Ridgewood NJ , New phone scam making the rounds . Several residents report receiving curious calls from someone asking questions about there home alarm system. The “salesperson” on the other line tries to pretend like they already have information about your home alarm system or tells you you’re eligible for an upgrade. Residents have tried to call the number back, and it would not go through.
Please do not give out any information! 201-211-0822 is the number that calls . Ridgewood Police have been contacted about it, and sources say this is the first time they’re hearing of this kind of call but took the information.
Ridgewood NJ, In the desire to fit maximum spots on the Hudson St lot the current proposed design still proposed 5 stories (including roof level parking) while the height of the building has been reduced. This was achieved by reducing the height of every story. Residents hope the council does the right thing and does not compromise on safety in their attempt to fit maximum cars at one spot. Here is what happened at Short hills mall: Quote from the article:
“Then, more time passed because the ambulance was unable to fit under the parking deck’s ceiling, forcing first responders to roll a stretcher up an entrance ramp to Friedland.”
Mayor was FORCED to introduce this new ordinance for local bonding. He has no other option to build the garage with the petition in place. The petition has essentially killed the BCIA option.
Once again Aronsohn wrote the article for today’s Record. The petition initiative got less than one sentence. Aronsohn takes full credit for introducing the ordinance to bond in Ridgewood. Who is worse – our liar Mayor or his puppy dog reporter Janoski. They both stink.
the referendum was non-binding
Yes it was for a “parking garage on the Hudson street lot”, but the size and shape of the parking garage was not defined. It also was to be built and financed “by bonding up to $15 million in public funds, which will be paid for principally — if not entirely — with parking revenues.”
It was non-binding so it does not have to be built on the Hudson Street lot (or built at all), in the same way that it does not have to built for $15 million dollars or less nor be paid for principally (nor entirely) by parking revenues.
We all know that it will cost > $15 million dollars and will not be principally paid for by parking revenues so it also does not need to be built on the Hudson street lot – or at all.
The residents agreed by voting on the non-binding referendum to move ahead with the continued planning and funding of a deck at Hudson St. Lots of people who voted for it are now strongly opposed to what is being proposed. The non-binding referendum was put forth without alot of thought and people were not thinking about alternatives. Well, they are now and they are saying “Heck NO”. This garage just does not make sense and does not address the average Ridgewooodians needs. More centralized parking would better suit MOST of the businesses in the CBD. This deck makes sense only a few at the western end of Ridgewood Ave. The shopkeepers west of the train tracks have indicated it will do NOTHING to improve their situation and do NOT want this garage (contrary to the ad the Chamber of Commerce ran . . . not all business support this).
RIDGEWOOD — The Village Council may introduce a bond ordinance Wednesday to fund a proposed municipal parking garage without using county money, despite recent approvals from the county.
The move is a sharp departure for the council, the majority of which agreed in January to ask the Bergen County Improvement Authority to bond for the garage’s approximate $12.3 million cost. That vote came after the governing body could not get the required four-vote super-majority necessary to authorize the municipality to bond for the project on its own.
But the idea of locally bonding the costs of the proposed Hudson Street deck was put forward again on Feb. 21 by Mayor Paul Aronsohn in an email to some community members. It’s seen as an attempt to assuage the unsatisfied council minority — as well as residents who’ve started a petition drive to force the funding issue into a public referendum.
“Although I still believe that a partnership with the BCIA would be a good thing for Ridgewood, I want to give my council colleagues another chance to make this happen,” Aronsohn said in the email.
The reintroduced ordinance will be for $11.5 million, a smaller number that reflects the garage’s newly reduced size — instead of 405 spaces, the garage would accommodate 325.
Some on the council initially favored the larger structure, but officials scaled back plans last month after vocal public opposition. Many residents said the building would be too large, protruding into Hudson Street and constricting local traffic.
Ridgewood Water Info Session 2/23/16 from Glen Rock TV on Vimeo.
GLEN ROCK, NJ , Glen residents questioned , Ridgewood Mayor Paul Aronsohn, and Ridgewood Water officials during special public meeting recently.
