Ridgewood Nj, The people are taking back the town. No2BCIA ( https://www.no2bcia.com/ ) is on a roll. Keep the signatures coming, we need each and every one. This is a chance to save Ridgewood from a huge financial mistake. We will be able to bond in-town when all is said and done, we will not have a big fat county garage in the middle of town, and we will have full domain over the structure.
Several reports came in that the mayor was reportedly observed looking at the Elks Club building while standing in a nearby parking lot talking on his cell phone.
No2BCIA Petition
OLMC – AFTER EACH MASS
HUDSON/PASSAIC/PROSPECT STREETS
SUN FEB 21ST
Charlie and Nancy Nowinski, 2 Betty Court, Sunday, Feb. 21, 1-5:30 PM
Anne Loving, call cell 201-723-8017 to make appt to sign.
Today is Holy Family Sunday, the day on which the Church celebrates family life and asks us to reflect on the family as
the basic unit of society. It is the family in which we are nurtured and nourished and which, throughout our lives,
offers the support that allows us to continue to grow and, at the same time, to be secure in the knowledge that there is a
place where we are loved. It is in the family that we experience the ties that bind, bringing us together into the
most intimate of all human relationships. We all know that families continue under a great deal of stress right now, not
only because so many households now have to have two “breadwinners,” but also because of the number of marriage
relationships that have failed and the stress of “blended families,” and the continued pressure to re-define marriage,
now also including the looming possibility that polygamy will be the next hot-button issue.
As our reflection, I once again offer this prayer, composed by the poet Robert Louis Stevenson, for all our families and
for the parish family of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. It captures so many of the deepest wishes we hope for our
families and it is my hope, prayer and wish for all of you. Lord, behold our family here assembled. We thank you
for this place in which we dwell; for the love that unites us; for the peace accorded us this day; for the hope
with which we wait for tomorrow; for the health, the work, the food and the bright skies that make our lives
delightful; for our friends in all parts of the earth.
Let peace abound in our small community. Purge out of every heart the lurking grudge. Give us grace and
strength to forbear and persevere. Give us the grace to accept and forgive offenses. Forgetful ourselves, help
us to bear cheerfully the forgetfulness of others.
Give us courage and gaiety and a quiet mind. Spare us to our friends, soften us to our enemies. Bless us in all
our endeavors. Give us the strength to encounter that which is to come that we may be brave in peril,
constant in tribulation, temperate in wrath and in all changes in fortune, and down to the gates of death,
loyal and loving, one to another.
As the clay to the potter, as the windmill to the wind, as children to their father, we ask of You this help and
mercy for Christ’s sake. Amen.
God bless all our families and this parish family of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and a very large and warm thank
you for all of you who make this parish a real family.
All peace and joy in the New Year,
Fr. Ron
P.S. And here I go with another PS, which directly affects this parish family that I just wrote about. I have
briefly written previously on the proposed parking garage the Village is considering building on the site of
the present ground lot on Hudson Street. The Council had a first vote on the authorization of the bonds to pay
for the lot. I am not sure if the Council has officially approved the largest of the designs, for 400+ cars, but, I
believe the bond issue would be for an amount that is needed for that design.
As I wrote, I have concerns about the proposed size of that project, the traffic it could create around the church, and the
proposed re-orientation of Hudson and Passaic Streets, affecting the way funerals park at Mount Carmel and ingress and
egress into and from the driveways that surround the former convent. As I write this, we have engaged an
independent consultant to review the Traffic Impact Study prepared for the Village.
I invite all interested parishioners to one of two meetings to be held this week, one on Tuesday evening, December
29, 2015 at 7:30 PM or, for those who prefer not to come out at night, Wednesday afternoon, December 30, 2015
at 2:00 PM. Both meetings will be held in the Parish
Center and the purpose is to give you any information about our review of the Traffic Impact Study and to
offer you the opportunity to respond to the project proposed by the Village. In preparation, I encourage
everyone to go to the Village website www.ridgewoodnj.net . If you click on the Hudson
Street garage icon you will find some valuable information, including the simulations of the designed
garage as it fits into adjacent buildings and from different perspectives. It is very helpful in understanding the project.
It is important that we hear from you before January 6, 2016, when the Village Council will take up the Bond Issue again.
Statement of the Ridgewood Financial Advisory Committee Hudson Street Parking Garage
The Financial Advisory Committee (the “FAC”) of the Village of Ridgewood strongly supports the proposal to construct a parking garage at the site of the existing Hudson Street parking lot.
