Ridgewood residents question benefits of Valley Hospital’s proposed expansion
Thursday August 1, 2013, 4:01 PM
BY DARIUS AMOS
STAFF WRITER
The Ridgewood News
Residents heard the responses provided by The Valley Hospital’s project planner, but many left Tuesday night’s Planning Board meeting believing one key question was never answered: How will doubling the size of the existing facility benefit Ridgewood?
Public questioning of Valley’s planner Joseph Burgis resulted in contentious exchange and remarks between the applicant’s experts and many residents. At one point, the hospital’s lead counsel even offered an apology following a heated exchange with Mayor Paul Aronsohn.
Several residents requested Burgis’ input on the expansion’s positive impact on the village, not necessarily on the entire area. At least four residents used their time at the audience podium to pose the same inquiry, with each one claiming that the question has never been appropriately addressed.
The only benefit is the short ride to the emergency room. That’s it. Let’s face facts.
And even that depends on where you live and the time of day. The traffic can be that bad.
How long has it taken us to demand an answer to that most basic question. How is this expansion good for Ridgewood? I think that Valley and all of its over paid experts are truly stumped.
They’re “stumped”for good reasons. First of all, they’re paid by Valley to stick to the over used line that everyone that goes into a hospital won’t come out unless they have a private room. That’s like saying don’t take mass transit because your chances of catching a cold are higher. No kidding ! I’m all for private rooms, but not 400 plus on a site that should have ai lot less.
Second, none of these people even live here. Their opinions are based on questionable data and short term observations. And how anyone cannot see through that is beyond me.