file photo by Boyd Loving
Nicholas Katzban, Staff Writer, @NicholasKatzban
RIDGEWOOD — Last week the Village Council passed the first reading of an ordinance that would permit the appropriation of $1.6 million from the water utility capital fund for the purchase of the former Elks Lodge on Maple Avenue.
The ordinance would allow Ridgewood Water to use funds from its existing capital budget for engineering, architect fees and “modernization costs,” associated with a proposed project to develop a single administrative and operational headquarters for the utility.
Find someplace less prominent. We don’t need municipal governmental sprawl. Plus this is all a ruse eventually to get a performing arts center built on the Elk’s lodge lot that we don’t need. Will these people ever tire of using tax revenue as their personal piggy bank?
Why are we doing all this? Just sell the water company.
What about the lawsuit the word on the street people saying it’s up to 70 million troops
Who owns the lot? Who’s to say they won’t find a higher bidder than the Village of Ridgewood? Or will the VOR try to pull a fast one and declare the Elk’s lodge lot “blighted” and take possession of it under some kind of eminent domain ruse?
Noooooo
Let Valley buy it for offices. Or let anyone but the village buy it.
I’d rather see the water utility use the $1.6 million to repair leaky underground water pipes (estimated loss 20%), or figure out a way to increase water storage capacity so we don’t have water restrictions, or save the money to pay for the money we owe to the other towns when the court case is resolved, or put the water company in habernickel park or shedler.
Bad idea, a financial black hole. Sell Ridgewood Water and get out of the utility business.
Can’t blame this one on the 3 Amigos.
Hell no. F*** no.
NO,NO,NO!
YES, 8:45. Or as suggested previously, let HealthBarn’s contract expire and put them there. Done. NO PERFORMING ARTS CENTER. It is intended for the greater glory of Aronsohn et al–believe me. And construction contracts.
If the lawsuit is up to 17million , how are you spending this kind of money on this. How much is the water palm and having your bank account. Someone needs to start speaking , we the village want answers now
Who gets the money? Follow 1.6M
Maybe the village should take care of existing problems before taking on more!!! Get out of the utility and landlord business. You are not doing a good job at either. Healthbarn in habernickel is a disaster and a lawsuit waiting to happen and enough said about Ridgewood water problems. Get rid of both!!!!!
You can’t handle them!
Where is the fiscal responsibility? Ridgewood Water is poorly managed, is being sued and has infrastructure issues. This is not a good use of public funds.
the new water director is so overwhelm in this town.
What is the estimate to renovate that building for the water department? Never struck me as a building with updated electric. Massive renovation needed just to get it to be offices. This is maybe the worst idea ever. Lease a space somewhere. There is plenty of it that will cost a lot less.
Now that Ridgewood Water lost their lawsuit, there will be no new spending in the budget.
No new spending?
Their fricking bankrupt after this ruling…tens of thousands to the customers the ripped off to pad the village payroll. You got bigger problems than you realize Ridgewood.
Big big problems, now what with this lawsuit. The shit is hitting the fan now. So many Uptop new about this . Well it might be time to sell the The village water company
This is a waste of taxpayer funds – where is the outrage? Mayor Knudsen and Council majority are raising expensive municipal debt to pay for this just as interest rates rise. Which means higher interest payments down the road for Village taxpayers. To buy a property in the CBD for a corrupt, crony led failed Ridgewood Water? There is no doubt that this is a black hole of greed and corruption. Driven by Mayor Knudsen. Why?
Aronsohn and is gang of hudson county losers made enough of a mess of Ridgewood ,and it will take years to undo the mess
I think it is wise to purchase this as it is attached to the municipal complex. Sure as hell I don’t want saraceno to buy it and put up a monstrosity.
Why throw money at the cesspool of greed, incompetence and corruption that is Ridgewood Water ? ? Again, James and his apologist bullies are defending the indefensible, and blaming others when they know full well where the blame for this lies… sick.