A REGULAR PUBLIC WORK SESSION OF THE VILLAGE COUNCIL OF THE VILLAGE OF RIDGEWOOD HELD IN THE SYDNEY V. STOLDT, JR. COURT ROOM OF THE RIDGEWOOD VILLAGE HALL, 131 NORTH MAPLE AVENUE, RIDGEWOOD, NEW JERSEY, ON OCTOBER 4, 2023 AT 7:30 P.M.

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

Mayor Vagianos called the meeting to order at 7:39 p.m. and read the Statement of Compliance with the Open Public Meetings Act. At roll call the following were present: Councilmembers Perron, Reynolds, Weitz, Winograd, and Mayor Vagianos. Also present were: Keith Kazmark, Village Manager; Eileen Young, Deputy Village Clerk; and Matthew Rogers, Village Attorney.

Mayor Vagianos led those in attendance in the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag. Mayor Vagianos announced that yesterday, Ridgewood lost one of its children, Preston Walker Stott, an 18-year-old boy who just graduated from high school and started college. He attended Somerville Elementary School and Ridgewood High School. He played football and will be missed by his family and friends. Mayor Vagianos encouraged everyone to hug their loved ones this evening when they get home and tell them how much they are unconditionally loved. He asked for a moment of silence in Preston’s honor.

2.         COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC

Paul Woodburn, 66 North Irving Street, said that this is the third week in a row he has made public comments before the Village Council, urging them not to make the same mistakes with the Schedler property that were made at Stevens Field. Mr. Woodburn lives right behind Stevens Field, which constantly floods because of the small footbridge that turns into a “beaver dam” every time it rains a lot. He said that this has been occurring for 10 years. Mr. Woodburn spoke on this topic before the prior Village Council and has spoken to Mr. Fishbein, former Superintendent of Ridgewood Public Schools. Mr. Fishbein informed Mr. Woodburn that he could not raise the bridge, because otherwise his janitors would not be able to drive their “golf carts” over the bridge to clean up the fields. Mr. Woodburn said that, in order to alleviate the flooding, the footbridge either needs to be raised up or removed completely.

Mr. Woodburn emphasized that during a heavy rain, branches and debris get clogged up behind the footbridge. This causes the water from the Ho-Ho-Kus Brook to flow onto both Stevens Field and the Ridgewood High School football field, and also onto North Irving Street. He said that he wonders why no one seems to be listening to him. Mr. Woodburn said that this problem needs to be fixed immediately. Otherwise, neighbors’ homes will begin to get flooded and property, including cars, will be destroyed. During the last storm event, the streets were flooded and the water was inching very close to his home. Mr. Woodburn said that high school students can walk around to get to school, and they don’t need the bridge to cross over. Mr. Woodburn graduated from Ridgewood High School in 1975 and the bridge is now very old.

Councilmember Weitz asked Mr. Kazmark if an answer could be obtained for Mr. Woodburn in response to his questions. Mayor Vagianos stated that he and Councilmember Winograd will provide such a response at the end of public comments.

Ellie Gruber, 229 South Irving Street, said that she wanted to tell the parents of all young soccer players in Ridgewood that the delay in the development of the Schedler property has nothing to do whatsoever with the Schedler neighbors. Ms. Gruber stated that the delay is due to the actions of the previous Village Council, the current Village Council, and a “runaway” Engineering Department. The agreed-upon 2017 plans, which called for a mid-sized field, preservation of the house, walking paths, minimal parking and trees, were thrown out and other plans were developed. Ms. Gruber predicted that it will take at least another two or three years before everything gets “sorted out.” If the original plans had been approved, the mid-sized field would have already been constructed and the young soccer players would be playing on the field at this time. Delays occurred due to ridiculous demands from sports groups in the Village and Village Council candidates giving false promises to voters. Ms. Gruber said that there are other fields locally on which adult athletes in Ridgewood can play. She said that there are other towns that would love to rent out their fields.

Anne Loving, 341 South Irving Street, said that per a letter she sent to all of the Village Councilmembers in August of this year, she would like to see the Village return to its past practice of using the evergreen tree in Memorial Park at Van Neste Square as its official Christmas tree for Downtown for the Holidays and throughout the holiday season. She said that using the tree in the park as a Christmas tree would eliminate the need to cut down a perfectly healthy tree each year for this purpose. Ms. Loving said that the tree in Memorial Park was planted a few years ago for this express purpose. The tree’s location in the park makes more sense for the nighttime celebration, with benches provided and no vehicular traffic. In addition, the Santa Claus House is located near this tree, as well as the Menorah, during the holiday season. Ms. Loving said that the dangerous intersection of East Ridgewood Avenue and Broad Street is not safe, except when the area is closed off to traffic during “Downtown for the Holidays.”

Ms. Loving said that an online petition was signed by several hundred residents a few years ago, signaling their approval for the Christmas tree to be located in the park. She said that there is a lot of room in Memorial Park at Van Neste Square for a stage, performances, vendors and bands. Ms. Loving acknowledged that the plan to decorate the tree in the park for Christmas has some flaws. She said that the tree in the park has had to compete for light and space over the years, so it is not symmetrical. In addition, some people prefer the tree to be at the top of East Ridgewood Avenue, by the train station, because it is visible from both sides of the railroad tracks. Ms. Loving said that a new tree could be planted at the intersection of East Ridgewood Avenue and Broad Street, where the cut-down tree is usually placed. Since the “green space” at that location is small, Ms. Loving suggested that perhaps a few parking spaces in that area could be eliminated and filled in with dirt and grass. A tree could then be planted there and wouldn’t be blocked by taller trees. It would grow symmetrically and eliminate the need for a perfectly healthy tree to be chopped down every year. Ms. Loving offered to personally spearhead a campaign to solicit donations to accomplish this goal.

Cynthia O’Keefe, 542 West Saddle River Road, expressed condolences to the family that lost their young son this week. She stated that all residents in the Village should care for each other, adults and children alike. Ms. O’Keefe said that at the September 27, 2023 Village Council meeting, there was some “bashing” going on, and the Schedler neighbors were called “blowhards” and “terrible people.” She acknowledged that some Village Councilmembers reprimanded the speaker who made those comments. She reminded everyone attending a Village Council meeting, whether in person or via hybrid access, that “nice matters,” regardless of differing opinions. A healthy discussion with different viewpoints is fine, but it is not all right when the discussion contains cruel and unkind remarks. She said this type of behavior is “beneath” Ridgewood residents. Ms. O’Keefe said that the Schedler neighbors are not blowhards, but merely residents who are passionate about their neighborhood.

Ms. O’Keefe said that she dialed into the recent Fields Committee meeting, and there was ongoing discussion about installing an artificial turf field at the Schedler property. She said that she recently spoke to a mother of five children, who expressed her hesitancy to allow her children to play on a turf field, while also expressing how important it was for her children to play outside, rather than on electronic devices. This mother stated that she always has to dust off fake grass particles and crumb rubber from her children’s clothes when they come home, after playing on an artificial turf field. After learning more about the dangers of artificial turf, this mother is now worried about the contamination and PFAS to which her children are being exposed. Ms. O’Keefe asked the Village Councilmembers to take into account the toxicity and heat elements of artificial turf. She used to live in Hoboken near Stevens Institute of Technology, and she suggested that perhaps some creative solutions for alternative surfaces could be generated by some of the students attending that school or professors teaching at the school.

Boyd A. Loving, 342 South Irving Street, said that he noted an item on this evening’s agenda dealing with Ridgewood Water hiring a firm to construct a temporary pedestrian bridge near Russell Avenue in Wyckoff. Mr. Loving wondered if Bergen County has many of these temporary bridges at their disposal, which would help to alleviate the problems with the Kingsbridge Lane Footbridge, until the repairs to that bridge could be performed. He expressed the hope that one of the Village Councilmembers raises this possibility while discussing the temporary pedestrian bridge on Russell Avenue this evening.

Jacqueline Hone, 30 Carriage Lane, stated that she wanted to speak about an item on this evening’s agenda dealing with the recission and replacement of Resolution #23-149 (awarding contract for Cultural Resource Management and Historic Preservation Specialist). Ms. Hone said that Peter Primavera, historical consultant, submitted business documents to the Village, which were riddled with errors. She stated that Mr. Primavera submitted an Employee Identification Number (EIN), which did not belong to him, or the company for which he provided a business certificate. Ms. Hone said that, on numerous occasions, these discrepancies were brought to the attention of the Village Councilmembers, Village Attorney, Village Manager, and Village Clerk. An Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request revealed that there have been numerous communications between Village staff and Mr. Primavera, indicating that Village staff knew, since April of 2023, that this false information was provided by Mr. Primavera. Despite these discrepancies, this was never reported to legal authorities and the Village awarded Mr. Primavera a second contract under a different identity.

Ms. Hone wondered whether the first identity or second identity of Mr. Primavera was the true one. The OPRA request also revealed that, rather than correcting the first business document submitted by Mr. Primavera, in August 2023, Mr. Primavera established a new consulting firm using a different business name and different EIN. Ms. Hone said that the Village Council is now seeking to rescind Resolution #23-149 with the fake identity and replace it with Mr. Primavera’s new identity. She asked why the Village is “looking the other way” and not reporting Mr. Primavera to authorities for perjury and submission of false documents. Except for Councilmember Reynolds, who has spoken against hiring Mr. Primavera, the remaining Village Councilmembers could be potentially aiding Mr. Primavera in perpetuating a fraud and perjury.

Ms. Hone wondered why Mr. Primavera is being treated with “white gloves” and why the Village does not locate another historical consultant to hire, to assist with the Schedler property development. She wondered whether a favor was being repaid or if there is a hidden agenda, which the public does not know about. Ms. Hone said that the Village governing body can no longer continue covering up for Mr. Primavera. She urged the Village Councilmembers to distance themselves from Mr. Primavera, terminate their relationship with him, and report him to authorities. Ms. Hone said that she had also made OPRA requests for communications between the Chief Financial Officer, Village Clerk, and Mr. Primavera, but she was told that these documents could not be given to her due to attorney-client privilege. The only attorney involved in these email communications was Matthew Rogers, Village Attorney. She asked Mr. Rogers if he was acting as Mr. Primavera’s attorney and, if not, why she was not allowed to obtain copies of the requested documents, because of attorney-client privilege.

Rurik Halaby, 1 Franklin Avenue, said that he was pleased to see the topic of decorum during Village Council meetings on this evening’s agenda. He stated that he wrote a letter to the Ridgewood News five years ago and quoted a friend’s Facebook post that stated, “Civility, an ancient value rooted in classical philosophy, is about more than simple courtesy and good manners. In its broad classical sense, civility and decorum is about consciousness regarding how our actions affect the larger community.”

Mr. Halaby said that the rules for civility and decorum should apply to the Village Council, as well as to the public. He pointed out an instance a couple of weeks ago when Councilmember Reynolds stood up, started smiling and making faces, and shook her head, because she disagreed with something that Mayor Vagianos was saying. Mr. Halaby said that no one sitting on the dais said anything about this behavior. He felt that Councilmember Reynolds should apologize to Mayor Vagianos, the remaining Village Councilmembers, and Village residents for her rude behavior. He said that the rules for decorum should be applied fairly and equally “across the board.”  Mr. Halaby said that he was criticized for referring to certain speakers as blowhards. However, no one on the dais criticized another speaker for continuously referring to Mayor Vagianos as a liar. In addition, no one criticized another speaker for referring to a member of the community as a “gorilla.” He urged the Village Councilmembers to remember “what is good for the goose is good for the gander.”

Kristina Milian, 530 West Saddle River Road, said that at a recent Village Council meeting, Councilmember Reynolds was sitting on the sidelines in the courtroom wearing a mask. She did not understand Mr. Halaby’s comment about Councilmember Reynolds making faces at Mayor Vagianos, since her face was covered by the mask. Regarding apologies, Ms. Milian stated that there is a person is the room this evening who is owed an apology, and she was not referring to Mayor Vagianos.

Ms. Milian asked last week, during public comments, whether or not the Village Councilmembers plan to engage with Dr. Sara Evans regarding her position on the dangers of artificial turf. However, she has not received any response to this question to date. Ms. Milian said that Dr. Evans is an Assistant Professor of Environmental Medicine and Public Health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai. Ms. Milian said that it appears that Councilmember Winograd is “taking the lead” on all turf matters, since she is Council Liaison to the Parks, Recreation and Conservation Board. Ms. Milian said that she found it disturbing that Councilmember Winograd is able to find time to consult with turf vendors, but not with medical experts such as Dr. Evans. She said that Mt. Sinai has no financial interest in the Village’s decision on artificial turf, as the turf vendors do.

Ms. Milian stated that the Village Council’s inaction seems to imply that the Village Councilmembers find Mt. Sinai’s insights on turf, data and science to be unreliable and not worthwhile. It also implies that the safety and health of Village athletes do not matter to the Village Councilmembers. Ms. Milian urged the Village Councilmembers to invite Dr. Evans to a Village Council meeting, so that there may be an educational public discussion about artificial turf, and to extend the same courtesies to her, as are extended to turf vendors. She said that such a discussion could yield valuable data regarding the eco-turf advocated by Councilmember Winograd. She stated that the Village Councilmembers should not be afraid of data that would help drive decisions.

Suzanne Ruane, 705 Kingsbridge Lane, thanked Councilmember Reynolds and Keith Kazmark, Village Manager, for arranging to have the potholes on West Saddle River Road filled in recently. However, she stated that the road is still extremely bumpy, although slightly better than it was before. Ms. Ruane expressed the hope that West Saddle River Road will be repaved next summer.

There were no further public comments.

Mayor Vagianos responded to Paul Woodburn’s earlier comments this evening by stating that Councilmember Winograd has formed a “spearhead” group of 20 to 25 people, including State legislators, representatives from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), representatives from the Ridgewood Board of Education, and Bergen County officials, to explore the flooding issues near Ridgewood High School and the footbridge. They met via Zoom the week before the flood occurred recently. Mayor Vagianos agreed with Mr. Woodburn that the footbridge turns into a “beaver’s dam” when there are heavy rains. The bridge gets clogged and the water overflows onto Stevens Field and the street. This area is owned and operated by the Board of Education, and it is up to them to decide what to do to alleviate the flooding problem. The Village Council has no authority over their decision-making.

Regarding the Christmas tree issue raised by Ms. Loving, Mayor Vagianos said that in over 15 years that he has been involved with the Christmas season in downtown Ridgewood, there has never been a tree cut down that was not already going to be taken down by the property owner. He said that Kevin Downes of Downes Tree Service personally makes sure that he finds the best tree that he can, which is already slated to be taken down.

Regarding the evergreen tree in Memorial Park at Van Neste Square, Mayor Vagianos indicated that it was used as a Christmas tree when Keith Killion was Mayor of Ridgewood. After two years had passed, Mayor Vagianos said that very few people showed up for the Christmas tree celebration in the park. He said that many Village residents wondered why the tree was not erected by the train station. When this was brought to Mayor Killion’s attention, he asked for feedback from the public as to where they would like the Christmas tree to be located. The following week, Mayor Killion received more emails that he had ever received in the past from Village residents. These emails asked the Village to restore the tradition of having the Christmas tree near the train station, at the corner of East Ridgewood Avenue and Broad Street.

With regard to Ms. O’Keefe’s earlier comments, Mayor Vagianos agreed with her that “nice matters.”

Matthew Rogers, Village Attorney, stated that Ms. Hone asked a question earlier this evening about an OPRA request that she had made. She indicated that she was not allowed to get copies of the documents, due to attorney-client privilege. Mr. Rogers mentioned that the attorney-client privilege extends to expert consultants hired by the Village, including experts hired to assist with the development of the Schedler property. The information exchanged between Mr. Primavera, Village staff and Mr. Rogers, in terms of advice, falls under the purview of attorney-client privilege and remains confidential.

Councilmember Winograd asked for anyone who has contact information for Paul Woodburn to please let her know, so that she can provide him with the information she has obtained so far with regard to the footbridge by Stevens Field.

Referring to the comments made earlier by Ms. Milian, Deputy Mayor Perron said that she wanted to speak with Mr. Kazmark first before perhaps inviting Dr. Sara Evans to a Village Council meeting. Councilmember Reynolds stated that she thought it would be a great idea to have Dr. Evans speak before the Village Council. Mr. Kazmark said that he would speak with Deputy Mayor Perron and Councilmember Reynolds about possibly inviting Dr. Evans to a Village Council meeting, to speak about artificial turf. 

6.         VILLAGE MANAGER’S REPORT

Mr. Kazmark announced that most of his attention this past week has focused on the flood event that occurred on Friday, September 29, 2023. He said that precipitation began early Friday morning, just after midnight. Coordination of services and mobilization of teams was begun first thing Friday morning, with the new Board of Education Superintendent, Mark Schwarz; Office of Emergency Management (OEM); Police Department; Fire Department; Streets and Signal Divisions; Engineering Department; and Parks and Recreation Department, all of whom had made preliminary preparations before the storm arrived. Approximately 3.84 inches of rain fell in the Village, and Governor Murphy declared a State of Emergency on Friday afternoon, due to the severe weather.

Mr. Kazmark stated that less than five residential homes in the Village were impacted by the heavy rains. Emergency Services consistently patrolled all flood-prone areas to monitor residents impacted by flooding in their homes. However, no calls for service were made to either the Police or Fire Department during the flood event. He stated that two residential homes utilized the Village’s offer for supplemental trash collection on Monday, October 2. Mr. Kazmark thanked Sean Hamlin and his team for their assistance in this regard. The Village Manager’s Office reached out to affected homeowners, gleaning information from pictures posted on social media from residents affected by flooding.

One affected resident suggested that information be redistributed about emergency alerts. Mr. Kazmark said that he collaborated with Jeremy Kleinman, OEM Coordinator, to send out an E-notice to residents about emergency alerts, and this information was posted on social media as well. Attempts will also be made to mail or hand-deliver these emergency alert letters to residents who live in flood-prone areas of the Village. The letter contains information about how residents can register to receive emergency alert notifications, including the Village’s reverse 911 system, email notifications and text message notifications. The letter also includes links to water alerts, a free service provided by the United States Geological Survey, which provides instant alerts when water levels are nearing the flood stage. The letter also contains a link to access the Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service (AHPS) system, a service provided by the National Weather Service, which gives real-time monitoring for river overflows.

Mr. Kazmark then explained how the Village pre-planned for the recent flood event. The Village Hall parking lot was cleared of all vehicles, in anticipation of flooding, and moved to higher ground. The Police, Fire and Emergency Management Departments, as well as the Streets Division, monitored flood-prone areas and blocked flooded roadways as necessary. The equipment and vehicles located at the Recycling Center were also moved to higher ground and the Recycling Center was closed to the public on Saturday, September 30, 2023. The Shred Day scheduled for this past weekend was postponed and rescheduled in the Graydon Pool parking lot for Sunday, October 15, 2023. Staff from the Board of Education and Parks Division removed equipment to secure Village parks and fields.

Mr. Kazmark showed a picture on the screen of the door dams placed around Village Hall, in case the water rose to that level. He thanked Christopher Rutishauser and staff of the Engineering Department for their assistance in this regard.

Mr. Kazmark pointed out that in 2022, the Village contracted with Downes Tree Service to de-snag, de-silt, and ensure bank stabilization along the Ho-Ho-Kus Brook. This project cost an estimated $438,000.00 and was partly funded through a grant from the United States Department of Agriculture, obtained by the Engineering Department. This work effort removed vegetation buildup of downed trees and brush from the brook, allowing for increased flow. All work was properly permitted through the NJDEP.

The major flood impacts were then described by Mr. Kazmark. He stated that the most affected areas were Maple Field and Veterans Field (owned by the Village) and Stevens Field and Stadium Field (owned by the Board of Education). Shown on the screen were pictures and videos taken by drones, operated by the Police Department, showed the extensive flooding of these areas, including the culvert that runs under East Ridgewood Avenue near Ridgewood High School and the footbridge.

Mr. Kazmark then explained the programming impacts due to the flooding. Many athletic programs organized by the Parks and Recreation Department and the Board of Education (BOE) were displaced after the storm. Nancy Bigos, Director of the Parks and Recreation Department, and Keith Cook, Ridgewood High School Athletic Director, and their staff worked all weekend to relocate programs, assess damage, and meet with turf repair firms to seek cost estimates for flood cleanup. Temporary fields were set up at local schools to accommodate youth programs this week. Village and BOE staff met on Monday, October 2, 2023, to finalize temporary scheduling and discuss a path forward. The Fields Committee met at 7:00 a.m. on Tuesday, October 3, 2023 to report on the progress being made regarding the flood damage and its impact on playing fields in the Village.

Mr. Kazmark announced that Veterans Field was fully opened for use on October 4, 2023. The Village received a quote from LandTek in the amount of $52,354.00 to repair and clean up Maple Field. Mr. Kazmark stated that, pending approval from Robert Rooney, Chief Financial Officer, there are funds available for this purpose, he would like to have this contract with LandTek authorized this evening, so that the cleanup may be performed as quickly as possible. The area behind the Lester Stable parking lot still needs to be cleaned by staff of the Parks and Recreation Department, once that area has completely dried up. Programs will be rescheduled until Maple Field can be reopened for use, and communication with program participants will continue, until all schedules return to normal. Mr. Kazmark thanked all Village staff for their hard work over the past week, following the flood event. He spoke about the devastating storm event which took place in 2021.

Councilmember Reynolds asked about the Village possibly obtaining flood insurance to cover the costs of remediating flood damage on the turf fields in Ridgewood. Mr. Kazmark said that he will submit the LandTek quote to the Joint Insurance Fund (JIF), to see if these damages can be covered by insurance. He will report his findings to the Village Councilmembers at the next scheduled meeting. Councilmember Reynolds recalled that the BOE has such insurance to cover the turf fields owned by them. She asked Mr. Kazmark what needed to be done at Veterans Field in order to make the field playable again after the flood. Mr. Kazmark said that the field simply needed to dry out. Councilmember Reynolds remarked that if she still had young children who would be playing sports on this grass field, she would like to see the field tested for any contaminants that may have settled in that area after the flooding. Mr. Kazmark replied that the least impacted field during the storm was Veterans Field. He said that he asked Matthew Andreula, Parks Division Supervisor, whether or not Veterans Field needed any treatment after the flooding, and he was told that no treatment was needed.

Mayor Vagianos thanked Mr. Kazmark for his comprehensive and succinct report about the recent storm event. He also thanked all Village staff, particularly staff in the Parks and Recreation Department, and BOE staff, who worked tirelessly to restore the playing fields to playable condition after the flooding. Regarding the remediation of Maple Field, Mayor Vagianos said that he was in favor of doing this work as soon as possible, if the Village has available funds to do so. The remaining Village Councilmembers agreed with Mayor Vagianos. Mr. Kazmark remarked that he has worked in three other municipalities besides Ridgewood and that Ridgewood staff is “tremendously talented” and certainly know how to respond quickly and efficiently in an emergency.

Mr. Kazmark reported that he met via Zoom yesterday (October 3, 2023) with the Government Relations Representative, from the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT), to look into Councilmember Weitz’s inquiry regarding the conditions at the Park and Ride located on Route 17 South. A Jersey barrier was placed at the entrance to the Park and Ride, which blocks commuters from parking on the left side of the lot. They are planning infrastructure improvements on the Park and Ride, and have deemed portions of the left side of the lot to be unsafe. Mr. Kazmark explained to the NJDOE that by trying to improve safety on the left side of the lot, they basically created unsafe conditions on the right side of the lot, which has been refurbished. Commuters are creating parking spaces at the ends of drive aisles, in some fire zones along the curb line, and sometimes even on the grass.

Mr. Kazmark has requested that the Jersey barrier be relocated, so that only the truly unsafe areas on the left side of the lot are barricaded and the safe areas are made available for commuter parking. He expects to receive an answer to this request from the NJDOT next week. The NJDOT is planning to repave the left side of the lot, add curbs, and clearly delineate parking spaces. Adjacent neighbors have requested a larger buffer zone in certain areas, and Mr. Kazmark made this request of the NJDOT as well. Mr. Kazmark said that he also requested that aesthetic improvements be made to the pedestrian bridge over Route 17 that leads to the Park and Ride from the east side of the Village.

Mr. Kazmark announced that the Ridgewood Guild is holding its Oktoberfest on October 7 and October 8, 2023 from 12:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Access Weekend will be held this weekend as well. The Chamber of Commerce Farmer’s Market continues through October 29, 2023 on Sundays from 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Train Station parking lot on the west side. The next Council Chat is scheduled for October 7, 2023 from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. in the Village Hall Courtroom. The Shred Day has been rescheduled for October 15, 2023 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the Graydon Pool parking lot. The Bergen County Suicide Prevention Walk Out of Darkness will be held on October 15, 2023 at the Saddle River County Park. Check-in time for this event is 9:00 a.m., and the walk will begin at 10:00 a.m.

