Ridgewood NJ, both Mr. Halaby and Mr. Lehmann used public comment to again attack Mayor and make unproven and spurious accusation. The Mayor for the “umpteenth time ” refuted the false claims called out those who made them “liars, and morally bankrupt and ethically challenged” . Lehmann through his antics once again demonstrated why he should be immediately removed as Chair of the Board of Adjustment .
Village council Attorney Matthew Rogers, read a statement concerning “nepotism ” and Village of Ridgewood hiring practices . Rogers first read a statement outlining his job and reiterating that he represents the Village of Ridgewood not any one particular member of the council. Rogers went on addressing civil service laws of New Jersey and how they foster “merit based hiring” . Specifically Rogers referred to the fact that qualitied candidates for civil service positions can not be bypassed .All civil service appointments must be made by the civil service test.
Councilmen Voigt attempted again to misrepresent the Village of Ridgewood and how the Civil Service system in New Jersey works . The councilmen as well as Mr. Halaby and Lehmann seem to have no understanding of the civil service system . Councilmen Walsh summed it up ,”the state test is the state test ” end of story ,there is no way around it.
VILLAGE COUNCIL SPECIAL PUBLIC MEETING
APRIL 25, 2018
7:30 P.M.
1. Call to Order – Mayor
2. Statement of Compliance with the Open Public Meeting Act
MAYOR: “Adequate notice of this meeting has been provided
by a posting on the bulletin board in 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 the date and time of this meeting.”
3. Roll Call
4. Approval of Minutes
5. RESOLUTIONS
THE FOLLOWING RESOLUTIONS, NUMBERED 18-140 THROUGH 18-143 ARE TO BE ADOPTED BY A CONSENT AGENDA, WITH ONE VOTE BY THE VILLAGE COUNCIL. THERE IS A BRIEF DESCRIPTION BESIDE EACH RESOLUTION TO BE CONSIDERED ON THE CONSENT AGENDA. EACH RESOLUTION WILL BE READ BY TITLE ONLY:
18-140 Title 59 Approval – Approves the plans and specifications for Tree Trimming Ridgewood Parkland Crest Road at the View in the Village of Ridgewood, prepared by the Engineering Division, pursuant to Title 59
18-141 Award Contract – Tree Trimming on Crest Road at The View (NTE $17,450) – Awards a contract to the vendor providing the sole quote, Downes Tree Service, Inc.,
65 Royal Avenue, Hawthorne, NJ
18-142 Award Professional Services Contract – Financial Advisory Services for Hudson Street Parking Garage Project (NTE $25,000) – Awards a Professional Services Contract to Acacia Financial Group, 6000 Midlantic Drive, Suite 410 North, Marlton, NJ
18-143 Award Professional Services Contract – Green Acres Certified Appraisal – Block 3905, Lot 19 – South Broad Street (NTE $3,000) – Awards a Professional Services Contract to a Green Acres Certified Appraiser, Mark E. Hendricks, Hendricks Appraisal Company, LLC, 7 Hutton Avenue, West Orange, NJ
Village Council Work Session
THE RIDGEWOOD VILLAGE COUNCIL’S PUBLIC WORKSHOP AGENDA
APRIL 25, 2018
7:30 P.M.
1. 7:30 pm – Call to Order – Mayor
2. Statement of Compliance with Open Public Meeting Act
Mayor: “Adequate notice of this meeting has been provided by a posting on the bulletin board in 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 the date and time of this meeting.”
