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 Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AsburyPark/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AsburyPark/join (Yahoo! 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