Ridgewood NJ, the Village of Ridgewood Council will have its regular public meeting at 8pm tonight with a couple of interesting things on the agenda .
First Ridgewood Water ;
16-233 Authorize Compensation for Participants in Lead and Copper Sampling and Testing Program – Authorizes Ridgewood Water to credit $25 to the water service accounts of the participants in the lead and copper sampling and testing program
16-234 Amend Agreement for Online Credit Card and Bank Account Debit Payment of Water Bills – Elimination of Convenience Fee for Customers – Amends the existing agreement with Metropolitan Communications, LLC for the processing of credit card and bank account debit payments for water bills so that Ridgewood Water will be charged the $.25 convenience fee instead of the customer being charged.
Then there is parking ;
3542 – Amend Chapter 265 – Vehicles and Traffic – Violations and Penalties – Increase Parking Ticket Fines
3545 – Amend Chapter 249 – Streets and Sidewalks – Increase Fines for Paving Moratorium Violations
3546 – Amend Chapter 145 – Fees – Sewers and Sewage Disposal Fees – Increase Annual Service Charge for Out of Village Dischargers
And of coarse land use ;
3540 – Amend Chapter 190 – Land Use and Development – Regulations for Political Signs and Temporary Signs
3541 – Repeal Ordinance 3066
and a few interesting tidbits :
3547 – Ban Puppy Mills
Resolutions:
16-246 Amendment to Central Business District Advisory Committee Resolution – Terms of Members
16-249 Authorize Ridgewood Wildscape Association to Fund Treatment of Noxious Weeds at Kings Pond Park
16-250 Declare Property Surplus – Street Sweepers – Declares two street sweepers surplus property and authorizes the Village Manager to dispose of said property
I , Diane Palacios , am the writer of the original post. I bumped into Councilman Hache in the supermarket yesterday and he said the weed that is invading the pond is Japanese Knotweed and that it is sprayed away twice a year , in the spring and the fall.
I also sent an e-mail to Mayor Knudsen and Deputy Mayor Sedon. Whatever the reason, I am very saddened by the mess there. I have lived here since 1978, and have walked there over the years including last year.
This is the worst that I have seen it.
I purposely did not contact Councilwoman Walsh. She lives next door and she obviously sees it and doesn’t care. I fear she would give me an excuse that wouldn’t mean anything and that wouldn’t remedy the problem. People in power that don’t care about something have those sorts of excuses like Hache’s excuse. And his was the only sign I had in front of my house during the election. If it were up to me I would do whatever it takes to keep the pond in good condition. The pond should NEVER have been left to get in that deplorable condition. As far as I am concerned keeping that pond in beautiful natural condition is of prime importance, more important than overbuilding an already developed CBD.
Let’s face it very few people care a damn about the beauty and health of nature and the environment and if you do care you are called a Communist.
I miss the tadpoles too. I am very sad about this.
Wow Diane you are so wrong about Bernie Walsh. She’s been an advocate for Twinneys for years. I will call her and let her know about your complaint. And I agree the village needs to dredge it.
Hey Diane Palacios before you besmirch Council Walsh maybe you read this article from north jersey .com. Why don’t you try getting your hand dirty. No,you rather just bitch about thing
We have the Girls Scouts and so many members of Ridgewood Wildscape Association helping out. They help clean the park every year because so many kids come here and skate when it’s frozen,” said Bernadette Walsh, a Ridgewood council member, Girl Scout leader and Red Birch Court resident.
Walsh helped spearhead this year’s cleanup effort, and recruited her children and brought a few landscaping tools from her garage to help with the project.
Diane, here is a suggestion if you would like to learn more and get involved please contact Bergen SWAN (Save the Watershed Action Network). It is a wonderful non-profit organization based in the Pascack Valley area. It often runs seminars about invasive species, wildlife, etc. Lori Charkey is co-founder of the organization and extremely knowledgeable about nature and has been a pioneer in preserving what little wild space is left in Bergen County. I’m impressed that Ramon knew about Japanese Knotweed!
