Emerson • Hillsdale • Montvale • Park Ridge • River Vale • Township of Washington • Westwood • Woodcliff Lake VOLUME 25 ISSUE 10
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
DUTY, COUNTRY
W
PASCACK VALLEY REGIONAL
LIBRARY SUMMER
HYBRID
Staff, volunteers on the job and ready to serve
Cadet Bryan Bum-jung Kim of Westwood graduates from the U.S. Military Academy. SEE PAGE 22
WOODCLIFF LAKE
SCHOOL
Mayor urges residents to weigh in on funding
TAX FIGHT
BY MICHAEL OLOHAN OF PASCACK PRESS
Two borough councilmen are joining the fight against the boroughʼs disproportionately high regional school district tax bills by demanding answers from the state about why local taxes went up an average $545 this year while other district towns went down dramatically or only increased slightly. While the average Woodcliff Lake taxpayer faced a jump of $545 for Pascack Valley Regional High School District taxes, River Valeʼs average regional school tax declined $250.24 annually. Hillsdaleʼs school tax levy increased $17.28 over last year, and Montvaleʼs annual school tax showed a $13.90 decrease over 2020ʼs tax bill. According to the regional dis-
See FIGHT on page 234
e didnʼt want to let another issue go by without honoring our area librarians and army of library staff and volunteers. We just passed National Library Week, and oh—also chalk it up to the gorgeous weather, the end of the school year, and parentsʼ perennial quest for family friendly summer fun—weʼre much in mind of our resilient, inventive small-town libraries. Youʼve seen our weekly library calendar, right? Turn to page 8 for our latest installment, hand-curated, as ever, by Pascack Press assistant editor and “Back In Time” (page 4) local history maven Kristin Beuscher. You can make a seriously fun adventure out of all the community activities our libraries host, increasingly in person, and through bustling remote platforms. Tots, kids, teens, young adults, adults, and seniors—all are welcome to explore and share new worlds. Beyond books (print and digital): music, crafts, animation, storytimes, sʼmores, games (lawn-, board-, and screenbased), movies, cooking demos, exercise, show and tell, financial planning, lectures, concerts, snack chats, exhibits, local authors, club hubs, prizes, and help with job searches.
IT’S AN ART AND SCIENCE: As one Westwood Library patron says, “Beautiful pictures showing the beautiful ladies working here. You are always so helpful and welcoming…” And with vaccine gaining, restrictions easing, and Covid cases down, weʼre seeing our libraries head in the direction weʼre all eager to feel: more open and abundant. Westwood Library Director Martha Urbiel tells us, “Though Covid is still a present danger, we have started to open up more and more, while still maintaining remote services.” The library is open Monday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Tuesdays–Fridays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturdays through June from
PHOTO VIA @FRANTVISUALS
MAY 24, 2021
10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The library is open for 30minute browsing sessions and checkout during normal hours. Materials now can be dropped off in the book drop after hours, but staff also maintain a bin by the door for easy drop-off. “We are no longer quarantining items and so wait times should be a lot less. We are still asking that you drop your materials in the drop box or bin by the door; do not bring them directly
Continued on page 26
CLASSES REMAIN
District worries exposed kids would miss out
BY MICHAEL OLOHAN OF PASCACK PRESS
Pascack Valley and Pascack Hills high schools will operate in a hybrid fashion for the remainder of the school year. District trustees heard out many parents pushing for a return to classes, but at a special meeting May 13 they then declined to return to five days per week of in-person schooling. The officials said the logistics were too difficult, and should someone in then contract Covid-19 over the final weeks of the school year, that school must immediately be shut down and contact tracing begun. That would put some seniorsʼ attendance at prom and graduation at risk, and they werenʼt willing to take the chance. Administrators said “dozens” of senior students could end up missing major senior events if they needed to quarantine following an exposure. Pascack Hills receives students from Montvale and Woodcliff Lake and Pascack Valley receives students from River Vale and Hillsdale. At the meeting, administrators said anyone who is within 6 feet of a Covid-positive person for 15 minutes is considered exposed and would need to quarantine for up to two weeks. Gov. Phil Murphy recently See HYBRID on page 104
HERE TO HELP
B ck in time...
ShopRite of Hillsdale is continuing its partnership, on behalf of those in need, with St. Andrew’s Church. SEE PAGE 14
Kristin Beuscher on the “country” estates advertised for sale here in 1911, and the life and times of the large building at Westwood and Center avenues in Westwood. SEE PAGE 4