RIDGEWOOD — The failure of a state-appointed super-conciliator to resolve a 19-month-long labor dispute between the Board of Education and district teachers union has left local officials and union heads considering their next move.
Disagreements over several issues — including salaries, proposed changes in the union insurance plan and how much the Ridgewood Education Association’s 547 members should contribute toward their health insurance premiums — have contributed to a breakdown in the negotiations, which began five months before the last contract expired on June 30, 2015.
Ridgewood NJ, Several readers continue to claim the “Majority” of residents are against all development. Its nice to see that Ridgewood residents have now graduated to a “Majority” from gadfly, loud mouth ,minority status.
Reader says , “I think it is time to look around at all the empty stores in Ridgewood and realize there is a need to revamp the CBD. Soon all the shops will move to malls and replaced by housing; think…..is that what you want? Someone, most likely a shop keeper , is going to come up with ideas to improve the town, what is the problem. Make your own suggestions, welcome those of other residents, and have a discussion rather than complain. Get real people you are losing your central business district!”
Shops moved to malls in the 1970’s , and shopping has moved online since 1994 when Al Gore discovered the internet .
If you are worried about empty stores talk to the landlords not tax payers. The simple fact is that tax payers are not responsible for a companies business plans. What I would suggest is that in this day and age stores need to make themselves destination businesses ie like Bookends and The Tobacco Shop of Ridgewood & Davidoff Lounge . Retailers also need to build an online presence , websites, social media , press releases and they need to tell their story ; think why would I want to go here when I have to pay for parking? This is one of the reasons there are so many great restaurants in Ridgewood ,chefs have great stories to tell.
My biggest suggestion for Ridgewood merchants is to be open more hours. No one is home by 5pm. I can not tell you how many businesses have opened and closed that I have never seen open. The fact is most people who can afford to live in Ridgewood need to work a lot or hours , anywhere from 65 -80 hours per week and odd hours early am to late pm. So merchants need to develop strategies ,be it home or Train station delivery or open by appointment what ever it takes that is the new reality.
Destroying Van Nest Square will do nothing to help business and will most likely hurt business as much or more than the so called “traffic easing” ,that now backs traffic up into Midland Park. Making access to the almost CBD impossible from the West side of Town .
Another reader says, “James, you’re ignoring the facts. What is worth preserving of the old car dealers, old Town Garage and its toxic site, etc? What about all the empty shops and gold pawn shops? Why is this worth preserving? The majority rule wants to keep the status quo… which clearly isn’t working.”
First I was only posting comments and turning them into posts , so how exactly is destroying Van Nest square going to get rid of old car dealers,a toxic site, gold pawn shops and empty stores ? This maybe your problem you keep wanting to fix things that are not broken yet you ignore all the things that need fixing ? The solutions have to fit the problems. If the Village wants to clean up a toxic site it needs to take the steps to clean it up, not build a parking lot.
Now in New York City developers who wish to build non-conforming structures can often make a deal with the city by adding to public spaces, fixing subways or adding and maintaining new plantings. In New Jersey we socialize the investment ie taxpayer funded yet we capitalize the profits. So taxpayers pay and developers make the money. Another words Ridgewood taxpayers build a parking garage so developers can reduce the amount of parking they offer and save money. and thus the continued rejection of a parking garage.
Now what you should be asking yourself is how could a bureaucratic organization like NJT fix the train trestle, raise the tracks , and renovate the train station while preserving and improving its historic nature in a relatively short amount of time. How could New Jersey Transit do all that yet Valley Hospital , a handful of developers, and a cadre of council members could not get anything done at all what so ever. NJT was willing to work with the town ,meet objections compromise and get the job done.
TRAFFIC ALERT – MILLING AND PAVING ON VILLAGE ROADS
August 28,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, In preparation for road paving, on Monday, August 29th milling and paving will begin on Kenilworth Road, Linwood Avenue (between Oak and Maple) and Robinson Lane (between Walnut and Cottage ). This work could take several days.
Please allow time for potential delays in traveling on or near these roads.
