Tag: Village of Ridgewood

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Why on earth would Ridgewood leap into bed with the BCIA????

3 amigos in action Ridgewood NJ

file photo by Boyd Loving

From the archives: Local towns paying heavily for Bergen County loan program meant to save time, money

DECEMBER 28, 2009, 8:47 PM LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, JULY 22, 2010, 2:41 PM
BY STEPHANIE AKIN AND CHRISTOPHER SCHNAARS
STAFF WRITERS |
THE RECORD

This story was originally published Dec. 28, 2009.

A Bergen County loan program touted as a quick and easy way for local governments to pay for big-ticket items has instead plunged some of them into long-term debt.

The five-year-old Municipal Banc was supposed to let cash-strapped towns bypass conventional borrowing methods and get county-backed loans for emergency services and public works projects. The program promised 24-hour loan approval with no red tape, backed by the county’s AAA credit rating.

Most towns and school districts that used the program borrowed only what they needed and spent the money quickly. Many praised the program for its convenience and low fees.

But some towns took out loans for items as inexpensive as rope and firefighter boots, borrowed money long before they intended to make purchases and paid interest on money they never spent. In some cases, their applications were approved even though they provided little information about how the money would be used.

From 2004 to 2008, Rutherford, Fair Lawn and Hackensack let a total of more than $1.6 million in loans sit idly in Commerce Bank accounts while taxpayers paid more than $200,000 in interest and fees. Fair Lawn, for example, waited four years to buy a $130,000 generator.

“That’s like saying, ‘I’m going to buy a house, I’m going to pay a mortgage and interest on the house, but I’m not going to move in for three or four years,’” said Joseph Tedeschi, a Fair Lawn councilman.

TD Bank took over the program after it bought Commerce in March 2008.

Five consultants that donated more than $450,000 to Bergen County Democrats from 2004 to the end of 2008 were paid at least $1.8 million for professional services by the Bergen County Improvement Authority — the agency that oversees the Municipal Banc — including more than $180,000 for services tied to the loans.

Those consultants included Dennis Oury, the former counsel for the BCIA and the Bergen County Democratic Organization. Oury, who pleaded guilty to federal corruption charges in September, collected more than $1.1 million from the BCIA during that period. Oury resigned from the BCIA in early September 2008 after federal officials accused him of fraud.

The program auditor, Ferraioli, Wielkotz, Cerullo & Cuva, also was the auditor in three of the towns that were the heaviest users of the program: Fair Lawn, Hackensack and Rutherford.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/from-the-archives-local-towns-paying-heavily-for-bergen-county-loan-program-meant-to-save-time-money-1.1243384

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Village of Ridgewood Council Meeting : Last night’s horrible ending

Village Council meeting

photo by Boyd Loving

To the Village Council –

I was absolutely shocked at the end of last night’s meeting to witness such extraordinary uncivil and intimidating behavior regarding the taping of public meetings.
First of all, a resident was permitted to verbally attack another resident (who was not even present) and make wild hypothetical accusations about what might or might not be done with a videotape of the meeting.  Both Susan and Michael attempted to stop this diatribe and defend Dana, and Matt Rogers quickly explained that taping is legal as long as the individual is not disruptive.  Susan, Michael, and Matt all did the right thing, and quickly, and I appreciate their actions.  Unfortunately, they were unable to stop the Bob, Albert, and Paul.
Certainly Dana had not been in the least bit disruptive, quietly standing at the side of the room.  That  Bob Fuhrman was allowed to go on and on about how we are all at risk of some sort of unspecified internet wickedness was completely wrong.  Gwenn remained silent, instead of trying to stop this barrage of accusations; silent inaction speaks volumes.  Compounding the mess, Paul and Albert then fueled the conversation, agreeing with Bob Fuhrman, contributing to his rant, and bringing up another meeting (of the HPC) at which Dana was legally taping the proceedings.  Residents as well as elected officials should not be allowed to attack other residents, and should be stopped from doing so immediately.  Unfortunately we have seen you allow as well as participate in  this repeatedly, but last night really went over the top.  Just a few weeks ago I was publicly accused by Albert and Gwenn of being a stalker, a bully, intimidating, and weird because I had my cell phone up while I sat quietly in my seat; again, my taping was completely legal and nondisruptive.
Whether it becomes a requirement that those who wish to tape a meeting must announce their intentions before doing so remains to be seen if Albert introduces his resolution.  But at this time it is not required, so Dana’s actions at the HPC meeting you cited were neither illegal nor disruptive.  (really, since when is sitting quietly in a chair considered to be disruptive?).  And Dana’s actions last night were certainly not in any way disruptive.  Remember, Matt Rogers clearly stated that it is legal to tape these meetings as long as the person is not disruptive.
Last night’s meeting ended on a horrible note thanks to the actions of Albert and Paul, and the inaction of Gwenn.  It was actually horrifying to witness this scene, in which it was clear that you wished to intimidate and discredit one of our citizens.  I am expecting that corrective action will be taken to rectify the damage you have done.
cleardot
Anne Loving

