20220222 - Parks, Recreation and Conservation Board Minutes
PARKS, RECREATION, AND CONSERVATION BOARD
FEBRUARY MINUTES
Date: February 22, 2022 via Zoom 7:30pm
Attendance: Present: Chair R. Brooks, F. Mortimer, L. Kloak, D. Sayles, P. Vagianos, V. VanDyke, M. Mahmoud
Absent: W. Ryker, A. Chauvin
Also Present: Director N. Bigos, Recreation Office Assistant M. Hefferan
Public Comment &
Correspondence: None
PRC Board Appointments:
- Welcome newly appointed board member Victoria Van Dyke 3 yr. term and reappointed board member Frank Mortimer 3yr. term. M. Mahmoud BOE Liaison
- Board Reorganization
R. Brooks was nominated as Chairman by F. Mortimer and 2nd by L. Kloak, Approved by ALL.
D. Sayles was nominated by F. Mortimer and 2nd by L. Kloak, Approved by ALL.
- Committee Assignments
R. Brooks – Fields Committee
D. Sayles – Open Space Committee
L. Kloak – Community Center Advisory Board
F. Mortimer – Green Team
V. Van Dyke – Shade Tree Commission
Minutes: Approval of November 2021 minutes approved by F. Mortimer and 2nd by D. Sayles, approved by ALL
Approval of January 2022 minutes approved by F. Mortimer and 2nd by D. Sayles, approved by ALL
Open Space
Master Plan: N. Bigos explained the Ridgewood local Open Space tax one half of one cent collected via Village taxes goes into the Open Space Trust Fund in an amount approximately $330,000.00 per year. This money is used for the Village of Ridgewood to purchase municipal open space and parkland. It has been used to pay down the debt service on property previously purchased by the Village. In order for us to fulfill our DEP Green Acres obligations, we need to file an Open Space Master Plan every ten years. Consultants from the NJ Land Conservancy have been hired to put this document together. Barbara Davis has been hired to head up the plan. N. Bigos and R. Brooks will schedule a meeting to discuss this Master Plan with Barbara Davis. PRC Board members were supplied with the paperwork that was submitted to the consultants answering questions about the current and future recreational needs of the Village. Documents included: organizational charts for sports organizations, Parks and Recreation Department, Board of Education and other organizations that supply recreation in the Village. Village ROSI (Recreational Open Space Inventory), examples of the programs offered to all ages and abilities by the Parks and Recreation Department was submitted. The current issue of not having enough space for the recreational needs of the town. While COVID has increased the use of recreation facilities and how residents recreate. D. Sayles suggested that the Upper Ridgewood Country Club could be a possible future open space land purchase.
Parks Update
Kings Pond Park: N. Bigos - nothing new to report. Waiting for warmer weather so paving can begin of the walking path and Lakeview Drive. DEP permit needed for the observation dock. A playground has been approved by the Village Council and we will move forward with purchase and installation once we get the states approval on the diversion.
Green Acres
Diversion: N. Bigos - approx. one acre needed to purchase to satisfy this diversion. Village Managers office has been working on the application to Green Acres that is in its final stage. The application will be sent to Green Acres for approval then to the state for final approval to satisfy the diversion to open space in the 1980’s.
Schedler property: N. Bigos - reported that Engineering is working on plans in accordance with the Village Manager and will share them with the Village Council then they will be shared with the public.
Town Garage/
Discussion: Nothing new to report.
Health Barn: N. Bigos reported that the lease was finalized and signed, copies were sent to all parties. Stacey can continue to operate the offerings of HealthBarn for five years and will have an option to renew for an additional five years. Programs offered in coordination with the Recreation Division this spring; Teen Chefs, Nature Arts, Storytime and Seed Adventure, Springfest, Make N Take – nutritional meals, Edible Spring Garden Series. R. Brooks requests to have a PRC Board Meeting at HealthBarn, possibly in April. N. Bigos will contact Stacey and report back to the board.
Recreation: N. Bigos shared the upcoming Recreation Spring Newsletter programs, new offerings include: piano, ukulele, introduction to Spanish and Zumba kids. We will be having our first job fair with the Ridgewood High School DECA and AM Rotary. Fair will cover resume writing, attire, proper etiquette, mock interviews. Professionals from various village departments will explain job positions within the Village. LEAP program is in its fourth year of the ROID (recreational opportunities for individuals with disabilities) grant. It was started at HealthBarn, covered social skills, etiquette and nutrition then continued at the Stable where they explored recreational activities. Program will continue by introducing real life situational opportunities such as ordering food in a restaurant, buying a train ticket, riding the train and others. Program is designed to help these young adults have additional opportunities.
Community Center: N. Bigos reported that the Community Center continues to expand offerings and outreach working with the Health Department on the Lifestyle Challenge on April 7th at 6:00pm, Vision Loss Alliance; Access for All.
Liaison Reports Village Council – P. Vagianos
- Resolution sent to Village Manager with a new vendor to supply sound absorbers, hopefully will be awarded tomorrow night.
Board of Ed – M. Mahmoud
- BOE getting many emails and outreach about both sides of the mask mandate issue. March 8th it will be up to each school district if masking will continue. BOE is asking the Ridgewood Health Department and the NJ Department of Health for recommendations not just on masking but quarantining requirements going forward. M. Mahmoud wishes to increase the amount of intermural sports offered for HS students that don’t desire or have time for competitive sports. R. Brooks stated that we have had these programs for middle and HS students in the past and there is no reason they can’t be reinstated. Currently Biddy Basketball is an option.
Open Space Committee – D. Sayles
- D. Sayles wishes develop an increased social presence through a platform to share Open Space. F. Mortimer suggested that they combine with PRC to get a broader scope of information out to the public. N. Bigos, D. Sayles and V. Van Dyke will meet and outline ideas of what is needed/desired and share at the next meeting.
Fields Committee – R. Brooks
- R. Brooks reported they will be discussing the request to delay the opening of Veteran’s Field and Citizen’s Field until April 15th to let the fields recover from flood damage at Vets and Citizens damage from overuse, compacted soil and dead grass. Requires adjustment for HS baseball/Softball/LAX and RBSA. Governor to remove the outdoor mask mandate. Scheduling App-subcommittee meeting coming up. Fields Representative to Open Space B. Lasky
Shade Tree Commission – N. Bigos
- Presented to the Village Council twice for Capital request in the amount of $650,000.00 and vision for 2022. Replanting trees is being considered as an investment in the infrastructure. Emerald Ash Borer damaged the canopy. 600 Ash trees will be removed in the next five years. STC is concerned with the delta that is left after mature tree is removed. Fall planting of 200 trees that was requested, monies were diverted to treat EAB trees for the immediate removal of 90 dead trees. There was no opportunity to replace trees that had been previously removed for 2021 and 2022, approximately 400 new trees. 600-gallon water trailer that is attached to a truck has been requested for purchase. We now have statistics and documentation on all 15,000 shade trees throughout our community via Tree Inventory
Community Center Advisory Board - L. Kloak
- No report
Green Ridgewood – N. Bigos
- Subcommittee of N. Bigos, R. Calbi, Bob Upton, George Wolfson and Cynthia Halaby met to continue planning the Earth Day event. Registration has been finalized and mailed out to various groups throughout the Village. Earth Day/ Daffodil Festival will take place at Van Neste Square Sunday, April 10th from 11am to 2 pm.
Next Meeting Tuesday, March 22, 7:30 pm, Possible joint meeting with Open Space possible in person/ZOOM hybrid.
N. Bigos will look into a combination of in person and zoom using the technology available at the Stable.
Adjournment 9:15 PM
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