FEBRUARY 12, 2016 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2016, 12:31 AM
BY MATTHEW SCHNEIDER
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
RIDGEWOOD – Ridgewood’s Village Council members discussed the proposed addition of HealthBarn USA to the Irene Habernickel Family Park at the Feb. 3 meeting.
“I feel very strongly that it makes sense to have HealthBarn there,” said Mayor Paul Aronsohn. “I’m not just supportive of this program, I’m excited about it.”
The final decision on whether to approve HealthBarn moving onto the property was postponed to a later date during the Feb. 10 meeting, due to some of the council members wanting to see the business’ lease before deciding on anything.
The current plan is to have HealthBarn USA, a company that offers various outdoor activities to children, take up partial residence in the house on the Habernickel property, in exchange for payment to the village.
This does not sit well with local resident Margene Rubin, who said at the Feb. 3 meeting she feels the addition of HealthBarn to the property would make the area a less-enjoyable place to live.
“Everyone in that area that faces that field does not want (HealthBarn),” Rubin said, adding that HealthBarn founder Stacey Antine can “go someplace else” and not disrupt the neighborhood.
“It’s very upsetting,” said Rubin. “I really do encourage you to think about how many people this is upsetting,”
Ridgewood NJ, Village Hall and all Village Departments will be closed on February 12th and February 15th in observance of Lincoln’s Birthday and Presidents’ Day. There will be no garbage or recycling pickups on these days, and the Recycling Center will be closed. The Recycling Center will be open on Saturday, February 13th. All Village offices and Departments will re-open on February 16th.
UnReal answers consumer trend to give chocolates that are delicious and all-natural, made without unhealthy ingredients or excess sugar, as a show of real love
February 10,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, UnReal announced today that it has partnered with Whole Foods Ridgewood at 44 Godwin Ave and other regional Whole Foods Market stores to offer two of its all-natural chocolate candies in limited edition tins and bags for Valentine’s Day. Available in stores, and online through UnReal, the limited edition tins and bags feature unique artwork designed by world-renowned illustrator Steve Simpson and are fun for all types of Valentines – friends, family, co-workers, and lovers, alike.
Ridgewood families to purchase at the Whole Foods Market store located at 44 Godwin Ave. UnReal, the unjunked food company, has partnered exclusively with Whole Foods Market stores to offer better-for-you alternatives to share with all types of Valentine’s this season – with 40% less sugar and no artificial ingredients. Whole Foods Ridgewood is also offering a free bag of candy coated milk chocolate gems with any e-store order placed by Friday, February 12th.
“The reason for giving Valentine’s Day chocolates is to celebrate those we love in a sweet way. The chocolates we give reflect our own values, so more of us want to give something that tastes delicious, but is not made with unhealthy ingredients or mass-produced. UnReal shows our real love by giving chocolates that taste unreal and are made without artificial ingredients, preservatives, GMO’s, or excess sugar,” said UnReal’s 18-year-old founder, Nicky Bronner.
UnReal is re-inventing America’s favorite candy using sustainably sourced, fair trade, non-GMO ingredients, and less sugar than their traditional counterparts. This Valentine’s Day, the company created two limited edition UNREAL LOVE tins. One features 16 ounces of red candy coated milk chocolate gems, made with organic cacao and dairy, without any artificial ingredients, and naturally colored with beetroot juice. The second tin features 16 rich, dark chocolate peanut butter cups. The price of each limited edition, UNREAL LOVE tin is $9.99. UnReal is also offering an 8-ounce bag of its red candy coated milk chocolate gems for $4.99. Both tins and the bags are available at all Whole Foods Markets in NY, NJ, CT, MA, NH, RI and ME.
Whole Foods Market Ridgewood and other NJ locations are also offering a free bag of candy coated milk chocolate gems with any e-store order placed by Friday, February 12th, including any of the floral offerings.
“UnReal has once again outdone themselves this holiday, creating an exciting and unique gift option for Valentine’s Day,” said Kimberley Rose, Vice President of Purchasing for Whole Foods Market’s North Atlantic region. “Between the beautiful, limited edition packaging and the delicious, high quality chocolates, what’s not to love? Pairing it with our double dozen roses is about as easy and fail-proof as Valentine’s gift giving can get!”
To get your own UnReal chocolate candies, visit Whole Foods Market Ridgewood at 44 Godwin Ave- or to purchase online, visit https://www.getunreal.com.
Hi James,
As expected, the council voted 3-2 on ordinance 3519, which allows them to enter into a lease purchase agreement with the BCIA for the Hudson Street parking garage.
There are a group of residents that started a referendum petition to repeal the ordinance. We need to get about 1000 signatures in 20 days. Then a binding referendum question would go on the May ballot asking if the ordinance should be adopted?