 

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Village of Ridgewood Failed to Send elected representatives to Ridgewood Water mediation session

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January 27,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood failed to send elected representatives to a mediation session Wednesday January 8th that was an effort to settle the long running  class-action lawsuit against Ridgewood Water .Ridgewood Water is a public water utility owned by the village of Ridgewood , which services Ridgewood ,Wyckoff, Midland Park, and Glen Rock.

The class action lawsuit was filed against Ridgewood Water in Superior Court by Wyckoff officials in 2010, with the municipalities of Glen Rock and Midland Park joining the action as plaintiffs a year later.

The municipalities claim that Ridgewood Water artificially inflated its costs by commingling funds with the village budget and the utility raised its rates in 2010 by 21 percent and another 5 percent in 2011 and 2012. In total in the past 7 years rates have increased 37% which the plaintiffs called , “unlawful” and “excessive”.

The suit also contends the rate hikes were approved in an ordinance adopted by the village council, and characterizing these increases as “arbitrary, capricious and unreasonable and, accordingly, should be declared invalid and unenforceable.”

The suit also suggests Ridgewood officials conceived of the fee increases as a way to offset the village’s annual municipal budget using the utility to offset non related expenses .

In a more recent press release the plaintiffs called the rate increase a Village of Ridgewood scheme and that the Village transferred wholly unrelated operating costs to Ridgewood Water and used the rate increase to in-effect subsidize Ridgewood Tax payers with Wyckoff, Midland Park, and Glen Rock rate payers.

This action seeks millions in refunds for customers in all three towns. Refunds paid for by Ridgewood tax payers. While in the past the Mayor seemed to suggest confidence in the resolution of this law suit . The Ridgewood blog has continued to warn over and over that the Village faced significant liabilities due to Ridgewood Water in both billing actions ,infrastructure  and water quality.

A long term plan for either disposal of the utility or a financing major strategic upgrade is long over due .

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Village of Ridgewood Continues to take Lead in Global Efforts of Tuning Waste into Energy

Winter_2009_Waste_Img1

January 25, 2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, New process could enable anaerobic digestion facilities anywhere in the world to capture biogas and use it to produce
renewable energy.

BioHiTech America, a subsidiary of green technology company, BioHiTech Global Inc. (which provides an innovative data-driving solution for
the disposal of food waste), has partnered with Natural Systems Utilities to test a waste to energy process that will enable
BioHiTech’s food waste disposal system to digest, tank and deliver the effluent from its system to anaerobic digestion facilities around the
globe, reported Biomass Magazine.

BioHiTech’s energy from waste system converts foods waste to greywater.

The company’s food waste disposal system is known as the Eco-Safe Digester. It uses an anerobic digestion process to transform food
waste to greywater, which is also referred to as effluent. Usually, the effluent is safely released into the sewage system and individual
wastewater treatment plants, so it can be treated with other waste that is deemed sanitary.

