20201007 - Village Council Work Session Minutes

A REGULAR WORK SESSION OF THE VILLAGE COUNCIL OF THE VILLAGE OF RIDGEWOOD HELD VIA ZOOM, DUE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, ON OCTOBER 7, 2020 AT 7:30 P.M.

 

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

 

Deputy Mayor Sedon 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: Councilmembers Perron, Reynolds, Sedon, and Walsh.  Also present were Heather Mailander, Village Manager/Village Clerk; Donna Jackson, Deputy Village Clerk; and Matthew Rogers, Village Attorney.  Mayor Knudsen was absent.

 

Deputy Mayor Sedon led those in attendance in the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag as well as in a Moment of Silence for all of our Servicemen and women and First Responders.

 

2. COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC

 

There were no comments from the public.

 

3. MANAGERS REPORT

 

Voter Registration – Ms. Mailander stated that the last day to register to vote for the November election is Tuesday, October 13^th.   Up until that time, you can come to register to vote at the Village Clerk’s Office or at the County Superintendent of Elections Office in Hackensack.  On October 13^th the Village Hall will be open from 8:30 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. in the Village Clerk’s Office taking voter registration and then in the Public Library lobby from 4:30 P.M. to 9:00 P.M.  As long as you register by 9:00 P.M. on October 13^th you will be able to vote in the November 3^rd election.  You can also register to vote online at www.state.nj.us/stateelectionsvoterregistration.  All updated election information is on the Village website under the tile that says Election Information.  There is a video there that shows you how to fill out your mail-in ballot, and there is information about how you can vote on election day.  Just as a reminder, only those who are blind, illiterate, or those who cannot fill out a mail-in ballot, are those who can use an ADA machine in the polling location.  If you are able to fill it out, you will not be able to vote in the machine.  However, if you go to the polling location and do not have your mail-in ballot with you, they will give you a paper ballot to vote there at the polling place.

 

Leaf Collection – Ms. Mailander stated that a yellow postcard with the leaf collection schedule has been mailed to every household.  Leaf collection is done in four areas and will begin on October 19^th.  Please remember that the dates on the postcard are the dates when you put your leaves out and then crews come after those dates.  If those dates that are indicated on the postcard have passed, do not put out any more leaves until the next set of dates.  Biodegradable leaf bags are available to Ridgewood residents at the Recycling Center while supplies last.  There are further details posted on the website.

 

Welcome Back to Ridgewood, New Jersey – Ms. Mailander stated that Welcome Back to Ridgewood events continue and includes outdoor dining and free music all day Saturday and Sunday on East Ridgewood Avenue from Broad Street to Walnut Street and the side streets of Oak, Chestnut, and Prospect Streets are closed to make a pedestrian mall.  In addition, the West Village over by the train station area has some wonderful shops and eateries and they also will have live music.  She encouraged visitors to enjoy this great event for the next few weeks.

 

Shredding Event – Ms. Mailander stated that the shredding event is on November 14^th from 9:00 A.M. to 12:30 P.M. so it gives you time to get together all of the things you want to shred.  It will be done at the Graydon Pool parking lot.  You can watch your documents on camera as they are securely shredded.  This is free to Ridgewood residents and businesses.  You are limited to five cardboard boxes and no plastic bags.

 

Book Recycling Program – Ms. Mailander stated that the Village has a book recycling program.  Book donations can be dropped off at the Recycling Center.  Books must have a bar code so they can be scanned and Ridgewood will receive 15% of the sales.

 

Hudson Street Garage – Ms. Mailander stated that the first floor is open for business.  The cost is $1.00 per hour to be paid at the kiosk at the Hudson Street entrance and is a three hour limit.

 

Bergen County Utilities Authority – Ms. Mailander stated that the Household Hazardous Waste Collection is Sunday, October 18^th from 9:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M. at Bergen Community College.  You do need ID to show you are a Bergen County resident.

 

Election Signs – Ms. Mailander stated that election signs can only be placed on your own property.  They cannot be placed in the planting strip or on any public property.

 

ACCESS Ridgewood 20 – Ms. Mailander stated that the annual ACCESS Ridgewood 20 is scheduled for this week.  It will take place virtually through various platforms.  There are lots of activities to embrace our abilities, disabilities, special gifts, and special needs.  Which is a Netflix party, Crip Camp, senior workshop, disability visibility author event.  There will be a virtual fashion show and a virtual interfaith service.  Details are posted on the Ridgewood Library website.

 

Columbus Day – Ms. Mailander stated that Monday, October 12^th is Columbus Day and all Village offices are closed.  There will be no recycling or garbage pickup, and the Recycling Center is also closed.

 

Upcoming Village Council Meetings – Ms. Mailander stated that the upcoming Village Council meetings are all televised live and are on Zoom.  October 14^th at 8:00 P.M. is a Public Meeting, October 28^th at 7:30 P.M. is a Work Session, and November 4^th is a Work Session at 7:30 P.M.

 

4. COUNCIL REPORTS

 

Planning Board – Councilwoman Reynolds stated that the Planning Board met last night.  They listened to four applications under the Historic Preservation Review.  They were Sombrero Taqueria on Oak Street, Nueva Criatura Salon at 30 Wilsey Square, Dea European Café at 9 South Broad Street, and Christie’s International Real Estate at 50 West Ridgewood Avenue.  All four were for signs, one of them also was for painting the façade.  They have recommended all of them to the Village Council.

 

The big application last night was Hopper Ridge Condominium Associations on Durar Avenue.  This is a very large undertaking.  They have hundreds and hundreds of feet of landscape ties that are deteriorating and something has to hold it up.  The intention is to put up stone walls and it is going to be a very big project.  It was carried to October 20^th for continuation.

 

Citizen Safety Advisory Committee – Councilwoman Reynolds stated that the next Citizen Safety Advisory Committee meeting would be held next Thursday at 7:30 P.M. in the Youth Center.

 

Fields Committee – Councilwoman Walsh stated that she had her Fields Committee meeting yesterday.  They have an abbreviated Fall schedule going on right now and then they are going to have an abbreviated Winter season.  The Winter season will start December 3^rd and will go through until Presidents Day.

 

The Village and Recreation Facilities have been experiencing vandalism and it is unfortunately becoming an issue.  Apparently, there was a port-a-john by the Brookside Field that was burned to the ground.  They believe that maybe there was an accelerant put on it and there is nothing left of the port-a-john.  Another port-a-john was thrown into the river. 

 

There have been teens under the bleachers at the high school vandalizing and involved in other activities.  There was damage to the backstop.  There is nuisance and some damage on Maple Field.  They understand that these teens and children need to get out and stretch their legs, but as a Village we cannot have anyone vandalizing our facilities.  It costs all of us in the end when that happens and they are actively seeking these vandals.  They want to make sure that our facilities are kept safe for everyone but also that we don’t have any issues.  They did have some problems over by the right of way as well.

