Author: James

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THE RIDGEWOOD VILLAGE COUNCIL’S PUBLIC WORKSHOP AGENDA

Ridgewood Village Council

THE RIDGEWOOD VILLAGE COUNCIL’S PUBLIC WORKSHOP AGENDA

DECEMBER 7, 2016

REVISED

1.         7:30 pm – Call to Order – Mayor

2.         Statement of Compliance with Open Public Meeting Act

Mayor: “Adequate notice of this meeting has been provided by a posting on the bulletin            board in Village Hall, by mail to the Ridgewood News, The Record, and by submission   to all persons entitled to same as provided by law of a schedule including the date and         time of this meeting.”

3.         Roll Call – Village Clerk

4.         Flag Salute/Moment of Silence

5.         Public Comments (Not to Exceed 3 Minutes per Person – 40 Minutes in Total)

6.         Public Hearing

a.         Brownfield Grant – N. Walnut Street Parking Lot

7.         Presentation

a.         ITN – Senior Transportation

8.         Discussion

a.              Ridgewood Water

1.     Award Contract – Line Stop and Valve Insertion Services

2.     Award Contract – Laboratory Analysis Services

3.     Award Contract – Water System Divestiture Study

4.     Award Contract – Vance Tank Rehabilitation

5.     Award EUS – Repairs to Air Stripping Tower – Main Treatment Facility

6.     Award Change Order – Water Main Stream Crossings

7.     Rejection of Bid – Glen Tank Rehabilitation

b.         Parking

1.     CBD Parking Improvements

2.     Central Valet

3.     Parking Garage

4.     Amend Valet Parking Fee Ordinance

5.     Amend CBD Parking Permit Ordinance – Parking Permit for All Parking   Lots

6.     Free Last Minute Shopping Parking – December 22nd

7.     Rental of Parking Spaces on N. Broad Street – Taxi Stand

8.         Discussion (cont’d)

c.         Budget

1.     Award Contract – Purchase of Ammunition

2.     Award Contract – Purchase of Bullet Proof Vests

3.     Award Contract – Electronic Ticketing Software

4.     Authorize Shared Services Agreement – Child Health Clinic

5.     Award Contract – Professional Services – 2017 Child Health Conference          Physician

6.     Award Contract – Two Kenworth Sanitation Trucks

7.     Award Change Order – Disposal and Recycling of Vegetative Waste

8.     Award Contract – Sanitary Sludge Hauling – Water Pollution Control

9.     Award Contract – Edmunds Service Contract

10.  Award Contract – 2017 Employee Assistance Program Services

11.  Award Contract – 2017 Recreational Program Instruction

12.  Award Contract – Preparation of 2017 Village Council Meeting Minutes

13.  Budget Transfers

14.  2017 Temporary Budgets

15.  2017 Cash Management Plan

16.  Cancellation of Grant Receivables and Grant Reserves

17.  Approve RFP for Pilot Program for Ridgewood Resident Commuter

Transportation To and From Ridgewood Train Station

18.  Approve RFP for Grant Writer

19.  Authorize Application for Brownfield Grant

20.  Authorize Application for Bergen County Municipal Alliance Grant

21.  Surplus Fire Equipment

d.         Policy

1.     ITN – Senior Transportation

2.     Civility and Sports

3.     Establish Regulations for Bird Feeders and Bird Food

4.     Short Term Rentals of Private Homes

5.     Boards and Committees – FAC, RAC and Planning Board

6.     Vacation of Portion of Barrington Road – Paper Street

e.         Operations

1.     Recycling of Electronics Legislation

2.     No Left Turn – Van Neste Square

3.     Glenwood Road Railroad Crossing

4.     Donation of Generator for Traffic & Signal Building

5.     Ridge School Traffic Study

6.     Sherman Place, Pomander Walk and Washington Place Traffic Study

7.     New Master Plan Budgeting

 

9.         Review of December 14, 2016 Regular Public Meeting Agenda

10.       Manager’s Report

11.       Council Reports

12.       Public Comments (Not to Exceed 5 Minutes per Person)

13.       Resolution to go into Closed Session

14.       Closed Session

a.  Legal – HealthBarn; Blue & White Negotiations

 

