Ridgewood Nj, is it just me or is PSEG digging everywhere all the time . Today as I waited for a short line bus at Ridgewood Avenue on Route 17 south . PSE&G was hard a work fixing a broken gas line around 10am.
PSEG – CONSTRUCTION NOTICE RIDGEWOOD UNDERGROUND
January 6, 2017
Dear Valued Customer:
This is to notify you that PSE&G will be starting underground construction on the PSE&G and public rights of way in your area. This construction is part of our upgrade initiative to ensure reliable electric service in the Village of Ridgewood, as well as surrounding communities.
Underground construction activities will begin on or about Monday January 16th, 2017, from approximately 7:00 AM – 5:00 PM, Monday – Friday. Construction activities include the installation of manholes and underground pipe. This work is expected to be complete in April 2017, weather permitting.
Our work locations are expected in the following locations:
South Broad Street between Passaic Street and East Ridgewood Avenue
North Broad Street between East Ridgewood Avenue and Franklin Avenue
Franklin Avenue between North Broad Street and Chestnut Street
Franklin Avenue and Walnut Street Intersection
Safety is our primary concern. PSE&G will work with the Village of Ridgewood Police Department to minimize any traffic concerns or inconvenience to the public. At this time, we expect to have alternating traffic and/or detours near the locations listed above. During construction, please refrain from going near our construction work zones.
We apologize in advance for any inconvenience this work may cause. If you have any questions or concerns, please call our toll free number at 1-877-678-5784.
This is to notify you that PSE&G will be starting underground construction on the PSE&G and public rights of way in your area. This construction is part of our upgrade initiative to ensure reliable electric service in the Village of Ridgewood, as well as surrounding communities.
Underground construction activities will begin on or about Monday January 16th, 2017, from approximately 7:00 AM – 5:00 PM, Monday – Friday. Construction activities include the installation of manholes and underground pipe. This work is expected to be complete in April 2017, weather permitting.
Our work locations are expected in the following locations:
South Broad Street between Passaic Street and East Ridgewood Avenue
North Broad Street between East Ridgewood Avenue and Franklin Avenue
Franklin Avenue between North Broad Street and Chestnut Street
Franklin Avenue and Walnut Street Intersection
Safety is our primary concern. PSE&G will work with the Village of Ridgewood Police Department to minimize any traffic concerns or inconvenience to the public. At this time, we expect to have alternating traffic and/or detours near the locations listed above. During construction, please refrain from going near our construction work zones.
We apologize in advance for any inconvenience this work may cause. If you have any questions or concerns, please call our toll free number at 1-877-678-5784.
Ridgewood NJ, Working closely with Environmental Defense Fund and Google Earth Outreach, Public Service Electric & Gas (PSE&G), New Jersey’s largest utility, is reducing methane leaks from its natural gas distribution system much faster than before, thanks to new technology developed by EDF, Google and Colorado State University. The technology is helping the utility prioritize which aging pipes are replaced first during its three-year, $905 million gas infrastructure replacement program.
The key breakthrough is measuring the volume of gas escaping, and not just the number of leaks. Using data gathered by a specially-equipped Google Street View mapping car, PSE&G was able to reduce methane emissions from targeted areas by 83 percent, and do it more quickly than otherwise possible. PSE&G achieved this emission reduction by replacing 35 percent fewer miles of pipe than if the utility had not used the data gathered by EDF and Google. The typical cost of replacing a mile of gas line on PSE&G’s system is about $1.5 million to $2.0 million.
Leaks like those targeted by the project don’t usually pose an immediate safety threat. But leaking natural gas – which is mostly methane – has a powerful effect on the climate. That’s because methane has more than 80 times the warming power of carbon dioxide over a 20-year timeframe. These leaks are a persistent challenge for utilities, particularly in the Northeast, where natural gas infrastructure is older.
“Reducing methane emissions is one of the quickest ways we have to protect the climate. PSE&G deserves a lot of credit for making this a priority. It takes courage to invite an environmental group to come sniffing around for leaks on their system,” said EDF President Fred Krupp. “By tackling these leaks faster, PSE&G will achieve a lot more environmental benefit for their infrastructure dollars. That’s good for their customers, and good for New Jersey.”
EDF and partners began publicly testing their new way to measure natural gas leaks in 2014. Intrigued by the methodology, PSE&G asked to collaborate with EDF to measure leaks in portions of their natural gas distribution system slated for replacement. By 2018, PSE&G plans to replace up to 510 miles of aging cast-iron and unprotected steel gas lines, under a program approved a year ago by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities.