People can go to no2bcia@gmail.com to find out where they can go to sign the petition.
Dear Village Officials, I understand ” the train has left the station ” on the Garage at the Hudson Street site but I would like to state a brief case as to why this is not the best scenario for Ridgewood at the present time.
We have a contaminated site at the Town Garage site and the village owned properties abutting it. Hydrolic and diesel fuel from old underground tanks is seeping into the ground and could be affecting our ground water in the area. I know that it is being monitored and that the DEP targeted this area for remediation at least 10 years ago. In 2002, a village conducted study saw the Town Garage site as a better fit for a municipal garage than Hudson Street for various reasons.
I believe the village tried to gain the property via eminent domain in 2009 but that failed. I understand that you have asked our village attorney to look into the Abandoned Property ordinance. The owners of that site are up to date on taxes but the property continues to be a threat to the environment. I believe that this property should be acquired by the village, the site cleaned up and responsible development of the property including a garage should take place.
You are voting on an ordinance this evening to bond 12.3 million dollars through the BCIA. Our first priority should be the acquisition of the Town Garage site and the remediation of that property as soon as possible. If a garage is built there, it would be used by employees, diners sand shoppers as well as commuters as it is more centrally located. The Hudson Street area could be repaved and reconfigured to maximize parking spaces and also for minimal costs made more aesthetically pleasing. I want what is best for the village and right now it is to clean up the toxic site in our downtown area.
Ridgewood NJ, the Ridgewood Police report that on Thursday, February 4, patrol responded to an alarm at the Water’s Edge Café at Graydon pool. Upon investigating the alarm it was determined that someone had broken the lock off the building. Several items inside were damaged and thrown around. The matter is under investigation by the Detective Bureau.
FEBRUARY 9, 2016, 6:37 PM LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2016, 6:38 PM
BY JOHN C. ENSSLIN AND LINDY WASHBURN
STAFF WRITERS |
THE RECORD
Talks are under way to avert a potentially protracted tax battle between non-profit hospitals and the communities that host them, said the prime sponsor of a bill that tried unsuccessfully last month to work out a solution.
Assemblyman John Burzichelli said Tuesday that talks are underway between the New Jersey Hospital Association and the New Jersey League of Municipalities with the aim of helping redraft legislation in the wake of a landmark Tax Court ruling that called into question the property tax exemption of non-profit hospitals.
He said there have been no talks thus far with the administration on the issue, nor does he expect any while Christie is pursuing his bid for the Republican presidential nomination. Christie vetoed the earlier bill in January at the end of the last legislative session.
Burzichelli, D-Gloucester, the chair of the Assembly’s appropriations committee, said he and three other co-sponsors recently resubmitted the bill, but added that the document likely will serve as a “place holder” until a revised bill can be worked out.
“Everybody’s regrouped coming out of the hectic last session,” Burzicelli said of the informal talks.
But he warned if no agreement can be reached, “it’ll be a field day for the tax attorneys.”
The bill stemmed from a state Tax Court decision last summer in which a judge invalidated the non-profit Morristown Medical Center’s property tax exemption. The hospital’s parent company agreed to pay $15.5 million to satisfy back taxes and interest plus make annual payment of about $1 million as tax on the for-profit component of its operations.
Fmr. Giant Lawrence Taylor r with Gary and Barbara at The Tobacco Shop of Ridgewood. & Davidoff Lounge
February 10,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, We call them “Destination Stores ” if you have a special spot with a unique product people will find parking . The Tobacco Shop of Ridgewood. & Davidoff Lounge is an example .Its called common sense! I know, it’s an old fashioned idea but something that is severely lacking nowadays.
Stores that have a commodity or service that is backed by good business have continued to prosper here in Ridgewood. Hillman, Country Curtains, Jekyl & Hyde, The Art Spot and Panico are examples of a few. Been in business a long time and continue to attract new customers. Mango use to be a good option but the last few years it’s grown stale, not a decline in business because of lack of parking but because the goods are pretty much the same stuff as 5 years ago. A place like Pazzazzed is stealing Mango’s thunder, better, more interesting goods.
If you offer a strong commodity or service, people will find parking, it’s worth the effort to walk a block or two. If it’s mediocre or lost its appeal, you won’t last.
Some business owners think because it’s Ridgewood, they are guaranteed to make money. As many have learned, that’s not the case. The owners of Novo tried the salad place, it didn’t work, now they have a restaurant that is currently successful. Did the salad place not work because there was no parking garage? No, because status quo with parking and now its success.
