20210106 - 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 JANUARY 6, 2021 AT 7:30 P.M.

 

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

 

Mayor Knudsen called the meeting to order at 7:31 P.M. and read the Statement of Compliance with the Open Public Meetings Act.  Deputy Mayor Sedon read a required announcement regarding the remote meeting format.  At roll call the following were present: Councilmembers Perron, Reynolds, Sedon, Walsh, and Mayor Knudsen.  Also present were Heather Mailander, Village Manager/Village Clerk; Donna Jackson, Deputy Village Clerk; and Matthew Rogers, Village Attorney.  

 

Mayor Knudsen led those in attendance in the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag as well as in a Moment of Silence for our men and women serving our nation, our Blue Star Families and Gold Star Families, our First Responders, and especially today for our nation.

 

Mayor Knudsen stated that several days ago, the Village Council was notified of the passing of a former Councilmember.  She took a moment to acknowledge the passing of Roberta Svarre, Ridgewood’s first woman Mayor.  Roberta served as Deputy Mayor in 1989 and as Mayor 1990-1992.  She was the founder of the Ridgewood Senior Citizens Housing Corporation, filling a need for affordable senior housing in the Village of Ridgewood, which was one of her proudest accomplishments.  During their numerous conversations, they had an opportunity to chat about the challenges of her time as Mayor and Mayor Knudsen’s time as Mayor in 2016, and she expressed a gratitude that she didn’t have to deal with social media.

 

Mayor Knudsen also congratulated our Former Mayor, former Council colleague, Ramon Hache, who just was sworn in by Governor Phil Murphy.  Ramon is now a Bergen County Commissioner.  She congratulated him and said they were extremely proud of him.

 

2. COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC

 

Stacey Antine, Owner of HealthBarn, 1057 Hillcrest Road, thanked the Mayor and Council for this opportunity to speak.  She is glad to see the Habernickel property on the public agenda for discussion.  As the current gatehouse tenant for the past five years, she is eager to learn about the re-bid process and when it will start for the new lease in 2022.  Habernickel Park is the place where nature hikes have replaced video games; freshly grown organic tomatoes and carrots have replaced goldfish crackers; and composting and cooking have replaced bullying and boosted self-confidence for thousands of children and people of all ages and needs.  This is HealthBarn.  Our mission is to empower children and families to lead strong, energetic lives and she is truly honored and grateful to Ridgewood for enabling them to do this necessary work for our community. 

 

Ms. Antine stated that this healthy lifestyle experience and all who participate thrive in the natural beauty of the park thanks to the lease and the public-private partnership with Parks and Recreation.  This partnership has exceeded all expectations and proven to be mutually beneficial to all, including the special needs community through NJ statewide grants.  The professional support by Signal, Engineering, and the Buildings Department have kept the house strong for their award-winning educational and recreational programs and camps.  This year maintaining a COVID-free safe environment to date with guidance from Ms. Mailander, the Health and Fire Departments, were invaluable to keep them viable in these uncertain times.  HealthBarn is part of this inclusive Ridgewood community, proven by the tremendous support of residents and neighbors expressed over the past months at Village Council meetings.

 

Ms. Antine stated that because of this lease provided by the Village Council, they directed 75% of their Foundation’s charitable giving directly back into the community.  She highlighted that this meant over 3,500 meals per year to Ridgecrest and SHARE, received the President’s Gold Award for Volunteerism in 2018, over 100 Ridgewood residents counted as their volunteers, teamed up with the Chamber of Commerce through Feed the Frontlines, facilitated over $100,000 of donations to the Central Business District (CBD) restaurants providing 4,000 meals to local heroes and families, and distributed over 1,500 pounds of sweet potatoes to residents and organizations during Thanksgiving.  They have learned that food insecurity does exist in Ridgewood and they have stepped up to meet this urgent need heightened by the pandemic.

 

Ms. Antine stated that this is what community is all about and they are ready to help when needed.  Five years have passed so quickly with much more to do and give.  She looks forward to continuing the public-private partnership and requests that the Village provide instructions and details for a reasonable and timely re-bid process to secure a new lease at Habernickel Park.

 

Scott Lief, President of the Ridgewood Chamber of Commerce, 27 Chestnut Street, stated that he was there to talk about HealthBarn.  He asked that the Village Council bring this issue to a vote so they can put all this behind them because it is certainly time to move forward.  As they get ready for the vote, he wanted to talk about some additional information.  He had informed the Village Council how HealthBarn was applying for a grant from the New Jersey Economic Development Authority.  That grant would help feed the needy right here in our Village.  There are many local restaurants currently operating in our Central Business District.  He was happy to report that application has been completed and submitted.  It is a grant for no less than $100,000.  It would be money spent right in our Central Business District.  He added that this grant may also be significantly higher.

 

Mr. Lief stated that the specific businesses that would benefit from this effort are Chestnut Deli, Santoni’s Pizzeria, Piccolo Bistro, MacMurphy’s, Green Fusion, Finca, Playa Bowls, Lisa’s Mediterranean, Bareburger, The Steel Wheel Tavern, Deli Accent, It’s Greek to Me, The Daily Treat, Park West Tavern, and Pearl.  Every dollar spent right here in Ridgewood.  In the spring at the beginning of the pandemic, the Feed the Frontlines Initiative, raised a little over $100,000 and distributed more than 8,000 meals.  The principals of Feed the Frontlines are back together and they are ready to come together again.  This time the grant money will be supplemented by additional donations.  Mr. Lief stated that this is money that will stay in Ridgewood 100%.  What makes this more poignant is it would be during the difficult winter months when things like outdoor dining cannot happen to keep restaurants going.  He implored the Village Council to find a way to make this work and keep this invaluable business right here in our community, right where they belong.

 

Mr. Lief stated that we all speak about shopping local, and HealthBarn is shopping local at a level never before seen in our community.  What’s most important is that it’s at a time when it’s needed more than ever.

 

Bob Upton, 172 W. Glen Avenue, stated that he is Chair of the Green Ridgewood Environmental Committee, he added that one of the Committee’s principle responsibilities as detailed in the Village Code is to assist the Village Council in long range planning with respect to environmental concerns.  With this in mind, their members have invited Bob Chilton, a consultant with Gable Associates to address the Council on the subject of Renewable Energy Aggregation.  This offers the residents and businesses of municipalities the option to purchase energy from more sustainable sources often at lower cost than current sources ultimately supporting reduced use of fossil fuels and combatting climate change.  Mr. Upton stated that their members encourage the Village Council, on behalf of our residents and in support of New Jersey’s Environmental Objectives, to consider the benefits presented by these agreements. 

 

Monique DeMaio, 50 E. Ridgewood Avenue #304, stated that Ridgewood is an amazing place to live especially in light of COVID, and we are devoted to being an active, great community.  The one place she thinks this greatness is not showing up is in the decision to close the pickleball courts.  We are in a global pandemic and things like pickleball is one of the few places and activities that one can take on without being at risk.  They can play with their friends, family, seniors, and youth.  She is playing pickleball with her 20-year-old son who is home from college right now, who loves the game.  She is equally playing with an 80-yeay-old woman who has nowhere else to go because she can’t play bridge or anything else, and all they have in common is the ability to meet up outside.  Other than the track at Vets, pickleball is the other place to be.

 

Ms. DeMaio stated that from what she gathers, there has been a decision to close the pickleball courts during the winter and she is a little confused, as are about 20 of her close friends as they have all gotten into this pickleball fever.  In the vision and mission of Ridgewood and Ridgewood Recreation and what she has seen her kids grow up with, such as the ability to be outside and thrive, it just doesn’t really match up to what our community stands for.  She asked that they align with this policy and consider reopening the pickleball courts and remain that exemplary community that she knows we are. 

 

Joanne Archer, 241 West End Avenue, asked how something as wonderful as pickleball, that our town provided for us, be a problem.  She is another pickleball person who has been playing this sport for 4 years and she can’t tell them the difference it has made in the lives of so many.  They are all so grateful to the Village Council and to the Parks and Recreation Department who brought this into our lives.  This is the first time that Ridgewood has provided a facility that it geared towards older adults rather than youths.  She knows the Village had a recent Visioning Process for a new Master Plan which highlighted aging in place as a top priority and the Village Council listened, and for this they are truly grateful.  During this pandemic, this is the only place that they can go and they really do want the Village Council to consider their wellbeing, mental health, and physical health.

 

Ms. Archer stated that they are hoping that a number of people in pickleball can work with the Village Council.  They just want to have the Village Council listen to them, and they will listen to the Village Council.  They would love to come together and make pickleball and her tennis friends’ tennis courts open. 

 

Erin Taddei, 419 Bogert Avenue, stated that she really hoped they would drop the lawsuit against One Village, One Vote as she thinks it is a waste of hard-earned taxpayer money.  She added that she has yet to see a social media policy put on their agenda.  She had spoken in August and explained how she was completely cyber bullied by somebody who is currently sitting on the Planning Board.  Her attorney had to get involved and sent a response to the Village Council.  Ms. Mailander responded to her and said that the person’s behavior was abhorrent and unacceptable, but the person is still sitting on the Planning Board and they have yet to implement a social media policy.  To her, the longer it goes where they don’t implement a social media policy they are sending a very strong message that they tolerate and condone bullying and cyber bullying, and that is not okay. 

 

Ms. Taddei stated that she failed to see what the problem was.  It was discussed in August and they said they would rediscuss it in the fall, but nothing happened.  She asked when she can expect something to be put on the Village Council agenda to implement some kind of social media policy, and why the Village Council continues to condone this type of behavior.  Ms. Taddei stated that she is the person that Jeff Voigt was speaking about in his farewell remarks when he said that the Village Council failed a resident when they failed to act when this happened.  She added that she didn’t really like coming forward and saying that publicly, but that is what happened.  She asked what it was going to take for the Village Council to take some action in this matter, adding that she wasn’t going to stop talking about it until something is done so that it doesn’t happen to anyone else who is an innocent resident in this town.

 

Dan Gioia, 447 Fairway Road, stated that he was calling about the pickleball courts.  He and his wife sent a letter to the Village Council about the courts.  They are disappointed that the courts have been closed while the Village tries to figure out some new policy, and they hope they can figure that out in due course so the courts can be reopened.  He added that their letter was self-explanatory about the courts.  Pickleball is an open, fun-loving community that enjoys playing the game.  Mr. Gioia added that they have been in town for a long time and are really enjoying pickleball.  He was very happy that they are putting it on the agenda.  It is definitely something that is enjoyed by many residents in town, for out of town, and people are quite passionate about the game.

 

The following emails were received and read aloud by Donna Jackson.

 

Carolyn Huckmindoff, Texas, wrote that two years ago she had the pleasure of returning to Ridgewood for her 65^th High School Reunion during her stay she visited the home she grew up in on Huffman’s Farm, now Habernickel.  They can’t imagine how delighted she was to find that it was being put to good use for sport and teaching children about nature and nutrition.  Her father, the late Mack Huffman, must be smiling down at us seeing how children are having fun there learning about tadpoles and gardening and more.  When he was alive there was never anyone he turned away when they came to see the barns and animals.  The pond was a never-ending source of discovery for everyone, including the neighbors and her classmates.  It is truly satisfying that the house is in use in so many ways.  She had a wonderful day watching the children learn about nature under the tutelage of Stacey Antine. 

 

Ms. Huckmindoff added that they can be proud that Ridgewood is another city that can be included as a site for doing these good works, with no real cost to the town.  As it was explained to her, HealthBarn is really an educational program.  Since the property was purchased with public funds she would expect the property to be used for public good to the fullest, beyond just sports.  She understands there is a question about renewing the next contract with HealthBarn which would leave the house vacant.  What a sacrilege that would be.  Good things are being done there, and remember they are dealing with very young children from diverse backgrounds and are giving them a stepping stone to a better future.  These children may never otherwise be exposed to such things.  To deprive them of this when it doesn’t have to be done could be said to be discrimination at its very worst.  She is proud to be connected, even remotely, to HealthBarn and would be happy to see it continue.

 

Beth Abbott, 174 Union Street, wrote that the Age Friendly Ridgewood team is pleased to be in their fifth year of operation and look forward to a productive 2021 while the Village of Ridgewood continues to enhance its age friendliness.  With this in mind, she encourages the Village Council to bring the New Jersey Future Land Use Implementation Plan Report Resolution for a vote to accept it at the next Village Council meeting.  The report presents detailed plans for investigating ideas that would improve Ridgewood for our older adults.  From November 2017 to August 2020, members of the current and past Village Council and Planning Boards worked with NJ Future to develop this report, along with other government employees and community members.  Participation in this project was approved by Council resolution on June 12, 2019.  This project was funded by Age Friendly Ridgewood’s grant funder, the Henry and Marilyn Taub Foundation. 

 

Ms. Abbott stated that accepting this report would involve no commitment by the Village moving forward with any of the plans, but it would be an appropriate show of appreciation for those who worked on and funded the report.  It would be a good faith commitment by the Village to continue its work to enhance the Village’s age friendliness and improve the lives of all citizens of Ridgewood.  With the Council’s acceptance of the report they could feel hopeful they can secure funds to support ideas such as traffic calming and pedestrian safety. 

