Skylands Community Pharmacy
We at Skylands Community Pharmacy would like to say THANK YOU to all of our customers for their loyalty for the past 14 years. Our doors will be closing at Skylands Community Pharmacy for the last time on Saturday, August 13th at 3pm.
This was a very difficult decision for us to make.
We are required by law to transfer your prescription files to another pharmacy once we close. All of the prescription records will be available at the new CVS Pharmacy located at 91 Main St. You can begin to use CVS starting on Sunday, August 14th at 9am. If you call 908.852.DRUG (3784) your call will be automatically directed to CVS or you can reach them directly at 908-852-2024.
Once again – THANK YOU!
Bill, Lynda, Bob and the entire staff at Skylands Community Pharmacy
Skylands Pharmacy I will really miss all of you. You served us so well. Best wishes to all of you. Tears for me.
Ms Fishy What a shame! I love ur store for gifts and my family's prescriptions were done immediately. All I can say is job well done all the time. Will miss the store.. GOOD LUCK TO ALL.
kikinj My hubby loved you all over there. ( Mr L.S,) and are sorry to see you go. Wishing you all the best in whatever you decide to do in the future...
Joyful Best wishes for Happiness with whatever your future holds. Skylands Community (emphasis on Community) Pharmacy was a wonderful place to do business whether it was pharmacy or cards or gifts, and I always felt appreciated. Thank you!
MrsPipes So So sorry to hear this.
Bill, you and all the staff at Skylands Community Pharmacy were awesome and will be missed. You just don't see the kind of customer service you all provided.
Best of wishes to you and the gang.
littlelu I am so sorry to see this. I was in there often when worked in the area. All the staff was wonderful, explained every drug....answered all questions.. I had to close my Family business after 55 yrs.. It is difficult, to wake up and not need to be available to help someone.....Sad sign of the times. I wish all of you well on next chapter...
Jo Anne This is a horrible shame. We've gone out of our way to support small business and have been avoiding the big chains like the plague. We are tremendously disappointed
Just Joe I vowed to never set foot in CVS unless it was an emergency, and planned to continue to patronize skylands. They have now made the decision easy!
Deviljet
Zombo Best of luck to you all and THANK YOU for all of the little personal touches you have provided to my family and the community over the years! We will miss you!
Soff I wish to thank you for all your services. I, too, vowed not to step into THAT store. I am sorry that it has come to you having to close your doors; you will be missed.
Yet another neighborhood store has to shut its doors because we really need yet another drugstore 6 minutes away from 5 other drugstores...NOT.
Iris Thank you for all of the hometown feeling that my family and I always felt as we walked through your door! It was always a short wait for my medicine. Now I will be back to waiting for hours and getting frustrated when it still is not done when I get there!
You were always there for me when my prescriptions ran out and I needed a few to get through the weekend. I love the gifts that I bought there for all occasions too. We will miss you very much! Thank you for being that wonderful hometown store that cared and put your personal touches on your business!
Dianne Donohue I blame the town for allowing a "big box" pharmacy to move so close to one owned by our neighbors. Like we really need a CVS there? I hope nobody goes in there!
Heidi Very sad that this has happened. Been a loyal customer of Skylands for many years. Outstanding service, from the Pharmacy to the front register. Always could pop in for a card and a quick gift. Best of luck to you all and you will be missed by many!
DLTK Sorry to see you guys go...... Hoping for all the best on your next endeavor, who knows what the future holds! Keep us posted!
trekster3- Maybe they wanted to retire. I did love Skylands, but it might have been getting tiresome for the owners. I wish all the staff the best!
I am so sad to hear this!!! I had no plans on switching to CVS....I guess now I have to!! Thank you for all the years of service. You will be missed.
dedicated customer You and your staff were a tremendous help to me when my husband was ill..You went out of your way and explained to me in detail about the drugs and what the side effects were...and dosages...Not gonna get that from CVS...consumer reports gave them a poor rating..I won't be doing business with them. Will go elsewhere.
..Going to miss that home town feeling...the great cards and gifts. Best Wishes to you all.
Pampurr Such sad news!! Like so many others, I loved your small town, personal, and very caring service.
Your unique gifts and cards are like no where else. This is a great loss to Hackettstown.
Shame on the town decision makers who allowed the big bucks store to usurp all the sweetness of small, dedicated and local.
Wishing all of you the best things life has to offer. Know you have many friends here!
MAN So very sad to hear of the decision. Does anyone know how we can transfer our scrips to a pharmacy of our choice?
USAfirst Am sure Panther Valley Pharmacy would be happy to take on new customers. Sorry that Skyland's is closing, always liked it there.
Nature Lover 
Joyce #1 Panther Valley Pharmacy is excellent for anyone who does not wish to use CVS. I deal with the mail order part of CVS and they are awful! Many times Panther Valley Pharmacy has saved the day by fixing the screw ups of CVS Caremark.
Snow It is indeed a very sad day. We have used Skylands Community Pharmacy since the day it opened. You did a wonderful job and will be truly missed! I feel like we are losing an old friend. Best of luck to all of you!
Msprim Judging by the sound of things there are way more people who are loyal to Skylands then who are excited to see CVS open.
So much so, they are willing to drive to panther valley before using CVS.
I will be doing the same, loved Skylands.
Darrin I am very sad to see you guys close. Totally understand how you feel. Bill and Linda were always very accommodating with anything our family needed. From getting meds quickly to calls to Dr. 's and ordering special gifts. We will never see that personal service in CVS. Will miss you guys and hope our friendship continues beyond the store.
Now how do I get CVS to switch my records to Panther Valley Pharmacy?
iChristine iChristine, I think if you just go to Panther Valley Pharmacy, they can get them all switched over for you. Did anyone know Skylands was closing, or was this a sudden decision ?