The cause: Twinney is also the location of a Ridgewood Water Pump and Filter Facility. The large facility is located directly behind the pond (now you know where Ridgewood Water gets “their” water). Since the facility’s construction; systematic pumping from under the kettle pond has destroyed the original ecology (no fish any longer and many new invasive plants). The facility typically runs the pond full dry several times each year. Interviews of local long time residents indicate the pond “had” a bubbling spring and a sand bottom. A local school boy from the 1800’s described it as an oasis and historically the pond served the local native population for millenia. All of that goodness is now hidden under 40 years of black silt caused by running the pond dry.
Councilwoman Bernadette Walsh lives two doors from Twinney. She has been active with Girl Scouts in an annual cleanup there. Perhaps the post writer would wish to contact her directly [email protected] and ask what’s up. A cc: to the Ridgewood Wildscape Association at [email protected] could be useful.
It was horrible when the town sold the land surrounding that tiny park to a developer. We’re just giving it away and we will never get it back. NO NEW HOMES. MORE NATURE.
Ridgewood Water Consumer Forum Tuesday, August 2 at 7:00 pm in
the Youth Center of Ridgewood Village Hall. Village Hall is located at 131 N. Maple Ave.,
Ridgewood. Space is limited, so please register by contacting Donna Omelianuk,
Ridgewood Water, at 201-670-5500 ext. 271 or by email at [email protected]
Water Questions!
by Linda McNamara
After talking to many people and watching council meetings when the issues of Ridgewood Water have been discussed ( planning to attend tomorrow night’s meeting!) I was wondering if a card could go out to all the residents in the village as well as to the other towns who use Ridgewood Water with a list of things a home owner can/ should do in order to achieve the best quality of water for home use. I have talked to the water department directly and have received good in formation but a lot of us are still uncertain about what we should be doing. The following are concerns/ questions that have been brought to my attention:
1. How do I find out if my pipes are in need of replacement? I have heard that
there are still many houses with intake pipes that are targeted for replacement
but many of these people are unaware of this. Who pays for this?
2. Better advertisement of how you can get your water tested and the ability to
buy a kit at Village Hall with directions about how to complete the process.
3. I have read in the paper that charcoal filters are recommended for everyone
and if this is the case, what does that involve and what is it removing?
4. How long are we supposed to run our water before use? I have heard
any where from 30 seconds up to 20 minutes. An employee at the water
department suggested filling one’s bath tub and turning on the outside
faucet for several minutes.
5. Many residents are purchasing reverse osmosis units. Is this recommended
and what is this protecting us from?
6. Many residents are concerned about the high levels of chlorine in the water.
Can this be explained and is it permanent?
My biggest concern is that while the town is good about getting information out, unless it is sent to every resident and user of Ridgewood Water, there are many who will never see this information. I have heard concerns from people who actually are the most informed and they are unsure. Quality water is so important to every individual and a simple fact sheet( possibly something we could put on our refrigerator door!) would be of great service to all users of Ridgewood Water. Thank you so much for your attention to this important matter.
Click HERE to view the corrected 2016 Consumer Confidence Report.
July 28,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, You should have received the 2016 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report that was mailed to you on June 30, 2016 (ClickHERE to view). We hope you have had an opportunity to read the report and learn about the water quality parameters that we monitor and the contaminants we test for.
Ridgewood Water is a complex water supply system and our Annual Report is similarly complex. This year’s report may be even more challenging to understand because the pages appear in a different order than was intended. Please be assured that all of the information has been included and nothing was omitted.
There are two corrections to the report, however, that you should know about. On the first page of the Report, under “BACKGROUND INFORMATION,” the following sentences appear, “In 2015, Ridgewood Water exceeded the 15 ppb Action Level for Lead of which you were previously notified. We are still working with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to correct this Issue.” The year referred to is incorrect. The lead exceedance occurred in 2012. The treatment plan proposed by Ridgewood Water to correct this issue was approved by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and has been fully implemented.
