Neighbors of the high school approached the district with an offer – let us do a permeability test on the turf fields to answer once and for all if the new turf fields on Stadium and Stevens are one of the culprits in recent flooding. In response, the district said it's doing a "G-Max" test, which tests the playing surface for softness. Neighbors, of course, said, that's not the same thing; let us do the permeability test and we'll pay for it. The district told Patch they'd talk it over with professionals but to date there's been no response. BOE member Charlie Reilly was suspicious of the …

The lines over what's considered fast food have blurred over the past three decades, says Village Planner Blais Brancheau, and business is suffering as a result of Ridgewood's restrictive "fast food ordinance." Brancheau reported at the last planning board meeting that six small businesses have been denied entry to Ridgewood because of the ordinance. But some planning board members fear that Ronald and Wendy could displace mom and pop, and further charge that Ridgewood residents would be upset by seeing corporate fast food popping up in the CBD. Where do you stand on this? Would a fast food …

Four members of the Ridgewood Village Council thought it a good idea to give Village Manager Ken Gabbert a $20,000 raise retroactive to January of 2011. Others? Not so much. Councilman Paul Aronsohn was awfully peeved by the move and by the looks of it, there wasn't much public support for the raise either. Certainly, a few questions emerge here. 1) The council members who voted for the raise said Gabbert's moves have saved the village significant money, hundreds of thousands of dollars. If Gabbert has saved the village exponentially more than what he'll be taking in on the raise, does that …

Last week, New York legalized gay marriage. Hundreds of couples lined up outside the City Clerk’s office to receive their marriage licenses, exchange their vows and celebrate on the front steps of the building. So, should New Jersey follow in its neighbor’s footsteps? The Garden State passed a civil union law in 2004, but a bill to allow same-sex marriage was defeated in January 2010. Eighteen months later, does the state still feel the same way? Assemblyman Reed Gusciora  (D-Mercer), the state’s only openly gay lawmaker, proposed a bill on June 13 to legalize gay marriage. Gay rights …

Last week, the Board of Education received $849,426 in state aid, and decided to use it to replace the Glen School roof. In the 2010-11 school year, the district saw its entire $3 million budget slashed, but received $850,000 once already, in February of this year. This second addition of $850,000 comes as a happy surprise towards getting the district closer to its original budget. During the meeting on Monday, Superintendent Dr. Daniel Fishbein outline several possible options for use of the money, which included returning the cash to taxpayers, spending the money on capital projects, or …

The council was pressured into rescinding an RFP to put a 140-foot cell tower up at the firehouse on East Glen and Maple. Residents ask that a committee be formed to help explore alternative sites for towers and alternative designs, too – less-invasive to the neighborhood, maybe something that goes on top of buildings instead of a large tower that damages property value and may have safety risks attached to it. Mayor Killion seemed skeptical of the benefits to setting up a committee like that, and said that frankly, no one wants a cell tower in their yard. Is a committee needed to determine …

It didn't quite come to blows, but boy was there tension in the room last Wednesday night. Deputy Mayor Tom Riche and Councilman Paul Aronsohn had a nasty battle over whether the village should be charging for sidewalk cafe permits to private businesses that have outdoor dining on their own private property–not on a right-of-way or village-owned space. Aronsohn questioned whether the fees should have been done in the first place, coining it a 'shakedown' at one point and calling for a full reexamination of the ordinance Riche helped author a decade ago. Meanwhile, Riche said the fees are …

Some parents have opined that they weren't able to see their kids walk in white due to the venue change from the Stadium Field to the front lawn, as a result of flooding at the new turf field. While the water had receded shortly after the ceremony began, with water still rushing above the bridge, it was a no-go. Some argued the district apparently not having a contingency plan was disturbing. Many others, however, thought the change was actually refreshing. While not as roomy, it was organized, cohesive and the grads certainly didn't seem to mind. What do you think, folks? Good move? Bad move…

With one of the best-rated school districts in the state, it's no wonder families are keen on moving to the village. After years of school work, after-school jobs, tutors and more, the RHS Class of 2011 is moving on. The overwhelming majority are going to college, a list that includes some of the finest schools in the country. But it also marks a time of high unemployment and a sizable number of students moving back home after their college time is up (not to mention the cost is shooting upward for colleges). What advice would you be giving to the Class of 2011 in an uncertain economy? And …

Enjoy merging from the ramp on Rt. 17 to Linwood during rush hour? Fancy the odd setup at Maple where cars turning left from Franklin are confronted with cars from the opposite side of Maple turning left as well at the same time? Ever try to make a left onto Goffle in rush hour? How about Ackerman onto Godwin? Our favorite? East Ridgewood and Broad Street. Well, what do you think of the worst intersections in the village? And what would you do to improve these spots? Let us know in the comments!

