“Pick Your Poison”: Outrage Erupts as Ridgewood Village Manager Dismisses Toxic Soil Concerns
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, The long-simmering controversy over the Schedler property cleanup boiled over during a recent Ridgewood Village meeting, leaving residents stunned and demanding accountability. What was meant to be a discussion on remediation strategies turned into a public relations disaster when the Village Manager told concerned citizens they would simply have to “pick your poison” when choosing how to handle contaminated soil.
The comment, intended as a colloquialism, landed with a heavy thud in a room filled with families worried about actual, physical toxins in their neighborhood.
The Schedler Property: A Million-Dollar Headache
The Schedler property, a site earmarked for the development of new artificial turf fields, has been under intense scrutiny for years. Recent testing confirmed the presence of contaminated fill soil, containing:
-
Elevated Chemical Levels: Hazardous substances that exceed safety standards.
-
Solid Waste: Debris found mixed within the imported soil.
Perhaps most frustrating for residents is the origin of the contamination. The tainted soil was previously imported to the site under the Village’s own direction. Now, Ridgewood taxpayers are left footing a cleanup bill estimated in the millions of dollars.
A Language Gap or a Leadership Gap?
When the Village Manager used the phrase “pick your poison” to describe the trade-offs between various remediation costs and methods, the backlash was immediate. Residents argued that using metaphors about “poison” is deeply inappropriate when the community is literally discussing public health risks and environmental safety.
Instead of a retraction, the Village Manager defended the remark as a “common expression.” This “doubling down” has only widened the rift between the dais and the public.
“To him, it’s a phrase. To us, it’s real,” noted one resident following the meeting.
The Growing Divide in Ridgewood
The “Pick Your Poison” incident is more than just a poor choice of words; it is a symbol of the ongoing tension regarding the Schedler project. Critics point to three main areas of failure:
-
Accountability: Residents feel the Village has yet to take full responsibility for importing the contaminated soil in the first place.
-
Transparency: Concerns about long-term exposure and environmental impact have dominated meetings for years, yet residents feel their voices are being marginalized.
-
Sensitivity: The lack of an apology for the “poison” remark suggests a disconnect from the genuine fears of the community.
What’s Next for Schedler?
As Ridgewood moves forward with this high-stakes cleanup, the challenge isn’t just removing physical toxins from the ground—it’s removing the “toxic” atmosphere from Village Hall. For trust to be rebuilt, officials must shift from defensive rhetoric to a strategy rooted in empathy and clear, actionable safety guarantees.
Stay updated on state and national news that affects you. From politics to policy, from culture to current affairs, our eBlast will keep you well-informed . http://eepurl.com/bgt6T #RidgewoodBlog #News #LocalNews #StateNews #NationalNews #Subscribe #StayInformed #Community
Tags: #RidgewoodNJ #SchedlerProperty #PublicHealth #LocalGovernment #EnvironmentalSafety #BergenCounty #TaxpayerAccountability #SoilContamination
Everyone can just take a bath and rinse with soap.
Habernickel next please.
That’s the managers baby. I think the toxic soil is under the pavilion. That’s why it went up so fast. What is buried u see there people?
He’s is NOT a manager, he’s a political hit man for whomever pays him.
One thing is crystal clear, Keith Kazmark works for the best interest of everyone but the public.
Do you expect more from someone like him?
Own the mistake. Don’t minimize it and try to squash it with your inflated ego.
The “Passaic” way he’s so proud of.
One word CLASSLESS. You are the company you keep. Him and Bigios and that mayor
Residents are not choosing between inconveniences, they’re being asked to accept risk imposed by the municipality.
“The tainted soil was previously imported to the site under the Village’s own direction. Now, Ridgewood taxpayers are left footing a cleanup bill estimated in the millions of dollars.”
The joke is on US.
Put that engineer on the hook and so many others who brought the soil in in the wee hours of the morning
Take it out of Rutishauser’s pension.
