AUGUST 25, 2015 LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, AUGUST 25, 2015, 9:36 AM
BY MARK KRULISH
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
The Village Council took action this month to pass a resolution settling a long-standing matter between Ridgewood Water and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) dealing with a contested permit violation.
The settlement requires the village to withdraw its request for a hearing regarding the contested violation with the NJDEP Commissioner and administrative courts and pay $55,000, which will come from water utility revenues.
At the end of the Aug. 12 public meeting, Village Attorney Matthew Rogers explained the decision came down to how much money the matter would cost to litigate versus what the potential result might be of an administrative process involving the NJDEP. More than $120,000 in penalties were sought by the NJDEP.
“After probably two full years of trying to work with DEP and then litigating with DEP, we came to the conclusion this is the best way to approach it and to resolve the matter where we know there’s an outcome and resolve it to the point where we can rely now on newly issued permits that take into consideration what those exceedances were before and hopefully cover us in the future,” Rogers said.
One of those 3 60×90 fields is a mess. Lower Hawes barely fits 90 foot baselines. First and third are at the edge of the infield. I think the RBSA has proposed addressing this field but have been turned down by the BOE and the neighborhood. The Somerville field is in good shape and functional but is also a full dirt infield, not the best for ‘true’ baseball. The primary field at Vets was in rough shape at the end of the high school season. Too many teams playing too many games on that field.
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I’m a broken record — let’s thank the Willard school district for all of this. They helped pass the vote for getting their school extended while including the field changes at the high school and BF (removing a 60×90 and a softball field). We can go back further to who proposed putting into that vote the field changes and Willard changes. Can’t continue to post-blame at this point.
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Let’s look at what’s needed to support the needs of youth sports in town. If soccer, baseball, softball, lax and other field sports can use the field, why is that such a bad thing? I believe (and could be wrong) that there was a review of the field usage and needs in town and we came up short. Schedler will help alleviate these needs.
AUGUST 24, 2015, 4:19 PM LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, AUGUST 25, 2015, 7:50 AM
BY JAMES M. O’NEILL
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
A new online mapping tool that covers flood-prone neighborhoods along a six-mile stretch of the Ho-Ho-Kus Brook in Bergen County was unveiled Monday, the fourth in a series of maps designed to help residents in numerous Passaic River basin communities get better information about potential flooding from oncoming storms.
The newest maps show stream flows, water depths and streets likely to be flooded during various brook cresting heights for the area from White’s Lake Dam in Waldwick, downstream through Ho-Ho-Kus to Grove Street in Ridgewood.
The interactive flood inundation maps, a collaboration between federal and state agencies, are expected to help the towns’ emergency management officials plan evacuations and road closures – and make it easier for officials to persuade people in a projected flood zone to evacuate, reducing the risks for emergency personnel who must rescue stranded residents in the middle of major flooding.
Ridgewood NJ, Bike lanes are still major concern for safety at the Ridgewood rail underpass. Most observers failed to see the logic from the beginning of of the construction for changing from two lanes to one and adding extremely dangerous bike lanes under the trestle .
Like the ADA elevators to nowhere that proceeded it resident were quite skeptical at its introduction . Contrary to the elevators ,which seem good for a laugh , the bike lane presents a clear danger to bikers . Not to mention the slow down to emergency services through town .
Recent developments like the continued effort to fill the “east side” with sports fields have refocused a light on what may have been the real purpose of the so called ‘ “traffic calming”. Resident now speculate that it is another attempt to inhibit traffic into the west side of town making it more difficult for new residents living in the new high density housing to enter the west side . There also seems to be a movement growing to bus any new children to Hawes school and not to the select schools in the west side like Orchard and Willard .
Residents again speculate that the bike lane is being used as an excuse to further divide the town like Englewood , giving certain types of politicians a voting block to ensure their perpetual election.
NOTICE TO BIDDERS – Cold Water meters and Accessories 2015 – 2016
NOTICE TO BIDDERS
Sealed bid proposals will be received by the Village of Ridgewood, in the Office of the Water Department/Director of Operations, Level 5 of Village Hall, 131 North Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, New Jersey 07451 on Wednesday, September 2, 2015 at 10:30 a.m. prevailing time, and then publicly opened and read aloud for following project:
BID NO. 022-2015 – COLD WATER METERS AND ACCESSORIES 2015-2016
The work of the Contract shall be to supply Neptune Cold Water Meters and Accessories or approved equal, for the Ridgewood Water Operating Center at 205 E. Glen Ave., Ridgewood, New Jersey 07451, as needed and described in the contract specifications.
