Tag: Ridgewood

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Ridgewood looking at parking proposals

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Ridgewood looking at parking proposals

OCTOBER 5, 2014    LAST UPDATED: SUNDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2014, 1:21 AM
BY CHRIS HARRIS
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD

RIDGEWOOD — Village officials unveiled several parking proposals they hope will attract visitors to the downtown business district and also ease parking for residents.

One proposal offered at Wednesday’s council meeting would standardize parking hours, fees and durations throughout the village.

“All downtown meters would run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.,” according to the proposal, altering the current 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. range.

Also, all downtown meters would offer three- or four-hour parking, as opposed to the current limit of two hours.

“All downtown meters will cost 25 cents per half-hour,” the proposal states, adding existing 15-minute parking spaces would remain.

“This will make parking easier and simpler for shoppers and diners, enhancing the overall downtown experience,” according to the plan.

Another proposal seeks to restrict long-term parking passes — currently sold to residents and non-residents on an annual basis — to Ridgewood residents only. At present, about 120 out-of-town commuters pay the same amount as residents for long-term parking passes, Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld said. An alternative proposal would have non-residents pay twice as much for the long-term pass.

“There is a parking scarcity in this town,” Mayor Paul Aronsohn said at the council’s meeting Wednesday, adding it has taken out-of-the-box thinking to determine ways of improving it.

The issue of parking in Ridgewood has been front and center in recent weeks at public forums organized by Deputy Mayor Al Pucciarelli. At these gatherings, residents and business owners have keyed in on parking as the village’s biggest hindrance.

The Village Council recently reached a deal to provide off-site parking for downtown business employees on Franklin Avenue, at the former Ken Smith site.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/council-considers-parking-upgrades-1.1102744#sthash.oGxHLntR.dpuf

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Ridgewood’s Valley Hospital sues over rejection of expansion project

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Ridgewood’s Valley Hospital sues over rejection of expansion project

OCTOBER 3, 2014, 11:53 PM    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2014, 11:56 PM
BY MARY JO LAYTON
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD

The Valley Hospital filed suit Friday against the Ridgewood Planning Board for rejecting its proposal to nearly double in size, arguing the board illegally sided with neighborhood opponents rather than permitting an upgrade for “an inherently beneficial regional hospital.”

For Valley, the lawsuit filed in state Superior Court in Hackensack is an attempt to end a protracted and costly stalemate with the village — its expansion plans have been defeated two times in the last four years.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/ridgewood-s-valley-hospital-sues-over-rejection-of-expansion-project-1.1102356#sthash.4G5tiib0.dpuf

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Ridgewood seeks feedback on proposed changes to meters

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Ridgewood seeks feedback on proposed changes to meters

OCTOBER 2, 2014    LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2014, 4:36 PM
BY LAURA HERZOG
STAFF WRITER
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

Ridgewood’s two-hour meters, 12-hour meters, and non-resident parking permits might soon be gone.

Village officials are discussing resident-only permit parking and putting a three-hour time limit on all downtown meters (except for the 15-minute spots).

These ideas are being lauded as the latest measures to help improve Ridgewood’s parking situation in the short term. Now, officials are looking for resident feedback, Mayor Paul Aronsohn announced at Wednesday’s council meeting.

The mayor noted that a compilation of the new short-term ideas, titled “Ridgewood Downtown Parking Initiative,” will be put on the village website (ridgewoodnj.net) for public review before any action is taken.

“Parking’s been on everyone’s mind,” Aronsohn said. “We’ve been kicking around a lot of ideas … We really need to take care of Ridgewood residents first.”

According to a preliminary version of the document provided to The Ridgewood News, the village would make parking “easier, simpler, better” by standardizing the rules.

The village would do this first by making all downtown meters run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., cost 25 cents per half hour, and provide three-hour parking. Current meters provide 12-hour and two-hour parking limits.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/business/feedback-on-latest-proposals-sought-1.1101314#sthash.pkdoMQSd.dpuf

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SPECTRUM FOR LIVING PARTNERING WITH ALEX AND ANI FOR CHARITY BY DESIGN EVENT IN RIDGEWOOD

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SPECTRUM FOR LIVING PARTNERING WITH ALEX AND ANI
FOR CHARITY BY DESIGN EVENT IN RIDGEWOOD
 
RIDGEWOOD, NJ (October 2014) – On Wednesday, October 15th, Alex and Ani will be hosting a Charity by Design event that will benefit Spectrum for Living. 15% of all sales between the hours of6P.M. and 8P.M. will go directly to our organization to further help serve our clients.

