Capitalprojects,PlanningBoardapplications,andnewwork

Via Mayor Michael Ghassali in an email to residents March 13.

Borough/Capital Projects

• Montvale 2021 Road Program: The project has been completed. Colliers is preparing the final change order and pay estimate for the Contractor.

• Montvale FY2021 NJDOT Road Program – Craig Road. The project has been completed. Our engineers from Colliers are preparing the final change order and pay estimate. Engineer is also preparing the NJDOT close out documents for reimbursement.

• Veolia (formerly Suez) Water Main Replacement Program. Veolia has completed its 2022 water main replacements. We are working with Veolia to get their next list for water main replacements/upgrades for 2023.

There was a pre-construction meeting Feb. 2 with Veolia to discuss the scope, schedule and other related items for the water main construction on Terkuile Road. It is anticipated that the work will begin in the spring.

HILLSDALE

• Montvale 2020 Bergen County Open Space Grant- La Trenta Parking Lot & ADA Improvement Project. The project is substantially completed. Upon competition of the project in the spring of 2023, engineer will prepare the final documents for payment to the contractor and reimbursement from the county.

• Bergen County/Magnolia Avenue Bridge Replacement. The project is substantially completed and the roadway is open. Engineer is working with the County of Bergen on closeout of the project.

• Fieldstone Fields Portable Restroom Facility. Montvale was awarded an NJDCA grant for $40,000 for the installation of a three-unit (ADA, menʼs, and ladiesʼroom) restroom trailer that would be available to the public three seasons of the year. The borough is in discussions with the Montvale local BOE to determine a proposed location.

• Montvale FY2022 NJDOT Road Program – Summit Avenue

This project proposes milling and paving of Summit Avenue, from

Spring Valley Road east to the New York State border. It is anticipated the project will be ready to bid in April. It is anticipated that construction will begin in July.

Planning Board Applications

• Montvale Grove, LLC – 24 Spring Valley Road. The initial hearing was held on Oct. 18, 2022. Testimony continued at the Dec. 2022 meeting. This application proposes the construction of 18individual age-restricted buildings including a three-unit affordable building located on 4 acres north of the intersection of Spring Valley Road and Grand Avenue.

The initial hearing was Oct. 18, 2022. Testimony continued Dec. 6, 2022. Traffic testimony was provided Dec. 6, 2022. At the same meeting, applicantʼs attorney requested a technical discussion with CED prior to the Jan. 3, 2023 meeting. This was approved by the board. Testimony was continued at the January/February 2023 meetings. The next scheduled meeting is March 29.

Mobile DMV at West Lot on April 18

Itʼs headed your way. The mobile DMV is inbound April 18 in the West Lot, 411 Hillsdale Ave. Appointments are required for all transactions listed below.

If you are just dropping off license plates, you donʼt need an appointment.

To make an appointment, call Borough Clerk Denise Kohan at (201) 497-1552. You will need to provide your name, email address, and telephone number. Time slots will be confirmed when making your appointment.

• Driverʼs license renewal (or name change);

•Registration renewal (no title work at mobile unit);

• Exam permit (no testing at mobile unit);

• Handicap placard;

•Boat stickers;

•Add veteran designation to license;

•Non-Driver ID. Initial license after passing road test; RealID: (Enforced May 7, 2025.) No appointments available yet.

• Unger – 45 Akers Ave. This is a major subdivision application with variances. The applicant requests to subdivide the existing property into two non-conforming lots with lot areas of 29,346square feet and 31,946 square feet, where the district minimum is 40,000 square feet as well as other required variances.

The applicant was requested to provide revised plans to the Board. Status is same.

• Harmony Hills subdivision (south end of cul-de-sac on Elizabeth Street). This is a major subdivision application with variances. The applicant proposes to reconfigure the existing lots into three conforming residential lots. Engineer has deemed the application incomplete for the latest submission dated Jan. 12, 2023.

Planning Board Inspection Projects

• North Market Phase II –Building 4 (Valley Health), 400 Market St. This application was approved at the Aug. 2, 2022 Planning Board meeting for a threestory 87,976- square foot retail and medical office building at the corner of De Piero Drive and Grand Avenue, with a future development pad site noted as Phase IIA in the northwest corner of the site.

Site work began for the first building in the final phase of the North Market development, with building permits under review. Permits issued for footings and foundations. Building footings are under construction.

• Atlantis Fresh Market – 12 Railroad Ave. Construction continues at this site, which includes a 2,899-square-foot convenience store, with six fueling stations.

The applicant has been issued all required building permits for this development. Construction is in progress for permits issued. The contractor was having difficulty connecting to the utilities on Railroad Avenue. Those connections are now completed.

• Cornerstone at Montvale (Montvale Family Apartments –Summit Avenue) The applicant continues site, foundation and utility work for the construction of a 25-unit development on Summit Avenue at the intersection with Craig Road. Permits issued for two buildings. Status is same.

• Moksha/Valley View Subdivision – 87 & 89 Valley View Terrace. Work continues on the construction of the two-homes, as well as retaining wall installation and site grading. Status is same. NSFD homes-permits issued.

• Parkland Estates – 91 Spring Valley Road (formerly Metropolitan Homes). This application for the construction of four single-family homes at the end of Deep Wood Lane (off Stem Brook), and seven single-family homes on Spring Valley Road opposite Bear Brook Village.

The borough has received grading permit applications for four new homes proposed to be located on Wedgehill Lane, a new road off of Spring Valley Road. The contractor is scheduled to meet with the Planning Board site plan review subcommittee to discuss their revised plans.

