Reader troubled by RBSA letter refering to citizens opposed to a 90-foot baseball diamond on the Schedler property as the “anti sports forces.”

To the Editor:

A letter from a member of the Ridgewood Baseball and Softball Association to its constituents has been circulated about town. Two things are bothersome about the letter: 1) A 501(c)3 tax-exemption status prohibits electioneering, and the letter appears to be just that; 2) the letter also refers to citizens opposed to a 90-foot baseball diamond on the Schedler property as the “anti sports forces.” This is blatantly untrue.

Most of us opposed to the field are pushing for a balanced approach to the development of the property that would include accommodations for passive and active recreation as well as preserving the house. The Habernickel property was treated in this manner and has proven to be a great success and endorsed by its neighbors. The Schedler acreage is a smaller parcel of land and borders Route 17. The homeowners have very legitimate concerns regarding the integrity and safety of their neighborhood, which include direct access from Route 17 and the loss of four acres of trees that serve as a sound and pollution buffer for the area. The neighbors have been left out of the process. Compromise is not a dirty word. It is how we as a people deal with conflicting desires. In Ridgewood, this could be the answer to most of our immediate concerns: the proposed Valley expansion, development of the Central Business District and Schedler

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