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Wine-down Wednesday, Paint n’ Sip with Women Gardeners of Ridgewood

Pinot's Palette

photo courtesy of Pinot’s Palette
Wed, March 14, 2018
Time: 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Location: Pinot’s Palette, 25 Oak St., Ridgewood, NJ 07450

Ridgewood NJ, Wine-Down Wednesday Paint n’ Sip …Join fellow gardeners at Pinot’s Palette
for nibbles, giggles & painting fun…

March 14 from 5-7pm (arrive at 4:30pm)
25 Oak Street
Ridgewood, NJ 07450

Register by clicking the link below or pay at the doors $37.
https://www.pinotspalette.com/ridgewood/event/207438

Thanks for supporting
The Women Gardeners of Ridgewood.

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All Seasons Chamber Players will Perform Annual Concert at Emmanuel Baptist Church

All Seasons Chamber Players

All Seasons Chamber Players will Perform Annual Concert at Emmanuel Baptist Church
Sun, March 18, 2018
Time: 3:00 PM
Location: Emmanuel Baptist Church, 14 Hope Street, Ridgewood, NJ 07450

Ridgewood Nj, the All Seasons Chamber Players will perform at Emmanuel Baptist Church on Sunday, March 18, 2018 at 3:00 pm for an annual Community Concert, entitled “Classical, Romantical, and Jazzical, “honoring the musical legacy of William F. Wilkins. Celebrated works to be performed include Schubert, Debussy, Rechtman, and Smetana.
Admission is free and open to the public.

During the intermission, a free will offering will be taken up for the Center for Food Action (CFA).

Following the concert, all are invited to a Meet the Artists reception with complimentary light refreshments in the Peace Lounge.

For more information, call the church office at (201)444-7300 or visit www.emmanuelridgewood.org or www.facebook.com/EmmanuelRidgewood/.

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Harwin worked alongside Vagianos in the failed “Flip The 40th Campaign”

Itsgreektome_theridgewoodblog

March 11,2018

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Facebook post from September shows Alexandra Harwin campaigning for Paul (the Wall)  Vagianos another promoter of high density housing and destruction of the Village character.

Alexandra Harwin
September 7, 2017

Hi all! I am hoping to do lots of canvassing for the Flip the 40th campaign, but I need someone to watch my kids (ages 3.5 and 1) during canvassing hours, as my husband (a rabbi) works Saturday and Sunday mornings during prime canvassing hours. Would anyone else with kids be interested in combining forces and hiring a babysitter together so we can canvas?

The Flip The 40th Campaign was the name of the campaign to get Paul (the wall) Vagianos elected to state assembly .

Thomas Duch For State Senate

Paul Vagianos and Christine Ordway For State Assembly

WHEN
April 16, 2017 at 10am – 12pm
WHERE
It’s Greek To Me
21 E Ridgewood Ave Ridgewood NJ 07450 USA
Ridgewood, NJ 07450
United States

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Ridgewood High School All Set for #NationalSchoolWalkout initiative

RHS_Sign_theridgewoodblog

March 11,2018

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Nice to see the $105,000,000 school budget not go to waste and of coarse its always a please seeing adults use children for political purposes . The #NationalSchoolWalkout initiative is promoted by Women’s March Youth Empower. The national walkout is to take place March 14 at 10 a.m. for 17 minutes—one for each person who killed on the Marjory Stoneman Douglas campus on Valentine’s Day. Per the group’s web page, other participating high schools in Bergen County include Hackensack High School, Paramus High School, Lyndhurst High School, Fusion Academy in Englewood, Paramus Catholic High School, Ridgewood High School, Emerson Junior/Senior High School, Tenafly High School, Cresskill High School, Pascack Hills High School in Montvale, Northern Highlands Regional High School in Allendale, and Mahwah High School.

