On Friday, August 1, The Ridgewood News published a letter to the editor entitled: “New driver frustrated by lack of village parking.”
Not surprisingly, the author of the aforementioned letter, Mr. James F. Schimmel, failed to mention that his family owns the commercial building located at 20-26 East Ridgewood Avenue, which is less than 150 feet away from the proposed Hudson Street parking garage.
Certainly, the value of said property would increase if the parking garage were built and rental fees for it could be increased as well.
Yet another letter writer who chose to omit key information from a letter to the editor about the proposed parking garage. When will it end?
Boyd A. Loving
Ridgewood resident
Note: The Ridgewood News opted not to publish a response from me, almost identical to the above letter, regarding Mr. Schimmel’s letter.
By Times of Trenton Editorial Board
on August 17, 2016 at 6:08 AM, updated August 17, 2016 at 10:18 AM
If the words on this page were written in cursive, chances are few people under the age of 18 could read them.
That’s not a lament – just an observation. The dependency on computers, email and texting for communicating has rendered what we used to call “script” all but obsolete.
In the not-too-distant past – say, 2004 or so – New Jersey’s third graders were required to “write legibly in manuscript or cursive to meet district standards.”
That requirement has gone the way of the floppy disc, photographic film and cassette tapes.
But now two state lawmakers are pushing a bill that would force every school district to teach reading and writing in cursive as part of the elementary school curriculum.
Ridgewood NJ, Every August since 1968, Graydon Pool has hosted summer day campers from Paterson for 3 afternoons a week for 3 consecutive weeks. These 9 days at Graydon provide a cool respite for these city kids with little, if any, opportunity to swim in their own community. Plus, thanks to the Ridgewood YMCA, the children receive swim instruction every day, providing them with water safety skills that will help keep them safe for a lifetime.
This year corporate donors were scarce and there is a short fall of about $3000 so Citizens for Swimming needs your help.
Citizens for Swimming needs $110 per child to host the child for the full program. They need donations of money, new swimsuits, towels, and volunteers to make this work. Checks should be made payable to Citizens for Swimming.
The address to mail checks to is:
Citizens for Swimming
c/o Jorgensen & Company
42 West Allendale Avenue
Allendale, NJ 07401
Ridgewood NJ, the ex mayor Paul Aronsohn and his cronies have flooded the membership of the Ridgewood League of Women Voters. According to their website the League of Women Voters is a non-partisan political organization encourages the active and informed participation of citizens in government and influences public policy through education and advocacy.
The League does not support or oppose any candidate or party. Operating on a non-profit, voluntary basis, its work is financed by dues and contributions from members and the general public. Membership is open to all citizens of voting age.
Readers claim, “This could be the LWV’s best-ever new member drive…or the worst, since nobody wants to be with those people. Newbies include Wyne, Winograd, Sonenfeld. All at once.” While other say ,”Aronsohn has now joined the league, and Rurik and Gwenn. Must miss.”
Most readers are quite skeptical over a group of clearly proven partisan hacks joining a supposed “non-partisan political organization” .Will attempts be made to manipulate the electorate and misrepresent information like past Aronsohn campaigns ie… “the Vote Yes” for the Hudson Street garage campaign ? Or will Aronsohn be shut down in dead end political never land ?
And of coarse what about credibility ,just when the league had finally began to regain some relevance after years of filtering on the edge of extinction but who will now take them seriously ?
This is the way upcoming meetings are listed on the “improved” village website. The current method is inept because:
Meetings of the Village Council, Planning Board, and Zoning Board of Adjustment are all mixed together. People want to know about one particular kind of meeting (not “I wonder what meetings are happening, any kind is fine”) and should not have to read through the entire list to find it. Categories (each council or board) should be listed separately, under a heading.
Nowhere does it state that those three groups are the only ones whose meetings are listed. In fact, numerous boards, committees, commissions, and councils will hold their meetings during the same period. Doing as suggested above would make it clear that those were the only ones, because the headings would say that.
