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New Sign: Ridgewood’s Turf Field Project Halted Amid Soil Contamination Concerns at Historic Schedler Property

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, plans to construct an artificial turf field at the historic Zabriskie-Schedler House in Ridgewood have been indefinitely put on hold after soil tests revealed significant contamination. The soil, which had been used to build a noise reduction berm, was found to contain hazardous substances, including lead, mercury, and two probable carcinogens: Benz(a)Anthracene and Benz(a)pyrene.

The results of the soil samples, taken from the Schedler Property on June 26 and 27, 2024, were finally made public on August 8. The extensive 6,952-page report confirmed long-standing concerns from residents that dangerous and hazardous substances were present not only in the berm but also throughout the seven-acre parcel of land.

The “Ridgewood Works” project, which has faced numerous delays and controversies, has once again been stalled, this time due to intervention by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP). The Village of Ridgewoodā€™s plans for the Schedler property remain in limbo, with no clear timeline for when or if the project will move forward.

The discovery of soil contamination has left the Schedler neighborhood and the park plans in a state of uncertainty, raising questions about the future of the property and the safety of the community. Residents and local officials are now awaiting further details and guidance from environmental experts on how to proceed with the site.

 

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54 thoughts on “New Sign: Ridgewood’s Turf Field Project Halted Amid Soil Contamination Concerns at Historic Schedler Property

  1. HAHAHAHA. howā€™s that working out for ya Paul and Pam and Siobhan and Evan?

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  2. “Ridgewood Works” is like “We Care’ and it doesn’t and they don’t.

    Vote NO For Paul Vagianos
    Vote NO for Frank Mortimer

    These people do not have Ridgewood’s best interests in their plan of action. They are merely puppets for the special interests in the village and will run rampant with programs and projects that only benefit them and their pals.

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    1. Can I ask why is the Healthbarn a special project of the village? It seems they do a lot for that owner and business was and I would like to know why?

      1. Probably because the mayor was part of Feed the Frontlines, where restaurants got $$$ during the pandemic for feeding first responders. They got to keep their money, choose who was part of the program (Ramon Hache, Healthbarn) and no audit trail exists as to who got paid, just money granted to restaurants under the honor system because it was a non profit funding situation.

        1. Seriously no paper trail. It was 4 million dollars that was run through Healthbarn. Did the owner get to write checks from that huge deposit to whomever? And from there they got to spend it however they wanted without any accountability

          Again 4 million dollars of tax papers money!

          And what did Ramon Hache get out of it?

      2. Is that even legal 4 million hand out to Healthbarn with no paper trail??? It was all over with pictures at the gatehouse. FOUR million handout. Crazy Paula nd Ramon huge supporters. Where did it all go?

  3. What does Keith KAZ-Shark have to say about all of this? We know that PFAS Paulie said PFAS was everywhere, but KAZ-Shark told everyone not to worry and they had an open house and people were walking around. Was that a smart idea?

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    1. CLASS ACTION SUIT!

    2. Shouldn’t Gottheimer have a podium set up so he can show how helped the town solve the PFAS problem? And as an extra bonus, he’s solving the contaminated soil problem?

      He can do that and then get setup when his bill to rename to post office the Bill Pascrell post office passes.

      1. He is probaby friends of Vagianos and Kazmark. Otherwise it would be low hanging fruit.

    3. Is anyone including him and his lies going to be held accountable?

      1. This is so sketchy

  4. I hope they plan on replacing that cheap, corrugated, Charlie Brown sign with a real sign.

    1. They can just dump on the lot and add a bit more PFAS………….

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  5. What a joke! They want us to call the group being investigated and believe they will give us information. GTFOH!

  6. not to worry we will cover up the toxic material that we didn’t check carefully with another toxic turf field… but don’t worry it will all be safe…..

    1. Looks like the Village of Ridgewood was told a sign had to go up. But they left out the NJDEP contact. Ooops again.

      1. Is there a sign at Habernickel?

  7. Four months to put up a sign made in-house by the Village Engineer.

  8. That sign should have been there when they held the open house. But then no one would attend and not good for the Mayor and Deputy Mayorā€™s upcoming election. What snakes!

    1. Vagianos was busy doing an episode of law and order and they didn’t have time to make a sign. Is Matrix actually equipped to handle this cray situation. They are being paid by the Village of Ridgewood so where is their objectivity.

  9. The Village of Ridgewood went door to door leaving a notice for roads being paved. They should have left a note that they contaminated the neighborhood and our health is at risk. Prioritiesā€¦

    1. Roads you can see, the other stuff is likely only seen during autopsy.

  10. They (Village of Ridgewood) literally keep dumping on these poor residents.

    1. Yep. But the Schedler Community fought back. And did so shrewdly.

      This dirty administration was planning on apathy. At best, just a few angry voices at the council meetings.

      Instead, they have been humiliated, and now the bill is coming due.

      Once the State Authorities got engaged, Paulie’s little bait and switch was DOA. The site will remain dormant for years until a new Mayor and Council are in place to repair the damage, literally and figuratively. And everyone knows it. But this is only the beginning.

