AUGUST 12, 2015, 11:51 PM LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 12, 2015, 11:56 PM
BY CHRISTOPHER MAAG AND HERB JACKSON
STAFF WRITERS |
THE RECORD
It’s the tunnel that everyone agrees is necessary and no one wants to pay for.
This week, U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer of New York became the latest person to step into the fray, saying a new rail tunnel under the Hudson River should be built by a non-profit development corporation established specifically to tap every available pot of federal, state and regional money.
“We’ll only get Gateway done by adding up several pieces of financing, with an eye toward getting the maximum amount possible from the federal government,” Schumer said Tuesday at a news conference, referring to the name Amtrak has given a nascent plan for a new two-track tunnel.
But pursuing that financing requires promises from Governor Christie, a Republican presidential candidate who canceled a previous tunnel project, and Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York, who does not even want to meet to discuss it.
And until they are on the same page, any chance of persuading a Republican-led Congress focused on spending cuts to get behind a project as big as Gateway is a heavy lift indeed.
Still, Christie, Cuomo, U.S. Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey and nearly every transportation expert from Boston to Washington, D.C., agree with Schumer that work should begin immediately to build a new train tunnel, which would supplement the existing, century-old one that is beginning to fail.
AUGUST 12, 2015, 6:39 PM LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 12, 2015, 7:15 PM
BY KIBRET MARKOS
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
A bail hearing for a Glen Rock police officer accused of sending explicit text messages to two teenage girls he was supervising as the borough’s juvenile officer has been rescheduled for Thursday.
Sgt. Eric Reamy remained held at the Bergen County Jail on $250,000 bail, following his arrest last week on charges that he also exchanged nude photos with one of the girls.
Judge Susan Steele in Superior Court in Hackensack had held a bail reduction hearing on Monday and had scheduled the continuation of that hearing for Wednesday, which was then postponed until Thursday.
Jail officials testified on Monday that Reamy was initially placed on suicide watch as a matter of standard protocol but was later removed from the watch after he was found to pose no risk to himself.
Jail officials also said they had concerns about two guns that Reamy had bought that remained unaccounted for. Reamy had bought 11 guns over the years, according to the state police registry, and nine of them have been accounted for.
the staff of the Ridgewood blogRidgewood NJ, Congratulations to our very own Collin Outerbridge for winning Davidoff’s Merchandising Ambassador of the year! Davidoff awarded Collin with a free trip to the Dominican Republic where he will tour the Davidoff factory and tobacco farms. Collin will receive a wealth of knowledge that will be second to none. Congratulations Collin for a job well done!!!!
Glen Rock NJ, The driver of a 4-door Lexus sedan refused medical attention after his vehicle struck a utility pole at the intersection of Maple and South Highwood Avenues in Glen Rock late Monday night, 08/10. Glen Rock PD and EMS responded to the 11:30 PM collision.
The vehicle was removed by a flatbed tow truck just as a PSE&G trouble shooter arrived at the scene to assess damages. There were no reported utility outages in the area.
An absurd Coby Persin YouTube video wants parents to panic over nothing.
Lenore Skenazy|Aug. 12, 2015 1:55 pm
Here’s the latest “Parents, Please Commence Freak Out” video. It reminds me of the Joey Salads video, obviously, but also of the parents who had their 6-year-old snatched, blindfolded, and taken to a basement where the “kidnapper” threatened to nail him to the wall—all of that, just to teach him not to talk to strangers. That boy’s mom and grandma wanted to keep their child safe, but I would not be surprised if any natural “gut instincts” of his have been shattered for life. (Not to mention his trust in his loved ones.)
The same goes for these young ladies exploited by admitted prankster Coby Persin. The video shows Persin, who looks to be about 30, pretending to be a teen as he chats with underage girls online. The girls eventually agree to meet him in person; Persin secretly brings along their parents, who jump out from around the corner and terrify the poor girls as Persin berates them for agreeing to the meeting in the first place.
“I could be anyone…you shouldn’t talk to strangers,” insists Persin to the girls.
