Hello friends,
Below are the questions readers have submitted for the Asbury Park
Press editorial board to ask Madison Marquette's Gary Matolla on
Monday. Still time to submit more if you wish.
Gary - have you talked to these folks about a music Hall of Fame
site? If not I'd like to help you put together a presentation.
Here are the questions:
Randy Bergmann said...
Here are a few of the questions that have been e-mailed to me to ask
Madison Marquette at Monday's editorial board meeting. Keep them
coming:
Is it true MM plans to have rides of sorts like in previous times? I
know at a meeting they said there would be. But does that statement
still hold true? Or was that just a statement to catch the public's
attention? I'd like to see that type of atmosphere again. Blinking
lights, signs, "fun."
Does MM have any plans of negotiating, or trying to reopen the part
of Lake Ave that was closed off? Or are they statisfied with this
change?
Will the actual boardwalk itself be renovated in any fashion? I see
renderings where the boardwalk looks very different in shape. The
boardwalk had to be updated as part of the agreement by Oceanfront
Asbury. Was it a fast job on purpose? Because in the long run,
someone like MM would come along to update it?
11:40 AM, June 06, 2007
Anonymous said...
1. Up until the last decade or so, both the Paramount Theater and
Convention Hall were able to buck the trend of the rest of the city
and attract a fair amount of shows and concerts (gem shows, classic
car shows, Metro Lyric Opera). Yet recently they have lain dormant
to the detriment of both the city and region. What is Madison
Marquette's plan to legitimately (meaning more than just a Stone
Pony-style paint job) restore these two spaces and book shows that
will actually attract sold-out audiences? Will they bring in an
experienced promoter (like John Scher in the 70s) to book shows that
would appeal to a wide audience?
2.) One thing that sets Asbury Park apart from other resorts like
Seaside, Point Pleasant and Keansburg is the Kilgen pipe organ
within Convention Hall. Is Madison Marquette aware of both its
historic significance and commercial potential (free summer concerts
and open windows bringing pedestrians in to vendors in the arcade)
and what steps are the company taking to help restore the organ and
put it back to full-time use?
3.) What exactly is the plan for the Casino? Will the carousel
return? Will a new one be installed?
4.) Will the boardwalk/casino arcade be reconnected to Ocean Grove's
boardwalk? And will Madison Marquette work with Ocean Grove on
projects that could be mutually beneficial to both towns?
5.) Even in AP's darkest days, the beach was packed every Memorial
Day weekend thanks to WNEW-FM's annual beach party and concert.
Bearing in mind that station no longer exists, will Madison
Marquette consider inviting another equally influential media outlet
(radio/television) to host a similar event at the beginning of each
beach season in order to attract customers to the boardwalk and the
town in general?
6.) Asbury Park is woefully short on hotel rooms. Is Madison
Marquette in a position to either restore former hotels like the
Metropolitan or build new ones in order to attract both vacationers
and small conventions that could fill Convention Hall? If yes, will
they be real hotels and not another Flamingo?
7.) Asbury Park is also woefully short on parking, particularly on
the south end of town. How will (or can) Madison Marquette address
that as more retail and entertainment outlets open up?
8.) Will there be bathing pavilions with changing lockers (and
possibly freshwater pool)?
9.) The town's dire financial straits have led to a "we'll take what
we can get" mentality that has given us skate parks inside the
former carousel house and strip clubs along Kingsley Avenue. What
aesthetic steps will Madison Marquette take to prevent Asbury Park
from becoming a clone of Seaside or Keansburg?
10.) Please address the rumors of moving the Stone Pony into the
Casino, which would be akin to moving the Empire State Building to
Staten Island.
11.) Asbury Park (and the shore in general) has long been home to a
glut of rock music clubs fighting for the same audience. Will
Madison Marquette diversify the market by opening clubs that cater
to different genres? (R & B, house, reggae, jazz, etc.)
12.) What provisions are Madison Marquette making to ensure that
retail jobs (ride operators, projectionists, sales clerks) will go
to qualified Asbury Park residents?
13.) This last one is not so much a question as a comment. The trend
toward building condominiums in AP has been justified by the
groundless axiom that the jet-age and the rise of Great Adventure
conspired to kill the amusement-themed Asbury Park of old. Were this
true, Point Pleasant and Seaside would have fallen on equally hard
times. They did not. Please bear that in mind as you encounter the
usual broken record of resistance to thinking outside the box. Thank
you.
11:55 AM, June 06, 2007
Randy Bergmann said...
Here are two more questions sent to me by e-mail in advance of
Monday's editorial board meeting with Madison Marquette:
Will Madison Marquette be following the original WRA plan currently
in place or is it seeking to make changes to it? If so, what are
they?
Does Madison Marquette see the new Asbury Park as a retail and
entertainment destination or something different?
What are the specific plans for the pavillion north of Convention
Hall?
12:09 PM, June 06, 2007
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