“Hi everyone! I wanted to share a “good news” story about one of Ridgewood’s graduates, Ashley Eapen, who was recently interviewed by FORBES about her In/Spree App, which is changing how people can shop (since “it takes a village”, I thought our village would like to know about the good one of our own is doing). She managed to juggle starting this up while finishing her senior year of high school (I was her teacher, and she asked me to share this :). PLEASE take a moment to share and support our local girl! So proud of this talented, driven, creative, gifted young woman!” Kristine
How Two Entrepreneurs Leveraged Their Youth As A Strength, Not A WeaknessMatt Hunckler
CONTRIBUTOR
For many young founders, youth works against them. Seasoned investors want to work with entrepreneurs who have started and sold numerous businesses. Entrepreneurs who have been in the startup trenches. Entrepreneurs who know how to ride out the troughs and crests of the entrepreneurial journey. Young founders often find it difficult to secure funding.
This harsh reality makes the success of young Brendan and Ashley Eapen all the more surprising. The entrepreneurial duo recently made news by raising $250,000 to fund their new app In/Spree, which makes it possible for users to follow their favorite fashion influencers and then purchase clothes directly within the app.
Location: Ramsey Country Club, 105 Lakeside Drive, Ramsey, NJ 07446
Join us for our Charity Golf Classic – proceeds
go to the Chamber’s RHS Scholarship Fund –
“empowering children through education”.
Monday, August 15, 2016
Ramsey Country Club
Registration: 10am
Putting Contest: 11am
Lunch BBQ: 11am-12:30pm
Shot Gun Start 12:30pm
Open Bar- 5-7:30pm
Buffet Dinner-
Prizes
$300pp for a fabulous day on the greens.
Sponsorships available.
Great golf close to home.
Networking at it best on the greens.
for more information call Chamber
201-445-2600 [email protected]
I , Diane Palacios , am the writer of the original post. I bumped into Councilman Hache in the supermarket yesterday and he said the weed that is invading the pond is Japanese Knotweed and that it is sprayed away twice a year , in the spring and the fall.
I also sent an e-mail to Mayor Knudsen and Deputy Mayor Sedon. Whatever the reason, I am very saddened by the mess there. I have lived here since 1978, and have walked there over the years including last year.
This is the worst that I have seen it.
I purposely did not contact Councilwoman Walsh. She lives next door and she obviously sees it and doesn’t care. I fear she would give me an excuse that wouldn’t mean anything and that wouldn’t remedy the problem. People in power that don’t care about something have those sorts of excuses like Hache’s excuse. And his was the only sign I had in front of my house during the election. If it were up to me I would do whatever it takes to keep the pond in good condition. The pond should NEVER have been left to get in that deplorable condition. As far as I am concerned keeping that pond in beautiful natural condition is of prime importance, more important than overbuilding an already developed CBD.
Let’s face it very few people care a damn about the beauty and health of nature and the environment and if you do care you are called a Communist.
I miss the tadpoles too. I am very sad about this.
Wow Diane you are so wrong about Bernie Walsh. She’s been an advocate for Twinneys for years. I will call her and let her know about your complaint. And I agree the village needs to dredge it.
Hey Diane Palacios before you besmirch Council Walsh maybe you read this article from north jersey .com. Why don’t you try getting your hand dirty. No,you rather just bitch about thing
We have the Girls Scouts and so many members of Ridgewood Wildscape Association helping out. They help clean the park every year because so many kids come here and skate when it’s frozen,” said Bernadette Walsh, a Ridgewood council member, Girl Scout leader and Red Birch Court resident.
Walsh helped spearhead this year’s cleanup effort, and recruited her children and brought a few landscaping tools from her garage to help with the project.
Diane, here is a suggestion if you would like to learn more and get involved please contact Bergen SWAN (Save the Watershed Action Network). It is a wonderful non-profit organization based in the Pascack Valley area. It often runs seminars about invasive species, wildlife, etc. Lori Charkey is co-founder of the organization and extremely knowledgeable about nature and has been a pioneer in preserving what little wild space is left in Bergen County. I’m impressed that Ramon knew about Japanese Knotweed!