AUGUST 12, 2015 LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 12, 2015, 10:42 AM
BY DARIUS AMOS
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
A renaissance of sorts is taking place in downtown Ridgewood, one of many business districts to nearly bottom out during the recession born in the previous decade.
In late 2009, two years after the collapse of the once-robust housing market, The Ridgewood News identified roughly 40 vacant storefronts in the Central Business District (CBD), and a handful of others teetered financially. That was, however, as low as the times would go.
Fortunes began to change as merchants made smarter business decisions and consumer confidence grew.
“It felt like a whole different time back then, but you could sense a turnaround coming,” according to Joan Groome, executive director of the Ridgewood Chamber of Commerce.
Just one year after reaching basement numbers, the amount of downtown vacancies was slashed in half. Groome had accompanied the newspaper on a walking tour of the CBD in late summer of 2010 and counted just 20 empty storefronts.
She was back out there with The Ridgewood News last week, cutting through Tuesday morning humidity to evaluate the downtown business climate on the eve of this weekend’s Summer Sidewalk Sale. During the stroll, she remarked on the business district’s recovery and the community-wide effort to improve the CBD.
AUGUST 12, 2015, 11:27 AM LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 12, 2015, 11:27 AM
BY CHRIS HARRIS
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD
RIDGEWOOD — With several veteran police officers about to retire, village officials say they plan to recruit additional officers for the police department in the fall.
According to Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld, six officers will be retiring from Ridgewood’s police department before the year ends
“Two have already retired and the others will retire between October and December,” Sonenfeld explained.
Ridgewood has 40 officers, and three new officers are being trained, Sonenfeld said.
“We will be actively recruiting trained officers in the fall with targeted start dates right at the beginning of next year,” Sonenfeld said. “We are also assuming some extra overtime will be needed as well as some shifting of functions from police officers to civilians, particularly at the police desk.”
Despite rumors suggesting otherwise, village officials said that the police chief, John Ward, is not retiring in 2015.
Ridgewood Chamber Board of Directors Meeting August 12, 2015 @ 8:00am – Chamber Office for more details call 201-445-2600 [email protected]
PARKING GARAGE –
We are so excited -88 years the Chamber has been working on getting a parking garage for the Village of Ridgewood.
We are hopeful that this will happen soon!
Thursday, August 20 at 8:30am-Chamber office
The Ridgewood Chamber now invites you to a
“call to action” meeting to put the facts on paper why this garage will not:
cost the residents more taxes,
why it will save their “downtown town”.
All businesses have a vested interest in
this parking garage.
Ridgewood NEEDS to bring the infrastructure of its business district up-to-date –
NOW IS THE TIME.
Ridgewood Parking Garage Facts
Yes No
Parking Garage Needed X
Developer Interest X
Land Study X
Zero Cost to tax payer X
Vote X
First “call to action” meeting…
Please call 201-445-2600,
if you are attending.
DURANGO, Colo. — The Animas River is the cultural soul of this patch of southwestern Colorado, a sort of moving Main Street that hosts multiple floating parades a year and is typically bustling with rafters and kayakers. Schoolchildren study the river. Sweethearts marry on its banks. Its former name, given by Spaniards, is el Río de las Ánimas, the River of Souls.
But since Wednesday, the Animas has been grievously polluted with toxic water spilled from one of the many abandoned mines that pockmark the region — a spill for which the Environmental Protection Agency has claimed responsibility, saying it accidentally breached a store of chemical-laced water.
On Sunday, anger over the spill boiled over after the agency announced that the amount of toxic water released was three times what was previously stated — more than three million gallons rather than one million — and that officials were still unsure if there was a health threat to humans or animals.
The day of that announcement, State Senator Ellen Roberts, a Republican who lives near the river, cried softly as she considered the pollution, adding that she had dropped her father’s ashes in the depths of the river, which pollutants had turned into an unnatural-looking yellow-orange ribbon.
Outsiders who have never before held political office are dominating the race for the Republican presidential nomination.
