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 21
AUGUST 8, 2022
Power EMERSON 3/4 couple SOFTBALL STARS Girls rule the season, take Kinderkamack
TOWNSHIP OF WASHINGTON
EMERGENCY SERVICES BUILDING MOSTLY READY
Mayor points to fall open house; questions on traffic as county widens nearby Washington/ Pascack intersection
BY MICHAEL OLOHAN OF PASCACK PRESS
American Legion Post 153 Park Ridge honors retired Woodcliff Lake police Lt. Lyle Garcia and his wife, Dawn. SEE PAGE 31
RIVER VALE
SAFETY COMPLEX GETS ITS OVERSEER
Construction seen starting in spring 2023, running to late 2024
BY MICHAEL OLOHAN OF PASCACK PRESS
The town council on July 25 approved the hiring of a consultant to handle construction management services for the proposed $13.3 million public safety complex anticipated to begin construction in spring 2023. The $378,000 contract is expected to last up to 20 months. The vote was 4-0. Thatʼs according to township business administrator and CFO Gennaro Rotella, who told Pascack Press the contract hires Epic Man-
See SAFETY on page 314
C
Front to back, left to right: Olivia Kim, Lila Manning, Jackie Giella, Hailey Carcich, Lauren Bianchi, Kylie Mulhern, Katie Tucker, Ella Viggiani, Alyssa Mulhern, Lianna Youmans, Sara Dauble, Lexi Perez, Miranda Gray, assistant coach Mike Carcich, assistant coach Steve Viggiani, head coach Tom Mulhern, assistant coach Aslan Perez, and assistant coach Jon Gray. Gia Youmans photo. ONGRATULATIONS AND
hats off hard-charging Emerson 3/4 softball, young ladies who won 16 consecutive games on their way to becoming crowned champions. The team went undefeated in the regular season, won the prestigious Ramsey Rumble tournament, and finished it off by bringing home the 1st place
trophy in the Kinderkamack Softball League. Emerson, the #1 seed, beat River Edge, 10-1, in the quarterfinals; Oradell, 6-1, in the semifinals; and defeated Washington Township in a fierce battle in the championship, winning 2-1. Head coach Tom Mulhern tells Pascack Press the crown was well earned.
4CAVOS COURTESY PHOTO
“In the finals, we knew we were facing a great pitching staff and it was going to be a pitchersʼ duel, and the game was going to be decided by one or two plays.” He said Sara Dauble belted a two-run homer in the 5th inning to open the game up. “Sara had been swinging the bat
Continued on page 12
Mayor Peter Calamari says a fall grand opening/open house is likely for the nearly $6 million emergency services building on Washington Avenue, now nearing completion. Speaking with Pascack Press last week, he said the event would take place after the venerable but outdated firehouse next door is demolished “so there will be more parking at the site, and both departments, fire and ambulance, have had time to get moved and settled into the new building.” If you look closely when passing by the new facility you can see the townshipʼs newest firefighting vehicle, Tower Ladder 41, delivered in late July and ready for action as it sits behind the firehouse doors. “We are excited to welcome the new queen!” the townʼs volunteer fire department posted July 27 — adding that the open house would provide tours of the building and trucks. The building was initially scheduled for a January 2022 opening but delayed by supply-chain
See ESB on page 184
CAVOS CRUSH IT
B ck in time...
The Emerson Cavos 13U Summer Travel Team wraps its stellar season with a NJSBL National League Championship win.
This week we go back 110 years, to early August 1912 — when Park Ridge authorities were on the lookout for a burglar with an appetite.
SEE PAGE 16
SEE PAGE 4