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 25 ISSUE 20
BUSINESS BOOSTER
AUGUST 2, 2021
SAFETY TOWN AT MILESTONE Beloved River Vale camp for tots now 30
TOWNSHIP OF WASHINGTON
FIREHOUSE ROOF A WASHOUT
Replacement set after firefighters raise alarm
BY MICHAEL OLOHAN OF PASCACK PRESS
Montvale Mayor Michael Ghassali host dignitaries from the Japanese consulate as part of a push for jobs, growth. SEE PAGE 15
PASCACK VALLEY
‘THEY
TREATED ME AS A FRIEND’
Stories from Literacy Volunteers of Pascack Valley
BY RACHEL COHEN OF PASCACK PRESS
Montvale resident Arlene Fultenberg watched her grandfather work to become a citizen and take care of his family once moving to the United States from Poland. With his legacy in mind, she was inspired to help others do the same. “When [my grandparents] came here at the turn of the century, people went to school because they wanted to be American citizens, and my grandpa decided immediately that he had to become one,” said Fultenberg, who has tutored 18 students in Literacy
See STORIES on page 134
C
KNOWING HOW AND WHEN to greet unfamiliar dogs is one of the lessons taught at Safety Town. The program has decades of graduates and is looking to grow for 2022. ONGRATULATIONS
TO
Safety Town. The program for River Vale and Hillsdale children eligible to enter public or parochial kindergarten in September, and nonresident children who will be attending St. Johnʼs Academy in Hillsdale, delivered on decades of experience at its latest run,
July 12–23 at River Vale Community Center. Thirty kids learned songs, worked on arts and crafts projects, and learned about a world of safety topics at the camp, which, according to co-director Lisa Buckley — who took this year on with fellow director Danielle Giordano — is now 30.
PHOTO BY TOWNSHIP OF RIVER VALE
The camp, naturally, was not held in 2020, due to the pandemic. But it roared back this year, with plenty of hands-on activities furnished by community experts and backed by 13 teen volunteer counselors. Buckley and Giordano are
Continued on page 26
After volunteer firefighters and several public officials raised issues over the new emergency services building (ESB) on Washington Avenue, the roofer admits to a faulty installation and promises ALSO... to tear out all shingles and • Township tar paper rejected on $1M down to the bid for private plywood and swim, rec club redo the work — See Page 34 at its own expense. Thatʼs according to two local officials we spoke with, and it follows complaints from volunteer firefighters who work in the building trades and others in public session at recent council meetings. The project is a sheer rise of cinderblocks, framing, and roof trusses next to the current firehouse, at 656 Washington Ave. When all is said and done it also will be the new home of the Washington Volunteer Ambulance Corps, now at 354 Hudson Ave. The contractor requested extra time to complete the project. Project architect Robbie Conley said delays also were pegged to inclement weather and Covidrelated supply bottlenecks. He said he was reviewing the request. At last word, in a memo from
See FIREHOUSE on page 64
GIVING BACK
B ck in time...
Montvale Girl Scouts power on and sell, sell, sell — and donate a chunk of their cookie proceeds to Tri-Boro Food Pantry in Park Ridge.
Long before the days of backyard swimming pools and air conditioning, boys chill out at the Mill Pond spillway in Park Ridge in the 1920s.
SEE PAGE 17
SEE PAGE 4