      Resident lawsuits, VOR employee lawsuits, Insurance Company Litigation…tip of the iceberg. If the email/cell phone trail shows collusion and cover-up, and the money trail proves quid pro quo promises, get ready for a criminal investigation.

      Think that’s an exaggerated possibility? Look elsewhere in NJ. It happens all the time.

      The Clown Council bit off more than they could chew.

      1. Right now Vagianos, Winograd and Kaz-shark are probably frantically trying to delete their emails and cell phone texts. Good luck guys, there is forensic evidence so try try try but you might not get too far. Did Vag email the shady consultant from his personal email? It is only a matter of time before everything comes to light and the cockroaches craw out from under the giant rug they have been hiding things under

        1. And don’t forget…Primavera’s emails and cell phone are going to be fair game too.

          He’s already facing a 2024 lawsuit in Hunterdon County for breach of contract…NJ Superior Court.Ā  I believe it’s been covered here on the blog…also easy to read up on via Google.

          Just the correspondence on his fraudulent EIN submission is going to be hilarious. OPRA has already shown the entire council (save Lorraine) looked the other way.

          Friendly, unsolicited advice for the dirty
          deeds crew? Lawyer up.

      2. I wish Habernickle had that same kind of power. No one cares about the misuse of that park from the business, about toxic soil there and the influx of new construction happening with a new playground and pavilion that will be overrun by Healthbarn field trips that come in the Fall 2-3 busses a day all. The park is unwelcoming to regular park users. Itā€™s too crowded and LOUD with these field trips

    2. If people would open their eyes they would see they are actually dumping on ALL of us. Unsafe parks ( Habernickel) toxic water. Unfair use of money the list goes on

  11. This is only the beginning of whatā€™s to come.

  12. The field does not belong there anyway. Unsafe so close to Route 17. What are they thinking?

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    1. Clearly they are not thinking, as per usual. When you have a mayor who needs to please his sports pals who probably contributed to his campaign, among others, then this is what you get. A shitshow because nothing was done correctly or with any respect for those residents to address anything of real value except a giant field. You can thank Winograd and Weitz too and Pam is trailing behind but not much better.

  13. Complete negligence! They knew about the investigation in November 2023 and contamination confirmed in April. That sign should have gone up long ago.
    #NJDEP
    #dirtydirt

  14. Oh what a tangled web we weave
    When first we practice to deceive
    And assume that because we are the “council majority” we can do any darned thing our backers tell us to, whether our electorate approves or not.

  15. Why arenā€™t arrests being made?

  16. There is way more dirty dirt hiding in the VOR closets and under the rugs then what ended up on the Schedler property:

    Why did Vagianos ignore residents that cautioned the village that contamination might exist?
    Why does Keith Kazmark not want to open up an investigation to check all of the fact?
    Was all the soil received tested to NJDEP standards?
    How many times has Matrix met with Vagianos and Kazmark behind closed doors and are they coached as to what to say?
    Was the illegal dumping recorded to know who did it (ie., police reports, etc)
    Does Matrix understand the seriousness of the situation and will they put together a fact based and realistic plan that protect neighbors and residents?
    If an insurance claim is going to be filed, can residents review it to ensure that the content is truthful and ethical?

  17. Donā€™t see any posts about this on any Village of Ridgewoodā€™s social media platforms. Why is Keith Kazmark begging for followers if he isnā€™t going to post about important issues like this?

    1. They’re all lawyering up. And being told to keep their mouths shut.

  18. And as of Friday the village never reached out to any of Employees that worked at that worked at that location throughout the process of making the dirt berm and Filling the rest of the site.
    What are they doing. Nothing to but hide information from them. Thatā€™s ok calls have been made to d e p . Now they will get more information from the employees .ā˜ ļøšŸ“ž, The village manager is scared to fire anyone because then they are missing their guilt, šŸ‘ØšŸ»ā€āš•ļømust go.no balls, for baldy .šŸ§‘šŸ¼ā€šŸ¦²

  19. You know what we find thatā€™s interesting. Weā€™re having a conversation over that site right now and how is it that that was never on channel 12 news. Or one of the major networks, this is a pretty big thing that happened in the village weā€™re talking about major, and this is going to cost big money. Has anyone put a dollar amount on this on the cleanup removal, and the village Doesnā€™t even reach out to Ridgewood to employees that were working on that site . That is amazing. That shows to every resident and employee in the village of Ridgewood That they donā€™t care about anyoneā€™s well-being. Because if they did, they wouldā€™ve had meeting and brought in employees and discussed exactly what is going on. They should be ashamed of themselves, but they donā€™t care about anybody, that is just their nature of the game, I was told 30 years ago, be careful up top has no backbone, ice in their veins, Now that just plain stupid. They responsible for everyoneā€™s health. And we were the employees union on this. Are they just sitting back?

