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Schedler Site Development Study – 460 W. Saddle River Road
Below are the Site Development Plans prepared by the Ridgewood Engineering Department.
Click Here for Part 1A
Click Here for part 2B
Click Here for Part 3 C, D, E
SEPTEMBER 30, 2015 LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2015, 11:13 AM
BY MARK KRULISH
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Questions have arisen in recent weeks over the process by which the Village Council submitted its application to Bergen County for its Open Space grant, prompting officials to respond in a public forum.
During a recent council meeting, Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld dedicated a portion of her manager’s report to address questions that had been brought up both that evening and in past meetings.
The Village of Ridgewood has applied for a Bergen County Open Space matching grant that will cover preliminary work needed at the Schedler property to allow for the construction of any passive or active recreational purposes on the site, said Sonenfeld.
The grant will fund the removal of the garage and shed, the capping of a well and the removal of dead, diseased or downed trees and stumps. Bidding for this work will go out in October or November pending the approval of another resolution by the council.
During public comment, resident Frank Delvecchio asked if the village is providing any funding for the project as the open space application indicated $100,000 in capital funds will be used in order to apply.
Sonenfeld said the $100,000 amount is a gift coming from the Ridgewood Baseball Softball Association (RBSA), which would be accepted through the village’s gift ordinance and could then be deposited into a special trust fund for the park before moving it into a municipal capital fund account.
https://www.northjersey.com/news/ridgewood-details-grant-application-for-schedler-property-1.1421753
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
