Tag: Schedler field

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Removing trees from Schedler site would be wrong

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SEPTEMBER 18, 2015    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2015, 12:31 AM
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
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Removing trees from Schedler site would be wrong

To the Editor:

A matching grant application from the Village of Ridgewood for the development of the Schedler property was sent to the Bergen County Division of Open Space on Sept. 1. Once again, two council members were not informed of it (seemingly a pattern on many issues) and no resolution had been presented for council approval prior to the submission of the application.

This became evident at the Sept. 9 council meeting.

In addition, I understood that the $100,000 that was referenced in the grant under funding sources was from the Ridgewood Baseball Association. After reviewing the application online, I see it actually comes from municipal capital funds. Other questionable statements appear in the document as well.

Regardless of one’s opinion on the 90-foot baseball diamond proposed at the Schedler property, the process has been greatly flawed. Not a single comment both written and stated in public expressing concerns about the project have been included or addressed in the municipal plans for development of said property.

Particularly troubling is the pending removal of 4 acres of trees and woods that protect the property from its dangerously close proximity to Route 17. It appears that village employees will do the work. We have a reduced staff (from a high of nine employees down to three). The village is backlogged on shade tree maintenance and/or removal where it is clearly needed for safety reasons. Many of the Schedler trees are mature healthy trees.

There is also concern that when fully vetted, the 90-foot diamond may not be viable at that location. The trees may be removed in vain.

If you take Route 17 North and turn right onto West Saddle River Road and visit the Schedler property, which is immediately on the left, you will understand how devastating the loss of those trees will be to the neighborhood and to us all. The proposed field will be open to all Bergen County teams as the property was purchased with Bergen County grants. The children playing there will be eighth grade and older.

Schedler advocates wanted a smaller field incorporated into the park development plan along with the preservation of the Zabriskie house.

The removal of the trees is bad for the neighborhood, for Ridgewood and for our environment. I am appalled that the process has been so arbitrary and selective and, in my opinion, morally wrong.

Linda McNamara

Ridgewood

 

https://www.northjersey.com/opinion/opinion-letters-to-the-editor/letter-to-the-editor-removing-trees-from-schedler-site-would-be-wrong-1.1412546

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Old plans could present solution for Schedler

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SEPTEMBER 18, 2015    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2015, 12:31 AM
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
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Old plans could present solution for Schedler

To the Editor:

There can be a sensible alternative to construction of a 90-foot baseball/multiuse field in a heavily wooded area on the Schedler property, and with little cost to the sports groups or the village. There is an existing 80-foot field at Pleasant Park that can be expanded to 90 feet. An existing plan, before the purchase of Schedler, might well be a solution.

In fact, both Veteran’s Field and the Pleasant Field were slated to become 90-foot fields as replacements when the field at Benjamin Franklin Middle School was turned into a track. A 2007-08 report on our Parks and Facilities by Schoor-DePalma-CMX (“Comprehensive Parks, Facilities and Recreation Plan”), paid for by the village, was presented to the council in 2008 recommending that the 80-foot existing baseball field at Pleasant Park be expanded, as well as Veteran’s Field, which now has a 90-foot field.

Of course, this report was written before the Schedler property was purchased.

After Schedler was purchased, the Pleasant Park extension was discarded. Reasons for the change by the village were soil conditions, objections by neighbors, permits from the DEP, etc. But no studies were ever done, and to my knowledge, no correspondence with the state.

The Pleasant Park neighbors are right to be concerned that a 90-foot field brings lights, noise, and traffic that could disrupt the Lawns neighborhood. But why are their concerns more important to the town than the residents on the east side.

Why not revive the idea of adding just a few feet to the existing 80-foot field at Pleasant with the following restrictions: no lights, no turf, and strict penalties for loud and disturbing behavior. As long as the players and fans play by the rules, the neighbors should be glad to help out. We would balance the loss of less than an acre of trees versus over 5 acres of trees at Schedler.

Sure, it would be nice to go across town to an area of east side residents near the Schedler property, put up a field, put in over 70 parking spaces and create problems on a narrow roadway, not to mention cutting down acres of trees that buffer the view and sounds of Route 17.

A traffic study in the middle of August on a residential street is not the right time to see what traffic is really like when school is out, when rush hour occurs, etc.

If this village is concerned about money, how would they justify an outlay of at least $1 million to level 5 acres at least, in an area that is uneven at best, put in a field, create a large berm around most of the property as buffer so trucks or cars don’t crash into the field?

The solution, a much less expensive solution, one that was proposed in the report, paid for by the village, is to extend the field at Pleasant.

Ellie Gruber

Ridgewood

 

https://www.northjersey.com/opinion/opinion-letters-to-the-editor/letter-to-the-editor-ridgewood-should-revist-old-plans-1.1412615

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the fly plays ball at Schedler field

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The fly has noticed…………… that according to the Village website a recently crafted grant application with an attached resolution ( neither of which was brought to the full council ) showing  that one hundred thousand dollars appears to be coming from village capital funds and not the RBSA.  The Village manager stated at the recent council meeting that sports’ groups had funded the matching grant.  This appears to be a blatant lie.  While not one but two members have recently resigned from the Open Space Committee( one publicly) and it looks like they will start taking down trees at the  Schedler property without a fully vetted plan in place on actual costs and the viability of a 90 foot baseball diamond at Schedler.  There is so much wrong with the process and now it looks as though some of it might be in violation of the law. The Deputy Mayor was quoted on Wednesday as saying ,: “Maybe we’re breaking the law, but it’s not a good law.” , is there a lawyer in the house ?