Ridgewood NJ, the continued bogus nepotism attacks on the Mayors sons are doing nothing but undermining the authority of both the Ridgewood Police Department and Ridgewood Fire Department . Ridgewood is a state of New Jersey Civil Service municipality, candidates are ranked based on standardized test results ,dispersions to the contrary are nothing more than attacks on members of Ridgewood PBA Local 20 and Ridgewood Professional Firefighters FMBA Local 47.
According to the “Bergen Record” Councilman Jeff Voigt wondered how a fire chief or police chief would be able to properly supervise the mayor’s kids, even if she is not directly involved in overseeing the department. It raises thorny issues, he said. And again letting Voigt make fallacious assertions , “That puts them in an uncomfortable situation,” he said. “They [the kids] may even get preferential treatment.”
So Jeff Voigt , Rurik Halaby, Don Delzio, Janice Willett, Alexandra Harwin and the rest of their band of misfits followers all think the Ridgewood Police and the Ridgewood Fire Department are failing to adequately protect the public?
And In effect saying that the Chief of Police Jacqueline Luthcke and Fire Chief James Van Goor can not properly supervise their staff?
Ridgewood NJ, a reader said , “James you may be intimidated by a strong civil rights attorney but Harwin could be what’s in the best interest of those of us who actually own our homes and pay taxes.” Funny you should say that ,the staff got a giggle out of this one , you don’t know this blog very well do you ?
So as a “strong civil rights attorney” you really should address the overt racism implied by pushing the Village of Ridgewood to hoist a “white only rainbow flag in the Central business District but also at Ridgewood High School .
Philadelphia is redefining the LGBT pride flag. The city has a launched a new campaign, “More Color More Pride,” adding one black and one brown stripe to the traditional six colored rainbow. The new design will be, from top to bottom: black, brown, red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple.
“The black and brown stripes are an inclusionary way to highlight black and brown LGBTQIA members within our community,” said one source involved with the flag-raising event who asked not to be named. “With all of the black and brown activism that’s worked to address racism in the Gayborhood over the past year, I think the new flag is a great step for the city to show the world that they’re working toward fully supporting all members of our community.”
A spokesperson for the event would not confirm the new design, but in a statement described the flag reveal as “a special, can’t-be-missed unveiling and raising of a brand-new Pride flag which promises to be a step toward inclusivity, to spur dialogue within the community, and to impact the worldwide conversation.”
Lookin for input from the LGBTQ Black and Brown community. Will be introduced at Philly Pride this year. In 1978, artist Gilbert Baker designed the original rainbow flag. An iconic symbol of LGBTQ+ unity. So much has happened since then. A lot of good, but there’s more we can do. Especially when it comes to recognizing people of color in the LGBTQ+ community. To fuel this important conversation, we’ve expanded the colors of the flag to include black and brown. It may seem like a small step. But together we can make big strides toward a truly inclusive community. (Black Lives Matter Hudson Valley).
Let us call out the rainbow flag wavers for what they are – racists. No I am not kidding. And this is not a conservative accusation. PROGRESSIVES are calling the rainbow flag racist because it excludes minority LGBTs.
Philly has now added a brown and a black stripe to make the flag inclusive (see link below).
So let us call out those flying a rainbow flag without black and brown stripes in a white town like Ridgewood for what they are – racists.
I sense a huge opportunity for 4 members of the council to seize the initiative, call out the flag bearers for their bigotry and install an inclusive version of the flag.
Ridgewood NJ, NICHE ranked Ridgewood the number one place to live in Bergen County and 6th over all in New Jersey . Ridgewood Placed just a head of Haworth #8,Ho Ho Kus #11,Tenafly #17,Glen Rock #19, Allendale #20, and Leonia #24.
The NICHE 2018 Best Places to Live ranking provides a comprehensive assessment of the overall livability of an area. This grade takes into account several key factors of a location, including the quality of local schools, crime rates, housing trends, employment statistics, and access to amenities in an attempt to measure the overall quality of an area.