 

Councilwoman Walsh stated that the Maple Park lighting is moving along.  The foundations have been poured and five towers are up.  They are working on the electrical lines and then there is an additional tree trimming that they have to perform to make sure they have clearance when they start setting the lights to the field.

 

They have five summer camps that have already shown interest for next year.  They are hoping to start planning the Spring schedule.  All of the Fall maintenance is being done on the fields right now.

 

Stigma Free – Councilwoman Walsh stated that they meet on the 14^th.

 

Parks and Recreation – Councilwoman Walsh stated that they meet the following week as well.

 

Green Ridgewood – Councilwoman Perron stated that Green Ridgewood met on October 1^st.  They are starting to watch the Planning Board meetings because there is so much overlap with land use and environmental issues.  Their next meeting is November 5^th at 7:00 P.M. with a presentation on Renewable Energy.  The meeting is open to the public, anyone interested in joining can contact her and she will make sure they get the link.

 

Open Space – Councilwoman Perron stated that Open Space has not met since their last meeting.   Their next meeting is October 15^th at The Stable at 7:00 P.M., in person and socially distanced.

 

Chamber of Commerce – Councilwoman Perron stated that the Chamber of Commerce has not met since the last Village Council meeting.  The Chamber will meet October 14^th.

 

Central Business District Advisory Committee – Councilwoman Perron stated that CBDAC are meeting every two weeks now, and on October 1^st the big topic of discussion was how to keep the town alive during the winter.  That was a big topic of discussion.  They also discussed Grab and Go and Downtown for the Holidays.  They submitted a budget request to the Finance Department for the coming year and put out a request for quotes.  They have a concept in place to market the Central Business District to potential tenants who come to the four new multi-family housing complexes.  They put it out to several graphic designers and they got back four quotes.  They have submitted the results to the Village Manager and to the Finance Department and that will come up for Village Council discussion on October 28^th.

 

Their next meeting is October 15^th at 8:30 A.M. via Zoom.  They will have some interesting speakers from the Board of Directors of Downtown New Jersey, which is an organization that seeks to invigorate downtowns.  It is open to the public, so anyone who would like to join should let her know.

 

Shade Tree Commission – Deputy Mayor Sedon stated that the Shade Tree Commission will meet next Tuesday at 7:30 P.M. via Zoom.

 

Green Team – Deputy Mayor Sedon stated that the Green Team met last week, but the Village Council had interviews for Boards and Committees scheduled at the same time, so he was unable to attend that meeting.

 

Boards and Committees – Deputy Mayor Sedon stated that the interviews for Boards and Committees was a long process, over two days, but there seemed to be a lot of interest out there.  There were more people who applied for positions than there were positions available, so it made the decisions a little bit more difficult to make.  The new members will be appointed this evening.

 

5. DISCUSSION

             

1. Parking

 

1. Extend Pilot Program for Grab and Go Spaces

 

Ms. Mailander stated that the Grab and Go Pilot Program ended on October 3^rd, and Councilwoman Perron would explain what Phase II is all about.  Councilwoman Perron stated that Phase II would be from October 9^th through November 9^th.  They would continue with the price of $75 per week, so in total, merchants or sponsors would have to pay in advance $300.  They have put that out through the Guild, the Chamber, and other outlets including CBDAC.  Applications are due in by Friday.  She added that she doesn’t think they will be allocating a spot on Walnut Street as that does not seem to be as well used as North Broad, Oak, and Chestnut.  She added that she thinks they should move a spot over from Wilsey Square to one of those three blocks on the east side of the tracks.

 

Councilwoman Perron added that she thinks that at the end of this four week period, they should add a proposition that she received from the business community that spots could be bought for six months, from November 9^th through May 9^th, for $1,500.  That works out to about $62 per week per spot, and that would be during the winter months.  She spoke to Mr. Rooney about it and he is willing to hear the thoughts of the Village Council.

 

Deputy Mayor Sedon stated that they have enough time to discuss it at the next work session and to come to a resolution if they were going to keep this going forward and what form it was going to take.  Councilwoman Perron agreed, and added that for safety reasons they moved one spot on Oak Street from the corner where Raymond’s is, over to the other side of the street.

 

Councilwoman Reynolds stated that if they were going to move a spot from Walnut to somewhere else, could they get a spot on Broad near Sook, because people are always parking illegally near there and running into Sook or Bamboo House.  If there was a legal Grab and Go spot, hopefully that would be better.  Deputy Mayor Sedon stated that he would like to see a spot there too, but this discussion came up in a previous meeting and it was determined that it would be unsafe. 

 

Sergeant Chuck stated that their issue isn’t that a parallel parking spot is the best spot, however, there are no other available spots on Broad Street.  So, you need to choose a spot with the available space in front of it which would be in front of the kids haircut place.  Councilwoman Walsh asked if they could put one in the garage.  Sergeant Chuck stated that they wouldn’t need one, as other than Friday or Saturday nights, there is ample parking in the garage.  Councilwoman Reynolds asked about the area of Café 37.  Sergeant Chuck stated that there are nine different options that they could pick over there, adding that besides the convenience of parking near those restaurants and getting the food, there isn’t any lack of parking in that area.  They are really feeding to the convenience of the residents more than a parking shortfall, so if they wanted to add a spot there it could be wherever they want.  Ms. Mailander stated that she would recommend that it would be on the side of Sook and Bamboo House because it seems like that is where people are going quickly and then parking on the crosswalk.  She added that crossing that street can be treacherous especially since it is getting darker earlier.

 

Deputy Mayor Sedon stated that he was going to suggest the parking spot in front of Sook because the person could swoop in with the extra space from the crosswalk and swoop out.  Sergeant Chuck stated that spot is already occupied by the restaurant area.  He added that there is a 2/3rds area for a car to squeeze into between the crosswalk and that is what people are trying to take advantage of.  He added that the Police Department put cones up to push that process away which he thinks has had a good response and is better than ticketing people.  That crosswalk doesn’t have a habit of bad pedestrian car interactions, so if they wanted to be as safe as possible for the restaurant pickup they would be on the other side of the Sook eating area which would be down by the haircut place.  He added that they could try to get PSE&G to do some light enhancements on that intersection and try parking on Hudson Street facing there, or the garage has ample space right now except for Fridays and Saturdays.

 

Councilwoman Reynolds stated that she thought it made sense not to make people use the crosswalk.  Councilwoman Walsh stated that she thought they should put one space in the garage regardless because if it is going to get people into the garage.  If they are going to park, it is probably better to encourage that.  Councilwoman Reynolds stated that if they could do two she didn’t have a problem with that.

