>DIY Network Hammers Home Great Ideas for Indoor Renovations with an Original Primetime Series Brothers On Call
DIY Network Hammers Home Great Ideas for Indoor Renovations With Six Original Primetime Series and Five New Experts This Fall Newcomers include “I Hate My Bath,” “The Adam Carolla Project,” “Kitchen Crashers,” “Million Dollar Contractor,” “Brothers On Call” and “I Want That.”
If kitchen and bathroom renovations aren’t inspiring enough, DIY Network introduces two new docu-series Brothers On Call and Million Dollar Contractor. Both series capture professional contractors as they navigate the day-to-day operation of running a home renovation business and offer DIY home improvement tips and best practices. Premiering Sunday, Oct. 16 at 9 p.m. ET, Brothers On Call features sibling contractors Terry and Jon Wittmaack and follows their Ridgewood, N.J., based family-owned remodeling company as they show viewers what it takes to succeed in the competitive world of construction. From changing light bulbs to overhauling living rooms, the Wittmaack brothers and their team do more than 1,000 projects a year and DIY Network’s cameras are there to capture their hectic and often hilarious world.
>Don’t count on getting 15 minutes of parking for your dime
Some time ago, during one of the many changes in Ridgewood parking rules, the two parking meters next to the post office (near E. Ridgewood Ave. and facing north on N. Walnut St.) were changed to have a 15-minute limitation. The idea was to give people just enough time to run into the post office and run out, freeing those handy meters for others.
But don’t count on getting a full 15 minutes for your dime.
About a month ago I put a dime in the meter closest to the corner–meter #216. (Yes, they have I.D. numbers.) To my surprise, the number of minutes that popped up on the screen was not 15, but 12. I later called the police department to report this; they kindly asked if I had gotten a ticket. No. But I had made it back with a minute or two to spare, when it should have shown 5 more minutes.
It’s hard enough to be sure you’ll get out of the P.O. line in 15 minutes; shaving 20% off the total makes the deadline even tighter. What’s really wrong is that the patron who receives a ticket and didn’t notice the number of minutes allowed may not realize that the meter zipped to zero in record time, and just pay up. What will happen as we get closer to those long P.O. lines for holiday mailings?
Today I parked at the second meter from the corner, #217. It had 3 minutes left on it. I know these meters are not additive and didn’t expect to get 18 minutes, as I would have on other meters. But the number that popped up was 14. Is this random?
When I returned from the post office 11 minutes later (whew!), the meter I’d previously reported (#216), which had a car next to it, was flashing. Has #216 been adjusted since I reported that it was giving only 12 minutes? Does anybody check the accuracy of the short-time meters, which exist elsewhere in town as well, to make sure they aren’t shaving minutes off the little time allowed? If the meters can’t be adjusted to that degree of accuracy, maybe they should allow 20 minutes for 15 cents.
How many tickets at 15-minute meters have been received, and paid, unfairly?
The Back-To-School Night dates listed in the RPS Newsline that was sent to homes last week has two corrections: Ridge Elementary School grades 3-5 and the High School. Please click here for a complete list of back to school nights
Gov. Chris Christie angers union by opening state offices after Hurricane Irene
Even in a hurricane, Gov. Chris Christie and the state’s largest public employee union can find something to disagree about.
After encouraging private employees to stay home today, he called on all state workers, except those who found it impossible to get to work, to show up.
For many, it was a formidable challenge. Route 18 in Middlesex County was still partly submerged under the Raritan River, and on Interstate 287 in Morris County, a chunk of the shoulder gave way.
In Trenton, where most of the state offices are situated, Route 29 — adjacent to the rain-swollen Delaware River — was deluged, and the parking garage at the Statehouse was closed.
Christie had little sympathy for his fellow public employees who had to sit in bumper-to-bumper traffic for hours trying to navigate around closed roads. And when one of their union leaders complained, Christie jumped like a batter waiting for a fastball. (Gibson, The Star-Ledger)
Metro-North resumed regular weekday service this morning on the Hudson Line, New Haven Main Line, and the Harlem Line to and from Southeast. Metro-North Service on the Port Jervis Line is suspended until further notice because of extensive hurricane damage. The LIRR has restored full weekday service on the Far Rockaway, Babylon, Port Washington, Hempstead, Ronkonkoma, and West Hempstead Branches, as well as west of Huntington. Subway, bus, SIR, and paratransit services are now running normally across the system with limited exceptions on bus routes.
