Tag: turf fields

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Outline of Proposed Terms for the Development of the Schedler Property in Ridgewood

Save Our Schedler Members & Friends at the Schedler House3

file photo by Boyd Loving

April 18,2016

Ridgewood NJ, from the Friends of Schedler Facebook page :

Outline of Proposed Terms for the Development of the Schedler Property

1. In order to provide the Village with much needed passive park and recreational space, the field shall be no larger than 60’.

2. Any design will include a sound wall to block out the sound of the highway for the entire length of the property. In addition, to a sound wall near the highway, the park will include a berm on West Saddle River Road to block off the sound and view of the park. The berm shall include several rows of regularly maintained evergreens in order to provide the neighborhood with a “green shield”.

3. All demolition, including removal of trees (downed, diseased or otherwise) will not occur until completion of a development plan and budget approved by the Village Council. Demolition shall occur in conjunction with the overall project in order to avoid a gap between demolition and construction.

4. The plan and design of the park will be developed by an independent civil engineer and landscape architect specializing in park design with input from representatives of the neighborhood and the Village.

5. The development plan and budget will be based off of independent, comprehensive studies which would include:

* Addressing the issues already identified by environmental and wildlife impact studies

* The noise study to be conducted on the property and the surrounding area

* A third party traffic and safety study on West Saddle River Road and the surrounding side streets as recommended by the council committee. The traffic and safety study will include a determination of an adequate parking lot, as well as a review of potential ingress and egress into the parking lot from Rt. 17. In addition, the traffic and safety study will include a determination of appropriate parking restrictions on West Saddle River Road and, if practical, the surrounding streets off West Saddle River Road

6. Prohibition on the inclusion of (1) lights, both permanent and portable as required by the conservation easement, (2) a public address announcement system and (3) a concession stand.

7. The hours of the park will be from dawn to dusk.

8. Installation of police monitoring system to monitor any criminal activity.

9. Preserve the Schedler house by moving forward with registering the house with the historical society. The house will be used to benefit the entire community by, for example, providing meeting space for different community groups and providing restrooms for the park participants.

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Valley Construction Impact on Benjamin Franklin Field Use

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photo courtesy of “it takes a village” group on Facebook

April 3,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ , the Attached please find a picture of a typical Saturday at BF. middle school. Students from across the county participating in track and field events OUTSIDE.  Hundreds of kids use the field on a regular basis .

Valley construction will involve noise , and dust

Whats will be the impact on out door activities at  Middle school during the long construction phase at Valley Hospital

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In Ridgewood ,Some can’t see the forest for the trees

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In Ridgewood ,Some can’t see the forest for the trees

To the editor:

Maybe some members of the Ridgewood Town Council along with Chris Rutishauser, Village Engineer and Tim Cronin, Director of Parks and Recreation, “Can’t” see the forest for the trees.”

I live on the East Side of Ridgewood and have been fighting passionately, along with many of my neighbors, to protect the large number of healthy trees in the small forest that encompasses the Schedler Property along West Saddle River Road. One of our key arguments for not building a 90-foot baseball field on this Schedler Property, is that it will require the clear cutting of these large healthy trees that beautify and protect our neighborhood and especially protect us from the noise pollution of Route 17.

I just finished reading an article in the March 11 edition of the Ridgewood News, entitled, “Presenters to reinforce value of trees.” I immediately said to myself, how can these be some of the same individuals that are not only ready but also willing to clear cut the trees from the Schedler property in order to build a huge baseball field? Why are these same people not fighting to protect the trees that are so important to the citizens who live on the East Side of Ridgewood is very disturbing to me and I am sure my neighbors?

This article in the Ridgewood News reinforces so many of the arguments that we have all been stating before for the Village Council, asking them not to clear-cut this property to build a 90-foot field. The clear cutting of these trees for such a large field will have a devastating effect not only on our neighborhood, but in the end all of the neighborhoods of Ridgewood.

Everyone who lives in this great Village of Ridgewood should read this article. You will then see why we must all join together to fight and protect all of the trees that have taken so many years to grow. These trees surround our Village and are very important to the health, safety and quality of life of all Ridgewood residents.