 

Councilwoman Perron stated that someone suggested an idea to her today but she knows that Mr. Rooney doesn’t like very much.  What if when you push the start button on the kiosks in the garage and it says “Would you like 15 minutes free?”  Deputy Mayor Sedon stated that maybe they could try a spot on Broad Street and then a spot in the garage, but he would definitely see what they could do with PSE&G to get light enhancements on the crosswalk as they do have documented issues there.

 

Councilwoman Reynolds asked what the price would be if they were going to do the 6 month period.  Councilwoman Perron stated that it was posed to her as $1,500 per spot for six months, and the 15 spots being on Oak, Chestnut, and North Broad.  That works out to $62 per spot per week.  Councilwoman Reynolds stated that wouldn’t include if they added in the two new spots.  Councilwoman Perron stated that it really depends on who wants to buy the spots, so they almost don’t have anything to lose.  Ms. Mailander stated that they just have to make it clear that if for some reason some of those spots are filled with snow that they would not get a refund for the times it is not accessible.  She added that it won’t happen that often, and they do clear the CBD usually at night after the storm, but just in case, they do have to make it clear that there are no refunds.  Councilwoman Perron stated that makes the one in the garage look really attractive.

 

Mr. Rooney stated that if they want to use the garage, that one should be at a premium, because in bad weather a car could go in and out, so they might want to think about a different price for that one.  Councilwoman Reynolds stated that she foresees those spots being more in demand in the winter.  Right now, people are still eating outside but COVID is obviously going to continue through the winter, people are going to do much more take out, and those spots are going to be cranking.

 

Deputy Mayor Sedon stated that they would explore a spot in the parking garage and a spot on Broad Street, and then if they were all in agreement, they would extend the pilot program until past the next Village Council meeting when they can figure out what they are going to do with this.  Ms. Mailander stated that they have a resolution tonight to consider, which will go from October 9^th to November 7^th, then Phase III would be the six month and they do have time to discuss that at their future work session.  Deputy Mayor Sedon stated that they could come together at the next meeting hopefully knowing what they want to do.

 

Councilwoman Perron asked if for this coming month they were going to do in the garage and on South Broad Street, as she thought that would be an interesting experiment.  Councilwoman Reynolds stated that she thought so, too.  Councilwoman Perron added that they had already put out the advertising and it is too close to the date to try it.  Deputy Mayor Sedon stated that was something to think about also as part of the next discussion they were going to have on this at the next work session.  Sergeant Chuck added that as the weather gets colder they are probably going to start breaking down those outdoor dining areas so they may be able to take advantage of closer spots. 

 

2. Train Station Parking Lot

 

Ms. Mailander stated that this was the suggestion from the previous meeting, that they allow people without parking stickers or permits to park in the Train Station lot for as long as they want as long as they pay during the regular metered hours.  There is a resolution on tonight’s special public meeting for that.  It is different than the rest of the Central Business District, the hours are from 6:00 A.M. to 8:00 P.M., Monday through Friday, and then 10:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M. on Saturday.  Anyone parking there would have to pay either by having a hangtag, Parkmobile, or pay at the kiosk.  They would no longer require a Ridgewood Resident sticker, so anyone from anywhere could park there.  Right now it is fairly empty because people are not commuting into New York City.

 

Councilwoman Walsh stated that she thought they should put an expiration date of 12/31/20, just so that they have the ability to revisit it.  They are hoping that things will subside a little and that they will have people taking the train to work, but they just don’t know if that is going to happen.  Her guess is that they aren’t going to have many people buying the permits, so if that isn’t the case they could at least continue to get revenue in that lot. 

 

Deputy Mayor Sedon stated that the resolution says “until further notice.”  Ms. Mailander said that was correct.  Deputy Mayor Sedon stated that he thought that was good because it allowed them to go back and review.  He added that it was a good suggestion, and thanked Councilwoman Walsh for suggesting it.

 

2. Budget

 

1. Vehicle Defeating Barriers – Police Department

 

Ms. Mailander stated that they are bringing this back to the Village Council.  As they discussed last time, it is the lowest of three written quotes, and will allow them to configure these barriers easily.  If an emergency vehicle had to get it they can be moved easily.  The cost is $43,986 for 78 metal barrier units, which work with some that the Police Department already has.

 

Sergeant Chuck stated that there had been a question about the linear footage, and through learning how to use them during the downtown promenade, they break them down into ten foot sections which is about six pieces each.  Then they have a three to four foot gap in between the sections which invites people to walk through them as they go into the downtown area.  So, it doesn’t exactly add up if you do the math to close off all the areas, but it really does when you include those gaps. 

 

Sergeant Chuck stated that this would also help them tremendously with set up and clean up.  Physically putting up the barriers on Saturday and Sunday is only taking a couple of hours, but filling up the water barriers is taking twice as long.  So, they are going to save a lot of man hours on the back end and won’t have to bring in the Water Department and the DPW employees.  This was a request towards the beginning of the promenade project and he thinks as it has grown, the result will be better looking, will keep the areas much safer, and is definitely going to be economical in terms of time.

 

Ms. Mailander added that this is being paid out of a funding source that they are then going to go to FEMA and the New Jersey CARES Act for reimbursement under COVID expenses.  If they wait until the Spring they wouldn’t have the opportunity to request this reimbursement.  She added that these would have many uses, and they do prevent cars from going through.  They could also be used for leaf season when they block off roads during the use of heavy machinery.

 

Councilwoman Perron stated that was an important consideration, and asked in terms of FEMA and CARES were they reimbursing dollar for dollar.  Ms. Mailander stated that if they get money from FEMA, they get 75% and then the other 25% would go to CARES.  If they get no money from FEMA, CARES will pay what they feel is proper.  Councilwoman Perron asked if getting these barriers would obviate the need for using dumpsters entirely.  Sergeant Chuck said yes.  Ms. Mailander added that would be a good thing, too.  Sergeant Chuck stated that changing over to the orange barriers would even be better, but these are going to look even cleaner.  On average, they do about 15 to 20 downtown events a year, and they will have 20 to 30 years to use these barriers for these events.

 

Councilwoman Walsh stated that she was in town for the Senior class fundraiser and she noticed that the barriers were on East Ridgewood Avenue.  She counted them, and it looked like there were about seven per lane of traffic, so it would be about 14 to block a road.  Sergeant Chuck stated that East Ridgewood Avenue has three sets of six or seven as it is slightly larger than some of the other roads.  Councilwoman Walsh asked that based on what Sergeant Chuck has proposed, that would be enough for about five streets, and they wouldn’t be using the water barricades anymore and they would be completely replaced.  Sergeant Chuck stated that almost everything they have now, they would replace with the yellow barriers.

 

Councilwoman Perron asked what they would do with the water barriers.  Sergeant Chuck stated that those are gold right now, as every Department tries to use them during the week, so there is plenty of work for those.  Ms. Mailander asked if the Village Council was in consensus to move forward with this resolution, to which the Village Councilmembers replied yes.

