20180905 Village Council Work Session

A REGULAR WORK SESSION OF THE VILLAGE COUNCIL OF THE VILLAGE OF RIDGEWOOD HELD IN THE SYDNEY V. STOLDT, JR. COURT ROOM OF THE RIDGEWOOD VILLAGE HALL, 131 NORTH MAPLE AVENUE, RIDGEWOD, NEW JERSEY ON SEPTEMBER 5, 2018 AT 7:30 P.M.

 

1. CALL TO ORDER – OPEN PUBLIC MEETINGS ACT – ROLL CALL – FLAG    SALUTE

Mayor Hache called the meeting to order at 7:30 P.M. and read the Statement of Compliance with the Open Public Meetings Act. At roll call the following were present: Councilwoman Knudsen, Councilman Sedon, Councilman Voigt, Councilwoman Walsh, and Mayor Hache.  Also present were Matthew Rogers, Village Attorney; Heather Mailander, Village Manager/Village Clerk; and Donna Jackson, Deputy Village Clerk. 

Mayor Hache led those in attendance in the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag as well as in a Moment of Silence to honor the brave men and women serving in our armed forces and all our first responders.

2. COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC

Alexander Ruhl, 322 Crest Road, a Senior at Ridgewood High School, stated that he wanted to present a change to the Village of Ridgewood ordinance regarding Article III Section 105-18 in regard to poultry and fowl. He stated that he is an owner of seven chickens for the past five years, and he was proposing a change due to the limitations of the ordinance as it stands. Mr. Ruhl stated that the biggest limitation was regarding the location requirements for the chicken coop, as there are many benefits for backyard and suburban chickens such as eggs and the excrement that acts as a fertilizer. He added that the chickens are a chemical free pest control as well.

Mr. Ruhl stated that currently the ordinance states that no coop would be allowed within seventy-five feet of any living dwelling and also has to be located ten feet from the property line. He stated that he would like to change this to fifty feet from any neighboring dwelling with no specifications regarding their own property as well as keeping the ten feet from any property line restriction. He stated the reason for this change was that he also wanted to limit the number of chickens that anyone can own at one time. Currently, it is an unlimited amount of chickens that anyone can own and he would propose to limit this to fifteen chickens. Mr. Ruhl stated that he didn’t have the time to explain all of his proposed amendments, but added that was the biggest recommendation he had.

Mr. Ruhl stated that other towns that had ordinances similar to what he was proposing were Montclair. The coop has to be fifty feet from windows and doors of neighboring dwellings with no specifications of neighboring property. Essex Fells has no specific ordinance in regard to location of the coop. He asked if any Councilmembers had any questions.

Councilwoman Knudsen stated that she would look over the handout that Mr. Ruhl provided, adding that she was pretty confident she supported these changes. Councilwoman Walsh thanked him for his presentation and stated that she had been speaking with Dawn Cetrulo about having chickens in her own backyard. She agreed with some of the proposed changes because there is a challenge because of the size of the lots in terms of the backyard. She added that it would be great for more people in Ridgewood to be able to have chickens.

Councilwoman Knudsen asked how many eggs Mr. Ruhl collected per day. Mr. Ruhl stated that he collects four eggs per day with his seven chickens and added that they have a special membrane on the eggs that can help them stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to a month.

Pamela Perron, 123 Kenilworth Road, stated she had been studying the proposal for the expansion of the parking lot at the train station, adding that certain things seemed unclear. She stated that her understanding regarding the expansion was that the inspiration was from a parking lot in Hoboken where the parking spots were set parallel rather than angled so that people would back into them and therefore leaving the parking space would be safer. She stated that she didn’t see any mention of this in the plan, whether backing in would be required. Ms. Perron stated that she felt that perpendicular parking would be so disorienting and unfamiliar that it will cause congestion and thereby diminish safety for pedestrians and other cars.

Ms. Perron added that the plan mentioned fifteen trees that are to be removed and she counted seven trees on the green island and she asked if the other eight were to be cut down at Wilsey Square or from the green strip that faces Pease Library. She asked if it meant that with this expansion would destroy the handsome stone round tree wells that are seen as you come up Garber from the east side of town. She asked if the trees were in poor health, was that synonymous with hazardous. If they were hazardous, should they be taken down immediately or if in poor health, perhaps they should be nurtured back to health. Ms. Perron added that eleven red oaks would be spreading their shade over cars and she assumed that oaks had acorns. If she had a new car she wouldn’t want acorns falling on her car.

Ms. Perron stated that she would prefer to see the island left and improved as a park to attract people. We should be fostering walking, biking, and taking advantage of the public space in our town. She stated that Chicago does a beautiful job of inviting people to enjoy the public spaces and we could do that here, as well. She added that she would rather see the $330,000 used to subsidize the Uber people who presented within the last year.

Ellie Gruber, 229 South Irving Street, stated that she was here to thank the Council for putting the Zabriskie resolution on the agenda and for the fast action at Kings Pond as that is really appreciated. She added that she was here to talk about the Dunham Trail which is one-fifth of a mile between Spring and Grove Street. Ms. Gruber stated that it is heavily used and has been terrible degraded through urban stream degradation. She added that it was shameful the way that neighbors were dumping debris in the area of Dunham Trail. She shared some pictures of landscape material, evergreen bushes, poles, cement and rocks, and added that this was clearly left by the abutting homeowners.

Ms. Gruber stated that it was impossible to walk on the trail itself, as it is twelve inches wide in some spots because of erosion. She added that it was not within the town budget and she needed advice for Ridgewood Wildscape as to how to stop the neighbors from dumping. They placed door hangers and there has been more dumping in the area. She urged the Village Council to take a walk on the trail, as homeowners from the abutting streets of Arden Court and Hawthorne Place are dragging stuff to the trail.

Saurabh Dani, 390 Bedford Road, stated that he supported the train station parking lot improvements and his only question was regarding the budget. He stated that when it was presented by the Village Engineer, one of the Councilmembers asked for the proposed expenses or costs, and it was stated in the low two hundred thousand dollars. However, the bond is for $330,000 and he didn’t not know where the new amount was coming from. Mr. Dani stated that he had recently started looking at the school budgets and what he has started seeing is that money for capital projects that is surplus becomes house money and then is used for something else. He added that if the Village Council thinks the amount can go up over the original proposed amount, maybe they should bond in two separate installments to avoid paying interest on the full amount. He suggested that the Village does something where they don’t have to borrow more than it needs and then it becomes a situation where the money is spent somewhere else because it is there.

Edward Sansone, 143 Somerville Road, asked why the Village residents weren’t getting to vote for the parking garage. Councilwoman Knudsen stated that the Village Council has the authority to vote on a bond ordinance to support funding of the garage. There were two votes, one non-binding and one binding, with the last one on June 21, 2016 which was for the bond ordinance on a different size garage and location was defeated. She added that at this time, unless there was a petition brought forward in opposition to the bond, that would be the only mechanism to allow the voters an opportunity to weigh in on this discussion. Councilwoman Knudsen stated that at this point there was no petition that they were aware of and they were past the window of opportunity at this time. She added that she or the Mayor would be happy to explain further by email. Mr. Sansone stated that he has a plan for a garage in the center of town that would cost next to nothing and hold one hundred cars, which he provided to the Village Councilmembers. Councilwoman Knudsen stated that these plans referred to a Walnut Street parking area that she has spoken with Mr. Sansone about.

There were no additional public comments. Mayor Hache stated that there was a question about the train station parking lot and whether cars would be required to back into the spots. He stated that at this time, there has been no indication from the Engineering or Police Departments regarding this. As far as the location and replacement of the trees, he did not know the exact location but would get back to Ms. Perron regarding the layout of the trees. Mayor Hache added that regarding the estimated costs and why the train station reconfiguration ballooned from $200,000 to $330,000 he asked Ms. Mailander if there was any indication as to why this occurred. Ms. Mailander stated that part of this inflation was the bonding cost itself which is about another $30,000.

Mr. Rutishauser stated that the estimate for construction was based on the bid results that were received for the current paving projects, which is how they came up with the $330,000 number which is being used for bonding purchases at this time. He added that they were currently in negotiations with the paving contractor to see if they would do the work at the prices they had bid as the have a right to refuse it because it is a substantial addition to their contract. If they refuse, the project would be bid out and prices may go up or come down as a result. Mr. Rutishauser stated that they were required by the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) to plant trees, and the Village provided historic documentation that there were a number of oak trees at that location 100 to 120 years ago. His office created drawings which show the approximate locations of trees and also the approximate count of trees that they would install, which was approved by SHPO. Mayor Hache stated that the renderings were posted on the Village website.

Councilwoman Knudsen stated that Ms. Perron stated that the space should be left the way it is with the wide grassy area. She added the existing design was never approved by SHPO, and added this was why the tact was being taken with this design. Mr. Rutishauser stated that the current configuration of the train station happened when NJ Transit did the ADA acceptable high level platforms. There was a specialist on their team that supposedly interfaced with SHPO. However, they were not aware of anything that NJ Transit had done and felt that the tinted concrete that was installed was ghastly. The condition that was approved by SHPO is that they would like the sidewalk down the center of the island to be tinted as dark as possible.

Councilman Sedon stated that oak trees do have acorns and he was wondering if the Village was wedded to the oak trees and whether there could be an alternative. Mr. Rutishauser stated that SHPO does specifically state oak trees, but if the Village Council would like a change he could submit a request to SHPO. Councilman Sedon added that it was a good point that was brought up because acorns would stain new paint and cars. Mr. Rutishauser stated that a pin oak tree was planted by the Rotary clock near Van Neste Square, which has been in for ten to twelve years and he has yet to hear a complaint about acorns. He added that he has oak trees on his property and that they do not produce acorns every year.

3. PRESENTATION

1. Parking – Walker Report – Preliminary Financial Analysis - Garage

Bob Rooney, CFO and Parking Utility Director, gave a brief history regarding the parking garage. He stated that after approving and adopting the ordinance for a $12 million parking garage on Hudson Street, the Village looked to Acacia to help understand what debt service requirements could be used to finance the garage and what would make sense. Acacia came up with six scenarios in their presentation to the Village Council. Four were then selected to present to Walker as options for financing the garage. The scenarios were: level debt service payments for 30 years; defer principle to 2021 with level debt service thereafter; deferred principle to 2021, one year capitalized interest, level debt service thereafter; and deferred principle to 2021, one year capitalized interest, level debt service thereafter with level debt service to 2023.

