Emerson • Hillsdale • Montvale • Park Ridge • River Vale • Township of Washington • Westwood • Woodcliff Lake
PA S C AC K VA L L E Y ’ S H O M E TO W N N E W S PA P E R
VOLUME 26 ISSUE 9
Patrons covered
MAY 16, 2022
RACING TO MEET THE NEED
Community outreach, membership push at EVAC
HILLSDALE
PUSH FOR $3.5M BALLOT ASK REBUFFED Community center, field upgrade, and alleged divisiveness
BY MICHAEL OLOHAN OF PASCACK PRESS
Hillsdale Free Public Library distributes tote bags at Kings Market as the state’s single-use plastic bag ban takes effect. SEE PAGE 6
PASCACK VALLEY
EXPERT: ‘COEXIST
WITH DEER’ Forum at River Vale Public Library against backdrop of collisions
BY MICHAEL OLOHAN OF PASCACK PRESS
An official from a Bergen County nature preserve told approximately a dozen residents at River Vale Public Library on May 6 that homeowners should learn to coexist with deer, take care to minimize deer impacts, and hope that the county begins a regional approach to deer management. Merely local efforts, she said, only push the problem from one town to another. Meanwhile, River Vale police reports we requested for 2020, 2021, and year to date show there
See COEXIST on page 264
E
Emerson Brownie Troop 97609 visits Emerson Volunteer Ambulance Corps (EVAC) on April 24. The scouts toured the ambulance and asked terrific questions. Meanwhile, EVAC is looking for new members. Adults left to right are EVAC Capt. Mike Davis, treasurer Maureen Howlin, president Janine Davis, secretary George Howlin, and new EMT Maya Zhang.
BY JOHN SNYDER OF PASCACK PRESS
BROWNIE Troop 97609 charmed the Emerson Volunteer Ambulance Corps (EVAC) on April 24 in a visit. The scouts toured the ambulance and learned from volunteers about the important things EVAC does when someone calls 9-1-1. EVAC provides emergency medical services to the Borough MERSON
of Emerson and neighboring towns. It notes online that every year it touches the lives of hundreds of patients and their families. EVAC treasurer and publicity chair Maureen Howlin told Pascack Press this group of youngsters, in pursuit of badges in Life Skills, was particularly engaged and curious and asked lots of great questions. “It was very hands-on and a lot of fun. At the end we band-
5PHOTO VIA MAUREEN HOWLAND/EVAC
aged one of the kids up — showed them how we treat lacerations, and so forth,” she said. Community outreach is picking up, she said, and EVAC looks forward to resuming school visits. Right now the corps is participating in a staged DWI accident scenario at the firehouse for the benefit of high school seniors. “It involves the fire department, the ambulance,
Continued on page 15
The Borough Councilʼs fivemember majority criticized a proposal from councilman Zoltán Horváth — supported by Mayor John Ruocco — to bring up a discussion of a public referendum for the General Election on the counplans to spend cilʼs $3.5 million on Centennial Field improvements, including a new artificial turf field. Horváth moved an “off-consent” agenda motion to propose a non-binding referendum question on Nov. 8 “to ascertain the sentiment of the legal voters of the municipality” up for council discussion. The motion lacked a second and failed to carry, said Ruocco, who did not allow discussion as the motion died. However, later under council commentaries — time set aside for Ruocco and council members to offer personal opinions — Ruocco, Horváth, and several other council members made sure their points of view were heard. Ruocco said he was “a little bit disappointed” that the council, all fellow Republicans, failed even to discuss a non-binding referen-
See BALLOT on page 314
COMMUNITY BBQ
B ck in time...
Valley Chabad invites the entire community for a Lag B’omer barbeque at Hillsdale’s Beechwood Park on Thursday, May 19.
Thanks to the postcard craze of the early 20th century, we see today what Pascack Valley residents of 115 years ago would have recognized as obvious landmarks. They’re gone today. SEE PAGE 4
SEE PAGE 15