Category: Garfield NJ

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Route 4 Accident Near Bergen Town Centre Leave Two Dead

Bergen County Sheriff's Office Bomb Squad Unit

file photo by Boyd Loving

August 29,2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Paramus NJ, On Sunday, August 27, 2017, detectives from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Fatal Accident Investigation Unit, under the direction of Chief Robert Anzilotti, along with members of the Paramus Police Department, under the direction of Chief Kenneth Ehrenberg, and the Bergen County Sheriff’s Department, under the direction of Sheriff Michael Saudino, investigated a fatal motor vehicle collision in which two passengers of a 2001 Ford Mustang were ejected and killed as the car crashed along Route 4 East, into the Bergen Town Centre parking lot in Paramus, New Jersey.

Officers responded to the Bergen Town Centre parking lot on Sunday, August 27, 2017 at approximately 1:09 a.m., on multiple reports of a serious, roll-over, motor vehicle crash. There, officers found the heavily damaged Ford Mustang. All four occupants of the vehicle had been ejected and were found near the vehicle in the parking lot. One of the victims, a 19 year old female Garfield, New Jersey resident, was dead upon police arrival. The other three victims, two Garfield females, both of whom are believed to be in their early twenties; and a 23 year old Paterson male, were transported to Hackensack University Medical Center. After her arrival, one of the Garfield female victims succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced dead. The other female remains hospitalized with serious injuries. The Paterson male was treated and released. At this time, the Prosecutor’s Office is not identifying the vehicle occupants, pending further investigation and notification of next of kin.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation and no determination has yet been made relative to any potential criminal or motor vehicle charges. Prosecutor Grewal would like to thank members of the Paramus Police Department and the Bergen County Sheriff’s Department for their assistance in this ongoing investigation.

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Garfield merchants and residents brace for eminent domain fight

NJTransitLogo_theridgewoodblog

Kelly Nicholaides, Staff Writer, @rovingwriter Published 6:18 a.m. ET Aug. 26, 2017 | Updated 8:50 a.m. ET Aug. 26, 2017

GARFIELD — Merchants and homeowners are bracing for an eminent domain fight since their properties were included in a redevelopment study. Mayor Richard Rigoglioso points to news and magazine clips he is collecting that characterize Garfield as one of the worst places to live in New Jersey as to why redevelopment is needed to regrow the city.

Rigoglioso wants to change the negative perception–beginning with redeveloping the six block area surrounding the Passaic Street train station.

“It’s a tough area to live in, overpopulated with a lot of 2 to 3 family units and absentee landlords. These six blocks haven’t changed for the better,” said Rigoglioso after the Aug. 24 Planning Board meeting. “If we redevelop the area, we can gain Transit Village status, like what Bloomfield did to improve the area around their train station. We want people to visit Garfield and spend money here.”

https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/2017/08/26/garfield-merchants-and-residents-brace-eminent-domain-fight/599805001/

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PSE&G Preps for 2017 Summer Electric Demand

PSEG

file photo by Boyd Loving

$2.8 billion infrastructure investments will maintain reliability

June 1,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ,  Public Service Electric and Gas Co. (PSE&G), New Jersey’s largest utility, has made significant infrastructure investments that are in service for the first time this season, ensuring the utility is better prepared than ever to meet customer demand for safe, reliable electricity this summer.

“PSE&G customers are benefiting from the $2.8 billion in electric and gas investments the utility made this past year,” said John Latka, senior vice president of electric and gas operations at PSE&G. “These investments, along with our highly skilled and dedicated workforce, play a big role in making us one of the most reliable utilities in the country, and the most reliable in the Mid-Atlantic region 15 years running.”

