June 8,2017
by Boyd Loving
Ridgewood NJ, Village Engineer Christopher Rutishauser told Council members at last night’s meeting that suggested renovations to bathrooms at Graydon Pool would likely cost $180k-$240k, not including architectural fees.
Deputy Mayor Mike Sedon voiced concern about signing off on another “golden toilet “.
Hold onto your wallets folks because you know what typically happens to Rutishauser’s estimates – they double.
Another set of $400k bathrooms soon on the way.
file photo by Boyd Loving
PRODUCT RECALL: Own Brands Spicy Chicken Strips
Recall Date: Jun 07, 2017
Own Brands Spicy Chicken Strips – 10 OZ
UPC: 68826712615
Codes: ALL Date Codes
Customers may return impacted product for a full refund. Only product with dates 3/24/2018, 3/27/2018 and 3/28/2018 are impact, but out of an abundance of caution, ALL Date Codes are pulled.
Recall information: This product is being recalled due to an undeclared milk allergen. This product is located in the Frozen Snacks & Appetizers Set
Updated on June 7, 2017 at 8:31 PMPosted on June 7, 2017 at 5:46 PM
BY ADAM CLARK
NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
TRENTON — New Jersey is clamping down on private schools that serve disabled students four years after a Star-Ledger investigation revealed numerous cases of nepotism and questionable spending paid for by taxpayers.
The state Board of Education on Wednesday approved new restrictions that freeze maximum salaries, lower the maximum spending cap on administrative costs and require schools to disclose business transactions with relatives, among other changes.
The move comes despite heavy opposition from the schools, which charge steep tuition from public schools to teach severely disabled students traditional schools can’t serve. Dozens of parents from the more than 150 affected schools packed earlier state board meetings out of fear that any changes at the schools could have negative consequences for students.
https://www.nj.com/education/2017/06/nj_targets_nepotism_high_salaries_at_schools_for_t.html
Ridgewood NJ, in a recent letter to the editor (Letter: Ridgewood Council politics extends to residents
( https://www.northjersey.com/story/opinion/readers/2017/06/07/letter-ridgewood-council-politics-extends-residents/375448001/ ) Evan Weitz Chairmen of the Financial Advisory Committee voiced his concerns over some of his emails being caught up in the recent so called Village OPRA -gate.
In the letter Mr Weitz once again demonstrated the lack of professionalism that permeates the Financial Advisory Committee or FAC. If Mr Weitz or any other members of the FAC had ever had a job in Finance he would understand that every single communication is monitored by corporate compliance department.
In the late 90’s I was working for a firm called Dean Witter and in the coarse of business each week you would make hundreds of phone calls . One month I was called into compliance who promptly showed me a printout of phone numbers I had called that month ,yes everyone and singled out a certain number I had called once everyday . The number was my grandmother’s who was dying and I would just check in on her. The compliance officer simply apologized and added the number to the OK to call list .
Mr Weitz goes on to say ,”Shortly thereafter, the Deputy Mayor filed an open record request for any email Voigt received that contained my last name. Even more disturbing, several private individuals filed open records requests for any emails sent from my private email address to Voigt.”
photos courtesy of Boyd Loving’s Facebook page
June 8,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ , Recently hired Ridgewood FD Career Firefighters Dane Knudsen and Shelby Taylor were sworn in by Ridgewood Mayor Susan Knudsen during a ceremony held at Ridgewood Village Hall on Wednesday evening, 06/07.
Firefighter Taylor, a former member of the United States Marine Corps, is the first female Career Firefighter in the Department’s history, and is also believed to be the first full-time, paid female firefighter to serve a Bergen County municipality.
file photo by Boyd Loving
Jun 6, 2017
We have just held a primary election for governor in New Jersey, as well as for many legislative, county and local seats.
This is a time to reflect upon the property tax problems of the state of New Jersey, and I felt it would be a good time to write about some of my thoughts in this area.
I have my own view of what makes government so expensive in New Jersey versus other states from the bottom up.
I’ve had the opportunity to look extensively at municipal government services and costs, as well as those of county government. I’ve had the opportunity also to compare municipalities and counties here in New Jersey against those in other states in a benchmarking sense.
I preface these comments with the reminder that about 70 percent or 75 percent of your local property taxes are school taxes. I do not have significant experience in this area, so my comments are focused on municipal and county government structures and costs.
If you think about it, property taxes are by their very nature an anachronism. Most persons living on a piece of land today do not produce revenue from the land itself, as we did when we were an agrarian society in the 1600s and 1700s, when this system was created. Yes, it is that old. In fact, I think feudal societies worked similarly as well.