 

Ms. Abbott added that she would like to mention that they received feedback from many residents, older adults who are extremely disappointed about the closing of the pickleball courts.  Pickleball is a healthy, social, and safe activity perfect for this time of year.  So many activities have been restricted due to COVID-19, so it would be a shame to see this viable activity restricted or eliminated.  They look forward to a productive year ahead as they work together for Ridgewood. 

 

Ms. Jackson stated that there were 12 letters written about Pickleball, and in summary, many of them wanted to thank the Village Council or the Village for providing the opportunity to residents for giving them the opportunity to participate in pickleball at the Glen courts.  The overall expression was that it helped them maintain physical, mental, social, and for some marriage wellbeing, during COVID and that it has had a positive impact on their lives.  They have access to an outdoor activity with fresh air, remain active, learn a new sport which is quickly growing in popularity with all ages including teens and kids in their 20’s.  Ridgewood is on the cutting edge for promoting this and making it available to residents.  It is an exercise that can be enjoyed by families, couples, friends, groups, and organizations even in the colder weather when they have limited outdoor activities.  It’s appreciated in a time when they cannot participate in some of their usual safe practices such as travel and volunteerism.  It affords them the opportunity to meet new people, form new friendships, and many feel it reduces the risk of depression as they have been forced to stay more isolated during the virus. 

 

Ms. Jackson read that the Visioning Process and the Master Plan speak of ageing in place as a top priority, and this was referred to in several letters also.  Some residents addressed the noise concerns of the neighbors who live near the courts and acknowledged the sound barrier padding, sound reducing paddles, and muted balls.  They thought it unfair to punish the large number of residents that utilize the facilities by closing the courts.  They expressed very strongly that they wished the courts to open soon.  Some feel there should be an agreeable solution for all, and others feel the noise is part of being a neighbor to a school, field, or court.  M.C. Benitende, 459 Fairway Road; Sherry Bisc, 178 McKinley Place; Erica Blank, 124 North Walnut Street; Lillian Blood, 250 North Maple Avenue; Lynne Cyrne, 180 Lincoln Avenue; Lori Colin, 95 Lawrence Court; Lisa Gilgen, 61 Pershing Avenue; Jeff Goldstein, 469 Bogert Avenue; Drew Rodney, 125 South Maple Avenue; Helen Orr, 542 Van Buren Street; Neil Sullivan, 335 East Ridgewood Avenue; and Mady Soukis, 27 Tanglewood Hollow Road, USR Instructor were the contributors of these comments.

 

Dwin Bohn, 418 Wastena Terrace, wrote that he and his wife are relative newcomers to Ridgewood having retired here 3 years ago from Delaware to be close to family.  They are pleased with their decision to relocate to Ridgewood, as they enjoy the charming Village and all that it has to offer.  They have made an effort to get involved in some of the many activities, events, and experiences in the Village and have met many fellow residents through the programs of the Recreation Department, the Library, the YMCA, Graydon Pool, the College Club, and Ridgewood Walks, to name a few. 

 

Mr. Bohn wrote that it was through the Recreation Department program that he was introduced to pickleball.  With the excellent instruction he received and subsequent play with fellow Ridgewood residents, he formed valued friendships while playing a sport he truly enjoys.  The sport provides a perfect opportunity to exercise, socialize, and be outdoors. 

 

Mr. Bohn wrote that he would like to thank the Village Council and Recreation Department for providing the pickleball facilities at Glen School.  He has played at numerous facilities over the past year, primarily in Cape May County, and he can attest that the Ridgewood courts are well constructed, well maintained, and convenient.  He wrote that they can imagine his disappointment when he received the email notification of the Glen courts closing until late March so that the Council can discuss the use of the pickleball courts and can determine the best use of all Village facilities in 2021.  The Council is to be commended for its efforts to determine a plan for these critical recreational spaces.  He knows that in the past the Village Council has discussed the ability to age in place in Ridgewood, and he hopes that consideration will be given to those in his age group to ensure opportunities that will, in fact, allow them to age actively in the Village they so cherish.

 

Dolores D’Andrea, 106 Pine Street, wrote that she wanted to express how pickleball at Glen School courts has affected her life.  After work, she would stop by Glen School pickleball courts and muse about the day she would be there.  She retired and that day came.  Besides becoming enamored with the game, her circle of friends increased, they learned and laughed.  Two years ago, a friend from college contacted her.  He had moved to Ridgewood, and she took him to Glen School pickleball courts and introduced him to the game and her friends.  He learned and shared in the same laughter and their friendship blossomed into love and eventually marriage.  They were not able to have a wedding reception due to COVID, and so their pickleball friends gave them a mini party on the Glen courts.

 

Ms. D’Andrea wrote that the Glen courts have fostered many new friends, lots of laughter, many memories, and most of all love for the game, friends, and marriage.  She thanked the Village Council for affording her these memories, adding that they will live forever in her heart and she hopes she will have many more.  She is optimistic that the Village can resolve the convoluted issues with which it is confronted.  She believes that all situations can be resolved by compromise and hopes that is possible in this case.

 

L. Delicate, 959 Barnes Drive, wrote that Glen School courts were woefully underutilized as tennis courts.  The Parks and Recreation Department wisely altered them to better fulfill its declared mission statements as presented on the Village website.  To his knowledge, no empirical evidence has been proffered to support complaints made by the supposedly aggrieved parties.  The complaints have been completely subjective, such as: too loud, 10 hours a day, annoying, nerve-wracking, forced to sell my home, etc.  Despite the lack of empirical evidence, the Village has already gone out of its way to appease these homeowners.  The 12 foot high fence at Glen courts has been completely covered with sound-deadening fabric and players are required to use a specific, quieter ball.  Mr. Delicate wrote that to appease the complaining parties without objective, fact-based data will only embolden them.  Until such time as the complainants provide such data, he urged the Village to allow pickleball to resume immediately at Glen School courts.

 

Diane Seitter, 328 Van Emburgh Avenue, wrote that it was with great concern and frustration that she was writing to the Village Council to express her thoughts about the closure of the Glen School pickleball courts.  She has been a resident of Ridgewood and has lived in the neighborhood of the Glen School for 31 years, living so close to the Glen School which hosts many preschool students and also includes a field used by the Maroon’s soccer, Ridgewood Baseball and Softball and town recreational tennis courts.  From her house on Van Emburgh Avenue, they can hear the children playing on the playground, whistles, and coaches on the fields, and yes the sound of residents playing tennis and pickleball.  This has never, ever been an issue for her or her family.

 

Ms. Seitter wrote that she recently joined the town sponsored Ridgewood Pickleball League that began in September which was started to promote the use of the beautifully restored courts at the Glen School and offer the residents a new activity which happens to be the fastest growing sport in the country, and at a time during this pandemic when outdoor activity is greatly needed by all.  She renewed her tennis badge, which she has not done in many years, to join the league.  She has met so many wonderful new friends and residents of Ridgewood that she has never met before.  She even enlisted at least a dozen of her current friends to renew their tennis/Graydon badges and started their own group, “The Pickleball Mamas”.  Everyone has been having such a great time learning and playing the game of pickleball.  They even had a mother/son and daughter day after Thanksgiving.  The fact that college students actually wanted to spend time with their moms playing pickleball shows how much fun people of all ages are having at their new recreational facility. 

 

Ms. Seitter wrote that they are all disappointed that they have not been able to play pickleball with their children who are all home from college for an extended period of time.  On just about any morning you can show up to the courts and be greeted by many senior residents who are extremely welcoming for anyone to join in the fun of playing.  This is so important for our senior residents to be outside, having fun, exercising, and socializing during this pandemic as there are very limited activities that they can participate in at this time.  During the winter months on mild weather days, there is no reason why our residents should not have the ability to use the Glen School courts.  The fact that the courts have been locked for the last few weeks without cited reasons is unacceptable and is a complete contradiction to the Ridgewood Parks and Recreation’s Mission Statement: “The missions statement of the Ridgewood Department of Parks and Recreation is to preserve open space and provide facilities and year round recreational activities that meet the needs of all residents.”

 

Ms. Seitter wrote that as a player and resident, she has not been given any reason why the courts have been closed.  The closure of the courts is clearly not meeting the needs of the many residents who wish to play on the designated pickleball courts in Ridgewood.  She would clearly like to be a resident who is part of a solution to this issue and looks forward to participating in this Wednesday’s meeting regarding the matter.  Closing the courts has not been a solution by any means and has compromised the needs of many more residents/players than the few area residents who are constantly complaining.

 

Doug Rhoten, 120 Melrose Place, wrote that he has been a Ridgewood resident for 50 years, having graduated from Ridgewood High School in 1972.  He thanked the Council, Heather Mailander, Nancy Bigos, Katie Frey, and Parks and Recreation for their support of Ridgewood pickleball, and for all they are doing to get our town through this troubled time.  He wrote that he was in support of reopening the Glen School pickleball courts as soon as possible.  He understands and empathizes with the complicated issues the Village Council is working through, including complaining neighbors, noise level concerns, non-resident access, fee levels, playing time allotment models, COVID, and much more.  

 

Mr. Rhoten wrote that from personal experience, he can attest to the “Glen School Pickleball Community” (GSPC) being respectful of the Glen neighborhood, of the appropriate noise levels and times of play, of the rules of the court usage/access, and good COVID practices.  He is sure they are aware that the leaders of the GSPC work closely with Parks and Recreation to address any infractions and to help evolve the rules and model of access and usage to something that will work for all parties.  The core of the GSPC is mostly “empty nest” senior tax paying residents of Ridgewood, who face the current COVID environment without their historical purpose of raising families and careers.  The GSPC and playing pickleball have become an important part of their mental and physical wellbeing.

 

Mr. Rhoten wrote that having safe and communal environments for our COVID vulnerable senior residents to get physical exercise and to mentally engage should have an important place on their list of priorities.  Many of the GSPC have, to date, resisted using more risky indoor pickleball facilities but will be forced to do so now that Glen is closed.  Having lived in Ridgewood houses across from Valley Hospital, next to the train tracks on Pomander Walk, and now Melrose Place, a couple of houses from Citizens Park and the World Mission Church, he can relate to the minor annoyances of traffic, parking, and noise.  Still, given that he moved to those locations, eyes open, having weighed the costs and benefits, he has yet to complain.  If Ridgewood is to maintain its status as a vibrant active family community with a wonderful downtown, great restaurants, parks, and sports facilities, then every resident will have to deal with the resulting minor annoyances.  He offered any assistance with the situation.

 

Ms. Jackson stated that there were two additional longer letters that she would read during the second public comment section.

 

There were no additional comments from the public at this time.  

 

3. MANAGERS REPORT

 

Annual Parking Permits – Ms. Mailander stated that they are currently selling annual parking permits at the reception desk in Village Hall.  They are selling the permits Monday through Friday between the hours of 10:00 A.M. and 12:00 P.M., and then 1:00 P.M. to 3:00 P.M. at the customer service window which is located to the left of the lobby doors.  If you have any questions or can’t make it during those hours, please call the receptionist at (201) 670-550, extension 200.

 

Village of Ridgewood Calendars – Ms. Mailander stated that Village of Ridgewood calendars will be mailed and will be out to residents by next week.  As a reminder, if you turn the December page you will see that January 2020 is located on the back.  The theme is Our Central Business District Events and Working Together.

 

Christmas Tree Pickup – Ms. Mailander stated that the Parks Department will be picking up Christmas trees following the same schedule as last year.  Tuesday on the east side and Thursday on the west side.  Please place your trees curbside.  Tuesdays are January 12^th, 19^th, and 26^th.  Thursdays are January 7^th, 14^th, 21^st, and 28^th.  The pickup is between the hours of 8:00 A.M. and 3:00 P.M.  Please remove all ornaments and lights and do not place the tree in a plastic bag.  If you wish to drop off your Christmas tree at the Graydon Pool parking lot you may do so, there is a place that is coned off and you may drop it any time through January 29^th.

 

Hudson Street Parking Garage – Ms. Mailander stated that the Hudson Street Parking Garage is open on all levels.  There are different requirements on each level, but every level is open to anyone to park there after 12 noon on any day.  The first level is all three hour parking all the time.  It is $1 per hour. 

 

Chamber of Commerce Restaurant Week – Ms. Mailander stated that Chamber of Commerce Restaurant Week provides discounts for diners.  It will take place January 17^th to the 21^st, and January 24^th to the 28^th.  This was revised from the original date that is in the Village calendar.  This is a great time to sample the many varied restaurants in Ridgewood’s Central Business District. 

 

Complimentary Parking Spaces – Ms. Mailander stated that there are complimentary parking spaces in the Central Business District.  These 15-minute spots are located on Oak Street, Chestnut Street, North Broad Street, off of East Ridgewood Avenue, and then also on Wilsey Square.  These parking spaces are limited to 15-minutes only.  They are free of charge to anyone and can be used to do a quick errand, pickup food, or visit a business nearby.  These spaces have been generously donated and sponsored by several local businesses and Ridgewood residents and those sponsors are acknowledged on the 15-minute parking signs.

 

Radon – Ms. Mailander stated that the Ridgewood Health Department has free radon kits available to provide to the public.  Please contact the Health Department at (201) 670-5500, extension 502, for further information.

