photo by Boyd Loving
At the Aug. 5 Ridgewood Council meeting, the mayor took it upon himself to request a resolution to adopt the old Open Space Committee’s recommendation in 2010 to place a Major League Baseball standard diamond on the Schedler property. That would result in the demolition of the historic Zabriski House and the removal of 4 acres of trees, which buffer a residential neighborhood backing onto Route 17.
The mayor disregarded the 2012 amended version that gave interested parties six to 12 months to find a suitable use for the house. The group, Friends of Schedler, met its deadline as the Bergen County Historical Society expressed a desire to lease the house for a library. The Schedler group also was able to secure a $45,000 donation along with matching grants to cover the costs of stabilizing the house.
They sought a resolution that would allow them to gain a certificate of eligibility from the county and to establish a non-profit organization. The town only would have to provide the $45,000 grant to finish the work.
But rather than vote on this resolution, the mayor threw every obstacle he could think of at the presenter to prevent a vote from occurring. His own proposal for a second resolution was based on an outdated recommendation. We did not expect our mayor to throw the efforts of the people who acted in good faith under the bus. His last-minute resolution should be pulled.
Linda McNamara
Ridgewood, Aug. 10
https://www.northjersey.com/towns/ridgewood/ridgewood-opinions-and-letters
Thank you Linda for articulating what so many of us feel. Mayor Aronsohn proved AGAIN that all his rhetoric about caring about this town is pure BS. He screwed everyone on the east side of Route 17, and many many people west of 17 are equally affronted. He is vindictive and clearly just wanted to stick it to the Schedler group. He, Gwenn, Albert, and Roberta are four of the nastiest people ever to hit this town.
If Aronsohn is heading for DC next year he may be grooming someone else to run in his place. Watch out.