>The fly wonders why the BOE went ahead with the purchase of TERC 2 for both Travell and Orchard based on teacher work from this summer and the Travell parent survey results which are on the school web site under ‘math info for parents’ at the bottom of the list. Seems like a waste of $9000 for Beth Fisher-Yoshida, her work isn’t even completed, and yet they purchased the ‘new and improved’ math?
>From the Board of Ed Agenda for Monday, July 23.
Approval: Proposal from LAN Associates to Provide Architectural and Engineering Services
Mrs. Botsford
Approval for LAN Associates to provide architectural and engineering services for electrical and fire alarm upgrades at Ridgewood High School. The estimated cost is $610,000 and estimated architectural and engineering fees are $61,000 (10% of total estimated cost).
The Board has received background information.
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This blog carries local news content and 80-90% of the articles are sent in by contributors. Contrary to the critics claims there are a lot of well connected people in town that want to make a statement and remain anonymous. I try keep it an open forum and often publish things I do not agree with but find it to be a valuable or some would say controversial issue.
If you want to criticize this blog please have the courtesy of reading it first, then send me an email or make a comment. If its funny, clever, interesting or just plain stupid I will publish it if it also meets the below criteria (that means its not Bush’s or the “neo-cons” fault you got a speeding ticket in front of GW, I get way to many of these kind of childish comments).
What does not get published are off topic comments, or comments that have nothing to do with Ridgewood (this blog is about Ridgewood hence the name “the Ridgewood Blog”), advertisements for other website with out my permission, cheap skate ambulance chasing lawyers looking to pick up suckers I mean clients, police business for fear of inadvertently interfering, personal indiscretions (these I save in case someone gets some ideas) , comments from stalkers, and comments from people with there own agenda that have nothing to do with Ridgewood ,however secret agendas and conspiracies that do have to do with Ridgewood are encouraged.
Please be advised if you’re a lawyer and get business from a contact made on this blog there is a 50% finder’s fee, and yes I will aggressively enforce it. You have been warned!
Yes from time to time I do publish really stupid comments, just not always.
If you can’t handle disagreement or have no sense of humor, I am sorry for you, and this blog is not for you.
It is not hate speech or harassment when someone exercises their constitutional rights and voices an opinion or concern nor is someone a closed minded, racist, bigot, homophobe simply because they don’t agree with you. You should instead celebrate the vitality that produces all these opinions. For those self appointed people who want to silence others, I have some news for you, sorry not a chance.
I would love to link with your website if you agree to link back otherwise forget it .If your website is lame or spends all its time attacking me and or this blog you need a life not a link.
PJ Blogger
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>The Ridgewood Post Office has a new postmaster. Post Office employees were notified this past Monday that former postmaster Frank Busciano was sent back to his previous post and the new postmaster, Mary Ellen Murray, was appointed. An investigation was undertaken in Newark and Washington, D.C. regarding the many complaints filed by employees and patrons against Frank Busciano. Postal employees mentioned that there will be a town meeting to discuss the possibility of opening the windows earlier than the now 10:00 a.m. window opening. Residents please watch for the date and time of this meeting and let your voices be heard. Should Ridgewood residents have any questions, they can contact Postmaster Mary Ellen Murray at 201-447-2135.
>A Claremont Road resident last night blasted Village Council members for even considering a vendor requested $125 fee for emergency towing service. If approved, $125 would be the minimum charge applicable for passenger cars needing to be towed from accident scenes or breakdowns within Ridgewood. There are currently two vendors under contract with Ridgewood PD to provide such services; they are called in on a “rotating schedule” basis.
Claiming the proposed $125 fee would be much higher than those charged in other small communities, the resident implored Council members to consider charges comparable to those in municipalities adjacent to Ridgewood, not in cities such as Paterson or Passaic. A towing company representative countered the resident’s remarks by citing expensive rises in insurance rates, salaries, and equipment costs as bonafide reasons for requesting the steep fee increase.