Upcoming Village Council meetings are broadcast live from the Village Hall Courtroom, on the Village website, on FIOS Channel 34 and YouTube. The next Public Meetings are scheduled on October 11 and November 8, 2023 at 7:30 p.m. The next Village Council Work Sessions will be held on October 25, November 1, December 6 and December 13, 2023 at 7:30 p.m. There are only two Village Council meetings during the months of November and December. All meetings will have hybrid access (in person, Zoom or phone).

3.         VILLAGE COUNCIL REPORTS

Councilmember Winograd began by thanking the Parks, Recreation and Conservation Board and Nancy Bigos and her staff for holding a wonderful event this past Thursday at the Lester Stable. Many children enjoyed listening to music during this event. She also thanked Mr. and Mrs. Halaby, along with the Conservancy, for their assistance in organizing this event.

Councilmember Winograd stated that a Ridgewood student, Henry Walsh, started a new club encouraging volunteerism in the Village. The members in this club have assisted with a number of projects in the Village, including inspection of the holiday kissing balls, planting saplings, and weeding in the Central Business District (CBD).  She also thanked Jack Nyhuis for his assistance in this regard.

There was a fairly lengthy Fields Committee meeting on Tuesday and discussions revolved around the flooding issues encountered recently. She thanked Keith Cook, Athletic Director at Ridgewood High School, and Nancy Bigos for their assistance during the recent flood. Councilmember Winograd said that the Village’s capital investment in the turf tank (an autonomous robotic field painter) has allowed the Parks and Recreation Department and other departments to operate more efficiently.

Councilmember Winograd stated that on October 5, 2023, from 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., she and Councilmember Reynolds will be at the Lester Stable testing the holiday kissing balls to make sure they are operational. She said that, so far, about 25 people have volunteered to assist with this task.

From October 6 to October 8, 2023, Access Weekend will be held at the Ridgewood Library and Village Hall. There will be many activities, including a fashion show. On Sunday night at 7:00 p.m., there will also be a closing celebration at Friends to Friends Community Church on Prospect Street with Pastor Joanne Van Sant.

Councilmember Winograd announced that an in-person Elder Thanksgiving Dinner will be held at the Old Paramus Church this year on November 12, 2023 from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. She thanked Reverend Miller for organizing this event, as well as Stacey Antine of the HealthBarn who donates the food for this event. She expressed hope that the Village Councilmembers will volunteer to be servers at the dinner. Further details will be posted later this week on social media.

Councilmember Weitz thanked Mr. Kazmark for his advocacy regarding the issues at the Park and Ride on Route 17. However, Councilmember Weitz stated that he found the response by the NJDOT to be completely unacceptable. The problems caused by their closing off the commuter lot the week after Labor Day should not have been a surprise to the NJDOT. He agreed with Mr. Kazmark’s comments that the NJDOT’s attempts to safeguard the area have only created other problems at the Park and Ride. Councilmember Weitz asked Mr. Kazmark to escalate the matter up the chain of command (Senators and Congressmen), if the NJDOT does not get back to him by next week with definitive concrete plans to improve the lot. Mr. Kazmark remarked that Senator Kristin Corrado’s office is aware of this issue and the matter is flagged at the NJDOT Office. However, he stated that he has no problem contacting Don DeDio, Senator Corrado’s Chief of Staff, if the matter is not satisfactorily resolved.

Councilmember Weitz stated that he attended the Food Truck event held by the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association (PBA) this past Sunday, which was a fundraiser raising money for pediatric cancer. He volunteered for a half-hour in the dunk tank, and he jokingly remarked about the “remarkable throwing accuracy” of Ridgewood residents.

Councilmember Reynolds stated that the Kasschau Shell is holding their final concert of the year this evening, when The Nerds will provide musical entertainment. The 65^th anniversary of Kasschau Shell was celebrated this year. Councilmember Reynolds said that it is never too late to donate to the Kasschau Shell, no matter how big or small the donation.

Project Pride had planned on removing the spring/summer flowers and planting fall flowers in the CBD this Saturday, October 7, 2023. However, a torrential rainstorm is predicted, so this has been rescheduled for Sunday, October 8, 2023, beginning at 7:30 a.m. Councilmember Reynolds said that it should only take about three hours to finish the planting. She will contact all volunteers to let them know of the new date and to ascertain their availability. In addition, the 14 palm trees planted in pots in the CBD during the warmer weather will need to be taken care of indoors over the winter. Councilmember Reynolds asked for volunteers to adopt these palm trees during the colder weather. The trees will be repotted in the spring in the CBD. Councilmember Reynolds said that they are looking for pots measuring approximately 12” to 16” in diameter, to repot the palm trees over the winter months. Volunteers are still needed, so interested individuals should contact Councilmember Reynolds at lreynolds@ridgewoodnj.net. Anyone who can adopt a palm tree over the winter or who can donate pots should also email Councilmember Reynolds.

Deputy Mayor Perron stated that New Jersey’s newly appointed Lieutenant Governor, Tahisha Way, will be speaking at the Old Paramus Church on October 10, 2023. This event is sponsored by the League of Women Voters. Tickets for this luncheon are $35.00 per person.

Deputy Mayor Perron stated that the Village is interviewing volunteers to serve on various Village boards and committees. She said that the knowledge and talents of Ridgewood residents, as well as their willingness to serve, is inspirational.

The Green Team has been working very hard to earn points towards the Village’s certification for Sustainable Jersey. They went from 140 points to 245 points, which Deputy Mayor Perron said was pretty amazing. The Village is still at the bronze level, but the goal is to obtain the silver certification.

Deputy Mayor Perron thanked the Parks, Recreation and Conservation (PRC) Board for all of their hard work. She said that she noted many people in attendance at the event held recently at the Stable, although she did not attend because she could not find a parking space. The PRC Board does many things to beautify the Village.

The Open Space Committee met on Thursday night and there was a lot of discussion about flooding. One of the members of the committee, who owns an insurance agency, stated that insurance carriers may not cover flooding in the future, as they have in the past. Deputy Mayor Perron asked Mr. Kazmark to bring up this issue with JIF the next time he speaks with them. Also discussed was the need to satisfy the diversion, because the Village is not eligible for certain grants while this diversion remains unsatisfied with the State. Deputy Mayor Perron said that, years ago, the Village sold off a small parcel of land that contained a playground on Broad Street, in order to accommodate the construction of affordable housing. The Village must now satisfy this diversion by constructing a new playground to replace the one that was removed. During the meeting, they also discussed updating the information for the Open Space Committee, once the new Village website is updated.

Green Ridgewood has scheduled another panel discussion regarding gas-powered leaf blowers on January 24, 2024. Deputy Mayor Perron expressed the hope that a representative from a manufacturer of battery-powered leaf blowers will be present at that discussion, along with a pediatrician. Tomorrow morning, Deputy Mayor Perron will be speaking before the AM Rotary Club in Ridgewood, at the YMCA at 7:30 a.m., regarding leaf blowers. The next meeting of Green Ridgewood will take place on October 5, 2023 at 7:30 a.m. in the Senior Lounge at Village Hall.

The next meeting of the Central Business District Advisory Committee (CBDAC) will be held via Zoom on October 12 at 8:30 a.m. Residents interested in attending should contact Deputy Mayor Perron, so that she can send them the link.

Mayor Vagianos thanked Deputy Mayor Perron for taking the lead in dealing with the issue of gas-powered leaf blowers in the Village.

4.         PRESENTATION

            A.        HUBQUARTER PILOT MUNICIPAL PARTNERSHIP

Mr. Kazmark introduced Sara Parra, Vice President of Social Impact at eFM North America. He and Councilmember Winograd attended a presentation given by Ms. Parra, on what Mr. Kazmark described as a “very intriguing” initiative for the CBD.

Ms. Parra stated that she has been a Social Worker for almost 20 years, and has lived on North Walnut Street for approximately seven years. She said that she is making a presentation this evening regarding HubQuarter, a new way for people to work and connect. She explained that eFM is a global company with over 20 years of experience in the fields of real estate, technology and human resources, working with universities, counties and municipalities. Its purpose is to improve people’s well-being in the workplace. Ms. Parra explained that HubQuarter is a social impact program that shares underutilized space in a way that generates value for remote workers, local businesses, and the greater community. This is advantageous for remote workers who are looking for an alternative place to work, other than at home. This program was developed in Italy, so that workers could appreciate certain elements of a workplace, such as professional development, idea sharing, and personal connection, while working remotely.

Ms. Parra said that research has shown that one thing people miss most while working remotely is the personal connection with co-workers and management. Any local business in the CBD that is equipped with Wi-Fi, has good accessibility and available space, would be eligible to host remote workers. These new workspaces could include a single desk at a coffee shop, a conference room for ten at a local bank branch or restaurant, or a communal work table at an art gallery. HubQuarter is enabled through a digital platform or an app called “Myspot,” which has been in existence for quite some time. Myspot was named Gartner Cool Vendor in 2018, and it is used internationally. Myspot enables local businesses to upload their “spots” and remote workers to find their “spots” by searching for a location, amenity or size. Remote workers book a spot to work and connect with others.

Ms. Parra explained that HubQuarter advances social connection between people, which leads to a healthier and more inclusive society. Ms. Parra showed a slide on the screen of the 2023 U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on the Healing Effects of Social Connection and Community, addressing the epidemic of loneliness and social isolation following the Covid-19 pandemic. The advisory reported that nearly half of adults in the United States reported loneliness, including young people as well. Loneliness can adversely affect one’s mental and physical well-being. HubQuarter naturally implements strategies for municipalities, religious congregations and workplaces to increase opportunities for connection with a community, such as designing the built environment to promote connection, establishing programs that bring people together, and supporting pro-connection technologies.

Ms. Parra then spoke about some of the economic benefits of using HubQuarter. Using HubQuarter can stimulate the local economy by creating a more vibrant downtown area through increased regional tourism and local foot traffic. Revenue is generated for local businesses. HubQuarter can build resilience in local businesses by diversifying their service offerings and providing access to a new revenue stream, and it fosters an innovative approach to the use of space, creating an infrastructure for future workplaces. With 500 active HubQuarter members (either full-time or part-time) working just three days a month, at 80 spots throughout Ridgewood, over $500,000.00 worth of revenue could be generated annually. Ms. Parra stated that there are around 70,000 people employed in Ridgewood and the surrounding area, including 13,000 remote workers, based upon census data. Ms. Parra explained that the 80 spots are not all at separate locations.

Ms. Parra said that HubQuarter’s strategies are in line with the priorities of the U.S. Surgeon General and the sustainable development goals developed by the United Nations in 2015. She stated that if Ridgewood implemented a HubQuarter program, the Village could possibly be eligible for funding that it would not have been able to access in the past, since this is such an innovative program. Ms. Parra spoke about some of the key partners that collaborate with HubQuarter, including municipalities which provide the foundation, local businesses which host workers, corporations that enroll employees, remote workers who book spots and universities which research program impacts. Corporations will offer a HubQuarter membership to their employees, so that their employees can work flexibly. However, Ms. Parra said that HubQuarter is not strictly a membership-based program. She said that eFM will be working with corporations to promote memberships, and the corporations will enroll their employees. Village residents can reserve their spots on demand.

Ms. Parra then spoke about some excerpts from Ridgewood’s Master Plan. She feels that Ridgewood is a good place to pilot HubQuarter, because of the governing body’s desire to move the Village forward, respond to evolving needs of the community, use space in different ways, create a more vibrant downtown area, and maintain the character of the Village. Ms. Parra expressed the hope that the Village will be interested in implementing a six-month pilot program with HubQuarter. This will not require any financial commitment, but would require time and energy to ensure success. If the Village wanted to move forward with this, the next step would be for Ms. Parra to meet with a point person for the Village to review the municipal packet that they offer, which would be specifically tailored for Ridgewood. The Village would promote HubQuarter through a promotional week, events and website links, and provide relevant data, such as the percentage of remote workers, commuters and vacancies in the Village. There would be a meeting scheduled for local businesses which may be interested in participating in the pilot program.

Mr. Kazmark asked Ms. Parra if she was seeking a resolution from the Village Council endorsing this initiative. Ms. Parra said that an endorsement would be wonderful.

Councilmember Winograd thanked Ms. Parra for her presentation. She emphasized that there is a lot of underutilized space in the Village, such as the former taxicab stand on Broad Street, the Zabriskie-Schedler house, and the empty bank building. The more that these spaces are filled with nontraditional uses, the more likelihood that they will eventually be rented.

Councilmember Reynolds asked if there are any towns surrounding Ridgewood which have done a HubQuarter program. Ms. Parra explained that this program has just been introduced to the U.S. market, having originated in Italy where their headquarters are located. It is currently being implemented in the Netherlands, and they have begun working with Montclair.

Deputy Mayor Perron asked Ms. Parra if she would make a presentation before CBDAC members, and Ms. Parra said that she would be happy to do so.

When questioned by Mayor Vagianos, Ms. Parra explained that the key partners would be the local businesses in Ridgewood, since they would be the host locations for remote workers. She feels that the Village Council and Village website could help connect HubQuarter with remote workers in Ridgewood. The Village Councilmembers know what Village residents need and that is why HubQuarter first made this presentation before the Village Council, instead of just simply setting up shop in the CBD. Mayor Vagianos asked with whom eFM would contract, and Ms. Parra replied that they would contract with the local businesses. He agreed that there are a lot of vacant spaces in Ridgewood, and restaurants are especially quiet between 3:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.

Mayor Vagianos suggested that Ms. Parra contact the Chamber of Commerce and the Ridgewood Guild and make her presentation before these organizations. Ms. Parra replied that she would be happy to do so. She added that she has already met with Joan Groome and Karen Stires, Executive Directors of the Chamber of Commerce, but she has not yet met with anyone from the Ridgewood Guild. Mayor Vagianos offered to give her the contact information of someone at the Ridgewood Guild. When questioned by Mayor Vagianos, Ms. Parra replied that Ms. Groome felt positively about the program. Mayor Vagianos asked if Ms. Groome was going to introduce Ms. Parra to some local businesses in some way, and Ms. Parra replied that they have not yet had that conversation. Her initial contact with the Chamber of Commerce was just to obtain feedback about how the program would be received in Ridgewood. Mayor Vagianos asked how many host locations would be needed to implement the pilot program. Ms. Parra said that the number of host locations doesn’t really matter and that whatever “felt right” for Ridgewood would be satisfactory.

Councilmember Winograd added that not only remote workers would be able to utilize the services of HubQuarter, but also organizations seeking space such as Ridgewood Newcomers and 501(c)(3) organizations. She would like to see a resolution adopted by the Village Council endorsing this pilot program. Mayor Vagianos said that he did not feel this would be the first step to be taken and that he would like to investigate this matter further before taking any action. He would like to see a comprehensive list of the underutilized spaces that would be available in the Village, although it sounds like a great idea to him. Mayor Vagianos said that he wanted to also speak with Department Directors to get their feedback about the program, before any resolution is adopted.

Councilmember Weitz agreed with Mayor Vagianos and felt that this would be beneficial to the Village. He brought up issues of insurance liability, where a non-Village employee is working in Village-owned property, and issues regarding secure Wi-Fi networks. He encouraged Ms. Parra to have discussions with the Ridgewood Guild and with the Village Manager, in order to keep the conversation moving forward.

Deputy Mayor Perron indicated that she would like to include CBDAC in any discussions regarding HubQuarter and obtain their feedback. Mr. Kazmark recommended that he meet with Ms. Parra “offline” for a discussion about the Village component of this program, that Mayor Vagianos arrange for Ms. Parra to meet with Mr. Damiano from the Ridgewood Guild, and that Deputy Mayor Perron arrange for Ms. Parra to make a presentation before members of CBDAC. Mayor Vagianos agreed with this approach.

5.         DISCUSSION

A.             RIDGEWOOD WATER

1.         AWARD CONTRACT – PUBLIC POLICY CONSULTANT

Mr. Kazmark announced that items #2, 4 and 5 on the agenda this evening under “Discussion” for Ridgewood Water were removed from the agenda, since they were inadvertently duplicated from last week’s Village Council Work Session.

Rich Calbi, Director of Ridgewood Water, stated that this item deals with the awarding of a contract for professional services for public policy consulting. He mentioned that this will be the sixth year Ridgewood Water will be providing this service to the public. In July of 2018, the Village Council approved the first annual contract with Morford Drulis to provide public policy consulting for the Water Utility. Morford Drulis successfully performed these services over the past five years.

Mr. Calbi said that the successes achieved this year are particularly special. They were able to “move” legislation that directly affects the ability of Ridgewood Water to treat PFAS in the water. He said that creating public policy is complex, but important in terms of creating relationships with the public and building trust in the services provided by Ridgewood Water. The prior service year for the public policy consultant ran from September 15, 2022 to September 14, 2023 at a cost of $27,000.00, billed monthly. The proposed contract year from 2023-2024 will increase to $32,400.00. Mr. Calbi said that based upon the prior year’s achievements and goals that are proposed for the coming service year; he feels that this increased cost is warranted.

Michael Drulis of Morford Drulis indicated that the project to rid the drinking water of PFAS began with keeping abreast of rules and regulations promulgated by the State Legislature. He and his team have spent much time in Trenton speaking to policy leaders, exploring how legislation affects municipal utilities, particularly Ridgewood Water and its ratepayers, and researching any available grant monies from both the Federal and State governments. Mr. Drulis stated that Ridgewood is in the forefront of taking the necessary steps to get rid of PFAS contamination. He commended the Village Council for their efforts in furthering this goal and protecting the taxpayers from increased water rates. He said that the groundbreaking of the Ravine Treatment Plant was a “hallmark” moment and, through the efforts and support of Congressman Josh Gottheimer and Senator Menendez, Ridgewood Water was able to obtain a grant of $2.8 million to pay for PFAS mitigation.

Mr. Drulis then spoke about Green Acres diversions. He said that Ridgewood has significant Green Acres diversion requests, and applications can now be heard quickly, thanks to the efforts of his firm, through a more simplified process. Mr. Drulis also spoke about the Open House held recently by Ridgewood Water, as well as an upcoming Open House scheduled for January 2024. These Open Houses create good public relations with residents and educate the public about the various projects undertaken by Ridgewood Water. Mr. Drulis said that he has been working closely with Robert Rooney, Chief Financial Officer, to obtain loans from the New Jersey Infrastructure Bank (I-Bank) in a timely and efficient manner.

For 2023, Mr. Drulis stated that they will continue to give weekly updates on Statehouse and news activities, and will continue to deliver monthly reports that track public policy at local, County, State and Federal level agencies. He said that in 2022, his firm tracked 65 bills in the State Legislature that had a material impact on how they operate, and 12 bills were signed into law in 2022. In the spring of 2023, Mr. Drulis said that his firm was able to secure the necessary approvals to advertise for procurement before a time window closed, which would end up pushing the project out significantly and cause cost overruns. His firm will host monthly, in-person strategy meetings with Ridgewood Water and Village officials to develop action items and follow-up items to advance positive outcomes for ratepayers.

Councilmember Winograd asked how closely Mr. Drulis and Mr. Calbi are working with Ms. Mailander on the Green Acres diversion. Mr. Calbi said that the representatives from Green Acres had promised that some of the Green Acres money, frozen by the State, was going to be released sometime this fall. Councilmember Winograd said that she would like to see the diversion satisfied, so that the funds can be released and Ridgewood Water is not restricted in terms of obtaining monies to complete their various projects. Mr. Kazmark remarked that there is a meeting scheduled with him and Ms. Mailander to obtain an update from Green Acres about the diversion, and he stated that Councilmember Winograd is welcome to attend the meeting as well.

Deputy Mayor Perron remarked how much she has enjoyed working with Morford Drulis, and said that it is always an “eye-opening” experience with regard to what this firm does in Trenton. Mayor Vagianos echoed Deputy Mayor Perron’s comments and stated that Mr. Calbi relies heavily upon Morford Drulis to keep him abreast of legislative actions affecting the Water Utility. Mayor Vagianos said that he was in favor of renewing this contract with Morford Drulis for the 2023-2024 time period. Councilmember Reynolds thanked Mr. Drulis for everything his firm has done to help Ridgewood Water and their customers.

2.         AWARD PROFESSIONAL SERVICES CONTRACT – LEAD SERVICE LINE REPLACEMENT

Mr. Calbi explained that this item pertains to the awarding of a professional services contract for lead service line (LSL) replacement plan preparation. He stated that there have been many meetings between officials in towns serviced by Ridgewood Water (Ridgewood, Midland Park, Glen Rock, and Wyckoff). New Jersey is requiring the replacement of all lead service lines, which are either owned by the Water Utility or privately owned on residential properties. The legislation requires that all LSLs be identified and replaced by July 2031. Ridgewood Water has complied with the requirements of the legislation to date, but needs further assistance from a professional consultant for program development, which includes a detailed plan for implementing the replacement program, along with program support, data management and public outreach.

Mr. Calbi indicated that Ridgewood Water sought out and received formal proposals for the professional services on August 30, 2023. Four proposals were received, with prices ranging from a low of $197,736.00 to $419,000.00. The proposals were advertised publicly to solicit a fair and open process. Each proposal was evaluated and ranked against nine criteria. The top three ranking firms – Boswell Engineering, CDM Smith, and H2M Architects – were then interviewed to determine a final ranking. The firm of CDM Smith received the highest ranking, and it was determined that they have the most experience and are the most qualified for this project. It is recommended that the professional services contract be awarded to CDM Smith, Inc., of Edison, New Jersey, in an amount not to exceed $271,400.00. Funding is contained in the Ridgewood Water Capital Budget. Mr. Calbi explained that CDM Smith also handled the lead crisis experienced in Newark and are performing improvements with the Passaic Valley Water Commission (Passaic, Clifton and Paterson). He said that he was “overwhelmed” with their qualifications.

Councilmember Reynolds stated that the paperwork indicates a not to exceed sum of $268,800.00. Mr. Calbi explained that the original price from CDM Smith was lowered to $271,400.00. He explained the process by which minor refinements were made to their original price of $268,800.00.

3.         AUTHORIZE AGREEMENT – TEMPORARY USE OF PROPERTY – PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE

Mr. Calbi explained that this item pertains to a request from the Bergen County Engineer to encroach on Ridgewood Water’s Russell Well property, located at 412 Russell Avenue in Wyckoff. The County has an emergent need, due to the poor condition of the existing pedestrian bridge structure and the inability to shift pedestrian traffic into the narrow pavement section at the Goffle Brook stream crossing.  Mr. Calbi is recommending that a temporary agreement be drafted, allowing the temporary encroachment onto Ridgewood Water property for the purposes of building a temporary pedestrian bridge. The temporary bridge will be eliminated in the future when the County replaces the Goffle Brook road crossing and widens the structure to accommodate vehicles and pedestrians, in accordance with today’s standards. Mr. Calbi explained that if this permanent structure encroaches on the property owned by Ridgewood Water, then he would recommend that a permanent easement agreement be executed.

Referring to Mr. Loving’s earlier comments, Mayor Vagianos asked Mr. Calbi if Bergen County has any temporary pedestrian bridges which the Village may be able to use to ease the inconvenience experienced by the closure of the Kingsbridge Lane Bridge. Mr. Calbi said that he will make an inquiry with the Bergen County Engineer. He mentioned that the two bridges are very different from each other, in terms of size and scope. He said that the bridge on Russell Avenue is flat and not arched, and has a shorter span than the Kingsbridge Lane Bridge. In addition, there is no Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance issues regarding the Russell Avenue Bridge, because it is flat.

            B.        BUDGET

1.         AWARD PROFESSIONAL SERVICES CONTRACT – REPLACEMENT OF UNDERGROUND FUEL STORAGE TANKS

Mr. Kazmark explained that this item pertains to the awarding of a professional services contract for replacement of underground fuel storage tanks. The Village’s underground fuel storage tanks are past their life expectancy of approximately 30 years, having been installed in 1987. Christopher Rutishauser, Village Engineer, is recommending that this professional engineering design services contract be awarded to MCK Engineering, PC, in an amount not to exceed $15,000.00. Funds are available under Ordinance No. 3854. Mr. Kazmark said that when he first met Mr. Rutishauser, soon after being hired for the position of Village Manager, Mr. Rutishauser stated that the replacement of these underground fuel storage tanks was one of his “top shelf” issues.

Deputy Mayor Perron said that she was confused by the memo from Mr. Rutishauser and wasn’t sure whether the contract included only the design of the replacement tanks or for design and inspection of the tanks. She spoke with Mr. Rutishauser and was told by him that MCK Engineering did not give a price for inspection. The sum of $15,000.00 is just for the design. MCK may come up with a price for inspection, or this may be done in-house. Deputy Mayor Perron also asked Mr. Rutishauser how much he estimated it would cost to actually remove the tanks and replace them, and he replied that it would cost between $700,000.00 and $900,000.00. Mr. Kazmark said that an inspection would require another contract with MCK Engineering.

