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Ridgewood Chamber of Commerce Farmers Market Open Till Thanksgiving!

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Sun, June 26, 2016 – Sun, November 20, 2016
Time: 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM

Location: Train Station Parking Lot, Godwin Ave & W Ridgewood Ave

OPEN UNTIL THANKSGIVING
Sundays June 26, 2016 – November 20, 2016
9:00am – 3:00pm

People have been requesting that the Ridgewood Farmers Market stay open until the Sunday before Thanksgiving – the answer is YES – UNTIL NOVEMBER 20, 2016, westside of NJ Transit Train station every Sunday, 9-3pm.

FARM to table-FRESH – visit and put your orders in to the new fruit farmer…
you will love the variety.
Fresh vegetables galore,
mozzarella made on the spot,
bakes goods-pies,
B&B Jams-great gifts,
pickles for the holidays and kids,
pumpkin patch for everyone.
NEW…fresh hot apple cider every Sunday!

Bergen Country’s real Farmers Market-
FARM to table FRESH!
FOR MORE INFO 201-445-2600
[email protected]
see you there!

Enjoy “Farm to Table”
Ridgewood Train Station
Parking Lot West Side

or call 201-445-2600

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The Ridgewood Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Company Presents “The Sorcerer”

The Ridgewood Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Company Presents "The Sorcerer"
October 29,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, The Ridgewood Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Company, a nonprofit performing ensemble based in Ridgewood, New Jersey, has presented full productions of the works of Gilbert and Sullivan every fall and spring since its founding in 1937 by Kay and Jack Edson. For over 75 years, we have delighted audiences with the timeless jollity of The Pirates of Penzance, The Mikado, and H.M.S. Pinafore.   As one of the oldest continuing musical theatre groups in the country, we also mount comic operas by Gilbert & Sullivan that are seldom seen elsewhere: Iolanthe, The Yeomen of the Guard, The Gondoliers, The Sorcerer, and several others.

We give full performances in Ridgewood, plus we perform elsewhere in Northern and Central Jersey (Bergen, Passaic, Essex, Ocean counties), Rockland County, New York City, and Connecticut.  In addition, we take pride in making opera more accessible to the community by performing several free shows and staged concerts a year at facilities that cater to senior residents, patients, and veterans.  We have also donated a series of musical scores, recordings, and books on Gilbert and Sullivan to the Ridgewood Public Library.

Although we are considered a community theatre group, our performers are given a more professional experience due to having a two-month performing schedule and having to learn heavy amounts of vocally challenging repertoire found in virtually all G&S comic operas.  Our company members consist of both highly trained music professionals and serious amateurs.

Our talented workers (singers, orchestra, scenery and costume designers, etc.) have made it possible to give productions of professional quality. Young and old G&S fans have thanked us for helping keep alive the great musical entertainment of Gilbert and Sullivan.

Ridgewood Gilbert and Sullivan is proud to perform the musical production of Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Sorcerer (not to be mistaken with Walt Disney’s The Sorcerer’s Apprentice). This musical tells the timeless story of a man who refuses to believe that men and women should marry only those of the same social class.  He hires a sorcerer to make each man in the village fall in love with the first eligible woman he sees —and chaos ensues. https://www.newjerseystage.com/articles/getarticle.php?titlelink=ridgewood-gilbert-and-sullivan-presents-the-sorcerer

Fall 2016: The Sorcerer! Tickets available soon!

Stage Director: Milly Gonzalez

Music Director: Paul Geidel

We will be doing both concerts and full performances!

Concert Schedule

Sat. October 22, 2 p.m., Fort Lee Public Library, Fort Lee, NJ

Sun. October 23, 2 p.m., Franklin Lakes Public Library, Franklin Lakes, NJ

Sun. October 30, 2 p.m., Finkelstein Memorial Library, Spring Valley, NY

Sun. November 6, possible concert performance – TBD.

