Ridgewood NJ, the group Fair Property Taxes for All New Jersey asks ,Have you attended your local school district’s finance meetings or reviewed your board of education’s budget for next year? If not, you may want to pay closer attention. On average, the largest portion of your property tax bill goes toward educational costs, meaning that your local school districts play a significant role in the amount of property taxes you pay annually.
In 2017, per student spending in NJ averaged $20,385 (14 of the most expensive school districts exceeded $30,000 p/p): fairpropertytaxesforallnewjersey.com
Ridgewood NJ, Fun morning with Ridgewood (Ridge School) third grade students touring Village Hall, Police Department, and learning about Village Government. The Ridge third graders met Mayor Susan Knudsen .
Ridgewood NJ, Michael Feeney’s Best Day Ever today 10am – 3pm at the Benjamin Franklin Middle School. Join the fun in support of important medical research for cures and better treatments of pediatric cancer and Type 1 Diabetes. Michael Feeney’s Best Day Ever helps provide opportunities that enable families with ill children to enjoy a ‘Best Day Ever’.
Inspired by Michael’s amazing attitude and positive outlook, we established Michael Feeney’s Best Day Ever, Inc. in Michael’s memory. Our mission is to provide opportunities that enable families with ill children to enjoy a “Best Day Ever”. With your assistance, we hope to achieve this goal by: Giving experiences that bring happiness to these children and their families, funding important medical research for cures and better treatments in the pediatric cancer and Type 1 Diabetes arenas, and by creating much needed childhood disease awareness.
Ridgewood NJ, the Ridgewood Police report A West Islip, N.Y. resident responded to Ridgewood Police headquarters to sign complaints for two incidents in the past on June 6th. The person reported he was assaulted in the Village of Ridgewood while working at the Maple Field on May 22nd and May 31st by a co-worker. The reporting party completed an affidavit of probable cause and signed a criminal complaint which was then forwarded to the Ridgewood Municipal Court for review.
Ridgewood NJ, The Village Council is looking for residents who are interested in volunteering to serve on the following Boards and Committees: Zoning Board of Adjustment, The Ridgewood Arts Council, the Library Board of Trustees, The Ridgewood Community Center Advisory Board (this member must have a child in the Ridgewood School system), and the Shade Tree Commission.
The Zoning Board of Adjustment hears variance applications and appeals from rulings and determinations arising from the enforcement of Village zoning ordinances.
The Ridgewood Arts Council will assist in the promotion of and encourage artistic and cultural programs and will provide for educational opportunities in the areas of art and culture. The Ridgewood Arts Council will also provide advice, guidance, and recommendations to the Village Council, as needed.
The Library Board of Trustees is the governing board for the Ridgewood Public Library and its employees. The Board of Trustees works with the community to establish Library policy and secures funds to carry on services to the public, and set goals and objectives.
The Ridgewood Community Center Advisory Board develops policies and procedures for the operation of the Community Center facility and assists in the fulfillment of the County Municipal Alliance Grant requirements. The member position open is for a resident with children in the Ridgewood school system.
The Shade Tree Commission works closely with the Parks and Recreation Department, the Ridgewood Environmental Advisory Committee, and the Green Team to promote awareness and education of the residents as well as advise and provide recommendations to the Village Council in promoting and sustaining a safe and productive shade tree resource.
All interested residents should fill out a Citizen Volunteer Leadership form (found on the Village website by clicking on “Forms”, then clicking on Page 2, and then clicking on “Village Clerk”), and send it along with a cover letter indicating on which board(s) or committee(s) the resident wishes to serve, and a biography or resume to:
Donna Jackson
Deputy Village Clerk
Village of Ridgewood
131 North Maple Ave.
Ridgewood, NJ 07451
Ridgewood NJ, Several Ridgewood Police Department officers took part in the 2018 Law Enforcement Special Olympics Torch Run as it made its way through the Village of Ridgewood on Friday morning June 8th.
Ridgewood NJ, As best as we can determine, the photos that COUNCILMAN Voigt is providing of late to The Ridgewood News are appearing in their hard copy newspaper only. That is, none seem to have ever been posted on the affiliated northjersey.com website. That in and of itself is very unusual as their practice typically is to use material on line prior to it being used in the hard copy newspaper. We wonder why The Ridgewood News has established this special procedure for COUNCILMAN Voigt’s photographs?
