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Category: village of ridgewood
Bolger Prods Village Council on Installation of Spy Cameras
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During last night’s Village Council Special Public Meeting, it was revealed that Village officials recently received a rather tersely worded letter from local philanthropist and real estate tycoon David F. Bolger concerning installation of the proposed Bolger Foundation funded, central business district, spy camera system.
It seems as though the installation project isn’t moving fast enough for Mr. Bolger, and he is concerned that the cameras may never be installed. To that end, he has made known his intent to bill Village officials for “engineering and legal fees” of approximately $60K in the event the spy camera project doesn’t progress quickly.
Nice guy that Mr. Bolger, isn’t he? See what happens Mr. Mayor when you take money when strings are attached? I guess the Village will soon be getting a similar letter about the Pease Library project?
Valley expansion plan under fire
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Valley expansion plan under fire
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Last Updated Saturday March 22, 2008, EDT 9:48 AMBY BOB GROVESThe cost of Valley Hospital’s proposed expansion would threaten Ridgewood’s taxpayers and the future of the facility, critics charged.
Valley’s $750 million plan to replace two of its older buildings with three new ones over the next decade could balloon, with interest, to $1 billion — and that would require the hospital to earn an additional $40 million a year for 25 years to pay it off, said Paul Gould. He is a member and spokesman of Concerned Residents of Ridgewood, a neighborhood group that has opposed Valley’s expansion plans for months.
“Where will it come from?” Gould said. “Will we end up with another Pascack Valley?” The Westwood hospital went bankrupt and closed last year after building a $50 million addition.
On the contrary, Valley’s plan “is vital to its success,” said Maureen Curran Kleinman, a hospital spokeswoman.
“If Valley is not allowed to renew over time, we will not be the hospital that the community will choose for its medical care in the future,” Kleinman said in a statement. “It will impede our ability to attract the best physicians and staff, and the hospital would be at risk of facing the same unfortunate fate as Pascack Valley and many other New Jersey hospitals that have been forced to close their doors.”
The Ridgewood Planning Board is deciding whether to approve separate requests, by Valley and by Concerned Residents, for changes in the village’s hospital zone ordinances and master plan. Those changes would either allow the hospital to expand or preserve the surrounding neighborhood.
Beyond financial concerns about the hospital’s plan, Gould and other members of his group worry how much Valley’s expansion would cost the village.
“Taxpayers would absorb the additional infrastructure costs of roads, fire and police, which are paid for by the residents of Ridgewood,” he said.
If, for example, Valley increased its occupancy rate from its current 87 percent to 100 percent, to help pay for the expansion, that could add 80,000 car trips on village streets to the hospital per year, on top of 600,000 vehicle visits already made there annually, Gould said.
While other area hospitals have expanded or renovated in recent years, Valley’s $750 million plan is one of the most ambitious.
Gould’s group is worried that Valley will suffer the same fate as Pascack Valley, which succumbed to a $100 million annual debt after it opened an addition. The hospital closed in November.
“We do not want another bankrupt hospital,” Gould told the Planning Board during a public hearing this week.
But Valley officials say the hospital is not in financial danger.
Valley would finance the first phase of its expansion, estimated at $420 million, through tax-exempt bonds, fund-raising and existing cash, “as is typical financing for not-for-profit hospital projects,” Kleinman said.
Even after the project is complete, Valley’s debt will be “manageable and moderate in comparison to other hospitals,” Kleinman said.
Gould conceded that Valley “is very profitable today,” he said. At a time when many of the state’s hospitals are struggling financially, Valley hospital has $225 million in cash and investments and a $46 million debt, according to tax filings. Revenue increases by 8 percent each year, Gould said.
But to pay for the hospital to pay for the expansion, Gould said, net patient revenue would have to increase by an additional 8 percent a year. How will the hospital do that when it’s only adding three more beds to its current 451? he asked.
Valley officials have repeatedly said their building plan is being done to bring the hospital up to modern medical standards, not to bring in more patients. Will the hospital have to increase what it charges patients? the neighborhood group asked.
