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Speak Your Mind ……………………..
>PJ:
Dr. Paul Reiter was a known skeptic of global warming science by the time he applied to be a member of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. He was turned away, and not on the basis of his qualifications, as the following article shows (see next comment).
The process by which the UN’s IPCC was created ensured that it would be populated by those who are committed to the cause of climate change alarmism. Garbage in, garbage out.
Based on the flaws that were present at the birth of the UN’s IPCC, I would say that its eventual findings on the globabl impact of atmospheric carbon dioxide should be accorded no greater weight than those of your average supermarket tabloid.
If you want a particular outcome, you need to stack the deck. Here in New Jersey, we see this all the time.
Consider the recent machinations undertaken by the Ridgewood Board of Education and district administrators to prevent open critics of inquiry-based instructional techniques from gaining representation on our Elementary Math Planning Team.
The same charade is taking place at the state level when it comes to determining New Jersey’s K-12 math proficiency standards (or was, at least, until the NJ Coalition for World Class Math Standards started piping up).
TRB Readers should be familiar with Dr. Reiter’s story, and should remember to treat the views and conclusions of the federal government with a healthy degree of skepticism, particularly when it comes to reasons for taking your money or regulating your life.
>
July 4th Fireworks Tickets
Support the Tradition
The Ridgewood Fourth of July Celebration is organized by the Ridgewood Fourth of July Celebration Committee, an all-volunteer community group. The Committee is not part of the Village of Ridgewood government and receives no direct funding from the Village. All aspects of the Celebration including fireworks, parade bands, evening performers, insurance, police and fire personnel, are funded by the sale of fireworks tickets and more importantly by voluntary contributions from individuals and businesses. To make a donation to the celebration please send your check to Ridgewood Fourth of July Celebration, PO Box 140, Ridgewood, NJ 07451. Tickets for the evenings festivities are on sale now. The pre-event price is $5 (at the gate, tickets are $10 adults, $5 children 6-12, 5 & under free) They are available at the following volunteer vendors in Ridgewood Alice-Alice-Alice, Artventure Gallery, Backyard Living, Daily Treat Restaurant, Goffle Brook Farm, Harding Wine and Spirits, Hillmann Electric, Hoskins Propane, Irish Eyes Imports, Ridgewood Cycle Shop, The Wine Seller, and Town & Country Apothecary & Fine Cosmetics. In Glen Rock you may purchase tickets at Ridgewood Auto Wash & Herold‘s Farm and Garden Center. Ticket vendors in Midland Park are La Strada Delicatessen. J T’s Wine & Spirits in Ho-Ho-Kus also carry fireworks tickets. Ticket will also be available at the Ridgewood Library from June 26 through July 2. The Celebration Committee thanks HILT for volunteering to handle this sale. Volunteers from HILT will be at the library from 9:00AM until 3:00PM each day except Sunday June 28 when they will be there from 1:00 – 4:00PM. Tickets may also be purchased online for $7 which includes shipping and handling. For online ticket sales as well as more information on the celebration go to https://www.ridgewoodjuly4th.org/ Ridgewood Fireworks Tickets are a Bargain For the low price of $5, you can dance to the Dad’s Night Band, watch the amazing Illumination Twirlers, listen to the incomparable Ridgewood Concert Band, watch the ever popular skydivers all before the wonderful fireworks show you can only get in Ridgewood. How is this possible, you ask? Just buy your fireworks tickets at one of our volunteer vendors. (at the gate, tickets are $10 adults, $5 children 6-12, 5 & under free) The Ridgewood Fourth of July Celebration Committee is pleased to announce that it will sponsor its 99th annual celebration on Saturday, July 4, 2009. The theme of this year’s celebration is “50 States…One Nation.” The day’s events include the flag raising at Wilsey Square at 9am, parade, evening entertainment and fireworks. The parade is held rain or shine. The fireworks will be held Saturday evening, with an alternate date of Sunday, July 5.ridgewoodjuly4th.org
>Featured in CNN Money Magazine as outstanding alternative to traveling to New York City, the Ridgewood Concert Band, has distinguished itself as the preeminent Wind Symphony in the New York Metropolitan area.
was founded in 1983 to provide a serious performing outlet for many fine wind and percussion players living in and around Bergen County. The ensemble has developed into a nationally and internationally acclaimed community band. They have recorded Organic Band, a CD of music for organ and band. In 2003, the band released a CD of the music of Broadway composer, Michael Valenti.