The new process that is being tested will tank the unit’s effluent, which will allow for transportation to an anaerobic digestion plant
where biogas can be captured and utilized to create clean energy.

According to BioHiTech, what makes the Eco-Safe Digester unique is that it performs the hydrolysis stage of anaerobic digestion at the
point of origin. Due to the fact that the anaerobic digestion process starts with the breakdown of solid organics to a liquid slurry, the
effluent can be pumped and transported without problem, arriving at the anaerobic digestion facility in a “predigested” condition. This
makes feedstock transfer more efficient and removes the need for expensive processing at the facility.

Currently, the new waste to energy process is being tested in New Jersey.

Other partners involved in the energy from waste project includes the village of Ridgewood, New Jersey, and Ridgewood Green RME, the latter
of which owns a 240 kW digester biogas power plant and a 20,000 gallon-per-day liquid waste receiving facility.

A supermarket in New Jersey has been selected as a testing ground for the new process. Its waste is transported to an anaerobic digestion
plant that is operated by the village of Ridgewood at its water pollution control plant.

Additionally, in December, BioHiTech installed its Eco-Safe-Digester at a second Dunkin’ Donuts location in New Jersey. Its system is
helping the restaurant to save money on waste management while at the same time keeping its waste out of landfills.

Paul Knowles, director of technical operations of Natural Systems Utilities said that “Early trials to receive the material and feed it
to the digester have proven successful.” Knowles added that the company is “working with BioHiTech to expand the process so that they
can offer this solution to new and existing customers.”

CEO of BioHiTech Global, Fran E. Celli, also commented on the waste to energy project saying that BioHiTech has “developed a process for
those who want their food waste delivered to anaerobic digesters so that it can be converted to clean energy.”

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Village of Ridgewood dump truck driver escaped possible electrocution by jumping from his vehicle

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photos courtesy of Boyd Loving’s Facebook
Village of Ridgewood dump truck driver escaped possible electrocution by jumping from his vehicle

January 26,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, The driver of a Village of Ridgewood owned & operated dump truck escaped possible electrocution by jumping from his vehicle after it became completely entangled in set of high voltage electric wires on Tuesday, 01/26 at approximately 12:30 AM. The truck’s raised dump bed had knocked the wires down as the driver was dumping a load of snow removed from downtown streets in the Graydon Pool parking lot on Linwood Avenue at Northern Parkway in Ridgewood.

Ridgewood PD, FD, and Emergency Services units responded to the scene. A utility pole was snapped in two after the truck hit the wires. A PSE&G crew was called to the scene to temporarily disconnect electric service to the pool facility until the snapped pole can be replaced

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Reader asks whats up with all the Ridgewood Development ?

3 amigos

file photo by Boyd Loving

I hope that since Acting Bergen County Prosecutor Grewal is a neighbor (from Glen Rock), he can see (hear about) the ‘development’ push happening in Ridgewood and try to get to bottom of it.

1. Why is the push for Hudson Street lot and going to BCIA for the money when our council is willing to bond for money for other more appropriate lots. Whats the hidden agenda with Hudson St lot, which is not large enough for self parking garage of 5 stories as per their own walker report? Why is he willing to encroach on to the street for this location? If we can pay 15 million for a garage, we can pay 1M to cleanup the north walnut site. There must be some hidden reason for the push to this location so hard. Lets hope this new prosecutor sees this.

2. Why is there so much push for the multi family housing in the town. Why are two lots that are in two different corners of CDB are being zoned in the same zone? They keep attaching it to ‘COA obligation’ in their arguments, but these are luxury apartments, not affordable units. They keep attaching it to ‘senior living’, but these are not limited to 55 and over. What’s the reason for this push, along with the push for the parking garage.

