Paving the lane green and calling it a bike lane does not make it safe, nor does it make Ridgewood more bike friendly. Narrowing capacity for one of three major arteries for vehicles in town is not the ideal location for a bike lane, and nobody is complaining about speeding there. Try a bike lane on Monroe, Lincoln, or Linwood, aves for starters. Those are roads connected to others that are fairly wide and single lane filled with speeding cars. Bike lane at Garber square always was and still is an awful idea with awful execution.
And btw, 5 years on the safety committee (or any committee) is too long. Your time is up.
This week the Ridgewood High School Administration has been investigating a serious student incident that rose to the level of police involvement following a thorough, deliberate and confidential exploration of the facts. The incident involved the misuse of social media, destruction of school property and violence.
It is important to address and dispel rumors that are circulating in our community and to ask for your understanding that this issue, like all student issues that involve minors and are also part of a student’s record, is, and will remain, confidential. Just as we protect the privacy of your child’s record, we are compelled to do the same for all children involved in this incident. For this reason, we cannot comment on the episode or on the eventual outcome, but I do want to reassure you as both a parent and also as your Superintendent, that I trust the administration to act in the best interest of all the students involved, as well as the entire school community. Anyone found to be involved in this incident will be held accountable in an appropriate way, including possible legal proceedings, school discipline and/or counseling.
At this time, I would like to also remind you that the Ridgewood High School administration is very open and transparent whenever possible. Anyone who has attended their HSA meetings would agree to their openness to discussing difficult topics and issues that the high school administrators handle. When working with children, even young adolescents to young adults, serious incidents and not-so serious incidents occur. Ridgewood Public School administrators excel at dealing with every such situation with care, and while not everyone may agree on the outcome, I can assure you our administrators work toward resolution and a goal that students will learn from the experience.
To that end, the Ridgewood High School administration will use this recent incident to address “witness” behavior as a school community. It is highly unfortunate that the incident — which happened after school hours on district property — resulted in unnecessary and unacceptable violence. It is also disappointing that other students were present who videoed the incident rather than attempted to intervene in order to prevent physical harm.
I hope you now understand the need for confidentiality in this particular event and are also reassured that action has been taken and will continue as the police complete their investigation. The safety, protection and privacy of our students is a top priority.
Thank you for your support of the Ridgewood Public Schools.
201-670-2700, ext. 40557 [email protected]
Ridgewood High School
627 East Ridgewood Avenue
Ridgewood, NJ 0745
Ridgewood High School
627 East Ridgewood Avenue
Ridgewood, NJ 0745
Ridgewood NJ, from the Ridgewood Schools website, In January, 2011 New Jersey adopted the “Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights Act”, which augmented a battery of school harassment and bullying prevention laws that were passed in 2002. Since the 2002 laws were originally adopted, school employees have had an obligation to report harassment and bullying problems which they see, or of which they become aware. The Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights Act has made that obligation clearer and broader.
The Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights Act reflects a core value to which the Ridgewood Public Schools has long been committed: that respectful behavior fosters a rich and challenging learning environment. A safe and civil environment in school is necessary for pupils to learn and achieve high academic standards. All students should understand that their attitudes and actions affect both their own and their classmates’ learning, and they should accept responsibility for helping to create a positive school environment. With the support of school staff, parent(s)/guardian(s) and other adults in their lives, all students can contribute to the effectiveness of the schools and the value of their education.
The Ridgewood Board of Education explicitly and unequivocally prohibits acts of harassment, intimidation, or bullying of its students. “Harassment, intimidation or bullying” means any gesture, any written, verbal or physical act, or any electronic communication, whether it be a single incident or a series of incidents, that is reasonably perceived as being motivated either by any actual or perceived characteristic, such as race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, or a mental, physical or sensory disability, or by any other distinguishing characteristic, that takes place on school property, at any school-sponsored function, on a school bus, or off school grounds pursuant to law, that substantially disrupts or interferes with the orderly operation of the school or the rights of other students and that:
a. a reasonable person should know, under the circumstances, will have the effect of physically or emotionally harming a student or damaging the student’s property, or placing a student in reasonable fear of physical or emotional harm to his person or damage to his property;
b. has the effect of insulting or demeaning any student or group of students; or
c. creates a hostile educational environment for the student by interfering with a student’s education or by severely or pervasively causing physical or emotional harm to the student. !