Village Council meetings are not identified as such. “Public Meeting,” “Special Public Meeting,” and “Public Work Session” provide insufficient information. Everything on the list is a public meeting. Yet it’s probably council meetings that most people are interested in.
Upcoming meetings should be listed in chronological order, not in reverse chronological order just because some software does it that way automatically. It’s counter intuitive and unnecessarily hard for the user.
Public MeetingWednesday, September 14, 2016 8:00PM Special Public MeetingWednesday, September 14, 2016 7:30PM Board of Adjustment Public MeetingTuesday, September 13, 2016 7:30PM Public Work SessionWednesday, September 07, 2016 7:30PM Planning Board Public MeetingTuesday, September 06, 2016 7:30PM Board of Adjustment Public MeetingTuesday, August 30, 2016 7:30PM Board of Adjustment Public MeetingTuesday, August 23, 2016 7:30PM
There was a culture in Ridgewood that embraced intellect , community, and quality of life. This has deteriorated to a society of entitlement and condescension : even in the houses of worship. .Merchants behave as if they are doing ME a favor by being open. I’m not sure the solution- I adore my home town, but don’t care to live there any longer.
or is Social media amplifying the negativity ….
There are many of us here who still love our neighbors, our town, our schools, our teachers and those who work tirelessly to make Ridgewoid a great town to raise a family. Social media has given these naysayers a forum to complain about their miserable lives.
Apparently they are quietly going to pull up the bricks with donors’ names on them from when the park was fixed up as a resident project and move them somewhere so they can put more concrete down so they can put more lighting up. Do people even know this is happening? Does the entire town have to look like a German bunker? I like the bricks and for all these years have enjoyed showing friends my name on one of them. I don’t want them moved
Ridgewood NJ, readers say ,”No full-day kindergarten. We have many user-paid options without getting taxpayers involved” and other accuse the BOE of ,”BOE’s ambition will single-handedly drive everyone without schoolchildren at home out of town. Too bad if they had pressure from parents. This is unacceptable. Most referendums do pass, so tell your friends to vote no. Since it will be on a ballot for the Presidency, voter turnout will be higher than for other elections, although still a paltry and pathetic number. As always, every vote counts.”
The Ridgewood Blog has included the Ridgewood Board of Educations FAQ: Shifting to a Full-Day Kindergarten Program in Ridgewood .
We see almost no mention of the value to students and or whether it is even appropriate for the Village other than ,”the everyone else is doing it” ,”more time in school” .
● Why is the District considering a full-day program after years of a successful half-day program?
○ The definition of success has shifted with the times, and although Ridgewood has a high-quality Kindergarten program, it is rushed and lacks adequate time for structured socialization and free play. Students who encounter more structured play around learning will better internalize that learning because at this age, play is how children learn. Additionally, social skills such as executive functioning and self-regulation of behavior are learned through play, often which is unstructured. A half-day program does not allow time for these essential learning opportunities for our students.
● How will the curriculum of a full-day program differ from that of the half-day program?
○ A full-time program will include more time for learning centers, which are essentially structured play experiences designed to reinforce conceptual learning. Additionally, more time will be dedicated to free-play centers, in which students make up rules to self-created games and make-believe. This free-play socialization will be supervised by, not structured by, adults. Another change to the day is that students will remain in school for lunch and will have snack and extended time for key content such as shared reading and writing.
● What would be the daily schedule and hours of a full-day program? ○ Kindergarten will run on the same schedule as the other grades in the school (8:30 a.m. – 3 p.m.). A daily schedule for the full-day program was shared with the Board of Education and the public at the June 28, 2016 Board meeting. That presentation can be found in the Board of Education Presentations folder on the Curriculum page of the district website at www.ridgewood.k12.nj.us.
● How many other districts still have half-day Kindergarten programs? ○ Ridgewood is the only half-day program left in Bergen County. There are very few districts left in the state with a half-day program. The most common Kindergarten programs offer five full-days of school.
■ Those districts which were half-day have mostly moved to full-day programs in the last five years.
