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>Harlow Casts Solitary “No” Vote for Police Car Purchases

>Citing his concern that the Village’s fleet of 17 police cars may be excessive, Councilman Jacques Harlow cast the lone “no” vote for a resolution authorizing the purchase of 2 new Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptors for Ridgewood’s police department.

Despite Harlow’s “no” vote, the resolution passed. Chief William Corcoran and his officers should be receiving the cars by November. They will be used as replacements for 2 aging vehicles in the fleet (Corcoran previously advised Council members that there are no marked vehicles in inventory with less than 40K miles).

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Long time Ridgewood resident translates post with cynical humor for new residents

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Translation of post… A friend suggested
A friend suggested (you mean the BOE or Editor of the RN suggested) that I get the inside dope(find out who the trouble makers are and get some dirt on them ) on what was happening in Ridgewood by perusing the blogs. I was honestly (you sound like a pompous arse) shocked by the narrowmindedness (if you don’t agree with me you are stupid and shouldn’t be allowed to speak) of some of the posts – particularly with regard to the editorial standards (not a very informed poster, the RN violated its own standards) of our local newspaper.

Hindsight shows (again the Ridgewood News Violated its sacred policy of not quoting anonymous sources, not posting on blogs or flogs and front running for particular organizations) that the reporter was doing his job (yes its time to toss him under the bus)– reporting – not passing judgment (we speak for everyone and your not allowed to speak for your self )on what was being exchanged, just reporting what was taking place. Isn’t that what he was supposed to do? Remain objective?(objective to this poster means you agree with them) And didn’t the editor simply back up the editorial integrity (no the editor did a hack job and violated all the journalist policies it purports to up hold)of the newspaper by not yielding to public criticism (covering up for cowards on the other flog)and printing the news as news? (only I can say what’s news )Spare me the conspiracy theories, would ya!( but they are ok for the editor to use, can you say “tactics”)

Now as for the math controversy (yes TERC is banned in California and condemned by the US department of education). Sure, I knew people were up in arms (yes some parents in town care about their kids), and yes, I’ll admit that some of the protocols for teaching left me baffled (they were such bull even I the elitist could not get it straight how could an idiot like you understand it), but I saw my kids NJASK and Terra Nova test scores and, well…can kids get higher than 99th percentile? Something must be going right in the school system.(can you say tutors and of coarse if you lower standards enough everyone becomes a genius)

No question that all the bloggers love Ridgewood ( I hate it) and that discourse is healthy. But, informed (this means you are stupid again and how dare you taxpayers challenge the great and powerful, “know it alls” at the BOE) and objective (this means agreeing with me is the only option, so do what your told otherwise you’ll be sorry) discourse is healthier still.

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>Debate Ensues Over Proposed Commemorative Plaque & Ceremony for Varian Fry

>Catherine Taub met with heavy resistance from Village Council members recently during her formal presentation regarding plans to erect a commemorative near the Ridgewood Public Library in honor of Varian Fry.

Fry, a Harvard-educated classicist and editor who was raised in Ridgewood, helped save thousands of endangered refugees who were caught in the Vichy French zone escape from Nazi terror during World War II.

Ms. Taub, of Wastena Terrace, was visibly stunned by the Village Council’s refusal to permit installation of a plaque near the Ridgewood Public Library, and their hesitation to officially sanction any further ceremonies honoring Mr. Fry (South Monroe Street was officially dedicated in Fry’s name on June 26, 2005).

Deputy Mayor Betty G. Wiest suggested that a more appropriate location for the erection of a commemorative plaque would be at Van Neste Memorial Park, and asked Ms. Taub to reconsider her original request and return to meet Council members at a later date.
By the way, Ms. Taub was planning to personally fund all costs associated with this project. Translation; no tax dollars would have been spent.

The Fly wonders why Ms. Taub got the proverbial bums rush, but when folks stepped forward to fund improvements at Maple Park, Council members welcomed them with open arms.

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>Philanthropist David F. Bolger Will Fund New “Finding” Signage at Village Hall

>Village Manager James M. Ten Hoeve recently announced that David F. Bolger, a local real estate investor and philanthropist with offices on Chestnut Street, will completely fund the planned “finding” signage project at Village Hall.

As a result of the funding level offered by Mr. Bolger, Ten Hoeve reported that better quality signs would be erected than initially approved by Village Council members. The new signs, intended to help residents and visitors find their way about the municipal complex, should be installed within the next 30-60 days.

During his status report to Council members about the sign project, Mr. Ten Hoeve revealed that the latest recent winner of the most frequently asked question at Village Hall was: “Where’s the municipal court?” Does this mean that there’s a ticket blitz of sorts taking place?

