>Glen Rock PD To Use Pease Memorial Library Building?
>The Pease Memorial Library building, located at 30 Garber Square Ridgewood,
is being considered as the site Glen Rock Police Department officers will
call home during renovations planned for their current headquarters at Glen
Rock Borough Hall. According to a report in the May 29th edition of The
Record, Ridgewood Mayor David T. Pfund and Village Council members have not
yet discussed this proposal.
Use of unoccupied space at Pease has been a hot topic of discussion at
several Village Council meetings in recent years. The building’s entire
main floor became available for use when Ridgewood’s Police Department moved
back to Village Hall in August of 2005. Council members have not yet
reached agreement as to what should be done with the vacant space. The
local League of Women Voters chapter has suggested the space be designated
as for “public use only,” while others suggest it be rented out to the
highest bidder, with revenues directed to the Library’s operating budget.
>Ridgewood Republican Club Meeting
>Update: fly on the wall
>the Ridgewood blog has learned that ,in November Dr. Porter will be starting his fifth year of a five-year contract. If he signs up for another five-year term, the BOE will buy into 15 YEARS of his pension (apparently, promised to him by a former BOE member). This member has retired form the board ,so whether this is a rumor or not remains to be seen.
>wish to thank all the Vets who will soon be out there, everywhere, selling those poppies.
Dear Editor,
Thank You for the Opportunity
I wish to thank all the Vets who will soon be out there, everywhere, selling those poppies. I thank them for being out there so I can have the opportunity to personally thank each and every one of them for their service to our great Nation. Our Nation is great because they made it great. All of them. Some of these brave men and women are missing toes because of the cold winter during the war. Some of them still have pieces of metal inside their body. Still you continue to serve your community and our Nation.
I felt so badly this week when I went to a local Post Office. I saw one of our fine Vets leaning wearily, but still standing, against a newsstand as he held his poppies. Person after person passed him by as if he were invisible. I grabbed a dollar and looked right into those beautiful, deep eyes and said, “Oh! I have been looking for you!” And then I thanked him for his service, from the depth of my heart. I bought another one as I left. Some of these soldiers were never recognized as they should have been for the sacrifice they gave and continue to give to this day. These brave men and women make me proud to be an American. Last time one of them thanked me for buying a poppy on such a hot and humid day at a traffic light and then, with a twinkle in his eye, told me to “have a great life”. I shouted back, “You gave me that life!”
When I look into their seasoned eyes, I see the greatness of our country’s heart and compassion. I see the wisdom, sacrifice and I see the pain. Most of all, I see the love. I wish to mention to those who will soon see our brave Vets out there selling poppies. Please don’t ever pass by one of them saying, “I already gave”. Is that what our brave heroes say while defending our Nation, “I already fought yesterday, so today I’m going pass on preserving liberty and freedom”? Please give with your heart, a smile and a “Thank you for your service” to them all, each and every one of them.
Linda Haft
>the Fly on the wall …..
>The Ridgewood Blog has learned that Superintendent Porter is a finalist for a superintendent position in California … whether or not he is using this as a bargaining chip for a new contract negotiations with the BOE remains to be seen .
>the Fly on the wall reports
>the Ridgewood Blog has heard that one tenth of all street lights in the Village are not working. It has been alleged that the problem has been exacerbated by the fact that the police department refuses, due to the “not my job” syndrome to report non working street lamps.
>Update: No More Banks
>The Planning Board is recommending to the Village Council that a new ordinance be considered. It would require site plan approval for any change of use. A change of use is a material change in the character or intensity of a use, such that there is the potential for different impacts to the site, neighborhood or community. For example, a retail clothing store being converted to a bank could be considered a change of use, since it would create issues related to traffic and parking, noise impacts, etc.This type of ordinance has been implemented in Allendale, Montvale, Oakland, Teaneck and Westwood. Click here <https://www.ridgewoodnj.net/pdf/manager/DraftOrd51106.pdf> for the draft ordinance.
Up Coming Events around the Village
>May 25 2006 – Ridgewood Tax Payers Association meeting at the Stable on Maple Ave. 7:30 to 9:30. Guest Speaker US Senate Candidate and Ridgewood Taxpayer’s Association member John Ginty. All are welcome!
Ridgewood to Start RevaluationThe Village of Ridgewood has recently been ordered by the Bergen County Board of Taxation to perform a revaluation for the year 2008.