Mariann Very sorry to see skylines go!! I may catch a little flack, but pls remember that CVS employs local people, too, just like shop rite. Best of luck you guys!
Geekdad Thanks Marianne I will try that!
Geekdad if this CVS is anything like the CVS in Mansfield they will be under staffed. You wait forever for someone to get to the regular register. They are either in the back somewhere or stocking shelves. Annoying....but they do have great sales and care card specials and take coupons.
I use the pharmacy in Target that is now CVS. I've always received terrific service and find the pharmacists to be very friendly and helpful. I was a bit apprehensive when CVS bought them out but all is still good. I never wait long, they never hesitate to call our doctors if necessary and have found discounts from the drug company without us asking.
Bessie I agree that Mansfield leaves a lot to be desired but I do frequent the Budd Lake and Ledgewood stores and find them to nice stores with someone always at the register. Geekdad, good post, I agree on all counts.
Yes it's sad a local pharmacy that isn't a chain is closing but please don't automatically assume the CVS is going to be terrible.
Yes getting in and out of Mansfield CVS was rather annoying with the awful parking in that shopping center. There lack of drive thru was disappointing because it sure would have made my life easier. That being said everyone that worked in the actual pharmacy there I have also found extremely friendly and helpful.
Mommyof3 
Magee It is sad when a little business is pushed out by the big box store, but this is the reality of the age unfortunately. Our own business was affected by the big guy who moved in years ago. This is not the fault of the employee's at CVS, and is the way the world is going, probably the little shops will go by the wayside.
I am pretty sure that Skyland's would have received a generous buy out, maybe enough to retire on, and usually CVS will offer jobs to employee's if they care to apply. In the end we all talk big but end up using the big stores, even though we may miss the little guy.
First of all let me say I loved Skylands Pharmacy and used them since they opened. But with so many pharmacies all over town, I was surprised that they opened at all. Every grocery store, Walmart, Target, Walgreens, the already existing CVS and now the new one, was some stiff competition. Skylands was great to deal with and I will miss the hometown touch everyone received there. But to be honest, even with their wonderful customer service, I was surprised they lasted as long as they did. I'm so sorry to see them go and wish them the best in whatever the future holds for them.
Parental Unit Bessie, we use Target/CVS pharmacy and I've been very happy with them. The staff is very helpful and friendly and compassionate. The transition to CVS seemed pretty smooth and seamless.
Tracy Heidi - You hope no one shops there? Really? How about you just don't go?
Living in Panther I am happy to see a CVS on this side of town. It's an convenient option for some of us.
JayDee After 14 years operating as a small business that I've patronized since I moved to Hackettstown four years ago, Skylands Community Pharmacy is no more. I am so upset and sad. I loved that place and the people there and always got excellent service.
I just drove by and was surprised to see the store empty and dark. CVS just opened a huge new store caddy corner and 1/4 of a block from Skylands over the weekend. The chain corporation has killed another local, customer-friendly small family business and I think that sucks. I thought when I saw the signs on the CVS doors welcoming Skylands customers that they were just trying to suck away business and was rubbing salt into wounds. I planned on continuing to patronize Skylands and feel a tremendously amount of loyalty for our small local businesses. They are the backbone of our economy and communities and give places uniqueness, charm and character unlike cookie-cutter chain stores. I vote with my precious dollars always.
The sign on Skylands' door this morning said they made the tough decision to shut down and by law was required to transfer all patient prescriptions to another pharmacy so go to CVS. Nice going there, Hackettstown. Not. I miss all of you and thank you, Skylands family.
Kathleen Bird Thanks for everything.especially love to Lynda who I worked with at Hackettstown Hospital. I too intended to be loyal to Skylands Pharmacy.
Mary Kay H I will also never go into the new CVS. Why on earth does Hackettstown need another large pharmacy? Maybe we can add it to the other abandoned buildings in Hackettstown once it goes out of business. I am so sorry that you had to leave. Your pharmacy was the absolute best and I only ever had to wait a couple of minutes for my children's prescriptions. Good luck and best wishes to all or you. You will be missed!!!
Michele Bill, is it true that you SOLD the business to CVS including selling the prescription database?
This is what happens when the spineless local government throws out the zoning laws, and lets big money developers set town policy. This shouldn't be a surprise to anyone.
Denis The PV pharmacy was on wrnj. I think it's an myob, but he did state that cvs would basically buy a local pharmacy's customer list. He didn't sound like a happy guy. Not sure if it was from hating on cvs or not getting the same offer.
maja2 I too heard that Skylands sold their pharmacy list to CVS. It's probably common for a large franchise to buy out a smaller similar business.
And good for Skylands. They were smart. Business is business and they're in it to turn a profit just like any other.
honey badger If any of you read Skylands Pharmacys statement NJ law mandates them to pass on their prescription customers to a licensed Pharmacy.
https://www.cvs.com/buy-sell-pharmacy/pharmacyacquisition/
Skylands didn't "pass on" their clients. They sold them. Cvs says the pay the most. I guess that is good business move if they thought they were going to slowly lose them. Sell when they have the most clients
Darwin Yes Darwin I know! As it stated it above. My point is no one read Skylands Pharmacy statement. They had to sell it to someone. They just couldn't just close the doors.
I went back and read it, they said transfer which made me think it was something they had to do by law. Never knew that they sold the prescriptions to another pharmacy, not saying that's a bad thing. I'm surprised it wasn't sold to Panther Valley Pharmacy to keep it local. Thanks again Darwin, it's true what they say about learning something new everyday.
For those who choose to go to CVS know that Lynda now works there, so hopefully the Rx will not be messed up.
I think it's a win win for all! Running a small independent pharmacy is hard enough without a large box pharmacy in the area.
Hopefully, Skylands Pharmacy made a great buy out deal with CVS, and pharmacist jobs too!
