Group fills in details as Ridgewood shade tree policy takes root
JANUARY 13, 2015 LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, JANUARY 13, 2015, 10:34 AM
BY LAURA HERZOG
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
While cultivating its new policy, the Shade Tree Commission is also sprouting an informative webpage on the village website for residents interested in planting shade trees in their grassy medians in fall 2015.
According to Councilman Michael Sedon, the commission will have a better sense of the specifics of its now-bare policy after its next meeting, scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 13 at 7:30 p.m. (appropriately) in Village Hall’s Garden Room. Sedon serves as the council’s liaison to the commission.
Strip mall with Starbucks rising on Route 17 in Ridgewood
JANUARY 13, 2015 LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2015, 8:06 AM
BY JOAN VERDON
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
A strip mall that will house a Starbucks café and seven other retail and restaurant tenants is taking shape on Route 17 in Ridgewood, one of the first ground-up, new construction, retail centers in recent memory.
The project is rising on a former vacant plot near the intersection of southbound Route 17 and Linwood Avenue. The owner of the land, Malvern Burroughs, has been trying to develop the property since the 1980s, and received approval for the 15,000-square-foot retail center in November 2013.
The structure is expected to be completed in late spring, with store openings in the fall, said Laurence Liebowitz of Landmark Real Estate, which is leasing the center.
Installation of the brick-and-limestone façade of the building is expected to begin Jan. 15, Liebowitz said.
While there have been numerous redevelopments of retail properties on Route 17 over the past decade, a brand-new retail center on formerly vacant land is uncommon. Burroughs had proposed other uses for the land, including townhouse apartments and an office building, but could not win approval for those projects from the Ridgewood Planning Board.
The Union-Driven Crisis That Could Be Coming to a City Near You
Stephen Moore / @StephenMoore / January 11, 2015
For “Outrageous Government Scam of 2014,” it’s hard to compete with the news of the supersized public employee pensions in California. If you haven’t already heard: In 2013, an assistant fire chief in Southern California collected a $983,319 pension. A police captain in Los Angeles received nearly $753,861.
Talk about a golden parachute. And the report on Golden State government pensions contains a list of hundreds of “public servants” who have hit the jackpot with annual pensions of a half million dollars a year. It’s like they’re playing the game “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” with taxpayer money.
By some estimates, the unfunded public-sector pension liabilities in California have eclipsed $750 billion, which means in a few years residents will be paying their already-highest-in-the-nation income and sales taxes not for roads, bridges, schools and public safety, but for retired employees living like Daddy Warbucks.
This same scandal – only on a slightly smaller scale – is happening in most states. The crisis dates back 20 to 30 years ago, when public employee unions negotiated fat pension deals with state and local politicians that were like ticking time bombs in municipal budgets. The politicians who bought union votes didn’t care much. They’d be long gone when these grenades detonated, and the fiscal carnage began.
Americans know instinctively that this is no way to run a city or state, and that the enormous pensions border on larceny from public treasuries. This will eventually cause rip roaring problems for state and local budgets. But now we have a story from middle America of what happens when the crisis hits a financial boiling point. Look no further than Scranton, Pa.
Scranton is a middle-class, blue-collar town of 76,000 with severe financial problems. The city recently raised its property taxes for 2014 by more than 50 percent, and those taxes are expected to rise by another 20 percent in 2015. The city had to also raise various fees, such as the charge for garbage collection, by two-thirds. It’s becoming a tax hell.
These taxpayer costs are skyrocketing because the city’s auditors calculate that the police and fire pension funds will be completely depleted in three to five years. The local Times-Tribune newspaper reported last week that “pensions increased by as much as 80 percent” after a court order in 2011 awarded millions of dollars of added pensions to firefighters and police officers.
This is a town that has already been struggling for years to pay its bills. The Times-Tribune reports: “The increased pensions come at a time when Scranton, in distressed status since 1992, is struggling to survive [and faces] a $20 million deficit.” City officials admit that to pay these lucrative pensions will mean less money for school children, public safety and infrastructure needs.
Finances are so tight in this town that, late last year, the city auditor put out an advisory memo to city agencies: “Only in the event of an extreme emergency can a purchase be made. … This is a serious matter and your cooperation is expected.”
So, now, homeowners are getting squeezed on basic city services as they pay ever escalating property taxes. What a deal. Don’t be surprised as more leave Scranton, further depleting the tax base. And who would want to move there now?
When the mayor requested that the unions help keep the city afloat by renegotiating these soaring pension costs, the answer from these militant “public service” union leaders was, Hell no.
