photo courtesy of the Ridgewood Halloween Maze Facebook page
October 4,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, the Ridgewood Halloween Maze is once again open . The Maze will be open from October 3rd to Halloween and will be closed if it rains . Perfect for all ages .It’s become a tradition , operated by Nancy and Greg Stewart out of their back yard, has been running in Ridgewood for over 20 years and counting. It been recognized all over New Jersey as one of the best Halloween attractions around.The Haunted Backyard Maze is located at 124 Sheridan Terrace, Ridgewood.
Ridgewood NJ, Were you a Marching Band member in 1992 or 1997? On Friday, October 13, members of the 1992 and 1997 Ridgewood High School Marching Bands will return to RHS as they celebrate the 25th and 20th anniversaries of their Championship seasons. The bands will be recognized in a halftime ceremony at the home football game as the Maroons take on Bergen Tech. Game time is 6 p.m. and halftime is expected to begin at approximately 6:45 p.m. Following the football game, the band alumni will congregate at MacMurphy’s Pub in Ridgewood for a reception and celebration.
The victim , Thomas Donovan, 56, of Toms River, lost his footing on untreated ice and snow Feb. 16, 2014, while he and his wife were walking in front of a commercial building after leaving a restaurant, NJLawJournal.com said.
A special reminder Winter is coming and Ridewod residents , Per section 249-1 of the Village Code, all snow and/or ice must be removed from sidewalks abutting Village streets within 24 hours after a snow storm has ended. And, the snow and/or ice that you do remove may not be placed in the street so as to impede the flow of traffic.
No-one seems to want to answer the questions put forth in many prior blogs.
1. Where is the water going to come from to supply the needs of all these new residences? I realize they don’t water but hundreds of new families’ personal uses would probably end up to close to the amount of water the lawns consume. They will also have to have some beautification of lawns and trees which will also require watering.
2. Will residents of other areas using Ridgewood Water also be required to limit outdoor water usage as we do? There has been no such agreement in place up to now. Will we be able to hire summer employees (the old crossing guards?) to drive around Ridgewood in the dawn hours and write down all addresses of lawns being sprinkled in violation of the rules? We all know this goes on!
We just accept this is the future because it is trendy. It is just like “global warming” or gas emissions that are “destroying” the ozone layer. It is just like that rainbow flag that sooner or later will be flown 365 days/yr in the middle of the village or that Black Lives Matter that already flies 365 days/yr next to the church. The water issue is even better because it makes us (read Ridgewood population) unique. By accepting whatever Rdg Water throws at us we are looking far into the future. We do not care that rain keeps falling, that there is no drought etc. but we look into hundreds years into the future where we know for sure that we there will be a major drought. This is the cool way of thinking, the liberal way of thinking. And our VC seems to be fully comfortable with this. As they say we are leading by example. Don’t try to fight it, you’re living the golden years in Ridgewood but you just don’t understand it. In time you will realize how lucky you have been.
The steady erosion of true public parking options in Ridgewood will decrease the number of patrons of Ridgewood businesses.
Go to the lot behind Bookends. The majority of the employee only spaces are either empty or filled with non-employee vehicles. Often every single regular parking spot is filled, which pressures people to risk a ticket by parking in the employee only spaces.
The number of designated employee spaces far exceeds the usage by employees. I have seen this on weekdays, evenings, and on weekends. There are routinely more empty employee parking spaces than spaces in use, which is a massive waste given the perennial parking problems in Ridgewood.
Is the real goal of the valet parking in formerly public spaces and the designated employee spaces revue from tickets?
I have already reduced my usage of downtown Ridgewood because of the parking problems. How much money has the Village wasted on parking studies over the past 20 years without ever acting to add to the available parking? The cost of the studies in that time would have paid for an additional parking structure over an existing lot, which would not have required any of the expensive and litigation prone processes of acquiring additional property.
Mismanagement of the parking situation will hurt the businesses the parking should support. Without those businesses and the taxes they pay, the Village budged would be in dire straits indeed.
Ridgewood NJ, Thinking about Halloween …. Join the Ridgewood Historical Society for a cemetery walk …. See information below …
The Ridgewood Historical Society’s Halloween family event …
Nothing says Halloween like a night time walk in a Cemetery.
Join us for a lantern-lit stroll through Valleau Cemetery where soldiers and civilians come to life and tell their tales.
Back at the museum the party continues with music, Halloween stories, locally produced cider and donuts.
October 20th
6:00, 6:30 and 7:00pm Rain or shine
Call (201) 447-3242 or email [email protected] to reserve your spot
Meet at Ridgewood Historical Society
Schoolhouse Museum
650 E Glen Ave, Ridgewood
This fun-filled evening is best suited for families with children ages 7-13.