Designed to bring a bit more fun to Graydon Pool, the council signed off on purchasing a $12,000 inflatable playground of sorts–the "Wibit"–this spring and it debuted for Opening Weekend. While the council seemed convinced the device would bring the kids and revenue, the Preserve Graydon Coalition was less enthused. The group objected to the aesthetics and said the council misplaced priorities by not adding more sand and improving the water quality further. So where are you on this, Ridgewood? In favor of the Wibit? Not in favor? Why?

You'd be hard-pressed to find a village resident that doesn't enjoy living here for an incredible array of reasons, but that's not to say Ridgewood is without flaws. The taxes are high, traffic can be brutal, parking is seen by many as a mess, village services have been reduced with the economic challenges, while the jury is still out on whether the CBD can fully recover. Then of course, the 800 lbs. gorilla of the Valley question still dominates many conversations, as well as the math program, Schedler's status, field lights, flooding and turf, Graydon's present and future, teacher and …

Top village officials and Mayor Keith Killion are working on the scheduling/venue logistics of the Valley Hospital "H-Zone" ordinance. The council appears to be eyeing either B.F.'s auditorium or the RHS Student Center as the one venue for hearings. Further, the council seems intent to have the meetings (which would be separate from regular council meetings due to the time, complexity and public interest) televised. But it wasn't unanimous on the schedule – should the council get things kicked off during the summer? While the public has been waiting years since hearings at the planning board …

As the calendar turns, so does the weather. While that may be a good thing for those who hate being cooped in for winter, it also means there are more dangerous situations that can be encountered, especially for youth. A teenage boy–a middle schooler–was struck in a crosswalk on Friday night and Walton and South Maple claimed two victims last week, one pedestrian and one cyclist. Both injuries were minor on South Maple but the teenage boy has a solid recovery time ahead of him after suffering a shoulder injury. It also happens to be National Walk Your Kid to School Month and Bicycle Safety …

Back in August, the school board hosted Paul Breda, a member of the New Jersey School Board Association. With Breda, the school board and top administrators did a self-evaluation to determine its strengths, weaknesses and where it should improve. Among the things it said it would like to improve the most in was communicating with the general public. From the minutes of August 30, 2010: "Improvements have been made in communications this year, which helped to gain approval for the bond referendum. This speaks well to communications with the community. Three major challenges facing the district…

After declining property values again sapped revenues, the library is looking at a $115,000 budget gap. Library Director Nancy Greene recently appealed to the council for a good chunk of change–$76,750–or the library would have to significantly dock back its book buying budget and close up to 17 days a year, which residents at the most recent council meeting said would be damaging to the community. Children would be most impacted, residents said. But none of the proposed budget scenarios–ranging from a rise in municipal taxes of 5.2 and 7.4 percent–include Greene's request and several …

Villagers will be going to the polls on April 27 to vote on both the school board candidates as well as the school budget, which could see the average homeowner fork over an additional $191 though programs will not see cuts, nor will staff (in contrast to last year, which saw significant cuts in staff and changes to programming). The village too will be introducing the first look at its budget this week, where municipal taxes are projected to go up between 5.2 percent and 7.4 percent; the latter figure will bring back laid off village workers while increasing taxes $255 for the average …

Department heads are requesting that village budget crafters  re-hire workers laid off last year. Village officials have said in recent weeks that some services were affected due to a leaner staff, and even with a budget gap of around $370,000, it may need to bring back some of the over 30 workers let go. The Engineering Department has requested at least one worker, as has Streets and Fleets, the Building Department, Solid Waste Control and the Village Clerk (from part-time to full-time). There had been some frustration from residents on leaf pickup over the fall as well as a mediocre …

Sports groups say they have the numbers on their side – thousands of people play on the village's fields but without more time to play, some kids will go without. Athletics is part of living healthy, they say, an important part of development. To the contrary, neighbors say, think bigger picture – what if it were your neighborhood? In fact, neighbors say, if they get their way it soon may be your neighborhood. That would be worse for kids and adults, they say, with less sleep for kids playing as well as those living near the fields. The village council is seemingly in a no-win situation, …

If you have an iPhone in the village, you're probably quite frustrated with all the dropped calls, the poor reception and the slow downloading times. T-Mobile, just bought out by AT&T on Sunday for $39 billion and now the largest wireless carrier in the nation (provided federal approval is granted), wants to put a 145-foot tower at the end of Barnett Place, next to the Ho-Ho-Kus border. The tower would likely provide for better, more reliable service to its significant customer base in Ridgewood for the merged telecom behemoth. The proposed site would require a zoning variance (cell towers …