photos courtesy of Village Manager Keith Kazmark
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, thanks to the hard work of former Mayor Susan Knudsen in March of 2022 the Village of Ridgewood was approved for a direct grant in 2022 in the amount of $2,800,000 from the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) .
Today, marked a tremendous milestone in our fight to contain PFAS in our community. The Ravine PFAS Treatment Facility Groundbreaking Ceremony, our third PFAS treatment facility under Ridgewood Water, showcased the level of support our government officials and agencies are bringing to the customers our water service area. Special thanks to Congressman Josh Gottheimer, NJDEP Commissioner Sean M. LaTourette, EPA Region 2 Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor for Equity Olivia Glenn for their commitment to this project. A BIG shout out to Ridgewood Water Director Richard Calbi and his entire team for their work in making our PFAS Master Plan become a reality. This treatment facility is being made possible by a $2.8 million dollar federal grant awarded to the Village of Ridgewood and ensures our continued commitment to quality drinking water.
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Who showed the Mayor which end of the shovel to use.
No one. He has been shoveling the sh** for a long time now, so he is a pro.
Great photo opportunity for our Mayor and VM to spend time making it look like they care about PFAS! But Paul, you said PFAS is everywhere. You do seem to care about it when Gottheimer is around though.
PFAS is everywhere
Oh sure Paul cares about PFAS when there is a US Congressman in the midst. What a phony you are Paul as you plan to dump a giant plastic field on the Schedler property with tons of PFAS for those neighbors.
In the Channel 12 clip our mayor specifically says “we didn’t put PFAS into the water but we are going to get it out” That is great but you voted led the charge with your majority voting block (Pam, Evan and Siobahn) to vote YES on an artificial turf field near the private wells of many residents on the east side of the town you govern. This is completely and totally hypocritical and counter to what you said here:
https://newjersey.news12.com/ridgewood-water-breaks-ground-on-water-treatment-facility
The reporter states that Ridgewood residents have lost trust in the water that has been running out of the tap but what he didn’t say, which is more accurate, is that the people of Ridgewood have lost trust in the Mayor who is leading this Village down a very dark path with his obsessions to build a ginormous artificial turf field, also PFAS laden, near many residents with private wells on the East side of Ridgewood. What he should be doing is focusing on the things that really matter in this town but he has prioritized trying to buy property and move a house so he can build his field of dreams all with tax dollars when furloughs for Village staff were a narrow miss and will likely loom again. If this doesn’t smack of unethical behavior, I don’t know what does.
Interesting to note that the reporter stated that PFAS, a forever chemical, is related to kidney and testicular cancer and liver disease. But in the TapInto article from August 13th, Siobahn Winograd was interviewed and said she wasn’t concerned about the PFAS in artificial turf which will also go into the water and potentially the Saddle River right nearby which would then flow downstream to other towns. When it comes to PFAS in the water that filters through Ridgewood water, the mayor wants to remove it but put has no problem putting it somewhere else in Ridgewood, like the Schedler sports field. This is very confusing. Maybe the Village Manager should arrange a special meeting to discuss Ridgewood water and the installation of artificial turf near private wells, so that all of the residents can understand what is going on and what the potential implications will be so that Ridgewood can avoid a lawsuit.
Also Evan Weitz , along with Siobahn Winograd, also said that he wasn’t concerned about PFAS. Said he wasn’t speaking figuratively, he was speaking literally, that his kids will proudly play on artificial turf. More PFAS for everyone!
I guess Siobahn Winograd and Evan Weitz are now PFAS experts. They both love Peter Primavera who they consider a historic preservation expert, so it isn’t a surprise that they are PFAS experts too along with Paul.
It’s not like it causes Breast Cancer, AIDS, Sickle Cell or any other important disease.
Are you a Maroon or a Moron?
look who’s talking… if it was one of those or other virtue signaling diseases there would be MUCH MORE action and media attention.
GUARANTEED it would have found it’s way onto the national news networks.
You know it’s true.
If you don’t you are in denial.
It’s settled science.
