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Ridgewood School board addresses comments by teachers union leader

Ridgewood_BOE_theridgewoodblog

School board addresses comments by teachers union leader

SEPTEMBER 25, 2015    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2015, 12:31 AM
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

BOE addresses union leader’s statements

To the Editor:

Mike Yannone, Ridgewood Education Association (REA) president, made several erroneous statements at the Sept. 21 Ridgewood Board of Education meeting that warrant response.

* A $2.5 million tax burden is being placed on teachers.

It is not a tax. State law known as “Chapter 78,” phased in over four years, requires that all public employees contribute towards their health benefits. The $2.5 million is the sum of this year’s contribution.

* The board passed a resolution to remove collective bargaining rights for teachers and did not provide it to the public.

Last March, the board approved a resolution asking that Chapter 78 be excluded from negotiations. This resolution was posted on the board and superintendent’s web pages at ridgewood.k12.nj.us within 24 hours of the board approving the meeting minutes.

* Contract negotiations are stalled due to a highly paid RBOE attorney spokesperson.

The RBOE has included an attorney on its negotiating team for over 15 years. He is an experienced, reasonably priced attorney. The REA’s negotiating team includes a NJEA representative. The REA collects over $650,000 annually from its members. Some of this money is used to pay NJEA for this service.

* The settlement of the contract is not the top board goal.

This is untrue. On Sept. 21, the RBOE approved a goal “to negotiate with the REA to settle a new contract.” It is a priority for this year.

* The district says its financial hands are tied, which is disrespectful to teachers.

The district’s annual budget is capped at 2 percent on the amount the tax levy can be increased. Law mandates this and it is the reality under which we operate. Disrespecting our staff is not part of the equation. We honor and appreciate the fine work of our staff.

* Each year the board hires new administrators who are doing less work.

In 2008, the board was forced to reduce administrative positions when all categorical state aid was cut. Over the last three years, we have rebuilt our administrative team. We have reinstated five administrators and added 33 teachers. Every staff member — administrators, teachers and support staff — are doing more work, not less.

Mr. Yannone asked if the RBOE was going to Atlantic City again at taxpayers’ expense. Yes, the Board of Education will attend the NJSBA workshop in October. Board members are the only New Jersey elected officials legally required to receive training. Workshop provides this training and opportunities to learn about best practices and hone leadership skills. The district pays for registration and accommodations.

The RBOE has high regard for our talented teaching staff and secretaries. The partnership with our teachers is a longstanding one that values their input in improving education for our students. In negotiating a contract, the board is mindful of the financial reality and tasked to balance this reality with the need to fairly compensate our teachers.

Ridgewood Board of Education

Sheila Brogan, President

Vincent Loncto, Vice President

Christina Krauss

https://www.northjersey.com/opinion/opinion-letters-to-the-editor/ridgewood-news-letter-school-board-addresses-comments-by-teachers-union-leader-1.1418197

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Citizens for a Better Ridgewood : Pushes Letter Writing Campaign to Halt Over Development

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Please attend the final meeting next Wednesday AND email council members now! (Easy cut-and-paste letter below )

Ridgewood Residents!! An unprecedented, sweeping urban-zoning change is coming to Ridgewood!

Please attend the Village Council meeting on September 30 at 7:30 in Village Hall, and please write your council members to voice your concerns.

A sample letter is below if you wish to simply cut, paste, sign and send to:

Paul Aronsohn – [email protected]
Albert Pucciarelli – [email protected]
Gwenn Hauck – [email protected]
Susan Knudsen – [email protected]
Michael Sedon – [email protected]

 

Dear Council Member,
I am a citizen and a voter of Ridgewood and am writing to urge you to “Vote No” to the high-density housing ordinances on September 30th.

A “Yes” vote risks diminishing our quality of life forever, creating urban-scaled developments that are entirely inconsistent with our town’s size and character.