Notable projects completed since the start of last summer include:

Eliminated, or raised and rebuilt six substations and switching stations that were damaged by water during storms, including stations in Elizabeth, Garfield, Hoboken, Jersey City, Rahway and South Hackensack.
Installed relays and remote terminal units at 45 substations and installed a new Distribution SCADA system in all four divisions. This program deploys smart grid technologies to better monitor system operations to increase our ability to more swiftly deploy repair teams.
Completed 62 projects that address critical facilities, including hospitals, water treatment plants, telecommunications facilities and police stations. This program creates redundancy in the system, reducing outages when damage occurs.
Replaced 12 aging station transformers to maintain electric service reliability for customers in Bergen, Camden, Essex, Hudson and Union Counties.
Completed transmission hardening projects to raise station equipment in five flood-prone stations, benefiting customers in Bergen, Camden, Hudson and Union Counties.
Energized eight 69,000-volt substations and associated lines. The new networks provide increased local transmission supply capacity to customers across our service area, including many living in Bergen, Burlington, Hudson, Passaic and Union Counties.

In addition to these electric distribution upgrades, phase 2 of the $1.2 billion Bergen to Linden corridor upgrade is fully energized and completed on schedule. This portion represents the upgrade from Bayway station in Elizabeth, to Linden station. When complete in 2018, the 345-kilovolt (kV) line will run from Ridgefield to Linden, maintaining reliability by relieving congestion on other regional transmission lines.

The 2017 forecasted summer peak is 10,057 megawatts. Last year’s peak was 9,800 megawatts, set on August 12. PSE&G’s all-time summer peak was 11,108 megawatts, set on August 2, 2006.

PSE&G expects to have no problem delivering the additional power, but utility crews are at the ready to respond to service interruptions should they occur. The utility’s rigorous preparedness program for summer includes conducting annual hurricane and tropical storm drills, employee training, developing emergency summer operating plans, and performing summer peak reliability analysis, helicopter and climbing inspections of transmission circuits, infrared inspections, system reinforcements and transmission line work.

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The most toxic sites in each New Jersey county

town garage ridgewood

no its not the town garage in Ridgewood 

BY S.P. SULLIVAN | NJ ADVANCE MEDIA

New Jersey has more places under the federal Superfund program, which prioritizes cleanups of dangerous contaminated sites, than any other state.

Many have histories more colorful than an oil slick: A massive chemical fire at a mob-controlled waste storage facility. Agent Orange in the Passaic River. Local wildlife turned green. And the only site ever to be put on the Superfund list twice.

While many of those sites have been cleaned up, they require longterm treatment and monitoring. With the EPA’s budget on the chopping block under President Donald Trump’s administration, advocates worry things will backslide for the Superfund, which has already been near-broke for decades.

“Just think about it: We’ve got over a hundred Superfund sites in this state. We’ve got 21 counties,” former Gov. Jim Florio, who wrote the Superfund law when he was in Congress in the early 1980s, said recently. “Nobody lives very far from these sites.”

BERGEN COUNTY

Garfield Groundwater Contamination

The former E.C. Electroplating company’s activity at this Garfield site spilled and leaked cancer-causing chromium into the ground, creating a plume of groundwater contamination at least a half a mile wide. One of New Jersey’s orphan sites, the EPA hasn’t identified a funding source for a cleanup, and says there’s “insufficient data” to measure the risk it poses to the surrounding community.

The city’s mayor appeared in front of a U.S. Senate hearing to plead for federal dollars for the site in 2014, but the cleanup still lacks funds.

Curcio Scrap Metal, Inc.

This active scrap metal yard in Saddle Brook saw a spill of oil containing PCBs in the 1980s and a major cleanup project in the 90s. Because of the nature of the work done there, it was also contaminated with heavy metals and volatile organic compounds, according to the EPA. Soil cleanup was completed long ago but groundwater cleanup is ongoing.

Fair Lawn Well Field

This site includes three municipal drinking water wells in the Bergen County borough. Volatile organic compounds were detected in the water in the late 1970s and traced to a nearby industrial park. Monitoring is ongoing, but the EPA says it has “insufficient data” to determine the site’s threat to human health.

(EPA)

Maywood Chemical Co.

The Maywood Chemical Works processed radioactive thorium ore from 1916 to 1955. The work generated chemical and radioactive waste.

The site is being cleaned up by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the company deemed responsible for the contamination. Cleanup of radioactive soil is “underway” and the rest of the plan is “in development,” according to EPA.