Thurs., November 17, 8 p.m., Five Star Premier Residence, Teaneck, NJ

Performance Schedule

Sun., November 13, 3 p.m., Heritage Village, Southbury, CT

Sat., November 19, 7:30 p.m., Ridgewood United Methodist Church

Sun., November 20, 3 p.m., Ridgewood United Methodist Church

Sun., November 27, 3 p.m., Fair Lawn Community Center (might be canceled)

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Reader says A bike lane through the town is a crazy pipe dream

car_vs_bike_theridgewoosdblog

file photo by Boyd Loving

The bike lane benefits few. There are a handful of hardy souls who bike to the train. No one is biking to town to shop or for dinner. When do you see kids bike into town? I doubt the bike path is for them and I would not want to see teens trying to navigate the mean streets of Ridgewood.

A bike lane through the town is a crazy pipe dream. If anything a bike lane should skirt the town not go through it.

Downtown Ridgewood is a dangerous place for pedestrians. Add in bike lanes and you have a recipe for disaster.

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Falling Tree Puts Spot Light on Ridgewood School Safety

first_tree_Fell_theridgewoodblog
file photo by Boyd Loving

Travell safety

Hello to all,

I am writing this tonight because the gravity of what happened today seems to have been lost in the shuffle of the weekend l, and impending Halloween festivities.

A massive, tree-sized, tree branch fell across part of the playing field, the entire sidewalk and half of Bogert Ave at about 11:35 or so this morning. The entire 3rd grade was playing outside- 2 of whom are my children.
I am the Travell safety chair, and while this may seem frivolous, or decorative, it is in fact, a role I take VERY seriously. Twice in the last month, thanks to my persistent pressing of the safety issues brought to me by my fellow Travell parents, Travell safety has been on the agenda for the village council. I’ve attended the Citizen Safety Advisory Committee meetings to address them.  I am the only parent in attendance to address the issues. I am the only person at all to represent our school and it’s safety issues.

I take this role very seriously, evidenced by the fact that in my own free time I have walked the streets surrounding the school, and I look for safety issues within the neighborhoods. Broken sidewalks, overgrown shrubs, parking issues, speeding concerns, sight triangles issues, property maintenance issues. These are just some of the issues I have seen. I bring them some times repeatedly- to the attention of the code enforcement officer. Sometimes she sends them on to a more appropriate party.  Many, many violations have been addressed in the last few weeks thanks to our combined efforts.

I have mentioned several concerning trees to her. Many that are dead and overhang designated safe walking routes, or heavily traveled walking routes to Travell.

I walked all of the streets surrounding Travell with the assistant village engineer last spring. I mentioned several of the trees including the one which fell today. I was told trees really aren’t their department.  A huge part of this tree fell in the early fall across the exact same area!!  A Travell parent roped off the area until it could be addressed. This was on the walk to the school in the morning. Prime drop off time for hundreds of students. Another near miss. What else is it going to take?

Do we need a child to actually be struck and hurt- or worse, by a dead tree limb ON actual school grounds in order to take a very serious look at where there needs to be some work done?
We can have forum after forum about full day kindergarten. Spending God only knows how much money, just to spend more money, and then say we don’t have any money??
We can send newsletters and we can print signs and yet we can’t find it in the budget to hire a tree expert, an actual arborist, for the day, to ensure that the school grounds and the sidewalks surrounding them are safe? Or hire a safety expert to do a study of the area and see where we need some change? Often it’s small changes, signage or enforcement, that make ALL the difference. It doesn’t always have to be large ticket answers. It just requires some attention and concern.

I’m actually incensed at how close MY daughter was to this tree falling today.
Feet. She was feet from this. I happen to pass down this street EVERY day between 11:35- 11:45 on the way home from another school pick up. Many many days my daughter and her best friend see me and come run to the fence to yell hello to me as I pass.  Today, I was running a touch late. I very literally went to turn left down Bogert and instead went the other way. It is absolutely chilling to know, unequivocally, that they would have been standing IN this exact spot saying hello to me had I made a left turn and not a right.

We need to stop addressing every other issue as if it is life and death and pay closer attention to the ones that actually are.

I heard from parents over the last weeks, as we begged parents to walk their children to school for walk to school month, a myriad of safety complaints. Several times I was informed that they no longer have crossing guards to cross their elementary school children (ages 5-11 as a reference) at Van Dien and Glen because the BF one now leaves too early due to new changes with the outsourcing.

