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.)
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.
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.
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.
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.
JANUARY 15, 2016 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, JANUARY 15, 2016, 12:31 AM
BY MARK KRULISH
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
The temperatures have turned a little colder since the start of the New Year, but the weather has remained unseasonably pleasant in northern New Jersey.
Most notably, the past couple of months have lacked the cycle of snowstorms that blanketed the region in each of the past two years with several feet of powder, which can cause havoc for many municipalities as they attempt to keep streets clear and safe.
Instead, the village has been able to focus on tasks not normally associated with this time of year.
Director of Operations Rich Calbi said without snow, village employees can spend more time on routine maintenance, such as fixing potholes. The unseasonable warmth has allowed workers to continue using hot asphalt to fill potholes, which Calbi said tends to have a longer lifespan than a substance known as cold patch.
However, Calbi said the relative lack of potholes in the village is due to the investment made last year in completing numerous paving projects.
“The village put forth a major effort budget-wise with infrastructure,” said Calbi. “They completed miles of road this year and that has a great effect on how many potholes we have had to fill.”
Other such routine maintenance includes the cleaning of catch basins and performing additional cleanups of the roadways beyond leaf season.
In past years, the end of leaf season and the beginning of snowy weather have occurred back-to-back, but a dearth of snow has allowed the village to perform extra sweeps post-leaf collection to pick up extra debris.
A not-so-obvious reason is the relativism of modern moral discourse, best expressed in the theory known as “emotivism.”
Daniel Lattier | October 28, 2015
Many in our audience express dismay about people not being able to discuss hot-button issues – politics, religion, race, sexuality – without it devolving into anger and name-calling.
Why is it that people can’t have a disagreement without taking things so damn personally?
Well, one obvious reason is human nature. Our positions on controversial topics are usually the manifestations of some of our most deeply held principles. It can take years of education and growth to meet disagreements with these with magnanimity.
But I think a not-so-obvious reason is the relativism of modern moral discourse, best expressed in the theory known as “emotivism.”
In After Virtue, Alasdair MacIntyre wrote that “emotivism has become embodied in our culture.”
He defined it as “… the doctrine that all evaluative judgments and more specifically all moral judgments are nothing but expressions of preference, expressions of attitude or feeling.” In other words, emotivism holds that there can be no way of rationally justifying one’s claims about those controversial issues mentioned above.
Ridgewood Public Schools will drive emptynesters out of the village. The cycle is moving faster. Soon the town will be unable to afford all the kids in the district with special needs and the red-shirted “gifted”. Our reputation for quality schools is not based on out full/half day K program.
Full day K will definitely raise my taxes, it will not increase the quality of a Ridgewood Education.
I am saying this as someone who moved to the town before I had children . I paid taxes before, during and after I had children in the district. No one moves to Ridgewood for full day K. There are many great enrichment programs, some with transportation for working parents. Be grateful for what you have.
This survey is more likely to be filled out by people with preschool children. How are they reaching residents of all ages? They made it easy to be filled out by one part of the population Click here to take the survey.
It is not hard to take this survey more than once. I hope that the board does not think that this is a representative sample of taxpayers
Ridgewood NJ , Anthony Lillo took the helm as director and chief of Ridgewood Emergency Services on Jan. 9.Lillo, 57, was sworn in by Ridgewood Mayor Paul Aronsohn at the Departments annual installation dinner. Lillo’s emergency services career began in 1991 and he joined Ridgewood Special Operations in 1999. Lillo, an EMT, has served in various leadership positions during his tenure, most recently as deputy chief.
Chief Lillo has worked with Ridgewood Central Dispatch and has extensive background in computer disaster recovery and disaster management as a project manager. He is enrolled in the Certified Public Managers Program at Rutgers University. Chief Lillo succeeds Brian Pullman who retired after serving as director and chief of Ridgewood Emergency Services for 10 years.
Robert Greenlaw, the founder, director and chief of emergency services for 25 years, praised Pullman’s commitment and service saying he helped make the organization what it is today. Pullman joined Ridgewood Emergency Services in 1993.