Alan Dlugasch

Ridgewood

https://www.northjersey.com/opinion/opinion-letters-to-the-editor/ridgewood-news-letter-some-can-t-see-the-forest-for-the-trees-1.1529883

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Ridgewood Environmental groups in Ridgewood spread missions, recruit

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FEBRUARY 5, 2016    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2016, 12:31 AM
BY MATTHEW SCHNEIDER
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

RIDGEWOOD – Leaders from various village environmental groups held a “meet-and-greet” event recently, hoping to inform the public about their respective missions and to solicit new members.

Angela Leemans, chair of the Ridgewood Environmental Advisory Committee (REAC), welcomed everybody to the event last month and explained what REAC is all about.

“It’s really centered on promoting sustainability and working for a sustainable Ridgewood,” she said. “It’s all about protecting the environment, protecting the ecosystem … and doing what we can to prevent climate change.”

Leemans explained that REAC wants Ridgewood residents to get involved in preserving the environment by accepting “a call to action,” and complying with ordinances regarding the environment. She also noted that REAC is made up of members of different groups around the village, allowing people of various skills and ideas to advance its goals.

She stressed that two of REAC’s most important activities are hosting the annual Earth Day celebration, as well as hosting informative lectures to teach sustainable behavior.

Leemans said that REAC hopes “to enable Ridgewoodians to go green,” and “to actualize sustainability,” making the town a better place to live.

“The main message that I’m trying to say here is … we need more help,” she said. “We would love to have more (REAC members).”

https://www.northjersey.com/community-news/clubs-and-service-organizations/groups-spread-missions-recruit-1.1506631

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Readers say Village of Ridgewood Should Protect The Schedler Bald Eagles

bald eagle

Their natural habitats are shrinking and they are looking for nesting places all along the busy highways, turnpikes etc. where the can gather dead wood. They build huge nests. They check an area out long before they lay their eggs and maybe noise isn’t one of their concerns.

Thank you James for this article. Ever since I’ve learned about The Schedler Bald Eagles I have been reading up on them. In 1782 the Bald Eagle became the national/ bird symbol of the USA. It was chosen because it was native to North America and known for its ” majestic beauty, great strength and longevity.” In 1940, the Bald Eagle was protected under the National Emblem Act . During the years of DDT use, their numbers shrank at an alarming rate. They are now on the endangered species list and cannot be ” hassled, sold, killed or disturb their nesting sites.” I don’t know a single kid/ young adult who would choose a 90 foot field if it meant the loss of the woods that have become a possible home for two pairs of American Bald Eagles. We can have a smaller field, save the woods, protect the neighbors from noise and particle pollution and protect our national bird at a cost of nothing! What a great deal. Now to convince the council majority and the village manager.

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Empty Kmart in Paramus to become indoor sports practice facility

indoor training facility

Empty Kmart in Paramus scores a new use

DECEMBER 28, 2015, 6:23 PM    LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2015, 6:44 PM
BY JOAN VERDON
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

The vacant, cavernous Kmart store in Paramus has been carpeted with artificial turf and been given a new, if temporary, lease on life as an indoor practice facility for North Jersey sports teams.

On Monday morning, the 91,000-square-foot, hangar-like building, which used to be crowded with store shelves and shoppers, rang with the shouts of two dozen youngsters kicking soccer balls and running drills.

The unusual arrangement meets two separate goals: a Bergen County entrepreneur’s need for a location with enough floor and ceiling space to accommodate several practice fields; and the landlord’s need for a short-term tenant until development plans for the shopping center are finalized.

Scott Vandersnow  of Upper Saddle River this month opened the building as The Arena, an indoor training facility, and has begun renting the space out to youth sports teams. This week, the building is being used for youth soccer and lacrosse camps that Vandersnow is offering for parents who want their kids to stay active during the winter break.