The contractor is grading the site for the proposed interior roadways. The applicant attended the SPR meeting Dec. 6, 2022 to discuss the site plan changes for the individual lots provided on their grading plans. The changes were approved by the board. The revised grading applications and plans are under review by our engineer

• Village Springs at Montvale (Toll Brothers) – 2 Paragon Dr. The applicant has added additional landscaping along Paragon Drive and is looking to install landscaping on the islands at the intersection with Summit Avenue to further enhance the project. This project includes the construction of 80-townhouse units in 18-buildings. To date, the borough has issued 31 certificates of occupancy (COs).

• North Market/Triboro (former Mercedes property). Building 1 (100 Market) is fully opened with the majority of the apartments being rented and the majority of the retail spaces being rented.

Building 2 (200 Market) is completed and is currently being marketed for office and retail space.

Building 3 (300 Market) is completed and currently being marketed for rental apartments and retail tenants.

Building 4 (400 Market) is under construction for the installation of a healthcare facility.

• Alexa (Premier Development) – 160 Spring Valley Road. This 81-unit townhome development, north of Upper Saddle River Road, has 49-units occu-

BY MICHAEL OLOHAN OF PASCACK PRESS

Parkridge

Borough officials are asking residents to write letters and emails in support of a proposed $12 million project to dredge Mill Pond (Electric Lake) to help restore its stormwater storage capacity and improve its water quality.

The boroughʼs project grant request — prepared by Neglia Engineering — was due March 17 to the Fiscal Year 2024 Community Project Funding Request, said Mayor Keith Misciagna.

Moreover, public letters of support can help boost the projectʼs chances for funding, said the mayor.

Misciagna told Pascack Press , “The Borough will be working with Congressman Gottheimerʼs office to potentially obtain funds for the dredging of Electric Lake by applying for the Fiscal Year 2024 Community Project Funding Request. We are hopeful that with the congressmanʼs help, we can secure aid for the dredging and sediment removal of the Boroughʼs historical and prominent Mill Pond, also known as Electric Lake.”

He said, “This area has historically served as a prominent area of electrical development and industry, and later as a place of leisure for activities such as fishing and non-power boating that relies on the health of the water quality.”

Misciagna said, “Over the years, we have explored many options for funding this massive project, but have been unsuccessful. This may be our best chance to receive federal funding and community support could help. If you would like to help, please send me a letter to Borough Hall expressing your support for the project and how it affects quality of life in Park Ridge.”

The proposed $12 million grant projectʼs timeline is approximately one year from start to finish.

Borough Engineer John Dun- lea of Neglia Engineering told us, “We anticipate construction spanning six to eight months, based upon weather and subsurface soil conditions encountered during construction. The existing pond would be drained and dredged utilizing excavators and dump trucks.”

He added, “All dredged material will be trucked off-site and disposed of in accordance with all applicable local, County, State and Federal requirements. A temporary bypass solution will be constructed to ensure that continuous flow is maintained from the upstream areas.”

Dunlea pointed out that the accumulation of sediment has resulted in “a substantial loss of stormwater storage capacity within the pond. Over time, loss of additional capacity could potentially result in upstream flooding in neighboring communities. This is critical as stormwater runoff from Montvale, which is located directly upstream, ultimately discharges to this pond.”

Dunlea noted, “Stormwater runoff from Pearl River and portions of Nanuet, both located in New York, also ultimately discharge to the pond by way of upstream watercourses. As such, it is critical to note that dredging of the pond is an important element in the preservation of the overall functionality of surrounding stormwater infrastructure and rep- resents a regional concern for associated communities in both New Jersey and New York.”

Borough Clerk Maggie Giandomenico said emails or letters supporting the grant funding can be emailed to her or mailed or dropped off to Borough Hall, 53 Park Ave.

Dr.

FROM PAGE 5 patchers. After dispatchers spoke, the chief, mayor and Hermansen expressed strong support for assisting the local employees in finding future employment.

While most dispatch services said current dispatchers could apply for jobs, no guarantees were made that positions were available or that they would be hired.

Resident Amy Levine, speaking on behalf of dispatcher William Levine, wondered about the increased overtime costs for police officers on dispatch and whether local dispatchers were offered the opportunity to cover open shifts due to vacations/callouts.

The chief said local dispatchers were called first, and if an onduty officer was available, he would place that officer on dispatch. Only as a last resort were officers called in on overtime, said the chief.

A part-time dispatcher, Kristen Malakas, said she was the only current part-time dispatcher, and a recent part-time dispatcher was hired at a higher pay rate than her. She said she was making $15 hourly, noting the overnight position was “paying so little.”

An advertisement posted by Emerson for part-time dispatchers offered $23 per hour for covering 12-hour weekend shifts, with an opportunity to cover open shifts during the week. The application deadline was Feb. 15.

Dispatcher Christine St. Angelo said all the dispatch outsource centers said there were no guaranteed jobs. “Where does that leave us?” she asked. She asked that the council look into any dispatch center that offered to provide them jobs.

“Weʼll all do whatever we can, but we cannot guarantee it (dispatcher jobs),” said DiPaola, after Hermansen said he would do his best to help current employees.

Mazzeo pointed out that Hillsdale had recently invested heavily into its local dispatch only to decide to outsource dispatch with the county to save. Councilwoman Nicole Argenzia and DiPaola suggested that a “float pool” of dispatchers might be doable between two towns sharing dispatch services.