● In 2014, 73% of programs statewide were full-day. The percentage was even higher in Bergen County, where 65 out of 72 districts (about 90%) offered full day programs. Since 2014, Glen Rock, Fairlawn, Rutherford, Mahwah, Waldwick and Midland Park have moved to full-day.
● Currently, Ramsey offers a kindergarten enrichment extended day program and both Allendale and Wyckoff offer a modified half/full day program with two half-days in combination with three full days, but this model is also not very popular.
● Would parents be required to enroll their children for the entire day if Ridgewood moved to full-day Kindergarten?
○ Yes, if the Ridgewood Public School district shifts to a full-day Kindergarten program, all enrolled students will be registered for 5 full days each week.
● Where will Kindergarten children eat lunch? ○ This will be a building-by-building decision, based on space and what the principal deems best for the program in their building.
● Will Kindergarten students have recess with all other students and how will their recess be supervised? ○ Kindergarten students would have more than one “recess” play time in their schedule. The schedule, location, and supervision of that recess would depend on individual building schedules. However, in all buildings the recess/lunch period of 45 minutes would be extended to one hour for Kindergarten students. Classroom teachers would supervise the additional 15 minutes at the end of recess to settle students down and prepare them for afternoon learning sessions.
● What are the anticipated class sizes for a full-day program?
○ The Ridgewood Board of Education guidelines for Kindergarten are 22 children per classroom.
● How will the decision be made to move to full-day Kindergarten in Ridgewood?
○ On Election Day, Tuesday, November 8, Ridgewood voters will be asked to approve full-day K in the District. This vote will be done in the form of a “second question” on the ballot. All residents who are registered voters may participate. Voter registration forms may be found at on the Bergen Count website at https://www.co.bergen.nj.us/DocumentCenter/View/1224.
● What is the purpose of a second question on a ballot?
○ A second question can only be placed on the ballot when a school district is asking for something new, such as full-day Kindergarten or a new program. Since the costs of these additional services and associated personnel can exceed the state-imposed 2% cap on budget increases, the public must vote on them.
● What would be the tax impact on a “yes” vote for the second question on full-day Kindergarten?
○ The average Village assessed home of $693,904 would have taxes increase by approximately $111 if FDK were passed.
● Is there any possibility that the State will require Districts to provide full-day Kindergarten?
○ This is not known at this time.
● Where can I go for more information on Full-Day K in Ridgewood?
○ Full-Day K information may be found on the Curriculum page of the District website at www.ridgewood.k12.nj.us.
It was Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld’s excitement in describing this horrific and unnecessary new construction that gave me pause. She sounded just the same when talking about creating the H.R. job (which quickly and quietly segued from part time to full time) for her friend and essentially giving Habernickel Park to her other friend who runs the now-hated Health Barn. The Village Manager should not be so happy about these projects and in each case she had a personal stake in them (not financially, presumably). More and more and more expensive and disruptive construction, partly subsidized by grants to take the sting off (but not nearly enough, if you study the final numbers), was the theme under the Aronsohn years. She remains under his thumb and must be removed, as must Health Barn and the H.R. position, if we are to return to any level of benign stasis.
They lost the election ..we voted for change..time to take control over these boondoggle projects..leave that park surface alone..clean up the benches and spend some money on fall minor tree trimming and some
light cleaning of the monument areas and any grass refurbishment,leave the bricks alone,
Roberta will be telling us it is a CRISIS, Van Neste is falling apart I tell you it is a CRISIS.Follow the money. Someone stands to make big money. Who is doing the ugly concrete sidewalks? Who is doing the $40,000 cheesy fence? Who will build the Vagiannos Pavilion aka the gazebo?Roberta is all wound up about the is project because promises were made. Follow the money!
Thank you for being part of the August 21, 2016 Ridgewood Drive By Food Drive – The World’s Simplest Food Drive!
August 15,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, In order to donate, please complete the form below and place a bag of non-perishable food on your doorstep starting at 8:00 AM on Sunday, August 21st. Our team of volunteers will do the rest. We will never distribute or use your information for any non-food drive purposes.
All collected items will be donated to the CUMAC Food Pantry (https://www.cumacecho.org/) of Paterson. All other questions can be directed to Brian Gatens, a Ridgewood resident, at mrgatens@gmail.com.
