20230119 - Open Space Committee Minutes

OPEN SPACE COMMITTEE Meeting Notes 

January 19th 2023 - The Stable 

PRESENT: Fred Jubitz, Janet Fricke, Pam Perron, Jim Bostler, Nancy Bigos, Ralph Curry, Yu Sun 

Summary 

The meeting centered on the Key Action Steps in the Ridgewood Master Plan (RMP) for 2023. As Ralph Curry correctly pointed out, the Open Space Committee (OSC) is an advisory board and has limited independent authority to instigate actions independently. Therefore, the theme of this meeting focused on Dialogue Creation and who do we need to dialogue with in order to complete the action steps in the RMP. 

The meeting notes will remain topical only and will not go into great details about conversations. etc. Also. the notes will stress follow-ups and the appropriate person who is responsible. 

Topics and Follow-ups 

1. Public Comment/Meeting Notes 

There was not any public comment. The November 2022 Meeting Notes were referred to during the meeting. The December meeting was cancelled. 

II. Committee Reorganization 2023 

Per the By-laws of the OSC, the following members positions were updated. 

Ralph Currey and Jim Bostler were reappointed as ;committeel members to new two-year terms. 

Ralph was confirmed as the Chairman of the Committee. 

Fred Jubitz was newly appointed as Vice Chairman. 

Jim Bostler will continue as the Secretary. 

111. Schedler Property Update 

There will be a Village Council Meeting on January 25, 2023 to update the public on the final plans for this property. It was the consensus of the group that the plans shown to us are acceptable and that they should be implemented as soon as possible. It was also the consensus of the group that these plans should have been put into place sooner and could impact public opinion about future acquisitions due to the delays 

IV. Village Master Plan - Open Space and Recreation Action Plan Discussion 

Discussion centered around the Short/Mid/long Term Goals found in the RMP on page 287. As mentioned before, Ralph reiterated that the OSC is an advisory committee and as such we will have to push our goals and prioritize them as needed. Overall, we will have to seek approval to implement many of our key action steps. To accomplish these goals, the OSC needs to develop a dialogue and programs that increase awareness, use and involvement with the Village Council, schools, and activity groups such as the Sports Group, Seniors etc. 

Pam is merging the Action Matrix and the Action Steps on page 287 into one document that reflects the OSC responsibilities only. This document should reflect our overall 2023 action plan with timing and be a key document for conducting the OSC business this year. 

The following mentions only specific responsibilities that need to be completed and that pertain to involvement from the OSC. 

Actions that need to be addressed with the Village Council: 

PSE&G Right of Way, Ridgewood Tennis Club Agreement, Re-enroll in the Green Acres Planning Incentive. 

Actions that will be developed via our committee individually or with other groups: 

Communicate our OSC RMP Plans on various websites, develop dialogue with Senior Groups, Sports Groups, develop a social media program, develop rail plan/walking trails, 

Adopt a Park through neighborhood participation, schools, Senior Involvement, and other groups. Specific actions will be added at future meetings. 

Event Participation 

Daffodil Festival-April 21" -Jim Bostler/Yu Sun 

Potentially develop a Survey of Ridgewood residents to determine "What the public wants for Open Space" -Jim Bostler to talk with Library about using monthly Library Newsletter. Laurie Steinberger is the new head of the library. 

v. NJ Green Acres Diversion - Status 

There will be a closed session meeting of the Village Council on January 25th to discuss the Diversion Issue. Progress continues to be made with Janet Fricke's efforts in this area. 

VI. New Business 

No new business discussion due to the time spent on the Master Plan. 

Next Meeting: Open Space- Thursday, February 16th, 2022 at the Stable. - Time 7:00 PM 

Date: January 23rd, 2022 

Submitted By: James Bostler - OSC Committee Secretary