In addition to Lillo being named director and chief, the other officers were announced during the installation dinner. The 2016 officers include: Deputy Chief Ryan Savaria; Medical Director Dr. Bob Lahita; Public Information Officers Richard Breining and Bob Krane; EMS Captain Murray Yang; EMS Lieutenants John Baker, Brendan Fischer, Emily Benjamin and James Bigos; Special Operations Captain John Epperlein; Special Operations Lieutenants Mike Butler, Eric Frielink and Ace Antonio; Teens in Emergency Services (TIES) Captain Corrine Scarpa; and TIES Lieutenant Kevin Scarpa.
In 2015, Ridgewood Emergency Services responded to 1704 requests for assistance. This amounts to 19,236 hours donated by the volunteers to the Village of Ridgewood on active duty. It does not include time spent on training, meetings, meeting and event preparation. A cost savings of over $1 million dollars to the Village of Ridgewood.
Ridgewood Nj, Peter Deuber of Ridgewood, New Jersey passed away Monday, January 4th at Select Specialty Hospital in Rochelle Park, New Jersey. He was born in Manhattan on January 17,1932 and grew up in Ridgewood, New Jersey. He attended Ridgewood High School and majored in Economics at Columbia. He worked in sales and the building trade in New Jersey. Peter had a great love of gardening, landscaping, and horticulture. > > Peter leaves behind his loving long term partner, Helen Eagy, ex-wife Mary Lou, and cousin Robert Huber; his two daughters: Nancy Gameson (Lyn) and Sharon Richter (Marc); five grandchildren: Ceri Gameson, Victoria Richter, Margaret Richter, Abigail Richter, and Joshua Richter. Burial will be private.
Tuesday, January 12, 2016 – 7:30pm – Benjamin Franklin Middle School- Impact Study presentations for Multifamily housing, North Walnut Redevelopment Zone, Hudson Street Parking Garage -Presentations by Vendors: a. Heyer, Gruel & Associates b. Maser Consulting c. Ross Haber Associates d. The RBA Group e. BFJ Planning/Urbanomics
Alpine $20,880.00
Tenafly $18,787.00
Demarest $17,937.00
Upper Saddle River $17,112.00
Haworth $16,940.00 Ridgewood $16,798.00
Saddle River $16,670.00
Franklin Lks $16,635.00
Old Tappan $15,765.00
Glen Rock $15,157.00
Woodcliff lake $15,139.00
HoHoKus $15,045.00
Allendale $14,551.00
Oradell $13,796.00
Wyckoff $13,280.00
Midland Park $11,020.00
Waldwick $10,396.00
Washington Twp 10,157.00
Fair Lawn $10,012.00
Mahwah $8,154.00
file photo by Boyd Loving
EXCLUSIVE: Property taxes up $537 million
HOLD ONTO YOUR WALLETS: PROPERTY TAXES IN NEW JERSEY INCREASED BY THEIR FASTEST RATE IN FOUR YEARS IN 2015.
Michael Symons,
Hold onto your wallets: Property taxes in New Jersey increased by their fastest rate in four years in 2015, with landowners shelling out an extra $537 million.
The hike pushed the average local tax bill to $8,354 for homeowners, up $193 from the prior year, according to data compiled exclusively by the Asbury Park Press. That’s an increase of 2.4 percent, despite a supposed 2 percent cap enacted in 2010.
The jump marks the second straight year New Jersey’s property tax hike has gotten bigger, after three years of slowing growth in Gov. Chris Christie’s first term. Monmouth and Ocean counties fared worse most of the state with tax boosts of 2.6 percent and 3.3 percent, respectively.
The trend undercuts one of Christie’s selling points as he touts his gubernatorial record on the GOP presidential campaign trail. On his campaign website, Christie says property taxes are rising at their slowest pace “in more than two decades.” Growth has grown since dipping to 1.3 percent in 2013.
The new accounting tells a costly different story — in a state where homeowners already pay the highest-in-the-nation property taxes. That burden helped drive nearly 14,000 to sign an Asbury Park Press petition urging elected officials to cut property taxes. The petition came in tandem with Asbury Park Press’s investigation of the tax crisis last fall.
Stay or leave?
Adrienne DiPietro’s property taxes have tripled in the 20 years she has lived in Eatontown. She remains optimistic elected officials will do something about the problem but says “I’m not holding my breath.” She is considering whether she and her husband, Paul, will stay in New Jersey. Both are retirees.