Village Council meeting on April 3rd:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1TrUTtwzVY
Direct quote from Paul on the issue of PFAS:
“As for PFAS issue, which has become a lightening rod lately, we have PFAS everywhere. It’s in this carpeting. It’s in food packaging, it’s in our dental floss, it’s in our clothing, it’s everywhere. To pick out this one item, and say we want to get rid of PFAS in this one item and yet leave it everywhere else in our homes and our in lives, in our clothing, that doesn’t work for me. We have PFAS and we have to deal with it, and nobody wants it but nobody is getting rid of their food packaging or dental floss.”
Direct quote from our illustrious mayor on the topic of PFAS (from 4/3 Village Council Meeting)
As for PFAS issue, which has become a lightning rod lately, we have PFAS everywhere. It’s in this carpeting. It’s in food packaging, it’s in our dental floss, it’s in our clothing, it’s everywhere. To pick out this one item, and say we want to get rid of PFAS in this one item and yet leave it everywhere else in our homes and our in lives, in our clothing, THAT DOESN’T WORK FOR ME, we have PFAS AND WE HAVE TO DEAL WITH IT, and nobody wants it, but nobody is getting rid of their food packaging or dental floss.”
Haven’t seen an outfit like that since Smith Point Dance Floor.
Jim Tedesco tried to crash this picture but he arrived 5 minutes too late.
I am still curious about the relationship between Paul and the new Village Manager. It is obvious Paul brought him to Ridgewood but I am intrigued as to the nature of their relationship and if Keith was aligned with Paul’s 2015 campaign. They seem very tight.
When the Village Manager Mr. Kazmark was interviewed by CBS about the installation of artificial turf at Schedler he said residents needed to be listened to but that they would do the right thing for Ridgewood. Paul also said that they are exploring options. With the way this Village operates, which is usually in a bubble that is transparent to no one, we won’t be provided with details until they have already decided with zero input from the community and may even try to sneak it in without state approval.
According to a google search: Ridgewood’s drinking water system has been contaminated with elevated levels of PFAS, a group of man-made chemicals linked to cancer and other illnesses. Ridgewood filed lawsuits against a number of companies in 2019 and 2020 after 44 of its 52 municipal wells were found to be contaminated with elevated levels of PFAS. Water at the Carr Treatment Plant had tested above the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s limit for PFAS, but since new carbon filters were added, PFAS have not been detected in the water treated by the facility. Ridgewood Water filed a complaint against major corporations, alleging they “knew or should have known” that their chemical firefighting products were soluble and “very likely to contaminate surface and groundwater,” posing health risks.
https://pfasproject.com/2022/11/30/what-are-pfas-and-why-are-they-in-ridgewood-water/
Welcome to Paulie’s Playhouse where PFAS is the name of the game. He will try to get rid of it if there is money to clear up the water as many people could develop a myriad of health issues, then the CBD would really be empty. The giant plastic field planned for the historic property, will also generate PFAS that will get into the water but that kind of PFAS is everywhere.
Good thing we have a 5 million dollar water building to hash all these issue out in style
I think Erin Brokovich may need to tune into the Village Council meetings. This is gonna get interesting and not good for Paul when he runs for higher office. He is going to have the reputation of being one of the worst mayors in Ridgewood’s history and if he doesn’t bankrupt the Village with his grand schemes or furlough employees as was looming on the horizon this year, it will be a miracle.
Mach·i·a·vel·li·an
[ˌmäkēəˈvelēən]
ADJECTIVE
cunning, scheming, and unscrupulous, especially in politics.
USED IN A SENTENCE
Mayor Vagianos rules in a very machiavellian manner.
Although he was not elected by the people, he was elected by the people he put in place who almost always vote exactly as he tells them to.
Yes, Pee Wee is very cunning.
What does Gottheimer think about all of this grandstanding. I know it is a photo op for him too and it looks great on paper, but like many have said, there is a huge potential health risk to putting a expanded plastic field on the other side of Ridgewood where people have well water and the Saddle River is right nearby. This is a really dangerous dance and complete lack of understanding the ramifications. Paul, Evan and Siobahn have all said they are not concerned about the PFAS from turf going into the groundwater. Pam did pivot at the 11th hour, but will these people be around when anyone gets sick. I don’t think so, so it will be something done for some potential personal gain but is a very grave mistake.