
Reader says Let’s give the water dept. a chance to recover from decades of mismanagement



The only conclusion is that these so called traffic engineers don’t ever
actually drive in the Central business district ..complete lunacy..we are actually paying for these experts conclusions ?? making matters worse would be the inevitable result as well as spending a fortune to build out and then fix this mess.

ATTENTION: RIDGEWOOD WATER CUSTOMERS IN RIDGEWOOD – PROPOSED CHANGES
Attention: Ridgewood Water Customers in the Village of Ridgewood
Ridgewood NJ, Stage II restrictions (2 days a week irrigation) were imposed in June 2016 and are still in effect in Glen Rock, Midland Park, Ridgewood and Wyckoff. Without these restrictions, the use of drinking water for irrigation will continue increasing toward levels that are unsustainable regardless of drought conditions. To reverse this trend, an ordinance was introduced on March 8, 2017 to amend the provisions governing Water Emergencies in the Village of Ridgewood Code. Changes proposed include:
Making 2 days a week irrigation permanent year round,
Restricting irrigation hours to limit losses to evaporation,
Restricting irrigation using private wells to 2 days a week,
Adding new exemptions, including drip irrigation and smart controllers.
This ordinance applies only to Ridgewood, but it is expected that the Boroughs of Glen Rock and Midland Park, and the Township of Wyckoff will follow suit as they have in the past. Below is the proposed ordinance. Questions can be directed to Ridgewood Water at 201-670-5521 or cswater@ridgewoodnj.net
CLICK HERE for proposed ordinance.

Traffic is terrible in the area of the train station after Chris ” Bike Lane ” Rutishaser redesigned the area now he is going to bring busses and more commuters to the area. I would like to know his plan for the busses when they reach the end of Franklin Ave? Do they make the turn on to Maple Ave and then turn onto Ridgewood Ave. He said last night he has an alternate plan for the busses to get to Ridgewood Ave. Well what is it “Bike Lane” ? Redesigned the area, spend in excess of three hundred thousand (Cost overruns not included) all for the sake of commuter parking.

RE:” The bus station may be moved to the train station to create a single transit hub. This would free up many parking spots in the core of the village by Van Neste. It would also get buses off of Ridgewood Avenue and onto Franklin Avenue. Of course with high density housing slated for the Ken Smith property, there is going to be a lot more traffic on Franklin anyway. And the bus station on the other side of the tracks would take away some spots there. But overall there would be a net gain of 38 (?) spots.”
This seem like a bad idea.
If this is done, that idiotic “Green” bike lane needs to be removed.
Traffic is a nightmare already.
I can’t imagine how bad it will be when you add bus traffic AND vehicle traffic for people dropping offs/picking up bus passengers.

photos courtesy of Boyd Loving’s Facebook page
April 7,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, A two (2) vehicle crash at the intersection of East Ridgewood and South Van Dien Avenues in Ridgewood on Friday morning, 04/07, sent one (1) vehicle up onto the nearby First Presbyterian Church’s front lawn. Both drivers involved in the mishap were evaluated on the scene by RIdgewood FD and EMS EMTs and both declined ambulance transportation to a hospital for further evaluation/treatment. Flatbed tow trucks removed both wrecked sedans. An Easter related lawn sign belonging to the church was damaged in connection with the collision. Ridgewood PD is investigating the incident.

TIPS FOR COMMUTERS
April 7,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, At 6:55 a.m., Amtrak advised NJ TRANSIT that all but one track is back in service at Penn Station New York (PSNY). NJ TRANSIT’s MidTOWN Direct Service has been operating to PSNY this morning, and the Northeast Corridor and North Jersey Coast Line train service is operating on their regular weekday schedules.
Trains are running with 15-20 delays !
As a precaution, NJ TRANSIT is advising customers that they may experience some delays and should give themselves some extra time to get to their destinations. We also urge customers to check njtransit.com before traveling.
At approximately 9 a.m. Monday morning, NJ TRANSIT’s Northeast Corridor line train #3926 experienced a slow-speed derailment while pulling in to Track 9 at New York’s Penn Station. Three cars in the middle of the ten car train derailed. These were cars 5, 6, and 7. Amtrak, which owns and maintains the tracks near Penn Station New York, has determined that a track problem was the cause of the derailment.
As long term commuters many on the staff of the Ridgewood blog would like to offer the following advise : Always have a backup plan or a plan B . Long term commuters often have a plan C as well .

By Jessica Mazzola | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
on April 07, 2017 at 7:45 AM, updated April 07, 2017 at 7:47 AM
A New Jersey town has banned summertime commercial leaf blowing for good. (File photo)
MAPLEWOOD — The controversial leaf blower ban is back, and it’s here to stay.
The Maplewood town council this week unanimously passed an ordinance banning commercial landscapers’ use of the gas-powered blowers during the summer months – a move that cemented a pilot program enacted last year. The new rule, the town’s lawmakers said, is meant to decrease noise and environmental pollution in the community.
https://www.nj.com/essex/index.ssf/2017/04/nj_town_bans_summertime_use_of_gas-powered_leaf_bl.html

April 7,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, The boil water alert that was issued on Wednesday, April 5th has ended. Samples
collected throughout the affected zone were tested and are free of any E coli bacteria. A thorough investigation is underway to determine the source of the contamination along with a full review of Ridgewood Water Customer
notifications.
Ridgewood Water regrets any inconvenience this may have caused. The health and safety of our consumers is paramount. Consumers can get the latest information about the utility and its operations from our website,
water.ridgewoodnj.net.
Please share this information with your friends and neighbors

Mark Krulish and Kaitlyn Kanzler , NorthJerseyPublished 12:23 p.m. ET April 6, 2017 | Updated 12 hours ago
RIDGEWOOD – Residents of Ridgewood face no danger from the E. coli that was detected in a groundwater sample on April 5, town officials announced Thursday.
Ridgewood Water customers were notified that the E. coli had been found in a low-pressure zone that includes parts of Ridgewood, Midland Park and Wyckoff and all of Glen Rock and were told to boil their water for a full minute before consuming.