For generations Ridgewood has taken great pains to protect the small town character of our community by smart zoning in both our business and residential districts. In one night, on September 30th, the Village Council could destroy the legacy and the trust of all these generations.

Amending the master plan to truly “spot zone” at the requests of a few developers is a mistake. And despite some council-member’s baseless claims of widespread support for high density zoning, it is NOT supported by a majority of residents. This was clearly evidenced by the landslide wins in the last council election for the two candidates who spoke openly against the high-density amendment.

The ordinances should be rejected because they will:
Forever change the small town feel of Ridgewood;

Potentially add too many kids to our schools, which are already full to capacity;

Worsen our existing parking and traffic crisis;

Risk increasing our excessive property taxes, if the developments do not succeed financially, or if more children live there than you estimated;

Over stress our limited water supply and aging infrastructure;

Overburden our maxed out ballfields and open spaces; and

Result in a cascade of me-too lawsuits from neighboring property owners who similarly wish to benefit from the profits to be attained from building a 35 unit per acre development in the Central Business District.

The Planning Board never did any comprehensive independent study on these changes. They relied far too heavily on biased data provided by developers. On the Council’s end, you have not done any financial studies (which are now allowed at the Planning Board level), to better gauge impacts on the Village. You don’t know the full impacts. As such, approvals on 9/30 will be reckless.
I will be paying close attention to YOUR VOTE on this crucial issue, which will strongly influence MY VOTE in the coming election.
Please do the right thing — stand with the overwhelming majority of citizens who oppose this risky plan and VOTE NO to the ordinances as they stand now.

Sincerely,
(your name goes here)

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GOP Representative: Mitch McConnell ‘Next Guy in the Crosshairs’

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by JOEL GEHRKE

September 25, 2015 2:56 PM  Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) will be the next target of conservatives frustrated with party leadership, according to one of the conservative representatives who pressured House speaker John Boehner in the weeks leading up to his resignation. “Next guy in the crosshairs will probably be McConnell,” Representative Matt Salmon (R., Ariz.) said in a text message to Senator Mike Lee (R., Utah), according to National Journal’s Sarah Mimms. Lee replied that he doubts that will happen.
Still, Salmon’s speculation reflects a theory of Boehner’s struggles that is common among the outgoing speaker’s friends and foes alike — that his unpopularity among the grassroots stems more from McConnell’s failure to take advantage of the Senate majority than anything House Republicans have done. If that’s true, then Boehner’s departure can hardly be expected to ease the tensions between GOP leadership and the conservative base or preempt more leadership fights in the future. “People are frustrated with out Republican leadership, with Boehner and McConnell, and it’s not usually the third or fourth question that comes up — it’s the first question that comes up,” Representative Marlin Stutzman (R., Ind.), who voted against Boehner in January, told National Review last week. “It’s happening at tea-party events, but it’s [also] happened at Republican breakfasts, it’s happening at donor meetings — there’s a deep frustration.”

Read more at: https://www.nationalreview.com/article/424646/john-boehner-resignation-mitch-mcconnell-next

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Celebrate The 1876 American Centennial

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Celebrate The 1876 American Centennial

