the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Village of Ridgewood Chamber of Commerce and Village Restaurants are backing a new lease for Healthbarn USA, the occupant of Habernickel Park Carriage House.
A private business in a public park has been a hot issue in the Village of Ridgewood and much debated .
HealthBarn Foundation was recently awarded a $1 million grant. Bergen County Commissioner and former Ridgewood Mayor Ramon Hasche said the grant program is mutually beneficial: feeding people in need and assisting restaurants.
“This helped some of them even be able to keep the doors open and stay in business,” Hasche said.
The Healthbarn Grant was among 28 grants awarded throughout the state to provide assistance to small restaurants preparing food for the needy.
In Ridgewood, the HealthBarn Foundation made the announcement , “It’s an unbelievable coordinated effort,” said Stacey Antine, who is director of the HealthBarn USA food programs at the Habernickel Park Gate House, where the announcement was made. “The chamber, restaurants, county Food Security Task Force and the Volunteer Center of Bergen County are all partners to make this happen.”
Stacey’s really done an excellent job of backing the Village Council into a corner that they’re not likely to escape from. Turns out she’s a master at applying political pressure. Susan Knudsen seems to be the only Council member who’s dead set against renewing Stacey’s lease. The only thing likely to save Susan’s ass is an act of God that causes significant damage to the house which would result in demolishing it. Hope the fire alarm up there is in good working order!
This is nothing more than a big cat fight between Knudsen and Antine.
one has nothing to do with the other. What is wrong with you people? Healthbarn is a business, a very active business that brings in buses, field trips, camps along with regular scheduled private profit gaining classes for the owners business growth and profit only! Also night time private dinner parties while the park is closed too the public. There are 5-6 partnership events a year where the profits are split ( not equally ) with the village. Its an active business in a very busy public park that is an intensity of use and intrusive to neighbors, park users and sporting events.
THIS IS A GROWING BUSINESS WHERE THE FINACIAL GAIN HAS BEEN FOR THE OWNER ONLY. THIS IS NOT THE FOUNDATION
is that Ramons zucchini from last year. wow its a big one. that zucchini really sealed the deal for Healthbarn
one has NOTHING to do with the other.
There should be no favoritism to any business.
do you know the difference between a business and a foundation? think Micro soft, Bill and Melinda Gates get the profits! The Bill and Melinda foundation is a foundation where money is raised for charity.
one is a business and one is a foundation. Very different organizations.
Same with Healthbarn. The Business Healthbarn USA, Stacy Antine owns it and gets all the profits. Healthbarn Foundation raised money for charity and can be run out of an office anywhere.
DON’T BE CONFUSED OR FOOLED
Educated illiterates of this village are going in a herd mentality to go against one VC member and joining forces for short-term political benefit. They cannot differentiate between right and wrong.
Taxpayers should NOT subsidize ONE specific business.
Stacey backing someone into a corner. yep! she is very nasty and sneaky when she doesn’t get her way. she also tried to sue neighbors and filed a False harassment complaint against some of them. she was laughed out of court after wasting hours of a judges courtroom time
Stacey is doling out bones to puppies that are following her in the herd.
She is doling out something. The whole thing is fishy and stinks!
All started with Roberta Sonenfeld. She is gone but Antine had a lease. Lease is ending. Throw her out.
Yes, remember there was another council person who was doling out lip kisses and extras a few years ago. Her efforts failed eventually and she did not get what she wanted..
Mike Sedon is the one who put the wind in her sails. He was against from the beginning and then did a 180.
Mike Sedon knows it is wrong and was put there improperly, what changed? I thought he was a stand up guy, not another Ramon.
I think he got the district 40 candidacy in return? For dems its a money making business. They know they cannot win that seat. Look at vagianos 2017 reports. He raised around 450k.
So their integrity means nothing? So sad. I really never took him for a sell out. And why is this lease so important to any of them? So confusing and wrong. Like what is going on? It /any business does not belong in a public park
Just because restaurant owners in town like what the foundation did for them doesn’t mean the business should be in a public park .
I like nursery schools, doesn’t mean they should take over a park
I like restaurants, doesn’t mean I want one in a park I use
I support shelters for the homeless, I don’t think they should be in a public park
I like the Salvation Army thrift shop, but not in a park. These are all equally good endeavors just NOT in. PARK
Actually those are all less active and smaller than the business that is there now
Let’s apply the KISS principle here – two parties come to a legal business agreement: goods and/or services for consideration – a property owner agrees to accept money to allow a renter to use the owner’s property.
Why is anyone not directly involved in this transaction concerned? What’s the big deal here? Is it somehow improper that one party is “the public” (VOR) and the other party is a private individual? Is this a legal lease agreement? Was duress applied to one party to join in this agreement? Is the rent way below what the market would bear? Are there salacious photos, bodies buried in the basement, someone’s cat being held for ransom, or someone’s meditation time being disturbed by the sound of children growing vegetables or wine glasses clinking at a Healthbarn dinner party?
