RIDGEWOOD — The failure of a state-appointed super-conciliator to resolve a 19-month-long labor dispute between the Board of Education and district teachers union has left local officials and union heads considering their next move.
Disagreements over several issues — including salaries, proposed changes in the union insurance plan and how much the Ridgewood Education Association’s 547 members should contribute toward their health insurance premiums — have contributed to a breakdown in the negotiations, which began five months before the last contract expired on June 30, 2015.
Ridgewood NJ, Several readers continue to claim the “Majority” of residents are against all development. Its nice to see that Ridgewood residents have now graduated to a “Majority” from gadfly, loud mouth ,minority status.
Reader says , “I think it is time to look around at all the empty stores in Ridgewood and realize there is a need to revamp the CBD. Soon all the shops will move to malls and replaced by housing; think…..is that what you want? Someone, most likely a shop keeper , is going to come up with ideas to improve the town, what is the problem. Make your own suggestions, welcome those of other residents, and have a discussion rather than complain. Get real people you are losing your central business district!”
Shops moved to malls in the 1970’s , and shopping has moved online since 1994 when Al Gore discovered the internet .
If you are worried about empty stores talk to the landlords not tax payers. The simple fact is that tax payers are not responsible for a companies business plans. What I would suggest is that in this day and age stores need to make themselves destination businesses ie like Bookends and The Tobacco Shop of Ridgewood & Davidoff Lounge . Retailers also need to build an online presence , websites, social media , press releases and they need to tell their story ; think why would I want to go here when I have to pay for parking? This is one of the reasons there are so many great restaurants in Ridgewood ,chefs have great stories to tell.
My biggest suggestion for Ridgewood merchants is to be open more hours. No one is home by 5pm. I can not tell you how many businesses have opened and closed that I have never seen open. The fact is most people who can afford to live in Ridgewood need to work a lot or hours , anywhere from 65 -80 hours per week and odd hours early am to late pm. So merchants need to develop strategies ,be it home or Train station delivery or open by appointment what ever it takes that is the new reality.
Destroying Van Nest Square will do nothing to help business and will most likely hurt business as much or more than the so called “traffic easing” ,that now backs traffic up into Midland Park. Making access to the almost CBD impossible from the West side of Town .
Another reader says, “James, you’re ignoring the facts. What is worth preserving of the old car dealers, old Town Garage and its toxic site, etc? What about all the empty shops and gold pawn shops? Why is this worth preserving? The majority rule wants to keep the status quo… which clearly isn’t working.”
First I was only posting comments and turning them into posts , so how exactly is destroying Van Nest square going to get rid of old car dealers,a toxic site, gold pawn shops and empty stores ? This maybe your problem you keep wanting to fix things that are not broken yet you ignore all the things that need fixing ? The solutions have to fit the problems. If the Village wants to clean up a toxic site it needs to take the steps to clean it up, not build a parking lot.
Now in New York City developers who wish to build non-conforming structures can often make a deal with the city by adding to public spaces, fixing subways or adding and maintaining new plantings. In New Jersey we socialize the investment ie taxpayer funded yet we capitalize the profits. So taxpayers pay and developers make the money. Another words Ridgewood taxpayers build a parking garage so developers can reduce the amount of parking they offer and save money. and thus the continued rejection of a parking garage.
Now what you should be asking yourself is how could a bureaucratic organization like NJT fix the train trestle, raise the tracks , and renovate the train station while preserving and improving its historic nature in a relatively short amount of time. How could New Jersey Transit do all that yet Valley Hospital , a handful of developers, and a cadre of council members could not get anything done at all what so ever. NJT was willing to work with the town ,meet objections compromise and get the job done.
TRAFFIC ALERT – MILLING AND PAVING ON VILLAGE ROADS
August 28,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, In preparation for road paving, on Monday, August 29th milling and paving will begin on Kenilworth Road, Linwood Avenue (between Oak and Maple) and Robinson Lane (between Walnut and Cottage ). This work could take several days.
Please allow time for potential delays in traveling on or near these roads.
Ridgewood NJ, a reader reminds us that sprinkler controls can be reset as of midnight next Wednesday (or just after your last “sprinkle” occurs before then): “Stage I will be in effect each year starting on June 1st and will continue through August 31st.”
The September 1 square on this year’s village calendar states that restrictions end that day. (This year’s calendar omitted a start date altogether after getting it wrong for at least a couple of years, stating that it was May 1. “Janet Fricke IS the village calendar.” –R. Sonenfeld at a recent council meeting. Maybe not something to be proud of?)
