Friday, February 22, 2013
After 67 years, the last of the old guard Main Street merchants will soon be closed for good.
Throughout the years, Main Street has undergone many changes, but arguably, none as radical as this. On March 7, brothers Terry and Bruce Holtje will close their door one final time--the last of the familiar mom-and-pop stores to vacate the western boundary of lower Main Street. Holtje's was the last of the neighborhood places where people could stop in just to catch up on what's going on in town. The last of the neighborhood places where pictures of local legends hang prominently behind the counter. The last of the neighborhood places where the owners knew both your father and mother, and in many cases--even your grandparents. "I told my wife, after 60 years of working in this store, I'm taking the next two months off," Terry Holtje said…
40.85129
-73.9708
Fort Lee Hardware & Supply
214 Main St, Fort Lee, NJ
/articles/holtje-s-fort-lee-hardware-bids-adieu
1770484
/locations/8864740
Monday, December 24, 2012
United Republican Club of Fort Lee official says in this Op-Ed that the goal is to collect 2,000 signatures by Dec. 28 and either a referendum on the roughly $2 million acquisition or a reversal of the governing body’s decision.
- GOVERNMENT
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Monday, December 24, 2012
The Fort Lee Republican organization has created an online petition opposing a decision by the Mayor and Council to appropriate more than $2 million to acquire land at 183 Main St., the current location of Woori Bank, for a park on the West parcel of Redevelopment Area 5. “Fort Lee does not need more debt,” the wording of the petition begins. “If a private venture is interested in a property it should be purchased entirely by this entity. The municipality does not need to be in the speculative business of real estate.” United Republican Club of Fort Lee vice president Keith Jensen submitted the following Op-Ed regarding the acquisition of the land and the petition to stop it: Essentially, the Borough of Fort Lee is guising the subsidizing …
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Police charged a 52-year-old man with DWI, after he allegedly crashed into a telephone pole on Lemoine Avenue late Tuesday night. Lemoine was closed between Main and Whiteman Streets until about 4 p.m. Wednesday.
An Englewood Cliffs man was charged with drunk driving after allegedly crashing into a telephone pole late Tuesday night and bringing down live wires across Lemoine Avenue at Hoym Street in Fort Lee, police said. Lemoine remained closed between Main Street and Whiteman Street Wednesday morning, snarling rush hour traffic in the borough, and police said the section of road wasn’t expected to reopen until late afternoon or early evening. Fort Lee police were detouring traffic at intersections leading to the scene Wednesday morning, and PSE&G crews were working at the scene near Whiteman Plaza, where wires remained on the ground across the entire roadway. Palisades Avenue was open leading to the George Washington Bridge, but traffic was …
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
The Mayor and Council passed a resolution settling a lawsuit and an ordinance financing the acquisition of land at 183 Main St., the current location of Woori Bank, for a park on the West parcel of Redevelopment Area 5.
The Fort Lee Mayor and Council Wednesday passed an ordinance to acquire land at 183 Main St. that will ultimately become a park on the western half of Redevelopment Area 5. A resolution “amicably” settling a lawsuit over the property, which is currently occupied by Woori Bank, also passed unanimously, paving the way for the borough to purchase the land for $2,050,000, of which slightly more than $1.95 million will be financed through bonding. Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich estimated that the property is worth nearly three times what the borough is paying for it and said that having the bank building there “would have a detrimental effect on the entire area.” Sokolich said Tucker Redevelopment Associates, the developer of the West parcel of …
40.851042
-73.969087
183 Main St, Fort Lee, NJ
/articles/fort-lee-to-acquire-main-street-property-for-2m-to-build-park
/locations/8313809
Monday, September 17, 2012
Mayor says the proposed affordable and special-needs-designated units at 69 Main St. should satisfy Fort Lee’s requirements “attributable to Redevelopment 5.”
Fort Lee took a step toward closing the gap between demand and availability for housing for adults with special needs last week, when the Borough Council unanimously approved a 15-story, 140-unit high-rise apartment building on lower Main Street at its regular meeting Thursday. More than half of the units would be affordable housing, and 57 units would be dedicated to people with special needs if the Fort Lee Planning Board approves the plan. “We need to satisfy our low and moderate income housing obligation,” said Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich of the development at 69 Main St. “And that’s all attributable to Redevelopment 5. I’m having it built off-site, as opposed to at Redevelopment 5.” Sokolich added that the Mayor and Council are “…
40.849651
-73.964683
Prestige Auto Body
69 Main St, Fort Lee, NJ
/articles/fort-lee-approves-special-needs-housing-proposal-on-lower-main-street
1770533
/locations/7858353
Monday, July 16, 2012
The fire began Sunday morning with a transformer that blew on Old Palisade Road, forcing Main Street businesses to close and even one Fort Lee firehouse to lose power. But fire officials said power was restored to the area as of late Sunday night.