Donald Trump is the GOP front-runner, while businesswoman Carly Fiorina is surging after a strong performance in last week’s debate.
Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson is also showing strength, and is a candidate to watch in the Iowa caucuses, where he is outperforming former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.
Conservatives are thrilled with the developments.
“This is a paradigm shift,” conservative Iowa radio host Steve Deace told The Hill. “The base of the party is in open revolt. We’re watching a political party dissolve. It’s a civil war and the GOP as it’s constructed may not survive.”
Others think Republican voters will eventually coalesce around a more traditional GOP candidate — perhaps Bush, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker or Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.).
They believe Trump’s rise is a product of his celebrity and a media frenzy that will ultimately fizzle. They doubt that Carson and Fiorina will be able to compete in the fundraising fight, or pull together the political operation to make a deep run through the primaries.
But for now, the anti-establishment wing of the GOP is on the upswing.
VILLAGE OF RIDGEWOOD VILLAGE COUNCIL
REGULAR PUBLIC MEETING
AUGUST 12, 2015
8:00 P.M.
1. Call to Order – Mayor
2. Statement of Compliance with the Open Public Meetings Act
3. Roll Call – Village Clerk
4. Flag Salute and Moment of Silence
5. Acceptance of Financial Reports
6. Approval of Minutes
7. Proclamations
A. Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over 2015 Statewide Crackdown
B. Declare September Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month
C. Declare September National Preparedness Month
8. Comments from the Public (Not to exceed 5 minutes per person – 30 minutes in total)
9. Motion to Suspend Regular Public Meeting and Convene Special Work Session
10. Special Work Session – See Attached Agenda
11. Motion to Adjourn Special Work Session and Reconvene Regular Public Meeting
12. Manager’s Report
13. Village Council Reports
14. ORDINANCES – INTRODUCTION
3494 – Amend Chapter 265 – Vehicles and Traffic – 15 Minute Parking Meter – Establishes a third
15-minute parking meter on the east side of North Walnut Street, closest to East Ridgewood Avenue
3495 – Capital Ordinance – Construction of Handicapped Ramp at Graydon Pool Parking Lot ($35,000)– Appropriates this money for the construction of a handicapped ramp at the Graydon Pool parking lot. The amount appropriated will be paid back through a Community Development Block Grant.
3496 – Amend Chapter 249 – Streets and Sidewalks – Barricades –Establishes the use of Village barricades in residential areas as well as in the Central Business District for various events
3497 – Amend Chapter 145 – Fees – Establish Deposit Fees for Use of Barricades – Establishes a deposit fee of $125 for the use of barricades in residential areas and $500 as a one-time fee for the use of Village barricades by groups, churches, and non-profits. This deposit will be returned as long as the barricades are returned and are not damaged. If the barricades are not returned or are damaged, the deposit will pay for the replacement or repair of the barricades.
3498 – Establish Policy for Maintenance of Tree Wells – Establishes a policy whereby the owner of a property is responsible for the maintenance of the interior of the tree wells located in/on the sidewalk by weeding, removing debris and maintaining the overall clean appearance of the tree wells
3499 – Amend Chapter 265 – Vehicles and Traffic – U-Turn Prohibition and Parking Restrictions at Willard School –Establishes no U-Turns on portions of Morningside Road and California Street; no parking on portions of Morningside Road and no stopping or standing areas on portions of Morningside Road in the area of Willard School
15. ORDINANCES – PUBLIC HEARING
3485 – Prohibit U-Turns in Various Locations in Central Business District
3486 – Amend Chapter 265 – Vehicles and Traffic – Establish Stop Signs at Westbrook Road and Norgate Drive
3487 – Amend Chapter 265 – Additional Valet Parking Loading Zone – Chestnut Street
3488 – Lease of 1057 Hillcrest Road
16. RESOLUTIONS
THE FOLLOWING RESOLUTIONS, NUMBERED 15-228 THROUGH
15-256 ARE TO BE ADOPTED BY A CONSENT AGENDA, WITH ONE VOTE BY THE VILLAGE COUNCIL. THERE IS A BRIEF DESCRIPTION BESIDE EACH RESOLUTION TO BE CONSIDERED ON THE CONSENT AGENDA. EACH RESOLUTION WILL BE READ BY TITLE ONLY:
15-228 Title 59 Approval – Snowplowing Services – Approves the plans and specifications for Snowplowing Services (November 1, 2015 through May 1, 2016, inclusive) in the Village of Ridgewood, prepared by the Engineering Division, pursuant to Title 59
15-229 Award Contract – Snowplowing Services – Awards a contract to the lowest responsible bidder, ConQuest Construction, 20 Carver Avenue, Westwood, NJ
15-230 Award Contract – Snow Removal – Sidewalk and Deck Clearing Services – Awards a contract to the lowest responsible bidder, Downes Tree Service, Inc., 65 Royal Avenue, Hawthorne, NJ
15-231 Award Contract – Printing Services ($50,000) –Awards a contract to Ridgewood Press, 609 Franklin Turnpike, Ridgewood, NJ. This is necessary due to payments exceeding $17,500 with this vendor during the 2015 calendar year.
