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 8
WOODCLIFF LAKE
BOROUGH
TACKS ON MORE DEBT Improvements for roads, town facilities pass, 4–2
BY MICHAEL OLOHAN OF PASCACK PRESS
The Borough Council voted, 4–2, to approve a $3.45 million appropriation, including a $2.7 million bond, to fund public improvements such as municipal building upgrades, new vehicles and new communications equipment. The bond issue totals $2,689,000. The total appropriation includes aggregate grants appropriated at $626,061, and an aggregate down payment of $134,979. Requests for the bondʼs affect on the annual property tax on an average home were not answered by press time. The move comes on the heels of the Pascack Valley Regional High School District school board voting to increase yearly school taxes here by $545, based on the stateʼs school funding formula. (See “Schools levy passes: Budget up 2%; Woodcliff Lake taxes up $545,” Pascack Press, Page 1, May 3.) Several residents weighing in to the May 3 council meeting criticized the spending as excessive and lacking specificity. One council finance member said bond term length and more detailed line item specifics should be determined soon. Council President Angela Hayes and councilman Craig Marson voted against the appropriation and bond issue. Borough Attorney John Schettino said that two-thirds of the council (or four members) must approve for the bonding ordinance to pass. Members approving the bonded spending cited historically low interest rates for borrowing now and much-needed facilities and road improvements postponed due to the
See DEBT on page 21
A GOLDEN GIRL VERSUS VAPING Scoutʼs campaign follows through on pledge
C
ONGRATULATIONS
TO
Aria Anahita Chalileh of, Montvale Girl Scout Troop 94006, whose 12 years of service have culminated in her Gold Award, the most prestigious Girl Scout honor. The award, bestowed April 30 by Girl Scouts of Northern New Jersey, requires a minimum of 80 hours dedicated to a project benefitting the community. Only 5% of Girl Scouts attain it. Her lifesaving work and leadership are ongoing. Through her final project Chalileh reached approximately 2,000 students and parents in Bergen County, including at Pascack Hills High School and Fieldstone Middle School, through live and recorded presentations on the health hazards of vaping and the marketing practices of Big Tobacco—the largest global tobacco industry companies—and on empowering youth to opt instead for “a natural buzz.” Earning a Girl Scout Gold Award doesnʼt just happen. Chalileh put together an action plan, a timeline, and outcome measures. Then she recruited and led a team to execute it.. Now, she says, “I believe I will be able to reach even more youth and have a greater impact by sharing the information about my journey. This would not only advance my cause, it also could inspire other youth to take action
MAY 10, 2021
TOWNSHIP OF WASHINGTON
TALKS ON FOR RARE TRACT?
Town attorney says 450 appraisal due imminently BY MICHAEL OLOHAN OF PASCACK PRESS
ARIA CHALILEH aims to change lives through her education campaign against Big Tobacco. She just took her Girl Scout Gold Award, the organization’s capstone honor. and become agents of change in their own communities.” She has collaborated with the Bergen County Prevention Coalition, Hills-Valley Coalition, the Woodcliff Lake PFA Parent Academy, and Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. She has worked with Pas-
PHOTO COURTESY ARIA ANAHITA CHALILEH
CAR SHOW AT 10 The Park Ridge Recreation and Cultural Committee’s 10th Annual Car Show celebrates the borough’s 125th anniversary.
SEE PAGE 26
cack Hills Student Assistance Counselor Jennifer Zimmermann, a coordinator with Hills–Valley Coalition, on “Ditch the Vape!” outreach PHHS notes, “She completed over 34 live and seven prerecorded presentations reaching
Continued on page 39
The township attorney said that acquiring 450 Pascack Road remains “a priority” and discouraged council members from talking about the property in public, as it pertains to negotiations and possible litigation. At the May 3 council meeting, Township Attorney Kenneth Poller said he expected to have the appraisal of 450 Pascack Road, a 3.2-acre mostly wooded lot adjacent to Memorial Field and Washington Elementary School, in hand that week. He did not say the matter was currently a matter of negotiation or litigation. The council hired McNerney & Associates, of Glen Rock, on Feb. 16 to conduct an appraisal for $2,500. Council also hired the firm to provide testimony, at $150 per hour, should that be required. In April, Poller talked at length about the need for the council not to discuss closed-session items in public. Examples were the townʼs interest in the Swim and Recreation Club, and in a $60,600 deal struck to park public works equipment at Our Lady of Good Counsel Church for up to two years. “Itʼs not the wise thing to be putting out thought processes, approaches, strengths, weaknesses, and things of that nature when
See TALKS on page 304
B ck in time...
That simple fieldstone wall at Pascack Road and Mountain Avenue? Thatʼs all that remains of the lavish and storied estate built by Park Ridge Mayor Theodore Volger in the 1890s. SEE PAGE 4