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Assemblywomen Offers Straight talk on Tax Reform

Holly Schepisi and Bob Auth

photo of Holly Schepisi and Bob Auth

October 22,2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

River Vale NJ, assemblywomen Holly Schepisi  reiterates our thoughts on tax reform and the poor position New Jersey is in being one of the highest taxed states in the nation. ”  Thinking about property taxes, New Jersey and the federal property tax deduction. New Jersey residents pretty much get hosed in every way possible when it comes to taxes. Residents in the communities I represent and the other residents of Bergen County currently pay about 30 percent of the entire NJ State Budget and receive back less than 3 percent of that money. At the federal level New Jersey only gets back 74 cents for each $1 it sends to Washington, making it the lowes…t reimbursement in the country.”

“As a result of ridiculously unfair school funding formulas, our residents pay the highest property taxes in the nation. The ONLY tax relief our residents have had is the ability to deduct our property taxes from our federal tax returns. Now the US Senate has voted to eliminate this deduction. I wholeheartedly disagree with the Senate Republicans on this issue. However I also put blame at the feet of the NJ Democrats who have controlled the New Jersey legislature for 16 years and our US Senators who have been controlled by the Democrats since 1982 (other than a short several month stint by Jeff Chiesa). How and why do we have the highest property taxes in the nation? Why do we receive the least amount of funding back from the federal government? Why won’t my Bergen County colleagues on the other side of the aisle fight alongside me for fairer funding of OUR residents? We cannot continue doing things the same way in this State. It is reaching a breaking point for our working middle class and our seniors. I hear campaign slogans about suburbs having to “pay their fair share.” We pay well beyond our “fair share” and we all must stand up together and fight back while we still can.”

District 39 – (Bergen and Passaic)  Bloomingdale, Closter, Demarest, Dumont, Emerson, Harrington Park, Haworth, Hillsdale, Mahwah, Montvale, Norwood, Oakland, Old Tappan, Park Ridge, Ramsey, Ringwood, River Vale, Saddle River, Upper Saddle River, Wanaque, Washington (Bergen), Westwood, Woodcliff Lake  .

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Assemblyman Robert Auth never forgets he is a small business owner

Assemblyman Robert Auth

October 13,2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Old Tappan NJ, Bob is an old friend of the Ridgewood blog and he is running for Assembly in District 39. Bob never forgets he is a small business owner . Bob is somone who can fight to set the balance right against ANTI-Business , ANTI-jobs Trenton.

District 39 is (Bergen and Passaic Conties)  Bloomingdale, Closter, Demarest, Dumont, Emerson, Harrington Park, Haworth, Hillsdale, Mahwah, Montvale, Norwood, Oakland, Old Tappan, Park Ridge, Ramsey, Ringwood, River Vale, Saddle River, Upper Saddle River, Wanaque, Washington (Bergen), Westwood, Woodcliff

Unlike most modern day politicians Bob entered into politics to help the everyday people of New Jersey, like himself. After graduating from New York University, Bob opened a small insurance company with my wife, Elsa. While it was prosperous at first, the state of New Jersey began to pass heavy regulations that placed a burden on insurance companies like his. After all but six of my competitors went out of business because of these new laws I realized that it was very possible that I might also lose everything I had worked so hard for. It was at that point that I decided to reach out to my friend Senator Cardinale to see if there was any way that he could help me. With a little negotiation Senator Cardinale was able to get Allstate Insurance to work with me which stopped me from having to go out of business. Through this experience, I witnessed firsthand the power of the government to both destroy and to aid.

After Senator Cardinale had helped him Bob decided to try and return the favor. Little by little, Bob started to do additional work for him until finally he became an unpaid volunteer aide for him in Trenton. After working for Senator Cardinale for 25 years a seat in the Assembly opened up; and while Bob was hesitant at first to run for office, he realized that this was my opportunity to help people, just as Senator Cardinale had helped him.

So in 2014, against all odds and very tough competition, I won a seat in the assembly. Even after all his time in the New Jersey Legislature I have kept one rule; before Bob votes on anything he must ask himself how would I feel as a taxpayer seeing my own vote? Bob is an Assemblyman because he has witnessed firsthand the power of the government to both impede and to aid, and Bob wants to ensure it will not impede again.

https://www.electrobertauth.com/

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Closter Parent and Family Banned for Life from Peewee Football

Peter Iappelli, 50, of Closter 

photo courtesy of the Westwood Police 

October 12,2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Westwood NJ,  A peewee football league has banned a parent and his family for life after the father allegedly snapped when his son was rotated out as quarterback on a flag football team and attacked a teenage coach.