In October 1997, the Ridgewood Concert Band was selected to receive the Sudler Silver Scroll Award, an international award for excellence, presented by the John Philip Sousa Foundation. In the summer of 1998, the Band completed their first international tour, performing in some of the top venues in Prague, Budapest, and Vienna. In June 2003, the band traveled to the south of France for an exchange concert with the famous La Croix Valmer Band of Saint Tropez, France. In the summer of 2008, the band performed an exhaustive two-week tour of China, playing to packed houses in Shanghai, Suzhou, Hangzhou, Xi’an, and Beijing just prior to the opening of the Olympics.
The Ridgewood Concert Band is comprised of serious musicians from all walks of life. Included in the membership over the years have been several former members of the New York Philharmonic, renowned composers and conductors, accomplished high school and college students, many of our areas most distinguished music educators, and graduates of our nations finest university and conservatory music programs. Soloists with the band have included Philip Smith, Joseph Alessi, Philip Myers, Warren Deck, and Joseph Robinson from the New York Philharmonic; Elaine Douvas, Michael Parloff, and Scott Brubaker from the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; legendary tubist Harvey Phillips, and television personalities Charles Osgood, Gene Shalit, and Eugenia Zukerman. Guest conductors have included Keith Brion, Karel Husa, and Col. Bryan Shelburne.
Two years ago the Ridgewood Concert Band returned to its original home, Westside Presbyterian Church. The newly re-constructed church, a Ridgewood landmark, was totally destroyed in a major fire a few years ago. Featuring a beautiful setting with wonderful acoustics, Westside Presbyterian is a wonderful location to hear and see the band.
Regularly featuring new works combined with great classics the Ridgewood Concert Band provides a unique and exciting musical experience
Ridgewood Concert Band – Washington Greys
INDEPENDENCE DAY FIREWORKS CONCERT
Sponsored by: Konica Minolta Business Solutions Inc U.S.A.
Veterans Field, Ridgewood, NJ, Sat., July 4, 2009
>
Please Help Support the Tradition!
Volunteers are needed for both the Parade and the Fireworks for July 4th. Please contact the Committee to volunteer for either the parade or fireworks or both! We welcome your help! You can contact the 4th of July Committee at [email protected] or 201/602-1922
>
June 26, 2009
Friends,
I’m writing you in a special Garrett Gazette to raise your awareness about the national energy tax proposed by House Democrats that will likely be voted on in the House of Representatives today. This national energy tax is certain to raise electricity prices, increase gasoline prices, and ship American jobs overseas.
If you drive a car, buy food or a product manufactured in America, or flip on a light switch, you’ll pay more under the Democrats’ national energy tax. Here’s what the longest-serving Democrat in the House, Rep. John Dingell (D-MI), had to say about the tax: “Nobody in this country realizes that cap and trade is a tax. And it’s a great big one.”
The National Energy Tax Will Cause Electricity Bills to “Skyrocket”
The national energy tax will increase electricity bills for every American and small business. President Obama even admitted that it would cause electricity rates to “necessarily skyrocket.” And Duke Energy, a major utility company that would receive free allowances under the Democrats’ plan, has already requested a rate hike of 13.5 percent in anticipation of the energy tax.
The National Energy Tax Will Cause Gasoline and Diesel Prices to Spike Further
Gasoline prices have spiked in recent weeks, yet the national energy tax will make gasoline and diesel even more expensive for families and small businesses. The Heritage Foundation estimates that it will raise inflation-adjusted gasoline prices by 58 percent. Not only is that troubling to middle-class families trying to make ends meet, but small businesses – such as America’s truck drivers who are responsible for transporting food and other products across the country – are especially vulnerable during an economic recession. In fact, Tommy Hodges, First Vice Chairman of the American Trucking Association, recently warned that the House Democrats’ national energy tax on America’s truck drivers will leave America’s truck drivers, exposed to dramatic and sudden fuel price spikes.