3. Why is the village administration always releasing information after the fact, i.e. maser report of Oct 15th, was released on Dec 30th, schedler grant application’s open public hearing happened after the application was already submitted with the checkbox stating ‘yes’ to the meeting, healthbarn’s lease was signed and then the public hearing happened, which was supposed to happen before the change of use, friends of schedler house were told that cannnot match the money, while it was accepted from the RBSA.Open Space funding requests were submitted saying ‘no historical property on the site’, while our own village’s HPC submitted the details to the village administration that the Schedler house is historic and must be preserved.

4. OPRA requests are now not affordable in the town. They have now (since last 2-3 months) started charging hundreds of dollars for each OPRA request because they don’t want residents to questions all these things happening at the same time with unprecedented push, without satisfactory answers from the council and administration. The Mayor uses his personal email account for most emails and some of them use their cell phones (text) to communicate, even when they are sitting at the public meetings.

There cannot be smoke without fire. If so many residents are going to these council meetings and they are frequently going to 1-2AM with residents speaking for 6-7 hours, there must be something wrong going on. Hopefully this new prosecutor will look at this and get to the bottom of this, which we the normal residents can’t do without access to all the data.

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Photos of the Blizzard of 2016 Ridgewood New Jersey

Snow Blizzard of 2016 Ridgewood CBD

Photo credit: Boyd A. Loving
the Blizzard of 2016 Ridgewood New Jersey
January 23,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ , braving the snow and the cold,some residents took a walk yesterday during the snow storm. Our ace photographer Boyd Loving hit the town to capture some idyllic snow scenes in the Central Business District in Ridgewood .

How much snow residents report anywhere from 11 to 24 inches.The Village posted 20-28 inches forecasted .

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Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld said in a Facebook post , ” We have plowed the mains at least twice. We have about 40 trucks out on the roads working, So far we are keeping up with the snow which is now estimated at 15 inches into the evening…..where we need help is for residents to not park their cars on the streets – it really hampers the clean up effort and unfortunately we have hit this situation too many times since we started early this a.m. We just sent a Nixle message out and we will communicate as things change or progress. We would love for more people to sign up for theses as well as e-notices…..stay safe, Roberta”

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And now weather advisory would be complete with out a ROBO call from the Mayor : 11:15 – MSG from the Mayor: (Reverse Call)

Good morning.  This is Ridgewood Mayor Paul Aronsohn, and I’m calling to give you a quick update on the winter storm.

The Governor has declared a State of Emergency … and the National Weather Service has increased projected total snow accumulation in our area to 10″-15″.  This includes heavy bands of snow.

A Winter Storm Warning is in effect, which means that the roads are dangerous … the winds are strong … and you are urged to stay off the roads and stay at home.

Village crews and contractors have been out in full force with about 40 vehicles on the road.

On-street parking throughout the Village is prohibited until the streets are cleared or until further notice.  This is very important.  To effectively plow the roads, we need all cars off the streets.

Please check the Village website for storm-related updates … and please sign up for email notifications.  And to the extent possible and necessary, please check on your neighbors.

Thank you and be safe.
Paul S. Aronsohn, Mayor
Village of Ridgewood
@paularonsohn

more photos on the Ridgewood blog Facebook page : https://www.facebook.com/theridgewoodblog/

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Trouble finding parking at Ridgewood HIgh School

RHS Student parking ban theridgewoodblog.net

file photo by Boyd Loving

JANUARY 22, 2016    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2016, 12:31 AM
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

Trouble finding parking at RHS

to the editor:

On Jan. 14, I received a reminder from a fellow parent regarding a pre-high school orientation at RHS at 7.30 p.m. My son attends GW Middle School (eighth grade). After receiving this reminder, and realizing it was 6.45 p.m., I quickly put a jacket on even though I was still in my gym clothes and with a sore throat. I had to make it.

Once I arrived, I made a left turn into the second parking lot (where the RHS marching band truck is parked). It was no later than 7.15 p.m. when I started circling this first lot, then I was excited to see that a car close to the door was going to pull out; actually it was just a parent who probably rushed and left her lights on. I continued circling, then exited this parking lot and turned into the one-way parking lot which was completely full and where parents were parking in the “No Parking Any Time” zone. I decided that’s not going to be me and continued to the original lot; of course at this point lots of parents were probably going around in circles like me, or were just running out of time.

