September 17th 2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Your opinions matter to us! The Ridgewood Public Library survey available here: https://www.ridgewoodlibrary.org/survey
There are also iPads available at the Library Service Desks if you prefer to fill out the survey in person.
September 16,2017
From the Office of Mayor Susan Knudsen
Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood officials are proud to introduce the Ridgewood Estate Card, a new property tax savings program now available to Ridgewood property owners. The program offers a debit like card that offers a reward on purchases that is automatically applied to reduce Ridgewood property taxes billed to the cardholder. An even greater level of reward is offered at participating local and online merchants. Tax rewards are applied annually to the third quarter tax bill.
Visit RidgewoodEstateCard.com to learn more about this exciting opportunity and to sign up for the program. Once signed up, one will receive their card via US mail in 5-7 business days. Each time the card is used, a percentage of that purchase is earned toward property tax reduction. Reward amounts are listed in both the cardholder’s online account and on the easy to use Card Rewards mobile app.
Ridgewood’s Mayor Susan Knudsen stated, “The Ridgewood Estate Card is an exciting program helping Ridgewood property owners save toward their property taxes while encouraging local spending.” The program is being offered by the Village and administered by Municipal Cards, LLC.
Local Ridgewood merchants are beginning to participate in the program and presently there are already over 3,200 online merchants offering bonus rewards. A full list of participating merchants can be viewed at RidgewoodEstateCard.com by clicking on the “Rewards” page.
Ridgewood residents are encouraged to take advantage of the program by signing up online at RidgewoodEstateCard.com. Questions can be submitted to [email protected].
Local merchants interested in participating may visit LocalCardRewards.com to enroll or email [email protected].
September 16,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, the Ridgewood Craft & Art Street Fair will be tomorrow September 17,2017 from 12 PM – 5 PM along East Ridgewood Ave. Ridgewood, N.J.
The fair features 175 exhibitors with arts, photography & crafts, a large food court, a kidz area with pony rides, a petting zoon & inflatables & all day music. Held rain or shine.
Parking 31 %
Unelected Special Interests 6.9 %
Urbanization 11 %
Taxes 33.1 %
CBD 2 %
Development 7.3 %
Cost of Living 8.7 %
September 16,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, the long running Ridgewood blog poll gave us an interesting take on what residents feel are the biggest issues in the Village . As expected taxes garnered 33.1 % of the vote , trailed by a close second Parking with 31% .Urbanization came in a distant 3rd with 11% followed by cost of living 8.7% , surprisingly development at 7.3% ,unelected special interests 6.9% and last the Central Business District (CBD) with a mere 2%. The CBD number may be more of a parking issue and a cost of living or Urbanization issue but despite all the hub bub from certain sectors ,no one seems to think its an issue .
While our crack staff concluded that even if you combined Urbanization and development it still only came in with 18.3% , which was still a distant 3rd . Adding unelected special interests ie developers and out side political interference that would still leave it in 3rd place with a 25.2%.The conclusion being that most residents do not object to development but perhaps its the size and scale that seem to raise the ire .
Taxes as expected is the number one issue in town and in New Jersey and its also the number one reason for people leaving the state , the assumption being residents vote with their feet and see no evidence that taxes will even stabilize anytime soon. Feeding the say yes to everything because your moving out on graduation day and most likely meaning that all the “Age Friendly” Ridgewood stuff is just a complete waste of time.
We don’t think the polls told us anything different that we expected , but given all the talk from local officials about trees, ball fields , schools , the CBD, quality of life issues , most readers seem ready to park their cars in a new state as soon as soon as the graduation pronouncement is made.
file photo by Boyd Loving
September 15,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Recycle your unwanted documents and papers by safely shredding them! Give your paper a safe retirement ….Shred it!
Saturday, September 23, 2017 from 9AM (No early arrivals) to 12:30PM – Rain or Shine! NEW LOCATION – Graydon Pool, 200 Northern Parkway, Ridgewood. (Our event ends when the truck is full)
-Watch your documents on camera as they are securely shredded by Shred-It
-Place items for shredding in a paper bag or a cardboard box only. NO PLASTIC BAGS
-Limit five (5) file-size boxes per vehicle
-Free to all Ridgewood Residents and businesses ONLY
-YES – Cancelled Checks, Computer Printouts, Copy Paper (all colors) Envelopes, Letterhead, Stationary, etc.
