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7:30PM Village Coucil Special Public Meeting – Village Hall Community Center

Village Council Meeting

file photo by Boyd Loving

VILLAGE OF RIDGEWOOD ZONING BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT

AGENDA

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Village Hall Court Room – 7:30 P.M.

Call to order

Pledge of Allegiance

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

Please note: A curfew of 11:00 PM is strictly adhered to by the Zoning Board of Adjustment of the Village of Ridgewood. No new matter involving an Applicant will be started after 10:30 PM. At 10:00 PM the Chairman will make a determination and advise Applicants as to whether they will be heard. I f an Applicant cannot be heard because of the lateness of the hour, the matter will be carried over to a future meeting to be determined by the Board at 10:00 PM.

Roll call

Approval of minutes: January 13, 2015; February 10, 2015; February 24, 2015

Non-agenda items:

Board member comments

Members of the public comments

Public hearings

Old Business:

NEW YORK SMSA LIMITED PARTNERSHIP D/B/A VERIZON WIRELESS – An application requesting a D1 Use variance, and minor site plan approval with other variances and waivers, interpretations, and/or approvals as are necessary to permit the installation of a wireless telecommunications facility to be located at 6 South Monroe Street, Block 2404 Lot 3 in an R-110 zone. (A continuation from July 14, 2015 meeting)

AGENDA – CONTINUATION                                                         SEPTEMBER 8, 2015

New Business:

JOSEPH PANICO – An application for the construction of a one story addition, the enclosure of an existing porch, and the construction of a rear porch landing which will result in a front yard setback of 45.2 feet where 50 feet is the minimum required, a side yard setback of four feet to a wing wall attached to the garage, and eight feet to the garage addition where 10 feet is the minimum required for both, and a rear yard setback to the rear landing of  13.5 feet where 30 feet is the minimum required. The proposed will result in a total lot coverage of 21.3% where 20% is the maximum

permitted and a Gross Building Area of 36.3% where 34 % is the maximum permitted at 152 Valley View Avenue, Block 1816, Lot 2, in an R-2 zone. (Carried from July 14, 2015)

OLGA CHAIKOVSKY – An application for the construction of a detached garage which will result in side yard and rear yard setbacks of four feet where five feet is the minimum required for each at 170 Oak Street, Block 200, Lot 11, in an R-2 zone. (Carried from July 14, 2015)

XIOMARA OLIVO – An application for the construction of a two story, and second story addition and covered patio which will result in a front yard setback of 35.19 feet where 40 feet is the minimum required and a side yard setback to the second story addition of 7.97 feet where 10 feet is the minimum required. The construction will result in a total lot coverage of 27% and lot coverage within 140 feet of the front lot line of 27.4% where 20% is the maximum permitted for each at 525 Laurel Road, Block 4306, Lot 22, in an R-2 zone.

CLAIRE BENNETT – An application for the construction of a second story addition which will result in front yard setback of 34.42 feet where 40 feet is the minimum required at 345 Crest Road, Block 1909, Lot 26, in an R-1 zone.

Resolution memorialization:    Ridgewood Park SG, LLC – 30 Oak St.

Lisa Danias – 32 Pomander Walk

Barry and Lisa Sands – 339 Spring Ave.                                                                                 Keith and Lisa Grace – 154 N. Pleasant Ave.

Dr. Patrick Higgins – 33 N. Pleasant Ave.

Keyvan and Lindsey Pourreza – 155 Beechwood Rd.

Discussion

Adjournment

VILLAGE OF RIDGEWOOD VILLAGE COUNCIL SPECIAL PUBLIC MEETING SEPTEMBER 8, 2015 7:30 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.   Comments from the Public (Not to exceed 5      minutes per person – 30 minutes total)

6.   Presentations by Vendors

a.   Clark Caton Hintz

b.   Desman Design Management

c.   SNS Architects & Engineers, PC

d.   Timothy Haahs & Associates, Inc.

