RHS Field 1903 photo, other photos courtesy of Boyd Loving
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ,the Village is abuzz with lots of talk about flooding , so how did it get so bad? Lets leave the Village Hall “wreck-ovation” for another day. Here is the short version, in 2009 residents voted for a $48 million dollar Referendum to Turf Ridgewood High School Stadium Field .
The turfing in a flood plane was hotly debated at the time , the Referendum carried despite dire warnings of flooding and the knowledge that the High School Field had flooded every time it has rained since 1890.
Some homeowners had already been accusing the Village of making the problem worse by turfing Maple Field , which pushed water runoff into Vets and both RHS Stadium and Stevens Fields at the High School .
In 2019 the Ridgewood Board of Education voted 5-0 to turf Stevens Field further exacerbating the problem.
But hope springs eternal ,Village Manager Keith Kazmark said in a Facebook comment that he is ,“More than happy to have a robust conversation on the issue. Just by way of background, since I began in July we have had multiple meetings with the NJ DEP, the County of Bergen and our Legislative representatives on these flooding issues. The Ridgewood School District has been a part of these conversations as well. Most recently, we have entered into discussions with the US Army Corps. of Engineers through the efforts of Congressman Gottheimer. What I can tell everyone is this is not an issue that will be solved by the local municipality. A Federal and State level intervention must occur with any solution. I’ve worked in two other towns where significant flood mitigation efforts are underway. One that we championed is the $146 million flood project involving the Peckman and Passaic Rivers. Yes, years in the making, but proven achievable. Also keep in mind the impact downstream with any improvements made here in Ridgewood. This is where the State is going to regulate the available solutions. We are again, very open to dialogue on these issues as repetitive losses like this cannot continue. One final request, I’d ask that the anonymous member making this request reach out to me so we can speak directly about this important issue.”
Memo to Keith: Nobody in government cares that your football field floods. They are not going to spend enormous federal and state resources. But it’s good politics to make believe there could be a solution. Part of the reason people hate politics.
Accept the turf field is in a moronic location and budget for clean-up every year, or admit the mistake and plant grass.
Yes, just own up to mistakes and change course. This is the difference between public and private sector. This article puts all the facts out there.
It did not cost 48 million to turf the field. The field was a small part of the entire 48 million referendum.
Why not just raise the field itself 5 feet
Only in Ridgewood…….
Taj Mahal Village hall, Fire station, HS field… poorly located..
All one has to do is look at the adjacent river… why would anyone consider building, renovating or locating something in the flood plain.
We are stuck with these dumb decisions by various councils….
I’d suggested a major dredging of the brook and keeping it clear of debris.
…That’s the way the
RICH and STUPID
are fleeced.
How about a dome…?
NJ is the most densely populated State in the entire Nation so what is the answer? KEEP DEVELOPING! It’s the only way these imbeciles know how to make money and are same people that complain about traffic being gridlocked.
Paramus (yet another totally corrupt administration) just approved over 500 units at Paramus Park. This, is in addition to the units at the Garden State Plaza! Where else but NJ do you encounter this magnitude of stupidity let alone massive corruption and malfeasance! Try getting in and out of that area!
The new Valley Hospital is opening I believe in April, so where exactly is all this traffic supposed to go? Oh I know, people will take mass transit. What a load of tosh that is! Who in their right mind is going to live near a hospital with emergency sirens blaring all the time? That entire thoroughfare is already a nightmare, everyone cuts through A & S Drive to get to the the Parkway South – this particular project took a special of stupidity – but you’re also talking about Paramus. And of course that entire area also floods – just ask Tesla how many cars they lost – where they had stored their vehicles! Or how many parking spots the hotel corinnes off – because of severe flooding.
Route 17 and Route 4 are both now at a standstill most of the day. Fairview Avenue has become worse than the LIE! Watch, as all the emergency vehicles struggle to maneuver their way through the congestion! Until it’s a politician that pops his or her clogs enroute to the hospital because it took so long, due to traffic this will never cease.
One plane crash (Teterboro flight path) one major fire or any type of major incident, one (God Forbid) mass shooting anywhere and that’s it! How many arrests are now made in Paramus and Route 17 with stolen cars and burglaries? What about the malls and all these gang fights? But keep building!
The only good news is more and more people are now fleeing NJ because of the taxes and the unbearable and of course unrelenting traffic. I’m not really sure who they expect to purchase and or buy these units when you consider NYC is a former shell of itself. Crime is off the Richter Scale and no one is using mass transit contrary to the plethora of lies they continue to spew.
There are buildings all over Fort Lee that still can’t rent years after they were built. The Modern (two gargantuan 47 story towers at the mouth of the GWB) are infested with drug dealers and prostitutes – look at the police blotter if you doubt the veracity of that statement. Go to the restaurant Ventana’s and see the clientele from those buildings! It’s a haven for drug dealers.
How long before all these undocumented people in NYC start traveling across the river? Maybe that’s who they have in mind because it’s coming!
“Where else but NJ do you encounter this magnitude of stupidity let alone massive corruption and malfeasance! ”
Making Massachusetts look honest………………….
Sports complex in the ridgewood valley space.
And a Happy New Year!
IMO
– return all village ball fields to natural grass . Low maintenance & easy to clean up after a flood.
– no artificial field at Schedler
– convert the ground floor of Village Hall to a basement. When floods comes; no losses .
– certainly get an Army Corps. Assessment !
( the goal should be : long term preservation of private property )
– Not practical to elevate the ball fields . You would have to create a stadium structure with ramps & elevators.
How about the village mayor council, utilize the village of Ridgewood Police Department drone and have a full film of an overlook of all the books ponds in the village and see what needs to be addressed meaning, dredged banks, cleaned up, many residents have so much debris on the edge of their property and their brook, and that doesn’t help
It’s time to take out the artificial turf.
Apropos of nothing, that’s a great photo.