It was Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld’s excitement in describing this horrific and unnecessary new construction that gave me pause. She sounded just the same when talking about creating the H.R. job (which quickly and quietly segued from part time to full time) for her friend and essentially giving Habernickel Park to her other friend who runs the now-hated Health Barn. The Village Manager should not be so happy about these projects and in each case she had a personal stake in them (not financially, presumably). More and more and more expensive and disruptive construction, partly subsidized by grants to take the sting off (but not nearly enough, if you study the final numbers), was the theme under the Aronsohn years. She remains under his thumb and must be removed, as must Health Barn and the H.R. position, if we are to return to any level of benign stasis.
They lost the election ..we voted for change..time to take control over these boondoggle projects..leave that park surface alone..clean up the benches and spend some money on fall minor tree trimming and some
light cleaning of the monument areas and any grass refurbishment,leave the bricks alone,
Roberta will be telling us it is a CRISIS, Van Neste is falling apart I tell you it is a CRISIS.Follow the money. Someone stands to make big money. Who is doing the ugly concrete sidewalks? Who is doing the $40,000 cheesy fence? Who will build the Vagiannos Pavilion aka the gazebo?Roberta is all wound up about the is project because promises were made. Follow the money!
Thank you for being part of the August 21, 2016 Ridgewood Drive By Food Drive – The World’s Simplest Food Drive!
August 15,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, In order to donate, please complete the form below and place a bag of non-perishable food on your doorstep starting at 8:00 AM on Sunday, August 21st. Our team of volunteers will do the rest. We will never distribute or use your information for any non-food drive purposes.
All collected items will be donated to the CUMAC Food Pantry (https://www.cumacecho.org/) of Paterson. All other questions can be directed to Brian Gatens, a Ridgewood resident, at mrgatens@gmail.com.
Please feel free to spread the word about the Food Drive. You can post this form link on your Facebook/Social Media Pages or email it to friends. Ridgewood has always supported the food drive and your support is appreciated.
Additional Ridgewood Art Institute Summer Sessions start next week! All levels are welcome!
Both Painting and Drawing Sessions are offered.
August 15-19
3:00-5:00pm
Laura Paray
laura@paray.com
(201) 281-6940
Oil Painting for Young People – ages 8 to 17 (East Studio)
Your child will learn the basic techniques of oil painting and will create still life and landscape paintings to completion. They will learn concepts such as massing in, color and value. Fee: $185 supplies: $25
August 22-26
3:00-5:00pm
Joel Popadics
joel@watercolorpop.com
(973) 851-0366
Learn How to Draw-People, Landscapes & Still Life -ages 9 to 17 (East Studio)
All levels will discover the basics of drawing with exercises that are designed to be fun and easy to comprehend. Each session will focus on a different subject – everyday objects, people, landscapes and perspective while working in pencil, charcoal and pen & ink. Fee: $185 supplies: $35
Ridgewood Art Institute
12 East Glen Avenue
Ridgewood, New Jersey 07450
More like lighting up the place so there can be “events” every night as Vagianos has repeatedly requested. Shouldn’t we ask ourselves if this is quite the moment in environmental history to be lighting every possible corner and square of the town? Besides the absurd expense for installation and maintenance, and reducing our ability to see the stars and feel calm at night, increased electrical usage raises rates and can lead to brownouts and blackouts and even potential rationing. We’re just screwing ourselves left and right.
Reader says , “At the council meeting it was explained that (although this makes no sense, since computers work a 168-hour week) it can take days for an online payment for a water bill to be registered as paid. Therefore, paying online on or near the due date does not automatically count as having paid on time. This is what happens when machines are allowed to take over the world. Interestingly, the time interval is similar to what people who mail a check have to plan for, if not more so.”
Frequently Asked Questions
What is eBill?
eBill is an Electronic Bill Payment Service which allows Bill Payers an easy and secure method to pay bills online.
How does eBill work?
Ridgewood Water sends bill information to MCC where it is processed and made available for you to pay your bills.You will receive an email notifying you when your payment has been posted to Ridgewood Water. You can also view the current status and payment history of all eBill payments.All information is on an encrypted, secure server and is not sold or released for any reason other than to complete a transaction.
How Do I Register?
Registering is easy and requires minimal information from you.
Create your account by filling out your email address and password.
You will receive an email with your Activation Number for accessing eBill for the first time.
Click the link in the email or return to the eBill home page and login with your email address, Password, and when prompted, your Activation number*. You are ready to pay bills on eBill.