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Colonial Paramus’ rich history — however you spell it — is really Ridgewood’s history to celebrate

ridgewood paramus

March 11,2018

by John Paquin‎
Originally posted Vintage Ridgewood New Jersey

Ridgewood NJ, How do you spell “Paramus”? “R-I-D-G-E-W-O-O-D”! Colonial Paramus’ rich history — however you spell it — is really Ridgewood’s history to celebrate, and the Zabriskie-Schedler House is a visible, physical tie to that past that Ridgewood taxpayers own, and owe to future generations.

But how do you really spell it? Let’s count some of the ways.

First, the name is Lenape or more properly Munsee, the local branch of the Lenape indian nation that occupied the land along the “Sadle River” when the first Dutch settlers arrived circa 1675. It’s most commonly thought to mean “land of turkeys” (which, as Jackie Hone correctly pointed out — is true once again!).

The indians of course did not “spell” it, but they did convey the name to the “original owner” Albert Zabriskie (yes that family — more on that later).

Here’s some of the many spellings:

Parames: 1708 English deed
Perampsepus: 1709 Indian grant
Peremis: 1731 call for minister for the church
Pyramus: 1780 George Washington correspondence
Perhamus: 1780 directions to the church from Albert Zabriskie — another one — a Tory! — to the British for their attack.
Paramus: Col. McPherson in his report of that attack
Paramus: auditing report for the building of the “new” church” in 1803

So the modern spelling seems to have firmly taken hold by the turn of the 19th C.

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Ridgewood Professional Firefighters Don’t Forget to change the batteries in our smoke and CO detectors

ridgewood fire fighters

March 11,2018

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood Professional Firefighters FMBA Local 47 , reminds us that while most of us have had a long difficult week dealing with weather and power issues and we hope that everyone has gotten through safely.
Now, this weekend, we need to change the batteries in our smoke and CO detectors to make certain that they work if needed. Also, don’t forget to check the date on the device. Smoke detectors have a life span of 10 years and CO’s have a life span of 7 to 10 years according to the manufacturer.

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Be Very Careful with the Overzealous Criticism of the Current Village Council

jeff voigt

March 11,2018

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Jeff Voigt continues to attempt to undermine his council mates by promoting long shot candidate Alexndra Harwin , Harwin has just kicked off her campaign with a series of coffees attended by the usually suspects . Critics have called Harwin and Aronsohn puppet because she has the full support of Aronsohn, Pucciarelli “the only man in Ridgewood” with a full time job  and Hauck ,aka the 3 amigos , Rurik Halaby, and former Village manager “breath of fresh air” Roberta Sonenfeld .

While overzealous criticism of the current village council has been notable of late on the Ridgewood blog , once again I will remind you with the exception of Jeff Voigt who has been busy digging his own grave ,these are the same group of people that most notable pushed high density housing which many say will destroy the very character of the Village of Ridgewood , they also pushed for the ridiculous Valley Expansion that would have a density equal to the former world trade center site in New York City  , they made a total mess with the “traffic easing ” under the railroad trestle  cutting the west side of town off from the central business district ,forced Graydon to build an ADA ramp that gets slippery when wet,   the high density housing is now forcing tax payers to foot the bill for the Hudson Street parking garage, oh and lest we not forget the topic of the day the worst business deal  in the history of Ridgewood ,the HealthBarn lease , which put a private business in the middle of a public park at far below market rate rent and forced tax payers to subsidize that business .

These people are force behind Alexndra Harwin, who seems to be running on a platform of putting a gay or rainbow flag in everyone’s front yard .  Which brings up a whole new set off issues ; first because of the antics of the Harwin ‘s friends at the Community Relations Advisory Board of Ridgewood and Glen Rock  a group dedicated to race baiting , virtue signaling social media shaming , the Village in the near future may have to deal with the American Nazi party wanting to post a flag in town and because of the action of a few along with former Bergen Record editor Alfred Doblin who even used a child’s suicide to push his bigoted agenda may be forced to comply .  Worse yet  the rainbow flag forced on the Village is an incorrect rainbow flag and consider a “White Only” rainbow flag akin to flying the Confederate flag which  excludes  people of color.

