Category: Demarest

Ridgewood Open Houses Sunday February 24
February 23, 2013 By Michael Shetler

Open Houses
Open Houses in Ridgewood, NJ
Starts: 02/24/2013 01:00 pm
Duration: 3 hours:
Ridgewood, NJ
07450

Michael Shetler is a local resident and NJAR Circle of Excellence recipient (2009, 2011) who is happy to serve you in this area. For more information about any of these local homes for sale please call Michael at 201.421.0506 cell or 201.445.4300 office.

Address     List Price     Bedrooms     List Broker
1     610 ROBERT ST     $450,000     4     WEICHERT REALTORS RIDGEWOOD
2     315 WALTHERY AVE     $459,900     2     COLDWELL BANKER, RIDGEWOOD
3     149 BERGEN CT     $525,000     3     WEICHERT REALTORS RIDGEWOOD
4     490 VAN EMBURGH AVE     $534,900     3     WEICHERT REALTORS RIDGEWOOD
5     314 LIBBY AVE     $580,000     3     KELLER WILLIAMS VILLAGE SQUARE REALTY
6     528 W SADDLE RIVER RD     $629,000     4     COLDWELL BANKER, RIDGEWOOD
7     566 LINWOOD AVE     $629,000     3     REAL LIVING GATEWAY REALTORS-RIDGEWOOD
8     35 BRYDEN PL     $680,000     5     KELLER WILLIAMS VILLAGE SQUARE REALTY
9     687 WALL ST     $700,000     4     KELLER WILLIAMS VILLAGE SQUARE REALTY
1     42 ETHELBERT PL     $749,000     4     TERRIE O’CONNOR REALTORS/RIDGEWOOD
11     695 WALL ST     $749,900     4     REALMART REALTY, LLC
12     235 DEMAREST ST     $859,000     4     COLDWELL BANKER, RIDGEWOOD
13     324 BEECHWOOD RD     $979,000     4     TARVIN REALTORS
14     330 BEDFORD RD     $2,399,000     5     KELLER WILLIAMS VILLAGE SQUARE REALTY

https://ridgewood-nj-real-estate.com/

Photo by Boyd Loving

Demarest Policing and Shared Services

TO PROTECT AND SAVE
by Freeholder Maura DeNicola

Public safety is a primary concern for all families, a priority for government, and the key to sustaining quality of life for every taxpayer.  All else follows.  Public safety is also one of the largest, if not the largest expense of local government.  There are a number of reasons for this, some of which are attributable to our State’s history.

More than one hundred years ago, New Jersey was hit by a fast-growing phenomenon known as “Boroughitis.”  Prompted by the Borough Act of 1878, local incorporation became possible through a simple act of petitioning, allowing for home rule, a Mayor and 6 Councilmember form of government, and independent school systems.  New Jersey went from having less than 20 boroughs to having hundreds and ultimately 566 municipalities in all.  In Bergen County, 56 of our 70 municipalities are boroughs.

This was not necessarily bad.  Travel was difficult, response time was lengthy, self-reliance and neighbor-helping-neighbor were critical to everyday life, more so in emergent situations.  Incorporating locally meant services were more available, children were schooled closer to home and, hopefully, tax dollars were spent more frugally.

Over the last century, as New Jersey grew, so did local governments, services and costs.  The evolution of individual municipalities remains clearly evident in our town-centered departments, the 603 school districts that exist throughout the state and our unique local identities.  The expense of operating in these municipal silos, however, has become increasingly unsustainable for taxpayers and in many instances the perks of home rule less prominent as manpower and services are reduced to cut costs.  Times and technology have changed and we must too.

The state mandated 2% budget cap has slowed local spending and promotes a change in municipal thinking.  Today the key to maintaining local quality of life is through sharing services.  Shared services allow municipalities to maintain their local identities while capitalizing on economies of scale in purchasing and contracts, producing cost-savings through shared service agreements and cooperatives.  Many Bergen towns have entered into agreements for everything from road paving to municipal courts, helping to offset rising municipal costs.  Savings are not the only potential advantage to cooperative efforts..  Services also improve with access to wider networks, broader skill sets and cutting edge technology that many municipal governments cannot independently afford.

Moving in this direction is not easy. The Borough of Demarest had been working to make this happen with its most critical service and largest budgetary line item, Public Safety.  Over the last nine months and with a referendum reflecting wide public support, Demarest negotiated with the Bergen County Police Department to enter into such a Shared Services Agreement.  The Agreement would allow Demarest officers to become part of the larger regional Bergen County Police Department.  Every possible aspect of law enforcement and financial impact was examined.  Savings and benefits to both parties are significant.

As with every major change, however, critics line up and politics plays a role.  False statements are made and fear is instilled.  Would the rest of the county be subsidizing Demarest patrols?  Would the increased pension benefits for Demarest officers offset savings?  Would it be cheaper to hire all new officers instead of current Demarest officers at parody salaries?  Despite the answers; no, no and yes, the fact remained that local and county taxpayers would reap significant savings, and services would remain the same or better.  Importantly, it would be not be a mandate, but rather a first small step toward a new and improved way of thinking being advanced throughout the State, but not in Bergen, due to intramural politics.

When the majority of my fellow Freeholders voted down this Shared Services Agreement on Friday, the result was the perpetuation of what has become the status quo for New Jersey: rising costs and cuts in service.  As a result, the County will lose $2.7 million in revenue and the County Police will now hire at least eight of the twelve additional officers it needs to operate efficiently.  The Borough of Demarest will do what it must to reign in costs, a plan described by the Mayor as police layoffs to maintain its current budget.  So, who wins here?  Not taxpayers.  Unless elected officials are willing to change their thinking and support a step in this direction, taxpayers will keep paying too much for local government services.