Peter Iappelli,  50, who earns $171,136 a year as school business administrator in Closter, was charged Wednesday by Westwood Police  with simple assault and disorderly conduct after allegedly placing the 16-year-old coach in a chokehold.

Westwood Youth Football is for 6 to 12-year-olds and Westwood Youth Football is a founding member of newly created and formed NNJJFL ( The Northern New Jersey Junior Football League). This newly formed league was built with fair competitive play as the cornerstone of its development. Joining Westwood in the NNJJFL are the following programs: Washington Township, Hillsdale, Rivervale, Lodi, Garfield and Hawthorne.

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BUSES TO REPLACE WEEKEND AND MIDDAY TRAINS ON PASCACK VALLEY LINE TO ALLOW FOR REPAIR WORK

Ridgewood-Trainstation1_theridgewoodblog

PVL train tickets will be cross-honored on Main/Bergen County Lines

September 13, 2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ,  Due to grade crossing repairs and signal and track maintenance work, NJ TRANSIT is replacing trains on the Pascack Valley Line with buses on weekends and during midday hours on weekdays beginning on Sunday, September 17 and continuing through Saturday, October 28.

This does not effect Ridgewood Main line and Bergen line passengers , but will impact Montvale , Park Ridge , Woodcliff Lake, Hillsdale, Westwood, Emerson, Oradell , River Edge , River Edge New Bridge Landing , Hackensack Anderson Street,  Hackensack Essex Street , Teterboro , and Wood Ridge .

Expect larger crowds on Main line and Bergen line during midday hours and late nights .

During this time, Pascack Valley Line tickets and passes will be cross-honored on the Main/Bergen County Lines trains. At Secaucus Junction, Coach USA buses – which are replacing Pascack Valley Line trains – will arrive and depart from Platforms 9 and 10. Bus times may vary from train times at some station stops. Customers should visit the NJ TRANSIT website for specific schedule times.

While busing is in effect, all Metro-North customers from Spring Valley, Nanuet and Pearl River may use their monthly/weekly commutation passes for travel on Metro-North’s Hudson Line between Tarrytown and Grand Central Terminal.

Monday through Friday, midday hours

On weekdays, during the midday hours, buses will operate in two sections:

Between Spring Valley and Secaucus: There will be several buses operating as express and local between Spring Valley and Secaucus. Customers should be mindful of the signage denoting whether they are express or local buses before boarding. Some buses will operate between New Bridge Landing and Secaucus, making all stops except Teterboro. Teterboro customers may use NJ TRANSIT’s No. 161 Bus, which stops at Industrial Avenue and Route 46.

Note: For Train 1622, buses will operate in three sections: New York State Express between Spring Valley and Secaucus (no local stops in New Jersey); between Montvale and Secaucus, operating express between New Bridge Landing and Secaucus; and between New Bridge Landing and Secaucus, making all stops except Teterboro.

While the busing is in operation during the midday hours, shuttle trains for Pascack Valley Line customers will operate between Secaucus and Hoboken.

Saturdays and Sundays

Local and New York State buses will operate between Spring Valley and Secaucus. Customers traveling between Secaucus and Hoboken should use Main and Bergen County Line trains.

NOTE: For You Night Owls :Bergen County Line Train 69, which operates to Port Jervis and normally departs Hoboken at 12:40 a.m., will depart Hoboken 5 minutes later, at 12:45 a.m. Pascack Valley Line customers traveling from Hoboken and connecting with the last substitute bus from Secaucus will use Train 69.

Teterboro Station customers should note that the last weekend outbound bus of the night will stop at Teterboro ONLY by request.

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 Assemblywomen Holly Schepisi : We need to stop this insanity of mandated Overdevelopment in NJ

CBD high density housing

I represent many communities in Bergen and Passaic counties that had significant flooding this week because of the torrential rains. The flooding episodes have become frequent and severe over the past two decades, primarily because there is no place left for groundwater from storms to be absorbed. Guess what isn’t taken into account in current mandated overdevelopment in NJ? Flooding. So towns like Westwood and Hillsdale, Wanaque and Ringwood and Mahwah and Oakland are being forced to build significantly more units of housing under “affordable housing” lawsuits as these same communities are spending millions of dollars to acquire flood prone properties and return them to their natural state to prevent flooding. We need to stop this insanity. Call every Bergen and Passaic County legislator and demand they take action to preserve our communities. #saveourenvironment

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Assemblywomen Holly Schepisi Forum Focuses On Overdevelopement and Affordable Housing in Bergen County

bergen county housing forum

June 18,2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Paramus NJ, Assemblywomen Holly Schepisi hosted a meeting on June 15th at Bergen Community College to talk about OVERDEVELOPMENT, affordable housing and the biggest issues affecting Bergen County local communities.