Best of luck and thank you for the great service you provided to our town.
outsider " They had to sell it to someone. They just couldn't just close the doors."
my point was they didn't HAVE to sell it and didn't HAVE to close their doors. The reason they are closing their doors is because they made the decision to sell their list. not the other way around.
CVS hadn't taken a single customer away yet and they could have tried to stay open and reach out to their loyal customers to ask them to remain loyal. But who knows, maybe they knew it was a lost cause and knew they would eventually lose customers to CVS so they sold their list while there were the most names on it to get the most $ they could. At least they had something of value to sell, more than most small businesses that don't own their building can say. Much like Leo and the liquor license. I hope they got enough to enjoy retirement!
I would gather they looked at their revenue, looked at their growth, and decided this was the best time to sell given the future potential. In other words, they decided even with their loyal customer base, they did not stand a chance; they could not grow, they could not compete.
Otherwise if they wanted to sell, they would have sold for a higher price to another company looking to compete.
strangerdanger Also looking out how most of these pharmacy buyouts work it actually would benefit Skylands if their old clients use CVS. There is a retention bonus paid out to the old pharmacies after a set time. So the more people that use CVS actually help the Skylands owners in the future. Something to consider if you used Skylands and want to see them prosper in the deal
http://smartretailingrx.com/buying-selling-pharmacy/chain-offers-buy-pharmacy/
Probably will be served by the Skyland's employees at CVS too unless the owners didn't give them the heads-up when CVS was hiring.
Well I was forced to go to the new CVS today and guess what? They didn't even have the script I needed for my child, a common ear drop for swimmer's ear. Not a good first impression. They said they only have a limited stock items. Not good CVS!!
To Bob and the entire Skylands family we thank you very much for the last 14 years , we too did not want to go to the big box stores my wife came home and told me the news , I can still hear my brother in laws daughter doing the radio ads for you I hope all works out for you Blessed be to you all
the big box stores are on the move last month zacks pharmacy in belvidere was bought out the same way by the nerest big box store . good luck to all and be well
Caged Animal Michele, couldn't you have brought your script somewhere else? I've had it where CVS (Target) didn't have what I needed but they called surrounding stores and I got it in Mansfield instead. Terrible when you need something and they don't have it no matter where you go.
Darwin, your post sounds as if you either know they closed BECAUSE of CVS or you are assuming that is why they are closing.
They could have been looking at how business has been for the last year or 2 or more, THEN decided to close. They may have had to make this decision whether CVS was going to open up or not....I would think if business was wonderful and they were doing well that they would not have made this decision based on what might happen once CVS opens. That though is just my thought.
There, to me, is no difference in a store selling off their inventory and selling the scripts. I mean bottom line the customers will go where they want, but it makes sense to me that the current pharmacy, by law, have to send current scripts off to another pharmacy. The fact that they can make some money doing it, really didnt seem to be any of my business.
Good luck Bill and the rest of the wonderful folks that made shopping there a pleasure.
We just want to thank everyone for all of the kind words that have been posted about our pharmacy and staff. We truly appreciate it.
Yeah littlelu close a pharmacy that's been there for years the same time a new corporate big box pharmacy opens up across the street why would Darwin anyone else assume one had anything to do with the other??? Plenty of successful well run business have been put out of business by the corporate big box stores. It's not a level playing field. A smart businessman might well know they will be at a competitive disadvantage and close out a business on their terms. Better than fighting a losing battle and closing a failed business.
It looks BEAUTIFUL!!!! So much nicer than what was there. And the workers seemed very nice.
Denis, I'm just saying that I don't know all the reasons behind it. I wasn't part of the decision.
This quote from Darwin is what I was responding to......."my point was they didn't HAVE to sell it and didn't HAVE to close their doors. The reason they are closing their doors is because they made the decision to sell their list. not the other way around."
I don't think they would close for that reason.
I love all the assumptions made on this site. If you are so concerned contact the owners of Skylands and ask why they chose to sell their list & close. They may have wanted to start retirement. Stop whining, move on & get your RXs filled someplace else.
CVS is not a "big box" store.
We vote with our wallets. For those grumbling about the new CVS, your gripe is with fellow consumers, not the national retail chains.
Rebecka Nobody is "forced" to go anywhere. Michele, in one post you said you would never step foot in the new CVS, and then the very next day you are "forced" to go in there for a script and then complain when they don't have it. As it's been mentioned dozens of times, there are like 10 other pharmacies in a 5 mile radius of Hackettstown that you could have used instead.
I thought Skylands already said by law they have to transfer their list to another pharmacy before closing??
They even said it in their post "We are required by law to transfer your prescription files to another pharmacy once we close."
Sure, I suppose they could have given it away, but if CVS was willing to pay for it, who in their right mind would give it away?
Darwin's post "my point was they didn't HAVE to sell it and didn't HAVE to close their doors. "
No they didn't have to do anything, but on the contrary, the other option would be to ride the train out....it could either continue as is with minor impact or run into the ground. I am sure this is something skylands did their homework on and made an educated business decision.
Some on here act like skylands was their business trying to make decisions on what skylands should have done. It is very obvious skylands made a business decision to close, which is their decision to make, who are you to judge and make claims that they would of had enough support to remain open?
@littlelu if you don't know the reason don't criticize someone else for speculating on a logical assumption, and then add your on speculation to the mix based on zero information.
@Rebecka, CVS is absolutely a big box store. Consumers are free to choose who they wan't to patronize so no gripe with them, I do have a gripe with politicians who totally rewrite zoning laws for big money, and who would never do the same for a small business owner. Everyone is free to shop where they want. I personally will always try and patronize a small business first. I won't be setting foot in CVS, just like I never set foot in Walmart.
@Darrin 100% right. Most likely a prudent business move all tings considered.
OK Big Corporate Retail Pharmacy that is basically the same anywhere across the country minus the faux architectural exteriors.