With reservations:
$10 per adult/$5 per child or $20 per family.
At the door: $15 per adult/$5 per child or $25 per family.
All children must be accompanied by an adult.
Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood Walks is an initiative that encourages health and safety by promoting walking as a way to connect our residents, businesses and neighbors in Ridgewood NJ. Throughout the year, RW will host events, such as the first annual Walktoberfest this October, which will consist of a series of guided downtown tours to establish relationships with local business owners and community service leaders. By exploring various aspects and benefits of walking (from medical to commercial, from spiritual to environmental), the group will focus on Ridgewood’s past—and its future—as a walkable town. RidgewoodWalks.com .
Walktoberfest is in full swing. Head to www.RidgewoodWalks.com and sign up for one of over 40 guided, themed, walking tours of the village. Get to know friends you haven’t met yet, and learn more about the place we call home. Together we can build a safer, more connected, and vibrant community.
Ridgewood NJ, at last nights Planning Board meeting the Ridgewood Planning board cleared the way Village Council designate the Hudson Street Parking lot an “area in need of redevelopment.” .The vote is a major step toward stream lining the garage development process , lowering costs and giving the council members the ability to negotiate directly with a developer of their choosing, rather than putting a design out to bid.
This vote did not mean that the Ridgewood Planning Board approves a garage at Hudson Street , it merely designated the area a “blighted area” , giving the council the ability to more more effectively for tax payers.
The council has been eyeing a modular design, using precast parts, from Pike, a Rochester, New York, firm. The Pike proposal came in far cheaper , saving tax payer money and with a much shorter disruptive construction period. Pike’s more modest and cost effective proposal is far different than the “Garagezilla ” that the former mayor Paul Aronsohn and his collogues attempted to push through .
While many resident supported a garage , they rejected “Garagezilla” on both the choice of financing schemes , making no financial sense for the Village and because the gigantic garage did not fit the footprint of the current lot .
THE RIDGEWOOD VILLAGE COUNCIL’S
PUBLIC WORKSHOP AGENDA
OCTOBER 4, 2017
7:30 P.M.
7:30 pm – Call to Order – Mayor
Statement of Compliance with Open Public Meeting Act
Mayor: “Adequate notice of this meeting has been provided by a posting on the bulletin board in Village Hall, by mail to the Ridgewood News, The Record, and by submission to all persons entitled to same as provided by law of a schedule including the date and time of this meeting.”
Roll Call – Village Clerk
Flag Salute/Moment of Silence
Public Comments (Not to Exceed 3 Minutes per Person – 40 Minutes in Total)
Presentation
Ridgewood American Legion Post 53 – “The Spirit of America’s Story – The Wall”
Discussion
Ridgewood Water
Award Contract – Laboratory Analysis
Award Contract – Servicing & Repairing Electric Source
Award Contract – Emergency Generator Installations
Award Contract – Servicing & Repairing Potable Water Pumping Facilities
Award Contract – Furnishing & Delivering Sodium Hypochlorite Solution
Parking
Budget
2016 Annual Audit and Corrective Action Plan
Award Contract – Odor Control System – Water Pollution Control Facility
Award Additional Partial Contract – Road Resurfacing and Repair
Award Contract for Professional Services – Grant Writer
Award Contract – Chestnut Street Dumpster Pad
Policy
Proposed Legislative Changes to Open Public Meetings Act (OPMA) and Open Public Records Act (OPRA)
Operations
Authorization of 2018 NJDOT Paving Grant Application
Best Practices Worksheet
Proposed Traffic Ordinance – South Hillside Place
Review of October 11, 2017 Public Meeting Agenda
Manager’s Report
Council Reports
Public Comments (Not to Exceed 5 Minutes per Person)
Resolution to go into Closed Session
Closed Session
Legal – COAH, Valley Hospital, Barrington Road
Contract Negotiations – Potential Purchase of Property
Personnel – Boards & Committees, Management and Non-Union Salaries
Adjournment
NOTICE from the Village of Ridgewood to all the Businesses in the CBD …
October 4,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, On Friday, October 6, 2017, the Village of Ridgewood will be launching a CENTRAL VALET service (“CV”). It will be a three month pilot program through 12/31/17. The CV will operate
Friday and Saturday nights from 6pm-1am. The goal is to bring more people to the CBD.
The details:
1. Valet Parking will be in 2 locations:
– Between Van Neste Park and the NJ Transit Bus Station.
– At the end of E. Ridgewood Ave, in the small parking lot
by Latour restaurant.