Ridgewood NJ, Following the success of last year’s reorganization and consolidation of services within the Port Authority Bus Terminal, NJ TRANSIT is again partnering with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey for Phase Two of improvements to the quality of commute.
Beginning September 3rd, 2016, NJ TRANSIT will have access to an increased number of gates during weekday PM peak hours. To take advantage of the opportunity to further enhance service reliability, reduce congestion on platforms, and improve the overall customer experience, 12 bus routes will have new departure gate assignments, primarily during the afternoon peak. These adjustments will further improve on-time performance and reduce customer queues and wait times within the terminal, especially for weekday PM peak hour departures.
“Since beginning this process last fall of rethinking how we operate at the Port Authority Bus Terminal, we’ve heard a tremendous amount of positive feedback,” said interim NJ TRANSIT Executive Director Dennis Martin. “The bottom line for our customers is that they want a safe, convenient and efficient experience through the terminal. By thinking outside the box and challenging the status quo, I think we are continuing to set the bar higher of what can be achieved with the available resources.”
Like last fall, NJ TRANSIT will have customer service ambassadors at the Port Authority Bus Terminal the weeks of August 29th and September 6thinforming customers of the new departure locations. Ambassadors will be handing out informational flyers detailing the gate changes. Customers on the 12 affected bus routes are urged to familiarize themselves with the new departure location prior to September 3rd. For more information customers can also visit njtransit.com or call NJ TRANSIT Customer Service at (973) 275-5555 between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. daily.
Ridgewood NJ, NJ TRANSIT has announced its support of a joint letter released by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and the Association of American Railroads (AAR) urging safe behaviors in or near railroad tracks, stations and rail yard facilities in light of the popular Pokemon Go game.
Last week, the national railroad organizations sent the letter to John Hanke, chief executive officer for Niantic Labs, Inc., the maker of Pokemon Go. In it, they recommend that the Niantic Labs team consider ways to promote safety, particularly by avoiding the placement of Pokemon and virtual points of interest in the game on or near railroad tracks.
“The public needs to be aware that NJ TRANSIT is an active system, with buses, trains and light rail vehicles moving constantly,’’ said Interim Executive Director Dennis Martin. “With a 24-7 transportation operation, a distracted pedestrian could unintentionally find themselves in harm’s way.’’
There have been no instances of anyone being injured on or near the NJ TRANSIT system as a result of playing this game, but NJ TRANSIT urges all game players to use extreme caution. NJ TRANSIT has been involved in an active campaign to increase the public’s awareness of potential risks while playing on or near the system. Social media tweets urging players to not get lured into danger and an increased safety campaign, such as posters reminding the public to “look up from their phones’’ were put into place soon after the game’s release earlier this summer.
“Safety is the No. 1 priority here at NJ TRANSIT for our customers and personnel,’’ said NJ TRANSIT”s Chief, Office of System Safety Gardner Tabon. “If you are going to play Pokemon Go, we want you to catch them all, but do so safely when around trains and buses.’’
Ridgewood NJ, a reader reminds us that sprinkler controls can be reset as of midnight next Wednesday (or just after your last “sprinkle” occurs before then): “Stage I will be in effect each year starting on June 1st and will continue through August 31st.”
The September 1 square on this year’s village calendar states that restrictions end that day. (This year’s calendar omitted a start date altogether after getting it wrong for at least a couple of years, stating that it was May 1. “Janet Fricke IS the village calendar.” –R. Sonenfeld at a recent council meeting. Maybe not something to be proud of?)
The reader goes on to say , “Water Dept or Village Manager could conceivably extend the end date, but if so, I believe it would be for the first time in history.”
Reader says ,” High school teachers are now unaccountably sabotaging their own students’ grades. As in, the grades of every student in the class. This has been plenty nasty for a while now and the upcoming school year promises fresh outrage from teachers and administrators, adults chronologically, behaving like children.”
First of all, it’s not your town, and if you think Van Neste is an oasis of calm, you’re living in a time warp. Ridgewood has become a small city and don’t even think about blaming past councils, boards or the chamber. The residents of the village have collectively allowed this to happen as its median set of values is now drastically different than it was 30 years ago.