Darrin, I agree. I'm sure they could read the writing on the wall. Rather than tough it out and see how many clients they retained or take the money and close up shop, they went with what they thought was best for them.
I would have chose the later too.
Denis, I don't think in either of my posts I criticized Dawin.......???
I just posted other ways it may have gone down, because neither of us know what was going through their minds or how business had been for them lately.
I admit I have a hard time of expressing my thoughts in writing.
Hope you have a great day......
Again, Skylands folks......good luck to you all.
I was a Skylands customer. I received a call from the CVS home office telling me that they wanted to make the transition as smooth as possible for the customers. I had a question regarding my insurance, as they only approved certain pharmacies and CVS was not one of them. The gentleman told me they would take care of checking on it and would get back to me later that day or the next day, which would have been Tuesday. As of today, I haven't heard from them. I am going to call them back today to voice my displeasure with their customer service and will be going elsewhere. Their new location would be so convenient for me, but now it's principle.
We're so lucky here to have several pharmacies to choose from. If you don't like one, just move on to the next. I've done my share of changing pharmacies through the year, certainly not an earth shattering event for me.
I use Walgreen's, used them over CVS or Skylands due to Walgreen's being open longer hours than Skylands and having a drive thru which neither of them did.
ScottB Just called to get some scripts refilled that had refills over at skylands and all went smoothly. Person on the phone was very friendly and helpful.
Will def. miss the folks at Skylands but so far off to a good start with CVS.
All I did was go in for the Free Stuff. Chances are I won't be back, never really liked CVS.
4paws Always grateful to CVS for being open 24 hours. We have used it several times after leaving the ER with prescriptions to fill. Is the Hackettstown one 24 hours?
Bessie
I'm not sure about the new one. The CVS in Budd Lake, though open 24 hours shutters the Rx dept at 8 or 9 pm which I didn't expect when I got there about 5 minutes before they shut down one night. I thought I 24 hrs. meant the Rx dept. too, but sadly it wasn't.
Phil D. Phil, I'm surprised about the shutters at 8 or 9. I know we've gone quite late for prescriptions, I wonder if that's a new thing. I need to do some inquiring about the pharmacy hours in Ledgewood. Always good to know before you need a 24 hour pharmacy.
No the CVS is not and hopefully will never be 24hrs due to the closeness to residential houses.
Budd Lake will continue to be the only CVS open 24 hrs. However, the pharmacy part has the same hours at all three stores. The pharmacy is open until 9PM weekdays, but Saturday closes at 6PM and Sunday it closes at 5PM. The rest of the store is open until 9PM in Mansfield, 10PM on Main St all 7 days.
For anyone that does try CVS out, they have a good website and app that lets you manage your refills. It shows you when they were last filled, you get an email or text when its time to refill, and they email or text when its ready for pickup. You can control whether they refill automatically or if you want to do it yourself. And if a prescription has run out of refills it automatically will contact the doctor if you order online. Unless I have a new one time medication, I don't drop off anything anymore, and never wait in line. I order through the app and pick up when it texts me.
GC Just some info.
I went into CVS today and Bob was there. He said Lynda is not working there. They, her and Bob are going to be there for the next week or two to help with any problems or questions that arise from the transition.
It was so nice to see a familiar face and as a matter of fact I did want to know if the insurance info went along with the scripts. I was picking up a script for my husband and i didnt have his cards on me and didnt think to ask about it when I called for the refill,
I found out, thanks Bob, that the insurance info DID go over with the scripts.
Sad I won't be seeing Lyndas face there but very nice that they are there for a couple of weeks helping with the transition. :)
Ok so here is what happened today. Husband had a RX electronically called into Skylands last week. He now needed it so told them to fill it. At Skylands it was about $35. CVS $404.68!!!! WTF?? Now he does not have any insurance and he went to Skylands because of the Zufall clinic. But what a difference. And to boot he waited 45 mins in line. UGG. Now we have to figure something out because we can't pay that amount.
So was Skylands absorbing that difference for you, is CVS's price really that much higher, does Zufall Clinic figure into this somewhere. Can you price check around, maybe Sam's Club? You don't have to belong to it to use their pharmacy. I think I'm missing something. Can't understand why a little pharmacy would be that cheap compared to a larger one.
I don't know what that clinic is, but is there another pharmacy that participates in it? Or try contacting the pharm comp that makes it, sometimes they can offer it at a lower price???
iChristine,
I heard a report that said different pharmacies have different prices for different medications --- ie:
med. X can be less at store A, more at store B
med. y can be more at store A, less at store B
So it pays to call different pharmacies for the price of the medicine your husband is taking.
That report also said you can get prescriptions filled at (it was either) Costco or BJ's .............. even though you are not a member. You just tell them at the entrance you are going to the pharmacy and they let you in to get prescriptions filled.
iChristine-that price difference is, I think, related to a government program referred to as a 340B program that subsidizes the price of outpatient prescription drugs. Skylands was contracted to the 340B program through a connection with the Zufall clinic. CVS is not on the list thus the price difference. Walgreens is contracted with Zufall according to this database
https://opanet.hrsa.gov/OPA/CPSearch.aspx
Dr Bob Who cares the reason, the reality is prices can vary a lot: https://www.discountdrugnetwork.com/how-to-find-the-lowest-cost-for-your-prescription/
Try this one for NJ prices (does not seem to list actual stores) https://www6.state.nj.us/LPSCA_DRUG/index.jsp
There are lots of price-check websites although it looks like you have to "join" to play: http://www.kiplinger.com/article/spending/T027-C000-S001-compare-drug-prices-online.html
Good luck
Thanks Dr. Bob! Yes we transferred husbands meds to Walgreens. In the meantime we found out that Bergeys meds are ALOT less at Walmart. UGG So when it's all said and done it's a bit more expensive but we can handle that. I never realized how much of a difference meds are between the big box pharmacies. We checked online and seems Walmart is the cheapest. Worried about going there also. So check your prescriptions people!!
