>During last Wednesday evening’s Village Council Work Session, Village Manager James M. Ten Hoeve advised Council members that rehabilitation expenses for a dam located at the Irene Habernickel Family Park would total $811K. $357K of these expenses will be paid out of a Bergen County Open Space Fund grant; the remaining $454 must be absorbed by Ridgewood’s taxpayers.
The Fly has always wondered whether purchasing Habernickel was the right thing to do. So far, it seems as though it’s just a big money pit. Wouldn’t taxpayers have been better off if the property were developed as one-acre, single family building lots?
>Just great.
They put in sidewalks to nowhere and now they have to be maintained each time it snows.
What about the expence of mowing and paving.
Whats next, taking down the structures on the property.
Maybe they can be moved, just like the one on Monroe.
Instead of thinking about cutting services and firing people, they should have sold the land to someone to put up 5 BIG houses and collected the tax at $45k to 70k each a year
That buys lots of police cars.
>(think Jimmy Buffett)
…wasting money again in Ridgewood-ville
…searching for that long lost penny to toss
…some people say that theres the B-O-E to blame
…but we know
..its also the Councils fault
>Aren’t half the Council and BOE old farts anyway … they have no problem spending our hard-earned dollars cause how much longer are they gonna be on this earth anyway?
>damn the dam
>From your mouth to God’s ears, take them all away
>Once again another joke in the Village. YOU MUST BE KIDDING ME! Here there are all rumors about cutting MY services and MY work force and we are going to spend 454K on a freeking dam. PJ please tell me this is a joke!!!
>$300K(unbudgeted) for a roof; $454K(unbudgeted) for a dam; $150K(unbudgeted)for three police cars; Anyone Else? This is like, “It’s a Wonderful Life”, there’s a run on the bank and Potter is giving out real cash. I guess the Ridgewood Building and Loan is going to go under real soon.
>Looks like dimentia is running rampant among the Village Council members.
>let me tell you all that this dam council is smoking sume bad weed.what the hell are they doing to all of us this must stop.they are working on a big plan to lay off town workers in all depts.and you know what they are not going to cut my taxes or yours.so dont let them bull s,.,t you.they are not that smart.i would love to go to mettings but you know you only have 5,sec,s to talk.can you say hittler.
>The PROPOSED reconstruction of Dam at Habernickle Park is in the 2nd DRAFT of the Village’s Comprehensive Parks, Fields, Facilities & Recreation MASTER PLAN by SCHOOR DEPALMA == on Village website, page 48, second phase $960,000. The 2nd Draft hasn’t been formally presented nor finalized, to the Village Council and Public as yet.
>I usually dont comment on these things but police cars are not 150k for 3 but I still agree with you. People what is going on!?
>right on 1030.. i agree…sell it to someone who will put in a few nice big homes with big TAX bills… adding to the tax base is good business. we have no industrial tax base here so it makes good economic sense.
>i see the kids playing sports on the field over there which is uneven as all get out and full of goose droppings to boot
>8:47
Thanks a lot!
Now the town will have to level the field, plant new grass and have a goose patrol. Pissing away more money.
I say fill in Graydon, put in a nice size pool (see Mahwah & Ramsey for models) that makes the State regulators happy. And then put in a level ballfield next to the hocky rink.
Move the kids to this new park with lots of lighted parking and sell the old farm and all the buildings.
>After years of having a sandy bottom cesspool like Ridgewood, Woodcliff Lake put in a wonderful new pool with a water slide and swim lanes … real nice. Glen Rock’s kids look like they’re having a ball in their newly renovated pool too. Ridgewood is behind the times for sure.
>I wouldn’t mind an assessment for Graydon renovations.
Just don’t Raise my taxes forever to revamp the pool.
An assessment my work to raise funds for unbudgeted “dopy” projects.
Let’s put it to a vote.
Don’t spend my money without asking (public voting) first.
>If these things are voted for, then why the suprises.
UNBUDGETED
Dam, PD cars, roof, pool.
Where’s the planning.
Vote—Do we want to improve graydon? YES, then we’ll get pricing for a budget vote.
How about the roof–what’s the story here?