Vandersnow, 41, grew up in Washington Township, has a background in finance and currently works in commercial real estate lending. He is also a soccer dad who has logged many hours watching or running practices for his 10-year-old daughter and 8-year-old son. He said he saw the need for more practice space in Bergen County and was looking for locations when he spotted the Kmart building.

The Kmart, which was built in 1979, closed a year ago after its lease expired. The building is in a strip shopping center owned by the Stop & Shop supermarket chain, and that also houses a Stop & Shop store.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/empty-kmart-in-paramus-scores-a-new-use-1.1481534

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Reader says Videos BIG eye opener for Schedler development

Save Our Schedler Members & Friends at the Schedler House

file photo by Boyd Loving

The video evidence is a BIG eye opener, ear opening exposure of the unsafe location for a kids sports ball field to exist. A big strong crash resistant wall would have to be built along that stretch of route 17, and the responsible parties pushing for this ball field location should pay for that wall. A sound barrier wall would not be strong enough. How could anyone think of putting kids in potential harms way so closely adjacent to busy death highway route 17 heavily traveled by tracter trailer trucks? Are they out of their minds? One big accident lawsuit waiting in the wings. It would be like a ball park adjacent to an airport runway. I agree its not only dumb, its downright irresponsible!

Why Making The Schedler Property in Ridgewood Into A Ball field Is Dumb https://youtu.be/pIm_0V8mkYY

Charlie Nowinski at Ridgewood Village Hall – December 9, 2015  https://youtu.be/H6ezGJa9elU

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Schedler property in Ridgewood : Any solutions should benefit entire village

Schedler Park

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.

Martin Walker

Ridgewood

https://www.northjersey.com/opinion/opinion-letters-to-the-editor/ridgewood-news-letter-any-solutions-should-benefit-entire-village-1.1472086

 

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Reader says It’s all about updating the fields for soccer and lacrosse.

Schedler Park ball field

It’s all about updating the fields for soccer and lacrosse. We already have three (3) 60×90 fields.

https://sitebuilder.capturepoint.com/RBSA#/page/486

Take a look at the RBSA website. There are only eight (8) Rec (Bonvarlet Senior and Junior) teams in town. Most of the Senior games this year were forfeited due to not having enough players.

As the demographic changes, the trending for the last 8+ years shows that baseball and softball particpation is way down. This past year there were only 5 travel teams that needed 60×90 fields. They usually play 2x week with one maybe two home games per week.

Those three fields are more than adequate for covering home field assignments.

So we’re left with conclusion. The Rec Comm wants to upgrade their facilities and showcase soccer and lacrosse.

The idea that they lost a field when BF was converted to a track facility is rubbish. They were desperate to get turf at the HS and play on Ridgewood Avenue and in front of the HS building. You can’t have your cake and eat it too…

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Quality of Life Issues Abound in Bergen County

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Battle over Northern Highlands Regional district’s field lights heading to court

NOVEMBER 15, 2015    LAST UPDATED: SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2015, 9:59 AM
BY MARINA VILLENEUVE
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

ALLENDALE — The Northern Highlands Regional High School Board of Education is going to court to defend the new electric-powered light trailers on its athletic fields.

Three neighboring residents are suing the school district, claiming it’s unlawfully using the mobile trailers with lights up to 72 feet tall in defiance of state and local statutes and past court rulings.

On Thursday, the school board, the Northern Highlands Regional High School Sports Association and the Allendale Planning Board and Board of Adjustment filed a civil action in Superior Court in Hackensack asking a judge to dismiss the neighbors’ lawsuit and declare that the school’s use of the lights is legal.

The school has been using mobile, diesel-powered light trailers ever since the late 1990s, after the Planning Board denied the sports association’s application to build permanent 70-foot-tall light towers with a concrete foundation.

The board is arguing that mobile light trailers don’t require any kind of zoning variance or site-plan approval because they don’t fall under state and local definitions of “structure,” “fixture” or “development.”

The school says that it’s used the new electric-powered light trailers about 30 times since they were delivered in September, and that they’re less noisy and smelly than the previously rented diesel-powered trailers.