I’m just a simple farm boy that lives in the Village, so it seems to me that any revenue the Village can raise that’s not from me is a good thing – my property taxes might go down (just joking!) next year! And if someone got a better parking space at Village Hall because of this deal I hope they remember to report the accrued benefit on their federal 1040 next year.
I hereby ask of one or some of the wiser heads that seem to have ALL the inside scuttlebutt on the illegalities/horrid personalities/corruption/seductions/etc. of this shameful deal – please be so kind as to fill me in.
I’m waiting…
Sedon flip flops and now that he is running for Senate hes going to realign himself to RM, and Josh
Statistically speaking, and by a landslide, more people and neighbors are in support of healthbarn. As taxpayers, don’t we want our government to support the masses not bully the minority. Having businesses disbursed throughout a town is the best practice – it distributes traffic and makes pockets of neighborhoods more valuable due to the close proximity. Just because some of the BOE that lives over there doesn’t like her, doesn’t mean everyone needs to gang up. Think for yourselves people. Don’t be bullied by one or two leaders
I would like to know more about the lawsuits with neighbors.
How could the Village rent to a business that fights with neighbors/residents/taxpayers.
I thought it was a feel-good business. The fact that the businesses in town support Health Barn doesn’t sway me. Businesses don’t (shouldn’t) run the town.
simple farm boy – the restaurants in town need regular inspection as food business and liquor license.
Healthbarn is avoiding all those inspections/permits and possibly sales tax – when running dinner parties for adults. What’s their sales tax registration number on NJ dot gov? Selling pizza and liquor without paying sales tax does not fall under the ‘educating children’ category.
No one especially tax payers should ever be bullied by a tenant of the village, employees of the village and council members themselves.
The fact that this business is rumored to be healthy cooking classes ONLY is not true. This business pre-covid brings in 2-4 school busses a day with field trips clients that last for several hours a day. At times these field trips overlap with the small healthy cooking classes. so do the math, a class with 20-25 paying kids along with 2 school bus full of kids coming to one neighborhood park and paying one person to USE the park. These buses are filled with paying customers to the business ( not the town). The same for the classes that take place 6 days a week 2-3 classes a day the money goes to Stacey Antine only NOT the Village. There are also camps on every holiday when school is not in session and camp ALL day every day in the Summer. The camp also over laps with field trips and classes again folks do the Math! Along with nighttime dinner parties filling the owners pocket with cash while the park is closed for use to the public, alcohol is always present indoors and out doors for the adult private party.
There is the opportunity for up to 95 clients to be on the property paying Stacey to use the entire park at one time. The fields, paths and playscape. Hmmmm where do the regular park goers go during these busy times?
This is not a small cooking school that is a partnership with the village. It is a vibrant, very successful party venue for children and adults. It is a day camp and field trip location. it is a rent a hall for birthday parties and dinner.
How is this allowed you ask???? I have NO idea!
I totally understand why neighbors are not happy with it. This park also has travel baseball practices and games during the Spring, Summer and Fall ALONG with Marroons soccer practices and games in season. These are actually the activities that belong.
My understanding is that Stacy Antine filed police reports and harassment charges against 2 neighbors for e mails that they sent to council ONLY, not stacey, asking questions about bussing and usage of areas of the park that are not in the lease. Stacey filed a harassment complaint against them and took them to court in Hackensack. Once the Judge read through the discovery he dismissed both cases a There was not one piece of evidence of any kind of harrassment. How Stacey became aware of the E mails is questionable too. From my understandings Stacey took pictures of their cars, dogs and of them walking on the sidewalk along Hillcrest rd. She kept a log of when certain neighbors were in the park and who they were with. This was for several residents that I guess she didn’t like, in the beginning, but then she focussed on just 2. She also had her employees write down whenever certain neighbors were in the park. sounds like she was the stalker to me. these are neighbors and tax payers why should a business owner being doing this. The village is not a good neighbor if they allow this to go on.
Put the foundation there and have the business re-locate. That is a much better fit.
I believe SK is FB friends with an owner of a $2.5 million dollar newly constructed house built next to the field. This resident has complained about such field and property. More people are in favor (including nearby residents) of HB than opposed, however SK doesn’t stand down when one of her friends complains IMHO. Past examples: Shielder field (parents live across street of once proposed driveway) and Glen School pickle ball.
All about the money nothing else
So Ramon uses his new clout and steps in. The whole thing stinks. Since when is she feeding the poor? That’s a laugh.
Healthbarn is commercial. Send it to glen school where there are students already-not in the middle of a residential neighborhood.
Is this business part of a political ploy? Seems to be
Sounds like she did a job on some tax payers all for her own greater good. Pathetic
Do the glen school neighbors realize they are not in a residential area?
Does the air around Northwest RWD smell better??
That glen school comment will get you in a pickle!
Does not belong in a residential neighborhood with a public park. Period. The business was thrown out of Abma’s Farm in Wyckoff and perhaps this is why. What started as a small friendly enterprise is growing into a large, for profit (and political gain) business enterprise. There is plenty of commercial space available in the downtown CBD. That is where this business belongs. Not taking advantage of the taxpayers who paid for the park in the first place.