Specifications and bid forms may be obtained by mail or in person from the office of the Director of Operations, Ridgewood Water, 131 North Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, New Jersey 07451, telephone (201) 670-5521, for a non-refundable fee of $10.00, per set of bid documents. Documents may be examined or picked up in person between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. at the Operations Division, Ridgewood Water, Village Hall, 131 North Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, New Jersey 07451, Monday through Friday. Prospective bidders requesting bid documents be mailed to them shall be responsible for providing their own postage/delivery service remuneration. No Specifications and/or Proposal forms shall be given out after 4:30 p.m. on Monday, August 31, 2015.
The contractual obligation of the Village of Ridgewood under this Contract for these items is contingent upon the availability of appropriated funds from which payment for this Contract can be made.
Prices quoted must be net and exclusive of all Federal, State and Local Sales and Excise Taxes. Bids may be submitted prior to the bid opening in person or by mail, addressed to the Office of the Village Clerk. The Village assumes no responsibility for loss or non-delivery of any bid sent to it prior to the Bid opening.
Each bid must be enclosed in a sealed envelope with the name of the bidder thereon and endorsed, “BID responding to BID NO. 022-2015 –COLD WATER METERS AND ACCESSORIES 2015-2016, Do Not Open Until September 2, 2015 at 10:30 AM” and must be accompanied by all required forms.
Any award or awards may be made at a later or subsequent time or meeting of the Village Council. All required schedules, that is required forms are to be submitted on the forms attached to the bid documents. No other forms will be accepted.
The successful bidder shall comply with all applicable provisions of the Prevailing Wage Act, as determined by the New Jersey Department of Labor. All contractors, their subcontractors, and material suppliers shall comply with all applicable provisions of the Public Works Contractor Registration Act, pursuant to Public Law 1999 Chapter 238 and the Contractor Business Registration Program, pursuant to Public Law 2004 Chapter 57.
The successful bidder shall furnish and deliver to the Village of Ridgewood a performance and payment bond (Schedule F) in the amount of 100 percent of the accepted bid amount as security for the faithful performance of the Contract. Additionally, the successful bidder shall furnish policies or Certificates of Insurance required by the Contract. In default thereof, said checks and/or bonds and the amount represented thereby shall be forfeited to the Village of Ridgewood as liquidated damages, not as a penalty.
Proposals submitted by Bidders and/or Bidder’s Insurance Company(ies) not chartered in the State of New Jersey, must be accompanied by proper certificate(s) from the Secretary of State, indicating that such Bidders, Bidder’s Insurance Company(ies), and/or Surety Company(ies) is (are) authorized to do business in the State of New Jersey. The Village of Ridgewood reserves the right to reject any or all bids, to waive any informality or to accept a bid which, in its judgment best serves the interest of the Village. No bids may be withdrawn for a period of sixty-days (60) after the date and time set for the opening of bids.
“BIDDERS ARE REQUIRED TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF P.L.1975, C. 127. (NJAC 17:27) regarding Affirmative Action, and Executive Order No. 11246 regarding equal employment opportunity, as amended”. A complete statement as to these requirements is included in the specifications.
By Order of the Village Manager Publication date: August 21, 2015
AUGUST 24, 2015 LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, AUGUST 24, 2015, 8:20 AM
BY CHRIS HARRIS
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
RIDGEWOOD — Recent discussions at Village Council meetings over what should be done with the Schedler property — 7 acres of wooded land the village purchased six years ago — have resurrected age-old allegations in town of political favoritism.
At the council’s work session Aug. 12, a handful of speakers contended that Ridgewood was a divided community where a collective “east versus west” mind-set was pervasive and that village officials had long overlooked their neighborhood on the far east side. They said decisions about the Schedler property reflected bias against residents of their neighborhood.
Generally, the railroad tracks are considered the dividing line. However, Route 17 severs a triangular tract on the east that touches both Washington Township and Ho-Ho-Kus from the larger portion of the village, which is home to the Village Hall, the central business district and all the village’s schools.
That neighborhood runs from Route 17 to just beyond Van Emburgh Avenue, and from Racetrack Road on the north down to Linwood Avenue.