Any school employee, contracted service provider, Board of Education member, student or volunteer who has witnessed, or has reliable information that a student has been subject to, harassment, intimidation or bullying is obligated by law to report the incident to the school Principal. !
An act of student harassment, intimidation, or bullying must be reported verbally to the Principal on the same day the person witnesses or receives reliable information regarding the incident. ! The incident must then be reported to the Principal in writing, using the appropriate district form, within two (2) school days of when the incident was observed or the information was received.
As a permanent or substitute school employee, a contracted service provider, a Board of Education member, a student or a volunteer in a New Jersey public school district, one of your responsibilities is to know how to respond if you become aware of harassment, intimidation or bullying that needs to be reported. If you have any questions about how or when to do this, please talk to the school Principal.
Ridgewood NJ, Composing and arranging music is a recent, yet exciting, development in the life of Ridgewood musician and singer, Rita Blacker. Since childhood, music has been a significant part of Blacker’s life. Coming from a musical family, she began playing piano when she was three years old and started training formally at age nine. Her piano training and singing continued at Paramus High School and at the University of Maryland where she received a BA in Piano Performance. She also plays the flute and violin, having taken lessons for a few years on each, and is self-taught on the guitar.
In September 2003, Blacker joined the prestigious New Jersey Choral Society, an auditioned community chorus based in Ridgewood, in order to fill a musical void in her life. Eventually, because of her strong musical background, she was appointed Vice President of Artistic Planning and assisted the Artistic Director and Conductor, Eric Dale Knapp, with music selection for each concert.
In 2017, Knapp asked Blacker to write an original piece of music to celebrate the NJCS Jubilee season, which is celebrating artist-in-residence Linda Sweetman-Waters’ 30th anniversary with the chorus. Knapp found a prayer titled “Grant Us Peace” from The Gates of Prayer: the New Union Prayer Book, a standard liturgical work for the Reformed Judaism Movement, and asked Blacker to arrange a musical composition for this prayer. She feels that this prayer of peace is timely for our country, because it was written for and read by a rabbi at a UN special meeting on global peace. “The prayer has us look inward to find strength to set an example to the rest of the world that we can live in peace,” says Blacker. It asks us, continues Blacker, “to set an example and show the world how we hold out our hands toward friendship, strengthening bonds between us.” She used the text from the prayer and composed and arranged music for it. “Grant Us Peace” will receive its world premiere during the New Jersey Choral Society’s holiday concert series, Celebration of Carols, on Saturday, December 2 at 8:00 pm and Sunday, December 3 at 3:00 pm at the Church of the Immaculate Conception, 30 North Fullerton Ave, Montclair, as well as Tuesday, December 5 at 7:30 pm at the West Side Presbyterian Church, 6 South Monroe St., Ridgewood.
Blacker has composed previously for the New Jersey Choral Society. In 2013, Knapp asked her to write a piece of music for the NJCS holiday concert, Ceremony of Carols. Excited by the prospect of composing music, she began reviewing winter poetry and came across the well-known poem “Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost, inspiring her original composition “Snowy Evening.” Due to the success of that piece, Knapp invited her again in 2016 to compose a work for the holiday concert, which featured Claudio Monteverdi’s Magnificat, a work based on the Marian Vespers or evening prayers. Blacker decided to write a piece connected to the spiritual themes in Magnificat. The biblical story of Hannah, a scorned and barren woman who prays to God for a child and miraculously gives birth to Samuel, inspired her to write the composition “Hannah Prays,” which received its world premiere in December 2016.
Aside from these composition opportunities, Blacker also collaborated in 2015 on arranging three contemporary pieces for the Echoes, a women’s a cappella group, at Lehigh University where her daughter Rebecca was a student. She assisted with new arrangements of “Levels” by Nick Jonas, “Soldier” by Gavin DeGraw and “Ghost” by Ella Henderson, which the Echoes (including her daughter Rebecca) performed in the spring of 2015. She also wrote a small violin part for the New Jersey Choral Society and credits this composition with “opening up the path to her future.”