The cause: Twinney is also the location of a Ridgewood Water Pump and Filter Facility. The large facility is located directly behind the pond (now you know where Ridgewood Water gets “their” water). Since the facility’s construction; systematic pumping from under the kettle pond has destroyed the original ecology (no fish any longer and many new invasive plants). The facility typically runs the pond full dry several times each year. Interviews of local long time residents indicate the pond “had” a bubbling spring and a sand bottom. A local school boy from the 1800’s described it as an oasis and historically the pond served the local native population for millenia. All of that goodness is now hidden under 40 years of black silt caused by running the pond dry.
Councilwoman Bernadette Walsh lives two doors from Twinney. She has been active with Girl Scouts in an annual cleanup there. Perhaps the post writer would wish to contact her directly [email protected] and ask what’s up. A cc: to the Ridgewood Wildscape Association at [email protected] could be useful.
It was horrible when the town sold the land surrounding that tiny park to a developer. We’re just giving it away and we will never get it back. NO NEW HOMES. MORE NATURE.
Stellar research. This item has been sent to all council members with a demand for restitution, the identity of the staff member who signed off on reimbursement, and the question: FRAUD?
In fact, fraud was committed twice: not only on taxpayers, but also on the videographer, reportedly a Hillmann family member, who was gypped out of his full fee on the pretention that the client was a village business and C. of C. member. Even if he was in on the “joke,” it’s wrong.
I suggest a letter on legal letterhead from the village attorney to Ms. Hauck: “It has come to our attention….we have obtained documentation, to wit…please make out your check, including $X in interest, to…and since you have committed fraud, please do not attend the September or subsequent meetings of the Parks, Recreation and Conservation Board, except perhaps as an observer sitting over in the corner. To protect the village from possible legal action based on your fraudulent behavior as a council member, we must remove you from this and any future positions of responsibility within the village. Not-love, etc. etc.”
Elected officials may not use their positions to further political agendas or tax money to fund them.
If nothing is done, residents may ask WHY at future council meetings.
An easy way to send a single email message to all council members may be reached through this link, which is updated after every council election:
You can remove the cc: before sending, if desired.
A similar group email form posted on the council page of the village website has been suggested and approved (weeks ago), but not implemented (surprise).
Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood PD Patrol Officer Anthony Mormino and members of the Village of Ridgewood Department of Public Works Streets Division assist an individual whose smart phone fell into a dry storm basin at the intersection of East Ridgewood Avenue and Cottage Place on Friday afternoon, 08/05. The undamaged phone was successfully retrieved by PO Mormino. Great job guys !
We already have a Ridgewood Performing Arts Center. We don’t need another.
About RPAC
RPAC opened its doors in the Fall of 2006. The school was started by Alexia Hess-Sheehan and Amy Armbruster to fill the need for a multi-disciplinary dance facility that was both professional in its approach and that was made up of some of the best dance teachers in the New York Tri-State area.
Our highly qualified and supportive teachers inspire and work with every student on the importance of proper technique, giving them a strong foundation from which they can pursue their individual goals in dance.
From the July 2015 Ridgewood Library Board of Trustees Meeting
A couple of library board trustees said they want to move ahead with the original plan, which called only for the renovation of the library, and add in the construction of a performing arts center next to the library and village hall. This would turn the library and its surrounding area into the cultural hub the members are seeking.
The cost of the library renovations alone is estimated at around $5 million, according to Ralph Rosenberg, who was responsible for the renovations 20 years ago. Rosenberg has agreed to advise the trustees throughout the process as “owner’s representative.”
The estimated cost of the renovations, including the hypothetical performing arts center, is unknown.
(Community News | At the Library | Ridgewood Inside NorthJersey.com)
See any common threads here?
Board of Trustees Ridgewood Library
John Johansen, President 12/31/2015
Elisa R. Legg, Vice President
Arlene Sarappo, Secretary 12/31/2018
Gail Campbell, Treasurer
Christine Driscoll 12/31/2018
John Saraceno 12/31/2017
Janis Fuhrman 12/31/2018
Paul Aronsohn, Mayor
Albert Pucciarelli, Mayor’s Delegate
Dr. Daniel Fishbein, Superintendent of Schools
Linda Diorio, Superintendent’s Delegate
Don’t we have auditoriums in EVERY school which can be rented for a very reasonable price. Why do we need a performing arts center? Not to mention that the property is in a flood zone.