One option is for Scranton to take the Detroit route and declare bankruptcy. This is also what several California cities – such San Bernardino and Stockton – have had to do.
The California Policy Center notes that this option has the virtue of “forcing the unions to renegotiate and take a haircut.” If that doesn’t happen, cities like Scranton, and many more working-class towns, will continue to raise taxes at a time when families are already walking a financial tight rope.
The Left loves to talk about “fairness” and “inequality,” but where the inequities really exist are in towns like Scranton. Middle-class private-sector workers pay higher and higher taxes to fund public-sector pensions that, as the Manhattan Institute has shown, are often twice as generous as what most workers will receive themselves. The money for supersized pensions isn’t going to come from millionaires and billionaires like Bill Gates or Warren Buffett. It is coming right out of the paychecks of working-class America.
The crisis isn’t going away. Nationwide, public employee pensions are running $1 trillion to $5 trillion in the red, depending on the rate of return expected on stocks and bonds. This could be the next housing bubble to burst. Some states like Utah have smartly moved to head off this crisis by closing down open-ended pensions and putting public sector union members in 401(k) plans that won’t bankrupt the state or municipalities. The unions are fighting this reform everywhere.
If something isn’t done quickly, the crisis in Scranton will soon be coming to a town near you.
Originally appeared in the Orange County Register.
The cold weather is here, cracking the pavement and creating pot holes.
During the work day our staff observes the conditions of the street but they may miss some locations.
We encourage residents to report the location of any pot holes they see. An easy way to report locations is to use the “App” is located on our website – right side of the home page – www.ridgewoodnj.net. By using this you will be able to track the progress of your submission.
The “App”, will get the information to us easily and we will respond as quickly as possible.
Where are the lowest property taxes in Bergen County?
BY MICHAEL SHETLER
Real Estate Agent with Keller Williams Village Square Realty 0569304
January 07, 2015 04:59 AM
Bergen County property tax info released for 2014-15.
The state of New Jersey has just released tax rates for every municipality in the state. Before you look at the chart below, can you guess which Bergen County towns have the highest and lowest property taxes?
Ok, now you can look. If you guessed “Paramus” has the lowest, you would be partially right. While it’s eighth on the list, it qualifies as the lowest taxed borough with affordable home prices. Alpine, Saddle River, Englewood Cliffs, Rockleigh, Edgewater and Franklin Lakes all have an average list price above $1 million. (Teterboro essentially has no single family homes.) In Paramus, the average list is in the $600k range.
On the other end of the spectrum with an effective tax rate more than five times higher than Alpine’s isBogota. The general tax rate in Bogota is 3.630 and and its effective tax rate is 3.222.
What’s the difference between the two rates?
The general tax rate doesn’t take into account that your home’s assessed value is not equal to its market value. If your tax rate is high but your assessed value ratio is low, your taxes aren’t as high as you think they are – you’re not being taxed on the full value of your home!
So if you’re comparing tax rates between towns, use the effective tax rate.
The equalization ratio in the chart is simply an average of the area’s assessed value divided by the market value. The general tax rate is multiplied by the equalization ratio to get the effective tax rate. (Also see this video on comparing tax rates.)
For tax rate info on other counties in New Jersey, click here.
If you’re thinking of buying in Bergen County, call me for a consultation. I’ll give you an overview on how taxes and other factors such as quality of schools, commuting options and population density should figure into your buying decision.
Michael Shetler
Keller Williams Realty
201-421-0506 cell
201-445-4300 office
Ridgewood should have preserved elements of old building
JANUARY 9, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, JANUARY 9, 2015, 9:54 AM
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Building elements should have been preserved
To the editor:
I’m writing about your recent article “Ridgewood debate at Hudson Street lot was ‘past versus parking'” (The Ridgewood News, Dec. 26, page A1).
I’m a former Ridgewood resident who was too young in 1993 to be civically minded and involved in the parking garage debate.
In retrospect, my question for the town is why weren’t elements of the old fire house preserved? Even after the structure was torn down, parts of the original building could have been preserved, even if just a piece of a brick wall or the building’s cornerstone. Imagine how a dull, boring asphalt lot would look if cars passed through the building’s original arches to reach parking spaces.
I think there was a failure on the part of town leaders to think outside the box. If there is any follow-up article I would love to see similar questions asked.
Ridgewood’s parking changes neglect certain employees
JANUARY 9, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, JANUARY 9, 2015, 9:55 AM
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Parking changes neglect workers
To The Editor:
Once again, Ridgewood has missed the mark with the new parking changes.