Quanta Resources Corporation

This site saw nearly a century of coal tar, paving and roofing material production along what was once an industrial wasteland along the Hudson River. Now surrounded by booming waterfront development, the EPA is overseeing cleanup of PCBs and other contaminants, but says it has “insufficient data” to determine the site’s threat to human health.

Berry’s Creek Study Area

A small chunk of the Meadowlands in Bergen County is home to three distinct Superfund sites along Berry’s Creek, a six-mile tributary of the Hackensack River. The area includes the Scientific Chemical site in Carlstadt, Universal Oil Products site in East Rutherford and the Ventron/Velsicol site, which spans Wood-Ridge and Carlstadt.

All three sites are laden with PCBs and Berry’s Creek is considered among the most mercury-laden locations in the country. Only the Scientific Chemical site is listed as “under control.”

https://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2017/04/the_most_toxic_sites_in_each_new_jersey_county.html#incart_2box_nj-homepage-featured

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Garfield proposes garage next to train station

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Kristie Cattafi , Staff Writer, @KristieCattafiPublished 7:22 p.m. ET March 7, 2017 | Updated 11:53 a.m. ET March 8, 2017

GARFIELD — Discussions are underway for a transit village designation around Garfield Station and the possibility of a commuter parking garage.

Plans for the parking garage were unveiled at the Garfield Redevelopment meeting March 6. The garage would be in the 1st Ward rehabilitation area, flanked by Somerset Street, Palisade Avenue, Hepworth Place and Hudson Street, along the train tracks. Plans call for a three-story structure with 468 spaces, said Pike Development’s president, Peter Cornell, who gave the presentation.

https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/bergen/garfield/2017/03/07/garfield-proposes-garage-next-train-station/98849528/

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The Ridgewood Police would also like to warn residents of the increased amount of Thefts, Identity Thefts and Frauds during the holidays

Ridgewood Guild's Winterfest 2016

December 22,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood Nj, As the holidays are rapidly approaching the Ridgewood Police Department would like wish everyone a safe and joyous holiday season. The Ridgewood Police would also like to warn residents of the increased amount of Thefts, Identity Thefts and Frauds during the holidays. A common scam the Ridgewood Police have become alert to involves Amazon.com. The Fraud Watch Network through AARP has provided a bulletin for awareness for Holiday Shoppers. See possibilities.aarp.org for more information.

Here are three recent examples:

On December 18, a Highland Avenue resident responded to Ridgewood Police headquarters to report being the victim of a Theft by Deception. The victim reported he received a phone call from an anonymous caller on December 17, who reported a family member had been arrested in Smithfield, Rhode Island and was in need of bail money. The caller advised the victim to contact the “Public Defender,” “Bernie Wall,” to arrange bail. The victim reported he made contact with “Mr. Wall” and then wired $1500 to a Walmart in Warwick, Rhode Island and later discovered the caller created a false impression of arrest.

Ptl. Kyle Monton responded to Garfield Place to investigate a Theft of Impersonation on December 15. Upon arrival the resident reported they were the victim of identity theft. The victim reported receiving a letter in the mail containing an Amazon Rewards credit card with her name on it and immediately contacted Chase Bank to cancel the card. Chase Bank reported there was no balance on the card.

A Linwood Avenue resident responded to Ridgewood Police headquarters on December 16, to report Identity Theft. The victim reported an unknown person opened a T-Mobile account without authorization utilizing the victim’s social security number. T-Mobile is reported to be investigating the incident

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The Story of Santoni’s Pizzeria

Santoni’s Pizzeria

photo Vegan personal pizza with fresh portobello mushrooms, sautéed spinach and garlic, broccoli, green peppers, basil with avocado and hemp seeds!

Tuesday Special 2 Large Pizza’s for $15.95  and Wednesday Special ! Large Pizza choice of Wings, antipasto or mussels  $14.95 (After 3pm)

December 8,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Santoni’s Pizzeria and Italian Restaurant in Garfield was founded in 1988 by Ed Lewer and Joe Parillo. Both coming from a vast variety of restaurant experience they set out to create mouthwatering food using only freshest ingredients and the highest quality products. Santoni’s Pizzeria and Italian Restaurant was an instant hit and over the years has become a staple in the town of Garfield. Ed and Joe believed in not only providing a great product as a key to their success but staying involved in the community. For decades they have been highly involved in the community. Santoni’s has sponsorship many fundraising events, nonprofit organizations, and various town sports teams. This community involvement led the business to win Business of the Year in 1994.