 

Food Recycling Pilot Program – Ms. Mailander stated that the Food Recycling Pilot Program, which is something that she mentioned in December, is looking for individuals who would like to participate.  The application submission time has been extended to January 31^st.  If you are interested, it is going to begin in early February.  It does require a 9 month commitment, and those who participate will be given a 5-gallon food scrap collection container.  The participant will then take that container to the Recycling Center to empty every week and also to provide a weekly data entry to Ridgewood’s Recycling Division so they can monitor how much is being recycled and how much is not going into our solid waste stream.  That will benefit us going forward to determine whether or not it is worthwhile for us to do this with a larger number of people participating, or doing it Village-wide.

 

Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday – Ms. Mailander stated that the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday will be observed with virtual programs on January 15^th, 16^th, and 18^th.  “The Struggle Endures” will be the theme of the presentations.  There will be further details coming.  All Village offices will be closed on that date.  There will be no garbage or recycling pickup, and the Recycling Center will also be closed.

 

Snow and Ice Reminder – Ms. Mailander stated that as a reminder, if snow or ice is forecasted, please remember to bring your garbage cans to the end of your driveway so that Village employees are safe and don’t get injured trying to get to the backyard.  They will continue to have it curbside until there is a clear path to your garbage cans.

 

Upcoming Village Council Meetings – Ms. Mailander stated that the upcoming Village Council meetings are broadcast live on YouTube, streamed on the Village website, and on the public access channels.  January 13^th is a Public Meeting at 8:00 P.M., January 27^th and February 3^rd are both Work Sessions and they begin at 7:30 P.M.  These are all noted on the Village Calendar as well as on the Village website.  There is a 7:30 P.M. meeting before a Public Meeting which anyone can attend, however, if you want your comments to be recorded in the main part of the meeting, wait until 8:00 P.M. for the Public Meeting.

 

4. COUNCIL REPORTS

 

Open Space Committee – Councilwoman Perron stated that the Open Space Committee met on December 17^th and they discussed how they want to change their page on the website to look more like the Shade Tree Commission’s page.  They also discussed that the resident members’ term is only one year, and they would like to bring it on for discussion at the Village Council’s next session to extend the term to two years, and stagger the four members, two and two.  Their next meeting is going to be January 19^th and they plan to discuss the criteria being used for identifying properties we are monitoring.  The Parks Department has decided, at the suggestion of Open Space Committee, that they will feature one of the open spaces in town on their Facebook page every week.  There are 13, and there are some that people don’t even know exist.  These are the treasures of our community and they want everybody to know about them. 

 

Green Ridgewood – Councilwoman Perron stated that Green Ridgewood did not meet since the Village Council’s last meeting, but with regard to the Food Recycling Pilot Program, she did want to point out that people can apply for that online.  On the Village website, if you go to Departments, go to the Department of Public Works (DPW), and then to Recycling, then scroll down and you will see both the brochure and the application.

 

Councilwoman Perron stated that Roberta Svarre was a big influence on her and inspired her when Councilwoman Perron moved back to Ridgewood in the early 1990’s.  To see a woman in elected office accomplishing what she accomplished really inspired her.  There are plans at Ridgecrest to either make a garden or plant trees in her honor.  She also congratulated Former Mayor Hache for being sworn in as a Commissioner of Bergen County.

 

Fields Committee – Councilwoman Walsh stated that the Fields Committee met on the 4^th.  The Governor changed the status of the winter programs.  They were supposed to not be able to start until February, but they were able to start this week.  They talked about the field closures, so all of our grass fields are closed for the winter, but our joint turf fields are being used for small group sports that are part of our Fields Committee profile.  This is a special circumstance.  Lacrosse is using the roller hockey rink and that is working out really well.  They are starting to advertise some of the summer camps.

 

Councilwoman Walsh stated that regarding Maple Park and the lighting, they were able to build up the structure that they needed and they are hoping they are going to have it opened by the spring.  The Orchard Field had to have some renovations and then grass seeding, so it is probably going to be closed until that grass can be used.

 

Library Board of Trustees – Councilwoman Walsh stated that she sat in for the Mayor at the Library Board of Trustees meeting.  They reorganized, and Gail Campbell is the President again.  During COVID they have had a great year, and a lot of people are using all of the resources and continue to do so.  They are reviewing putting in the additional application for the renovation to see if that is possible.  They have reviewed some of the other applications that were approved for funding to see why they were approved and to get a better idea of what is going to help us receive approval for some funding.

 

Stigma Free – Councilwoman Walsh stated that Stigma Free had a very quick meeting and talked about the grants that they received.  They followed up with making sure that everyone stays healthy during these times.  Their bingo card is up on the Stigma Free site.  Anyone who has issues should call their EAP or any of the hotlines available on the Stigma Free site.

 

Planning Board – Councilwoman Reynolds stated that the Planning Board met on December 15^th where they heard an application for 235 East Ridgewood Avenue, the Gap building. They approved a minor site plan and parking variance for that.  The lower level is going to be used as Salons by JC, and part of the first floor.  The salon is going to be renting out individual rooms to stylist, cosmetologists, and those people will be responsible for bringing in their own clients.  The other part of the first floor is going to be used by Blue Foundry Bank, and they will be moving into that building.

 

Councilwoman Reynolds stated that the second Planning Board meeting was last night.  They had heard several meetings about the Hopper Ridge Condominium Association application.  It came to a vote and they approved the variances with a couple of conditions.  The contractors wanted to use the easement on Cedar Avenue, but they are not going to allow that as many neighbors spoke up about that and complained.  The other condition was part of the project is to enlarge the pond and they wanted to make sure that the pond depth was at least as deep, or deeper, than the existing pond because they want to allow water flow and when it is deeper the water is colder which helps to not bring in mosquitos and other unwanted insects.  It also helps it to be less likely for the silt to build up and turn into a bog.

 

Mayor Knudsen stated that the Hopper Ridge application, as pointed out by Councilwoman Reynolds, was approved but that will be coming back to the Village Council for a major soil moving permit.  The recommendations pertaining to the truck route will be memorialized by the Village Council and voted on.  She thanked the Planning Board, after all of the applications she has sat through this was one of the most complicated from an engineering perspective and she thanked all of the members.

 

Citizens Safety Advisory Committee – Councilwoman Reynolds stated that they will be meeting on January 21^st at 7:30 P.M. via Zoom.

 

Councilwoman Reynolds also congratulated Former Mayor Ramon Hache.  Deputy Mayor Sedon echoed the comments about Ramon Hache who is now a Commissioner for Bergen County and wished him the best.  

 

Fourth of July Committee – Mayor Knudsen stated that they will be kicking off with their first meeting for the Fourth of July.  If anyone has any theme ideas for Fourth of July, please email her. 

 

5. PRESENTATION – RESIDENTIAL ENERGY AGGREGATION

 

Councilwoman Perron stated that for several months the Green Ridgewood Subcommittee on Energy Aggregating has been considering whether aggregating the supply of renewable energy would work for our residents.  They have had a couple of speakers come in, and most recently had Gable Associates come in to speak with them.  Gable Associates is an energy consulting firm from Highland Park, New Jersey and they have been in business for about 25 years.  They pioneered the first successful government energy aggregation, and they also have been doing renewable energy aggregation for municipal governments for about 9 years and have worked with many towns.

 

Bob Chilton and Loren Altshuler from Gabel Associates were presenting from Gabel Associates.  Ms. Altshuler stated that the term RGEA has been used as Residential Energy Aggregation, also Renewable Government Energy Aggregation.  The programs have been implemented under State law as well as public utility rules and it allows municipalities to pool their resident together and this creates purchasing power.  The intent is to achieve a more favorable power supply price and have terms that are more favorable to the residents, and more favorable than a resident should be able to attain when shopping on their own.  There are several steps in the process, and it starts with the municipality passing an ordinance.  If they choose to do this, they would sign an agreement with the local utility and have a public bid process.  The Rate Council and the BPU review the documents to ensure that there is compliance with BPU rules.  The BPU rules allow municipalities to include enhanced renewable content in the procured supply. 

 

Ms. Altshuler stated that by purchasing for all residents you are creating purchasing power and this is purchasing power that residents wouldn’t have on their own.  It gives the residents power supply with renewable power supply with pricing that is competitive with default power supply.  It depends on the market conditions, and the Village and Council will have the ability to make a decision at the time of getting a bid, whether this a good deal for the town residents. 

 

Ms. Altshuler stated that all suppliers in the State that are supplying power are required to have an amount of renewable energy content in the energy they supply.  Right now, the Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) levels are at 23.5% and what they typically do when they go out to procure is to procure higher than the 23.5%.  Sustainable Jersey has endorsed a product with 20% more, or 43.5% at the current levels, and some municipalities have even procured a higher renewable content.  A tradeoff though is price. 

 

Ms. Altshuler stated that other benefits of pursuing a GEA are consumer protections.  Because you are going out for bid for a large pool of customers, you can get more consumer friendly type requirements in the contracts that protect consumers.  The price is established up front, so it is transparent, and the length of the contract is defined and known up front.  There is no fine print, and customers can switch back to PSE&G, or go to another third party supplier, at any point without penalty and fees, and the term is “opt out” for that consideration.

 

Ms. Altshuler stated that there is no additional bill, the customers will continue to get one bill from PSE&G so that is not a change, and the municipality would have the local purchasing control instead of the utility taking over and overseeing the purchase of energy supply.  It is interesting to note, that a number of municipalities have pursued GEA programs in the past 8 years for their residents and the majority of towns have continued with the program even after the first contract. 

 

Ms. Altshuler stated that Gable Associates is an independent energy consultant firm.  They are State registered, and are not affiliated with any supplier.  They work for the municipality and if Ridgewood decides to proceed and go forward with a GEA program, Gable is a resource to the residents to opt in or opt out, for assistance, and they can be reached by telephone/email/internet platform.

 

Ms. Altshuler stated that the timeline to implement this is typically six months.  It starts from the passage of an ordinance and it commences with service with a new supplier.  The steps are Pre-Bid, Bid, and Post-Bid.  During Pre-Bid, you pass the ordinance, sign an agreement with the utility, the utility signs an Aggregate Usage Profile, which is one of the first steps when you can see what the financial impacts are.  The RFP is prepared, and then the BPU and Rate Council review the RFP document to ensure compliance.  The Bid Process has two steps, the Pre-Bid is where the bidders validate themselves and raise questions, and then there is a predetermined time and day when suppliers present their bid proposals.  This is set to coincide on a day of the meeting of the Village Council, as due to market volatility, it is necessary to award the contract on the same day.  It comes to the Village Council for a vote and if they decide they want to award, it is done that same day.  Post-Bid is when materials are prepared to educate and communicate on the program, including opt-out materials, as well.  Then the suppliers would enroll the participants in the utility and the utility would send a confirmation back to residents prior to program start.

 

Ms. Altshuler provided some samples of some of the materials that have been prepared for past programs, including a FAQ sheet, a standard form of information, and a letter from a town to its residents.  Opt-out information shows that residents can opt-out at any time and it is fast and easy.  They can return an opt-out card that is mailed to them within the initial 30 day window, you can choose to opt-out at any time without any penalties or fees.  There are a few groups of residents who would not be included in the initial enrollment; however they can choose to opt-in.  Ms. Altshuler stated that they are two categories, customers that already have a third party supply contract, additionally customers with solar panels.  They should look at their bill as they may have fees or net metering and it may be more beneficial to remain with PSE&G if they have solar panels.

 

Ms. Altshuler stated that the GEA contract is only awarded if the governing body determines that it is beneficial.  The contract price is non-variable, so that is the price for the term of the contract.  The participants receive a separate notice from PSE&G once they are enrolled in the program and there is no further action if they want to participate.  PSE&G continues to deliver the power and residents would still reach out to them for power issues.  If you are on a budget billing plan, you can still participate and there is no effect at all on financial assistance to participate. 

 

Ms. Altshuler opened for questions.

 

Councilwoman Reynolds asked what the term of the contract was.  Ms. Altshuler stated that they go out for bid for multiple terms and see which bid is the most beneficial and typically, 12, 18, or 24 months is the range.  Councilwoman Perron asked if 24 month is the max.  Ms. Altshuler stated that it is.  Councilwoman Reynolds asked if you are on an automatic payment with PSE&G do you have to redo that with the new company.  Ms. Altshuler stated that you are still paying PSE&G, That would stay the same.

 

Deputy Mayor Sedon asked if the energy bill would also be included with the gas bill from PSE&G.  Ms. Altshuler stated that billing stays the same, so this ends up as line items on the existing PSE&G bill.  Councilwoman Reynolds asked why PSE&G allows them to do this.  Ms. Altshuler stated that this is New Jersey Regulatory Requirements and over time there have been efforts run and overseen by the BPU to introduce deregulation for competition. 

 

Mayor Knudsen stated that she has often over the years gone out shopping for different suppliers and there is nothing that changes on your PSE&G bill.  She asked on the RPS, they have the higher percentage and could Ms. Altshuler define how that relates to the higher cost.  Ms. Altshuler stated that if you were to just go buy plain vanilla power it has a certain market price and there is a premium for renewable power.  You are buying a renewable energy certificate, and there is a market for it, but because you are buying this environmental product to go over the energy there is a premium for it.  Mayor Knudsen stated that she understood, and asked if they were to adopt an ordinance that stated they were going to embark on this and then they choose to adopt a higher percentage that’s the renewable portfolio standard.  Ms. Altshuler stated that right now, there is 23.5% in whatever you are buying from any supplier. Mayor Knudsen asked about the municipalities that adopt 100%.  Ms. Altshuler stated that they typically don’t require 100%.  They go out for bid and then create a program that allows a resident to choose optionally to buy 100%. 