Ridgewood placed 3 of 412 Best Suburbs to Live in New Jersey , 5 of 410 Suburbs with the Best Public Schools in New Jersey and 6 of 573 Best Places to Live in New Jersey . The Median Household Income is $144,734 . The Median Home Value is $724,400 and the Median Rent $1,960 .
Ridgewood NJ, The Ridgewood Symphony Orchestra presents ,Viennese Nights,Music by Mozart & Johann Strauss. Piano soloist: Felicia He.
Friday, May 4th, 2018, 8:00pm at West Side Presbyterian Church ,6 South Monroe Street, Ridgewood, NJ.The Ridgewood Symphony Orchestra is a regional intergenerational orchestra composed of talented volunteer musicians located in Ridgewood, New Jersey.
Supported by the surrounding communities and friends in neighboring areas, the orchestra serves the Northern New Jersey region with many musical and educational activities.
Artistic Director & Conductor Diane Wittry, is celebrating her third season as the orchestra’s Artistic Director and Conductor for the 78th Anniversary Season.
She is excited to be working with our dedicated and talented musicians as the organization celebrates the history and accomplishments of the Ridgewood Symphony Orchestra over the past 78 years.
New family pricing available! For tickets, click here.
Meet the Instruments of the Orchestra
Join the orchestra members as they demonstrate and talk about the instruments of the orchestra, then stay for a portion of the RSO rehearsal.
Tuesday, May 1, 2018, 6:30pm
West Side Presbyterian Church
6 South Monroe St, Ridgewood, NJ
Ridgewood NJ, once again we turn to Councilmen Ramon Hache for an update on the Hudson Street Garage . In his recent new letter Hache stated that , “Following presentations from the four developers that responded to the Village’s RFP, the Village Council selected two of the four developers to continue negotiations. The negotiations began in March, with the goal of selecting a final proposal that balances the best fit, value, functionality, and design.”
The current council once again made a very smart decision designating the existing Hudson Street lot as an area in need of redevelopment in 2017. This has allowed them the opportunity to negotiate directly with the construction companies, instead of simply accepting or rejecting the bids. An additional benefit of the redevelopment zone designation is that the Village does not have to post the usual deposit for the bond which, for this project, could have been up to $600,000. The results of the negotiations will be discussed in Closed Session on April 11.
Ridgewood NJ, in his recent news letter Councilmen Hache said , “Without question, tragic events like the one in Parkland FL, compel us to reevaluate the safety of our children. Many states have even begun to shift education funds to school safety. Councilmen Hache says that he has always been in favor of having a School Resource Officer in our schools. SROs are commissioned law enforcement officers assigned to schools. In addition to responding to incidents on school grounds, they also work closely with faculty and staff to prevent crime, bullying and violence. SROs receive special training and can be a vital component in community building by building trust and opening lines of communication with students. We need SROs in our schools. ”
It is nice to see that at lest the Village Council takes school security seriously and is willing to put forward some concrete steps in stead of organizing “student led ” protests and other feel good measures that have little to no impact on the treats the schools could be faced with.
Hache is the Council liaison to the Board of Education and stated,”I continue to implore the Board to partner with the Village to bring SROs to our schools. The Village has offered to pay for half of the cost but allocate 70% of the SRO’s time to the Board of Education. When school is not in session (30% of the work year), the SRO will be on regular duty for the Village. I hope the Board will accept our generous offer.”
In the meantime, we have police officers rotating through our schools while we are working to install a full-time dedicated SRO.
Ridgewood NJ, according to councilmen Ramon Hache, the Village is continuing the improvements to our roads in 2018. The Village Council recently funded $2,489,852 for paving and resurfacing. Harsh winters and infrastructure work by PSE&G have wreaked havoc on our roads.