2.         AWARD PROFESSIONAL SERVICES CONTRACT – REPAIR OF PEDESTRIAN TUNNELS/RAMP AT RIDGEWOOD TRAIN STATION

Mr. Kazmark indicated that this item pertains to the awarding of a professional services contract for the repair of the pedestrian tunnels/ramp at the Ridgewood Train Station. He said that there is a corresponding resolution, which he will circulate, to the Village Councilmembers this evening. Connolly & Hickey, Historical Architects, submitted a proposal to provide professional architecture and engineering services to investigate the condition of the pedestrian tunnels and ramp in more detail, as well as to design the repairs to abate any further loss of material fabric, to make the necessary improvements for artwork, to develop contract documents for the repairs, to assist the Village in bidding the project, and to administer the contract during construction.

The basic services to be provided by Connolly & Hickey include the repair of the ceilings over the pedestrian ramp at the west side tunnel end, including any structural repairs and upgrades; repair the brick at the walls and stairs at the approach to the west side of the pedestrian ramp; address the water infiltration issues at the pedestrian ramp on the east side of the tunnel; address the efflorescence occurring on the concrete/masonry walls of the tunnel itself; and review the conditions at the station overall and make recommendations for other repairs and upgrades that are deemed necessary. It is recommended that this professional services contract be awarded to Connolly & Hickey in an amount not to exceed $53,800.00.

Deputy Mayor Perron said that she was in favor of this resolution, but that she has some questions she would like to ask Mr. Rutishauser. Mr. Kazmark indicated that he confirmed with Mr. Rooney that funding is available for this contract. Deputy Mayor Perron said she would like to move forward with the resolution and she will ask Mr. Rutishauser her questions at a later time. Mr. Kazmark said that if Deputy Mayor Perron wanted to email him the questions regarding this matter, he will forward them to Mr. Rutishauser and try to get answers from either Mr. Rutishauser or Connolly and Hickey, before the resolution is voted on next week. Deputy Mayor Perron said that she will do so. Councilmember Reynolds said that she would like to see the answers to the questions as well, and Mr. Kazmark said that he would share the answers with all of the Village Councilmembers. 

3.         AUTHORIZE BOND ORDINANCE – RESTORATION OF INTERIOR FAÇADE AT VILLAGE HALL

Mr. Kazmark explained that this item, as well as items #10 and #11 on the agenda, are all interconnected. He stated that there are some structural concerns regarding the interior façade on the third floor of Village Hall. Mr. Rutishauser has determined this to be an emergency situation, and an emergency appropriation is required. During a recent inspection, RSC Architects identified some structural concerns. As a result of the last renovation, drilling to support the current ceiling structure compromised some of the concrete façade. RSC Architects recommend removal of the loose pieces and securing connection sites to remediate any locations where cables supporting such ceilings may be at risk.

Mr. Kazmark pointed out the pictures and floor plan contained in Mr. Rutishauser’s memorandum. He would like to complete this work over the three-day Columbus Day holiday weekend, to avoid any disruption to Village Hall services. The contractor will be available. Mr. Rooney has requested an emergency appropriation bond ordinance in the sum of $110,000.00, which will allow the Village to establish the funding needed to engage RSC Architects to oversee the project and HQ Construction to perform the remediation. This resolution will be introduced next week, in order to accommodate these repairs. It is recommended that this contract be awarded to HQ Construction and Design, LLC, of East Brunswick, New Jersey, in an amount not to exceed $82,800.00. This is determined to be an Extraordinary Unspecifiable Expense.

Councilmember Reynolds asked if any other contractors were solicited to make bids. Mr. Kazmark said that Mr. Rooney did the collection of estimates, and he recommended that the contract be awarded to HQ Construction. Mr. Kazmark said that these damages occurred before he began his role as Village Manager, but he stated that he would be happy to find out this information for Councilmember Reynolds. When questioned why the repairs were not made sooner, Mr. Kazmark said that he directed that the repairs be made as soon as possible, since he wants to avoid the risk of another accident occurring (a Village employee in the Engineering Department was injured when a portion of the plaster fell on them). Councilmember Reynolds said that she would like to see more timely action taken in the future, in the event this happens again. Mr. Rogers mentioned that three quotes had been received from contractors for this remediation.

Deputy Mayor Perron asked if the contractor was charging the Village a premium in order to complete the work quickly, over the Columbus Day weekend. Mr. Kazmark said that he thinks there was a premium placed on the work, but he wasn’t sure.

4.         AUTHORIZE GRANT APPLICATION – 2024 LOCAL AID GRANT – PRELIMINARY ENGINEERING LA-2024 LAIF RIDGEWOOD VILLAGE SRTS 2016

Mr. Kazmark explained that the next item pertains to the Safe Routes to School sidewalk replacement project. The Engineering Department has been advised by the NJDOT to make a Local Aid grant application for the preliminary design engineering services for the 2016 Safe Routes to Schools (SRTS) project in the amount of $157,468.20. This work had previously been awarded to NV5, with the NJDOT promising to pay for it. This resolution is part of the process the Village has to go through to get the preliminary design work done by NV5 refunded to the Village. The Village has already made an application through the NJDOT SAGE portal for this reimbursement, but the NJDOT is also requiring a corresponding Village Council resolution authorizing the grant application.

5.         AMEND RESOLUTION NO. 23-279 – SPLIT AWARD OF CONTRACT

Mr. Kazmark indicated that this item pertains to an amendment to Resolution #23-279, in order to split the award of a contract for the purchase and installation of two radio consoles at Ridgewood Fire Headquarters and Engine 31 for the Ridgewood Fire Department. Due to a misunderstanding with the vendor, the contract was originally awarded to Goosetown Communications of Congers, New York, in the amount of $169,651.54. The sum of $150,715.54 (Avtec quote) was supposed to be awarded to Goosetown Communications. The remaining balance of $18,936.00 is to be awarded to Motorola Solutions, Inc., via Goosetown Communications. Funding is available in the 2022 Capital Account.

6.         AUTHORIZE PARTICIPATION – FEDERAL LESO 1033 PROGRAM

Mr. Kazmark explained that the Ridgewood Police Department is requesting to participate in the Federal Government’s surplus sharing LESO 1033 program. This program will allow the Ridgewood Police Department to acquire equipment from the Federal Government, once they no longer have a use for it. Numerous surrounding towns are currently using this program and have received excellent equipment. The equipment available varies greatly, including everything from heavy water rescue vehicles all the way down to patrol uniform equipment. Mr. Kazmark highly recommended that the Village Council consider this for the Police Department. When he worked for Woodland Park, they received two military-style heavy rescue trucks that were used in flood events. He feels that this type of equipment would be useful in Ridgewood, considering the frequent flooding that occurs in the Village.

7.         EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

Mr. Kazmark stated that there is a memorandum from Dawn Cetrulo, Director of the Health Department. The Village has utilized West Bergen Mental Health (WBMH) for the Village’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for the past several years. Numerous complaints have been received from Village employees concerning a lack of responsiveness from WBMH and a delay in scheduling appointments, and these complaints have increased over the past few years. After doing a lot of research and speaking with colleagues, Ms. Cetrulo is recommending that the Village EAP be changed to Intervention Strategies International of Paramus, New Jersey. This organization provided a quote of $675.00 per month, for a total of $8,100.00 annually.  They offer 24 hour/365 day a year immediate access for emergency consultation. The Health Department has earmarked $5,000.00 from the Infrastructure Grant to put towards this EAP.

8.         CAMERA UPDATE FOR POLICE DEPARTMENT

Mr. Kazmark stated that this matter deals with an update of cameras for the Police Department. Chief Forest Lyons has requested authorization to purchase equipment to update the Domestic Violence/Juvenile Interview Room Camera System. This update will incorporate the camera system into Axon, which will centralize and streamline their evidence. It is recommended that this contract be awarded to Axon Enterprises, Inc., of Scottsdale, Arizona, in an amount not to exceed $39,127.20. Funding is contained in the Police Department Capital Budget.

9.         RESCIND AND REPLACE RESOLUTION #23-149 – AWARD CONTRACT – CULTURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND HISTORIC PRESERVATION SPECIALIST

Mr. Kazmark explained that this item deals with the rescission and replacement of Resolution #23-149, pertaining to the award of contract to Peter Primavera, Cultural Resource Management and Historic Preservation Specialist, regarding the Schedler property. The contract is now to be awarded to Peter Primavera Partners, LLC, of Westfield, New Jersey, in an amount not to exceed $8,600.00. Scope of services will include due diligence to gather essential information on the Schedler property, including designations, restrictions, condition, permitting, and municipal plans; identify all regulatory approvals; analyze the National Register nomination and the process that was followed; identify opposition and support; and coordination with the project team. The only two changes between Resolution #23-149 and the new resolution is the vendor’s street address and name of the vendor.

Councilmember Reynolds asked Mr. Rogers if Mr. Primavera formed a new company. Mr. Rogers replied that he spoke with Mr. Rooney about the proper name of Mr. Primavera’s company, after a question was raised by a Village resident. He said that a clerical error was made when Resolution #23-149 listed the name of the vendor as “Peter Primavera Partners” instead of Primavera Partners, LLC. This is what caused confusion with the improper Employer Identification Number (EIN). Mr. Rogers said that he did not believe this was a new company formed by Mr. Primavera. The EIN was always the same, but it did not match Peter Primavera Partners LLC with the State. Councilmember Reynolds asked if there was a procedure followed by the Village to vet a company or firm before they are hired. Mr. Rogers said that when a project is sent out for bid, one of the forms that needs to be filled out by a potential vendor is a Business Registration Certificate with the State of New Jersey. Mr. Kazmark said that the Village does not perform background checks on prospective vendors or professional service providers.

10.       RESOLUTION FOR EMERGENCY APPROPRIATION – INTERIOR FAÇADE AT VILLAGE HALL

See Item #B3 above.

11.       EXTRAORDINARY UNSPECIFIABLE SERVICE – LEVEL 3 CEILING SUBSTRATA FAILURES

See item #B3 above.

C.        POLICY

                        1.         RECOMMENDATIONS FROM ANNUAL REPORT – PLANNING                                          BOARD AND ZONING BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT

Mr. Kazmark indicated that John Barre, Village Planner, is waiting to speak this evening on a Zoom call, to address the recommendations from the Annual Report from the Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA) and Planning Board.

Mr. Barre said that there was a collaboration of many Village employees to develop the recommendations contained in the Annual Report submitted by the Zoning Board of Adjustment and Planning Board, including the Construction Code Official, Engineering Department staff, Zoning Officer, and members of the ZBA and Planning Board. These recommendations pertain to suggested amendments to the relevant ordinance, which Mr. Barre indicated were primarily technical in nature. These recommendations stem from some of the issues and problems which the ZBA has experienced over the last few years.

Mr. Barre said that there are ten proposed amendments to the Zoning Ordinance (Chapter 190, Land Use and Development, and Chapter 145, Enumeration of Fees). One recommendation seeks to clarify some of the language in the ordinance about how driveways are regulated in the Village, particularly how they are measured and how the regulations apply to smaller lots. Mr. Barre said that the ZBA has had challenges trying to interpret the width of driveways. They are seeking to restrict circular driveways on lots less than 100 feet wide, and they wish to clarify the language dealing with the expansion of driveways as they approach garage doors.

Mr. Barre asked Mayor Vagianos how much he should go into detail about the recommendations. Mayor Vagianos replied that all Village Councilmembers have previously reviewed the recommendations, and he asked if anyone had any questions. He said that he personally felt that the recommendations are constructive and straightforward.

Deputy Mayor Perron indicated that she has spoken with Matthew Rogers, Village Attorney, and they felt that it may be best to prohibit circular driveways altogether, except in the case of hardship or real safety issues, in which case a resident would need to make an application before the board. Mr. Rogers said that there may be exceptions made to the circular driveway prohibition, especially where there are safety concerns or topographical issues. He said that circular driveways are usually frowned upon, especially in front yards (aesthetics and dual curb cuts). Deputy Mayor Perron said that some of the concerns raised by members of the Planning Board had to do with increased impervious surfaces, the cutting down of more trees and shrubs to accommodate the circular driveway, and how many cars would be parked on the circular driveway in front of a house (which would affect the aesthetics of the streetscape).

Mr. Barre said that the language contained in the Code does not prohibit the construction of circular driveways in any way. The recommendation to prohibit circular driveways stems from the fact that, on a narrower lot, the driveway would take up most of the frontage of that lot. He said that there are currently limitations on impervious coverage contained in the ordinance, but this recommendation would deal specifically with the prohibition of circular driveways on narrower lots.

Mayor Vagianos wondered whether a complete ban of circular driveways would be appropriate, if a property owner had an adequately sized lot. Mr. Barre agreed with Mayor Vagianos, and stated that some larger properties in the Village could certainly construct a circular driveway and still fall within the impervious coverage limitations. He does not feel that an outright prohibition is necessary, except for narrower lots, which would result in excessive impervious coverage.

Councilmember Winograd asked if the circular driveway restriction has to do with total acreage of the property or just the front yard acreage. Mr. Rogers said that deciding impervious coverage would take into account a certain area in the front of a yard and also the total lot. The ZBA and Planning Board have faced issues over the years, because there are no specific guidelines regarding circular driveways. According to Bruce Whittaker, Board Attorney, what the board is concerned about are aesthetics, trees, and preventing a front yard full of cars. The recommendation by the ZBA is to restrict circular driveways to properties which have a front yard big enough to accommodate such a driveway, without exceeding impervious coverage limits and without making the property look unsightly. Mr. Rogers suggested “kicking back” the matter to the Planning Board, but Mr. Barre stated that the members of the Planning Board have already discussed this and it wouldn’t do much good to have them discuss it further.

After further discussion, Mayor Vagianos pointed out that the letter from Gregory S. Brown, Chairman of the ZBA, inquired as to whether or not there should be a minimum lot width required and/or a maximum driveway width for circular driveways. He said that he was not in favor of banning circular driveways completely, as suggested by Deputy Mayor Perron. He stated that if a property is big enough, then a front circular driveway could be an aesthetically pleasing look.

Mr. Barre pointed to item C (3) (c) of Section 1, Chapter 190, part of which states that “No residential property with less than 100 feet of lot frontage or a non-conforming front yard setback, shall be permitted to have to curb cuts (i.e., circular driveways) on the same street. Where circular driveways are permitted, the maximum width of the driveway shall not exceed 12 feet at any point within the front yard.” This is part of the language contained in the recommended amendment. Mayor Vagianos asked if this wording was satisfactory to both the Planning Board and the ZBA, and Mr. Barre replied that the plurality of the members did not voice any strong objections to this wording. He collaborated with the Zoning Officer, members of the Zoning Board, and Construction Code Official, and they were all comfortable with this language.

Deputy Mayor Perron added that Stephen Wellinghorst, Planning Board Attorney, was concerned that the proposed language was somewhat vague, which invites potential lawsuits. Councilmember Reynolds asked what portion of the amendment was considered vague. Deputy Mayor Perron was not sure, but she thought it was the language which read, “Where circular driveways are permitted…” since there are no other areas which state that circular driveways are permitted.

Mayor Vagianos wondered if the language could be “tightened up” to avoid any vagueness. Councilmember Winograd said that the use of the word “ban” regarding circular driveways is extremely clear. She said that the Village Councilmembers need to be mindful that they are talking about private property, but need to consider the streetscape, impervious coverage, and the impact on trees if a circular driveway were constructed. A discussion ensued regarding the procedures by which an application is made before the Planning Board and ZBA. Any Zoning Ordinance has to be reviewed by the Planning Board and they make recommendations to the Village Council. If there is a ban enacted against circular driveways, an applicant who wants to put an addition on his house, which will affect the configuration of the driveway, will have to make an application before the Zoning Board for a variance to permit a circular driveway. He was in agreement that any vagueness in the language should be eliminated.

Deputy Mayor Perron stated that the other four recommendations made by the ZBA in their 2021 Annual Report are less complicated, and the Village Councilmembers can probably agree on voting in favor of those four recommendations. She suggested dealing with these four recommendations this evening, so that the amendments may be adopted on October 11, 2023, and then deal with the circular driveway questions at a later date, after further review by the ZBA. There was general agreement in this regard.

Councilmember Winograd spoke about the recommendation that the Village require an “as built” survey at the completion of all building projects. She mentioned that the Tree Ordinance is being revised. With new construction and clearcutting of trees, with a promise by the property owners to replant more trees, she finds that the replanting never occurs, and there is no enforcement “on the back end.” She wondered if tree permits could be included in the “as built” survey requirement. Mr. Rogers said that the “as built” survey is for a completely different purpose, but that the planting of trees could certainly be included. The purpose of the survey is actually to show the Building Department what was actually built, so that they can compare the survey to what was approved in the resolution.

Councilmember Reynolds agreed that there is absolutely no “checking” that is done after construction to make sure the homeowner abided with the terms of the tree permit to plant more trees, after removing some trees on their property. Mr. Rogers said that both the ZBA and Planning Board have to make the replanting of trees, if trees are going to be cut down, as a condition of the approval of the application. Trees are not usually dealt with in the application process before either board.

Mayor Vagianos suggested looking at the more straightforward recommendations first, and then revisiting the matters of the circular driveways and including trees in the “as built” survey at a later time. The first recommendation in the 2022 Annual Report recommends that the Village increase both the Application Fee(s) and the Escrow Deposit(s) associated with Variance Applications to allow for a thorough review by Village Professionals before Applicants are scheduled for a public hearing. The completeness review and corresponding review by the Village Planner would allow the Applicant to address any deficiencies in the application before the public hearing, thereby saving the Applicant the time and costs associated with multiple hearings. All Village Councilmembers were in favor of this recommendation.

Mayor Vagianos stated that the second recommendation made in the 2022 Annual Report recommends that the Village consider the appointment of the same member to serve on both the Planning Board and the Board of Adjustment, to facilitate mutual awareness between the boards. Deputy Mayor Perron felt that this could become very burdensome on that one person, since it would entail multiple meetings a month. Mayor Vagianos said that this seems like a good suggestion, as long as they could find someone who would be willing to serve in both roles. Deputy Mayor Perron recalled something in the statute that a Planning Board member cannot serve on two boards or committees. Mr. Rogers said that a member could serve on both boards, but a qualified member would need to be found. Mayor Vagianos said that he was fine with this language, with the wording “if possible” added to the amendment language. Mr. Kazmark remarked that this was a “shall” or “may” situation, meaning that someone “may” be appointed to serve on both land use boards. If no one can be found who is willing and able to do that, then the boards are not obligated to find someone to serve in these capacities. All Village Councilmembers were in favor of this suggestion.

Mayor Vagianos then turned his attention to the first recommendation from the 2021 Annual Report, which suggested that the Village Council’s temporary Resolution #21-285, regarding the extension of Variance approval from one year to two years, be adopted as permanent. The lack of availability of contractors and supply chain delays have resulted in residents being unable to obtain a permit within one year of approval, frustrating the residents that they must appear again before the board to get reapproved. Everyone was in agreement with this recommendation.

Mayor Vagianos said that the second recommendation contained in the 2021 Annual Report dealt with a suggestion that the Planning Board consider the allowable depth of a front porch with an amendment to the front yard setback. They have seen several applications seeking a variance for a front porch, along with applications for relief from the setback, in neighborhoods where the prevalent setback, or the streetscape character, is less than the allowable. Mr. Barre explained that there are instances where a house is built right up to the allowable setback line or a neighborhood development pattern where the houses are closer to the street than what the current setback allows. The purpose of the amendment is to allow for a five-foot encroachment beyond the existing structure, and exceptions can be made under certain circumstances. Mr. Barre said that the ZBA typically approves such applications. This amendment would avoid the necessity of homeowners getting a variance for encroachment on a setback.

Councilmember Reynolds wondered whether residents would ask for a variance from the five-foot allowable porch, if they wanted an eight-foot wide porch. Mr. Barre said that there will always be people who ask for more, but he stated that it has been the pattern of the ZBA to make people justify what they are looking for in their application. If a resident could successfully prove that a five-foot porch would not work for them, due to a mobility or circulation issue, then they make an application for a variance. However, he feels that allowing a five-foot porch, without the need for a variance, would generate less applications before the board, because applications for a five-foot porch are routinely granted. Mr. Barre feels that the board will be stricter, if a resident asks for more than a five-foot porch, and it will be a “tougher sell.” Everyone was in agreement with this recommendation.

Mayor Vagianos then reviewed the third recommendation contained in the 2021 Annual Report, which suggested that the Planning Board look at replacing the existing setback rules with a minimum/maximum calculation to neighboring properties. Mr. Barre explained that the current minimum setback is 40 feet; however, there are problems encountered with homes built 100 years ago, when there was a setback of 22 to 25 feet. He said that requiring a new home to be set back 40 feet would look out of character with the neighboring properties, which are only set back 25 feet. In such an instance, the “prevailing” setback in the neighborhood would apply, rather than the minimum setback of 40 feet. It is desired that any new construction “match” the streetscape character. This can be accomplished by establishing minimum and maximum setbacks, rather than applying a “one size fits all” approach. The burden of proof is on the applicant to show what the prevailing neighborhood “pattern” or setback is. Everyone was in agreement with this suggestion.

Mayor Vagianos said that the next recommendation contained in the 2021 Annual Report asked for clarification of when and how much a driveway can be widened leading up to a garage. The curb cuts are delineated in the Code, but there is no direction regarding where one can start to widen a driveway as one approaches a garage. Mr. Barre explained that with homes with front-facing garages, there has been some confusion about how to apply the ordinance when it comes to driveway widths. If there is a two-car garage, but the driveway is limited to a 12 foot width at the street, keeping the same width all the way to the garage would not allow two cars to be parked in the garage. Mr. Barre said that the proposed wording would allow the driveway to extend to the width of the garage. “Driveways shall be permitted to be the width of a permitted attached or detached garage within the front yard for a distance of up to 24 feet from the garage doors.” This would allow for ample space for two cars to enter or exit a two-car garage. Mayor Vagianos stated that he understands the need for this, since he himself has a single curb cut and a double garage. Everyone was in favor of this recommendation.

Mayor Vagianos said that the only outstanding items are recommendation #3 (“as built” survey) from the 2022 Annual Report and #4 (circular driveways) from the 2021 Annual Report. There were no objections to this recommendation, but Mayor Vagianos said that the issue to be determined is whether or not tree permits should be dealt with in the “as built” survey. Mayor Vagianos felt that the Village Councilmembers were not prepared this evening to address that issue, although he felt that it was an important issue. Councilmember Winograd agreed but stated that she wanted to bring up the matter, because the Shade Tree Commission encounters problems when a homeowner promises to replant a tree after taking one down, and there is no follow-up or enforcement to ensure compliance by the homeowner. She suggested that the Village Councilmembers approve the recommendation and deal with the tree issue at a later date. Mayor Vagianos agreed to move forward with the recommendations. He would like to see a proposal from the Shade Tree Commission, before making any decision on whether or not to include the tree permit requirements in the “as built” survey recommendation. Everyone was in agreement.

Regarding the circular driveway issue, Mayor Vagianos recommended that the matter be sent back to Stephen Wellinghorst for clarification of the language he considered vague. Mr. Rogers said that he could speak with Mr. Wellinghorst about the matter. He mentioned that Richard A. Joel, Jr., Chairman of the Planning Board, is in attendance at the meeting this evening and could speak on this point, but the ultimate decision rests with the Village Councilmembers.

Mr. Joel said that the Zoning Board would be fine with a decision from the Village Councilmembers if they decided they wanted to ban circular driveways altogether. He said that there are certainly properties in Ridgewood that are large enough to accommodate a circular driveway in the front of the property. The guidelines are vague regarding circular driveways in the ordinance, particularly with regard to minimum lot widths and/or maximum driveway widths. Mr. Joel spoke about impervious coverage and how a homeowner would need to make an application before the Board for a variance if too much asphalt was planned to be installed. The ZBA is very sensitive to water runoff in the Village, and a circular driveway, which is an impermeable surface, could add to flooding problems.

Deputy Mayor Perron said that homeowners may want a circular driveway and also be able to park their cars in the garage, which creates a lot of impervious surfaces. In addition, if smaller properties were not allowed to have circular driveways, but larger properties are allowed to have them, Deputy Mayor Perron does not feel that this would be equitable.

Councilmember Reynolds stated that the ZBA uses a percentage formula when determining whether or not a circular driveway would be allowed. Mr. Rogers said that he felt it would not be discriminatory. Councilmember Reynolds said that she can walk a one block radius around her house and see eight circular driveways that are aesthetically pleasing, with beautiful landscaping and trees. She would not want to see a ban on circular driveways, but felt that the language in the ordinance needed to be clearer and stated that there needs to be a minimum lot width for a circular driveway to be approved.