 

Mayor Knudsen asked if it was a completely automatically opt-in for everyone instead of those excluded individuals.  Ms. Altshuler agreed.  Mayor Knudsen asked about the municipalities that opt in, did she have a percentage on what amount ultimately opt-out or get mad because their supplier changed.  Mr. Chilton stated that it varies somewhat by town, but he would say the general percentage is somewhere around 5-10% of individuals who are in the initial eligibility pool who typically opt out in the initial eligibility period so they never get enrolled to begin with.  They usually get a second wave of opt-out after the second notification from PSE&G that they were enrolled.  About 80% of the individuals end up still enrolled in the program after that process comes to an end.  Over time there is a natural attrition, because when people move or relocate the account is closed and so the new person moving in isn’t enrolled.  By the end of a 24 month contract, Mr. Chilton estimates they are down to about 50% participation, or in that range.

 

Councilwoman Walsh asked how many people is the aggregate for it to be impactful.  Mr. Chilton stated to some extent that doesn’t matter, the town is large enough to draw attention from the market suppliers.  The contracts do not have a minimum participation level.  That is the risk of the supplier.  You can be assured that they all have their own internal models based on attrition rate and a risk premium to account for something happening out of the realm of normalcy.  The supplier is pricing the initial pool. 

 

Councilwoman Walsh asked about the REC and if there was any obligations for the Village with the energy credits and would they ever have to pay anything back.  With the property that they had at the WPC, there was an issue with the energy credits.  So, asked what the Village’s obligation would be with the energy credits.  Mr. Chilton stated that was two different situations.  His guess is that they either had ownership of that project, so then it was their responsibility to manage the SREC’s, but this is a different circumstance.  The Village tells the supplier they want 50% of the energy from renewable so they are obligated to go out and buy enough REC’s in the marketplace to meet that obligation and then there is a provision in the contract that impose upon them verification requirements.

 

Councilwoman Walsh asked about the local purchasing controls and how that works.  Mr. Chilton stated that all they mean by that is people don’t realize the utility is buying power in the marketplace just like the town is.  However, the mechanisms for that procurement is dictated by the State of New Jersey.  This is taking power supply to a more local level so they can decide when to go out to bid and its local power over the purchase rather than state mandated as it is over PSE&G.  Councilwoman Walsh asked if the Village was acting as an additional utility by signing this or adopting an ordinance to change.  She asked what the binding vehicle is on the municipality’s end, because residents can just do this on their own.  Ms. Altshuler stated that the main thing is that its not one person shopping, it is for a larger quantity because you are pooling the residents and so suppliers are more interested to bid on a larger volume and are more amenable to giving the customer protections in the contract than they would to one individual resident.  You then also have the opportunity to introduce additional renewable supply for the residents power supply.

 

Mayor Knudsen asked if they knew what the current renewable content is in the basic PSE&G.  Ms. Altshuler stated that the State mandates that all suppliers, including PSE&G, have 23.5%, and that is a number that changes over time and will change in June.  Mayor Knudsen asked what that would be going up to.  Ms. Altshuler stated that it should be about 25 or 26%, to which Mr. Chilton stated that it was actually going to stay at 23.5% for one more year and then will incrementally go up every year, thereafter.  The goal is to be at 50% by 2030 under the Clean Energy Act and the Energy Master Plan put forth by the new Administration.  Whether that gets modified at some point is a possibility, but this is pushing the demand to accelerate renewable energy which is basically driving the demand for the development and construction of new projects quicker than they otherwise were. 

 

Ms. Altshuler stated that if you are buying a higher percentage of renewable content you are therefore required to procure more of these REC’s and take them off the market, you are sending a signal to the market that these are in demand and therefore more renewables are acquired in the economy.  Councilwoman Perron asked if they are, in effect, building out the renewable energy infrastructure.  Ms. Altshuler stated that they are procuring more REC’s that send a signal to the market that there is more interest for renewable energy infrastructure in the economy.  Mr. Chilton added that the requirements are for the supplier to procure and then retire those REC’s.  They are permanently taking RECs out of the marketplace so the only way demand can be met is through the development of new projects.

 

Councilwoman Perron asked if they could explain how Gable Associates gets paid.  Mr. Chilton stated that any town that hires them has either a negotiated or a competitive procurement fee that they would propose and the fee is a very small per kilowatt hour charge that is paid by the supplier.  Presumably, the supplier would include that cost in the bid, so any bid they provide to the Village would include that, also.  If they don’t come back with a positive result and there is no contract award then they don’t get paid at all.  Councilwoman Perron clarified that they could help the Village design an RFP and put it out to bid, but if no decent bids come back, they don’t have to go into a contract.  Mr. Chilton stated that it is the Village’s decision whether to award the contract, they would make recommendations, but their business model is that they know they aren’t going to hit every time, but also they have been around a long time and have many lines of business. 

 

Mayor Knudsen asked what is the actual benefit conveyed to our residents.  They are not necessarily getting a lower electricity rate, in fact, it could actually be higher.  Mr. Chilton stated that in the end it is the Village Council’s call.  They have had contracts where they have been able to land a much greener product at a lower cost, and it is up to each individual municipality.  Many towns are trying to increase sustainability, so using the buying power of the collective town to get a greener product and increase air quality and reduce climate change.  The final weighing of that balancing of priorities is really the governing body’s call.  Is the sustainability aspect important enough and are enough of your residents interested enough in making a contribution to the green power. He added that he has not seen a town award a contract at a higher price than PSE&G even with the sustainability.  He has seen a couple towns accept minimal savings along with meeting their greener priorities but it is up to the balancing of the priorities.  Mr. Chilton added that there is no question that with the collective purchasing power you can get a contract with green energy at a price that is much better than residents who want green power can find on their own.

 

Mayor Knudsen asked if they had any historical comparison charts because when they are talking about the percentages.  If they can get a better price on higher content on that RPS rate but pay a more competitive price for those that want but that could potentially be a higher price for some.  Mr. Chilton stated that he could give a database of prices that they have gotten compared to the PSE&G rate.  The problem is that it’s essentially useless because each town is different, the market changes constantly, so really depending on when you bid and what town you are talking about he can show significant changes to none at all.  The typical scenario is that anything that comes in higher than the PSE&G price, they wouldn’t recommend an award and that isn’t unusual.  In that instance they would go out to bid in 3 to 6 months and then there were significant savings.  His suggestion is that if they are interested, they go through the process, give it a shot, and if the bids don’t come back to their liking they have no obligation to make a contract.

 

Mayor Knudsen asked when they tie into a contract, they are tied into that price for the duration of that contract, however on your PSE&G bill your rate fluctuates monthly, so in the long run those fluctuations could result in a lower cost overall.  Mr. Chilton stated that the PSE&G rate is a mousetrap if you dig into it, so they have a basic generation tariff rate that is approved by the BPU which is reasonably constant.  They also have a reconciliation charge which is the charge that changes monthly and results in the net price to compare.  It has shown a reasonably predictable pattern, so when Mr. Chilton stated that when they evaluate a bid they not only evaluate that posted tariff price that has been approved by the BPU, they also look at that historical reconciliation charge.  That usually averages out over the course of a year to a modest credit of maybe 2-3%.

 

Mr. Rogers asked if they are aware of other towns in this region that have PSE&G coverage that have opted into this program.  Mr. Chilton stated that they have dealt with Glen Rock, and then a consortium of six towns in Essex County, but they have dealt with towns throughout the State.  He estimated they have dealt with 3 dozen towns in New Jersey over the years.  Mr. Rogers asked if they go through the process of adopting an ordinance and then working on a contract to go through a bid process and accept and contract, what are the obligations that the Village has to monitor or maintain it.  Mr. Chilton stated that is the job of Gable Associates, to take off the Village’s plate as much as the Village wants to delegate. 

 

There were no additional questions.

 

 

6. DISCUSSION

             

1. Ridgewood Water – NONE

 

2. Parking – NONE

 

3. Budget

 

 

1. Temporary Budget

 

Ms. Mailander stated that the temporary budget is introduced each year which takes the Village through until they adopt the regular budget.  It is for General, Water Utility, and Parking Utility, and it is equal to 26.25% of the prior year’s appropriations. 

 

2. Resolution for Deferred School Tax

 

Mr. Rooney stated that this is a resolution that is passed every year.  It goes back about 30 years to when the Village elected to defer the school tax for an opportunity given to municipalities to the State of New Jersey to control the rising cost of school taxes.  In the event the Village would decide not to defer, it would automatically have a $700,000 hit to the bottom line.  The school district is on board with this continuing.

 

3. Award Contract – Kitchen Renovation – Fire Department

 

Ms. Mailander stated that the Fire Chief has asked to use the 2020 Capital money that they have put side for the kitchen renovation at Fire Headquarters.  They went out for three quotes from vendors and the low quote was from Dayson’s Kitchen and Bath of Paramus at a cost of $25,553.00.  Because there is a Qualified Purchasing Agent on staff, they can get approval for purchases up to $44,000 without competitive bidding but they do need the quotes.

 

Councilwoman Walsh asked what this included.  Chief Van Goor stated that it includes them taking the old cabinets out, new cabinets and countertop, tile backsplash, sink, and faucet.  Councilwoman Reynolds asked if it included a new floor.  Chief Van Goor stated that they were going to keep the same floor, but he was going to have it cleaned.  Mayor Knudsen asked about the countertop.  Chief Van Goor stated that it was a new quartz countertop.

 

4. Amendment to Local Supplemental Violations Bureau Schedule of Designated Offenses and Payable Amounts

 

Ms. Mailander stated that they have been approved by the vicinage assignment judge and they now must adopt these new payable amounts by ordinance.  On street commuter parking had been a previous question by Councilwoman Perron, and Ms. Mailander stated that as she looked at that section of the Code it appeared that may have been done during the timeframe where they were doing the renovation of the Train Station so they had to reallocate parking to on street.  Mr. Rutishauser’s recommendation is that they adopt this and then take out that area and look at it and delete the payable offenses that refer to on street commuter parking offenses.  The sooner they adopt the better, but in the meantime, she and Mr. Rutishauser will look at it and find out where to remove it.

 

5. Street Paving and Streetscape

 

Ms. Mailander stated that this is the annual bond ordinance for street paving and also streetscape, including curbs and drainage.  They would like to introduce a $2.5 million bond ordinance this month, and adopt it in February.  They have done this for the past 4 years and it is very effective.  This way they can go out for bid the end of February and get the bids in by March and they usually award the paving contract in March.  They get a jump on a lot of the other towns doing paving and usually get a good price.

 

6. Allocation of Funds to United Way for Special Needs Housing

 

Mr. Rogers stated that everyone should recall that the United Way had asked the Village to utilize monies from the Affordable Housing Trust Fund that have been collected over the years to help defray the cost of the construction for the special needs housing.  They had endorsed the plan to give United Way $500,000 from the Affordable Housing Trust Fund to assist them with the construction costs and that was done by resolution at an earlier date.  This is just the follow up to authorize the actual agreement that they endorsed and provide the money.  Mayor Knudsen added that it is a really fabulous project.  Mr. Rogers added that this was a major part of their considerations when they got involved with our affordable housing plan so it is finally coming to fruition.

 

4. Policy

 

1. Pickleball Rules and Regulations

 

Ms. Mailander stated that she, Mayor Knudsen, Councilwoman Walsh, and Nancy Bigos met with the neighbors on a phone call conference and they discussed their concerns and requests.  Mayor Knudsen stated that they heard from a number of neighbors about the ongoing disruption to their quality of life, their peace, tranquility, and use of their yard based on noise coming from the pickleball courts.  It is something the Village attempted to remedy by the use of the sound barrier panels.  She added that she had to give the pickleball community a lot of credit because they were completely understanding and considerate about the neighbors’ concerns and offered to help.  It’s not just the noise level, and she understands that there have been some visits to the site with decibel readers.  They tried implementing the softer balls, but there is really not a difference, as it is just a different pitch. 

 

Mayor Knudsen stated that they went from two tennis ball courts to four pickleball courts.  The tennis courts use nylon rackets and tennis balls and these are using graphite and plastic balls, and there is this pop-pop-pop sound that people are hearing with four balls constantly all day long, every day of the week. 

 

Mayor Knudsen stated that they thought the first order of business was going through the listing of resident and non-resident passes, so they thought they would bring back to the Village Council the option of limiting to just resident passes.  Doug Rhoten has been catching her ear on a couple of the other options that can be explored in terms of other equipment, including soft paddles and softer balls.  He was going to order some and test them.  Mayor Knudsen added that she didn’t know if the hours can be modified, court usage can be modified, but she felt a need to help the neighbors at least have some enjoyment of their property.