7.   Synopsis by Parking Steering Committee

8.   Village Council Comments

9.   Comments from the Public (Not to Exceed 5

minutes per person – 30 minutes total)

10.  Adjournment

09/08/157:30PMBoard of Adjustment Public Meeting
09/08/157:30PMVillage Coucil Special Public Meeting – Village Hall Community Center
09/09/157:30PMVillage Council Special Public Meeting
09/09/157:30PMVillage Council Public Work Session
09/15/157:30PMPlanning Board Public Meeting
09/16/158:00PMVillage Council Public Meeting
09/22/157:30PMBoard of Adjustment Public Work Session
09/29/157:30PMBoard of Adjustment Public Meeting
09/30/157:30PMVillage Council Public Work Session

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China, Trying to Bolster Currency, Taps Foreign Reserves

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By NEIL GOUGHSEPT. 7, 2015

HONG KONG — China is burning through its huge stockpile of foreign exchange reserves at the fastest pace yet as it seeks to prop up its currency and stem a rising tide of money flowing out of the country.

Even after a record monthly decrease of nearly $100 billion, China still has the world’s biggest cache of foreign reserves, standing at $3.56 trillion at the end of last month, government data showed Monday.

The total has declined steadily from a peak of nearly $4 trillion in June of last year, as slowing economic growth caused investors to move money out of the country in search of better returns elsewhere. As a result, the Chinese central bank has had to sell huge amounts from its foreign reserves to maintain the strength of the nation’s currency, the renminbi.

The exodus of investors’ money accelerated last month after China made the surprise decision on Aug. 11 to devalue the renminbi by the most in over two decades. China’s foreign reserves fell $94 billion in the month, according to Monday’s report, as the central bank mounted an aggressive defense of the renminbi.

https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/08/business/china-renminbi-yuan-foreign-reserves.html?_r=0

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Sammy Hagar , Cat Cora and Josh Altman appearing at Bookends in Ridgewood this month

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Sammy Hagar Monday, September 14th @ 6:00pm
Legendary Lead Singer with Van Halen & inductee in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Sammy Hagar, will sign his new book, Are We Having Any Fun Yet?
Books available September 14th

Cat Cora Wednesday, September 16th @ 7:00pm
Catherine Ann “Cat” Cora is a professional chef best known for her featured role as an “Iron Chef” on The Food Network, Cat Cora, will sign her new book:Cooking as Fast as I Can

Josh Altman Wednesday, September 30th @ 7:30pm
Star on Bravo TV’s Million Dollar Listing, Josh Altman, will sign his new book:
It’s Your Move

Appearing authors will only autograph books purchased at Bookends and must have valid Bookends Receipt.

Availability & pricing for all autographed books subject to change.
First In Line Certificate use is the the discretion of Bookends. Blackout dates may apply.
Bookends cannot guarantee that the books that are Autographed will always be First Printings.
Autographed books purchased at Bookends are non-returnable.

While we try to ensure that all customers coming to Bookends’ signings will meet authors and get their books signed, we cannot guarantee that all attendees will meet the author or that all books will be signed.  We cannot control inclement weather, author travel schedules or authors who leave prematurely.

Bookends, 211 E. Ridgewood Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ   07450   201-445-0726

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The Epidemic of Officially Discouraged Workers

millennials

ByRobert McGarveyFollow|09/04/15 – 09:55 AM EDT

NEW YORK (MainStreet) — Unemployment numbers out of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) are a cause for celebration on both sides of the political aisle and that is, because the current rate reported today for the August Jobs Reportis 5.1%, a huge improvement over the 10% notched in October 2009. Just one problem: that number is so misleading it just about counts as a lie.

You have just quit looking for work because it’s pointless? Officially you do not count as unemployed. Ditto for if you’ve taken a part-time job, however wretched, just to put a few bucks in your pocket. You are not unemployed,

The real numbers may be twice as high. Maybe one in ten of us is unemployed or we have just plain given up on the idea of a fulltime job. The BLS acknowledges this in a different tally that it calls U-6.  By its count, 11.3% of us have given up on the dream of a good full-time job. Those workers, in BLS parlance, are “discouraged.” Some have given up looking for fulltime work. Others work part-time because that’s all they can get.

Some states do especially poorly. In West Virginia 13% count as discouraged. In Arizona, 13.8% of the potential workforce is not even close to where it wants to be. Nevada is a stomach churning 15.2%, the nation’s biggest clump of dissatisfied workers and the discouraged unemployed.

Polling company Gallup, by the way, says the BLS discouraged workers numbers are low. It claims that 14.7% of us – that’s one in seven – is underemployed

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Poll: Trump beats Hillary head-to-head

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September 04, 2015, 08:13 pm
By Elliot Smilowitz

Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump leads Democrat Hillary Clinton head-to-head, according to a new poll released Friday.

