The Ridgewood Blog Brings a Free Market Laissez-faire Point of View to Local, New Jersey State and National Issues.
photo courtesy of the Ridgewood Parks and Recreation Department
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Ridgewood NJ, beneath the sunny fun at Graydon Pool, the Village of Ridgewood’s 52 certified waterfront lifeguards stand as vigilant public safety professionals, ensuring residents and visitors can safely enjoy their time at the pool.
Continue reading Meet the Unsung Heroes of Graydon Pool: Ridgewood’s Lifeguards
screen shots courtesy of the Village Manager Keith Kazmark
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Ridgewood NJ, every year, the Village of Ridgewood finds a worthy tree to cut down for the annual “Down Town for the Holidays ” Christmas tree lighting. The tree is destined to be cut down anyway for various reasons and donated and repurposed to the Village .
Continue reading Introducing the Village of Ridgewood Christmas Tree!
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Ridgewood NJ, National Hot Dog Day is an annual observance celebrated in the United States on the third Wednesday of July. This year National Hot Dog Day will be on Wednesday, July 19th.
Continue reading Ridgewood Parks and Recreation Celebrates National Hot Dog Day at Graydon Pool
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Ridgewood NJ, head to the Summer Job Fair, hosted by Ridgewood Parks and Recreation in partnership with Ridgewood High School DECA on Wednesday, March 8, 2023 in the Anne Zusy Youth Lounge, located in Village Hall, 131 N. Maple Avenue, from 6pm to 8pm. There are various positions available and you must be 16 years or older to apply.
file photo by Boyd Loving
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Ridgewood NJ, The Village of Ridgewood, Parks and Recreation Department, is seeking certified lifeguards for seasonal employment at the Graydon Pool municipal facility. Full-time and part-time positions are available. Competitive salaries are offered, ranging from $10.30 to $15.00 per hour, based on years of experience and duties assigned.
Continue reading Waterfront Lifeguard Opportunities Village of Ridgewood Graydon Pool Summer 2020
photo courtesy of Boyd Loving
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Ridgewood NJ, Boyd Loving pointed out on the “it takes Village “Facebook page that on the hottest day of the year ,” Access to both parking lots at The Stable, 259 North Maple Avenue, was blocked on Sunday, 07/21, by order of Ridgewood’s Parks & Recreation Department. Users of the adjacent Skate Park and deep end of Graydon Pool were forced to park elsewhere. Does anyone know if this policy will be in effect on Saturdays as well, and extend into the remaining weekends of the Summer? Also, was the Village Council notified of the planned “inconvenience to taxpayers” factor?”
The Stable was closed and Graydon had adequate staff , perhaps Parks and Rec can enlighten ?
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Ridgewood NJ, Registration is open for Ridgewood Summer Day Camp. The camp is for children entering grades 1 through 6 in September. It will be held weekdays for six weeks, 9 am to 1:30 pm, Tuesday, June 25 through Friday, August 2, 2019.
The camp is held at the Stable, Maple Park East, Graydon Pool, Veteran’s Field, Leuning Park and the Community Center in Village Hall.
Continue reading Registration is open for Ridgewood Summer Day Camp
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Ridgewood NJ, the Conservancy for Ridgewood Public Lands and Ridgewood Parks and Recreation welcomes a NJ Audubon presentation, “Reptiles of Northern New Jersey”, on Thursday, November 8th, 1:30pm in the Anne Zusy Youth Center, located at Village Hall, 131 North Maple Avenue, Ridgewood. Admission is $5 person (all attending, including adults). See image for more details.
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Ridgewood NJ, Join Ridgewood Parks and Recreation for Pickleball this fall! Adult classes run on Mondays and Tuesdays at the Glen Courts, located at 865 E. Glen Avenue.
Beginner Instruction – 9:15 to 10:15am
Intermediate Play – 10:15 to 11:15am
Cost is $40/4 week session (non-residents $50)
All equipment available. Participants must possess a 2018 Tennis Membership and can be purchased at www.ridgewoodnj.net/communitypass
July 10,2017
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Ridgwood NJ, Join Ridgewood Parks and Recreation for summer camps that are fun, informative, creative, educational and challenging. Find all program and registration details in the links below.