The meeting was the second such meeting giving the new Ridgewood water management team a chance to explain the complexities of managing a decentralized water system as opposed to a single source system.
The Village of Ridgewood owns the embattled utility company, which services Wyckoff, Midland Park, and Glen Rock.
A major lawsuit by officials from those municipalities alleges that the utility artificially inflated its costs by commingling Village of Ridgewood expenses with that of the water utility. In a recent press release Wyckoff officials claim the, “massive” 37 percent rate increases approved since 2010 are “unlawful” and “excessive,”
As the holiest week of the Christian calendar approaches, Christ Episcopal Church in Ridgewood offers a variety of services for worship and celebration. Some of the services are geared toward children and youth, including the JOY! service every Sunday for infants and up, and child-friendly services for Good Friday and the Great Vigil of Easter on Saturday. The church also features a special Lenten breakfast every Sunday in Lent, February 14 through March 13 from 8:45 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. in the Great Hall. The price for adults is $5.00 and kids eat free. A special Maundy Thursday service will be held jointly with The United Methodist Church of Ridgewood and Emmanuel Church and the community is invited to a light meal followed by the service. As well, the Easter Bunny will be in attendance for the church’s annual Easter egg hunt on Easter Day and the community is invited to join in the services and Easter festivities, directly after the 9:15 a.m. and 10 a.m. services.
The Holy Week Schedule includes:
March 20 – Palm Sunday
Holy Eucharist at 8:00 a.m., 9:15 a.m. JOY! and 10:00 a.m.
March 21, 22 and 23 – Daily Mass during Holy Week
Holy Eucharist at 6:30 p.m.
March 24 – Maundy Thursday
Soup and sandwich dinner at 6:30 p.m. followed by Holy Eucharist at 7:30 p.m.
Dinner will be followed by stripping of the Altar and the Minor Vigil.
March 25 – Good Friday
Good Friday Liturgy with Communion from Reserve and Veneration of the Cross at 7:00 a.m., 12:00 noon, and 4:00 p.m. The 4:00 p.m. service is child-friendly.
March 26 – The Great Vigil of Easter
A child-friendly service beginning at sundown 7:15 p.m.
March 27 – Easter Day
Holy Eucharist at 8:00 a.m., 9:15 a.m. JOY! and 10:00 a.m.
Christ Episcopal Church is an open and inclusive community that embraces all people, wherever they may be on their faith journey. The church is located at 105 Cottage Place, at the corner of Franklin Avenue, in Ridgewood; 201-652-2350; christchurchridgewood.org.
Ridgewood NJ, While Franklin/Covey has been partnering with Law Enforcement on a wide variety of trust and leadership programs this will be their first national pilot program which involves police, public safety & community members training together.
The overall concept is to provide police and community members the opportunity to enhance understanding, break down silos and build trust through shared learning experiences. Participants will be armed with enhanced trust, understanding and the tools to effectively solve community problems implement and sustain community policing projects.
The program involves four core foundational training’s to enhance community policing /trust and four core trainings to help police and community leaders effectively implement, operate, evaluate and sustain community policing programs.
Community members are teamed with police officers and can receive the training for free.
The pilot program is not limited to Ridgewood. In fact Glen Rock and several other communities have already expressed interest in participating.
According to police sources ,Franklin Covey dramatically reduced their prices the Community Policing/Trust Leadership initiative provides full access to 8 of their premier programs annually for 100 officers/public safety leaders and another 100 community members who receive these training (with police officers) for free.
Ridgewood Police worked with partners at covey to select the programs we believe will help communities effectively develop, enhance and sustain effect community policing and trust initiatives.
The programs will include 4 Core Community Policing/Trust Foundational programs;
Nobility in Policing, Policing/Leading at the Speed of Trust, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Diversity Centered Leadership and 4 core Effective Execution & Operations Core Trainings which include; Leadership Foundations, Leadership Great Leaders, Great Teams, Great Results, The 4 Disciplines of Execution and Project Management Essentials
Ridgewood NJ, with the announcement that the citizens group has gathered enough signatures to force a binding referendum on BCIA funding of the garage . Mayor Paul Aronsohn has already announced his intention to go back to Village financing for the project .