The event was packed with legislators, mayors, engineers, planners, environmental experts, school superintendents, non-profit housing groups and others who joined Assemblywoman Holly Schepisi at the Thursday night legislative hearing to address New Jersey’s affordable housing crisis.

The hearing will provided the first significant legislative discussion addressing New Jersey’s affordable housing crisis in 5 years.

The meeting was very well attended given how little publicity from New Jersey main stream press .Senator Gerald Cardinale, Assemblymen Robert Auth and Kevin J. Rooney and the several hundred people took time to talk about overdevelopment and affordable housing.

The Speakers included Mayors and former Mayors from Closter, Haworth, Demarest, Dumont, Upper Saddle River and Montvale. Council members from Park Ridge, Ramsey and Dumont. Elected officials and representatives were also present from communities including Westwood, Mahwah, New Milford, Old Tappan, Emerson, Paramus, Allendale, Mountain Lakes, Montville, Hillsdale and Woodcliff Lake. Tom Toronto and Lynn Bartlett, the heads of non-profit affordable housing agencies United Way and the Bergen County Housing Authority, along with Bruce Young, the President of the Bergen County School Boards all provided great testimony.

Captain Bill Sheehan from Hackensack Riverkeepers for discussing environmental concerns. I was disappointed that none of our other Bergen County legislators chose to attend. This is an issue that every municipality is struggling with regardless of political party lines. We must work together to assist the communities we represent.

Joanne Minichetti, mayor of Upper Saddle River, told Assemblywoman Holly Schepisi and other state officials that the analysis leading to the obligations was “ridiculous” and “stupid.” The obligations were created by the Cherry Hill-based Fair Share Housing Center.

Derek Michalski also from Upper Saddle River recounted to the Ridgewood blog ,” in the case of USR two developers father and son “forced” rezoning Apple Ridge property on USR mayor and Council and after obtaining the “rezoning signature” re-sold the same property to Toll Brothers for $20-30milion quick gain. if the town did this deal for its own benefit(residents) we wouldn’t have to raise taxes for decades to come. Thus such chaos is creating enormous benefit to developers and leaving communities in fear.”

Schepisi has recently introduced two bills to freeze municipal affordable housing obligations through the end of the year, and establish a commission to study the issue and determine each town’s obligations. Over fifty municipalities throughout the state of New Jersey have passed a resolution urging action on Schepisi’s bills.

However NJ Housing and Development Chairman Jerry Green (D) is not going to release those two bill to the floor for vote (IMHO). They will die waiting…..in the meantime the town in fear of loosing this issue in court are marketing (horrible deals with developers). For instance in the case of USR two developers father and son “forced” rezoning Apple Ridge property on USR mayor and Council and after obtaining the “rezoning signature” re-sold the same property to Toll Brothers for $20-30milion quick gain. if the town did this deal for its own benefit(residents) we wouldn’t have to raise taxes for decades to come. Thus such chaos is creating enormous benefit to developers and leaving communities in fear.

And you guessed it Green is a major fund raiser for Murphy (he told me that himself in his office) so this issue is almoeast a dead issue.

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Assemblywoman Holly Schepisi to hold Major Legislative Hearing on Forced Overdevelopment in Bergen County

Assemblywoman Holly Schepisi

Tired of Being Number One in all the wrong things? Hope to see representation from all of our communities on June 15, 2017. Help be part of the solution !

June 3,2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

WESTWOOD NJ,  Assemblywoman Holly Schepisi will initiate a series of statewide legislative hearings to address New Jersey’s affordable housing crisis. The first will be held on June 15 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Bergen Community College’s Technology Education Center room 128.

One candidate for New Jersey Governor GOP Joseph Rudy Rullo  has promised to dissolve COAH  altogether while other candidates have only spoken in vague generalities or ignored the subject all together.

“The tough job of finding a solution cannot wait another day,” said Schepisi (R-Bergen). “If the state Legislature won’t hold meetings on court-forced overdevelopment, I will.”

Schepisi will be joined by other invited guests, including fellow legislators, mayors, town officials and planners, engineers, traffic experts, board of education members, environmental groups and other interested parties.

She said the hearings will examine ways to provide a better way toward affordability for the residents of this state while protecting towns from a recent state Supreme Court ruling that could force the construction of up to 1.5 million unneeded housing units to satisfy a fictitious population increase of 3.35 million in the next nine years – while Rutgers projects a population increase of only 219,000.