*If you clicked the activation link you will not be required to enter an Activation number.
Is my information secure?
eBill accepts payments using a secure, 256-bit SSL encrypted webpage. This is the highest standard in Internet security. All information is stored in a secured database to prevent unauthorized access to the data. All information is kept private, and is not shared.
Why haven’t I received an email with my Login Information and Activation Number?
The security settings on your email may not allow an Activation Number to be sent to you.Before completing this Registration, please check the settings on your email system to ensure that email can be accepted from RidgewoodNJ@mcc.net If you do not receive an email with your Activation Number within 8 hours, please contact us at support@mcc.net
What forms of payment can be used on ebill?
eBill currently accepts payments using MasterCard®, Discover®, and American Express®. You may also pay using electronic check (ACH) from a checking or savings account.
Which Bills Can I Pay?
You may only pay Ridgewood Water bills.
Can I make a scheduled payment for a future date?
Yes. You can schedule a payment for a future date up to the cut-off-date.
What information is needed to complete an eBill payment?
The only information needed to complete a payment on eBill is your current bill and valid bank account or credit card information.
It’s that easy! After your first payment, your bill will be added to the My eBills section, making future payments even easier!
When can I pay?
eBill is available for payments 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
What are the costs for using eBill?
There are no signup costs or subscription fees for using eBill.
Can I use a Credit Card to pay my bill(s)?
Below are the Credit Cards Ridgewood Water currently accepts:
American Express, MasterCard, Discover.
Visa® is not accepted at this time.
The non-refundable convenience fee when using credit cards is a percentage-based fee that varies depending on the card you use. The convenience fee is automatically calculated based upon the type of credit card used and the dollar amount of the bill being paid. A complete listing of fees can be viewed below:
Can I use ACH transfer (electronic check) to pay my bill(s)?
You can use an ACH transfer (electronic check) as a payment method using your checking or savings account.
Will I receive a confirmation number after paying my bill?
Yes, you will receive a confirmation number after your transaction is recorded (and authorized, in the case of credit card transactions). Please keep this number as a confirmation of your payment. Your confirmation number can also be used to track your Express Pay payment.
Can I use more than one payment method per transaction?
You may choose to use either a credit card or electronic check (ACH transfer) as a payment method for each bill in your payment cart and submit your transactions.
When paying by credit card, how does my payment appear on my statement?
You will find two transactions on your Credit Card statement; one amount covering the costs of the bill for Ridgewood Water, and one amount covering the cost of the transaction using eBill.
When paying by ACH transfer (electronic check), how does my payment appear on my bank statement?
You will find two transactions on your bank statement; one amount covering the costs of the bill for Ridgewood Water, and one amount covering the cost of the transaction using eBill.
Can I check if Ridgewood Water has posted my payment?.
Yes, log into eBill and choose Payment History found under My Account. Information will be displayed for each payment made under eBill.
Get a Copy of your Bill online:
Residents can get a copy of their mailed paper bill online. Simply log into your eBill account and search for your bill to view and print a copy of your bill. We suggest you save a copy of this bill to your computer for your records.
Can I opt for paperless bills?
Ridgewood Water is offering residents the option to Go Green! Sign up for this eco-friendly feature from your eBill account, under the My eBills tab. Residents can chose to discontinue receiving a paper bill in the mail. An electronic copy of the bill will be available under your eBill account. An email notification will be sent to you when a new bill is made available under your eBill account.
Is Auto Pay offered?
eBill Auto Pay is an easy and convenient way to pay your Ridgewood Water bills. This feature allows you to setup and make an electronic check (ACH) or debit/credit card payment automatically each time a bill is due. This option can be setup and managed from the My eBill tab.
Can I receive a text notification when a new bill is available to pay on eBill?
Yes, you can sign up to receive a text notification from the My eBill page. When a new bill is made available online by Ridgewood Water a text notification will be sent to the mobile number you have enter into eBill. You may update your mobile number from the My Account page.
If I have forgotten my password, how can I retrieve it?
If you happen to have misplaced your password, there is a Forgot Password link located right on the Secure Account Login page. Upon clicking on it, you will be prompted to enter your email address, and a link to reset your password will be emailed to you. Additionally, always feel free to email RidgewoodNJ@mcc.net for a password reset.
Can I edit my MCC login information?
You can edit your personal information at any time. This can be done within your account by selecting My Account.
Can I cancel an online payment made through MCC?