I am on record for EIGHT years at CSAC meetings requesting advice and help about the repeated parking on the Bogert/Cambridge ave curves which force dozens of students to walk in to the center of the street on a blind curve to walk to their school. Eight years and I’ve been brushed off and given every answer or response you can possibly imagine. Not one has made the situation safer. Not one suggestion stopped my daughter from being thrown from her stroller in an attempt to get out of the way of a speeding, texting driver last year with no where to go due to cars parked in the long documented, dangerous spots along the curve.
We are year after year refused even the conversation of a crossing guard at Bogert and Glen where no less than 65 school children LIVE, and dozens more use as a pass through-it’s too expensive! It’s $8k! We can’t even get simple pedestrian crossing signs at that crossing or another along Glen (Northern Parkway) because the town refuses to pay for them (they’re about $400 each!!!imagine!) so the Generous Travell HSA, at my request, will pay for them. So to actually break that down, these parents will pay some of the highest taxes in NJ, we have one of the highest per student spending budgets in NJ, and then we are going to pay EXTRA, out of pocket, for the signage that allows for our kids to have a way to cross the street safely to access their school.
What is next? What will it take before all of YOU put the safety of these students ahead of an agenda, or just the belief that “it’s not really our department”??
Today, any number of children were FEET from this massive tree branch falling, and a complete tragedy. What will you do to ensure that this doesn’t happen again? What will you do now that a documented issue has now presented itself so many times? I guess we could give them hard hats, or we could solve the actual problem.

I know we can’t solve every safety problem at every school without which a miracle occurs, but we have repeated, documented safety issues that are being ignored or shuffled off to someone else to deal with. There are hundreds of children in YOUR care and we expect that that is something you take seriously enough to ensure their safety.

I am sure you’re all familiar with the areas in question, but I implore you to come and walk these streets with me, and any other interested parent.

In fact, at this point, I can’t see why you wouldn’t.
Thank you for your sincere attention to this matter.

Melanie McWilliams

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How To Help Children Stay Off The Naughty List Year-Round

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October 28,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, It’s that time of year again when beleaguered parents constantly remind disobedient children that it’s more important than ever to do the right thing.

Otherwise, they could end up on Santa’s notorious naughty list – the one specially reserved for kids who fight with siblings, refuse to do their homework, throw temper tantrums and don’t eat their vegetables.

While banishment to the naughty list has long been a handy tool in the disciplinary arsenal, any responsible parent wants their children to be good the rest of the year, too, when the threat of empty stockings holds less sway over those impressionable minds.

“I suspect most children deep down want to do the right thing, but they struggle with temptation,” says K.J. Hales, author of It’s Hard to Be Good, the first volume in the Ellie the Wienerdog (www.elliethewienerdog.com) series of educational picture books for children.

“A lot of it comes down to self-control – being able to control both your emotions and your actions when things don’t go your way or you don’t get what you want.”

Hales, who creates teachers’ guides and educational activities to go along with the lessons in her books, says the earlier parents start teaching children to do the right thing, the better.

She says some of the ways they can reinforce good behavior and discourage bad behavior include:

• Be generous with praise. Don’t underestimate the importance of your words. It’s easy to notice when children do the wrong thing and to chastise them about it. But take note when they do the right thing, too, and praise their good choices or good behavior.  “Everyone loves words of approval and children will want to please you as a result,” Hales says.
• Make good choices a fun activity. One way to encourage good decisions could be to set aside one week in which each day you ask your children to write or draw about a good decision they made or they saw someone else make. Hales says this is an activity she suggests for classroom teachers, but it can work in the home as well. Be sure to discuss those good decisions with the children.
• Reward them. Discipline so often focuses on punishments for bad behavior, but children should also be rewarded for good behavior. This doesn’t have to be anything elaborate or expensive. A reward could be a picnic in the park or a favorite dessert after dinner.

“I’m sure every parent wants their child to gain independence, grow emotionally and learn to make good decisions about their own behavior,” Hales says. “And this is important 365 days a year, not just in the weeks before Santa Claus comes to town.”

About K.J. Hales

K.J. Hales (www.ellietheweinerdog.com) is author of the Ellie the Wienerdog series of educational children’s books for children. The first volume in the series is It’s Hard to Be Good. The Ellie character is based on Hales’ own dachshund also named Ellie.