Members of the FAC have carefully reviewed the proposal, including discussions with Village management and a thorough review of the financial analysis prepared by Walker Parking Consultants (the “Walker Study”). Based on that review, we believe it is in the best interests of the Village to move forward with the project.
We would like to highlight the following points: The Walker Study substantiates the long-held belief of many of our residents that there is insufficient parking to adequately serve the Village core.
While there is ample anecdotal evidence that parking is difficult in downtown Ridgewood, the Walker Study provides factual confirmation based on observations of parking usage at different times and days of the week. We believe the methodology used in the Walker Study is reasonable and its findings accurate.
While there is excess capacity in parts of the Village, parking demand in the central core exceeds practical supply at nearly every key time of the day. As set forth in the Walker Study, the costs of the parking garage can be supported entirely by Village parking revenues, assuming small increases in parking rates and the extension of metered hours to 9 p.m.
The FAC conducted its own independent analysis of the costs and revenues associated with the proposed parking garage. Using very conservative assumptions (no new revenues, construction costs as high as $14 million and interest rates as high as 4%) the garage can still be funded entirely by parking revenues.
A new parking garage will have a significant positive economic impact on the Village. The new parking garage will enhance the attractiveness of existing stores and restaurants, encourage new businesses owners to choose Ridgewood, and modernize our parking infrastructure.
We recognize that while parking revenues should cover the cost of the garage, funding the garage still creates an additional financial obligation for the Village, which would need to be met by other sources in the unlikely event that parking revenues fell short. However, we think the substantial benefits offered by a garage support taking on that obligation. * * *
In its last annual report to the Village Council, the FAC stated that “addressing the Village’s parking problem is probably the single best thing the Council could do for the central business district.”
Parking has been an issue in Ridgewood for decades. Finally, we have an opportunity to address the parking problem, and thereby safeguard Ridgewood’s appeal as a destination for dining and shopping, and preserve the vibrancy of our central business district.
The FAC encourages you to vote “YES” for parking on November 3.
Two important forums scheduled in Village Hall – 4th Floor Court Room – to discuss the proposed Hudson Street Parking Deck: Wednesday, October 21 and Monday, November 2 from 7:30pm to 9:30pm. Village professionals as well as the design team from Desman Associates will be on hand to discuss all aspects of the proposed parking deck, including the design and financials. All are welcome to attend. All questions are welcome!
Walker Parking Preliminary Financial Analysis – October 2, 2015
Walker Parking Consultant Study – July 5th, 2015
Walker Parking Floor Plans
Resolutions
Resolution 15-222 : Non-Binding Referendum – Nov 3, 2015 Ballot
Important Village of Ridgewood Forums – October 21 – November 2 – Hudson Street Parking Deck
Two important forums scheduled in Village Hall – 4th Floor Court Room – to discuss the proposed Hudson Street Parking Deck: Wednesday, October 21 and Monday, November 2 from 7:30pm to 9:30pm. Village professionals as well as the design team from Desmond Associates will be on hand to discuss all aspects of the proposed parking deck, including the design and financials. All are welcome to attend. All questions are welcome!
Ridgewood Chamber Board of Directors Meeting August 12, 2015 @ 8:00am – Chamber Office for more details call 201-445-2600 [email protected]
PARKING GARAGE –
We are so excited -88 years the Chamber has been working on getting a parking garage for the Village of Ridgewood.
We are hopeful that this will happen soon!
Thursday, August 20 at 8:30am-Chamber office
The Ridgewood Chamber now invites you to a
“call to action” meeting to put the facts on paper why this garage will not:
cost the residents more taxes,
why it will save their “downtown town”.
All businesses have a vested interest in
this parking garage.
Ridgewood NEEDS to bring the infrastructure of its business district up-to-date –
NOW IS THE TIME.
Ridgewood Parking Garage Facts
Yes No
Parking Garage Needed X
Developer Interest X
Land Study X
Zero Cost to tax payer X
Vote X
First “call to action” meeting…
Please call 201-445-2600,
if you are attending.
3480 – Bond Ordinance – Pre-construction Funding for Hudson Street Parking Garage ($500,000)
Ridgewood NJ, The Village Council approved the $500K “preliminary” expense by a 4-1 vote with Knudsen being the only “no.”
Wording for the “bogus” non-binding referendum passed unanimously. Expect property taxes to jump as a result. There is no way in the world parking utility revenues will ever be able to completely pay off the principal and interest on a $15 million bond.
