Ridgewood is blessed with a wonderful park system that accommodates all ages and all types of activities. Unfortunately, the Village’s failure to (1) complete the work on the Schedler property, (2) mitigate frequent flooding of our parks and fields, (3) resolve the freezing of State Green Acres funds, and (4) address the impact of the lengthy closure of Orchard Field has worsened our shortage of parks and fields and left our usable inventory overutilized, undermaintained, and generally lacking love. When elected, I will promptly work to implement the following meaningful steps:

 

• Implement the 2017 plan for Schedler Park — with its new youth athletic field, walking path, and children’s playscape — that was publicly approved by the Village Council under former Mayor Ramon Hache and bring that park to life as soon as possible. I will also establish a short-duration task force to explore future revenue-generating uses for the historic house at Schedler, which now stands unfinished and without a designated use. With each day that passes, the dormant Schedler property continues to cost Ridgewood taxpayers more money without any accompanying benefit.

• Create and implement a badly needed flood mitigation plan for low-lying areas, such as Vets Field, Maple Park, and the RHS fields, along with a flood response team to standardize our protocols during flood incidents. Also explore state funds through the New Jersey Blue Acres Buyout Program to help Ridgewood reduce impervious surfaces in flood zones and minimize the impact of flooding during times of extreme weather. I will also ramp up our tree planting program, which not only beautifies our town, but also mitigates flooding as well.

• Address the long-standing and still unaddressed NJ Green Acres rules issues regarding Broad Street that has led to the State freezing our NJ Green Acres grant funds. Also partner with the neighborhoods closest to downtown to explore additional future green spaces and free up funding for parks.

• Partner with our sports organizations to fundraise for future targeted improvements.

• Partner with our senior citizens to improve parks and park access — including for activities such as pickleball that are increasingly popular among our seniors — so that residents of all ages can enjoy our beautiful public land.

• Proactively recognize and support the tremendous effort put forward and projects accomplished by volunteer organizations such as the Women Gardeners of Ridgewood and the Conservancy for Ridgewood Public Lands to help beautify our town.

• Continue to support programs such as HealthBarn USA, which add to the overall vibrancy and success of our parks and recreation program.

• Update the existing storm water master plan which is outdated and in need of an update.

Ridgewood residents value information and facts when making decisions about the future of our village. In recent years, however, obtaining facts and information has required a fishing expedition, with too little information readily available to the public. When information is available, it has often been muddled or misleading. When elected, I will work to swiftly:

 

• Restore hybrid access — i.e., both in-person and online — at Council meetings. Allow both remote and written comments in order to maximize citizen participation.

• Revamp our town website to be more informative and user friendly.

Simplify Village e-notices and promote awareness about the importance of local notices.

• Post Village Council agendas and minutes in a timely fashion and allow those interested to receive an email notification of (with a link to) those postings, similar to current Board of Education protocols.

• Broadcast all Planning Board meetings (a practice that was stopped within the last two years) and also ensure that their minutes and agendas are posted in a timely and accessible manner.

• Take advantage of the breadth of talent and expertise among our residents to ensure that Village boards and committees represent a diversity of skills, thought, and perspective.