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The Ridgewood Crew Team Takes Home Two First Place Finishes

Ridgewood Crew
October 28,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, The Ridgewood Crew team competed in their first regatta on October 8, the Tail of the Passaic. The team garnered two first-place finishes, including  the Men’s Varsity 1x; and the Women’s Varsity 4x Ridgewood Crew also took home five-second place finishes.

In addition to the four semifinalists, 25 students have been identified as Commended Students in the most recent competition.

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Ridgewood : “bike lanes would only be for experienced bikers”

Bike Lane Traffic Easing Ridgewood

Readers say , “No one missed Rurik. No one. And we had plenty of insanity without him being there. Chris Rutishauser (he of the ghetto palms) and Jeanne Johnson (she of the ridiculous bike lanes) provided ample idiocy for one evening.

The dynamic duo of Chris and Jeanne should take their show on the road showing people how to accomplish nothing while antagonizing everyone. Also, the Bike Lane To No Where is hazardous to bikers as well as drivers. In stead of calming traffic, it makes us all annoyed and irritated!

Miss Jeanne actually said that the bike lanes would only be for experienced bikers (ie dangerous). Oh hell yes, this makes sense. Let’s put bike lanes that are dangerous for all but the most experienced bikers. Ummmm what happens when an inexperienced driver comes alongside an experienced biker. This whole thing is a disaster waiting to happen. Thank God it probably will not happen.

Jeanne Johnson was out of control ridiculous. And Rutishauser too. Who the hell do they think they are trying to pressure the council to sign off on a grant application when they have not seen the plans. Memo to Ruishauser: Aronsohn and Sonenfeld sent out grant applications that were filled with lies. This council does not play that way.”

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Fluid Spill at Village of Ridgewood Recycling Center Brings in Hazmat Team

Fluid Spill at Village of Ridgewood Recycling Center Brings in Hazmat Team

photos courtesy of Boyd Loving’s Facebook page

October 28,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, A voluminous spill of hydraulic fluid at 205 East Glen Avenue, Ridgewood (Village of Ridgewood Recycling Center) required the response of trained personnel from Ridgewood FD and the Bergen County Department of Health Services Hazmat team on Thursday afternoon, 10/27. No injuries were reported in the mishap. Ridgewood PD also responded.

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NJ TRANSIT Takes Steps to Implement Positive Train Control (PTC)

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October 28,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, NJ TRANSIT continues to advance its implementation of Positive Train Control (PTC) in order to meet the 2018 deadline with the lease authorization of radio spectrum.  The approval of the lease authorization today by NJ TRANSIT’s Board of Directors allows NJ TRANSIT to execute a lease agreement with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) for the last component of radio spectrum needed for NJ TRANSIT’s PTC system.

“This is another milestone in our commitment to upgrading our current safety systems to Positive Train Control by the federal deadline at the end of 2018,” said NJ TRANSIT Executive Director Steve Santoro.  “We are aggressively tackling the challenges posed as PTC is being designed, developed and deployed simultaneously.  Acquiring the needed radio spectrum was one of the larger hurdles which we have now crossed.”

NJ TRANSIT will lease the 218MHz radio frequency spectrum from the MTA for a period of 50-years, at a total cost not to exceed $725,000.  The authorization will allow for the acquisition of the needed spectrum for the northern and eastern portions of NJ TRANSIT’s system.

The radio spectrum provides the wireless link which allows information to pass between the rail vehicles and wayside equipment, ensuring that the onboard PTC system is getting the most accurate and up to date safety data.  NJ TRANSIT must have its own radio bandwidth or spectrum so transmissions do not overlap or interfere with any others in the region.

In April 2016, NJ TRANSIT’s Board of Directors authorized the purchase of radio frequency spectrum from PTC-220, LLC for the southern, central and western portions of the NJ TRANSIT system.

In addition to acquiring the needed radio frequency spectrum, NJ TRANSIT is also in the process of securing the hardware and software components of the PTC system including thousands of transponders and 124 radio “towers” along 326 route miles in addition to the radios and antenna equipment for 440 locomotives, EMUs and cab cars.