Mayor Vagianos said that he completely agreed with Councilmember Reynolds. He feels that a circular driveway adds to the streetscape, on an appropriately sized lot. He suggested that Mr. Rogers confer with Mr. Whittaker and Mr. Wellinghorst to come up with something that is appropriate. When asked for clarification, Mayor Vagianos said that the proposed wording states that no residential property with less than 100 feet of lot frontage shall be permitted to have two curb cuts on the same street. However, he said that this does not take into consideration the overall lot size and the percentage of that lot that can be taken up by that circular driveway.

Mr. Rogers said that the limits for impervious coverage covers that issue. He asked Mr. Barre if the ZBA ever considered extending the 100-foot limit to 125 feet, and Mr. Barre replied that they did not. He said that he could take an inventory of such properties and determine what percentage of properties that may entail, if this would be helpful for the Village Councilmembers.

Councilmember Weitz said that he does not support a complete ban on circular driveways. He agrees with Mayor Vagianos that the Village Councilmembers should move forward on approving all of the other recommendations and table the circular driveway recommendation. until such time as Mr. Rogers has had a chance to confer with Mr. Whittaker and Mr. Wellinghorst and the proposed language regarding same has been clarified. Mr. Rogers said that he would do so and report back at the next Village Council Work Session.

Mr. Joel stated that there is a restriction to impervious coverage (in R1 zones), which is within 140 feet of the front lot line. He said that even if a lot is 100 feet wide, the house may only be set back 40 feet, which would mean that the limits for impervious coverage would be exceeded. Mr. Joel thanked everyone who assisted in this endeavor. Mayor Vagianos thanked Mr. Joel and everyone for bringing the recommendations to the attention of the Village Council.

                        2.         MANNER OF ADDRESSING COUNCIL AND DECORUM

Mayor Vagianos asked if the Village Councilmembers would consent to having this matter carried to the next Village Council Work Session, as item #1. Councilmember Reynolds agreed, but stated that she would like to hear Mr. Rogers’ thoughts concerning the manner of addressing the Village Council and decorum in the courtroom. In this way, the Village Councilmembers could think about it over the coming week. Councilmember Weitz asked if a draft of the proposal could be furnished to the Village Councilmembers. Mr. Rogers said that he wouldn’t know where to begin in compiling a draft, since there are so many different opinions and ideas concerning same. For instance, as it now stands, the ordinance does not address how a boisterous resident should be handled.

Councilmember Reynolds asked if there were any similar ordinances drafted by other towns, which the Village Councilmembers could review. Mr. Kazmark said that he was going to recommend this as well. He said that he would do some research to see how other towns deal with the matter of decorum during municipal meetings. He mentioned that this is becoming a prominent topic for governing bodies throughout the State of New Jersey. He recalled two incidents that recently occurred amongst Councilmembers in the City of Paterson and with the spouse of a Councilmember in the City of Clifton, during a Council meeting. Councilmember Winograd mentioned that the rules of decorum should apply to the audience at a meeting as a whole, and not just the speaker at the podium. There ensued a discussion about amending the Articles of Government and updating the Code Book. There was also a discussion about updating the “Citizen’s Guide to Village Council Meetings,” once Ms. Mailander returns from vacation.

            D.        OPERATIONS

                        1.         2022 ANNUAL AUDIT

Mr. Kazmark stated that this item deals with the 2022 Annual Audit. Three audit comments were found, and a Corrective Action Plan was submitted by Mr. Rooney. He is absent from the meeting this evening, due to a family emergency. Mr. Kazmark remarked that the 2022 Annual Audit was a very “clean and satisfactory” audit.

7.         COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC

Since it was past 11:00 p.m., Mayor Vagianos said that he would like to extend the meeting until 11:10 p.m.

Cynthia O’Keefe, 542 West Saddle River Road, said that with regard to the contract with Peter Primavera, she did a Google search on Mr. Primavera’s address at 552 Boulevard, Westfield, New Jersey, and discovered that this is an apartment listed on apartments.com that was rented in March. She wondered whether Mr. Primavera worked from home, since he does not appear to have a business office. She recalled that at an earlier Village Council meeting, Mr. Primavera had given an address on Duer Avenue in North Plainfield, which Ms. O’Keefe said appeared to be a ramshackle, rundown structure with broken windows. She said that she is concerned that the Village is relying upon Mr. Primavera to be an expert, taking into consideration the negative comments made about him by some residents. She is worried that it will not look good if the Village engages a vendor who operates out of an apartment, rather than an actual business office. Ms. O’Keefe said that she would expect someone claiming to have worked in this field for many years, and performed projects with various municipalities throughout the State of New Jersey, to work in a regular office rather than an apartment.

Boyd A. Loving, 342 South Irving Street, congratulated Councilmember Weitz for his stance regarding the Park and Ride issues on Route 17, and his insistence upon a definitive plan by the NJDOT to repair portions of the Park and Ride and provide a sufficient buffer for adjacent residents. Mr. Loving said that he took a ride through the Park and Ridge the other day, and noted that commuter parking is now “spilling out” onto the side streets in the area as well, in both Ho-Ho-Kus and Ridgewood. He added that some of these side streets have prohibited parking. Mr. Loving said that the NJDOT is not charging for parking in this lot, and this is the primary reason why so many commuters are now parking at the Park and Ride for free. He said the NJDOT is taking revenue away from the Village, and they are also not providing enough parking, because of the Jersey barriers they erected.

Mr. Loving indicated that he “listened in” on the Fields Committee meeting that took place on Tuesday. He stated that he was alarmed by some of the comments made during that meeting, and wrote to the Village Manager about the comments. There were many, many comments about keeping people “who don’t belong” off of the fields in the Village. He said that as a person of color, this really disturbs him. When the town officials in Mahwah tried to do this, a member of the Attorney General’s Office went to Mahwah and told them that they had no right to keep residents of Rockland County from using their fields. He said that Veterans Field, for example, is a public park to be used by any member of the public. At the Fields Committee meeting, Mr. Loving said that there was quite a bit of discussion about getting the police to keep people off the fields “who don’t belong.” Mr. Loving said that the police have more important things to do.

Mr. Loving said that he was somewhat disappointed in the notification process announcing that Village fields were closed. Councilmember Winograd posted about field closures on a Facebook page, which Mr. Loving described as restricted (private group). There was no notice of such on the Village website or email blast to residents indicating that the fields were closed. The Village Manager shared with him an email message from Nancy Bigos, but Mr. Loving said that this notice only went out to coaches and members of the athletic community. He said that the “people who pay taxes” need to know this information as well. He urged Village officials to let everyone know when the fields are going to be closed, not just coaches and members of the athletic community.

Anne Loving, 342 South Irving Street, said that if a contractor does not approach a homeowner and ask them if they want their tree taken down for free, then that tree may last a few more years. She thinks it is an exaggeration to say that every tree that is cut down for the Christmas tree is about to be removed by the property owner anyway. Ms. Loving thanked Mayor Vagianos for his kind replies to her inquiries, but stated that he did not mention anything about her suggestion to plant a live tree in the area by the train station, where the Christmas tree is usually erected. She said that the survey done a few years ago, which polled residents about whether or not they wanted the Christmas tree to be located in Memorial Park at Van Neste Square, garnered significant support for having a live tree. She urged the Village Councilmembers to give this some consideration. Ms. Loving mentioned that a Village Councilmember contacted her in August of this year and said that they were not in favor of cutting down a tree every year. She stated that it takes years and years for a tree to grow.

Suzanne Ruane, 705 Kingsbridge Lane, thanked the Village Council for addressing the subject of decorum during Village Council meetings, particularly given the behavior of some residents during recent meetings. She learned that Mr. Rutishauser has declared some emergencies to repair the façade at Village Hall, cleanup of Maple Field, and the pedestrian tunnel at the Train Station. She asked why Mr. Rutishauser never declared the Kingsbridge Lane Footbridge as an emergency, especially after a second child was hit by a car while taking an alternative route, due to the closure of the footbridge.

Ms. Ruane also heard this evening that Village officials were going to ask Bergen County if they have any available pedestrian footbridges to use until the Kingsbridge Lane Footbridge can be repaired. She is concerned that even if there is a temporary footbridge available, it may be flat and may not be the right size. Ms. Ruane mentioned that this would be similar to the footbridge by the high school, where a “beaver dam” is created after heavy rains, with trees, brush and debris. She said that if such a flat bridge were installed near the Kingsbridge Lane Footbridge, the same “beaver dam effect” will occur and may possibly flood neighboring homes. Ms. Ruane stated that during Hurricane Ida, many of those homes were flooded, and one house was even condemned. The Kingsbridge Lane Footbridge was designed with an arched walkway for that very reason.

Jacquelyn Hone, 30 Carriage Lane, stated that she sent numerous emails to the Village Councilmembers, with supporting documentation, regarding her concerns about Mr. Primavera’s background and qualifications. She does not feel that this information is being addressed properly. She said that on the W-9 form, Peter Primavera provided an address of 534 Boulevard, in Westfield, New Jersey. The EIN number indicated was 24-4243556. An email from Olivia, with a copy to Robert Rooney, sent to Mr. Primavera read, “I’m trying to set you up as a vendor in our system. When I type in your business name and your EIN number you provided, it comes up as no match. See screen shot attached.” She said that the EIN number she just mentioned is not the same EIN number used when the Village awarded a second contract to Mr. Primavera.  Primavera Partners gave another address of 552 Boulevard in Westfield, New Jersey, not 534 Boulevard, with a completely different EIN number of 93-2041227.

Ms. Hone stated that Mr. Primavera was first hired by the Village in April 2023, and since that time has furnished three different identities, four different addresses, and two different EINs. She urged the Village Councilmembers to study the documents submitted to them by residents and take appropriate action.

There were no further public comments.

Addressing Ms. Hone regarding her comments about Mr. Primavera, Mr. Kazmark said that the only clarification he made this evening were the two differences between Resolution #23-149 and the new proposed resolution (change of business name and change of P.O. Box address to a street address). Addressing Mr. Loving’s comments regarding the Park and Ride, Mr. Kazmark said that he would appreciate it if Mr. Loving would send an email to the NJDOT delineating his findings and Councilmember Weitz’s concerns. Mr. Kazmark said that he would provide Mr. Loving with the email address of the new Government Relations Representative of the NJDOT.

Regarding the use of Village fields, Mr. Kazmark stated that all of the parks and recreational facilities owned by the Ridgewood are open and accessible to the public. This is supported by case law, especially since the Village has accepted monies from Green Acres. Even if Green Acres funds were not involved in park development in Ridgewood, every park and field is open to the public. Mr. Kazmark said that the discussion at the Fields Committee meeting had to do with field permitting, when the Village has the opportunity to control who is on a particular field. Children and adults are encouraged to engage in pickup games. The Police Department will not interfere with anyone using Village fields, unless such use interferes with a scheduled game, activity or practice.

Mr. Kazmark said that there is another issue which he has to talk to Mr. Rogers about. This deals with individuals or companies coming to Ridgewood and using Ridgewood facilities, without permission, for a profit. This raises liability issues and he is concerned that someone is profiting off of the use of municipal facilities, without any type of permission or issuance of any permit.

Regarding the field closure notification, Mr. Kazmark said that this was his error. He never worked for a municipality where the municipality sent out notices about park and field closures. In the future, any notices about field closures will be sent to all residents.

Councilmember Winograd stated that most of the comments recalled by Mr. Loving at the Fields Committee meeting had to do with the use of Village fields by for-profit companies. Other than that, she stated that everyone is welcome to use Village fields. Councilmember Winograd mentioned that there was an evergreen tree by her house which was dangerous and she was going to have it removed, but the tree contractor suggested that she donate it to Ridgewood for a Christmas tree. Regarding Ms. Ruane’s comments about the footbridge, Councilmember Winograd assured her that a temporary flat bridge that obstructs water flow will not be installed near the Kingsbridge Lane Footbridge.

13.       ADJOURNMENT

There being no further business to come before the Village Council, on a motion by Deputy Mayor Perron, seconded by Councilmember Reynolds, and carried unanimously by voice vote, the Village Council’s Regular Public Work Session was adjourned at 11:17 p.m.

                                                ____________________________________

                                                                                                Paul Vagianos

                                                                                                        Mayor

____________________________________

                         Eileen Young

                  Deputy Village Clerk

A REGULAR PUBLIC MEETING OF THE VILLAGE COUNCIL OF THE VILLAGE OF RIDGEWOOD HELD IN THE SYDNEY V. STOLDT, JR. COURT ROOM OF THE RIDGEWOOD VILLAGE HALL, 131 NORTH MAPLE AVENUE, RIDGEWOOD, NEW JERSEY, ON AUGUST 9, 2023 AT 7:30 P.M.

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

Mayor Vagianos called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m. and read the Statement of Compliance with the Open Public Meetings Act. At roll call, the following were present: Councilmembers Perron, Reynolds, Weitz, Winograd, and Mayor Vagianos. Also present were Keith Kazmark, Village Manager; Heather Mailander, Village Clerk; and Matthew Rogers, Village Attorney.

Mayor Vagianos led those in attendance in the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag.

2.         ACCEPTANCE OF FINANCIAL REPORTS

Mayor Vagianos moved that the Bills, Claims, and Vouchers, and Statement of Funds on Hand as of July 31, 2023, be accepted as submitted. Councilmember Reynolds seconded the motion.

Roll Call Vote

AYES:          Councilmembers Perron, Reynolds, Weitz, Winograd, and Mayor Vagianos

NAYS:         None

ABSENT:    None

ABSTAIN:   None

3.      APPROVAL OF MINUTES

Mayor Vagianos moved that the Village Council minutes of March 8, April 3, April 26, May 3, May 24, and June 7, 2023, having been reviewed by the Village Council and now available in the Village Clerk’s Office, be approved as submitted. Councilmember Weitz seconded the motion.

Roll Call Vote

AYES:          Councilmembers Perron, Weitz, Reynolds, Winograd, and Mayor Vagianos

NAYS:         None

ABSENT:    None

ABSTAIN:   Councilmember Reynolds (only regarding minutes of March 8, 2023, since she was absent, but approved the other minutes)

4.      PROCLAMATIONS

A.    PROCLAIM SEPTEMBER OVARIAN CANCER AWARENESS MONTH

         Councilmember Winograd read the following proclamation:

B.    PROCLAIM SEPTEMBER NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS MONTH

         Councilmember Weitz read the following proclamation:

C.    PROCLAIM SEPTEMBER NATIONAL SUICIDE PREVENTION AWARENESS MONTH

         Deputy Mayor Perron read the following proclamation:

5.      COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC

Jan Philips, 234 Union Street, thanked the current Village Council for not acting in the same manner as the previous Village Council, when they sought to disenfranchise and disempower the public during public comments. She said that hybrid access is “door opening” by expanding public comment, allowing for more voices to be heard, and enabling residents to multi-task, while viewing Village Council meetings. Ms. Philips was appreciative that the new Village website will incorporate the Ridgewood Police Department within it. She thanked the Village Council for acting to celebrate and recognize Juneteenth, as well as acknowledging and embracing the LGBTQ community. Ms. Philips also appreciated the Proclamation read this evening, declaring September as National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, stating that Ridgewood was the home of Tyler Clementi, who took his own life many years ago. She thanked Councilmember Winograd for creating awareness of the special needs population in Ridgewood, through her efforts with the Access Committee. She thanked Mr. Kazmark for his interest in celebrating Thanksgiving at the annual HealthBarn Senior Dinner and the Interfaith Service. She also thanked Mr. Kazmark for his interest in the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., weekend celebration in Ridgewood, which Ms. Philips stated was the longest ongoing celebration of its kind, in the State of New Jersey.

Rurik Halaby, 1 Franklin Avenue, said that after driving past the Schedler property this afternoon, he realized that the Village should learn from its prior mistakes.  He said that the most important lesson to learn is how decisions were made, and by whom they were made, over the past six years. He wondered who made the decision to build the berm on the Schedler property, which he stated was full of tall weeds that were higher than the trees, and who made the decision to plant trees on top of the berm. Mr. Halaby indicated that he would like to know who made the decisions regarding the renovations to the Zabriskie-Schedler house. He said that it is costing the Village “a fortune” to restore the house, citing the fact that copper gutters were installed on the house. Mr. Halaby said that the house has no insulation. He recalled that the house was contaminated at one point with black mold, which he stated could prove deadly for people with respiratory issues. He suggested that the house be tested for black mold before a Certificate of Occupancy is issued.

Mr. Halaby commended Councilmember Winograd, and everyone else on the Village Council, on the tremendous improvements made in the Village, regarding communications with the public this year.

Bob Fuhrman, 49 Clinton Avenue, thanked the Village Council for approving the funding for the new Village website, which he stated was sorely needed by residents seeking information. As a member of the Communications Committee, he thanked Dylan Hanson, Director of I.T., who located three potential service providers to develop the new website.

Anne Loving, 324 South Irving Street, said that she recently ran into a Village Councilmember on the Ridgewood Train Station platform, who was traveling to New York City to visit a sick friend in a memory care unit and a sick family member. Ms. Loving was reminded that although members of the public often sharply disagree with some elected officials, they should remember that everyone, including Village Councilmembers, have lives to live outside of Village Council meetings and have personal problems that must be solved.

Regarding the Village Council meeting held on August 2, 2023, Ms. Loving stated that she was pleased to see the topic of public comments placed on the agenda. She thanked Councilmember Reynolds for requesting to put this matter on the agenda. However, Ms. Loving said that it was embarrassing to hear Mayor Vagianos and Councilmember Winograd berate Councilmember Reynolds for previously being opposed to hybrid access to Village Council meetings. Ms. Loving applauded Councilmember Reynolds for changing her stance regarding hybrid access. She felt that instead of criticizing Councilmember Reynolds, Mayor Vagianos and Councilmember Winograd should follow Councilmember Reynolds’ lead and change their opinions on certain issues, for the greater good of the Village, especially their opinions regarding the proposed desecration of the historic Schedler property.

Boyd A. Loving, 342 South Irving Street, said that he wanted to speak about a certain safety issue in the Village, which he has been discussing with the Police and Signal Departments over the past few months. He wanted to bring this matter to the attention of the Village Council, since he has had no luck with getting the problem resolved. He said that when one turns onto Franklin Avenue, by Mavis Tire, and drives westbound on Franklin Avenue from North Maple Avenue (toward the train station), there is an ordinance which prohibits drivers from making a left-hand turn into the driveway for Mavis Tire, as well as an ordinance that prohibits a left turn into the back driveway of the new NOMA building. Mr. Loving said that several months ago, the sign prohibiting a left turn into Mavis Tire was knocked down in a traffic accident.  He said that he has been trying for months to get that sign replaced, without success. He said that such a sign was definitely there in the past, as proven by his research on Google Maps. 

Mr. Loving said that a sign has been installed prohibiting a left turn into the NOMA driveway and he assumes that Village officials believe that this sign is sufficient to prevent drivers from making a left turn into Mavis Tire as well. However, drivers are not able to see this sign until after they have driven past the driveway for Mavis Tire. Mr. Loving asked Mr. Kazmark to contact the Signal Department and find out what can be done about this matter. He said that he and his wife have observed many drivers attempting to make a left turn into the driveway for Mavis Tire, which causes traffic to back up onto North Maple Avenue.

There were no further public comments.

Mayor Vagianos said that after hearing Ms. Loving’s comments this evening, he thought of the saying, “Be kind, for everyone is fighting their own difficult battle.”

6.         VILLAGE MANAGER’S REPORT

Mr. Kazmark thanked all Village residents, as well as commuters who travel through the Village, for their patience regarding the various paving projects taking place in the Village. He said that the County paving project on Godwin and Linwood Avenues is substantially completed. All that is left to be done is the striping on the road, which should be completed by the end of this week. He said that some issues with Public Service Electric & Gas (PSE&G) projects, as well as weather and equipment challenges, have delayed some of the paving progress. He said that there are discussions underway about possibly paving on Saturdays, in an effort to complete all paving projects before the start of school in September. Mr. Kazmark announced that North Monroe Avenue is scheduled to be paved during the week of August 21.

Mr. Kazmark reported that on Monday, August 14, 2023, there will be a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Ravine Water Treatment Plant. He thanked Rich Calbi, Director of Ridgewood Water, and his staff for all of their hard work in designing this new PFAS treatment facility and organizing the groundbreaking event.

Mr. Kazmark thanked Jan Philips and the Interfaith Committee for welcoming him to their meeting this past week. He also thanked the residents who served on the Website Design Committee. A vendor has been selected and Councilmember Winograd will announce the selection later this evening. He also praised Dylan Hansen, Director of the I.T. Department, for his efforts in this regard.

Mr. Kazmark announced that he is in the process of working with Department Directors to begin the Joint Insurance Fund renewal process, which will include an inventory of the Village’s infrastructure, such as vehicles, equipment, and Village-owned property. He thanked Chris Rutishauser, Village Engineer, and Bob Rooney, Director of the Parking Utility and Chief Financial Officer, for their assistance with that effort.

A tentative date has been set for a meeting between Mr. Kazmark and residents who live on West Glen Avenue, regarding the sidewalk project, on August 17, 2023 in the Senior Lounge at Village Hall. A letter announcing same will be sent out by the end of this week. In addition, a tentative date has been set for “Meet the Manager” night on Monday, September 18, 2023 in the Courtroom, during which time residents will get the chance to meet Mr. Kazmark, ask questions, and voice their concerns.  Mr. Kazmark stated that an Open House meeting has been tentatively scheduled with Ridgewood Water for the third week in September, during which time Village residents may ask questions concerning the quality of the drinking water. Updates on the exact date will be announced at the next Village Council Meeting on September 6, 2023.

Mr. Kazmark announced that there is an open seat on the Open Space Committee. Interested individuals should submit a cover letter and volunteer form (found on the Village website) to the Village Clerk’s Office. These documents will be reviewed after the deadline date of August 16, 2023.

7.         VILLAGE COUNCIL REPORTS

Councilmember Winograd said that the Shade Tree Subcommittee met last week to discuss several efforts that will occur later this month in the Central Business District (CBD). They are going to be partnering with the members of Project Pride to beautify the downtown area, particularly weeding the flowerbeds and tree wells. Anyone interested in helping to weed during the last week of August should contact Councilmember Winograd.

Councilmember Winograd said that she attended a demonstration by a company called Gipper, along with staff from Ridgewood Water and the Parks and Recreation Department. She stated that this company is designed to standardize the approach to social media, in order to ensure that all content is consistent.

Councilmember Winograd said that she enjoyed an event in Memorial Park at Van Neste Square last Sunday, when a former co-worker of hers named John Fernandez played house music. Many residents were in attendance, including Deputy Mayor Perron.

Councilmember Winograd thanked Mr. Hansen and the staff of the I.T. Department for all of their assistance with vetting three vendors to help with the new Village website. The Communications Committee unanimously decided to hire CivicPlus to perform the Village website development. Councilmember Winograd said that the money allocated for the website update was pretty much on point. Mayor Vagianos thanked Councilmember Winograd for pushing for the updating of the Village website, which he stated was sorely needed.

Councilmember Weitz thanked Village staff who assisted with preparing the sidewalks and curbs in time for the County to pave Linwood Avenue. His committees did not meet this past week. However, he met with Mr. Kazmark and remarked that Mr. Kazmark took copious notes. He applauded Mr. Kazmark’s willingness this past month to meet with Village staff and residents, so that he could become acclimated to the Village, and hear about the concerns of the residents.

Councilmember Reynolds stated that her committees did not meet since last Wednesday, so she had nothing new to report.

Deputy Mayor Perron said that a few of her committees met during the month of August. A meeting of the Central Business District Advisory Committee (CBDAC) is scheduled for tomorrow at 8:30 a.m. The informal meeting will take place at the Daily Treat Restaurant. Members of Green Ridgewood had a nice get-together at their Chairman’s house, with their families. Deputy Mayor Perron said that she wanted to “sing the praises” and benefits of

weeding, including stress relief, and she encouraged everyone to volunteer to help, with beautifying the CBD.

Deputy Mayor Perron stated that last weekend was perfect for “Destination Ridgewood.”  The Indian community in Ridgewood sponsored numerous activities in Memorial Park at Van Neste Square, including dancers in beautiful outfits and delicious food. There will be Tai Chi in the park next Saturday at 8:00 a.m., followed by “Adventures with Nature,” a children’s activity at 10:30 a.m., and two bands at 12:30 p.m. (The Oval Office and A Side of Fries), comprised of Ridgewood High School students. They play contemporary music, rhythm and blues, and other styles of music. “The Racket” will play on Saturday evening at 7:30 p.m. in Memorial Park at Van Neste Square. On Sunday, Village Yoga will give yoga instruction at 8:00 a.m. in the park, and Paper Jam will play electronic and acoustic music at 5:00 p.m.

Mayor Vagianos thanked Deputy Mayor Perron for coordinating all of the entertainment for Destination Ridgewood this summer. He also thanked everyone involved with the herculean-paving project on Linwood Avenue, and remarked that a lot of street paving has occurred in the past few weeks.

