Downtown for the Holidays-30th Anniversary
Fri, December 04, 2015
Time: 5:30 PM – 9:00 PM
Location: East Ridgewood Ave, Ridgewood NJ
30th Year Celebration !
Santa IS in Ridgewood-bring your list!
Lots of Music and entertainment !
Early Event – “for the kids”
5:30 – 6:30 – Santa in the park for the “wee tots” along with live entertainment by the “clock”, in the stores and restaurants along E. Ridgewood Ave featuring the RHS Marching Band, RHS Ridgewood Carolers, RHS Orchestra, Taekwondo All In
NEW THIS YEAR -5:30-9pm Special Feature-Holiday Express Train-bring the family and ride this fun train up and down E. Ridgewood Ave.
7-8 – “on stage live”
Live entertainment and tree lighting Celebration featuring performances by Porch Light Productions, From the Top Studio, Art of Motion, Arthur Murray Dance Studio, Santa and Much More!
8-9 “Merriment on E. Ridgewood Ave
Shh – Santa will be back in the park
Lots of music on the avenue
Restaurant reservation suggested
Specials going on during the Tree Lighting…
Femmebot has music and 10% store wide sale until 9pm on 12/4/15
Alex and Ani having in-store events-
10% off Store Wide at Femmebot
THANK YOU TO THE FOLLOWING SPONSORS
for the 30th Anniversary Celebration
Columbia Bank
Valley Health System
Van Dyk Health Care
Freedom Bank
CareOne at Ridgewood
Ridgewood News
Boiling Spring Saving Bank
PNC Wealth Management
Park West Tavern & Loft
West Bergen Mental Healthcare
ConnectOne Bank
Ulrich, Inc.
C.C. VanEmburgh Funeral Home
Pearl Restaurant
Daily Treat Restaurant
Atlantic Stewardship Bank
Bagelicious
Country Pancake House and Restaurant
Life Opportunities Unlimited
Pink Bungalow
Hillmann Lighting
Lazarus & Williamson
The Woman’s Club of Ridgewood
Christ Church
Cupcakes by Carousel
Femmebot Clothing
Beauty Plus Salon
Gold Fish Swim School
Ridgewood Public Library
West Side Nursery School
Ridgewood YMCA
Ridgewood Party Rental
For more details, please call us at 201-445-2600 or email [email protected] www.experienceridgewood.com
NOVEMBER 27, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2015, 12:31 AM
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Teachers should be ‘thankful’
To the Editor:
As a 33-year resident of Ridgewood, I am perplexed by the dissent of the Ridgewood teachers and their union about their current contract. The teachers are unhappy about paying for the increase in their healthcare costs. Everyone today is paying for their healthcare increases: medical personnel, retirees, and pharmaceutical company employees. The reason healthcare costs are continually rising (and will be in the future) are: Obamacare for the masses, an aging baby boomer population now requiring geriatric, cardiac, cancer, psychiatric, specialty care and designer drugs to help everyone live a longer life. Did the New Jersey Education Association think its Democratic-endorsed, union wishes for a national healthcare program would be absorbed by the public when in fact other municipalities in New Jersey and other states have opposed the taxpayer absorbing this substantial cost? Who did they think would pay for this? Ridgewood taxpayers should not be penalized for their selfish/unrealistic union demands.
New Jersey teacher’s pay ranks second highest in the nation. Teachers in Ridgewood earn a six-figure salary within five years. In addition, master’s degrees, additional credits, tutoring, tutoring for SAT’s allows them to earn additional/substantial monetary compensation. Their annual increases are more generous than some state employees. There shouldn’t be a financial problem for any teacher to absorb the costs as they are earning a 1 percent upper compensation in the United States in education. There are places that are more expensive to live in than Ridgewood. In the past, certain teachers who were unhappy with contract negotiations refused to give recommendations to the seniors for college.
The teachers have job security (unlike the corporate sector), do not face age discrimination, receive 80 percent of their salary in a pension as well as a taxpayer-payer paid two-day vacation in November for a teacher convention. I say “vacation” because I have never met anyone who goes to Atlantic City for the convention but goes to a destination such as Florida.
Unfortunately their healthcare provider, Horizon Blue Cross/Blue Shield, of the New Jersey Education Association is the most expensive. As a matter of fact, some teacher’s spouses working in corporate America have dropped their corporate health plan (Cigna, Aetna, etc.) coverage because the state employee plan is more lucrative. The taxpayers of NJ are paying for the healthcare benefits of these teacher’s families.
