Essex County

[the schwartz]

I'm running for town council in the town where Joe D lives. One of my grandest plans is utilizing a piece of land the town acquired a year or two ago that's been sitting vacant for a pump track/flow trail system ala High Bridge. There's a couple trails back there now but they're an absolute swamp after any rain fall.

It's not a huge property but Joe D lives about .2 miles away. Could be a fun experiment.

View attachment 132555

He lives on Schweinberg Dr btw.

this is cool.

i live in West Orange, and the town bought a golf course last year. this is probably a totally crackheaded idea but the thought of building a pump track on that land definitely crossed my mind...

the beauty of that would be enhanced by its proximity to south mountain...

 

[the schwartz]

Is there a NICA team in Essex county, could that be used for a little bit of leverage to get the wheels rolling in the right direction?

there is the essex offroad composite - not sure where in essex the kids are from, but i know verona high school has some.
i'm looking to get involved in this team actually, maybe do some coaching or at least volunteer in some way. if anyone knows how i can get in touch i'd welcome a pointer

 

[JimN]

there is the essex offroad composite - not sure where in essex the kids are from, but i know verona high school has some.
i'm looking to get involved in this team actually, maybe do some coaching or at least volunteer in some way. if anyone knows how i can get in touch i'd welcome a pointer

@muddybike

 

[MadisonDan]

there is the essex offroad composite - not sure where in essex the kids are from, but i know verona high school has some.
i'm looking to get involved in this team actually, maybe do some coaching or at least volunteer in some way. if anyone knows how i can get in touch i'd welcome a pointer

@muddybike

 

[trailhead]

It's not just Joe.

Home

Learn about the 2,110-acre South Mountain Reservation, located in Essex County, NJ, and how the South Mountain Conservancy protects it now, and for future generations. News July

www.somocon.org

 

[Kirt]

Pretty tall task:

DiVincenzo announced in December 2017 that he would be running for a fifth term of office. He won the 2018 election with 80% of votes cast

 

[Zaskar]

This been going on along time. When the "ban" started in 95, I stopped riding Essex altogether. Wasn't until many years later I started riding here again.

Article from Bike Magazine from July 96...

 

[jmanic]

Is there a NICA team in Essex county, could that be used for a little bit of leverage to get the wheels rolling in the right direction?

This is a route that the Palisades squad is trying to gain access in Bergen Co.

 

[Kirt]

DIRT RAG FROM 95

 

[kidzach]

Off of the West Essex Trail in Cedar Grove there are a network of single track trails with some nicely maintained obstacles and jumps. The end of WET is Hilltop Reservation in Verona. This has some nice trails as well and so far it doesn't seem to be as much as a problem as the Mills. Maybe less people complaining there.

I've seen some mtb videos of folks on the Cedar Grove Trails. Looks like some good stuff. I need to check it out someday. I know Mills is actually illegal anyway. So pay head to that post Kirt started with. We as a mtb community are always up against the wealthy with no problem of airing their hatred for us. Just look at what happened at South Mountain Reservation and more recently Watchung Reservation. These folks like to go for a hike and not see a sole, as if it is their private trails. They have zero interest in sharing.

 

[kidzach]

One thing I find strange is the riders who ride these trails exclusively. I talk to a lot of guys who ride consistently but have never been to any of the other parks in the state.
Even though I live near all these trails, the trails I prefer happen to be legal, so it won’t affect me much. But I feel for the kids that live near these parks, they should be able to be kids and ride their bikes in the woods.

absolutely. It is a sad county when a kid can't get on a bike and ride in his/her local park where it would be safer than any street.

 

[Jmann]

Just look at what happened at South Mountain Reservation and more recently Watchung Reservation. These folks like to go for a hike and not see a sole, as if it is their private trails. They have zero interest in sharing.

And it doesn’t help that these parks are surrounded by affluent neighborhoods.

 

[goodvibe]

I don't see Joe D going out of office, like Norcorss in the South, it seems that they are the men behind the curtain in our state's politics. As for legalization, I attended the meetings about legalization at South Mountain that happened a few years before the Watchung meetings. They went about the same.

 

[goodvibe]

On top of that, SoMo will never be legal because Joe D and the freeholders wouldn't want any further opposition to the expansion of the Turtle Back Zoo and the monetization of the reservation. The South Mountain Conservancy actually does some good stuff and they are opposing bulldozing more of the reservation for an unneeded amphitheater at the Turtle Back Zoo.

 

[kidzach]

View attachment 132588View attachment 132589View attachment 132590View attachment 132591View attachment 132592

Thanks for sharing Kirt . Great read. My father used to mtb at South Mountain. I never had the chance
DIRT RAG FROM 95

 

[kidzach]

On top of that, SoMo will never be legal because Joe D and the freeholders wouldn't want any further opposition to the expansion of the Turtle Back Zoo and the monetization of the reservation. The South Mountain Conservancy actually does some good stuff and they are opposing bulldozing more of the reservation for an unneeded amphitheater at the Turtle Back Zoo.

But hasn't Joe D secretly snachted small parcels of land to make boat launches and expand so called parking lots from time to time ?

 

[Cassinonorth]

And it doesn’t help that these parks are surrounded by affluent neighborhoods.

We need the guys with $7k Santa Cruz's to start throwing their weight around.

 

[JDurk]

I don't see Joe D going out of office, like Norcorss in the South, it seems that they are the men behind the curtain in our state's politics.

George Norcross is not "voted into office", just a wealthy businessman who calls the shots for the D's.

 

[Rocksrgood4u]

George Norcross is not "voted into office", just a wealthy businessman who calls the shots for the D's.

Some are elected, some just rule over colonial-era forms of gov’t. Both resemble something from feudal times.
Look at the words:
County, as in Count and Countess

Freeholder, as in only free land holders could vote.

Home rule, dates back to British common law, colonial times. The reason why the average NJ town is 3sq miles. (I don’t want to live with the unwashed, let’s charter a new town.)

Millburn (So Mtn) has even mulled over seceding from Essex County and joining Union. Reason, don’t want to help pay for Newark no mo.

Ah, New Jersey.

 

[goldsbar]

We need the guys with $7k Santa Cruz's to start throwing their weight around.

Sort of. You can commute to your seven-figure Wall St. job and no one in town will even know who you are. There's a certain class that has to deal with politicians all the time and make, er, contributions. Developers, certain lawyers, local business owners.