“We have reached a critical juncture in the State of New Jersey. We are the most costly, the most densely populated with the highest number of outmigration because people can no longer afford to live here. Instead of smart discussions regarding how to implement change to reduce living costs for all of our residents, the legislature’s inaction is forcing communities to potentially double their housing population in just the next nine years, destroying all existing housing prices while increasing property taxes,” said Schepisi. “We need to stop the court’s action and fix this issue while we still can.”

Schepisi recently introduced two bills to freeze municipal affordable housing obligations through the end of the year, and establish a commission to study the issue and determine each town’s obligations. As a result of the failure of the legislature to move any of these initiatives forward, Schepisi has decided to hold her own hearings and provide the transcripts and testimony to the NJ Legislature.

Over forty-five municipalities in Bergen, Gloucester, Morris, Essex, Union, Somerset, Mercer, Passaic and Hudson counties have passed a resolution urging action by the legislature to stop such discrepancy. The resolution also supports Schepisi’s bills to temporarily halt affordable housing litigation and create a special commission.

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Washington Township firefighters use the Jaws of Life to free the victim from the wreck

Washington Township firefighters use the Jaws of Life to free the victim from the wreck

Photos courtesy of Boyd Loving

June 2,2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Washington Twp NJ, A red colored 4-door Toyota was totaled and its adult female driver injured during a crash into a utility pole at the intersection of Amherst Drive and Pascack Road, Washington Township late Thursday morning, 06/01. Washington Township firefighters used the Jaws of Life to free the victim from the wreck. She was transported by ambulance to Hackensack University Medical Center’s (HUMC) North Campus in Westwood. A paramedic team from HUMC North also responded to the incident. Washington Township PD is investigating the crash’s cause. There was at least one (1) witness to the event. The official vehicle belonging to Washington Township’s assistant fire chief sustained minor damage at the scene when it was accidentally struck by a paramedic team’s pickup truck.

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Mike Just Today Sunday, May 21st at 3:00pm at Bookends in Ridgewood

Mike Jusr, Bookends Ridgewood

May 21,2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Mike Just ,Former Pro Baseball Player and Owner of Just Hits in Westwood,NJ, Mike Just, will sign his new book: Just Baseball
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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Assemblywomen Holly Schepisi Continues to Push for A Sensible Housing Policy for Bergen County

CBD high density housing

May 7,2017
by Assemblywomen Holly Schepisi

Rivervale NJ, I have been on the front lines fighting for the legislature to do its job and provide a legislative solution to recent Court opinions on affordable housing in the State. Even the NJ Supreme Court agrees that the legislature should do something, anything, on this issue.

As a result of recent court opinions, I drafted bills to stop the costly litigations currently taking place in every municipality so that all interested parties, including the NJ League of Municipalities, the Executive Director of the NJ Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency, the Executive Director of Fair Share Housing, professional planners and members of the legislature can sit together and develop a better way to ensure affordability in this State for all people regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation or gender. The current plan to have over 280,000 new affordable units or 1.5 million additional total units in a state that is already the most densely populated with a population growth rate of less than 0.3 percent, along with being one of the States that most people are fleeing, is irrational at best.

My bills have received support from Democratic mayors and councils, Republican mayors and councils and communities that are split between political parties. This is not a Republican or Democratic issue, this is one of the most important issues affecting every community in the State and if we, as legislators refuse to address it, we do not deserve to be legislators.

Unfortunately, many times elected officials are unwilling to step up to the plate to address the more difficult issues for fear of the backlash. It is exceptionally unfortunate that in today’s political climate, the immediate “go to” for those who disagree on an issue is to insinuate the other person is a racist or a bigot or a whole host of other items. Today I found myself just in that place. As a result of my trying to bring all parties to the table to properly address an incredibly complicated and difficult topic, the head of the Bergen County NAACP, provided a letter to the Bergen Record today accusing me of “fear mongering”, “trying to advance my political profile” and alleging that I am affirmatively trying to keep minorities out of our communities. Anyone who knows me knows how totally off base his letter is with respect to how I operate or what I believe. I have reached out to the State NAACP President to request a sit down to openly discuss this issue. If we want our State to succeed we better start having the tough conversations now, while we still can. Wanting to figure out a better way to govern this State is a quality we want in everyone who represents us.