“median set of values” what is that? Translate: Do you mean, crowded , noisey, Hobokeny, Times Square, For me , I have lived here about 40 years, it still has that oh so wonderful small village feel and charm quality, and listen when I sit my old ass in Van Neste which I do often, it is quiet, an oasis of peace and charm coupled with natural beauty, trees, plants, grass and past citizen nostalgia (bricks, monuments) amidst the hustle and bustle of the downtown. Let’s keep the downtown no more developed than what it is. It is a really small space, so villagey and quaint. Don’t stuff it.
This is what I experience at Van Neste Park. Peace, calm , tranquility, beauty. I want to keep it that way.
And when I say it is MY TOWN, I am speaking POETICALLY, Of course it is OUR TOWN. I am trying to express my love and appreciation for what Ridgewood has and what I want to preserve. I am sorry you don’t understand. Take literature 101.
I was just at Van Neste,12:30 on Friday, a veritable slice of heaven, with people on benches quietly eating what looked like bagged lunches., some people just sitting and looking, walkers along the path, some dressed as workers, others as exercisers. Super peaceful and beautiful and calm, with even a working bubbler, water fountain, that is all that is needed in the way of water. Ni big fountain, please. And please, no fences on Walnut. Why make it ugly. Does Vanianos and company envision alcohol fueled parties with loud metallica noise-muzac, going late into night, Does the village manager and company envision alcohol fueled events at Van Neste and drunken people falling off the edge. That makes me very angry. The field stone wall around the park on Walnut is all that is needed. Get rid of Roberta and her cronies already. Let those who love Ridgewood RULE.
Paul Vaggianos was the first to get up at the mic at a town council meeting a year or two ago and ask that Van Neste be changed to accommodate lighting at night and entertainment every weekend.
Vaggianos said, “Let’s bring everyone together at Van Nest on the weekends.”
I obviously remember that. I was very saddened by his suggestion. Paul Aronsohn as mayor at the time was very receptive. I spoke against the idea at council meetings. I tried. I love Van Neste as a quiet park as it is now, an oasis of calm and beauty midst the busy downtown. Very charming invention!! Let’s keep it that way. Paul Vaggianos was happy with the big garage at Hudson. I wasn’t and wrote and spoke against it from day one. Vaggianos is a business owner in town and has influence , I have no influence. I think it would be wonderful to preserve Ridgewood a for future generations to experience, no expansion, not more congested. A town with easy accessibility to the Big Apple but with a small town charming quality. And yes, Van Neste is a big part of that as it is right in the center of the CBD. It says something by virtue of letting people experience of oasis of natural beauty and quiet in the midst of the hustle and bustle of a busy but small and charming downtown. ( I love that oasis ……sentence I made up)
Ridgewood NJ, this is a Recommended Reading List from C.S. Lewis ,looks like it time to hit the Ridgewood library.
Clive Staples Lewis (1898–1963) was one of the intellectual giants of the twentieth century and arguably one of the most influential writers of his day. He was a Fellow and Tutor in English Literature at Oxford University until 1954, when he was unanimously elected to the Chair of Medieval and Renaissance Literature at Cambridge University, a position he held until his retirement.
Lewis wrote more than thirty books, allowing him to reach a vast audience, and his works continue to attract thousands of new readers every year. C. S. Lewis’s most distinguished and popular accomplishments include Mere Christianity, Out of the Silent Planet, The Great Divorce, The Screwtape Letters, and the universally acknowledged classics in The Chronicles of Narnia. To date, the Narnia books have sold over 100 million copies and been transformed into three major motion pictures.