The reader goes on to say , “Water Dept or Village Manager could conceivably extend the end date, but if so, I believe it would be for the first time in history.”
Reader says ,” High school teachers are now unaccountably sabotaging their own students’ grades. As in, the grades of every student in the class. This has been plenty nasty for a while now and the upcoming school year promises fresh outrage from teachers and administrators, adults chronologically, behaving like children.”
Ridgewood NJ, the Ridgewood Police report on 8/19/16 a South Broad Street resident responded to police headquarters to report a fraud in the past. The victim reported an unknown person applied for an Amazon credit card utilizing his personal information but was denied.
A Beechwood Road resident responded to police headquarters to report an incident which occurred in February 2016 when an unknown person attempted to file a tax return utilizing the victim’s personal identity fraudulently. The victim reported several months later he received a notice from Discover Card regarding a bank account being opened and most recently he received a notice from PNC Bank that an unknown person was attempting to change the address on his current accounts. The victim reported the IRS and credit bureaus have been notified of the fraudulent incidents.
An East Ridgewood Avenue resident reported the theft of impersonation on 8/20/16. The victim reported an unknown person fraudulently opened three separate accounts between 12/1/15 and 8/8/16. The victim reported a Victoria Secret account was opened in Orlando, Florida, a Sprint Mobile account was opened in Tennessee and a third fraudulent account was a Paypal account opened in August 2016. The victim was provided a Ridgewood Police identity theft fact sheet.
The Ridgewood Police Department would like to remind citizens of the increased amount of scams. Always investigate communications made through postal mail, telephone, and/or the internet to prevent fraud and deceptive activity. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Ridgewood Police Department to ensure you’re not becoming a victim of these scams.
The time has long passed for pleasantries. And don’t fool yourself thinking that this blowback directed at the volunteers is uncalled for. To think that someone like Gail was donating her time because she was giving back is laughable. Look at the connections, connect the dots. It’s pretty simple to see the payday just a we bit over the horizon. As far as the over paid / over pensioned lot it’s been a long time coming…people have HAD IT with the continued abuse in the form of over taxation and as soon as I complain about a $100MM school budget or the local FD/PD taking a 100K pension after 20 I get some union lackey putting his foot up my arse because “its only fair”.
Well guess what? PARTY’S OVER.
Ridgewood NJ,Patrolman Patrick Elwood assists with traffic as a new flag pole is installed at the Ridgewood Post Office this morning. The new flag pole replaces the original flag pole installed in 1937.
Ridgewood NJ, On Sunday, September 25, 2016 our Nation honors our Gold Star Mothers and families. The Presidential Proclamation in 2011 commemorating this day pronounces, “As members of a grateful Nation, we owe a debt we can never repay, but hold this sacred obligation forever in our hearts, minds, and actions. We honor their sacrifice, and stand with our service members, military families, and Gold Star families as they have stood for us.”
The American Legion Post 53 and Ridgewood NJ’s Blue Star Families are committed to bringing awareness to our community and to commemorate the sacrifices these mothers and their families have made for our Country.In the aftermath of World War I, Washington D.C. resident Grace Darling Seibold formed an organization called Gold Star Mothers to support the moms who had lost sons and daughters to the war. Grace’s son, First Lieutenant George Vaughn Seibold, was an aviator killed in combat over France in 1918. In 1928, the small D.C.-based group decided to nationalize its efforts. In 1936, a joint congressional resolution established the last Sunday in September as
Gold Star Mother’s Day. The Gold Star Mothers grew from a support group of 60 women to today’s extensive nationwide network with tens of thousands of members and hundreds of local chapters.
In Ridgewood, NJ the Gold Star Mother’s Day Committee will sponsor our fourth annualevent commemorating Gold Star Mother’s Day on Sunday, September 25, 2016. There will be a short ceremony starting promptly at 7:00 p.m. and hundreds of luminaries will be lit to honor Gold Star Mothers and their families. But in addition, our goal is to see thousands of other luminaries lit throughout Ridgewood and other towns on September 27th to honor the Gold Star Mothers and families!
Luminaries will be available for a donation before the ceremony at the following
location:
Residence of Bob Paoli, Commander American Legion Post #53,at 368 N. Pleasant Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ. 07450
Call 201-445-1738 to arrange time to pickup
Everyone also can stand with us in honoring the Gold Star Mothers and families by
helping to raise awareness through:
talking to your family, friends, and neighbors about the event;
joining us at Van Neste Park; and,
supporting this event with a donation (please make checks payable to the American
Legion Post #53, write “Gold Star event” on the memo line, and send it to the American Legion Post #53, P.O. Box 1525, Ridgewood, NJ 07450).