With a council election just around the corner it makes sense to postpone any action on the garage until the next council . Recent verbal and physical attacks on residents have crossed the line and the public no longer feels comfortable with the current council. Lets face it ,the entire project is now suspect and the public has lost all confidence and trust in the current Village Council.
Key information like the Maser report appears to have been withheld from the public and some council members as well as the conclusions in the Walker report seem to have been misinterpreted,with the reality being the garage has little chance of paying for itself.The projects design and financial impact on the village , as well as increases in parking rates appear to be left to chance by the current council majority .
Other projects are waiting in the wings , like the high density housing for the central business district, negotiations with Valley Hospital and the Ridgewood Water suit all of which will force major changes to the Village of Ridgewood .
Common sense should prevail and all major decisions about the Village and Village business should be postponed until the new council takes over in June and restores the public’s confidence in the Village council’s ability to represent the residents of Ridgewood .
Hundreds upon hundreds of Ridgewood taxpayers demand voice on how to fund parking garage.
February 27, 2016
by NO2BCIA
RIDGEWOOD, NJ Friday afternoon, in a victory for the voice of the taxpayers and responsible public financing, the NO2BCIA [https://no2bcia.com/]citizen group delivered over 1300 signatures, more than enough, to force a binding referendum on a Village ordinance that would have the county rather than the Village bond the proposed Hudson Street parking garage.
The Committee of Petitioners was formed in the aftermath of a failure of the Ridgewood Village Council to achieve the 41 supermajority vote necessary for the Village to bond the project itself, due to lack of critical design renderings requested by Councilmember Susan Knudsen for the community and Council to review and assess, and the lack of a payment plan to present to taxpayers, as requested by Councilman Sedon.
Instead, a simple majority (32) of the Council immediately at the same meeting, introduced Ordinance 3519, an ordinance authorizing the execution and granting of a Lease Purchase Agreement with the Bergen County Improvement Authority.
The petition seeks to protest and repeal Ordinance 3519 until it can be voted on by registered voters of Ridgewood, as a binding referendum question. The Committee of Petitioners seeks to ensure that all aspects of the garage remain securely within the control of the Village.
“This is a huge victory for the residents of Ridgewood who want to have common sense solutions to parking and how it is funded. This petition is not antigarage. In fact, in talking to the many people who signed, many of them voted for a garage on the nonbinding referendum in November. They just want Ridgewood to have full control and flexibility of the pricing structure, especially when it comes to resident and nonresident commuters using the garage.” says Petitioner Lorraine Reynolds. “Now we hope to encourage full Council support for a garage design that meets the wishes of the surrounding community, including shopkeepers, restaurant owners, and most of all, the residents of Ridgewood.”
Petitioner Gail McCarthy adds, “I am very optimistic. ‘Compromise is the best and cheapest lawyer.’ I am pretty sure we would all much rather be spending our time and money shopping in downtown Ridgewood!”
YWCA Bergen County is offering its next American Red Cross Lifeguard Recertification Course March 15th through 17th and Waterfront Lifeguard Training Module March 22nd and 24th.
American Red Cross Lifeguard Training Recertification Course, on Tuesday, March 15th through Thursday, March 17th, will review and test all CPR, First Aid and Lifeguard Skills. Participants must present current LGT Certification on first day of class. Classes will be held from 5:00 to 9:30 p.m. at 112 Oak Street in Ridgewood, and the course fee is $150.
The American Red Cross Waterfront Lifeguard Training Module will be held on Tuesday, March 22nd and Thursday, March 24th. Participants must present valid LGT Certification and will be trained and tested in Lifeguard skills specific to murky bottom, non-surf facilities. Classes will be held from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at 112 Oak Street in Ridgewood, and the course fee is $100.
For more information or to register call the YWCA Membership Department at 201-444-5600, x400, or visit www.ywcabergencounty.org.