Please call your Mayors and your legislators and ask them to protect our State from ridiculous affordable housing court mandates (which may result in over 1.5 MILLION new units of housing in NJ) by supporting A-4666 and A-4667 to stop the Court actions and study the issue while we still can. If you don’t see your town below ask your elected officials why they aren’t fighting for your community.

Here is a current list of towns that have passed resolutions in support of my legislation to provide relief to our communities in the fight against the threat of over 1.5 MILLION new units of housing in NJ. If you don’t see your town on here ASK WHY. Many of our NJ residents are unaware that their communities will be forced to DOUBLE their housing population in just the next 9 years, destroying all existing housing prices.

Closter
Demarest
Dumont
Emerson
Franklin Lakes
Harrington Park
Haworth
Hillsdale
Mahwah
Montvale
Norwood
Old Tappan
Park Ridge
River Vale
Upper Saddle River
Westwood
Woodcliff Lake
Bloomingdale
Wanaque
Wayne
Saddle Brook
Fair Lawn
Oradell
Rochelle Park
Hackensack
Lincoln Park

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Don’t get caught texting while driving through these small NJ towns

ridgewood police
file photo by Boyd loving
By Adam Hochron April 17, 2017 5:58 PM
Courtesy of United States Department of TransportationIf last year is any indication, police in some of New Jersey’s smallest municipalities will be giving out the largest number of distracted driving tickets during the month-long crackdown that ends April 21.

Bergen County 

Fairview: 114 tickets

Allendale 2
Alpine 2
Carlstadt 19
Demarest 5
Glen Rock 1
Hackensack 4
Hasbrouck Heights 13
Haworth 5
Leonia 4
Lyndhurst 19
Midland Park 4
North Arlington 19
Northvale 9
Norwood 2
Ramsey 1
River Vale 1
Upper Saddle River 19
Westwood 9
Wood-Ridge 4

Read More: Don’t get caught texting while driving through these small NJ towns | https://nj1015.com/dont-get-caught-texting-while-driving-through-these-small-nj-towns/?trackback=tsmclip

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VILLAGE OF RIDGEWOOD VILLAGE COUNCIL REGULAR PUBLIC MEETING, Bogart ,Cambridge ,and Pomander Walk

village-hall-theridgewoodblog

VILLAGE OF RIDGEWOOD VILLAGE COUNCIL REGULAR PUBLIC MEETING

APRIL 12, 2017

8:00 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.   Acceptance of Financial Reports

6.   Approval of Minutes

7.   Proclamations

  1. Proclaim April as Tree Planting Month and   April 28, 2017 as Arbor Day
  2. Proclaim April 29, 2017 LAX Day in Ridgewood
  3. Proclaim May 7-13, 2017 National Drinking    Water Week
  4. Proclaim May as Building Safety Month

    8.   Presentation by Bradford Fritts, Owner of Jersey     Mike’s Subs – Donation for Restoration of Bell      Tower at Ridgewood High School

     

    9. Comments from the Public (Not to exceed 3 minutes    per person – 40 minutes in total)

    10.  Village Manager’s Report

    11.  Village Council Reports

    12.  ORDINANCES – INTRODUCTION – RIDGEWOOD WATER

    NONE

    13.  ORDINANCES – PUBLIC HEARING – RIDGEWOOD WATER

    3588 – Amend Chapter 269 – Water Irrigation Schedule      and Water Emergencies

    14.  RESOLUTIONS – RIDGEWOOD WATER

    THE FOLLOWING RESOLUTIONS, NUMBERED 17-87 THROUGH 17-92 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:

    17-87     Title 59 Approval – Approves the plans and              specifications for Tree Maintenance Services,         prepared by the Ridgewood Water Department,              pursuant to Title 59

    17-88      Award Contract – Tree Maintenance Services –              Awards a contract to the sole responsible              bidder, Downes Tree Service, 65 Royal Avenue,           Hawthorne, NJ on a per item basis

    17-89     Award Contract – Water Main Replacements at               Stream Crossings ($998,500) –Awards a                    contract to the lowest responsible bidder,            Fred Devens Construction, 403 Stonetown Road,          Ringwood, NJ

    17-90      Award Contract Under State Contract –                    Materials and Supplies – Water Main Repairs –      Awards a contract under State Contract to             Stone Industries, Inc., P.O. Box 8310,                    Haledon, NJ

    17-91      Authorize Change Order – Rehabilitation of              Glen Avenue Tank ($29,766) –Authorizes a                change order for this project, to the                    original contractor, Brave Industrial Paint,              LLC, 177 Elmwood Avenue, Long Branch, NJ.                This change order was necessary due to the                fact that additional work, beyond the                    original contract scope, is necessary.