 

3. Policy

 

1. Continuation of Welcome Back to Ridgewood, NJ Event

 

Ms. Mailander stated that the event was technically going to end last weekend and they thought it was important that the Village Council be involved in deciding when it would end.  The proposal is for it to end October 31^st/November 1^st.  After that time it is probably going to be colder.  It may be that if it happens to be warmer weather in November, perhaps they will continue it.

 

Councilwoman Reynolds was in agreement.  Deputy Mayor Sedon stated that he thought it made sense to extend it to that point, and then if it stays warm they could make a decision.

 

Ms. Mailander added that they are keeping the pedestrian mall open on Monday, Columbus Day as it would be a three day weekend.

 

4. Operations

 

1. Update on NJDOT Decision – Warren Avenue/Glenwood Road

 

Ms. Mailander stated that they couldn’t discuss this yet as they were waiting to hear back from the Chief of Staff for the Commissioner who has been contacted three times and they have yet to hear back.  Hopefully they will hear back soon and do some kind of resolution after speaking to that Chief of Staff.

 

At 8:24 P.M., Councilwoman Perron made a motion to suspend the Work Session and go to a Special Public Meeting.  Councilwoman Reynolds seconded the motion.

 

Roll Call Vote

 

AYES:            Councilmembers Perron, Reynolds, Sedon, and Walsh

NAYS:            None

ABSENT:       Mayor Knudsen

ABSTAIN:      None

 

6. SPECIAL PUBLIC MEETING - SEE SEPARATE MINUTES

 

At 8:29 P.M., Councilwoman Perron made a motion to adjourn the Special Public Meeting and reconvene the Work Session.   Councilwoman Reynolds seconded the motion.

 

Roll Call Vote

 

AYES:            Councilmembers Perron, Reynolds, Sedon, and Walsh

NAYS:            None

ABSENT:       Mayor Knudsen

ABSTAIN:      None

 

7. PRESENTATION

 

1. Elks Club Design

 

Rich Calbi stated that they had with them tonight Ben Attenborough and Ralph Walker, the two principles from RSC Architects that have been working on the new design for the Elks Club Renovation.  They are going to show the Village Council their progress.  They have been meeting since August, developing floor plans, renderings, the façade, and layout.  The goal tonight is to walk through those drawings, and to show some site plan alternatives.  The hope is to get the Village Council’s feedback to go to a Planning Board meeting on October 20^th and do their informal review and keep this project moving.

 

Mr. Walker stated that he was going to share a presentation, and the first image that they were going to see is Maple Avenue with Village Hall, the Library, and the former Elks Club building with the façade improvements that they were proposing.  They have been working closely with Mr. Calbi and the Department in terms of the planning.  The upper floor has a street entrance where customers can come in to pay bills, and then within that they have the Department itself.  On the lower level, it is designed around the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) offices as well as the lab itself.  There is a multi-purpose education area adjacent to the lab with a viewing area.  He added that the project relocates all of the necessary functions including both equipment and personnel.

 

Mr. Walker stated that in terms of the design, they have been careful about trying to work within the language of both the Library and the Municipal Building.  The improvements that they are looking at for the exterior of the building are really meant to emulate the other municipal buildings in the area.  They are thinking of constructing a small portico across the front, doing some street improvements, including some landscaping, and adding a few windows, and then doing a brick frontage.  On the rear of the building, they will have a small entrance, along with new windows, stucco, and roof.

 

Mr. Walker stated that they were looking at different site options, and there has been some communication with the Police Department and Fire Department on how to deal with the parking layout.  They are only looking for onsite parking for staff, with a one way drive off Maple Avenue that would allow people to come down the hill and then egress into the Municipal parking area behind it.  They do have an area for the shared generator between the Library and the new Water Department, and then some parking areas for the staff at the rear of the building.  Mr. Walker stated that they were looking at a few different configurations, with one of them preferred.

 

Councilwoman Reynolds stated that this was the first time she was seeing the parking.  She said it sounded like all of the spots behind the Water Department would be for employees, so a resident visiting the Water Department would have to park in the Library parking lot and then walk over.  Mr. Walker stated that there is also street parking along the frontage, there are currently three spots on North Maple Avenue directly in front, and for anyone just visiting the Water Department, they would be encouraged to use those spots first.  If you were going to both the Library and Water Department, it would make sense to park in the Municipal lot.  The access is an improved egress for this facility, in case of emergency in terms of getting in and out.

 

Councilwoman Reynolds asked if someone parked in the Library parking lot and walked through where there is a one way for a car to get through, is there going to be a sidewalk there.  Mr. Walker stated that they hadn’t planned for a pedestrian path to travel there, but there is certainly room to accommodate one.  Councilwoman Reynolds stated that she thought that was important for safety.  Mr. Walker stated that it was unlikely that they were going to have a high density of traffic, but he thinks to her point that they might have a couple of people on occasion who are going that way, so better to be safe than sorry.

 

Deputy Mayor Sedon asked if there was going to be a spot or two on the street in front of the building, so if there were visitors who come in they could park there.  Mr. Walker stated that there are three spots currently that are directly in front before you get to the curb cut.  Councilwoman Reynolds stated that she didn’t think there were any spots in front of the Elks Club now.  Mr. Walker stated that nothing is striped right now, but there is the width and the frontage for three full spots.  Councilwoman Reynolds asked if they needed to get approval for three spots.  Mr. Walker stated that was why they needed to go before the Planning Board.  Mr. Attenborough stated that it would be a continuation of parking along that side of the street that is in front of the other Municipal Buildings.  Councilwoman Reynolds stated that she realized that, but that was a very busy corridor and she didn’t know if adding three spots in the street was going to be a safety issue.  Mr. Walker stated that they would look at it with the Planning Board but there was certainly adequate width for a parking lane in that area.  Ms. Mailander added that it would slow traffic down because it is a little bit narrower.

 

Mr. Calbi stated that one of the considerations that they talked about in an earlier meeting was to maybe sign these spots with a time limit so that they would be expressly available for the customers.  Councilwoman Reynolds agreed, adding that she could see people parking there and going to the Library.  Sergeant Chuck added that all of the parking spots on Maple Avenue are designated one hour, so this would just be a continuation.

 

Councilwoman Perron stated that she loves the idea that the portico echoes the Library and Village Hall, but it is a one story building and she wondered how they calculate the proportion of that portico as it strikes her as a little large for the size of the building.  Mr. Walker stated that architecturally they were looking to create a reasonable proportion between the portico, existing façade, and the new location.  He explained in detail how they proportioned the portico using planters and the beltway surrounding the building.  He realizes that this is truly an application on a building that wasn’t designed in a classical way, but proportionally when you take into consideration the exterior features, and what they intend to do, he thinks it comes together very handsomely.