Power was fully restored late Sunday night after an underground electrical fire closed a portion of Main Street earlier in the day, briefly leaving about 250 homes and businesses without power, officials said. “I believe everything was 100 percent back to normal as of late last night,” said Fort Lee Fire Chief Keith Sabatino Monday morning. On Sunday officials said black smoke was “pouring out” of a sidewalk vent from an underground vault that houses electrical wires on Main Street. Sabatino said the fire was likely the result of a transformer blowout at 200 Old Palisade Rd., and that when PSE&G cut the power to that building, there may have been a "back feed" up Main Street, which caused the underground fire. There was another …
40.85086
-73.96781
146 Main St, Fort Lee, NJ
/articles/main-street-back-to-normal-after-underground-electrical-fire
/locations/7429860
Friday, June 1, 2012
This year’s festival features something for just about everyone and includes a “Going Green Fair.”
The 10th annual Fort Lee Arts & Music Festival is Sunday, and it promises to be a good time for all, with more than 125 vendors, a juried art show, a Harley Davidson Motorcycle Show, two stages of free entertainment, a food court, free bounce rides, rock wall climbing, face painting for the kids and interactive displays courtesy of the Fort Lee Fire Department. This year’s featured musical act is The Doughboys, who will be performing on the main stage at 4:30 p.m. “The Doughboys will be performing a full 90-minute set of their original and favorite 60s covers,” according to the band’s website. In addition, the festival will once again feature a “Going Green Fair,” sponsored by the Fort Lee Environmental Committee, something started last …
40.85208
-73.97232
Main St & Center Ave, Fort Lee, NJ
/articles/tenth-annual-arts-and-music-festival-is-sunday-on-main-street
/locations/7131860
40.85117
-73.97013
Main St & Lemoine Ave, Fort Lee, NJ
/articles/tenth-annual-arts-and-music-festival-is-sunday-on-main-street
/locations/7131861
Thursday, May 17, 2012
The annual carnival returns after rainfall to indulge residents with plenty of food, rides, and fun. Add to photographer John Ford's photo gallery if you'll be attending this week by clicking the "Upload" button.
- THE NEIGHBORHOOD FILES
- John Ford
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Thursday, May 17, 2012
The annual Madonna Carnival returned to Main Street Wednesday. Originally scheduled for Tuesday, the carnival's opening night had to be postponed due to the heavy rain in Fort Lee. Father Carey, the pastor of Madonna Church, said that since everything was saturated the rides couldn't operate. It's an old joke that when the Madonna Carnival starts up in Fort Lee, so do the spring rains. In fact, at last week's regular meeting of the Fort Lee Mayor and Council, Councilman Joseph Cervieri quipped, "Bring out your umbrellas because it’s that time of the year; Madonna Carnival is starting next week." "It’s an event that can’t be missed," Cervieri said. "It’s right here next to the library so come out and support your local church and see your …
40.85284
-73.97346
Church of the Madonna
340 Main St, Fort Lee, NJ
/articles/madonna-carnival-lights-up-main-street
1769883
/locations/7039464
Monday, May 7, 2012
Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich calls rehabilitating Fort Lee’s downtown and establishing an SID “equally as important as Redevelopment Area 5.” What do you think?
The Fort Lee Mayor and Council took another step Thursday toward potentially designating an area of Main Street as a Special Improvement District (SID), a designation officials say would beautify the area and provide for everything from landscaping and planting, to improved curbs and crosswalks, to better facades and other improvements to downtown businesses. Borough officials recently hired consultant Don Smartt, who NorthJersey.com reported has set up more than 30 such districts in New Jersey, “to determine whether the area would benefit from” SID designation at a cost of $15,000 and after reviewing almost 20 proposals, according to the report. At the governing body’s executive session Thursday, Borough Administrator Peggy Thomas told …
Thursday, March 15, 2012
County police have ticketed drivers for turning right at an intersection where the light is long and borough officials say a “No Turn on Red” sign might not be necessary.
For several months, drivers in Fort Lee travelling down Central Road and making a right turn onto Main Street have encountered, just before the intersection, a temporary, variable message sign that says, alternately, “Watch For Pedestrians,” “Obey All Traffic Laws,” and finally, “No Turn On Red.” That sign and the reason for it being at the intersection was the subject of an off-agenda discussion at the Fort Lee Mayor and Council executive session Thursday that concluded with borough officials deciding they would take another look at whether it’s really needed. “Two people have stopped me in the last three days asking me why is it ‘no turn on red’ because that light is awfully long,” said Councilman Joseph Cervieri. “They sit there for …
40.85069
-73.96632
Central Rd & Main St, Fort Lee, NJ
/articles/no-right-on-red-borough-officials-may-revisit-rule-at-central-road-and-main
/locations/6599137
Robyn Nadel
9:05 am on Tuesday, March 5, 2013
The Holtje's footprints will be on Main Street always. Wishing you all good health, happiness, time to pursue your dreams and the best of everything always. Thank you for years of great service, your kindness, humor, and for the opportunity to tell one terrific business and personal story of the Holtje family for Patch.com. Peace :) more ›