in order to keep up on what's going on with the restaurants and the Bergen site!!
Knock on wood, I won't need to check for Bryan's snow updates anymore. *That guy should charge for his spot on predictions!
Update: The removal of the tower began today. They are taking it down with torches, piece by piece. A lot less exciting than the drop all at once method...but safer!
Looks like heavy rain may delay things the next few days, but the project is still moving along on/ahead of schedule.
The site is look GREAT! I drive past is a few times a week and it has been quite interesting watching the progress.
Stan Passed by a few times today and saw a bunch of spectators each time watching from their cars.
I have been away on vacation. Will take a ride down there in a little bit and take a look at the progress. Very exciting!
So who all took some photos around there lately? I know I was there today and so were probably 5 other photogs that came and went while I was skulking around.
Some Guy (Art) Video of tower dropping has been posted to the Oxford Township Facebook page. Enjoy!
#ProgressinOxford
Mayor White, What's the latest info on the clean up. I see they haven't done any work all of last wee and now all the equipment has been removed from the site. I'm hoping that not the finished product :~(
Mark Savage Mark - They might be awaiting further discussions regarding the use of the site.
This was posted on the Oxford FB page yesterday.
Town Meeting on Wed (May 21 @ 7pm). One of the agenda items is the formation of a committee to make recommendations for the former Oxwall site in the center of town. We are looking for someone to chair the committee and for a mix of residents and business owners to participate and develop a list of options (with pros/cons) for that site to the Township Committee. This is an opportunity to help shape the future of the downtown. The hope is to have the committee research options and make a recommendation in 60-90 days. If interested in being a member of this committee, please send an email to mayor@oxfordtwpnj.org
https://www.facebook.com/oxfordtwpnj
Thanks for the reply and had known that they were looking to form a committee to investigate future uses potentially. My immediate question though is the cleanup work completed? I sure hope not, yes it looks better but still looks like an eyesore. My understanding of the clean up was that all of the structures were to be removed, including the fence and scrub around the outside, clean fill installed and grass planted. At that point it would then simply look like nice open space, you could then see the downtown area and then a decision on how to move forward could be made.
I'd be happy if there was something in Ford or Sears's old spots. Those are eyesores. Also, they should do something with the White Castle.
And I don't recall a roller rink @SeeintheReality. Where was THAT?
Lngvly22 From the Oxford FB page:
Oxwall Update: Phase III-Restoration Phase (aka the "flat and grass" Final Phase) is scheduled to begin later this week, weather permitting. Soil testing results for the fill / borrow material came back excellent and the old fencing/scrappy vegetation around the perimeter of the property will soon be removed. Phase III is expected to take up to 3 weeks with decent weather(not a lot of rain). Let's all hope for sunny days ahead!!"
https://www.facebook.com/oxfordtwpnj/posts/321297578027771?notif_t=notify_me
Excellent, thanks for the update and can't wait to see a nice grass area downtown
Thank you Calico696! Your answers are spot on.
Phases I and II are complete. Phase III will begin within the next few business days. To manage quality/costs we partnered with 2 firms to do this project. Therefore the scheduled availability of one firm to begin the moment the other finished were not synced perfectly. But progress continues...
Sweet!
The fill was put right on top of the cement floor and driveway, should be nice n muddy come fall.
Roywhite Roy white, are you saying they did not demolish the floor of the building, but instead put fill overtop of it?
They are trying to do this same exact thing at bergen tool
Shady Really does nothing for water runoff. Did they test to make sure there were no contaminates underneath the concrete? It used to be acceptable to pour oil down the floor drains
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