    17-92      Authorize Change Order – Furnish and Install            Control Valves at Various Locations ($26,960)           – Authorizes a change order for this project,        to the original contractor, CFM Construction,       Inc., 5 Bay Street, Stirling, NJ. This change        order was necessary due to the fact that           additional work, not anticipated at the time              of award, is necessary.  

    15.  ORDINANCES – INTRODUCTION

    3592 – Establish a CAP Bank

    3593 – General Capital Ordinance

    3594 – Water Utility Capital Ordinance

    3595 – Parking Utility Capital Ordinance

    3596 – Amend Chapter 265 – Vehicles and Traffic –             Parking Restrictions – Bogert Avenue and              Cambridge Road – Prohibits parking at all times            on the east side of Bogert Avenue within 25-feet     of the 90 degree inside corner in the road north      of Glen Avenue and on the west side of Cambridge     Road within 25-feet of the 90 degree inside         corner in the road north of East Glen Avenue.         In addition, prohibits parking in other sections  of Bogert Avenue and Cambridge Road from 8:00      a.m. to 9:00 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.      Monday through Friday, September 1st through June      30th.

    3597 – Amend Chapter 265 – Vehicles and Traffic –             Parking Restrictions – Pomander Walk –Prohibits  parking on the South/West side of Pomander Walk         8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on all days and restricts  parking to two hours on the North/East side of          Pomander Walk from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on all     days except Sundays and Holidays

    3598 – Amend Chapter 260 – Trees and Shrubs – The goals  of this ordinance are: preservation of the           Village’s native tree stock on both public and      private lands; advocating for the removal of          invasive and non-indigenous tree and shrub            species; replacement of trees removed on both          public and private properties; maintain the          number of trees in the Village

    16.  ORDINANCES – PUBLIC HEARING

    3589 – Establish Rules and Regulations for Rental of            Rooms in The Stable

    3590 – Amend Chapter 145 – Fees – Establish Rental Fees     – The Stable

    3591 – Repeal Chapter 29, Historic Preservation             Commission, Amend Chapter 190, Land Use and        Development, and Repeal Chapter 251, Swimming        Pools

    17.  2017 BUDGET INTRODUCTION

    A.   Budget Message

     

    B.   RESOLUTION

     

         17-93      Approve 2017 Municipal Budget and Set                May 10, 2017 as the Date for the Public                    Hearing Thereon

    18.  RESOLUTIONS

    THE FOLLOWING RESOLUTIONS, NUMBERED 17-94 THROUGH

    17-118 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:

    17-94      Approve Temporary Emergency Capital Budget

    17-95      Approve Temporary Emergency Budget                        Appropriations

    17-96     Title 59 Approval – Conduit Installation for              Traffic Signals – Approves the plans and              specifications for Conduit Installation for              Traffic Signals in the Village of Ridgewood                prepared by the Engineering Division,                    pursuant to Title 59

    17-97      Award Contract – Conduit Installation for              Traffic Signals (NTE $25,325) –Awards a              contract to the lowest quote, ConQuest                    Construction Corporation, 20 Carver Avenue,           Westwood, NJ

    17-98      Award Contract – Disposal of Recyclable                 Materials – Authorizes a contract for                  disposal of the Village’s recyclable                    materials for the first year of a two-year               contract to Atlantic Coast Fibers, LLC, 101               Seventh Street, Passaic, NJ

    17-99     Title 59 Approval – Gate House Sloped Entry –           Irene Habernickel Family Park –Approves the            plans and specifications for Gatehouse Sloped           Entry at the Irene Habernickel Family Park             prepared by the Engineering Division,                pursuant to Title 59

    17-100    Award Contract – Gate House Sloped Entry –           Irene Habernickel Family Park (NTE $67,735) –         Awards a contract to the lowest responsible             bidder, Onque Technologies, Inc., 297-146             Kinderkamack Road, Suite 101, Oradell, NJ

    17-101    Title 59 Approval – Furnishing, Delivering,             and Maintenance of Emergency Equipment and            Other Patrol Equipment – Approves the plans                and specifications for Furnishing,                        Delivering, and Maintenance of Emergency           Equipment, Radios, Vehicle Computer Systems,             and Other Listed Patrol Equipment for the             Ridgewood Police Department, July 1, 2017             through June 30, 2018, inclusive prepared by               the Engineering Division, pursuant to Title              59