15.       Adjournment

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Pedestrian struck at the Intersection of East Ridgewood Avenue and Oak Street in Ridgewood

Pedestrian struck at the Intersection of East Ridgewood Avenue and Oak Street in Ridgewood

photo courtesy of Boyd Lovings Facebook Page

December 7th 2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood Police, Fire, and EMS personnel responded to aid a pedestrian who was struck at the intersection of East Ridgewood Avenue and Oak Street on Tuesday night, 12/06. The victim, who appeared to have sustained non-life threatening injuries, was transported by ambulance to The Valley Hospital. The driver of the vehicle involved was driving westbound on East Ridgewood Avenue at the time of the incident, and remained at the scene to cooperate with police officers assigned to investigate the collision.

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SoftBank Pledges to Invest $50 Billion in U.S. After Meeting With Trump

Trump Soft Bank

President-elect met with SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son in Trump Tower

By
RYAN KNUTSON
Updated Dec. 6, 2016 3:37 p.m. ET

SoftBank Group Corp. Chairman and Chief Executive Masayoshi Son said Tuesday he would invest $50 billion in the U.S. and create 50,000 new jobs, following a 45-minute private meeting with President-elect Donald Trump.

The Japanese billionaire, whose conglomerate controls Sprint Corp., announced his investment plans in the lobby of Trump Tower, though he didn’t provide details. Mr. Trump took credit for the investment, saying his November victory spurred SoftBank’s decision.

In an interview, Mr. Son said the money will be coming from a $100 billion investment fund he is setting up with Saudi Arabia’s sovereign-wealth fund and other potential partners.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/donald-trump-says-softbank-pledges-to-invest-50-billion-in-u-s-1481053732

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TIME WARNER CEO: The ‘real threat’ to the First Amendment came from Democrats, not Trump

Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes

Allan Smith

Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes told Business Insider’s Henry Blodget on Tuesday that the “real threat” to the First Amendment did not come from President-elect Donald Trump during the campaign, but rather from the Democratic Party.

Bewkes was speaking at Business Insider’s annual IGNITION conference, during which he was asked about Trump’s frequent campaign threats to open up libel laws.

Trump has also set his sights on Bewkes’ own media property, CNN, which he consistently ridiculed along the campaign trail and even after Election Day.

https://www.businessinsider.com/jeff-bewkes-time-warner-first-amendment-democrats-trump-2016-12

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Confusion reigns after promised state boost for local transportation doesn’t arrive

gas tax nj

By RYAN HUTCHINS and KATHERINE LANDERGAN

12/05/16 05:45 AM EST

It was one of the biggest selling points for the state’s new infrastructure plan, often cited as a reason to support the state’s first gas-tax increase in decades: The new legislation more than doubles the amount of transportation aid provided to counties and municipalities, helping to finance badly-needed road projects across the state.

A day before Gov. Chris Christie signed the legislation in October, local and county officials stood with lawmakers in Trenton to give the Republican governor a final nudge across the finish line — and to celebrate.

https://www.politico.com/states/new-jersey/story/2016/12/confusion-reigns-after-promised-boost-in-local-transportation-doesnt-arrive-107788?utm_campaign=Observer_NJ_Politics&utm_content=New%20Campaign&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_term=New%20Jersey%20Politics

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Student debt reform has come to New Jersey. Governor Chris Christie signed a bill into law Monday that would eliminate student debt in the event of death and total disability

graduation

Student Debt Forgiveness Signed Into Law in N.J.

By JT Aregood • 12/05/16 3:31pm

Student debt reform has come to New Jersey. Governor Chris Christie signed a bill into law Monday that would eliminate student debt in the event of death and total disability, and allow for deferment of payments and interest accumulation for lenders who are temporarily disabled.

The change comes after a ProPublica investigation detailing the case of one mother who was forced by law to continue paying off her son’s state student loans after his murder.

That investigation brought New Jersey’s punitive lending practices to light, and the bill’s sponsors in the lower house called its success a victory for students and parental co-signers who could have been left with onerous debt after a tragedy.