#11 Ridgewood | $11,179
County: Bergen
Avg. total residential property tax: $17,180
Property tax breakdown: County 11% | School 65% | Municipal 24%
These 30 towns have the highest school tax bills in N.J.
Updated June 07, 2017
Posted June 07, 2017
TRENTON — If your property taxes are high in New Jersey, chances are a good chunk of your annual bill is going to your local public schools.
New Jersey residents paid nearly $15 billion in school taxes as part of their property tax bills last year, according to data released by the state Department of Community Affairs.
Most residents’ property tax bills are made up of three parts: a county tax, a municipal tax and a school tax. Last year, school taxes accounted for about 52 percent of the average New Jersey property tax bill, according to the data.
In most cases, the money directly funded a local school district. In some smaller communities without their own schools, including Loch Arbour in Monmouth County, the money was used to pay tuition to send local students to neighboring public school districts.
The towns that have the highest average school tax bills are usually wealthier communities where property values are the highest. These towns generally fund a large share of their school expenses because they don’t receive significant state aid.
Here are the 30 New Jersey towns where residents paid the highest average school taxes in 2016:
VILLAGE COUNCIL SPECIAL PUBLIC MEETING
JUNE 7, 2017
7:30 P.M.
Call to Order – Mayor
Statement of Compliance with the Open Public Meeting Act
MAYOR: “Adequate notice of this meeting has been provided
by a posting on the bulletin board in Village Hall,
by mail to the Ridgewood News, The Record, and by submission to all persons entitled to same as provided by law of a schedule including the date and time of this meeting.”
Roll Call
RESOLUTIONS
THE FOLLOWING RESOLUTIONS, NUMBERED 17-144 THROUGH 17-145 ARE TO BE ADOPTED BY A CONSENT AGENDA, WITH ONE VOTE BY THE VILLAGE COUNCIL. THERE IS A BRIEF DESCRIPTION BESIDE EACH RESOLUTION TO BE CONSIDERED ON THE CONSENT AGENDA. EACH RESOLUTION WILL BE READ BY TITLE ONLY:
17-144 Authorize Renewal of Intent to Participate in Community Development Block Grant Program, HOME Investment Partnership Act Program, and Emergency Solutions Grant – Renews the Village’s intent to participate in these programs for the Program Years 2018 – 2020
17-145 Authorize Execution of Agreement for Participation in the Community Development Block Grant Program, the Home Investment Partnership Program, and the Emergency Solutions Grant Program – Authorizes the Mayor and Village Clerk to execute an Agreement which will commit the Village to participate in the Community Development Block Grant Program, the Home Investment Partnership Program, and the Emergency Solutions Grant Program for the Program Years 2018, 2019, and 2020
Adjournment
VILLAGE COUNCIL PUBLIC WORKSHOP AGENDA THE RIDGEWOOD VILLAGE COUNCIL’S
PUBLIC WORKSHOP AGENDA
JUNE 7, 2017
7:30 P.M.
REVISED
7:30 pm – Call to Order – Mayor
Statement of Compliance with Open Public Meeting Act
Mayor: “Adequate notice of this meeting has been provided by a posting on the bulletin board in Village Hall, by mail to the Ridgewood News, The Record, and by submission to all persons entitled to same as provided by law of a schedule including the date and time of this meeting.”