Santoni’s Pizzeria has always been a family run and operated business. Joe and Ed’s sons worked in the pizzeria since they young kids and are continuing their father’s principles and philosophy.  In 2013, Santoni’s opened its second location in Ridgewood, NJ with the same idea and principles in mind. Since the grand opening Santoni’s has been an instant success in town and has won several awards for best pizza in Ridgewood voted in a blind tasting by the Ridgewood High School pizza club.

Much more than just another pizza joint, Santoni’s embodies what your favorite neighborhood pizzeria should be– A warm, welcoming place where you can have a delicious meal with your friends and family. We pride ourselves on making the only best quality food while using only the freshest ingredients. Santoni’s aims to be your favorite neighborhood pizzeria and restaurant.

Everyone should order pizza from Santonis Pizzeria and Restaurant at 88 Godwin Avenue. This guy has really gotten the shaft from the NIMBY’s in his neighborhood; his business has been unjustly and unfairly affected by the privatization of precious Pomander Walk. His food is delicious, and he is a really nice guy who is just trying to run his business.   Call 201-389-6810  Show him that the rest of Ridgewood is filled with nice people who appreciate good food and hard-working shop owners. https://www.santonispizza.com/menus/ridgewood-menu/

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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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Crash Closes Godwin Ave in Ridgewood in both Directions

Crash Closes Godwin Ave in Ridgewood in both Directions

photos courtesy of Boyd Loving’s Facebook

October 26,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, A two (2) rear-end crash at the intersection of Godwin Avenue and South Monroe Street in Ridgewood on Tuesday, 10/25, tied up evening rush hour traffic but resulted in no serious injuries. Ridgewood PD, EMS, and FD personnel were dispatched to the scene. Both drivers refused medical aid, but both vehicles were heavily damaged and towed from the incident location. Godwin Avenue was closed in both directions between South Monroe Street and Garfield Place until wreckage and debris was removed.

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N.J.Food & Clothing Rescue Needs a New Home

N

October 25,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

N.J.Food & Clothing Rescue redistributes donated food, clothing, personal hygiene items and at times household items and other necessities in a rapid manner to people in crisis whether it be due to fire, homelessness or personal situations.

“WITH THE HELP of many generous people and volunteers over the past year our charity has helped in excess of 40,000 people we have rescued and redistributed at least 60,000 pounds of perishable foods.

We started and ran a pantry successfully helping an average of 40 families per week for 3 months prior to someone doing a hostile takeover over of it.

We have run roughly 40 street outreaches, mostly in Newark but also a couple in Paterson which provided food, clothes, and personal hygiene items to 1000’s of people living on the street and emergency shelters.

We did about 40 or so outreaches at HQ providing perishable foods to people in the local community.

We collected over 2000 cans of play-doh for the kids cancer center in Hackensack.

We collected 118 turkeys and received donations of other foods that we cooked and made 1000 heat and serve thanksgiving dinners, as well as cook it yourself thanksgiving meal “bags” and distributed them through 3 counties and 9 towns to veterans, seniors, pantries and many people that would not have had a thanksgiving dinner otherwise.

We assisted the city of Passaic with an outreach for seniors and we provided enough household necessities and personal hygiene items for roughly 60 seniors.

Between last year , and this year, we collected and distributed enough school supplies to help over 1000 students that might not have what they need to start the school year off with what they need.

We assisted about 300 families that had fires and lost everything.including many new clothes and hygiene items for the huge fire in Passaic and new school supplies and uniforms for a family that had a fire the day before school started and they lost everything.

We organized and ran a world homeless day outreach with 6 other groups in newark and helped in excess of 500 people in 4 hours, with clothes, hygiene items, and food.

We did an indoor outreach at a shelter that has hundreds of kids and provided at least 100 kids coats and winter footwear for them.