-NO Binder Clips or Binders, No Plastics, No Shipping Envelopes, No Photos, No Carbon paper, No Non-paper Items
-For additional program information, please visit us online at www.ridgewoodnj.net and click on Government>Departments>PublicWorks>Recycling
photos courtesy of Boyd Loving’s Facebook page
September 15,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, No injuries were reported following a crash in which a Toyota Camry would up hydroplaning off an entrance ramp to Route 17 northbound in Ridgewood on Thursday afternoon, 09/14. Ridgewood PD responded to the incident. A hydraulic lift tow truck removed the damaged vehicle from the scene.
photos courtesy of Boyd Loving’s Facebook page
September 15,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, A tracking K9 was deployed in the search for an adult male dementia patient who wandered away from a Ridgewood nursing home on Thursday afternoon, 09/14. The patient was missing for over two (2) hours before being located by a Ridgewood Police patrol officer at a strip mall on Route 17 southbound in Paramus. Prior to being found at the strip mall, the patient had also been spotted on the front porch of a single family home near the intersection of Route 17 and Linwood Avenue. Two (2) Ridgewood Police patrol officers returned the unharmed man to the nursing home just prior to 3:00 p.m.
file photo by Boyd Loving
“As a public official,” Schwager told the court, “what the defendant did might be labeled stupid, wrong or inconsiderate, but we cannot prove it was criminal beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Nicholas Katzban, Staff Writer, @NicholasKatzban
HACKENSACK — Three separate harassment complaints against Ridgewood Councilman Jeffrey Voigt were dismissed Thursday after the the prosecuting attorney determined there was insufficient evidence to prove a criminal act had taken place.
The harassment complaints against Voigt were filed by residents Lorraine Reynolds and Boyd and Anne Loving, who alleged that the councilman had made their cellphone numbers, emails and home addresses known to the public when he posted copies of their requests for public records — known as OPRA requests — on Facebook in May.
The plaintiffs testified that while their cellphone numbers, email and home addresses were visible in the councilman’s posts, he had obscured the same personal information for other persons listed on the records requests.
“Mr. Voigt took the time to block out personal information about others, but not mine,” said Anne Loving during a July hearing before Judge Roy McGeady. “I felt personally targeted.”
Kristen Plumley photo by Lisa Hancock
September 14,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, The New Jersey Choral Society will present its spectacular annual fundraising gala Bel Canto on Sunday, October 8, 2017 at 4:00 pm at the Preakness Hills Country Club, 1050 Ratzer Road, Wayne, NJ. This year’s red carpet event – I Love a Piano – celebrates Artist-in-Residence Linda Sweetman-Waters’ 30th Anniversary Season with NJCS.
Highlighting the festive event will be a cameo appearance by Ridgewood soprano, Kristen Plumley, performing songs from the Great White Way. The evening will include a cocktail hour followed by dinner and wine, musical entertainment, as well as a 50/50 raffle and silent auction. Tickets for this special event are $125 and can be purchased by visiting www.njcs.org or via email at [email protected].
Celebrating 38 years of passion, excellence and imagination, the New Jersey Choral Society is one of the state’s most prestigious choral groups, well-known for presenting memorable, uplifting and unique performances that involve youth and enable affordable access to the arts. NJCS performs three major concerts annually in Bergen and Essex counties and has also performed in Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, China, Australia, England, France and Italy.
Preakness Hills Country Club is wheelchair accessible. Funding for NJCS has been made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.
file photo
September 14,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, According to the Ridgewood Police a recently apprehended thief claimed unlocked cars with valuables are an open invitation to steal . The thief described the process where by he walks down a street casing the targeting the area for unlocked cars and cars with keys in them.
The Ridgewood Police Department would like to remind residents to lock your cars, even in your own driveway. Do not leave valuables visible in your vehicle at any time.
September 14,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, at the Village council meeting Wednesday night Deputy Mayor Michael Sedon spelled out a very aggressive agenda for Village Shade Tree.
This year Village Shade Tree under Parks and Rec inspected 225 sites where trees have been taken down , and found 114 remain suitable for planting trees . All are targeted for a new tree after the fall planting sometime in October to November.
The adopt a tree program has now grown from 11 to 27 trees.
Thanks to the engineering department the Village also now looks at streetscapes when streets are do for repaving, this process added over 100 additional trees planted putting totally trees planted this year to 241 up from zero three years ago.
There will be also be an addition effort to rehabilitate trees wells in the central business district to improve CBD tree survival rates.
All these efforts combined make the target for this year 250 new trees planted in the Village.
September 14,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Ptl. Zachary Knudsen responded to a Glenwood Road residence on the morning of September 9, to investigate the report of a motor vehicle which had been stolen overnight. The victim reported the vehicle was left unlocked, with a key in the vehicle, and the homeowner discovered the vehicle was missing in the morning. The Ridgewood Detective Bureau located the stolen vehicle in Paterson, N.J. a short time later and as a result of a joint investigation, the Paterson Police Department arrested two individuals.
September 13,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, the state of New Jersey along with the New Jersey Bicycle and Pedestrian Resource Center (BPRC) is pushing a plan to make your streets safer and more user friendly for ,pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles with a series of planning and design initiates .