Think you nailed in Christine, they are widely different and there's no rhyme or reason except lack of transparency.
So yes folks, if you can shop it's worth checking prices.
Ok didn't nail it. Thought we did. Bergeys meds at Walgreens were $706.88!! Almost double of CVS! I don't get it. Now the Dr. that wrote that prescriptions exactly same as before is not from Zufall. He is away on vacation and we need to get Zufall to write the prescription but that doesn't mean it will be same price as no one at Walgreens can tell me or don't know anything about a Zufall contract. OMG!! Meanwhile my husband has no meds. I MISS SKYLANDS!!
Been going to Skylands small town Pharmacy for many years. Got to know the owners very well. Even friends Outside of the business. They say hello to me By Name when I walk through their door every time. The owner had my daughter in their Radio Commercials over the years as well. When you go to that Big Box store across the street they will Definately not give you that warm fuzzy feeling like at Skylands. Every employee took their job serious and to heart.
Thanks to The Town of Hackettstown these fine folks lost their jobs and livelihoods. The town allowed that Big Box store move in knowing they would put Skylands out of business. Shame on this town, Shame on Hackettstown Town Council and Shame on the Mayor of Hackettstown for allowing it to happen. The town owes those employees an apology.
Skylands Pharmacy Employees... you WILL be missed!! I wish you all the very best.
Rant Over
13 yr Customer Just a heads up.......CVS will not have any medicine that falls into the narcotic category until mid September.
Tried to fill a concerta script and they said that new stores have some kind of a waiting period before they can get stock in narcotics.
13 yr customer - I'm sorry a local business is closing too. But does the Council & Mayor really have that power? Do they get up one morning and literally decided a few businesses are out and others have to move? It's not the way it works. Businesses themselves make the choices and they depend on a whole lot of factors well beyond the scope of the local government. Well beyond this town as well, large chains have been taking over since the 70's. It's not 1957 any more, and blaming the Council & Mayor is not right.
GC there was town zoning in place that another pharmacy could not open with a certain mile radius of Skylands Pharmacy. That was just one of numerous zoning laws rewritten for CVS along with numerous variances granted by the town council. Whether or not you think it's a good thing is up to you, but CVS would not be there if Mayor and town council didn't roll over for virtually everything the developer wanted. Just a fact.
Denis where do you get your information from???
The only change to the ordinances was:
"Block 21, Lot 18 is hereby removed from the LM District and placed in the PMU District."
which means the Bergen Tool site went being zoned for Limited Manufacturing to Planned Mixed Use Downtown Development.
which was needed to have anything built on that site, CVS or anything else. There was never ever going to be another "Limited Manufacturing" going to want to build on that site. So for the good of the town, the council made that change.
" That was just one of numerous zoning laws rewritten for CVS along with numerous variances granted by the town council"
please provide facts
'there was town zoning in place that another pharmacy could not open with a certain mile radius of Skylands Pharmacy"
again please provide facts
Denis - as Darwin pointed out, that is entirely incorrect, false, and FUD. The zoning is not done by Council, they only give their consent to the Board's changes. And the Council is not involved with variances. Very mistaken.
GC my comment was in response to your comment that the Mayor and town council have no part in this happening, which is total rubbish. There was restrictive zoning in place as far as a pharmacy goes,that was changed. Along with zoning laws, and a change to the town master plan. You can't possibly believe that if the town council, and mayor were opposed to this project it would have moved forward with so many concessions to the developer. Who ever bought the site was supposed to preserve the front building. Rice told the town he would let it sit vacant and rot if he couldn't tear it down, so of course that was changed. The Mayor said the would incorporate the bricks from the old building in the sidewalk, of course that didn't happen. There was to be 3 acres of open space preserved, that doesn't appear to be happening either.
http://www.nj.com/warrenreporter/index.ssf/2013/01/hackettstown_officials_take_ne.html
http://www.nj.com/warrenreporter/index.ssf/2013/03/hackettstown_ordinance_makes_w.html
http://www.nj.com/warrenreporter/index.ssf/2013/02/hackettstown_mayor_discusses_b.html
http://www.nj.com/warrenreporter/index.ssf/2013/01/hackettstown_officials_take_ne.html
Your comment was that there was zoning in place specifically about Skylands. That is inaccurate. Every link you posted has not even a single mention of Skylands. You're trying to deflect your inaccurate statement. (FUD) Your statements about who does what also does not jive with what roles our Council and Mayor play in the process. (more FUD)
Were you at any of these meetings? Did you know anything of what was or was not approved, why, and what circumstances it was about? If you look at the pictures that are available in the links you post some of them show the audience. I am there in all of them that do. (Christine is in a couple too)
The zoning was not restricted to pharmacies. The zoning was about retail, hotel, classrooms (which one councilman suggested to the ire of Bergen St anti-college pitchforkers), and other *permitted* uses that would not need a variance. That was done *before* Rice bought the property in hopes the partner the BID was talking to could draw an investor. The issue about tearing the facade down was before an independent assessment declared it worse than previously thought. (although not if you ask the fire co who kept having to go there on calls) FUD.
GC your the one deflecting, you claimed the Mayor and town council really had very little to do with CVS being there, the links show that is nonsense. I say the phrase "independent assessment" is highly questionable. It is a fact Rice told the town if he didn't get is way he would let it sit there and rot, shortly after that it was deemed worse than previously thought. As far as zoning pertaining to a pharmacy being within a certain mile radius of Skylands that's what I read online a while back. I will look into that, and I will post again whether or not I'm right, or wrong.
ianimal "I read online" - seriously??
ianimal - I have more trust in Elmer than I do what's been posted here. "Baseball season!!!".
"I read online" - seriously?? Um yeah that's how a majority of people get there news in 2016.
