Ridgewood News letter: Resident unhappy with actions of attorneys
AUGUST 22, 2014 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, AUGUST 22, 2014, 12:31 AM
Resident unhappy with actions of attorneys
Nancy Currey
Frankly I was stunned while attending the Aug. 19 Planning Board meeting with the tandem display of incivility by the Mr. Bruinooge and Mr. Wells toward Open Space Committee chair Ralph Currey.
Currently, the Planning Board is considering amending the master plan so that developments such as The Enclave, The Dayton and Chestnut Village can be built in Ridgewood. In order to assess the widespread impact the addition of a significant number of new citizens would impose, the Open Space Committee was requested by the Planning Board to prepare a report.
The Open Space Committee is a largely all-volunteer citizen committee without funding. The report was prepared in the context of these limitations and posed as an advisory paper. We are fortunate, due in large part to the considerable efforts of these dedicated volunteers, to have Habernickel Park and the Schedler property.
Compared to surrounding towns, the Village of Ridgewood has far less recreational space even with the addition of Habernickel Park and the potential of the Schedler property. The essence of the report prepared by the committee is that Ridgewood is already lacking the fields and open areas that would be suggested for its current population using several guidelines. The addition of a significant number of new residents utilizing those same recreational facilities would only worsen the numbers.
This really is a matter of common sense. One does not need formulas to realize our parks are overcrowded and the competition for field space is fierce. Just drive to a park in our area and try to find a parking space. That is more telling than any stack of paper. The attorneys representing the developers harped on the calculus of the report and congratulated themselves on trying to humiliate the witness. The truth speaks for itself.
According to certain members of our Council though, since the Open Space Committee is not volunteering for the “right causes” like painting the Senior Center it is comprised of a bunch of lazy, sign displaying complainers that are opposed to everything.
They should learn from Valley. Having your attorney act dismissive and rude to the residents will get you nowhere. Lawyers ruin everything.
In that case let’s bribe the lawyers to be even nastier.