Suprise new PD cars.
Where’s the planning?
I don’t get it. What do these people do in real life? Work in a circus.
We need some people to step up to the plate that don’t have a polical agenda, and manage the money the way you’d run a profitable business.
The board of directors should only carry out the wishes of the shareholder ( tax payers ).
PLANNING PLANNING PLANNING.
It’s ok to have a surplus if you plan right.
>Why do we end up with officials who are not the sharpest tools in the shed or the brightest bulbs? They just cant seem to giterdone.
>i applaud anyone who runs for public office..but…as many successful business people have found out. ONCE you become a ‘public person’ there is NOTHING off-limits as far as the press is concerned… so why bother putting yourself through that unnecessary aggrevation…the press uncover some old girlfriend, ex-spouse, or someone who lost out on a biz deal and print ANYTHING…so thats why we dont get the ‘sharpest knives in the drawer!”
>$150K for trhree police cars is not out of line. Have you seen the electronics that go with these cars? They’ve got more gadgets in them then a stealth bomber. Reuse the old gadgets? I don’t think so.
For all those who want a pool like other towns have: MOVE
>I like you guys but some of you need to start to get on that bicyle.if you still have it .i never see it anymore.
>5:54 — YOU CALL THE REALTOR!
>Seems like Ridgewood has finally “bought the farm,” literally!
>yea.and now soon we will not have any one to cut the dam grass.why you ask well ask mr ass him self jackues the jack ass of ridgewood.this bum will be laying off town workers.
>maybe we should fill that field with sheep then we wouldn’t need town workers to mow the damn grass
>I am astounded! How many of you people calling for Habernickel to be developed are the same people who claim that we shouldn’t have any turf fields because we need to preserv our natual open spaces. Here is a natural open space that the town is trying to preserve and you want them to bring in the bull dozers to raise a few tax dollars. It is no wonder that you people are always bitching about something…you have no idea what you want.
>5:22
Great idea.
The town can sell the wool and help pay for shoveling the snow on the sidewalks to nowhere.
They will keep the geese away too.
Now when the kids play they only have to dodge the sheep and in the sping the town can charge to pet and feed the lambs before they sell them to the Turkish restaurants in town.
What a way to make money.
Nice going.
>11:08
You ever see the lawns on a $5mil house. Talk about open spaces.
AND we don’t have to pay to have it mowed.
We’re talking 2 acres per house here. Not your average Willard lawn.
If the town sticks by its own rules the coverage can’t exceed 25%
So that would mean over 1.5 acres of lawn.
Do the math ( don’t use TERC) and figure the rate on 5 mil for 5 homes. The answer is $$$$$$$$$ for the town.
>Why do we need a dam anyway?
Let the pond down before someone drowns and the town get sued for not having a 6 foot fence around the pond.
Think of the money we’d save no dam and no damn suit.
>PJ
Start a blog about the horses at the horse farm.
The town fathers are going to rent out the stable.
>yes… whats with that… Ridgewood News article with a nice photo-op of the Happy Horseman.
Sorry, just kidding. Dont know the guy, and seems like a good idea, if you can get past any liability issues.
Here is what I dont get: They bought this property to keep it from being developed. Open spaces, ball fields, etc… fine. Agree or disagree, thats you choice.
Why does it sit for 1-2 years??? How come our village gov can run study groups for months at a time. If renting out the stable is a “nice” and “profitable” idea… then why not do it within months of buying the property??? WE are paying the debt on this bond, right? Dont you just wonder how come it took them over a year to consider renting those two houses, and then it took them another year to even consider what to do with the vacant stable?
Use it or lose it!
>You’re right!
1st off they need to address the issue of POOP. Horses will deliver about 5 lbs. a day, do the math. 10 horses, 30 days = 1500 lbs of manure a month.
Quite a pile, maybe the town can sell this too. But it can’t accumulate.
Second this is a business venture in a residential area.
I’d like to rent my Willard house for a movie or commercial but I can’t.
How come the town can run a venture to make money and I can’t.
>When you add all that manure to the s–t being shoveled over at village hall that’s a lotta doo doo. Wear your boots folks.