“Under our $905 million program, we are accelerating the modernization of our gas system, replacing 170 miles of pipe each year versus an average of 54 miles in the past,” said Ralph LaRossa, president and COO of PSE&G. “Reducing methane is a serious challenge for utilities, but also a big opportunity. Using the data from EDF, we are able to keep safety paramount, while achieving more environmental value, at less cost and more quickly than before, which benefits both our customers and the climate.”
Maps of the project areas and more data on the results are online here.
PSE&G gave EDF information on the location and type of gas lines in target areas. A Google Street View car spent six months gathering millions of readings over hundreds of miles of roadway in some of the most densely populated areas in New Jersey, including parts of Bergen, Essex, Hudson and Passaic counties. The team used algorithms refined over several years to assess the vast data stream. PSE&G replaced sections with the highest company rankings first, and used EDF’s ranking to prioritize the rest, locking in methane reductions quickly while keeping safety the top consideration.
The mapping cars found an average of about one leak for every mile of gas line within grid areas where leak flow rate was quantified. The maps represent a snapshot in time and may not reflect current leaks. A number of the leaks identified through this collaborative project have already been repaired or eliminated through the replacement of cast iron pipes, including all leaks deemed hazardous by PSE&G’s existing leak grading system.
“We are excited that new technology powered by Google can play an important role here, to advance the measurement, analysis, and communication of environmental information,” said Karin Tuxen-Bettman, program manager for Google Earth Outreach. “Making this information more accessible can make a meaningful difference in people’s lives.”
A two-minute video on the EDF/Google Earth Outreach mapping project is here.
Utilities in New York and California are already publishing dynamic maps of their natural gas leaks. Sharing geographically-attributed leak data can help regulators and ratepayers track utilities’ leak management performance, and ensure cost-efficient emission reductions. For its part, PSE&G is leading the way in using leak data to make better management decisions, demonstrating that new and improved data can maximize the benefits of pipeline replacement programs.
Ridgewood NJ, We have just learned from PSEG that the planned final paving of W. Glen Ave will be delayed until the Spring due to the late completion of the project and curbing required by Bergen County. W. Glen Ave is a county road and for that reason their regulations must be followed.
PSE&G teams with more than 80 North American utilities to stop scams
November 15th 2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, According to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, more than 3 million consumers filed fraud complaints last year. Phone scams are among the most common complaints. To combat these con artists, Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G), New Jersey’s largest utility, joined forces with more than 80 energy companies across North America to educate people how to spot a scam. The collaborative designated the third Wednesday in November
“Utilities United Against Scams Day.”
How the most common payment scam works:
Someone pretending to be a utility employee calls and threatens shut-off within an hour if they do not receive immediate payment via a prepaid card.
Victims are given a phony phone number to call back after they purchase the cards from a retail store.
When the customer calls back, they may hear voice response prompts that mimic those they would hear when calling a real customer service line. Some of these criminals use caller ID spoofing technology to replicate PSE&G’s number.
A fake representative asks for the numbers on the prepaid card or receipt. Within seconds the money is gone.
Scam red flags:
The caller becomes angry and aggressive, telling the customer his or her account is past due and service will be disconnected if a large payment isn’t made – often within less than an hour.
The thief specifically demands the customer pay with a prepaid card or wire transfer.
“If a caller directs you to go to a local store to purchase a prepaid card to pay your bill, it is likely a scam,” said Greg Dunlap, PSE&G vice president of customer operations. “If you receive a call and are in doubt, hang up and call us at the phone number listed on our website or your PSE&G bill.”
The only way to protect against these scams is for customers to be cautious. Before terminating service, PSE&G alerts customers in a number of ways: messages on their bill, letters and phone calls. While the utility accepts credit cards, prepaid cards and money transfers to pay bills, PSE&G would never demand a specific type of payment and threaten immediate service termination.
“Hiding behind an untraceable phone, scammers know it is doubtful they’ll be caught,” said Dunlap. “By educating people how to spot a scam, our Utilities United collaborative aims to spare many would-be victims and make the thieves’ underhanded jobs a lot harder.”
Report all scam attempts by calling your utility and local police department, and file a complaint with the FTC at www.ftc.gov/complaint.