At 7.44 p.m. I received a text from another concerned parent: “Where are you? ”

I stopped and answered: “Driving around trying to find parking, cannot park, not feeling well.”

Parent response: “You have to try.”

So try I did; all of a sudden the arrows were completely confusing. I even had a parent yell at the top of her lungs as in the Mr. Mom movie: “You are doing it wrong.”

At this point it was close to 8. I never give up, but after dealing with tiger moms, helicopter parents and other moms waving their hands in the air in frustration — “We are leaving there is no parking anywhere” — I too exited and did not end up attending the meeting.

I moved to Ridgewood as a single parent of one (widow) in 2007. I want my son to excel; however, is this what we look forward to? How early should one arrive to a meeting? Since there are two middle schools attending this meeting (GW and BF parents), why not split them up? I announced to my family (elderly mother, son and cat) after almost having a panic attack that I would put my for sale sign up the next day. I pay way too much in property taxes to not have a parking place and I refuse to park illegally just to find out I have a ticket or get towed.

My son is adamant about staying in Ridgewood; now I completely understand why outsiders or even locals have to drive around in circles and their frustration. I live two blocks from downtown, so I never had that problem. RHS needs to have a separate orientation just to address and explain the two parking lots to all mom and dads so we don’t “do it wrong.”

Adriana Blauvelt

Ridgewood

https://www.northjersey.com/opinion/opinion-letters-to-the-editor/letter-trouble-finding-parking-at-ridgewood-high-school-1.1497083

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Ridgewood begins budget hearings

Roberta Sonenfeld
file photo by Boyd Loving
JANUARY 22, 2016    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2016, 12:36 PM
BY MATTHEW SCHNEIDER
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

The directors of five municipal departments presented their spending requests as budget season officially got under way at a special Village Council meeting on Wednesday night.

The speakers first went over highlights for 2015, before presenting their requests for the 2016 spending plan.

https://www.northjersey.com/community-news/town-government/ridgewood-begins-budget-hearings-1.1497528

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SAT Test Center Closings

o-STANDARDIZED-TESTS-facebook

Check your test center, and learn about makeup tests.

RegisterNext Tests:1/23 , 3/5

SAT Test Center Closings

Information about SAT test center closings for the January SAT administration date will be posted to this page as it becomes available. If a makeup date or alternate test center information has been confirmed, that information will also be included.

SAT Test Center Supervisors are instructed to notify local media outlets when their centers are unable to open due to inclement weather, natural disaster, power failure, or other problems. Please check your local media for test center closings in your area.

If your center is listed as closed:

  • A new center may appear in the listing. In this case, access your online account and print a new, updated ticket with the new center information noted on it. You must bring your updated ticket with you on test day to the reassigned center.
  • If no new center appears, please be patient while we work to arrange a makeup date — you will be contacted as soon as a makeup is scheduled.  Remember: don’t try to test elsewhere on test day — supervisors cannot admit standbys or walk-ins.

Please note: If you had a Waitlist Ticket for a closed center, your original Waitlist request was canceled, and you are not eligible for makeup testing. Please register for the next available date as soon as possible.

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Village of Ridgewood Snow and Ice Must be Removed from All Sidewalks within 24 hours

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January 21,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
A special reminder to those who have spoken out in opposition to “Council majority” proposals –

Ridgewood NJ, Per section 249-1 of the Village Code, all snow and/or ice must be removed from sidewalks abutting Village streets within 24 hours after a snow storm has ended.  And, the snow and/or ice that you do remove may not be placed in the street so as to impede the flow of traffic.

Based on the enforcement efforts VIllage Manager Roberta Sonenfeld directed toward compliance of the Village’s leaf removal regulations, I suspect the same level of enforcement, or greater, to be directed at compliance of Village snow and ice removal regulations.