An important element of downtown shopping has been neglected. Many of the employees of downtown businesses are part-time. The monthly, unlimited fee does not work for someone who may work only a couple of short shifts a week. This is not uncommon for many of the retail businesses in town.
How does an hourly worker park for six hours legally? They run out every three hours to move their car? The very same people that made use of the 12-hour lots on the periphery of downtown will be parking in premium spots since there is no incentive for them to park farther away. They still have to move their car and there is no savings afforded them by using the lots.
I see all sides of this having been a resident of Ridgewood for 30-plus years and a merchant for 26 years. Unless the intention of the village is to penalize and ticket the workers that staff our businesses, I’m going to call the changes another failure to meet the needs of downtown Ridgewood.
JANUARY 9, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, JANUARY 9, 2015, 3:43 PM
BY LAURA HERZOG
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
A coveted Ridgewood liquor license – plus Beanie Babies, greeting cards, and back supports – will be up for grabs at a public auction next week at Harding Pharmacy and Liquor.
The auction will take place on Thursday, Jan. 15 at 11 a.m.
According to David Edelberg, a lawyer for the landlord plaintiff, Clotco, Inc., the total amount owed to the landlord, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the state is “approaching a half-million dollars.”
His client was owed more than $200,000, he said, and around $40,000 was due in sales taxes.
“I would say my client who knew [the owner] was overly accommodating for too long a period of time,” said Edelberg, who became involved in June. “A lot of landlords, you’re behind 18 months to two years, [they] do something.”
His client started an eviction against the owner, but was able to settle on terms “whereby he agreed to vacate” and proceed with the auction sale, he noted.
According to auctioneer Michael Sklar, of A.J. Willner Auctions, the lucrative Ridgewood “D” liquor license is expected to go for around $250,000.
Other items for sale include 600 bottles of wine and liquor; the alcohol can only to go to a licensed liquor holder, Sklar said.
“Someone who wants to buy it for a New Year’s Eve party, they can’t buy it,” he said.
The rest of the items at the auction, including the store fixtures, will be for sale to the public. A minimum of a 25 percent deposit is due at the time of a successful bid, in cash, certified or cashier’s check, according to the auction website.
Ridgewood, fire department’s union come to terms on contract
JANUARY 8, 2015, 8:04 PM LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2015, 8:05 PM
BY CHRIS HARRIS
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
RIDGEWOOD – The village and the fire department’s union have come to terms on a new four-year agreement that the council is expected to accept the agreement when it meets next week.
The new contract was agreed to by both sides on Dec. 17, said Ridgewood’s Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld, who detailed the agreement’s terms at the council’s meeting Wednesday night.
Sonenfeld said that both sides worked together during negotiations to avoid arbitration “and heavy use of lawyers.”
Under the terms of the new agreement, the council agreed to raise the starting base salary for a firefighter to $36,000 from $32,000, while creating three additional pay-scale steps, stretching the time in which a firefighter can obtain the top pay level to 13 years from 10.
The new contract eliminates longevity payments for new hires, and puts a cap on top terminal leave at $15,000 for those with at least a year of banked sick days, Sonenfeld said.
The union agreed to forgo pay raises for the first three years of the deal, with a 1.5 percent salary increase guaranteed for 2018, the final year of the contract.
“In recognition of our mutual commitment to growing staff and future leaders, we put in place an education benefit that provides for partial tuition reimbursement for job-relevant degrees and courses,” Sonenfeld said.
Sonenfeld projects the new contract will save the village approximately $170,000 per new officer over the course of their career with the fire department.
Reader says The Village Council and the Planning Board need to step up and make decisions that are in the best interest of a vibrant and healthy village.
The Citizens For a Better Ridgewood (CBR) website states that the group:
-Favors economic growth for our downtown
-Favors new housing that is appropriate in scale
-Favors new housing designated for empty nesters and special needs residents, where there is an established need
-Favors new parking solutions that support commerce
-Favors more open space and athletic fields for our youth sports
That all sounds good. But, their public actions suggest different agendas, at least for some of the founders. Specifically, they have opposed ALL new multi-family housing projects in Ridgewood, regardless of “scale”. Clearly, we don’t need all three of the proposed developments in town. But, it is also clear that one or two of the proposed housing projects would benefit economic growth in the CBD and would help advance the parking solution in town. It is also clear that the most desirable projects would be those that are moderate in overall size, with high-end units that cater to young professional couples or empty nesters, who wish to downsize. Such projects would have less impact on our infrastructure and schools than when families with children move into existing homes in Ridgewood as empty nesters leave town each year, when their children graduate from RHS.