Please feel free to spread the word about the Food Drive. You can post this form link on your Facebook/Social Media Pages or email it to friends. Ridgewood has always supported the food drive and your support is appreciated.
More like lighting up the place so there can be “events” every night as Vagianos has repeatedly requested. Shouldn’t we ask ourselves if this is quite the moment in environmental history to be lighting every possible corner and square of the town? Besides the absurd expense for installation and maintenance, and reducing our ability to see the stars and feel calm at night, increased electrical usage raises rates and can lead to brownouts and blackouts and even potential rationing. We’re just screwing ourselves left and right.
Reader says , “At the council meeting it was explained that (although this makes no sense, since computers work a 168-hour week) it can take days for an online payment for a water bill to be registered as paid. Therefore, paying online on or near the due date does not automatically count as having paid on time. This is what happens when machines are allowed to take over the world. Interestingly, the time interval is similar to what people who mail a check have to plan for, if not more so.”
Frequently Asked Questions
What is eBill?
eBill is an Electronic Bill Payment Service which allows Bill Payers an easy and secure method to pay bills online.
How does eBill work?
Ridgewood Water sends bill information to MCC where it is processed and made available for you to pay your bills.You will receive an email notifying you when your payment has been posted to Ridgewood Water. You can also view the current status and payment history of all eBill payments.All information is on an encrypted, secure server and is not sold or released for any reason other than to complete a transaction.
How Do I Register?
Registering is easy and requires minimal information from you.
Create your account by filling out your email address and password.
You will receive an email with your Activation Number for accessing eBill for the first time.
Click the link in the email or return to the eBill home page and login with your email address, Password, and when prompted, your Activation number*. You are ready to pay bills on eBill.
*If you clicked the activation link you will not be required to enter an Activation number.
Is my information secure?
eBill accepts payments using a secure, 256-bit SSL encrypted webpage. This is the highest standard in Internet security. All information is stored in a secured database to prevent unauthorized access to the data. All information is kept private, and is not shared.
Why haven’t I received an email with my Login Information and Activation Number?
The security settings on your email may not allow an Activation Number to be sent to you.Before completing this Registration, please check the settings on your email system to ensure that email can be accepted from RidgewoodNJ@mcc.net If you do not receive an email with your Activation Number within 8 hours, please contact us at support@mcc.net
What forms of payment can be used on ebill?
eBill currently accepts payments using MasterCard®, Discover®, and American Express®. You may also pay using electronic check (ACH) from a checking or savings account.
Which Bills Can I Pay?
You may only pay Ridgewood Water bills.
Can I make a scheduled payment for a future date?
Yes. You can schedule a payment for a future date up to the cut-off-date.
What information is needed to complete an eBill payment?
The only information needed to complete a payment on eBill is your current bill and valid bank account or credit card information.
It’s that easy! After your first payment, your bill will be added to the My eBills section, making future payments even easier!
When can I pay?
eBill is available for payments 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
What are the costs for using eBill?
There are no signup costs or subscription fees for using eBill.
Can I use a Credit Card to pay my bill(s)?
Below are the Credit Cards Ridgewood Water currently accepts:
American Express, MasterCard, Discover.
Visa® is not accepted at this time.
The non-refundable convenience fee when using credit cards is a percentage-based fee that varies depending on the card you use. The convenience fee is automatically calculated based upon the type of credit card used and the dollar amount of the bill being paid. A complete listing of fees can be viewed below:
Can I use ACH transfer (electronic check) to pay my bill(s)?
You can use an ACH transfer (electronic check) as a payment method using your checking or savings account.
Will I receive a confirmation number after paying my bill?
Yes, you will receive a confirmation number after your transaction is recorded (and authorized, in the case of credit card transactions). Please keep this number as a confirmation of your payment. Your confirmation number can also be used to track your Express Pay payment.
Can I use more than one payment method per transaction?
You may choose to use either a credit card or electronic check (ACH transfer) as a payment method for each bill in your payment cart and submit your transactions.