  20. How does someone dump 11,000 tons of contaminated soil and there arenā€™t any charges or disciplinary actions taken?

  21. We need the NJ Comptroller to INVESTIGATE!
    State of New Jersey
    Office of the State Comptroller- OSC Hotline: 1-855-OSC-TIPS (672-8477)
    comptrollertips@osc.nj.gov

    #NJOSC #KevinWalsh

  22. I think itā€™s time for the village manage to also publicize whoā€™s getting paid stipends. Why are they getting them and how much are they getting paid every time this issue comes up they swipe it under the rug ,we had enough. The bull shit must stop .

  23. Let me tell you something just started five years ago, so the people who were in charge know exactly what was going on, and if they didnā€™t, then theyā€™re real stupid. It was under their watch so whoever was involved should be immediately discharged.

  24. Iā€™m thankful to the residents who involved NJDEP and stopped the Village of Ridgewood (Mayor Paul Vagianos and Village Manger) from covering up the contamination with a turf field. The poor children and park users that would have been gravely harmed.

    1. My kids play at Habernickel and I see camps and classes over there. Is that being investigated. I heard they dumped by the playground, in the woods to fill in a building/home that was knocked down and what about the barn. What precautions were taken. It was there one day and gone the next.

  25. Sadly, the neighborhood and employees have been left closed and affected for years. What is being done to help them?

    1. They have done nothing. Absolutely nothing. It is “don’t worry” and they are probably afraid of a major lawsuit. let’s see how they handle this situation. Maybe evaluate the health of the residents who live on the border of the property along West saddle and see. Evaluate the health of the workers who dug through that soil. Did they wear protective gloves.
      Does anyone have breathing problems? At least the field over in HHK has a huge tree buffer along the perimeter of the property to protect residents.

  26. So far, nothing,

  27. Listen, we know everything about this situation, especially donā€™t trust anyone thatā€™s in management. itā€™s amazing how a few are trying to shuffle their way out of this situation. The bottom line is the engineering department bullshit the past village manager. She was an overhead and she was believing everyone well she was made of fool of she was warned. But she shouldā€™ve been using her brains and said you know what letā€™s make sure this soil is tested. Some say this is going to cost millions time will tell. And itā€™s interesting. Theyā€™re trying to make the insurance pay for this, so now what are they gonna walk over to the police department and make a police report , bullshit story. In the mayor council and current new manager is probably in a position with their back against the wall, probably their attorneys are telling them donā€™t fire anyone because then youā€™re admitting your guilt. And itā€™s gonna cost us more lawsuits because we donā€™t know who was contaminated. Instead of just saying, you know what Mustache boy really screwed up on this one, talk about dropping the ball, talking about under performing not performing, what an embarrassment. Everyone knows in Byrne County. What the hell is going on so you know what to the right thing have a meeting with mayor council management health department, DEP, and all employees that worked at that location past in present and have a sit down. Because this is just going to explode more and more, you canā€™t hide this. ā˜ ļø, our new manager should do exactly what we just told him to do, then he would look like the golden star.

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    1. If the village engineer was negligent by not applying the right standards to the soil testing that was legal and the village also knew that there was illegal dumping at night on the property, then how would insurance pay if the village didn’t take any previous action. This just doesn’t add up. WEre people fined? Did Rutishauser get reprimanded or is it just an oopsie and nothing gets done? This guy stands to walk away with a huge pension without any consequences. What else do we not know that is getting hidden from the public?

      #callingkeithkazmarkdosomething

  28. Exactly the union should be getting involved with this. Employees were put in danger with Contamination. Employees were put in a position and their Health and safety have been Affected . Union should take all the employees that location police report.

  29. What about the health department of the villager Ridgewood how come they are not involved the Forman of the Dpw? Knows exactly what employees were working at that site past and present. Iā€™m sure itā€™s in their Daily, weekly, monthly report.
    Conducting our investigation, we do know that there was two employees from the engineering department, and for equipment operators from the street department, one that has recently retired in the past year and a half and three current employees. And from conducting our investigation, itā€™s amazing. How some employees Say they donā€™t know anything, yes We know thatā€™s not true. They know what was going on, they are just scared From the top to give names. The Village manager should reach out to the employees that happen exposed to the contamination and send them for testing to a Their lungs and blood tested. And weā€™re not talking about sending them to a clinic. This is extremely dangerous material. Do you realize that these employees make a note of this too? The d e p , They will be covered for the rest of their life. even if they had gloves on the material can penetrate through leather gloves, and obviously they were breathing the dust, they werenā€™t working there with the rubber suits.

  30. From what we heard today, Major news, is looking into names of the employees Who possibly infected with contamination and if they care about their health, they should be calling the d e p. Today you may feel fine, down the road you may be suffering. I would document it, so everyone is covered. because obviously you canā€™t trust anyone working for the village. They are not reaching out to any employees they donā€™t care about the health and well-being of anyone obviously. Because if they did, they wouldnā€™t did so what the hell they waiting for now everyone can see their true colors. Call the d e p in nj @ 608-588-2848

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