In summary: I think the teachers of Ridgewood and New Jersey should be most “thankful” for the generosity of the Ridgewood taxpayer this Thanksgiving Season and not “thankless.” I sincerely hope the arbitration board will take a firm stand on their role in representing the Ridgewood residents.
NOVEMBER 27, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2015, 12:31 AM
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Parking revenues can support largest garage
To the Editor:
The Financial Advisory Committee (FAC) of the Village of Ridgewood in a previous statement strongly supported the proposal to construct a parking garage at the site of the existing Hudson Street parking lot.
The FAC conducted its own independent analysis of the costs and revenues associated with the proposed parking garage. Using very conservative assumptions (no new revenues, construction costs as high as $14 million and interest rates as high as 4 percent), the garage can still be funded entirely by parking revenues, with moderate increases in hourly parking rates and hours.
There are currently three proposals under consideration. From a strictly financial perspective, the proposal to build the largest 405-spot garage for an estimated cost of $12 million and a net gain of 305 spaces makes the most sense for the following key reasons:
As with any construction project, most of the cost is involved in building the first two levels, so we get greater benefit from the additional levels and a lower average cost per space with a larger garage — especially compared to building multiple smaller garages in various locations around the village. The first 306 spaces will cost $10.1 million or $33,000 per space, but the next 99 spaces (if we build the largest garage) will cost only an additional $1.9 million or $19,200 per space, which is a considerable savings. (The comparable numbers for the mid-size garage are 49 additional spaces for an additional $0.9 million, or $18,400 per space.)
From a long-term investment perspective the largest garage gives us capacity in the core business area of approximately 140 spots above what will be needed to simply replace the spots lost when the Brogan and Ken Smith lots are developed. If we go with the smallest garage, we are barely replacing the spots that will be lost and are thus making an investment that does not significantly improve the existing parking deficit or provide for growth. Further, the cost to expand the smaller garage at a later time would be cost prohibitive so we believe it is prudent to make this long term investment now.
Although the analysis we performed did not include new revenues, maximizing the number of spots enhances the attractiveness of existing stores and restaurants, and encourages new businesses owners to choose Ridgewood, which provides for the possibility of increased tax revenues from downtown properties.
Given the cost and effort involved in this project, it is clear from a strictly financial standpoint that maximizing the impact on improving the village’s parking situation is best accomplished by building the largest garage. That said, the financial argument must be considered along with other non-financial factors.
Robert Broatch, Richard Cundiff, Charles DiMarco, Nancy Haig, Mac Highet, Nancy Johansen, Janice Willett, Evan Weitz, Jimmy Yang
The environmental intelligence agency ignores satellite data
By Lamar Smith – – Thursday, November 26, 2015
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is the nation’s leading collector of climate data. Every day, NOAA analyzes vast amounts of data to predict changes to our climate, weather, oceans and coasts. The agency also publishes monthly temperature averages across the nation and compares those numbers to historical temperature records.
As the nation’s self-proclaimed authority on “environmental intelligence,” NOAA should be held to the highest scientific standards. This means their conclusions should be objective, independent of political consideration and based on all available sources of information.
NOAA’s top official, Kathryn Sullivan, has described the agency’s role as providing “timely, reliably, and actionable information — based on sound science — every day to millions of Americans.”
In testimony before the House Science Committee, NOAA’s deputy administrator, Manson Brown, made similar remarks, noting the importance of satellite data. He said that NOAA’s ability “to deliver environmental intelligence starts with keeping the pulse of the planet, especially the atmosphere and the ocean, and this is the central capability where space-based assets come into play.” So why does NOAA leave out satellite data when it releases climate projections?
NOAA often fails to consider all available data in its determinations and climate change reports to the public. A recent study by NOAA, published in the journal Science, made “adjustments” to historical temperature records and NOAA trumpeted the findings as refuting the nearly two-decade pause in global warming. The study’s authors claimed these adjustments were supposedly based on new data and new methodology. But the study failed to include satellite data.
Atmospheric satellite data, considered by many to be the most objective, has clearly showed no warming for the past two decades. This fact is well documented, but has been embarrassing for an administration determined to push through costly environmental regulations.
Instead, NOAA focused its study on surface temperature monitoring that is often flawed because these sites measure thousands of independent temperature readings and utilize a hodgepodge of different methods that have changed over time. For example, measurements from land-based stations can be skewed because of their location and proximity to surrounding heat-holding asphalt in urban areas.