Many residents have expressed concerns over the conditions of many of our roads. It is important to note that not all of the roads in town belong to the Village. Many roads belong to the county and the cost and responsibility of paving those roads falls on the county. Despite being a quaint town, Ridgewood has more county roads running through it than any other town in Bergen County, with a total of 15. Hackensack comes in second with only 11. Some of the roads with the worst conditions are county roads. For example, Franklin Avenue and Ridgewood Avenue from Paramus Road to Maple Avenue (only the portion between Maple and Broad belongs to the Village). Here is a complete list of the county roads that run through Ridgewood:
Ackerman Ave
E Ridgewood Ave
E Saddle River Rd
Franklin Ave
Franklin Tpke
Glen Ave
Godwin Ave
Goffle Rd
Lake St
Lincoln Ave
Linwood Ave
Maple Ave
Prospect St
Racetrack Rd
Van Emburgh Ave
The county is working on their $13 million paving and resurfacing program. Their work in our area will begin with E Ridgewood Avenue from Rt 17 to Maple Avenue. In the meantime, we are pleased to announce our 2018 Ridgewood Paving List:
Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood Fire Department personnel and Bergen County HazMat team members at the scene of a fuel spill into the Ho-Ho-Kus Brook near Grove Street, Ridgewood on Tuesday afternoon, 04/10. The source of the spill, said to be between 1-2 gallons, was not located. A containment boom was placed across the Brook and absorbent pads were used to recover the errant material.
20180411 – Village Council Public Meeting VILLAGE OF RIDGEWOOD , VILLAGE COUNCIL REGULAR PUBLIC MEETING
APRIL 11, 2018
8:00 P.M.
1. Call to Order – Mayor
2. Statement of Compliance with the Open Public Meetings Act
3. Roll Call – Village Clerk
4. Flag Salute and Moment of Silence
5. Mayor’s Comments
6. Acceptance of Financial Reports
7. Approval of Minutes
8. Proclamations
A. Proclaim April as Tree Planting Month and April 27, 2018 as Arbor Day
B. Proclaim April 28, 2018 LAX Day in Ridgewood
C. Proclaim May 6-12, 2018 National Drinking Water Week
D. Proclaim May as Building Safety Month
E. Proclaim April 1-21, 2018 Distracted Driving Crackdown
9. Comments from the Public (Not to exceed 3 minutes per person – 40 minutes in total)
10. Village Manager’s Report
11. Village Council Reports
12. ORDINANCES – INTRODUCTION – RIDGEWOOD WATER
3642 – Water Utility Capital Ordinance ($1,317,000) – Appropriates this money for various capital improvements/purchases, and capital projects
for the Ridgewood Water Utility
13. ORDINANCES – PUBLIC HEARING – RIDGEWOOD WATER
3636 – Re-establish Water Rates and Fees – 2010-2017 3637 – Amend Water Rates and Fees – 2018
14. RESOLUTIONS – RIDGEWOOD WATER
THE FOLLOWING RESOLUTIONS, NUMBERED 18-109 THROUGH
18-112 ARE TO BE ADOPTED BY A CONSENT AGENDA, WITH ONE VOTE BY THE VILLAGE COUNCIL. THERE IS A BRIEF DESCRIPTION BESIDE EACH RESOLUTION TO BE CONSIDERED ON THE CONSENT AGENDA. EACH RESOLUTION WILL BE READ BY TITLE ONLY:
18-109 Award Contract – Annual Renewal of Mapping Software for GIS for Ridgewood Water (NTE $17,342) – Awards a contract as a sole source provider to Bentley Systems, Inc., 686 Stockton Drive, Exton, PA
18-110 Reject Bid – 2018 Well Improvements – Rejects the bid received for well improvements due to the fact that it exceeded the cost estimate for the project
18-111 Authorize NJDEP Treatment Works Approval (TWA) Applications for Carr Well Facility – Authorizes Christopher Rutishauser, Village Engineer, to file the required NJDEP TWA applications on behalf of the Village of Ridgewood for the discharge of effluent from the Carr Well Facility to the Village’s sanitary sewer collection system
18-112 Approve Temporary Water Utility Capital Budget – Approves a temporary Water Utility Capital Budget, prior to the adoption of the permanent Water Utility Capital Budget
15. ORDINANCES – INTRODUCTION
3643 – Establish a CAP Bank – Establishes that the final appropriations in the CY 2018 budget will be increased by 3.5% over the previous year’s final appropriations, amounting to $1,351,174.37 in excess of the increase in final appropriations otherwise permitted. This is done in accordance with N.J.S.A. 40A:4-45.14, and is advisable in order to establish a CAP Bank.
