BY MATTHEW SCHNEIDER
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
RIDGEWOOD – Village residents will have an opportunity to learn about reforestation later this month at an event explaining the practice on Monday, March 21 in the Senior Lounge at Village Hall.
“Reforestation and how it works in the Village” will be presented by the team of professionals responsible for this valuable planning and planting of young trees within our community.
Ridgewood NJ, 4 American Bald Eagles and a black crested heron , all on the endangered species list. According to the Conserve Wildlife Foundation Bald Eagles are extremely sensitive to human disturbance. At no time should anyone approach nesting eagles. People who want to observe or photograph eagles and who come too close may actually cause the birds to abandon a nest. In 2014, there were 156 pairs of bald eagles monitored in the state of New Jersey. Apparently the Village of Ridgewood is well aware https://mods.ridgewoodnj.net/…/2015schedlergrantupdate.pdf if see Page 16 of a document Roberta signed . Unfortunately the page was magically removed from the Village website.
Included with this article is a copy of the original and we posted it for your viewing pleasure .If you scroll down you will see where these birds are listed but they checked N/A disregarding their endangered species classification. n a recent council meeting Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld called them some animals who happened to be running around at that location.
Ridgewood NJ, The folks who live on the other side of town really need your help. Please watch this video and see what I learned from going over there.
Let’s do what neighbors do: stand up for one another in times of crisis. In this case, it means:
a) sharing this video
b) joining the Friends of Schedler FB grouphttps://www.facebook.com/groups/185935935083937/
c) writing to our Village Council
Charlie Nowinski at Ridgewood Village Hall – December 9, 2015
After watching this video, if you agree that having our tax money spent on converting the Schedler property to a baseball field is a dumb idea, please let our Village Council know by email:
Here are the email addresses for our VC:
Mayor Paul Aronsohn paronsohn@ridgewoodnj.net
Deputy Mayor Albert Pucciarelli apucciarelli@ridgewoodnj.net
Councilwoman Gwenn Hauck ghauck@ridgewoodnj.net
Councilwoman Susan Knudsen sknudsen@ridgewoodnj.net
Councilman Mike Sedon msedon@ridgewoodnj.net
DECEMBER 11, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2015, 12:31 AM
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Any solutions should benefit entire village
To the Editor:
The “Officials face open space shortage” article on the Schedler property (The Ridgewood News, Dec. 4, page A1), exposes the perennial “zero sum” thinking that plagues village politics. It concludes: “…an unpopular decision in the eyes of one [or the other] group of people will have to be made.” The absence of a community-wide vision for our village perpetuates endless acrimonious interpersonal and intergroup relationships. Rather than focusing on special interest groups’ differences, we need a holistic approach that compares our community to surrounding ones, to North Jersey, and to our nation as a whole.
The obvious characteristics of our town are stark and too often ignored: 1) As this article states, we have the largest school system in Bergen County; 2) Ridgewood is one of the wealthiest communities in New Jersey with the one of the highest tax burdens; 3) We are universally [yes, the Internet] seen as a schooling magnet community so families move here; and 4) We have zero public policies designed to retain empty nesters, zero availability of over-55 housing, and zero assisted living facilities in the Central Business District.
We may want to believe we are “Lake Wobegon … where the men are strong, the women good-looking, and that all our children are above average,” but our denial of aging results in social engineering that ignores life stages and destroys a multigenerational family community.
Saying Ridgewood is exclusively a nuclear family-child raising community, lacks both a historical perspective and a desire to imagine the future. Well into the 1930s, smaller New England towns practiced “home relief” where aging homeowners unable to support themselves in retirement were maintained at the town’s expense, and when they died the sale of their homes reimbursed the town’s costs. Into the 21st century, Ridgewood is a powerful draw for upper middle class families from world cultures in which multigenerational families are the norm. Furthermore, a slower growth economy means all of our children will carry elder care obligations which are outside the range of what Social Security or Medicare can provide.
The Open Space worries reported here pale in the face of wider community concerns. Where 2,000 youths get to play baseball in a community of 25,000 is a valid special interest concern. Saving a complete forest as a barrier between a quiet neighborhood and Route 17 is also a valid special interest concern.