Tennis Instruction and Camps with All Pro Tennis – all ages
PonyShare Petite Equestrian, Pony Grooming & Riding and an afternoon 1/2 Day Camp – Preschool to Teen
Multi-Sports (Elementary) with US Sports Institute
Sport Squirts (Preschool) with US Sports Institute
Arts and Crafts/Drawing with Mrs. C, Grades 2 to 8
Let’s Go Camping Abrakadoodle Style, ages 4 through 10
Skateboarding Summer Camps – Grades 1 to 6
Golf Camps with Skyhawks, Grades 1 through 6
LEGO® Core Engineering with Play-Well TEKnologies, Grades K to 6
Full STEAM ahead! with Education Explorers, Grades K to 4
Lacrosse Mini Camp with US Sports Institute, ages 5 to 7
Register online via CommunityPass if applicable – www.ridgewoodnj.net/communitypass
Don’t hesitate to contact the Recreation Office if you have any questions or if special accomodations are needed – 201-670-5560, weekdays 8:30 am to 4:30 pm.
May 25,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, you do not have to leave town to enjoy the summer . Join Ridgewood Parks and Recreation for summer camps that are fun, informative, creative, educational and challenging. Find all program and registration details in the links below.
Tennis Instruction and Camps with All Pro Tennis – all ages
PonyShare Petite Equestrian, Pony Grooming & Riding and an afternoon 1/2 Day Camp – Preschool to Teen
Multi-Sports (Elementary) with US Sports Institute
Sport Squirts (Preschool) with US Sports Institute
Arts and Crafts/Drawing with Mrs. C, Grades 2 to 8
Let’s Go Camping Abrakadoodle Style, ages 4 through 10
Skateboarding Summer Camps – Grades 1 to 6
Golf Camps with Skyhawks, Grades 1 through 6
LEGO® Core Engineering with Play-Well TEKnologies, Grades K to 6
Full STEAM ahead! with Education Explorers, Grades K to 4
Lacrosse Mini Camp with US Sports Institute, ages 5 to 7
Register online via CommunityPass if applicable – www.ridgewoodnj.net/communitypass
Don’t hesitate to contact the Recreation Office if you have any questions or if special accomodations are needed – 201-670-5560, weekdays 8:30 am to 4:30 pm.
HealthBarn at Irene Habernickle Family Park
From the Village of Ridgewood web site
Irene Habernickle Family Park – HealthBarn FAQs
The below document represents answers, approaches and comments to questions, concerns and issues that were raised by residents and the Council regarding the leasing of Habernickel’s Gate House to Health Barn, USA. The Village Council will discuss two resolutions at the Wednesday, February 3rdmeeting: one to change the use of the Gate House for recreational and educational purposes, and the second to authorize the signing of the lease between Health Barn and the Village. The vote on these resolutions will not be held until the Council session on February 10th. Any comments or questions can be directed to Roberta Sonenfeld (rsonenfeld@ridgewoodnj.net) and Janet Fricke (jfricke@ridgewoodnj.net).
Gate House at Irene Habernickel Family Park – HealthBarn, USA
Response to Frequently Asked Questions
1.27.16
Traffic Safety Issues
Ridgewood Police Department completed a traffic study on Hillcrest Road in the Habernickel Park area during the fall recreational season; additional studies are planned – one for winter, another for spring recreation season. The traffic study shows that the average speed falls within a safe area and even though there were a couple high end speeds that percentage was minimal. As far as existing volume, the street has a low volume even though this area is a known “cut through” street. Traffic study was passed on to the Engineering Division for review and implementation.
The Village Engineer recommended:
Short Term:
Stripe 2 crosswalks- at Norman and at Hillcrest. Double yellow center line on Hillcrest Rd. (Morningside to Monroe); signage to alert motorists that they are approaching a crosswalk.
Paint white “Tic” marks on Hillcrest at private driveway openings to allow for better egress.
Amend ordinance to allow for parking on the park side (north) of Hillcrest and not the opposite (south) side. Ordinance #3517
Plans were presented and approved at the monthly Citizen’s Safety Advisory Committee Meeting held December 17th, 2015. Resolution #16-21
ii. Long Term:
Extend sidewalk in front of park to Andover Terrace;
Installation of sidewalk on south side of Hillcrest – Morningside to North Monroe.
Speed humps/ bumps are not recommended by Police or Engineering Division; the double center line is recommended for traffic calming.
Bus Drop Off (M-F 10am -3pm only) – Procedures will include drop off at entrance to Gate House. Buses may park in parking lot or return to premise for pick up. Engine idling prohibited.
Operation of Facility
When the Village purchased the Habernickel property in 2004 using Green Acres funding, a conservation easement was required to be placed on the deed. The easement states that Green Acres rules and regulations must be followed for this property. Green Acres requirements have been followed by Ridgewood, including most recently, the hearing to alert the public to the proposed change in use.
The Village Recreation Department will establish a satellite office on the second floor of the Gate House. The office will be used to provide any assistance or support necessary and will be staffed as needed.
No zoning changes were necessary for the Village to make this change in use.