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>Reader Questions Ridgewood News Objectivity

>reading+the+paper

If the Ridgewood News is being objective and providing serious reporting on issues in the town, does this mean in its next edition the Editor has received from the school administration the detailed purchase information regarding TERC 2 for Travell and Orchard? If the Ridgewood News is really doing its job, it would follow up on that hard hitting question posed to the district officials by its reporter, Keith Hamas. The school officials failed to answer that pertinent question in time for the story, Math Wars: Summer of Discontent.

But surely, by now, the Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum has found that purchase order and given a copy to the Ridgewood News. The News would then report all the relevant information such as date of purchase, itemized list of materials purchased, unit cost, total cost, and any associated discounts, date of delivery, and so forth for TERC 2nd edition for Travell and Orchard. The News could even show this information in comparison to the material cost for Scott Foresman Addison Wesley at Willard. I wonder which one cost more?

One would thing curriculum purchase information would be at the finger tips of the head of curriculum. While they are getting that cost information, they may was well look for the same information for the Connected Math Program 2 for both middle schools. And also show the Village residents the cost being spent to train the teachers and if that training is actually aiding the teachers in reaching Highly Qualified Status. So many questions, so much more the Ridgewood News could be reporting.

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>Village Council Establishes $600K as Minimum Bid for New Liquor License

>Village Council members are expected to unanimously approve a resolution
authorizing the auction of a new “consumption” liquor license during their
scheduled August 8 Public Meeting.

Minimum bid for the license will be $600K. Among the conditions expected to
be mandated by the Council are:

1) A minimum 65%/35% restaurant to bar ratio
2) License must be used in an area currently zoned for restaurants
3) A 10% cash deposit required along with any bid
4) Proposed licensee must past standard police background checks

The most recent Village Council sanctioned auction of a new liquor license
(within the past few years) attracted no bidders; that’s correct, not a
single bidder.

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Reader defends Ridgewood News

>byclcye
A friend suggested that I get the inside dope on what was happening in Ridgewood by perusing the blogs. I was honestly shocked by the narrowmindedness of some of the posts – particularly with regard to the editorial standards of our local newspaper.

Hindsight shows that the reporter was doing his job – reporting – not passing judgment on what was being exchanged, just reporting what was taking place. Isn’t that what he was supposed to do? Remain objective? And didn’t the editor simply back up the editorial integrity of the newspaper by not yielding to public criticism and printing the news as news? Spare me the conspiracy theories, would ya!

Now as for the math controversy. Sure, I knew people were up in arms, and yes, I’ll admit that some of the protocols for teaching left me baffled, but I saw my kids NJASK and Terra Nova test scores and, well…can kids get higher than 99th percentile? Something must be going right in the school system.

No question that all the bloggers love Ridgewood and that discourse is healthy. But, informed and objective discourse is healthier still.

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Keep it Green

>I didn’t realize my name would be published but it serves me right because I just said to a friend that I believed the Blog would be better served if one had to use their name. I guess I was being put to the test. Thank you for not commenting on my spelling errors! I have given packets of info regarding grass fields/turf to the council members, Bd. of Ed. members and other significant people in the community.

My goal was to inform the community about the benefits of grass fields to the athlete and the community. Many of my friends are in the sports fields because I went to Cortland many years ago. All of them prefer grass to artificial turf because of incresed temps on artificial turf, wear and tear on the athlete and now the threat of a new strain of staph infection that has crept into the sports world associated with artificial turf. However many places in the US still have the luxury of space and so are not as limited in accomodating the needs of a community.

Ridgewood was over developed and now open space is at a premium. The benefits of grass include the exchange of carbon dioixde for oxygen, natural cooling and cleaning properties to name just a few. I sat on a committee in the 80,s that looked at our fields and decided that Maple Field could benefit the entire community by placing a grass playing field in the center surrounded by natural vegetation. I feel that this was an excellent compromise and served us well for many years. I was told that Maple Field was being maintained at a cost of 11,000 dollars per year. Even if that cost had been increased 3 times to improve the field, it would be 30 years before we had spent 1,000,000 dollars { the cost of an artificial turf field]. I love the landscaping and the upgrades at Maple but if the green in the center was natural, I would be donating money instead of worrying about the consequences. I understand the increased need for fields as enrollment in sports continues to rise and we want all kids who want to participate to be able to do so. I have talked to many landscapers who tell me that the quality of new grass blends on the market are so superior to the old ones, that grass fields would be far more durable and able to handle more useage.

With the master plan being reviewed in September, it is my hope that figures will be obtained on the use of natural grass and that it will be considered. Ridgewood has always been known for its leadership in quality of life issues. Why can’t we be also known for having the finest grass playing fields in the area? I can guarentee that in the coming years, laws will mandate a better use of our natural resources. How better to show our kids how we can treat our environment with care and still not loose essential aspects of sports and recreation.

