OCTOBER 19, 2015 LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2015, 10:45 AM
BY MARK KRULISH
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
The latest drawings for the proposed Schedler Park, which includes a large multi-purpose field, were unveiled last week during a presentation made by village officials.
The Schedler property and the historic Zabriskie-Schedler house have come back to the forefront in recent weeks with a resolution passed by the council to endorse recommendations made for the site in the 2012 Open Space report and the submission of an application for a matching grant that would fund preliminary cleanup work in the area.
Some of the features of the potential park include an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessible walking path, restrooms and playground, a woodland and nature area, and the most-discussed feature, a 90-foot baseball field with multi-purpose field overlay for soccer, lacrosse and football. A parking lot at the southern end of the triangular shaped parcel contains 74 spaces and a drop-off lane.
Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld emphasized this was “the beginning stages of a public discussion on the actual design of the park.”
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
Another Front Has Opened Up against Over Development in Ridgewood
October 11,2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Another Front Has Opened Up against in what the majority of residents perceive as the over development and urbanization of Ridgewood .Last week signs began to appear the Zabriskie Schedler House, more commonly now called Schedler Park or Schedler field .
The Schedler property boarders Route 17 north in a very quite residential neighborhood cornered between Route 17 and Saddle river.The most notable feature, of the property is the 1830s-style Dutch wood frame home, which historians have dated the construction of the home’s main section to the 1830s, though the existing kitchen wing might have predated 1825. The four separate parcels at the Schedler tract were also the site to a Revolutionary War battle and have yielded artifacts from that time.
The RBSA has been pushing for a baseball field in the location since before the property was purchased by the Village in 2009. In 2014 the RBSA sponsored candidate Residents James Albano ran for Village Council with the express purpose of pushing a baseball field in the location . Albano was crushed by a landslide loss in a council election that featured a “mysterious” email to Candidate Michael Sedon employer at the time in an attempt to pressure Sendon to drop out.
L- R: Isabella Altano from Ridgewood Eastside Development (RED) shows the map of the proposed sports field to Freeholder John Mitchell. Aug 15 2012
In 2012 after another historic home was torn down in Paramus , the site caught the eye of Bergen County Freeholder Maura DeNicola, and Bergen County Freeholder John Mitchell who met with then Ridgewood Village Manager Ken Gabbert, Village Historian Joseph Suplicki and Freeholder Robert Hermansen to discuss the Zabriskie/Schedler house .
A grassroots organization was formed called Ridgewood Eastside Development (RED) in an attempt to protect the neighborhood and preserve the area with some alternative modest development , but mostly the focus at the time was on land making the property and preserving the trees and open space .
The council majority Paul Aronsohn, Albert Pucciarelli ,Gwenn Hauck aka the 3 amigos have as usual ignored the wishes of the vast majority of Ridgewood residents and sided with developers and special interests . https://theridgewoodblog.net/ridgewood-s-schedler-park-maps-and-information/
file photo by Boyd Loving
OCTOBER 2, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2015, 8:44 AM
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Print
Informed public must be heard
To the Editor:
With all that is going on in the world and in our private lives, we often don’t focus on the very things where we can actually make a difference. I believe it was Tip O’Neill who said, “All politics is local.” There are several important issues that will be decided on by our Village Council in the very near future.
The council was scheduled to vote on an ordinance that would change the housing density in the Central Business District from 12 units per acre to 35. Many village residents worked hard to prevent this from happening as it has the potential of negatively changing the character of our village. Citizens for a Better Ridgewood, the leading opponent to the density change, had an online petition which garnered over 1,000 signatures that was seemingly dismissed by the current council. A gentleman recently spoke at a public meeting calling for a compromise: an increase from 12 to 22-24 units per acre. His suggestion made so much sense and I can only hope the council listened.
The proposed 90-foot baseball diamond at the Schedler property is another case in point. Many villagers have signed petitions and spoken out at public meetings to prevent this from happening for years. They have offered proposals that would allow for a modest-sized playing field while preserving a historic home and 4 acres of woods. This compromise would allow the village to move forward in a manner that would respect the interests of all concerned parties. It doesn’t appear that the council majority will move in that direction.
We always hope that our elected officials will have an ear to the public and make decisions accordingly. This is not the case currently at the council level. Many recent votes have gone 3-2, always with the same council members in the majority and the two in the minority actively seeking to be more inclusive regarding public opinion.
A functioning democracy depends on an informed electorate. At the local level, you can truly have your voices heard and maybe effect the decisions being made supposedly on our behalf. My anthem used to be, “I fight authority and authority always wins.” With people working together for a common cause, we might be able to change the word always to sometimes. Hopefully, John Mellencamp won’t mind.
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.
Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood Police report on Sunday September 27, 2015, two incidents of criminal mischief were reported in the area Meadowbrook Avenue and the Public Service & Electric & gas right of way.
Both victims had parked their cars in the area while attending soccer games. While the vehicles were parked someone had scratched their exterior surfaces causing damage to the paint as well as spraying an unidentified liquid inside of them.
On Wednesday September 30, 2015, an employee of the Ridgewood Board of Education reported vandalism at the Steven’s Athletic Field. Unidentified actor/actors had intentionally burned the synthetic turf playing surface in several areas.