 

Ms. Mailander asked Ms. Bigos to give them the number of badges sold in 2019 versus 2020 because it is a huge increase.  Ms. Bigos stated that before giving the figures, what she did want to do this evening is just once again remind them that last year and the beginning of this year, they are very much embroiled in the global health pandemic.  This crisis has truly changed the way our residents are living their lives.  Our schools are closed, our churches are closed, our eateries are closed, and this has created an opportunity for our residents to be able to be out and about enjoying our parks, tennis courts, and open space.  They are not looking at a typical year for last year, and she thinks they should all really be aware of that.  The use of the tennis courts this year has tripled.  Some of this has exacerbated the use of our tennis courts and most certainly, pickleball.  In 2019 they sold 325 tennis and pickleball badges, while in 2020 they sold 947 badges.  The amount of revenue in 2019 was $10,510 and last year $32,600.

 

Mayor Knudsen asked on the breakdown, can she break out non-resident versus resident.  Ms. Bigos stated that in 2019 they sold 28 non-resident badges, and in 2020 they sold 147.  Mayor Knudsen asked since the badges go on sale January 1^st, when was the spike in those purchases and did it happen after the pandemic was in full swing.  Ms. Bigos stated that she would have to say that the answer would be yes to that, but she didn’t have the information by date in front of her.  Although they play racket sports during the winter months, later March/ early April is the peak. 

 

Councilwoman Walsh stated that they have received lots of emails regarding this, both pro and con, including phone calls.  Admittedly, when they approved pickleball they were aware that it was gaining a lot of interest, but she did not realize the impact the sound would have on the community.  She has done a little research between the conversations they have had to figure out what is going to be the balance, because they know that they have interest but also have these other issues.  They put the sound barriers up, but she doesn’t know if that was good enough and if that is solving the issue that they have.  They instituted the muted balls, but they still have people that aren’t using them.  Ms. Bigos stated that the instructor has muted balls available as well as three of her staff that go out and check the courts have them available for sale.

 

Councilwoman Walsh stated that when they had that meeting, pickleball was going on and the resident called in from their property and all you heard was the sound of the pickleball in the background.  They are trying to figure the way to be fair to everybody, adding that she is on Stigma Free and they talk about mental health, and if she was on her conference calls and heard that sound working from home from 8:00 A.M. to 6:30 P.M. personally she would have a difficult time working.  She thinks that talking about the non-resident passes is a beginning way to start this conversation but she also thinks they really have to talk about the hours of operation for pickleball.  They have residents who are literally at their wits end because they are listening to this from 8:00 A.M. or sooner all day long with no break.  Councilwoman Walsh stated that there are residents saying that they live by a tennis court, but she added that it is definitely a different sound and the pitch is much higher.

 

Councilwoman Walsh stated that she has done some research and read about lawsuits all over the country because of pickleball in different communities because of the sound, the criteria for where a pickleball court should be, and she thinks they have to take a longer look at some other solutions.  Whether they have to get more sound barriers, they have to do something to mute the sound more and she doesn’t know what those solutions would be.  She added that when they were on their call, they felt that all five councilmembers really have to be aware of the sound and have to feel it themselves, but also have an open discussion.  She wants people out and doing stuff but they really have to be fair to the residents in the community.

 

Mayor Knudsen added that when she and Councilwoman Reynolds went out, they ran into quite a number of people and it clearly is fun and looks fun, but one of the friends that they ran into had the regular ball and the muted ball and they played with both and there really is no difference it is only a slightly different pitch.  She added that the issue is that these folks are hearing sixteen people with the graphite rackets and the four balls flying and then they also have people waiting to get in.  Not only are they hearing the pop-pop-pop but also the chatter.  From a Village perspective as a municipal government, they own property and have the flexibility and muscle to do what they want but she almost feels like it is their job to not only be a good neighbor to their adjacent residents, it is their job to be an exemplary neighbor and set the bar very high for themselves.  In this instance she feels ashamed that they embarked on this without having the knowledge of the noise level.

 

Councilwoman Reynolds stated that she was actually surprised when they went there.  She plays and loves tennis, and has been hearing about pickleball.  They walked around the neighborhood and were standing in the street on Eastbrook and could hear clearly the popping sound continually as they were talking. Two neighbors have actually moved because of the noise, which is unacceptable in her opinion.  When she did some research on pickleball, almost every article recommends that a pickleball court not be closer than 400-500 feet to a house.  These courts are less than 50 feet to a house, so it’s a shame. She doesn’t think they did their due diligence before they approved this location for pickleball courts, but they are here.  She agreed with Mayor Knudsen that there was no difference in the sound of the balls, and even the players agreed.

 

Councilwoman Reynolds stated she did research today and there is something called polymer core paddles that are supposed to be a lot quieter, and something called gamma sports foam tennis balls that people can use for pickleball.  If she lived there she thinks she would lose her mind.  People are home all the time now because of COVID, and the pickleball courts are busier because of COVID.  These people can’t even use their own back or front yards.  They heard it clearly in the street.  She doesn’t think they should close the courts, but she does think they should have limited hours.  Councilwoman Reynolds asked Ms. Bigos if the hours are 8:00 A.M. to dark.  Ms. Bigos said yes.  Councilwoman Reynolds added that was seven days a week.  Ms. Bigos asked what her recommendation would be on the hours.  Councilwoman Reynolds stated that it is really difficult, if you have people working from home in those houses, if people are even playing from 9:00 A.M. to 1:00 P.M. that’s four hours where it would be difficult for them to work.  She added she would like to hear what everyone else thinks about cutting hours.

 

Mayor Knudsen asked when they initially looked at different locations and did some trial runs, did they initially start with two courts for pickleball.  Ms. Bigos stated that when they were doing their instructional program at the time, they did try various locations.  In considering and reviewing the final site, the first place they tried was North Monroe.  They did do a semester there and they found that the parking was insufficient for the number of players.  Mayor Knudsen asked when they started at the Glen courts.  There were two tennis courts and she asked what part of those two tennis courts did they start with.  Ms. Bigos stated that was five years ago and she thinks they were using tape at the time with two.  Mayor Knudsen stated that they must have been using the tennis court closer to the parking lot of the school.  Ms. Bigos stated that there were tennis courts at the time and they had retrofitted them to just be one single pickleball court on each tennis court.  Councilwoman Reynolds explained it as the two tennis courts each became one pickleball court.

 

Mayor Knudsen stated that she was thinking back to some of the letters that she had from the residents that have been impacted.  They had discussed the option of looking at splitting the four pickleball courts in half and having them use half sometimes.  If they cut the hours and cut off part of the courts they could stagger the use.  She asked if they established if there was enough space to do that.  Ms. Bigos stated that the challenge with that would be the enforcement, they would have to be able to dismantle two of those courts completely because if they were to open the facility our residents would have accessibility to all four courts.  Mayor Knudsen asked if they could put up a fence to try to make some inaccessible.  Ms. Bigos stated that they try to use fences in the grass fields to keep them inaccessible also when they are off season and it doesn’t work.  Mayor Knudsen asked if there was the space to do that.  Ms. Bigos stated that they have to go out there and measure because the challenge would be the backswing and make sure that there is enough room for them to safely play as a fence would be an obstacle and could be dangerous.

 

Councilwoman Walsh stated that they still have a couple of challenges.  One is an overwhelming desire of people to play pickleball.  They have to have some balance and be fair.  They talked about other locations where they could build an additional court that would be built to all the standards and could be built with as much soundproofing as possible while they also limit the hours on these other courts.  She added that she thinks there have to be a number of different scenarios that they look at because there is a desire to play that is not going to go away.  A lot of the people that are playing are senior citizens that have more leisure time and they are going to continue playing and get their friends to play.  This is a multi-pronged issue.  Councilwoman Walsh stated that there weren’t issues in the other locations.  Councilwoman Reynolds stated that these were the only pickleball courts.  Councilwoman Walsh stated that they never had complaints when they tested this in other locations, only Glen.  Mayor Knudsen stated that she thinks the reason for that is because it was only instructional and they didn’t have the level of play that they are seeing.  Ms. Bigos added that at the other locations they were only using two courts, and at Glen they are using four.  Councilwoman Reynolds added that it was probably only occasionally and wasn’t continually all day long.  Ms. Bigos agreed.

 

Councilwoman Reynolds asked if there were any courts where the houses are 250 to 300 feet away, or were there any with houses as close as Glen.  Ms. Bigos stated that she thinks that was part of the challenge, that to find the right court selection would require the Village to put in new courts.  What they are talking about are short term and long term solutions for where they are right now.  She thinks that the long term solution is conversations about additional courts erected somewhere else.  They can brainstorm those ideas, and it is anything from the rooftop at the parking garage, to Schedler Property, to possibly Kings Pond Park, or maybe the Upper Ridgewood Tennis Club. They are talking about purchasing park property and building a facility long term.

 

Mayor Knudsen asked how much it would cost to retrofit the Glen courts.  Ms. Bigos stated that it was $27,600.  Councilwoman Reynolds asked how often the tennis courts around town are filled.  Ms. Bigos stated that there was three times as much last year, so she thinks there have been a lot of badges played.  She lives near North Monroe and she sees people playing.  Councilwoman Reynolds asked about the number of courts.  Ms. Bigos stated that North Monroe has two, Bellair has three, Somerville has four, and the High School has five.  The only other courts are Glen. 

 

Councilwoman Walsh added that to Mayor Knudsen’s suggestion, if there is enough room and you were able to put fencing up between would you be able to sound proof it better.  If you could do one court at Bellair, one court at North Monroe, and one court at Glen, you would spread out the use and if you could put up the barrier in the middle you would be able to stagger the use with hours and then limit it to residents, and then maybe try to see if they could do a shared service with Wyckoff.  Councilwoman Reynolds asked where the Wyckoff courts were and if they were outdoors.  Ms. Bigos said yes.  Mayor Knudsen stated that to Councilwoman Walsh’s point, you could in fact leave one tennis court and have two pickleball courts in that same gated area.  She asked Ms. Bigos if the tennis courts and the two pickleball courts could work and then modify and stagger the hours and then rotate them.  Councilwoman Reynolds asked how they would monitor that.  Councilwoman Perron asked if Mayor Knudsen was saying that each set of pickleball courts would be open on a different day.  Mayor Knudsen stated that it didn’t have to be different days, but she would rotate the hours and rotate out the weekends.

 

Ms. Mailander stated that she thinks enforcement would be complicated.  Councilwoman Reynolds asked if they were only to be used until noon one day, would somebody come and lock the courts.  Otherwise, people are going to play all day if it is open.  Mayor Knudsen stated that she thinks they have to address the situation.  Deputy Mayor Sedon asked if they could stagger the days between the courts.  He added that his initial thought was trying to stagger the hours but enforcement is an issue.  His other thought was that if there is fencing going around the courts would there be any wany to try to continue fencing along the top of the court somehow and then sort of enclose it and put some sound attenuation over the courts to keep the sound in. 

 

Councilwoman Perron suggested bringing in a sound engineer to look at it as it is not clear to her where the houses are that are most effected.  One of the houses as you face the courts, the one on the left is all the way at the street on East Glen.  Councilwoman Perron added that if it were just the houses on two sides that were affected, maybe having a sound engineer address some of those ideas, and perhaps if they double blanket that would make it more bearable.

 

Councilwoman Reynolds stated that she read a bunch of articles today and it honestly didn’t seem like anyone has come up with anything yet, except for distance.  Councilwoman Perron stated that they are beautiful courts and it was kind of a shame not to use them.  She was impressed with the Village Council that someone came in beside themselves, and the Village did something about it immediately.  Mayor Knudsen stated that the sound is going over, and she thinks their best intentions didn’t work.  She added that Deputy Mayor Sedon’s suggestion of doing the full day and then closing probably makes sense once they get to the point where they can place other courts.  They want the air flow and are trying to get away from enclosed courts, so placing fencing and sound attenuation material on the top is an issue. 

 

Mayor Knudsen stated that she spoke to Mr. Rhoten about the ball that Councilwoman Reynolds mentioned and the soft core paddles.  She suggested testing them out and maybe there is an additional solution just in terms of the type of equipment that is being used.  Ms. Bigos stated that they could certainly do that, adding that would be the easiest fix for everybody.  Mayor Knudsen stated that she would forward the equipment recommendations to Ms. Bigos.  Councilwoman Reynolds asked how difficult it was to set up the temporary pickleball courts.  Ms. Bigos stated that it wasn’t a challenge, they used duct tape which was deteriorated by the weather.  Eventually they went to the water based paint, but they were experimenting along with the residents and trying to provide them an opportunity to play pickleball.  Councilwoman Reynolds asked if a tennis net is the same height as a pickleball net.  Ms. Bigos said no, and they lowered the nets.

 

Councilwoman Reynolds suggested that to give these neighbors some immediate relief and open up the courts, could they make one at North Monroe, Bellair, and Somerville a pickleball court temporarily and see if they spread it out how that goes.  Ms. Bigos stated that she thinks that is a viable solution if that is the way the Village Council would like to put some hours together.  She can work with the pickleball group and sit with them, as they are the experts.  She is happy to be able to meet with them and come up with a solution and present that.  Councilwoman Reynolds stated that she thinks that in addition to the softer paddles and the softer balls.  Mayor Knudsen stated that would allow them to use Deputy Mayor Sedon’s plan where they stagger the days and look at the equipment.  The other thing, she thinks it is a land use piece, is to do a 200 foot notice that they are going to be installing temporary pickleball courts and encourage feedback.  It brings people into the conversation and she thinks in the future they should always use this approach.

