Reader says real news here. Valley’s attorney Drill objected to his own clients legal position and reasoning on PVH reopening.
The crowd overfilled the room and fire and police had no choice to address the situation. PB Chairman and Aronsohn tried very hard to come up with a solution for 45 minutes. There are legal issues here and the right decision was made. Gail Price was not even there. I agree Valley representatives and attorney are smart a***s.
Please don’t overlook the real news here. Valley’s attorney, Jonathan shrill drill, was forcefully objecting to CRR standing and forcefully objecting to CRR using Valley’s own documents to support opposition to the huge expansion. Preposterous as it is, Drill objected to his own clients legal position and reasoning on PVH reopening.
Pete McKenna presented himself as a true gentleman. I hope the board took to heart his words about the seven year nightmare, the burden this has placed on their fellow residents, the turmoil and uncertainty suffered through daily. Residents like McKenna should be able to find comfort and peace at home in Ridgewood not a 2,651 day nightmare.
What was that 1983 PB quote? 30 years ago “valley needs to find another solution other than expansion”?
Fair response, but I do not believe in coincidence when it comes to the judiciary. Who made the decision to hold a major meeting in a small venue? Charles Nalbanthian? Aronsohn? Valley? Certainly not CRR. This writer went to BF at first reasoning they couldn’t have a meeting like this in such a small room! (wrong). I do not believe in coincidence.
The Planning Board erred in presuming that attendance would be low based on previous meetings. “This is the first time this has happened,” said the attorney substituting for Gail Price. Really? How about the GWMS fiasco when police from several towns appeared? A lot of people, including the press, would obviously want to hear CRR’s experts testify for the first time.
More likely this was a cynical attempt to squeeze and heat the crowd. In either case logic and the fire code won out and the meeting was postponed.
The lemonade from this lemon stew is that by September 30 (a) more people will be in town and able to attend and (b) CRR’s advisers will have had an extra 6 weeks to read through ten tons of backup material (we send our condolences) and prepare.
The last scintilla of credibiltiy on the part of Aronsohn and the PB has been squandered. I don’t see any advantage to VH in the events of last night which leads me to conclude that it was not a tactic but the result of stupidity or indifference. Whatever the reason, keep on fighting!
I hope the PB at least got the message that this application, if approved, will divide this town forever. Although the CRR reps did a great job during the limited time they had, the fact that there were that many people in attendance spoke volumes !!!
Since Valley will probably react to that by pulling another “bus ride” to the next meeting, do whatever you can to be there and bring whoever you know that is for logic and common sense.
#2, it’s to the benefit of the deeper-pocketed antagonist to delay in hopes that the other side will go broke, burn out, and give up.
Pretty gutless. But don’t you just love a good fight ?!?
I am not a fan of the mayor, but I don’t think you can blame the PB here. Have you been to any of the meetings in the last few months? Some were held at BF, the last few at the Village Hall and the courthouse has been more than big enough to hold everyone.
I was happy to see so many people, but it is a waste of energy to think it was planned.
Someone should have anticipated a larger crowd since this is the first opportunity for people to hear something other than Valley’s rhetoric. You can only take so much of that. As someone who has attended most of the meetings it was a pleasure to see someone say to Mr .Drill, let me respond and to see him shut up. What a pleasure. I am so tired of watching the Valley Team basically running roughshod over everyone who has something to say and to keep saying that the question you are asking should have been asked of another “expert” and when that expert is present they say they don’t know and it should be asked of someone else. I truly hope that the folks that were there last night attend on Sept. 30th.