All Are Welcome to Attend!
UPCOMING – A PERIOD BALL TO CELEBRATE THE 1876 AMERICAN CENTENNIAL! The North River Historical Dancers, a local historic dance troupe, is proud to present “A Centennial Ball 1776-1876” to kick off its 2015-16 class season at the Ridgewood Community School. The Ball will be held at the Willard School Auditorium, located at 601 Morningside Road, Ridgewood, NJ on Saturday evening, September 26, 2015 from 7:00 – 11:00 p.m. Be transported to another time or to your favorite historic film…. Enjoy live period music by The Gotham Gals – Julia Hartman (violin), Norma Castle (flute and percussion) and Robin Russell (piano) – and engage in dances that span the tumultuous decades from the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776 through the Centennial Celebrations of 1876, called by troupe member Janice Wolk. The event is open to the public. All dances will be instructed– no experience necessary. Come alone, or bring a friend — or two — or three! There are no young children’s activities planned for this evening. Attire is period/period-inspired from Colonial to Victorian, or modern festive.
The cost is $25 per person. Make your reservation in advance (recommended) by contacting Steve Tichenor [email protected] or Janice Wolk [email protected]. You may also pay at the door. For more information about the North River Historical Dancers, visit our website: www.NorthRiverHistoricalDancers.com and our YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCplbaclyaO2zMw4xJniYb5g. Our RCS class, entitled “English-American Historical Social Dancing (17th-19th Century),” is held on Friday nights from October through May, and can be found in the below link. https://register.capturepoint.com/reg/cat_program_list_detail.cfm?s=&t=&season_id=10953&program_group_id=17&program_id=378723
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RIDGEWOOD POLICE DEPARTMENT TAKING BACK UNWANTED PRESCRIPTION DRUGS

Prescription-Drugs

September 26 2015

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, On September 26 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the Ridgewood Police and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will give the public its tenth opportunity in five years to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs. Bring your pills for disposal to Ridgewood Police Headquarters at 131 N.Maple Ave. (The DEA cannot accept liquids or needles or sharps, only pills or patches.) The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.

Last September, Americans turned in 309 tons (over 617,000 pounds) of prescription drugs at nearly 5,500 sites operated by the DEA and more than 4,000 of its state and local law enforcement partners. When those results are combined with what was collected in its eight previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners have taken in over 4.8 million pounds—more than 2,400 tons—of pills.

This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. In addition, Americans are now advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines—flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash—both pose potential safety and health hazards.

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Study finds Americans Eat all day long

fastfood

Longer fasts might help with weight loss but Americans eat all day long

It’s official: Americans’ 24/7 culture of work, entertainment and digital connectivity now also extends to our dietary consumption patterns, new research finds.

Americans’ erratic, round-the-clock eating patterns, suggests the new study, have probably contributed to an epidemic of obesity and Type 2 diabetes. But they can be changed, and the restoration of a longer nighttime “fast” shows promise as a means to lower weight and better health, researchers add.

How much do American kids love apples? They account for 29% of fruit consumed each day

In a study that detailed the consumption patterns of just over 150 nondieting, non-shift-working people in and around San Diego for three weeks, researchers at the Salk Institute in La Jolla found that a majority of people eat for stretches of 15 hours or longer most days — and fast for fewer than nine hours a night.

We snarf a tidbit at a midmorning meeting, nibble for much of the afternoon, knock back a drink or two with dinner and keep noshing till bedtime. Fewer than a quarter of the day’s calories were consumed before noon, they discovered. And more than a third of participants’ average daily calories, the research revealed, were consumed after 6 p.m.

Despite participants’ typical claim to consuming three meals a day, “a breakfast-lunch-dinner temporal pattern was largely absent,” the researchers wrote in an article published Thursday in the journal Cell Metabolism.

https://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-americans-all-day-eating-20150924-story.html

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Ridgewood Places 11th in List of top 10 Snobbiest Places in New Jersey ?

memendez at ridgewood train station
photo by Boyd Loving
Hoboken and Edgewater beat us out , I think we should ask for a recount ?
Ridgewood Resident have prided themselves on Snobbery?
Ridgewood 11

Glen Rock 14

These Are The 10 Snobbiest Places In New Jersey

We analyzed over 200 places in Jersey to identify the ones that probably think they’re better than you.

When it comes to being a snob, you’ve got all types. You’ve got your wine snobs, beer snobs, and food snobs. There are book snobs, movie snobs, and theatre (yes, with an re) snobs. These days, you’ve probably even got snob snobs—people who think their type of snob is better than yours.

And of all the places in the U.S., you may not find a higher concentration of all of the above than in the Northeast—New Jersey in particular.

