Ridgewood NJ, in response to allegations voiced by some residents during Wednesday night‘s Village Council meeting that Ridgewood officials are engaging in “shady“ activities related to the Schedler property’s future configuration/use, Village Manager Keith Kazmark cited his own definition of “shady.“
Ridgewood NJ, the March 5 Village Council meeting was wild. The Schedler property was all over the agenda, including a carefully orchestrated presentation by the people who are being paid a bucket-load of our tax dollars to test the soil which was illegally dumped there thanks to Village “Engineer” Chris Rutishauser. Seems that the entire berm and maybe up to two feet of flat-land soil will have to be removed and go to wherever bad soil goes for processing. A number of residents spoke about the artificial turf being dangerous, and words like “shady” and “corrupt” were lobbed at the council. Concerns about the trees on the berm being saved for replanting and the fact that flat-land trees will die when soil is excavated deep down around their trunks and roots were raised. The council as well as Village Manager Keith Kazmark fired back, basically calling residents liars. The Village Manager Kazmark seems to have serious anger-management issues; he was red hot with indignation. Councilwomen “Squirrel” Winograd went on and on about how certain residents were lying. Council”man” Weitz repeated his oft-used phrase that the turf issue is simply a difference of opinion (not a difference of fact versus lies). This is better than anything on Netflix .
Ridgewood NJ, according to Village Mayor Paul Vagianos the Town Garage property which “has been sitting dormant – and not very attractive – in our beloved downtown since about 2007. This past October the Village took ownership of the property, and a couple of weeks ago the building was demolished. We’ve begun remediation of the site – at the expense of the prior owner – which will be followed by two years of required environmental testing.”
photos courtesy of The Village Manager Keith Kazmark
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, the Habernickel or Healthbarn pavilion was delivered today and installation is scheduled to begin next week. The Village Manager Keith Kazmark called it ,” another important investment in our open space here in Ridgewood”
Ridgewood NJ, the long-awaited demolition of the abandoned Town Garage on Franklin Avenue is officially underway, marking a significant milestone for the Village’s revitalization efforts. Village Manager Keith Kazmark announced the commencement of the demolition process, which aims to transform the property from an eyesore into an opportunity for redevelopment.
Ridgewood NJ, Village Manager Keith Kazmark recently announced that demolition of the former Town Garage structure will take place within the next 2 to 3 weeks. The contractor involved in the project is now applying for demolition permits, which will be expedited by the Village’s Building Department. Portions of the Walnut Street municipal parking lot will be unavailable once demolition begins. More to follow from the Village Manager.
Ridgewood NJ, in February of 2023 Councilwoman Siobhan Winograd publicly requested that previous plans for the construction of a 90-foot baseball diamond at the Lower Hawes Field be revisited. In October of 2024 the Village Council took a major step to improve the safety and quality of Hawes Field at Pleasant Park by awarding a $97,645 contract for its resodding. The project aims to eliminate unevenness and make the field safer for the many local students and athletes who use it regularly. The resodding project will be entirely funded through the Village’s registration and permit fee trust fund, ensuring that no municipal budget or capital funding will be impacted. According to the Village Manager Keith Kazmark , the lower Hawes field project began this week! New natural sod is being installed to make the playing field safer for our young athletes.
photo courtesy of the Village Manager Keith Kazmark
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, according to Ridgewood’s Village Manager Keith Kazmark , new trees are being planted this week at “The View” to help establish a buffer zone between the lookout on Crest Road and the residential properties below on Hillcrest Road. This follows the removal of three trees last week which were in declining health.
Ridgewood NJ, big changes are happening at Kingsbridge Lane as the long-awaited removal of the pedestrian bridge is finally underway. According to Village Manager Keith Kazmark, the bridge is being transported to the contractor’s workshop for rehabilitation. Once restored, it will be reinstalled and ready for use, just in time for spring 2025.
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, according to the Village Manager Keith Kazmark , “Over the past few months the Village has been working with PSE&G to finalize their road resurfacing restoration schedule following gas main installation. Late Friday, we received their tentative schedule which should be completed by Thanksgiving. It includes 20 roadways, of which 15 will be fully paved from curb to curb. The Engineering Department and the Police Department will continue to coordinate with PSE&G to get this done.”
Ridgewood NJ, a structural engineer and an architect recently hired by the Village of Ridgewood have separately determined that Van Neste Square’s bus terminal building is structurally unsound and unsuitable for repair. As a result of these findings, the Village has made plans to demolish the structure within the coming 30-45 days.
The Village Council has directed Village Manager Keith Kazmark to have options for replacement structure(s), along with previously prepared plans to relocate bus terminal operations to the Garber Square/NJ Transit train station area, available for Council review and discussion. These matters will likely be included as agenda items for the Council’s Public Work Session in December.
Ridgewood NJ, according to Village Manager Keith Kazmark ,”fuel tank replacement project at our Public Works facility on Chestnut Street is progressing well. The former tanks lived their useful life of approximately 30 years and the new tanks should be installed in the next few weeks”.
Kazmark also said, “This will be followed by a similar removal project in the parking lot at the corner of N. Walnut Street and Franklin Avenue (next to Town Garage, which is also being remediated by the prior property owner). These long lingering environmental projects are finally being addressed in the Village.”
photos courtesy of the Village Manager of Ridgewood
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, according to Village Manager Keith Kazmark , the Adopt-a-Sapling was an amazing success! Over 90 new saplings were planted this morning in the Somerville neighborhood. Kazmark went on to thank the Shade Tree Commission and to big crew who came out and volunteered!
Ridgewood NJ, the Ridgewood Village Council is taking the next steps to renovate Hawes Field at South Pleasant . During their September 30 meeting, the council awarded a $97,645 contract to SportCare, a Bridgewater-based company, to upgrade the soccer field, which has become a priority project for the village.
Ridgewood NJ, the long-standing issue of the abandoned Town Garage on Franklin Avenue is finally seeing progress, as the Village prepares to clean up and redevelop the property. Village Manager Keith Kazmark previously emphasized the importance of the Village buying the property, saying, “The issue has lingered for many years. In the next month or so, this eyesore will be removed from Franklin Avenue, and the property will be well on its way to being remediated.”