In reality, all the wooded areas closer to residential properties could be preserved while limited commercial development could take place preserving older growth trees. Taking up opportunities for commercial development that bring down taxes for all residents and help reverse the “aged cleansing” social engineering practice that characterize our town is the right thing to do for the majority of Ridgewood families. This is what leadership in a democracy should be all about.
DECEMBER 1, 2015 LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2015, 9:45 AM
BY MARK KRULISH
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
(This article is the third of an ongoing series examining the Schedler property and the issues surrounding it.)
In the woods on the edge of Route 17 in Ridgewood stands a brown farm house. Drivers traveling the speed limit on the highway would be hard-pressed to spot it, and it is best they don’t in the interest of automobile safety. But even those taking a trip on West Saddle River Road might miss it if they are not paying attention.
Yet that little brown house is considered a remarkable piece of history that at least some residents in the Village of Ridgewood believe is worth preserving for future generations.
The Zabriskie-Schedler house has become the subject of much speculation and discussion since the village purchased the 7-acre property in 2009. Current plans propose a 90-foot baseball field with multi-purpose overlay field, which has caused some residents in the neighborhood to worry about their quality of life while others are also concerned about the fate of the historic house.
Somewhat miraculously, the Schedler house has had few owners in its approximately 180 years and it may be one of the reasons the house has stood for so long in the middle of an otherwise developed region of New Jersey.
NOVEMBER 18, 2015 LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2015, 10:55 AM
BY MARK KRULISH
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Print
(This article is the first of an ongoing series examining the Schedler property and the issues surrounding it.)
If you were to take a drive up West Saddle River Road, you would see a typical quiet suburban neighborhood with homes and manicured lawns spread out on small winding streets.
However, you would also see green signs asking people to help save their neighborhood as plans loom on the distant horizon for possible development of the area near the Zabriskie-Schedler house.
The house sits on 7 acres of woodlands between West Saddle River Road and the northbound side of Route 17. Last Sunday afternoon, it was also the site of a rally attended by dozens of neighborhood residents who fear their quiet environment, property values, health and quality of life would be harmed by development.
“Our concern is our houses, our quality of life and the impact on us,” said Paul D’Arpa, a Racetrack Road resident who organized the event. “We don’t want to stop the kids from being kids and playing. But is this the right environment for everyone?”
On a recent cloudy, drizzly Tuesday afternoon, D’Arpa stood on the sidewalk on West Saddle Road. He made his way further into the woods, moving towards Route 17. A soft-spoken man, the sound of trucks, buses and cars roaring by drowned out his voice.
“How is an umpire supposed to make calls here?” he asked, referring to a proposal to build a 90-foot baseball diamond after clearing some of the trees away. D’Arpa was standing at the approximate spot for home plate.
At the moment, the concept for the baseball field is just that – a proposal presented in October during a Village Council meeting, although the issue dates back several years. The council has not taken any action in regards to the field except for a resolution endorsing a report by the Open Space Committee that recommended a 90-foot baseball diamond with multi-purpose overlay field be constructed on the Schedler property.
But building a field and possibly clearing several acres of trees could result in unacceptable noise coming from the highway along with added pollution of the heavy traffic that passes through the area. The proposal detailed in October has a six-and-a-half foot high, 17-foot wide berm with deciduous trees along the highway and another line of trees along West Saddle River Road.
However, local residents who have come forward since the latest proposal was unveiled have said this may not be enough to satisfactorily reduce the potential negative side-effects of building a park and field.
The town in which I live, Ridgewood, owns a 7.5-acre parcel known as the Schedler property in the northeast corridor directly abutting Route 17.
It represents the last large piece of green acres in Ridgewood. Schedler serves as a buffer for the community, defending us from the noise of the highway and the pollution. The town is determined, with the insistence of the Ridgewood Baseball Association, to build a regulation-sized baseball field there. So what’s wrong with that? The answer is everything.
For one thing, the location. It has been shown that increasing levels of noise are associated with increasing incidence of strokes, especially in the elderly. Playing fields also facilitate flooding whereas woods act as a deterrent.