 

Councilwoman Reynolds spoke of the two people that moved.  The one person spent $37,000 on triple pane windows that were supposed to mitigate the sound which she said helped a little, and she put up bushes.  She sold her house and then the person that was going to buy it did his own due diligence about pickleball courts and then pulled out.  Mayor Knudsen stated that the reason she asked which courts were used for the instructional piece five years ago was because the homeowner stated she installed the triple pane windows during that time, but when the four courts were installed and the playing escalated it was closer to her house with the additional courts. Now, it no longer remedied the situation for her. 

 

Councilwoman Walsh asked if they were still going to put permits out to non-residents at this time.  Ms. Mailander stated that she and Ms. Bigos discussed this and they would recommend no.  Councilwoman Reynolds agreed.  Mayor Knudsen asked how quickly Ms. Bigos could come back to them with a plan.  Ms. Bigos stated probably before their meeting next week.  Mayor Knudsen asked if they wanted to have a presentation prior so Ms. Bigos could fill them in.  Ms. Mailander stated that they wouldn’t do that at a Public Meeting, but they could have a Work Session at 7:00 P.M.  Councilwoman Walsh asked if they could do it during the pre-meeting.  Mayor Knudsen asked if Ms. Bigos could come up with a draft plan and circulate it and then they could prepare any 200 foot notices and then 7:30 P.M. next week they could do that and start to get this moving forward.  Ms. Mailander added that the notices wouldn’t go into effect until after the Village Council said that was what they wanted to do.  Ms. Bigos asked if this was one court at each of the four locations.

 

Councilwoman Perron asked if they can be clear that they can say that they would no longer issue badges for non-residents.  Ms. Mailander stated that we own the courts.  Mayor Knudsen stated that they have been fluid with that, and Ms. Bigos agreed.  Councilwoman Reynolds added that with parking passes they don’t sell them to non-residents.  Mr. Rogers added that they did that for many years with Graydon and opened it up for non-resident passes for membership badges so it is something they can do they just have to be consistent with regard to it across the board.  Ms. Mailander stated that she would distribute the email regarding equipment to everyone.

 

5. Operations

 

1. Adopt Notice of Tort Claims Form

 

Ms. Mailander stated that the Joint Insurance Fund has requested that all municipalities that belong to the Joint Insurance Fund (JIF) adopt a particular form for the filing of tort claims.  They need a resolution to do this, adding that Councilwoman Perron has proofread it very well and has pointed out some typographical errors and they will correct that on the tort claim itself.  They have a form that was adopted years ago, but this is a more up to date form.

 

2. Habernickel Park – 1057 Hillcrest Road

 

Ms. Mailander stated that Councilwoman Perron asked for this to be on the agenda.  Councilwoman Perron stated that she asked for this to be on the agenda because a year from now the current lease will expire and they need to plan for what their next steps are and she would like to discuss their options.  She added that she can think of four options, rent it as a residence as it was before, use it for government office, raze the building, or put it out to bid.  Mr. Rogers added that another option is to do nothing with it at all.

 

Deputy Mayor Sedon asked Mr. Rogers since it seems like the current tenant would like to continue and the Village Council should they like to continue with this current tenant because they pay rent on time and are involved in the community, would they be able to circumvent the bidding process with Green Acres and just go directly into negotiations with the current tenant to renegotiate the lease and continue.  Mr. Rogers stated that his understanding is that they are mandated to put it out to bid, not only from the standpoint of Green Acres but also from the standpoint of public contracts, so they would have to put it out for bid one way or another.  Deputy Mayor Sedon asked if there was any way around it, because if you are renting an apartment and you want to continue your lease you just continue and sign the new lease.  Mr. Rogers stated that it was really based out of the fiduciary obligation that the Village Council has for the residents of the municipality.  You have to go and see if you can get the best function for what you want to do and that is why they bid out all of these other items.  They did that with the residential tenant before that was there and so they have to do it again. 

 

Mayor Knudsen stated that HealthBarn USA that operates out of the Gate House is a business, and just like they are talking about the pickleball courts and residents that are complaining about noise, and they probably have residents that want to play pickleball, but they have an obligation to the residents nearby and their tranquility.  The question for her has always been, HealthBarn is a fabulous, wonderful, thriving, busy business, but the operative word is business and the question is whether or not any business should be placed in the middle of a public park.  A resident called in a couple weeks ago and commented that it’s not the business that creates the parking problems, it’s the sports people.  It is currently quiet over there due to COVID, but on some Saturdays there are back to back birthday parties and so the parking spaces that are allocated to the business displaces the vehicles that are there for recreation.  It’s not the sports people that are causing traffic and parking nightmares, it is the displaced vehicles of the people there to use the public park.  Because there is no enforcement of the parking lot, there is no monitoring of the spaces.  She added that it has always been her position that they failed in a number of ways in 2015 when they did this and they didn’t also do an appropriate 200 foot notice.  They didn’t tell folks, and the business is actually operating outside of the hours of the park.  She thinks the fundamental question is whether or not a business belongs in the middle of a public park in the middle of a residential neighborhood.

 

Councilwoman Walsh stated that she lives on Red Birch and Benjamin Franklin Middle School rents out for recitals, Jamboree, or any function that may require the auditorium, so on her block she can have hundreds of cars.  She doesn’t think it is abnormal for any community function in residential areas to have parking.  Habernickel just happens to have a parking lot, and she isn’t very concerned about the parking because before HealthBarn was even considered they were talking about the parking.  The bigger issue is that they have a program that just like pickleball has an enormous following and because they do take the Green Acres funding they have an obligation to provide park space for the use of everybody.  For us to have that community input is something that helps her in the decision.  Councilwoman Walsh added that the tenant in the current lease did capital improvements to the property.

 

Councilwoman Walsh stated that she doesn’t think that they would every go back to renting it as a residence because she doesn’t think that it’s set up and would have to be retrofitted.  With government offices they would have to do additional handicap accessible improvements, she didn’t agree with doing nothing.  Putting it out to bid, in all of the conversations they have had and the mention of their fiduciary duty, she thinks that is why they should do it sooner rather than later.  They can review the pitfalls from the last go around and make sure they go over the details and then they all have an answer.  She was in favor of starting the process right away and putting it out to bid or discussing Deputy Mayor Sedon’s option. 

 

Mayor Knudsen stated that the problem with putting it out to bid now is that there is only one person who is going to respond to an RFP for a tenancy a year from now and that’s the one tenant that is already there.  You are creating a scenario where there is only one respondent to the RFP because nobody else is going to be able to project out a year.  Councilwoman Walsh stated that she would counter that with how many bids they have throughout any year when they have only one respondent, so they would have to change the way they do everything because if they were to wait to always get respondents they wouldn’t get anything done.  Mayor Knudsen stated that by virtue of timing, Councilwoman Walsh is limiting respondents to one because the premises aren’t available for a year.  She doesn’t even think that would be an open and fair bidding process.

 

Mayor Knudsen stated that she knows they talked about the condition of the house, and asked when they would have any report about the interior and exterior, because the last quarterly report was a laundry list of repair work, as well and she didn’t know if a structural engineer looked at the second floor or exterior.  Councilwoman Walsh stated that was why you would do the RFP because you would say it is as is, where is.  She thinks there are a lot of opportunities as you come out of COVID and you never know where opportunity is going to come from.  When they go out to bid and have single bidders, it happens all the time.  Mayor Knudsen stated that this is a tenancy issue.  Councilwoman Walsh stated that it was an RFP.

 

Councilwoman Reynolds asked who is going to put in a bid for something that they can’t even use for 12 months, she can’t imagine that.  Mr. Rogers stated that he knows in prior discussions they talked about getting an idea of what the condition of the facility is and that certainly is something that doesn’t need a lot of time to get, but it may be advisable because it may have an impact on the type of entity they look for in the RFP or what the price might be if they were going to rent it out as is or some other way.  The idea here is to make sure what they are doing from a fiduciary standpoint in getting this facility ready for any future tenant. 

 

Councilwoman Reynolds asked if they could rent something in as-is condition.  Mr. Rogers said in normal private business you see both sides, but the buyer or in this case the renter has to be aware of what they are getting into.  If they want to do a good job of putting together the proposal for the bid they better have an idea of anything that could be problematic from a liability standpoint.  Councilwoman Perron stated that they already have an Engineer’s report as Mr. Rutishauser already did an inspection.  She spoke to him and he told her he doesn’t think a Structural Engineer is needed.  There were some minor things that need to be addressed, but the house has many years of serviceable use ahead of it.  The building maintenance things that are mentioned in the Healthbarn’s quarterly report are chimney venting, window in the sunroom needs to be replaced, the glass storm door, propane heaters for patio permitting, air flow for indoor space, and none of these things are really big deals.  This interior inspection was conducted in October.

 

Mr. Rogers stated that was what he said before, adding that he didn’t see Mr. Rutishauser’s report but they have to get an idea of what the facility is like but that is the basis of what the condition is that they would work off to go forward.  Councilwoman Reynolds stated that sounds like a walk around the house.  Mayor Knudsen asked if that report mentioned the buckled floors.  Councilwoman Reynolds stated that was somewhere else in the report.  Mayor Knudsen asked if Councilwoman Perron was reading the quarterly report.  Councilwoman Perron stated that she was.  Mayor Knudsen asked if she saw the buckled floors.  Councilwoman Perron stated that she didn’t think it was something that needed immediate repair.  Mr. Rogers stated that he didn’t get the quarterly report, but he thinks that is something they should take a look at from information that they have and put that together to decide what they want to do and how to go about it.  The condition of the property is something that should be taken into consideration for determination of value and possibly even use.  He added that Councilwoman Walsh had asked for a comparison based on costs and receipts from the property to see that analysis.

 

Councilwoman Perron stated that they would also have to have a real estate person come in and look at what the appropriate rent would be.  Mr. Rogers stated they could do that if they want, as well.  Councilwoman Perron stated that they did that the last time around so she thinks it would be appropriate to do that this time.  She added that no one is in favor of razing the building.  Mayor Knudsen cited some of the repairs from the report, adding that there was a laundry list of repairs including Mr. Rutishauser’s report.  Without a full blown inspection they don’t know anything about the warped flooring.

 

Councilwoman Walsh stated that she had input here, adding that you can hire a home inspector who also has an engineering degree just as if you were purchasing the home, and they can do a full report in less than a week.  If they want to go that route she can give Ms. Mailander ten different companies that would do that, and she has a report that she can also share so they can see how thorough the report is.  She added that the cost is about $1,000.  Deputy Mayor Sedon stated that he agrees with Councilwoman Walsh, adding that they should have this done sooner rather than later.  They can get all this information done in a week and then make some decisions.  Councilwoman Perron suggested getting this on the agenda for the next work session.

 

Councilwoman Reynolds asked if anyone cared if it cost the Village money in terms of a profit and loss statement.  Mayor Knudsen stated that was something else.  Councilwoman Reynolds stated that if it is costing the Village money every year to rent it out it doesn’t make sense.  Councilwoman Walsh stated that she doesn’t think they are spending about $55,000 in repairs every year and that is what their revenue is.  Councilwoman Reynolds stated that they would need the profit and loss statement.  Ms. Mailander stated that Mr. Rooney was working on that and he also needed to look at what recreational programs are done with HealthBarn and Parks and Recreation and what type of revenue they get from that.  Councilwoman Walsh stated that if they are doing this by the book, which is additional revenue that they wouldn’t have with another person leasing it. 

 

Councilwoman Reynolds asked Councilwoman Walsh if it made any difference to her what the immediate neighbors feel.  Mayor Knudsen added like the pickleball people.  Councilwoman Walsh stated that it does, but she thinks in this conversation they have exhausted those conversations over the past five years, and they have an obligation to go out to bid and to make the best decision for the Village.  Councilwoman Reynolds stated that just in the last two days she has gotten phone calls from three residents saying this is a business and they don’t want a business in their neighborhood, adding that it has affected their quality of life and they feel like they are intruding even though it is a park.  All three people repeated the fact that it is a business, and they really don’t get to enjoy the park as they should.  They feel it should be more passive. 

 

Councilwoman Walsh stated that she would say that is their opinion.  She spends a lot of time at Habernickel walking because she likes the path there and she also likes to go look at the pond.  She has been there with her nieces and nephews at the playground and she has talked to people who have their dogs off leash there, and she has never experienced what was just explained.  She has seen people come from the soccer fields and they are involved in all of the activity on the playground.  Councilwoman Reynolds stated that this was the way the resident felt, adding that the lights also shine into the resident’s house until 10:00 P.M.  Deputy Mayor Sedon stated that he thinks the lights would have to be on regardless because he thinks someone is going to claim it’s a security issue.  Councilwoman Reynolds asked if there were lights at Citizens, because to her the park closes at dusk.  Mayor Knudsen added that the lights went in at 2016, and up until that point they weren’t there.