The change will allow Recreational/ educational programing for the Gate House; no overnight accommodations or private counseling sessions in the Gate House are defined in the Lease.
HealthBarn will be required to follow procedures in the lease to make any improvements to the Gate House. The cost of improvements (including permits) will be covered by tenant.
Community Gardens are allowed in parks with permission from the Director of Parks & Recreation. All maintenance and related costs will be responsibility of HealthBarn. There will be no use of the Horse Barn itself.
Signage – A sign is allowed on the Gate House. Location and size is addressed in the Lease. Prior to installation, approval from Director of Building Department and a permit is required.
Security/lighting analysis will be made by Ridgewood Police for the exterior of the Gate House and will recommend appropriate action.
The hours of operation of any of the programs will be in accordance with the items listed on Schedule A – Mondaythrough Saturday – 9:00AM to 5:30PM; Wednesday and Friday evening. 6:30PM to 9:00PM. The Tenant will be permitted to open and close the facilities a half hour before and after the operation of the programs. Any temporary adjustments to days/hours of operation must be requested five (5) business days in advance, in writing, to the Director of Parks and Recreation or the LANDLORD.
The Gate House facility provides space for additional education/recreational programs for local youth that cannot be held elsewhere in Ridgewood as facilities are being used to full capacity.
Building Code Officials and the Fire Inspector have inspected the Gate House. They will make professional recommendations when questions arise in their area of expertise.
Park areas to be used by HealthBarn – the Gate House , Teaching Community Garden, and potentially some Habernickel field areas will be used by HealthBarn as approved by the Director, Parks & Recreation.
Green Acres does not deny public access to parks that are in the Green Acres program.
Student drop off and pick up area will be at the entrance to the Gate House. If parking is needed during classes, 12 onsite spaces will be used in the parking lot. In addition 3 staff parking spaces are available in the Gate House garage/driveway.
Mini buses carrying up to 14 may drop off at the Gate House entrance; mini buses may park in the parking lot for no more than 2 hours. No engine idling is permitted for any buses. Full size buses (carrying not more than 48 passengers) are permitted only during the hours of 10:00AM to 3:00PMMonday through Friday to drop off at the Gate House entrance. Buses can park in any offsite designated parking lot and return at agreed time for pick up.
Animals are not allowed unless by special request for a program or a certified service animal.
HealthBarn is a vendor to the Village of Ridgewood and as such all programs will be regularly inspected, reviewed and monitored by the Director, Parks and Recreation.
The Tenant understands that it is expressly prohibited from operating and holding private consultation sessions at the Gate House and on Habernickel parklands. One upstairs room will serve as an office. The building shall not be used for living quarters.
The Gate House and all programs shall be open for inspection by Landlord at any time.
Health Barn’s curriculum has been reviewed by Green Acres and Ridgewood Parks and Recreation to ensure that the educational and recreational standards are of high quality for each age group. It is not a daycare or babysitting operation. This enrichment educational experience provides families with nutritional guidance to facilitate better mealtime behaviors for a healthy lifestyle.
The Tenant will have appropriate number of students attending programs for each age and program type as approved through Ridgewood Parks & Recreation Department.
Business Issues
HealthBarn moved due to Abma’s Farm wanting to use their space to expand their own business. Ridgewood staff visited the HealthBarn operation at Abma’s Farm.
A local real estate professional conducted an analysis of the location to determine the base bid for this lease. The lease requires an annual Tri State CPI increase.
The initial lease is for 5 years with renewal for 1 more year adhering to Green Acres rules. A capital improvement of $50,000+ entitles the tenant to a 6 year lease.
The Lease document will be available to the public when it is complete.
Required Insurance coverage is $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 is aggregate. The Village of Ridgewood is listed as additionally insured.
All employees, agents and representatives of HealthBarn must have satisfactorily passed background checks. Documentation will be kept on file.
The Gate House will provide program space as well as office space for registration, planning and operational needs. No overnight accommodations are permitted. The Gate House will be regularly monitored by the Parks and Recreation Department and will be inspected by the Ridgewood Building, Fire and Health Departments and comply with all of their requirements.
The Village is not entitled to the Tenant’s business plan.
The Lease includes legal language to protect the Village if the tenant does not follow lease requirements and termination is needed.
The tenant of the Gate House is required in the lease to submit a quarterly listing and analysis of classes and programs, including attendance, staffing, and related costs to the Director, Parks & Recreation Department for review. The tenant’s current listing of programs is part of the Lease as Schedule A and is the standard (baseline) for all HealthBarn programs. Birthday parties are an approved use by Green Acres. If the tenant wishes to make changes to programs, it must be cleared five days in advance by the Director of Parks & Recreation.