Satellite data, on the other hand, is highly calibrated and provides complete global coverage. For decades, satellites have been used to monitor the earth and collect information. Satellites measure something extremely important — the deep atmosphere. The temperature readings collected by satellites often differ from ground monitoring stations and have consistently shown much smaller rates of warming. Yet NOAA refuses to incorporate satellite data into its monthly projections that are released to the public. Why?
NOAA appears to pick and choose only data that confirms their bias. NOAA then disseminates this incomplete data to the media who manufacture alarming headlines but ignore the uncertainty of the conclusions.
NOVEMBER 25, 2015 LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2015, 9:17 AM
BY MATTHEW SCHNEIDER
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
A recently unearthed time capsule has given its viewers a look back to the days of 1986.
The container was interred on the Benjamin Franklin Middle School grounds roughly 30 years ago and was aptly named “Halley’s capsule” by the former BF students, a tip of the cap to the comet that last appeared that year.
The time capsule was intended to be recovered upon the next appearance of Halley’s Comet, but was accidentally dug up this summer by an excavation crew working on the new driveway cut-out at BF.
Gregory Wu, BF assistant principal, said he hurried to the scene once he was informed of the crew’s find.
“Finding value in those types of things,” he said, “I rushed over to take a look.”
Upon arrival, Wu discovered that the capsule had not been well-preserved, and as a result, some of its items were damaged throughout the years.
“I was disappointed to see that its contents (mostly seventh-grade English essays) had been stored in a pretty flimsy plastic container that had failed to keep the water/elements out,” he said. “There was an audio cassette tape, a Betamax tape, various coins, a ‘Vogue’ magazine I believe, a class set of essays and a few other paper items that could not be read due to deterioration.”
Torrance Watson, a current physical education instructor at BF, was one of the students to bury the capsule. He also expressed disappointment at the condition of the container.
“It would have been nice for the capsule to be undamaged so that whoever unearthed it could read all of the entries,” Watson said.
However, the capsule, which was scheduled to be unearthed around 2061, according to Wu, did contain a few mostly intact items: a yearbook from the BF class of 1986 and some of the aforementioned essays.
Record Number of Consumers Are Aware of Small Business Saturday®, Almost two-thirds (65%) plan to spend at least $100
Small Business Saturday is November 28th
77 percent of U.S. consumers are planning to ‘Shop Small®’ this holiday season
November 27,2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, As small business owners across the nation gear up for Small Business Saturday, a record number of shoppers are making plans to support their favorite local businesses. According to the fourth-annual Small Business Saturday Consumer Insights Survey, released today by the National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB) and American Express, supporting local small businesses continues to be a priority for shoppers nationwide.
“We’re immensely proud to be a founding partner of Small Business Saturday, and it is gratifying to see how it has become the movement that it is today.”
Small Business Saturday was created by American Express in 2010 as a response to small business owners’ most pressing need: getting more customers. Held on the Saturday following Thanksgiving, Small Business Saturday helps rally communities to support local businesses. As Small Business Saturday enters its sixth year, 55 percent of U.S. consumers report they are aware of the day – the highest figure yet recorded – and even more encouraging, 83 percent say Small Business Saturday inspires them to Shop Small all year long.
“Small Business Saturday is a major part of the holiday shopping tradition, and has become a celebration of the local small business owners that we call friends, neighbors and family,” said Janey Whiteside, Senior Vice President and General Manager of American Express OPEN. “We’re immensely proud to be a founding partner of Small Business Saturday, and it is gratifying to see how it has become the movement that it is today.”
“Small Business Saturday has grown every year and it’s been a big boost to Main Street America,” said NFIB CEO and President Dan Danner. “We are very proud to partner with American Express once again this year to promote an event that connects American consumers with their hometown businesses.”
Additional findings from the Small Business Saturday Consumer Insights Survey include:
80% of consumers are willing to pay slightly more for an item if it is purchased from a small, independently-owned retailer as opposed to online or at a large retailer On average, consumers are planning to do 35% of their holiday shopping at small businesses 45% of consumers who expect to shop on the day plan to spend more on Small Business Saturday this year than they spent last year Almost two-thirds (64%) of consumers who plan to shop on Small Business Saturday are motivated by the contributions that small businesses make to their community
Community Involvement Grows; Additional Activities Provide Shopping Experiences Throughout the Day
Part of what helps make Small Business Saturday a success is the Small Business Saturday Coalition, which helps rally communities to Shop Small on November 28th. The Coalition was created in 2011 and is led by Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP). The Coalition is comprised of national, state and local associations that help coordinate Shop Small activities with merchants, consumers and small business owners.