 

Mayor Knudsen stated that she thinks they are having a conversation absent some pertinent information.  Her opinion in 2015 she started to question the traffic, cars, and parking, and she did that from the gate.  Hers has nothing to do with who says this or that.  Her opinion from being an exemplary neighbor, they have an obligation to first and foremost the adjacent neighbors.  There are normal activities that are inherent in a public park, so the question is when you are already absorbing all that because you are living next to a park then then add in buses and vehicles from sports groups that are displaced.  The business is lovely and an active busy business, but two nights a week there is a BYOB.  Mayor Knudsen stated that while they await the other information and then get it back on another work session once they have it all compiled.

 

Ms. Mailander asked if they wanted to have the home inspection done that Councilwoman Walsh suggested.  Mayor Knudsen asked Councilwoman Walsh to send the information, as she wanted to look at the key points, because when she read about the flooring she wanted to find out more information.  Councilwoman Walsh asked didn’t they just have the conversation about needing to find out all the information.  Mayor Knudsen agreed.  Deputy Mayor Sedon stated that he wanted all of the information compiled as quickly as possible.  Councilwoman Walsh stated that she would give the information to Ms. Mailander, and she suggested the most thorough report and then you can add the structural and termite on there.  Councilwoman Reynolds asked if the inspector would be a Structural Engineer.  Councilwoman Walsh stated that if that’s what you want to order then you make sure they have that certification.  She asked if they were saying that Mr. Rutishauser cannot do a structural inspection.  Councilwoman Perron stated that he is not a Structural Engineer.  Councilwoman Walsh asked if there was anyone on staff that was a Structural Engineer.

 

Councilwoman Perron asked Mr. Rooney when he can get a profit and loss analysis.  Mr. Rooney stated that it would be a couple of days.  Ms. Mailander asked the Village Council to confirm what they want in this profit and loss statement, did they want maintenance of the property, the building, what were they looking at.  Deputy Mayor Sedon stated he imagined just the building, because the fields they have to maintain no matter what.  Mr. Rooney stated that in conjunction with that, they still have roads that have to be paved or maintained, so part of the maintenance of that park is going to have to be allocated over to the house.  Councilwoman Reynolds asked if the tenant paid the utilities.  Mr. Rooney said yes.  Ms. Mailander asked if they wanted the breakdown of what kind of revenue besides the rent that they get.  Councilwoman Walsh said to add it all in but put it as a separate line item.  Ms. Mailander stated that it would be on the January 27^th Work Session for discussion.

 

3. Authorize Application for Bergen County Community Development Block Grant – SHARE – 104 Cottage Place

 

Ms. Mailander stated that SHARE, Inc. has two homes, one at 104 Cottage Place and one at 130 Prospect Street.  At 104 Cottage Place they are putting in a Community Development Block Grant for $30,000 and this is for putting in a public bathroom.  This came about because of COVID and not wanting guests to be using the residents’ bathrooms.  The one for 130 Prospect is for $150,000 and that is for renovation of seven bathrooms and a powder room.  Annually non-profits apply for Community Development Block Grants through Bergen County.  All projects require an endorsement from the Village Council, they do not require any funding from the Village.

 

4. Authorize Application for Bergen County Community Development Block Grant – SHARE – 130 Prospect Street

 

5. Stop Signs at Albert Place and Maxwell Place at Eastside Avenue

 

Ms. Mailander stated that this was a request from a resident.  Mr. Rutishauser did take a look at it and there were yield signs at the subject intersections.  He concurred that they should be converted to stop signs, so he is recommending that.  This is used often as a cut through for vehicles to avoid the traffic light at Grove Street.

 

7. REVIEW OF JANUARY 13, 2021 PUBLIC MEETING AGENDA

 

Ms. Mailander stated that this was a review of the January 13, 2021 Public Meeting Agenda.

 

There are no Proclamations.

 

There is a resolution to Authorize Temporary Capital Budget.

 

There are no ordinances for introduction for Ridgewood Water.

 

There are no ordinances for public hearing for Ridgewood Water.

 

There are no resolution for Ridgewood Water.

 

The following ordinances are scheduled for introduction:  3835 – Fire Department Salary Ordinance; 3836 – Supervisors Salary Ordinance; 3837 – Bond Ordinance – Street Paving and Streetscape; 3838 – Amendment to Local Supplemental Violations Bureau Schedule of Designated Offenses and Payable Amounts; and 3839 – Establish Stop Signs at Eastside Avenue, Albert Place and Maxwell Place.

 

The following ordinances are scheduled for public hearing: 3833 – Amend Chapter 265 – Vehicles and Traffic – Establish Stop Signs at Shelton Road and Steilen Avenue; and 3834 – Authorize Renewal of PILOT Agreement – Ridgecrest.

 

Resolutions include: Authorize 2021 Temporary Budget; Authorize Tax Assessor/Tax Collector to File Appeals and/or Settlement Stipulations; Award Contract – Kitchen Renovation – Fire Department; Authorize Shared Services Agreement – School Resource Officer; Authorize Shared Services Agreement – Bergen County Police Chiefs Association Mutual Aid Plan and Rapid Deployment Force; Certify Compliance with Federal Civil Rights Requirements; Increase 2021 Deferred School Taxes; Adopt Notice of Tort Claim Form; Endorse Application for Community Development Block Grant – SHARE, Inc. – 104 Cottage Place – Bathroom Addition; Endorse Application for Community Development Block Grant – SHARE, Inc. – 130 Prospect Street – Renovation of Bathrooms and Powder Room; Authorize Tax Appeal Settlement – Pondview Medical; Authorize Disbursement of Funds to United Way for Special Needs Housing; and Appoint Member to Parks, Recreation, and Conservation Board.

 

8. COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC

 

Mayor Knudsen asked if Ms. Jackson wanted to start.  Ms. Jackson stated that there were two letters.

 

Gene Solomon, 648 Spring Avenue, wrote that as a resident of Ridgewood for 44 years and a pickleball enthusiast what is unique about this sport is that it is enjoyed by kids, families, adults, and older adults.  About five years ago the town responded by filling the void of having no courts by painting pickleball lines on the existing Glen School tennis courts.  The Parks and Recreation Department then offered instructional programs to those interested.  Subsequently, the Village Council, with the strong recommendation of the Parks and Recreation Department committed to resurfacing the existing tennis courts.  She was completely flummoxed by the email she received on December 31^st announcing all courts would be locked that afternoon and not reopened until March 22^nd at the earliest.

 

Ms. Solomon wrote that she fully understands that there have been some unanticipated consequences resulting from the courts popularity, and she empathizes with the neighbors but asked when issues were raised what actions were taken.  What is most upsetting to her and others is why now, this decision quite literally affects the young and not so young residents during this global pandemic.  All medical professionals strongly tout the need to get out and find recreation and socialize.  The past ten months have not been easy, especially for the older members of the community.  Pickleball has given these residents the opportunity to be outside their homes, exercise and share their concerns.  She asked on behalf of herself and many other concerned residents two things of the Village Council.  First, all stakeholders should be brought together in the next week to discuss options for dealing with the issues.  Second, while the discussions are going on, she implored the Village to open all the courts.

 

Ms. Solomon wrote that progress is almost always messy and brings growing pains.  In the end, there are those who are left dissatisfied, but governance has a responsibility to find a solution, not initiate a punishment, a solution based on the greater good.  She added that she is willing to help facilitate the discussion in any way the Village Council would find helpful.

 

John Pfeffer, 146 South Van Dien Avenue, wrote that he is a Ridgewood resident and a pickleball player.  In addition, he is considered a senior.  The recent ordinance enacted by the Mayor is very disappointing.  The Glen School pickleball courts are utilized by residents both young and old, as well as persons from neighboring towns.  While those players have all purchased the required passes there is a Ridgewood PB Association consisting of 153 members.  The bulk of the members are seniors playing PB as their primary form of exercise.  They do not want to go indoors during the COVID times.  People play on the courts during the posted hours, 8:00 A.M. to dusk, with no violations.

 

Mr. Pfeffer wrote that it is his understanding that the neighbors surrounding the courts are complaining of noise.  However, they have no expectation of low or no noise levels.  The courts have been there for 30 years, as has the school.  The tennis courts were converted to pickleball in 2019, and during 2019 the neighbors did not object to the conversion.  Therefore, they have forfeited the right to complain.  Purchasing a home next to an attractive nuisance, a school, baseball field, tennis courts, PB courts, was know at the time of the purchase.  These neighbors paid below market prices to purchase their dwellings, they full well knew there would be noise.  The Village is catering to 30 or so neighbors rather than the 150 or so PB members is very unfair.

 

Mr. Pfeffer wrote that the PB players have used sound reducing balls to reduce the noise level, however, the neighbors remain unsatisfied with the efforts to compromise.  Several PB players went over to the neighbors block.  The real noise was not the sound of the rackets and balls, but was the voices of the people.  That is something one gets when living near a school or court.  It is very unfortunate that the Village singled out PB courts for closure during a time of COVID.  The Village has not closed the tennis courts, nor will they allow PB to be played on the tennis courts.  In addition, the Village hasn’t closed any other outdoor facility.

 

Mr. Pfeffer wrote that Governor Murphy has encouraged people to stay active outdoors, and the actions of the Village are not consistent with this.  It is his understanding that the Village should have given the public two weeks’ notice of a meeting, then had public comment and had a vote.  Instead they acted in a draconian manner and closed the courts.  That is very disappointing, he wrote that citing the fact that the passes expire 12/31 and the fees for 2021 is not a valid excuse.  The fact that the Village had 365 days in advance to provide a fee structure is indicative of the way the Village is managed.

 

Mr. Pfeffer wrote that they would like the Village to open the PB courts immediately while the fee structure for 2021 is being decided.  To work with the Ridgewood PB Association to find a compromise that is acceptable to its members and the community.  He understands the neighbors’ issue, adding that it can be as simple as purchasing a sound machine if the noise is that bothersome.  The spring, summer, and fall pose different issues and will not be easily resolved.  Mr. Pfeffer wrote that the neighbors received a bargain in terms of the purchasing price of their homes and should they choose to move they will be given more money than they dreamed of.  This is all due to COVID.  The Village needs to decide what’s in the greater good for the community, the rights of 30 neighbors, or the rights of hundreds of residents and non-residents that utilize the PB courts.

 

Mr. Pfeffer wrote that he trusted the Village would make the right decision and we can all move forward with this distraction.

 

There were no additional written comments from the public.

 

Hans Jurgen Lehmann, 234 Union Street, stated that during final public comment of the meeting on December 9^th a resident asserted that during a number of public comment session speakers have asserted that the Village Council was violating the Open Public Meeting Act where HealthBarn is concerned.  He has listened to all of those comments that the speakers made and at no time to the best of his recollection did anyone say that the Village Council has violated the Open Public Meeting Act.  The only thing that numerous speaker called for was for this Council to move HealthBarn discussions into open meeting.  It seems important to us, the voters and taxpayers, that they know what is going on because of the interest and concern they have for HealthBarn.  For the resident to call public comment slanderous is probably slanderous in its own right.  Calling public comments a bunch of lies sounds not only untruthful but also unhelpful. 

 

Mr. Lehmann stated that asking the Village Attorney to possibly take action seems just as unhelpful.  After the residents’ comments, then comes the Mayor who bemoaned the comments made by the public.  She asserted that it is true that the Village Manager took her direction from the Council to meet with Ms. Antine of HealthBarn and that the conversation between landlord and tenant is just that.  That may be true, but what the Mayor forgets to mention is the nature of that conversation.  There are two people in that conversation, and what the public knows comes only from one side of that conversation, and that conversation was not a conversation but an ultimatum.  A warning that the tenant had better look for new quarters because any discussion about extending the lease beyond 2022 was out of the question.  Mr. Lehmann stated that initially it seemed that even a one year extension was out of the question.  Having said what he said, he thanked the Village Council for moving this issue to the public meeting agenda for tonight.  Also, he asked if Mr. Rooney could tell us how good a tenant HealthBarn has been and would be for many years to come.  He added that by the way, they could put lots of pickleball courts at the Schedler Property.

 

Stacey Antine, owner of HealthBarn, 1057 Hillcrest Road, stated that she wanted to call in with a few clarifications, specifically about the quarterly report.  Under the Building Maintenance which Councilwoman Perron was referring to that is actually completed work.  Those items were done by Signal and that’s why it says it was in need of immediate repair and then handled by Signal within 24 hours, adding that they have an amazing relationship with all of the Village Departments. 

 

Ms. Antine added that to the list of items and maintenance issues that Mayor Knudsen had mentioned, there are two.  That is the warped flooring and the lighting in the back of the house.  Ms. Antine stated that the warped flooring has been an issue for the past year and that was during the capital investment the Village put that flooring in.  She put in the flooring in a different section of the house and put in a subfloor and different types of flooring based on what Dawn had suggested at the Health Department.  The Village chose to put down that flooring without a subfloor, so that’s why it is warped and there have been multiple times that the company that installed it had to come back and actually fix the floor.  Ms. Antine stated that now the floor is warped to the point where it isn’t dangerous, but when you have a child who is five who is running they can trip and fall.  It had nothing to do with the HealthBarn’s capital improvement, it was actually the way the Village installed that property before HealthBarn even got into the building.