Aeschylus, The Eumenides (5th BCE)
Sophocles, Oedipus Rex (c. 429 BCE)
Aristotle, Poetics (335 BCE)
Virgil
The Georgics (29 BCE)
The Aeneid (29-19 BCE)
Lucian, Vera Historia (2nd)
Apuleius, Metamorphoses/The Golden Ass (late 2nd)
Unknown, Beowulf (8th-11th)
Unknown, The Song of Roland (11th-12th)
Laȝamon, Brut (c. 1190-1215)
Unknown, Huon of Bordeaux (c. 1216-1268)
Snorri Sturluson, The Prose Edda (early 13th)
Dante, Divine Comedy (1308-20)
Geoffrey Chaucer
The Canterbury Tales (late 14th)
Troilus and Criseyde (1380s)
Unknown, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (late 14th)
Sir Thomas Malory, Le Morte Darthur (1485)
Ludovico Ariosto, Orlando Furioso (c. 1516)
Arthur Brooke, The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet (1562)
Sir Philip Sidney, Arcadia (late 16th)
Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene (1590s)
William Shakespeare
Romeo & Juliet (1591-5)
Twelfth Night (1601-2)
The Winter’s Tale (1611)
A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1590-7)
Henry V (c. 1599)
John Donne, “The Apparition” (early 17th)
Michael Drayton, “The Shepherds Sirena” (1627)
Thomas Browne, Urn Burial (1658)
Jean Racine
Andromaque (1667)
Phèdre (c. 1677)
John Milton
Paradise Lost (1667-74)
Samson Agonistes (1671)
Alexander Pope, The Rape of the Lock (1712-4)
Jonathan Swift, Gulliver’s Travels (1726, 1735)
Voltaire
“Micromégas” (1752)
Candide (1759)
Samuel Johnson, The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abissinia (1759)
William Beckford, Vathek, an Arabian Tale (1782)
James Boswell, Life of Johnson (1791)
Samuel Taylor Coleridge, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (1798)
William Wordsworth
“Michael” (1800)
The Excursion (1814)
Jane Austen, Pride & Prejudice (1813)
Walter Scott, Guy Mannering (1815)
Benjamin Constant, Adolphe (1816)
John Keats, “Ode on a Grecian Urn” (1819)
James Hogg, The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner (1824)
Percy Bysshe Shelley, The Witch of Atlas (1824)
Elias Lönnrot, The Kalevala (1835-49)
Alexandre Dumas, The Count of Monte Cristo (1844)
Charles Dickens
The Pickwick Papers (1836)
Great Expectations (1861)
William Makepeace Thackeray, Vanity Fair (1848)
Edward Fitzgerald, Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam (1859-89)
Anthony Trollope, Barchester Towers (1857)
Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace (1869)
George Eliot, Middlemarch, A Study of Provincial Life (1871-2)
Samuel Butler, Erewhon (1872)
Lewis Carroll, “The Hunting of the Snark” (1874-6)
Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov (1880)
Robert Louis Stevenson
Treasure Island (1883)
Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1886)
Edwin Abbott, Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions (1884)
John Ruskin, Praeterita (1885)
Henry James, The Turn of the Screw (1898)
H.G. Wells
First Men in the Moon (1901)
“The Door in the Wall” (1911)
Beatrix Potter, Tales (1902-1930)
Joseph Conrad, Nostromo (1904)
E.R. Burroughs, Tarzan (1912-1965)
Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows (1908)
Arnold Bennett, The Old Wives’ Tale (1908)
James Stephens, The Crock of Gold (1912)
D.H. Lawrence, Sons and Lovers (1913)
Gertrude Stein, “Sacred Emily” (1913)
James Branch Cabell, Jurgen, A Comedy of Justice (1919)
Kafka, The Castle (1926)
Mervyn Peake, Titus Groan (1946)
J.R.R. Tolkien, Lord of the Rings (1954-5)
Photo Caption: Shown at Pony Power’s Therapeutic Riding Center are (left to right) Wendy Lupo, Director of Development, Pony Power Therapies; Judy Tamburro, Volunteer, Valley Home Care; Dana Spett, MSW, Founder & Executive Director Pony Power Therapies; and Dyana Thompson, Clinical Manager, Maternal and Child Health and Butterflies Palliative Care & Hospice Program, Valley Home Care.
August 23, 2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgwood NJ, Children and their family members who receive services through Valley Home Care, including the Butterflies Program for children with serious or life-limiting illnesses, are benefiting from a unique recreational opportunity with therapeutic benefits offered not in a medical office or home-care setting, but on a fully accessible farm in Mahwah.