Yes, the National Elks organization appears to have been “gotten to”, at least indirectly, by a cabal of local supporters of the idea of building a performing arts center where the Elk’s Lodge now stands. The Local Elk’s club membership is probably reeling at the treatment they have been receiving from their national – level hierarchy. The tax status of the property on which the Elk’s Lodge now sits appears to have also been the subject of hijinks or skullduggery of some sort. Its valuation was dropped by more than half, if memory serves, with no apparent explanation for the change, which sounds like a setup.
Ridgewood NJ, Neighbors accuse Healthbarn of violating their lease and changing the concept of Habernickel park for this businesses benefit.
Healthbarn neighbors continue to to voice concerns that Healthbarn has a max of 95 private clients plus their employees. This means an excess of 95 people could be there at one time. Once again the Ridgewood blog wonders how did this actually pass village code when the home is only allowed to hold 50 people in total?
This is a major safety issue that could lead to legal obligations that could fall on the village in an emergency situation. Are the business’ clients aware of the dangerous situation they are putting their children in? If a business in town was exceeding the allotted amount of patrons would they be overlooked the same way the major issues at Healthbarn are being over looked?
Early on HealthBarn’s lease was questioned by many residents. The original lease was put up on the web site for all the residents. If there were changes approved after that, to allocate them more space, or to approve them to put up dog feeding station outside their allocated fenced area – all those documents should be part of the records being provided to the residents, just like their programs and their good deeds are being promoted on the village web site as part of their marketing on our expense. The Ridgewood blog has heard that a child was bitten by a dog on the property.
A quick walk in Habernickel Park we noticed that the parking lot lights seem to be moving forward. It is difficult to understand why lights are being placed in a park that should be closing at dusk like ALL the other parks in town.
The lighting is going to be a huge quality of life disruption for many many neighbors. Lights were already added to the gate house in several locations to benefit this business and remain on.
During a Village Council Work Session held on Wednesday, August 3rd, Councilman Jeffrey Voigt publicly stated that he was approached by two (2) unnamed individuals who are “willing to testify” with respect to possible unethical, unlawful, and/or illegal actions that took place in connection with a previous Village Council’s introduction and subsequent passage of several ordinances related to the construction of high density, multi-family housing in Ridgewood. Councilman Voigt is proposing the formation of an investigative body, fully funded by Ridgewood taxpayers, to issue subpoenas, conduct interviews, hold public hearings, deliberate, and release findings/recommendations relative to this matter.
Although I wholly support finding out if there were any unethical, unlawful, and/or illegal actions that took place in connection with the previous Village Council’s introduction and subsequent approval of several ordinances related to the construction of high density, multi-family housing in Ridgewood, I am NOT supportive of the formation of a investigative body funded by Ridgewood’s taxpayers if Councilman Voigt, or anyone else on the Village Council, is already in possession of information that could be passed to an appropriate governmental investigatory agency, such as the NJ State Attorney General’s Office.
Why spend Ridgewood taxpayers’ money if there is already an agency that could handle this for us? Having an independent agency conduct the investigation would also serve to calm those who are already shouting “this is going to be nothing more than a witch hunt!”
If Councilman Voigt or anyone else on the Council has details of improprieties having taken place, he/they should PICK UP THE PHONE NOW AND CALL THE AG’s OFFICE – DO NOT HESITATE! There is no need to begin the long, drawn out, VERY EXPENSIVE process of forming a committee, issuing subpoenas locally, and conducting public hearings – I would view the initiation of such a process as intended to serve publicity purposes only.
Again, let’s cut right to the chase on this one – If someone is willing to testify that they are aware of things having been done that violated laws, DROP A DIME NOW!
Let’s stop the pussyfooting around and get on this immediately!
We need more than ever to put down our phones and Pokeman duties to take a walk up our commercial Zone and support our neighbors and their businesses for this event. These are real family businesses and some newer stores and services who voted with their bank accounts and invested in us.
We are all Ridgewood Citizens, so park the car far away,take a nice walk and enjoy a bargain new outfit accessory service offering or a meal ,,snack coffee , ice cream or fudge and bring the kids and a neighbor.lets show our commitment to supporting and buying local.
Forget about an arts center. The VH is not an ATM for special interest projects.
Walnut/Town Garage site was always the best place for a parking project. Central location to CBD & transportation. Ground level + 2 upper levels. Install a traffic light at the dangerous intersection of Franklin/Walnut.
If the VC wanted to get us out of the parking lot business, it should look into the owners of the Ken Smith & adjacent properties to do parking on the west side of the property & responsible mixed use on the east side.