The poll by SurveyUSA finds that matched up directly, Trump garners 45 percent to Clinton’s 40 percent.

In other head-to-head matchups, Trump beats out Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) by 44 percent to 40 percent; Vice President Joe Biden by 44 percent to 42 percent; and former Vice President Al Gore by 44 percent to 41 percent.

Trump’s surge past Clinton marks a dramatic turnaround in the polls.

A CNN/ORC sampling of national voters in late June — just days after Trump entered the race — found that 59 percent supported Clinton to 34 percent picking Trump in a head-to-head race.

The same poll taken in July saw Clinton at 57 percent to Trump at 38 percent. And a version taken in August had Clinton with 52 percent support and Trump with 43 percent.

Trump has seen his campaign’s popularity surge through the summer while Clinton’s has struggled with voter concerns over her transparency and trustworthiness as secretary of State.

The poll also found that 30 percent of respondents believe Trump will eventually be the Republican nominee, leading the field.

 

https://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/252825-poll-trump-beats-hillary-head-to-head

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What have Bush, Clinton learned from voters’ attraction to the outsiders?

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By Dan Balz Chief correspondent September 5 at 11:32 AM

At the beginning of this year, the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania sponsored a focus group in the Denver suburbs composed of a dozen adults — Republicans, Democrats and independents. Looking back almost nine months later, the two-hour discussion proved to be a prescient guide to the surprising politics of 2015.

For any conventional politician paying attention, what was said there should have been unnerving. The name Donald Trump was never mentioned, nor was that of Ben Carson or Bernie Sanders. But the sentiments expressed that evening help explain why those three candidates are in the forefront of the political conversation on this Labor Day weekend.

Dan Balz is Chief Correspondent at The Washington Post. He has served as the paper’s National Editor, Political Editor, White House correspondent and Southwest correspondent.View Archive

The participants made it clear that they were fed up with politics as usual. They were harsh in their judgments about most traditional politicians, the political establishment and the way Washington works. They had no particular appetite for a clash-of-dynasties presidential campaign pitting a Bush against a Clinton.

They were especially critical in their assessments of Jeb Bush. They were tepid toward Hillary Rodham Clinton, although judgments fell more predictably along partisan lines. The participants longed for someone who seemed different and who they believed understood their lives. The name Elizabeth Warren, the populist senator from Massachusetts, sparked positive comments, even from some of the Republicans.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/what-have-bush-clinton-learned-from-voters-attraction-to-the-outsiders/2015/09/05/3500ba66-532e-11e5-8c19-0b6825aa4a3a_story.html

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Tom Brady seems to have a Trump hat in his locker

Tom Brady

September 05, 2015, 03:01 pm
By Mark Hensch

Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump has repeatedly expressed admiration for New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady — and the feeling may be mutual.

“Tom wants to make American great again,” Barstool Sports writer John Feitelberg tweetedSaturday alongside an image of what is apparently Brady’s locker. Inside it is a red baseball cap with Trump’s campaign slogan.

Trump has repeatedly appeared in public wearing a similar hat.
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The outspoken billionaire lauded Brady this week after a federal judge overturned the NFL’s four-game suspension of Brady.
“Congrats to Tom Brady on yet another great victory,” Trump tweeted Thursday. “Tom is my friend and a total winner!”
U.S. District Court Judge Richard Berman on Thursday said the football league’s penalty against Brady lacks significant legal standing.
Brady has repeatedly insisted he is innocent of a conspiracy to deflate footballs during a pivotal playoff game last season.

https://thehill.com/blogs/in-the-know/in-the-know/252839-tom-brady-seems-to-have-a-trump-hat-in-his-locker

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WHY DID OIL-RICH ARAB COUNTRIES ABANDON MUSLIM REFUGEES?

refugees

And where is the Arab action to rescue fellow Muslims and Arabs from the claws of ISIS?

September 4, 2015

Nonie Darwish

Western media is reporting on the Muslim refugee crisis as a humanitarian problem that the West must deal with. But where are the media’s questions about the huge financial and land resources available to oil rich Arab and Muslim countries? Where are the Islamic solutions in this equation?

The world is often lectured to about the urgency of respecting Arab and Islamic brotherly love, but where is the Arab action to rescue fellow Muslims and Arabs from the claws of ISIS?