15-232 Award Contract – Emergency Repairs of Graydon Pool Well (NTE $15,118.75) – Awards an emergency contract to Rinbrand Well Drilling Co., Inc., 14 Waldron Avenue, Glen Rock, NJ
15-233 Award Professional Services Contract – Consulting Engineering Services – Ridgewood Water (NTE $147,300) – Awards a no-bid professional services contract to Arcadis U.S., Inc., 17-17 Route 208 North, Fair Lawn, NJ. The required Pay to Play forms have been filed.
15-234 Award Professional Services Contract – Emergency Laboratory Services – Water Department (NTE $33,865) – Awards a no-bid professional services contract to Agra Environmental Laboratory Services, 90½ West Blackwell Street, Dover, NJ. The required Pay to Play forms have been filed.
15-235 Award Professional Services Contract – Lead and Copper and Water Quality Parameter Testing & Compliance Services – Ridgewood Water (NTE $68,100) – Awards a no-bid professional services contract to Agra Environmental Laboratory Services, 90½ West Blackwell Street, Dover, NJ. The required Pay to Play forms have been filed.
15-236 Award Professional Services Contract – Groundwater Under the Direct Influence of Surface Water – Ridgewood Water (NTE $88,250) – Awards a no-bid professional services contract to Leggette, Brashears & Graham, Inc., 600 East Crescent Avenue, Upper Saddle River, NJ. The required Pay to Play forms have been filed.
15-237 Title 59 Approval – Siding Repairs to Traffic and Signal Building – Approves the plans and specifications for Siding Repairs to the Traffic and Signal Building, 561 Prospect Street, Glen Rock, NJ prepared by the Engineering Division, pursuant to Title 59
15-238 Award Partial Contract – Siding Repairs to Traffic and Signal Building (NTE $33,478.22) – Awards a partial contract to the lowest responsible bidder, Stone Creek, Inc., 10 First Street, Lodi, NJ
15-239 Award Professional Services Contract – Maintenance Agreement for SCADA System and Software Support (NTE $15,625) – Water Pollution Control Facility –Awards a professional services contract to Keystone Engineering Group, 590 Lancaster Avenue, Suite 200, Frazer, PA
15-240 Award Contract Under State Contract – Ford
F-150 Pick-up Truck – Parking Utility (NTE $29,335) – Awards a contract under State contract to Winner Ford, 250 Berlin Road, Cherry Hill, NJ
15-241 Award Contract Under State Contract – Snowplows (NTE $9800) – Awards a contract under State contract to Van Dine Motors,
135 Railroad Avenue, Hackensack, NJ
15-242 Award Contract Under State Contract – Bulletproof Vests (NTE $22,800) – Awards a contract under State contract to Lawmen Police Supply – New Jersey, 7115 Airport Highway, Pennsauken, NJ
15-243 Authorize Change Order – Emergency Service Repair to Water Pollution Control Facility SCADA System (NTE $3,824.58) – Authorizes a change order to Keystone Engineering Group, 590 Lancaster Avenue, Suite 200, Frazer, PA. This change order is necessary for the labor effort related to troubleshooting the existing Thickener Feed Pump #1 and Wet Well Pump #3 controls in the WPCF’s SCADA system.