On June 16th 2017 the Ridgewood blog reported , “Philadelphia is redefining the LGBT pride flag. The city has a launched a new campaign, “More Color More Pride,” adding one black and one brown stripe to the traditional six colored rainbow. The new design will be, from top to bottom: black, brown, red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple.

“The black and brown stripes are an inclusionary way to highlight black and brown LGBTQIA members within our community,” said one source involved with the flag-raising event who asked not to be named. “With all of the black and brown activism that’s worked to address racism in the Gayborhood over the past year, I think the new flag is a great step for the city to show the world that they’re working toward fully supporting all members of our community.”

A spokesperson for the event would not confirm the new design, but in a statement described the flag reveal as “a special, can’t-be-missed unveiling and raising of a brand-new Pride flag which promises to be a step toward inclusivity, to spur dialogue within the community, and to impact the worldwide conversation.”

Lookin for input from the LGBTQ Black and Brown community. Will be inttoduced at Philly Pride this year.In 1978, artist Gilbert Baker designed the original rainbow flag. An iconic symbol of LGBTQ+ unity. So much has happened since then. A lot of good, but there’s more we can do. Especially when it comes to recognizing people of color in the LGBTQ+ community. To fuel this important conversation, we’ve expanded the colors of the flag to include black and brown. It may seem like a small step. But together we can make big strides toward a truly inclusive community. (Black Lives Matter Hudson Valley) “

While in other matters we see constant complaints about the conditions of the roads in Ridgewood , perhaps it would be better to check with PSEG as to when their major upgrade of infrastructure will be done . Oh that’s right you can’t because of former Mayor Aronsohn criticism of PSEG during hurricane Sandy . At one point Village Hall electricity was mysteriously cut and in one of the most foolish attempts to play the blame game in modern history , the former mayor not only put his foot in his mouth but coupled with the errant law suit over utility poles put Ridgewood on PSE&G’s  perpetual sh$t list . This left the current mayor to do damage control and work diligently to repair that very damaged relationship, which she has done a great job.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Daylight Saving Time Begins at 2:00 a.m March 11th

clock

March 10,2018

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, don’t for get to spring forward , Daylight saving time (DST) or summer time is the practice of advancing clocks during summer months by one hour so that evening daylight lasts an hour longer, while sacrificing normal sunrise times. Typically, regions with summer time adjust clocks forward one hour close to the start of spring and adjust them backward in the autumn to standard time.

Traditionally most of the United States begins Daylight Saving Time at 2:00 a.m. on the second Sunday in March and reverts to standard time on the first Sunday in November. In the U.S., each time zone switches at a different time.This year 2018 March 11th Daylight Saving Time at 2:00 a.m and goes till November 4th.

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More Road Work on the Way for Ridgewood in 2018

roadwork

March 10,2018

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Street Paving has been another major point of contention the last couple of years ,especially with PSE&G  and Ridgewood Water digging up the streets working on infrastructure improvements .
According to Councilmen Ramon Hache , last year  the Village  spent $2 million on paving roads.

Improvements the roads will continue from 2017. The Village council recently appropriated $2.16 million for the 2018 road paving program which will begin this spring. Bergen County has appropriated $13 million for road paving this year. We will be working with the County to ensure they repair the County roads in Ridgewood which are clearly the worst in the entire Village.

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Ridgewood Hudson Street Parking Garage , Where do we go from here ?

Hudson garage

March 10 2018

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Councilmen Ramon Hache gets us up to date on the Hudson garage. Hache says that , ” In addition to the interviews with developers for the Hudson Street Parking Garage on February 21, the Village Council reviewed and discussed the results of the Walker Feasibility Study at the Public Work Session on Wednesday, February 28.”

Walker Consultants were hired to perform a feasibility study which includes both the financial analysis and the parking allocation plan for the Hudson Street Garage. The study provides a planning-level analysis of net operating income potential for the parking system when the new garage is complete, including rate adjustments that will help maintain a parking utility that is self-supporting.