In the section labelled “Unregulated Contaminants for Which EPA Requires Monitoring” the level detected for Perflourooctanic acid – PFOA and Perflourooctane sulfonic acid – PFOS are reversed. The PFOA Range should be ND-0.04 and the PFOS Range should be ND-0.06.
To help consumers better understand the Annual Drinking Water Quality Report and to provide a special opportunity to ask questions and seek clarification, Ridgewood Water is sponsoring a daytime forum on July 27 at 9:00am in the Courtroom of Village Hall and an evening forum on August 2 at 7:00pm in the Youth Center of Village Hall. Consumers from all of the municipalities served by Ridgewood Water are invited to attend either forum. Space is limited, so please register by contacting Donna Omelianuk, Ridgewood Water, at 201-670-5500 x271 or by email at [email protected]. Recordings of the forums will be made available online for those unable to attend.
Dear nattering nabobs of negativism,
Recently you received in the mail our Consumer Confidence Report. We would like to have an opportunity to explain this report to you as well as to answer any of your questions regarding Ridgewood Water.
We have scheduled two forums – Wednesday July 27 at 9:00 A.M. in the Courtroom at Village Hall and Tuesday, August 2 at 7:00 P.M. in the Youth Center at Village Hall. We have sent mailers to each household announcing these forums but I thought that it would also be fitting to send an e-notice.
Space is limited so please register by contacting Donna Omelianuk at 201-670-5500 ext 271 or by email at [email protected]. We will also be videotaping a session and will subsequently have it available on our website.
I would also like to take this opportunity to provide you with an update on our collective water conservation efforts. In terms of usage, we have seen a significant drop on days we are not allowed to water to about 10 million gallons. Just for your information, water usage in months where we are not watering our lawns averages about 5 million gallons; this dramatically increases to about 15 million gallons per day in lawn watering season. If we can continue to keep this usage lower, we should be able to sustain Stage 2 for the remainder of the season unless we have continual hot/dry weather or a mechanical failure.
I want to thank each of you who have taken this seriously. We continue on heightened enforcement but I am really happy to see so many of our friends and neighbors doing their part for our community.
P.S. There is a heat advisory in effect for today from noon to 7 P.M. with the heat index reaching 100 degrees. The forecast is for hot weather to continue throughout the weekend. Please look out for yourself and your neighbors. Please make sure your vehicles are locked so that children cannot climb in on their own. Please note that Bergen County has opened cooling centers with the closest being at NW Bergen Senior Center at 46 Center Street Midland Park (201-445-5690). Also remember that our library is available seven days per week (201-670-5600).
YOU ARE INVITED TO RIDGEWOOD WATER CONSUMER FORUMS TO BE HELD JULY 27 & AUGUST 2
You are invited… Ridgewood Water consumers are invited to attend two public forums for information and explanation of the recently mailed Consumer Confidence Report (CCR). The first event will take place on Wednesday, July 27 at 9:00 am in the Courtroom of Ridgewood Village Hall. The second event will take place on Tuesday, August 2 at 7:00 pm in the Youth Center of Ridgewood Village Hall. Village Hall is located at 131 N. Maple Ave., Ridgewood. Space is limited, so please register by contacting Donna Omelianuk, Ridgewood Water, at 201-670-5500 ext. 271 or by email at [email protected]. The CCR that was mailed contains minor errors that have been corrected in the online version available at water.ridgewoodnj.net. Any questions on this issue or Ridgewood Water will be answered at the forums.
Ridgewood NJ, The Ridgewood Blog received a tip that one of the boats pictured here was moved to another piece of Village owned property. Our tipster also reported that employees of the Village’s Street Department assisted in moving the watercraft. It is not know whether the boat was towed there by a Village owned vehicle.