8.         ORDINANCES

A.        RIDGEWOOD WATER

1.         INTRODUCTION – #3963 – BOND ORDINANCE – PFAS TREATMENT FACILITIES – WEST END AND EAST RIDGEWOOD AVENUE

Mayor Vagianos moved that the Village Clerk read Ordinance #3963 by title on first reading. Councilmember Weitz seconded the motion.

Roll Call Vote

AYES:          Councilmembers Perron, Reynolds, Weitz, Winograd, and Mayor Vagianos

NAYS:         None

ABSENT:    None

ABSTAIN:   None

The Village Clerk read Ordinance #3963 by title only:

BOND ORDINANCE OF THE VILLAGE OF RIDGEWOOD, IN THE COUNTY OF BERGEN, NEW JERSEY, PROVIDING FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF NEW TREATMENT PLANTS BY RIDGEWOOD WATER TO CENTRALIZE THE TREATMENT AND REMEDIATION OF PFOA AND PFOS, APPROPRIATING $11,000,000 THEREFOR AND AUTHORIZING THE ISSUANCE OF $11,000,000 BONDS OR NOTES OF THE VILLAGE TO FINANCE THE COST THEREOF

Councilmember Reynolds moved that Ordinance #3963 be adopted on first reading and that September 13, 2023 be fixed as the date for the hearing thereon. Councilmember Weitz seconded the motion.

Roll Call Vote

AYES:          Councilmembers Perron, Reynolds, Weitz, Winograd, and Mayor Vagianos

NAYS:         None

ABSENT:    None

ABSTAIN:   None

9.         RESOLUTIONS – RIDGEWOOD WATER

Ms. Mailander indicated that the following resolution, numbered 23-275, was to be adopted by a consent agenda and read by title only:

10.       ORDINANCES

A.        INTRODUCTION – #3964 – AMEND CHAPTER 265 – VEHICLES AND TRAFFIC - PARKING PROHIBITED AT ALL TIMES AND TIME LIMIT PARKING – NORTH WALNUT STREET AND MASTIN PLACE

Mayor Vagianos moved that the Village Clerk read Ordinance #3964 by title on first reading. Councilmember Weitz seconded the motion.

Roll Call Vote

AYES:          Councilmembers Perron, Reynolds, Weitz, Winograd, and Mayor Vagianos

NAYS:         None

ABSENT:    None

ABSTAIN:   None

The Village Clerk read Ordinance #3964 by title only:

AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND CHAPTER 265 OF THE CODE OF THE VILLAGE OF RIDGEWOOD, VEHICLES AND TRAFFIC, AT SECTION

265-65, “PARKING PROHIBITED AT ALL TIMES”, AND SECTION 265-69, “TIME LIMIT PARKING”

Councilmember Reynolds moved that Ordinance #3964 be adopted on first reading and that September 13, 2023 be fixed as the date for the hearing thereon. Councilmember Weitz seconded the motion.

Roll Call Vote

AYES:          Councilmembers Perron, Reynolds, Weitz, Winograd, and Mayor Vagianos

NAYS:         None

ABSENT:    None

ABSTAIN:   None

B.        INTRODUCTION – #3965 – AMEND CHAPTER 101 – ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES

Mayor Vagianos moved that the Village Clerk read Ordinance #3965 by title on first reading. Councilmember Winograd seconded the motion.

Roll Call Vote

AYES:          Councilmembers Perron, Reynolds, Weitz, Winograd, and Mayor Vagianos

NAYS:         None

ABSENT:    None

ABSTAIN:   None

The Village Clerk read Ordinance #3965 by title only:

AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND CHAPTER 101, ARTICLE 1, OF THE CODE OF THE VILLAGE OF RIDGEWOOD, GENERAL PROVISIONS, AT SECTION 101-7, TERM OF LICENSE AND PAYMENT OF FEES, SECTION 101-10 (B), LICENSE ENTITLEMENTS; FEES, AND SECTION 101-11, PLENARY RETAIL DISTRIBUTION LICENSE

Councilmember Weitz moved that Ordinance #3965 be adopted on first reading and that September 13, 2023 be fixed as the date for the hearing thereon. Councilmember Winograd seconded the motion.

Roll Call Vote

AYES:          Councilmembers Perron, Reynolds, Weitz, Winograd, and Mayor Vagianos

NAYS:         None

ABSENT:    None

ABSTAIN:   None

C.        INTRODUCTION – #3966 – AMEND CHAPTER 3 – ADMINISTRATION OF GOVERNMENT – ARTICLE II – VILLAGE COUNCIL

Mayor Vagianos moved that the Village Clerk read Ordinance #3966 by title on first reading. Councilmember Winograd seconded the motion.

Roll Call Vote

AYES:          Councilmembers Perron, Reynolds, Weitz, Winograd, and Mayor Vagianos

NAYS:         None

ABSENT:    None

ABSTAIN:   None

The Village Clerk read Ordinance #3966 by title only:

AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND CHAPTER 3, ARTICLE II,  OF THE CODE OF THE VILLAGE OF RIDGEWOOD, ENTITLED “VILLAGE COUNCIL”, AT SECTION 3-13, ENTITLED “ORDER OF BUSINESS”, AND SECTION 3-19, ENTITLED “MANNER ADDRESSING COUNCIL”

Councilmember Weitz moved that Ordinance #3966 be adopted on first reading and that September 13, 2023 be fixed as the date for the hearing thereon. Councilmember Winograd seconded the motion.

Roll Call Vote

AYES:          Councilmembers Perron, Reynolds, Weitz, Winograd, and Mayor Vagianos

NAYS:         None

ABSENT:    None

ABSTAIN:   None

D.        PUBLIC HEARING - #3962 – AMEND CHAPTER 190 – LAND USE AND DEVELOPMENT – ESTABLISH REGULATIONS FOR PRIVATELY OWNED SALT STORAGE

Mayor Vagianos moved that the Village Clerk read Ordinance #3962 by title on second reading and that the Public Hearing thereon be opened. Councilmember Winograd seconded the motion.

Roll Call Vote

AYES:          Councilmembers Perron, Reynolds, Weitz, Winograd, and Mayor Vagianos

NAYS:         None

ABSENT:    None

ABSTAIN:   None

The Village Clerk read Ordinance #3962 by title only:

AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND CHAPTER 190 OF THE CODE OF THE VILLAGE OF RIDGEWOOD, LAND USE AND DEVELOPMENT, AT SECTION 190-120, “ENVIRONMENTAL PROVISIONS”

Mayor Vagianos stated that the Planning Board has not yet reviewed this ordinance and given their input, which is required for all Land Use Ordinances, prior to adoption. Therefore, the Public Hearing on Ordinance #3962 will be continued to September 13, 2023. He stated that the Public Hearing for Ordinance #3962 was advertised for this evening, so anyone wishing to comment on this ordinance may do so at this meeting, at the meeting on September 13, 2023, or both. Mayor Vagianos opened the Public Hearing on Ordinance #3962.

Boyd A. Loving, 342 South Irving Street, asked for confirmation from Ms. Mailander that people are also entitled to make public comments concerning this matter via Zoom (hybrid access). Ms. Mailander replied in the affirmative. Mr. Loving asked if the Zoom feature was working properly, since he received an email from someone who advised him that she had “raised her hand” remotely to make comments previously and was ignored. Mayor Vagianos stated that he did not see any “hands raised” at this time or earlier this evening, during public comments. He asked Marc Nertilus, of the I.T. Department, who is present at the meeting this evening, whether or not Zoom access was working properly, and Marc confirmed that it was.

Mr. Loving stated that he had some questions regarding some wording contained within proposed Ordinance #3962. He said that this ordinance covers private properties for salt storage, but also states that it covers properties not owned or operated by the Village of Ridgewood. Mr. Loving believed that the Village does not have any jurisdiction over any properties located within the Village, which are owned by Bergen County, the State of New Jersey or the Board of Education. He wondered if the wording should be clarified to indicate that the Village does not have jurisdiction over such properties. Mr. Rogers, Village Attorney, said that it was his understanding that the Village would not be able to regulate the properties owned by the County, State, or Board of Education.

Mr. Loving again asked if the wording could be clarified, since the State stores salt at a location on Franklin Turnpike, the Board of Education stores salt in the back of Benjamin Franklin Middle School, and Bergen County stores salt at the Ridgewood Duck Pond. Mr. Rogers stated that Mr. Loving raises a fair point, since the words “privately-owned” is in parentheses in the body of the ordinance under “Purpose.” However, he wondered whether an amendment to Ordinance #3962 was necessary, since it would not change the content or the meaning of the ordinance. He stated that, statutorily, the Village cannot regulate any property owned by a governmental agency. However, if the Village Council wished to adopt an amendment to this ordinance, he did not believe that it would jeopardize the timing of the adoption of Ordinance #3962.

Mr. Loving indicated that he did not feel this would be a substantive change to the ordinance, and Mr. Rogers agreed. Mr. Loving reiterated that he felt the ordinance needed some clarification. Councilmember Reynolds agreed that the wording should be clarified to reflect the concerns raised by Mr. Loving. Everyone else was in agreement.

Denise Lima, 319 East Glen Avenue, said that she had “raised her hand” to make public comments remotely at the beginning of this evening’s meeting, and she wondered why she was not acknowledged. Mayor Vagianos apologized and stated that he had not seen her on the screen previously, but did see her at the current time. Ms. Lima had no comments pertaining to Ordinance #3962.

Since there were no further public comments, Mayor Vagianos moved that the Public Hearing be continued to September 13, 2023. Councilmember Winograd seconded the motion.

Roll Call Vote

AYES:          Councilmembers Perron, Reynolds, Weitz, Winograd, and Mayor Vagianos

NAYS:         None

ABSENT:    None

ABSTAIN:   None

11.       RESOLUTIONS

Ms. Mailander indicated that the following resolutions, numbered 23-276 through 23-284, were to be adopted by a consent agenda and read by title only:

Ms. Mailander indicated that the following resolutions, numbered 23-285 through 23-286, were to be considered separately and read in full.  Prior to the vote on these resolutions, Mayor Vagianos stated that he would recuse himself from voting on Resolution #23-285 and #23-286.

12.       COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC

Denise Lima, 319 East Glen Avenue, thanked the Village Council for the Proclamation read this evening proclaiming September 2023 as “Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month.” She stated that she is a 10-year survivor of ovarian cancer and feels that regular check-ups are crucial in detecting and curing this disease. There is a blood test available, which can detect a “125 marker,” and this would allow for early detection of ovarian cancer.

Regard Mr. Loving’s earlier comments about “No Left Turn” signs by Mavis Tire and the NOMA apartment building, Ms. Lima said that there are two “No Left Turn” signs near the Starbucks and Valley National Bank on Franklin Avenue, one located near each driveway.

Regarding hybrid access, Ms. Lima asked if there was any way to determine how many residents join each Village Council meeting remotely. In this way, it could be determined how successful hybrid access is with residents.

Ms. Lima asked for an update on the Town Garage on Franklin Avenue. She said that many people are interested to learn whether or not a pocket park will be constructed in that location. She asked if this matter could be placed on the Village Council meeting agenda in the near future. In addition, Ms. Lima said that she would like to hear more about the Master Plan, and what elements of the plan have thus far been implemented. Lastly, Ms. Lima said that she is still interested in seeing some picnic tables placed in Village parks, for residents to enjoy.

Mayor Vagianos said that he was pleased to hear that Ms. Lima is a 10-year survivor of ovarian cancer. He also stated that he could now view everyone on his screen who are waiting to make public comments remotely.

Suzanne Ruane, 705 Kingsbridge Lane, verified that there were indeed some technical difficulties this evening with YouTube LiveStream, since she could not gain access to it. In addition, she stated that she could not access the Village website on her phone.

Ms. Ruane stated that she is very happy to see so many roads being repaved in Ridgewood recently. She indicated that she has asked her neighbors to email the Village Councilmembers and Village Manager regarding repaving West Saddle River Road. In April, she attended a meeting of the Citizens Safety Advisory Committee (CSAC) to discuss safety issues along West Saddle River Road and the Kingsbridge Lane Footbridge. She said that the members of CSAC confirmed to her that West Saddle River Road is not a County road; instead, it is the responsibility of the Village. Ms. Ruane stated that West Saddle River Road has been in the same dilapidated state for the last ten years, ever since she moved to Kingsbridge Lane. She stated that drivers have actually gotten flat tires from driving over the potholes on West Saddle River Road.

Ms. Ruane stated that she has been told that West Saddle River Road, near the Schedler property, will not be repaved until all of the work has been completed on the Schedler development project, due to the fact that large trucks, machinery and equipment will be used to complete the development of that property. However, Ms. Ruane stated that Ho-Ho-Kus just completed the construction of a huge housing project near West Saddle River Road, and the roadway near that project is in much better condition than the portion of West Saddle River Road near her house. Ms. Ruane indicated that even though there is currently no projected date for completion of the Schedler project, the neighbors living near the Schedler property should not be penalized and left with a deteriorated roadway such as West Saddle River Road. She asked the Village Councilmembers to seriously discuss when this road will be repaved. Mayor Vagianos noted that Mr. Kazmark will be checking with the Engineering Department regarding the concerns raised by Ms. Ruane.

Frank “The Bee Man” Mortimer, 426 Van Buren Street, thanked the Ridgewood Fire Department for their assistance Monday evening around midnight, when an electrical fire broke out in the right-of-way owned by PSE&G, between East Glen Avenue and Franklin Turnpike. Mr. Mortimer stated that a lot of wires and electrical sparks were flying about the area, but it was quickly contained by the Ridgewood Fire Department, without any injuries.

Boyd A. Loving, 342 South Irving Street, said that he is happy that the technical glitch concerning hybrid access was corrected this evening. In June of this year, Mr. Loving had asked that the screen in the courtroom during Village Council meetings display the same type of information shown during Board of Education meetings, such as the number of people waiting to speak via hybrid access, as well as their names. Mr. Loving said that this would allow for complete transparency, with regard to hybrid access.

Regarding Resolution #23-284, Mr. Loving recalled that Deputy Mayor Perron asked during a Village Council Work Session whether or not the small node telecommunications low power antennas proposed for placement by Verizon on existing utility poles on East Ridgewood Avenue and Linwood Avenue were 5G, and she was told that they were not 5G. However, Mr. Loving said that the Verizon small nodes were equivalent to 5G.

Mr. Loving stated that there has been quite a bit of conversation regarding the new trash containers in the CBD. When there are back-to-back events during the weekend in the CBD, the trashcans are overflowing with garbage and create a mess, since the trash is not collected over the weekend. Mr. Loving expressed the hope that Mr. Kazmark would take care of resolving this issue. Mr. Kazmark replied that this situation has already been corrected. Mr. Loving thanked Mr. Kazmark.

Mr. Loving said that before the most recent Village Council election, there were many complaints about the length of time it took to receive documents requested under the Open Public Records Act (OPRA) from the Village Clerk’s Office. He said that one Village Councilmember in particular complained endlessly about this problem. Mr. Loving said that, for the record, every time his family has submitted an OPRA request since the current Village Councilmembers took office, a request for an extension has been made by the Village Clerk’s Office. Therefore, Mr. Loving stated that, apparently, no progress has been made with speeding up the time within which residents receive the requested information.

Anne Loving, 342 South Irving Street, said that Kathryn Schmidt (South Irving Street) has asked her to read a statement on her behalf, since she could not attend the meeting this evening. Ms. Loving read: “I have already stated my opposition to the overdevelopment of Schedler on numerous occasions. In fact, as I learn more and experience the consequences of the Anthropocene era in general, I am moving even closer to the non-development of Schedler. But that’s not what I want to discuss. Thinking more about our fields situation, as I have heard at many meetings, Ridgewood seems to have a significant lack of field inventory. So, first of all, how much of a dent is one field going to make?  How many fields would it take to solve our problem?  Much more, I suspect, than we have land to accommodate. Hold that thought, for if, and when, Valley vacates. So maybe we just need to think about this very differently. Maybe it is not in our stars to have sufficient fields for all of our needs, just like we probably don’t have enough dance studios or movie theaters or art studios to satisfy everyone. Maybe a better solution is to look to neighboring communities. I am sure there are a number of creative ways to barter for field usage, while offering services that we have and can share, or other sharing models. The continued pursuit of a one-track solution of a larger field on the Schedler property seems so contorted at this time, aggravated by so much more information on climate, trees, biodiversity, PFAS, health – more than when this project even began. I appreciate the out-of-the-box thinking underway – buying an adjacent property, moving the house, removing the historical designation, and I’m sure a few that I’m not even up to speed on – but they are all solutions in one direction: building a bigger field. Perhaps it might be worth looking in the opposite direction as well. In fact, sometimes I have found that this reverse osmosis approach even results in bringing a new solution into play, that solves the original problem. I don’t think the end game for Ridgewood should be to assimilate everything, including every good idea that every other town is grasping at. Rather, it should be more about making us unique and best in our own way. And, yes, our own way may not attract everyone, but goodness knows, we can all name communities that we do not want to live in, because of the look and feel they have assumed. Franklin Lakes, Princeton and Allendale are a few that come to mind for me that I don’t aspire to. That does not mean they are undesirable communities, by any means. It just means they are other than what I want. It would be helpful to see the results of some research on what it would take to share athletic resources with nearby towns, and I would be interested in any reaction to a shared service approach to sports fields. Thank you, Kathryn Komsa Schmidt.”

Rurik Halaby, 1 Franklin Avenue, said that, up until recently, he had been “the lone voice in the wilderness” asking for an updated Village website. He thanked Councilmember Winograd for her efforts in accomplishing this goal. He said that $50,000.00 is a “bargain” and a “pittance” to pay for a new Village website. Mr. Halaby said that the “icing on the cake” is the new Village Manager, who has “communication running in his veins.” He thanked Mr. Kazmark for the numerous E-Notices and social media postings.

There were no further public comments.

With regard to Ms. Ruane’s comments regarding the resurfacing of West Saddle River Road, Mr. Kazmark indicated that he and others have received a number of emails regarding this matter. He spoke with the Village Engineer and was told that there was a delay in listing West Saddle River Road for paving, because the Engineering Department was awaiting a decision regarding the Schedler property development (whether or not there would be parking, in which case the roadway would have to be expanded). Mr. Kazmark has asked Mr. Rutishauser to include this road in future decision-making regarding street paving, just as he would assess any other road in the Village.

With regard to the question about 5G and the Verizon small node antennae, Mr. Kazmark stated that he did not believe he indicated to Deputy Mayor Perron that the nodes were not 5G, since he did not really know the answer to the question. However, he clarified this issue with Mr. Rutishauser and provided the information to the Village Councilmembers.

Regarding the trashcans overflowing with garbage in the CBD, Mr. Kazmark said that this problem has been corrected, and he does not anticipate any such problems in the future.

Regarding the 5G question, Deputy Mayor Perron recalled that a consultant was hired by the Village to review all of the areas where 5G facilities were located, to determine where the Village must allow antennae to be installed. She asked if this consultant could be involved in the placement of the small node antennae proposed to be placed in two locations in Ridgewood by Verizon. Mr. Kazmark said that he would convey this request to Mr. Rutishauser. He said that the Engineering Department has been very careful where such communication antennae are placed, so that they are aesthetically pleasing.

Addressing the comments made in Kathryn Schmidt’s letter, Councilmember Winograd stated that Valley Hospital already has an affordable housing “overlay” on it, so the property currently occupied by Valley Hospital will not be used for open space development, such as playing fields. The Village has an obligation to provide affordable housing. In addition, Councilmember Winograd said that, unfortunately, due to the multiple times that Ridgewood playing fields have flooded (five times in the last 2-1/2 years), the Village has a lot of experience with playing on fields located outside of Ridgewood.

Councilmember Winograd said that Ridgewood is not the only municipality with a lack of playing fields. Bergen County has been overdeveloped. She said that nearby towns are not interested in letting Ridgewood athletes play on their fields, because they are mostly interested in servicing the needs of their own community. She added that the older soccer players in Ridgewood (over 50 years old and over 60 years old) already play out of district (Mahwah). Councilmember Winograd also corrected Mr. Halaby’s previous comment, stating that the new Village website will cost $40,000.00, and not $50,000.00.

Deputy Mayor Perron said that she believed the Valley Hospital overlay also includes open space. Councilmember Winograd said that it only allowed for a small amount of open space. Mr. Rogers said that the agreement states that if Valley Hospital stays in the same place, they are able to bring in certain healthcare uses for the property. If they do not, the property has been designated as an Area in Need of Redevelopment for affordable housing.

13.       ADJOURNMENT

There being no further business to come before the Village Council, on a motion by Councilmember Winograd, seconded by Councilmember Reynolds, and carried unanimously by voice vote, the Village Council’s Regular Public Meeting was adjourned at 8:37 p.m.

                                                ____________________________________

                                                                                                Paul Vagianos

                                                                                                        Mayor

____________________________________

                     Heather A. Mailander

                            Village Clerk

A REGULAR PUBLIC WORK SESSION OF THE VILLAGE COUNCIL OF THE VILLAGE OF RIDGEWOOD HELD IN THE SYDNEY V. STOLDT, JR. COURT ROOM OF THE RIDGEWOOD VILLAGE HALL, 131 NORTH MAPLE AVENUE, RIDGEWOOD, NEW JERSEY, ON AUGUST 2, 2023 AT 7:30 P.M.

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

Mayor Vagianos called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m. and read the Statement of Compliance with the Open Public Meetings Act. At roll call, the following were present: Councilmembers Perron, Reynolds, Weitz, Winograd, and Mayor Vagianos. Also present were Keith Kazmark, Village Manager; Heather Mailander, Village Clerk; and Matthew Rogers, Village Attorney.

Mayor Vagianos led those in attendance in the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag. Mayor Vagianos asked for a moment of silence in honor of the passing of Lieutenant Governor Sheila Oliver, who dedicated her entire life to public service for the State of New Jersey.

Mayor Vagianos then asked the Village Councilmembers to join him on the floor. He stated that this past Saturday, July 29, 2023, there was a report of a missing child at Graydon Pool. When Mayor Vagianos and Mr. Kazmark arrived at the pool, they observed dozens of emergency personnel from the Police and Fire Departments, as well as Graydon Pool staff, moving like a “well-trained, well-oiled machine” to find this child. Assistance was rendered by the dive team from the Ridgewood Fire Department. It was ultimately determined that this was a false alarm.

Mayor Vagianos thanked Nancy Bigos, Director of the Parks and Recreation Department; Steve Diamond, Manager of Graydon Pool; Sarah Butensky, the Shift Manager from Graydon Pool who made the 9-1-1 call; Maureen Lynch, Graydon Pool Badge and Security Manager; Emily Buchert, Badge and Security employee; and the waterfront lifeguards at Graydon Pool, including Mick Barbi, Alex Bogush, Georgia Canty, Jack Casavant, Ethan Chernichaw, Ava Fitts, Tessa Florida, Will Ginch, Ava Hutchinson, Logan Kanestrin, Caitlin Kinney, Ian MacCollom, John Morley, Javid Mursglov, Ryan Phelan, David Postoldki, Alesky Shcerbachev, and Joshua Tomioka.  There was a resounding round of applause.

Mayor Vagianos also thanked all members of the Ridgewood Fire Department who participated in the search: Chief John Judge, who coordinated the search efforts; Lieutenant Jordan Zales; Lieutenant Jason Kane; and Firefighters Tim Bombace, Jim Kakolewski, Brian Kelly, Dane Knudsen, Chris Mead, Matt Musicant, Chris Wolfstirn, Shelby Taylor, Michael Rohrman, Kurt Harba, and Jason Jacoby.  There was another resounding round of applause.

Mayor Vagianos then thanked members of the Special Operations section of Emergency Medical Services, including Captain Matthew Hendrickson; Lieutenant Vikram Dalmiya; Medical Director, Dr. Robert Lahita; and Special Operation members EMT Steven Chiesa, Mason Fraiman, James Alton, Rahil Bhatia, and Mark Tymoshenko. There was a resounding round of applause.

Mayor Vagianos next thanked the following members of the Police Department: Chief Forest Lyons, Lieutenant Heath James, Sergeant Michael Lembo, Detective Douglas Henky, Detective Steven Cummings, Officer Michael Karcher, Officer Shane Broglia, Officer Hector Perez, Officer Francisco Santiago, and Officer Colin Donnelly. Mayor Vagianos also thanked the following Valley Hospital paramedics who were on standby: Sue Bielefeld, Terry Reiss, Joseph Ventrella, and Dave Gordon. There was another resounding round of applause.

Mayor Vagianos also thanked Ms. Mailander who organized this tribute to all first responders and Graydon Pool personnel this evening.