The National Energy Tax Will Cost American Jobs, Shipping Them Overseas According to a study by the National Black Chamber of Commerce, the Democrats’ national energy tax will cost 2.3 to 2.7 million jobs each year, even after the creation of new so-called “green” jobs. It will impose tough new requirements and increased costs on American manufacturers – higher costs that they won’t face overseas, in places like China, India, or Mexico. This will cost American jobs in two ways: either domestic manufacturers will move overseas directly, or American companies in energy-intensive industries will be driven out of business by overseas rivals that undercut their prices. These job losses, and their ripple effects throughout our economy, were excluded from an incomplete analysis recently completed by the Congressional Budget Office. The Brookings Institute recently released a report that confirmed a national energy tax would reduce economic growth, increase costs, and kill jobs. The following chart shows the projected job loss in every single region, with especially large job losses in areas of the country already hit hard by the recession:
Additionally, the national energy tax could reverse our chances for economic recovery as we are trying to climb out of this recession. Mother Jones warned that if the national energy tax “is signed into law, it will generate, almost as an afterthought, a new market for carbon derivatives. That market will be vast, complicated, and dauntingly difficult to monitor. And if Washington doesn’t get the rules right, it will be vulnerable to speculation and manipulation by the very same players who brought us the financial meltdown.”
Instead of supporting a tax that will kill jobs and increases energy costs for Americans, I am a proud sponsor of The American Energy Act. This legislation establishes an ‘‘American Renewable and Alternative Energy Trust Fund” in the Treasury consisting of the receipts from oil and natural gas leasing provided by the bill. Amounts in the Trust Fund would be available to carry out research and development programs created by of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, and the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, including: oil shale, tar sands, other strategic unconventional fuels and clean coal. This legislation also expands an existing energy investment tax credit for renewable energy equipment to include clean coal equipment, and repeals section 526 of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 which bans Federal agencies from procuring fuels derived from alternative energy such as liquid coal, tar sands, and oil shale. Repealing this provision will help spur a market for liquid coal fuels and foster technological innovation.
The American Energy Act also allows the Secretary of Interior to enter into long term coal-to-liquid fuel purchase contracts (for periods of five, ten, fifteen or twenty years) and to enter into standby loan agreements with up to six qualifying coal-to-liquid projects, helping to further generate a market for such technology. It makes permanent the tax credit for the production of electricity derived from Indian coal and refined coal and contains a regulatory reform component which amends the Clean Air Act by stating that the term “air pollutant” does not include carbon dioxide and certain other greenhouse gases and shall not be used to regulate climate change. The bill also prohibits any consideration of the impacts of greenhouse gases on any species of fish or wildlife or plant, ensuring that the Endangered Species Act shall not be used to regulate climate change. This section denies the Environmental Protection Agency the ability to regulate carbon emissions, which would negatively affect the competitiveness of coal-fired power plants.
Today’s vote on the national energy tax will have consequences for every American. It is a bad deal for America. And the American people will remember how their Members of Congress vote.
Sincerely,
Scott Garrett
Member of Congress
>
Old World Customs and Imported Ingredients Set A Mano Apart
(Ridgewood, NJ: June 25, 2009) A Mano (meaning by hand), a Neapolitan trattoria in Ridgewood serving authentic Italian dishes, is one of the forerunners in a pizza craze spreading across the country. This expanding movement in the pizza trade is the return to the traditional roots of pizza, roots that lie deep in the heart of Naples, Italy. A Mano is part of an elite group leading the pack in Neapolitan pizza and tradition, from cities such as Seattle, Los Angeles, and Chicago, to Phoenix, New York, Miami, and now Ridgewood NJ.
A Mano prides itself on authenticity, importing everything, from the furnishings to the ingredients, such as San Marzano tomatoes and Caputo flour, from Naples, Italy. In addition, A Mano is one of only three restaurants in the U.S. to receive prestigious certifications from both the Verace Pizza Napoletana and Associazone Pizzaiuoli Napoletani, the recognized authorities of Naples, Italy on traditional Neapolitan Pizza. “We do things differently at A Mano,” said owner Fred Mortati. “Pizza has been interpreted many different ways since becoming a popular dish in the U.S., but we create our pizza in the original, traditional Neapolitan style. From our ingredients imported from Naples, to our 1000 degree wood-burning ovens, which were built “A Mano,” on site by Neapolitan artisans using stones and volcanic soil from Italy, we stay true to the technique of the classic Pizzaiuolis (pizza chefs) and train each of our pizza chefs to create artisanal pizzas in this time-honored fashion,” he continued. “A Mano is Naples, Italy from the ground up and we invite all to come for a real Naples experience.”