We collected many toys at Christmas and helped Santa make many kids Christmas a little happier.
we worked with another group and provided several hundred pairs of shoes, sandals, flip flops for people in the DR that have no footwear.

Amazingly….we were able to help get a sick mom and her son off the street for about a week and give her time to feel better in a relaxed situation and buy her time to apply for services.

We have and continue to work with other charities and organizations, helping them to help others.

If you feel we are deserving…PLEASE SHARE this post so that SOMEONE in the Passaic/Garfield/Wallington area sees it that can help us find a new place to work from. if we don’t get a new place we will no longer be able to do all these things.”

N.J. Food & Clothing Rescue
P.O. Box 106
Lodi N.J. 07644

By Phone 201-747-8706

By Email [email protected]

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Local Levels of Chromium-6 detected in Ridgewood and Bergen County Water

tap-water

Here are the local agencies and the average levels of Chromium-6 detected, according to the study:

United Water NJ: Samples taken: 12, detects: 12, range: 0.034-0.33 ppb, average: 0.15 ppb
Ridgewood Water: Samples taken: 56, detects: 56, range: 0.14-2.9 ppb, average: 0.40 ppb
Fair Lawn Water Department: Samples taken: 20, detects: 18, range: 0.0-0.93. ppb, average: 0.28 ppb
Garfield Water Department: Samples taken: 12, detects: 12, range: 0.033-3.8 ppb, average: 0.70 ppb
Mahwah Water Department: Samples taken: 15, detects: 14, range: 0.0-0.37 ppb, average: 0.21 ppb
Passaic Valley Water Commission, Lodi Water Department: Samples taken: 8, detects: 8, range: 0.038-0.098 ppb, average: 0.064 ppb
Lyndhurst Water Department: Samples taken: 8, detects: 6, range: 0.0-0.068 ppb, average: 0.039 ppb
Elmwood Park Water Department: Samples taken: 8, detects: 7, range: 0.0-0.12 ppb, average: 0.063 ppb
Ramsey Water Department: Samples taken: 18, detects: 18, range: 0.044-1.8 ppb, average: 0.62 ppb

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ACTING BERGEN PROSECUTOR GURBIR S. GREWAL ANNOUNCES THE ARRESTS OF 40 INDIVIDUALS AS A RESULT OF “OPERATION HELPING HAND”

Bergen County Prosecutor Gurbir S
September 1, 2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Hackensack NJ, Acting Bergen County Prosecutor Gurbir S. Grewal announced today the arrests of 40 people from August 28, 2016 through Thursday, September 1, 2016, as the result of “Operation Helping Hand” – an innovative and collaborative law enforcement and public health initiative targeting the heroin and opioid crisis in Bergen County.

Ridgewood had two residents Christopher J. O’Brien and Lyndsay A. Paul, both 32, who were charged with possession of heroin.
This investigation was the result of a multi-jurisdictional task force consisting of local and county agencies coordinated by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office under the direction of Officer-in-Charge, Deputy Chief Robert ANZILOTTI. Assisting in this investigation were members of the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Michael SAUDINO. These detectives and officers formed the backbone of the multiagency task force. The municipal police agencies participating in this investigation were: Bergenfield Police Department; Cliffside Park Police Department; Dumont Police Department; Englewood Police Department; Elmwood Park Police Department; Fort Lee Police Department; Lyndhurst Police Department; Mahwah Police Department; New Milford Police Department; Saddle River Police Department; Tenafly Police Department; and Upper Saddle River Police Department. In addition, valuable assistance was provided by Bergen County officials, including Bergen County Executive James J. Tedesco, III, and Bergen Regional Medical Center.In 2015, the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Intel Unit and Narcotic Task Force analyzed overdose data as well as deployments of NARCAN, the overdose reversal drug, in
Bergen County. That analysis revealed the following with respect to 2015:
288 total reported overdoses, 231 of which were heroin/opioid-related;
87 overdose fatalities, 71 of which were heroin/opioid-related; and
187 NARCAN deployments by law enforcement officers, resulting in 170 lives saved.In 2015, the hardest hit municipalities were:
Garfield with 23 overdoses;
Lyndhurst with 20 overdoses;
Fort Lee with 15 overdoses;
Lodi with 15 overdoses; and
Cliffside Park with 14 overdoses.Similar analysis of available data for 2016 year-to-date, revealed the following:
202 reported overdoses, 158 of which were heroin/opioid overdoses; and 48 total overdose fatalities, 40 of which are believed heroin/opioid-related.