2.         COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC

Frettra DeSilva, 521 West Saddle River Road, said that she wanted to make some comments after the presentation by Mr. Primavera a couple of weeks ago, but was unable to do so due to time constraints. She said that she was disappointed and embarrassed by the presentation made by Mr. Primavera, which she stated was not based upon an exhaustive investigation of the true facts regarding the historic nature of the Schedler property. Instead, it was based upon his reading various reports regarding the property. She expressed the hope that the Village Councilmembers have asked, or will ask, Mr. Primavera for more complete substantiation of the facts which he set forth in his analysis, rather than just accepting his presentation as accurate.

Ms. DeSilva also expressed the hope that the Village Councilmembers and Village Attorney will continue to consult with various historic consultants and experts, who are available in Bergen County and at the State level, before taking any action with regard to the historic designation of the Schedler property.

Cynthia O’Keefe, 542 West Saddle River Road, said that she wanted to read a statement from Anne Loving, 342 South Irving Street, since she could not personally attend the meeting this evening. She cited: “At the July 19, 2023 Public Meeting, Councilmember Reynolds indicated that a discussion item this week will address the inclusion of all public comments at the end of each meeting, regardless of the hour. Since January of this year, it has been commonplace for the Mayor to cut off public comments from citizens in the room, as well as those at home on the phone. This has happened with the consent of all elected officials, except Councilmember Reynolds. I am so relieved that Councilmember Reynolds has managed to get this on the agenda as a discussion item, and I trust that, moving forward, all public comments will be permitted. Silencing the voices of concerned residents flies in the face of good governance. Thank you.”

Denise Lima, 319 East Glen Avenue, thanked the new Village Manager, Keith Kazmark, for his public outreach to the community and attempting to become acclimated with the Village. Ms. Lima noted that there are no picnic tables in any Ridgewood parks, including Memorial Park at Van Neste Square. She stated that it would be nice to have a table or two in each park, so that people may sit, have a picnic, and play table games. She mentioned that there are no benches at Leuning Park, either, for people to sit and enjoy the outdoors.

Ms. Lima stated that there have been a lot of emails back and forth between residents and the Village Councilmembers, regarding the fact that residents were not allowed to speak after the presentation by Mr. Primavera on July 19, 2023, due to the late hour. She said that when Mayor Vagianos was first elected as Mayor, he declared that his biggest goal for the Village Council was to “give the Council” back to the community. He said that the Village Council is not as open to the needs of the community as it should be, and this was something he wanted to change. However, Ms. Lima said that the residents do not feel that this is happening, especially when they make comments regarding the Schedler property, if they are allowed to speak at all.

Ms. Lima said that she echoed the comments made earlier regarding Mr. Primavera. She stated that she sent an email to the Village Councilmembers regarding some questionable items on Mr. Primavera’s resume, particularly concerning his purported projects. She did some due diligence, and many people who she contacted had never heard of Mr. Primavera, and she learned that the Montclair Planning Board released Mr. Primavera early from his involvement in a certain project. The Mayor of Clinton, who is actually the Mayor of Bethlehem, New Jersey, also stated that he was not acquainted with Mr. Primavera. Several people from Paterson working on the Hinchcliffe Stadium project, including the museum directors, said that they were unaware of who Mr. Primavera is. Regarding Lucy the Elephant in Marlton, New Jersey, there were comments from the Director of Education stating that he did not know who Mr. Primavera was.

Ms. Lima said that she is puzzled by Mr. Primavera’s recommendation to move the historic Zabriskie-Schedler house, which is not based on any expertise. She indicated that she sent an email to Mr. Primavera asking for more information on his background, and she never heard back from him. She also asked the Village Councilmembers to read the email from Peggy Norris, the Ridgewood historian, which was sent to them yesterday.

There were no further comments from the public.

3.         MANAGER’S REPORT

Mr. Kazmark echoed Mayor Vagianos’s sentiments made earlier this evening regarding the Graydon Pool incident. He said that he wanted to publicly thank the staff of the Parks and Recreation Department, especially the pool staff, as well as Chief Judge and Chief Lyons for the immediate response made by their respective departments. He also thanked the rest of the emergency responders, who assisted at the scene within minutes. He praised the dive team and their use of underwater technology. Mr. Kazmark said that he has publicly served in three different municipalities, and he has never seen a more seamless response to an emergency than he did at Graydon Pool.

Mr. Kazmark announced that a decision was made today to suspend the pedestrian plaza through Labor Day. He said that this was communicated via social media, and there will be an e-blast going out tomorrow announcing same. He said that due to overwhelming support from Village residents, the Village Councilmembers reinitiated the pedestrian plaza and dining corrals this year. The initial response to the pedestrian plaza was very positive and well attended by residents, and it was initially very well received by the businesses in the Central Business District (CBD). However, after schools were dismissed for the summer and the hot weather approached, along with record travel across the nation this year, attendance dwindled in the pedestrian plaza. Mr. Kazmark said that this is consistent with what has been seen in neighboring communities. Therefore, it was decided that the pedestrian plaza would be suspended for the month of August, to be re-evaluated after Labor Day. This re-evaluation will include input from both residents and the business community.

Mr. Kazmark said that the dining corrals and outdoor dining will continue, as will the events and activities in Memorial Park at Van Neste Square, which have been scheduled through October. There may have to be some adjustments regarding location and logistics. He stated that the Village remains committed to attracting additional patrons to the CBD.

Mr. Kazmark said that there are presently many milling and paving projects going on in the Village. He said that his office has received many calls from residents, who were concerned about their ability to access certain roads in the Village. He stated that his objective is to work closely with the Engineering Department, the County of Bergen, and Public Service Electric & Gas (PSE&G) to have all milling and paving completed before school opens in September. He said that today was the last day for milling the County roads (Linwood and Godwin Avenues). Mr. Kazmark announced that the entire stretch of Godwin Avenue will be paved tomorrow. The Police Department has endeavored to make detours as accessible as possible. All affected residents have been notified by the Engineering Department.

Mr. Kazmark reported that on Friday, August 4, 2023, Linwood Avenue will be paved from North Maple Avenue to John Street. He is aware that this will coincide with the last day of summer camp at Graydon Pool, but the Police Department will make sure that cars will be able to access the Graydon Pool parking lot to enable drop-off and pickup of children. Mr. Kazmark assured everyone that all entrances to Valley Hospital will remain open until later in the day on August 3, when Linwood Avenue between Van Dien Avenue and North Pleasant Avenue will be closed. All detours will lead to North Van Dien Avenue, and the main entrance to Valley Hospital will be accessible. On Monday, August 7, 2023, Linwood Avenue will be paved from John Street to Paramus Road.

Mr. Kazmark announced that the Village Council is seeking volunteers to serve on various committees and boards, including the Project Pride Committee and the Village Arts Council. One Village resident is being sought for the Ridgewood Green Team, and one Village resident for the Central Business District Advisory Committee. Interested individuals may fill out a “Citizen Volunteer Leadership Form,” which can be found on the Village website under the heading “Employment and Volunteer Opportunities.” The form should be sent with a cover letter to the Village Clerk’s Office, to the attention of Joyce Magro. The submission deadline is August 16, 2023.

Mr. Kazmark stated that he has had the opportunity to meet with a number of local organizations, including the leadership of the Ridgewood Guild. He toured the YMCA with the Executive Director last week. A new group is coming to Ridgewood, which is seeking to launch a Kiwanis Club in the Village. Mr. Kazmark also met with Joan Groome, Executive Director of the Chamber of Commerce, to discuss upcoming events. He feels that it is important that he communicate with these and other local groups. Mr. Kazmark said that his office has an “open door” policy.

Today marked the culmination of Mr. Kazmark’s meetings with all Department Directors. He still needs to sit down and talk with Councilmember Weitz. In September, there will be a “Meet the Manager” meeting in Village Hall, in an open Town Hall forum. All residents are welcome to attend, ask questions, and get to know Mr. Kazmark better.

On August 14, 2023, there will be a groundbreaking event for the new water treatment plant on Goffle Road. Congressman Josh Gottheimer will be attending the event. Mr. Kazmark thanked Rich Calbi, Director of Ridgewood Water, and his staff for organizing this event and for all of the work they are doing to rid the drinking water of PFAS in the Village. Mr. Kazmark remarked that this new water treatment plant is a major investment in the Water Utility.

Mr. Kazmark said that he met last week with the residents who live in the Schedler neighborhood. They spoke about the Kingsbridge Lane Footbridge and the Schedler property. He felt that this was a very productive meeting, during which he heard various perspectives and concerns from the residents, as well as discussing future funding initiatives.

Mr. Kazmark thanked Chris Rutishauser, Village Engineer, for giving him a tour of the Village. They visited the pedestrian tunnel under the train tracks, the bus station, the taxi stand, as well as other locations in the Village.

The Ridgewood Guild is sponsoring free “Movies in the Park” on Wednesday nights at 9:00 p.m. in Memorial Park at Van Neste Square. “Man of Steel” will be shown this evening, and “Sunset Boulevard” will be shown on August 16, 2023 at 8:15 p.m. The Ridgewood Guild is sponsoring “Music in the Night” in various locations on Friday nights in the CBD through Labor Day. The Ridgewood Guild also sponsors “Art in the Park” on Friday, August 4^th, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

The free summer concert series continues at the Kasschau Memorial Shell on Veterans Field. The Ridgewood Chamber of Commerce is holding their Farmer’s Market every Sunday at the train station on the west side.

From August 1 through Labor Day, Graydon Pool memberships will decrease in price for Village residents. A late season adult membership may be purchased for only $75.00 and a late season child membership for only $70.00. Senior rates remain at $35.00, and non-resident rates remain at $325.00 for ages 16+ and $210.00 for a child.

The next Bergen County household hazardous waste event will be held on Saturday, September 9, 2023 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Bergen County Campgaw Reservation in Mahwah.

Upcoming Village Council meetings are broadcast live from the Village Hall Courtroom, on the Village website, on FIOS Channel 34 and YouTube. Meetings can now be attended either in person or via Zoom or phone. The next Public Meetings are scheduled for August 9 and September 13, 2023 at 7:30 p.m. The next Village Council Work Sessions will be held on September 6 and September 27, 2023 at 7:30 p.m. All Public Meetings and Work Sessions will have hybrid access.

4.         COUNCIL REPORTS

Councilmember Weitz also praised the staff of Graydon Pool for their quick action during last week’s emergency. He said that some of his family and friends were at the pool when this occurred. He thanked Mr. Kazmark for keeping the Village Councilmembers up to date with what was occurring during that time. In addition, he thanked all Village staff who assisted during the emergency. He stated that the young lady who works at Graydon Pool, who made the 9-1-1 call, made the right choice. He said that he is sure everyone in the Village owes a debt of gratitude for all staff and first responders who assisted at the scene.

Regarding the pedestrian plaza, Councilmember Weitz said that some of his fondest memories so far this year have been working with Deputy Mayor Perron in organizing events for the pedestrian plaza. He said that he has noted how attendance has dwindled at the pedestrian plaza once the weather has gotten hotter, stating that people prefer to dine and shop indoors when the temperature is high. He said that he looks forward to re-evaluating the re-opening of the pedestrian plaza in September. Councilmember Weitz reminded everyone that although the pedestrian plaza will not be held during August, the scheduled events in and around Memorial Park at Van Neste Square, will still go on without change.

Councilmember Winograd said that she was very proud of all Village and Graydon Pool staff who assisted during the emergency at Graydon Pool last weekend. She thanked Mayor Vagianos for his moving tribute to all involved.

Councilmember Winograd stated that she and Ms. Mailander met with representatives of the Kiwanis Club. She said that there has not been a Kiwanis Club in Ridgewood since the mid-1980s, and a chapter was re-established in Ridgewood on Wednesday night. The Kiwanis Club members are seeking to partner with Village schools, regarding civic engagement and youth activities.

Councilmember Winograd said that, last week, a final web developer demonstration was given regarding the new Village website. She thanked Dylan Hanson, Director of IT, Ms. Mailander, and Mr. Kazmark, as well as the members of the Communications Committee.  There has been a total of three demonstrations, all of which were very informative. Everyone will be meeting next week to make a final decision on the vendor who will produce the new Village website. She mentioned that the Ridgewood Board of Education and Police Department also desire to update their respective websites. The new Police Department website will be layered into the new Village website.

Councilmember Winograd stated that the Communications Committee has initiated a photo contest. They will be working with local photographers and are seeking landscape photos, which do not include any people, of all areas in Ridgewood. They are looking for photos, which are symbolic of Ridgewood, which will be used for the website. In addition, they are looking for historical photos to be incorporated into the new website. The flyer announcing this photo contest has been posted on social media and on the Village website. Once school starts, the Communications Committee will seek to partner with the Photography Club at Ridgewood High School.

The “Adopt-a-Sapling” program began this week. Councilmember Winograd explained that this program is a new approach to planting more trees in the Village, using volunteers who will pledge to water the young trees while they grow. They will be planting smaller trees, which are less expensive. Councilmember Winograd said that they are looking for volunteers to help plant the saplings, as well as residents to “adopt” the sapling and take care of watering them. This program has been announced on social media. The initial planting will take place near Orchard School. It is hoped that between 27 and 100 people will initially participate in this program.

Councilmember Winograd said that she and Mayor Vagianos composed a letter, which will be posted on social media tomorrow, regarding Access Weekend. Access weekend highlights the special needs community in Ridgewood, and will be held on October 6^th through 8^th, 2023. They have planned a series of events, which will take place between the Ridgewood Library and Village Hall. Councilmember Winograd said that the Access Committee is seeking volunteers, as well as donations, in order to make this event a success.

Councilmember Winograd reminded everyone that the Ridgewood Sidewalk Sales will occur on August 4, 5 and 6, 2023. She encouraged everyone to attend.

Councilmember Reynolds stated that she has not had any committee meetings recently. She stated that the Project Pride Committee is continuing to give out awards to residents in the Village who have gone above and beyond in landscaping their front yards. Residents can also nominate a property by emailing the address to Councilmember Reynolds. The awards are accompanied by a $25.00 gift card to one of the restaurants in the CBD, thanks to donations by the Ridgewood Guild.

Deputy Mayor Perron said that the entertainment for the pedestrian plaza is “going strong.” She mentioned that there is a lot of talent in Ridgewood, ranging from yoga to dancing to music. At 8:00 a.m. this Saturday, August 5, 2023, there will be a Tai Chi class held in Memorial Park at Van Neste Square. Stroller Strides exercise will be held at 10:30 a.m. with Art of Motion. The Indian Fest, which is part of the theme of Asian Heritage Month, will be held between 12:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. There will be traditional North Indian Kathak dancers, sari draping demonstrations, delicious Indian cuisine by Tabla Restaurant, and other activities. At 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Treble will provide musical entertainment. On Sunday, August 6, 2023, Village Yoga will hold a class at 8:00 a.m. in Memorial Park at Van Neste Square. At 7:00 p.m., the Bold Collective will provide musical entertainment (house music).

Deputy Mayor Perron announced that there are currently two vacancies on the Green Team, which is a subcommittee of the Green Ridgewood Committee. The Green Team is involved in executing and documenting the actions of Sustainable Jersey. This involves environmentally oriented initiatives, such as recognizing restaurants in the Village that observe sustainable practices, like composting.

The Central Business District Advisory Committee (CBDAC) makes recommendations to the Village Council, dealing with items such as the Master Plan and other initiatives, which are aimed at keeping the downtown area vibrant. Deputy Mayor Perron said that this is a very important group, which does a lot of work behind the scenes. There is a vacancy on this committee as well. She encouraged all Village residents to become involved in the various committees in Ridgewood.

Mayor Vagianos began by thanking everyone involved in organizing the various events for the pedestrian plaza. He expressed the hope that the pedestrian plaza will be opened back up in September. Mayor Vagianos especially thanked Deputy Mayor Perron for the countless hours she has spent to make the pedestrian plaza a success, as well as Jeanne Johnson. He emphasized that even though the pedestrian plaza will be paused for August, all of the planned activities and entertainment will still go on.

Mayor Vagianos thanked Ms. Mailander and Mr. Kazmark for their updates regarding the milling and paving work being done in the Village on the County roads. He also thanked Mr. Rutishauser and Village staff in the Signal and Streets Divisions for their help in coordinating these paving efforts. Mayor Vagianos thanked Councilmember Winograd for her efforts in pushing for the development of a new Village website.

5.         PRESENTATION

            1.         WEST GLEN AVENUE SIDEWALKS

Mr. Kazmark said that the Village Councilmembers have been provided with updated estimates and various options regarding the sidewalk project on West Glen Avenue. He added that Robert Rooney, Chief Financial Officer, is also available this evening to answer any questions related to financing of this project.

Jovan Mehandzic, Assistant Engineer, stated that there are two options: a wall with a four-foot sidewalk, or no wall and a six-foot sidewalk right behind the curb. The cost to build retaining walls and a four-foot sidewalk along the south side of West Glen Avenue (from North Monroe Street to Heights Road) is estimated to be $1.2 million ($1,204,241.02). Performing the same work from Heights Road to Alpine Terrace, and adding in a crosswalk by Alpine Terrace, will cost approximately $763,277.18.

Councilmember Reynolds asked if the estimate for work from Heights Road to Alpine Terrace would include narrowing the crosswalk by Heights Road. Mr. Mehandzic said that the sidewalk improvements near S Hill Road have already been approved, and the estimate given by him this evening for $763,277.18 only includes walls and sidewalks from Heights Road to Alpine Terrace. Mr. Kazmark added that the Village Councilmembers will discuss the funding for the bumpouts near S Hill and Heights Roads at the end of Mr. Mehandzic’s presentation. These are considered to be two separate projects, as recommended by the Engineering Department.

Deputy Mayor Perron asked about the diagram showing “Wall Section #6,” specifically whether the highest point of the wall would be five blocks high (about three to four feet tall). Mr. Mehandzic replied that it would be about four-and-a-half blocks high. The bottom block will be half buried into the ground. There are no footings per se. The blocks themselves are the footings, and each block measures approximately 18 inches in height. Near Alpine Terrace, the highest point of the wall would be approximately six feet. Mr. Mehandzic stated that there is six feet of bedrock at this location. The bedrock will need to be chipped away, since they cannot blast it apart. The cost to remove the bedrock varies by contractor (depends upon whether the contractor owns the chipping equipment or not).

Councilmember Weitz asked what the benefits would be with a retaining wall as opposed to not having a retaining wall. He also asked if the retaining walls would require continued maintenance. Mr. Mehandzic said that building a retaining wall would help to prevent erosion and water runoff. Councilmember Weitz asked Mr. Mehandzic which option he would choose. Mr. Mehandzic replied that he is not a licensed engineer and did not feel qualified to answer that question. However, if he were a resident living on West Glen Avenue, he would prefer having a retaining wall.

Councilmember Weitz asked if Mr. Mehandzic has reached out to any of the property owners whose properties would need a retaining wall, due to the steep slope of their front yards. Mr. Kazmark replied that he has a list of the affected households. However, he is reluctant to hold a meeting with the residents before the Village Councilmembers approve a definitive plan and scope for the sidewalk project. Councilmember Weitz said that he would be interested in hearing some feedback from these affected residents, before deciding upon a course of action. Mr. Kazmark asked Mr. Mehandzic to speak a bit about the possible runoff of dirt, onto the sidewalk.

Mr. Mehandzic stated that the reason why the retaining walls were originally proposed is because 90% of the affected properties have a single-lane driveway, which poses problems for these homeowners. By constructing a retaining wall, he said that he could cut back into their steep front slopes (approximately 18 feet deep) and give these homeowners a double-lane driveway. This would aid residents with more than one car. Mr. Mehandzic mentioned that some variances would probably be needed, but he was not sure whether or not those requirements would be waived.

Mr. Rogers said that if the double-lane driveways were constructed, a retaining wall would then be needed for the new part of the driveway (along the side). He asked who would perform that work and who would be responsible for the cost of same. Mr. Mehandzic said that all of this work is included in his cost estimates. Mayor Vagianos said that this provides an accommodation for the residents who live along West Glen Avenue. He acknowledged that these residents will lose their self-made parking spaces along the right-of-way, near the street.

Councilmember Reynolds pointed out that if the retaining walls were not built, these neighbors will lose their parking spaces in the right-of-way. She asked how many properties will be affected in this regard. Mr. Mehandzic said that most properties east of Alpine Terrace will be affected, since they would no longer be able to park along the right-of-way (six properties). A discussion ensued about each individual driveway and the dimensions of each. Mr. Mehandzic said that one of the goals of the Engineering Department is to widen residents’ driveways to compensate for their inconvenience, as a result of the sidewalk project.

There was also a discussion regarding erosion and the need for adequate and appropriate landscaping on the steep slopes, if retaining walls were not constructed. Mr. Mehandzic said that a slope of 3:1 is mowable, and a slope of 2:1 can be mulched or chipped. Most of the slopes on West Glen Avenue are 2:1 (two horizontal to one vertical). When questioned by Mayor Vagianos, Mr. Mehandzic replied that building a retaining wall would offer an accommodation to the property owner and would prevent erosion and water runoff. Without a retaining wall, the property owners would not enjoy an extra parking space and there is potential for soil erosion and runoff.

Councilmember Winograd mentioned that the installation of Belgium blocks would offer a buffer and aid in preventing runoff. Mr. Mehandzic said that the cost of the Belgium blocks was included in the price estimate with no walls. He said that these blocks would prevent some of the wood chips from washing away; however, this will cause more maintenance issues for residents. Councilmember Winograd asked what the average lifespan is for these proposed retaining walls, and Mr. Mehandzic said that they would probably last 50 years.

Councilmember Reynolds said that another advantage to building the retaining walls is that they are more aesthetically pleasing. She said that having a six-foot sidewalk with no trees is a “colder” look. Mayor Vagianos agreed.

Councilmember Reynolds asked if the retaining wall would be built along all of the properties on the upper half of West Glen Avenue on the south side. Mr. Mehandzic stated that sidewalks have already been constructed by the first four houses on West Glen Avenue (east of the traffic light on North Monroe Street). He said that all of the properties east of that section will need retaining walls, with the tallest being needed near Alpine Terrace. He mentioned that there will need to be a very big retaining wall built by S Hill Road, near the woods.

Mayor Vagianos stated that the Village normally bonds approximately $7.5 million each year, and usually is able to “retire” that same amount each year. He asked Mr. Rooney if this sidewalk project could be bonded this year, instead of next year, considering the fact that $7.5 million has already been bonded in 2023. Mr. Rooney said that the sidewalk project could probably be bonded this year, with the knowledge that Department Directors will need to “sharpen their pencils” again next year in order to cut costs. He said that they will have to look at what future projects are anticipated, and the Village could bond for less ($6 million) next year.

Mr. Rooney pointed out that there have been some huge appropriations made for Ridgewood Water in order to combat the PFAS problem in the water ($60 million a few months ago, and approximately another $11 million appropriation to be made this evening). This will impact the Village’s net debt. Mr. Rooney asked Mr. Mehandzic if this project could be done in two separate pieces, rather than all at once. Councilmember Weitz wondered whether this project could even be completed this year, with only a few months left of warm weather.

Mr. Mehandzic said that in the 1990s, all of the sidewalks were done in the CBD. The Village purchased all of the bricks beforehand and stored the bricks, until they were used by the contractor the following year. By doing so, the long turnaround time to receive the materials did not adversely delay the commencement of the project. Mr. Mehandzic suggested that the Village could purchase the Belgium blocks ahead of time and store them, until they were used by the contractor for the sidewalk project on West Glen Avenue. In this way, the contractor does not need to supply the bricks himself and wouldn’t have to deal with a long turnaround time. The Village could do a purchase order for the blocks now, and the sidewalk project could be completed next year. In any event, there will still be a six- to eight-month turnaround time, regardless of whether or not the contractor orders the blocks. Mr. Mehandzic said that this sidewalk project will not be completed this year. However, he mentioned that the contractor will probably bid a little more overhead, because he is losing money on not ordering the blocks himself. On the other hand, the contractor will have to bond for less money if he did not have to order the blocks himself. Therefore, by the Village ordering the blocks beforehand, the Village will be guaranteed that the blocks will have been received by the time the sidewalk project is to commence.

Councilmember Winograd asked the Village Councilmembers if they were leaning toward the construction of the retaining walls. Mayor Vagianos said that he wanted to see if there is a way in which the retaining walls can be built for $1.2 million.

Mayor Vagianos asked Mr. Rooney about the effect upon the Village’s bond rating if the Village bonded more than $7.5 million this year. Mr. Rooney replied that the Village has an AAA rating and retained that rating after bonding $60 million for Ridgewood Water through the I-Bank. He does not believe that bonding $6 million or $7 million next year will impact this rating.

Deputy Mayor Perron asked if any grant monies may be available for this sidewalk project, such as the Safe Routes to School initiative. Mr. Mehandzic replied that there are too many constraints that are involved with the project, including a stream on the north side of West Glen Avenue. The sidewalk improvement would be within 50 feet of that stream (which the NJDEP classifies as open course water), which would conflict with Federal guidelines as far as grant monies are concerned. Mr. Mehandzic said that he and the engineering staff have not been successful in locating any suitable grants for this project. He added that he has already met onsite with officials of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) and they are not interested in granting any monies for this project (near the stream).