We will not reveal where the boat supposedly is, but will tell you that will the cooperation of a resident who lives near the main entrance to the facility, we have installed well disguised web accessible night vision video camera and are now videotaping all movements in and out of that facility. Additionally, we now have access to a camera equipped drone and will obtain aerial photographs of the property shortly.
Outdoor storage. The following regulations shall govern outdoor storage within the Village:
(1)
In the R-125, R-110, R-1, R-2 and R-3 Residential Zones, and in other zones where a legal one-family or two-family dwelling exists, outdoor storage shall be permitted only as an accessory use to a one-family detached or two-family dwelling and shall be limited to private camping trailers, boats and boat trailers, garden tractors and implements, automobiles, motorcycles and motorbikes, except as otherwise provided below. Such storage shall comply with the following requirements:
(a)
Outdoor storage shall be permitted in the side and rear yard.
(b)
The item as stored shall not exceed six feet in height.
(c)
The item shall be screened with a fence or screening hedge so that such item is not visible from any abutting residential property or street.
(d)
Any items stored in the side yard shall not be permitted closer to the side lot line than the side yard setback requirements for a principal building on the same lot.
(e)
Any of the permitted items enumerated in § 190-124E(1) that exceed a height of six feet, as well as any pickup or panel truck, mobile home, bus, van used for commercial purposes or recreation vehicle, may be stored on any residential lot only if such item shall be kept in an enclosed garage on such lot; provided, however, that the parking of any recreational vehicle outside a garage for up to five separate or consecutive days during a calendar year shall be permitted.
(2)
Outdoor storage of any kind is prohibited in the R-1A, R-2A, R-4 and R-5 and R-7 Zones, except for a legal one-family detached or two-family dwelling.
[Amended 8-9-2006 by Ord. No. 3015]
(3)
Nothing contained herein shall be construed as prohibiting parking of passenger vehicles used by the occupant for day-to-day activities, provided that such vehicles have side windows and are parked on the driveway. Trucks parked overnight shall be garaged.
(4)
In all nonresidential zones, no article, equipment, vehicle, supplies or material shall be kept, stored or displayed outside the confines of any building unless and until the following regulations are complied with, except that outdoor cafes licensed by the Village and permitted by this chapter shall be exempt from the following requirements to the extent such exception is required to carry out the outdoor cafe business:
(a)
Outdoor storage is only permitted in the side and rear yards.
(b)
Any items stored in the side yard shall not be permitted closer to the side lot line than the side yard setback requirements for a principal building on the same lot.
(c)
Outdoor storage shall be screened by special planting or fencing, maintained in good condition, so that items being stored shall not be visible from any adjacent property or public street.
[Amended 4-7-2010 by Ord. No. 3242]
(d)
Any fence required to screen the outdoor storage of flammable material otherwise permitted by this chapter shall not be closer than 20 feet to any property line of the lot upon which it is erected.
(5)
Where otherwise permitted by this chapter, the display of new and used motor vehicles for retail sales as a permitted accessory use in the B-2 and C Zone Districts shall not be required to be screened by a planting or fence, except where the premises for such permitted use abuts or faces any premises situated in any residential zone.
(6)
Motor vehicles, recreational vehicles, boats and trailers parked or stored within the Village shall not be used for sleeping, bathing, toilet functions or the preparation of food, on either a permanent or temporary basis.
[Added 4-9-2008 by Ord. No. 3114]
(7)
Motor vehicles, recreational vehicles, boats and trailers parked or stored in the Village shall not be used for the storage of items or materials. Exempted from this prohibition is the storage of items or materials in such vehicles or equipment that are designed for this purpose, when such vehicles or equipment are accessory and incidental to the principal use on the property and are not prohibited by other regulations. By way of example, but not limitation, this subsection shall be interpreted to prohibit the storage of items or materials in a commercial vehicle or commercial trailer on a residential property, unless such commercial vehicle or trailer is permitted to be located on the property by other regulations of the Village.
