Not so I could read the latest news about multiplexer technology or circuit pack failure rates, of course, but because I was in love with the order forms themselves: "Wish Fulfillment Form" they tantalizingly proclaimed across the top. What a wonderful concept!

The only thing that kept me from eagerly filling in "personal chef and housekeeper" or "around-the-world adventure" was the mental image of three Wackenhut security guards grimly escorting me to my car.

Eight years later, I experienced that same magical rush when I flipped through my September 1 city council packet and extracted a single slip of paper entitled "An Ordinance Establishing Titles and Setting Salaries for Certain Employees of the City of Asbury Park."

Okay, okay - so maybe it doesn't have quite the fairytale ring of "Wish Fulfillment Form" but - in that groaning stack of bill lists, redevelopment documents, legal opinions and engineering reports - it made me want to shout, "Hey, look everybody, how cool is this?"

Because our city is scoring a major victory with the hiring of our first-ever Human Resource Coordinator and our first-in-a-long-time Recreation Supervisor.

Asbury Park may be bouncing along toward economic recovery, but it won't mean a thing to longtime residents if they can't qualify for meaningful jobs and if they can't afford market-rate - or even affordable - housing. (And, yes, we're working overtime to break some legal and logistical logjams that will help us provide attractive and affordable units for residents who need them most. Keep your fingers crossed that we'll have more to report in the near future.)

Meanwhile, how do we ensure that poorer residents are not left out of the anticipated economic boom? Our full-time Human Resource Coordinator will be responsible for creating an Asbury Park Employment Resource Center that will help residents obtain direct access to job training, counseling and placement services.

City Economic Development Director Tom Gilmour - who will supervise the new coordinator - has already established strong ties with the New Jersey Department of Labor, the National Retail Foundation (NRF), and Brookdale Community College that will let us link to those organizations' programs, services and funding.

For example, our new coordinator will work closely with the Department of Labor's expanding "one-stop" career center in Neptune, and the NRF hopes to establish one of its highly successful Customer Service Skills Centers in Asbury Park. The NRF currently operates three other training facilities in the state - most notably at Jersey Gardens Mall in Elizabeth - that help low-income residents win better jobs in retail, hospitality, banking, and similar customer-contact fields.

And the new coordinator will work with other city departments and with public and private agencies to address the myriad of non-traditional employment obstacles facing Asbury Park residents, including lack of high school diplomas and GEDs, lack or loss of driver's licenses, inadequate childcare and transportation, and criminal or drug histories.

He or she will also work with in-town developers - whose redevelopment contracts specify that they must hire a certain percentage of city workers or purchase supplies from city businesses - and will seek agreements with out-of-town employers to hire trained Asbury Park residents.

Similarly, the new Recreation Supervisor will coordinate with area agencies offering recreation programs to city residents and will develop new programs where none exist. And the benefits won't be felt only by our youngest residents: Our new expert in urban recreation will be responsible for providing programs for pre-school and grade-school children, teens, young adults, adults, seniors, and families.

"It's long overdue," said Social and Human Services Director Tony Nuccio, who will supervise the new employee. "Years ago, the city had a full-blown recreation program, but now we've been operating on a shoestring."

Such programs will not only help keep our kids safe and motivated, but they'll let all Asbury Park's residents share in the benefits that redevelopment brings.

And Susan Chapman, who recently accepted the vacant Program Development Aide position in Tony's department, will work with our new professionals to integrate the city's job and recreation programs with our current social and human service initiatives.

So how do we propose to pay for these two new positions before redevelopment tax benefits really kick in? In their first year, the Recreation Supervisor will be paid out of city tax revenues and the Human Resource Coordinator's salary will be drawn from the community development funds provided by Asbury Partners, our beachfront redevelopers.

In subsequent years, it will be the responsibility of these two professionals and their departments to obtain grants to cover most or all of their salaries and benefits.

Want to learn more about these civil service positions? Check out the job descriptions on www.cityofasburypark.com, or contact Tom Gilmour (732-502-5749) about the human resources position and Tony Nuccio (732-502-5757) about the recreation job.

And, for those of you looking for a little "wish fulfillment" on the redevelopment front, check out the fabulous new scaffolding going up around the downtown Steinbach Building and look for the October 14 groundbreaking ceremonies at the Wesley Lake and Paramount Homes beachfront condominium sites.

With all of these adventures heating up, I might even postpone that around-the-world trip.