the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, As of yesterday morning Van Neste park left in deplorable conditions over the whole weekend. Village Parks department should be ashamed of themselves.
Van Neste Park Left in Disgraceful Condition
Tag: Van Neste Square
Dangerous dead trees in Van Neste Park
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, there are three or four trees in dangerous condition on the Dayton Street side on Van Neste Square park . The trees have fallen victim to the The emerald ash borer beetle . The emerald ash borer is a green buprestid or jewel beetle native to north-eastern Asia that feeds on ash species. Females lay eggs in bark crevices on ash trees, and larvae feed underneath the bark of ash trees to emerge as adults in one to two years. In its native range, it is typically found at low densities and does not cause significant damage to trees native to the area. Outside its native range, it is an invasive species and is highly destructive to ash trees native to northwest Europe and North America. Prior to being found in North America, very little was known about emerald ash borer in its native range; this has resulted in much of the research on its biology being focused in North America. Local governments in North America are attempting to control it by monitoring its spread, diversifying tree species, insecticides, and biological control.
The trees may present a danger with fourth of July just around the corner and the large crowds that the Ridgewood Parade attracts .
One sign says yes, the other sign says no?
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Regardless of how hard you tried, you couldn’t make something like this up. One sign says dogs ok and the other says no.
Ridgewood Daffodil Festival And Earth Day Fair-Sunday, April 14,2019 11am-2pm
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Discover our parks.. play, live and learn.
Daffodil Festival and Earth Day Fair Sunday, April 14,2019, 11am-2pm
Memorial Park at Van Neste Square East Ridgewood Ave, Ridgewood, NJ
Celebrate with us at this annual special event, learn of our local parklands and enjoy pony rides, a petting zoo, educational displays, children’s activities, musical entertainment and the Daffy Dog Parade
For further information regarding sponsorship participation please contact Nancy Bigos at nbigos@ridgewoodnj.net or 201-670-5560.
Last Chance to See Santa in the Park
photo courtesy of the Ridgewood Chamber of Commerce
Sat, December 01, 2018 – Sat, December 22, 2018Time: 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM Location: Memorial Park at Van Neste Square, E. Ridgewood Ave and Oak Street
Every Saturday come and see Santa in his little house in the park.
FREE PARKING on these dates in all the PARKING LOTS IN THE BUSINESS DISTRICT…
Dec., 22 12N-3pm
Weather permitting
Ben & Jerry’s serving hot chocolate.
Please call for more details 201-445-2600.
Ridgewood Guild’s Winter Festival “VIP Passes” ?
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, It has come to the attention of The Blog that those who run the “Ridgewood Walks” consider themselves to be more important than the average citizen. At the Ridgewood Guild’s Winter Festival in Van Neste Square on Saturday, Ms. Jeanne Johnson brought her group to the front of the long line for the horse and carriage rides. Little children, babies in strollers, parents, grandparents, everyone waiting in line for the horse rides had to move back so Ms. Johnson, who proclaimed herself to be a V.I.P., could get her group onto the ride without waiting. How sad that at a family event, intended to create good will, camaraderie, and happy memories, someone with an outsized ego had to teach the children in line that everyone is equal, but some people are more equal than others.
Paint out in Downtown Ridgewood September 10th
file photo by Boyd Loving
Sun, September 10, 2017
Time: 12:00 PM – 3:30 PM
Location: Memorial Park at Van Neste Square, E Ridgewood Ave and Oak St
Ridgewood NJ, Paint Out in Downtown Ridgewood September 10 @ 12:00 pm – 3:30 pm
Call to Artists, Members and Friends of The Ridgewood Art Institute!
Save this Date: September 10, 2017
Please join us to Paint Out in Downtown Ridgewood during The Ridgewood Guild’s Music Festival
• Register in the RAI tent located in the park from 12 to 1
• Paint from 1 to 3:30 (please note that the Music Festival
will take place in the park from 1 to 6)
• Join us along Ridgewood Ave. near the park to display and sell
(if desired) your plein air paintings from 4-6.
• Artists should bring their own easels and paint supplies*
• There is no registration fee – but donations will be appreciated!
Painting subjects will range from
musicians – to the crowd -to downtown scenes.
A great opportunity to share the day with family and friends too!
*Watch for more news to come about related RAI plein air
demos and instruction.
Ridgewood Crew is having their annual row-a-thon in Van Neste Square from 10am -3pm
March 4,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood Nj, It is literally freezing outside today and Ridgewood Crew is having their annual row-a-thon in Van Neste Square from 10-3. Brrrrr….If you happen to be in town, please stop by to give these kids a boost and maybe buy a few things from the bake sale. This will keep their spirits up and it will help them raise desperately needed cash for their team.
Thanks SO much and spread the word
EXPERIENCE THE MAGIC OF LIGHTING IN MEMORIAL PARK AT VAN NESTE SQUARE IN RIDGEWOOD ON OCTOBER 17TH
October 6,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewod NJ, The community is invited to see and participate in the creation of a new era of illumination in the park at the heart of Ridgewood
The Conservancy for Ridgewood Public Lands is excited to invite the community to the Demonstration of Phase I of our lighting and audio project at MEMORIAL PARK AT VAN NESTE SQUARE on Monday, October 17 at 7:30 pm.