In an effort to address this issue in a novel way, the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office collaborated with Bergen Regional Medical Center to set aside a number of 5-day detox beds for a one-week period for individuals arrested on drug charges, who were battling addiction. Thereafter, on August 28, 2016, members of the multiagency task force described above began enforcement actions in areas known for narcotics sales, namely heroin sales. As a result of those operations, the task force arrested the individuals reflected on the attached spreadsheet. In addition to arresting them, task force members presented the option of participating in a voluntary detox program at Bergen Regional Medical Center that was available to them. The detox program was not in lieu of criminal charges. Approximately 12 individuals have afforded themselves to the detox option, and task force officers then either transported or are presently in the process of transporting those individuals to Bergen Regional Medical Center to enter into the detox program.

Acting Bergen County Prosecutor Grewal states that the charges against the defendants identified on the attached spreadsheet are merely accusations and that the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt and would also like to thank the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office, the Bergen County Executive and Bergen Regional Medical Center, as well as all the municipal departments that participated for their assistance with this initiative.

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Population rebounds around train stations in New Jersey

Ridgewood_Train_Statin_theridgewoodblog

By CHRISTOPHER MAAG

PATERSON, N.J. (AP) — When Kevin Eleby started commuting by train to New York City in 2001, the station in downtown Paterson was nearly empty. Every morning he climbed the stairs to the platform to wait alongside three other riders.

Nearly a decade passed. A few new people started showing up. Then a few more. A few weeks ago, when his train rushed into the station at 7:39 a.m., Eleby was surrounded by a crowd of 45 people.

“This place was deserted. Now you come up here and it’s full. Look at all these people!” said Eleby, 48, a Paterson resident who works in information technology for Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan. “It’s a big change,” he told The Record (https://bit.ly/1V8CxLm).

It’s a change that’s taking place across New Jersey and in some of the nation’s largest metropolitan regions. During the housing boom of the early 2000s, New Jersey’s population grew by 2.8 percent, but car-dependent suburbs saw their populations grow by 4.1 percent, according to a study by Tim Evans, research director at New Jersey Future, which advocates for transit-oriented development.

Meanwhile, neighborhoods within a half-mile of a transit station barely grew at all.

Then came the 2008 recession — and a major shift in population and commuting patterns.

Statewide, population growth slowed, dropping to 1.5 percent from 2008 through 2014, the latest year for which data is available. Car-oriented suburbs grew at roughly the same rate.

But during the same period, transit-oriented neighborhoods saw their population surge. Since the recession, they have accounted for 38.3 percent of the population growth in New Jersey, Evans found.

“It’s really dramatic, actually, how little these transit places were growing before 2008 and now they’re growing really quickly,” Evans said. “And the outlying counties that were the locus of sprawl are now losing population.

In Bergen and Passaic counties, many older suburbs grew up along train lines, and many newer ones are dependent on cars. That means the change in population patterns is not as stark here as elsewhere around the state, Evans said.

Yet the pattern holds. Most car-based municipalities in North Jersey continued to grow after 2008, but at a slower pace than before the recession, Evans said. Places like Montvale, Cresskill, Upper Saddle River in Bergen County; Wanaque in Passaic County; and Pompton Plains in Morris County all saw their growth rates stagnate.

But many transit-oriented neighborhoods grew. In Bergen County, Fair Lawn, Lyndhurst, Garfield, Ridgewood and Glen Rock all went from losing population before the recession to gaining population since 2008.

https://www.hastingstribune.com/population-rebounds-around-train-stations-in-new-jersey/article_ff935216-b5aa-523a-b990-256991a56ce6.html

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Traces of toxic chemical found in North Jersey water supplies

tapwater-1

BY SCOTT FALLON
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

A toxic chemical that recently raised concerns throughout the region when it was found near the Wanaque Reservoir has been detected in several smaller drinking water supplies that serve more than a dozen North Jersey towns.

