April 16,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, From “Take Back Ridgewood” Facebook page the Village manager Roberta Sonefield claims the garage can be vacant, and we can still pay for it with the street parking revenue. Lets build a 4 level garage instead of 5 levels. The Village Manager herself is confirming it this short video.
Which begs the question to anyone who will ever pay it, why increase the meter rates…? If she’s so sure. Why put a further burden on the CBD and potential shoppers. Video courtesy Gail McLaughlin McCarthy https://www.tubechop.com/watch/7885900
So what replaces the street parking revenue in the budget then Roberta if it’s going to cover payments for this white elephant if a garage we just do not need?.
Robbing Peter to pay Paul
Complete nonsense. If this were true, then where is the street parking revenue being used now? Obviously “that place” would no longer receive this revenue.
Roberta is correct in her statement. The Parking Utility does in fact generate significant revenue for the Village The problem is that for decades it has been used as a dumping ground for all manner of non-parking related “allocated expenses” in the Village budget. This helped to conceal over-spending and occasional over-staffing in other areas. Roberta inherited this mess and has been cleaning it up….. and guess what….. she correctly concluded the Parking Utility makes money !! With respect to the need for a parking garage 87 years of focused study by both residents and professionals alike has concluded there is a need for additional parking in the CBD. Aside from a lot of gratuitous lip smacking and idle talk NOT ONE of the objectors has come forth with a detailed written plan on how to provide additional parking in the downtown. To those who say it is not needed PROVE IT WITH FACTS not rhetoric.
oh that’s real good math, she has to go. go back to wall, street. with the rest of them.
The parking meters are magical. Put some in the library, village hall and Vets Field lots.
If there is a surplus of funds from the existing street parking that can pay the debt service on $15 million, aren’t the rates too high?
She’s an idiot. Plain and simple.
Where does all this surplus money from the parking authority go? We have had meters forever. What do they do with the millions of surplus since we don’t have a garage to pay for?
Maybe they are saving the money for a surprise
The videos of Ms. Sonnenfeld that are circulating on Facebook are pretty damning. First she’s on tape saying that there’s plenty of parking in the current municipal lots and then that we can afford the garage even if it’s empty. So why the big righteous push for a 5th level? The math has been fuzzy from the start of this project leaving us to wonder what’s really motivating the garage’s most vocal supporters. You know who you are – anything to say for yourselves after seeing these videos?
I think coin boy stole way more then they think. and he had help.
Good Lord, Roberta is a train wreck of the highest magnitude.
Coin Boy opened our eyes…!
Agreed 6:14, something very rotten
To 11:51
You want a plan. OK, here’s one. Create ground level lots at the Town Garage and Ken Smith sites. At the Hudson St lot add 1 level.
Cheaper, faster, less noise, less construction and less chance of overruns.
Ken Smith lot has an agreement with one of the local builders. He will buy it once the dust settles.