3. Roll Call – Village Clerk
4. Flag Salute/Moment of Silence
5. Public Comments (Not to Exceed 3 Minutes per Person – 40 Minutes in Total)
6. Discussion – Budget
a. Award Contract – Tree Trimming
b. Award Contract – Financial Advisor – Hudson Street Parking Garage
c. Award Professional Services Contract – Green Acres Diversion Property – South Broad Street
7. Motion to Suspend Work Session and Convene Special Public Meeting
8. Special Public Meeting – See Attached Agenda
9. Motion to Adjourn Special Public Meeting and Reconvene Work Session
10. Presentation
a. Hudson Street Parking Garage – Epic Management
11. Discussion
a. Ridgewood Water
1. Award Contract – Year One of Two Year Contract – Landscaping Services
2. Award Change Order #2 – Water Main Stream Crossings
3. Award Change Order #2 – Installation of Backup Power at Critical Facilities
4. Award Contract – Water Smart
b. Parking
1. Payment for Parking Transactions Using Mobile Technology and Other
Related Services
c. Budget
1. Award Contract – Year Two of Two Year Contract – Disposal of Recyclable Materials
2. Award Contract – Eradication of Bicycle Lane Markings – Portion of Westbound Garber Square
3. Award Contract – Crossing Guard Services
4. Award State Contract – Replacement of Carpeting – Police Department
5. Discuss Contract for Professional Planner – Affordable Housing Planning Consultant
6. New Five Year Lease – Pease Upper Levels
d. Policy
1. Blade Sign Ordinance
2. Amendment to Village Code – Backyards – Bands and Music
e. Operation – None
12. Manager’s Report
13. Council Reports
14. Public Comments (Not to Exceed 5 Minutes per Person)
15. Resolution to go into Closed Session
16. Closed Session
A. Personnel – Faulkner Act; Dept. of Public Works; Fire Department; Boards and Committees; Anti-Nepotism
B. Contract Negotiations – Property Acquisition – Green Acres Diversion
C. Legal – Affordable Housing
17. Adjournment
Utility to replace additional 875 miles of cast iron and unprotected steel gas pipes over five years
April 25,2021
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G) today announced a $1.875 billion settlement with the Staff of the New Jersey Board of Public utilities (BPU), the New Jersey Division of Rate Counsel and other parties to continue the accelerated replacement of aging gas pipes, supporting a safe, clean and reliable gas system well into the future. The settlement agreement is pending approval by the BPU.
In a filing with the BPU in July 2017, PSE&G sought approval to continue to accelerate the replacement of the cast iron and unprotected steel gas mains line throughout its service territory. The settlement will enable the utility to replace 875 miles of gas mains and make other improvements to its gas system over the five-year period.
“By year end, we expect to have replaced hundreds of miles of aging gas pipes under the first phase of our Gas System Modernization Program,” said David Daly, PSE&G president and COO. “This agreement means we can continue the next phase of this important work, which will result in improved safety and reliability of gas service and reduced methane emissions. It will also ensure we have the critical infrastructure needed to grow New Jersey’s economy for years to come.
“Together with our contractors, we have demonstrated we can manage a larger-scale, longer-duration program safely and cost-effectively,” Daly added. “We thank all of the parties involved for their thoughtful participation and review in this matter.”
In addition to PSE&G, the BPU staff and NJ Rate Counsel, parties supporting the settlement include: the Environmental Defense Fund, Local Union 94 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 855 of the United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the plumbing and Pipefitting Industry, the Engineers Labor-Employment Cooperative, New Jersey Laborers – Employers Cooperation and Education Trust, Ferreira Construction, and Creamer-Sanzari Joint Venture.
In 2017, the BPU approved new rules that support longer-term infrastructure programs of up to five years. This agreement culminates nearly nine months of formal discovery, review and discussions, including public hearings before the BPU.
The mains and service lines will be replaced with strong, durable plastic piping, which is much less likely to have leaks and release methane gas. The new elevated pressure systems also enable the installation of excess flow valves that automatically shut off gas flow if a service line is damaged, and better support the use of high-efficiency appliances. The five-year program is also expected to create about 3,200 sustained jobs.
Since 2009, residential gas heating bills are down about 50 percent because of the lower cost of natural gas supply. Continued low gas prices make this the ideal time to accelerate this work.
Under the settlement, PSE&G’s return on equity on the investment will be determined as part of the utility’s base distribution rate review currently under way. The average annual bill impact for a typical residential customer is expected to be less than a 2 percent increase, or about $17, per year over the five-year program.