3644 – General Capital Ordinance ($4,948,000) – Appropriates this money for various capital improvements/purchases, and capital projects, and purchase of vehicles for the general fund
3645 – Increase Fees for Corrections to Vital Records – Increases the filing and processing fees for correction of forms with the State of New Jersey (birth, marriage, death, civil union and domestic partnership) to $50
16. ORDINANCES – PUBLIC HEARING
3638 – Amend Chapter 212 – Parks and Recreation – Establish Rules and Regulations for Seasonal Skatepark
3640 – Establish Policies for Use of Level One Rooms – Village Hall
3641 – Amend Chapter 145 – Fees – Fees for Use of Level One Rooms – Village Hall
17. 2018 BUDGET INTRODUCTION
A. Budget Message
B. RESOLUTION
18-113 Approve 2018 Municipal Budget and Set May 9, 2018 as the Date for the Public Hearing Thereon
18. RESOLUTIONS
THE FOLLOWING RESOLUTIONS, NUMBERED 18-114 THROUGH
18-136 ARE TO BE ADOPTED BY A CONSENT AGENDA, WITH ONE VOTE BY THE VILLAGE COUNCIL. THERE IS A BRIEF DESCRIPTION BESIDE EACH RESOLUTION TO BE CONSIDERED ON THE CONSENT AGENDA. EACH RESOLUTION WILL BE READ BY TITLE ONLY:
18-114 Approve Temporary General Capital Budget – Approves a temporary General Capital Budget, prior to the adoption of the permanent General Capital Budget
18-115 Approve Emergency Temporary Budget Appropriations – Approves Emergency Temporary Budget Appropriations for the payment of claims prior to the adoption of the 2018 General, Water Utility, and Parking Utility operating budgets
18-116 Title 59 Approval – Tub Grinder – Approves the specifications for Furnishing and Delivering One (1) Tub Grinder prepared by the Water Department, pursuant to Title 59
18-117 Award Contract – Tub Grinder (NTE $365,580) – Awards a contract to the lowest responsible bidder, W.E. Timmerman Co., Inc., 3554 Route 22 West, Whitehouse, NJ
18-118 Title 59 Approval – Replacement of Interior and Exterior Main Entrance Doors at Village Hall – Approves the quote specifications for the Replacement of Interior and Exterior Main Entrance Doors at Village Hall prepared by the Engineering Division, pursuant to Title 59
18-119 Award Contract – Replacement of Interior and Exterior Main Entrance Doors at Village Hall (NTE $29,000) – Awards a contract to the lowest quote received from Automatic Door systems, LLC, 86 Porete Avenue, North Arlington, NJ
18-120 Award Contract Under Middlesex Regional Educational Services Commission Cooperative Purchasing Contract – Replacement of Maple Park Turf Field (NTE $500,011) – Awards a contract under the Middlesex Regional Educational Services Commission Cooperative Purchasing Contract to Shaw Sports Turf, 96 Evesboro Lane, Freehold, NJ
18-121 Award Professional Services Contract – Planning Services for Visioning Process for Update to Master Plan (NTE $77,583) – Awards a fair and open Professional Services Contract to NV5, Inc., 7 Campus Drive, Suite 300, Parsippany, NJ
18-122 Authorize Shared Services Agreement – Vehicle Maintenance and Repairs (Ridgewood Board of Education) – Approves a Shared Services Agreement with the Ridgewood Board of Education for vehicle maintenance and repair services
18-123 Authorize Execution of Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) – Ridgewood Health Department with Bergen County Department of Health Services (Public Health Emergency Preparedness) – Authorizes the Mayor, Health Officer, and Village Clerk to execute the MOU which will allow the Village of Ridgewood to partner with Bergen County Department of Health Services for the provision of planning, implementation, and response for State approved services/activities for bioterrorism, infectious disease outbreaks, and other public health threats
18-124 Authorize Execution of Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) – Ridgewood Health Department with Bergen County Department of Health Services (Tuberculosis Control) – Authorizes the Mayor, Health Officer, and Village Clerk to execute the MOU which will allow the Village of Ridgewood to partner with Bergen County Department of Health Services for the provision of tuberculosis control, containment, and prevention