So, why doesn’t the CBR come out and publicly endorse one of the proposed projects? Or, if they support a specific project, but would like to see minor modifications, why don’t they tell us which project and what modifications they recommend?
The reason is that they don’t really want ANY new multi-family housing! Why? Two reasons… which the Ridgewood News has been remiss in reporting and the CBR has failed to disclose.
1) Amy Bourque is one of the founders of the CBR and is its most vocal advocate. Her family is the long-standing owner an existing multi-family housing development that would be most adversely impacted by ANY new multi-family housing in Ridgewood. This is a major conflict of interest that she should have disclosed long ago. Her failure to do so openly raises serious questions about her motivations.
2) Several CBR supporters have repeatedly and publicly expressed concern that new multi-family housing will attract more foreign families to Ridgewood, who wish to take advantage of our school system for a few years, potentially with an inappropriate number of family members or more than one family in a single unit. This concern was clearly expressed at a recent public meeting. However, the press inexplicably glossed over the comment.
The debate over multi-family housing projects has gone on for far too long in Ridgewood. We need SOMETHING. The Village Council and the Planning Board need to step up and make decisions that are in the best interest of a vibrant and healthy village. Perhaps a little honesty from those who have been stalling the debate out would help residents understand the CBR’s real motivations and allow the Village to move forward.
RIDGEWOOD REC WINTER SESSION – RETURNING FAVORITES AND NEW PROGRAMS AT THE STABLE
Registration is underway for Winter Session with Ridgewood Parks and Recreation at the Stable, 259 N. Maple Avenue.
Several classes return with fun new projects while a few new enrichment classes are added.
Preschool offerings include Garden Arts for Kids, Mini Doodler and My First Art.
Elementary enrichment programs include Drawing and/or Acrylics with Mrs. C, 3D Sculpture with Abrakadoodle, “Let’s Go Green” with Explore Science Inc., Creative Cooking with Education Explorers and Tech Titans with Education Explorers.
Adult classes include Watercolors and Acrylics. (Information/details for adult and senior programs at the Community Center to follow).
Visit the Recreation Homepage at www.ridgewoodnj.net/recreation where you will find all program details and registration forms which may be
downloaded. You will also be able to link to Community Pass for online registration.
Please call the Stable Recreation Office at 201-670-5560 with any questions or if special accommodations are needed. New program suggestions are always welcome.
Please be sure to bookmark the Recreation homepage on your computer for easy access to updated program and special event information.
My family and I would like to offer our most heartfelt gratitude for the support that has been shown to us during these difficult days since our house fire on the day after Thanksgiving. Living in Ridgewood for over 20 years, we have always known our community to be extremely special and we now know just how blessed we are to be counted among you.
In the bleary-eyed days after our fire, my family was deeply touched by people dropping off gift cards, bags of bedding, clothing and necessities, hugging us, crying with us, and offering anything to help ease our losses. These were not empty gestures, the concern and the tears in their eyes helped us realize we were not alone and had the support of an entire community – whether close friends, I taught their child, or we see each other in the supermarket. My family knows now, more than ever, what an exceptional community we have and how lucky we are to be among such gracious and caring people.
We know we are incredibly blessed to have been shown such kindness and concern. Whether people cooked and delivered a meal, brought much-needed clothing, donated a gift card, treated our dog to a toy she lost, or just hugged me and cried with me on our dear friends’ porch, please know that none of us will ever forget what was done to help ease our transition through this turmoil. We will continue to pay this kindness forward and continue to support community members in need, in the ways that have bolstered us, whether it was through RHS Cares, Benjamin Franklin Home & School Association, Ridgewood Veterinary Hospital, BF staff (where I am lucky enough to work!), Ridgewood Lacrosse Association (which replaced equipment for my son so that he could play that weekend!) or through an individual gesture.
Amy Purdy Sunday, January 4th @1:00PM
Champion Snowboarder and Dancing With the Stars Sensation, Amy Purdy, will sign her new book: On My Own Two Feet
Al & Lisa Robertson Monday, January 5th @ 6:00pm
Stars of Duck Dynasty, Al & Lisa Robertson, will sign their new book,
A New Season
Molly Simms Wednesay, January 7th @ 7:00pm
Supermodel, Molly Sims, will sign her new book
The Everyday Supermodel
Sean Lowe Tuesday, January 27th @ 6:00pm
Star of The Bachelor, Sean Lowe, will sign his new book:
For The Right Reasons
Marky Ramone Wednesday, January 28th @ 7:00pm
Drummer from the group The Ramone’s, Marky Ramone, will sign his new book:Punk Rock Blitzkrieg
Appearing authors will only autograph books purchased at Bookends and must have valid Bookends Receipt.