Mr. Rooney stated he had a conversation with Walker and Carolyn Krasnow regarding the scenarios and their rationales. This parking garage is going to be self-sustaining, so they need to time the rate increases appropriately to maintain the balance of appropriate debt service and maintain the balance from year to year. Ms. Krasnow then generated numerous financial presentations from that information.

Ms. Krasnow stated that the goal of the study is for the parking system to be self-sustaining, so their study is geared to figure out what structure of rate increases are needed to make sure that can happen. She stated that the six block area between Franklin on the North, Walnut on the East, Dayton on the South, and Broad on the West is the study area that includes 292 off-street spaces in the Walnut, Chestnut, Hudson and Prospect lots. Occupancy counts were done in those lots and they were found to be 94% occupied on a weekday, and 95% occupied in the evening on the weekend. Ms. Krasnow stated that on-street there were 254 spaces, 98% occupied on a weekday and 98% occupied in the afternoon and evening on a weekend. This gave Walker a baseline to see what the rate increases are going to mean by creating a model of how the parking demand translates into the revenue that the Village is currently earning which is the majority of the revenue stream that will grow. Ms. Krasnow stated that they also considered new revenues that would come into the parking system and have been conservative in that there will most likely be additional cars coming into the area to dine and shop when parking opens up. This amount was not considered in the additional revenue, nor were the new developments that may bring additional visitors to the area.

Ms. Krasnow stated that they considered a current trend where retail converts to restaurants, as restaurants are much denser generators of revenue. As a result of the current businesses, and amount of restaurants, they have left it at the current mix of stores and restaurants. She stated that the new generators that they see coming on line are the result of parking lots that have been used that are already out of service; the Brogan Lot for commuters assuming that most of that goes into the garage with a couple turns a day from those parkers; and the Ken Smith Motors Lot, which had been used for employee permits so they assumed that permit system will transfer over to the garage. Ms. Krasnow stated that lots that were here would then be shifting demand into the garage.

She stated that a lot of the support for the debt service comes from the rate increases that they’ve been looking at. They have looked at what rate increase it takes at what point to get to a debt service coverage ratio of 1, which is required by the Village. Ms. Krasnow stated that the summary of what they see the rate increase is needed to be, is present in a handout that she provided. The table shows at what year the rate increase would need to occur and that varies by scenario. She reviewed the rate increases by scenario as each debt service scenario has its own rate escalation. Ms. Krasnow felt that the alternate scenario that the Village had asked her to look at, with a differential between on-street and off-street parking, is a great thing to do but because on-street parking is such a huge component of revenue it means that the rates would have to be increased earlier in that scenario. She added that this scenario was a great thing to do in terms of parking management because on-street parking is so popular. So, if you create that rate difference you give some percentage of parkers an impetus to use off-street parking which creates a better balance and reduces the circling that some people do to get that perfect spot.

Ms. Krasnow stated that the goal has been to give the Village a fairly conservative approach in terms of not getting crazy about new revenue streams, having assumed a drop in demand with each rate increase, because they want to show the Village where this can be. They want to show there is potential; that the Village doesn’t need to escalate this quickly; and that they do get new demand streams. She stated that there is potential that the Village does not experience much of a drop in demand associated with the rate increase, and if these things happen, the Village may be able create do these rate increases more slowly than they have projected. She stated that they are expecting a surplus after rates are increased in twenty-five cent intervals. They are projecting that there will be a cash surplus, and she suggested that the financial advisor may have suggestions for what to do with that surplus.

Councilman Sedon asked Ms. Krasnow if she took into consideration the possibility of any revenue increase because the Village is piloting kiosks as a replacement for meter heads in certain parking areas. He stated that other towns have seen an increase because of excess time being left on the meter and with the kiosk that time is essentially lost. Ms. Krasnow stated that they did not account for that in the projections, but they know that Parkmobile is in use which is a different version and that is part of the parking system. Mr. Rooney added that they didn’t go into this with Walker because Chestnut Street was kiosk versus Parkmobile. Since there hadn’t been any meters, there was no history there. Now that there are kiosks as opposed to meters, they can assess the numbers in a few months and then they can modify the scenarios as necessary at that time. Councilman Sedon stated that if there is any increase in revenue at that time, then that can go into either staving off or slowing down any rate increases.

Mayor Hache stated that if the kiosks perform the way they are supposed to with a 20% increase, based on the on-street and off-street meters, it should be an additional $1.3 million over the next seven years. Mr. Rooney stated that excess could be held as a stabilization for future rate increase, debt service, or maintenance reserve.

Councilwoman Knudsen stated that she was interested in understanding how the recapture was reflected, so she was glad that wasn’t done as it was a conservative approach and she appreciated that.

Councilwoman Walsh stated that the report was easy to understand in terms of the scenarios. She added that her questions were regarding the Brogan and Ken Smith sites, and how they were factored in as a shift to either the other lots or Uber/Lyft. Councilwoman Walsh asked what Ms. Krasnow was thinking would happen with those cars. Ms. Krasnow stated that from the volume that they estimated, they assumed that 15% would go away and find some kind of alternative by the time the garage opens. Councilwoman Walsh stated that her concern was that she didn’t want it to be a shift to fill the garage, as it is meant to be for commuters, diners, and shoppers, so the feel that this scenario reflects that differing use within the garage was her concern. Ms. Krasnow stated that based on the patterns, she thinks the people using those lots probably were commuters during the day and then restaurant goers at night. They were doing that because parking was constrained, but the new parking becomes an amenity for commuters and restaurant goers, wherever they are parking currently.

Councilman Voigt stated that looking at the debt service on the projections, the debt service coverage ratio seems to be greater than one in practically ever instance, and he asked why it wasn’t kept closer to one. Ms. Krasnow stated that was due to the twenty-five cent rate increase, and to keep it very close to one the increases would be fifteen cents or odd numbers. Councilman Voigt asked if slowing down the rate increases to keep it closer to one would work. Ms. Krasnow stated that it probably would. Councilman Voigt stated that there was a cash surplus every year and that it seemed to grow over time. He asked if that surplus was generally used for various things in the town, would that mean it would be kept in an account to be used for parking, or for other things. Mr. Rooney stated that the surplus that is generated can be either used to bring other funds to balance, to stay there to make certain that there is sufficient money for unforeseen circumstances, and as they progress each year Council will have a chance to look at that and see how they want to treat it.

Councilman Voigt questioned how much the hangtags were increased per year. Mayor Hache stated that they were increased by twenty-five dollars per year. Councilman Voigt stated that he was curious as to why they didn’t look at increasing those rates more aggressively, and it seemed to him that there was a demand for parking closer to the train station and he thought it should be looked at to increase those more aggressively over time as the Village sells out of those quickly. Mr. Rooney stated that Councilman Voigt’s suggestion made sense, and that there were increases in demand over certain years and it can be balanced over certain years and impact the rate increase and the timing of the rate increase.

Mayor Hache stated that in the Executive Summary, the chart about the differentiated rate scenarios talks about debt service scenarios and the years that in the increase would take place for on-street and off-street, and asked what the differential was for the off-street parking rates. He asked whether it was a fixed differential. Ms. Krasnow stated that in that instance, under debt service scenario one, everything goes to seventy-five cents in 2018, the on-street in scenario one would go to $1.00 in 2019 but the off-street wouldn’t go to $1.00 until 2027.

Mayor Hache stated that when looking at the different debt service scenarios, part of the reason the Village asked Acacia to look at different scenarios because they wanted to look at the ways to build up a sizeable cash reserve early in the process. He added that the goal was to defer principle and capitalize on interest to build up on that reserve, but it seems like in the analysis they are getting different meter rates. So, the net revenue changes depending on the debt service scenario. He asked why this was increasing the debt service subtotals. Ms. Krasnow stated that they were going about the study to show when the Village really needs to do those rate increases, and if the Council wanted to do those increases on a more aggressive schedule to build up cash reserves that it’s perfectly fine. She stated that their goal was to show how to get to a coverage of one and to delay the increases as long as possible, showing how long they could be delayed and still keep to the debt service coverage ratio. Mayor Hache stated that with scenario one with traditional financing, they could have a much bigger cash surplus and might not even require the increases as early as 2019, to which Ms. Krasnow was in agreement.

Councilwoman Knudsen asked whether the differential from on-street to off-street causes the street parking fees to accelerate at a faster pace. Ms. Krasnow stated that was correct. Councilwoman Knudsen stated that they have to be cognizant as to how they approach that so as not to be priced out. Ms. Krasnow stated that was correct, as the on-street parking was the biggest revenue stream, so the Village needs that rate increase to balance out the slower increase of the off-street.

Councilman Voigt stated that he looked at the parking revenues in the quarterly reports and it seems to be short in the past six months, and projecting that number through the year they are probably $100,000 short every year. He asked how that was going to be reconciled as they are projecting $1.4 million at the end of this year and the report has more than $1.4 million. Mr. Rooney stated that with Parkmobile there are now no transaction fees, so that’s about $40,000. The rate increase over the next four months of revenue, and based upon the comparison to last year the percentage is about the same as of June 30^th. So, he thinks they are going to get to where they need to be. Mr. Rooney stated that he spoke to Ms. Krasnow and let her know where the Village stood.

Councilwoman Knudsen stated that to Councilman Voigt’s point, Parkmobile should already be kicking in and that revenue stream should already be coming back into the coffers. Mr. Rooney stated that Parkmobile forgot to change the contract so they had to write a check to the Village which was received this month for the retroactive amount. They went retroactive to June 1 according to Mr. Rooney. Councilwoman Knudsen stated that she thought that it was done in February or March as the Council told Parkmobile to terminate the agreement in December 2017 and then there was the two month window. Mr. Rooney stated that he would check again and get the official date for Councilwoman Knudsen. Mayor Hache stated that the contract renewal was the end of February. There was a brief discussion on the dates and Mr. Rooney agreed to check the dates.

1. Ridgewood Water – Results of SUEZ Water Quality Study

Rich Calbi, Director of Ridgewood Water, stated that in Spring 2017 he was before the Village Council about a Notice they received about Suez Water’s intention to change their treatment at the Haworth plant as they were adding a corrosion prohibitor for their water that they hadn’t used before as well as other methods of treatment. Ridgewood Water became concerned about how that would effect Ridgewood Water as they do purchase a large amount from Suez especially during the summer months of peak usage. At that time, Ridgewood Water was successful based on some study work to delay Suez in implementation of that treatment to October. During that time, Ridgewood Water worked with Mott MacDonald to test the water in detail. Mr. Calbi stated that he was there to discuss the recommendations and how they were planning to monitor the water, adding that in particular they were looking at the effect on lead and copper corrosion but also pay attention to other water quality parameters including taste, water, and color.