According to the councilmen , “Walker makes several assumptions, including a cost of $12 million and financing at 3%. At this time, even before negotiating, we are already seeing several viable options in the range of approximately $9.5 million to $11 million. Also, given our AAA credit rating, we should be able to finance at a rate lower than 3%.”

These are the highlights of Walker’s recommendations to pay for the garage:

Increase hourly meter rates from currently $0.50 to $0.75 in the second half of 2018; increase to $1.25 in 2020; increase to $1.50 in 2025.
Extend meter hours from currently 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Allocate 60% of the garage spaces to commuters and employees (monthly) and 40% to shoppers and diners (hourly).

Then the councilmen went on to discuss financing options, “I think we should explore short-term (3 years) interest-only financing in order to allow us to build a substantial cushion before bonding for 25 years. It would also help us smooth out future parking meter rate increases. I also suggest we allocate 75% (top three floors) to monthly passes and 25% (the first floor) to shoppers and diners. This will ensure that by early January each year, we would have locked in at least 75% of the projected garage revenue.”

Hache says, “The Hudson Garage would be part of the Parking Utility, which means it would be funded directly by revenues received through meter rates. That is why the Walker Feasibility Study only contemplates rate adjustments and extended meter hours, and not special assessments or tax increases.”

Hache concludes , “The Village Council will now begin negotiations with the garage developers with the goal of selecting a final proposal that balances the best fit, value, functionality, and design. Designating the existing Hudson Street lot as an area in need of redevelopment in 2017, has allowed us the opportunity to negotiate directly with the construction companies, instead of simply accepting or rejecting the bids. One company already reduced their original bid by over $1.37 million.”

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Reader asks what does HealthBarn have on Ridgewood ?

snow storm healthbarn

photo transformer down on Hillcrest

You have got to be kidding!!! Susan, to the best of my knowledge you want to be reelected and you are not brain dead. What does this woman have on the town of Ridgewood? It has to be current or the council would not have done this. I’ll be honest. This present council, you included, have just put the final nail in your coffins. All you have done since taking office is spend, spend, spend. This woman is running a partially illegal operation (Have you ever looked at her insurance or is that something else the Village is paying for?) and taking the whole park for her personal use with, obviously, the council’s permission. I know your sons’ appointments fit legal guidelines but I’m even beginning to partially believe the constant slams about that that you receive. It is beginning to look like that may be the ONLY accomplishment you are going to be able to claim for your actions during this term! Residents and town businesses are suffering and you put generators in a business that is not even earned by a village resident!!! You must think the taxpayers of this town are total idiots and you are proving that with almost every action you take. How can you look at yourself in the mirror?

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No Injuries Reported for late Friday afternoon crash at the intersection of Dayton Street and South Maple Avenue in Ridgewood

Ridgewood Police

photos courtesy of Boyd Loving’s Facebook page

March 10,2018

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, A two (2) vehicle late Friday afternoon crash at the intersection of Dayton Street and South Maple Avenue in Ridgewood resulted in a response by Ridgewood Police and Fire Department personnel. One (1) summons was issued in connection with the injury free collision. Both vehicles were towed from the scene.

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State Law Requiring Less Permits could result in a $35k-$45k revenue drop for the Village’s building department

stock photo architectural blueprints rolls 100682866

March 10,2018

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, while we are glad to see the state of New Jersey lesson the regulatory bite and we have extreme doubts as to the net effect on any decrease in safety ie the Avolon Housing Complex fire , the fact remains that the Village will lose revenue by a state law no longer requiring permits for roofing, sheet rock, some plumbing, chimney liners.