Ridgewood NJ, On Friday, Governor Christie discussed the progress our state has made four years after Sandy as his administration continues to work with homeowners, business owners, and communities to rebuild and safeguard against future storms. He also conducted a small business tour in Seaside Heights, a community heavily impacted by Sandy.It is no doubt that so much more needs to be done and some homeowners are still struggling four years later trying to cut through the
the red tape .
The Governor outlined investments in rebuilding our infrastructure, getting families back in their homes and protecting our shores after Sandy including:
Nearly $2.5 billion in utility infrastructure hardening & resilience investments
More than $2 billion in FEMA public assistance directed towards recovery projects
Five large-scale NJ Transit projects designed to better safeguard critical components of our transportation grid
$7 million to fund Retail Fuel Station program to allow gas stations expedited access to back-up power during an energy emergency
Coordinated effort with Army Corps of Engineers to build 11 new coastal and flood protection projects statewide
More than $1.6 billion in federal housing assistance to help Sandy-impacted families
Majority of 7,600 homeowners participating in Reconstruction, Rehabilitation, Elevation and Mitigation program are back in their homes
Expanded Blue Aces program, allowing residents in flood-prone areas to sell homes damaged by Superstorm Sandy
$207 million dedicated to support economic revitalization in Sandy-affected communities through the Stronger NJ business programs.
The Christie administration is committed to finishing the job on Sandy recovery, revitalization and resilience efforts.
$1.2 billion infrastructure upgrades are making New Jersey Energy Strong
October 29,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Hackensack NJ, Today, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie joined PSE&G President and COO Ralph LaRossa at a Hackensack substation to highlight the infrastructure investments made since Superstorm Sandy left millions of people without power in the state four years ago tomorrow. Two-thirds of the equipment at the substation, which flooded during Sandy, has been raised 4.5 feet, and the remaining switchgear will be raised in the spring, ensuring more reliable service during future storms.
“Sandy was the second-worst natural disaster in American history that shook the lives of just about everyone,” Governor Christie said. “Unseen before in modern New Jersey, this superstorm interrupted 71 percent of New Jersey’s electric distribution system, cut power for 2.8 million residential and commercial customers and taught us difficult lessons about energy reliability and utility infrastructure. Over the last four years, under my administration, PSE&G has made significant progress raising and rebuilding switching and substations like Hackensack, as well as making other improvements, to increase the resiliency of New Jersey’s infrastructure and create a distribution grid that is far stronger and smarter than before.”
During Sandy, 2 million of PSE&G’s 2.2 million electric customers lost power. “Hackensack is one of 29 switching and substations that are being raised or rebuilt to make them more resilient against storms,” LaRossa said. “Because of our infrastructure investments to date, if a Sandy-like storm were to occur today, about 225,000 customers impacted by flooded substations and switching stations during Sandy would not lose power. And customers who did lose power would be restored more quickly. We appreciate the support of the Governor and the BPU in getting this program started.”
LaRossa added, “This work is also benefitting New Jersey’s economy by creating thousands of jobs over the life of the program.”
The newly fortified stations are part of PSE&G’s $1.2 billion, multi-year Energy Strong program to make its infrastructure more reliable and resilient to severe weather. When the Energy Strong upgrades are complete, 460,000 PSE&G customers previously impacted would not lose power from flooding and all PSE&G electric customers would experience faster restoration times.
“When our Energy Strong program is complete, more than 250 hospitals and other critical customers who lost power during Sandy would either stay in service or have their restoration time greatly reduced,” said LaRossa.
Since Superstorm Sandy, PSE&G has invested $74 million in technology to reduce the number and duration of outages for hospitals and other critical customers. For example, when the Somerset Medical Center in Somerville experienced an outage during bad weather last year, the new technology enabled technicians to remotely switch them back into service in just 10 minutes – one-fifth of the time it would have taken without the upgrade. Also benefiting from this work are 400,000 customers and businesses in close proximity to critical customers where the technology has been installed.
In addition to Energy Strong electric upgrades, PSE&G has made great strides ensuring a more reliable and resilient natural gas system during flooding. The utility has installed 240 miles of new, sturdy and durable plastic natural gas pipes in flood-prone areas. Approximately 90,000 customers served by those pipes are no longer at risk of losing gas service from floodwaters seeping into these previously leak-prone mains. In addition, the danger of leaks of methane gas has been virtually eliminated in the new pipes.
The Energy Strong programs also provide the capability to remotely restore large numbers of customers. The program gives PSE&G the ability to remotely make changes on the circuits so they can be worked safely in the field, significantly improving crew productivity and restoration times.