Mr. Calbi introduced John Savardi from Mott MacDonald, adding that he has been working as an engineer in the field of water for over 30 years and he used to live in Paramus and is familiar with Ridgewood. He has worked primarily in the area of water quality and corrosion, spearheading the work in Washington, D.C. and Pittsburgh.

Mr. Savardi stated that they engaged another technical expert on this project in Process Research Solutions to supplement their strength, as well as working with Suez Water as this was a collaborative approach with monthly conference calls and sharing of data. He stated that this presentation represents the better part of a year’s worth of work. Mr. Savardi added that they would go through the report and give an overview of the water system as it relates to the mixing with Suez and some of the objectives, results, and discussion, as well as the ongoing monitoring that they are doing.

Mr. Savardi stated that the source of water in Ridgewood is wells, and some of the water comes from Suez which is a mix of surface water and ground water. The Haworth plant is surface water from the Hackensack River, Oradell Reservoir, but also water from the Franklin Lakes system. In addition to the differences, Ridgewood ground water is free chlorine, while the surface water at Haworth is chloramination and the water from Franklin Lakes is free chlorine. Mr. Savardi pointed out that the water will then change depending on how Suez operates the system. He added that Ridgewood Water is getting water ten months out of the year, so that gave them an opportunity for the experiment to not purchase water in October and have the results by 2018. The other piece was the type of corrosion inhibitor, where a phosphate is added to the water; the Suez Water uses zinc orthophosphate, and the wells in Franklin Lakes use a poly/orthophosphate which is similar to Ridgewood Water.

Mr. Savardi stated that they recognized that depending on how Suez is operating the system there could be mixing of different water from these systems. In October 2017, Suez said they were going to go live with the zinc orthophosphate and Mr. Calbi turned off the Ridgewood interconnection with Suez to collect some data. Mr. Savardi stated that the goal was to see if the zinc orthophosphate was going to have a negative impact on lead and copper, discoloration, taste, and odor. He stated that the issue with copper is leakage, which can cause premature failure in the home. They also wanted to see what zinc orthophosphate would do to copper and then to expand the water quality parameters.

Mr. Savardi stated that Abigail had publications in the Water Research Foundation, and she helped develop the monitoring station that is used. The regulations say to look at lead and copper, and chemical scale. He stated that the regulations are very narrow and as a result they chose to open it up so as not to miss anything. Mr. Savardi stated that he believes that biofilm in the pipes is having an impact on some of the lead corrosion as well.

Mr. Savardi displayed a graph showing the regulations; chemical scales and calcium carbonate. He stated that he would display the testing apparatus and the schematic of the test that was done. They designed the test so that the Ridgewood Water staff could perform the experiment, operate the units, do the testing, and send it to the laboratory. They used a Process Research Solutions Monitoring Station which has lead plates and copper plates inside PVC tubing. It ran on Russell Well Water, and then they would get Suez Water and mix it with Ridgewood Water to run though the other tubes. Mr. Savardi stated that once the study was completed, these solutions could be used throughout the system as supplemental monitoring. The goal was to have a comparison with respect to corrosivity under different scenarios. Mr. Savardi stated that the conditions are that Ridgewood Water is only at Russell; condition two at Lenape; and condition three, Ridgewood Water mixed with Suez Water. This testing went on for two and a half months.

Mr. Savardi stated that they were ready to start operating in October 2017, and then in January they began the blending scenarios. The system that they used allowed them to get meaningful results quickly. The four scenarios that they did included Ridgewood groundwater only; Suez groundwater mixed with Suez surface water; Suez surface water only; and 50/50 blend of Ridgewood groundwater and Suez Water. Mr. Savardi stated that it turned out when they did the 50/50 blend that water didn’t have any impact on lead and copper, so it gave them the assurance that they could open up the interconnection. Mr. Savardi stated that Suez felt that the zinc orthophosphate would have some beneficial impacts on some of their cast iron pipes, and it turned out that the zinc wouldn’t mobilize the lead.

Mr. Savardi stated that Ridgewood has a boost chlorination facility that is difficult to operate because some days water is coming in with free chlorine and other days chlorinate. Through this collaborative approach they try to address it with Suez so there is a more consistent supply. Through this discovery the Ridgewood Water wells have some organics and they probably need to be cleaned on a maintenance program. They did some supplemental monitoring after opening the interconnection by selecting some targeted spots throughout the distribution system to test. Mr. Savardi stated that if they see some issues maybe they would revisit the flushing program through more targeted flushing.

Mr. Savardi stated that the next steps include the addition of ammonia to the water by Suez and the possibility of increased microbial activity as a result. They want to monitor for this microbial activity which can lead to increased corrosion and Ridgewood Water has an effective way of testing for it. They also want to look for nitrification as the chlorine residual can decrease through the addition of ammonia by Suez, and Suez can do things to minimize that and provide a high quality supply to Ridgewood. Mr. Savardi stated that they would do the supplemental monitoring beyond the summertime to see the impact of that reactivation of the interconnection. They began the supplemental monitoring because of logistical issues and there is still no adverse impact on the water quality.

Councilman Sedon stated that he gathered from the presentation that Ridgewood Water can continue to purchase water from Suez based on their version of corrosion control. Mr. Calbi stated that Ridgewood can continue to process but it is important that Ridgewood Water continues to monitor. Through discussions with the State, the Department of Environmental Protection issued a letter out to all systems requiring that any time they change treatment they evaluate it and notify the consecutive systems that they are selling it to. If this were to happen again in the future, there would be an entirely new process that would be handled by the State. Mr. Calbi stated that they would continue to monitor using this system that they now have in place.

Councilwoman Knudsen thanked Mr. Calbi regarding his concern and appreciated it as well as the work that he has done.

Councilman Voigt questioned that when another water system changes their treatment of the water, who would pay for the monitoring of it. Mr. Calbi stated that it would be them, and the DEP would require that they perform a study. In this particular case, Suez performed a study but Mr. Calbi didn’t feel that it was intensive enough. Councilman Voigt questioned how much it cost for the study. Mr. Calbi stated that the initial contract was for over $100,000 but they are currently at about 50% of that number. Mott MacDonald purchased the monitoring system, and there was a savings for Ridgewood Water handling the monitoring themselves. Mr. Calbi stated that Ridgewood Water had to pay for the water that wasn’t utilized from Suez when the interconnection was turned off, and they are currently renegotiating that contract. Councilman Voigt asked whether Ridgewood Water could send Suez a bill for the additional testing that was done. Mr. Calbi stated that was part of the negotiations.

Councilman Voigt asked if there was any effect on the water color or taste. Mr. Calbi stated that the intent of the study was the comprehensive approach that Abigail Cantor developed. Mr. Calbi stated that here we are taking the water and evaluating every aspect of it and Suez stated that they walked away from it with a better understanding of their water. Councilman Voigt stated that the issue of biofilms worried him and asked if they were forming now inside the pipes. Mr. Calbi stated that it was an issue of the wells, and they have to be cleaned. There is a lower yield in the wells as a result of the maintenance that hasn’t been done and that is why they are proceeding down the capital plan to clean them and reproduce them back to the quantity of water that they once yielded. The biofilms form in the screens of the wells and become solid and block the water from coming into the wells. There is a routine method of flushing to clear out the possible material that could form that biofilm. Councilman Voigt stated that his concern with biofilms was what was inside them and what potentially can be released over time which could potentially not be good for the water system. Mr. Calbi stated that hydro flushing would be done every Fall leading up to the first winter day when its freezing because it is all done at night to avoid traffic problems.

Mayor Hache asked if there was a plan in place to treat the elevated level of organics in the wells. Mr. Calbi stated that they have consulted with the hydrogeologist to come up with a plan of which wells to attack first, they have already cleaned and reproduced the Carr wells which are scheduled to come online with the new treatment. They are looking at a schedule of twelve wells per year with a full purging of the wells to break down the deposits with chemicals and then do a pump test to verify that they have deep cleaned it. That is part of the route that they are proceeding down with the hopes of eliminating the deposits and getting more yield out of the wells. Mayor Hache stated that the constant monitoring gives peace of mind, but what happens when they detect that the water quality coming in is not the best. How quickly does Suez have to respond to rectify it and is there a way to get compensated until the water is treated properly. Mr. Calbi stated that currently there isn’t, but it is something that they need to discuss in the contract that they are negotiating.

Mayor Hache asked whether that testing was done when the connection with Hawthorne was put in. Mr. Calbi stated that it is a function of technology and that since Hawthorne was similar to Ridgewood there was probably no concern at the time. Now that they are considering a connection with Passaic Valley Water Commission they are doing similar testing beforehand.

Ms. Mailander thanked Mr. Calbi, Mr. Savardi, and the Ridgewood Water employees who did the testing and collected the samples daily. She added that Suez and Ridgewood Water may partner to explain this process on a State or National level and it is very innovative. Mr. Calbi added that it was a lot of weekends and nights.

Councilwoman Walsh recused herself from the presentation.

4. DISCUSSION

1. Parking

 

1. Bond Ordinance – Train Station Parking Lot Reconfiguration

 

Ms. Mailander stated that this is for $330,000 funded by reappropriation of remains of others bond ordinances for the redesign and reconfiguration of the train station parking lot.

                                                                                                       

1. Operations

 

1. Zabriskie-Schedler House – Historic Preservation – Grant Acceptance

 

Ms. Mailander stated that the Village has heard from the Bergen County Historic Trust Fund that they have received $200,000 for restoration and rehabilitation of the Zabriskie-Schedler House Phase II which includes windows, HVAC, electric, plumbing, basically the inside of the house to make it useable. This is a 50% matching grant to be used for this project. Phase I, which the Village was awarded, was for $116,725. A Phase III grant request has been put in and is pending for $75,000. The Village will probably apply for a Community Development Block Grant for a ramp into the building, and at that point it should be close to finished.