State Assemblyman Vince Mazzeo, primary sponsor, laid out the scale of the savings to bereaved parents in a statement.

“Imagine you’re a family who always pays their bills, has good credit and then you lose a child and in the midst of your grief, you’re saddled with tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of dollars in their remaining student loan debt,” Mazzeo wrote. “That’s just something we can’t allow to happen on our watch.”

https://observer.com/2016/12/student-debt-forgiveness-signed-into-law-in-n-j/?utm_campaign=Observer_NJ_Politics&utm_content=New%20Campaign&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_term=New%20Jersey%20Politics

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President Obama’s horrible, terrible legacy on student loans

0904bcc

BY ALAN M. COLLINGE – 05/13/16 07:00 AM EDT

When he announced his candidacy in 2007, Barack Obama looked like he could be the one to finally stand up to the student lending system.  He was one of only two members on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) committee not to have taken money from the Sallie Mae PAC.  In this position he was privy to HELP Committee  and other reports detailing a broad swath of illegal and deceptive activities by the lenders, the universities, and even the Department of Education.

His rhetoric about making college “affordable” sounded great.  The deletion of most every standard consumer protection (like bankruptcy and statutes of limitations) from student loans had caused a hyper-inflationary market, and a systemically predatory lending system that was lives and livelihoods of millions of people. The nation’s student loan debt had skyrocketed to $450 billion, and the Department of Education had actually begun turning a profit on defaults.

So when Obama was elected, largely due to overwhelming support from young people, it was assumed that he would make things right. But he did nothing to bring back any standard consumer protections.  His administration did nothing to curb the predatory collection powers of the student lending system.  College prices increased faster than previously, and today the average undergraduate is now leaving school with $35,000 in debt, up from about $17,000 when Obama announced.

By the time Obama leaves office next year, the nation will have added $1 Trillion to its student debt tab.

What the Obama administration did do was great for the federal government, not the students.  Obama federalized the system to where the government now profitsimmensely from both interest on loans it makes directly to students, and defaults. To say that the federal government now sits atop the most predatory lending system in our nation’s history is not an understatement.

https://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/education/279512-president-obamas-horrible-terrible-legacy-on-student-loans

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Diners returning to restaurants after election, restaurateur Danny Meyer says

21 club

Berkeley Lovelace Jr. | @Blovelace_Jr

Meyer: Political uncertainty impacted interest in going out to eat  18 Hours Ago | 05:35

People are coming back to restaurants in “droves,” after a temporary decline in going out to eat ahead of the election, restaurateur Danny Meyer said.

He explained that “restaurants are places that people come to be with people and people didn’t feel great with all the uncertainty” around the election. Meyer said that what happened in restaurants mirrored the uncertainty in the financial markets.

“I think people are coming back in droves. Even if they’re coming back to debate, there’s nothing like sitting around a table with some good food with friends and that seems to really be bringing people out and we couldn’t be happier,” he said on CNBC’s “Power Lunch” on Monday.

The Shake Shack founder made his remarks after activity in the service sector hit a one-year high in November. Food service businesses such as McDonald’s, Darden and Chipotle saw their stocks climb in afternoon trade Monday.

https://www.cnbc.com/2016/12/05/diners-returning-to-restaurants-after-election-restaurateur-danny-meyer-says.html

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Fake Bridge-gate Scandal Still Dominating the News in Bergen County

GWB

December 6,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood Nj, we have said this from the beginning , the whole “Bridge-gate “, scandal is nothing more than an insult to all commuters who get stuck with massive delays most of the time that could be easily  avoided .

Reader says , “Unbelievable that the corrupt Record and its Dem cronies are still pushing this issue with their false righteous indignation, while they totally ignore the systemic blocking of traffic in NYC via a series of road closures, addition of bike lanes and pedestrian plazas and other efforts all designed with the EXPLICIT goal of making commuting in NYC more difficult in order to cause pain and harm to drivers so they will eventually become so disgusted that they will abandon their cars for public transportation.
This has been going on for YEARS since the Bloomberg administration and is continued by DeBlasio.

This directly impacts NJ residents.