Linda McNamara

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>Ridgewood Train Station Roof Replacement Will Cost $584K

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Village Manager James M. Ten Hoeve recently revealed that replacing the roof at Ridgewood’s train station will cost $584K. Mr. Ten Hoeve hopes that Ridgewood’s taxpayers will pay only $300K; the remaining $284K would be paid for by a grant from the Bergen County Historic Preservation Trust Fund.

The Fly wonders why Village Council members didn’t have the foresight to ask that the roof replacement be covered (no pun intended) under NJ Transit’s multi-million dollar plan to upgrade the entire station.

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>$811K Will Be Spent to Rehabilitate Dam at Irene Habernickel Family Park

>During last Wednesday evening’s Village Council Work Session, Village Manager James M. Ten Hoeve advised Council members that rehabilitation expenses for a dam located at the Irene Habernickel Family Park would total $811K. $357K of these expenses will be paid out of a Bergen County Open Space Fund grant; the remaining $454 must be absorbed by Ridgewood’s taxpayers.

The Fly has always wondered whether purchasing Habernickel was the right thing to do. So far, it seems as though it’s just a big money pit. Wouldn’t taxpayers have been better off if the property were developed as one-acre, single family building lots?

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>Village Council Begrudgingly Approves Purchase of Two Replacement Police Vehicles

>Ridgewood Police Chief William M. Corcoran found himself on the hot seat during last week’s Village Council Work Session as Council members Jacques Harlow and Kim Ringler-Shagin persistently questioned him regarding his request to purchase two new Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor vehicles. Corcoran firmly stood his ground, respectfully stating that he considered his request more than justified since there are currently no marked vehicles in his fleet with less than 40K miles.

Mayor David T. Pfund and Deputy Mayor Betty G. Wiest concurred with Chief Corcoran, but Councilman Harlow and Councilwoman Ringler-Shagin maintained their unified position that new vehicles should not be purchased at this time. In the absence of Councilman Patrick A. Mancuso, Mayor Pfund asked Village Manager James M. Ten Hoeve to offer an opinion. Mr. Ten Hoeve concurred with the Chief’s opinion; the vehicle purchase was subsequently approved.

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>Reader responds to The Ridgewood News article about Congressman Garrett’s bill which would allow states to opt out of NCLB

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Board of Ed member, Shelia Brogan, disagrees with the Congressman and gives her support for the NCLB program.

Isn’t the NCLB just a race to the lowest common denominator forgive the pun?

NCLB requires states to move towards 100% reading and math proficiency by 2014. A noble idea, but with no national standardized tests, the state have found a workaround. States have made the tests easier in order to get more students to meet the proficient requirement, lowering their standards to be in compliance. In NJ, the state’s ASK tests requires only 50% of the questions to be answered correctly in order for a student to be “Proficient.” This is one of the reasons NCLB has been cited for “dumbing down” our schools.

Across America, teachers overwhelmingly complain that the law has narrowed the curriculum and promoted “teaching to the test.” Schools, told they must meet an unrealistic goal of continual progress toward all children being “proficient” by 2014 are being set up for failure.

Unfortunately, it is urban schools and kids of color that are most likely to be labeled as failing and to be subjected to punitive sanctions.
Under AYP (“Adequate Yearly Progress”), each school is judged by a matrix of 40 indicators tied to state test scores.

It outlines 10 student groups: total population, special education students, English language learners, white, African-American, Asian/Pacific Islander, Native American, Hispanic, other ethnicities and economically disadvantaged. In each category, there are two mandates: 95% of students in each group must take the state test, and each group must make its AYP target.

Any school that misses its target on either the reading or math test and in any subgroup is on the road to being labeled a failure. If it does not get off the failing list, it is subject to increasingly punitive sanctions, including turning the school over to a for-profit private management firm. So big business can start running our schools soon if NCLB is renewed.

In addition, the AYP system creates perverse incentives. It rewards schools that focus on kids on the edge of achieving grade-level proficiency. There’s no incentive for schools to do much of anything for the kids who are on grade level or above, which is one reason the law is unpopular in wealthier, high-achieving communities.
It is noble for Ms. Brogan to mention Newark and Paterson, but we live in Ridgewood. (Didn’t Mr. Vallerini say this once in a Board of Ed meeting?) Arguments can be made that NCLB hasn’t help those districts either.

So this reader asks what’s up with Sheila Brogan a known liberal agreeing with arch conservative Scott Garrett? . Brogan has always been known to be a liberal, but the this reader also wonders if she’d like to come to the next Ridgewood Republican club meeting? And this blogger asks once again why can’t we just opt out?