Roll Call – Village Clerk
Flag Salute/Moment of Silence
Swearing in of Fire Fighter Dane Knudsen
Swearing in of Fire Fighter Shelby Taylor
Public Comments (Not to Exceed 3 Minutes per Person – 40 Minutes in Total)
Presentation
Ridgewood Conservancy for Ridgewood Public Lands – Butterfly/Sensory Garden at the Stable
Motion to Suspend Work Session and Convene Special Public Meeting
Special Public Meeting – See Attached Agenda
Motion to Adjourn Special Public Meeting and Reconvene Work Session
Discussion
Ridgewood Water
Improvements to Booster/Transfer Stations
Award of Contract – Design and Construction of GAC Treatment System at Carr Treatment Facility
Parking
Central Valet Services Proposal
Steilen Avenue Parking c. Budget
Refund of Taxes – Disabled Veteran
Resolution Urging Extension of 2% Cap on Police and Fire Arbitration Contract Awards
Renovation of Graydon Pool Restrooms
Revenue Expense Report – April 30, 2017
On-Call Traffic Engineering Services Proposal
Parking Kiosk Pilot Study Proposal
Award of State Contract – Furniture for Village Hall
Policy
Boards and Committees
Train Station Parking Lot & Garber Square Bike Lane
Amendment to Power Tool Ordinance
Update on The Estate Card
Clinton Avenue Ordinance
Historic Preservation Grant Proposal through Bergen County Open Space – Zabriskie-Schedler House – Phase II
FOP Awareness Initiative
Prevention of Unlawful Enrollment of Children in Ridgewood Schoolse. Operations
Shared Services Agreement – Dewatered Sludge Disposal – Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission
Updating Master Plan
New Jersey Transit Senior Bus Grant Release13. Review of June 14, 2017 Regular Public Meeting Agenda15. Council Reports17. Resolution to go into Closed Session A. Legal – COAH; Valley Hospital; Unauthorized Disclosure of Attorney-Client Information – Employment Resumes; HealthBarn C. Personnel – Boards and Committees Liaisons19. Adjournment
B. Contracts/Negotiations –
18. Closed Session
16. Public Comments (Not to Exceed 5 Minutes per Person)
14. Manager’s Report
Photo credit: Noah Dachis
Ridgewood NJ, The New Jersey Choral Society is holding auditions for its youth choruses, treble and SATB, for students in grades 6-12. Auditions will be held Monday, June 19 and August 28 from 4-6 pm at St. Elizabeth’s Episcopal Church, 169 Fairmount Road, Ridgewood, NJ. Treble voices are accepted from grades 6-12 and SATB voices from grades 9-12. Audition requirements, including a memorized solo, and registration details are available on the New Jersey Choral Society website at www.njcs.org under “About”. Interested students, parents and educators can contact Festival Youth Chorus Director, Noelle Dachis, at [email protected] for more information.
This is a unique and exciting opportunity for young choral singers to perform with the New Jersey Choral Society and Maestro Eric Dale Knapp, and a rare experience to include on college applications, especially for students heading into a music study. Students selected for the chorus are expected to attend weekly rehearsals, held at St. Elizabeth’s Church on Monday evenings, and all performances. The Festival Youth Chorus will be singing in at least three performances during the NJCS 2017-2018 season.
Ridgewood NJ, Eighteen Ridgewood Taekwondo athletes faced a major challenge at the Big East Tournament, which drew over 400 competitors from the tri-state area on April 30. The results were stellar: 23 Gold, 9 Silver, and 4 Bronze. The Big East Tournament was the final stop in the circuit before the nationals, which will take place on June 28 in Detroit.
Taekwondo All In, an instructional school for the Korean martial art, continues to establish itself as a premier school for the sport. The school received the “Best School” designation at the New Jersey Tournament several years running.
Youngmin Kim, a Taekwondo master and head instructor noted, “We have an amazing group of kids at Taekwondo All In. Their dedication and hard work is truly inspirational. Our goal at the school is to teach our students not only the martial art, but life lessons on grit, focus and hard work, which will benefit them in all aspects of their lives.”
The students and their medals earned are as follows:
Ricardo Edmilao 3 Gold Medals
Jenna Slota, Elliott Yi, Isaac Yi, Audrey Kim, Blake Edmilao, and Emily Kam 2 Gold medals
Lucas Woods, Liam Woods, Tyler Minn, Mason Allum, Kaylin lee, Tony An 1 Gold medal and 1 Silver medal
Dongjun Kim, 1 Gold and 1 Bronze medal
Kate Minn 1 Gold medal
Grace Chi, Elias Chi, Cooper Allum, 1 Silver and 1 Bronze medal
June 7,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood
Ridgewood Nj, Just got word that FISH in Ridgewood has closed . Fish was located at 54 East Ridgewood Avenue.
Patrons of seafood restaurant have been greeted by a sign in the window that they will be spending the summer upgrading their catering venues.
Their Facebook page has gone missing and phone number is no longer working. The Fish in Asbury Park closed back in October and at that time rumors were denied by Fishes management of an imminent closing.
Patrons were general lukewarm to the venue not bad but not great and as previously reported on this blog the restaurant was surrounded by controversy from the very start.
June 7,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, what happens if they have primary and nobody shows? In a apparent thumbs down and no confidence vote to New Jersey politicians only 13.78% of Ridgewood registered voters came out and cast ballots .Democrat turn out was a bit higher with 30% and Republican turn out a paltry 18%.