>August 30th – Main/ line/ Bergen line Trains are expected to run on a regular weekday schedule. NY customers can connect with Path svc at Hbkn at no additional charge
> Storm Related Pickups – Random Collection through Sept. 20th 2011
Yardwaste – Storm Damage
Branches which have fallen as a result of the recent storm can be placed on house side of sidewalk…NOT at curb or street. Please do not block sidewalks or place in the street. We will randomly be going around town to collect storm debris. Do not call for at least 2 weeks for a missed pick up. Collection will be for branches only, not tree stumps.
Water Damage
If you have bulk garbage as a result of flooding, please place at the curb and it will be collected. Wednesday, August 31st is a scheduled bulk pick up for the West side. For the East side just place at the curb and it will be collected. PLEASE only debris as a result of flooding.
Pickup anticipated completed by Sept 20th. All yardwaste must be placed house side of sidewalk. Not on sidewalk or road area.
>Sanitation and Recycling Will Follow Normal Schedules – 8-29-11
Established Sanitation and Recycling
schedules will be maintained during the week of August 29th – If large
amount of garbage precludes completing a route – It will be completed
the following day.
Monday, August 29th – West Side Rearyard; Area 1 Recycle
Tuesday, August 30th – East Side Rearyard; Area 2 Recycle
Wednesday, August 31 – West Side Bulk
Thursday, September 1 -West Side Rearyard; Area 3 Recycle
Friday, September 2 – East Side Rearyard; Area 4 Recycle
>Irene: could have been so much worse had it hit as a category one hurricane!
Mary Ann Copp
The headquarters firehouse property flooded considerably
during Irene, including the area where the proposed cell tower was to
sited. While the tower theoretically could be built on stilts so large
equipment cabinets would not be flooded, one wonders how stable that
arrangement would be. Further, there are no federal standards for wind
speeds cell towers must be constructed to withstand. A communications
industry committee recommends somewhere around 85 mph, far less
than sustained wind speeds that Irene hit in the south and were
predicted to hit here. That said, cell towers are not appropriate for
virtually all of Ridgewood because of the hazards they pose to the
public and property in this largely residential and very populated area.
Seventeen cell towers fell during the Joplin, MO, tornadoes this
year. Cell towers have fallen even in 55 mph winds. All this risk is
unnecessary because Distributed Antenna Systems, or DAS, provide the
same, if not better, cell coverage through tiny antennas mounted on
telephone poles and connected by fiber optic wires.
Getting back
to our flooded headquarters firehouse–despite the relocation of fire
trucks and other equipment, our firefighters provided outstanding
service in our neighborhood, which was inundated. Firefighters surveyed
our neighborhood for flooded basements–there were a few–by early
afternoon, and by 4 p.m. returned to pump water from basements. They
did so between providing assistance to neighboring towns. We are
fortunate to have such an outstanding fire department. We were unable to
travel very far from our neighborhood due to roads being closed due to
flooding, but roads were very quickly blocked to prevent motorists from
going into flooded areas or areas where trees and power lines were down.
So village workers were out in full force and helping protect the
public.
My husband did a survey early Sunday morning of the
HoHoKus Brook to determine why so much flood water was coming
down nearby George Street and into our street. He found that water was
backing up behind an old cement bridge, much of which had fallen into
the brook. The bridge used to serve as a driveway from North Maple
Avenue into a house located on the western corner of Burnside Place.
Later, water was observed pooling around the area of this fallen bridge
and moving toward the firehouse, recycling center and water company
properties. Burnside Place residents told my husband that they have
asked the village to remove the dilapidated bridge many times. Now that
we have learned the hard way that this old bridge and its
debris contributes to flooding of residences and village property, the
village should take immediate action to remove it. As this constitutes
illegal fill in a floodway, the NJ DEP would agree. Village residents
and village property should not be subject to unnecessary additional
flooding risk, nor should our headquarters firehouse have further
impediments thrown in the way of its vital emergency services.