RBSA- Welcome Home – Celebration for U-14 – Monday, August 24th
The RBSA will hold a victory celebration for the U14 Ridgewood Junior League All Star team, winners of the Junior Little League East Region Championship. The team is competing the week of August 16-23 in the Junior League Baseball World Series in Taylor, Michigan. There will be a welcome home celebration taking place on Monday, August 24 between 2-4pm at Van Neste Park in the Village of Ridgewood. The team will have a police escort down East Ridgewood Avenue to the park, where they will be greeted by Mayor Paul Aronsohn, the Town Council and town residents to commemorate their accomplishments.
There will be food and music. Please come out to line the streets in celebration as we welcome home our U14 East Region champions.
AUGUST 21, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, AUGUST 21, 2015, 12:31 AM
BY EILEEN LA FORGIA
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
“It’s a Beautiful World,” original oil paintings by Bob Rizzotti are on exhibit at the Ridgewood Public Library during August. The artist attempts to depict this beauty on canvas so that the visions are meaningful and permanent.
“We see so much conflict and strife yet this earth is truly a place of color and beauty,” he said. A Waldwick resident for 43 years, Bob and his wife Ginny have traveled widely. This exhibit invites the viewer to see these beautiful scenes captured in oil paintings.
“It’s a Beautiful World” will remain on view through the end of the month at the Ridgewood Public Library located at 125 N. Maple Ave. Call 201-670-5600.
AUGUST 21, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, AUGUST 21, 2015, 12:31 AM
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Village should give more attention to King’s Pond Park
To the Editor:
It was reported last week that two truckloads of construction debris were dumped in the rear of the village’s composting site at the end of Lakeview Drive sometime in the prior two months. The village manager’s response is that the police are attempting to track down culprit. This effort seems like a worthy effort. However, the result of this dumping, although wrong, is inconsequential as it is not visible from any walk paths, does not impede access to anything and actually blends into the landscape of that area.
How the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection was able to discover and react to this violation is to be applauded. However, the DEP and the village administration have failed to recognize the very visible dumping by Mother Nature on King’s Pond Park, the largest wildscape in Ridgewood. Here, we have a dangerous, partially collapsed dam, a pond full of debris, and a shoreline overgrown with vegetation that denies access. All of this is in plain view but remains ignored. It is a disgrace that this wildscape has been allowed to deteriorate without any action by current or previous village mangers or the DEP. After 15 years of neglect, the current village budget is devoid of any funding to address this situation.
From my standpoint, if you want to clean up a mess, let’s put our efforts into restoring a popular fishing area in a very visible park setting to its intended use. The village’s 2006 master plan showed, in detail, how that could be accomplished. It’s way past the time when it should be implemented.
AUGUST 21, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, AUGUST 21, 2015, 12:31 AM
BY MATTHEW SCHNEIDER
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
The Ridgewood Public Library has hosted a number of interesting events aimed at all age groups over the summer.
A brand-new program that proved to be very popular was the Summer Reading Club for Adults.
“We had 100 adults register within the first week,” said librarian Kerri Wallace.
In addition to being a good place for adults to meet and discuss literature, the club also served as an opportunity for its participants to earn rewards for reading.
“Participants received a raffle ticket for every book/magazine/ audiobook/ebook that they read or listened to,” Wallace said. “We had weekly drawings for prizes like a new bestselling novel and computer class passes.”
While the club didn’t follow an exact theme, it did offer a few events focused on famed author Harper Lee.
“We ran a week-long series to celebrate the release of ‘Go Set a Watchman,’” Wallace said.
The club also hosted a book discussion on “To Kill a Mockingbird” and showed the film.
For children, the library has been following a theme for many of its events called “Every Hero Has a Story.”
Ridgewood NJ, Getting closer to Oct 9-10. We have firmed up the activities, hotel rooms are waiting to be reserved, tickets can be bought on this web site (see the Purchase Tickets page)
When: Fri Oct 9 – Sat Oct 10, 2015
Where: Ridgewood area
Activities
Friday Oct 9
6:00 Tailgate before football game (RHS, alas no booze)
7:00 RHS Football game (at RHS)
7:30 – 11:00 Elks Club (informal get together, $20 per person (cash only, paid at the door), includes light dinner, cash bar)
Saturday Oct 10
11:30 – 1:00 Lunch at the Fireplace (ad hoc gatherings)
7:00 – 11:00 Main Event – Buffet dinner, cash bar, music. DoubleTree Hotel, Mahwah. Tickets $55 (on sale on this web site or via check), $65 cash only at the door
Hotel
Bad news. The DoubleTree is completely sold out on Sat Oct 10.