Cancellation options vary depending on when a payment is scheduled to process. Credit Card payments can be cancelled until the end of the day it was submitted. ACH payments can be cancelled until 6AM on a business day. For example, if a payment was submitted at 4AM, you have until 6AM that same day to cancel the payment. Another example, if you were to submit your payment at 10AM, you have until the next day at 6AM to cancel your payment. If you schedule a future payment, whether via a credit card or ACH transfer (electronic check), you have up until that day to cancel the payment. Cancellations can be completed by selecting My Account, then Payment History, and clicking on the CANCEL icon located next to your payment.
Fixing things that need fixing is a great idea. This park however looks beautiful. Paver bricks might have a limited life span, but based on the appearance of these bricks they still have plenty of life. Why change them out for ugly concrete “decorative” paver blocks? How ridiculous.
Fix the things that need fixing. Don’t waste taxpayer money on demolishing perfectly nice things to make something else. So ridiculous. This is not like a living room that you feel like redecorating. This is a park with many commemorative markers. The fact that YOU don’t know any of these people commemorated on them does not make them meaningless.
BOE Meets on August 29 at 5 p.m.
Ridgewood NJ, The Ridgewood Board of Education will hold a Regular Public Meeting on Monday, August 29, 2016 at 5:00 p.m.The meeting will be held in the Board Room at the Education Center, 49 Cottage Place. The public is invited to attend the meeting or view it live via the district website at www.ridgewood.k12.nj.us using the “Live BOE Meeting” tab on the district website, or on Fios tv channel 33 or Optimum 77.
Click here to view the agenda and addendum for the July 18, 2016 Regular Public Meeting.
Click here to view the minutes of the June 28, 2016 Regular Public Meeting.
Click here to view the 2016-2017 Budget presented at the May 2, 2016 Regular Public Meeting.
Click here to view the Full Day Kindergarten Recommendation presented to the Board at their March 7, 2016 Regular Public Meeting.
Ridgewood NJ, a new event has been launched via Facebook, “On Nov 8th, Say NO to full day K.” encouraging voters to reject the Full Day Kindergarten .
“Ridgewood schools have over 100 Million $ ANNUAL budget. They can raise the taxes upto 2% without your vote, without your agreement. The Board of Ed has to put a question on November ballot and ask the tax payers only if they have to raise the taxes by more than 2%. If they cannot accommodate full day K with 2 Million ANNUAL increase, please don’t approve full day K. Vote “NO” for the Full-day-K question in November. Don’t give them the power to increase our taxes above and beyond 2% which they can do without our vote. Once it’s increase, every year they can add 2% on TOP of that, without your approval. On Nov 8th, Say NO to full day K. – Vote NO on question 2.”
Ridgewood NJ, the Franklin Center, a non-profit, public-interest media and public policy organization invited the Ridgewood blog to attend their “Amplify School Choice” conference in Denver.
The conference took place all day Thursday, August 11 through noon on Friday, August 12 at the SpringHill Suites in downtown Denver. Over 50 of America’s top bloggers and citizen journalists attended the event .
While we are advantaged with quality schools in Ridgewood , it is simply not true for so many parents and so many young people in New Jersey . We have all read about chronically under preforming schools all over New Jersey . The reality is your zip determines your educational opportunities and success.
The fact is urban education, despite 30 years of New Jersey Supreme Court required intervention by the state, is still failing students and their parents at an alarming rate. The theory from the Supreme Court was that money would solve the problem.
“But as we have all become aware is , “The Abbott school experiment is a colossal failure because it is based on the theory that throwing money at a problem fixes it. Problems facing urban schools are cultural and socio-economic. When people in power face up to that, we can make progress. There’s not a lot of political profiles in courage because it is easier to toss tax money or make excuses than to say until underlying causes are dealt with, it won’t get any better, just more expensive with more kids’ lives wasted. A few politicians do get it. (Ingle, Gannett) https://www.app.com/article/20110821/NJCOLUMNIST06/308210033/-1/NJCOLUMNIST/BOB-INGLE-Nutter-delivers-a-message-to-youth”
Not only have the policy been a abysmal failure but the cost to non “Abbott School” tax payers has been astronomical.
Governor Chris Christie pointed out recently the , ” New Jersey spends the 3rd most in the nation per pupil on K-12 education. For the upcoming fiscal year we spend 13.3 billion dollars on aid to K-12 education. How do we spend it? $9.1 billion goes back to school districts in direct aid. $3.25 billion is to pay for the pensions and health benefits for retired teachers. $936 million goes to pay the debt on schools, mostly in urban districts, to build new schools. $13.3 billion—and that does not count the money paid in local property taxes.
