July 13,2017
the Staff of The Ridgewood Blog:
Ridgewood NJ, On Wednesday morning, 07/12, an East Ridgewood Avenue property owner telephoned Ridgewood PD to report observing a private contractor in the process of removing a Village owned tree in front of It’s Greek to Me, 21 East Ridgewood Avenue.
Upon arrival at the scene, the responding patrol officer interviewed the two (2) adult males who were performing the operation and determined that they were hired by Paul Vagianos, owner of It’s Greek to Me. Mr. Vagianos indicated that he’d received permission from Village Parks & Recreation Director Tim Cronin to remove the Village tree and replace it with another. His assertion was verified by the patrol officer via a cell phone conversation between himself and Mr. Cronin.
The staff of The Ridgewood Blog wonders: 1) was written permission provided to Mr. Vagianos, and if so, what was the date on the authorization letter? 2) does the contractor have adequate insurance to cover any and all claims against the Village related to the work that was performed? 3) were the proper utility company mark outs performed? 4) was the Village Manager notified of the request and permission granted? 5) empty parking spaces were observed being reserved by empty chairs – was the proper “bagged meter” charge applied? 6) were safety cones used to mark the sidewalk and street as required? 7) was the police department consulted to determine whether the presence of a uniformed patrol officer was appropriate? 8) has a precedent now been set that will open up the door to private home owners hiring contractors to remove and replace Village trees?
