The Ridgewood Blog Brings a Free Market Laissez-faire Point of View to Local, New Jersey State and National Issues.
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Aaron Rodgers’s torn Achilles tendon is becoming an Achilles’ heel for the NFL. Following the star quarterback’s season-ending injury in his debut for the New York Jets this week, the players union is again urging the league to replace artificial turf fields with real grass, citing safety concerns.
the staff of The Ridgewood Blog
Ridgewood NJ, It has become quite apparent to the current Ridgewood Village Council majority that getting their much-desired sports complex (complete with artificial turf, lights, concession stand, etc.) up and running on the former Schedler property isn’t going to be easy and may take several years.
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, here we go again ,the Ridgewood Board of Education is planning to install another artificial turf field on Stevens Field which exists in an active flood plain. It is bad for the environment, our players, community and our pocket books. It defies reason. Looks like we are going too keep doing it till we get it right?
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
‘Ridgewood NJ, in 2015 and 20016 Three federal agencies are teaming up to investigate the safety of crumb rubber artificial turf used in playing fields and playground all across the country,the investigation was the subject of a series on NBC News .NBC reported that the “The Environmental Protection Agency, the Centers for Disease Control and the Consumer Product Safety Commission announced an “action plan” on Friday to answer questions raised about synthetic turf made from recycled tires and possible risks for young athletes.”
Continue reading CDC says Study on Safety of “Crumb Rubber” Could Take Two More Years
If you vote for Aronson’s people–who are the only ones running in opposition– You are voting for more massive building, a Garagezilla, and any other major commercial endeavor they can find to have us buy and pay for. I know you’re not happy with our present candidates but throwing them out can lead to many more Health Barn type places in inappropriate places. Susan and Michael have been working for laws that won’t allow that to happen again. Please, be patient and comb the woods for suitable candidates next time. Voting for the opposition is not just voting Susan and Mike out, it is voting disaster in to Ridgewood by letting more of Aronson’s clones in to continue destroying our Village.
Maple was FieldTurf- the subject of that giant investigative journalism story and hearings.. whatever came of that?
Stop wasting my tax money on this shit. Do you realize in 12 years now we spent 2 1/2 million dollars on this field do you remember all the floods we have there do you know much paving we can do for a half million dollars. My street was just paved , the last time that was repaved was over 25 years ago. I would rather see my tax money going towards replacing curbs and sidewalks then fake grass if anything you could use clean fill dirt and put down sod in with an a lot cheaper waste waste waste
June 22,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, in a letter to the editor former Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld, Tree tax is a bad idea https://www.northjersey.com/story/opinion/readers/2017/06/20/letter-tree-tax-bad-idea/412244001/ . Is it just us or does anyone else find in both ironic and ridiculous that one of the people who pushed the “clear cutting” several acres of trees at Schedler Property ,in order to build a new turf baseball field has issues with the new tree ordinance ?
The ordinance regulating tree removals on private property requires a permit to remove any tree larger than 8 inches in diameter. Any healthy tree removed must be replaced, or a payment made in lieu of replacement. Key provisions of the new ordinance are outlined below.
The ordinance was specifically established to protect the Village of Ridgewood from people like Roberta Sonenfeld and Paul Aronsohn who were looking to ‘clear cut” and turf down every inch in the Village of Ridgewood . As they say “round up the usual suspects “, we bet most readers can add a litany of names to this list.
By Christopher Baxter and Matthew Stanmyre | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
on January 24, 2017 at 5:07 PM, updated January 24, 2017 at 5:11 PM
A state Senate panel will hold a hearing Monday on a report that the leading maker of artificial sports fields in the U.S., FieldTurf, for years sold a popular line of turf to taxpayers across the country after knowing it was falling apart.
The hearing, scheduled for 1 p.m. in Trenton before the Senate Commerce Committee, comes in response to an NJ Advance Media investigation published in December that called into question whether the company had committed fraud.
“This is a first step in our effort to determine exactly what happened and to take the action necessary at the state level to ensure that taxpayers are protected,” the chairwoman of the committee, Sen. Nellie Pou (D-Passaic), said in a statement.
She called the findings of the investigation “incredibly concerning.” The company has denied any wrongdoing.
The committee will hear testimony from FieldTurf executives, school officials and others who have been invited to testify, the statement said.
By Christopher Baxter and Matthew Stanmyre | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
on December 07, 2016 at 1:43 PM, updated December 07, 2016 at 2:08 PM
The state School Boards Association will coordinate legal action against the nation’s top maker of artificial sports fields, FieldTurf, in response to a report that the company for years sold high-end turf after knowing it was falling apart.