2. Notice to Proceed – Epic Management

 

Ms. Mailander stated that this resolution would allow Epic Management to proceed with the redevelopment of the Hudson Street parking lot with Tim Haahs, Architect, and Bolo Engineering. This would be prior to the signing of the negotiated agreement with the Village and will allow the Village to move forward so that it doesn’t have to wait possibly another month before the negotiated agreement is approved. The Village and its attorney are reviewing the agreement currently, as well as Epic Management and their attorney, as well. Passing this resolution with a Notice to Proceed, Epic is willing to move forward.

 

3. Grant Application – Recreational Programming

 

Ms. Mailander stated that the Recreation Department has applied for a grant from the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs to provide recreational programming opportunities for individuals with disabilities. This has been done through our grant writing partner, Millennium Strategies. This is for Ridgewood After School Healthy Lifestyles Program and would allow the Recreation Department to coordinate a twice-weekly after-school program for elementary school children in partnership with HealthBarn. The grant amount being requested is $20,000, and if it is received the Village must provide $1 for every $5 of the grant, so the Village would make a contribution in the amount of $4,000. This can be allocated in cash or in-kind contributions to the direct service staff, which are the employees working with the children. Ms. Mailander stated that there is sufficient funding if the Village was awarded the full amount. Tonight a resolution would be considered for the authorization of the grant application and the execution of the cover page at this Special Public Meeting.

Councilwoman Knudsen pointed out that the resolution stated that the Recreation department would coordinate twice-weekly after-school programs for elementary school children in partnership with HealthBarn USA and it didn’t specify special needs school children. Ms. Mailander stated that in the full application it does indicate that it is for abled and disabled, as it is for individuals with disabilities but if they don’t get enough disabled students then it would be filled in with abled students, which is permitted under the grant. It is specifically for individuals with disabilities. Councilwoman Knudsen stated that she was concerned that it didn’t actually identify that in the resolution. Ms. Mailander stated that the resolution was received from the State, to abide by the State has required the Village use their resolution. It has to be proven to the State the individuals this program is serving, as well. Councilwoman Knudsen stated that she wasn’t comfortable with the language of the resolution, and that she would like to pull it from the consent agenda.

Councilwoman Walsh asked whether the wording could match as disabled individuals and their able-bodied peers. Ms. Mailander stated that the Village has to prove to DCA that the funds were used for that purpose. Councilwoman Knudsen stated that it could be a disproportionate number of disabled individuals and they didn’t know how that would be controlled. She asked whether this is a free program for anyone who enrolls. Ms. Mailander stated that she was unsure but that this grant would be for the cost to provide the program. Councilwoman Knudsen asked how many times this program would run. Ms. Mailander stated that it was a twice-weekly program. Mayor Hache stated that it was for forty weeks, with 20 participants, 12 with disabilities and 8 with none.

Councilman Sedona stated that it would be set up and paid for by the grant but asked if there was a charge for participation. Ms. Mailander stated that usually there is a fee, so she assumed that there would be one but she didn’t know what it was. Councilwoman Knudsen asked who the fee would go to. Ms. Mailander stated that the Parks and Recreation Department and HealthBarn would share the money. There was some discussion on salary. Mayor Hache asked whether the fee would be subject to the same split that programs go through with the HealthBarn. Ms. Mailander stated that she would get that information, however the application was due August 31^st which is why it was on a Special Public Meeting for today. Unfortunately, the Village did not know about the grant until the August 8^th meeting, meaning that there wasn’t time to discuss it before it needed to be submitted. Ms. Mailander stated that she felt it was a good thing, and was a benefit. DCA was doing this to allow for individuals with disabilities to be able to participate in these types of programming.

Councilwoman Knudsen agreed that it was a good thing, however the resolution did not state specifically special needs. She stated that it did not have to come off the consent agenda as long as she understood where the money was going and asked for further information regarding the fees and the split. Ms. Mailander stated that this was an application and the Village may or may not receive this grant, but it was worth them trying to get this.

 

1. Budget

 

1. Social Services Association’s Food Pantry Awareness Campaign – Application to State Historic Preservation Office for Improvements

 

Ms. Mailander stated that the Social Services Agency operates from 6 Station Plaza, adjacent to the Ridgewood train station, which is owned by the Village. They have requested that the Village support the Gannet Foundation grant to raise awareness of the need for our community food pantry at the Social Services Association. They want to be able to paint and clean up the trackside walls of the Social Services Association space. There are three windows and a door. The door is not actually used, and they are going to put a placement of professionally designed posters to be displayed on this refurbished area. Ms. Mailander stated that due to the work being done on the Ridgewood train station, and being listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Village does have to go to SHPO for approval of this project.

2. Bond Ordinance – Funding for Zabriskie-Schedler House – Phase II

 

Ms. Mailander stated that this was for the house, and the Village had placed $150,000 into the capital budget for improvements to the Schedler park property. So, they need another $50,000 because the Village was fortunate enough to receive $200,000.

 

3. Cellular Tower Contract at Water Pollution Control Facility

 

Ms. Mailander stated that this resolution was for the cellular tower at the Water Pollution Control Facility on Prospect Street in Glen Rock. The lease has come up, and so this is to authorize the Village Manager to sign the new lease agreement when it is agreed to.

Councilman Sedon made a motion to suspend the Work Session and convene a Special Public Meeting. Councilwoman Knudsen seconded the motion.

Roll Call Vote

AYES:             Councilmembers Knudsen, Sedon, Voigt, Walsh, and Mayor Hache

NAYS:            None

ABSENT:        None

ABSTAIN:      None

 

5. SPECIAL PUBLIC MEETING - SEE SEPARATE MINUTES

Mayor Hache called for a motion to adjourn, there was a motion by Councilman Sedon to adjourn the special public meeting and reconvene the Work Session.   Councilwoman Knudsen seconded the motion.

Roll Call Vote

AYES:             Councilmembers Hache, Sedon, Voigt, Walsh, and Mayor Knudsen

NAYS:            None

ABSENT:        None

ABSTAIN:      None

 

6. DISCUSSION

 

1. Ridgewood Water

 

1. Award Contract – Design and Construction Management of Eder, Lakeview and Southside Pump and Well Stations

 

Ms. Mailander stated that there are improvements which are necessary to correct the building, electrical, mechanical site and system deficiencies on these various locations. Proposals were accepted from four prequalified engineering firms. DJ Egarian & Associates, Inc. was the low proposal at $97,000. They are located in Fairfield, New Jersey. The recommendation is to hire DJ Egarian & Associates for this professional engineering services project.

Councilwoman Knudsen questioned why there was such a difference in the cost proposals. Mr. Calbi stated that it was a very big difference, and that the firm of DJ Egarian & Associates is a very small firm compared to the other three firms that submitted proposals. So, as a result they are able to do the job more efficiently and at lower rates as they have lower overhead. They have done several other jobs for Ridgewood Water successfully, so they did not see any issue with that type of service as compared to a larger firm for this work.

Mayor Hache asked whether Ridgewood Water had been happy with the quality of their work. Mr. Calbi responded that they had. Councilman Voigt stated that was a lot of overhead for the other firms submitting proposals. Mr. Calbi added that it was also the approach, as sometimes the firms overthink the project and the other firms that come in lower adhere to what Ridgewood Water outlines for them while some of the bigger firms overengineer it.

2. Award Contract for Professional Services for Public Communications and Forums

 

Ms. Mailander stated that Ridgewood Water sought the services of a professional public affairs consultant familiar with the water industry. H&G public affairs was phone interviewed. Kelly Henry, who was present on the phone conference, has had experience in the water industry and in developing community outreach and public relations campaigning. Ridgewood Water proposes to schedule individual town specific open house forums this fall. These events will allow the customers in each service community to be educated on the utility and have an informal space to ask questions. Ms. Mailander stated that it would be an open plan, with no set agenda, tables and booths set up, where people can come and go as they please. This would be from approximately 4:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M. on four different dates in the four different towns.

Mr. Calbi is recommending that the firm of H&G be appointed as public affairs consultant to Ridgewood Water, on a monthly basis not to exceed $8,500 per month during this public outreach program timeframe. Ms. Mailander stated that in order to meet the fall goals, which is when these public forums will be held, Mr. Calbi is recommending a minimum of a three month engagement be awarded, in the amount not to exceed $25,500. This is coming from the water utility operating budget. After the three month period, they will evaluate the services and determine whether the Council wishes to continue with having this public relations firm assist Ridgewood Water.

 

3. Award National Powers Alliance Program Contract – Purchase of Hydro-Excavator

Ms. Mailander stated that the National Powers Alliance Program is doing business as Sourcewell, and the actual company is Atlantic Machinery out of Silver Springs, Maryland. The amount of this hydro-excavator is $399,655 and was approved in the 2017 capital budget and discussed in 2018. It was going to be shared with the Streets Department for the cleaning of catch basins. Ms. Mailander stated that a sharing agreement would be drafted with the Village and Ridgewood Water for the utilization of the machine. This machine will be used by the water utility for hydro-excavation, and is a combination of high pressure water and vacuum for the proposed unit.

Ms. Mailander stated that the hydro-excavator allows the utility to dewater trenches quicker and safer, also excavations around multiple utilities underground can be performed without worrying about striking the utilities with the hard end of the mechanical excavator. This machinery will also be used to perform test pits and potholing of service lines and mains, to confirm material and conditions. Ms. Mailander added that the high pressure water jetting and vacuum attachments can also be utilized to perform catch basin and manhole cleaning for the streets division. This has been accounted for in the capital budget.

 

4. Award National Powers Alliance Program Contract – Purchase of 2019 Ford Escape

 

Ms. Mailander stated that this was a vehicle replacement with National Auto Fleet Group from California. This 2019 Ford Escape will replace an existing vehicle which is fourteen years old and is costing more to maintain than to buy a new one. This will update the equipment fleet to offer better service to Ridgewood Water customers both residential and commercial, while complying with the latest environmental and safety standards.

 

5. Award State Contract – Purchase of Ruggedized Switches for Fiber Network

 

Ms. Mailander stated that this was a request from the IT Director, Dylan Hansen, for rubberized switches for the SCADA water network. They will replace, upgrade and expand the connectivity of the SCADA network for the Water Department Well and Pump houses located throughout the municipalities. The switches are designed to function in harsh weather and have a low failure rate. The purchase price includes 60 switches, 60 power supplies, and 120 fiber optic connectors. The total amount is $39,775.20 for the SHI National Corporation out of Somerset.

