Emerson • Hillsdale • Montvale • Park Ridge • River Vale • Township of Washington • Westwood • Woodcliff Lake VOLUME 25 ISSUE 4
LEADING THE WAY
PA S C AC K VA L L E Y ’ S BEST H O M E TO W N N E W S PA P E R
HAVE CAMERA, WILL TRAVEL
WCL middle-schooler drawn to the action
APRIL 12, 2021
TOWNSHIP OF WASHINGTON
DPW VEHICLES TO CHURCH? Dropped plan due back for hearing April 19
BY MICHAEL OLOHAN AND JOHN SNYDER OF PASCACK PRESS
PVHS teacher James Kennedy takes his international society’s teacher excellence award. SEE PAGE 12
TOWNSHIP OF WASHINGTON
TOWN
TAKES PLUNGE?
$850K eyed for purchase of struggling rec, pool
BY MICHAEL OLOHAN AND JOHN SNYDER OF PASCACK PRESS
The Township Council authorized negotiations to begin toward acquisition of Washington Township Swim & Recreation Club, the private nonprofit social club on Ridgewood Boulevard abutting the Garden State Parkway, at a purchase price of $850,000. Resolution 21-181 was approved, 3-0, at the April 5 meeting. Voting yes, and without comment, were Council President Stacey Feeney, VP Desserie Morgan, and newly returned member Tom Sears—appointed the same meeting to replace the late Arthur Cumming.
See PLUNGE on page 214
W
ABOVE: WLFD Truck 75 leaves on a call. BELOW: Squad 7 trains at Dorchester Elementary.
BY JOHN SNYDER OF PASCACK PRESS
HEN THE CALL squawks over the scanner, and police, fire, and EMS personnel are bound for action, odds are good that young Gianpiero Segreto is responding as well. At least in the local area, but sometimes much further afield. Gianpiero—or GP—is a Woodcliff Lake middle schooler who turned pandemic frustration into a hobby that gives him a near front-row seat to some of the most important work in the valley: saving lives and property. With his mountain bike, iPhone, and water (sometimes he gets a ride from mom) GP figures out where to position himself to document police and fire responses in reach. He uploads videos and stills to his Instagram account, Tri_County_Fire_Response, which at this writing boasts 729 followers. He is exploring ways to do something with his work that raises money for emerSee CAMERA on page 22
GIANPIERO ‘GP’ SEGRETO, 13, at home in 2020, maintains Tri_County_Fire_Response on Instagram.
APPARATUS PHOTOS BY GP SEGRETO; PHOTO OF GP BY PIA SEGRETO
EMERSON SALUTES
The borough unveils its military service tribute banner program, seeking sponsors for a project it hopes will grace the streets of The Family Town.
SEE PAGE 19
In what would be an about-face for the township if the plan is executed, the town is preparing to rent 35 parking spaces at Our Lady of Good Counsel Church for $2,500 per month, up to two years, to accommodate DPW vehicles. An ordinance on the deal was introduced, 3–0, on April 5 with no comment from members present. A required public hearing will be held April 19. On returning from a lengthy closed session over “negotiations, parking of municipal vehicles, and acquisition of properties/condemnation,” Council President Stacey Feeney introduced Ordinance 2105, which authorizes the plan. Agreeing were Council VP Desserie Morgan and newly returned member Tom Sears. Absent were members Michael DeSena and Steve Cascio. The council had authorized Mayor Peter Calamari to execute a similar arrangement with the church in October 2020—then seen as a solution to where to site town equipment while the DPW land is decontaminated and its headquarters is rebuilt—but it was scuttled due to complaints about expense, maintenance obligations, and ethics questions around the mayorʼs and his familyʼs board ties to the church.
See DPW on page 264
B ck in time...
In ʻHillsdale in a Vintage Hue,ʼ Kristin Beuscher brings us back 50 years, to April 1971. All of the landmarks compared still stand—but theyʼve changed with the times. SEE PAGE 4