The executive director of the group, Lawrence Feinsod, said Wednesday the allegations should “anger anyone concerned about corporate responsibility” and that he supported calls for an investigation by the state attorney general.
“We are urging school boards to have their attorneys contact NJSBA’s general counsel, who will assist districts in identifying and coordinating legal action,” Feinsod said in a statement.
By CHRISTOPHER BAXTER AND MATTHEW STANMYRE
Late in 2006, the CEO and co-founder of FieldTurf — the leading maker of artificial sports fields — urgently emailed a supplier about a new turf being marketed and sold to the public as the best money could buy.
The issue was so pressing, some of the messages went out on New Year’s Eve.
The subject was so troubling, it could cripple both companies.
And the problem was so basic, anyone could understand it: Fields were falling apart before they should.
Ten months later, FieldTurf executives flew to New Jersey to check out the product, known as Duraspine, in one of their most lucrative markets. They discovered more trouble. The turf was breaking apart and lying flat, undermining their own breathless marketing materials that heralded its revolutionary durability.
The stakes couldn’t have been higher. Sales to schools and towns across the country were skyrocketing, and the company was turning big profits off taxpayers. A problem this significant, if people knew, could cost tens of millions in warranty claims and ruin its prized reputation for quality.
So FieldTurf powered on, full steam ahead, keeping customers in the dark even as the Great Recession was forcing communities to cut school programs and lay off teachers and police officers.
All told, from 2005 until Duraspine was discontinued in 2012, records show FieldTurf sold 1,428 of the fields throughout the U.S. — including 164 in New Jersey — for an estimated $570 million in revenue.
https://fieldturf.nj.com/2/
By Caitlin Gibson September 23, 2015
For many athletes who play on artificial turf, the tiny granules of rubber that pad the field are familiar and ubiquitous. The black specks often get trapped in folds of clothing, carried home in shoes or embedded in scrapes and under fingernails.
Crumb rubber infill — the most common material used in artificial turf fields across the country — is intended to improve safety and create a more accessible, easily maintained playing field. But after recent public concerns about possible health risks from exposure to crumb rubber, several local jurisdictions are searching for clearer answers about its potential dangers and considering alternatives.
The issue is a modern one.
September 14,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, since so many readers asked about the nature of the RBSA Ridgewood Baseball Softball Association . Its a well funded and heavily participated organization in Ridgewood .The Ridgewood blog searched the RBSA website to see who was doing what .
Financials : https://www.guidestar.org/FinDocuments/2014/226/063/2014-226063696-0b2a3f02-9.pdf
RBSA Monthly Meetings
The RBSA officers and trustees meet at Lester Stable usually on the second Monday of every month at 7:30 PM (8pm during rec season).
Executive Board 2015 – 2016:
Jim AlbanoPresident(201) 670-4473pjlbi19@yahoo.com
Scott MullerExecutive VP(201) 970-6592s4a7m@netscape.net
Ed SeaversTreasurer (201) 447-5569edseavers@earthlink.net
Frank BennettVP Baseball(201) 444-0011fgbenny@aol.com
Tony BarberaVP Softball(201) 445-1880 tvbarbera@verizon.net
Tim BoucherSecretary(917) 721-0696tb@bsqu.com
Trustees: 2015-2016
Brendan BuckleyTrustee(551) 427-5039brendan.buckley@pinebridge.com
Steve CorrellTrustee(201) 314-7983steven.correll@icloud.com
Michael ConnTrustee(201) 444-2872mjcmdps@yahoo.com
Don DelzioTrustee(201) 632-1410rbsa@delzio.com
Bill DowsonTrustee(201) 652-5922dow411@optonline.net
Marc FavieriTrustee(201) 444-4895favmpt@aol.com
Ryan GreaneyTrustee(201) 819-4959gleaf23@gmail.com
Glen HamelTrustee(201) 906-1704ghamel15@gmail.com
Tracy KeeneyTrustee(201) 956-4306tracykeens314@gmail.com
Andy MeyerTrustee(201) 394-1268ameyer67@gmail.com
Jeff NormanTrustee(201) 925-0698jeff@scorpionInvestment.com
Tom OlsenTrustee(201) 406-1608ridgewoodsoftball@tomnj.com
Todd PattonTrustee(201) 314-0608tpatton.rbsa@gmail.com
James PowersTrustee(201) 421-5162powerzz4@yahoo.com
Lisa PowersTrustee(201) 421-5161chipower18@gmail.com
Lauren RadossichTrustee(973) 809-4855radossich@gmail.com
Mike VigliottiTrustee(917) 565-6328mviglio18@yahoo.com
Operations: 2015-2016
Equipment (BB)/FieldsBill Dowson(201) 652-5922dow411@optonline.net
Equipment (SB)Tom Olsen(201) 406-1608ridgewoodsoftball@tomnj.com
Fields Scheduling **Ed Seavers(201) 447-5569edseavers@eathlink.net
Uniforms (Rec)Ryan Greaney(201) 819-4959gleaf23@gmail.com
Youth UmpiresAndy Meyer(201) 394-1268ameyer67@gmail.com
Admin/RegistrationKarin Whalen(201) 857-0586info@rbsa.us
** Scheduling for fields via email only.
RBSA Statement Of Philosophy
The Ridgewood Baseball & Softball Association’s (RBSA) primary objective is to provide an opportunity for the young men and women of the community to learn to play the games of baseball and softball in an atmosphere that will reinforce the ideals of good sportsmanship, honesty, loyalty, teamwork, and to foster their growth into healthy and responsible citizens. We provide Spring and Summer recreational programs as well as advanced, competitive travel programs in the Spring, Summer and Fall.
Volunteers
Each year the RBSA solicits volunteers to assist the officers and trustees with a wide range of activities. We are grateful for the many volunteers who help us by coaching, as well as those who lend their support with fund-raising, parade activities, team administration and the like – thereby enabling the board to concentrate on player and program development. As required by the Little League Child Protection Program, a background check will be conducted on each volunteer in the New Jersey Registered Sex Offender database. RBSA ensures that any and all information obtained during this process will be considered extremely confidential and not shared with anyone outside the RBSA Board.
CITIZEN’S PARK
Lower and Upper
301 Godwin Ave
RIdgewood NJ
photo by Boyd Loving
Reader says Predictable, predicted, horrendous
This will be the LAST storm ever, though…right?
Another $119,865 to repair 2 turfed fields + $48,000 for turf on Maple Field (no longer Park, so let’s admit it and change the name). Plus who-knows-what in change orders.
Deductible is $25,000! That must have been somebody’s great idea to save money on the insurance.
We are going to go broke over this fiasco. It even failed a referendum but it happened anyway. Sickening waste. Meanwhile people are literally starving all over the world.
The turf MUST GO. It’s either now or later. Now is better. But nobody can admit to making a mistake. Well, this was a huge one.
Bubbles pop up on the Ridgewood High School field after a quick but powerful rainstorm led to flash flooding throughout the village last Friday.
Last Friday’s flash flood is costing the school district and municipality hundreds of thousands of dollars in cleanup costs.
The Board of Education (BOE) received authorization from the Bergen County Department of Education this week to award a bid to LandTek for $119,865 for “emergency repair” of two district-owned artificial turf fields.
Business Administrator Michael Falkowski said there was “extensive” damage at Ridgewood High School and Stevens fields following the Aug. 1 storm and that the playing grounds are “not useable” in their current state.
The money will come out of the 2015 district budget and possibly an emergency reserve fund, he said.
“This is just for the fields,” Falkowski said. “There’s other work that needs to be done,” including general cleanup of the area.
Turf Field Supporter We now have 3 turf fields that get used almost non-stop. That means more kids participating in more activities and being more active
Could we please stop with the turf field bashing, or at least get some facts straight? First of all, the turf at Maple is still there and still being used so I have no idea where “we only got 7 years out of Maple” comes from. Secondly, how could it be “way too much money” when the field at Maple was paid for with private money? And in regards to the loss of the 90 foot diamond after moving the track to BF that falls on the past Village Council. The Master Parks and Field plan called for all of the upgrades/changes that were made including moving the undersized/unusable track from RHS to BF. Almost all of the upgrades/changes were to BOE properties. The only component in that phase of the plan that fell to the the Village of Ridgewood was to renovate/expand Lower Hawes so to accomodate a 90 foot diamond to make up for the “lost” diamond at BF. They never did it. So now the focus is on Schedler.
We now have 3 turf fields that get used almost non-stop. That means more kids participating in more activities and being more active. That is a positive in my book. If we had not passed the bond and we still had the old facilities the RHS Stadium Field would be gettng used a maximum of 12 to 15 times a year instead of dozens of times a week. The same goes for Stevens. I actually disagree that the “turf looks nice.” I’d rather see real grass, I think it looks better but the reality of the situation is that with our limited number of fields and the sheer numbers of children we have involved in sports from the youth level thru the HS there is no alternative if we want safe, usable, fields. In fact I would bet we’ll be seeing a couple of more fields “turfed” in the next few years.
