AUGUST 21, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, AUGUST 21, 2015, 12:31 AM
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Fate of Schedler property requires compromise
To the Editor:
“Oh what tangled webs we weave when first we practice to deceive” is a Shakespeare quote from the 16th century. This aptly describes current activities of the Village Council regarding the Schedler property.
Friends of Schedler were charged to find a use for the historic Zabriskie-Schedler house and to secure funding for its maintenance. This was accomplished and their report was given at the Aug. 5 council meeting in the form of a resolution request. The mayor appeared so flummoxed that all he could think of to stop the proceedings was to introduce another resolution to be voted on the following week that would in effect disregard the Friends of Schedler’s resolution. No discussion or vote was taken. If this sounds confusing that is because it is! On Aug. 12, the council voted 3-2 to accept a resolution that would move forward on the controversial 90-foot baseball diamond at the property in question leaving many people dazed and confused. It took a bit of time to realize that the council, in its efforts to dismiss the Schedler plan to save the house, had actually done the opposite. The council left the door open by its own actions, and advocates for Schedler can go for forward with procuring matching grant opportunities to support the house.
Will we trust them again? I think not. The amount of work on the part of many to raise funds and to advocate for a balanced plan for the property that would save the house, eliminate the need to remove four acres of trees and allow for a smaller field is huge. Had the process been more transparent and members of the council more honest in their deliberations with the Schedler group, much emotional upheaval and hours of time invested could have been avoided. Friends of Schedler want the property to be treated as the Habernickel property was treated. Neighbors were part of the process, treated with respect and compromises were made. The end result satisfied the majority, and now Habernickel Park is considered an asset to the village. This can be the future of the Schedler property. How wonderful for everyone if Ridgewood has a nationally recognized historic home used as a library by the Bergen County Historical Society in addition to an appropriate-size grass playing field and the trees that are so important to the environment.
We are running out of open space at the local, state and national levels. We must make good use of what we have left. Compromise is not a dirty word, it is how we best meet the needs of a diverse constituency. It is how a civil society operates when we are not dictated by emergencies.
Linda McNamara
Ridgewood
https://www.northjersey.com/opinion/opinion-letters-to-the-editor/letter-to-the-editor-future-of-schedler-property-requires-compromise-1.1396101