Another important group that drives Small Business Saturday activities is Neighborhood Champions, which is comprised of small businesses, business associations, local Chambers of Commerce, and other community organizers. To date, more than 3,500 Neighborhood Champions – an increase of 26 percent from 2,786 in 2014 – have signed up to plan local community activities leading up to and on the day.
file photo by Boyd Loving
November 27,2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
The Ridgewood Blog just received this information –
Ridgewood NJ, In a departure of past practice, Village Council members have hired Mark Ruderman, Esq. and the firm of Ruderman and Glickman to negotiate a contract between the Village of Ridgewood and members of Ridgewood Policeman’s Benevolent Assocation (PBA) Local 20. Village Council members authorized the hiring of Mr. Ruderman and his firm under a no-bid contract, expiring on June 30, 2016, for an amount not to exceed $75,000; this was done via Resolution 15-182, passed on June 24, 2015.
For as many years as those who have been around for many years can remember, the PBA contract was always negotiated by the Village Manager, with labor attorney review only after the contract terms were accepted by both parties. The staff of The Ridgewood Blog wondered why the sudden change, and why Mr. Ruderman. Then we ran across this article:
So in a nutshell, Mr. Ruderman was successful in forcing the Tenafly PBA into arbitration, which resulted in a 3-year no raise contract, and a scaled back pay system that forces their members to work longer before reaching maximum pay. What the news article didn’t say was that Mr. Ruderman charged Tenafly $225,000 for his legal/negotiation services. Although the Ridgewood contract has a cap of $75,000, the cap expires on June 30, 2016. If terms are not reached by then, an opportunity may exist for Mr. Ruderman to either achieve or exceed his Tenafly payout.
The hiring of Mr. Ruderman begs the staff of The Ridgewood Blog to ask what role, if any, Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld and Director of Human Resources Sharyn Matthews are playing in the PBA negotiations, particularly since each of their roles include labor negotiations as a responsibility.
Bottom line – Why are taxpayers shelling out $92,000 a year in salary plus benefits for an HR Director who can’t negotiate? And then another $75,000 for someone who can? Good grief Charlie Brown!
While 97 percent of scientists may agree mankind is driving global warming, 97 percent of Americans don’t seem to care about the issue when stacked up against other concerns such as terrorism or the economy, according to a recent Fox News poll.
A November Fox News poll of more than 1,000 registered voters found that only 3 percent listed “climate change” as the most important issue facing the country today, down from 5 percent in August. Americans were much more worried about terrorism, the economy and immigration than global warming.
Ridgewood NJ, The Division’s Turkey Restoration Project represents one of the greatest wildlife management success stories in the history of the state. By the mid-1800s, turkeys had disappeared in New Jersey due to habitat changes and killing for food. Division biologists, in cooperation with the NJ Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation, reintroduced wild turkeys in 1977 with the release of 22 birds. In 1979 biologists and technicians began to live-trap and re-locate birds to establish populations throughout the state. By 1981 the population was able to support a spring hunting season, and in December, 1997, a limited fall season was initiated.
There is now an abundance of wild turkeys throughout the state with turkeys found wherever there is suitable habitat. In South Jersey, where wild turkeys had been struggling just a few years ago, intensive restoration efforts have improved population numbers significantly. The statewide population is now estimated at 20,000 – 23,000 turkeys with an annual harvest of approximately 3,000 birds.
The birds can be pretty aggressive certain times of the year and groups of wild turkeys have been known to wreak havoc on a neighborhood. Do not under estimate their boldness.
BID NO. 028-2015 – WATER BILLING AND DATA COLLECTION/PROCESSING SERVICES
NOTICE TO BIDDERS
Sealed bid proposals will be received by the Village of Ridgewood, in the Courtroom, Level 4 of Village Hall, 131 North Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, New Jersey 07451 on Wednesday, December 9, 2015 at 10:30 a.m. prevailing time, and then publicly opened and read aloud for following project:
BID NO. 028-2015 – WATER BILLING AND DATA COLLECTION/PROCESSING SERVICES
The work shall include all of the equipment and material necessary to perform this task and in accordance with the requirements of the Village of Ridgewood, New Jersey 07451 as needed and described in these specifications.