Yes, that’s right; Jersey isn’t all fist pumps, fugazis, and poufs. In fact, in these 10 places, it’s downright snooty:

Princeton
Chatham
Mendham
Edgewater
Glen Ridge
Bernardsville
Westfield
Hoboken
Summit
Oradell

Don’t get up on your high horse (unless you live in one of these 10 places, in which case, you pretty much live up there)—we didn’t just pull these 10 places out of our… hats. We relied strictly on the numbers to come up with this list. More on said numbers, in the next section.

https://www.roadsnacks.net/snobbiest-places-in-new-jersey/

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NJ’s pension investments fall short of targets

Trenton_New_Jersey

SEPTEMBER 23, 2015, 7:20 PM    LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2015, 9:37 PM
BY DUSTIN RACIOPPI
STATE HOUSE BUREAU |
THE RECORD

The investments made by New Jersey’s pension funds fell short of targets and well below the double-digit gains of recent years, but it still outperformed benchmarks, state officials said Wednesday.

And amid sustained criticism from unions and some legislators over increased spending on alternative investments – like hedge funds and private equity funds – the state’s investment returns were driven largely by those non-traditional accounts, officials said.

But the returns into the public employee pension fund aren’t enough to keep up with the flow of cash out every year to pay retirees, underscoring the need for greater contributions from the state, those officials said. Governor Christie has cut the state’s contributions the last three budgets amid declining revenues to the state, but his reduced payments compounded years of partial contributions to the fund by prior administrations, creating an unfunded liability today of between $40 billion and $80 billion, depending on the accounting source.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/nj-s-pension-investments-fall-short-of-targets-1.1416355

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Port Authority officials expected to back proposal to move bus terminal one block west

NJT ticket machine

SEPTEMBER 24, 2015, 7:06 AM    LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2015, 7:14 AM
BY SHAWN BOBURG
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

Leading Port Authority officials today are expected to recommend building a new Manhattan bus terminal one block west of the current station, following months of deliberation over several options with price tags as high as $10 billion, according to three people familiar with the discussions.

The endorsement of a broad plan that includes a specific location for the new terminal and a way to keep commuter buses running during construction would be a significant step in the long-running effort to replace the current 1950s-era mass transit facility with a modern alternative. But more time is needed to determine the new building’s design, the precise cost and how to finance it, said the three sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity so as not to preempt a presentation planned for today’s meeting of commissioners.

In March, in response to increasing calls to address the condition of the world’s busiest bus terminal, commissioners were given five options for replacing it. They ranged widely in estimated cost and in their impact on the bus system, depending on where the new terminal would sit and whether the current one would stay open during construction.

A four-commissioner group that considered the five options is expected to recommend that the bi-state agency build a new terminal between Ninth and Tenth avenues, keeping the current terminal on Eighth Avenue open during construction.

Once the new structure is up and running, the old terminal would be demolished and the development rights for the property, located on 42nd Street between Eighth and Ninth avenues, would be sold to help pay for the project. The location of the new terminal would force commuters connecting to the New York City subway system to walk one block, the three people said, whereas direct connections are possible through the current building

 

https://www.northjersey.com/news/port-authority-officials-expected-to-back-proposal-to-move-bus-terminal-one-block-west-1.1417389

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Pope Francis : “flee the temptation of narcissism”.

Vatican Pope Youths

Pope Francis asks U.S. bishops to welcome immigrants, take care of priests

Susan Miller and Gregory Korte, USA TODAY6:47 p.m. EDT September 23, 2015

WASHINGTON — Pope Francis urged his fellow American bishops to take care of the spiritual needs of priests and to welcome new immigrants into the United States, gently admonishing them to “flee the temptation of narcissism.”

In a tone more fraternal than scolding, Francis encouraged the bishops as spiritual shepherds but also urged them to confront the issues of the world: The response to abortion, childhood hunger, immigration, the elderly, terrorism are “essential aspects of the Church’s mission,” he said. “It is wrong, then, to look the other way or to remain silent.”