Thank you for your support and cooperation,/s/ Ridgewood, NJ Gold Star Mother’s Day Committee.
“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it” George Santayana
Ridgewood NJ, by destroying Village history and discarding those who made sacrifices in our past are we not trampling on the very foundations of what made the Village of Ridgewood ,the Village of Ridgewood?
There are hundreds of commemorative bricks in Van Neste Memorial Park and large commemorative markers associated with the 1995 restoration project, are we so willing to disregard the people and the past ?
And if you are willing to sacrifice the past,who’s decision is it anyway ? A Village employee trying to make political points?
History is what makes you who you are. In Van Neste Square there is a memorial dedicated to Abraham Godwin. Abraham Godwin was born July 16, 1763. He was a Soldier, Statesman, artist, poet, engraver, and a very talented musician. As a soldier Abraham went to Fishkill joining his brother, Captain Henry Godwin’s regiment, the Fifth of the Line, January 17, 1777, as a fife major. The regiment was ordered to Fort Montgomery to lay the chain across the Hudson River. He was in the Governor’s life guard at Schenectady protecting the frontier at Lake Otsego under General Sullivan during the Finger Lakes campaign and at Yorktown, where he witnessed the surrender of Cornwallis to Washington.
Before Ridgewood got its name, it was called Godwinville in his honor. Godwin Avenue is now named after him. There are various other war memorials in Van Neste Square as well.
No one is against “change” but why is it the politicians always look to “fix” things that are not broken ? Why must we always “change” the good but never change the bad?
Why must we destroy and denigrate our history but put up with a “3rd world water system” ? If your looking for change how about changing Ridgewood Water instead, so we do not have water restrictions every summer?
We should memorialize this caper with a village plaque to hubris and for the future generations to Trust but first Verify.Could have turned out quite differently without the hard and determined efforts to overcome those developers and some whom they called to dance to their opportunistic tune.
First of all why is Christopher Rutishause e-Mailing plans for the park to Bill Gilsenan? Why is Gilsenan getting involved in the park? Im tired of all the so called Demigod running this Village. Paul Vagianos, John Saraceno Ed Sullivan, Tom Hillman and now Bill Gilsenan. Their names were not on the Village ballot for council. This council has to watch very closely what goes on because there has always been a small group self proclaimed Demigod who try to run this town from behind the scenes. Simply voting out the 3 Amigos is not going to stop this because its Systemic.
VM, Assistant to the VM, HR, Village Engineer, Superintendent of Parks and Rec. and the above named are running this town not the new council. Poster just need to reflect back to some of the fiascos that have happen in the last 4 years to find the common thread. Wise up new Village Council and get a grip on this. Don’t let them distract you while they plan or plot.
Thank God people spoke. I want to Thank all of those who took the lead on this. Those who so forcefully pushed this monster are the worst enemies of our village. I have been driving around all weekend day or night and have found PLENTY of parking at every corner and not farther than 5 mins away to walk to ant restaurant or store. Our village is lovely the way it is, it just needs improvements but nothing major. I hope the new council identifies the obvious and doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel with monstrous “investments”.
In today’s standards-based education system, the main focus is on teaching skills rather than content. There’s a prevalent idea that it matters less what students read just so long as they are reading.
But according to E.D. Hirsch, professor emeritus of education and humanities at the University of Virginia, that’s bull.
Some of you may know Hirsch through his famous advocacy of “cultural literacy”—the idea that some amount of “shared, canonical knowledge is inherently necessary to a literate democracy,” and that students in a particular culture should have common exposure to certain texts and concepts.
Fantasy fiction is often pooh-poohed by academics and intellectuals, but it can whet the appetite for learning.
Jon Miltimore | August 19, 2016
Recently I spoke with a friend who expressed some angst that his 12-year-old son was primarily interested in reading fantasy novels. Efforts to introduce the lad to higher forms of literature were proving more difficult than he’d expected.
Not to worry. Fantasy novels and science fiction yarns, I said, are often gateways to the higher forms of literature. This was not just my opinion, I added, it was my experience.
When I was 12, I was not yet much of a fan of reading. I had enjoyed some young adult fiction writers (S.E. Hinton, R.L. Stein, Christopher Pike, etc.) and enjoyed the histories of NFL football teams, but I didn’t have a passion for books. That changed when my father gave me J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings.