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Reader says, "All you "fiscally responsible" folks — artificial turf, like that at Maple, is the way to go"

>You are sadly misinformed. The flooding in Maple Field this spring left that field far better off than it would have been if it had still been natural grass. Where do you get your info, anyway? Didn’t mommy teach you not to listen to rumors? Get the facts, jack!

Let’s go back a few months, to a very informative post on April 19, 2007, on this blog:

“Last weekend NJ had the highest recorded rainfall over 48 hours in over 120 years…more than hurricane Floyd. The RFD has pumped out 180 basements and has 100 to go. Apparently there has only been one heavier rainfall in a 48 hour period since records have been kept on such things.The result was that every field in Ridgewood’s flood plain (Maple, Stevens, RHS, Stevens, Vets and Brookside) was heavily flooded. In some cases, like at Stevens, the newly deposited clay on the baseball diamonds was completely washed away. As happened in hurricane Floyd, large amounts of debris and a heavy layer of silt/mud was deposited on the fields, particularly Maple, Stevens and Vets. If not for the debris and silt, Maple was dry enough for play on Tuesday. Brookside may not be dry enough to play on for 2-3 weeks. Stevens, Vets and RHS will probably not be dry enough until sometime next week. The bigger problem is the silt that was deposited on the fields. After hurricane Floyd, the mud on the fields could not be removed and it killed the grass. In the case of Maple, the field was scraped down below the roots and resodded at the expense of approximately $25,000 (just for Maple). The field was then closed for several months to allow the sod to take root, thus eliminating a full season of play. Reportedly, this is exactly what is being considered for parts of Vets and Stevens. It would also have been considered at Maple, if the field was still grass.Fortunately, this time the mud can be removed from Maple because of the synthetic surface. The rubber and sand infill did not wash away in the storm. However, in the worst case scenario, a small amount of the infill may be removed with the mud and silt. If this is the happens, the infill is inexpensive and can easily be replaced in a day or two of grooming. Thus, while this storm was as bad as it could have been and will require some clean up, it did not result in any permanent damage to Maple Field. Nor was any of the landscaping around the park damaged. Maple field will be back in use weeks before the other fields affected.”

As another poster said on that day,
“…it is becoming more and more clear that we need more turf fields in town.” Hear hear. All you “fiscally responsible” folks — artificial turf, like that at Maple, is the way to go. What a success that field renovation has been!

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Invitation to Math Chat…

>Friends and neighbors please join us for a Math Chat on Thursday, August 9th at 7:30 P.M. at The Unitarian Society of Ridgewood. Over the past several months, parents have been expressing their concerns over the math programs in our village schools to educational administrators and the Board of Education. This issue is an old one for Travell School. Parents have been voicing their concerns since the inception of TERC Investigations more than 5 years ago. What is new is an organization of parents called VORMATH who are providing an opportunity for parents of school age children and concerned tax- payers to be involved in an open forum discussion. Did you know…
· The 6 elementary schools in Ridgewood use 3 different math programs.
· Four of the six schools use reform math- also known as fuzzy math, constructivist based math, or standards based math.
· These reform math programs have been abandoned by hundreds of school districts across the nation because they fail to prepare our children for math at the high school and college level
· Over 200 math professors, 4 Nobel Laureates and 2 Fields Medal winners signed a letter to the U.S. Secretary of Education back in 1999 asking the government to remove these reform math programs from their list of exemplary programs
· A Stanford mathematician stated that TERC Investigations is the “2nd most mathematically illiterate program” he has ever seen. TERC Investigations is the program currently used at Travell and Orchard Schools.
· The district just purchased the newest version of the Investigations program for both Travell and Orchard.
· Benjamin Franklin Middle School has averaged a rank of 21 out of over 200 middle schools in mathematics statewide for the past 7 years using traditional math.
· CMP2 (another reform math program for middle schools that is controversial) has been implemented for 6th graders last year and will follow them into 7th grade this September; why change a math program that has proven itself a success for the students?
There is substantial information available for concerned parents to read. How the math issue affects all taxpayers is simple. Sixty-six percent of every tax dollar feeds into Ridgewood’s $82,000,000 school budget. Are we getting a good return of our investment? Ridgewood’s reputation for excellent schools has kept the value of our homes high. There must be fiscal responsibility and sound choices made for educating all the children in our village. We love Ridgewood and want to keep it the wonderful community that it has been for many generations.
There will be a presentation followed by a Q & A period. Hope you can make it and take advantage of the opportunity to share your concerns and thoughts. TOGETHER WE ADD UP!

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