PSE&G has just under 4,000 miles of cast-iron gas pipes, which is more than any other utility in the nation. At this new pace, the utility lines can replace its cast-iron and unprotected steel pipes with modern ones in 25 years. Pipes installed before 1960 are the most leak-prone. They make up 25 percent of PSE&G’s network, yet account for 65 percent of leaks, excluding third-party damages. The five-year pipe replacement program would reduce greenhouse gas emissions equal to taking 30,000 vehicles off the road.
Ridgewood NJ, At the 2018 Earth Day celebration, Ridgewood Recycling announced an exciting new addition to the curbside recycling program. Residents may now recycle food and beverage cartons (juice, milk, soy milk, soup, broth, wine, beans, cream, liquid eggs) with their plastic, glass, and metal bottles & cans. Residents will receive an informational postcard (pictured below) in the coming days.
Ridgewood NJ, PSE&G was digging on the side of the street near Whole Foods. (Not the middle of the street)The street was completely closed off from the square to the block past Whole Foods. 3 cops seem to be standing around and doing nothing , not sure what they were focusing on , they could have directed some traffic. This picture shows an empty parking lot in front of the store as well as the bank.
This ridiculous condition upset many stores on the street and they all lost tons of business since their customers had no place to even get to any stores since anything close to park, all meters were taken.
Candidate Alexandra Harwin Asked Me to Send You All This Note
Earlier this evening (April 23rd) I attended a meet and greet Alexandra Harwin held at a Downtown business. At the end of the evening she said that municipal election turnout is frequently light and because “people have a hard time processing information” that it would be helpful if we contacted our friends and neighbors and shared our impressions of the evening’s session.
Ok, not my idea but I always try to be helpful when someone asks me to do something for him or her.
My overall impression of Candidate Harwin was one of insufficient substance and a lack of familiarity with the issues to such a degree that I do not understand what she offers to the Village.
The candidate is clearly bright, but anyone who has been to more than 1 Village Council Meeting (a category that may not include Ms. Harwin) knows these are not Mensa conventions.
The platform consisted of only 4 planks, 3 of which came across as pure platitudes:
Lower taxes
Better Services
A revitalized downtown
These were presented as if the incumbent candidates support higher taxes, worse services and have downtown decay as a goal. Luckily they don’t, and they have the added benefit of an extensive command of the facts and a demonstrated willingness to do what’s right in a professional and civil way despite being relentlessly bullied and subjected to slanderous attacks.
Stylistically, there was a large amount of talking at people about the theoretical components of a problem like parking (eg it is because there is a multi-year “overall shift toward more a more parking intensive set of service oriented businesses like restaurants and nail salons”- mystery solved) but not much substance on solutions, nor any demonstrated familiarity with the history that preceded this moment in time. There was also a fair amount of ungracious Monday morning quarterbacking about things the Council had done to try and solve various issues (eg “the downtown valet experiment was ill conceived”). Those who cannot do teach; those who have not even tried commentate.
The one area in which Ms. Harwin spoke more passionately was about inclusion. I agree with her overall conclusion that the Council’s handling of the Pride Flag display was not good. I completely disagree with her theory as to the cause. There is no evidence in the record that the Mayor, Deputy Mayor or any other Council member was unsympathetic to the issues represented by the LGBTQ community. In prior years the Council authorized display of the flag but in this case the request got bogged down. If you have spent any time watching the Council work, the overall style was consistent with their usual methodical and process oriented mindset. But that missed the boat on the empathy and emotional side. In direct conversation with the Mayor, I know she feels similarly and she has expressed a resolve to do better this time around.
In summary, I was left with the impression of a candidate who has much less to offer the Village than the Village needs. We have capable and dedicated candidates in Susan Knudsen and Mike Sedon, who while human and imperfect, are the most engaged, capable and collaborative people on the ballot. I hope this helps you all if you are having trouble processing all the available information ☺.