The traditional Neapolitan pizzas at A Mano are baked in 1000 degree ovens and range from the conventional Marinara pie, made with tomatoes, oregano, garlic, and extra virgin olive oil ($9.99), to the elaborate Vesuvio, a stuffed pizza with ricotta, fresh mozzarella, and Neapolitan salami on the inside, and fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, Italian ham, mushrooms, extra virgin olive oil, and basil on the top ($19.99). A Mano’s menu boasts a vast array of mouth-watering pizza along with traditional Neapolitan entrées such as baked thin layers of eggplant and pecorino, delicate meat and vegetable lasagnas (starting at $12.99) and cool, refreshing, flavor-intense salads (starting at $7.99).
Among the specials, which vary daily, is the Mezzaluna pizza, or “half moon,” that starts as a full size, hand-stretched pie, which is half Margherita pizza (fresh mozzarella, fresh tomato sauce, Parmiggiano-Reggiano, extra virgin olive oil, and basil) strewn with Calamata olives. The other half is a calzone, oozing with a julienne of salami folded into creamy ricotta, mozzarella, and olive oil. Another special created for the A Mano summer menu is “Salad Pizza.” This dish combines any of the A Mano appetizer salads in an entree size, served atop Parmigiano Reggiano-flavored focaccia, baked daily on premises. At a $4.99 supplement to the regular salad price, this is a delicious way to enjoy a large portion of A Mano’s salads married with intensely flavored focaccia, providing a hearty, yet not overbearing meal option on warm summer days. Specials frequently incorporate A Mano’s outstanding fresh-made mozzarella, created each day on-premises by a Neapolitan-trained mozzarella puller, schooled in the art of creating perfectly-textured and flavored cheese.
A buy one get one free entrée and pizza summer special will be available to A Mano patrons through the summer months, Monday through Thursday.
The restaurant is open Monday to Thursday from 11:30 a.m. until 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Sunday, from 12 p.m. until 10 p.m.
A Mano is located at 24 Franklin Avenue (at the corner of Chestnut Street), Ridgewood, NJ 07450. For more information, please call 201-493-2000 or visit www.amanopizza.com.
>”PJ, don’t be a scaredy-cat — post both sides if this will be a true debate —
Marge Roukema would agree with these moderate Reublicans on the issue of global warming:
Senator Olympia Snowe:
“With overwhelming scientific evidence that global warming is adversely impacting the health of our planet, the time has come for the Congress to take action.”
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger:
“We simply must do everything we can in our power to slow down global warming before it is too late. The science is clear. The global warming debate is over.”
Senator John McCain:
“Our nation has both an obligation and self-interest in facing head-on the serious environmental, economic and national security threat posed by global warming.”
The only people denying global warming are the same reactionary conservatives who want to teach creationism instead of evolution in our science classes. “
12:31 AM
Trying to turn a scientific issue into partisan politics is simply admitting your ulterior motives which have nothing to do with saving the earth ,the evidence does not support the argument at all !
Anonymous said…
Anyone interested in the truth about global warming should watch this BBC program titled: “The Great Global Warming Swindle.”
Make sure to watch the full 1 hour and 15 minute version. It is terrific and debunks the whole global warming parade.
https://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=288952680655100870
12:32 AM
The Man-made Global Warming Hoax
Global Warming Hoax
Al Gore sued by over 30.000 Scientists for Global Warming fraud / John Coleman
>I frankly wonder whether Ms. Roukema would be following Ms. Pelosi and her merry band of lemmings off this particular cliff. One hardly needs to be a hard-edged conservative to recognize the lunacy that will ensue if the U.S. Government succeeds in branding carbon dioxide as a pollutant.
It is by no means a pollutant. It is a fertilizer. Real greenhouses pump up their internal carbon dioxide content to approximately 1000 ppm from the current quantity of CO2 in the earth’s overall atmosphere of 300 ppm in order to provide improved growing conditions. It will probably be ‘news’ to many TRB readers, but 1000 ppm of carbon dioxide was the quantity in the earth’s overall atmosphere up until recently. The predecessors of modern humans happily coexisted with an equally ‘happy’ abundance of flora during that time. Look it up.
Modern humans would never know when to stop huffing and puffing for more oxygen if not for the carbon dioxide we breathe. When blood-borne carbon dioxide levels rise to a certain level, the body senses this, and responds by prompting the lungs to breathe more rapidly and/or deeply. Only when the body senses a large enough drop in the level of blood-borne carbon dioxide does it allow the respiratory system to relax again. Said another way, if carbon dioxide didn’t exist in our bodies at some level, we would basically forget to breathe, leading inexorably to death by suffocation. Some pollutant.