18-125 Authorize Execution of Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) – Ridgewood Health Department with Bergen County Department of Health Services – (HIV Testing and Services) – Authorizes the Mayor, Health Officer, and Village Clerk to execute the MOU which will allow the Village of Ridgewood to partner with Bergen County Department of Health Services for the provision of HIV counseling, testing and referral services
18-126 Authorize Execution of Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) – Ridgewood Health Department with Paterson Health Department (Childhood Lead Poisoning) – Authorizes the Mayor, Health Officer, and Village Clerk to execute the MOU which will allow the Village of Ridgewood to partner with the Paterson Health Department to provide a regional site for public health nurse case management of childhood lead poisoning
18-127 Authorize Execution of Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) – Ridgewood Health Department with Fair Lawn Health Department – Interim Health Officer Services – Authorizes the Mayor, Health Officer, and Village Clerk to execute the MOU which will allow the Health Officers of Fair Lawn and Ridgewood to provide Interim Health Officer Services for each other when necessary
18-128 Declare Property Surplus – Various Equipment – Police Department – Declares various equipment from the Police Department surplus property and authorizes the Village Manager to dispose of said property
18-129 Declare Property Surplus – 1998 Auto Packer – Streets Department – Declares a 1998 Auto Packer surplus property and authorizes the Village Manager to dispose of said property
18-130 Declare Property Surplus – Graydon Pool Inflatable WIBIT Aquatrack – Declares the Graydon Pool inflatable WIBIT Aquatrack surplus property and authorizes the Village Manager to dispose of said property
18-131 Authorize Site Access to Geographic Services, Inc. to North Walnut Street Parking Lot for Sampling Purposes – Authorizes Geographic Services, Inc. to have site access to the North Walnut Street parking lot to sample the existing groundwater monitoring wells as part of the investigation of the subsurface contamination at 32 Cottage Place. This authorization is granted for a period of time not to exceed three years. Geographic Services, Inc. will comply with all Village regulations in performing their work and will also share the information they obtain with the Village of Ridgewood.
18-132 Approve Person to Person and Place to Place Liquor License Transfer – Rocco Berardi to BB Ridgewood, LLC t/a Bareburger – Approves a person to person and place to place plenary retail consumption liquor license transfer from Rocco Berardi, with no licensed premise to BB Ridgewood, LLC t/a Bareburger, 15 East Ridgewood Avenue
18-133 Appointments to Planning Board – Appoints Frances Barto as a Class IV member of the Planning Board, to a term expiring 6/30/20, Matthew Bandelt as Alternate #1 to a term expiring 6/30/18, and Allyson Wesner as Alternate #2 to a term expiring 6/30/19
18-134 Appointments to Ridgewood Environmental Advisory Committee (REAC) – Appoints Pamela Perron as a Citizen Member to a term expiring 12/31/20, and Christine Amundsen as the Alternate #1 Member to a term expiring 12/31/19
18-135 Appointments to Ridgewood Green Team Advisory Committee – Appoints Catherine Brienza and Justin Manger as Citizen Members for three- year terms expiring 12/31/20 and reassigning George Wolfson from a Citizen Member to a member of REAC, to a one-year term expiring 12/31/18
18-136 Appointment to Shade Tree Commission – Appoints Susan Nashel to a term expiring 12/31/22
THE FOLLOWING RESOLUTIONS, NUMBERED 18-138 THROUGH
18-139, WILL BE CONSIDERED SEPARATELY AND READ IN FULL:
18-138 Appointments to Community Relations Advisory Board
18-139 Cancel Contract – Renovation of Somerville Tennis Courts
19. Comments from the Public (Not to Exceed 5 minutes per person)
20. Resolution to go into Closed Session
21. Closed Session
A. Legal – Green Acres Diversion
B. Legal/Contract Negotiations – Hudson Street Parking Garage
22. Adjournment
Please tell me why and how anyone running for Village Council is not regularly and diligently attending council meetings at this point? Actually, for months and years leading up to this???