The 3 acre of open space is still there and presented in the drawings. Again I suggest facts to back up your comments
Darwin I'll say it again, and suggest you pay attention, my comments were in response to GC saying the Mayor and town council had very little to do with it. My links back up my assertion that is not the case. As far as the history of the development, I gave several examples of things that were supposed to happen, but did not. All in favor of the developer. We will all see when it's said and done, if the 3 acres are preserved, based on the history I wouldn't count on it.
The 3 acres is already slowly being taken away, they are already proposing to put one of their parking lots into it
Thank you for coming to our side of town 14 years ago, it has been a pleasure
having a neighborhood pharmacy... We would have continued to use you and will miss
you . But best to you on obviously a business decision.
Thank you again
Deb "Darwin I'll say it again, and suggest you pay attention, my comments were in response to GC saying the Mayor and town council had very little to do with it."
sorry Denis its hard to keep up since your 'facts' are so wrong.
There were no zoning restrictions to keep another pharmacy x amount of distance away from skylands.
Master Plan is done by the planning board
the ordinance change request first went before the planning board
So after everything was presented to the Planning Board including the condition of the Bergen tool building it was presented to town council for approval. So they heard the testimony, recommendation of the town engineer and town planning board and based on their expert option the town council voted to approve the changes.
Also all 4 of your articles were about the exact same town ordinance change, so I hope you are not thinking there were multiple changes just because you found 4 different articles online.
Ok SKYLANDS...........if you're still out there reading this thread........WHAT can we say to make you open up again?!!!!
I've tried, I've tried so hard to accept that you are closed........I've tried CVS on a number of occasions.........I've had to try Rite Aid on ONE occasion..........I've tried the CVS near shoprite once............SORRY NOT WORKING!
You MUST come back. Just go ahead and change your mind....it's cant be very difficult to do ;) Just say "sorry we made a mistake" and open back up. lol
In ALL the years my family has gone to you we have not had the problems we are having in the last week with these other pharmacies.
Don't they say that the customer is always right? Well I'm saying open back up. ;) !
I think arguing the rise and fall of CVS and Skylands is a bit moot now. CVS is an improvement. IMHO it's better than what was there and not incredibly intrusive. Skylands obviously was not a going/growing concern that could withstand CVS competition. Otherwise they would have found a buyer.
Probably a better use of time to listen to Darrin and others and become active in Phase II activities. One hundred plus units is going to change that end of town dramatically.
"The 3 acres is already slowly being taken away, they are already proposing to put one of their parking lots into it" should be of concern. While it might alieve their space problem for the apartments and mini-town-homes, it also might make room for more units and certainly for more cars, trucks, etc..... And, of course, a parking lot might be kinda open space but certainly not green space.
"Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got til its gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot."
Littlelu, have you tried the pharmacy at Target? We have been there since they opened and have always been pleased with them. They are CVS now but it hasn't gone downhill yet. There's always the hometown Panther Valley Pharmacy if you don't mind the drive.
Ditto to what Bessie said. I had to pick up some meds last night that were waiting for me right after leaving the doctor's office. The staff is always helpful and compassionate.
Darwin I haven't found anything about about a zoning restriction for a pharmacy so I will concede that was wrong. Again what is difficult for you to comprehend ""Darwin I'll say it again, and suggest you pay attention, my comments were in response to GC saying the Mayor and town council had very little to do with it." Those links point out the error in that statement. Your own quote "town council voted to approve the changes." So how are they not involved??? Fact Rice told the town he would let the property sit there a rot if he couldn't tear down the building, done. Mayor said bricks from old building would be incorporated into the new building or sidewalk to appease some people, not done. CVS wanted a restriction that there could be no drive through removed, done. As far as the 3 acres of open space go, as Darrin pointed out they already have their sights set on reneging on that part of the deal. Based on the history of the project does anyone really belive the town won't concede further?
Prospect Street is going to become a main thoroughfare now. What a mess that is going to be. We have problems with speeding on that street every morning with folks late to work at M&M's ...We really need more cops on that road to control the speeding..You rarely see one these days.
@pampurr - maybe we should petition M&M and the town to change the location of the M&M entrance?
I think we are arguing of the semantics of the wording "little to do with it' Yes the town voted to approve the ordinance change but they really had no choice. the planning board and engineer all agreed the building had to come down. As for the bricks I don't think the mayor can dictate what materials are used, again that is the planning board's role.
" As far as the 3 acres of open space go, as Darrin pointed out they already have their sights set on reneging on that part of the deal."
I suggest you attend meetings rather than just listening to Darrin for info. he can get a little dramatic at times :). we are talking about a 6 spot parking lot at the edge of the open space so while its 3 acres or 2.98 acres I'd doubt you would be able to tell the difference. Also the parking lot change was at the request of a resident on Stiger who didn't want a parking lot adjacent to their property line. And the planning board has yet to vote on that change.
There was plenty that the developer asked for that got denied: digital sign, 24hr CVS, fenced in "open space", detention pond included in the open space. It's called compromise. was there too much compromise, perhaps but I can't think of any deal that doesn't involve some compromise.
"I think we are arguing of the semantics"
I think we are beating a dead horse, saying the same things in different ways. As SD said a moot point now, except for the amount of open space that will actually be dedicated as "compromises" are made. We will see how much "compromise" is done on Phase II.
planning board minutes 2/26/13
The Chairman indicated this was not a public hearing, but a chance for the board to consider the proposed Ordinance and to make recommendations to the Mayor and Council......
... MOTION was made by STEAD to authorize Mennen to write a letter to the Mayor and Council regarding Proposed Ordinance No. 2013-01, Amending Section 410 of the Land Development Ordinance of the Town of Hackettstown Entitled “Planned Mixed Use Downtown Development District”, and informing them the proposed Ordinance was reviewed by the Planning Board and found to not be inconsistent with the Master Plan.
SECONDED: CAMPORINI.