By far and away, most of the total volume of ‘greenhouse gas’ in the atmosphere consists of water vapor. If the total volume of atmospheric greenhouse gasis were to be represented by a football stadium containing 100,000 fans, you’d really have to look hard to find the section containing the carbon dioxide contingent. It would only contain forty people.
Long-term warming of the oceans results in a lower total quantity of dissolved carbon dioxide present therein as the laws of physics forces the excess quantity of dissolved carbon dioxide out of solution in the sea water and into the air in the form of an atmospheric gas. Long-term cooling of the oceans results in a higher total quantity of dissolved carbon dioxide present therein as those same laws of physics causes the sea water to absorb atmospheric carbon dioxide from the air and back into solution. Based on this information, would you characterize increasing levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide gas as a leading indicator of increasig sea/air temperature, or a lagging indicator thereof? Think about it.
9:33 PM
Anonymous said…
If increasing levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide gas is a lagging, rather than a leading, indicator of increasing sea/air temperature, what is it that causes the increase in the temperature of the air and sea water? Good question.
Look to the sun. Periods of unusually cool temperatures at ground level on the earth correlate rather precisely with long (e.g., decades or more) periods of time during which sunspot (i.e., solar ‘storm’) activity is at a minimum (consider, for example, the Maunder minimum, which gave rise to the little ice age). Similarly, periods of unusually high average ground temperatures at ground level on the earth time correlate very well in which sunspot activity is unusually high (consider, for example, the post-WWII period up through most of the 1990’s) until 1998 or so.
Have you noticed that summer is rather slow in ‘ramping up’ this year? Is an excess of cloud cover becoming apparent to you? If so, you might find this interesting: Solar Cycle 24 is about 2 years late in arriving. As a result, only a handful of sunspots have appeared so far. Most of these fade back into the surface of the sun within a few days at most.
Why is this?
Just released solar research by NASA has determined that the delay in the appearance (in earnest) of new Solar Cycle 24 sunspots is almost certainly due to the remarkably slow pace at which opposite ‘jet streams’ that exist within 7,000 km below the surface of the sun are migraging toward the sun’s equator (where they will merge). Only now have the northern and southern jet streams, respectively, descended to the critical 22.5 degree northern and southern latitude positions on the sun’s surface at which the sunspots of a new solar cycle typically begin to appear. Such slow progress of the solar jet streams toward convergence at the solar equator this time around likely portends a solar cycle that is much less active oveall (i.e., many fewer sunspots at the peak, and many fewer sunspots overall).
At least one thing appears certain: the 50+-year period of high sunspot activity that coincided with the post-WWII space age appears to be coming to a screeching halt.
Do your own research and consider whether the recent change of terminology on the part of dedicated environmentalists (from “global warming” to “climate change”) was intentional. Such individuals have long since considered the possibility that they will beginning to look very, very stupid in the face of an anomalously large drop in global surface temperatures. Accordingly, you can be certain that the transition from global ‘warming’ alarmism to global ‘cooling’ alarmism will be complete well before the bulk of the earth’s residents start stocking up on raincoats and snowshovels.
>I had to post this its just too funny ….
“the real problem is that the renovation people on Que picked the most expensive and ridiculous solution to updating Graydon ,had they presented anything but the most audacious example of crazy free spending ,ushered in by the 100 year flood village hall rec-ovation gang you might have had a chance but alas its all DOA and back to the over priced drawing board ,most would agree to a nice update in character with the tradition and CLASS the Village used to be known for but “Action Park” surely Prof. Feynmen you must be joking.
solution : respectful moderation in pool redesign and updates and something a tad less than $13 million”
Shadow Ridgewood Olympic Committee
>If you looking to run ads or get in touch with the Ridgewood Blog please send all correspondence to [email protected]
thank you for your support!!!!
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>The President is right that reform of our failed regulatory structure is needed. However it is hard to see how creating more regulators will solve the fundamental problem of a broken regulatory system. The President’s plan fails to address the fundamental cause of the problem: banks were able to take on too much risk because of the widespread belief that the US government would bail them out if they failed. In fact the President’s plan runs the risk of sending the message to the market that the US government will continue to rescue “too big to fail” companies. This is precisely the opposite of what we should be doing: we should make it clear that no business, no matter how big or connected, is implicitly backed by US taxpayers. The purpose of the banking sector is to help Americans obtain credit to start small businesses, own our own homes and achieve financial security. It is not clear how this plan furthers that goal.