Outside of her commitments to NJCS, Blacker teaches piano lessons at Music and Arts (formerly Victor’s House of Music) in Wayne and offers private piano lessons at her home in Ridgewood. She has also sung with Sirene, a women’s a cappella group, and has performed at “Ridgewood Unplugged,” an annual fundraising event offered by Ridgewood musicians to raise money for the Ridgewood Schoolhouse Museum. Blacker also works as an Interior Designer with an AA degree in Interior Design from Berkeley College. She owns RFB Design LLC, which specializes in space planning and renovations.
When asked if she plans to write more music, Rita replied “Composing music inspires and challenges me to write more.” She explains that “music is the passion that ignites the soul and breathes meaning and purpose into her life. It will always be an integral part of my life, because of its ability to heal, unite and transport.”
Advance tickets for performances of Celebration of Carols featuring Blacker’s composition “Grant Us Peace,” are $30.00 for adults and $25.00 for students and seniors. For reservations or more information, visit www.NJCS.org or call the New Jersey Choral Society at (201) 379-7719.
As a resident since 1969 I always said the meters were a foolish proposition. I’d be interested in th actual numbers of revenue , minus costs of meters , salaries of meters workers etc (less coin boy theft ). Simple solution …eliminate meters. Double th overtime parking fines. Meter maids can chalk the tires to enforce the overtime, or more likely today there is a video cam app for them to use. Make it a triple fine when a store employee gets caught wiping the chalk off their tires. I refuse to pay a meter to use th post office
” The problem in Garber Square is that it is really dangerous for bikers and pedestrians. Biikes used to use the sidewalk and often walked their bikes in that locatiom. No one is using the bike lane now except the cars. While bilking and walking are better for the people and the environment, not all areas are conducive to both cars and bikes. Garber Square is one of those areas.”
Reader Attempts to explain the flawed logic behind the Garber Square Traffic Mess:
“Understanding that this will not be popular on the venue, but here is the other side of the bike lane issue. The process started with the realization that the Garber Square roadway needed to be repaved. When last done the asphalt surface was scarified or roughened to give more traction so that the motor vehicles who were speeding around the curves didn’t crash as often. The modern approach to safety now is to engineer the roadway to slow cars down as opposed to trying to find ways to let them go faster, thus making roadways safer for all users. There are engineering standards for the width of traffic lanes which vary according to the speed limit, with the principle being the narrower the lane the slower a driver will go as there is less room for error.
The NACTO Guide (https://nacto.org/publication/urban-street-design-guide/street-design-elements/lane-width/) suggests that maximum lane width be 10’ except on truck or bus lanes and that 11’ or wider lanes (which are the norm currently in Ridgewood) lead to more speeding and other negative consequences.
So if you design the roadway with narrower lanes to make it safer, what do you do with the now extra space? Typically this affords the opportunity to add things like bike lanes or additional median space and even bump outs for pedestrian crossings.
Now another argument is that the new design reduced the capacity of the road as there were sort of two lanes before and now there is one lane with a right turn lane added at each end. If you look , on the east side both Broad and Franklin are one lane roads, as are Ridgewood Avenue and Godwin Ave/Wilsey Square on the west side. Having Garber remain two lanes all the way doesn’t speed things up or increase capacity if the roads leading into it remain one lane. The only change is that fewer cars can be stacked in there waiting for red lights which is an issue only at the busiest times. When the plan was presented I remember people screaming that the line of cars would back up all the way to Midland Park. I would say the changes have been minor. Traffic backs up at 8am, 3PM and around evening rush hour just like it did in the past.
It seems like our Village Council spends more time on issues involving cars than any other issue, between whether or not we need a parking garage, complaints from neighborhoods about commuters parking on their streets all day and the complaints about traffic delays or speeding thru neighborhoods. Instead of trying to find more ways, at great expense, to cram more cars onto our streets we should be looking at ways to allow residents to get around without depending completely on cars. Thru the mid 20th century most children got to school either by walking or riding a bicycle. Now almost 90% are driven to school with the resulting traffic jam in town twice a day. The village and Board of Education have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars widening roads or adding new ones to create drop off areas and we force school administrators and teachers to become traffic cops two times a day. It would be cheaper for taxpayers and much healthier for kids if we stop spending money trying to make it easier to drive to school and instead find ways to make it easier and safer walking and cycling there. The distances are short and the obstacles few.