Councilmember Reynolds asked if the NJDEP would grant monies for work further away from the stream, and Mr. Mehandzic said that they have not yet gotten that far. Councilmember Reynolds stated that $500,000.00 was appropriated in the 2023 Capital Budget for the Schedler property, but the ordinance was written in such a way that the capital monies could be used for other projects, if necessary. Mr. Rooney said that he would have to check, but he recalled that he asked that there be some flexibility in the ordinance, in the event the Village wanted to use the money for a project other than for Schedler. Councilmember Reynolds recalled a discussion about possibly using $100,000.00 of the $500,000.00 for the West Glen Avenue sidewalks. She stated that she would actually like to use the entire $500,000.00 towards the sidewalk project.

Councilmember Winograd stated that there are many competing capital projects in the Village and many safety concerns, including the Kingsbridge Lane Footbridge repairs, the West Glen Avenue sidewalk project, the purchase of new trucks for the Sanitation Department, and the purchase of required equipment for the Police Department. She said that the price estimates for the sidewalk project range from approximately $197,000.00 to $1.2 million. She said that $1.2 million is a lot of money to spend merely to provide residents with additional parking spots, and would place another burden on taxpayers. Councilmember Winograd said that the sidewalks could be constructed without retaining walls, and the Kingsbridge Lane Footbridge could be repaired, for less than it would cost to build the retaining walls and sidewalks.

Mayor Vagianos asked Mr. Rooney to meet with the Village Manager and Department Directors to determine how much the Village could realistically bond for both the bridge and sidewalk projects, while at the same time bonding for anticipated capital projects in the next six or seven months. He asked Mr. Rooney to then come back before the Village Council in September to present his findings.

Councilmember Weitz said that he liked the “Cadillac version” of the sidewalk project, as referred to by Mayor Vagianos, but that he agreed with Councilmember Winograd that he was not in favor of that version if it meant that the Kingsbridge Lane Footbridge would not be repaired anytime soon. He agreed with Mayor Vagianos’s suggestion to Mr. Rooney.

Councilmember Winograd stated that she would like to tell the affected residents what is being proposed, in order to get their feedback. Councilmembers Reynolds and Weitz agreed. Mr. Kazmark said that he would be more than happy to arrange for a meeting with the affected residents, once Mr. Rutishauser returns from vacation. Afterwards, the feedback and comments from the residents will be collated and reported back to the Village Council. He said that he would like to review with Mr. Rooney the capital requests that were not granted last year, so that they can get an idea of what budget requests will be forthcoming in 2024. Mr. Kazmark added that budget requests have already been sent out to Department Directors for next year.

Regarding the sidewalk improvements (bumpouts) near S Hill Road, Mr. Kazmark asked Mr. Rooney if the estimated cost of that work was between $50,000.00 and $60,000.00. He said that he would like to piggyback that work with the existing paving contract, which would allow for the bumpouts to be completed before the winter months. Ms. Mailander clarified that the contract for the bumpouts was already awarded in July.

Councilmember Reynolds reiterated that she would like an answer to her question about the $500,000 Capital Budget appropriation. In addition, she said that a question had been raised by a resident regarding the fact that large trucks may not be able to maneuver or make turns if the bumpouts were constructed by S Hill Road. She asked if any investigation had been done concerning that issue. Mr. Kazmark said that both Sean Hamlin, Supervisor of Recycling, and Police Chief Judge were consulted and a turning radius exercise was performed. He asked Mr. Mehandzic to elaborate on this.

Mr. Mehandzic said that he has a turning template for the current ladder truck in the Village. He mentioned that the wheelbase of a garbage truck is smaller than that of a firetruck. He reported that the large trucks will be able to make turns and maneuver the roads in that area with no problem, even with the bumpouts.

Councilmember Winograd said that she is in favor of constructing sidewalks along the entire south side of West Glen Avenue (from North Monroe Street to Heights Road), and is less in favor of constructing sidewalks only from Alpine Terrace to Heights Road. She said that she was not sure if she was in favor of building the retaining walls. Councilmember Weitz agreed with Councilmember Winograd.

Mr. Kazmark said that the only other question he had was whether or not S Hill Road would be made a one-way street. He would like to hear a consensus of how the Village Councilmembers feel about that, by the next Village Council meeting. In the meantime, he said that he would solicit opinions from the Engineering and Police Departments about whether or not to make S Hill Road a one-way street. Councilmember Weitz asked Mr. Kazmark if he could also discuss the intersection of Oak Street and West Glen Avenue with the Engineering and Police Departments, to see if anything can be done to improve safety in that area. He stated that there are at least two bad accidents at that intersection every year, and a car actually flipped over in that location about a month or two ago.

It was decided that Mr. Rooney will meet with Mr. Kazmark and Department Directors to discuss capital projects, and bring their findings to the Village Council meeting scheduled on September 6, 2023.

6.         DISCUSSION

A.        RIDGEWOOD WATER

1.         AWARD SOLE SOURCE CONTRACT – SUPPORT SERVICES FOR SCADA SYSTEM

Mr. Kazmark indicated that this item pertains to the awarding of a Sole Source contract for support services for the SCADA system. This three-year software support agreement with Emerson Process Management Power and Water Solutions, Inc., includes service labor rates for support services, beyond software support, on an as-needed basis. The SCADA system allows remote control and tracking of the water system and is essential to the daily operation of Ridgewood Water. Mr. Calbi is recommending that this contract be awarded in an amount not to exceed $25,000.00. Funding is available in the Water Utility Operating Budget.

Deputy Mayor Perron commented that the previous year’s contract was $19,869.00, and she wondered why the contract is costing more this year. Mr. Kazmark said that this was relative to the issue that was discussed in Closed Session.

2.         FUNDING FOR PFAS TREATMENT FACILITY – EAST RIDGEWOOD AND WEST END

Mr. Kazmark said that this item pertains to funding for the Ridgewood and West End PFAS treatment facilities. The $11 million proposed bond ordinance will fund construction and eligible Section 20 expenses for engineering and fees for both facilities. These are two of twelve facilities proposed for the removal of PFAS compounds (PFOA and PFOS) from the drinking water. In May 2023, Ridgewood Water entered into an Administrative Consent Order (ACO) with the NJDEP, and this ordinance is part of that compliance plan.

Deputy Mayor Perron asked for clarification of the sentence in the footnote of the memorandum, which reads: “Ridgewood Water has awarded a construction contracts [sic] and has broken ground on construction for the Prospect and Ravine Treatment Facilities.” She recalled that the groundbreaking for the Ravine Treatment Facility was to take place on August 14, 2023. Mr. Kazmark felt that this merely meant that Ridgewood Water was ready to proceed with the project, although the groundbreaking has not yet occurred.

B.        PARKING

1.         ESTABLISH NO PARKING AND TIME LIMIT PARKING – NORTH WALNUT STREET AND MASTIN PLACE

Mr. Kazmark stated that both the Engineering and Police Departments have recommended that a no parking zone and time limit parking be initiated on North Walnut Street and Mastin Place. Residents who live in the area have complained that employees, who work in the CBD, are parking there all day long. The parked vehicles make it hard for the residents to enter and exit their driveways and it takes away parking from the residents, in front of their homes. This was confirmed by a field investigation performed by Officer Tarino. It is proposed that a two-hour parking limit be instituted on North Walnut Street and Mastin Place.

Deputy Mayor Perron said that she found some typos in the proposed letter to residents, and she will pass these along to Mr. Kazmark who, in turn, will bring these to the attention of the Engineering Department.

Councilmember Reynolds also stated that the paragraph entitled “No Parking” in the proposed letter should be reworded to keep it consistent. It now indicates that no parking will be allowed at any time for the west side of North Walnut Street, from Linwood Avenue north to Mastin Place, and the same “2 hour time limit” would also apply to the south side of Mastin Place, from Oak Street to North Maple Avenue. She felt that the words “2 hour time limit” should be changed to “no parking limit.” Mr. Kazmark said that he will take the proposed letter to the Police Department tomorrow for clarification and the letter will subsequently be redrafted, according to the input received from the Police Department.

Councilmember Winograd said that this matter was brought to the attention of the Village Council by Ed Houlihan, of the Citizens Safety Advisory Committee (CSAC). She asked Councilmember Reynolds if she would contact Mr. Houlihan to let him know of the progress being made in this regard, and Councilmember Reynolds replied that she would do so.

            C.        BUDGET

1.         AUTHORIZE EXECUTION OF SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT – NOTICE OF VIOLATION – COPPER EXCEEDANCE – WATER POLUTION CONTROL FACILITY

Mr. Kazmark indicated that this item pertains to an authorization to execute a Settlement Agreement reached with the NJDEP to address a Notice of Violation that was received last summer. Since the violation was a first-time offense, the NJDEP assessed the Village $1,000.00, which was the lowest possible fine. The fine was imposed due to the exceedance of the copper limit in the treated discharge from the Water Pollution Control Facility. The source of the copper was traced to the use of copper sulfate by Graydon Pool, in treating their pool water, and then discharging it to the sanitary sewer collection system. Graydon Pool staff are in the process of correcting this situation by minimizing the discharge of the copper sulfate.

2.         AWARD CONTRACT – REPAIR OF POLICE DEPARTMENT VEHICLE

Mr. Kazmark explained that this item pertains to the awarding of a contract for body shop services, for the repair of a Police Department vehicle (Tahoe #19). It is recommended that the contract be awarded to Midland Park Auto Body, Inc., of Midland Park, New Jersey, in an amount not to exceed $2,467.70. Mr. Kazmark reminded the Village Councilmembers that the Village has been out for bid for these services two times and no bids were received. Therefore, the Village is permitted to negotiate prices for these services.

3.         AWARD CONTRACT - LAYOUT AND PRINTING OF 2024 VILLAGE CALENDAR

Mr. Kazmark stated that this pertains to the awarding of a contract for the layout, printing and appropriate mail house preparation of the 2024 Village Calendar. It is recommended that this contract be awarded to Ridgewood Press, of Ridgewood, New Jersey, in an amount not to exceed $16,050.00.

Deputy Mayor Perron asked if this amount includes mailing, and Ms. Mailander replied that it does not, but it does include delivery of the printed calendars to the postal facility. Postage will be additional, but the advertisements contained within the calendar pay for most of the postage costs incurred.

Councilmember Winograd said that the ads pay for about 78% of the mailing costs. She asked if there was any consideration given to reinstating the coupons that used to be contained within the calendar. Ms. Mailander said that this was up to the individual vendor or advertiser. Councilmember Winograd said that when the calendar was digitized, she received a multitude of comments from residents that proved to her that people love print media. She said that residents really loved the coupons in prior years’ calendars and she asked whether advertisers are told that this is an option when they want to place an ad. Ms. Mailander said that the letter has already gone out to advertisers this year, but that it could be reviewed again next year.

4.         AWARD CONTRACT – TREE PLANTING THROUGHOUT THE VILLAGE

Mayor Vagianos recused himself from this discussion, since he is personally acquainted with the owner of Downes Tree Service.

Mr. Kazmark stated that this item pertains to the awarding of a contract for tree planting throughout the Village. Bids were solicited on July 20, 2023. There were eight registered plan holders, and seven bids were received, ranging from a low of $63,405.00 to a high of $96,000.00. It is recommended that this contract be awarded to Downes Tree Service of Hawthorne, New Jersey, in an amount not to exceed $63,405.00. This work is to be funded from the 2023 Capital Budget, Ordinance #3951.

Deputy Mayor Perron asked how many trees will be planted. According to the bid documents, approximately 120 trees will be planted.

5.         AWARD CONTRACT – RADIO CONSOLE INSTALLATION – FIRE DEPARTMENT

Mr. Kazmark explained that this item pertains to the awarding of a contract for the purchase and installation of radio consoles for the Fire Department. These new consoles will replace the outdated one at Fire Headquarters, as well as act as a backup at Engine 31. These consoles will allow full dispatch and communication capabilities. It is recommended that this contract be awarded to Goosetown Communications of Congers, New York, in an amount not to exceed $185,000.00. Funding is available in the 2033 Capital Account ($130,000.00) and 2023 Capital Account ($55,000.00).

The quote was split into two quotes to keep costs down. The Motorola portion is being purchased utilizing NJ State Contract #83908, and the Aztec portion will be purchased under co-op PSE01, saving approximately $10,000.00. This co-op is being presented to the Village Council this evening for approval to join.

Deputy Mayor Perron asked what a “console” is, and Mr. Kazmark replied that it was the technology that goes into the desk, to allow dispatch capabilities from the firehouse. The redundancy would come into play if there were an issue with one of the consoles. Deputy Mayor Perron asked what Engine 31 was, and Ms. Mailander replied that Engine 31 is the firehouse located at the top of West Glen Avenue by North Monroe Street.

6.         CHAPTER 159 – 2023 BUDGET AMENDMENT – ASSISTANCE TO FIREFIGHTERS GRANT

Mr. Kazmark stated that this item pertains to a 2023 Budget Amendment Resolution for the Federal grant awarded to the Fire Department, but not appropriated. The grant was received from the US Department of Homeland Security, Fiscal Year 2022 Assistance to Firefighters Grant. A budget amendment resolution permits the Village to add grant revenue and appropriation to the 2023 budget. These funds, in the amount of $263,725.45, are targeted for the purchase of self-containing breathing apparatus units for the Fire Department.

7.         REVIEW OF JUNE 30, 2023 FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Mr. Rooney stated that he has provided the Village Councilmembers with a summary of the revenue and expenses for the Current Fund, the Water Utility Fund, and the Parking Utility Fund as of June 30, 2023. He said that the Village is currently on track in the Current Fund, regarding revenues that were anticipated, and what has been expended over six months. Mr. Rooney said that many billings were sent out in July, and the revenues should be received over the next few weeks. State aid of $1.8 million is anticipated to be received during the months of August through October 2023. He has received confirmation that the full amount of State aid will be received this year, due to the fact that the Village observes Best Practices that conform to State regulations. Regarding revenues, the Current Fund is at approximately 52% of what was anticipated and budgeted for in 2023.

Regarding appropriations in the Current Fund, Mr. Rooney stated that there are items marked with an asterisk. He said that many Village Departments do not utilize the encumbrance system, although Mr. Rooney prefers that the encumbrance system be used. Some departments know what they need for certain items. For example, if it is determined that a department needs $500,000.00 for the year to purchase tires, they will prepare a blanket encumbrance into the system, so that amount can be reserved, and not used for anything else. If it is determined at the end of the year that the monies are not needed, then the encumbrance is canceled and the money is freed up for other items, without the need for transfers. These blanket encumbrances will usually exceed the 50% anticipated outlay mid-year. Many departments do not have big-ticket items and do not use blanket encumbrances.

Mr. Rooney explained that there are some allocations that come through the Engineering Department, the Water Utility and Parking Utility, and some have not yet been posted to the system. These allocations will be shown in the third quarter recap in October. Mr. Rooney stated that the Current Fund appropriations are at about 56% of what was anticipated in the 2023 budget.

Deputy Mayor Perron asked about item #08-113, “Interest on Investments & Deposits,” in Mr. Rooney’s paperwork, which indicates that this item is at 201% of what was anticipated. Mr. Rooney replied that he can only anticipate what is collected in the prior year. Approximately $400,000.00 was collected in 2022 in investment income, and that is why he was limited in what he was able to indicate in this year’s budget. He mentioned that interest rates are significantly better now than they were last year at this time, which basically doubled the anticipated revenues as of June 30, 2023.

There was a discussion between Councilmember Weitz and Mr. Rooney about the excess $400,000.00 being placed into surplus for next year (the approximate difference between the $358,000.00 that was anticipated for revenues in 2023 and the $717,991.00, which has already been received in revenues as of June 30, 2023 in the Current Fund). Mr. Rooney said that he will need to keep an eye on next year’s interest rates, so that he can accurately determine what the anticipated revenues should be in 2024 for the Current Fund. If interest rates decrease, then not as much revenue will be received (interest on investments and deposits).

Mayor Vagianos remarked that it was an incredibly tight budget year. He asked Mr. Rooney how the Village will fare by the end of the fiscal year, since some categories exceed the 50% mark mid-year. Mr. Rooney said that the Village is “looking good” at the current time. However, he predicts that some departments will require transfers toward the end of the year, due to rising costs of products that could not be anticipated earlier in the year.

Mayor Vagianos asked about the excess $400,000.00, which was spoken about earlier. Mr. Rooney stated that this is “money in the bank” right now. Mayor Vagianos mentioned that these funds could perhaps be used towards the capital projects discussed this evening. Mr. Rooney said that these monies could not be used for capital projects, since he is discussing the status of the Operating Budget and not the Capital Budget, although he conceded that perhaps some of these funds could be used for capital projects.

Mr. Rooney then discussed revenues in the Water Utility Fund. He said that about 45% of what was anticipated in revenues for the year has been received. Water rate increases are scheduled to be billed in July, along with some cell tower rent and fire hydrant service. Mr. Rooney stated that about 41% of what was anticipated in appropriations for 2023 has been expended as of June 30, 2023. He said that he was waiting for encumbrances on some of the items.

Regarding revenues in the Parking Utility Fund, Mr. Rooney explained that approximately 51% of what was anticipated in revenues has been received as of June 30, 2023. The parking rate changes took effect in June, so revenues from that source will be realized in July onward. Mr. Rooney stated that appropriations in the Parking Utility Fund are at approximately 30% of what was anticipated in the 2023 budget. He explained that not all of the encumbrances have been entered into the system at this time.

Councilmember Winograd asked if any funds were realized from the reclamation metal from the deadhead parking meters. Mr. Rooney said that he would find out and let her know.

8.         RESCIND AND REPLACE RESOLUTION #23-198 – CREATIVE COPING TOOLKIT

Mr. Kazmark stated that this item pertains to rescinding and replacing Resolution #23-198 for the purchase of Creative Coping Toolkits. This will simply change the business registration name from Impactful to Indieflix Group, Inc.

D.        POLICY

1.         AUTHORIZE MEMBERSHIP IN COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS OPERATIONAL SERVICES DIVISION (OSD) CONTRACT PSE01 COOPERATIVE PRICING SYSTEM

Mr. Kazmark explained that this matter deals with a resolution to be approved by the Village Council, so that the Village may enter into a cooperative purchasing agreement with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Operational Services Division (OSD) under Contract PSE01. There is no fee to join, and joining is legally permissible. Joining this cooperative would provide the Village with another option for purchasing goods and services for the Village. This will be used by the Fire Department to purchase their self-containing breathing apparatus units.

            2.         VILLAGE COUNCIL MEETING CURFEW AT 11:00 P.M.

            3.         POLICY FOR PUBLIC COMMENTS

Mr. Kazmark said that Councilmember Reynolds requested that these items be placed on the agenda this evening.

Councilmember Reynolds stated that while she is not against the 11:00 p.m. curfew for Village Council meetings, she is not in favor of it, if it interferes with, and cuts off, public comments at the end of meetings. She said that the Village Councilmembers could either agree to end at 11:00 p.m., regardless of who is waiting to speak, or they can agree to remove some items from the agenda or shorten presentations, so that the public may have time to voice their concerns at the end of a meeting. She said that she cannot fathom why members of the public should be forced to wait three hours until the end of a meeting to speak, and then not be allowed to speak.

Deputy Mayor Perron indicated that she would like to hear the opinion of Mr. Kazmark, as to how other municipalities handle this issue. Mr. Kazmark said that it varies from town to town how public comments are handled, and that tradition prevails in these types of situations. In Elmwood Park, there was a very long time period allotted for public comments at the end of each meeting, with no time limit. In addition, there was dialogue between the governing body and the public during public comments. This was a longstanding tradition in Elmwood Park. In Parsippany, only agenda items were heard during meetings, and any public comments could be made at the start of the meeting concerning those agenda items. If a person wanted to make a comment on something other than an agenda item, they could do so at the very end of the meeting, with a five-minute time limit. In Woodland Park, public comments were heard only at the beginning of the meeting and not at the end, with a limit of three minutes per person. Mr. Kazmark said that the discretion of the Chair to extend the three minutes prevailed in some instances, if a person just needed to finish up their comments. He remarked that there usually was not a lot of public attendance at these meetings, which afforded more flexibility during public comments. He said that it was “town specific” as far as how the Village Council wished to proceed, regarding public comments.

Councilmember Winograd said that she was surprised to see these items on the agenda. She said that one of the few good things that came out of the Covid pandemic, was hybrid access. This allowed many residents to make their voice heard during Village Council meetings, since they could not physically attend meetings due to various reasons, such as being disabled or being a single or working parent. Hybrid access allows citizens to engage with government. Hybrid access was suspended after the Covid pandemic eased, and it was only reinstated when the existing Village Councilmembers took office. Councilmember Winograd said that the only members of the prior Village Council who advocated for the reinstatement of hybrid access were Mayor Vagianos (then Councilman) and Deputy Mayor Perron (then Councilwoman).

Councilmember Winograd said that good governance relies upon citizen engagement. She reviewed all of the measures taken by the current Village Council to improve public comments, such as audio improvements, moving the podium to the side of the room, developing the Citizens’ Guide to Public Comment, initiating “Council Chat,” and extending the time for public comments. Councilmember Winograd said that, by law, the Village is only required to have one public comment portion of a meeting. She said that the Village Councilmembers are also responsible for the safety and well-being of Village staff who assist during meetings. Councilmember Winograd said that she becomes concerned about Village staff when public comments are not limited at the end of meetings. She mentioned that she gave some case law to Mr. Rogers regarding “duty of care.” Councilmember Winograd said that nothing great happens after 11:00 p.m. Although she is not a fan of the curfew, she gets worried about Village staff who must drive home when they are exhausted.

Councilmember Weitz said that he was in agreement with Councilmember Winograd and Councilmember Reynolds. He said that if people show up to make public comments, then the Village Councilmembers should do everything in their power to allow them to speak. However, he feels that there needs to be some limitation on how long meetings can last. Councilmember Weitz pointed out that, many times, the public does not realize that the Village Councilmembers need to stay later at a meeting if there is a Closed Session scheduled at the end of a meeting, or they need to arrive early if a Closed Session is held before the start of a meeting. In either case, Village staff needs to be on hand to facilitate the meeting, such as I.T. staff and Ms. Mailander. Councilmember Weitz said that some Village Councilmembers need to attend a five- or six-hour meeting, after having worked all day at their regular jobs.

Councilmember Weitz stated that he was more concerned with efficiency, rather than limiting the time for public comments. He said that he wanted to speak with Mr. Kazmark about why the public is limited to three minutes at the start of the meeting and five minutes at the end of the meeting. He feels as though it should be the other way around. Councilmember Weitz also questioned whether or not the Village Manager’s Report needs to be given at each meeting. He said that he would like to limit Council Reports to three minutes each, considering the fact that members of the public are limited to three minutes.

Councilmember Weitz said that there must be a limit set for the length of Village Council meetings, especially since Village staff also needs to be on hand to facilitate the meeting. In addition, he said that the meetings need to be run as efficiently as possible, so that people viewing at home can watch the entire meeting and go to bed at a reasonable hour. He said that no one is going to listen to comments made at midnight, during a meeting. In conclusion, Councilmember Weitz said that he was in favor of keeping the 11:00 p.m. curfew and suggested that ways should be found to streamline meetings. He said that only infrequently will a meeting be lengthy, due to some high-interest matters. He added that if a person is unable to comment at a meeting, they can always do so at “Council Chat.” In addition, the Village Councilmembers are accessible via email at all times. He said that it is extraordinarily rare when a member of the public is not allowed the time to speak.

Deputy Mayor Perron agreed that it is very rare when members of the public are not given the time to speak. She said that she liked Councilmember Weitz’s idea of limiting Council Reports to three minutes each.

Mayor Vagianos asked Mr. Rogers if he could speak about the research he did regarding how public comments were handled in other towns. Mr. Rogers said that he reviewed ordinances from approximately 20 municipalities, those towns surrounding Ridgewood and other towns that have been compared to Ridgewood, such as Summit and Madison. Mr. Rogers said that Ridgewood is one of the few municipalities that allows for public comments twice during a meeting, as well as providing both hybrid and in-person access. He said that many towns do not have curfews, but those that do have curfews have an ending time much earlier than 11:00 p.m. He said that the towns with curfews have them enacted by ordinance, whereas the Village Council does it by practice, and extending the curfew is at the discretion of the Village Councilmembers. Mr. Rogers said that the Village makes a great effort to allow for public comments, more so than other communities (greater than 90%). He stated that Mr. Kazmark mentioned traditions, and it has become a tradition in the Village to have two portions of Village Council meetings dedicated to public comments.