Both matters are under investigation by the detective bureau, any witness to the incidents are asked to contact the bureau at (201)251-4537.
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.
The Washington Post recently had an article concerning the desperate need for wildscapes, not parks, wildscapes ,undeveloped land to preserve our ecology and life on earth.
Schedler should remain undeveloped.
Let it remain undeveloped, please God, a lodestar for other towns about the need for preserving life on earth by being good stewards of the land.
By the way, some blister bellied parent talked about baseball and other sports becoming more competitive and the need for more playing space.
Well, there have been a plethora of articles on kids’ sports in the major newspapers including our one and only NYTimes. They all agree that too much practice leads to permanent bodily injuries in young bodies that are still developing. Yes, coach , let them work hard, but not harder. You coach, don’t give a flying fuck if your young charges collapse in college sports due to their strained bodies or in high school, or even permanently inured in high school. All coaches and gym teachers teaching competitive sports should be required to work for FREE, NO Pay
. work for the good of the young kids playing, not for your reputations acquired by ruining young lives.
SEPTEMBER 18, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2015, 12:31 AM
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Print
Schedler plan is same as 2008 proposal
To the Editor:
As the community continues to debate the development of the Schedler property, it is important to recall the discussions that led to the village’s acquisition of the property.
In September 2008, former Councilman Pat Mancuso convened an ad hoc “Schedler Committee” of interested citizens, including residents of the adjacent West Saddle River Road neighborhood, which met on a weekly basis to discuss the urgency of preserving the property as open recreational space, potential sources of funding and the conceptual plan for the development of the property.
I was asked to present the Schedler Committee’s recommendations to the Village Council at the Council’s Oct. 22, 2008 meeting. In addition to recommending that the Village purchase the property as promptly as possible, I made the following statement:
“Although the members of the Schedler Committee believe that the primary objective at this time is the preservation of the property as open space, they have also discussed in detail and approved the conceptual plan for the improvement of the property that includes a baseball diamond, an overlay multi-purpose field, an ADA-compliant walking trail, a wooded area and a parking lot, and the potential sources of funding for those improvements. . . . Significantly, the representatives of the West Saddle River Road neighborhood association on the Schedler Committee have assured us that the neighbors support the conceptual plan, including the eventual installation of permanent lighting for the athletic fields, and will not ‘disappear down a manhole cover’ . . . as soon as the property is acquired.”
The conceptual plan discussed and approved by the Schedler Committee was substantially the same plan recently endorsed by the Village Council.
It is also worth noting that the intention at the time was to raze the Schedler house. In fact, as part of its grant application presentation, the village told the advisory committee of the Bergen County Open Space Trust Fund that the village intended to tear the house down, and the committee’s only request was that the house be documented (i.e., photographed) before demolition.
Given this history, complaints of “east side” unfairness seem like a smokescreen to impede progress.
The plan for the development of the Schedler property has remained consistent since 2008. I believe it is in the best interests of the village to realize that plan now.
It is also in the interest of the Schedler neighborhood. In 2008, the neighbors’ primary concern was to save the property from high density residential or commercial development. Instead of that, the neighborhood will have a beautiful park with a playing field surrounded by trees and a walking path.
Ralph Currey
Ridgewood
The writer is the Chair of the Village of Ridgewood’s Open Space Committee.
SEPTEMBER 18, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2015, 12:31 AM
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Print
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.
SEPTEMBER 18, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2015, 12:31 AM
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Print
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.
SEPTEMBER 15, 2015 LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2015, 9:35 AM
BY MARK KRULISH
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Improvements to existing baseball fields and the potential installation of a new one were on the agenda for the Village Council last Wednesday evening.
The governing body approved a gift from the Ridgewood Baseball Softball Association (RBSA) and endorsed a resolution authorizing the submission of an application for a matching open space grant from Bergen County.
The village is seeking a grant from the Bergen County Open Space, Recreation, Floodplain Protection, Farmland & Historic Preservation Trust Fund, which provides matching grants to local governments for assistance in redeveloping outdoor public facilities.
Last month, the council adopted a resolution to follow recommendations made in a 2012 Open Space Committee report that called for a 90-foot baseball diamond and a multi-purpose overlay field along with passive recreation opportunities to be built on the Schedler property.
A matching grant of $100,000 is available for Schedler Park Development – Phase I, which includes cleaning the park of dead trees, demolishing the garage and shed, stump removal and the capping of a well, said Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld.
The timing of the grant application prompted questions from both residents and council members as the deadline for submission to Bergen County was Sept. 3.
The resolution had only been approved Sept. 9, a week later.
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 ?
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.
Warning: Undefined array key "sfsi_riaIcon_order" in /home/eagle1522/public_html/theridgewoodblog.net/wp-content/plugins/ultimate-social-media-icons/libs/controllers/sfsi_frontpopUp.php on line 165
Warning: Undefined array key "sfsi_inhaIcon_order" in /home/eagle1522/public_html/theridgewoodblog.net/wp-content/plugins/ultimate-social-media-icons/libs/controllers/sfsi_frontpopUp.php on line 166
Warning: Undefined array key "sfsi_mastodonIcon_order" in /home/eagle1522/public_html/theridgewoodblog.net/wp-content/plugins/ultimate-social-media-icons/libs/controllers/sfsi_frontpopUp.php on line 177