Francis also sought healing for the victims of the priest sexual abuse scandal. “I realize how much the pain of recent years has weighed upon you and I have supported your generous commitment to bring healing to victims — in the knowledge that in healing we too are healed — and to work to ensure that such crimes will never be repeated,” he said.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2015/09/23/pope-francis-asks-us-bishops-welcome-immigrants-take-care-priests/72685614/

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Is the President Really Scared of a 12 year old?

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September 23,2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, If one word could describe CJ Pearson, it would be effective., so effective that even the President of the United States has blocked him from his Facebook page .

According to hi Facebook page , ” At 12 years old, CJ Pearson commands a brand, following, and political message that inspires the youngest of followers to even an older generation of conservatives. Since the age 8, CJ has considered himself a conservative. With a Facebook base of over 29,000 followers and a YouTube channel viewership of well over 2 Million, in less than two months, CJ Pearson’s work can be seen in many networks. He’s been featured on Fox News, the Washington Times, USA Today, and from commentators including Mark Levin and Laura Ingraham.

Strongly believing that young people, regardless of political affiliation, must become involved in the political process, CJ founded the Young Georgians in Government. He currently serves as Executive Director where he has introduced pieces of legislation to the Georgia General Assembly. He’s fought for real solutions facing young people across Georgia and has made large strides to engaging young people in the political process.”

CJ recently took the President to task on the on the bogus “clock boy” incident , “ Barack Obama, while I’ve made this request before, to no avail, I’ve decided to make it once more. Because after this week, I might just be on your radar.

With new evidence surfacing, it is increasingly clear that Ahmed Mohammed never built a clock. Richard Dawkins agrees.

So, Mr. President, I ask you to be fair. I ask you to look past party and look towards solutions.

While Ahmed has never built a clock, I’ve written and introduced two pieces of legislation, empowering young people to take a stand in their government!

While Ahmed has never built a clock, I’ve fought for criminal justice reform. An issue, as of recently, very close to your heard.

While Ahmed’s accomplishments seem to be a bit murky, my accomplishments and leadership towards fighting for my generation are indisputable and are well documented.

In this meeting, I’d like to talk about issues of importance to my generation like education policy, our growing national debt, and the steadily rising youth unemployment rate for young people who are desperately struggling to find work.

Like you, I want to give my generation some “hope and change” they can believe. A future they can count on. So, Mr. President, let’s make this happen!

The presidents response to date has to block CJ from his Facebook page.
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Port Authority’s role in paying for Hudson Rail tunnel in doubt

Lincoln Tunnel

SEPTEMBER 22, 2015, 10:55 PM    LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2015, 11:02 PM
BY SHAWN BOBURG
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

A new $20 billion rail tunnel under the Hudson River would be built, and partly paid for, by the Port Authority under a plan described last week by Governor Christie and his New York counterpart, Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Left unaddressed, though, was a fundamental question: Does the bi-state agency that collects tolls at the Hudson River vehicular crossings have the legal authority to lead a project to build a rail tunnel that will be used exclusively by other agencies — in this case, Amtrak and NJ Transit?

Some lawyers and lawmakers say no — not unless both states’ legislatures specifically approve the Port Authority’s involvement.

The issue is more than just an arcane legal question.

It rekindles other recent controversies over the legality of using Port Authority money — including the $14 cash tolls collected at its bridges and tunnels and airport fees — to fund non-Port Authority projects. The Port Authority is already facing an investigation by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and federal regulators for shifting $1.8 billion in toll money to New Jersey-owned roads at the behest of the Christie administration.

The governors’ proposal for the tunnel also puts the Port Authority, an agency buffeted by a series of scandals that have dented Christie’s presidential hopes, at the center of one of the biggest public works projects in the country.