“CEO, Founder and Creative Director of Alex and Ani, Carolyn Rafaelian, created Charity by Design, which serves as a unique division focused solely on giving and making the dreams of charitable organizations come true. Charity by Design empowers non-profit organizations both on a national and local scale to reach their goals by sharing their mission through the power of positive energy and creative design.” (www.alexandani.com)
If you are interested in shopping and cannot join us on October 15th, begin your shopping on Sunday, October 12th in the Ridgewood store or by placing an email order to [email protected](pick up only). *Whether shopping in store or by email, do not forget to mention you wish to take part in the Spectrum for Living fundraising event.Currently, Spectrum for Living facilities and services touch the lives of individuals with developmental disabilities in over 100 New Jersey communities. Spectrum for Living is one of New Jersey’s most respected and recognized not-for-profit organizations assisting adults with developmental disabilities in Bergen, Passaic, Middlesex and Monmouth counties. Spectrum provides a wide array of housing, medical, clinical, habilitative, social and educational services to more than 200 residential consumers and hundreds of community clients.

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UPDATE: Sidewalk Café “Encroachments”

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file photo Boyd Loving

UPDATE: Sidewalk Café “Encroachments”
September 30th 2014
Boyd A. Loving

Ridgewood NJ, It is rumored that Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld recently completed her first physical review of all sidewalk cafe layouts (with a tape measure at the ready).  Reportedly, several cafes were found to have exceeded the permitted square footage and were advised to make adjustments/modifications accordingly.  A copy of the memo/report detailing the Village Manager’s findings was requested via the Open Public Records Act (OPRA).  However, a reply to the OPRA request was received indicating that no such written memo/report existed.

One prominent restaurateur revealed to me that as many as five (5) establishments were found by the Village Manager to have been operating sidewalk cafes without the required permits.  Further investigation reportedly revealed that all of the establishments had all submitted applications to the Village, some dating back over 18 months ago, but none had received their permits (nor any rejections).  No explanation was offered to those establishments as to the cause for such lengthy delays in the Village’s permitting process, nor for the absence of any feedback regarding the status of the applications themselves.

While some elected officials continue to cite the lack of parking as the main issue affecting those trying to establish businesses in the downtown Ridgewood, the inordinately long waits associated with necessary permits, accompanied by the seeming indifference of those responsible (surprise, surprise), may actually be what is keeping new businesses away.

1-800-PetMeds Private Label

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Ridgewood News editorial: We need more Charlottes and the Ridgewood blog Agrees

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Ridgewood News editorial: We need more Charlottes and the Ridgewood blog Agrees

SEPTEMBER 26, 2014    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2014, 12:31 AM
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

Soon after she received accolades from the Ridgewood Board of Education this week, Charlotte Samuels, the 16-year-old world-record swimmer, made an admission: She’s already thinking about conquering the Ocean’s Seven. For those unfamiliar with the feat, which has been accomplished by only six people, it consists of open-water swims through channels from each of the seven continents.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/opinion/opinion-editorials/why-we-need-more-charlottes-1.1096746#sthash.Lq23Mc1N.dpuf

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Ridgewood is missing a 9/11 remembrance

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by ArtChickphotography

Ridgewood is missing a 9/11 remembrance

September 19, 2014    Last updated: Friday, September 19, 2014, 9:54 AM
The Ridgewood News
Print

Village should not forget 9/11
Katherine McCarthy

to the Editor:

I was saddened that Ridgewood had no official recognition of one of the most tragic days in American history. We had 12 Ridgewood residents killed on that day: Sept. 11, 2001. Most towns in Bergen didn’t have as many, but they “remembered” with ceremonies.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/opinion/opinion-letters-to-the-editor/letter-ridgewood-is-missing-a-9-11-remembrance-1.1091963#sthash.A2nJfAZj.dpuf

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Ridgewood to encourage downtown employees to park in Ken Smith lot

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Ridgewood to encourage downtown employees to park in Ken Smith lot

SEPTEMBER 18, 2014    LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2014, 4:22 PM
BY LAURA HERZOG
STAFF WRITER
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

Space is being made in Ridgewood’s village code for more parking spaces.

The village has created a new ordinance as a first step to encourage Central Business District (CBD) employee parking in the Franklin Avenue Ken Smith lot, to temporarily free up public parking spaces.

