Emerson • Hillsdale • Montvale • Park Ridge • River Vale • Township of Washington • Westwood • Woodcliff Lake
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
VOLUME 25 ISSUE 3
CHAMBER HONORS
BOUNTIFUL SPRING SCENES
Tireless Easter bunny makes her rounds
APRIL 5, 2021
TOWNSHIP OF WASHINGTON
COVID-19 ‘SAVINGS’ AT WWRSD Trustees float $65M budget; hearing set
BY MICHAEL OLOHAN OF PASCACK PRESS
The Greater Pascack Valley Chamber of Commerce names two Citizens of the Year for ’21. SEE PAGE 7
RIVER VALE
$35.7M
Hearing on schools referendum April 6
VOTE NEAR
T
HE RABBITʼS
fast and doesnʼt often stick around, but we caught her in action leading up to Easter Sunday, April 4, which was after press time. At right the Easter bunny at Emersonʼs stately WPA Borough Hall (photo via Jill McGuire) and—oh! Just missed her!— above and below having left eggs for Assumption Academy Early Childhood Centerʼs preschoolers. (Thanks for those photos go to Loretta La Gratta). Happy spring—and safe spring break—from all of us at Pascack Press.
BY MICHAEL OLOHAN OF PASCACK PRESS
The River Vale Public School Board of Education is hosting an online forum for voters to hear from architects, financial advisers and school staff—and each other—on the districtʼs $35.7 million facilities referendum, which is set for April 20. The hearing is set for April 6 at 7 p.m. A link will be posted on the district boardʼs website at rivervaleschools.com/vote. Three questions focus on upgrading facilities at Roberge and Woodside elementary schools and Holdrum Middle School, overall including air conditioning, new roofs, new wellness centers, new outdoor learning areas, and redesigns and new entryways. District reserves and state aid are
See VOTE on page 114
THE EASTER BUNNY greets fans at Emerson Borough Hall on Saturday, March 27.
HAPPY 109th!
Park Ridge Girl Scouts assemble birthday goodie bags for the Tri-Boro Food Pantry in honor of a Girl Scouts milestone.
SEE PAGE 14
The Westwood Regional School District Board of Education has introduced a preliminary 2021–2022 budget of more than $65 million with a proposed zero percent tax levy increase. Board Business Administrator Keith Rosado said a zero tax levy increase budget was a first during his tenure in the district, and credited it for the most part to 2020 savings during the pandemic. The introduction was made some three hours into a nearly sixhour board meeting on March 18. A final budget discussion, public hearing and vote is scheduled April 29. According to the boardʼs agenda, the preliminary budget is $65,419,205 and the local tax levy is $56,774,194. The preliminary budget was approved, 8–1, with Westwood trustee Michael Pontillo, who sits on the Finance and Facilities Committee, voting no. We reached out to Rosado and Finance and Facilities Committee Chairman Andrew Gerstmayr on further budget breakdowns and projected school tax on average district homes in Westwood and Washington Township but did not hear back by press time. The draft budget was discussed at the March 4 board meeting, which itself exceeded five hours. On March 18, only Pontillo See WWRSD on page 244
B ck in time...
Newspaper ads from 1965 show the Westwood Chamber of Commerce doing its part for local businesses as highway stores and malls were springing up in Paramus. SEE PAGE 4