People like coming to the Village because it’s charming and for many their own towns don’t have a CBD. The worst thing this village could do would be to jam 4 or 5 massive high density building and an ugly, doesn’t fit on the lot garage. If they build that crap, I hope the 3 amigos have a huge plaque with their names and faces on it so all the people who see it and think “what the hell happened to Ridgewood” they can point to those plaques and go “right there, a very dark period in the Village’s history when the door was opened and a no good politician and his cohorts hijacked the place”.
Ridgewood NJ , back in December the Ridgewood Police department investigated an alleged kidnapping and carjacking that was reported early Saturday morning.
At the time the Ridgewood Police said that the “vehicle in question” has been located near the Thruway in Bergen County, N.J, and an investigation is ongoing. .The victim has also been recovered suffering only minor injuries.At the time the Ridgewood Police withheld further information about the incident .And we were told New York State Police are also working with police in Ridgewood, N.J.
Today it is being reported that two men wanted in connection with this carjacking, kidnapping and robbery were arrested by members of a task force comprised of federal, state, county and local authorities. Including FBI and ICE, investigators from the New Jersey State Police, New York State Police and Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, and members of the Ridgewood, Mahwah, Hawthorne and Waldwick Police departments .
Jostin Vidal Reyes of Waldwick and Wilbur J. Barhona of Ridgewood, both 20, were taken into custody Monday following more than a month and a half of intensive work.
Authorities and other sources said Reyes and Barhona got into a cab in Paterson around in the early a.m. hours of Dec. 26 for a ride to Waldwick. Sources say the two decided to rob the cabby and kidnap him once they reached Ridgewood and as previously reported ditched him on the New York Thruway.
The pair now face various counts of robbery, aggravated assault, cajacking, kidnapping ,weapons offenses and are being held pending $400,000 bail each in the Bergen County Jail.
Ridgewood Nj, We continue to hear this argument time and time again from the Mayors friends , “Those who are opposed to the garage should make a fact filled and compelling financial study of the project on their own to support the notion that it should not be built. No one has done this so far and hence a level of confusion exists that the people who are against it have not presented any concrete data to support their position that it will be bad for the village and will not sustain itself. Show me that data so all can make a rational and informed decision, My hunch is the data does not exist. In all likelihood the garage will loose some money during the first and possibly the second year of operation and then it will get up to full capacity and from there on will earn far above its projected break-even point. The demand clearly exists, there is not a lot you can do to screw it up so it should make a lot of money for the Village. Clearly if we adopted some of the earlier proposals the garages proposed would now be all paid off and we would be swimming in profits of a huge magnitude. Remember when the cost / space was calculated to be $1500/space. for a 580 car garage over Ken Smith. if only that were build we would be swimming in money today…..and all of our taxes would be far lower due to the huge cash flow thrown off from that project. Do not defame the garage project. It could turn out to be a real winner.!!.”
Nice dream….
In reality , “love an optimist! But, we have gone through the numbers and questioned the council numerous times. Read the Walker Report, which can be found on the Village Website. It says, perhaps on page 2, that the garage will not be self-funding. It will, as has always been the plan, be funded by increased meter rates all throughout downtown. That exact scheme has been asked for by Mr. Sedon and others, but nothing concrete has been said. Walker mentions eventually raising rates to !.00, increased hours until 9pm, increasing enforcement, not allowing meters to carry over, etc The council will be taking away some of their tools by saying they won’t raise rates saturday night (so as not to punish 5:30 Mass at Mt. Carmel) and now with BCIA you can’t charge commuters more than Ridgewood residents.”
“Furthermore, the actual bonding through BCIA is more expensive than Ridgewood bonding ourselves, and many in municipal finance question the assumptions used. Also, the building will go over budget as Albert promised himself. Lastly, there is demand for parking but currently you can always – always- find parking on street in that area of town. (in front of NY SPorts, up prospect etc.). The garage is not that much closer and it is a shame businesses were never able to convince their employees to park over there as that is what really takes street parking.”
Of coarse there is also the county politics and perhaps the real story;
“The answer is simple if we step back and look from a higher level. The garage will be built near the old Cadillac dealership to provide parking for the apartments that will be built there. The village mayor needs the support of those developers to fund his political aspirations and to do so needs to get the garage built as big as possible in that location to show his compliance and ensure donations for his next office run.
The apartments will be built as soon as the lawsuits begin, COHA judgements line up, and the remaining council fall in place. Makes some sense”
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FEBRUARY CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Join us at these upcoming events & activities for Kidville families and new friends!
FREE Trial Class Week
week of February 8th
Enjoy a complimentary trial class (new members) and a surprise after class to show how much we love our Kidville family!
RSVP via Eventbrite – CLICK HERE.
