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>Highlights – Village Council Work Session, 09/06/06

>A resolution to extend the agreement with NJDOT & NJ Transit for the Village’s continued operation of the Route 17 Park & Ride will be introduced shortly. The Village rents space to Air Brook, Inc., Coach USA, and Avis Rent-A-Car. Revenue from parking meters is also returned to the Village. During discussion, it was revealed that a private contractor is currently negotiating with NJDOT for the construction of a parking deck at the Route 17 site.

A portion of Village owned property adjacent to the Recycling Center will be sold off to residents on Canterbury Place. The property in question is in the rear of their homes, backing up to the HoHoKus Brook. A provision of the sale is that homeowners will be precluded from increasing the size of their homes as a result of the added property.

Discussion was held regarding the establishment of a “no knock” registry. It was agreed to take a further look at how the Borough of Franklin Lakes manages this process before going forward.

Councilman Patrick Mancuso proposed the introduction of an ordinance to prohibit smoking by minors within 1000 feet of both Middle Schools and the High School. Further discussion on this topic will be held at the Council’s 09/27 Work Session.

West Side Presbyterian Church’s desire to move a house from South Monroe Street to their property on South Hillside Avenue has the potential for creating a huge legal nightmare. Current Village Code prohibits two auxiliary structures on church properties; West Side already has one auxiliary structure on South Hillside and neighbors have indicated their intention to fight the addition of another. Council members discussed how they might grant West Side a “one time exception” to facilitate movement of the house from Village owned property to West Side’s location. The property vacated, adjacent to Citizens Park, could then be converted to parkland. Stay tuned for more . . .

Deputy Mayor Betty Wiest was the lone voice of reason during discussion regarding a request by the Chamber of Commerce’s to occupy space at Village Hall (the Chamber’s building on Dayton Street must be vacated by year’s end). Ms. Wiest suggested that it would be inappropriate for the Chamber to occupy space in the municipal government’s seat of power and suggested instead that commercial space be found. After a brief discussion and with support added by Mayor David T. Pfund, Council members agreed to tell the Chamber “no way.”

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>Potential hot discussion topics – Village Council Work Session, Wednesday, 9/6/06

>Full Village-wide property revaluation
Payment in lieu of taxes – Ridgewood Senior Citizens Housing Corporation, Inc.
Review of 2005 audit and suggested corrective action plan
Prohibited parking certain hours on Stevens Avenue
Possible introduction of a “no knock” ordinance (anti solicitation)
Establishment of outdoor no smoking zones
Modifying zoning code regarding religious uses
Temporary housing for Chamber of Commerce at Village Hall (Dayton Street building is closing at year’s end)
Band shell at Van Neste Square

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>Events in Ridgewood for September

>AEN2

Fall Car Show 9/8

Chamber of Commerce Car Show from 6 to 9PM at Van Neste Square at E. Ridgewood Avenue. Call the Chamber for more details.

9/11 Remembrance
The Village Council invites you to attend a Remembrance Ceremony on the Plaza at Village Hall on Monday, September 11th at 8pm. There will be a short ceremony to remember those who were lost five years ago in the World Trade Center attack. We will light a candle and unveil a memorial marker in their memory.

Ridgewood Cultural Council – Next Meeting 9/14/06
A new group was recently formed to coordinate and assist with cultural activities for Village residents. A Cultural Calendar will be compiled each month by the group and posted on the Village of Ridgewood website. Details to follow. The group will take the summer off and the next meeting is scheduled for September 14, 2006 at 7:30pm in the Senior Lounge, First Level of Village Hall. All interested residents are invited to attend.

Fall Craft and Art Street Fair 9/17

Organized through a vendor by the Village of Ridgewood Recreation Department. Booths of crafts and food will be set up along E. Ridgewood Avenue from Noon to 5PM.