This is roundly ignored by The Record – nice to see their is no bias in that publication…

But then again the Dems ignore the fact that NY has a VERY aggressive and friendly PRO-BUSINESS policy of generous tax incentives which are effectively bringing prosperity and jobs to NY, but would be roundly vilified if Governor Christie proposed them in NJ.”
.

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Nanny State of the Week: New Jersey’s great leaf-blowing war

yard_work_theridgewoodblog

By Kevin Glass / October 24, 2016

Fall brings temperate weather, changing colors, falling leaves and — if the nannies in New Jersey have anything to say about it — backbreaking labor.

Neighborhood advocacy groups across the state have been working to prohibit the use of leaf blowers, which they say are too noisy and disrupt the peace and quiet of their neighborhoods.

Earlier this year, Maplewood, New Jersey, banned leaf blowers used by commercial businesses for the summer, largely because residents objected to the loud noises. Now, activists in Princeton are working to ban leaf blowers for the same reason.

Quiet Princeton, an organization of local Princeton residents opposed to anything breaking the peace of the New Jersey town, has pushed for a reduction in leaf-blower noise. There are existing regulations on the books about leaf-blower noise, but that’s not enough for Quiet Princeton.

“Back in the ’90s an effort was made in Princeton to ban leaf blowers outright, but it failed,” Tony Lunn, a Quiet Princeton activist, told Mercer Space, a publication of Community News Service..

Princeton’s current ordinance calls for landscapers to be as quiet as possible, but its subjectivity has the activists upset. “No one would think this reasonable,” Lunn said. Some have attempted to get a 65-decibel limit written in as the legal regulation.

In Maplewood, the city is holding hearings to expand the summer leaf-blower ban. An Oct. 18 Township Committee meeting had many residents voicing their hatred for leaf blowers.

“Why should they be able to disrupt my quality of life as a taxpayer so my neighbor can have a few blades of grass blown around?” one resident said, according to NJ.com.

A prohibition limited to commercial leaf blowers means the burden falls disproportionately on landscaping companies, rather than, say, neighbors doing their own landscaping work. Other than driving up the cost for landscaping work, this is a burden for the manual laborers as well — many of whom are unlikely to be able to afford to live in a posh suburb like Maplewood, where the median household income is over $100,000 per year.

https://watchdog.org/279609/nanny-state-week-new-jerseys-great-leaf-blowing-war/

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Facebook Water Filter Ad Rattles Ridgewood Residents

Ridgewood Water ads

 

December 6,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Ad’s targeting Ridgewood Water on Facebook has some residents rattled . A resident recently asked ,”Is it ‘over the top’ / ‘misleading’ or our kids who drink unfiltered water at school are really at risk?”

While the risks of Chromium 6 have been well documented .Chromium 6 is the same suspected carcinogen that made Erin Brockovich famous and was found in Ridgewood Water. The levels, however are well within EPA, guidelines.

Some residents are concerned whiles others think the current risk is overblown and the Brockovich comparison is without merit at this time.

from Ridgewood Waters website:

Chromium 6

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) recently released a report raising concerns about the presence of chromium 6 – also known as hexavalent chromium – in public water supplies.  Hexavalent chromium, a suspected carcinogen, is the contaminant made famous by the 2000 movie “Erin Brockovich.”

Ridgewood Water shares the EWG’s concern for water quality and public health protection. Water utilities currently monitor for “total” chromium, of which hexavalent chromium is a component. Most public water utilities, including Ridgewood Water, are in compliance with the existing standard.

The Safe Drinking Water Act, which was established to protect the quality of drinking water, requires a rigorous scientific approach for evaluating contaminants for regulation. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been looking at health effects data on hexavalent chromium. Ridgewood Water has been testing for this substance as part of the unregulated contaminant sampling program which provides data to EPA for scientific evaluation.

It’s important to remember that detecting a substance in water does not always imply a health risk. The key question that researchers seek to answer is whether the substance presents health concerns at the level it is detected. That’s why the federal regulatory process requires EPA to examine potential health impacts of the substance, paths of exposure and occurrence data. A thorough evaluation of all this data increases the likelihood that new regulations will offer meaningful risk reduction.  Ridgewood Water is committed to meeting all regulatory standards for public water supplies including any new requirements for hexavalent chromium that may be instituted.