“Valley’s charges are among the absolute lowest of any hospital in the state,” Kleinman said. “Even after the project is in place we will still have charges well below other hospitals in New Jersey.”
The neighborhood group also claims that the Planning Board, through its attorney and other professional advisers, has already been negotiating with Valley officials about some terms of the expansion before it has been approved.
David Nicholson, chairman of the Planning Board, said its professionals had met with Valley officials, but denied that they had “negotiated” any of the proposal.
“The implication that this matter is already decided is simply not true,” Nicholson said.
Kleinman said the hospital met with village professionals to discuss the hospital ordinance and make a recommendation to the Planning Board, but not to negotiate terms of the proposed expansion.
E-mail: groves@northjersey.com
Valley Hospital ‘at a pivotal point’
>Valley Hospital ‘at a pivotal point’
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Last Updated Tuesday March 11, 2008, EDT 9:01 AMBY BOB GROVESThe Valley Hospital needs more space to handle advances in medical technology and provide better patient care, officials said Monday.
“The hospital is at a pivotal point in its history,” Audrey Meyers, Valley’s president and chief executive officer, told the Ridgewood Planning Board. “Valley must be allowed to evolve over time.”
About 200 people, including supporters and opponents of Valley’s expansion plans, attended the public hearing. Valley’s $750 million plan includes adding a parking deck and replacing two buildings with three new ones, increasing the hospital’s size by 67 percent.
Although modern surgery involves less-invasive techniques, it requires bigger equipment than can be accommodated by Valley’s existing operating rooms, Meyers said. Under the plan, Valley would add just three beds to its existing 451 beds, but the hospital wants to make all its room private in keeping with current standards of care, Meyers said.
The population of Valley’s service area is relatively stable and expected to grow by only 4 percent in the next 10 years, she said. “The demand for change at Valley will be driven by changes in technology and patient care delivery,” she said.
Opponents say the proposed 80-foot-tall hospital buildings don’t belong in the residential neighborhood because they would overshadow homes as well as Benjamin Franklin Middle School.
Answering concerns by nearby residents that the expansion would increase traffic, Meyers said that the hospital’s nine off-site facilities have already eliminated more than 673,000 car trips per year to the hospital’s main campus.
Tuesday night’s special Planning Board meeting at George Washington Middle School was its fourth public hearing on Valley’s proposal.
The next meeting will take place next Tuesday, when Concerned Residents of Ridgewood, a group that opposes the hospital’s plan, will make their arguments before the Planning Board.
In January, the residents group applied to amend the village Master Plan and its hospital zone ordinance to “limit its impact on the community and preserve the village’s residential character.” The group also asked the Village Council and the Planning Board to amend the ordinance to change the minimum distance — from the current 40 feet, to a proposed 80 feet — that hospital buildings must be set back from North Van Dien and Linwood Avenues.
“We want further clarification about whether the hospital has changed any of its positions from 12 months ago — particularly the magnitude and scale of the proposed development — following the public outcry,” Paul Gould, a member of the group, said before the meeting.
David Nicholson, chairman of the Planning Board, said the board would consider the request by the hospital and concerned residents “as legitimate and equal” and will consider them simultaneously. “The board will then make its decision whether it will consider any changes — one or the other or one of our own devising — to the ordinances,” he said. “My hope is we will make a decision by the end of April.”
E-mail: groves@northjersey.com
Ridgewoods First international Mail Art Installation and Rock Star DJ Photos
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Stable Gallery, 259 N. Maple. Ave. Weekdays, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. First international Mail Art Installation to take place in Ridgewood, NJ. Come see ArtChick’s (Kristine Di Grigoli Paige) personal collection of Mail Art from places such as Italy, Portugal, California, Brazil, among many others. ArtChick enjoys trading Mail Art with other artists as well as participating in mail art exhibitions around the world and sending work to private art collectors. Visit: www.TheSoundandVision.com to view ArtChick’s creations. This installation also exhibits ArtChick Nightclub Photography. Come see some of the worlds top DJ’s displayed on Metal Murals and pop style dancing silhouettes. Each mural displays the DJ in focus surrounded by impressionistic color light movements. These photos simply display the raw talent of digital photography and this generation defining themselves. Come by the Stable Gallery Mon-Fri at your own leisure. Its Free and ArtChick hopes to inspire you!