We will be turning on the lighting in the trees, on our pathways, and on our Historic Memorials for just this one evening, to give you a special demonstration of what the park will look like once Phase II is completed in the spring. We look forward to showing you a magnificent transformation of the park that will ultimately allow the community to host events throughout the year. This gift will be a meaningful to both the residents and the Central Business District, drawing our community together and benefiting all.
The Van Neste Lighting Project is a collaboration of the Conservancy for Ridgewood Public Lands with lighting design firm Jan & Brooke, Luminae and the International Landscaping Lighting Institute.
Please join us October 17th, regardless of the weather!
Readers debate future of Ridgewood
First of all, it’s not your town, and if you think Van Neste is an oasis of calm, you’re living in a time warp. Ridgewood has become a small city and don’t even think about blaming past councils, boards or the chamber. The residents of the village have collectively allowed this to happen as its median set of values is now drastically different than it was 30 years ago.
“median set of values” what is that? Translate: Do you mean, crowded , noisey, Hobokeny, Times Square, For me , I have lived here about 40 years, it still has that oh so wonderful small village feel and charm quality, and listen when I sit my old ass in Van Neste which I do often, it is quiet, an oasis of peace and charm coupled with natural beauty, trees, plants, grass and past citizen nostalgia (bricks, monuments) amidst the hustle and bustle of the downtown. Let’s keep the downtown no more developed than what it is. It is a really small space, so villagey and quaint. Don’t stuff it.
This is what I experience at Van Neste Park. Peace, calm , tranquility, beauty. I want to keep it that way.
And when I say it is MY TOWN, I am speaking POETICALLY, Of course it is OUR TOWN. I am trying to express my love and appreciation for what Ridgewood has and what I want to preserve. I am sorry you don’t understand. Take literature 101.
Reader says Same Group Behind the Garage is Behind Destroying Van Neste Square in Ridgewood
Paul Vaggianos was the first to get up at the mic at a town council meeting a year or two ago and ask that Van Neste be changed to accommodate lighting at night and entertainment every weekend.
Vaggianos said, “Let’s bring everyone together at Van Nest on the weekends.”
I obviously remember that. I was very saddened by his suggestion. Paul Aronsohn as mayor at the time was very receptive. I spoke against the idea at council meetings. I tried. I love Van Neste as a quiet park as it is now, an oasis of calm and beauty midst the busy downtown. Very charming invention!! Let’s keep it that way. Paul Vaggianos was happy with the big garage at Hudson. I wasn’t and wrote and spoke against it from day one. Vaggianos is a business owner in town and has influence , I have no influence. I think it would be wonderful to preserve Ridgewood a for future generations to experience, no expansion, not more congested. A town with easy accessibility to the Big Apple but with a small town charming quality. And yes, Van Neste is a big part of that as it is right in the center of the CBD. It says something by virtue of letting people experience of oasis of natural beauty and quiet in the midst of the hustle and bustle of a busy but small and charming downtown. ( I love that oasis ……sentence I made up)
Ridgewood’s Gold Star Mother’s Day Commemoration
August 25th 2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, On Sunday, September 25, 2016 our Nation honors our Gold Star Mothers and families. The Presidential Proclamation in 2011 commemorating this day pronounces, “As members of a grateful Nation, we owe a debt we can never repay, but hold this sacred obligation forever in our hearts, minds, and actions. We honor their sacrifice, and stand with our service members, military families, and Gold Star families as they have stood for us.”
The American Legion Post 53 and Ridgewood NJ’s Blue Star Families are committed to bringing awareness to our community and to commemorate the sacrifices these mothers and their families have made for our Country.In the aftermath of World War I, Washington D.C. resident Grace Darling Seibold formed an organization called Gold Star Mothers to support the moms who had lost sons and daughters to the war. Grace’s son, First Lieutenant George Vaughn Seibold, was an aviator killed in combat over France in 1918. In 1928, the small D.C.-based group decided to nationalize its efforts. In 1936, a joint congressional resolution established the last Sunday in September as
Gold Star Mother’s Day. The Gold Star Mothers grew from a support group of 60 women to today’s extensive nationwide network with tens of thousands of members and hundreds of local chapters.
In Ridgewood, NJ the Gold Star Mother’s Day Committee will sponsor our fourth annualevent commemorating Gold Star Mother’s Day on Sunday, September 25, 2016. There will be a short ceremony starting promptly at 7:00 p.m. and hundreds of luminaries will be lit to honor Gold Star Mothers and their families. But in addition, our goal is to see thousands of other luminaries lit throughout Ridgewood and other towns on September 27th to honor the Gold Star Mothers and families!