Test results compiled by the federal government in the past three years show 1,4-dioxane, a probable carcinogen, in Fair Lawn, Garfield, Pompton Lakes and several other towns that rely heavily on wells. It has also been found in almost 80 other water systems in every part of the state, from Shore towns to Highlands communities.

Environmental officials say there is no imminent health threat from the levels of 1,4-dioxane that were detected, but there is still no clear consensus on how much of the chemical can be in drinking water before it makes anyone ill. The federal government has yet to develop a national standard for the chemical in water supplies. New Jersey does not yet have one. And the standards established in other states vary wildly.

Those whose drinking water has 1,4-dioxane are left with little information or guidance about whether it is dangerous.

“We need direction based on good science,” said Ken Garrison, the borough engineer for Fair Lawn, which supplies water to 32,000 residents. “It’s difficult for a water supplier to do anything without getting guidance from the regulators.”

The findings in North Jersey range from a barely traceable amount in Park Ridge to a sample almost 30 times greater taken from some of Fair Lawn’s wells that are in a Superfund site.

While the amounts of 1,4-dioxane found in North Jersey are incredibly small — the highest recording of 3.24 micrograms per liter in Fair Lawn is equivalent to three drops of water in an Olympic-sized swimming pool — they are important to regulators in setting baselines that determine how much exposure creates a health threat.

Unlike arsenic, PCBs and other dangerous substances that scientists have studied for decades, 1,4-dioxane belongs to a group of chemicals the Environmental Protection Agency classifies as an “unregulated contaminant” because the agency doesn’t have enough data to determine all of its health implications and its prevalence in water supplies.

The chemical, 1,4-dioxane, is a clear, man-made substance used in paint strippers, degreasers and varnishes. It is also created unintentionally when mixing certain chemicals. It blends with water very easily and is difficult to remove.

Drinking 1,4-dixoane can cause liver and kidney damage and is “reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen” by the U.S. Department of Health. In 2010, the EPA determined that 1,4-dioxane is more likely to cause cancer than previously thought: Cancer could occur in one person out of 1 million exposed to 0.35 milligrams per liter of the chemical over a lifetime.

The chemical made news recently after it was discovered in groundwater at the Ringwood Superfund site in the Ramapo Mountains, where Ford Motor Co. dumped tons of paint sludge almost 50 years ago. Although that groundwater is in the watershed that supplies the Wanaque Reservoir, 1,4-dioxane has not been detected in the reservoir, which serves up to 3 million people.

But it has been found in water systems that serve Fair Lawn, Garfield, Pompton Lakes, Oakland, Ramsey, Park Ridge, Elmwood Park, Ridgewood, Wallington, Hawthorne, Mahwah and other towns that receive most of their water from wells, according to an analysis of EPA data by The Record.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/traces-of-toxic-chemical-found-in-north-jersey-water-supplies-1.1530489

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Ridgewood seniors lead way for 4th straight District 6 wrestling title

wrestler2
February 22,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ Ridgewood Wrestling earned its fourth straight team title but this championship was as close as it gets. The Maroons topped runner-up Garfield by 8 1/2 points. They won by 70 points in 2015, 32. 5 points in 2014 and 41 points in 2013…There was a wrestler from Garfield or Ridgewood in 11 out of the 14 finals and three head-to-head matchups between the district’s top two teams.

All five of Ridgewood’s champions ; Matt Binstock (145), Julian Bangash (152),Ashmaz Dugulubgov (170), Kyle Inlander (182) and Jake Hall-Goldman (220) were seniors.

Most outstanding wrestler was Ridgewood’s Kyle Inlander who won a marquee bout against Elmwood Park’s Sammy Santos to earn the honor. Inlander checked in at 29-3 and was the No. 1 seed at 182 while second-seeded Santos entered the tournament with a record of 35-2. Inlander was able to fight off Santos on an 8-7 decision to win his third straight title.