April 7,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood Nj, readers feel the lack of communication from Ridgewood Water and the Village council added to the confusion and made matters far worse :
Mass panic and hysteria over absolutely nothing. The water supply was not contaminated, period. What are these people going to do when the bomb drops? They’ll be jumping off of roofs of buildings in the CBD.
A big part of this problem is communication. Apparently Ridgewood Water has its own notification system. Being signed up with the town is not enough!The water dept needs to step it up.
The Village is creating more confusion and panic by not explaining clearly exactly what the “Low Pressure Zone” is. They need to grasp the idea that without a clearly printed map, very few people will understand if they are in an affected area. This will lead to people worrying and possible overreacting.
ridgewood water company is run like a family business. Nobody is responsible for past billing issues or the future settlement with the surrounding towns. Please sell it and let’s focus on our core issues. Like running the town better.
I’ve lived in Ridgewood for almost 40 years and I can’t recall any communication being handled so poorly. Someone should be fired over how badly this was managed
Ridgewood water gets worse every year. Never any improvements, just arsenic violation lead violations, and now ecoli. Avoidance of lawsuit. Someone in this state has to intervene immediately and have it rin properly and professionally. Constant ignoring and no improvements can’t continue any longer.
No notification via robocall. No “neighborly” notification, of course. You could drop dead on the street and no one would help. Ridgewood Water refuses to answer the phone, Health Department could care less and refused to answer questions. Inept, unprofessional and incompetent. Will be deducting from water bill. This is par for the course in a backward town which lacks modern updates, conveniences and its residents are nasty.

Mark Krulish , Staff Writer, @Mark_KrulishPublished 7:46 p.m. ET April 5, 2017 | Updated 19 hours ago
RIDGEWOOD — Barring any unforeseen developments, the village will soon be home to a new residential complex on Chestnut Street.
Chestnut Village, a 43-unit apartment complex, will include seven units set aside for affordable housing. It will be built at the site of the old state inspection station, near the village’s central garage.

file photo by Boyd Loving
By Dino Flammia April 6, 2017 3:00 AM
Nationally in 2016, the average property tax bill on a single family home was $3,296.
In New Jersey, it was $8,477, reinforcing the state’s reputation as being the least tax-friendly to its residents.
According to a report released Thursday by real estate database ATTOM Data Solutions, New Jersey easily takes the top spot for highest property taxes, beating out second-place New York by more than $1,400.
Relative to the average market value of single family homes in the state, New Jersey also posted the highest tax rate in the nation — 2.31 percent, the California-based company said. The rate topped 2 percent in only four other states – Illinois, New Hampshire, Texas and Vermont.
“New Jersey homeowners in 2016 paid a cumulative total of over $20 billion in property taxes just on single family homes,” said ATTOM senior vice president Daren Blomquist.
That represents nearly 10 percent of the $277 billion levied on single family homes nationwide, according to the report.
Read More: New report shows how much more NJ pays in property taxes vs. rest of U.S. | https://nj1015.com/new-report-shows-how-much-more-nj-pays-in-property-taxes-vs-rest-of-u-s/?trackback=tsmclip

Full Weekday Service Set To Resume Friday A.M.; Cross-Honoring Continues For Customer Convenience
April 7,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, be prepared for a few snafu’s but NJ TRANSIT will resume full weekday service into and out of Penn Station New York (PSNY) for Friday morning, pending completion of track repairs by Amtrak. Amtrak has committed to reopening the closed section of track near PSNY by 4 a.m.
At approximately 9 a.m. Monday morning, NJ TRANSIT’s Northeast Corridor line train #3926 experienced a slow-speed derailment while pulling in to Track 9 at New York’s Penn Station. Three cars in the middle of the ten car train derailed. These were cars 5, 6, and 7.
Amtrak, which owns and maintains the tracks near Penn Station New York, has determined that a track problem was the cause of the derailment
Northeast Corridor (NEC) and North Jersey Coast Line (NJCL) schedules will return to full regular weekday service. MidTOWN Direct trains will resume service to and from PSNY. Raritan Valley Line (RVL) mid-day trains will resume direct service to and from PSNY.
“We now know that deficiencies in Amtrak’s infrastructure at Penn Station New York caused an extremely difficult and challenging week for our customers,” said Executive Director Steven H. Santoro. “We appreciate and value all of our customers and thank them for their patience. I want to assure our riders that NJ TRANSIT is doing everything possible to ensure Amtrak sets the bar higher on maintaining their infrastructure to prevent these types of incidents..”
As customers return to regular weekday schedules, cross honoring will remain in effect with NJ TRANSIT bus, light rail, private carrier bus, NY Waterway ferry, and PATH at Newark, Hoboken and 33rd Street.
Note: The special New York Waterway ferry from Hoboken Terminal will not operate.
For the latest travel information, customers should visit njtransit.com, access NJ TRANSIT’s Twitter feed at @NJTRANSIT or listen to broadcast traffic reports. Additionally, NJ TRANSIT will provide the most current service information via the My Transit alert system (www.njtransit.com/mytransit), which delivers travel advisories to your smartphone. Service information is also available by calling (973) 275-5555.