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Readers Rattle off a Litany of Complaints of the village choosing to support a business over the quality of life of tax payers

Habernickel HealthBarn USA protest

file photo by Boyd Loving

Many changes during my 28 years as a neighbor of the Habernickel Horse Farm. The once bucolic setting transformed into a chaotic mix of nonstop Health barn business activities and recreation programs. Hillcrest Road is a mess and wildlife is disappearing.Fear of retaliation keeps neighbors quiet.

Stacy Antine stalks the neighbors. She takes photos of them walking their dogs in the park and she instructs her employees to do the same.  She has a timeline in a few of them and they are NOT afraid to share it or speak out. This business destroyed a park and the owner made it personal and took neighbors to court. Ramon was aware of this situation and now as Mayor is promoting it. What a disappointment .

Be careful in that park. Antine keeps a list of all who enter even-neighborhood kids with backpacks what out. Unless you pay to go you get written up It is NO longer a friendly neighborhood park thanks to healthbarn and the village for still allowing it.

I heard that Antine was accusing neighbors of being racist, and now that I remember those hearings was back when Aronsohn and Sonenfeld ruled the dais that was the case then. People who spoke up against using a public park for a private enterprise were accused of not wanting children from Newark to come to lily white Ridgewood. Whenever the racism card is put down on the table all bets are off. She is despicable.

the neighbors are willing to let everyone know what Stacy Antine owner of healthbarn did to them in their own neighborhood where they must pay a ton of taxes to live Ramon should be ashamed to promote this business after the owner pulled a stunt like the one she did. Everyone should know and be aware that the village is choosing to support a business over the quality of life of tax payers

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Reader says the prior council had too many commercial supporters and buddies to really know what was going on

3 amigos

I seriously do not believe that our present council members are in it for the non- existent money that they have pouring in for their votes. They are actually forfeiting time that could possibly be used to earn money instead. I’m afraid I can only say that about this council as prior ones had too many commercial supporters and buddies to really know what was going on.

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Former Ridgewood Village Manager Attempting to Defend herself Omits Key Facts On Parkmoble Contract in Letter to Editor

Village_Manager_Roberta_Sonenfeld_theridgewoodblog

December 22,2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ,  the ethically challenged former Ridgewood Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld attempted once again to interject herself in village affairs in a letter to the editor exclaiming ,”  I must admit that I’ve been stunned as well by the misinformation, changing stories and fluctuating revenue numbers coming from Village Hall. It would be laughable if it wasn’t all so disturbing and costly to us Ridgewood taxpayers.”  https://www.northjersey.com/story/opinion/readers/2017/12/20/letter-ridgewoods-handling-parkmobile-situation-puzzling-and-disturbing/968874001/ .  This is not the first time a contract arranged by the former Village manager that  has generated controversy and not been viewed as being in the best interest of the Village of Ridgewood .

The facts are actually very simple and the Sonenfeld  letter is filled with misinformation and fails to mention two key items:

1. The Resolution that the Council signed in February of 2015 stated a 2-year contract.  She signed a 35 month contract.

2. The Resolution that the Council signed in February of 2015 stated NO FEES.  She signed a contract with fees.

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Habernickel Park Aronsohns and Co. Financial Disaster

Village_Manager_Roberta_Sonenfeld_theridgewoodblog

June 27,2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, After reading the letter former Ridgewood Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld sent to the Ridgewood news ,readers near Habernickel Park were furious.  Many thought she had some nerve complaining about new tax & added fees when she was one of the main people who put a FOR profit business in Habernickel Park.

If you look back at neighbors complaints & concerns which were never considered when they went ahead with the plan to change the gatehouse to recreational & educational space you will better understand what they are talking about.

First off the owner of the business Stacey Antine & Roberta graduated Bergen Leads together even though Roberta denied helping Stacey get her business into Ridgewood everyone found  it odd since the class was about 10 students.

Healthbarn only pays $3,700 a month for rent never increasing over her 5 year lease, way below the price of an average rental in Ridgewood.   Plus in addition they got 12 parking spots & a garden the size 50 feet X 100 feet.  The property tax alone on the size of her garden would be around $10,000.00 a year.  The previous renter paid about the same for no extra land & no parking spots.

This business was given 12 parking spots for her employees & patrons yet every other business in town have to pay for meters.  Basically she is given about $1,200.00 a month worth of parking for free & displacing parents from parking in the lot for sports practice & games….forcing them to park in the street.

This business is now at the tax payers expense having to under go $20,000.00 worth of construction to the entrance of the gate house to make it handicap accessible for the business.  If this was still rented to a family this wouldn’t have had to cost the tax payers $20,000.00 it could of been a simpler fix to the all ready front steps.

This business was also given by the town through tax payers dollars
1. Stadium lights for the parking lot only since her classes go past 9pm on some nights
2. Security camera with direct feed to the police & village hall
3. Fire hydrant was needed because it is a business & a added hose for watering her garden

This business also get full garbage pick up & recycling from the village.  No other business in town gets this service they have to use an outside provider.

Parks & rec maintain her property which they didn’t do when it was a rental property.  Parks & rec advertises on the website for this business making it seem like this is a partnership & residents benefit from this business.  That is NOT true we as tax payers get 0% from her business.  The village doesn’t advertise for any other business in town so why must they do for her?  When you see the ad on parks & rec it will directly you bring you to Healthbarn so then you can sign up for classes or buy her cookbook which none of it brings in revenue to the village…crazy how much we help her make money all the while residents keep having to pay higher taxes & getting charged fees.

Healthbarn USA offer classes that directly compete with the village classes offered thru parks & rec yet parks & rec continues to advertise for this business….a tad shady!

The present & past business manager ever took the time to punch the numbers he/she would realize the loss of rent the tax payers are incurring.  The amount of tax payers dollars already spent to get this business up & running & the continued expenses (mentioned above).  Police have been called more because of the added traffic & illegal parking of her buses so that I am sure is an added burden to the police.

The neighborhood got slapped in the face with this business. Neighbors keep sending photos to VC about all the violations to the lease but yet nothing has changed the Village continues to support her financially by advertising for her & giving her full access to parks & rec’s resources.

One would wonder HOW this happened……answer Roberts & her friends.  Roberta should be careful what she is complaining about in the paper because her past isn’t perfect.