    17-102    Award Contract – Furnishing, Delivering, and              Maintenance of Emergency Equipment, Vehicle            Computer Systems, and Other Patrol Equipment              – Police Department –Awards the second year           of a two-year contract to the lowest                 responsible bidder, Regional Communications,               Inc., 64 East Midland Avenue, Paramus, NJ at             the unit prices stated in the contract

    17-103    Title 59 Approval – Paving – Approves the           plans and specifications for 2017 Road                  Resurfacing and Repair of Various Village               Streets in the Village of Ridgewood prepared                by the Engineering Division, pursuant to               Title 59

    17-104    Award Contract – Paving ($1,000,000) – Awards          a partial award of a contract to the lowest              responsible bidder, J.A. Alexander, 13-158                John F. Kennedy Drive North, Bloomfield, NJ

    17-105    Award Professional Services Contract –                    Traffic Engineering Services – West Side              Study Area ($14,945) – Awards a Professional               Services contract to the lowest proposal by              Petry Traffic and Transportation Engineering,        155 Passaic Avenue, Fairfield, NJ

    17-106    Authorize Shared Services Agreement – Police           Pistol Range (Wood-Ridge $150 per                         officer/retired officer) – Authorizes a                  Shared Services Agreement between the Village      of Ridgewood and the Borough of Wood-Ridge so         that the Ridgewood Police Department may use             the Police Pistol Range in Wood-Ridge to                conduct their annual firearms qualifications

    17-107    Reject Bids – School Bus Transportation –              Summer Day Camp – Rejects the sole bid by           First Student, Inc. of Englewood, NJ due to                the fact that the bid received exceeds the              available funding

    17-108    Declare Police Vehicles Surplus Property –            Declares a 2007 Ford Crown Victoria and a           2009 Ford Crown Victoria Police vehicles                surplus property and authorizes the Village              Manager to dispose of these vehicles

    17-109    Declare Radar Systems Surplus and Authorize               Donation to Englewood Cliffs Police                   Department – Declares three radar systems             surplus and authorizes the Village Manager to       dispose of and transfer them to the Borough              of Englewood Cliffs for use by their Police               Department. No warranties or guarantees of            the condition or usefulness of the equipment           are offered by the Village of Ridgewood.

    17-110    Accept Partial Donations – Portable Fuel Cell      Trailer – Parks and Recreation – Accepts                donations from Maroons Soccer Association            ($1,600), Ridgewood Soccer Association                   ($850), and Ridgewood Jr. Football                         Association ($600), toward the purchase of a            Portable Fuel Cell Trailer which costs $5,478

    17-111    Accept Donation – Restoration of Sally Port –         Ridgewood Police Department – Accepts a                donation valued at $3,800 from the owner of           Five Star Painting, 38 East Ridgewood Avenue,        Ridgewood, NJ to paint the walls and floors              of the Sallyport. The owner of the company,               Christian Cruz, has volunteered to donate the       labor and supplies to the Village of                    Ridgewood. He currently has no applications               before any Village Boards or Committees nor                does he have any pending business with the                Village.

    17-112    Support Responsible Pet Ownership –                   Delineates actions to be taken by the Village      to support responsible pet ownership,                    including: enforcing rabies control statutes;        impounding stray dogs and cats; educating all      residents about responsibilities for pet             ownership; increasing the percentage of                  licensed dogs and cats through ease of                    licensing and licensing enforcement;                  identifying and implementing best practices           for spaying and neutering animals;                        identifying alternatives to euthanasia of            adoptable companion animals; assisting in              identifying resources to      improve the                   condition and increasing the capacity of              animal shelters

    17-113    Authorize Mayor’s Pledge for Age Friendly              Ridgewood Initiatives – Authorizes the Mayor                to sign a Mayor’s Pledge to take steps to            adopt some policies widely recognized as            being advantageous for older adults

    17-114    Authorize Release of Cash Security Bond –               Sludge Hauling Contract – Authorizes the             release of a cash security bond for Ridgewood       Green RME, LLC for sludge hauling from the               Village’s Water Pollution Control Facility,              due to the fact that Ridgewood Green RME, LLC       is no longer the Village’s vendor for this               service

    17-115    Authorize Partial Release of Cash Bond – J.P.      Development – 143 & 147 West Glen Avenue –                The project is substantially complete,                  according to the Village Engineer, so the              majority of the cash bond will be refunded,             with the balance being refunded at the                 completion of the project

    17-116    Authorize Cleaning of Kings Pond Park by             Ridgewood      Wildscape and Partners –Authorizes          a cleanup of the Kings Pond area by Ridgewood        Wildscape and their partners on April 30,           2017. The Village will provide assistance by               providing chest waders, gloves and other           protective equipment to handle the debris,               rakes and hand tools, and pickup and disposal      of the debris. This cleanup has been reviewed       by the Village Engineer, pursuant to Title              59.