There are many studies showing that making central business districts more walkable and bikeable increase the economic vitality of the area. Simple google searches will get dozens but here is a general resource about the concept (https://smartgrowthamerica.org/resources/evaluating-complete-streets-projects-a-guide-for-practitioners/). In short, if folks are more comfortable walking around downtown, they will stay there longer and spend more.
Right now on nice days 50-60 bicycles are locked up at and around the train station. Improved parking facilities and making their trip to the station easier and safer would increase their numbers which in turn means fewer cars and less fighting about parking spots and garages.
Summing up, I think the problem is we have too few bike lanes in town. Adopting a Complete Streets Plan, and encouraging walking, bicycling and mass transit can do a lot of good for Ridgewood. It can improve quality of life, health of our residents and improve the economic vitality of our village . I am a realist and understand the automobile will remain the dominant mode of transport but if Ridgewood ignores the demographic trends occurring in millennials (lowest rate of car licensing/ownership since WW2) and current trends in planning and street design (https://smartgrowthamerica.org/our-vision/ ) it will become less attractive as a town folks want to live in. My credentials include riding a bicycle about 3000 miles each year and being Board Chair of the largest bicycle safety and education organization in the USA ( https://www.bike.nyc/ ). And by the way, the design of the bike lane meets all current engineering standards and is the safest way by far for a bicyclist to cross from the west to east side of town.
Reader says , “The Garber Square project used grant money and then more than tripled the amount to incorporate a bike lane that is dangerous and has narrowed an already congested passage way under the trestle bridge. We all remember when it was 4 lanes no matter how our village engineer wants to use “revisionist history”to defend this fiasco. The bike lane should sport a sign” Use At Your Own Risk. “ Another fiasco: The concrete ramp built at Graydon to make the swimming area handicapped accessible also started from a grant and grew into a project that was not only expensive but is unusable. As predicted, algae has made it slippery to the point that able body people have slipped and no one can report a wheel chair being seen going down the ramp. It is a hazardous situation that could not only injure someone but result in a law suit against the village. It too should support a sign, “Use At Your Own Risk.” Thank you, Paul Aronsohn.”
THE CENTRAL VALET SERVICE IN RIDGEWOOD CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT IS NOW IN OPERATION
November 3,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, A Central Valet service is available for all shoppers and diners in Ridgewood’s Central Business District on Friday and Saturday nights, from 6:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m., and running through December 30th. The location for the Central Valet service is Van Neste Square, opposite the bus station. The price per vehicle is $5.00, and some shops and restaurants will be paying that fee for their customers. There will be a listing of the shops and restaurants paying the valet service fee for their customers on the Village website, as well as being distributed at the Central Valet locations as they become available.
I live in a neighboring town and often come to Ridgewood for dinner and shopping. The parking is always a problem but we never really mind walking a little further to get to the restaurant or store we are going to as it gives us a chance to window shop and smell the variety of foods being prepared so we can pick the next restaurant we try. I do not mind feeding a meter, but I am annoyed and offended that some of the more expensive restaurants are taking up public street parking for their Valet service. Must I eat at Roots ? Why not save some prime spots for Wild Ginger? Now I hear the town is implementing a large scale valet service for a fee. I personally like walking up and down Ridgewood Avenue. For me, the draw of your town is to have that open air experience which increases your appetite before you dine and helps you digest the sweet dessert you just consumed. Never mind that walking is GOOD FOR YOUR HEALTH! I foresee Valet drivers rushing back and forth to park cars which poses its own danger. I think street and other public parking should be readily available for all those who intend on spending their hard earned money in your town.
Partnership Enables Same-day Delivery to Nearly 900,000 Households
November 2,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Kings Food Markets, upscale gourmet food market, and Instacart, the technology-driven, nationwide on-demand grocery delivery service, announced today a partnership to bring same-day delivery to nearly 900,000 households across New Jersey, New York and Connecticut.