The children, their siblings and their parents recently wrapped up a weeklong summer extended-day program at Pony Power Therapies that included horse-assisted ground activities for children and parents, as well as riding sessions for the children.
During the therapeutic horseback riding sessions, riders are paired with a team of trained volunteers and certified instructors who tailor the riding experience to the abilities and needs of the individual rider. Therapeutic horseback riding at Pony Power provides both physical and emotional benefits to children, such as increased strength and muscle development as well as fostering feelings of self-confidence and pride. Importantly, the project also allows siblings to enjoy a range of activities together regardless of limitations. The parents also spend time with the horses engaged in activities that encourage them to work on their own self-care and to serve as a source of support for each other.
Riding can help increase strength and muscle development and foster feelings of self-confidence and pride. The young riders work on balance, body positioning, communication, critical thinking and partnership skills. Most importantly, the children enjoy a unique, shared experience with their brothers and sisters, as it’s one of few recreational activities that is completely inclusive, regardless of a person’s limitations. When engaging with horses during ground activities, children and parents learn how to stay present and focused; they experience life in the moment without the worry of usual stresses or concerns. Plus, tailored sessions help parents build upon current skills and develop new skills for handling the emotional difficulties that can come from caring for an ill child.
For five years, Pony Power Therapies and The Valley Hospital have partnered to provide integrative health and wellness programming to the children and families of Valley Home Care. From therapeutic riding sessions for patients and siblings during the school year to week-long summer programming for families to horse-assisted ground activities for Valley staff, the organization’s comprehensive and holistic approach has empowered hundreds of patients and their “teams” — parents and professional caregivers. Valley’s financial support of the program allows Pony Power to continue facilitating Valley families’ physical and emotional growth, as well as introducing the power of ponies to adults battling serious illnesses.
Ridgewood NJ , Ridgewood Police report and upsurge bicycle related crimes an East Ridgewood Avenue resident responded to headquarters on 8/8/16 to report the theft of two bicycles from her garage in the past. One bicycle was described as a male Schwinn mountain bike red in color and the second bicycle was described as a female Schwinn mountain bicycle purple and pink in color. The bicycles were valued at $150.00 each.
A Fairfield Avenue resident reported the theft of a bicycle on 8/19/16. The victim reported the bicycle was left unlocked at the rear of an East Ridgewood Avenue business. The bicycle was described as a Nishiki male racing style bike and is black and white in color.
On 8/22/16 a Spring Avenue resident reported the theft of a bicycle tire. The victim reported the bicycle was left locked along the fence at the Station Plaza underpass. The value of the front tire is unknown at this time.
Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood Police report a series of unrelated incidents involving parked cars in Ridgewood .Ptl. S. Amoruso responded to North Pleasant Avenue on 8/10/16 to investigate a criminal mischief in the past. Upon arrival the resident reported an unknown person damaged a parked motor vehicle by egging and scratching the vehicle. The cost of repairing the damage is unknown at this time
On 8/14/16 Ptl. S. Amoruso responded to Ackerman Avenue to investigate a criminal mischief. Upon arrival it was reported an unknown person threw a rock through the rear window of a parked vehicle. The cost of repairing the damage is unknown at this time.
On 8/20/16 a Butler, N.J. resident reported a burglary and theft from a motor vehicle while it was parked in Ridgewood Duck Pond. An unknown actor did force entry into the vehicle by damaging the rear window and removing personal property from within. The Bergen County Sheriff’s Department requested our assistance with their investigation.
A Richards Road resident responded to police headquarters on 8/22/16 to report a theft from a motor vehicle in the past. The victim reported discovering personal items missing from her motor vehicle upon arriving at the Ridgewood Library parking lot but is unsure of where the theft occurred.
Park is SMALL. Stop filling everything up. A stage when not in use (i.e., 99% of the time) would co-opt open space. We need more of it, not less. Everybody seems to think their kids are future Broadway stars. Get with the program–amateur performances are for the performers. Noise in the middle of town would just drive people away. What happened to peace and quiet? You can’t even just sit on a park bench any more without acres of concrete? Even sitting in the dark on a summer night is nice. No need for Klieg lights. How about Strobes?