    17-117    Authorize Installation of Bus Shelter – North      Monroe Street and West Glen Avenue –                 Authorizes the installation of an IKEA                    Paramus, NJ model bus shelter on North Monroe        Street, just north of West Glen Avenue and            authorizes the Village Manager to execute the      necessary agreements

    17-118    Rescind Resolution #15-257 on Schedler Park –      Determination of Uses for Schedler Park                 Property – Rescinds Resolution #15-257 which            laid out the uses of the Schedler Park                     property, to include active and passive                   recreational areas, as well as a 90-foot             baseball diamond

    19.  Comments from the Public (Not to Exceed 5 minutes    per person)

    20.  Resolution to go into Closed Session

    21.  Closed Session

  1. Personnel/Contract Negotiations – Blue    Collar, White Collar and Supervisory Union   Negotiations
  2. Contract Negotiations – Consideration of Purchase of Properties

    22.  Adjournment

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Collision at the intersection of Ridgewood Road and Walnut Street in Washington Township

Washington Twp car crash

photo courtesy of Boyd Loving’s Facebook page

March 21,2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Washington Twp NJ, One (1) person was transported to a local hospital following a two (2) vehicle collision at the intersection of Ridgewood Road and Walnut Street in Washington Township on Monday afternoon, 03/20. Both vehicles were removed from the scene by a flatbed tow truck. Washington Township PD, Westwood EMS, and a paramedic unit from Hackensack University Medical Center North responded to the incident. Injuries to the victim, an adult female, appeared to have been non life threatening.

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Ridgewood Makes the List of Top 10 Safest Towns in Bergen County

Ridgewood_Police_new_carbets_theridgewoodblog

March 19,2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, According to Backgroundchecks.org Ridgewood came in ,in the top 50 safest places to live in New Jersey .Ranking number 47,and scoring a top 10 in Bergen County and Passaic County . Ridgewoood scored well despite have a larger population than many of the top place towns, a larger school district , a local hospital and easier commuter access  with a train , bus station and highway park and ride .
Rounding out the Bergen County and Passaic County list were :

#2 Saddle Brook
#6 Mahwah
#14 Wanaque
#21 Tenafly
#27 River Edge
#30 Ringwood
#31 Hasbrouck Heights
#33 Wyckoff
#38 Franklin Lakes
#45 Hawthorne
#47 Ridgewood
#49 Rutherford
#50 Westwood

The Backgroundchecks.org  list was compiled based on FBI violent crime stats and proprietary BackgroundChecks.org research data.  Rates are normalized per 100,000 residents with the state average being 261 for violent crime and 1,734 for property crime. This is calculated by taking (# of crimes/population) * 100,000.

The website described #47 Ridgewood in glowing terms , “Located in Bergen County, Ridgewood is a village that is home to 24,900 residents.  Just 20 miles northwest of Midtown Manhattan, Ridgewood is considered a suburban bedroom community and was included on Money’s list of Best Places to Live in the U.S.  The violent crime rate here is 43.6, and residents of Ridgewood have a 1% chance of being affected by property crime.”

https://backgroundchecks.org/50-safest-cities-in-new-jersey-2016.html

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BERGEN COUNTY SENIOR CITIZENS COORDINATING COUNCIL, INC

life insurance seniors
March 17,2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Westwood NJ, The BERGEN COUNTY SENIOR CITIZENS COORDINATING COUNCIL, INC., a grass-roots, non-partisan, not-for-profit organization consisting of senior clubs in Bergen County and serving all the senior citizens of Bergen County since 1974, invites all Bergen County Senior Citizens’ Clubs to send a representative to our monthly meetings.  Those clubs which are not currently members of the Council should go to the FORMS link on our website at www.bcscccouncil.wordpress.com, (IMPORTANT INFORMATION—FORMS) and download the application to join our organization or e-mail John A. Walsh, President, at jaw.ops350@yahoo.com.  If you don’t have a computer available, contact John A. Walsh, President, at 201-483-8633 for an application.

Meetings start at 1:00 p.m. on the second Monday of each month from September through June.  Meeting location is at the HUMC at Pascack Valley, 250 Old Hook Rd., Westwood, NJ 07675.  Important information for seniors is provided by special speakers, other club and Council members, and senior citizen service agencies of Bergen County.  See our website at www.bcscccouncil.wordpress.com for many more important details to include past meeting topics, directions, photos, and more, about our organization.