Ridgewood NJ, Van Dyk’s homemade ice cream, is one of our favorite spots in town ,. It is open for the season today from 11-9. For those who are new to town, put it on your must visit list.
This is “old Ridgewood” at its’ best. Its not much to look at because its all about the ice cream. Van Dyk’s is probably hands down the best ice cream place we have ever been to. There is not a whole lot of ambiance and the flavor selection may seem a bit old school but they make up for it extremely generous servings, a single scoop is equivalent to a normal double scoop.
No hype just great ice cream . For ice cream lovers it is a taste bud over load . Van Dyk’s is located on 145 Ackerman Ave
Ridgewood, NJ 07450, Phone number(201) 444-1429 and its open 11 -9 today .
file photo of the Council Majority …ie the 3 amigos
February 26,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, ,it does appear from recent OPRA requests that the Village harassed a resident who objected to Health Barn USA plan by calling DEP on them and conducting numerous property maintenance inspections.
The attached documents, obtained late Friday afternoon, February 26, 2016, in response to an Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request dated February 3, 2016, clearly identify who it was that “dropped a dime” on your family.
It’s all public information available to anyone who submits an OPRA request. You may wish to share this with your friends and neighbors.
We have also filed an OPRA request with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection just to see if anything additional turns up.
It certainly is a shame that your speaking out in opposition to an irrational plan proposed by the Village Council “majority” triggered what appears to be nothing more than a vindictive series of trumped up code enforcement actions directed at your property.
Ridgewood NJ, On Friday, February 12 at 9:00 AM and again on Friday, February 26 at 6:44 AM, e-mail messages supporting the re-election campaign of Village of Ridgewood Councilwoman Gwenn Hauck (originating from the domain www.gwennhauck.com), were sent to selected Ridgewood residents/voters.
Clearly, both messages were purely political in nature and substance. That is, they were not intended to communicate any official Village of Ridgewood matters to the selected recipients.
Included within the body of both messages was this information:
“Our mailing address is:
Gwenn Hauck – Village of Ridgewood Council
131 North Maple Ave.
Ridgewood, NJ 07450”
131 North Maple Ave, Ridgewood, NJ 07450 is the address of Village Hall, a building paid for by Ridgewood’s taxpayers and staffed only by employees of the Village of Ridgewood (whose salaries are paid for by taxpayers).
I am flabbergasted that Ms. Hauck could believe her status as a sitting member of the current Village Council would entitle her to use taxpayer funded facilities & services in connection with the receipt and handling of mail related to her re-election campaign.
Perhaps this practice MAY be lawful, but it certainly seems completely unethical, disrespectful, arrogant, and downright STUPID.
Let’s hope that Ms. Hauck just didn’t know any better as opposed to it being a deliberate effort to thumb her nose at us all.
The use an official Village of Ridgewood mailing address for Ms. Hauck’s re-election campaign must cease immediately.
All — On page 3 of the Ridgewood News, there was an article to try to pressure Mike Sedon and Susan Knudsen to vote for bonding the garage through Ridgewood. If you are skeptical of the viability of the proposed garage, please send Mike and Susan an email to let them know to stay firm on their vote and allow the referendum on the BCIA to go forward. Here’s what I sent to them:
With regards to the full page ad in the Ridgewood News today, I urge you to maintain your position on the bonding of the proposed garage.
I do not believe that a garage in that location will cover its costs and the taxpayers are going to wind up funding it. There is simply not enough demand for parking at the proposed location. There are usually many spots open right across the street. I’d support a smaller structure located more centrally and I know a lot of my fellow residents would too.
Please stay the course and know that most of the residents who voted in support of a garage did not know any specific information at that time therefore there is NO MANDATE to build anything at this time.
Feel free to contact me via email or at 201-445-8222.
Why N.J. towns are unlikely to see good news on aid for property taxes
State Assembly Minority Leader Jon Bramnick (R-Union) said Thursday he’d like to restore aid to New Jersey’s municipalities to lower property taxes, but the state simply can’t afford it. Samantha Marcus. NJ.com Read more