And if you don’t think that someone at Village Hall is closely watching the properties of those us who speak out against them, just knock on some doors in the neighborhood surrounding the Irene Habernickel Family Park and ask what happened to some of the TAXPAYERS up there who spoke out publicly against the plan to house HealthBarn USA at 1057 Hillcrest Road.

Remember folks, “Somebody’s going to pay for that.” (Although, it was not meant as a threat.)

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Readers say Village of Ridgewood Should Protect The Schedler Bald Eagles

bald eagle

Their natural habitats are shrinking and they are looking for nesting places all along the busy highways, turnpikes etc. where the can gather dead wood. They build huge nests. They check an area out long before they lay their eggs and maybe noise isn’t one of their concerns.

Thank you James for this article. Ever since I’ve learned about The Schedler Bald Eagles I have been reading up on them. In 1782 the Bald Eagle became the national/ bird symbol of the USA. It was chosen because it was native to North America and known for its ” majestic beauty, great strength and longevity.” In 1940, the Bald Eagle was protected under the National Emblem Act . During the years of DDT use, their numbers shrank at an alarming rate. They are now on the endangered species list and cannot be ” hassled, sold, killed or disturb their nesting sites.” I don’t know a single kid/ young adult who would choose a 90 foot field if it meant the loss of the woods that have become a possible home for two pairs of American Bald Eagles. We can have a smaller field, save the woods, protect the neighbors from noise and particle pollution and protect our national bird at a cost of nothing! What a great deal. Now to convince the council majority and the village manager.

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Is this how “somebody’s going to pay for this” actually works?

Village Council Meeting

January 17,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ , A resident who recently spoke out at a Village Council meeting in opposition to a plan being promoted by the “Council majority” reported to me that within a few days of making those comments, a Village of Ridgewood employee visited his/her home, conducted an unannounced property maintenance inspection, and issued a summons to the resident.

Wondering if the timing of the inspection was in any way related to the comments he/she made at the recent Village Council meeting, or just a coincidence, the resident informally checked with several other people who had publicly voiced opposition to a “Council majority” plan and found, surprisingly, that a few others had also recently received summonses for property maintenance related issues.

The staff of The Ridgewood Blog wonders how many of you out there received a summons in connection with a property maintenance related issue shortly after speaking at a Village Council meeting?

We’d love to hear from you with as many specifics as you’d care to share.

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Village Ignores Rare Bald Eagles and Black Crested Heron sighted on Schedler property

bald eagle

January 17,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, 4 American Bald Eagles and a black crested heron , all on the endangered species list. According to the Conserve Wildlife Foundation Bald Eagles are extremely sensitive to human disturbance. At no time should anyone approach nesting eagles. People who want to observe or photograph eagles and who come too close may actually cause the birds to abandon a nest. In 2014, there were 156 pairs of bald eagles monitored in the state of New Jersey. Apparently the Village of Ridgewood is well aware  https://mods.ridgewoodnj.net/…/2015schedlergrantupdate.pdf if see Page 16 of a document Roberta signed . Unfortunately the page was magically removed from the Village website.

Included with this article is a copy of the original and we posted it for your viewing pleasure .If you scroll down you will see where these birds are listed but they checked N/A disregarding their endangered species classification. n a recent council meeting Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld called them some animals who happened to be running around at that location.
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Village of Ridgewood Owned Dump Truck Spills Transmission Fluid on South Bound Route 17 ramp

village of Ridgewood dump truck

photos courtesy of Boyd Loving’s Facebook

Village of Ridgewood Owned Dump Truck Spills Transmission Fluid on South Bound Route 17 ramp

January 14,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, A municipally owned dump truck equipped with a salt spreader and snow plow lost its entire load of transmission fluid at the intersection of Linwood Avenue and the Route 17 southbound on ramp at approximately 7:30 AM on Thursday, 01/14. Ridgewood FD personnel were called to contain the spill, while a Ridgewood PD unit stood by until the truck could be removed from the traveled roadway.