Ridgewood NJ, form the Facebook page Take Back Ridgewood , After the council elections are over, we will have to take back board of education from Brogan, Lancto and Wilson.
Here is a post from resident Dan Creed.
I am told that the BOE has decided to not spend $755k on windows after all. I guess the windows weren’t as dangerous as once thought.
Unfortunately, instead of staying under the state cap of 2%, the BOE is planning on keeping the $755k in the budget and do other projects with the money.
So let’s be crystal clear here- we are not going over the state cap because of benefit costs, we are going over the cap because the BOE wants to stick pork in the budget for projects.
In November, the BOE will come to the voters with somewhere between a $60-90 million bond referendum for more projects. My rough math is this will add another $6-7 million per year onto the BOE budget for decades to come.
Bottom line is that if you like our 4% increase this year, get ready for another 5-8% next year. My math might not be exact, but it is not too far off.
Let’s remember, there is a 1% increase for regular education…that’s right, 1%. There is precious little in the budget that adds incremental resources to educational outcomes.
The BOE and the Trustees Brogan, Loncto, and Wilson currently support the budget as presented. Please see the link below if you wish to email them.
After observing early smear tactics I expected a preparatory scorched-earth policy to be followed by “and now see why we are better.” But all they did was to repeat a few false accusations in different media. Demonstrating relevant experience (civil rights attorney job is not relevant) or even superior character (hah!) was the next logical step after an unfortunate opening salvo, but it never happened and clearly won’t/can’t. Besmirching one’s opponents is not enough in itself. Challengers must also demonstrate why they would do a better job. If anything, these tactics, besides warning anyone with eyes and ears that the Aronsohn “hold no prisoners” philosophy had been applied with a vengeance, have turned people off in a big way. /We are not indifferent to, but frankly alarmed by, the possibility of handing over the village’s daily oversight to people who behave in this way and should clearly know better. Election night is often dreaded because of what it might bring, and sometimes has, but this time (as before) the landslide that will tell that crew to give up and, if possible, get out will be a tremendous relief.
While there is no law to my knowledge that sets out a minimum time that a candidate for Council needs to have lived in town, Ms. Harwin is a perfect example of someone who has just not lived here long enough to be considered qualified. From an issues standpoint, she did not experience the battle that Valley waged on the Village or the Village Hall construction fiasco. While she incorrectly blames the current Mayor and Deputy Mayor for our unsustainable tax increases, she didn’t even live here when the real problem started. Her very short tenure as a resident really shows through in her lack of familiarity with the issues. She didn’t live through the personal agenda driven rancor that the previous Council majority spewed for 4 year nor did she see how those agendas were voted down in the last election by a two thirds to one third majority. Funny that she talks about how we need change while campaigning on a platform that was in place for four years and was so roundly rejected just two years ago. Of course how can she be expected to know these things because she’s so new to town. I would suggest that she go to a couple of Council meetings before trying to sit on the dais. Sit in on a budget meeting or two as well. Mike Sedon, for example sat in on every Council and budget meeting for years before he ran. Our current Mayor is a long time resident who served on several committees before running for Council herself. All of Ms. Harwin’s mud slinging and misrepresentation of the truth aside, she’s just not nearly experienced enough to take on the job that she seeks.
Ridgewood NJ, according to Councilmen Ramon Hache on Wednesday, April 25, there will be a discussion and presentation regarding the design and plan for the Hudson Street Garage. The Village Council has concluded negotiations with various construction companies. The negotiations began in March, with the goal of selecting a final proposal that balances the best fit, value and functionality, while incorporating a design that fits within the existing lot. Designating the existing Hudson Street lot as an area in need of redevelopment in 2017, has allowed us the opportunity to negotiate directly with the construction companies, instead of simply accepting or rejecting bids. The Village Council will also be discussing and voting on a resolution to hire a financial adviser that will provide guidance on project financing options in addition to comprehensive financial analysis.