According to there website , “Complete Streets are for everyone. They are designed and operated to enable safe access for all users… [so that] pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists, and public transportation users of all ages and ability are able to safely move along and across [the street].”
The Complete streets program is being spearheaded by the New Jersey Bicycle and Pedestrian Resource Center (BPRC) assists public officials, transportation and health professionals, and the public in creating a safer and more accessible walking and bicycling environment through primary research, education and dissemination of information about best practices in policy and design. The Center is supported by the New Jersey Department of Transportation through funds provided by the Federal Highway Administration.
The Village of Ridgewood signed a Complete Streets Resolution back in 2013 , ( https://njbikeped.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Ridgewood-Complete-Streets-Resolution.pdf ) and while some efforts have been a success like well defined ADA compliant highly visible cross walks and curbs other attempts , like the “suicide bike lane ” and traffic easing under the trestle have been an unmitigated failure .
What are the Components of Complete Streets?
Pedestrian Component: defined as “the clear area located between the curb and the adjacent building frontage” . Key Complete Streets design elements for this component include appropriate sidewalk widths and ADA accessible curb ramps
Building and furnishing: refers to “street furniture, elements of buildings that intrude into the sidewalk, and commercial activities that occur on the sidewalk…” and includes design elements such as bicycle parking, pedestrian-scale lighting, benches/street furniture, and street trees
Bicycle: addresses “bikeways and other facilitates within the public right-of-way…” and includes design elements such as bicycle lanes (regular, buffered, contraflow, etc.), cycle tracks, share-use paths, shared lanes/sharrows, and bike route signs
Curbside Management: relates to “facilities between the cartway and the sidewalk” and includes design elements such as on-street car parking, on-street bicycle parking, loading zones, and transit shelters.
Vehicle/Cartway: describes the “portion of the public right-of-way that is intended primarily or exclusively for motor vehicle use…” [11] and includes design elements such as appropriately sized lane widths, speed humps/tables, raised medians, chicanes, and preferred/exclusive bus lanes
Urban Design: addresses “policies related to those aspects of urban form that affect Complete Streets” such as driveways, utilities, and stormwater management.
Intersection & Crossing: includes treatments that “…facilitate safe movement of all modes at intersections” [13] including high-visibility crosswalks (striped, raised, etc.), curb extensions, pedestrian refuge islands, bike boxes, and a variety of signal treatments (e.g., pedestrian countdown clocks, HAWK/RRFB signals, bicycle signals, etc.).
September 13 2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, the Ridgewood Police department would like to remind you of the detours around the PSE&G work zone on East Ridgewood Ave between Pleasant Ave and Pershing for Tuesday 9/12 and Wednesday 9/13. East Bound traffic on East Ridgewood Ave will be open during school dismissal.
file photo Boyd Loving
State Trooper Pleads Guilty to Charges He Tampered With Evidence and Records to Cover Up Improper Stops of Female Motorists
September 12,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
TRENTON NJ, A New Jersey state trooper pleaded guilty today to criminal charges that he tampered with evidence and falsified records to cover up the fact that he conducted improper stops of female drivers in order to view the private contents of their cell phones and proposition them to meet him socially.
Marquice Prather, 38, of Linden, N.J., pleaded guilty today to charges of third-degree invasion of privacy, fourth-degree tampering with physical evidence, and fourth-degree falsifying or tampering with records before Superior Court Judge Benjamin S. Bucca in Middlesex County. Under the plea agreement, Prather must forfeit his job as a state trooper and will be permanently barred from public office or employment. The state will recommend that Prather be sentenced to a term of probation. Prather has been suspended without pay by the State Police since his arrest on Dec. 9, 2016.
Deputy Attorneys General Brian Faulk, Jonathan Gilmore and Charles Wright took the guilty plea for the Division of Criminal Justice Corruption Bureau. Prather is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 8.
The New Jersey State Police Office of Professional Standards investigated numerous incidents involving Prather that reflected a pattern of pulling over women, ranging in age from 18 to 42, and soliciting them to go on a date with him or give him their phone numbers. The investigation revealed the following conduct, for which he pleaded guilty to the three charges:
Prather requested and searched the cell phones of numerous female drivers without justification, after asking the women to unlock the phones. He looked through personal information and images on the phones and, in some cases, reproduced intimate photos and videos of the women.
Prather disposed of suspected marijuana that he seized from the vehicle of a female motorist.
Prather falsely reported the gender of drivers he pulled over to disguise the fact that he stopped a high number of females.
Several women initially came forward to file complaints against Prather about improper conduct. A number of other women subsequently gave statements outlining similar conduct after they were contacted by investigators who were auditing Prather’s patrol activities.