Specifications and bid forms may be obtained by mail or in person from the office of the Director of Operations, Ridgewood Water, 131 North Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, New Jersey 07451, telephone (201) 670-5521, for a non-refundable fee of $10.00, per set of bid documents. Documents may be examined or picked up in person between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. at the Operations Division, Ridgewood Water, Village Hall, 131 North Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, New Jersey 07451, Monday through Friday. Prospective bidders requesting bid documents be mailed to them shall be responsible for providing their own postage/delivery service remuneration. No Specifications and/or Proposal forms shall be given out after 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, December 8, 2015.
The contractual obligation of the Village of Ridgewood under this Contract for these items is contingent upon the availability of appropriated funds from which payment for this Contract can be made.
Prices quoted must be net and exclusive of all Federal, State and Local Sales and Excise Taxes. Bids may be submitted prior to the bid opening in person or by mail, addressed to the Office of the Village Clerk. The Village assumes no responsibility for loss or non-delivery of any bid sent to it prior to the Bid opening.
Each bid must be enclosed in a sealed envelope with the name of the bidder thereon and endorsed, BID responding to BID NO. 028-2015 – WATER BILLING AND DATA COLLECTION/PROCESSING SERVICES, Do Not Open Until December 9, 2015 at 10:30 AM and must be accompanied by all required forms.
Any award or awards may be made at a later or subsequent time or meeting of the Village Council. All required schedules, that is required forms are to be submitted on the forms attached to the bid documents. No other forms will be accepted.
The successful bidder shall comply with all applicable provisions of the Prevailing Wage Act, as determined by the New Jersey Department of Labor. All contractors, their subcontractors, and material suppliers shall comply with all applicable provisions of the Public Works Contractor Registration Act, pursuant to Public Law 1999 Chapter 238 and the Contractor Business Registration Program, pursuant to Public Law 2004 Chapter 57.
The successful bidder shall furnish and deliver to the Village of Ridgewood a performance and payment bond (Schedule F) in the amount of 100 percent of the accepted bid amount as security for the faithful performance of the Contract. Additionally, the successful bidder shall furnish policies or Certificates of Insurance required by the Contract. In default thereof, said checks and/or bonds and the amount represented thereby shall be forfeited to the Village of Ridgewood as liquidated damages, not as a penalty.
Proposals submitted by Bidders and/or Bidder’s Insurance Company(ies) not chartered in the State of New Jersey, must be accompanied by proper certificate(s) from the Secretary of State, indicating that such Bidders, Bidder’s Insurance Company(ies), and/or Surety Company(ies) is (are) authorized to do business in the State of New Jersey. The Village of Ridgewood reserves the right to reject any or all bids, to waive any informality or to accept a bid which, in its judgment best serves the interest of the Village. No bids may be withdrawn for a period of sixty-days (60) after the date and time set for the opening of bids.
“BIDDERS ARE REQUIRED TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF P.L.1975, C. 127. (NJAC 17:27) regarding Affirmative Action, and Executive Order No. 11246 regarding equal employment opportunity, as amended”. A complete statement as to these requirements is included in the specifications.
By Order of the Village Manager Publication date: November 20, 2015
Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood Water will be performing a water system flushing beginning November 30th in Glen Rock and Ridgewood .Hydrant Flushing will proceed late at night at velocities sufficient enough to remove naturally occurring minerals .Each hydrant will be flushed from 5 to 60 minutes . Residents may experience water discoloration . Work will begin at 9pm and finish by 430am the next day . Residents will be notified by reverse Robo call
Hydrant Flushing – Update
Hydrant flushing in Ridgewood was suspended this week and will continue starting on Monday, November 30th, weather permitting. Below is the revised Public Service Announcement : Click Here
Location: Benjamin Franklin Middle School, N. Van Dien Ave., Ridgewood, NJ 07450
Event Description
Thursday, November 26, 2015
The Ridgewood Thanksgiving Day Run
Racefaster would like to invite you and your family to attend our inaugural Ridgewood Thanksgiving Day Run. It’s a sanctioned 4 mile race beginning and ending at Benjamin Franklin Middle School. Stop by the Racefaster Store, 211 E. Ridgewood Ave, for discounted registration rates.
“On Thursday, the administration tried to calm insurers, sending them a written memo full of promises. Obama’s Department of Health and Human Services vowed to go to Congress for full funding to reimburse insurers for their losses.”
Look out taxpayers– you will be asked to pony up for plans with little accountability, nice stock options and generous executive compensation. The louder they whine, the more government largesse will be rained upon them. Alieta Eck, MD For Real Health Care Reform
A new taxpayer bailout to cover up ObamaCare’s failure?