While Trenton insider blamed the weather , the reality is Garden State politicians have long ago lost any shed of credibility. New Jersey voters seem to be voting with their feet instead of the ballot box and moving to greener pastures . The primary season was filled with a litany of promises no one believes and voters were left with the prospect of ever higher property taxes , more urbanization and an ever deteriorating quality of life.
A sense of doom and dread seemed to permeate the air on primary day because even the lest connected of residents feels that the party may finally be over for New Jersey with massive bills ,pensions and union contracts all be coming due. The huge tax increases needed may finally chase out the last bits of the tax base . New Jersey seems destined to follow neighboring state Connecticut policies that managed to chase out GE its largest tax payer and largest employer and now Aetna Insurance. What Trenton politicians have failed to grasp with their constant attacks on the private sector is that people with money and businesses can and will move out first .
What voters should be asking politicians during this election cycle is ; give me one good reason anyone want to live in New Jersey ?
By Vince Calio, June 5, 2017 at 12:51 PM
Amtrak and NJ Transit would use a new Gateway tunnel under the Hudson River. – (AARON HOUSTON)
Private firms will be sought to help finance and construct the $20 billion rail tunnel connecting northern New Jersey and New York City.
During its June 1 board meeting, the Gateway Program Development Board approved a move to solicit private construction and finance companies to complete the project under a public-private partnership model. In a typical P3 procurement model, private financial institutions would raise part of the money for a public project through a combination of debt and direct equity infusions, and then hire outside construction firms to complete it.
If implemented, the procurement model could pump several billion dollars into both New York and New Jersey’s economy, said the board’s chairman, Richard Bagger, during the meeting.
June 6,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, The New Jersey Choral Society invites singers to join them in “Summer Sings,” featuring the vibrant and dramatic Verdi Requiem. These events will be held on June 13, June 20 and June 27, 2017 from 7-10pm at St. Elizabeth’s Episcopal Church, 169 Fairmount Road, Ridgewood, NJ. The Summer Sings will be conducted by Artistic Director, Eric Dale Knapp, with Linda Sweetman-Waters, accompanist. Participants may attend individual evenings or all three. Bring your own Verdi Requiem score and pay at the door with check or cash. The admission fee for Summer Sings is $10 per rehearsal or $25 for all three sessions.
Summer Sings are an open reading of world-renowned masterworks. Attending NJCS Summer Sings are a great way to meet current members, especially for those who may be considering auditioning for the regular season. Established in 1980, the New Jersey Choral Society is one of the state’s most prestigious choral groups, well-known for presenting outstanding and unique programs. Under the direction of Eric Dale Knapp, NJCS performs three major concerts annually in Bergen and Essex counties. They have performed at Carnegie Hall and the White House and have toured internationally in Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, China, Australia, England, France and, this summer, in Italy. For more information on Summer Sings, email [email protected].
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Hackensack NJ, Bergen County Prosecutor Gurbir S. Grewal announced today the identities of two deceased males discovered on Sunday, June 4, 2017 at 5 Linden Street, Hackensack, NJ. The investigation was conducted by members of the Hackensack Police Department under the direction of Officer in Charge Captain Francesco Aquila, the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit under the direction of Chief Robert Anzilotti and the Bergen County Sheriff’s Department under the direction of Sheriff Michael Saudino.
At approximately 9:17 AM on June 4, 2017, the Hackensack Police Department received a 9-1-1 call reporting gunshots and a man down in the lobby area of 5 Linden Street. Police officers arrived and located the body of JAMES BELLAMY (DOB: 9/6/50) next to the building’s elevator. Bellamy had been shot multiple times and was declared deceased at the scene. A building resident directed officers to the rear parking lot of the building and the path taken by the alleged gunman, later identified as ARTHUR HILLMAN (DOB: 9/20/53). The officers located HILLMAN’S deceased body in a 2011 Honda Civic in the rear parking lot; he was the victim of a single, self-inflicted gunshot wound and was found to be in possession of a loaded .40 caliber semi-automatic handgun, which is believed to be the weapon used in the murder/suicide. Detectives also located a loaded .38 caliber weapon on Hillman’s body. The investigation revealed that no one else was involved in this incident.
Subsequent investigation revealed that both men were residents of 5 Linden Street. Bellamy resided in Apartment 4J and Hillman resided in Apartment 3J. Hillman had made repeated complaints to the Hackensack Police Department regarding the noise emanating from Bellamy’s upstairs apartment.
Prosecutor Grewal would like to thank the Hackensack Police Department and the Bergen County Sheriff’s Department for their assistance in this investigation.