Valley Executives on “Schmooze Patrol”
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Susan Sherrill, Editor of The Ridgewood News, photographed at a recent social event with Audrey Meyers and Megan Fraser of The Valley Hospital. This photograph appears on page 136 of the most recent “201 Magazine.”
The Fly wonders if Ms. Meyers, The Valley’s President and CEO, and Ms. Fraser, her Director of Marketing and Public Relations, were trying to ensure favorable print media coverage of The Valley’s Renewal Plan.
A picture is indeed worth one thousand words . .
Council Nixes Downtown Security Camera Proposal – Bolger’s $450K Gift Snubbed by 3 vs. 2 Vote
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Citing conflicting and inconclusive crime statistics provided by Police Chief William M. Corcoran, Village Council members last night flatly rejected a proposal to install closed circuit television surveillance cameras throughout the central business district. Local philanthropist David Bolger had agreed to fund the controversial project.
Opposed: Harlow, Ringler-Shagin, and Wiest. For: Mancuso and Pfund.
Drive 25 PSA
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Parking Garage Will Cost $6+ Million to Build
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The Fly has just learned that it will cost at least $6 million to construct the proposed 300-space municipal parking garage on North Walnut Street. This estimate excludes related property acquisition costs (add at least another $1.245 million) and site remediation costs (unknown at this time).
The projected costs are based on the currently accepted industry standard construction rate of $20K per parking space. However, since there are already 100+ surface parking spaces on North Walnut Street, construction costs will substantially exceed $20K per parking space when viewed on a “net spaces gained” basis.
Furthermore, an Executive Vice President of one of the most prominent commercial real estate development firms in North Jersey recently advised The Fly that estimated annual carrying charges for such a facility could approach $1 million (includes salaries, utilities, debt service, insurance, etc.).
The Fly continues to question the wisdom of constructing a multi-million dollar parking facility, several blocks from Ridgewood’s train station, on a “Field of Dreams” basis. Are Village Council members absolutely certain that when they build it, people will come?
The Fly thinks that this project has all the potential of becoming “Ridgewood Village Hall, The Sequel.” That is, a fully taxpayer funded money pit.
Is the former Town Garage property for sale, again?
Village Council members met behind closed doors on Wednesday evening to
discuss possible options for acquiring 120 Franklin Avenue, formerly home of
the Town Garage. Acquisition of this property is key to the planned
construction of a municipal parking garage at the northwest corner of North
Walnut Street and Franklin Avenue.
It is now rumored that Ridgewood 120 LLC, the site’s current owners, have
offered the property for sale to Village officials at a price much higher
than the $1.265 million paid in November of 2006. Scuttlebutt is that
Ridgewood 120 LLC’s asking price is at least $1.865 million, and possibly as
high as $2.265 million. The current owners have made no improvements to the
property since purchasing it from the Agnello family late last year.
Council members must decide whether to: 1) pay the asking price, or 2) enact
the right of eminent domain, or 3) revise parking garage building plans to
eliminate the need for that parcel. Still unanswered is the question: “How
did Village Council members manage to get themselves in such an expensive
jam? In other words, how was a real estate investment group able to acquire
the Town Garage property from right under the Council’s noses?”
Ridgewood News Purposeful Misrepresentations ?
>Submitted to The Ridgewood News
To the editor:
While it is fair to say that most editors save their opinion for the
editorial pages, clearly some do not. Your article on a recently
filed civil rights lawsuit to stem the purposeful discrimination that
was proliferated against our then 12-year old daughter lacked
credibility. It provided far too many errors, of omission and
commission, which, despite efforts to suppress them, nonetheless rose
to the surface as misrepresented facts collided uncomfortably with
uninformed opinion.
This begs the question: how many times is the editor of the Ridgewood
News allowed to bend the truth without having her credibility broken?
One, five, nine? In the above mentioned article, no less than seven
errors emanated from the first few paragraphs of a hate-filled rant
against our efforts to protect rights to which all are entitled.