I appreciate the president’s invitation to the White House on Wednesday and I look forward to the opportunity to share with him the ideas on which the Republicans on the Financial Services Committee have been working. At the core of our plan is a promise to the American taxpayer: no more bailouts. It’s time to reject the “too big to fail” logic that has resulted in unprecedented government intrusion into the marketplace and reinstate the free market principles that are the cornerstone of our nation and a healthy financial sector.
Sincerely,
Scott Garrett
Member of Congress
>https://www.northjersey.com/news/health/Hospitals_ask_state_to_dismiss_bid.html
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Last updated: Saturday June 20, 2009, 1:56 PM
BY LINDY WASHBURN
NorthJersey.com
STAFF WRITER
In the latest challenge to Hackensack University Medical Center’s bid to reopen Pascack Valley Hospital in Westwood, two Bergen County hospitals have demanded that the state health commissioner dismiss the application on legal grounds.
“The application fails to meet many significant and irrefutable requirements for the submission of a Certificate of Need application,” reads the 14-page letter, with voluminous attachments, from attorney Frank R. Ciesla to Health Commissioner Heather Howard. Ciesla wrote on behalf of The Valley Hospital in Ridgewood and Englewood Hospital and Medical Center.
“These requirements cannot be waived,” he wrote, “and we request that the application be dismissed at this time.”
Hackensack wants to reopen the hospital — which closed in November 2007 — as a 128-bed community hospital operated by a joint venture with Legacy Hospital Partners Inc. of Texas, a for-profit company.
A public hearing on the certificate of need application was held this month. The state Health Planning Board is to consider the application and recommend a decision to the health commissioner, who will then have 120 days to act.
Ciesla argued that “the State Health Planning Board’s review cannot continue at this time,” because it would violate state regulatory standards.
Not so, said Hackensack’s spokeswoman, Anne Marie Campbell. The application was “deemed complete” by the state Health Department, she said.
“We feel we have made a convincing case that a 128-bed hospital is needed in the Pascack and Northern Valley regions — a case that has received widespread public support,” she said. “We look forward to continuing the process.”
Ciesla’s letter said the application should be dismissed for several reasons, including:
* Under state law, a hospital’s license expires when the hospital ceases to function, he wrote. As a result, a letter from the previous state health commissioner “which purported to permit the license to remain valid for two years is void and of no force.”
* The application was signed by Hackensack’s chief executive officer and not by the joint venture that proposes to own and operate the hospital, as required, Ciesla wrote. Indeed, the joint venture agreement itself is still not final, but a letter of intent. The limited liability corporation that would own the hospital was registered as a business five months after the application was filed, he wrote.
* The applicant has to demonstrate it owns the site. Hackensack bought the property jointly with Touro University, which still retains its share even though it has decided not to open a medical school on the site. Touro did not endorse Hackensack’s application or sign off on the property, he wrote.
The health commissioner’s office said it would have no comment.
https://www.northjersey.com/news/health/Hospitals_ask_state_to_dismiss_bid.html
>On Wednesday, July 1st, a village Council meeting will take place in which a final decision will be made whether or not to proceed with plans to convert Graydon to a cement swimming pool. The RPP has sent out emails urging supporters of the project to email council members and the Ridgewood News that this conversion should be a “priority project”.
According to the RPP, the majority of residents surveyed wanted Graydon to maintain its spacious, sandy, natural, lake like appearance, yet they felt the current facility is unclean and unsafe. Despite the RPP efforts to recommend a facility that would provide the sandy spacious environment that most residents wanted, their research indicated that the only feasible solution was to convert Graydon to a much smaller concrete facility. Unfortunately, this design can not provide residents with the sandy spaciousness of Graydon, but it can allow for the perceived feeling of a “cleaner” and “safer” swimming environment. Ironically, all public swimming facilities pose both health and safety risks, concrete or otherwise.
For example, public cement bottom pools in Arizona, Texas and Upstate New York (to name a few) had to be shut down last summer because patrons were getting ill from a parasite found in human/mammal fecal matter called cryptosporidium, that was discovered in the water. This is just one of many clorine resistant parasites and bacteria that plague public swimming pools (MedicineNet.com). In addition, public pools that exceed their swim load capacity are much more likely to experience transmission of water borne illnesses.