Second, it is very well documented that exercising along busy highways increases one’s chances of developing respiratory disease, cancer and cardiovascular disorders. This problem is particularly worse in children, who have a more susceptible physiology. Recently, News 12 reported a new medical study that showed increased incidence of leukemia in children under the age of 15 who played in proximity to busy thoroughfares.
Lastly, in a time of constrained fiscal budgets, it would cost a lot less to leave nature alone. A field for our children would be great, but can’t it be built in a place that does not jeopardize their health?
Decisions that affect the health and well-being of our citizens, especially our children, should be guided by the facts. Not every piece of land needs to be developed; on the contrary, nature needs to be preserved.
We should take a page from the book of Theodore Roosevelt, who in his great wisdom, when entrusted with the stewardship of our great beautiful land, decided to conserve portions in their natural state for his time and posterity.
We, the citizens, must demand that our government behave just as responsibly.
Special Public Hearing – Schedler Property – October 14, 2015
The Village Council of the Village of Ridgewood shall conduct a Public Hearing in the Sydney V. Stoldt, Jr. Court Room on the fourth floor of the Ridgewood Village Hall, 131 North Maple Ave., Ridgewood, NJ at its October 14, 2015 Regular Public Meeting, which meeting begins at 8:00 p.m.
The purpose of this Public Hearing is for the Village Council to receive comments and suggestions from the public for the Village of Ridgewood’s 2015 Bergen County Open Space Trust Fund Municipal Park Improvement and Development Grant application. The Village has applied for this grant for Phase 1 work on the Schedler Park property, located at 460 West Saddle River Road, Ridgewood, NJ. Phase 1 would encompass basic infrastructure improvements to include: installation of underground utilities (water, electric, sewer); demolition of two-car garage, small shed; capping of inoperable well; selective removal of down, dead, diseased trees; site clean-up; and cut in proposed parking lot driveway entrance.
Heather A. Mailander
Village Clerk
Another Front Has Opened Up against Over Development in Ridgewood
Wednesday night’s meeting was a confirmation that the Schedler advocates are being treated far differently than the RBSA who want a professional size baseball diamond at the Schedler property.
When Isabella Altano came before you with 45 thousand dollars, a matching grant opportunity and a plan to stabilize the house every obstacle was thrown in her way even accusing her of some scheme not to accept monies from Mr. Bolger. Roberta made a comment that putting together the grant application would require work from village employees and that the ability to lend the additional 45 thousand until the grant came through would be a strain.
Now the RBA comes forward with money and no plan and we find that a grant application is in place with the help of village employees and two council members knew nothing about it.
In this day and age there is no believable explanation for not informing all council members. We have email and phones and there are only 5 council members not 50. Gwenn made some comments about a dad dealing with his two equally loved children. I would say it is more like the story of Cinderella. The inequities are that apparent.
I am asking you to put a moratorium on any removal of trees or other significant alterations to the property until there is a fully vetted plan for Schedler that includes safety studies, DOT approval for site changes, traffic studies etc. At this point we do not know the entire cost of a 90 foot diamond at Schedler and whether a wall may need to be built as the property without the trees will back up to Route 17. Removing the trees in advance would be devastating and unnecessary.
I don’t understand why any one organization or advisory committee has more importance than the people. Schedler advocates are representatives of their community and for the whole of Ridgewood. They have been left out if the process. It appears that they never had a chance but you let them work diligently, attend numerous public and private meetings acting as though there was a hope. You need to know costs including long term maintenance of the property and if the field is even viable for the area. After spending some time there recently I was reminded again of how close the property is to Route 17 and how drastically the removal of the 4 acres of trees will affect the neighborhood.
I sincerely hope you will not move forward until you can present a fully developed plan to the public for their input and for your needs to know actual costs.
SEPTEMBER 4, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2015, 12:31 AM
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
More insight is needed to address Schedler property
To the Editor:
I am in support of the Village Council votes regarding the Schedler property.
The heated debate at the Village Council meeting meant those who had an issue with the resolution gave up an opportunity to positively influence the development of the property. They could have tried to see if a high berm could be built to insulate the property from traffic on Route 17. The berm could be capped with a sound barrier and covered with dense plantings. This would serve as a safety, sound and pollution barrier.