15-244 Rescind Change Order – Benjamin Franklin Middle School Drop-Off – Rescinds the change order awarded to J.A. Alexander, Inc., by Resolution #15-216 on July 15, 2015, due to the fact that the award was erroneously made, based on a different contractor’s prices
15-245 Authorize Change Order – Benjamin Franklin Middle School Drop-Off (NTE $89,000) – Authorizes a change order to Rockborn Trucking and Excavation, Inc., 12 Taylor Road, Wharton, NJ. This change order is necessary in order to create a drop-off at the Benjamin Franklin Middle School.
15-246 Authorize Change Order and Approve Agreement with Washington Township – Paving – Hampshire Road and Standish Road –Authorizes a change order to Rockborn Trucking and Excavation, Inc., 12 Taylor Road, Wharton, NJ. The change order will allow the Village’s contract to be amended to allow for paving both the Ridgewood and Washington Township sides of Hampshire Road and Standish Road. It is agreed that Washington Township will pay an amount not to exceed $118,000 for this change order.
15-247 Approve Shared Services Agreement – Fuel (Ridgewood Board of Education) – Approves a Shared Services agreement with the Ridgewood Board of Education for the remainder of 2015 and the full calendar year of 2016 to provide designated vehicle fueling to designated Board of Education vehicles
15-248 Approve Membership in Middlesex Regional Educational Services Commission Cooperative Purchasing Program – Approves the Village’s membership in the Middlesex Regional Educational Services Commission Cooperative Purchasing Program and authorizes the Village Manager to enter into an agreement with the Lead Agency for said Cooperative Purchasing Program
15-249 Establish Green Business Recognition Program –Establishes a Green Business Program which will be administered by the Village of Ridgewood Green Team and will recognize businesses in the Village that practice and promote sustainable practices
15-250 Approve Renewal of Liquor License – M & C Drugs, Inc., t/a Harding Pharmacy – Approves the annual renewal of the liquor license held by M & C Drugs, Inc., t/a Harding Pharmacy
15-251 Approve Annual Renewal of Liquor Licenses – Approves the annual renewal of liquor licenses for Ridgewood Lodge No. 1455 BPOE, and the Upper Ridgewood Tennis Club
15-252 Approve Person to Person Liquor License Transfer – M & C Drugs, Inc. t/a Harding Pharmacy to Maple Avenue Liquors, LLC – Approves the person to person transfer of the liquor license held by M & C Drugs, Inc., t/a Harding Pharmacy to Maple Avenue Liquors, LLC. The new owner of the liquor license will retain it in pocket status, with no licensed premise, until such time that a suitable location is found to site the license.
15-253 Authorize Execution of Settlement Agreement with NJDEP – Authorizes the execution of the
Stipulation of Settlement and Withdrawal of Request for a Hearing Agreement and authorizes the settlement of the matter in the amount of $55,000.00
15-254 Hire Professional Consultant for COAH
(NTE $2000) – Approves the payment to Dr. Burchell as the Principal Investigator to prepare the Burchell Fair Share Analysis to establish the Village of Ridgewood’s obligation
15-255 Award Emergency Contract – Cleaning of Water Tanks (NTE $27,000)- Awards a contract for emergency services to Liquid Engineering Corporation, 7 East Airpot Road, Billings, Montana to achieve compliance with the USEPA and NJDEP regulations
15-256 Award Contract – Leasing and Maintenance of Police Vehicles (NTE $30,000) – Awards the second year of a three-year contract to Enterprise Fleet Management, 1550 Route 23 North, Suite 101, Wayne, NJ
THE FOLLOWING RESOLUTIONS, NUMBERED 15-257 THROUGH
15-259, WILL BE CONSIDERED SEPARATELY AND READ IN FULL:
15-257 Acceptance of Open Space Committee Recommendations Concerning the Schedler Property
15-258 Apply for Grant – Schedler House
15-259 Award Contract – Financial Feasibility Study for Hudson Street Parking Lot
17. Comments from the Public (Not to Exceed 5 minutes per person)
LOS ANGELES, Aug. 12–The second episode in a new documentary web series highlights a young woman’s eyewitness narrative of the daily practice of fetal body parts harvesting in Planned Parenthood abortion clinics, describing tissue procurement workers’ coordination with abortion providers, the pressure placed on patients, and disregard for patient consent.