Positive Train Control is a federally mandated train control technology designed to prevent train-to-train collisions, over-speed derailments, incursions into work zone limits and train movements across switches in the wrong position.  As part of that requirement, the PTC systems must maintain interoperability between commuter rail, freight and Amtrak trains and their associated wayside components.

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Jonathan Gruber: Obamacare is ‘working as designed’

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He’s back ….Obama’s lying Obamacare “stupid Americans” creep/expert, Jonathan Gruber raises his ugly head once again so he can add insult to injury because he says that 2500 dollars a year mandate penalty is not enough for people who are struggling, that cannot afford Obamacare, do not have health coverage and literally have nothing left to pay the government for doing NOTHING!  Joe Killian

POSTED AT 5:31 PM ON OCTOBER 26, 2016 BY JOHN SEXTON

Jonathan Gruber is making the rounds on television again to tell us Obamacare is “working as designed.” Today he appeared on CNN to argue that, despite the 25% rate hikes for states using the national exchange, there wasn’t a problem with the law.

“Is Obamacare imploding?” CNN’s host asked Gruber. “No, Obamacare’s not imploding,” Gruber replied. Asked about the coming premium hikes for 2017 Gruber said, “First of all, the 22% increase, let’s remember who that applies to. That applies to a very small fraction of people who have to buy insurance without the subsidies that are available.” He continued, “Eight-five percent of people who are buying insurance on the exchanges get subsidies and for those people this premium increase doesn’t affect them.”

Here again is the Obamacare proponent’s favorite statistic. Normally, I would give someone the benefit of the doubt on something like this but not Gruber. He demonstrated a long time ago that he’s not an honest broker. “Call it the stupidity of the American voter or whatever but basically that was really critical to getting the thing to pass,” Gruber once said when defending the tortured way in which the law was written. Gruber applauds deception in the selling of Obamacare:

https://hotair.com/archives/2016/10/26/jonathan-gruber-obamacare-working-designed/

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Helping Your Sons And Daughters Prepare For The Business World

unemployment-line

October 27,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Each year, parents send their sons and daughters off to college with high hopes that in four years – give or take – they will earn a degree and embark on successful careers.

But while moms and dads may fret most about grades and study habits, they can give their offspring a real boost if they also insist the students carry some of the financial burden for college, says Matt Stewart, an entrepreneur and co-founder of College Works Painting (www.collegeworks.com/about), an internship program that provides practical business experience for college students.

That means getting a job – either during the school year or over the summer break, or both.

“College students are much more invested in the experience if they have to help pay for college, rather than have mom and dad take care of everything for them,” Stewart says. “There’s a natural tendency to work a little harder on classwork when at least a part of the tuition or dorm room costs come out of your own pocket.”

But beyond that personal-responsibility aspect, it’s worth noting that businesses are seeking job candidates with real-world work experience.

“Those on-the-job lessons are invaluable,” Stewart says.

For example, interns with College Works Painting operate their own house-painting business with hands-on guidance from mentors.

The benefits for students of working their way through college include:

• A regular paycheck. The rising cost of higher education has put paying the full price of college out of reach for many parents, and scholarships and grants often provide only a small percentage of the costs. The more students can pay themselves, the lower their student-loan debt will be when they enter the workforce.
• Practical experience. Nothing prepares you for work like work, Stewart says. A classroom can train students on certain skills necessary for their career choice, but on-the-job experience is just as valuable. Even if a part-time job is unrelated to career aspirations, a student might learn such skills as collaboration, time management and customer relations.
• Resume enhancement. One of the weaknesses recent college graduates sometimes have is their resumes can be skimpy. A few summer jobs can help tremendously, Stewart says, giving managers who might consider hiring you more confidence that you have experience beyond listening to professorial lectures and cramming for final exams.
• Additional references. Hiring managers want to talk with people who know your work habits, and while it’s nice that a favorite professor or a high school football coach is willing to say good things, it’s even better to have references who can discuss relevant job skills.

“Having any job can be beneficial, but if you can you should try to land an especially challenging job or internship,” Stewart says. “When you graduate, you’re going to face stiff competition in the job market. The more you’ve been able to stretch yourself past your comfort zone and develop new skills, the greater the odds are that you’ll be the one picked out of all the applications that come pouring in.”