Ridgewood NJ, PSEG announced today that its Hudson Generation Station in Jersey City, N.J., and its Mercer Generation Station in Hamilton Township, N.J., will be retired on June 1, 2017.
“The sustained low prices of natural gas have put economic pressure on these plants for some time. In that context, we could not justify the significant investment required to upgrade these plants to meet the new reliability standards,” said Bill Levis, president and chief operating officer-PSEG Power. “The plants have been infrequently called on to run and neither plant cleared the last two PJM capacity auctions. The plants’ capacity payments have been critical to their profitability and PSEG’s ability to continue to invest in modernizing them.”
PSEG stressed that it is committed to treating the approximately 200 employees at Hudson and Mercer fairly during the process of retiring the existing units.
“These plants have played a critical role in powering the growth and economic expansion of New Jersey and PSEG is grateful to our employees who have played a part in building and running them for the past 50 years,” said Levis. “We will work with our union and PSEG leadership to ensure that the plants continue to operate safely through their retirement dates and to place as many employees as possible within PSEG’s family of companies.”
PSEG remains committed to meeting the long-term energy needs of New Jersey and the region and currently is investing more than $600 million in a new state-of-the-art combined-cycled gas plant in Sewaren, N.J., as well as new plants in Connecticut and Maryland. Currently, PSEG Power has gas facilities representing nearly 4,000 MWs of generating capacity in New Jersey and owns 3,740 MWs of nuclear generation, of which approximately 2,500 MWs are located in New Jersey.
PSEG has long been an advocate for fuel diversity, both in its generation fleet and in the PJM pool. With the announced closing of the coal plants, New Jersey’s energy now will be split almost evenly between nuclear and natural gas, with a small but growing amount of renewable energy. “We continue to believe that it is unwise for New Jersey to become too overly dependent on one source of energy,” said Levis. “With the continued low cost of natural gas, it is important that we recognize and support the full value of non-carbon, non-polluting nuclear and renewable energy.”
PSEG noted that it is evaluating all options for future use of the sites.
The decision to retire the Hudson and Mercer plants early triggers certain changes in accounting treatment that will have a material effect on PSEG’s and PSEG Power’s reported results. In the third quarter of 2016, PSEG and PSEG Power expect to recognize one-time charges in Energy Costs and Operation and Maintenance expense ranging from an estimated $40 million to $70 million and $35 million to $77 million, respectively, related to the cost of shutting down these units, including coal and other materials and supplies, inventory reserve adjustments, employee-related continuance, and severance benefits costs.
In addition to these one-time charges, there will be ongoing annual incremental non-cash charges to earnings of $560 million to $580 million in 2016 and $940 million to $960 million in 2017 due to the shortening of the expected economic useful lives of the Hudson and Mercer plants. These charges are detailed in the Form 8K that PSEG and PSEG Power filed today and will be discussed in more detail when PSEG reports third quarter earnings on October 31, 2016.
Mercer Generation Station was opened in 1960. It currently has a capacity of 632 MWs. Hudson Generation Station was opened in 1968 and had a capacity of 620 MWs. The 200 employees are roughly split between the two locations
So let me get this story straight and see if I have it right. PSEG schedules major work on Broad Street to commence in late September and run through the Christmas season. This is done when Roberta is still employed. The summer comes and goes, and Roberta goes…and goes. Then last week Tony Damiano gets up at a meeting and states that this is the worst possible time for the merchants, as they make most of their money in the 4th quarter. This makes sense, but it is hard to hear the sense in his message since he is all but accusing Mayor Knudsen of doing this on purpose to screw the merchants. As if she would do anything remotely like that, honestly, Damiano is insane. But I digress.
So the meeting ends at midnight or whenever, and Susan goes right to work the next day setting up a meeting with PSEG to see if they will change the time frame away from the Christmas season. In a text exchange with Damiano, she tells him she will be meeting with PSEG and encourages him to give her any input or insights before she meets with them. He does not do so.
On Monday morning at 10:00 she meets with PSEG, along with Rutishauser and (in the absence of Heather who was off) Janet Fricke. Mayor Knudsen manages to accomplish a major victory, because she gets the giant utility company to change their dates. This happens because Susan is very pleasant and diplomatic. We know that the PSEG folks DESPISED Aronsohn because he was such an Atilla the Hun with them, bossing them around through the hurricane aftermath.But now we have a mayor who is pleasant, polite, professional, and easy to get along with.