The third of the property left to nature could be converted into an arboretum of native species and pollinator habitats. The walk around the perimeter could be made to appeal to “seenagers,” those of us who are chronologically seniors but mentally can’t outgrow their teen years. A foot bridge could be built over Route 17 to make it easier for pedestrians to walk over from the west side of the highway. I can’t but believe such a park would be a great improvement over a weed-choked lot with fallen trees and mounds of empty beer cans. I have walked around the property and find little salubrious about it.
Regarding the Schedler house, I am a conservationist and a reader of history. Destroying a historical site is an act of vandalism. I thus support giving the preservation committee another year to come up with a plan for the house. My recommendation to the committee would be to add several new members who would add depth to its considerations. For instance, I would add an engineer and an architect with experience in preserving historical homes. Also, perhaps, a realtor with experience in finding uses for such a property. A historian and a fundraiser would be helpful.
If I were a member of the committee, I would try to answer the following questions:
What is the age of the house? Supporters say it was built in the 1820’s. This may not be a true statement in its entirety. Some of it may have been built in the 1820s, but I have a feeling much of it was built much later. Is it truly a “nationally recognized historic home” as some claim?
How sound is the house structurally? With a broken roof and black mold, what else ails it? Rot? Termites? Lead paint? Asbestos?
What uses will there be for the house and thus what will it be restored to? Some mention a library for historical documents. That’s an interesting idea, but what would it take to reinforce the beams to carry the heavy weight of books, and what would it take to fireproof it to protect invaluable documents?
Depending on the use, what would it cost to restore the house and bring it up to code, especially for public use. If it is to be used for public purposes, who will underwrite the future operating costs?
A rational discussion of our options with less heat would be in everyone’s interests.
One of those 3 60×90 fields is a mess. Lower Hawes barely fits 90 foot baselines. First and third are at the edge of the infield. I think the RBSA has proposed addressing this field but have been turned down by the BOE and the neighborhood. The Somerville field is in good shape and functional but is also a full dirt infield, not the best for ‘true’ baseball. The primary field at Vets was in rough shape at the end of the high school season. Too many teams playing too many games on that field.
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I’m a broken record — let’s thank the Willard school district for all of this. They helped pass the vote for getting their school extended while including the field changes at the high school and BF (removing a 60×90 and a softball field). We can go back further to who proposed putting into that vote the field changes and Willard changes. Can’t continue to post-blame at this point.
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Let’s look at what’s needed to support the needs of youth sports in town. If soccer, baseball, softball, lax and other field sports can use the field, why is that such a bad thing? I believe (and could be wrong) that there was a review of the field usage and needs in town and we came up short. Schedler will help alleviate these needs.
AUGUST 24, 2015 LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, AUGUST 24, 2015, 8:20 AM
BY CHRIS HARRIS
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
RIDGEWOOD — Recent discussions at Village Council meetings over what should be done with the Schedler property — 7 acres of wooded land the village purchased six years ago — have resurrected age-old allegations in town of political favoritism.
At the council’s work session Aug. 12, a handful of speakers contended that Ridgewood was a divided community where a collective “east versus west” mind-set was pervasive and that village officials had long overlooked their neighborhood on the far east side. They said decisions about the Schedler property reflected bias against residents of their neighborhood.
Generally, the railroad tracks are considered the dividing line. However, Route 17 severs a triangular tract on the east that touches both Washington Township and Ho-Ho-Kus from the larger portion of the village, which is home to the Village Hall, the central business district and all the village’s schools.
That neighborhood runs from Route 17 to just beyond Van Emburgh Avenue, and from Racetrack Road on the north down to Linwood Avenue.
Freehold John Mitchell with residents several years ago
Local’ residents deserve a say on Schedler property
To the Editor:
“Go West, young man,” a phrase made famous by Horace Greeley, could have certainly been directed at families moving to the Village of Ridgewood. This young man decided to go east in this beautiful community and raise a family. He has stayed for over 30 years, and now after all this time is wondering whether west would have been the smarter and wiser choice for his family’s future.