Where are Arab feminists, especially those who demonstrated against France for banning the hijab? They are silent and doing nothing to rescue thousands of women that are victims of Islamic jihadist rape and enslavement. The only compassionate women helping women in the Middle East are the Christian mother Teresas and Kayla Muellers of the western world.

Where are the mighty Arab armies who waged dozens of wars against Israel? Why aren’t they fighting ISIS and building tent cities in the vast deserts of Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and the wealthy Gulf States? They are all claiming they are “moderate” Muslims and that they are against ISIS. But is one substantive thing they have done?

Where are the thousands of Islamic human rights groups operating in the West, the likes of CAIR and ISNA, who are dedicating their energy and millions of dollars to stop discrimination against Muslims and “Islamophobia” in the West? This is the same West that their refugees are escaping to.

https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/260025/why-did-oil-rich-arab-countries-abandon-muslim-nonie-darwish

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Ridgewood, Glen Rock, Midland Park residents face severe water restrictions

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SEPTEMBER 4, 2015, 5:41 PM    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2015, 5:58 PM
BY CHRIS HARRIS
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

Sprinklers will be silenced around the village as dry weather has forced Ridgewood Water to initiate severe restrictions on irrigation.

On Friday, residents in Glen Rock, Midland Park, and Ridgewood learned they could face stiff fines should they opt to use anything other than a handheld hose with a spray nozzle to water their lawns.

Ridgewood Water has imposed its most oppressive restrictions, deeming the situation “critical.”

Related:   Hot, dry weather depleting North Jersey drinking water supply

Use of these spray nozzles will be restricted to just two days a week; those with odd numbered addresses can water on Tuesdays and Saturdays with even numbered homes able to irrigate Wednesdays and Sundays.

No irrigation is permitted on Mondays, Thursdays or Fridays until further notice.

According to Ridgewood officials, reserves need to be maintained for household use and for firefighters who’ll need water and enough pressure to fight potential fires.

 

https://www.northjersey.com/news/ridgewood-glen-rock-midland-park-residents-face-severe-water-restrictions-1.1404137

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Its that time of the year School’s Open so Drive Carefully

ridgewood crossing guards

September 04.2015

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Every fall, over 55 million children across the United States head back to school. With 13 percent of those children typically walking or biking to their classes, drivers need to be especially vigilant for pedestrians before and after school hours. The afternoon hours are particularly dangerous – over the last decade, nearly one in four child pedestrian fatalities occurred between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.

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According to AAA first and foremost drivers need to slow down. Speed limits in school zones are reduced for a reason. A pedestrian is struck by a vehicle traveling at 25 mph is nearly two-thirds less likely to be killed compared to a pedestrian struck by a vehicle traveling just 10 mph faster.
Come to a complete stop. Research shows that more than one-third of drivers roll through stop signs in school zones or neighborhoods. Always come to a complete stop, checking carefully for children on sidewalks and in crosswalks before proceeding.
Eliminate distractions. Research shows that taking your eyes off the road for just two seconds doubles your chances of crashing. And children can be quick, crossing the road unexpectedly or emerging suddenly between two parked cars. Reduce risk by not using your cell phone or eating while driving, for example.
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Reverse responsibly. Every vehicle has blind spots. Check for children on the sidewalk, in the driveway and around your vehicle before slowly backing up. Teach your children to never play in, under or around vehicles.
Watch for bicycles. Children on bikes are often inexperienced, unsteady and unpredictable. Slow down and allow at least three feet of passing distance between your vehicle and a bicyclist. If your child rides a bicycle to school, require that he or she wear a properly fitted bicycle helmet on every ride.
Talk to your teen. Car crashes are the leading cause of death for teens in the United States, and nearly one in four fatal crashes involving teen drivers occur during the after-school hours of 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
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Readers say too Much Non Compliance with Water Restrictions

sprinklers_vets_fielf_theridgewoodblog

file photo

The new arrivals in my neighborhood, pus some here 10-15 years, don’t play by the rules and don’t care, they sprinkler water every day, morning daylight or night time in the cloak of darkness, they are only concerned that they have a nice green lush lawn. They didn’t care about stage 1 restrictions, let alone stage 2, even tho other neighbors mentioned water rules to them, it rolls off their shoulder and it is not important enough and ignored. Yes, they sprinkler water on Monday when no one is to. Shame on them.