In his role as COUNCILMAN, Jeff Voigt is provided physical access to areas & events that may be off limits to members of the general public. No doubt, this may be one reason why the newspaper is so happy to be connected with COUNCILMAN Voigt. However, this “business relationship” also affords COUNCILMAN Voigt the opportunity to exclude individuals from his photographs whom he may view as political opponents, and include those whom he may view as political allies.
As taxpayers, many of our staff members take issue with this “business relationship” based on both points noted above and wonder if this “business relationship” constitutes an ethics violation of some sort on the COUNCILMAN’S part?
Ridgewood NJ, according to Ridgewood Police on June 2nd, patrol units responded to the Van Neste Square bus terminal for a fight in progress. Upon arrival the victim was located and the unknown actor had fled from the scene. The victim was not able to identify the actor but provided a physical description. Patrol checked the area but was unable to locate the actor. The victim refused medical attention at the scene.
Ridgewood NJ, Friday morning pedestrian struck at corner of Ridgewood Avenue and North Maple ave near Jersey Mikes 815 am by a midsized truck was making left at light towards kings side.
Village of Ridgewood Police Department, Fire Department and EMS personnel rushed to aid a pedestrian who was struck by a pick up truck at the intersection of North Maple Avenue and East Ridgewood Avenue on Friday morning, 06/08. A paramedic team from The Valley Hospital also responded to the incident.
Ridgewood NJ, the Ridgewood Police report that a North Pleasant Avenue resident responded to Ridgewood Police headquarters to report he was the victim of an attempted theft by extortion. The victim reported engaging in a conversation with a party on Facebook messenger through a video chat which he later learned was videotaped without consent. The actor then demanded money or the video would be made public. Facebook was notified of the attempted extortion and they are investigating the incident.
Ridgewood NJ, It is being suggested that members of the Village Council whose terms will expire in 2020, and who will likely choose to run for reelection, are favoring a parking garage funding proposal that would defer payment of bond/loan principal for at least one (1) year, and perhaps as many as four (4) years, after the garage opens. This would enable any increase in parking meter rates, and/or an extension of effective parking meter times/days of week, to be delayed until after the 2020 election takes place. Of course, any deferred payment of bond/loan principal would mean an increase in the total interest payment on the bonds/loan.
Alternately, it could be the desire of all members of the Village Council to preclude taxpayers from “connecting the dots.” That is, to prevent taxpayers from realizing that Parking Utility revenues previously allocated to the VIllage’s General Fund (used to provide for routine municipal services – sanitation, police, fire, streets, etc.) would be earmarked instead to fund debt service payments for the parking garage. This would undoubtedly result in property tax increases to retain existing municipal service levels, or suffer service level cuts. Deferring payment of the bond/loan principal would push any such tax increases or cuts in municipal service levels out well beyond the garage’s opening. In short, many taxpayers would be unlikely to “connect the dots” at that point, and not realize that increased meter rates and/or extensions of effective parking meter times/days of week were not sufficient enough to entirely fund the parking garage.
Why does it always seem to be all about them and not about those who elected them to serve?
Ridgewood NJ, if you have a Starbucks habit just got a little more expensive. Starbucks says it’s raising the price of a regular drip coffee by 10 cents to 20 cents this week in most U.S. stores. It says a small brewed coffee is now $1.95 to $2.15 in a majority of locations. The company said Thursday prices remain unchanged on drinks such as lattes and iced coffees in most stores.Overall, Starbucks Corp. says it has hiked prices by an average of 1 to 2 percent in the past year, though the hike may be higher for particular drinks.
Ridgewood NJ, A French drug manufacturer Valneva has announced that they have successfully completed the first-ever human trial of a vaccine against Lyme disease. The vaccine, which is reportedly up to 96% effective, might soon be available in the UK and US at a “reasonably low” price.
Lyme Disease is one of the most common and widespread vector-borne illnesses in the Northern Hemisphere. After a tick bite, it typically kicks off through an expanding area of redness on the skin, though about one in four people don’t get a rash at all. If untreated, the disease can cause the loss of the ability to move one or both sides of the face, joint pains, severe headaches with neck stiffness, and to top it all off, the symptoms can resurface months or even years later. In some cases, the symptoms can re-emerge even after treatment, so it’s no wonder that Lyme Disease has become so feared.
