About Little Falls' Great Notch

Little Falls NJ residents, particularly those who live in the Great Notch section of the Township, have won a hard fought battle with NJ Transit. Threats of closing the Great Notch Station and diverting all service to the Montclair State University station were met with resistance and protests by those residents who have come to depend on the convenience of the local train stop in their neighborhood. Service had already been severely cut back in preparation for the eventual closing of the station. But the voice of the people has been heard and not only has NJ Transit decided to keep the station open, but service has also been increased at Great Notch. This decision will be re-evaluated after a one year trail period to see if ridership increases and if the train stop remains a viable asset for NJ Transit.

This community info brought to you by your Little Falls Real Estate Team

Jim Albano and Jean-Marie Vantuno

www.yourhomenorthjersey.com

39 E. Main St.

Little Falls, NJ 07424

973-256-0303 ext 218

Update on the Great Notch Train Station: There is a movement afoot to save the Great Notch train station from extinction. The residents of Little Falls are standing up and being heard. Don't take our train station away.

SAVE GREAT NOTCH

New Jersey Transit (NJT) wants to close the Great Notch Station. A meeting has been scheduled for Wednesday, September 3, 2008 at the Little Falls Municipal Building to get public opinion before officially closing the station.

This will be our last chance to save the Great Notch station

This station has served our community for over 120 years and can continue to be a viable transit hub if we get out and tell NJT that we need and want the Great Notch station. Attend this meeting if you care about Little Falls and the Great Notch area. Not only will the cost of your daily commute go up, property values will also be affected. There are over 300 households within walking distance of the Great Notch station.

In various newspaper articles the issues as stated by NJT are: (1) too many stops due to three stations in Little Falls, (2) Low ridership and (3) maintenance costs.

•(1) The station at Montclair State is a car ride for everyone except those on Clove Road. Add in parking fees, waiting in lines and an extra car and your commute is now longer and more expensive. It's only a mile but there is no easy way to walk there.

•(2) There is low ridership due to NJT removing all rush hour and afternoon trains from the schedule. 74 people used this station daily before the cuts and now there are only 14. There were 8 trains serving the Great Notch station daily in 2003 and now after the elimination of 3 trains in February 2008 there is only 1 at 8:36 AM.

(3) Maintenance costs are minimal and are mostly related to snow removal. There has been no other work done on the station.

At a meeting with NJT on August 21^st, Little Falls representatives proposed that 5 of the electric trains from Montclair State University start their daily run from the Great Notch station. Several electric trains already back into the Great Notch station but the doors are not opened. If you want train service restored to the Great Notch station in Little Falls you should attend this meeting to protest the closing and demand more train service.

The Great Notch station is am important part of our community.

Don't let them shut it down.

Little Falls Transportation Committee

This important announcement and information is brought to you by your community sponsors and Little Falls Real Estate Team

Jim Albano and Jean-Marie Vantuno

39 East Main St.

Little Falls, NJ 07424

973-256-0303 ext 218

www.yourhomenorthjersey.com

Most folks peek through the curtains or watch from the curb just wishing they could help.

If you're between the ages of 18 and 45, your chance is now!

Become a Volunteer Fire Fighter

Join the Great Notch Fire Company

Little Falls NJ has a superb Volunteer Fire Department that includes the Great Notch Fire Company which is comprised of people from the Great Notch neighborhoods. New recruits are needed to help keep this important element of our community alive, strong, and effective. If you think you've got what it takes and are interested in becoming a Fire Fighter and would like to join the Great Notch Fire Company - stop in at the Fire House located on Long Hill Rd on Monday nights at 7pm or call 973-223-5884. Your chance is now!

This information brought to you by your community sponsors and Little Falls Real Estate Buyers Team

Jim Albano and Jean-Marie Vantuno

39 East Main St.

Little Falls, NJ 07424

973-256-0303 ext 218

www.yourhomenorthjersey.com

A Little Falls NJ train station may close soon. Could this be "the last stop" for the Great Notch Station?

Although this is a small station with very limited parking some commuters and residents are both saddened and angered by the news that the 100-year-old "Great Notch" Little Falls - NJ Transit station may close in October. Many residents specifically bought homes nearby because they could walk to the local station for their morning commute.

Bill Wilk, the Little Falls Township Administrator, said NJ Transit officials reached him prior to Monday night's Township Council meeting with news of the train station's possible closure. NJ Transit officials say steadily declining ridership is the main reason the station may close this year. However, residents blame a series of recent scheduling changes that reduced the number of trains at Great Notch. The number of trains that stop here have been reduced dramatically over the years. The most recent cuts have reduced service to one morning stop at 8:36 and two evening stops at 5:52 and 6:23. Supporters contend that logic says if stops are reduced, ridership will obviously go down.

A public hearing is scheduled for Sept. 3 at the municipal building on Main Street. Residents will be able to share their opinions on the possible closure of the Great Notch station with a spokesman for NJ Transit.

In addition to the Great Notch and Montclair State University stations, the township also has the Little Falls stop on Union Avenue.

This local information is brought to you by your Little Falls NJ Buyers Team

Jim Albano & Jean-Marie Vantuno

39 E. Main St.

Little Falls, NJ 07424

973-256-0303 ext 218

www.yourhomenorthjersey.com

www.northjerseycondos.com

What housing slump? I held a Public Open House today along with my listing partner on one of our new listings. It was a beautiful day here in Little Falls, NJ - clear blue sky, temperature around fifty degrees, bright sunshine - just a great day for an Open House. We had 23 visitors plus another 3 that came by with agents and 2 agents who came on their own to preview the listing for clients. I had a feeling that it would be a busy day because of the location of the property and the price. I just never expected the amount of traffic that we had. This tells me one thing - the Real Estate market in North Jersey is heating up. Now we've got a lot of follow up phone calls planned for tomorrow. Hopefully we'll have a buyer soon. The Real Estate market in North Jersey is ready to take off again. Will you be ready?

Your North Jersey Real Estate Source

39 E. Main St.

Little Falls, NJ 07424

973-256-0303 ext 211

Jim Albano

www.yourhomenorthjersey.com

www.montclairbound.com

http://www.northjerseycondos.com/