As the village enters a public-private partnership with the new lot owners, KS Broad Street LLC, to allow CBD employees to use the lot, which the village would police and manage, the council on Wednesday introduced an ordinance that establishes requirements for the permitting of CBD employee vehicles in that lot.

“The negotiations still continue. We’re very close,” Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld said.

“I want to emphasize that this is a short-term solution,” she added. “The contract that’s been drafted now by [the village attorney] will be a six-month contract. We think it will go longer because I think the current owner still has to go in front of the Planning Board with his plans for the property, but obviously once he decides what to do with the property, it becomes unavailable to us.”

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/village-finds-space-at-ken-smith-lot-1.1091314#sthash.LjgChrvO.dpuf

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Parking Meter Scandal : he could not have acted alone

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file photo by Boyd Loving
Parking Meter Scandal : he could not have acted alone
Readers continue to speculate on parking meter security issues and continue to come up with one resounding conclusion ,he could not have acted alone .
Even a $41 million renovation of the Ridgewood Train station did not change the out dated parking meter system .
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While ,Village officials said a forensic accounting firm has been retained to examine how a former employee managed to steal $460,000 in quarters from parking meters.

See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/ridgewood-hires-auditor-in-460-000-meter-thefts-1.1050247#sthash.Ut7rRzDP.dpuf

Although I’m not convinced that all meters would need to be replaced in order to implement a closed container/collection system, I’ll give the Village Manager the benefit of the doubt.

But, at a minimum, they should deep six those open white paint buckets/pickle containers and have all collectors use the carts depicted here:

https://www.pom.com/collectionsystems.htm

Continuing to use those buckets is a huge security risk, for the individual collecting monies (holdup/robbery) and for taxpayers (shrinkage).

It is actually very funny that we can’t afford to secure the Villages’s cash. I’m sure there is a solution out there that costs less than $460,000.

They made a deal and I’m hoping the whole story will come out eventually. Who in the police dept. is/are being protected?

Yet again, taxpayers getting screwed to protect some mob/union crony(ies) in Village Hall and/or the PD. Put in smart meters like NYC and let people use credit cards… how are we doing on Tommy Boy’s restitution ? Is he paying us back every week? The guy is obviously a wise guy, and refused to rat out his minders in Village Hall.

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Bicyclist injured after colliding with vehicle in Ridgewood

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Photo credit: Boyd A. Loving
Bicyclist injured after colliding with vehicle in Ridgewood
September 15th 2014
Boyd A. Loving
5:56 PM 

Ridgewood NJ, A male youth riding a bicycle was struck by a vehicle at the intersection of North Maple and Franklin Avenues in Ridgewood just before 5:30 PM on Monday, 09/15.  Ridgewood PD, FD, and EMS units rushed to the scene following receipt of a 911 telephone call reporting the incident.  The youth’s injuries appeared to be minor in nature; he walked on his own power to a waiting ambulance, which transported him to The Valley Hospital for treatment.  Ridgewood FD personnel transported the victim’s bicycle to his house with the help of a friend who had been riding with him at the time of the crash.

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Photo credit: Boyd A. Loving

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Police investigating string of car break-ins in Ridgewood and Glen Rock

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Police investigating string of car break-ins in Ridgewood and Glen Rock

SEPTEMBER 14, 2014, 12:49 PM    LAST UPDATED: SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2014, 10:52 PM
BY ANDREW WYRICH
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD

RIDGEWOOD – Police departments in Glen Rock and Ridgewood are investigating whether a string of nearly 20 separate vehicle break-ins over the past week within the two towns are connected.

Ridgewood police said four vehicles were broken into over the weekend near the Glen Rock border on Ackerman Avenue and Doremus Avenue. Glen Rock police said at least 15 vehicles were entered overnight on Sept. 10 near Richard E. Byrd School on Doremus Avenue.

Ridgewood Police Chief John Ward said the two departments are sharing information and working together to see if the string of burglaries was carried out by the same person.

“In any situation like this we coordinate with one another,” Ward said. “Anytime you have a number of burglaries or entries we obviously look at all possible angles – you don’t automatically say they aren’t connected.”

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/police-investigating-string-of-car-break-ins-in-ridgewood-and-glen-rock-1.1087768#sthash.cNvTsMhn.dpuf

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Ridgewood set to roll out vast cast of gymnasts

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Ridgewood set to roll out vast cast of gymnasts

September 12, 2014    Last updated: Friday, September 12, 2014, 12:31 AM
By Greg Tartaglia
SPORTS EDITOR

RIDGEWOOD — Karen Mendez begins every new gymnastics season with a goal completely unrelated to the numbers on judges’ score sheets.