1. Budget

 

1. Declare Surplus – International Hook Lift – Street Department

 

Ms. Mailander stated that the International Hook Lift for the Street Department requires more repair than it is worth for the Village. It will go to govdeals.com and be sold online once it is declared surplus.

 

2. Declare Surplus – Autocar Packer – Street Department

 

Ms. Mailander stated that the Autocar Packer for the Street Department requires more repair than it is worth for the Village. It will go to govdeals.com and be sold online once it is declared surplus.

 

3. Award Contract – Furnish and Deliver Pipe Appurtenances – Water Pollution Control Division

 

Ms. Mailander stated that the Water Pollution Control Division awarded the bid items through resolution 18-34. The Water Pollution Control Facility needs to purchase a yard hydrant for the Bellair Pump Station, and they would like to use the previously accepted bid of Water Works Supply Co, of Pompton Plains.

4. Debt and Financial Management Policies

 

Ms. Mailander stated that the Governor’s Finance’s Office Association recommends that all governments engage regularly in long term financial planning. Mr. Rooney stated that he was asking the Council to consider a resolution to formally adopt the Village Debt and Financial Management Policy. He has followed the policies that were laid out in the resolution, but the Village does not have anything in writing that states that this is the format that they take and it is important to have something formalized. He asked that the Council take this into consideration as it deals with debt management, fund balance management, maintenance of debt and financial management policy, and an annual review.

Councilman Voigt asked if Mr. Rooney had this problem when he was getting the AAA rating for Ridgewood. Mr. Rooney stated that two years ago they asked for the Fund Balance Policy, which was adopted, and then he went through GFO best practices and he saw this was something that they should probably adopt.

 

5. Second Quarter Financial Statements and Report on Bond Sale – August

 

Mr. Rooney stated that the six month financial statements, and starting with the General Fund they were on target with one glitch that he thinks they will overcome to do with Uniform Construction Code fees. After the budget was done, the State came in and changed some of the fees that the Village was able to collect, so there is a slight decline for that, but in speaking to Tom Yotka, he thinks that startup costs for development and things of that nature will match that loss that the Village may have.

Mr. Rooney stated that the other shortfall that they have right now is in the Police Administrative fees, as the Village is pretty low compared to where they were last year, but after talking to Chief Luthcke and looking at subsequent collections he thinks they are okay there.

Mr. Rooney stated that on the appropriations side they are at 50% of the budget and there isn’t anything in there that is earth shattering other than the Planning Board which has exceeded its budget drastically, but they have not allocated the money that they have in the reserve so it won’t be overextended and it’s just a matter of timing.

Mr. Rooney stated that Ridgewood Water has a shortfall in the revenues, which is not unusual based upon the weather that we have had this year, but that is overcome by the reduction in the water that is being purchased.

Mr. Rooney stated that in the Parking Utility, they are slightly down, but are consistent with last year. Based upon the timing of the Parkmobile adjustments, they are back at 50%, and the same with expenditures.

Councilman Voigt questioned the police salary and wages/other expenses and asked why they were pretty close to what they were budgeted for in six months. Mr. Rooney stated that there were a lot of encumbrances that the Village asked them to budget for so the funds have been reserved in blanket order. The blanket orders were put in so that they can keep track of where they are on a monthly basis. Councilman Voigt asked if it had anything to do with overtime, but Mr. Rooney said no.

Councilman Voigt stated that sewer use fees of $147,000 and there was only $6,000 reported, and he asked if that was timing. Mr. Rooney stated that was just timing. Councilman Voigt asked about the administrative charges and vehicle fees for police outside services. Mr. Rooney stated that he had money that came in during August and that was just timing. Councilman Voigt asked about insurance and how they were close to hitting the $666,000 at 71% in six months, and asked if they would go over that. Mr. Rooney stated that it was timing, as well and they would not go over in that. Councilman Voigt asked about the central garage other expenses. Mr. Rooney stated that there was a lot of encumbrances and they have been pushing hard to get the departments to reserve their funds knowing what they are going to be spending.

Mr. Rooney stated that there was a note sale on August 8^th, with the notes dated August 16, 2019, and the Village renewed approximately $13 million at $7.5 million in new money with the total sale at approximately $20,200,000. The Village had three firms bid, and all three firms bid a 3% rate and the effective rate from TD Securities was 1.862. Once TD Securities was successful, they exercised their right to have a rating done of the notes and they incur the cost. So, they went to S&P to allow them to evaluate the Village. In the past six to eight years, the Village has not been rated by S&P as it is usually rated by Moody. Mr. Rooney stated that a lot of documentation was provided and they asked if there was a Debt Management Program, and they were impressed with the document that he provided. In their rating, AAA, and also an SP1+ for short term debt.

Their report showed that the Village had a very strong economy, strong management, strong budgetary performance, strong budgetary flexibility, very strong liquidity and a strong institutional framework. The report was glowing, and they commented that the weakness had to do with OPED which is the Village’s ability to fund the pension plans that it gets billed for annually and it is out of the Village’s control as the state is the one that is responsible for the funding of the plans. Mr. Rooney asked if they could provide him with some guidance, and they said that there are many municipalities that put money aside and he hasn’t heard back yet with the list of locations. They are looking for the Village to put money aside so that if the bills come up higher than normal there are funds that the Village can work with. Mayor Hache asked if they provided what would be an appropriate cushion. Mr. Rooney stated that they had not, and did not come back with something that would correct that.

 

6. Award New Jersey Approved Co-Op Contract – Purchase of Sanitation Truck

 

Ms. Mailander stated that this resolution for the purchase of a sanitation truck was under the Educational Services Commission of New Jersey Cooperative Purchasing from Hudson County Motors of Secaucus and Sanitation Equipment Corporation of Totowa. This was budgeted in the 2018 capital budget and is for the purchase of a 2020 Western Star 4700SB tandem chassis with Leach Model 2R11 25 cy Rearload Refuse Body in the amount of $192,997.

 

7. Award State Contract – Purchase of Video Teleconferencing Equipment

 

Ms. Mailander stated that this would replace the current unit on the fourth floor of Village Hall. The new system will be mounted in the court room. The TV will be IP based and will allow the system to communicate to vendors, developers, and other municipalities that have video conferencing capabilities. This will also be used by the court for those who are in the jail system so that they can have their hearing. The hardware is a requirement by the court system of New Jersey and will be purchased under state contract from Tele-Measurements, Inc of Clifton for $8,122.40.

 

8. Declare Surplus – IT Equipment

Ms. Mailander stated that these pieces of equipment are unusable and no longer function. All Hard Drives and memory cards are removed and destroyed separately and then they will work with the recycling center for removal. There is a long list of various pieces of IT equipment which will be declared surplus.

1. Policy

 

1. School Resource Officer

 

Ms. Mailander stated that in 2018 the Village Council approved $40,000 for one half of the salary for the school resource officer for September through December of this year. The Board of Education was asked to pay for the remainder of the salary which was $100,000. The Village Council would then budget in 2019 for January through December and they would continue to budget it jointly. Ms. Mailander stated that the Superintendent of Schools let her know that the Board of Education would like to have a School Resource Officer assigned to the Ridgewood Public Schools but they didn’t want to help fund it as it is already being funded by the Village so there is no reason for them to put money towards it. In recalculating the state aid, the Board of Education received over $1 million in additional state aid and gave $500,000 of that towards property tax relief. Ms. Mailander questions why $100,000 for the portion of the SRO couldn’t be funded by the remaining state aid received. The Superintendent of Schools indicated that the other $500,000 may be needed for additional teachers due to a possible increase in enrollment.

Councilwoman Walsh stated that this is a stumbling block for the Village Council as the public is seeking the SRO in the school, and now the Council is back to square one. She stated that she didn’t know the Village Council’s opinion or obligation on this. Councilwoman Knudsen stated that this conversation started with Dr. Fishbein in August 2016 and the discussion was almost raised at every single one of their monthly meetings. This was because the absence of an SRO has been present since December 2015. The Village Council worked hard to get this done with the understand that they would share this cost with the BOE. Councilwoman Knudsen stated that between the Mayor, Village Manager, and Chief of Police, they did cartwheels to get the SRO trained in March or April for this school season which starts today, and they are finding out now that the BOE is not going to assist in funding. The SRO is assigned 100% of the time and the Village loses that police officer off of the Village roster because he is assigned completely to the schools.

Mayor Hache agreed with Councilwoman Knudsen, stating that the discussion began in late summer 2016. In his mind, this is a very important part of community building and particularly in the middle schools. These officers are trained to see two or three steps ahead. In all of the discussions they had, there was always a pushback on the appropriate percentage and they all agreed the school year is 70% of the days in the year, so the BOE would have use of the SRO for that 70% and paying at a 50/50 split he felt was more than generous. Mayor Hache stated there was never a discussion, in any of the meetings, that because the Village Council was already funding it, they should fund it with the BOE not responsible for any portion of the cost. He was shocked that the Council received the notification from Dr. Fishbein that the BOE was backing out after the discussion that took place over two years.

Councilwoman Knudsen stated that going back to having the Chief of Police contribute to the conversations, and having an officer trained, they committed to not just one to having at least three trained officers so that there would always be coverage. There was a collective view of the value and importance of this role. She added that the Village Council could start the SRO in the schools in September, give it a timeframe, and go back to the BOE and say that the Council can’t continue to fund it.

Councilman Sedon asked how much was funded. Ms. Mailander stated that half was funded, with just two months covered. Councilman Sedon asked if they could try and stretch it out to cover it until the next budget. He stated that he didn’t know if the BOE wanted to play games with kids’ safety and their lives but he certainly didn’t. So, he would like to have the SRO in the school full time for as long as they possibly can until they can discuss including it in the budget.

Councilwoman Knudsen stated that she felt that the BOE really needed to step up, and she was surprised to find the whole exercise and all of the work to be taken back in a letter. The Village Council was acting in good faith for the interest of the kids in the district. She stated that she was inclined to say that she didn’t want them to be starting the school year without an SRO but maybe it was something they begin part time, and maybe that was something they could speak to the Chief about. Maybe they could stretch the funds to and accommodate that, as it is community building. It is important as the SRO makes students feel comfortable interacting with police officers. Ms. Mailander stated that she would communicate with the Chief to see if that was something that was possible.