Kings customers can now visit kingsdelivers.com or download the Instacart app to fill their virtual carts with all their favorite items — from the freshest produce and the finest meat to chef prepared items and everyday essentials — and have them delivered straight to their doorstep by Instacart, often in as little as an hour.
“Online shopping in the grocery space is continuing to flourish and we are thrilled to provide this convenient service to our communities” said Judy Spires, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at Kings Food Markets. “We always aim to be the food and entertaining solution for our customers and now they will be able to receive their signature favorites and high quality food options to their homes, quickly and easily.”
This partnership will allow Kings customers in New Jersey, New York and Connecticut towns served by Instacart to enjoy the experience of grocery shopping online, and convenience of same-day home delivery. Instacart shoppers will fill customers’ orders in store – with access to every high quality product that Kings has always brought to local communities. Customers can use Promo Code KINGS20 to receive $20 off their first order of $35 or more. And for an extra savings, the delivery fee will also be waived on the first order.
“Instacart’s success hinges on our ability to offer customers same-day delivery from the stores they love within their own communities,” said Andrew Nodes, Vice President, Retail Accounts for Instacart. “We are proud to be partnering with Kings Foods Markets to give customers a convenient, time-saving option to get the fresh produce and unique products they’ve come to rely on from this beloved brand.”
Instacart delivery starts at just $5.99 on orders of $35 or more and is waived on the first order. Instacart Express membership is also available, enabling unlimited, free same-day deliveries on orders over $35. After a free trial period, Instacart Express membership is just $14.99 a month or $149 a year.
Ridgewood NJ, Singer-songwriter Sherma Andrews brings her sizzling, smokey style of jazz, soul and R & B to Society Cafe on Friday, November 3rd at 8:00 pm. Playing original compositions, as well as songs by famous lady singers like Whitney Houston, Sade and Aretha Franklin, Sherma will tear up the stage! This is going to be one of the coolest shows of the year! They will be serving dessert and wine starting at 7pm. www.shermaandrews.com .
Society Cafe Concert Series
113 Cottage Pl, Ridgewood, New Jersey 07450
Tomorrow at 7 PM
Ridgewood NJ, the Ridgewood Police have proposed a removal the of portion of the Bike Path at Garber Square , residents often refer to this path as the “suicide bike lane” because of its poor engineered design and obvious danger to both bike rider and motor vehicle . A July traffic study stated the obvious and suggested a portion of the bike path be removed to ease traffic flow . The portion to be removed is 856 square feet of the green paint to be covered over by black street bond for a mere $7500.
A casual reading of the Ridgewood blog since the bike paths inception would have lead you to the same conclusion for free . The aptly named “Suicide bike lane” was a dangerous disaster from the very beginning and the Village has dodged a bullet with out the loss of life .
However there was some discussion at the end of the meeting that suggests that they may put it on hold. Bernie Walsh is not going to vote to remove it. There may be others who fall into the same boat.
Ridgewood NJ, Village Council members are now considering approval of a Soil Movement Permit in connection with construction work on the Dayton housing project, located at the old Brogan Cadillac site on South Broad Street.
During Wednesday evening’s Village Council Work Session, Village Engineer Christopher Rutishauser informed Council members that current plans call for approximately 400 large dump trucks full of soil to use a route which would require them all to exit the site and head southbound on South Broad Street into Glen Rock.
Citizen concerns were expressed as to the appropriateness of directing 400 large dump trucks full of dirt directly into a neighborhood consisting mostly of single family residences, along a primary walking route to and from the Orchard Elementary School, and into neighboring Glen Rock. Mayor Susan Knudsen indicated that given the aforementioned concerns, alternative routes would be reviewed and considered.
The Council is scheduled to formally vote on the Permit during a public meeting next Wednesday evening, November 8th.
Re: “How is it that Glen Rock has free on-street parking and free parking for 3 hours in the shoppers’ parking lot, while Ridgewood now wants to increase the price of parking yet again?”
.
Because Glen Rock is a great town.