As long as the VC is transparent and has no sacred cows to feed, it can be done.
A performing arts center should be a private undertaking, if at all. There is no way it will break even.
The library should stick to their mission. Entertainment is not a public sector responsibility.
The head of the Library Ms. Green has for the last 10 years complained that there is no enough parking for the library. she has suggested that that people using Veterans Field park anywhere but the Library Parking. She even wanted the police intervene. So now the the brain trust at the Library want a performing arts center. They may say that the will raise the money for this by donations but like the turf field we are stuck with all the expenses after it built. It like the gift that keep on giving.
Performing arts center is not needed and placing it adjacent to the library would be a huge mistake. The driveway between the buildings should never have been removed, and this would ensure that it could never be restored, as I have hoped since they removed it. Why do we allow the library and other entities to go hog wild? As one comment above notes, between the library staff and patrons, village hall staff and visitors, band shell attendees, and sports participants and observers, the lot is often full precisely when such an event would be taking place. Attracting more cars to the same parking lot would be a nightmare, especially as people giving up and leaving all had to circle around and exit via that ridiculous narrow driveway with a 90-degree angle and speed bumps. And nobody could get to the library for a BOOK. FORGET IT!
I just took a walk to Twinney’s (Aug. 4, 10 a.m). I was shocked to see how much the POND is NARROWED due to plants taking over.
Are those the plants, the milkweed that the Ridgewood Conservancy planted? Those plants must be removed or pond will disappear very soon. I will be glad to help.
The pond wooded area is heaven sent. I was greeted by a beautiful large bird with partial orange colored wings over-head that landed in a nearby tree and later showed off its wings again flying overhead and landing in another nearby tree. There were two loud quacking ducks conversing in the now very narrowed pond. The pathway had shady trees and the narrowness of the pathway was super fun to walk on. Real naturey and wild.
But it is IMPOSSIBLE TO WALK TO WATER’s EDGE due to the over growth of that plant life (milk weed?) In past years since 1980 I could ALWAYS WALK TO Wa edge and see tadpoles. Now I couldn’t get there at all, even to see mud.
Teachers in the photo above: Please read below written by a retired colleague. The taxpayers can no longer and will no longer agree to your sweetheart deals which is why so many of your brethren have retired early to “take the money and run.” So when you whine about your paychecks and benefits, remember, the rest of us have to live very carefully and save enough, cross our fingers Wall St. doesn’t do funny things just to make sure we might be able to retire (and we have to pay for our own supplemental medical insurance). Just because we live in Ridgewood does not mean we are 1%ers. Some of us, with college degrees earn less than you and have stressful demanding jobs so your protests fall on deaf ears. I don’t like or agree with much Christie does but this is one thing he got right and tried to fix.
The author of the guest essay below is a retired New Jersey teacher who considers her benefits package far too generous. Gov. Christie was right to confront the teachers’ union immediately after taking office, she says, since teacher benefits could eventually bankrupt the state, and many others, if outlays needed to pay those benefits continue to outstrip revenues. I have withheld the author’s name to protect her from retaliation by her former colleagues.
I watch with gratitude the commercial by Prudential that warns those who hope to retire to think about how much money they’ll need to do so comfortably. I am grateful because I need not worry so much about my money running out before my nest egg does. I am a retired New Jersey educator. My funds are as lengthy as my life. They will even continue to support my spouse after I am gone at a rate of 50%. His pension will additionally support me at a rate of 50% if he should pre-decease me.
I began teaching in 1972 at an annual salary of $7,700. It was not much. Incremental raises were small from year to year. I ended my career teaching after 30 years. I was 52 — three years below full retirement age. I decided for personal reasons to retire early at a penalty of 3% per annum below the full retirement age, which was recently moved down to 55. I was not concerned because the 9% decrease in my pension benefits would be more than offset by three additional years of benefits.
Although I am not well versed in the subject of finance, I am told that I would need to have amassed a nest egg substantially greater than a million dollars to provide as well for myself as New Jersey does. Since this is a near impossibility at my former pay scale, it is all the more amazing that New Jersey is so generously funding my golden years. Additionally, my healthcare benefits were covered by the state until Medicare kicked in. After that, my secondary insurance was picked up by the N.J. State Health Benefits Plan.