Mayor Vagianos said that he and Deputy Mayor Perron fought very hard to reinstate hybrid access while on the prior Village Council. However, they could not even get it listed on the agenda last year. However, the very first act of the current Village Council was to reinstate hybrid access on January 4, 2023. As a result, the time for public comments at the start of meetings was expanded by almost 50%. In addition, the starting time for Village Council meetings was changed from 8:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., so that people at home can watch the meetings earlier. He said that many people “tune out” after 11:00 p.m. Mayor Vagianos said that some Village Councilmembers have to get up early to work at their regular jobs the following day, and by the time 11:00 p.m. rolls around, they are tired and not very alert. He said that this means that the Village Councilmembers may not entirely hear or understand what a member of the public is trying to say.

Mayor Vagianos said that a few weeks ago, he extended the Village Council meeting to 11:20 p.m., so that members of the public would have a chance to make comments. He said that the 11:00 p.m. curfew has never been strictly enforced. In addition, he said that the three- or five-minute time limits are never strictly enforced. Mayor Vagianos said that the curfew is waivable by a majority of the Village Councilmembers. He stated that he has spoken to Ms. Mailander about moving some agenda items to the next meeting, if it was anticipated that the meeting would be lengthy, so that people would have the opportunity to speak. Ms. Mailander told him that there is Village business that needs to be conducted in a timely manner and it is not possible to remove items from the agenda. For all of the above reasons, Mayor Vagianos said that he is in favor of having a time limit of three minutes per person for public comments, at the end of the meeting, and a five-minute limit per person, at the beginning of the meeting.  He said that he was still in favor of the 11:00 p.m. curfew.

Councilmember Reynolds said that there has been many more than just one meeting during which the public was not allowed to speak. She said that during some of those meetings, a roll call vote was taken regarding whether or not to extend the meeting past 11:00 p.m. However, at the last meeting when members of the public were not allowed to speak (July 12, 2023), there was no such roll call vote. Mayor Vagianos agreed. Councilmember Reynolds said that during a couple of meetings, there were only two members of the public who wished to speak and she couldn’t understand why they weren’t allowed to speak. Mayor Vagianos stated that sometimes there has been a line of people waiting to speak.

Councilmember Reynolds stated that a roll call vote should be done, if the public comments portion at the end of a meeting is going to end early. She said that she has no problem with reversing the time limits for public comments. However, if it is the Village Councilmembers’ “fault” that a meeting carries over past 11:00 p.m. (alluding to the lengthy 90-minute presentation by Mr. Primavera), then those people waiting to speak should be allowed to speak, regardless of the time. She said that the Village Councilmembers need to do everything in their power to have a concise meeting and allow residents to speak during public comments, since that is the most important part of the meeting.

Mayor Vagianos said that he takes full responsibility for the fact that the meeting on July 12, 2023 ran so long. He said that he should have told Mr. Primavera that he had a certain time limit within which to make his presentation. He also agreed with Councilmember Reynolds that a roll call vote should have been taken at the end of the July 12^th Village Council meeting, instead of unilaterally deciding that the meeting would end at 11:20 p.m. He apologized for not doing so.

Mayor Vagianos said that he was in favor of having a three-minute time limit for public comments at the end of meetings, rather than at the beginning of meetings, and also that a three-minute time limit be imposed for each Village Councilmember while giving their Council Reports. He asked if everyone was in favor of making those two changes, and there was a consensus that these changes should be implemented. However, Councilmember Winograd said that some Village Councilmembers are involved in more committees than others are, so three minutes may not be enough time to give a full report regarding committee activities. She said that five minutes would be a better time limit for Council Reports. She said that she did agree with a three-minute time limit per person during public comments at the end of Village Council meetings. Councilmember Winograd also agreed that a strictly enforced time limit should be imposed on presentations given before the Village Council.

Councilmember Weitz said that he could not recall a presentation given before the Village Council, which was as long as the one given by Mr. Primavera. However, he said that the Schedler property is a very important issue before the Village Council, and the Village has hired Mr. Primavera to review the history of the property and report his findings back to the Village Council. Councilmember Weitz said that it would have been difficult to limit Mr. Primavera’s presentation to only 15 minutes, especially considering the number of questions posed to him by the Village Councilmembers. He felt that Mayor Vagianos was correct in giving Mr. Primavera extra time for his presentation, although the time could have been shortened a bit. Mayor Vagianos felt that the time allotted for presentations should be at the discretion of the “Chair.” Councilmember Weitz felt that three minutes is sufficient time for each Village Councilmember to give their Council Reports, although he acknowledged that Councilmember Winograd is on more committees than other Village Councilmembers.

Mayor Vagianos asked if everyone was in favor of limiting the time for presentations and Council Reports, and everyone was in agreement. Mr. Kazmark said that he would like to restructure his Village Manager’s Report so that public announcements are made through other means, such as using social media, E-notices, or the Village website.

Councilmember Winograd asked Mr. Rogers if anything needs to be done in order to enact these changes (time limits during Village Council meetings). Mr. Rogers replied that there is already an ordinance that deals with the amount of time that can be used for public comments at the end of meetings. He will review this ordinance and see if it needs to be amended in any way. Councilmember Winograd asked if the Village Councilmembers could vote on the introduction of the ordinance amendment next week, and Mr. Rogers stated that this could be done, if he feels that the ordinance needs to be amended after his review. 

E.        OPERATIONS

1.         AUTHORIZE VERIZON SMALL NODES IN VARIOUS LOCATIONS

Mr. Kazmark stated that this is a resolution to authorize Verizon to install two small node telecommunication low power antennas at 756 East Ridgewood Avenue and 656 Linwood Avenue. The installations will be within the public right-of-way. These installations would represent the third and fourth such installations in the Village. In 2016, the previous Village Council approved the installation of these small node antennas in two other locations. The Engineering Division will be sending out letters to residents within 200 feet of each installation location, to let them know what is occurring.

Deputy Mayor Perron asked if these nodes were 5G, and Mr. Kazmark said that he did not believe they were. He said that he would verify this tomorrow.

2.         AMENDMENT TO CHAPTER 101 – ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES

Ms. Mailander explained that there are certain changes that need to be made to Chapter 101, Alcoholic Beverages, of the Code of the Village of Ridgewood, since some sections are outdated and no longer applicable. Section 101-7, Term of License and Payment of Fees, will be changed to indicate that all renewal fees must be paid prior to the renewal of the liquor license. She said that she is the one who usually determines the date that the payments to the Village are due, so that the Village Councilmembers can vote on the renewals in June and the renewals can become effective on July 1.

Ms. Mailander indicated that the next change will be in Section 101-10(B), License Entitlements, Fees. Section B indicates that the number of plenary retail consumption liquor licenses shall not exceed six. However, there are currently eight plenary retail consumption liquor licenses (one is allowed for every 3,000 residents). Based on the population in Ridgewood, the maximum allowable statutorily in the Village is eight at the current time. Ms. Mailander stated that the wording about the number of allowable consumption liquor licenses will be removed, since this number can vary, based upon population fluctuations and whether or not a liquor license lapses.

Ms. Mailander explained that the next change will be in Section 101-11, Plenary Retail Distribution License. Similar to Section 101-10(B), the sentence about the number of distribution liquor licenses will be removed. Based on the population in Ridgewood, the Village is over licensed, due to the fact that the existing distribution liquor licenses were grandfathered in, when the regulations came into existence.

3.         2024 VILLAGE COUNCIL MEETING DATES

Ms. Mailander stated that this item deals with Village Council meeting dates in 2024. The dates need to be discussed and decided upon, so that the dates are set for the Village calendar and the dates can be used when Ms. Mailander prepares the bid packets for the preparation of the 2024 Village Council meeting minutes. January 3^rd is the first Wednesday of January, and Ms. Mailander said that she would like to change this date of the Work Session to January 10^th, and move all of the other January meetings forward one week (January 10, 17 and 31, since there are five Wednesdays in January). Moving the first meeting of the year to January 10, 2024 will allow Village Councilmembers time to review the agenda packet after the end-of-year celebrations. The meetings will be held on the usual days (first, second and fourth Wednesdays) from February through June 2024. Since the first Wednesday in July falls on July 3^rd, which is the day before the planned Fourth of July activities, she would like to have the first meeting in July take place on July 10^th (Public Work Session), with the next Public Meeting held on July 17^th.  

Ms. Mailander said that the first Wednesday in October 2024 is October 2^nd, which is the first night of Rosh Hashanah, so she is recommending that the Public Work Session which would normally be scheduled for October 2^nd be moved to Monday, September 30^th. Ms. Mailander also indicated that she would like approval from the Village Councilmembers to set the “Coffee with the Council” date for September 7, 2024.

Everyone was in agreement with the dates recommended by Ms. Mailander. Deputy Mayor Perron asked if it was possible to only have two Village Council meetings per month. Ms. Mailander felt that it would be difficult to fit in all Village business with only two meetings per month. She mentioned that with only two meetings per month, each meeting would be very long, in order to take care of pending matters in the Village. Councilmember Winograd spoke about how meetings in Mahwah are conducted, and a brief discussion ensued. Mayor Vagianos said that meetings in some municipalities last only 15 minutes. There was also a discussion about Consent Agendas, legal requirements for meetings, and placing votes on the record. Mr. Rogers added that Village Council meetings are run like “a well-oiled ship” and follow all legal requirements regarding notices and ordinances. He stated that Ridgewood deals with more matters than other towns in Bergen County.

4.         LATE ADDITIONS TO VILLAGE COUNCIL MEETING AGENDAS

Councilmember Reynolds asked that this item be placed on the agenda. She stated that nothing drives her crazier than receiving materials late Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning, which need to be reviewed in time for a Village Council meeting on Wednesday evening. She asked if a cutoff time could be established for adding items to the agenda packet. She suggested a cutoff day/time of Monday by 2:00 p.m. for agenda materials to be received.

Mayor Vagianos agreed with Councilmember Reynolds and recalled that the prior cutoff time was set for the Friday before the scheduled Village Council meeting. He suggested that Fridays remain as the cutoff time for new agenda materials to be received, so that everyone has ample time to review the packet. He said that some exceptions may be made, particularly when there is an emergent nature that arises without warning or a clerical error occurs (where an item is inadvertently not placed on the agenda). Ms. Mailander corroborated that there is presently a Friday cutoff and this can be enforced if that is the desire of the Village Councilmembers. Everyone was in agreement.

7.         PUBLIC COMMENTS

Cynthia O’Keefe, 542 West Saddle River Road, thanked Mr. Kazmark for visiting the neighbors who live on the east side of Ridgewood, on a very hot day. They had productive discussions regarding the Kingsbridge Lane Footbridge and the Schedler property.

Ms. O’Keefe said that there were some comments this evening stating that there are vacancies on certain Village committees. She said that she has had the pleasure of serving on some of these committees, as well as attending other committee meetings.

Ms. O’Keefe read a letter from Peggy Norris, Village Historian, as follows: “Past officials of Ridgewood, duly elected by the residents of Ridgewood, chose to seek State and National Register status for the Zabriskie-Schedler house. Due to the history of the house, the property and the construction of the house, that status was granted. Regardless of what you personally feel about the wisdom of the decision, it is a done deal involving the County and the State, as well as the people of Ridgewood. Throughout its history, major decisions of the Village Council, including the purchase of the present Village Hall, have met with controversy and even lawsuits. However, elected officials have made decisions that benefit Ridgewood in the long run. That’s how democracy works. Instead of looking for drastic and expensive solutions that would negate the actions of previously elected officials, it would make more sense to accept the compromise worked out with all parties previously, to develop the park with a smaller field (the 2017 plan). The preservation specialist that you hired gave you the answer that you wanted to hear, but not a reasonable one. Joe (Suplicki) and I are your appointed Municipal Historians and we have not been consulted by any of the parties involved. The historic significance of the property is outlined in the nomination form. Regarding the property itself, there is abundant documentary evidence that 150 British soldiers marched down what is now West Saddle River Road in 1780 to engage in a battle at the site of the Old Paramus Reformed Church. It is hard to imagine that this did not involve the property now occupied by the Zabriskie-Schedler house. As a Village, we need sports, we need passive recreation, we need trees, and we need to protect our historic resources, so we urge you to look at development of the property with all of these things in mind. If you have any questions about the historic nature of the house or property, please contact us. Sincerely, Peggy W. Norris and Joe Suplicki, Municipal Historians of the Village of Ridgewood.”

Ms. O’Keefe stated that Councilmember Weitz is the Council Liaison for the Historic Preservation Committee. She said that this committee is comprised of an amazing group of people, who are passionate and dedicated. She said that no member of this committee has been consulted with regard to the historic nature of the Zabriskie-Schedler house or property. Ms. O’Keefe said that members of the public are still waiting for substantiation of Mr. Primavera’s expertise, background and credentials, considering that he is not a licensed architect, engineer or planner. In order to speak about moving an historic house from one location to another, or speak about de-listing the house and property from either the State or Federal Registries of Historic Places, Mr. Primavera needs to prove to the public that he is an expert in these areas. Ms. O’Keefe stated that Ms. Lima brought to light this evening some of the discrepancies she discovered when investigating Mr. Primavera’s background. Ms. O’Keefe implored the Village Councilmembers to do their due diligence by checking Mr. Primavera’s references and work experience. She mentioned that the Village has already paid Mr. Primavera the sum of $7,000.00, and will most likely be paying him more money in the future. Therefore, she feels that the Village Councilmembers need to find out more about Mr. Primavera’s expert credentials.

Bob Fuhrman, 49 Clinton Avenue, said that he was glad to see the matter of public comments on the agenda this evening. He said that listening to the Village Councilmembers for 3-1/2 hours is “enough time” for him. Mr. Fuhrman agreed that public comments should be limited to three minutes. He stated that there should only be comments made during public comments, and not a question-and-answer session. Regarding the limitation on Council Reports, Mr. Fuhrman stated that some Village Councilmembers have more committee involvement than others. He stated that he is a member of many committees, and he feels that whatever transpires at committee meetings deserves to be announced to the public at Village Council meetings. Therefore, he cautioned the Village Councilmembers against being too strict on these time limitations for Council Reports. 

Niti Mistry, 416 Colwell Court, stated that she is happy that there was a discussion this evening regarding the West Glen Avenue sidewalk project. While she is certain that $100,000.00 is not enough money to complete the sidewalks, she feels that $1.2 million may be a bit excessive. She said that the widening of the neighbors’ driveways as an accommodation, as mentioned by Mr. Mehandzic, is a “want” and not a “need.” While such an accommodation is nice, it should not be something that will “make or break the bank.” 

Ms. Mistry said that she was speaking on behalf of some residents who live along West Glen Avenue. She asked whether it was wise to delay the sidewalk project until next year, especially considering the fact that there are real safety concerns by the residents. As far as breaking up the sidewalk project into two parts, Ms. Mistry said that while she does not live directly on West Glen Avenue, she does walk along this route regularly and feels that the most dangerous part is the 100 feet of woods by S Hill Road. This is because there are no sidewalks or even a shoulder on the road, at that location. She said that if the Village performs any work, they should make sure to clear the trees in that stretch of woods, which would allow for greater visibility.

Suzanne Ruane, 705 Kingsbridge Lane, thanked Mr. Kazmark for meeting with the residents, who live near the Kingsbridge Lane Footbridge and the Schedler property, on an extremely hot day. She also thanked the Village Councilmembers for their lengthy discussion this evening regarding the sidewalk project along West Glen Avenue, as well as talking about the funding necessary to repair the footbridge. Ms. Ruane said that she was also pleased to see all of the paving projects going on in the Village. However, she said that West Saddle River Road is a disaster and in dire need of paving. She said that it has not been repaved during the ten years she has lived on Kingsbridge Lane. Ms. Ruane stated that the road is full of potholes on the Ridgewood side of West Saddle River Road, but not on the Ho-Ho-Kus side.

Regarding moving the historic Zabriskie-Schedler house to a different location, as suggested by Mr. Primavera, Ms. Ruane said that she researched the costs associated with same online and learned that it costs hundreds of thousands of dollars to move a house. She read an article, which stated that the cost to move an historic house in Newark, Pennsylvania, was $250,000.00. Ms. Ruane said that she feared that spending this sum of money to move the house will take money away from more important safety projects, such as the sidewalks on West Glen Avenue and repairing the Kingsbridge Lane Footbridge.

Rurik Halaby, 1 Franklin Avenue, complimented Mayor Vagianos on the “really classy way” in which he thanked the various Village employees for their actions during the emergency at Graydon Pool recently. He said that he and his wife have lived in Ridgewood for 54 years, and he loves living in Ridgewood because of the wonderful Village staff.

Mr. Halaby said that he could not agree more with Councilmember Weitz about the dangerous nature of the intersection of Oak Street and West Glen Avenue. He said that the Village “dropped the ball” when they made Glenwood Avenue a one-way street, which resulted in additional traffic being diverted to West Glen Avenue. Mr. Halaby questioned whether or not a traffic light should be installed at the intersection of Oak Street and West Glen Avenue. He stated that, as a pedestrian, the traffic lights at the intersection of North Maple Avenue and Franklin Avenue are the worst he has ever seen. Mr. Halaby suggested that Mr. Kazmark meet with the staff of the Engineering Department to take an inventory of all of the traffic lights that are presently in Ridgewood. He said that the traffic lights at the intersection of Linwood Avenue and North Maple Avenue do not have a pedestrian crossing signal, which a pedestrian can press to safely walk across the street.

Mr. Halaby stated that there are “intelligent lights” utilized in Europe and that such a light would work well at the intersection of Oak Street and West Glen Avenue. If there is traffic only coming one way and not the other, the light will not change in the direction where there are no vehicles. He said that there is a need for a study regarding the traffic lights in Ridgewood.

Regarding the 11:00 p.m. curfew for Village Council meetings, Mr. Halaby stated that he was amused hearing the remarks made by Councilmember Reynolds, since she voted against the reinstatement of hybrid meetings when she sat on the previous Village Council. He said that having hybrid meetings is the “new normal” and a curfew is necessary, since so many more people will be able to speak at Village Council meetings. Mr. Halaby said that, over the past six months, people have been more welcome to express themselves at Village Council meetings than they were before. He said that the current Village Councilmembers are very courteous and listen to whatever the public has to say. He said that the time limit for public comments can always be extended in the event of an emergency. Mr. Halaby concluded by thanking the Village Councilmembers for doing such a great job over the last six months.

Kevin Wang, 147 West Glen Avenue, thanked the Village Councilmembers for discussing the sidewalk project for West Glen Avenue this evening. He stated that he was very confused about the cost for completing the sidewalks. He first heard at a prior meeting that it would be $100,000.00, then $750,000.00, and now it is up to $1.2 million, which is higher than all of the previous estimates. Mr. Wang said that Mayor Vagianos is in favor of the “Cadillac” version of the sidewalk project, but this does not seem prudent considering the fact that it is a tight budget year in the Village. He would be more in favor of a “Toyota Corolla” project. He would at least like to see the project started, instead of postponing it until next year.

Mr. Wang said that it was also mentioned this evening that the sidewalk project could be divided into two parts: one part including the section from S Hill Road and Heights Road to Alpine Terrace, and another part including the section from Alpine Terrace to North Monroe Street. Mr. Wang said that he would be in favor of this separation, since completing the section from S Hill Road to Alpine Terrace would afford pedestrians a complete walkway from S Hill Road to North Monroe Street. Pedestrians would still have to cross West Glen Avenue in the middle of the road, in order to access the sidewalk on the north side of West Glen Avenue, at Alpine Terrace.

Mr. Wang said that he lives in the house on West Glen Avenue where there is a ditch and a stream, which is subject to Federal regulations. He realizes that neither the Village nor the County can really do anything to encroach upon the stream, in order to construct a sidewalk in that location. Therefore, Mr. Wang must cross West Glen Avenue in the middle of the road in order to access the sidewalk on the opposite side of the street. He believes that it is critical to start the project this year, instead of postponing it to next year.

Mr. Wang said that there were comments made this evening about organizing a resident meeting between those residents affected by the sidewalk construction along West Glen Avenue and Village officials to get feedback. He said that he would welcome such a meeting in the very near future.

There were no further public comments.

Councilmember Winograd said that during the budget hearings earlier this year, the requested allocation for the sidewalk project along West Glen Avenue was for $1 million. The Village Councilmembers voted against this allocation, due to budget constraints in 2023. She mentioned that before being elected to the Village Council, neither she nor Councilmember Weitz had been given any background regarding the sidewalk project. After this allocation was disapproved, Councilmember Winograd met with Councilmember Reynolds to learn more about the project. Between 2015 and 2019, the sum of $100,000.00 had been spent on installing sidewalks along the easiest sections of West Glen Avenue. After the $1 million appropriation was not approved, the Village Council talked about the concept of completing the project without the retaining walls (which represented the bulk of the $1 million). This brought the cost down to approximately $300,000.00. Councilmember Winograd explained that it was never mentioned that it would cost $100,000.00 to complete the section of sidewalk by the properties with very steeply sloping front yards. Councilmember Reynolds clarified that a significant amount of sidewalk construction was completed in 2022, rather than between 2015 and 2019. Councilmember Winograd replied that the funding for the construction was approved in 2019.

Councilmember Winograd also explained that West Saddle River Road is a County road. The bulk of paving of County roads (Linwood Avenue and Godwin Avenue) is currently being completed. She said that she was certain that the paving of West Saddle River Road will follow in the future.

Regarding the letter read by Ms. Mistry on behalf of Peggy Norris, Councilmember Winograd said that less than $10,000.00 has been paid to Mr. Primavera, and the Village has spent almost $250,000.00 to Connolly and Hickey for their services. She said that the Village has a record of relying upon historical consultants, when dealing with an historic property located in Ridgewood. With permission from Mr. Rogers, Councilmember Winograd said that she was very disappointed that no plans have been discussed regarding the future use of the Zabriskie-Schedler house, despite the fact that $2.6 million have already been spent on renovations of the house. She said that the future intended use of the house will have implications on the neighborhood, such as additional traffic. She welcomed any Schedler neighbors to contact her with their ideas on how the house can be used in the future.

Mr. Kazmark said that he would be happy to be the recipient of these suggestions from the residents who live in the Schedler neighborhood. He said that he visited the house with the Engineering Department and, although a lot of money has been spent on renovations to the house, the house still does not contain insulation or a shower, and the space inside is too tight for large events. He said that a lot of brainstorming will need to take place, in order to determine what the intended future use of the house will be.

8.         ADJOURNMENT

There being no further business to come before the Village Council, on a motion by Councilmember Weitz, seconded by Councilmember Reynolds, and carried unanimously by voice vote, the Village Council’s Work Session was adjourned at 10:30 p.m.

                                                                                                Paul Vagianos

                                                                                                                  Mayor

Heather A. Mailander

                           Village Clerk

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THE RIDGEWOOD VILLAGE COUNCIL

PUBLIC WORKSHOP AGENDA

OCTOBER 4, 2023

1.         7:30 pm – Call to Order – Mayor

2.         Statement of Compliance with Open Public Meeting Act

            Mayor:  “Adequate notice of this meeting has been provided by a posting on the bulletin    board in Village Hall, by mail to the Ridgewood News, The Record, and by submission   to all persons entitled to same as provided by law of a schedule including the date and      time of this meeting.”

3.         Roll Call – Village Clerk

4.         Flag Salute

5.         Public Comments (Not to Exceed 3 Minutes per Person - 40 Minutes in Total)

6.         Village Manager’s Report

7.         Village Council Reports

8.         Presentation

            a.         HubQuarter Pilot Municipal Partnership

9.         Discussion:

a.         Ridgewood Water

1.     Award Contract – Public Policy Consultant

2.     Removed from Agenda

3.     Award Professional Services Contract – Lead Service Line Replacement

4.     Removed from Agenda

5.     Removed from Agenda

6.     Authorize Agreement – Temporary Use of Property – Pedestrian Bridge

            b.         Parking - None

            c.         Budget

1.     Award Professional Services Contract – Replacement of Underground Fuel Storage Tanks

2.     Award Professional Services Contract – Repair of Pedestrian Tunnels/Ramp at Ridgewood Train Station

3.     Authorize Bond Ordinance – Restoration of Interior Façade at Village Hall

4.     Authorize Grant Application – 2024 Local Aid Grant – Preliminary Engineering LA-2024 LAIF Ridgewood Village SRTS 2016

5.     Amend Resolution No. 23-279 – Spilt Award of Contract

6.     Authorize Participation – Federal LESO 1033 Program

7.     Employee Assistance Program

8.     Camera Update for Police Department

9.     Rescind and Replace Resolution #23-149 – Award Contract - Cultural Resource Management and Historic Preservation Specialist

10.  Resolution for Emergency Appropriation – Interior Façade at Village Hall

11.  Extraordinary Unspecifiable Service – Level 3 Ceiling Substrata Failures

            d.         Policy

1.     Recommendations from Annual Report – Planning Board and Zoning Board of Adjustment

2.     Manner of Addressing Council and Decorum

            e.         Operations

1.     2022 Annual Audit          

10.       Public Comments (Not to Exceed 3 Minutes per Person)

11.       Adjournment