 

Ms. Antine stated that she didn’t know why the BYOB has come up, because it has been brought up and addressed multiple times.  There is nothing in her lease that says that she can’t as a business within that tenant have a BYOB.  Green Acres addressed it and said was the resident of that property allowed to drink in their house when they rented that building, and the answer was yes.  So Nancy Lawrence at Green Acres specified that no one is coming to HealthBarn to really drink, they are having a nice dinner at a chef table and enjoying a glass of wine.  That is actually part of a healthy lifestyle, too.  Ms. Antine stated that they addressed this and it is completely legitimate, there is no violation and she is sure Ms. Mailander knows this.  She added that she didn’t want it to be part of the dialogue that they are doing anything wrong.  They have no violations.

 

Ms. Antine stated that regarding the busing situation, it is a story unto itself.

 

Regina McNamara, 974 Hillcrest Road, stated that she wanted to get it straight that the Village Council was suddenly questioning the viability of a structure but are willing to allow children to continue to visit for one year.  She wondered are they really making some of this stuff up.  While she listened to the dozens of pickleball protesters and advocates, the Village Council is trying to seek balance which she admired, but there is no balance with the HealthBarn issue as it seems to be all or nothing.  She asked if any of the Village Council really looked at the petition that she managed.  She collected over 50 names of immediate neighbors who loved HealthBarn, yet they are entertaining three neighbors that are faceless and nameless.  Ms. McNamara asked who they are representing, adding that the neighborhood loves HealthBarn.  She challenged anyone who cannot park on a Saturday to write a letter or speak at one of these meetings and argue that their parking issue for perhaps 30 seconds outweighs the benefits of HealthBarn.

 

Julia Buckley, 323 Graydon Terrace, stated that she is a Ridgewood native, current resident, and a registered dietician specializing in pediatrics.  She has had the pleasure and honor of working with Ms. Antine at HealthBarn over the past few years, and as a community member, mother, and registered dietician, she has a tremendous amount of appreciation for HealthBarn both personally and professionally.  She echoed the support to move quickly with whatever would ensure a renewal of their lease.

 

Ms. Buckley stated that when she moved back to Ridgewood in 2016 to start her own family, she was pleasantly surprised to see the transformation of Habernickel Park.  Having grown up in the Willard District, it was such a pleasant surprise to see the aesthetic improvements to the Gate House and surrounding area.  Enhancements such as this in the neighborhood that she grew up in contribute to the intense pride that she has in this town.  She understands that there are concerns about the busing and parking lot, but having worked on site for various programs and activities, she can ensure them that the staff continuously works to follow all guidelines and have buses quickly routed through the lot to impose minimal impact to the surrounding community. 

 

Ms. Buckley stated that regarding the complaints of noise, she wanted to reiterate that living in a community that has park space for public use comes with some discomfort.  She lives near Maple Field and Graydon Pool and gladly accepts the overflow parking and traffic, knowing that community engagement is thriving.

 

Ms. Buckley stated that her professional support of HealthBarn includes that she chose to specialize in pediatrics in her dietetic career after working in the hospital setting and seeing the intense impact that health education at a young age could have on her family, community, and our nation as a whole.  Nutrition research has shown that sugar and fats contribute up to 40% of daily calories consumed by children and adolescents.  We know that these poor diets negatively impact academic performance, while also increasing the risk of developing numerous health conditions later in life, and Ridgewood residents are not immune to these issues.  As a practitioner, these findings are always troubling, but as a mother they are terrifying.  It is her professional opinion that a proactive and preventative approach to nutrition education is best and that healthy lifestyles should be taught and encouraged from a very young age, and that is exactly what HealthBarn strives to accomplish.

 

Ms. Buckley stated that throughout her career she has worked across the Columbia and Cornell, New York campuses and within her experience in the hospital setting the importance of strong community involvement for favorable health outcomes became abundantly clear.  Especially for children, and especially for those in need.  Community programs have the ability to provide the resources and support necessary to make real, lasting change.

 

Ms. Buckley stated that when she moved back home and learned about HealthBarn and its mission, programs, and the Foundation, she was so proud of Ridgewood for being the home of such an important community resource.  Over the past few years of seeing HealthBarn in action, she has become beyond impressed with the reach and impact of the organization, and the vast array of programs and initiatives offered under one roof.  As a practitioner who has seen many well-intentioned but less successful nutrition programs, but also as a mother who struggles as a dietician to create a healthy relationship with food for her three otherwise healthy young children.  The educational programs are unique and effective for children and adults, but she knows they have heard this all before.  We are all aware that from the educational programming that are available for families and schools and the incredible Foundation, HealthBarn’s impact far exceeds our town limits. 

 

Ms. Buckley stated that what is more important is it also gives back to our residents.  The support is outline of Healing Meals for Ridgecrest and SHARE, and most recently the Foundation’s Feed the Frontlines Initiatives and partnerships with Social Services during the pandemic demonstrate just how strong of a community partner HealthBarn is for Ridgewood, and how lucky are we to have them in our town serving our neighbors in need without hesitation.  How unfortunate it would be to lose such an important resource for our families.  The business has adjusted its programs and procedures in good faith and in support of our larger community.  Ms. Buckley stated that she realizes she is one more voice of support among many for this organization and has likely repeated sentiments shared by letters, petitions, and comments.  She understands the legal barriers and challenges around this subject, she just hopes that the town she is so proud to call home realizes HealthBarn’s impact and embraces it as a seamless part of this community that does nothing but enhance our landscape and works to ensure that Ridgewood remains its home.

 

Ms. Buckley stated that although it is not a surprise to see businesses and storefronts change, it is sometimes sad and having spent her childhood here it is always nice to see the few that remain.  HealthBarn is an organization that we can and should be proud of in our community and it should be a staple.  She hopes that when her children are grown and return home, HealthBarn is still here as a place filled with nostalgia that they can proudly visit and maybe their children will get to experience the same programs that they did when they were young.

 

Siobhan Crann Winograd, 274 Ivy Place, stated that Ms. Bigos has done such a good job with everything.  She was born and raised in Ridgewood, and our parks have always been a combination of passive and active recreation and also thwarting land development.  She grew up on Lincoln Avenue, and residents purchased Citizens Park because they didn’t want Lincoln to become a two lane highway.  Ridgewood has been promoting passive and active recreation, and yet not allowing all of these massive parcels of land to be developed.  A prime example of that is Schedler.  In 2008 during an exceptionally scary time for our Village, we purchased land and it is still unusable.  Yet we are having this discussion about our parks, whether it be pickleball or Habernickel, and we are dissecting it.  We have a very large parcel of land that has been undeveloped and we paid a large amount of money for it. 

 

Ms. Winograd stated that she was an observer with the League of Women Voters and she watched the meetings.  In 2015 when the Gate House was a potential and the Village put it out to bid, not one person bid on it.  The Council at that point had to change the use, and at that point in walks Stacey Antine and HealthBarn, which has been a gift to our community.  She added that she is a proponent of all the things that Stacey stands for.  At that point, Ridgecrest was suffering in a lot of ways.  Stacey came in and really benefitted Ridgecrest.  She believes that all of the Village Councilmembers have been to the Elder Dinner where they take people who are unable to celebrate Thanksgiving Dinner and celebrate with them, and Stacey donates all of that.  We are living in a time where you hear on the news about food insecure seniors, and they as a Village Council have them, they have digitally addicted kids, and all these things living and breathing here, and Stacey is working in the community to thwart them.  She is so taken aback at how long this discussion has gone on, and tonight was super upsetting.

 

Ms. Winograd stated that the discussion that ensued about neighbors is a delicate balance.  She doesn’t feel that anyone should suffer because they live close to something, but Councilwoman Walsh’s attitude and she loved everything that she said, about living with a school comes with certain things.  As far as neighbors, she is a neighbor of Woodside Park and she has been writing for five years that their park was stolen so much that the State of New Jersey has withheld three-quarters of a million dollars to Ridgewood until we replace it.  She added that she hasn’t gotten one reply back, so if they are interested in neighbors, Woodside Park would like to speak.  They would like to understand why their park has gone missing and they want to be part of the collective parks discussion and not one person has replied back to us.

 

Ms. Winograd stated that since October, most of public comment has been dominated with massive feedback across many ages and demographics, and what she is most worried about is that this Council’s a little tone deaf to everything that has been said.  We are arguing with the shadow of a neighbor that hasn’t come forward.  Our parks are to be used by the public, and the public is wide and large comes in young and old.  Stacey is the most perfect example of that.  She encouraged the Village Council to get on the RFP, promote our parks, promote pickleball, and start important work like developing Schedler.

 

Doug Rhoten, 120 Melrose Place, stated that he sent a note and he would like to give some input and comments on the decisions.  He empathized with the position that the Village Council is in and it is certainly not a one-sided thing and is a balance that they have to come up with regarding pickleball and the neighbors.  A year ago, he presented to the Village Council because he dealt with this same issue on Long Beach Island.  The more subjective they allow this topic to be with noise, the harder it is going to be for them to ever solve the problem.  Noise is an objective thing, and it can be measured.  He understands that the Village Council feels empathy for the neighbors, as does he, and when they talk about repeating noise and the house that is close and those that are far away, but all of that is too subjective. 

 

Mr. Rhoten stated that he has talked to two of the neighbors.  One of the neighbors claimed that from 1,000 feet away she was bothered by this noise.  He stated that he guarantees, if they took a decibel meter over to her house you can probably pick something up but it isn’t going to be much, and if you are inside her house it will be zero.  For them to really get to the root of the problem, they need to objectivize it, get decibel meters, he knows that Parks and Recreation did that and has a report somewhere.  They have a manufacturer that delivered screens and has dealt with this a thousand times, he encouraged the Village Council to engage them as they have figured out ways around this and have made representations to the Village.  He is sure there are contractual representations about the noise that they can lean on. 

 

Mr. Rhoten stated that he thinks in the end the neighbors just don’t want pickleball there and if they reduce sound he doesn’t think it is going to matter if they spread into fewer days, they just don’t want the pickleball there.  In spreading the courts out, he thinks they are going to exacerbate the problem and deal with it at five or six different sites.  What people love about pickleball is that it is really communal, and if you separate the courts, that communal aspect of it is going to go away.  He stated that he was going to try to work with the Village Council on the equipment, but he doesn’t think that there is a miracle solution there.  There are foam balls and he tried them in pickleball and it changes the game completely, so he doesn’t think that is going to work, but the community will work on the equipment side.

 

Mr. Rhoten stated that someone mentioned increasing the screens, and they have the other side that they may be able to put something on.  It seems to him that in a house you can put a barrier up between floors and you can really deaden the sound.  There must be something you can put up on the side of the screens.  A lot of these little things that you do should be able to get it to a point where the neighbors feel that the Village has respected their interests.

 

Jeannie Johnson, 325 Mastin Place, stated that she wanted to stress the importance of putting this RFP out as soon as possible.  The reason being, that anyone who will move into the space will need time to prepare it for their business, and any new tenant at this point has less than 12 months to get their business plan together.  There was a business that took 26 months to get its Certificate of Occupancy in the Central Business District, and it would be a real shame if the Village lost revenue by holding out on putting it out for bid.  She encouraged them to get the survey done as soon as possible.

 

Ms. Johnson stated that they know about this report that Mr. Rutishauser did in October, and she stated that it seemed like there were a lot of people in the Village Council that didn’t know that this report had been done. It is a concern for her that communication isn’t flowing to the Councilmembers.

 

Sherry Biscan, 178 McKinley Place, stated that she wanted to share her reactions to listening to the pickleball discussion this evening.  She heard talk about being notified by the neighbors of the complaints and listening to the neighbors description of the problem, but then also going over to the neighbors houses and to the streets and actually experiencing the same thing that the neighbors experienced.  She also heard most of them say that they had never played pickleball.  The fact is, they haven’t experienced being sentenced to having pickleball removed and being denied that outlet.  They experienced what constituents experienced but they didn’t share in the players’ experience, so it is a bit of an unequal experience.  She added that she did hear them speak about an overwhelming desire to support pickleball play, a desire for balance between the different constituencies.  There was a suggestion of staggering play.  She though they were trying to deal with both constituencies, but then they left it unchanged and that is not balanced or listening to all parties.  Ms. Biscan urged the Village Council to reconsider their immediate decision, and if staggering the days is their desired solution then immediately reopen the courts on odd days and have them closed on even days, but let us not be 100% in favor of one constituency while they are trying to figure out better long term solutions.

 

There were no additional comments from the public.

 

Ms. Mailander stated that she didn’t think that Mr. Lehmann was part of the conversation between Stacey Antine and herself, and she wanted to assure people who heard what Mr. Lehmann said that there was no ultimatum given to Stacey Antine.  The question was whether or not she wanted to have the additional year as her option, and she said yes she did.  Ms. Mailander brought that back to the Council.  Stacey asked what about after that and Ms. Mailander said that decision has not yet been made, but there was never an ultimatum given to her that she had to get out and she didn’t know where that was coming from.

 

 

9. RESOLUTION TO GO INTO CLOSED SESSION

 

Deputy Village Clerk, Donna Jackson read Resolution #21-01 to go into Closed Session as follows:

 

 

 

10. ADJOURNMENT

 

There being no further business to come before the Village Council, on a motion by Councilwoman Perron, seconded by Deputy Mayor Sedon, and carried unanimously by voice vote, the Village Council’s Work Session was adjourned at 11:43 P.M.