Bergen Freeholders defeat contract to absorb Demarest police into county police
Friday, December 28, 2012    Last updated: Friday December 28, 2012, 4:15 PM
BY  DEENA YELLIN AND JOHN ENSSLIN
STAFF WRITER
The Record

The Bergen County freeholders Friday rejected a contract that called for the county to police Demarest, with several freeholders saying the proposed savings of the 7-year-deal were not clear enough.

By a 4-3 vote, the board voted against the proposal. Freeholders John Mitchell, John Felice, David Ganz and Joan Voss voted no. Freeholders Robert Hermansen, Maura DeNicola and John Driscoll voted yes.

The Demarest Council introduced and voted on a seven-year contract last week calling for the Bergen County Police to absorb the 13-member department and provide the borough with service. The council is scheduled to hold a public hearing and final vote on the issue on Monday.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/bergen/Bergen_Freeholders_defeat_contract_to_absorb_Demarest_police_into_county_police.html

Demarest plan could offer a guide to further police mergers
Monday, December 24, 2012    Last updated: Tuesday December 25, 2012, 2:10 PM
BY  JOHN C. ENSSLIN AND DEENA YELLIN
STAFF WRITERS
The Record

The proposed contract to have the Bergen County police patrol Demarest for seven years contains 32 pages of what ifs, worst-case scenarios and nitty-gritty details.

Among the provisions detailed in the draft contract posted on Monday on the county’s website are:

— What would happen if the county police force was disbanded or merged into the sheriff’s office, as it nearly were just three months ago.

— What would happen if the average response time on calls for service increased more than 5 percent two straight months.

— Where school crossing guards would be stationed and what annual events in Demarest the county police would patrol.

County officials hope the contract provides a template for how other towns can save money by having the county provide equal or better police services at lower costs.

https://www.northjersey.com/demarest/Demarest_plan_could_offer_a_guide_to_further_police_mergers.html

Is cop merger win-win deal?

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2012
BY JOHN C. ENSSLIN
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD
ANALYSIS

The long-running debate over police consolidation in Bergen County enters a new and potentially decisive phase this week.

A little more than two months after scuttling a proposed merger of the county Police Department into the Sheriff’s Office, the Bergen County Freeholder Board will decide on a contract to provide police services to Demarest.

At issue is whether the proposal is a win-win deal that will save taxpayers on both sides or – as critics contend – an unfair subsidy that benefits one Bergen town at the expense of the other 69.

County officials say the Demarest proposal is a one-of-a-kind offer, not likely to be replicated should other towns seek similar agreements.

“The fact that Demarest is the first gives them a certain advantage,” County Administrator Ed Trawinski said.

Trawinski, who detailed the contract in a recent interview, said the deal with Demarest is unique because of its timing: The 89-member county Police Department is understaffed for the growing volume of calls that it has been handling.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/183676501_Is_cop_merger_win-win_deal_.html

Information on Schools within Ridgewood Village

Proposed merger of Demarest, Bergen County police forces spark debate over savings
Tuesday, December 4, 2012    Last updated: Tuesday December 4, 2012, 9:51 PM
BY  JOHN C. ENSSLIN AND DEENA YELLIN
STAFF WRITERS
The Record

Two state lawmakers on Tuesday questioned the financial wisdom of merging the Demarest police force with the Bergen County Police, with one saying “The numbers simply do not add up.”

But county officials fired back, saying the deal will save a combined $4.7 million over a seven-year contract, with Demarest pocketing $2.3 million in savings.

The deal also will bolster the Bergen County Police by absorbing 13 Demarest officers, something county officials say is needed to handle an increased workload. Demarest will continue to be patrolled by two officers at a time. County officials say money will be saved on their end because those officers will be paid at their current pay scale — a lower rate than the typical county officer — for the first five years of the pact.

The to and fro among officials addressed a core question: Does the merger make financial sense for all county taxpayers, as well as those in Demarest?

In the first detailed public description of the proposal and the assumptions behind the deal, county officials estimated Demarest will save $2.3 million by contracting county police services through 2019. County officials figure to save $2.4 million during that time, mostly by filling vacancies with the current borough officers.

https://www.northjersey.com/demarest/Proposed_merger_of_Demarest_Bergen_County_police_forces_spark_debate_over_savings.html

>Bench-a-thon lifts spirits of Grundy family

FRIDAY, AUGUST 5, 2011
BY BRIAN FARRELL
SPORTS EDITOR
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

RIDGEWOOD — Sports in high school go way beyond the playing lines when it comes to internal support, because if one takes the right attitude and approach, then the team one is playing for or coaching becomes family.

The Ridgewood High School football community has a very nice, exemplary family. Just ask Bill Grundy

Grundy, the epitome of what a good football coach should be, with all of the attributes of a Vince Lombardi — toughness but fairness, demanding but rewarding — is steadily recovering from the stroke he suffered in April of 2008. The former Ridgewood junior football head coach and assistant coach at Ridgewood High School has gone through extensive rehabilitation and therapy since he was felled at his teaching job at Demarest Middle School. With that have come extensive medical bills. Even though insurance has pulled a considerable weight in helping, the Grundy family is still left with much to pay out of its pocket.

https://www.northjersey.com/sports/126818858_Bench-a-thon_lifts_spirits_of_Grundy_family_.html