By Betsy McCaughey
November 20, 2015 | 8:58pm
How dare the Obama administration bail out insurance companies with our money in order to hide ObamaCare’s failures. Thursday, just hours after giant insurer UnitedHealthcare said it’s losing money selling ObamaCare plans and will likely exit the health exchanges next year, the Obama administration quietly promised to bail out insurers for their losses — using your money.
Nearly all insurers are bleeding red ink trying to sell the unworkable plans. Without a bailout, more insurers will abandon ObamaCare, pushing it closer to its demise. A bailout would benefit insurers and the Democratic Party, which is desperate to cover up the health law’s failure. Ironically Democrats (including Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders) bad-mouth bank bailouts but are all for insurance-company bailouts. Truth is, it’s a ripoff for taxpayers, who shouldn’t have to pay for this sleazy coverup.
I just wanted to provide you with a status of where we are with leaves at this point in the season. As of last Friday, we collected 20,295 yards or 58% of the total yardage typically collected for the entire season. Compared to last year at this time, we have collected 6,300 yards or 18% more. This is directly related to the heavy dropping of leaves we had about 1 ½ weeks ago after the rain storm.
As a result of the above, it has been taking us a little longer (about two extra days) to finish up in an area and begin the next area. In previous communications, I have mentioned that we have had some operational issues with the new contractor we are using in Area B – although we are still monitoring him closely, he has picked up double the amount at this point in the season than last year’s contractor. Another interesting factoid is that Area B is responsible for about 35% of the total leaves that have been picked up this season.
Net-net this makes collection more cumbersome for the present time, but bodes well for the remainder of the season as the bulk of the leaves are down or have been collected; therefore the last weeks of collection should be easier. Please bear with us, as we do our best to clean up as much volume as possible before the Thanksgiving holiday. As a reminder, we will be doing a last go through after your final collection date, weather permitting. For residents who like to bag their leaves, free bags are still available for pick up at the Recycling Center.
On to another topic: violations of the leaf collection policy. As you know, we listened to you last year when you reported that your biggest issue was neighbors placing leaves out on the street outside of the permitted schedule. This is just not a safety issue and a violation of our ordinance but it is also a violation of NJ State regulations that mandate leaves cannot be put out more than 7 days prior to the scheduled collection date.
As a result, this season we started active compliance monitoring of the various areas. I think I mentioned in an earlier E-Notice that we saw a large number of violations the first weeks of the season supporting the views that you have been sharing with me. On my own block, I witnessed leaves being placed in the street two days after the collection period! We made a decision not to write summonses at that point but to issue warnings. This was also due to the fact that this violation required an in court appearance, a burden we did not want to place on our residents.
Now that we are almost through the second cycle of leaf collection, we are issuing summonses and there will unfortunately be many of them. The only fortunate news is that the Court Administrator successfully petitioned to remove the requirement for an in-court appearance.
Ridgewood is a very leafy town – we collect between 32,000-35,000 yards of leaves across 95 miles of roads – a real challenge when coupled with the vagaries of weather. I would like to continue to hear your input on enforcement as well as any other suggestions that you may have for better service. Some of you may have seen our new claw which we just introduced and which seems to be working very well – we plan on adding a second one for next leaf season. Also next season, we will also be getting a new leaf vacuum that is significantly better than the ones we are using. We did a post mortem of last season and we will do one this season – we do bring your suggestions and thoughts to those forums.
By Philip Rucker and Robert Costa November 23 at 1:40 PM
MOBILE, Ala. — Ben Carson journeyed here last week to the buckle of the Bible Belt, where he proclaimed America a “Judeo-Christian nation” and delivered a stern warning to his devoted followers: Show up at the polls on March 1 or face consequences.
On Saturday, Donald Trump again swooped into Alabama, where he has cultivated friendships with immigration hardliners, to rally fans in Birmingham. Sen. Marco Rubio has his eyes on the state, too, recently becoming one of only two candidates (Carson is the other) to submit a full slate of 76 delegates for its primary.
Then there’s Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, whose volunteers have been buzzing around Alabama gathering names of grass-roots opponents to the Common Core education standards. At next weekend’s Alabama-Auburn football game, Cruz’s campaign bus will be parked with free stickers and literature. “The Iron Bowl is a big, big moment in Alabama, and Cruz people will be everywhere,” said Ann Eubank, Cruz’s state co-chair.