This is a rather lengthy prelude to the point I wish to convey about the state of pensions both in New Jersey and other states that confer similar benefits on government workers. It is clear that this level of pension funding cannot be sustained indefinitely. Public servants must be part of the solution to burgeoning budget deficits in every state in which they occur. I am not an actuary, nor am I an economist, but I can see the anger growing in the public-at-large that continues to question the demands of those who receive generous packages during their employment and afterwards. Surely, the cris de coeur about the plight of educators cannot reflect the economic realities of many of the constituents who pay the educators’ salaries.
Bergen County ‘Tops’ at $90K.
To give you an idea of how very generous teachers’ pensions are, I’ve appended average salaries for NJ districts in 2011-12 below. Benefits are calculated by taking the average salary of the last three years of employment multiplied by the number of years in New Jersey public education, divided by 60 (full retirement age). Thus, if you worked as teacher in Bergen County for 30 years, your annual pension benefit could be as high as $45,114 ($90,228 x 30 divided by 60). When I retired early, I received 30 years divided by 55 (which was for a short time considered full retirement age. Gov. Christie returned the full retirement age to 60 as a cost-saving measure). Tack on full health insurance until Medicare kicks in, plus, when you reach 65, the state picks up the supplemental costs. A pretty sweet deal, no?
Here are the salary averages, by county: 1. Northern Valley Regional (Bergen County) $90,228; 2. Ocean City (Cape May) $88,434; 3. Carlstadt-East Rutherford (Bergen) $87,502; 4. East Rutherford (Bergen) $86,624; 5. Edison (Middlesex) $84,159; 6. Margate (Atlantic) $83,820; 7. East Orange (Essex) $83,418; 8. Closter (Bergen) $82,558; 9. Wallkill Valley Regional (Sussex) $82,475; 10. High Point Regional (Sussex) $82,386; 11. Teaneck (Bergen) $82,116; 12. West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional (Mercer) $82,059; 13. Hackensack (Bergen) $81,900;14. Pascack Valley Regional (Bergen) $81,832;15. Mainland Regional (Atlantic) $81,100; 16. Trenton (Mercer) $80,886;17. Millburn (Essex) $80,774; 18. Pemberton (Burlington) $80,579; 19. River Dell Regional (Bergen) $79,564; 20. Freehold Regional (Monmouth) $79,185.
Often I feel like a traitor to my profession – or I am made to feel so by the constant postings of my former colleagues who seek every opportunity to defame Gov. Christie for his hardline stance on unsustainable obligations to retired educators. I am not, however, traitorous. A paradox arises out of this situation. Taxes rise to cover increasing costs. Retirees who cannot afford some of the highest property taxes and state taxes take their pensions out of state and live in tax free zones. It is time for us to become responsible adults and change a system which is antiquated and inequitable for those who are left to pay the price.
Ridgewood NJ, Readers accuse Ridgewood’s Village manager of continuing to push the agenda of the former Village council known as the 3 amigos . During Wednesday’s council meeting Village Manager Roberta Sonnefeld was taken to task over her actions on Schedler Park and Health Barn at Habernickle Park . The theme was an old theme of ignoring residents and continuing to push the out dated failed agenda of the former council .
“The biggest news from the meeting – Mayor Knudsen publicly apologized to a resident who was the subject of a very nasty and inappropriate letter to the editor of The Ridgewood News written by Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld. Sonenfeld offered no apology herself, however.”
Reader report , “Several people came down hard on Roberta Sonenfeld, and all had very specific reasons. I hope the council is listening to them. They have to get rid of her.”
While others say , “She will never resign from her “dream job” (her words). Big bucks, big power. Resigning would be an admission that she had actively followed Aronsohn’s personal instructions. That’s the truth, but she can’t admit it. And we have no way of knowing whether she has continued to do the same, only receiving his orders other than from the dais. Well, lots of those orders were given out of public view. However, if the council is wise, as several residents asked them to do in the public comments last night, she’ll be gone in a puff of smoke, ideally by Labor Day, no resignation required.”
Another reader reminded us that , “Paul Aronsohn blew a trumped up fit at our prior VM. Why? Because his formal political affiliation was notoriously out-of-phase with Aronsohn’s. Aronsohn swept out the old and ushered in someone he thought would be beholden to him. But Ridgewood has now moved on, back to a proper non-partisan VC. For anyone currently in village management publicly to defy the new councilmembers and the new mayor seems foolish. Maybe they are dead set on acting ideologically. Maybe they have become partisan hacks. Either way they need to get a clue, and fast.”