Ridgewood Republican Club 9/18

Candidates Night: Todd Caliguire, Lauren Thomson, Robert Yudin and John Scalzo ,United Methodist Church 7pm guest welcome

Great American Olde Tyme Circus 9/24

Hosted by Ridgewood Junior Woman’s Club
Sunday, September 24th in the Graydon Pool Parking Lot (off Linwood Ave), the circus will come to Ridgewood. Show times are 11am, 2pm, and 5pm. Tickets are $10 in advance. Tickets can be purchased by mail – checks made out to the Jr. Woman’s Club sent to Jr. Woman’s Club, 536 Farview St. Ridgewood 07450, with a self addressed stamped return envelope. Town & Country Apothecary and Artventure in Ridgewood and Stacy & Joe’s Footwear and Books, Bytes and Beyond in Glen Rock also have tickets. For information call 201.444-5705.

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>the fly on the wall ….

>has heard that certain key members of our village hall response team were at the Jersey shore, but didn’t feel it was necessary to drive back and supervise staff during the crisis. I know that leadership can be exercised with out being present but doesn’t this give the appearance that some members of our team are not on top of things given the sensitive nature and the tidal situation at the village hall? Didn’t we have someone who pulled the same stunt following Tropical Storm Floyd? If I recall, despite the storm damage inflicted by Floyd, he went to a convention in Wildwood?

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>Interview with Greg May former BOE candidate on the current state of Ridgewood Schools

>Given all the mess with the school system the Ridgewood blog asks form BOE candidate Greg May his thoughts

RB: Greg, thanks for taking the time to give your thoughts on the situation going on within the school district.

GM: Well thank you, I must say I do enjoy reading the Ridgewood Blog and seeing some of the comments that folks post.

RB: Greg give us your take of the failure of the school system not meeting the national standardized test?

GM: Well first off, I am disgusted with the excuses that I read in the Ridgewood News and on the school district website. I can understand the fact that we had one district factor group that didn’t meet standards. From what I read, it seems that instead of saying “Look folks, we are sorry. We let a group of students down and we will be working to improve where we dropped the ball,” all we got was how we are being penalized and NCLB is unfair. Whether or not you think NCLB is fair or not, it is a tool that we can use to asses what the children are learning. It seems to me that we have a problem and it needs to be fixed.

RB: What would you do to reform the system?

GM: Well first, I think the BOE needs to take responsibility. Second I would look at what changes should be made in the curriculum and see what we, as a district, need to fix in order to bring all students up to standards. I can accept that for $76 million, we have flaws, but when we don’t try to fix them I start to wonder if the taxpayer’s money is being spent wisely. Also, with all the unfunded mandates the district is faced with, we should look into the legal aspects of opting out of these mandates. Simply put, if the State and Feds want us to comply with the regulations they set forth, they need to fund them. If they don’t live up to their legislation why should we comply?

RB: Didn’t you campaign on excellence in education?

GM: You know on the outside of the high school it says a “Tradition of Excellence in Education.” One of the themes I campaigned on was returning to that excellence. We have lowered the educational standards. A couple of years back there was a study released that stated a college senior today received the same quality education that a high school senior received in the 1950’s. By lowering the standards, we are failing the children. We need to return to those standards that our parents and grandparents had.

RB: Any other thoughts on this mess?

GM: I for one would like to see the Board and district take responsibility and stop the finger pointing. Tell us what you are going to do to fix this. This finger pointing seems to be a recurring trend. Over the past year it was we have lost home-rule, the year before that it was the State doesn’t provide the proper funding. We hear doomsday speeches around budget time, but never is there any we have a problem and we are going to work correct it.
I also hope with the promotion of Dr. Arilotta, we can move in a more proactive way to improve the school system. I was very impressed with Dr. Arilotta and I think he will be good for the district. I do wonder with his qualifications, why does the district need to search for a new superintendent. He seems like a good fit for the position and I think he would do a good job.

RB: Any plans to run again?

GM: Well it is too early to say. I have thought about running for the BOE again and I have also had thoughts about possibly running for the Village Council. I haven’t made up my mind yet and I really don’t know what the future holds. I have been pretty happy working with the Ridgewood Taxpayers Association and acting as kind of a watch dog on local government spending. I haven’t ruled anything out. I do know that if people want me to run I would gladly do it.

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>Wind and Rain Pound Ridgewood on Saturday – Damage Throughout the Village

>Saturday’s wind & rain storm resulted in significant tree damage in many
sections of Ridgewood. Hardest hit were streets in the Heights area,
including a tree that blocked access to the fire station at West Glen and
Monroe.