Mayor Knudsen immediately composes a press release to let everyone know that the dates have been changed, but before she can send it Mr. Damiano in his great arrogance sends out a victory letter taking full credit for accomplishing the date change. Un-effing-believable. He was NOT in the meeting, but he takes full credit for this. He does not acknowledge Mayor Knudsen, he does not thank Mayor Knudsen, and in fact he goes on to write some very snarky and sarcastic comments about her. He accuses the Mayor of trying to stick it to the merchants, instead of thanking her for solving the problem. And then he goes on to posture that he will be doing direct negotiations with PSEG moving forward for any work they want to schedule. What???? Damiano is not an elected official, he is not an employee of the Village. He has ZERO authority to schedule any utility work in this town.
In the end, Mayor Knudsen took the right approach, solved the problem, and took the high road in the face of incredible invective from Tony Damiano as well as Troll Halaby.
We are all so grateful for Mayor Knudsen. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Ridgewood NJ, PSE&G representatives agreed to reschedule work on North and South Broad Street to begin in January after meeting Village officials Monday.
While is was well known that the previous Mayor Paul Aronsohn had issues with PSE&G Mayor Knudsen moved quickly to resolve the situation putting old issues to rest.
Village officials including the Mayor Susan Knudsen and Village Engineer Chris Rutishauser met this morning with David Hollenbeck, PSE&G regional public affairs manager, who along with other representatives from the utility agreed to implement a work-around schedule pushing the start date to on or about January 9, 2017, avoiding a critical fourth quarter impact on businesses in that area.
The rescheduling resulted from a cooperative effort to resolve the issue of work previously scheduled to begin Sept. 26, in the Village’s historic business district.
“The meeting was cordial and professional,” Knudsen said. “PSE&G officials appreciated the vulnerabilities of our small businesses, especially during the fourth-quarter holiday retail season. They responded and we’re most appreciative.”
The Village Council, recognizing the serious nature of the work in upgrading utility infrastructure, expressed gratitude to PSE&G for working collaboratively with Village officials. The Village Engineer is already began planning to ensure both the Village and PSE&G are prepared for the January start date.
This morning at 10 am I had the opportunity to meet with PSEG officials along with Village Engineer, Chris Rutishauser and Janet Fricke, Assistant to the Village Manager. The hour long meeting resulted in PSE&G representatives agreeing to reschedule work on North and South Broad Street to begin in January. David Hollenbeck, PSE&G regional public affairs manager, who along with other representatives from the utility agreed to implement a work-around schedule pushing the start date to on or about January 9, 2017, avoiding a critical fourth quarter impact on businesses in the area. The rescheduling resulted from a cooperative effort to resolve the issue of work previously scheduled to begin Sept. 26, in the Village’s historic business district. The meeting was cordial and professional. PSE&G officials appreciated the vulnerabilities of our small businesses, especially during the fourth-quarter holiday retail season. They responded and we’re most appreciative.
The Village Council, recognizing the serious nature of the work in upgrading utility infrastructure, is grateful to PSE&G for working collaboratively with us.As well we appreciate the patience of our businesses while we worked through the details with PSEG. We wish you all the greatest success and many, many sales during the upcoming fourth quarter.
We have a case of FOOT IN MOUTH disease, as in when someone says something completely moronic. Currently on Facebook Rurik Halaby is making a gigantic fool of himself on It Takes a Ridgewood Village. Rurik do you want some salt and pepper with that shoe you are eating?
It is good to see that Rurik’s Facebook posts are challenged. Many people don’t like to get in arguments on Facebook but we have a dedicated group of residents who challenge him with the facts. He just posts misinformation and lies. Any idiot can do that.
It amazes me that a business owner in town can show up at a council meeting and blame them for the PSEG work schedule. Why doesn’t he complain to PSEG?
Why doesn’t he embrace the Ridgewood Fall Craft Fair? It is great to have Ridgewood Ave closed for a pedestrian fair.
Ridgewood NJ, according to Rurik Halaby, the following is an email sent to Tony Damiano, owner of Mango Jam and President of The Ridgewood Guild in response to a letter written by Tony to the Mayor re the PSE&G project:
Dear Tony,
I can’t express how disappointed I am with your email. First, PSEG work schedules are not controlled by Village Council and I, along with council colleagues, have taken the concerns of the business community very seriously. Personally, I began working on this tirelessly since 7:00am Thursday morning and have not stopped. The (former)Village Manager was involved in, and is responsible for, any decisions made in May or June and up until the date of her resignation. l was not included or apprised of those discussions or decisions. It’s unfortunate any time working on resolving this has been interrupted by this antagonistic and angry email.