 

Councilwoman Perron asked if there would be solar panels on the roof.  Mr. Walker stated that they haven’t considered it to date only from a budgetary standpoint, but it is certainly something that can be explored.  Councilwoman Reynolds asked if there was a reimbursement plan to add the solar panels.  Mr. Walker stated that he wished that were still true, adding that it is true where you have a high volume of solar panels and very little work to do on your roof.  This building is going through such a significant renovation, so he isn’t sure how much of a payback there is but they can certainly look into it.

 

Councilwoman Perron asked if the interior is also being significantly rebuilt, is there any chance for geothermal energy.  Mr. Walker stated that in this particular project he didn’t believe it would have a reasonable payback.  They are not digging out new foundations.  If you are working in a new construction facility, geothermal makes a lot of sense because you are already digging foundations, but in this particular case the work is really limited to the interior with the exception of the refacing of the building.   

 

 

8. DISCUSSION

             

1. Ridgewood Water

 

1. Award Lease – Wireless Telecommunication Antennas and Support Facilities at Glen Avenue Water Tank in Midland Park

 

Ms. Mailander stated that they accepted bids on September 23^rd.  This involves the lease of the tank and ground space for the installation of new communication and related equipment.  Three bids were picked up and three bids were received.  The high bid was for $360,000 per year and the bidder is Apsara Networks, Inc. of New York, New York.  This space became available because one of the existing carriers terminated their lease.

 

2. Award Contract – Payment Processor

 

Ms. Mailander stated that they were transitioning from MCC to Invoice Cloud, as MCC was acquired by Invoice Cloud.  Invoice Cloud has several advantages over our current payment processor including that VISA is currently not accepted as a payment option and more than 50% of the online payments are made using VISA credit and debit cards, so this will allow customers to use credit cards that are VISA.  Second, as a payment processor partner of WaterSmart, which will be rolling out shortly, this makes it easy for those using WaterSmart to use it.  However, you do not have to be a user of WaterSmart in order to use it.  Third, it gives a cleaner more user friendly experience and can be used to process payments directly from the Ridgewood Water website by customers who have not activated their WaterSmart account.  Finally, Invoice Cloud offers an automated over the phone payment option as well, which would allow customers another option to pay after hours.

 

Ms. Mailander stated that Invoice Cloud charges $0.40 per paperless billing account per quarter, so that will be $1,870.40 per year.  It will probably grow with the transition to Invoice Cloud, and their goal/estimate is 20% of it will be paperless billing by the end of year 2 which would represent a charge of $1,680 per quarter, of $6,720 per year.  Ridgewood Water has covered the ACH/E-check payments, and they would like to continue to do that with Invoice Cloud, as well.  The annual cost would be $10,021.50 with Invoice Cloud.  By moving to Invoice Cloud it is a huge step forward.  The acceptance of VISA credit cards is a huge improvement, single-sign-on WaterSmart integration, ease of use even if you don’t have WaterSmart, over the phone payments, and also improvements for bill payment processing for customers and the utility alike.

 

Dan Timmeny stated that the most important part of this is the acceptance of VISA as this has been a real shortcoming of their current billing process.  This is something that customers voice to them on a daily basis, and with VISA representing such a giant market share it was obviously something that they had to include in the next phase.  The biggest piece is not having to tell customers that they don’t accept the majority card.

             

2. Parking – NONE

 

3. Budget

 

1. Declare Property Surplus – Streets 1996 GMC Dump Truck

 

Ms. Mailander stated that this is a 1996 GMC Topkick Dump Truck that has been deemed unsafe and removed from service.  It has extensive decay, as the truck was used as a brine application truck during the winter and it probably rotted away more quickly.

 

2. Award Additional Contract – Wetlands for Kings Pond Restoration

 

Ms. Mailander stated that they went out for bid in February, and received six bids.  The low bid was from Wetlands, Inc. of Saddle Brook with a quote of $239,184.00.  They made a partial award of this work in the amount of $118,000 to start the work.  That has been successfully completed.  They have created additional funding through a recent bond ordinance that the Village Council adopted, so they can have an additional award for the items that had been deleted initially.

 

Ms. Mailander stated that this award will permit: goose netting, installing various trees, stone dust walking path, park bench with back, and backless park benches.  This is an additional partial award for finishing up that section of the project.

 

Councilwoman Perron asked what was goose netting and did this mean trees for this project that wouldn’t be taken from those being installed throughout the Village.  Mr. Rutishauser stated that the trees are separate from the tree planting contracts that were awarded for planting in Area D.  The goose netting is a deterrent for the geese to eat the younger vegetation that they plant.  Councilwoman Perron added that the League of Women Voters is having a Kings Pond Walk this weekend, on Sunday the 11^th at 1:00 P.M., and anyone is invited so long as they wear a mask and keep socially distanced.  They are meeting at the McKinley cul-de-sac.

 

3. Award Contract – Snow Plowing Services

 

Ms. Mailander stated that there were five registered planholders and they received one bid from ConQuest Construction of Westwood.  They have successfully plowed for the Village for the past 8 years.  The sidewalk clearing bid will be used judiciously, and it will only be used in the event that staff is unable to handle a particular storm event.

 

4. Award Contract Under State Contract – Ten Portable Radios – Police Department

 

Ms. Mailander stated that these are new radios that will better interface with the radio system and have a newer vocoder technology that allows better fidelity of transmissions in higher noise environments.  This purchase is part of a multi-year replacement program.  After this purchase, more than three quarters of the Police Department will have the upgraded portable radios.  This is an award of contract under State Contract to Motorola Solutions, Inc. of Paramus, in the amount not to exceed $33,868 and it is being funded through a capital account.

 

5. Award Contract Under State Contract – Purchase Ammunition – Police Department

 

Ms. Mailander stated that this is an award of contract under State Contract to Eagle Point Gun/T.J. Morris & Son – New Jersey of Thoroughfare, in an amount not to exceed $26,022.64.

 

6. Award Contract Under Cooperative Purchasing Contract – Self-Contained Auger Compactor – Recycling Department

 

Ms. Mailander stated that this is for a compactor and is under the Sourcewell Cooperative Purchasing Contract to Eagle Equipment Corporation of Uwchland, Pennsylvania.  It is an amount not to exceed $50,300, and funding if from capital accounts.  The equipment is for the collection of clean cardboard at the recycling drop-off center.  They had taken this compactor off the bond ordinance, but then decided that this was really a quality of life issue for those living around the Recycling Center so it is certainly something that is necessary.  This is the second compactor they are going to have and it seems like that will be enough and then they can get rid of the garbage truck for the compaction.

 

7. Award Contract – Second Year – Disposal of Recyclable Materials – Recycling Department

 

Ms. Mailander stated that the Village awarded a three year contract last year for the Disposal of Recyclable Material to Atlantic Coast Fibers, LLC of Passaic.  This is the second year, and it is under a revenue share pricing model and it was the best proposal that the Village received last year.