Planning Board meetings as well! It’s not as if the budget and village issues are not long standing, hard fought, deep seated and complicated!
Considering 2 of the 4 candidates are currently sitting council members (Susan Knudsen and Mike Sedon) you can be SURE they’re here. **Taking time from their families and putting in WELL beyond full time hours VOLUNTEERING to be here. No one, not in regular, long standing attendance, has any business asking for our votes.
What do you expect from this group of self loathing, wannabe Ridgewoodites- – this is the same group of people attacking the Catholic Church in town by claiming it paid a cash bribe to the Mayor to stop the town from building a six story garage in the in the middle of Hudson street. These people have no moral decency or moral core.
These vicious attacks by the Willet / Harwin puppet masters detract us from the real issues. Read the first post about Valley wanting to rezone all of its properties as housing projects. Where do the candidates stand on these substantive issues that threaten our housing prices and will drive up our tax payments?
I would like each candidate to state where they stand on turning all of Valley’s current properties in Ridgewood into apartment projects. Or any other substantive issue for that matter. I don’t need to hear them attack (throughout surrogates) the ability of our police and fire department employers to run into a burning building or tangle with a burglar.
Reader responds ,”Susan Kehoe, so nice that someone from out of state reads the blog. Croton On Hudson. Really? You care about our local election? Guessing that Paul Arohsohn got in touch with you, that is his typical sc#m-bag style of dirty politics. Bear Hunting, or any hunting, is not a local issue. And if you actually lived in town, which thank God you don’t, you would know that Deputy Mayor Sedon long ago straightened out that bad joke he made and clarified his position on responsible hunting.”
Ridgewood NJ, a big thank you to Saurabh Dani for pointing out Jeff Voigt’s change of heart on the Ridgewood blog . If you don’t like “nasty anonymous posters ” , the staff suggest that you and all your coconspirators quit making them. Its just that simple .
Jeff Voigt – two years ago, vs today. One screen shot is from two years ago from his views on the blog. The lead one is from few days ago from his letter to the editor in Ridgewood News.
Ridgewood NJ, the Ridgewood BOE seats in recent years have come up for re-election unopposed. While many have asserted that the Ridgewood Board of Education does its best to keep the public off the board and is only looking for more yes-men or yes-women. With the Ridgewood School system in what appears to be rapid decline , an over zealous budget and huge tax increases on the horizon a call to action would seem necessary to preserve both the quality of life in the Village and property values.
Board seats are three year terms and are up for re-election in the following order :
Ridgewood NJ, John Hersperger commented on the Ridgewood Master Plan on Facebook , “The master plan is the blue print for how all the land in the Village should be zoned and used. The Planning Board is the Village body empowered to write the plan, and to amend it. It’s vital we have the right people on the Council, since two council members sit on the Planning Board, and since the Council selects the other board members. Though the plan is already undergoing a major review, our planners’ job has gotten more complicated. Although the Valley Hospital, CRR and the Village have settled their law suit and have agreed that the Valley site at Van Dien and Linwood will be zoned to keep the Hospital the exact same size as it is now, a new issue has arisen that we all need to watch.
In a separate lawsuit between Ridgewood and Fair Share Housing (FSH), FSH is asking the Village to rezone ALL of the Valley Hospital’s Ridgewood properties to permit high density housing on all of them. This is called “overlay” zoning, which essentially means that all those sites could be developed into high density housing sites. For those who aren’t aware, Valley owns several large tracts in town, in addition to the Van Dien/Linwood main campus.
I have confidence that Susan Knudsen and Mike Sedon will have our backs on this. But I fear the other two candidates (Willets and Harwin), should they prevail, would put us back on the perilous path toward yet more high density housing.”