The same resident also criticized Council members for not taking any action with respect to increasing daytime & evening parking capacity at Village Hall. “Too many Village owned cars and Village employees’ private vehicles parked” was his claim. Mayor David T. Pfund directed Village Manager James M. Ten Hoeve to review the current parking space allocation plan and offer Council members with options for a reconfiguration that would increase the availability of spaces for public use.
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Citing her desire to live in an environment free of intrusive and noxious smoke, a South Irving Street resident last night asked Village Council members to either ban chimeneas outright, or begin actively enforcing the Village’s current ordinance against all outdoor burning unrelated to cooking.
Asserting that the inhalation of smoke from chimeneas could be particularly hazardous to asthmatics and allergy suffers, that shoddily constructed devices used in close proximity of wooden decks could cause structural fires, and that the Village’s fire department is frequently responding to “reported smoke condition” calls as a result of unchecked chimenea use, the resident requested immediate relief from the Mayor and Village Council members.
Mayor David T. Pfund thanked the resident for her comments, but made no promises with respect to any action on the part of either he, or Village Council members.
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>Although the much talked about six-foot deep mass of woodchips has long since been removed from the Crest Road Overlook, just last night did Village Council members officially award the $12K clean up project contract to Ross and Associates, Inc., 54 Main Street, Hackensack.
Ross, a commercial landscaper who plowed snow under contract for the Village this past winter, completed the hazardous assignment in late June, after it was determined that the Village’s own crews did not have the necessary safety training, or hydraulic power equipment at hand.
Still unanswered it the question of who ordered such a massive load of woodchips dumped at the overlook in November. All fingers seem to be pointing at a member of the Village Council, but no one on the Council has yet stepped forward and confessed to any first hand involvement in the process.
>In a report recently delivered to Ridgewood’s Mayor and Council, Village CFO Dorothy J. Stikna publicly recently revealed that salaries for the Village’s police and fire employees are expected to rise at the rate of 4% over the next 5 years, while salaries for other Village workers are expected to increase at the rate of only 3% during the same period.
During her prepared remarks, Stikna offered no solutions for keeping the salaries of Ridgewood‘s public safety employees in line with those of other VOR workers. However, it is rumored that some members of the Village Council have privately questioned the need to retain a fire department staffed almost entirely by career personnel; especially since no other community in Northwest Bergen County has such an organization. The Village fire department’s annual budget is reportedly in excess of $3 million.
Rumors are also circulating that the Northwest Center Bergen Dispatch Center, operated jointly by Glen Rock and Ridgewood, may soon be offered for sale to the County of Bergen. With an arm of the County government then entrenched in Ridgewood, a closer look might be taken at merging Ridgewood’s police force into the Bergen County Police Department. Significant savings in administrative expenses would be realized from such a merger.
Ms. Stikna’s estimated 2006 salary was $127, 778 (as reported by www.datauniverse.com).
>Perhaps the most frequently asked question in the Library/Village Hall parking lot, and even in the Village Hall lobby, is “where’s the police department?”
In attempt to help residents and visitors find their way around our municipal complex, Village Council members this year approved the creation and installation of new parking lot and building signage.
However, it’s been several months now since plans were approved and the Fly hasn’t noticed any new signs yet. So, “where’s the police department?” still holds the top spot as the most frequently asked question on Maple Avenue.
P.S.: In case you didn’t know, the police department is located on the second level of Village Hall (use rear entrance – facing southeast, near the yellow mail box).
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>The Fly has received numerous reports of a fatal motor vehicle accident that took place in front of The Valley Hospital on Friday morning. Reportedly, two Valley employees were involved; one was killed.
Members of the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Fatal Accident Investigation Team and the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office Bureau of Criminal Identification were observed at the scene taking measurements and photographs.
There has been no newspaper account of the incident thus far. Does anyone have further details? Is The Valley attempting to keep this incident under wraps so residents don’t bring it up at future hearings related to the hospital’s building expansion plans?