Councilwoman Walsh stated that she didn’t know if they wanted to put the SRO in there and then take it away, as that may be a more confusing message to the public. She asked when the next meeting with the BOE was and suggested that maybe in the next meeting with the Superintendent they should bring it up again. Councilwoman Walsh stated that until they have another discussion, she didn’t recommend putting the SRO in the school. Councilwoman Knudsen stated that they worked so hard on this to get it going, but she was okay with not placing him into the schools until they have the next meeting and can bring this to some conclusion. There was money that came to the BOE and there is funding there.

Councilman Sedon stated that he wanted to see this at least on a part-time basis and then for the Council to take it upon themselves to fund this as the BOE seemed disinterested. Councilwoman Walsh stated that it was their jurisdiction and if they weren’t interested, then why was the Council paying for it. There was some additional discussion, and it was agreed to put it on hold until the meeting next Friday with the Superintendent to hopefully bring it to some conclusion.

2. Donation to Parks and Recreation Department – Conservancy of Ridgewood Public Lands – Children’s Sensory Butterfly Garden

 

Ms. Mailander stated that the Children’s Sensory Butterfly Garden was a project two years in the planning and it was dedicated in June or July. This is a place where children can discover nature, hone their sense, create, learn and play. The Council requires a resolution to accept this donation.

 

3. Zoning – Prohibit Sale of Marijuana

 

Ms. Mailander stated that there is an email on this topic from Sheila Brogan, who is on the Municipal Alliance Committee, which approved a resolution opposed to the sale of marijuana and sent this to the Governor’s Council on Alcohol and Drug Addition (GCADA). In May, Glen Sherman, a Ridgewood parent and member of the Municipal Alliance Committee, and Ms. Brogan attended the legislative hearing on legalizing recreational marijuana held at Bergen Community College. She testified on behalf of the Municipal Alliance Committee and voiced concerns about how legalization would undercut the work funded through the GCADA grant with Village students about addiction and drug use. Ms. Brogan wrote in her email that among the twenty or so people testifying, there were only two who spoke against legalization.

Ms. Mailander stated that included with this email were sample ordinances or resolutions from various municipalities including Wyckoff and Waldwick, which have changed their zoning to prohibit the sale of marijuana and marijuana paraphernalia in those towns. This will be discussed under the smoking ordinance where they have tried to incorporate cannabis sellers along with e-cigarettes. Ms. Mailander stated that it hasn’t been approved by the State Legislature but it is moving towards that. They have information from the Code Official that it is a recommendation to pass an ordinance prior because you may have some pressure to allow it if you wait.

Mr. Rogers stated that some of the Council received an ordinance that dealt with smoking tobacco, electronic vapor substance inhalation devices and materials, and cannabis. Right now, cannabis is illegal so there is really no harm in putting in the ordinances that they do not want any cannabis related devices, materials, shops, or retails existing in the Village. There are other issues that deal with tobacco sales and electronic vaping inhalation devices, but they are just talking about cannabis right now. Mr. Rogers stated that it may be that if the state decides to legalize marijuana there may be a rush to deal with whether or not a community may be willing to accept a retail store or a dispensary. If it is a legalized use permitted by the state, you can’t zone it out of your district or town. He added that one of the things they have to look at is where, if there is anything from the perspective of vapor devices and tobacco shops, if it was going to be allowed in the town, and some of the criteria that would be set forth in the ordinance to determine where it could be located.

Mr. Rogers stated that a lot of towns are taking it from the standpoint of conditional use. He stated that from a planning and legal perspective, all of those things need to be discussed. They had a meeting set up Monday afternoon to discuss it in a small group, but those were the considerations they have to look at as they approach cannabis and tobacco shops and electronic vapor devices, as well. Brigette Bogart, Village Planner, stated that she reviewed the draft ordinance and that she appreciated the regulations. The question becomes, where do they want to permit it and how are the regulations going to address those certain areas. Do they want to set up conditional use and in certain zones, which are major conditions that they have to discuss before coming up with an ordinance. Mr. Rogers added that this would be run through the Planning Board as it gets developed, and that he wanted to get an idea of what the Council and the Planner think about it.

Councilman Sedon stated that he thinks Ocean City, New Jersey is a dry town, and he asked how they do that and would the same kind of mechanism be applicable here. Mr. Rogers stated that was the same kind of situation that they would discuss and there was a very good chance that those types of regulations came about when it wasn’t legal, and the same thing may apply here. By putting it in an ordinance that they are about to adopt, that it is not allowed in any of the Village districts, they are protecting themselves. Mr. Rogers added that there are constitutional issues if it gathers as much support as is indicated in some of the statewide forums, it may gather some support for the purposes of asserting constitutional issues the same way. Councilman Sedon stated that there are some big companies out there that deal in marijuana so they have the resources to push the issues and open up shop in Ridgewood, and he was worried they could legally force that. Mr. Rogers stated that if the Council properly approaches it and determines from the standpoint of the tobacco and electronic inhalation devices as to where those kind of uses may be permitted. They could try to set up the kind of parameters that they think are important from a safety and health standpoint.

Mayor Hache stated that from a zoning standpoint, whether it is inclusionary or exclusionary they could say they do not want sexually oriented retail in town which is perfectly legal and you cannot control consumption of it. In terms of zoning, where they allow individuals to sell in the community could they do it with that. Mr. Rogers stated that you cannot do it with that, as there are a number of cases that came out in the 1990s that deal with the inability of a town to completely restrict those uses in the community, you have to zone for it somehow. Mayor Hache asked from a B1/B2 standpoint, if they don’t want it in the Central Business District, are the locations for that. Ms. Bogart stated that was the key, as they need to talk through the goals and figure out the criteria that is necessary. Mr. Rogers stated that you can set up so many conditions that you basically make it impossible for anything like that to exist, and that has been found to be unconstitutional.

Councilwoman Knudsen stated that the fact that it is illegal right now and therefore they are silent in any of the ordinances from prohibiting that because it is illegal, could it be considered grandfathered in. Mr. Rogers stated that was what they were going to be proposing, to adopt an ordinance to make it illegal to sell any cannabis products in the Village. Councilman Sedon stated that this went with his prohibition question. Mr. Rogers stated that many towns have already started saying that it is illegal. Councilwoman Knudsen stated that it was interesting, because according to Sheila Brogan’s letter, twenty spoke positive and two were against, but all of those individuals were attempting to support the business end of it.

Councilman Sedon asked if anyone knew how close the state was to doing something so they don’t miss the boat. Mr. Rogers stated that he thinks it is still being discussed, but he thinks there is going to be a finite end at the end of the year. Typically with regulations or legislation such as this, it may kick in on a particular day to give people the time to get it set up, but at the same time allow towns to react and see what they may want to do. Councilwoman Knudsen stated that from the state observation noting that so many municipalities are saying no, that might be a message that they are receiving. Mr. Rogers stated that was a good observation.

Ms. Mailander stated that at the meeting on Monday, they would discuss it and then on September 26^th it would come before the entire Council with a proposal for cannabis, electronic smoking devices, and licensing of the retailers of the electronic smoking devices. If everyone is in favor of what is proposed then they can move forward in October to introduce and adopt in November.

Councilwoman Knudsen asked if they could address the email from Sheila Brogan. Ms. Brogan sent the Municipal Alliance resolution opposing the legalization of marijuana which goes to the Governor, and the request is that that Village Council adopts this resolution and forwards it to Governor Murphy. Ms. Brogan stated that the resolution was from the Municipal Alliance, and was sent to GCADA and the Municipal Alliance in Bergen County which are the two groups that oversee the Municipal Alliance work. They have talked to their representative in District 40, but otherwise she sent it to Ms. Mailander when she understood that the Council would be discussing the sale of recreational marijuana and whether it would be allowed in Ridgewood, knowing that other communities have passed resolutions in some form to restrict that sale. Ms. Brogan stated that this resolution was provided informationally, and if the Council would like to do something with it that would be fine. Councilwoman Knudsen stated that she thought they would change some of the wording and forward it on. Ms. Brogan stated that she thought it would be helpful. Her understanding right now is that Senate President Sweeney feels that by the end of the month he will bring forward legislation. There is no guarantee it will pass, but it does seem to be moving at a faster pace that she anticipated. The Governor’s Budget indicated revenues of $60 million in year one and $300 million year two and beyond, so they are looking at revenue sources now.

Ms. Mailander asked whether the Council was all in favor of passing a resolution to not legalize recreational marijuana. Mayor Hache stated that he felt they should discuss it at the meeting on Monday and then bring it back before the Council.

4. Liquor License Transfer – Granova to Patpar, Inc.

 

Ms. Mailander stated that Granova, Inc. trading as Cordially Yours is being transferred to Patpar, Inc. trading as Cordially Yours Liquors. The Police Department has done their investigation, they have paid all fees and completed all applications.

 

5. Residency Ordinance – Civilian Titles

 

Ms. Mailander stated that this is going back to what the Village had for decades prior to changing it to just for Police and Fire which is required under Civil Service anyway. Councilwoman Knudsen stated that as in 2014 and 2015 this change is specific to civilian titles only. Ms. Mailander stated that it could be keyboarding clerk, laborer, and even higher titles than that; anything that is administrative or a blue collar title. Councilwoman Knudsen stated that this excludes any public safety, police, fire, and the civilian titles would be the residency preference which brings jobs back to Ridgewood residents that are qualified for the position and as required by Civil Service guidelines. There was agreement among the Council to bring the jobs back to residents.

Councilwoman Walsh asked if veterans get preference. Ms. Mailander stated that it would be veterans who are residents, then residents, then veterans who are residents of Bergen County, and that was how Civil Service works. Disabled veterans then get preference over veterans; it is the same as it is now. Ms. Mailander stated that this is for required residency for all titles and that means that all other things being equal the job would go to a Ridgewood resident. There was additional discussion on the preference, and Ms. Mailander stated that it makes sense to do contiguous counties if there wasn’t anyone in Ridgewood or Bergen County because they would know Ridgewood and what kind of town it is. She added that sometimes for competitive titles, they get applications from halfway down the state.

 

6. CBD Display – Discuss Trial Period & Fee

 

Ms. Mailander stated that they would consider, for adoption, the ordinance for outdoor displays in the Central Business District. They have discussed having a nine month trial period with a $75 fee. If the Council is in agreement, this has to be adopted by a resolution, for September 12, and then it would be effective October 2 through June 30, 2019. During that timeframe, the Council would get feedback from the Code Enforcement Officer and the Building Department who are issuing the permits to see if there are some changes to make and consider if this should be made permanent.