“I always do my best to get as many of my girls into our meets as possible,” the Ridgewood High School head coach said earlier this week.

That’s why her main concern for 2014 is the number on the Maroons’ roster: 34. This will be the largest team of her seven-year tenure and quite possibly the most talented, too.

“We have a large group of dedicated gymnasts of varying ability levels,” Mendez said, “but they work extremely well together.”

The girls’ priority, meanwhile, has been getting to know all the newcomers. Nine freshmen have joined a squad that brings back 11 seniors, including quad-captains Libby DeVita, Kate Eanelli, Christina Gieselmann and Yurina Harada.

“There are so many girls on the team, it’s hard to keep track,” Gieselmann said at practice Wednesday. “We didn’t even know about the talent we had coming in.”

Plenty is known about the top upperclassmen, on the other hand. Harada is a USAG Level 10 competitor and returning state gold medalist — the last RHS gymnast with such distinctions was Chelsea Steinberg in 2006.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/sports/high-school-sports/girls-gymnastics/ridgewood-rolls-out-vast-cast-of-gymnasts-1.1086521#sthash.hgrScsxi.dpuf

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Ridgewood plans to outsource some leaf collection work

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file photo Boyd Loving

Ridgewood plans to outsource some leaf collection work

SEPTEMBER 12, 2014    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2014, 2:40 PM
BY LAURA HERZOG
STAFF WRITER

“No leaf left behind.”

This is the tongue-in-cheek name Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld gave a recent employee “leaf summit” that took place last Wednesday, Sept. 3.

The summit, which Sonenfeld orchestrated, brought together about 25 leaf collection employees to discuss ways to improve customer experience and get more leaves off the streets.

“It seems to be 80 percent of the complaints are related to the fact that we leave leaves, hence ‘no leaf left behind,'” Sonenfeld said.

With a new outsourcing plan, “no leaf left behind” is what the village hopes will happen, come leaf collection season in October.

The village has already put out a bid to outsource work in Ridgewood’s leafiest area, to free staff to focus on the other areas, Sonenfeld said.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/officials-plan-to-outsource-some-work-1.1087039#sthash.S1YJHXZH.dpuf

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Crumbling pipes cause concern in Ridgewood

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file photo Boyd Loving

Crumbling pipes cause concern in Ridgewood

SEPTEMBER 12, 2014    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2014, 2:39 PM
BY LAURA HERZOG
STAFF WRITER
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Oh Danny Boy, the pipes, the crumbling pipes, are calling for repair in Ridgewood.

According to Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld, who detailed the issue in her manager’s report at last week’s Village Council meeting, Ridgewood recently discovered that many of its sewer drainage pipes are “crumbling.”

The problem, she said, was discovered when a contractor employed by PSE&G was doing gas main work around Downs Street and Pearsall Avenue in August. The contractor noticed that the “pipe material was crumbling” in some nearby sewer drainage pipes.

The pipe cost about $1,300 to replace, she said.

According to Village Engineer Chris Rutishauser, the now-deteriorated, aluminum-corrugated metal pipes in Ridgewood’s sewer drainage system were installed 35 to 40 years ago, and are located “all over” the village. But “it’s hard to say” what percentage of the pipes – all in the storm drainage, not sanitary system – are made of this material and need replacement, he said.

Mayor Paul Aronsohn expressed concern when the pipe issue was raised at the meeting on Sept. 3.

“You’re saying this type of pipe, that crumbles at the touch, is all throughout the village,” he said. The mayor also asked Rutishauser if he was concerned.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/crumbling-pipes-cause-concern-1.1087035#sthash.28ETplWZ.dpuf

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Ridgewood plans honor for English Channel swimmer Charlotte Samuels

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Ridgewood plans honor for English Channel swimmer Charlotte Samuels

SEPTEMBER 12, 2014    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2014, 1:21 AM
THE RECORD
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RIDGEWOOD — Village officials intend to celebrate the achievements of Charlotte Samuels, the 16-year-old Ridgewood athlete who this week became the youngest person to complete open swimming’s Triple Crown.

Through tears and frigid waters, she treaded her way across the English Channel to France.

At Wednesday’s Village Council meeting, Roberta Sonenfeld, the village manager, said Ridgewood officials have already been in touch with the Samuels family about plans to honor Charlotte for her feat.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/education/ridgewood-to-honor-endurance-swimmer-1.1086678#sthash.uc8WOXaI.dpuf