The “Human Capital” documentary web series, produced by The Center for Medical Progress, integrates expert interviews, eyewitness accounts, and real-life undercover interactions to explore various themes connected to Planned Parenthood’s sale of aborted fetal tissue. Episode 1, “Planned Parenthood’s Black Market in Baby Parts,” premiered last month. Episode 2, “Inside the Planned Parenthood Supply Site,” launches today at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABzFZM73o8M
The series follows the personal narrative of Holly O’Donnell, a former Blood and TIssue Procurement Technician for StemExpress, a start-up biotech company from northern California that partners with Planned Parenthood clinics to purchase their aborted fetus parts and resell them for scientific experimentation. As a procurement tech, O’Donnell’s job was to identify pregnant patients matching the specifications of StemExpress customers and to harvest the fetal body parts from their abortions.
“It’s not an option, it’s a demand,” StemExpress supervisors instructed O’Donnell about approaching pregnant women at Planned Parenthood for fetal tissue “donations.” O’Donnell says the StemExpress techs working in Planned Parenthood clinics sometimes harvested fetal parts without obtaining consent from the patients: “If there was a higher gestation, and the technicians needed it, there were times when they would just take what they wanted. And these mothers don’t know. And there’s no way they would know.”
As pressure builds on Hillary Clinton to explain her official use of personal email while serving as secretary of state, she faced new complications Tuesday. It was disclosed her top aides are being drawn into a burgeoning federal inquiry and that two emails on her private account have been classified as “Top Secret.”
The inspector general for the Intelligence Community notified senior members of Congress that two of four classified emails discovered on the server Clinton maintained at her New York home contained material deemed to be in one of the highest security classifications – more sensitive than previously known.
The notice came as the State Department inspector general’s office acknowledged that it is reviewing the use of “personal communications hardware and software” by Clinton’s former top aides after requests from Congress.
“We will follow the facts wherever they lead, to include former aides and associates, as appropriate,” said Douglas Welty, a spokesman for the State Department’s inspector general.
Despite the acknowledgment, the State Department inspector general’s office has left numerous unanswered questions, including exactly who and what is being investigated. The office initially declined to comment and referred questions to the Intelligence Community inspector general’s office, which said it is not currently involved in any inquiry into aides and is being denied full access to aides’ emails by the State Department. Clinton, herself, is not a target.
The expanding inquiry threatens to further erode Clinton’s standing as the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination. Since her reliance on private email was revealed in March, polls in crucial swing states show that increasing numbers of voters say Clinton is not honest and trustworthy, in part, because of her use of private emails.
AUGUST 11, 2015 LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2015, 10:13 AM
BY MATTHEW SCHNEIDER
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Douglas H. Fisher visited the Kings food market in the village on July 31 as part of his promotional tour for Jersey Fresh produce.
Jersey Fresh is a designation given to produce that follows criteria such as being grown in New Jersey and meeting “a certain quality standard for the size, shape and coloring of that commodity,” according to the New Jersey Department of Agriculture’s (DOA) official website.
Being Jersey Fresh increases the standing of the produce, making it more appealing to customers.
The event was part of a two-day “Jersey Fresh Love Tour,” and the “Jersey Fresh Love” social media campaign. The initiative calls for Jersey Fresh produce fans to “post pictures on their social media channels about where they get their New Jersey produce, how the produce is being used and their farms and restaurants to visit,” according to a release from the DOA.