A major portion of the Lawns neighborhood was without electrical power for
several hours. Ridgewood Police, Fire, Emergency Services, and Shade Tree
personnel responded to hundreds of downed tree & electrical outage reports
during the day and evening.

Fire Chief James Bombace was observed personally commanding his men at
several locations. Seen entering the Emergency Operations Center on Douglas
Place with Chief Bombace were Village Manager James Ten Hoeve, Emergency
Services Director Paul Gilard, OEM Deputy Director Jeremy Kleiman, and
Streets Superintendent John Spano.

Fortunately, no storm related injuries had been reported as of 10:30 PM.
Public Service Electric crews are now working to restore power; a process
that could take up to 24 hours.

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>the fly on the wall reports…

>many readers are reporting that there appears to be an increased police presents in town lately, to an email everyone was very pleased to see it .

On the other hand readers are still a bit annoyed that so many street lights appear to not be working or removed…

Residents on Union Street continue to complain about the gas smell, and I can say first hand that it is rather pungent

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>RHS 1977 Blog

>James,

When I started a web site and subsequently a blog for my graduating class at RHS I hoped people like you would contact me. Thanks! I think your blog is great and will look forward to reading it on a daily basis. As for going home again, I have no doubts about it. Your blog and all of its links only makes me more certain of this fact. I’m really not sure of the direction the class of 1977 blog or the web site will take, other than helping with our 30th Reunion next year but that’s not going to deter me. My hope is that it will be useful to people well beyond any of our reunions. Please consider yourself linked.

All the best,Paul

https://rhs1977.blogspot.com/

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All the BOE news that’s not embarrassing, we print

>Suggested motto for Ridgewood Public Schools Newsline – “All the BOE news
that’s not embarrassing, we print.”

The September 2006 issue was compiled/edited this week and received by
taxpayers today via US Mail. No mention whatsoever of either Titus’
resignation, nor any report of Ridgewood High School NCLB “Early Warning”
letter appeared in the newsletter.

Comrade Jumpin’ Jane Reilly strikes again!

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>Hazardous Weather Outlook

>Hazardous Weather Outlook
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK…UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE UPTON NY
546 PM EDT FRI SEP 1 2006

NJZ002>006-011-NYZ067>073-021000-
WESTERN PASSAIC-BERGEN-EASTERN PASSAIC-ESSEX-HUDSON-UNION-ORANGE-
PUTNAM-ROCKLAND-NORTHERN WESTCHESTER-SOUTHERN WESTCHESTER-
NEW YORK (MANHATTAN)-BRONX-
546 PM EDT FRI SEP 1 2006

…WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 2 AM TO 2 PM EDT SATURDAY…
…FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FROM SATURDAY MORNING THROUGH
SATURDAY EVENING…

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST NEW
JERSEY AND SOUTHEAST NEW YORK.

.DAY ONE…TONIGHT

A WIND ADVISORY HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR SUSTAINED WINDS OF 25 TO 35
MPH ALONG WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 50 MPH AFTER MIDNIGHT.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN…SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY

A WIND ADVISORY HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR SUSTAINED WINDS OF 25 TO 35 MPH
ALONG WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 50 MPH THROUGH EARLY AFTERNOON.

A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FROM SATURDAY MORNING THROUGH
SATURDAY EVENING FOR 2 TO 4 INCHES OF RAINFALL.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT…

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL LIKELY BE NEEDED LATE TONIGHT AND SATURDAY.

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>9/11 Remembrance

>flagpole.4
9/11 Remembrance

The Village Council invites you to attend a Remembrance Ceremony on the Plaza at Village Hall on Monday, September 11th at 8pm. There will be a short ceremony to remember those who were lost five years ago in the World Trade Center attack. We will light a candle and unveil a memorial marker in their memory.

We encourage residents to go to the 9/11 Memorial Rock in Memorial Park at Van Neste Square to pay their respects. The Ridgewood Public Library will exhibit “Portraits” of each resident lost in the WTC attack, in the Belcher Auditorium for the month of September.