Those in favor: Conforti, Clarke, Camporini, Brown, Bristow, King, Stead, DiMaio.
Opposed: Burke.
Abstained: None.
so again based on the Planning Boards recommendation and Town Engineer's testimony the town passed the ordinance change.
"Yes the town voted to approve the ordinance" I'll wait for you say the same thing again in a new way.
darwin, when Rice bought the property he bought it knowing he had to keep the building correct??? So why did he not take action to make sure the building did not get any worse, and instead let it sit for how many years untouched? And then cry cry cry about the condition it was in.....come on man, he got exactly what he wanted there, he never wanted to keep that building.
Dramatic? is there anything incorrect in what I said? and besides even .0000001 acre into the 3 acres of open space is AGAINST the ordinance. You seem to be willing to negotiate the size of our open space? You saw the plans as I did, I can point out at least 3 other areas that lot could go, and they don't even need the lot, I believe the "shared parking" has enough pace to cover those spaces. And as Suburban consulting said "it's only a 300 ft walk"
This is honestly a better talk for the bergen tool thread, we are hijacking skylands thread here.
Littlelu..the only downside to Targets pharmacy are the hours. They close at 7:00 during the week and I'm not sure of their weekend hours. It's never been a problem for us.
I thought CVS bought out Target Pharmacies?
We switched to CVS BUT quickly switched to Walgreens. Which is BTW no better right now. 4 days to switch things over and they fill the wrong prescription twice. That's just for me and not the horror of Bergeys antibiotic problems. From not taking them he now has a infection and may have to be admitted for IV's. I am not a happy camper.
Christine - Yes, CVS bought the Target Pharmacies, but it's not like the situation with Skylands. Skylands closed but Target Pharmacies in the stores are still in operation. It's not like they just transferred prescriptions like Skylands did. CVS continues to operate out of the Target store so the hours are different in the Target store vs the Main St and Mansfield locations.
Christine, you sure have the worst luck with things, nothing ever seems to go smooth for you.
We went to Skylands since they opened, lovely store with great customer service that is missed. We needed a prescription filled recently and the Dr sent it to CVS. I received an automated call that it was ready. I didn't have to do anything but show up and get it. So simple. The store is beautiful. No complaints. Give it a chance.
i don't get it, and am continually frustrated by these health plan snafus
is there nothing that can be done to get Bergey his anti-biotics??
Medical necessity and level of income means nothing to the great big companies like CVS and Walgreens??
they can do nothing?
this makes no sense to me. is health in america like our court system now? (we have the best justice system that money can buy)
you would think the hospital would have an avenue to get him his meds just so they could avoid another patient staying in house.
can the drug company that produces it do nothing for him?
this is bad and should not be happening
BrotherDog I use CVS and ExpressScripts through my insurer.
My experience is that change is hell. Setting up a script the first time can be hell. Christine's hell. Changing a prescription like for a different mg's is like setting it up for the first time. Refills and subsequent scripts have never been a problem. Auto-refill seems to work like a charm for renewals.
Now I do admit that my primary DR is a wiz on computer and has zero issue with issuing and replying for computerized scripting. The guys using fax machines can be harder to work with. The non-computerized DRs who operate off the grid, paper, fax, phone, without front office support, are the worst.
For me, it's a combination of ExpressScripts and CVS with ExpressScripts being living hell. They just don't care and they hide behind the walls of their off-shore call centers (yes, they have some in the US but depends on luck who you get). Web site is inconsistent and speaks a strange ES language so hard to tell if you got it right. They seem to revel in the fact they own me, that it's part of my insurance so it's not like I can vote with my pocketbook.
CVS has oops first time scripts at times too but at least they are human and, for me, have done their best to make it right. For first time scripts I tend to call first, verify via phone, before I drive in for pick up. Costs some time but usually get a favorable outcome whether billing, correct script or even emergency script problems. I don't get a big box feel, I get a pharmacist that I know and who knows me.
I probably have this wrong but seems that Christine had a billing/price issue in that Zufall, her provider, has script contracts that lower prices. That would mean it's a Zufall issue to provide her a script and the place she can take advantage of the Zufall contract price. If she needs a new script, again I think Zufall is the issuer and they have a 24-hour hotline for support. If Zufall does not have a contract price, then the best you can do is shop prices via internet aps and the phone.
Not faulting Christine. I too have had emergency needs and have been caught to the tune of $1,600 for a single script when needed in life-impacting emergency and stupid call center in Philippines quoted me $10, the generic price, but shipped me non-generic and billed the full price (since I should have used generic). But given it was the week-end, I said screw it, we'll fix it Monday, and they screwed me. "Lost" the tapes, said I ordered non-generic, and I should have known (even though rep didn't tell me the generic had replaced what I was using and I don't read their emails). Not like I could sue or change script providers.....
I do not think CVS would have treated me like that.
Bessie, you think?
SD Bergeys antibiotics were not written by Zufall but by his foot Dr. who have been wonderful thru this whole pharmacy nightmare. Walgreens have no idea if they have a contract with them or not.
We were able to get his meds. But too late. His infection got worse.
Christine
With all the stuff written on here, I'm not sure if I missed it or not, but have you checked the website of the manufacturer of the drug Bergey needs? Many times the manufacturers website has a link to use for those for whom paying for the drug is a hardship and you can often click on there and see if you qualify for their program. I don't know if you've tried that already or what the med is, but thought I'd put it out there in case it could help you or anybody else. Best of luck!
Christine, I assume you got the script after Skylands closed, because if Skylands got the script before they closed, they probably should have warned you they were closing, and maybe you could have filled it before then and saved you all of this trouble. I know it's water under the bridge, but I was just wondering.
Rich Phil D.. We did I do it with all our scripts. This was an antibiotic and it would take too long to get.
Rich it was a refill. The first one we had filled at Skylands. When he went for the weekly check he was told to fill it. By then it was already sent over to CVS.