[Added 4-9-2008 by Ord. No. 3114]
(8)
The storage of flammable, toxic or hazardous materials on property or in vehicles shall comply with all applicable regulations, including but not limited to the regulations of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, the Village’s Department of Health and the Fire Department.
[Added 4-9-2008 by Ord. No. 3114]
Our new dispatcher Gypsy. Lost owner located just hanging out waiting to be picked up.
July 17,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, the Ridgewood Police remind you that Dog license renewals were due on June 30, 2016. Dog licensing is required by the State of New Jersey, Department of Health, Office of Animal Welfare. The owners of all dogs seven months of age or older are required to annually apply to the Village in order for a license to be issued. A 3 year license may also be issued. Proof that a licensed veterinarian has vaccinated the dog against rabies must be provided and that the duration of the immunity from that vaccination extends through the full licensing period. For more information, contact the Village of Ridgewood, Department of Health at 201-670-5500 x503
Ridgewood NJ, a reader said the ,Financial Advisory Committee was created by the mayor solely as a breeding ground for future council members willing to live in his shadow and image. It didn’t work. Disband it!
The new council need a clean sweep of Village Hall and the Financial Advisory Committee which has added little to no input to Village budgeting should be eliminated.
The Financial Advisory Committee was created on April 24th 2013, resolution 14-171. The leadership of Financial Advisory Committee is there just to stamp the Village Manager’s decisions. So she can say ‘an expert panel has looked at it and they agree with my approach”. She comes from the corporate world and knows how to put everything on outside ‘consultants’.
What is the purpose of the Financial Advisory Committee? They were cheerleaders for the three council members? Populated by partisan Bergen Leeds people ,they should be neutral. So, they are not a financial advisory committee, they are nothing more than a political action committee.
The Financial Advisory Committee has been populated with political hacks and friends of the former mayor and supporters of the Village manager with their own agenda’s leaving out Village tax payers .
The Financial Advisory Committee does not even have bylaws or keep meeting minutes .Lets face it , it was beyond funny that the Chairman of FAC, was a candidate for the council election, and Weitz is not even a finance guy.
The new Council needs to be prudent but decisive in their actions. Let’s not replicate the mistakes of the past
Ridgewood NJ, According to the Bergen Record the new Village Council has decided to explore repealing Ordinance 3066 and introduce a new document that will allow the village to better retain jurisdiction over the master plan.
Now a little bit of history ,ordinance 3066 is known as “Pfund’s folly” .Approved during former Mayor David Pfund’s now a local judges time on the Village Council .
Ordinance 3066, was passed purposely in July 2007 when many residents were down the shore, previously applications to amend the Master Plan would never have even been considered. Ordinance 3066 made it easy for developers to challenge the Village Master plan and force changes init to accommodate development.
“Ordinance No. 3066, which sets forth the fees and processes involved in applying for an amendment to the master plan or development regulations, was originally passed in July 2007. The ordinance has become the subject of controversy as many believe it enabled the multiple master plan amendment applications that have dominated the agenda at Planning Board meetings.”https://theridgewoodblog.net/ridgewood-making-changes-to-controversial-ordinance-no-3066-known-by-many-as-pfunds-folly/
Ordinance No. 3066 allows these incongruous projects. No other town in New Jersey has this ordinance which was initially passed to aid the Valley Hospital development.
The ordinance has played a huge role in the litigation regarding Valley Hospital’s expansion, which many feel makes it difficult for objectors to have a say in the process.
The new Village council has decided to move forward with the process to repeal the ordinance during next week’s council meeting. As of now, the new version will be officially introduced at the Aug. 10 meeting.