Councilwoman Knudsen stated that this has been an issue in the past with retailers that have received summonses. Should they put together an information packet for Chamber and CBD to get the word out to retailers and businesses. Ms. Mailander stated that the Building Department and Code Enforcement Officer will have the ordinance that they can give to people with information, and then it can be given to the Chamber and Guild as well as provided to anyone who asks for it. Mayor Hache stated that Harry would take the information to all of the retailers.

 

7. Smoking Ordinance

 

Encompassed in Zoning – Prohibit the Sale of Marijuana.

 

8. Zoning in B1/B2 Districts

 

Mayor Hache stated the zoning in B1/B2 was something that they began discussing several months ago, regarding the zoning in the Central Business District. The zoning we have today is very restrictive as right now there are a number of vacancies in the downtown. Some have potential tenants but because of the zoning, they are not allowed because they are not permitted under the list of things that are allowed in that zone. Mayor Hache stated that to have more flexibility but to be able to regulate what happens, they wanted to discuss what to bring before the Planning Board.

Ms. Bogart stated that the zoning ordinance is very restrictive, and a number of potential retailers have been roadblocked by the zoning ordinance. To modify the ordinance to make the Village more business friendly, she looked at a comparison of the B1 and B2 districts. B2 permits a number of different uses on the first floor, which are not permitted in the B1 district. A number of the retailers looking to come in were instructional uses or were not identified in the list of potential retail sales. Her suggestion was that they modify the B1 uses that are permitted. In the B1, the retail sales list is very outdated and includes haberdasheries, record shops, and other such uses that really don’t exist now. It doesn’t include uses that are typical in today’s standard like child instructional facilities, technology sales, recreational uses, cosmetic shops, bath and body shops, and businesses of that nature.

Ms. Bogart stated that looking at the comparison, her suggestion is that they modify the current uses in the B1 and B2 and take out the outdated uses and focus on current standards. She asked if they wanted to look at creating an exclusionary ordinance, and her concern from that perspective was that she wasn’t sure if that was completely legal. Also, she would be concerned that they would forget about one of the uses that they wanted to exclude and someone may come in and want to open that type of business. Ms. Bogart stated that she suggested that they went through the B1/B2 lists, update it to current retail standards and modify the current retail permitted uses. She asked if the Village Council wanted to permit instructional uses and other types of office uses in the first floor of the B1 because they currently aren’t permitted there. She stated that she didn’t think it was a bad thing from a planning perspective because that provided more activity on the street level as opposed to a restaurant during the day.

Mayor Hache stated that they also discussed what drives foot traffic in the downtown. Retailers have adapted and what is driving these days is more experiential retail and the code is not adapting to the reality of the 21^st century. He stated that as a good first step, they should modernize that list because they are allowed to have TV repair shops, but not cell phone sales. The idea behind updating the uses was to find out what would drive foot traffic. Ms. Bogart added that she liked the term experiential retail as people liked that type of retail, and was a good term that would be appropriate for the ordinance modification.

Councilwoman Knudsen stated that she knows this came up long ago because of the dance studio, which opened this discussion. She agrees that they have to update the list and be more open, as the current code doesn’t allow game stores which are a big driver of foot traffic. She added that they also need to be consistent with the Master Plan because that dictates that it has to be retail where there are sales of retail product to generate that foot traffic and interest. Councilwoman Knudsen stated that the balance that they need to strike is how do they accomplish saying that there can be a dance or karate studio and not turn the entire street into spin cycle and karate because that would change the entire nature of the downtown. She asked if it was time to add different zones so that they don’t create an environment that is strictly service or exercise.

Mr. Rogers stated that the updating of the uses permitted in the B1 and B2 is certainly warranted. They worry as number of years ago, all of a sudden there were a large number of banks and salons entering the CBD. By competition, things work their way into that as people do their research and they determine which place they are going to go to. Breaking it down further into separate zones can be looked at but it is tough to decide where that line ends for one and begins for another. He thinks that for the first instance, the updating is an important aspect of that.

Councilman Voigt asked if they were silent on something does that mean that it can be included or is it discluded. Mr. Rogers stated that anything that isn’t listed in that zone is considered not a permitted use, and that they aren’t necessarily going to include everything but they use specific uses but also generally so that they can include something where it was meant to be. You run the risk by excluding things, so you have to take the time to compare it to the Master Plan and decide how you are going to update the zones and how you are going to approach it.

Councilman Sedon stated that they say a few years ago that there were six or seven frozen yogurt shops all at once, and now most of those have gone away and that is how the market works. Mayor Hache added that the Village doesn’t have butcher shops, which are allowed, and if they don’t update this Ridgewood is going to be a 100% restaurant town. Ms. Bogart added that you need the daytime foot traffic. Councilwoman Knudsen asked what type of businesses approached and were turned away and chose not to pursue through variance relief or the Board of Adjustments. She asked what types of businesses were deterred from coming into Ridgewood because of the zoning process. Ms. Bogart stated that within the past year there were two instructional studios, two cryogenics spas, a hair salon with facial massages, and a cooking studio for children.

Mayor Hache stated that a trend in a lot of towns that have been adapting such as Pinot’s Palate are things that drive a lot of foot traffic and bring people into the downtown. Ms. Bogart added karate and tae kwon do. Councilwoman Knudsen stated that it was interesting to understand the nature of the businesses. Ms. Bogart stated that the ordinances are interpreted word for word, so if it isn’t there it isn’t permitted. Mayor Hache asked from a planning perspective how would they get a list of modern day businesses that they can consider. Ms. Bogart stated that she would put together a list, such as what is in the malls in Paramus, and then the Council can determine what they want to permit and where and then an ordinance can be written.

Councilman Sedon asked that since they were engaging in a Master Plan process, they wouldn’t write anything new for the old Master Plan. Ms. Bogart stated that she wouldn’t do double-duty and modify the Master Plan twice. The only issue was that if they were creating a land use ordinance that was not consistent with the Master Plan. Mr. Rogers stated that if it is not consistent with the Master Plan then they would have to adopt by resolution the reasons why it wasn’t consistent. He added that they would work them together to make sure that they don’t contradict each other, and take into consideration what you intend to do in one and vice-versa.

Ms. Mailander asked whether the Village Council wanted Ms. Bogart to come back to the Council or to start with the Planning Board. Mayor Hache stated that he would like her to start here. Ms. Mailander stated that for either the September 26^th or October 3^rd Work Session they would bring back this ordinance. Councilwoman Knudsen asked whether Ms. Bogart wanted the Council to work on a list of uses they would like to see. Ms. Bogart stated that was a great idea.

1. Operation

 

1. Grove Park Area Cleanup Program – Ridgewood Wildscape Assoc. and Partners

Ms. Mailander stated that the Ridgewood Wildscape Association are going to be cleaning the Grove Park area on Sunday, October 14^th between 1:00 P.M. and 3:00 P.M. This is the twelfth year that Ridgewood Wildscape has organized such a cleanup and it is great community involvement. This program assists with the Village’s stormwater protection program, and is an important component of the NJDEP stormwater permit. The Village provides chest waders, gloves, some rakes and hand tools, and they pick up and dispose the accumulated debris. Anyone who would like to volunteer is welcome.

7. REVIEW OF SEPTEMBER 12, 2018 PUBLIC MEETING AGENDA

 

Ms. Mailander stated that this was a review of the September 12, 2018 Public Meeting Agenda.

Proclamations include: Fire Prevention Week; Gold Star Mother’s Day; National Breast Cancer Awareness Week; and Walktoberfest.

Resolution of Appointment and Swearing-in of Municipal Human Law Enforcement Officer.

Resolution for Ridgewood Water: Award Contract – Design and Construction of Eder, Lakeview and Southside Pump and Well Stations; Award Professional Services Contract – Public Communications; Award Contract under National Powers Alliance Program – Purchase of Hydro-Excavator; Award Contract under National Powers Alliance Program – 2019 Ford Escape; and Award Contract under State Contract – Ruggedized Switches for Fiber Network.

The following ordinances are scheduled for introduction: 3762 – Amend Chapter 3, Administration of Government – Article VIII – Residency Requirements; 3673 – Amend Chapter 190 Land Use and Development – Zoning in B1/B2 Zone Districts; and 3674 – Amend Smoking Ordinance and Establish Licensing of Sellers of Electronic Smoking Devices.

Ordinances for Public Hearing include: 3663 – Amend Chapter 265 – Vehicles and Traffic – Parking on Overbrook Road; 3664 – Amend Bond Ordinance – Reappropriation of Funding for Stretchers for EMS; 3665 – Bond Ordinance – One Hook Lift Body with Accessories – Parks Department (NTE $58,000); 3666 – Amend Chapter 265 – Vehicles and Traffic – Bus Stops; 3667 – Amend Chapter 190 – Land Use and Development – Allow Displays in Central Business District; 3668 – Amend Chapter 190 – Land Use and Development – Permitted Encroachment of Stairs into Rear Yard; and 3669 – Amend Chapter 190 – Land Use and Development – Front Yard Setback in the B-1 and B-2 Zone Districts.

Resolutions include: Award Contract – Furnish and Deliver Pipe and Appurtenances – Water Pollution Control Facility; Award Contract – Purchase of Sanitation Truck; Award Contract Under State Contract – Purchase of Video Teleconferencing Equipment; Declare Property Surplus – International Hook Lift – Street Department; Declare Property Surplus – Autocar Packer – Street Department; Declare Property Surplus – IT Equipment; Accept Donation from Conservancy for Ridgewood Public Lands – Children’s Sensory Butterfly Garden; Approve Liquor License Transfer – Granova, Inc., t/a Cordially Yours to Patpar, Inc., t/a Cordially Yours Liquors; and Authorize Cleaning of Grove Park Area by the Ridgewood Wildscape Association.

8. MANAGERS REPORT

9/11 Portraits of our “Friends and Neighbors” – Ms. Mailander stated that the 9/11 Portraits of our “Friends and Neighbors” is displayed in the auditorium of the Ridgewood Library. This is tribute to the twelve Ridgewood residents that we lost on September 11^th.