GC, your wrong... all the Depts of H'twn Zoning, etc all work for HACKETTSTOWN so when I say Htwn I'm mean and there of. The twn bent over backwards for the developer when they knew CVS was comming. This twn always looked at the tax dollar and NOTHING else. Twn made nessisary changes to acomodate the developer and CVS. Many laws, ordnance, variances were changed and rewritten. If there was a zoning law in place to prevent another pharmacy moving in then The Town Changed It! If the Twn had a set of balls they would have stuck their foot up someone's ass so that front bldg was kept. As for the Bricks... the were crushed and buried under what is currently the grass area to the right of the CVS bldg. I watched them crush n burry them.
Noprob I will never give a big box store a "chance" that moved in and literally Bought out the small local owned store.
I'm using Panther Valley Pharmacy. They were very friendly when I came in
...this thread is a joke...does everyone that's posted saying they wont give the Box store (AKA CVS) a chance not shop at Weis, ShopRite, WalMart, Dollar General, Target, Kohls...or you all shop at the small shops on Main Street? Buy your produce from Donaldson's or Best Farms? , get your milk direct from the farm or have your own cow? Make your own clothes? Never shopped at Lowes or Home Depot? Never stepped foot in Applebees, Starbucks? Eat every meal at local restaurants?
Every big/chain/franchise store that exists closed out a small store at some point......
When Bergen Machine and Tool property was sold...there was over $280K due in back taxes...the site was as dump, windows in the building broken out...it was a disgrace to our town...an embarrassment. Vacant since ~ 2003.
as a 20 plus yr resident - I'm glad it's now a CVS and putting money back into our town..yes they (the town) look at taxes...that's what gets roads fixed, police paid, support systems for schools...and everything else...if you owned the land and someone offered you the ~$1.1Million for it and said they wanted to put up a CVS...what would you do? Say no because we don't want the local pharmacy across the street to close? So the town made some changes...and the town benefits from the money coming in on the taxes...and we dont have to look at a dump...that's a win
keepitreal Keepitreal: Your last two paragraphs sum up the topic very well.
CVS has arrived. It is not mid town at the corner of High & Main.
It is across from two strip shopping areas. It is certainly more attractive than they are.
IMO it enhances the western access to our town.
EVV Everyone who keeps pointing fingers at CVS needs to take a step back. If Skylands didn't want to close, they didn't have too. They also could have moved their location too. If customers were loyal, they would have stuck by them.
I will also say this my family has personally had experience with Skylands, North Warren Pharmacy (Blairstown), CVS, Target Pharmacy, Walgreens, and Rite Aid. All have their negatives and positives. I will say only ONE of them I vowed to never step foot into again after an awful experience with their pharmacist. The pharmacist was down right rude and unprofessional. Just because I had a bad experience (well my family in general) doesn't mean that someone else can't like them. When you are regular customer of any place, you do get to know the employees on some level. I can walk into a number of retail places and I am known by my name and so are my children. This is just the mom and pop stores too.
Now, I've been into the new CVS several times now for various reasons. Every single employee in that store has been extremely helpful and pleasant. There are some familiar faces from Budd Lake and Mansfield stores too. This is a brand new store and they are still working out issues, so taking it out on the employees isn't fair either. None of them had anything do with Skyland's closing. They are just like everyone else trying to earn an income. One time I was in there I witnessed a very rude customer, treat one of the managers like a piece of garbage. She was saying stuff as she left that it was their fault Skyland's closed it's door. Come on people, get it over it already it's a done deal now.
I agree. In the scheme of things, it looks nice, better than across the street and much better than Bergen Tool.
Phase II sounds scary though.
Firstly let me say I was a Skylands customer and I am very sad that they have closed. That being said, there are definitely some perks to using the big chain pharmacies. Last year I vacationed with my sister for two weeks. She takes a medication daily. When we left it was too soon for a refill. She called her ins. co to tell them she would run out while on vacation and asked for an override to fill it before she left. They refused. But since she used a chain pharmacy, she was able to get a refill while we were away at a pharmacy where we were vacationing. I was impressed with the ease it was accomplished. I'm not sure what I would have done in that situation using a privately owned pharmacy.
Parental Unit when this was an issue with me Skylands ALWAYS gave me what I needed and took care of it.
So another question came up on my meds. I am on a popular blood thinner and needed a refill. Called Walgreens to refill. I have a RX plan with my Medicare. Always paid $1 for this med for YEARS! Walgreens price with my insurance $11.43! I questioned it and they claim that was my copay. SO confusing......So I am calling my insurance today to see what's up. Don't want to blame anyone.
Christine only think I could think of with the price difference with the blood thinner is Skylands might have used a different brand/generic.
Christine, as I said this was my sister's experience. I never had the problem. It's nice to know Skylands would work with their customers on such issues. I would hope all privately owned pharmacies would do the same. Her insurance company sure didn't care!!
It was the exact same generic drug. I called Walmart and they quoted me $3 with my insurance. Weird thing is my insurance company said it should be same price wherever I go using my insurance plan but it isn't. WEIRD!
Has anyone ever tried the Weis Pharmacy? I also am an orphaned Skylands customer and need a new pharmacy. Has anyone found a GOOD replacement?
Lisab Some insurance companies have special deals with certain drug companies to be their preferred provider of non-generic drugs. That's why the two tier "formulary". Then there are some pharmacies that have similar deals with drug companies. There are the drug company special discounts for everyone, mostly to keep them from getting sued over price fixing. And then there are drug company programs for people that have economic hardships. Plus Walmart and a couple others are the ones who started the flat rate generic drug programs. Many popular generics are just a flat $3 or $4 or what ever.
Put all that together and yep, it's a mess why some places have widely different prices.
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to refill my EpiPen®. Anyone want to spin the wheel of fortune and place a guess at what the price will be???
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