I asked the question of why was the berm installed there at all? Answer: to protect those using the park from vehicles that could veer off of Rt 17. I asked then, if the berm is removed, then is that danger not existing any longer? The answer was that “some sort of barrier guardrail would be installed. I asked for more details on that but they said that they haven’t planned that yet. Shouldn’t we know and possibly approve or disapprove of this mysterious plan before the berm is removed? I think safety should be paramount but apparently not. It seems as though the most important plan is to move ahead quickly to put in this field. Apparently this rushing ahead without due consideration is the reason why we are in this position to “choose our poison .”
Keith instructed his engineer to evaluate the guard rail and agreed this was an area to follow up on and resolve before the work begins. That was my take away.
Oh, I thought he meant “pick your poison” — either Schedler, Habernickel, Van Neste, Hudson Street Garage, or one of the many Village sites where they buried fill.
The area where a small ( I am sure there is more under that pavilion and in that garden) but the actual area they claimed was tainted is a small square next to the garden…well shockingly NOT even grass will grow on that patch. I guess they didn’t get it all. But so scary what could be in the playground and garden I wouldn’t let a rat eat the bugs from that park. Who knows what is really tainted
The additional Open Space funds will be used to pay for a barrier.
Peewee’s toxic playhouse. The gift that keeps on giving.
Not much grooming at Habernickel lately. Every tree they plant dies, every shrub dies. Grass where the stable was died. There is more toxic soil then they originally thought in Habernickel because it looks God awful over there. So much death. Not much growth. That has to mean something. Hazmat suits?
Insensitive to only the cry baby writer lol
the kickbacks from turf are just too big
If you need to hide your name to call residents “crybabies,” you are not engaging in good faith, you are attempting to discredit legitimate concern without accountability.
The issue is not emotion. The issue is contamination, exposure pathways, and risk to children. Those are measurable, documentable facts.
What’s more concerning is the response from leadership. The Village Manager, the Mayor, the Council, and affiliated sports organizations have been presented with these concerns and have chosen dismissal over transparency. Next time you make a stupid comment and post your name.
Just remember the investigator talk to one of the ex employees of the village Supposedly this individual knows where all the skeletons are and who put them there. And he has all the paperwork and photos to back it up. And that goes back a long time. What do you think that’s the only locations that has toxic material. There’s a few more locations that haven’t been disclosed yet. They better get a few more millions to clean it up.
Keith Kazmark read above 👆🏻
When challenged, instead of recalibrating, he anchored in intent. Sign of a very weak and insecure leader.
He’s communicating like someone protecting his organization and internal team, not like someone prioritizing the concerns of the public in front of him.
He’s predictable: pressure makes him more controlled, more defensive, and more aligned with insiders—not more reflective. Ridgewood and the position are to big for him.
Defensiveness, poor public communication, lack of empathy, and adversarial dynamics. 🧹🗑️
“Actionable” means eligible for legal action to be taken against it.
There is no way he’d do this remediation without environmental or health risks assessments if he were putting the public’s interests first.
I find it interesting that “The Village Manager” has no name, unless his name is “the Village Manager”.
Keith Kazmark #keithkazmark
Link to full video of meeting.
Pick your poison 1:37:22 Mark
https://www.youtube.com/live/p1QKJRJoDpU?si=zWDWUZv30oEVCm7K
The Village manager and the new director, same old same old story. They have to answer up to the mayor and council. They’re just new puppets. Like I told you the same shit is still occurring for 30 years, it’s always the people behind the curtain. Prove me wrong. Do you think these new people give two shits, I don’t blame them, blame everyone before them. Simple as that they knew what was going on. Don’t know they weren’t stupid. They were slick, and don’t tell us that they didn’t get paid off somehow, I’m both fans, and if they didn’t then guess they are stupid, dumb, where is the fly on the wall? I’m sure they fly flying around. Village. All knows exactly who is responsible.