Some of these falsehoods even prompted one letter writer to shrill
shamelessly that we should “move” out of town, a town to which I first
moved in 1969. Since when is defending a civil right the source of
such pointed venom? Or are the “rules” just different in Ridgewood?
What concerns me, however, is that the nature and subjectivity of
these errors appear designed to be purposefully mean-spirited. One is
left to wonder at the editor’s true purpose in making them. Take for
instance the following (for clarification, I use italics for what was
stated in the original article):
“…Caitlin Alvaro had asked to play on her brother’s fifth and sixth
grade recreation-league team..”
Our daughter never asked to be on her brother’s team. She asked to be
included in the draft of boys for her grade’s recreation basketball
league, to be drafted for any team like any other player. Though she
completed the evaluation, she was later denied participation and was
removed from the draft by the Biddy organization. After the New
Jersey Division of Civil Rights became involved, Biddy eventually
assigned her to the team on which our son also played, though they
continued to deny her permission to play.
“Despite what her father said was a skillful performance in her
evaluation…”
Caitlin’s father never said such a thing. It was merely noted in the
complaint that she had successfully sunk all five of the required
baskets during that particular evaluation. It is solely the editor’s
opinion that this constituted a “skillful performance.”
“…two sides reached a settlement requiring Ridgewood Biddy
Basketball…”
There was not a settlement, monetary or otherwise, but an agreement by
Biddy to obey the law. This took place between the NJDCR and the
Ridgewood Biddy Inc. The Alvaro’s were neither present nor asked to
participate in this conference. The Ridgewood School district, a
party to the complaint, did not attend, thereby maintaining an active complaint
against them with the NJDCR. Biddy honored this agreement and so is not
a party named in this lawsuit. They allowed Caitlin to play in the
boy’s league the next two years. Her team reached the championship
game the first year, and she was honored by her teammates with the
selection to play on the all-star team this year. Teammates and other
players were always exemplary in their manner towards her.
“…Alvaro is seeking unspecified monetary compensation…pain and
suffering, while watching those games from the bench.”
Having a player sit on the bench is not against the law, nor is it a
reason for seeking compensation. That the editor would make such a
statement is totally ludicrous and misleading.
“…a history of adversarial relations with the school district.”
This characterization by the editor is selectively pejorative. It is
possible to disagree and not be adversarial; only the ignorant to presume
otherwise. District and Village officials have always and continue to
extend the utmost courtesy to our family. We return this treatment
likewise.
“…taking legal action against the board for sponsoring what they
felt was an invasive survey.”
Though later “clarified” by the editor, the purpose of this knowingly
false statement was reprehensible. Seven parents filed complaints
against the school board for the survey and three filed a federal lawsuit. Were
they also “adversarial?” My contribution was to work tirelessly toward
getting a law passed in New Jersey to prevent such an encroachment on
parental rights. The far superior and more appropriate “norms” survey
recently given in the High School was a welcome result of such
efforts.
“…include resistance to renovations at Orchard Elementary School.”
Also knowingly untrue. Our disagreement was not with renovations,
which we welcomed, but with the building of a new addition on top of
the basketball courts which parents had recently provided for our
children with money from their own pockets. What the editor did not
reveal to her readers was that I sat in her office and she looked over
our 200 signatures from parents who signed a petition asking to change
the addition’s location. She knew this was a majority position– two hundred
signatures from a population of fewer than 350 students. Her efforts to
mislead and characterize this as “adversarial” by means of singular
intent are shockingly dishonest.
So, how many times may an editor bend the truth before her
credibility is broken? Only her publisher knows.
Frances Edwards
Ridgewood
The Town Garage, 120 Franklin Avenue; the eye of the storm . . .
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The current hot discussion topic among those who monitor Village Hall happenings is how an out of town firm was able purchase the Town Garage property from right out under the noses of Village Council members. Village ownership of the subject property (see posted photo) is seen as key to the successful construction of a municipal parking garage.
Reportedly, Village officials had offered previous owner Richard Agnello more than the $1.265 million sale price. However, it is being reported that Mr. Agnello refused to sell until the Village found a suitable location nearby for him to relocate his motor vehicle repair facility.
