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photo by ArtChick.biz
Village Hall : That piece of land has flooded for centuries
That piece of land has flooded for centuries. There is a reason a portion of Ridgewood, including the plain surrounding Village Hall, was fertile farm land. The brook would overflow its banks and deposit good soil.
The basement of the Elks club (now Village Hall) was always a storage area and nothing more. The Village never should have redesigned it for other use.
Before we go further, I would like to know what became of the lawsuits that folks discussed filing against the architect, Poskanker, and/or the builders. Was there any merit to suing them? Did they escape liability with the claim that, “well, its flood plain, what do you expect”?
Moreover, its an absolute crime if any Village building department or engineering department employee who oversaw this ill-fated project is still on the Village payroll, let alone working on this project. Some view this as the Mancuso/Pfund great big white elephant that cost us all millions. I hate to think that Keith Killion wants the same legacy.
Also, I would like to know why the current architects and builders think this round is going to be any different. And, let’s make sure they have assets or insurance in case they fail.
You can’t change or fool mother nature. Flood zone is flood zone. And remember, it is not only the overflowing of the Ho-HoKus brook. The other factor is the many underground streams that criss cross Ridgewood, flowing only during the rainy season. And that means that patches of land such as the Village Hall piece can flood every year, while a neighboring patch such as the Library’s, might only see water every 50 years.
This seems to be a tremendous waste of money and I have heard no good reason why we are doing it. Change the basement back to storage. Reconfigure the building itself. Or, use the money to add on to the building. But don’t waste it on space that is going to flood.