Luminaries will be available for a donation before the ceremony at the following
location:
Residence of Bob Paoli, Commander American Legion Post #53,at 368 N. Pleasant Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ. 07450
Call 201-445-1738 to arrange time to pickup
Everyone also can stand with us in honoring the Gold Star Mothers and families by
helping to raise awareness through:
talking to your family, friends, and neighbors about the event;
joining us at Van Neste Park; and,
supporting this event with a donation (please make checks payable to the American
Legion Post #53, write “Gold Star event” on the memo line, and send it to the American Legion Post #53, P.O. Box 1525, Ridgewood, NJ 07450).
Thank you for your support and cooperation,/s/ Ridgewood, NJ Gold Star Mother’s Day Committee.
More subterfuge from Village Hall in Ridgewood?
file photo by Boyd Loving
August 25,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Another bombshell uncovered as a result of a recent Open Public Records Act request –
In an e-mail dated July 27, 2016 from Village Engineer Christopher Rutishauser to Bill Gilsenan, the Subject of which is: “Van Neste Park,” Mr. Rutishauser writes:
“We are thinking of renovating the brick walkways, relocating some of them, installing a small protective fence along the South Walnut Street wall area (so no one falls off the wall), maybe crate [sic] a small stage area, upgrade/add water fountains, and maybe even turn the monument eagle to the correct orientation.”
No “small stage area” was ever mentioned during the Village Council Work Session of August 3, nor during the Village Council Public Meeting of August 10, nor is a “small stage area” included as part of a proposed project plan diagram prepared by the Village of Ridgewood Engineering Division, Christopher J. Rutishauser, P.E. (initials J.M. also noted on the plan). However, the aforementioned plan does indicate that walkways now located in the center of the park will be removed, creating a moderately sized, circular shaped, open/vacant space.
The staff of The Ridgewood Blog surmises that this open/vacant space is the intended location for the “small stage area” referenced in Mr. Rutishauser’s July 27, 2016 e-mail, and that for some as yet unknown reason, this fact was kept under wraps – not mentioned to Village Council members, not included as part of a project plan diagram, and definitely not mentioned during two (2) separate open public meetings.
What is the intent of this “small stage area” and why was it never mentioned? Did Mr. Rutishauser himself come up with the idea, or was it brought to him by someone else? Fenced off park, small stage area – it would seem this sets the stage (no pun intended) for concerts/performances/shows to be regularly held at this location. If this is the case, what organization(s) will be sponsoring them? Might this explain the need to build an $11.5 million parking garage two (2) blocks away?
Readers say , Roberta will be telling us it is a CRISIS, Van Neste is falling apart, Follow the Money!
file photo by Boyd Loving
It was Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld’s excitement in describing this horrific and unnecessary new construction that gave me pause. She sounded just the same when talking about creating the H.R. job (which quickly and quietly segued from part time to full time) for her friend and essentially giving Habernickel Park to her other friend who runs the now-hated Health Barn. The Village Manager should not be so happy about these projects and in each case she had a personal stake in them (not financially, presumably). More and more and more expensive and disruptive construction, partly subsidized by grants to take the sting off (but not nearly enough, if you study the final numbers), was the theme under the Aronsohn years. She remains under his thumb and must be removed, as must Health Barn and the H.R. position, if we are to return to any level of benign stasis.
They lost the election ..we voted for change..time to take control over these boondoggle projects..leave that park surface alone..clean up the benches and spend some money on fall minor tree trimming and some
light cleaning of the monument areas and any grass refurbishment,leave the bricks alone,
Roberta will be telling us it is a CRISIS, Van Neste is falling apart I tell you it is a CRISIS.Follow the money. Someone stands to make big money. Who is doing the ugly concrete sidewalks? Who is doing the $40,000 cheesy fence? Who will build the Vagiannos Pavilion aka the gazebo?Roberta is all wound up about the is project because promises were made. Follow the money!
Ridgewood Village Manager and the wreaking crew ( Croin and Rutishauser) at it again
photos by Boyd Loving
August 13,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood bog
Ridgewood NJ, Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld said the council was given packets about the 2015 Schedler grant, which includes information from the October and November meetings, updated and complete grant application and responses from the county.
The village submitted a request for a $59,200 grant for Memorial Park and Van Neste Square, which would be used to replace brick pavers with decorative concrete sidewalk, remove aerial electric fixtures with underground electric, install new fencing, among other ideas. Sonenfeld said a finalized plan will be made public closer to the Sept. 14 public meeting.
Is there no tradition left in Ridgewood. When will it stop?
Now they want to remove the decorative brick many of which have names of family (Grandparents, parents children and in memorial of deceased family members any yes and maybe beloved pets) Why? Because we can apply for a grant? At last night meeting the VM said we would relocate them. Where? I know that the VM stated that a plan will be made public at the Sept. 14 meeting but will this be another case that it a done deal before the public has a chance to voice the opinion. They want to use concrete. We all know what happens to concrete that is put down around trees. Just look at the CBD sidewalk cracks not to mention that digging around the trees may kill them. Try going to the engineering dept to get a permit for a brick patio. They will tell you that anything over 12 x 12 feet will need a seepage pit. More digging. So will we hear next that the monument need to be moved? Just upgrade the electric put in a new fence and reset the brick and leave them alone.