During tonight’s budget hearing, and in response to a taxpayer’s question, Village Manager Heather Mailander repeated what Village Council members were told during last week’s budget hearing – It is estimated that changes to the NJ State Laws regarding building permitting requirements (permits no longer needed for roofing, sheet rock, some plumbing, chimney liners, etc.) could result in a $35k-$45k revenue drop to the Village’s building department. The estimate is based on an absence in 2018 of the same number & type of permits applied for in 2017

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Generators at the Habernickel Gate House Spark Outrage with Readers as Residents Go Without Power

COLD

“Generators have been placed at the Habernickel Gate House to avoid taxpayer funding of costly repairs resulting from frozen pipes, water heaters etc.”

Huh? Really? How many “generators” were placed at the facility? Is the temperature in the house being kept at just above freezing, or is it business as usual for the Healthbarn people? Are Healthbarn’s classes being allowed to continue despite the road conditions in the area? Why wasn’t the water just drained so the pipes don’t freeze? A weak excuse at best Mayor.

CONFIRMATION!!!! Mayor Knudsen just posted on FaceBook… “generators (plural) placed at the Gate House will prevent damage from frozen pipes, water heaters, etc. The Village is the property owners and costly repairs would be borne by Ridgewood taxpayers.

I just lost all respect for the Village employees who think it’s ok to put a business run by a non resident ahead of tax payers. No matter what they could possibly say they could never justify hooking up a generator so a for profit business can run while surrounding homes & families are suffering. What Hillcrest doesn’t need is more traffic being rerouted just to get to a Healthbarn class or party. If they want to protect the house against pipes freezing then no tenants should be in it. That’s not the case she came during the storm looked like she spent the night (violation against her lease) was at the house today. Neighbors are also at risk of pipes freezing & we are very worried but no clean up happening. It took 2 village trucks to hook the generator up while that was going on I had to be rerouted just to go 1 mile. The village employees that were at the gatehouse could of been picking up branches or trimming hanging branches from trees that would of been a better use of tax payer dollars.

Wake up Ridgewood Residents. There are SEVERAL improvements being done at this house – without increasing the rent.
The rent was set at a price based on certain condition of the house. Since it was rented MULTIPLE improvements was done – and they are HIDDEN in different budget codes (some from parks and recs, some from open space, some in capital improvement), so no one can track them.
All these expenses should have caused a rent increased. Also watch out in spring and summer – she is going to put out a tent EVERY DAY and occupy the park land and the play area.

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IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM Mayor Susan Knudsen: Restoring Power to All Ridgewood Residents

PSEG

file photo by Boyd Loving

March 9,2018

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, The Village is working very closely with PSEG to restore power to all Ridgewood residents still without power. Most of our streets without power have been placed on the PSEG priority list. Power has been restored to many areas, still some of our homeowners are still in the dark. I’ve participated in several conference calls with PSEG, the most recent at 2pm, and I’ve been assured crews are in the Village and working to finish the restoration work. Crews are working throughout affected areas including the Hillcrest/Beechwood area where they are assessing damage.

The priority list includes the following areas: Hillcrest/Beachwood/Andover/Woodland, Highland/Mountain/Grandview/McKinley, Fairmount, Linwood, Doris, Libby. If I failed to mention a street it’s likely on the priority list; however, email me asap sknudsen@ridgewoodnj.net

Thanks to everyone for alerting me when power comes back on line, doing so helps whittle down the list and helps expedite the process.
Please remember, posting on Facebook is helpful but official communications are much more effective. Kindly email any concerns to Mayor Knudsen sknudsen@ridgewoodnj.net, Village Manager hmailander@ridgewoodnj.net, copy to Deputy Mayor Mike Sedon msedon@ridgewoodnj.net

Over the past few days Village employees have worked around the clock. Emergency responders answered calls during the storm, and Parks Department workers continue to clear trees and opening roads to travel in the hours and days after. Ridgewood employees and emergency responders are working hard but are prohibited from working around downed power lines until PSE&G deems it safe.

**PSEG HAS NOTIFIED ME THAT CREWS HAVE BEEN DISPATCHED TO THE HILLCREST/BEECHWOOD AREA

**Generators have been placed at the Habernickel Gate House to avoid taxpayer funding of costly repairs resulting from frozen pipes, water heaters etc