Aronsohn, Pucciarelli, and Hauck went after Tom Riche publicly and aggressively and in the most disgusting meeting I have ever seen. Matt Rogers told them to manage this in closed session but they wanted to have a public flogging so they went against the recommendations of our village attorney and they were like the bullies in Lord of the Flies that night. Riche did NOTHING underhanded. Everything he did for the Village was above board and with the full knowledge of the Village Officials. They treated Riche like a criminal and it was just a taste of the things to come from the three dirtbags. They went on to do the same to Bernadette Walsh, John Ward, Heather Mailander, and others. They should have been taken out in handcuffs the three of them. Their names and their faces should never hang in village hall. They were a plague, the three of them, and their toxic germs are still scattered around town. Never mind sweeping them out the door….we need to completely sanitize everything and everyone that ever had contact with them.
Remember, these are the same 3 dirtbags who accused former Police Chief John Ward of violating a local ordinance (the BC Prosecutor’s Office cleared the Chief of any wrong doing), allowed the Village’s former labor attorney to defile the reputation of Susan Knudsen during an open public meeting, claimed that Bernie Walsh tried to fix a parking ticket (all she did was to have a conversation with the then Chief of Police about the supervision of parking enforcement agents), and called Bernie Walsh a liar in public after Ms. Walsh stated that she’d observed Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld and former Mayor Paul Aronsohn shouting at then Councilwoman Susan Knudsen in a hallway at Village Hall (which did happen).
As I stated previously, every single bit of trash they talked was bullshit. The biggest bunch of dirtbags ever.
BY ALEXANDRA HOEY
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
RIDGEWOOD – Ridgewood’s new governing body laid the groundwork for pressing issues in their first meeting on Wednesday. Parking, budget approvals and Ridgewood Water were top items.
Parking
The council openly brainstormed different ideas to fix parking in the central business district. Deputy Mayor Michael Sedon, who kicked off the conversation, said the village should explore creating more one-way streets, which will increase on-street parking spots.
Week 1. Rubrik is already on Facebook questioning the council decisions.
He obviously doesn’t realize that he looks like a really big crank. He must think that he is going to command legions of dissatisfied residents in his own revolt. Meanwhile the old council members have moved on. Even Don, Tim and Ron have seen the writing on the wall and have kept a low profile.
The Village is ready for this change and we spoke at the polls. Rubrik is going to be that guy who attends council meetings just to hear his own voice. I wish that he ran for office so that he could have come in last. Probably would not have amassed the necessary signatures to get on the ballot.
Not all of the “old Council members” have moved on – Gwenn was sitting in the audience at last night’s Council meeting taking copious notes during the discussion about parking. She left the meeting shortly after that discussion ended, and was seen pow wowing with Rurik Halaby in the hallway.
Mr. Halaby needs to lick his wounds and go home. We simply don’t want to hear from him any more (and never did). Addressing council members as if your approval mattered was embarrassing.
Last night Mr. Halaby accursed Mayor Knudsen of “pandering to her base,” but he never blinked an eye when his buddy Paul Aronsohn did anything possible to please his buddies – property owners in the CBD and real estate developers.
You’ve gotta feel a bit sorry for Halaby. Two major election defeats within 45 days of each other and now when he speaks at Village Council meetings, no one on the dais gives a rat’s ass about anything he says, and the only person in the audience listening to him is his wife.
Ridgewood NJ, This won’t mean much to new council attendees many long time Village Hall watchers all recall how Tom Riche was treated by Paul, Gwenn and Albert regarding his firm and accusing him of overcharging the village during an emergency situation when the phones were out of order at the Fire House.
It was handled so badly and it was terrible to watch. Funny thing but last year Roberta hired Extel Communications back for a job as it was the lowest bid and the most experienced firm. At the first council meeting of the new council , Extel was hired for several jobs in the water department and Roberta praised Extel on many levels and it was by far the best option for the village.
All we could think of was how personal and vindictive the3 amigos were in wanting to hurt Tom even at he expense of what was good for the village. Everyone who knows Tom knew that he loved Ridgewood and helped in so many ways through his own personal actions and those of his company