Who gets the $9.1 billion? Well, that begins to tell the story. By order of the Supreme Court, and coerced acquiescence by the elected branches of government, this coming year $5.1 billion goes to the 31 urban or SDA districts. $4 billion goes to the remaining 546 districts. That’s right. 58% of the aid from the state’s taxpayers goes to 5% of the state’s school districts. 42% of the aid goes to the remaining 95% of our districts. This is absurd. This is unfair. This is not working. And it hasn’t been working for 30 years.”
This is why Govenour Chris Christie has proposed giving all school districts same amount of aid, and provide some towns like Ridgewood property tax relief.
It is clearly time for some new ideas , and new student centered education policies . Here are a few we discussed at the “Amplify School Choice” conference in Denver.
School choice: a wide array of programs offering students and their families alternatives to publicly provided schools, to which students are generally assigned by the location of their family residence.
Open Enrollment : the process by which parents/guardians residing in a district may enroll their children into any school district in New Jersey.
Charter Schools: a publicly funded independent school established by teachers, parents, or community groups under the terms of a charter with a local or national authority.
Home Schooling : A “must read” for new homeschoolers! In New Jersey, the Legislature under the compulsory education law (N.J.S.A. 18A:38-25) has permitted children to receive “equivalent instruction elsewhere than at school,” including the home.
Clearly, this was an attempt on Ms. Winograd’s part to generate a newspaper headline that the current Council was seeking to limit public comment.
Siobhan Winograd is on the anti-Knudsen team.
Let’s list the mouthpieces for the former megalomaniacs so that we’ll know we can ignore everything they say. Sonenfeld, obviously. Willett and Weitz. Winograd. Halaby, Griffith.
Why would the former council members, who were defeated resoundingly, come to the meetings to attempt to advance their failed agendas?Are they just spiteful? Do they need to grow up?
Hot button issues bring a lot of people to public meetings. To limit their input would be wrong and would make them feel that their voices do not count.
There were a lot more residents speaking against the garage and high density housing than in favor of the projects. Maybe this attempt to limit public comment is an attempt to limit dissent.
Those with a financial interest in the projects, and their paid staff, will continue to go to the meetings. It will provide more time for them in front of the mic.
Ridgewood probably did not participate because they knew they would rank poorly.
. Face it – RW schools have dropped significantly in quality.
.
RW is a “good,and solid” school, but not a “great” school anymore.
There is too much “social engineering” bloat in the school curriculum and too many tutors in the home.
.
The only reason that the students do as well as they do is because the parents instill the value of education in their children and hire tutors to support their children when the school system falls short and fails them.
.
Also RW parents and students are savvy enough to build an attractive “portfolio” of the correct types of extra-curricular activities, sports and “community outreach” activities as well as building a positive social media profile in order to get accepted into one of the “right” colleges.
. RW Schools reputations are resting on the work of the parents and students… It used to be the other way around
Ridgewood NJ, readers are asking residents to check your water bill. Many have noticed that they were charged a small “interest” fee on there bill. The reader insisted they were an “on time payer” and had a zero balance after the last payment.
From the Facebook group it takes a Ridgewood Village a writer commented , “I called water today and said I have never paid my bill late and she said she will “look into it”. I am paying bills today and that was not acceptable. It is only .84 cents but it’s the principle, I am not paying for something that I do not owe.”Check your water bills very carefully to see if you were charged interest. If there is a computer glitch, they need to be held accountable for fixing it.
Reader have as in the past debated the accuracy of their water bills and the ability of consumers to test and monitor their own water usage .
A grant for bike lanes under the Complete Streets program led to the Garber Square fiasco and cost us 5 times the amount that the grant was for,. Now we have another grant and we’re using it to fix Van Neste Park which everyone seems to feel is in great shape! What happened to the old adage, ” If it isn’t broke,don’t fix it” ?
The Village Council should not miss a single opportunity to put a firm grip on the comings, the goings, and most importantly, the OPM spending patterns and priorities of the legacy Village Manager. Along these lines, the VC should probably press the pause button, indefinitely, on the contemplated renovation project in Van Neste Square. The next thing we will learn is that a half million dollars has already been spent on landscape architecture plans that will go to waste if the project doesn’t go forward immediately.