 

8. Ridgewood Senior Citizen Housing Corporation

 

Ms. Mailander stated that this is an annual resolution where the Village of Ridgewood and the Ridgewood Senior Citizen Housing Corporation, which is what Ridgecrest is, have an agreement that exempts them from paying taxes.  In lieu of taxes they pay an annual service charge for municipal services which is 6.28% of their annual gross revenues plus the cost of sanitary sewers and solid waste collection disposal.  The Village, by ordinance, also guarantees their timely payment of principle and interest due on revenue bonds issued to the County Improvement Authority, and for this the Village receives an annual reimbursement of $25,000.

 

9. Award Contract – 2021 Village Calendar

 

Ms. Mailander stated that the low quote is from Ridgewood Press of Ridgewood at $11,989.00.  This is funded through the operating budget, and it is a 2.7% increase over last year.

 

10. Award Contract – Sale of Compost – Department of Public Works

 

Ms. Mailander stated that they received a quote from DTS Trucking of Hawthorne to purchase the finished compost produced by Lakeview Compost Facility for $2.50 per cubic yard, or approximately $25,000.  They have been purchasing finished compost for the past several years, and laboratory testing has confirmed that the compost is finished and ready to be disposed of.  Ms. Mailander asked Mr. Rutishauser if it had already been picked up by DTS.  Mr. Rutishauser stated that it would hopefully be picked up in the next couple weeks.  The advantage of using DTS is they bring their own trucks in and get it out of there pretty quick.  Ms. Mailander added that the Village is not allowed to keep that on their property, so every September/October it needs to be cleared out.  Mr. Rutishauser added that they don’t have any room, as they need every bit of the land area at Lakeview for the incoming leaves.  They do keep a small pile for residents that call up and request some compost and try to serve them with that pile, but the bulk of it does have to be removed for the new leaves.

 

11. Award Contract Under Cooperative Purchasing Contract – Final Phase of Security Upgrade – Village Hall and Additional Items

 

Ms. Mailander stated that in June of this year they awarded an additional $200,000 to SecureWatch for upgrades in Village Hall and various other buildings and areas in the Village.  They are now asking the Village Council to approve the remainder of the project which amounts to $84,531.00.  This brings it in under that $300,000 do not exceed amount.  They are being funded by a couple of different capital accounts. 

 

4. Policy

 

1. Discuss Exempt Certain Lighting Installed in a Right of Way

 

Ms. Mailander stated that she believes this concerns the West Village where they want to put lighting on top of the buildings and that was not permitted under the Village Code.  This would be to relax that restriction during this time of the pandemic so that they can attract people to come over to the West Side.

 

Councilwoman Perron asked if this would be temporary or permanent.  Ms. Mailander stated that the Village Council could decide that.  It is a land use ordinance and so it does have to go the Planning Board for review if they introduce it, then it comes back to the Village Council.  They could approve it or say no, but the Planning Board makes the recommendations based on land use policy.

 

Deputy Mayor Sedon asked if they could suspend this ordinance for the next four months and then revisit it after that and see if they want to make it more permanent.  Ms. Mailander asked if they wanted to do it to the end of the year or into next year.  Councilwoman Perron stated that she would do it into next year as it is a big deal to string those lights up on the roof.  Councilwoman Walsh agreed, adding that she didn’t know if they were going to be able to keep those lights up in inclement weather because if we get high winds those lights could flap around so she thinks it’s a safety issue. 

 

Councilwoman Reynolds stated that the lights were not glass and were shatterproof.  Councilwoman Walsh stated that she would think it’s a safety issue and they should think about it because in the winter months do they have any other buildings with lights strung at the top.  Ms. Mailander stated that they didn’t.  Councilwoman Reynolds stated that she didn’t know how the lights were secured, but there was hope that whoever put them up is accounting for wind.  Councilwoman Walsh asked if there was any liability for the Village.  Mr. Rogers stated that the Village Council has questions about it and he doesn’t know whether anybody has looked into it, but it needs to be confirmed that the safety issues involved are limited and it’s not going to be a major concern.

 

Ms. Mailander asked Mr. Rogers whether they should do it by resolution.  Mr. Rogers stated that it could fit into the same category and they can do it by resolution to be reviewed at a later date pending usage and the way it works out for further consideration.  He added that Deputy Mayor Sedon’s idea of having it reviewed by the Planning Board in the same breath is something that could be considered, but for the purposes of just dealing with the ordinance as it exists right now, the best way to do it is suspending enforcement and then to go ahead.

 

Ms. Mailander added that they would get more information about the lights and whether or not they were a safety hazard.  Councilwoman Walsh stated that maybe have them give the Village something explaining how they have secured them to the building, because if each person is doing their own building, is there symmetry to how they are securing them and what types of lights there are.  Ms. Mailander stated that her understanding is that they are all going to get them from the same manufacturer.  Councilwoman Perron stated that they should get the manufacturers insert, to which Councilwoman Walsh said was a good idea.

 

2. Ordinance to Amend Graydon Pool Membership Fees and Tennis Membership Fees

 

Ms. Mailander stated that Nancy Bigos, Director of Parks and Recreation would discuss this.  Ms. Bigos stated that they were going to look at ordinance #3687, #3688, and #3697 all of which would cover recreation fees.  Ordinance #3687 discusses fees for the Summer Day Camp, #3688 would be the Graydon Pool Tennis Membership, and #3697 would be an ordinance to establish the daily guest fees and the coupon books.  Traditionally, the Village Council has reviewed these fees every two years, made a recommendation, and set this fee schedule for them to move forward.  Due to COVID and the uncertainty of the future, she would like to recommend that they leave the fees as set for next year but this was open to discussion by the Village Council.

 

Ms. Mailander stated that traditionally, they have increased by about $10 every two years, and that is so they don’t go up every eight years and now all of a sudden they need a $30 increase.  She supports Ms. Bigos’ recommendation as for 2021 they don’t know what it is going to be like in the summer.  They recently increased the Day Camp fees, and she thinks they should remain the same.

 

Deputy Mayor Sedon stated that he thinks it is a great idea, and instead of every two years, to revisit this next year because of the circumstances of COVID and everything else.  There was agreement from the Village Councilmembers.  Ms. Mailander stated that they could probably prepare the ordinances for them next week

 

3. Change Start Date of Outdoor Cafes for 2021

 

Ms. Mailander stated that in the Welcome Back to Ridgewood, New Jersey meetings, there has been a request that the eateries are allowed to put out their outdoor cafés.  Currently, there is a prohibition against them in January and February.  They would like to be able to have it run from January through December in 2021 so they can put out their outdoor cafes as indicated in their application.  This is weather permitting, and to help out the restaurants, she would recommend that the Village Council consider it.