“It’s premature at this point to discuss what role the Port Authority may be asked to play with respect to the tunnel project,” Port Authority Chairman John Degnan said Friday. “At an appropriate time, we will ensure we have adequate legal basis for any involvement we do have.”

By law, the Port Authority is allowed to undertake projects associated with its existing facilities or new projects authorized by state lawmakers in both New York and New Jersey. But over the years, the Port Authority has found creative ways to bypass the requirement of legislative approval.

 

https://www.northjersey.com/news/analysis-port-authority-s-role-in-paying-for-tunnel-in-doubt-1.1415674

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Garrett Pushing Transparency and Accountability for “To big to fail” bailout rules

scott-garrett

Garrett Introduces Bill to Hold FSOC Accountable to the American People
Sep 18, 2015

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Scott Garrett (NJ-05), Chairman of the Financial Services Subcommittee on Capital Markets and Government-Sponsored Enterprises, today introduced H.R. 3557, the Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC) Transparency and Accountability Act, to bring much-needed transparency and accountability to the FSOC.

“The Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC) is one of the most notorious examples of the kind of secretive and unaccountable government bodies that could only be a creation of Washington, D.C.  The Dodd-Frank Act vested the FSOC with the authority to designate nonbank financial institutions as “too big to fail,” essentially giving them unprecedented authority over an entire sector of the U.S. economy without adequate checks and balances.

“The Council continues to hold closed-door meetings, refuses to publish substantive transcripts, and stonewalls requests from the people’s representatives when we need more information about its operations.  No agency should be allowed to operate above the law in this way, and my bill will shed some much-needed light on this shadowy government body.”

Garrett’s legislation would:

Subject the FSOC to the Government in the Sunshine Act
Subject the FSOC to the Federal Advisory Committee Act
At all FSOC meetings, allow for the participation of all members of the Commissions and Boards represented
Require that any vote taken by the principal of a Commission or Board represented must first be taken by that Commission or Board and the principal must then in turn vote that same decision at the Council
Allow for Members of Congress on the Congressional oversight committees of FSOC to be able to attend all FSOC meetings

A previous version of the legislation passed the House Financial Services Committee in June, 2014.

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Ridgewood Board of Education Continuing contract negotiations with the Ridgewood Education Association Update

BOE_theridgewoodblog

September 11, 2015 Dear Parent or Guardian:

In July, the Ridgewood Board of Education (RBOE) announced that contract negotiations with the Ridgewood Education Association (REA), which began in February 2015, were moving from official mediation through the NJ Public Employment Relations Commission (PERC) to the fact-finding stage, also through PERC.
Our first fact-finding session will be held on September 16, 2015. During this time, the teachers and secretaries continue to receive their full salaries and benefits and work under the terms, conditions and protections of the expired contract that began on July 1, 2012, and ended on June 30, 2015. It is important to remember that our teachers and secretaries are working within the contractually specified hours listed below and that drop-off and pick-up times at our schools must be followed:
 Elementary schools: 8 a.m.-3:35 p.m. PLEASE DO NOT DROP YOUR CHILD OFF PRIOR TO 8:35 A.M. AND PICK UP AT 3 P.M.
 Middle schools: 7:45 a.m.-3:20 p.m. PLEASE DO NOT DROP YOUR CHILD OFF PRIOR TO 7:45 A.M. AND PICK UP AT 2:55 P.M.
 Ridgewood High School: 7:40 a.m.-3:15 p.m. DROP OFF AND PICK UP WILL BE THE SAME
In addition, please understand that during this stage in the negotiations, teachers may decline to do some activities that fall outside of the contract. For example, they may decline to chaperone overnight/after school field trips, decline to participate or volunteer in activities that they had in the past, or may adhere to the 7.5 hour daily contract hours by arriving and leaving on time each school day. If any such actions occur that result in changes or cancellation of certain activities, school principals and other administrators will explain the reason why.
Many parents have offered to volunteer and take over these responsibilities. Some activities can be sponsored or supervised by parents, while others can’t for various insurance and personal liability reasons. Please see your principal for guidance. While changes to activities may be an unfortunate reality during this period, it is important to stress that the RBOE and REA are working towards an agreement that satisfies both parties. Throughout the State of New Jersey, negotiations are taking place between teacher associations and Boards of Education.
The vast majority of contract negotiations, almost 80 percent, are not completed prior to the expiration of the preceding contract. Finally, if the fact-finder is unsuccessful in mediating an agreement, both parties will present their “case,” and a written report will be prepared that will be made public 10 days after they receive his non-binding findings. Thank you in advance for your understanding as the RBOE and REA work through this process and complete the negotiations in the shortest time possible.
Sincerely,
Daniel Fishbein, Ed.D. Superintendent of Schools
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Village of Ridgewood Manager Updates Watering Restrictions, Enforcement and Waivers