About Matt Stewart

Matt Stewart is co-founder of College Works Painting (www.collegeworks.com/about), which provides business experience for thousands of college students each year. The award-winning program also offers high-quality house-painting services for homeowners.

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Kings of Ridgewood Offers Refreshing looks of Classic Recipes For Thanksgiving

kings Ridgewood

October 27,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Kings Food Markets took a look into the top flavors for fall this year and hand-curated the following recipes, refreshing some of the classics to inspire you and your palette this holiday, including:

  • Cranberry & Sage Cornbread: Take your cornbread recipe to the next level with cranberries and sage this season, blending the perfect mix of savory and sweet.
  • Whipped Butternut Squash Gratin with Caramelized Apples: Move over marshmallows. Squash is getting an upgrade this season with caramelized apples – can you think of a better combination?
  • Citrus Cranberry Sauce: Add a touch of citrus to your cranberry sauce to not only spark a new taste bud, but to cleanse your palette before moving onto the next course.

Looking for more inspiration? Kings offers an array of Cooking Studio classes, including:

  • Harvest Party, Nov. 4th– Learn how to make the juiciest sage and garlic crusted Pork Tenderloin and a butternut squash this side of the Mississippi!
  • Thanksgiving Awesome Sides, Nov. 17th – Spice up your side dishes this Thanksgiving leaving your family a lasting memory for years to come.
  • Know your Squash, Nov. 30th– Learn all the ins and outs of squash from fancy feats to casual weekday dinners.

Still stressed out? No need! Kings offers fully catered meals in their Catering department, covering all of your bases, including Kings Baked Brie, Kings Spiced Pumpkin Soup, Sweet Potato Soufflé and much more. Or, if you’re just looking to bring a dish to the host, check out our assortment of chef-prepared foods available in-stores, giving you more time to spend with family celebrating

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Vandal Graffitis Pump House at Vets Field in Ridgewood

Ridgewood _police_theridgewoodblog

file photo by Boyd Loving

October 27,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood Police report ; Ptl. Joseph DiBenedetto responded to Veteran’s Field on October 24 to investigate criminal mischief to the pump house building. Upon arrival Ptl. DiBenedetto discovered an unknown person spray painted graffiti on the structure. The amount of damage is unknown at this time.

All actors are presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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Village Council Meeting : Uber and Ridgewood Water Highlight Discussion

Village Council Meeting Uber

photos by Boyd Loving

October 27,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Wednesday night’s Village Council Meeting led off with a moment of silence in honor of the missing Rurik Halaby . Mo, Larry and Curly a Peter,Paul and Mary cover band sang , “I am leaving on a jet plane”. Women wore black and wept openly during the pledge .

Now a brief rundown of last night’s council meeting. Congratulations to Ramon Hache on the birth of his son on October 15th.

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League of Women Voters President Anne Walsh read a resolution on the Pilgrim Pipeline which stated its negative effects if built on our environment, infrastructure and water.

Later in the evening after comments from Rich Calbi and council members ,it was approved 4 – 0 with councilwomen Walsh recusing herself.

Resident Martin Walker came to the mic in support of the TAP grant which needs to be submitted by November 10th.  A discussion on TAP occurred later in the evening.

A presentation from Uber was next. The two women representatives came to the table and discussed a public/ private  partnership opportunity for Ridgewood. They were quite professional and friendly. They referenced their relationship with Summit, New Jersey which from all accounts is working well.  A pilot program could be introduced rather quickly if they got council approval. Ramon Hache commented that the use of Uber was essentially like building a virtual garage. Estimated arrival times from when the call is first made averages around 5 minutes.There are background checks on all approved drivers and their cars must also pass muster. Uber carries commercial insurance of 1.5 million dollars on every drive which is higher than what is standard for licensed taxis.  The council appeared positive in their responses and will be considered after additional information is gathered.

Next was the discussion of the TAP ( Transportation Alternative Program).  The dynamic duo if Chris Rutishauser and Jeanne Johnson made a presentation and it became clear that in the last two weeks the council never received copies of the grant or background information that they had requested in order to make a decision. There was no explanation of why this happened.  While everyone agreed that pedestrian safety is a top priority, no decision could be made without the requested materials.The mayor asked if they could have it on Thursday but Chris said he was busy with a trial and therefore Friday or Monday would be the earliest he could send it .