My wife, Michele, and I have spent most of our adult lives bringing up two children, supporting the excellent school system, participating in community events, and the excellent sports programs. Living on the east side of Ridgewood came with some issues that we have accepted and lived with over these 30-plus years: No local grammar school for our children to attend, no local park for our children to play in, and being treated at times by this town as the forgotten community but always being told by the Village Council that this was not true but a figment of our imagination.
Finally, we are given the chance to have something that could prove very positive for this east side community, the purchase of the Schedler property. My wife and I were very active early in getting the local community and Village of Ridgewood interested in securing this property. We expected and were led to believe by the Village Council that we, the local residents, would have a major and important say on how this property was developed, similar to the way the Habernickel property on the west side was developed.
Now, we were told at the Aug. 5 meeting of the Mayor and Council that they are submitting a recommendation to approve the Open Space Committee October 2012 recommendations, which includes the most controversial issue, a 90-foot baseball field on the Schedler site. The same 90-foot baseball field other Ridgewood communities did not want. It was considered for Pleasant Park but that idea appears to have been killed, and it was not built on the larger, 10-acre Habernickel property on the west side of Ridgewood because the local community preferred a smaller Little League field.
Because of this lack of concern by members of the Village Council toward the east side, this is where they have decided to definitely build this 90-foot field. It appears the plan all along was to destroy the historic Schedler house to make room for this field.
This comes, even after our east side community secured $45,000 (50 percent) of the funds necessary to save this historic house. We have always been willing to compromise except for the issue of destroying the Schedler house and building a 90-foot field. Everything else was on the table, and we were led to believe by the current administration that our proposals were being seriously considered and open to further debate and discussion.
We were misled and will soon know if the east side Ridgewood community will again be treated as second class citizens and not heard from again.
At the Aug. 5 Ridgewood Council meeting, the mayor took it upon himself to request a resolution to adopt the old Open Space Committee’s recommendation in 2010 to place a Major League Baseball standard diamond on the Schedler property. That would result in the demolition of the historic Zabriski House and the removal of 4 acres of trees, which buffer a residential neighborhood backing onto Route 17.
The mayor disregarded the 2012 amended version that gave interested parties six to 12 months to find a suitable use for the house. The group, Friends of Schedler, met its deadline as the Bergen County Historical Society expressed a desire to lease the house for a library. The Schedler group also was able to secure a $45,000 donation along with matching grants to cover the costs of stabilizing the house.
They sought a resolution that would allow them to gain a certificate of eligibility from the county and to establish a non-profit organization. The town only would have to provide the $45,000 grant to finish the work.
But rather than vote on this resolution, the mayor threw every obstacle he could think of at the presenter to prevent a vote from occurring. His own proposal for a second resolution was based on an outdated recommendation. We did not expect our mayor to throw the efforts of the people who acted in good faith under the bus. His last-minute resolution should be pulled.
AUGUST 13, 2015 LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, AUGUST 13, 2015, 3:32 PM
BY MARK KRULISH
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Two resolutions related to Ridgewood’s historic Schedler property were put to a vote Wednesday night, with the governing body deciding in favor of endorsing recommendations made for the property by the village’s Open Space Committee and voting against the authorization of filing a Bergen County Historic Trust Fund matching grant for money related to the 200-year-old Zabriskie-Schedler house.
The subject of the Schedler property was revived last week as residents appealed to the council to support a grant that would be used to stabilize the house. The grant had a deadline of Sept. 3.
After a lengthy discussion and public comment, two resolutions were considered on Wednesday’s agenda. One resolution adopted the recommendations set forth in a 2012 Open Space Committee report that determined the Schedler property should be developed for recreational purposes, including a 90-foot baseball field with an overlay multi-purpose field for soccer and lacrosse.
The resolution also makes several other recommendations, including leaving the fate of the Zabriskie-Schedler house in the hands of the Village Council. It also provides guidelines for “interested citizens” to “raise and expend private funds for the purpose of stabilizing the house until a decision is made by the Village Council,” which some council members said made the second resolution to approve the grant unnecessary.
Mayor Paul Aronsohn stated his belief that the Open Space Committee report strikes “the right balance” and meets the needs of all Ridgewood residents.