“As a result, hundreds of children have been able to safely use the turf field at Northern Highlands after dark,” reads the counterclaim filed Thursday.

The school “shall continue to utilize mobile light trailers in connection with its lawful lighting of the athletic fields on the property,” reads the counterclaim, which seeks compensatory, consequential and punitive damages.

In two counts of the neighbors’ eight-count lawsuit filed in October, they claim the new lights will be a public nuisance harming neighbors and that the Board of Education will be liable for damages.

“The development will give rise to a continual invasion of adjoining property by reason of light trespass and light and noise pollution,” reads the lawsuit, which also claims the taller lights will lead to lowered property values and a worse quality of life.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/crime-and-courts/battle-over-northern-highlands-regional-district-s-field-lights-heading-to-court-1.1455826

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Schedler property needs to be preserved

Save Our Schedler Members & Friends at the Schedler House3

file photo by Boyd Loving

Ridgewood parcel needs to be preserved

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.

Salvatore Infantino

https://www.northjersey.com/opinion/opinion-letters-to-the-editor/the-record-letters-saturday-nov-14-1.1455383

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Reader asks Why would RBSA want to take on fundraising to develop an entire park instead of a cheaper renovation to an existing and approved space?

Save Our Schedler Members & Friends at the Schedler House3

For those suggesting the town should sell it (Schedler Park), as a neighbor, I wouldn’t be horrified. The neighborhood would have many more legal protections from a private developer that the Village doesn’t need to comply with. Chiefly, ingress/egress from Rt. 17 and noise reduction.

It was bought with open space money from the County, not just the Village, and is supposed to guarantee a balance of active and passive space. Secondary to the pay-to-play development, it looks like only a baseball field will be built, and 74 parking spots. All this for the 2nd 90′ field the mayor says he ‘promised’ RBSA to make up for the field lost at BF. That field was already promised to RBSA at lower Hawes, courtesy of the CMX report which the Village paid 80K dollars for. The mayor knows this because he questioned the involved parties directly when that plan was adopted. The facts are in the minutes and speak for themselves.

Why doesn’t RBSA want that field? Why haven’t they done anything to advance that plan since 2008? Why haven’t they made the already approved improvements to Somerville’s field also approved in 2008? Why wouldn’t the Village encourage them to develop park space adjacent to an elementary school where more of the Village could benefit from it? Why would RBSA want to take on fundraising to develop an entire park instead of a cheaper renovation to an existing and approved space? Upon OPRA request, there is no documentation of any reason why the fields can’t be exactly where they were already ‘promised.’

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Ridgewood Council reviews Schedler resolution amid concerns

Schedler Park

NOVEMBER 4, 2015    LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2015, 9:39 AM
BY MARK KRULISH
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

A resolution endorsing recommendations made in the Open Space Committee’s 2012 Open Space plan as a guide for the course of action to be taken regarding the Schedler property was brought back for discussion last Wednesday after hearing the concerns of neighborhood residents during recent meetings.

Passed by the council in mid-August, the resolution affirms the plan provided by the Open Space Committee, which states the property should be developed for recreational purposes, which includes a 90-foot baseball field and multi-purpose overlay field for soccer and lacrosse.

Councilwoman Susan Knudsen asked for the resolution to be brought back for discussion to remove language specifically regarding the 90-foot field and add that the village recognizes the need for active recreation fields, but will take a different approach to finding a solution.

“We should take this, revisit it and do a redo on it so we give a more balanced approach and help the neighborhood have what they need and figure out how we can also accommodate what the RBSA needs,” said Knudsen, adding such a change could help to rebuild a relationship that is “a little broken” between the council and residents of the neighborhood.

https://www.northjersey.com/community-news/concerns-prompt-review-of-resolution-1.1448114

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Bergen County Open Space official : numerous discrepancies and missing information related to the Schedler grant application

Schedler field (1)

Dear Village Council:

As I stated during the public comment period at the end of the October 14 council meeting, the process for completing grant applications leaves much to be desired. I particularly noted the casual ease with which the checkbox indicating that the Ridgewood population at large desires whatever is being applied for is checked. This happened with the grant for the Graydon wheelchair ramp, which after two full seasons, as I predicted for the three years in which I fought it, has never been used for its intended purpose. It was also done in the grant to level Schedler.