According to the CDC, Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi and is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected blacklegged ticks. Typical symptoms include fever, headache, fatigue, and a characteristic skin rash called erythema migrans. If left untreated, infection can spread to joints, the heart, and the nervous system. Most cases of Lyme disease can be treated successfully with a few weeks of antibiotics. Steps to prevent Lyme disease include using insect repellent, removing ticks promptly, applying pesticides, and reducing tick habitat. The ticks that transmit Lyme disease can occasionally transmit other tickborne diseases as well.
Valneva’s vaccine candidate, VLA15, is currently the only active vaccine program in clinical development against Lyme disease. The program was closely followed by national and international health bodies, being granted Fast Track designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in July 2017.
Ridgewood NJ, RHS Bands perform Tunes in June this Thursday at Kasschau Shell. Don’t miss the opening of the summer season at the Shell, which will include a tribute to the 32 RHS senior musicians about to graduate. Free! 8 p.m.
Enjoy free musical performances under the stars, Tuesdays and Thursdays, throughout the summer at the Kasschau Memorial Shell at Veteran’s Field (located behind the Village Hall, 131 N. Maple Avenue). Programs include Broadway tunes, Calypso, Reggae, Jazz, Best of Rock and Soul, Country Western, Ultimate Billy Joel Tribute Band and so much more. No fee to attend.
Find details in the following link: Kasschau Memorial Shell – 2018 Summer Schedule
Ridgewood NJ, Flooding of the Village Hall and Public library in 1999 led to a major renovation which Ridgewood would never seem to recover from.
Hurricane Floyd was the sixth named storm, fourth hurricane, and third major hurricane in the 1999 Atlantic hurricane season. Floyd triggered the third largest evacuation in US history (behind Hurricane Gustav and Hurricane Rita, respectively) when 2.6 million coastal residents of five states were ordered from their homes as it approached. The Cape Verde-type hurricane formed off the coast of Africa and lasted from September 7 to September 19, peaking in strength as a very strong Category 4 hurricane—just short of the highest possible rating—on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. It was among the largest Atlantic hurricanes of its strength ever recorded.
The public was told it would be $2 million and six months . 5 years and $9 million later the “TAJ” as it is called was born a monument to the egomania and incompetence at the Village Hall.
The Village Council only signed off at $4.7 million for the renovation of the Village hall at then Mayor Jane Reilly’s urging. The public was told it would be $2 million and six months but Jane wanted to spend $5 million. So 5 years and $9 million later the “TAJ” as it is called was born a monument to the egomania and incompetence of Jane Reilly end of story!
The finally tally was over $9 million ,for that piece of junk that virtually floods every time it rains ! The job was so badly handled that the drainage pipes under verts field were never even touched, which was the whole point of the renovation to begin with!
The “TAJ” was called a criminal misuse of public funds by Jane ,she should have been indicted but instead because she made nice, nice to the BOE during the last budget vote down remember when that dope tried to sell Benjamin Franklin School to Valley Hospital behind everyone’s back ,she got a make work job at taxpayers expense from Dr. Porter as her reward.
So when we see the current council through no fault of there own is taking bids for roof repair it brings back lots of bad memories. Hurricane Floyd and the Village Hall renovation fiasco is a gift that just keeps giving.
NOTICE TO BIDDERS : Sealed bid proposals will be received by the Village of Ridgewood, in the Village Hall Level Three Conference Room, 131 North Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, New Jersey 07450, on Wednesday, June 13, 2018 at 11:30 a.m. prevailing time, and then publicly opened and read aloud for the following project: “Partial Roof Replacement Village Hall In the Village of Ridgewood”. The principal components of the work of the Contract shall be to supply and install a new flat roof on a portion of the Village Hall, 131 North Maple Avenue, in the Village. The principal items of the work of the project will include: testing the existing roof materials for asbestos containing materials, removal and disposal of the existing roof materials to a suitable sub-stratum, installation of approximately 8,000 square feet of a reinforced EPDM membrane roof with tapered insulation for effective drainage to the existing drainage system, having a minimum 20-year manufacturer’s warranty, and all other work necessary for a complete project.
![ridgewood_starbucks[1]](https://theridgewoodblog.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/ridgewood_starbucks1.jpg "Starbucks Ups the Price of a Brewed Coffee in Most US Stores")