$7 Million Referendum to expand Ridge and Willard – The Ridgewood BOE has tentatively approved the development of a proposal to expand the Ridge and Willard schools if funding is authorized by a referendum in either September or December of 2006.
Blend for Saturday Night fun
>Jeffery Terreson Reception at C.Magor Gallery May 20th
Not as Much Praise as you are lead to believe…
>Because of storm water regulations recently enacted by the NJ Department of
Environmental Protection, the Village is no longer able to legally dispose
of grass clippings at the Village of Ridgewood owned and operated compost
facility on Lakeview Drive.
The Village will still continue to collect grass clippings from homeowners
on a weekly basis at curbside. However, disposing of these clippings
outside of the Village will cost taxpayers $80k in dumping fees for calendar
year 2006. Additional expense above and beyond the $80k will be incurred
for employee travel time to and from the dumping location, and diesel fuel.
Should the Village encourage mulching by discontinuing the pickup of grass
clipping, thus saving $80k? Or perhaps charge those who want their
clippings picked up curbside instead of burdening the taxpayer base as a
whole?
What do you think? Please sound off with a comment. Thanks.
>Village Fuel Costs Increase Over $500k During 2005
>During Wednesday night’s 2006 Municipal Budget Hearing, Dorothy Stikna, the
Village’s Chief Financial Officer, revealed that costs for diesel fuel and
gasoline used to power official Ridgewood vehicles jumped 35.4% during 2005.
Unattended and idling vehicles get zero miles per gallon. Although the
Village Manager has issued a memo which prohibits official vehicles,
including police cars, from being left idling while unattended, reports are
that this practice is still widespread.
Taxpayers should report the license plate number of any official Ridgewood
vehicle seen idling while unattended to the Village Manager’s office at
201-670-5500, x202 or x203.
Even more of your tax dollars will go up in exhaust fumes during 2006 unless
we all get involved in cracking down on this very detectable form of
official misconduct.
For the record, here’s a partial listing of taxpayer provided vehicles currently assigned to Village officials on a full time basis.
Perhaps this explains to a certain extent why fuel expenses are so out of control.
Village Manager, James Ten Hoeve – Dodge Durango (24 hour use) Village Engineer, Christopher Rutishauser – Dodge Durango (24 hour use) Emergency Services Director, Paul Gilard – Ford Explorer (24 hour use) Fire Chief, James Bombace – Ford Explorer (24 hour use) Fire Prevention Officer, Kevin McGuire – Chevrolet Blazer Fire Prevention Officer, John Young – Chevrolet Blazer Fire Capitan, Rotating – Chevrolet Blazer Parks and Recreation Director, Timothy Cronin – Mercury Mountaineer Police Chief, William Corcoran – Ford LTD Crown Victoria (24 hour use) Streets Supervisor, John Spano – Chevrolet Blazer S10 (24 hour use) Operations Director, Frank Moritz – Ford Explorer (24 hour use)
>No More Banks ?
>A Village Council Special Work Session will be held on Wednesday, May 17, in the Village Hall Court Room, immediately following the scheduled 7:30 PM Budget Hearing. The purpose of the Special Work Session is to discuss the following: AMENDING THE LAND — USE ORDINANCE OF THE VILLAGE OF RIDGEWOOD IN ORDER TO REQUIRE SITE PLAN APPROVAL FOR DEVELOPMENTS INVOLVING A CHANGE OF — USE. All owners of property in the Central Business District should attend this meeting. It is believed this amendment is being proposed as a method to limit the number of financial institutions in the Central Business District.
I hate to blow against the wind but the Ridgewood Blog is still having a hard time trying to figure out weather this idea has any merit ,we just dont think it is going to do much . More effort should be used to promote the down town inorder to get quality merchants in our down town .When I came back to Ridgewood 5 years ago there was not even a picture of the down town on the internet ? I found this shocking and it was one of the factors that led to the formation of the Ridgewood Blog .
>2006 Community Survey for Ridgewood Public Schools
>If you have not done so yet, please spend a few moments to take the 2006 Community Survey from the Ridgewood Public Schools. Your input is invaluable. Just follow the link https://websurveyor.net/wsb.dll/12243/RPS2006survey.htm If the hyperlink is not active, please copy/paste in the URL line on your browser. Or, see the link under Highlights (right-hand menu) on the district website: www.ridgewood.k12.nj.us <https://www.ridgewood.k12.nj.us/> .
Thank you for your participation. Resuts will be assembled and reported on the BOE website and in the BOE’s rps.eNews.