Let’s put it this way. We know what three of you have been doing and it is unlawful and unacceptable.

Today I learned that Bergen County Open Space official Robert Abbatomarco had written to Village employees noting numerous discrepancies and missing information related to the Schedler grant application. The county considers the October 14, 2015, public hearing on the grant application to be the only official meeting of record regarding the development of Schedler. Once again the Council has “put the cart before the horse” and proceeded as a few insistent people wished before inviting public comment in the proper way.

The county now demands a new resolution that incorporates and represents the public comments made on October 14. Reports and public comments from 2012 and earlier shall not apply. We all know what happened on October 14. I got home from that meeting at 2:45 AM. (In the future, for everyone’s sake, it would be most helpful for topics of wide general interest to be given discrete meetings and not be crammed into general meeting agendas. Trying to exhaust people into not speaking obviously does not work.)

An honest summary of the comments made that night would reveal without question that the neighbors of Schedler and many of their fellow Village residents living elsewhere in town are adamantly opposed to a 90-foot field and other issues, such as clear-cutting the trees that are their only defense against the noise, traffic, and pollution of nearby Route 17.
It is clear from the county’s notification that the pending council resolution was passed in violation of Open Space guidelines and must be revoked and revisited. I hope that will happen tonight, to clear your names.
Inexplicably and unforgivably, although the county’s notification was sent to the Village last month, Village staff clearly ignored it and proceeded to present resolutions and schematic drawings in spite of it. The public was shamefully disinformed. All staff members involved should be reprimanded and ideally terminated.

Please revoke Resolution 15-257 this evening and START OVER.

Sincerely,

Marcia Ringel

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Ridgewood East Side residents ask for equality

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fle photo by Boyd Loving

East Side residents ask for equality

OCTOBER 22, 2015    LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2015, 12:31 AM
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
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No ‘equality’ for residents living on village’s East Side

To the Editor:

At an Oct. 7 Ridgewood Council meeting, former resident Mr. Giordano made what I thought was the most important point. He stated that the sports groups met often with neighbors to assure them about a project on Maple East. They also met with neighbors about other projects. We know that the village met with neighbors of Habernickel.

What is the difference between these and the East Side residents regarding the future development of the Schedler property? Since 2008, I believe there have not been sufficient sit-down meetings between East Side neighbors and the village.

The East Side was presented with a 1997 schematic in 2008. From that date forward, all the residents saw were renderings by the village/Parks and Recreation/Fields/sports groups. Nobody met the east side residents and asked for input and suggestions specifically about the schematics.

To say that the three open public forums in 2012 were sufficient is incorrect. I have minutes from those meetings — the neighbors did complain about proposed traffic, loss of trees, size of fields. That is the last time they had anything to do with the three plans since then. But were they shown a plan that is shown today?

One day they saw a concession stand when a recent schematic was presented (presented, to the public, without any consideration or input by the neighbors), one day they saw a turnaround, one day they saw 24 extra parking spaces, on and on. At the Oct. 7 meeting, they saw that the turnaround was gone, a left turn lane put in its place.

Is this any way to treat a neighborhood, when other projects spent time with neighbors?

To equate Schedler with Habernickel, as is done with pride by the village, is not a fair equation.

To equate Schedler with other fields abutting highways is also not a fair comparison, as the neighborhoods are different.

And to talk about very small amounts of traffic misses an important point: What is going to happen to the “light” traffic when 70 or more cars are coming to a game and will arrive at the same time?

The Engineering Department draws plans satisfying sports’ groups needs, but they do not draw plans satisfying the residents of the East Side. Where is the equality?

Eleanor Gruber

Ridgewood

https://www.northjersey.com/opinion/opinion-letters-to-the-editor/ridgewood-news-letter-east-side-residents-ask-for-equality-1.1438055