Please join the Village Council on September 11th in remembering our friends and neighbors

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>Selling Covered Calls… Turning your Portfolio into a Cash Machine

>IMG 6595
The covered call strategy is straightforward. Monthly cash income is generated by selling call options on stock that you own. When selling a call option you contract the delivery of stock owned at a price (strike price) for a specific amount of time (option month). In other words, the buyer has the right to buy your stock (at the strike price), and you are paid a premium (price paid for the purchase right). This investment strategy works best in a rising market or flat market. Why? It helps to maximize the yield (premium) of the held stock. What’s safe about options investing is that the strategy works well in a declining market, too. How? Use it to minimize losses by offsetting your stock’s devaluation with premium income. If you plan to hold the stock you buy or own for a long period of time, then writing covered calls (selling call options on owned stock) can greatly enhance the yield performance of your stock portfolio.

Call options can be written every month on the stocks you own. This is because the highest premiums are realized over single-month periods, rather than two or more months out in time. The stocks you choose to hold or buy should be stocks you plan to own for a long period of time. They should be steady growth stocks that have done well over the long term and can be prudently held even if a market decline occurs.

To keep commissions down, it’s best to write calls in contracts (lots) of five to ten. Since each contract is for 100 shares, plan to hold 500 to 1000 shares of each stock.

James
Investment Representative to the Stars
(201)966-7788

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>Highlights: Village Council Special Public Meeting, Joint Session with Planning Board, Zoning Board of Adjustment, and Historic Preservation Commissi

>The recently defeated “no downtown financial institutions” ordinance will reappear in revised form and expanded to encompass “limited downtown non-retail use.” That is, the Village Council will seek to discourage any use downtown except traditional retail.

Street lighting in the central business district will soon be upgraded through a phased plan. Plans call for replacement of all light poles, globes, and bulbs. The Historic Preservation Commission has asked that poles in a two block area surrounding the train station not be replaced. Duh? Isn’t that where street lighting is needed the most due to higher pedestrian traffic headed to and from the station?

Future commercial development in the Route 17 corridor will be encouraged. It is believed that although this area is now zoned residential, there is minimal interest in building residences right on the highway.

It was suggested that a comprehensive plan be developed to change permitted land uses along Franklin Avenue between Maple Avenue and North Broad Street. This would be done to promote more pedestrian traffic along the street.

It was agreed that steps need to be taken to control the unlawful sprawl of sidewalk cafes in the central business district. Cited were seats placed in excess of permitted numbers, the unlawful placement of furniture, and non-permitted signage.

There was much discussion regarding the Zoning Board of Adjustment’s routine granting of variances permitting residence sizes in excess of ordinance limits. Village Council members were clearly upset by this trend.

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Do We Have to do everything….Readers Recomend New Superintendent…

>Taken from the BOE website (https://www.web2.ridgewood.k12.nj.us/www/edcenter/bdmeetings/bdagendas/aug28.html)

Changes of Assignment

ARILOTTA, Paul – from Principal, Travell School, to Interim Superintendent of Schools, effective September 1, 2006, through June 30, 2007

Dr. Arilotta’s background is as follows:
·NJDOE Standard Certificate, School Administrator
·BA in Sociology from St John’s University
·MA in Physical Education from Columbia University
·MS in Guidance and Counseling from St. John’s University ·Master of Education in Curriculum and Instructional Practices from Columbia University ·Doctorate in Administration and Supervision from Columbia University ·1995-present – Principal, Travell School ·1990-95 – Director of Human Resources, Ridgewood Public Schools ·1987-90 – Superintendent, Hasbrouck Heights School District ·1982-87 – Deputy Assistant Superintendent Manhattan Region ·1971-82 – Various positions for the New York City Board of Education (classroom teacher, guidance counselor, Assistant Project Director, Evaluation and Placement Unit, Supervisor, Assistant Administrative Director)

“I have heard nothing but good things about Dr. Arilotta from parents whose children have attended Travell. Looking at his background, I wonder why the district needs to search for a new Superintendent when it seems like we have a qualified candidate already working for the district. Also I must say he appears to be a lot more open and more of a people person than Dr. Porter was.”