Availability & pricing for all autographed books subject to change.
First In Line Certificate use is the the discretion of Bookends. Blackout dates may apply.
Bookends cannot guarantee that the books that are Autographed will always be First Printings.
Autographed books purchased at Bookends are non-returnable.
While we try to ensure that all customers coming to Bookends’ signings will meet authors and get their books signed, we cannot guarantee that all attendees will meet the author or that all books will be signed. We cannot control inclement weather, author travel schedules or authors who leave prematurely.
Bookends, 211 E. Ridgewood Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ 07450 201-445-0726
Readers define PILOT for ALL non-profit institutions from the educational, medical, and cultural
The PILOT should be for ALL non-profit institutions from the educational, medical, and cultural sectors that own property valued in excess of $15 million. Each institution should be eligible for a “community benefits” deduction generally limited to 50% of the total PILOT contribution, i..e 50% should be a cash payment to the Village and 50% can be defined as benefits that derive to Village residents. You need the Village Manager to initiate this, whereby tax-exempt, land-owning institutions make a voluntary payment-in-lieu-of taxes (“PILOT”) to the Village to help cover the cost of providing the institutions with essential Village services (i.e. police, fire, snow removal). The Village needs to set a standard level of contributions – in programs and payments – to be met by all major tax-exempt land owners in Ridgewood, based on an open and transparent methodology for valuing community partnerships made by tax-exempt institutions. We also need to propose a structure for a consolidation program and payment negotiation system, which will allow the Village and its tax-exempt institutions to structure longer term, sustainable partnerships focused on improving services for Ridgewood’s residents. You also have to clarify the costs associated with providing Village services to tax-exempt institutions, and if necessary, provide recommendations on legislative changes needed at the Village, County or state level. None of this should be difficult.
Ridgewood Chamber of Commerce presents Restaurant Week 2015 Sponsored by Valley Hospital
What a great way to start the New Year-
RESTUARANT WEEK in RIDGEWOOD @ $25.15
Sunday-Thursday
January 18-22, 2015
January 25-29, 2015
Fine dining at $25.15
For these ten days, participating restaurants and caterers are offering you the chance to “experience” dining in Ridgewood and or your home, plus a wonderful selection of wines.
Each Chef is preparing a tantalizing 3-course, prix-fixe menu at $25.15
Please add a wine that will enhance the cuisine.
Visit the following participating restaurants and caterers. Call for reservations and details.
A Mano Neopolitan
24 Franklin Ave.
201-493-2000
Bella Notte Italian Bistro
14 Oak St.
201-445-7222
It’s Greek to Me
21 E. Ridgewood Ave.
201-612-2600
Latour Restaurant-LUNCH ONLY
6 E. Ridgewood Ave.
201-445-5056
Le Bon Choix
11 Godwin Ave.
201-689-0400
Mediterraneo
23 N. Broad St.
201-447-0022
Novo
37 Chestnut St.
201-444-4910
Park West Tavern
30 Oak St.
201-445-5400
Pearl Restaurant
17 S. Broad St.
201-857-5100
Raymond’s
101 E. Ridgewood Ave.
201-445-5125
Restaurant Memoire
16 Chestnut St.
201-857-8899
ROOTS Steakhouse
17 Chestnut St.
201-444-1922
Sakura Bana Japanese Restaurant
43 Franklin Ave.
201-447-6525
The Office Beer Bar & Grill
32 Chestnut St.
201-652-1070
Village Green Restaurant –
36 Prospect St.
201-445-2914
Home Dining and Specialty Wines
Chestnut Catering
25 Chestnut St.
201-445-3031
From Scratch Ridgewood
www.fromscratchridgewood.com
201-986-6316-Will deliver
Super Cellars Fine Wines & Marketplace
32 S. Broad St.
201-444-0012
The Wine Seller
6 W. Ridgewood Ave.
201-444-3300
Beverages, tax and tips not included. Regular menu will also be available.
FREE Parking all day Sunday and Monday-Saturday after 6:00pm
For more details, please call us at 201-445-2600 or email [email protected] www.experienceridgewood.com