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But the questions remains can I wash my car or not ?

Village of Ridgewood E-Notice

Water Restrictions

Dear E Notice Resident,

Your cooperation with Stage 4 watering restrictions as well as stricter enforcement has had a very positive impact on our water usage. We have seen roughly a 50+% decrease in usage from the highs of August and early September. That being said, weather forecasts over the next several days are not positive from a rainfall point of view and we will continue Stage 4 restrictions – with some ability to do case by case waivers – until further notice. We will continue our heightened enforcement – I know some of you have expressed dismay that we are not ticketing every residence and that there are still residents that are flagrant violators – we will continue to be vigilant about this.

Just a reminder: No irrigation of any kind is allowable on Mondays, Thursdays, or Fridays. Irrigation using only a hand-held hose with a spray nozzle is permitted for odd-numbered addresses only on Tuesdays and Saturdays and for even-numbered addresses on Wednesdays and Sundays.

Waivers for special circumstances such as irrigating newly planted lawns and shrubs, cleaning cars or houses, and filling swimming pools will now be considered on a case by case basis. In order to be considered for waivers, please contact Ridgewood Water at 201-670-5520 or email Customer Service at [email protected].

Several of you have asked me about why Ridgewood Water has instituted Stage 4 restrictions as opposed to some other water utilities. The Ridgewood Water System is unlike many other systems as it relies on a system of over 45 wells, associated treatment systems, piping, storage and more. These appurtenances have their limits and become extremely stressed when there is noncompliance with watering restrictions during a drought condition. This is part of the problem we had when we were in Stage 2 watering restrictions. During a peak summer day with irrigation systems running, water production can more than double reaching limits as high as 14 million gallons per day. Some think the crux of the problem is lack of storage but during the conditions we have been experiencing we cannot even fill the tanks completely.

Improvements are needed in certain areas to provide more resiliency and fire protection and we are working on those capital projects…….but the entire system cannot be overbuilt at the expense of providing unlimited irrigation supply. Conservation and better controls are important components of our overall answer. Ridgewood Water will be working closely with each community (besides Ridgewood, we service Glen Rock, Midland Park and Wyckoff) to start building a conservation platform for the future. Considerations will include requiring the installation of weather, rain and soil sensors, and implementing new watering schedules – all of which can be controlled with smart irrigation technology.

Several of you have also asked me to discuss rates we bill our customers. We are one of the lowest cost providers of water in our immediate region. This year’s rates were kept flat, with no increase. It is important for Ridgewood taxpayers to know that Ridgewood Water is totally financed by the consumers of Ridgewood Water.

Apologies for the long E-Notice but I also had wanted to respond to some of the questions I have received from you as well as to communicate a status on our watering restrictions. We will continue to monitor conditions and inform you of any changes to the restrictions.

Best,

Roberta Sonenfeld

Village Manager

201-670-5500, ext. 203

-PLEASE SHARE THIS INFORMATION WITH YOUR NEIGHBORS