For more information on chromium in drinking water, please refer to the following links:

Chromium by the numbers

https://www.epa.gov/dwstandardsregulations/chromium-drinking-water

https://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/publications/chromium/en/

https://www.awwa.org/legislation-regulation/regulations/contaminants/hexavalent-chromium.aspx#3329298-recent-research

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RidgewoodWestSide.com : All residents living near businesses should share the parking burden

free-parking

December 6,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ,On Saturday a group called RidgewoodWestSide.com distributed a flyer alerting neighbors on Sherman and Washington of the December 7th Council Work Session which will discuss Sherman Place and Washington Place. Flyers were given to many of the Godwin and Wilsey Square businesses as well since changes to nearby streets may impact their customers.

Pomander Walk, a quiet dead end street next to out stores, was granted NO PARKING under our old village council? Am I mistaken or does our town need parking? Please review attached flyer and come to the meeting Wed. night at 7:30 at town hall to let your current council know this decision must be reversed. If not reversed, maybe we should all push council for private roads?

 

ATTENTION:

What: Village council discussion of parking and traffic following Pomander Walk Parking Ban

Where: Village Hall

When: December 7th at 7:30pm

Background: For years residents of Pomander Walk have sought to ban parking on their dead end street citing business parking and safety concerns. Residents of surrounding streets were not informed of the request until days before the village council passed Ordinance 3556 in 2016 banning parking on Pomander Walk with no impact analysis. Despite promises from Pomander residents that they did not require parking they continue to use the street for their parking needs while other streets suffer gridlock. Residents of Sherman have since seen a severe increase in traffic, parked cars and safety issues. The newly elected council has agreed to consider changes inclusive of a comprehensive safety review all area streets.

Your neighbors from Sherman, Godwin, Garfield, Washington are asking you to voice your opinion at the Wednesday, December 7th town council meeting.

Resident tax payers should be afforded equal access to parking – NO PRIVATE STREET STATUS

All residents living near businesses should share the parking burden

To remain successful, the west side business district needs access to parking for customers. If parking is important for the central business district, it is equally important for the west side and removing parking sets a bad precedent

Removing parking from one street just relocates it to another

Hope to see you at the town hall

Wednesday, December 7th at 7:30pm.

Everyone will have the opportunity

to speak for three minutes.

If you have any questions please email:

[email protected]

For photos and videos visit us at

www.RidgewoodWestSide.com

 
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Ridgewood Police officers made fast work of nabbing suspected shoplifter

Ridgewood Police officers made fast work of nabbing suspected shoplifter

Photos courtesy of Boyd Loving’s Facebook page

December 6,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood PD officers made fast work of nabbing a suspected shoplifter on Monday afternoon, 12/05. The alleged perpetrator was cornered on the center platform of NJ Transit’s Ridgewood train station by Patrol Officers Joseph DiBenidetto and Rosario Vaccarella, and Detective Peter Youngberg. In his possession at the time of apprehension was the Samsung Galaxy 7 smartphone reportedly taken from the Verzion store located at 44 East Ridgewood Avenue. The adult male suspect was transported, in handcuffs, to RIdgewood PD headquarters for processing.

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Judge Denies Request for Special Prosecutor in Bridgegate Case

Chris_christie_theridgewoodblog

By Alyana Alfaro • 12/02/16 11:03am

Bergen County Superior Court Judge Bonnie Mizdol announced on Friday that no special prosecutor would be appointed to investigate the official misconduct complaint lodged by a private citizen against New Jersey Governor Chris Christie in relation to Bridgegate.

Bill Brennan, the citizen who requested the special prosecutor, said that one was needed due to the recusal of both Bergen County Prosecutor Gurbir Grewal and US Attorney Chris Porrino on the case. Both men were appointed by Christie. Now, the first assistant prosecutor in Bergen County and the first assistant attorney general will investigate the complaint.

https://observer.com/2016/12/judge-denies-request-for-special-prosecutor-in-bridgegate-case/?utm_campaign=Observer_NJ_Politics&utm_content=New%20Campaign&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_term=New%20Jersey%20Politics