 

Councilwoman Reynolds asked when the applications were typically due.  Ms. Mailander stated that they are usually due in February, so they would probably have them due in December.  Councilwoman Walsh asked if they were going to pay the fee.  Ms. Mailander stated that they still pay the fee.

 

Councilwoman Walsh stated that she remembers when they deliberated on this, and her concerns were the same regarding if they had a snowfall which impeded pedestrians walking on the sidewalk with snow on one side and tables on the other.  She added that the businesses would have to assure them that they were being mindful of the weather.  Deputy Mayor Sedon stated that it had been partially snow removal but also just two months of a break so that the sidewalk could be inspected.

 

5. Operations

 

1. Shared Services Agreement – E-Procurement Software Services (Bergen County)

 

Ms. Mailander stated that they have offered all municipalities in Bergen County to join with them in the Bonefire E-Procurement Software Services.  There is no charge to the Village for this, and it is a five year contract.  The proposal includes the software and unlimited training and support.  It integrates the Village’s requirements for bids and proposals into the software, creates a portal with the specifications, are available to potential bidders, allows bidders to submit their bids through a portal, and also seals their bids.  It also has vendor participation tracking and a template that prepares an award of contract letter which is then sent out to the bidders.  In addition, it gives evaluation tools for ranking the bidders, gives ability to view other successful projects, and the availability of over 100,000 vendors nationwide.  Ms. Mailander added that it would allow them to work in a more streamlined process and hopefully attract more potential bidders.  

 

2. Draft – Affordable Housing Element and Fair Share Plan

 

Ms. Mailander stated that these were all about the Affordable Housing ordinances which they were bringing back again.  If they had any questions Mr. Rogers could probably answer those.  They were going to introduce them at next week’s public meeting.

 

Councilwoman Walsh stated that she does know a couple of people that are going through the application process for some of the affordable units at The Dayton and it has been a very easy process for them filling out the application.  The process for the layperson seems to be an easy process.  Mr. Rogers asked if they were market rate units they were applying for or affordable units.  Councilwoman Walsh stated that they were affordable units.

 

Mr. Rogers stated that he did send around to everyone the Settlement Agreement, and if they read it they saw that the ordinances in the Fair Share Plan mimic in many ways the Settlement Agreement in what they have been able to work out with the court approval and the consent of the Fair Share Housing Center.  That is why that document is really pertinent to their review of these items.  There are three things in front of the Village Council, one is the Fair Share Plan which they went over last week.  A resident told him during the interim that he may have misstated something with regard to the unmet need.  Our unmet need is 838 units, which is in the Fair Share Housing Plan that they have.

 

Mr. Rogers stated that unless anyone had any questions, they were going to be asked to endorse the Fair Share Housing Plan and then adopt the ordinances that set into place not only the administrative aspect of providing Affordable Housing, but also the approach that they have to meet the unmet need and the overlay zones that they are utilizing to try and meet that in the future.  Mr. Rogers added that this period now, from 2015 to 2025, the Prospective Need Period, is really what this is designed to deal with.  He stated that they will go through a whole review of this again come the end and there may be interim issues after the passing of these ordinances that may deal with the proposed developments on these sites.

 

Mr. Rogers stated that the manner in which the Fair Share Plan is approved by the court addresses the unmet need and how the Village provides affordable housing in the future.

 

3. Draft – Affordable Housing – Unmet Need Ordinance

 

4. Draft – Affordable Housing – Administrative Ordinance

 

5. Acceptance of 2019 Annual Audit & Corrective Action Plan

 

Ms. Mailander stated that this is annually, and the Village Councilmembers received the audit.  They are required to read the general affidavit and the comments, and then they are required to sign that they read that which is then sent to the State of New Jersey.  They have less comments than they usually do, and she congratulated Mr. Rooney and his staff on that.

 

Mr. Rooney stated that when he started with the Village there were 18 comments, last year there were 7 and this year there were 4.  Based upon the cooperation that he gets from the Department Heads and the support he gets from the Village Council, they have been able to minimize the number of items that have been identified during the audit.  One comment has to do with funding of capital ordinances, there are some items on the report that showed deficit balances which means that they have not permanently or temporarily funded those ordinances and they have used the cash for other purposes.  They had a sale this year which eliminated almost all of them, though he thinks going forward they are chipping away at this to get it down to zero.

 

Mr. Rooney stated that the second one has to do with outside offices.  We are bifurcated as to how we account for revenues coming in for the various offices.  They use Spatial Data Logic for certain Departments, they use Capture Point for other Departments, and they use an excel spreadsheet for other Departments.  They are trying to coordinate that and pull together under Capture Point to cover all the offices, but they are running into little problems with how it works with the current accounting system that the Village has.

 

Mr. Rooney stated that the third finding has to do with adjustments that are made on water rent billings.  There hasn’t been a policy in the past, management is allowed to sign off on certain adjustments that are made for whatever reason.  They have now instituted a policy where he reviews anything up to $1,000 and goes over the process as to what created the adjustment and then they approve it or they correct it.  Any item over $1,000 is presented to the Village Council by resolution to either refund or make the adjustments.  He added that they instituted that process to increase the internal controls as it relates to the billing adjustments that go through.

 

Mr. Rooney stated that the last item is encumbrance of funds.  They encumber significant contracts that come through for capital purposes and as they work their way through the project, there may be times where they haven’t reduced it down to zero because there may be change orders at the end.  They are working to make certain that they review all the improvement authorizations as they come to completion to make sure that any funds that may be encumbered and are no longer needed are brought back and presented possibly for cancelation or reappropriation to other purposes.

 

Deputy Mayor Sedon stated that it was great that they have whittled this down and are getting closer to that zero goal.  Councilwoman Perron asked if they could do all that without hiring new employees.  Mr. Rooney said yes, this isn’t predicated on headcount, it’s more of a process.  Councilwoman Walsh thanked Mr. Rooney for all of the hard work he and his Department have put into this.

 

9. REVIEW OF OCTOBER 14, 2020 PUBLIC MEETING AGENDA

 

Ms. Mailander stated that this was a review of the October 14, 2020 Public Meeting Agenda.

 

Proclamations include: National Diabetes Awareness Month; and Declare October National Bullying Prevention Month.

 

There are no ordinances for introduction for Ridgewood Water.

 

There are no ordinances for public hearing for Ridgewood Water.

 

Resolution for Ridgewood Water: Award Professional Services Contract – Public Policy Consultant Services and Water Consortium; Award Contract – Payment Processor; Award Contract Under State Contract – Ford Super Duty F350 – Chassis; Award Contract Under State Contract – Ford Super Duty F350 Truck Body; Award Contract Under State Contract – Ford; Award Additional Award of Contract – Servicing and Repairing of Electric Source at Various Facilities; Award Additional Partial Award of Contract – Resurfacing and Repair of Various Village Streets; Award Lease of Property – Wireless Telecommunications Antennas and Support Facilities – Glen Avenue Water Tank; and Declare Property Surplus – Ridgewood Water Department Vehicles.