– Overflow parking for the CV will be in the North Walnut
Street Parking lot, in the CBD employee parking section.
2. The fee charged to the patron is $5 per vehicle.
3. The parking areas for the CV, Van Neste Square, Latour’s and
North Walnut Street lot, will be barricaded by 4pm on Fri/Sat.
CBD employees who usually park in the CBD spaces in North
Walnut St. lot will park in the Cottage Place CBD spaces
after 4pm.
Merchants can opt-in to pay the $5 fee for their patrons. These businesses will be listed both online and at each location.
For more info email [email protected]. To fill out form
www.ridgewoodnj.net/cv or call 201-60-5500 x 203.
If you did not received a copy of the official letter from the
Village Clerk, call 201-670-5500 x203.
Ridgewood NJ, In response to the events in Las Vegas, NV this week, the community of Ridgewood is holding a vigil at Van Neste Park, downtown Ridgewood, on Thursday, October 5, at 7:00 p.m. led by the Religious Leaders of Ridgewood. This event will allow the community of Ridgewood to come together and respond to sad and disturbing act of violence in Las Vegas. Vigils are seen as a nonviolent way to raise awareness of a cause and to motivate change, as well as uniting and supporting one another. This gathering expresses that the eternal light and our light overcome the darkness of world.
Ridgewood Nj, at Radicchio Pasta and Risotto Co. chef Danny is working his magic everyday . Chef Daniel Montoya has over 18 years of experience and oversees the kitchen in the newest location for Radicchio. He prepares classic home style Italian dishes for your enjoyment .
You can also stop by and meet Chef Danny at this years NYC Wine and Food Festival in NYC . The Food Network & Cooking Channel New York City Wine & Food Festival
is at 9 West 19th St, New York, New York 10011 .
PLANNING BOARD PUBLIC MEETING AGENDA
Tuesday, October 3, 2017
Village Hall Court Room – 7:30 P.M.
(all timeframes and the order of agenda items below are approximate and subject to change)
1. 7:30 p.m. – Call to Order, Statement of Compliance, Flag Salute, Roll Call – In accordance with the provisions of Section 10:4-8d of the Open Public Meetings Act, the date, location, and time of the commencement of this meeting is reflected in a meeting notice, a copy of which schedule has been filed with the Village Manager and the Village Clerk, The Ridgewood News and The Record newspapers, and posted on the bulletin board in the entry lobby of the Village municipal offices at 131 North Maple Avenue, and on the Village website, all in accordance with the provisions of the Open Public Meetings Act.
Roll call: Knudsen, Voigt, Altano, Joel, Patire, Scheibner, Torielli, McWilliams, Barto, Van Goor
2. 7:35 p.m. – 7:40 p.m. – Public Comments on Topics not Pending Before the Board
3. 7:40 p.m. – 7:45 p.m. – Committee/Commission/Professional Updates for Non Agenda Topics, Correspondence Received by the Board
4. 7:45 p.m. – 8:15 p.m. – Ridgewood/Dayton, Preliminary and Final Major Site Plan, 100-152 South Broad Avenue, Block 3707/3905, Lot 35.01/1.01: Adoption of Memorializing Resolution of Approval
5. 8:15 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. – Hopper Ridge Townhomes, Informal Review, Durar Avenue, Block 4104, Lot 3 – To be carried to December 19, 2017 without further notice and without prejudice to the Board
6. 8:30 p.m. – 8:45 p.m. – Calbi, Minor Subdivision and Permit for not Abutting Street, 315 East Glen Avenue, Block 2106, Lot 20. Public Hearing continued from August 1, 2017 and carried to October 3, 2017 without further notice and without prejudice to the Board – To be carried to December 19, 2017 without further notice and without prejudice to the Board
7. 8:45 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. – Hudson Street Redevelopment Designation
8. 10:00 p.m. – 10:05 p.m. – Adoption of Minutes: January 3, 2017
9. 10:05 p.m. – Executive Session (if necessary)
10. Adjournment
Professional Staff: Christopher Martin, Esq., Board Attorney; Christopher J. Rutishauser, Village Engineer; Brigette Bogart, Planner; Michael Cafarelli, Board Secretary
Members: Susan Knudsen, Jeff Voigt, Joel Torielli, Melanie McWilliams, David Scheibner, Richard Joel, Isabella Altano, Debbie Patire, Frances Barto, James Van Goor
In accordance with the Open Public Meetings Act, all meetings of the Ridgewood Planning Board (i.e., official public meetings, work sessions, pre-meeting assemblies and special meetings) are public meetings, which are always open to members of the general public.