VOTE KNUDSEN & SEDON FOR VILLAGE COUNCIL, TUESDAY, MAY 8TH.
Dear Residents and RCRD/CBR Supporters:
Ridgewood Citizens for Reasonable Development (RCRD), formerly known as CBR (Citizens for a Better Ridgewood), proudly announces a strong endorsement for Mayor Susan Knudsen and Deputy Mayor Michael Sedon in their re-election to Village Council.
RCRD/CBR is committed to ensuring that Ridgewood thrives with fitting development and proper master planning. For many years, Susan and Mike’s positive words and actions have been closely aligned with our cause. Right now, they are spearheading Ridgewood’s first New Master Plan in over three decades. This long overdue, “real” Master Plan will include broad outreach to Residents ensuring that our voices are finally fully heard in the planning arena. Work on it begins this year.
That’s not all they’ve done. Promptly upon taking office, they repealed Ordinance #3066, the loophole that opened the floodgates for oversized development in Ridgewood. During the high-density crisis, they fought overdevelopment and spoke and voted with our interests at heart. It was never easy and the other side came at them relentlessly, and often wrongly. But they never backed down.
The high-density housing issue is far from over. Right now, outside forces are trying to impose high-density “overlay development zones” throughout Ridgewood, including in residential areas. This could open our Village to more oversized development in the future. We need Susan and Mike’s experience to limit this.
Susan and Mike have earned our support. There is a reason that other resident-focused groups, including C.R.R. (“the Valley group”) and Friends of Schedler, endorsed Susan and Mike as well. Susan and Mike look out for us, our Village and they wisely represent all Residents of Ridgewood. In our many meetings with them, we’ve found their only agenda is to put Ridgewood first. They promote positives, not negatives. We need more of that.
In just two years as Mayor and Deputy Mayor, Knudsen and Sedon have made Ridgewood a stronger and kinder community. So much of the division and negativity we experienced from the prior administration is gone. For a long time, RCRD/CBR had to mobilize supporters to attend every Planning Board and Village Council meeting to ensure that nothing unexpected could happen without notice to Residents. For the past two years we have been able to call off that guard. That’s because we know the Council is in such experienced, open and honest hands.
Please help Susan Knudsen and Mike Sedon finish the important job they started.
Whether or not mountains were moved with the council today I fear the mountains that will be built and collapse with Harwin who is supported by Aronsohn
The last 2 years were spent undoing a lot of damage left behind by Sonenfeld and the other 3. Now let’s give them the next 4 years to move forward and show us what they can do and promised to do
I would much prefer this option to the other…mud slinging is no way to run a campaign. If nothing else it showed poor judgement and a flawed character. So when I went into this with an open mind it was quickly tainted by the type of campaign Harwin chose to run with.
It was all too familiar. Mean spirited and uninformed
If you went to the council meetings, you could see Arohnson and Pucc always had chips on their shoulders about any one and everyone who were not like them or who didn’t kiss their butts. They presented themselves as a pair of self-loathing buffons who perpetually expressed the view that they were better than everyone else, even when you could see they are not comfortable in their own skins. That can be the worst combination in human nature.
Mike and Susan fought the Paul Aronsohn high rise apartments that are coming to the village every step of the way. Now Susan and Mike are closing the loophole that Pfund opened. Harwin runs with the FULL support of the apartment builders. Harwin runs with the FULL support of the special interests who would swamp Ridgewood with more density than we can handle. The density that will crush our roads, schools, and taxes. Stopping Harwin is simply a continuation of the last council vote, these people want you to pay so they will profit. HARWIN = ARONSOHN. That’s why she LIES about Susan and Mike’s voting record.
Still no word from Harwin and Willett about why they are either embracing or rejecting the hate filled Jurgen letter and the despicable supporters who spread those hate filled words. Its clear where they stand. Some civil rights lawyer! Some duo for inclusivity!! Its clear they are both a pair of disreputable frauds and phonies, along with their core supporters.