So the fly would like to know: 1) How was the Wells partnership able to buy the property for less than what Village officials had offered Mr. Agnello? 2) Will Mr. Agnello be closing up shop, or has the Wells partnership found a location for him to move his operation to? And, 3) What prompted the Wells partnership to purchase a piece of property destined for involvement in eminent domain proceedings?
Meet and Greet the Artist Tonight @ C.Magor Gallery 21 Oak Street 5pm -9:30pm
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Kristine Di Grigoli Paige a Ridgewood resident has been known as primarily a performance artist, having performed publicly since July 25th, 2002. Recently she has put more of her focus and her energies into translating her life’s experiences into art. Her first project was the completion of the “B&W” (Black and White) series and the start of her new square foot series “Eyes”. Her travels, friends, and music all play a significant role in her work, including her life long obsession with mysterious veiled women. She generally works with acrylics, a habit formed by painting in front of live audiences and needing a quick drying time. When studying an image she alters it to borrow its structure, its shadow, and provide her interpretation. The outcome will provide movement of emotions sometimes indescribable but likeable. Currently she is attracted to texture, giving some of her work a three dimensional quality. She often uses bold colors and will challenge tradition in order to express herself. Her work is modern in style but is often more significant by what it makes you feel. A painter by day a Club Photographer by night and once the sun goes down she puts down her brush and pallet and takes up her newest love photography. Frequently on evenings and weekends she can be found in New Jerseys hottest night clubs capturing youthful exuberance on digital images and recording this generations efforts to define itself. “Life of an Artist” Kristine Di Grigoli Paige Solo ExhibitionWorks from 1997-2006 June 22-July 6th, 2006 First Open Reception Thurs. 6/22/06- 5pm till 9pm
Open Reception Thurs. 6/29/06- 5pm till 9pm with a short lecture on Investing in Art by Ridgewood Financial Advisor James Foytlin
Location: C. Magor Gallery 21 Oak Street Ridgewood, New Jersey 07450
(201) 670-0555 Gallery
(201) 362-0552 Kristine
Visit this artist portfolio at www.thesoundandvision.com
Wreck-O-vation or Renovation?
NJ Transit has announced their intention to make Ridgewood’s train station
fully compliant with provisions of the American Disabilities Act (ADA) by
installing high level, wheelchair accessible platforms. Ramps and/or
elevators will be constructed to facilitate platform access from street
level. The platforms will be approximately 700 feet long, and equipped with
canopies to provide shelter in inclement weather. The canopies will also
house lighting, closed circuit television cameras, and loudspeaker paging
equipment.
At the suggestion of Village Council members, NJ Transit has proposed
constructing the platforms and canopies at a location that would shift train
embarkation and disembarkation to a point beginning at, or beyond, Franklin
Avenue and heading magnetic north. That is, the southernmost end of the
platforms would be located at Franklin Avenue (or north of Franklin Avenue);
their northernmost end would be approximately 700 feet further up the
tracks. Constructing the platforms and canopies at this location would
ensure that the vista between North Broad Street and the Garber/Wilsey
Square areas would not be blocked by the high level platforms and canopies.
In conjunction with completion of the ADA related renovation project, NJ
Transit will shift disembarkation for homeward bound commuters to the train
doors facing Pease Library (instead of those facing North Broad Street).
Commuters will exit onto a high level platform, and then make their way to
staircases or elevators, then through pedestrian underpasses to North Broad
Street. Staircase and underpass access will also be provided to the
existing commuter lot opposite Garber Square.
Is protecting the vista between North Broad Street and Garber/Wilsey Square
important enough that commuters won’t mind such a significant shift in the
point at which they will be getting on and off their trains? Also, will
there be evening delays associated with a trainload of commuters trying to
access a limited number of staircases from the high level platform to
pedestrian underpasses? What do you think?
Blend for Saturday Night fun
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Blend
17 Chestnut St, Ridgewood, NJ
(201) 251-4343
Images brought to you by ArtChick Photos.
Photographer: Kristine Di Grigoli Paige
www.artchickphotos.com