…I never got a reverse robo call on water sprinkling rules, used to, but in the know, do follow the rules, use hand held hose and have burned out areas of lawn, it doesn’t grow – no water, no rain, dry hot season, and have the landscaper skip grass cuts at times.

…The town should have sent a postal notice to all customers, as they did in past years, as there are many new residents. Education and respect for our water resources could be in flyer form, to inform people of the artesian well water here, and that its not from a resevoir. They don’t know, don’t care, think its an endless supply. Parents should set an example for their kids, and not break rules – saying its ok to do so. If not, they could take their bad habits and move back to the city.

I agree with the above and also see neighbors breaking the rules. Besides grass is not a native ground cover and shouldn’t be the main cover of yard space anyway: requires too much water, and pesticides, herbicides to maintain. Many articles have appeared on this subject including a great one in the Ridgewood News from former Eco Ed Schwarz.

Send an email with the offenders address to [email protected] is the boss at ridgewood water. When they are doing enforcement they can see it and do something .Police used to enforce but just like all jnight parking they won’t do anything unless a complaint is called in

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Clinton emails contained spy satellite data on North Korean nukes

hillary-clinton-what-difference-does-it-make

Revelation among biggest concerns inside intel community

By John Solomon – The Washington Times – Tuesday, September 1, 2015

One of the most serious potential breaches of national security identified so far by the intelligence community inside Hillary Rodham Clinton’s private emails involves the relaying of classified information concerning the movement of North Korean nuclear assets, which was obtained from spy satellites.

Multiple intelligence sources who spoke to The Washington Times, solely on the condition of anonymity, said concerns about the movement of the North Korean information through Mrs. Clinton’s unsecured server are twofold.

First, spy satellite information is frequently classified at the top-secret level and handled within a special compartment called Talent-Keyhole. This means it is one of the most sensitive forms of intelligence gathered by the U.S.

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/sep/1/hillary-clinton-emails-contained-spy-satellite-dat/

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Nuclear deal will make war with Iran more likely, former top military officials say in report

Death-to-America

By Kellan Howell – The Washington Times – Wednesday, September 2, 2015

A group of former top military officials and intelligence analysts released a new report Wednesday concluding that the nuclear deal with Iran will threaten American interests and increase the probability of military conflict in the Middle East.

In its report, the Iran Strategy Council wrote that the nuclear deal, called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), “will enable Iran to increase support for terrorist and insurgent proxies, aggravate sectarian conflict and trigger both nuclear and conventional proliferation cascades.”

Additionally, the deal will “provide the expansionist regime in Tehran with access to resources, technology and international arms markets required to bolster offensive military capabilities in the vital Persian Gulf region, acquire long-range ballistic missiles and develop other major weapons systems,” the council wrote.

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/sep/2/nuclear-deal-will-make-war-with-iran-more-likely-f/

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Auth Wants NJ Congressional Delegation to Vote No on Iran Deal

Robert Auth

Assemblyman Robert Auth (R-39) will introduce an Assembly resolution calling on members of New Jersey’s Congressional delegation to oppose the Iran Nuclear Agreement. Congress is scheduled to vote on the agreement later this month. While U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) stoutly opposes the agreement, his colleague, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), has yet to issue a stand. Max Pizarro, PolitickerNJ Read more

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Ridgewood officials detail water treatment process

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SEPTEMBER 1, 2015    LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2015, 11:22 AM
BY MARK KRULISH
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

A treatment program currently being implemented by Ridgewood Water designed to combat the levels of lead found in testing samples taken in 2012 should be completed by the third quarter of next year.

Utility officials have made recent appearances in Ridgewood, Glen Rock and Midland Park to educate residents on the subject. The utility also serves Wyckoff.

Testing done three years ago by Ridgewood Water revealed 11 cases where the water contained more than .015 milligrams per liter of lead, which triggered the need for public education and a course of action to remediate the situation, as mandated by the Department of Environmental Protection.

Lead leached into the water from lead service lines was listed as the cause for the exceedance of the action level. Officials have said the water itself is lead-free.

Lead can cause serious health problems if too much enters a person’s body, and the effects are especially harmful to young children, infants and pregnant women. Lead is stored in the bones and can be released after building up for several years, causing brain and kidney damage.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/ridgewood-water-detailing-treatment-process-1.1401771