Good news. We have reserved rooms at the Super 8 Hotel for Fri and Sat, located right next door to the DoubleTree for $65 plus tax. For info:https://www.super8.com/…/mahwah/super-8-mahwah/hotel-overview
For reservations: 201-512-0800 Tell them you are with RHS Class of ’70 reunion. (If any problems, as for Jessica).
Communications
– This web site –We will use this web site like our last reunion (e.g. for general reunion info, for you to update your contact info, to let us know if you are thinking about coming to reunion, (eventually) to sell tickets).
– Facebook page – New. Check it out. Jump on board.https://www.facebook.com/RHS1970
Please do the following:
Buy your ticket(s) – See the Purchase Tickets page
Update your contact info – If your phone, email or street address has changed since 2010, pls use the “Update Contact Info” tab on this site
Let us know if you may come to the reunion – use the “RSVP” tab. Not binding. It lets classmates see who may be coming and helps us plan.
Missing Grads – We still have 71 grads with no email, phone or street addresses. Pls look at the list and let us know if you can help find them.
Talk this up with your classmates – Make sure everyone knows about the reunion.
Ridgewood NJ, the Ridgewood Police report that on Wednesday, August 19, 2015 an East side resident reported receiving a suspicious telephone call from a person claiming to be from the United States Internal Revenue Service who said that he/she owed back taxes. The caller requested the resident deposit the money in a Wells Fargo Bank account that they provided an account number for or risk arrest by the police.
While threatening with arrest, the caller also claimed to be from the Ridgewood Police Department. The caller was able to mimic real phone numbers for both the IRS and the Ridgewood Police Department. Fortunately the caller was suspicious and determined that the call was fraudulent.
These types of scams are on the rise and frequently target the elderly. Please be suspicious of calls or internet contacts requesting money and lookout for friends or neighbors who may be targeted by similar scams. Neither the IRS nor the Ridgewood Police Department would be contacting you by phone to request money.All defendants are considered to be innocent until found guilty by a court of law.
AUGUST 20, 2015 LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2015, 2:40 PM
BY MATTHEW SCHNEIDER
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
The village has been experiencing some seriously hot weather recently, with temperatures venturing past 90 degrees.
Though it had yet to be officially declared a heat wave by Tuesday, the temperatures were still scorching, necessitating the use of “cooling stations” around Ridgewood.
These locations offer an overheated individual the opportunity to rest and take a respite from the heat until they are feeling back to normal. Two such locations are the Ridgewood Public Library and the Community Center at Village Hall.
Nancy Greene, director of the library, said the doors “are open seven days a week throughout the year, except for major holidays.”
“We are one of the few libraries in Bergen County that maintains Sunday hours all summer – and we find that summer is our busiest time,” she said. “Hundreds of adults and children arrive every day and often stay for hours.”
These amenities make the library a desirable destination for those looking to cool off.
AUGUST 21, 2015, 6:25 PM LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, AUGUST 21, 2015, 7:59 PM
BY CHRIS HARRIS
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
RIDGEWOOD — Bergen County’s United Way is considering acquisition of the American Red Cross building on Godwin Avenue, having deemed the two-storied structure ideal for a possible affordable-housing project.
Tom Toronto, the president of Bergen County’s United Way, confirmed Friday his organization “is interested” in procuring the Red Cross site in Ridgewood, which recently hit the market following a reorganization of the non-profit’s real estate holdings.
Toronto said village officials approached him a few weeks ago to suggest the building as a potential location for a United Way-funded supportive housing project.
“Our interest would be to convert that building into housing, and there is some appeal to the structure: It lends itself to adaptation for housing relatively easily and efficiently,” Toronto said, mentioning that it’s asking price could be “a hurdle.”
Toronto said Bergen County’s United Way could end up making an offer on the Ridgewood parcel as soon as next week, but as of now “We’re in the process of assessing whether we can make a meaningful offer for the building,” Toronto said.
The Red Cross building needs an elevator, Toronto said, noting the building’s first floor would likely be devoted to living spaces for the physically and developmentally disabled. Other units in the building, Toronto said, could be allocated as senior-citizen residences, depending on the village’s affordable housing needs.