Since 2008, the village of Ridgewood has lost six of its seven automotive dealers. It would be easy to follow the crowd, and abandon the last one as well. It would be easy and wrong.
Ridgewood is a village of 25,000 people and one of the highest median incomes in the United States. This Village boasts over 65 restaurants, because the inhabitants have an extraordinary amount of discretionary income. This combination of wealth and under-served markets have convinced me to write to you today.
I take the train to work every day, as do most of the people who work in New York City, and I notice Ken Smith Motors every day as well. 1800 of the village’s most productive inhabitants share that train with me, and the physical location of Ken Smith, at the train station acts as a continual advertisement for not only the dealership but also the brand that it sells.
No wonder that when my wife needed a car, I leased it at Ken Smith, and when I needed one, I leased it there as well. The service is personable and the pickup and drop off cannot be easier. After all, the train station is right there.
The railroad creates another opportunity. It bisects the village, and there is only one way to cross the tracks in the downtown area. That one way is the underpass in front of Ken Smith. Think about it. If you are not taking the train, the only way to get from one side of downtown to the other is to go past Ken Smith. Every driver in Ridgewood has to do this all the time. Indeed the location of Ken Smith is probably the single largest reason that it alone survived the economic disaster.
My dealing with Ken Smith highlights another opportunity. As an “Intown” dealer, Ken Smith evokes a different kind of culture. A highway dealer must focus on landing that customer during the very first visit to the dealer. As much as the manufacturer would like to nudge dealerships into a higher, quality experience, the reality of dozens of dealers on a highway in close proximity require a market where time to build up trust and rapport simply doesn’t exist. The sales strategy of a highway dealer is more of a caveman approach. Hit them over the head. Drag them into the cave and have your way with them.
A dealer like Ken Smith cannot use the same strategy. As he knows his neighbors and participates in the village life, his typical customer will visit several times before the purchase They will create a relationship with the salesman and the management and when they buy or lease, they will have a more satisfactory experience. They will have a higher multiple purchase relationship, and they will feel comfortable introducing their friends and relatives to the dealership. This can only help promote the brand.
For all of the above, I strongly recommend that you grant Ken Smith Motors the FORD franchise that used to be on Maple Ave. in Ridgewood. Ford will help the dealership that lost the Mercury franchise when that was discontinued. The manufacturer will benefit from having a strong intown dealer with a stellar local reputation.
I am aware that “one size fits all” style guidelines exist that push dealerships onto inexpensive land adjoining a highway, but opportunity hides from “one size fits all”. When we take the decision out of the hands of learned people with the powers of observation, and place our faith in blind paperwork that worships sameness, we will miss the kind of place that will help Ford thrive and help the village as well. After all, it will still be the only dealership left in a very wealthy community.
With all best wishes, Sincerely, Greg Stewart Greg Stewart
The author of “The Smart Guide to Auto Leasing”
>Board of Education Regular Public Meeting
Date: 8/29/2011 (7:00 PM)
Calendar: Ridgewood Public Schools (Board of Ed Meetings)
Summary: NOTE CHANGE OF TIME
Ed Center, 3rd. Floor
49 Cottage Place
Ridgewood, NJ 07450
RHS Principal Jack Lorenz’s contract will be discussed among other things
>Interesting, why are the sprinklers on at the Travell field at 8:30 this morning? Probably no one to shut them off
I know some of the town workers. I was surprised that sanitation was not
called in. They were told to be by their phones but never were called.
They surely would have helped with the clean up yesterday afternoon. If
they were no longer town employees, they would not have even been
available to assist.
Just drove through Ho-Ho-Kus. The town was flooded and streets already look good. Great job on their part.
Interesting, why are the sprinklers on at the Travell field at 8:30 this morning? Probably no one to shut them off.
Harry Carson Wednesday., August 31st @ 6:00pm
New York Giants Hall of Fame Linebacker, Harry Carson, will sign his new book: Captain for Life
Books available Aug. 30th
Appearing authors will only autograph books purchased at Bookends and must have valid Bookends Receipt.Availability & pricing for all autographed books subject to change. Bookends cannot guarantee that the books that are Autographed will always be First Printings.
Autographed books purchased at Bookends are non-returnable.Please call the store for details.
Bookends, 211 E. Ridgewood Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ 07450 201-445-0726