Valentine’s Day Party
Save the Date: Friday February 12th
Join us for our annual Valentine’s Day celebration. Your family will enjoy Mini Photo Sessions, Take-Home Art Project, Open Gym and Yummy Snacks.
RSVP via Eventbrite – CLICK HERE.
President’s Day: Kidville is OPEN for Classes
+
Special Open Play from 9:00 am – 3:30 pm
Monday, February 15th
Children are invited to join us for a special all-day open play*!
Please call 201-493-1234 to be put on the open play list.
Playspace is limited to 30 children at a time for safety. Admission is on a first-come/first serve basis.
Kidville Ridgewood | 38 Oak Street | Ridgewood | NJ | 07450
Ridgewood NJ, DUE has left its old location for a new, much bigger, more comfortable location just four doors down the street at the former “Natalie’s” location!
They hope to open next week, so stay tuned for information about the grand re-opening of DUE!
Former NJ Parking Facility Manager Gets Prison Term For Theft
February 6, 2016 12:42 PM
TOMS RIVER, N.J. (AP) — The former manager of southern New Jersey park-and-ride facility is headed to prison for stealing nearly $150,000 over three years.
Ocean County prosecutors say Robert Pentz received a four-year sentence on Friday. The 41-year-old Toms River man had pleaded guilty to official misconduct last July.
Prosecutors say Pentz stole money from automatic teller machines he was supposed to be filling as part of his duties at the Toms River Parking Authority’s park-and-ride facility. The thefts were discovered during an audit in 2013, and investigators determined that Pentz took more than $146,640 overall.
WAITING LIST OPEN – RIDGECREST APARTMENT APPLICATIONS – 2/29/16
Please note only 300 applications will be accepted and they are on a first come basis MONDAY February 29th
Jan Philips
201 280-2328 cell
IMPORTANT NOTICE
THE HOUSING AUTHORITY OF BERGEN COUNTY
The Ridgewood Senior Citizen Housing Corporation, Inc.
is pleased to announce that applications will be accepted for the waiting list
for Ridgecrest Apartments located at 7-11 Ridge Road Ridgewood, New Jersey.
Beginning Monday, February 29, 2016applications will be available.
Applications may be requested by mail or in person at Ridgecrest Apartments located at:
Ridgecrest Apartments
7 – 11 Ridge Road
Ridgewood, NJ 07450
9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
APPLICATIONS MAY ALSO BE DOWNLOADED AT WWW.HABCNJ.ORG/RIDGEWOOD.
PLEASE NOTE: ONCE 300 APPLICATIONS ARE RECEIVED THE WAITING LIST WILL CLOSE!
IN ORDER TO BE ELIGIBLE TO APPLY, APPLICANTS MUST BE 62 YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER, AND/OR DEEMED DISABLED. THE TOTAL HOUSEHOLD ANNUAL GROSS INCOME CANNOT EXCEED THE FOLLOWING INCOME LIMITS:
MAXIMUM INCOME ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
Household Size Maximum Annual Income
1 $32,450
2 $37,100
YOU ARE ENCOURAGED TO RETURN YOUR APPLICATION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, AS IT WILL BE PLACED ON THE WAITING LIST BY THE DATE AND TIME THAT IT WAS RECEIVED AT THE RIDGECREST OFFICE.ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS WILL BE SELECTED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE FOLLOWING PRIORITIES IN THE ORDER THAT THEY ARE LISTED;
RESIDENCY, OR PREVIOS DOCUMENTED RESIDNECY, IN RIDGEWOOD, OR IN CENSUS TRACT 221 IN GLEN ROCK. APPLICANTS WHO WORK OR HAVE AN OFFER OF EMPLOYMENT IN RIDGEWOOD OR CENSUS TRACT 221 IN GLEN ROCK WILL BE CONSIDERED RESIDENTS;
RESIDENCY IN BERGEN COUNTY MEMBER COMMUNITY. APPLICANTS WHO WORK OR HAVE AN OFFER OF EMPLOYMENT IN RIDGEWOOD OR CENSUS TRACT 221 IN GLEN ROCK WILL BE CONSIDERED RESIDENTS;
ALL OTHER APPLICANTS
Advertisement for Ridgecrest Apartmentsis about to begin. It now states we will only be accepting the first 300 applications. Once 300 applications are received the waiting list will close.
Over the last 5 years the average number of Move-Ins per year is 10.4 and the average number of move-outs is 10. The breakdown is as follows
A Letter from Dr. Fishbein Click here to read a letter from Superintendent of Schools Dr. Fishbein regarding the safety protocols in place for emergency incidents
![16_abraham_lincoln[1]](https://theridgewoodblog.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/16_abraham_lincoln11.jpg "VILLAGE HALL CLOSED - FEB 12TH AND FEB 15TH")