Later in the evening,Boyd Loving commented on the absurdity of a paid employee of the village not fulfilling his duties and seemingly getting away with it.

Richard Calbi of the Water Department was on board to speak of the drought conditions in New Jersey due to a long hot summer, little rain and overuse by consumers for lawn and shrub watering/ irrigation. New Jersey relies on winter rain to recover.  We will stay in stage 2 water restrictions indefinitely and will looking at additional water conservation methods to introduce to our residents through forums, entices and other forms of communication.  A discussion ensued as to whether Ridgewood should privatize the water utility in total, in parts or not at all.  I believe Richard Calbi’s preference would be to retain ownership as it is a huge asset and we would have local control which has served us well for the most part. November 1st , is also the water trial begins which is the law suit filed by Glen Rock, Wyckoff and Midland Park against Ridgewood  for years of overcharging.

In a discussion amongst council members, two great ideas came up and seemingly got full support from the 5. One was the possible hiring of a grant writer and Mike Sedon’s suggestion that they take a second look at a town garage proposal on the Hudson Street site which actually fit the footprint keeping sidewalks and on street parking.  Mike had all the information and will make a presentation at Ramon Hache’s CB  meeting next week.So far there has been no hard decision on the parking garage ,just more studies and information gathering.

Some observers think this council seems intent on forming committees for everything or uses the same old tired line of ” We will look into it”,too often , but given the previous administration residents seem to prefer the careful gathering of the facts and public input in major decisions.
Others also felt that the council being schooled by the Finances Director on budgeting 101 should have been given on an individual bases as needed and not in a public work session. After all 2 council people have been there for 2 years , and one council person served 4 years previously. Once again other felt that the budget discussion was just as much for the audience as it was for the new council members .
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Ridgewood Police Introduce, “”ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY for Mischief Night and Halloween

justice

“ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY – MISCHIEF NIGHT AND HALLOWEEN – PARENT ADVISORY”

October 27,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, The Ridgewood Police Department will be continuing our Zero Tolerance Policy this year during “Mischief Night” and Halloween (October 30th and 31st respectively). This policy is vital for the safety of our children and the protection of property. We are urging parents to take an active role in order for assist us in this endeavor.

Historically, our community had experienced significant property damage as well as mischievous and criminal behavior by unsupervised juveniles and young adults on these nights. We have also had problems with juveniles congregating in large groups in various areas of the Village. Parents and guardians should be aware of the activity that occurs when their children are unsupervised. Most property damage and criminal activity occurs when seemingly harmless behavior and pranks escalate out of control. Parents are asked to establish dialogue with their children about unacceptable behavior or, more importantly, not allow their children out without adult supervision. Parents must be cognizant of their children’s actions and behavior. Children leaving the home dressed in dark clothing and/or in possession of items such as eggs, shaving cream and other malicious items are traditionally a formula for trouble.

This year, we are recommending that all parents limit their children’s “mischief” to their own property. In the past, homes and moving vehicles have been the target of eggs, rocks and, in some instances, paintball guns. Toilet paper strewn across utility lines has created visibility hazards, which can easily lead to serious danger for the motoring public and our children.

The standards that we will be enforcing this year include:

A Zero Tolerance policy towards acts of Criminal Mischief, Trespassing and aggressive behavior. Anyone found defacing or damaging property will be transported to police headquarters and will face criminal charges.

Any children found with items that we believe pose a significant threat to persons or property will be transported to police headquarters and may face criminal charges. These items include eggs, spray paint, paintball guns, etc.

Anyone who operates a motor vehicle in violation of the law will be issued the appropriate motor vehicle summonses.

We will be confiscating all potentially destructive items, including toilet paper and shaving cream, from children who are wandering unsupervised on our streets. Names of all unsupervised juveniles will be recorded.

We will be supplementing the normal patrol force throughout both Mischief Night and Halloween with additional officers to prevent criminal mischief, criminal activity, and aggressive driving and to ensure the safety of our children. It is important for parents and the community to work in cooperation with the Ridgewood Police Department to deter criminal activity and make both Mischief Night and Halloween safe and enjoyable for all.