Parking Reminders – Ms. Mailander stated that all parking rates ate seventy-five cents an hour. Enforcement is Monday through Friday from 9:00 A.M. to 8:00 P.M. and Saturday from 10:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M. Meter duration is three hours, except for the main Cottage Place lot which is eleven hours. The Cottage Place Annex lot is a three hour spot. Employee parking requires a CBD parking permit, they are located in the Walnut Street and Cottage Place lot. CBD employee permits and hangtags can be purchased at the reception desk in Village Hall. She reminded everyone of the kiosks in Cottage Place parking lot, Cottage Place Annex, and both sides of North Broad Street. The parking kiosks accept coins, dollar bills, and credit cards. It requires you to put the license plate number into the kiosk. Parkmobile is also available. On North Broad and Cottage Place, there are arrows directing people to the kiosks. September 25^th is the date for the new meter times for the train station parking lot, Monday through Friday 6:00 A.M. to 8:00 P.M. and Saturday from 10:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M.

 

“Music Fest” – Ms. Mailander stated that the Ridgewood Guild is presenting “Music Fest” on Sunday, September 9^th from 1:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M. in Memorial Park at Van Neste Square. There will be bands performing, a beer garden, and local restaurants will have food for sale.

Chamber of Commerce Car Show – Ms. Mailander stated that 25^th annual car show with 400 plus classic vehicles. It is known as the best nighttime car show in our area. The cars will be displayed around Memorial Park at Van Neste Square and down East Ridgewood Avenue, this Friday, September 7^th, from 6:00 P.M. to 9:00 P.M. There is no rain date.

Flood Hazard – Due to the work by Jovan Mehandzic in the Engineering Department, properties in the Village’s flood hazard areas will now qualify for a discount of 20% instead of 15% on their flood insurance premiums. This is a change of a cross 7 to a cross 6 rating. A resolution will be prepared for the September 12^th public meeting to accept the new rating.

Govdeals.com – Ms. Mailander stated that the Village has sold four vehicles in the past two weeks on govdeals.com which were previously declared surplus. The Village realized $17,000 from the sales, and is being worked on by Janet Fricke, Assistant to the Village Manager, and Anthony DeLaRosa from Fleet Services.

Events held later in September – Ms. Mailander stated that the Ridgewood Arts and Crafts Street Fair is on September 16^th. Good Life Ridgewood on September 30^th, and Gold Star Mother’s Day on the evening of September 30^th.

Ms. Mailander added that she wanted to thank the Village employees in the Traffic and Signal Division as they had to remove the meter heads and install the kiosks, put up signage, create the signs, and are now in the process of putting stickers on the poles where the meter heads no longer exist. They have also reprogramed the meters for seventy-five cents an hour, and 341 meters were reprogrammed over two days. Large kiosks signs were installed in the Cottage Place lot. She added that the employees are amazing in what they are able to accomplish in a short period of time. Everything should be up and running and properly signed by the end of the week.

Mayor Hache asked about Coffee with the Council. Ms. Mailander stated that this was on Saturday from 10:00 A.M. to noon for new residents to Ridgewood. It is an open house where they can come in and meet with the Council on an informal basis.

9. COUNCIL REPORTS

 

Graydon Pool – Councilman Sedon stated that he wanted to note that the swim season at Graydon was excellent and he thinks that the water quality was getting better as the season went on. He added that he wanted to thank everyone involved in that.

Chamber of Commerce Car Show – Councilwoman Walsh reiterated that the Car Show was this Friday evening and she encouraged everyone to attend.

Citizen Safety Advisory Committee – Councilman Voigt stated that they met on August 16^th. The Village Engineer, along with the Police Department to examine the effect of adding a middle turning left land for two way traffic on Franklin Avenue to see if that has a calming effect in the traffic in that area. An analysis was done of North Walnut Street between Linwood and Franklin as there are a number of signs saying 25 MPH. Sergeant Chuck looked at the street over a couple days and found that the average was 30 MPH going north and 32 MPH going south. Councilman Voigt added that less than 1% exceeded 40 MPH. There was a review of looking at a double yellow centerline, but that didn’t seem to have broad support with the residents on North Walnut and he encouraged the residents who were concerned to notify himself or the residents of the CSAC committee.

Councilman Voigt added that they spoke about the modifications to the parking lot at the train station. There were hardly any concerns. Age Friendly Ridgewood was concerned about the importance of maintaining pedestrian walking access during the day. CSAC would also appreciate input to the Master Plan as it is being reviewed.

YMCA Transformation Cocktail – Mayor Hache stated that he attended the event yesterday, as the YMCA is now the 100% owner of the building in Ridgewood. It was a great event where they revealed the new sign. This is about the need to upgrade the facility as the layout is not very efficient, so there will be a capital campaign and a focus on providing innovative programming for children, families, and active older adults.

New Restaurant – Mayor Hache added that he was able to tour the new restaurant going into the old Fish location. It was an amazing tour and he was very impressed. What was the old bank building is now going to be a catering venue with a bridal suite for events. In the back where it used to be a boardroom is going to be a rooftop bar. They will commission an artist to do some tasteful murals on the side of the building.

Lyft – Mayor Hache stated that he was having some conversations with Lyft, as the Council had been talking with Uber about an innovative partnership to bring commuters to the train station. They didn’t get far with Uber and it fell apart, but Lyft has picked up in that area. He stated that he approached them to see how wiling they were to form partnerships with businesses, particularly restaurants in the downtown. Mayor Hache felt that if businesses were willing to spend $50,000 for valet parking, they might be willing to subsidize a Lyft ride to the restaurant and back. He stated that a larger restaurant is parking less cars but having more customers, so many people are taking Lyft to the restaurants already. Mayor Hache stated that there would be a follow-up conversation with Lyft, and it was an innovative way to alleviate some of the traffic problems in the downtown.

 

10. COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC

 

Pamela Perron, 123 Kenilworth Road, thanked the Council for the clarification on the proposed parking lot expansion at the train station, but added that if the Village was not requiring people to back in then they were not getting the safety benefit of pulling out forward. She added that she wondered if a formal traffic safety study was warranted here. Ms. Perron stated that regarding the trees they marked on the plan, it did not indicate which trees are being cut down and where. She asked which trees were being taken down and replaced.

Boyd Loving, 342 South Irving Street, stated that it was interesting that the Mayor mentioned the Y, as he spoke with the Executive Director who discussed the renovation program and indicated that they will be trying to raise between $10 million to $12 million to perform this. He noted during the conversation that they are going to completely renovate the facility and are not going to close all. Mr. Loving stated that he wanted the Council to keep this in mind when they have the discussion on September 26^th. He added that with respect to Councilman’s Sedon comments, Graydon was wonderful this year. However, he wanted to discuss the Graydon ad-hoc committee that was formed in 2017. He was disappointed that the bathrooms had not been renovated, and he hoped that the Council would allocate funds in the budget for 2019.

Mr. Loving added that he spoke about the notification process regarding the pool being closed or opened, requesting that there be some sort of electronic method for next year. He added that he understands since the Council is the approving authority for the snack bar vendor, and sometimes they close early. The contract indicates that they are supposed to remain open to the posted time, and there were may times that it closed between 6:15 P.M. and 6:30 P.M.

Mr. Loving spoke about the deep water test, adding that he understood why it existed. However, he has seen six and seven year old’s passing the test and you have to take the test until you are eighteen years old. It doesn’t seem to make sense to him that if you pass the test a number of years in a row consecutively, why you would have to take the test for so many more years. There is a computer record, and could it be set up that if you passed three years in a row they would automatically get the badge.

Mr. Loving stated that on July 18^th the Village Council voted to change the date of the election for the school board and on August 29^th received a memo from the superintendent indicating that they are not going to pay for the SRO. He stated that he felt there was a connection.

Saurabh Dani, 390 Bedford Road, stated that regarding the SRO and the letter that the school board received a million dollars in extra funding from the state and gave the Village $500,000. He felt that the school board should have given the whole million dollars because that money came right after the budget was planned and there were no new expenses. Mr. Dani stated that the school board said there would be a 17% increase in the healthcare costs and that was the reason why they went over the 2% cap, and the healthcare increase only came out to be 6%. He felt that the 11% extra that they increased this year was perpetual as they are never going to reduce the tax levy again, so they are going to keep charging residents every year. Mr. Dani stated that they were getting the $500,000 extra from the healthcare expense, as well as the $500,000 from the state, meaning they have a million dollars more than planned. Mr. Dani stated that he didn’t see fourth quarter taxes that showed the issuance from the school board, but he didn’t see that reflected yet.

Regarding the train station parking lot reconfiguration, when the Village Council was making a decision, he stated that they asked how much it would cost. However, he was surprised that they accepted that the amount changed 40% in a month. Mr. Dani added that he requested the Village Council to formalize the deal with HealthBarn for use of extra land for their teaching garden. He had two different answers regarding how much land they are using and who approved it. The approval of the community garden location is all oral, and he stated there is no paperwork between the Village and HealthBarn. He stated this includes that the tree plots plus any extra land that that are using around the community garden, as there is a lot of stuff beyond the fenced area and it should all be formalized.

Anne Loving, 342 South Irving Street, stated that regarding Parkmobile she was shocked that the Village hasn’t gotten a refund of the transaction fees. The date under which those fees stopped being in question needs to be resolved. The original resolution for Parkmobile called for no transaction fees. Ms. Loving stated that regarding the grant for the Habernickel Park, she thought that the people in that neighborhood have been treated unfairly. It looks to her that a grant writer has secured a $20,000 grant which was filed without the Village Council’s knowledge and now an additional $4,000 of taxpayer money is also going to go towards that. The Parks and Recreation employees are going to be working for HealthBarn the way she reads it and it looks like HealthBarn benefits from this which she doesn’t think is keeping with the ongoing complaints that are coming from that neighborhood. Eighty additional session at HealthBarn as a result of this new program and she didn’t know how the Village Council rationalized that with all of the complaints that have come through from the Habernickel neighborhood.

Ms. Mailander stated that the program would be held at The Stable with HealthBarn participating.

Mayor Hache stated that Parkmobile did issue a check, but what is in question is whether it was appropriate as it was crediting back to June 1 or should it have been earlier.

 

 

 

11. RESOLUTION TO GO INTO CLOSED SESSION

 

Deputy Village Clerk, Donna Jackson read Resolution #18-241 to go into Closed Session as follows:

12. ADJOURNMENT

 

There being no further business to come before the Village Council, on a motion by Councilman Sedon, seconded by Councilwoman Walsh, and carried unanimously by voice vote, the Village Council’s Work Session was adjourned at 11:21 P.M.

______________________________

                                                                                                   Ramon M. Hache, Sr.                             

                                                                                                                        Mayor                           

______________________________

              Donna M. Jackson

           Deputy Village Clerk