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Reader says If a private business on Village property costs the Village money, it is not a good fit with Ridgewood

Habernickel Park Gate House

If a private business on Village property costs the Village money, it is not a good fit with Ridgewood. You can’t draw any clearer picture. If, somehow, this statement isn’t true, please quit ignoring all the complaints and prove the contrary. Putting blinders on may help you not see it, but it won’t lessen the money being stolen by them. “Stolen”: the taking of something that does not belong to you and profiting from it. “Stolen” the peace and quiet of a neighborhood–excess vehicles. excess lights, excess noise. The residents moved into a quiet residential neighborhood with little activity on their streets. The prior council decided it was fair to all to take this away and turn a residential area into a business zone. And lose money besides! This isn’t an airport which would have been obvious and one could have chosen not to live there. Businesses were not permitted in residential areas. And not permitted on areas purchased with Green Acres money. That place is at the opposite extreme from peaceful green acres. Can’t the council show how all this is legal and acceptable? How they can’t be forced out? That the town makes actual money even counting all the funds that the village has expended and will continue to spend? Please come out from hiding under your beds and tell us what is really going on! The council is obviously acting under the assumption if they “see no evil, do no evil” all will just disappear quietly into the mists of time. NOT!!

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Reader says The give away at Habernickle Park is insane

Village_Manager_Roberta_Sonenfeld_theridgewoodblog

This was one of many Roberta favors for a friend with full support from the 3 amigos. If tax payers took a few minutes to get the facts about where their money goes instead of just bitching about parking they would be shocked.
The give away at habernickle Park is insane. Use of 11 acres and all the amenities we tax payers pay for a mere $3700 a month. No water bill either for a gardening business.
Let’s talk liability too.. the VC is ignoring the ridiculous hellbarn contract..who is looking out for us? Say one of the 25-30 kids arriving by bus gets hurt…gets hurt while hiking on the steep terrain ( yes they go into the woods during the healthy eating camp and field trips ) I guess because there isn’t much else to do!! Anyway who will be paying that law suit…YOU the tax payers because the VC is allowing a business to USE the park as part of her business plan!!!
So basically healthbarn charges kids to use a free park…scam or what???
And anything that may go wrong with these “keep busy” activities because the garden is frozen, falls on us tax payers…part of the activities for this healthy eating class (haha) is kids also paying healthbarn to be on the soccer field and hang on the broken nets.. not playing soccer just hanging around and tearing up our nets.
That sounds fun…( NOT) until someone gets hurt and tax payers are paying those bills too along with all the other bills we pay for at the gate house to operate just so Roberta’s friends business makes money!
Thanks VC for not looking into this contract after Roberta left and clearing up any possible liability that may fall upon tax payers.
An overhaul of this lease is long over due!!! Take the time and do it. We cannot afford yet another law suit!

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Former Council Candidate Evan Weitz Defends Past Unethical Behavior of Former Mayor and Village Manager

Roberta

December 12,2017

the staff of the Ridgewood Blog

Ridgewood NJ, In a letter to the editor : A lack of civility in Ridgewood https://www.northjersey.com/story/opinion/readers/2017/12/12/letter-lack-civility-ridgewood/944073001/, former council candidate Evan Weitz sticks up for ethically challenged former Ridgewood Mayor Paul Aronsohn , and former breath of fresh air Village Manager Roberta Sonnefeld .

Wietz like may New Jersey politicians supports the philosophy that the rules are only for the little people and politicians and their flunkies are always above reproach ,they are here for self promotion, self aggrandizement and personal gain at your expense .

The boiler plate letter is almost believable except that it defends a group of people and their supporters who called residents “terrorist” , “grandstanders” , physically attacking legal petitioners in the central business district , mocked people who lived on the far east side of Ridgewood, hosted efforts to silence dissent , attacked businesses that didn’t go along with their schemes and egregious mishandled almost ever public forum they held.

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Reader says The Ridgewood Parking Garage is the Trojan Horse

Hudson Street Parking Garage

As I have said here several times: The village, in the voice of the Village Manager, admitted on April 6, 2016 that we do not have a parking crisis, we have a parking surplus, we have more spots than we have demand for: https://youtu.be/iyufI5C3gKU?t=1h14m

So we know from the facts any garage is all about high density housing led by the local developer. Without it, the over development of Ridgewood cannot happen by this developer and his cohorts who own property at key intersections. Without over development the property owners and this local developer, who paid a lot for the land, cannot make money. They need to develop the lots past what parking on the property supports to maximize rental revenue. The former mayor, former village manager and the local developer lie about Brogan and Ken Smith parking spaces needing to be replaced, spots that are not a part of the village’s parking inventory. The former mayor and former village manager let the Hudson Street lot fall into disrepair, then said in a video paid for with tax dollars, that neglect was a main reason to build a $12m garage.

The garage is the Trojan Horse. The village admits, we don’t need more parking, we don’t even utilize what we have. Higher density, higher congestion, higher fees, and easier profits for the local developer paid for with tax dollars.

When the now ex-village manager says in a propaganda video we have a parking crisis, but her own analysis says we have a surplus, we know there is no crisis.

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Controversial Van Nest Memorial Park Project in Ridgewood on Hold

Village of Ridgewood : Van Neste Memorial Park "Revival" project

file photo by Boyd Loving

September 8,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, by all accounts last nights council meeting was very productive . In a major development Mayor Susan Knudsen  publicly announced that the controversial proposed “revitalization” of Van Neste Memorial Park project has been suspended as of August 27,2016.

 

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