“All of our retirement income, we have to start thinking about this in the next five years or so: Do we want to stay here and keep coughing up that much taxes?” DiPietro said. “Do we want to stay here, because the taxes are only going up and up?”
Ridgewood NJ, Petitions are available for any Ridgewood registered voter seeking the position of Village Councilmember, in the Village Clerk’s Office at Village Hall, 131 North Maple Avenue, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except legal holidays.
The Village Clerk will accept petitions which contain the valid signatures of at least 164 registered voters who live in Ridgewood, as required by law.
Three Village Council seats, which have four year terms, will be up for election. The terms begin July 1, 2016. The deadline for filing the petitions with the Village Clerk is no later than 4:00 P.M., March 7, 2016.
Remember the mantra of the 3 amigos( Paul, Gwen and Albert) that all the problems in Ridgewood was Mr. Gabberts fault. Now they and their
surrogate are blaming the residents. Who are they going to blame in the future?
Well we have certainly turned a corner when a group starts calling themselves the complainers.
For all those that think this is something new, it’s not. It’s not this council, it’s been every council. We saw it with Graydon where plans for improvement were attacked, contributors to that process were demonized personally and professionally. We certainly saw it with the current long, not yet complete, process with Valley (which duplicated the process Valley went through here in the 80’s — I was there for that too), village hall construction, the original parking proposal that the Mayor’s 2008 web page was about, the train station renovation, giant telephone poles, you name it. We’ll see it on whatever comes next. When a small percentage of the population — c’mon people no matter your definition, a few hundred at a council meeting is a small percentage of the population of 25,000 — can block potential solutions to big problems, then you will have zero progress. Zero. You get no change and no change equals no improvement. And in the long run no change equals slow, grinding, decline. You want to know what’s not Ridgewood? Slow, grinding decline, That’s not Ridgewood but that’s exactly what we have at Graydon (in-town membership totals don’t lie), at Valley (Hackensack is cleaning their clock) and in the CBD (we heard it straight from the CBD on Wednesday) and maybe you haven’t noticed but there are two giant dilapidated car dealerships and a run down toxic site in the middle of our quaint picturesque village.
It’s a lot of fun to cheer for your neighbors at council meetings, find that latest gotcha entry in the donor list or some 7 year old web page, and post on Facebook about what a hero of the common people you are but unless you are working for realistic pragmatic answers to real problems that exist in the village you are participating in its inexorable demise. Complaining feels good. Working for solutions takes hard work. From my chair we have far too much of the first and not nearly enough, on any side, of the second. The path forward isn’t cheering at council meetings when saying no to things. It’s figuring our the answer that all sides are a little unhappy with. And before I leave this here: 1] Yes I volunteer in a number of positions to try to help already 2] You couldn’t pay me enough to sit on the dais in that council room on Wednesday nights so this is not some kind of announcement and 3] I have zero relationship with any of the entities mentioned and the only stake I have in the conversation is the value of my home and my sense for what it means to be an active informed citizen. And finally,I didn’t call anyone a complainer here, you did that and they agree with you.
332 Eastside Ave, Ridgewood, NJ Presented by Michael Shetler.
Open House 1-4 today
(201) 421-0506
Youll be amazed when you enter this colonial cape – every square inch has been beautifully updated, even the walls! The owners have spared no expense in turning this homes interior into a stunning modern showplace. From the moment you open the new front door just about everything you see is new – the staircase with richly stained newell posts and handrails, the hardwood flooring, even the doors and the recessed lighting. Adjoining the living room is a beautiful brand new kitchen featuring light-colored engineered stone tops, wood cabinets and stainless appliances including a wine fridge. You can eat at the island or turn the first floor bedroom into your dining room. A magnificent 1st floor bath includes a tiled shower stall with frameless glass enclosure. Upstairs are 4 full bedrooms and a 2nd new bath. The renovated lower level has a comfortable media room on one side and storage on the other. A fenced backyard completes this picture perfect home!
MLS # 1535930
456 E Saddle River Rd, Ridgewood, NJ 07450
3 Bedroom, 2 Full Bath,
1 Half Bath, Ranch Thomas Panso, Sales Associate Keller Williams Valley Realty