 

The following ordinances are scheduled for introduction:  3815 – Amend Chapter 265 – Vehicles and Traffic – Placement of Stop Signs in Various Locations; 3816 – Amend Chapter 190 – Land Use and Development – Affordable Housing Element and Fair Share Plan; 3817 – Amend Chapter 190 – Land Use and Development – Affordable Housing – Amend B-1 and B-2 Districts; 3818 – Amend Chapter 190 – Land Use and Development – Affordable Housing – Create the AH-3 Zone District; 3819 – Amend Chapter 190 – Land Use and Development – Affordable Housing – Create the B-3 District; 3820 – Amend Chapter 190 – Land Use and Development – Affordable Housing – Require an Affordable Housing Set-Aside; 3821 – Affordable Housing Administrative Ordinance; 3822 – Amend Chapter 145 – Fees – Graydon Pool Membership Fees; 3823 – Amend Chapter 145 – Fees – Day Camp Fees; and 3824 – Amend Chapter 145 – Fees – Tennis Badge Fees.

 

There are no ordinances for public hearing.

 

Resolutions include: Award Contract – Disposal of Recyclable Materials; Award Contract – Printing of 2021 Village Calendar; Award Contract – Sale of Compost Material; Award Contract – Purchase and Installation of Pumps and Appurtenances – Water Pollution Control Facility; Title 59 Approval – Furnishing and Delivering of Sodium Bisulfite Solution and Sodium Hypochlorite Solution – Water Pollution Control Facility; Award Contract – Furnishing and Delivering of Sodium Bisulfite Solution and Sodium Hypochlorite Solution – Water Pollution Control Facility; Title 59 Approval – Furnishing Laboratory Analysis Services – Water Pollution Control Facility and Graydon Pool; Award Contract – Furnishing Laboratory Analysis Services – Water Pollution Control Facility and Graydon Pool; Title 59 Approval – Snowplowing Services; Award Contract – Snow Plowing Services; Award Contract Under State Contract – In-Car Camera Storage Server – Police Department; Award Contract Under State Contract – Zetron Radio System – Police Department; Award Contract Under State Contract – Ammunition – Police Department; Award Contract Under State Contract – Portable Radios – Police Department; Award Contract Under Cooperative Purchasing Contract – Front End Loader – Streets Division; Award Contract Under Cooperative Purchasing Contract – Self-Contained Compactor – Recycling Department; Award Contract Under Cooperative Purchasing Contract – Final Phase of Security Upgrade – Village Hall and Additional Items; Award Professional Services Contract – 2020 Annual Audit; Authorize Shared Services Agreement – E-Procurement Software (Bergen County); Award Additional Partial Award of Contract – 2020 Resurfacing and Repairs of Various Streets – 2019/2020 NJDOT Municipal Aid Grant Program; Award Additional Award of Contract – Kings Pond Restoration; Declare Property Surplus – Ridgewood Parks and Recreation; Declare Property Surplus – Streets Division Vehicle; Establish Guidelines to Permit Electronic Signatures on Purchase Order/Vouchers; Change Start Date for Outdoor Cafes in 2021; Accept 2019 Annual Audit; Approve 2019 Corrective Action Plan; and Approve Design for Elks Club.  They are also going to do the lighting in the Central Business District to exempt it from violations.

 

10. COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC

 

Boyd Loving, 342 South Irving Street, stated that the sound was better on this meeting than it has been on any in the past and he thanked Mr. Hansen for this.  He also thanked the Village Council for holding the Graydon Pool fees the same as they were this past year.  The season at Graydon was wonderful this year and it was delightful to get outside.  Hopefully they will have the same thing next summer. 

 

Mr. Loving thanked Councilwoman Reynolds for bringing up the issue regarding the driveway behind 111 North Maple Avenue.  He agrees that there needs to be a pedestrian walkway adjacent to any driveway, as we don’t need any accidents where someone is walking in a path that is being shared with motor vehicles.  He added that he has some concerns about the three parking spaces in front of the building.  There are no spaces there now and there is a reason for that.  If you are driving northbound on Maple Avenue in front of that building, there is a crosswalk in front of the Library.  If you put three parking spaces there, that is going to partially obstruct the drivers view of that crosswalk.  That is a very dangerous crosswalk, he sees that they have recently put in user activated warning lights there as it is so bad.  His suggestion is to not put the spaces there, but rather to encourage people to park in the Library parking lot.

 

Mr. Loving stated that the Village Manager made some comments tonight regarding the election.  No matter how many comments we make about the election, unfortunately people are still confused and it is through no fault of Ms. Mailander or anyone else in the Village.  He suggested that people are going to go to their regular polling locations expecting to vote, even though this is a vote by mail election, he didn’t know if there were plans to put signs at the regular polling places indicating where people need to go.   He asked about people being illiterate and given a paper ballot.

 

There were no additional comments from the public.

 

Ms. Mailander stated that they are going to have signs at the normal polling locations because they usually have ten locations, but are going to only have three.  It is based on your polling place numbers.  You are going to get a postcard from the County telling you where your polling location is.  Illiterate or blind voters will have someone to assist them, who will then sign on the ballot as an assistor.  The ADA voting machine will have the audio.  She added that anyone who shows up without their mail in ballot will be given a provisional paper ballot which they can fill out right there, and then there will be an envelope to seal.  She urged people to vote early by mail-in ballot.  Theoretically, there should be no one going to the polls, but they are cognizant that there may be people who don’t realize that it is mail-in.  She added that the County has done a lot to make sure that the ballots are picked up daily from the ballot boxes.

 

Councilwoman Reynolds asked if someone throws out their ballot because they thought it was a sample ballot, and they fill one out at the polling location, does that get counted on November 3^rd.  Ms. Mailander stated that it goes back to the County that night and then they have days to count, up to a week, but she said that absolutely every ballot will get counted.

 

Councilwoman Reynolds asked if there was any possibility that they could put the flashing signs up with notices about the election.  Ms. Mailander stated that she was going to put up a reminder about Voter Registration because that is Tuesday, then they will out up one regarding mail in ballots.  She added that they are doing as much as they can to let people know.  She added that Village Councilmembers can use their Facebook or social media to share the information as well.  The more people who hear about it will pass it on.

 

11. RESOLUTION TO GO INTO CLOSED SESSION

 

Deputy Village Clerk Donna Jackson read Resolution #20-293 to go into Closed Session as follows:

 

 

 

 

 

12. ADJOURNMENT

 

There being no further business to come before the Village Council, on a motion by Councilwoman Perron, seconded by Councilwoman Walsh, and carried unanimously by voice vote, the Village Council’s Work Session was adjourned at 9:47 P.M.