Larkin House Fee Back on Table

Township Committeemen Monday night voted to reintroduce an ordinance to raise "nominal" funds for a public property they say is in need of about $20,000 worth of rehab.

After , the committee has rejiggered legislation that would charge $25 per event, per day, to groups who want to use the .

The latest iteration of the ordinance proposes the $25 fee for all groups excluding the township's Senior Citizens' Club, Community Emergency Response Team, Board of Education, PTO, recreational sport booster groups, and Partners in Pride.

Of specific interest at the committee's latest powwow was the addition a $1,000 cap for Activities Unlimited — an organization of retired and semi-retired men sponsored by the — for up to 52 uses per calendar year.

Committeeman Kevin Rooney thanked AU members for meeting with the committee members and agreeing on a new proposal.

"I think it works well both for your group and the municipality," Rooney said, acknowledging the need to address a number of concerns with the Godwin Avenue property.

"The Larkin House right now needs about $20,000 worth of repair and that's just some outside facade and the carpet — that doesn't speak to the utilities and maintenance."

If passed, the Larkin House fee would likely only raise about $2,500 per year, according to Rooney.

"It's not going to cure the situation, but it is going to help," he said.

The mayor and committee faced vocal opposition from AU members who believed it was unfair that an earlier version of the ordinance included an exemption for the Wyckoff Senior Citizens Club but not for their group.

Wyckoff Mayor Chris DePhillips said Monday that although there are "significant exemptions" included in the latest proposed ordinance, it's a step in the right direction.

"When we first discussed this a couple of months ago, I believe what's come back is better than it was before and substantially improved," DePhillips said.

Committeeman Rudy Boonstra was less effusive about the ordinance, but nonetheless voted in line with DePhillips, Rooney and Committeeman Doug Christie.

"I'm not going to oppose it, I don't know that it's a great idea but I will give it a try and see how it goes," Boonstra said.

Committeeman Brian Scanlan, who participated in the committee's discussion with AU representatives, was absent from the meeting, but voiced his support of the ordinance.

The ordinance also retains the right of the municipality to "exempt any other Wyckoff organization [from the $25 fee] that it determines is nonpartisan and performs services or makes donations which regularly benefit the Township of Wyckoff."

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