Concrete pools also have inherit safety risks. Head and spinal injuries from hard pool bottoms and slippery surfaces are common. Drownings also occur in crowded public swimming pools, while lifeguards are on duty, everyday in the US (National Center for Disease Control).
My question is this. Since the proposed concrete facility can not provide the same natural appearance and spaciousness of Graydon and it can not eliminate the health and safety risks of a public swimming facility, then why take on the enormous financial burdan of converting it?
The RPP often compares Graydon to the public pool in Westfield, because of the similarity in demographics. I urge our Council before making any decisions about Graydon’s conversion to take the 30 minute ride down the Garden Stare Parkway and observe this hidden from public view pool on a sunny Sunday afternoon. The noise level is deafening and the pool is overwhelmingly crowded. Not to mention the fact that Westfield’s facility does not have to share parking with those using two athletic fields. Remember, in order to make this new facility self-funding, it has an 8,000 member quota to fill. Even in Graydon’s hayday it didn’t have 8,000 members. If I lived on one of the streets near Graydon, Vets or the Maple Ave field, I’d be concerned.
Speaking of similar demographics. Allendale has a sand bottom pool and residents there don’t feel a need to covert it to a cement bottom pool. Why? Is their membership declining? Is their pool operating at a loss? Is Graydon supposed to be a business or is it an amenity like a public library, community center, park or athletic field? I am always hearing how Graydon is operating at a loss. With a $14 million dollar bond to pay off, in addition to annual operating costs, how many years will it be before the “new Graydon” turns a profit?
Although I do not support the RPP iniative to convert Graydon to a concrete facility, I do feel that their efforts have been a catalyst for the many improvements that have been made over the past 3 years. Since many of the RPP supporters have stopped using Graydon, they have not experienced the changes that have been made like I have. The aeration system installed last year made a tremendous difference in water quality. A second aerator was installed this year. I was swimming in Graydon on opening day. Standing in chest high water, I could see my feet. That’s clearer than the ocean at the Jersey shore! The sand bottom, is now thoroughly dredged and cleaned before Graydon is filled for the new season. The goose population has also improved dramatically, thanks to the deligent, daily efforts of animal control. These changes have certainly helped to keep both the grounds and water cleaner.
So let’s not stop there. First off, lifeguards could routinely skim the water at the end of their rotations. Additional safety measures can be taken. A fence separating the 4 ft section of Graydon from the 12 ft section can be installed to better monitor those entering the deeper water. A lifeguard station should also be installed in the center of Graydon to better observe those swimming there.
I realize that Graydon’s membership has been declining over the past several years, with this year’s membership being at an all time low. I fear that many who normally would have joined Graydon have deliberatly boycotted this year in order to benefit their cause. Still and all, if all of these cost effective steps and improvements do not increase membership at Graydon, than raising membership fees from $77.00 per person to $100-$125.00 per person is still a bargain. The proposed fee for the “new Graydon” is $150.00 per person, which, I fear, will increase annually in order to offset the enourmos debt this reconstuction will incur.
I have emailed our Council members, [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; as well as the Ridgewood News as a Letter to the Editor, [email protected]; including an email to Mike Sedon, who has been covering this topic for the paper at [email protected] and urge others to do the same.
With so many priority issues facing our community during these difficult economic times, it seems to me that the conversion of Graydon is not one of them.
Suzanne Kelly
Ridgewood
>
Folks this is the real thing …..
RSA Hosts Special Needs Program
The Ridgewood Soccer Association has openings in its special needs program for children ages 5-14 who desire the individualized attention available in a smaller group setting. Open to children in Ridgewood and neighboring towns, the program provides an enjoyable hour of soccer for players of all skill levels.
Volunteers from the Ridgewood High School Girls Soccer team serve as mentors for the players. The aim of the program is to develop skills, promote fitness, and emphasize the fun aspects of the sport. Clinics are run on Saturday afternoons in Ridgewood from early September through early November. The cost is $60 for 8 sessions. Each player receives an RSA team shirt and soccer ball.
Complete program details for all RSA programs and access to Community Pass, the RSA on-line registration system, are available at https://www.ridgewoodsoccer.org/ . Questions can be addressed to [email protected]
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