When paying by credit card, how does my payment appear on my statement?
You will find two transactions on your Credit Card statement; one amount covering the costs of the bill for Ridgewood Water, and one amount covering the cost of the transaction using eBill.
When paying by ACH transfer (electronic check), how does my payment appear on my bank statement?
You will find two transactions on your bank statement; one amount covering the costs of the bill for Ridgewood Water, and one amount covering the cost of the transaction using eBill.
Can I check if Ridgewood Water has posted my payment?.
Yes, log into eBill and choose Payment History found under My Account. Information will be displayed for each payment made under eBill.
Get a Copy of your Bill online:
Residents can get a copy of their mailed paper bill online. Simply log into your eBill account and search for your bill to view and print a copy of your bill. We suggest you save a copy of this bill to your computer for your records.
Can I opt for paperless bills?
Ridgewood Water is offering residents the option to Go Green! Sign up for this eco-friendly feature from your eBill account, under the My eBills tab. Residents can chose to discontinue receiving a paper bill in the mail. An electronic copy of the bill will be available under your eBill account. An email notification will be sent to you when a new bill is made available under your eBill account.
Is Auto Pay offered?
eBill Auto Pay is an easy and convenient way to pay your Ridgewood Water bills. This feature allows you to setup and make an electronic check (ACH) or debit/credit card payment automatically each time a bill is due. This option can be setup and managed from the My eBill tab.
Can I receive a text notification when a new bill is available to pay on eBill?
Yes, you can sign up to receive a text notification from the My eBill page. When a new bill is made available online by Ridgewood Water a text notification will be sent to the mobile number you have enter into eBill. You may update your mobile number from the My Account page.
If I have forgotten my password, how can I retrieve it?
If you happen to have misplaced your password, there is a Forgot Password link located right on the Secure Account Login page. Upon clicking on it, you will be prompted to enter your email address, and a link to reset your password will be emailed to you. Additionally, always feel free to email RidgewoodNJ@mcc.net for a password reset.
Can I edit my MCC login information?
You can edit your personal information at any time. This can be done within your account by selecting My Account.
Can I cancel an online payment made through MCC?
Cancellation options vary depending on when a payment is scheduled to process. Credit Card payments can be cancelled until the end of the day it was submitted. ACH payments can be cancelled until 6AM on a business day. For example, if a payment was submitted at 4AM, you have until 6AM that same day to cancel the payment. Another example, if you were to submit your payment at 10AM, you have until the next day at 6AM to cancel your payment. If you schedule a future payment, whether via a credit card or ACH transfer (electronic check), you have up until that day to cancel the payment. Cancellations can be completed by selecting My Account, then Payment History, and clicking on the CANCEL icon located next to your payment.
Fixing things that need fixing is a great idea. This park however looks beautiful. Paver bricks might have a limited life span, but based on the appearance of these bricks they still have plenty of life. Why change them out for ugly concrete “decorative” paver blocks? How ridiculous.
Fix the things that need fixing. Don’t waste taxpayer money on demolishing perfectly nice things to make something else. So ridiculous. This is not like a living room that you feel like redecorating. This is a park with many commemorative markers. The fact that YOU don’t know any of these people commemorated on them does not make them meaningless.
BOE Meets on August 29 at 5 p.m.
Ridgewood NJ, The Ridgewood Board of Education will hold a Regular Public Meeting on Monday, August 29, 2016 at 5:00 p.m.The meeting will be held in the Board Room at the Education Center, 49 Cottage Place. The public is invited to attend the meeting or view it live via the district website at www.ridgewood.k12.nj.us using the “Live BOE Meeting” tab on the district website, or on Fios tv channel 33 or Optimum 77.
Click here to view the agenda and addendum for the July 18, 2016 Regular Public Meeting.
Click here to view the minutes of the June 28, 2016 Regular Public Meeting.
Click here to view the 2016-2017 Budget presented at the May 2, 2016 Regular Public Meeting.
Click here to view the Full Day Kindergarten Recommendation presented to the Board at their March 7, 2016 Regular Public Meeting.
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