Local Mayor’s Visit to Hawes Elementary Sparks Fierce Schedler Property Debate in Ridgewood
photos courtesy of the Ridgewood School System
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, A seemingly heartwarming moment of civic engagement at Hawes Elementary School has thrust a controversial local environmental issue back into the spotlight, highlighting growing community frustrations over municipal land-use decisions.
The conversation began when Scarlett, an environmentally conscious first-grader at Hawes, took the initiative to write a letter to Ridgewood Mayor Paul Vagianos. In her letter, she shared her youthful concerns about the planet and asked what could be done locally to improve the environment.
In response, Mayor Vagianos made a special visit to Hawes Elementary to meet with Scarlett in person, answering her questions and praising her early dedication to public service.
From Feel-Good PR to Neighborhood Protest: The Schedler Connection
While the school district celebrated the encounter as an example of “civic engagement in action,” the visit drew immediate, sharp criticism from neighborhood advocates. Many local residents view the event as a staged public relations moment that masks a much more troubling local environmental reality.
The Hawes Elementary is the school that services the Schedler property neighborhood , a parcel of land that has been the epicenter of a fierce, multi-year dispute between municipal leadership and Ridgewood residents.
For the Schedler/Hawes community, the image of local politicians posing for environmental photo ops stands in stark contrast to active town policies. Critics argue that the administration is simultaneously moving forward with plans that actively compromise local green space.
The Key Environmental Concerns at Schedler Property
Opponents of the current municipal plan for the Schedler property argue that if the town truly values children’s voices regarding the environment, it must address the serious issues directly impacting their neighborhood:
1. Soil Contamination & Remediation
The ongoing cleanup and soil remediation timeline at the Schedler site has left many parents demanding complete transparency. Neighbors are calling for honest, unvarnished data regarding the nature of the soil contamination and the safety measures protecting nearby school grounds.
2. The Ecological Impact of Clear-Cutting
The removal of mature trees on the property to make way for development has drawn the ire of local conservationists. Critics note that clear-cutting one of the last remaining open green spaces in the area damages local biodiversity and reduces the natural canopy that filters air and water.
3. Artificial Turf and Long-Term Health Questions
Perhaps the most polarizing aspect of the development plan is the proposal to install synthetic turf fields. A growing number of parents and environmental advocates are raising alarm bells over the potential long-term health and environmental impacts of artificial turf, particularly regarding chemical runoff and heat retention on fields where children play.
The Call for Authentic Civic Engagement
For the residents living in the shadow of the Schedler project, true civic engagement means listening to the community when they speak out at public forums, not just when a first-grader writes an innocent letter.
As the debate over the future of Ridgewood’s open spaces continues, the neighborhood is demanding that town leaders move past carefully choreographed PR moments and engage in real, honest dialogue about the environmental legacy being left for the children of Hawes.
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Ridgewood NJBergen County NewsSchedler PropertyLocal PoliticsEnvironmental IssuesRidgewood Public SchoolsCommunity Protest
Why does Mr. Vagianos always feel the need to touch women and children during photo ops?
As a correctional social worker…I know this posture. There was a second picture, with the post, where the Mayor is snug up to the little girl and squeezing her arm. The Public School and people taking these PR pictures need to be trained to recognize the signs.
Maybe he’s a secure? Maybe he’s not a socially awkward, emotionally stunted and chromosomally deficient mutant? I don’t know but you seem to have an idea. What are you implying about the mayor, specifically?
Once a scumbag, always a scumbag. Wyckoff DMV office on June 19, 2006. Unbelievable.
Also his many visits and 🫣 photos at Hooters etc.
Pau-LIE,
For the residents living in the shadow of the Schedler project, true civic engagement means listening to the COMMUNITY when they speak out at public forums, not just when a first-grader writes an innocent letter.
He does not care about anyone as evidenced by almost every bad decision he has made that affect people in very substantial ways. He also brought in Kazmark the chief liar for hire to do his dirty work.
the decision was made long ago to satisfy the sports groups who want artificial turf. they don’t care about health risks….
“The Hawes Elementary neighborhood sits directly adjacent to the Schedler property”
Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t the Schedler property on the other side of route 17?
Closest school is the Glen school but that is not adjacent and you have to cross the Saddle River.
To get from Schendler to Hawes school you will pass Somerville school.
Everything east of route 17 should be given back to HoHoKus
Some comments are just too stupid
Yes. However, Hawes Elementary serves the neighborhood surrounding the Schedler property.
Kids who attend Hawes are living in the Schedler neighborhood.
Robbie is either a newbie or willfully ignorant of the many different Ridgewood neighborhoods
The Schedler neighborhood falls within the Hawes School district
So, YES, a Hawes Elementary neighborhood does sit directly adjacent to the Schedler property
I’ve corrected you because you were wrong
Regardless of where you live in Ridgewood, as neighbors, we should all be standing with our fellow friends and neighbors in the Schedler community
The planned project will expose fellow residents to significant health risks due to airborne particulates from traffic including diesel exhaust, dangerous noise pollution and a visual impact that will likely affect property values
Shame shame on this village council who holds themselves out as the so-called green bunch who care about the environment
Biggest fraud is Perron followed by vagianos and Mortimer the wino and weitz
Them kids should be going to the Glen school, would cut down on the busing costs, and there is a reconstructed bridge to get them over the Saddle River.
The lawns /hawes neighborhood is not by schedler!!
You people need to learn the difference between someone not listening to you and someone listening and then making a decision that you disagree with.
What a moron this guy is. A real slime ball who thinks hes fooling people with that fake smile. Many people know what this guy is capable of he is a slimy politician along with the rest of the council of greenwashers.
He is a total creep and obviously now a liar too.
Why not ask the Bee Man? Isn’t he the one who pushes the no mow pollinator pathway crap but wants a plastic playing field for the kids to use. True politicians paving the way for more lies
Vagianos is nothing more than a cheap guy in a cheap suit
I am surprised keith Kazmark, wasn’t there? He loves a good photo opportunity.
Did Mayor Vagianos baffle her with his bullsh*t. He is an expert at lie and deny.
It seems to me that there are so many people that dislike Vagianos, and I always wonder how this guy got elected.
Did he tell her about the Mayor’s wellness campaign? The things this council does is crazy.
Vagianos did not believe that the dirt was toxic and was ready to build this field and playground and this innocent little kid would have been one of many vulnerable children playing in a park with solid waste and contaminated dirt on a highway. That’s the kind of Mayor she will realize he was when she is all grown up.
She should have asked him why he lies.
Is this an Invisalign picture?
Bought and paid for facist village beaucrats
Get ready for pride month and the gaslighting while they wave that ugly as demonic flag in our facea
🏳️🌈
june 1 through June 30
but gayly live it daily
🏳️🌈