Your assertion that I am “micro-managing” anything is shameful and regrettable. Five council members selected the members of the CBDAC. Furthermore, your suggestion that you could have been a “great asset” to the Central Business District Advisory Committee is undermined by the tone and content of your email. I have great confidence in Councilman Hache and this wonderful group of CBDAC committee members.
Council members Hache, Voigt and Walsh along with Deputy Mayor Sedon, myself and Village Staff have worked diligently to support for our business community. Your email is gratuitous and offensive.
I will continue my efforts to resolve the PSEG matter and am in the process of scheduling a meeting with them. I hope we can move on from this and will keep you informed of any progress.
-Susan
Mayor Susan Knudsen
Councilwoman
Rurik Halaby added on Facebook , “I could not believe the insulting, sarcastic, and disdainful tone and nature of this letter. Tony deserves better. He is a passionate man who is totally dedicated to making Ridgewood a better place for all of us, particularly the CBD.
Ms. Knudsen swore to uphold the U.S. Constitution. The first amendment guarantees Tony’s right to express himself. As importantly, it guarantees his right “to petition the Government for redress of grievances.”
If Mayor Aronshohn had written such a letter the Vocalantis would have hung him in effigy.
Ms. Knudsen, you owe Tony an apology!”
Yes Rurik we all know how much Paul Aronsohn loved PSE&G.
Ridgewood NJ, the Ridgewood blog has received the following email from Tony Damiano of the Ridgewood Guild . It’s odd though no one ever made such a big deal over the “traffic easing ” which greatly reduced the inflow of traffic into the Ridgewood’s central business district. No one also ever brought up these objection with the Hudson Parking Garage . Funny how best estimates would put many Ridgewood CBD stores under great duress during the construction period .
Subject: Re: fr: Tony Damiano re: PSEG Update
Ramon,
I understand that. What I was referring to was the the recent dialogue from yesterday.
What you are telling me only makes the situation worse. Now I am shocked that the Council knew about this as far back as May and never communicated with The Ridgewood Guild or the business community. At the “wonderful” meeting that took place on Tuesday of this week at the Chamber office, again, nothing was mentioned. The Chamber of Commerce wasn’t even notified. I spoke with Joan Groom yesterday. I thought Council learned about the project a couple of weeks ago. Now you are telling me this was on the table back in May or June and none of us knew???
While I have your ear. I am very disappointed that I cannot be a part of your new Downtown Committee. I know I would have been a great asset, a historian so to speak, on what works and what may not. As I stated at the July meeting and at Wednesday night’s meeting, I need to know who the resident committee members are. It seems Susan is micro-managing the choices. Allegedly, Lorrainne Reynolds and Amy Borque have been selected. I am curious to know who the other 3 are. You need a good mix of people on this committee in order for it to succeed. Committee members who have different points of view, but can work amicably together. These 2 people are huge supporters of Susan’s. Lorraine said she would support the Hudson St. garage if it were taken down a level. Amy formed for Save Ridgewood group and opposed the residential complexes. She is lovely, but I’m afraid to say that this is a conflict of interest. Her family owns a residential complex just on our border. I know Philip Davis is representing the Chamber. He will, no doubt contribute, however he has only been in town for 2 years. Gary Kolsaire is the right choice. His business has been in town a number of years. Also, please do your homework before speaking. At the July meeting you suggested bringing the Christmas tree to the park. You will need to further investigate that one. That created a backlash that business owners and residents are still talking about.
You say you are working to support the business community. Here are 3 examples of how you are not…
1) You have swept the parking deck under the rug, not having it on the past 2 Council Meeting Agendas, even though the past Mayor, past Deputy Mayor, past Councilwoman, Assistant Village Manager, president of The Ridgewood Guild, current president, and 3 past presidents of The Chamber of Commerce, all f which are considered “Community Leaders” were in favor of it. Much time, effort and money was spent listening to professionals and consultants regarding design, financial reports, (which were approved by our Council appointed Financial Committee), and a professional traffic consultant. While I’m on the subject, is it true you have assigned another traffic consultant who is not certified to do, and yet another study?
2) You didn’t inform us of the PSEG work that will greatly effect 4th Quarter.
3) Rumor has it that the Council is looking to raise the parking meters to $.75 an hour.
Best………………..Tony Damiano – President
