Ridgewood December 9, 2009 THE VILLADOM TIMES II • Page 5 Council plans December 14 vote on Schedler purchase by John Koster The Ridgewood Village Council has formalized plans to purchase the Schedler property with an ordinance introduced at last week’s work session and scheduled for a formal vote at 7 p.m. on Dec. 14. The ordinance, introduced during a special public portion of last week’s work session, would authorize the acquisition of the Schedler land at 460 West Saddle River Road, a tract with second-growth woodland and a single older house, for $2,700,000. The purchase would be funded with approximately $1 million in Bergen County Open Space Trust Fund money, with the remainder to come from a Ridgewood municipal bond. The estate of Florence Schedler made the land available to Ridgewood as a first-choice purchaser based on the terms of her will. The council discussed the concept at some length before deciding in principle to buy the land. The ordinance introduced at the Dec. 2 meeting formalizes that decision. Few residents opposed the purchase of the land, one of the largest comparatively undeveloped tracts left in Ridgewood. The debate came over whether to leave the wooded land as a passive park or to develop additional sports fields to take the pressure off game scheduling. The sports groups offered some money to help develop the fields, while some neighbors and other residents hoped to see minimal development. The same discussion emerged when Ridgewood purchased the 10-acre Habernickel Horse Farm a few years ago. In that instance, recreation advocates pressed for as many as five sports fields, while neighbors hoped for none. A compromise provided that the relatively flat high ground will offer two overlapping fields – not to be used at the same time – while the lower ground is left wooded with improved pond drainage and nature trails, some of them ADA-accessible. Council members, headed by Deputy Mayor Keith Killion, took the position that large-scale development of the Schedler property would have to wait until the economy improved and – Killion’s point in particular – until some safe pedestrians passage from the center of Ridgewood over Route 17 to the Schedler property was available. Killion, a former senior police officer and life-long Ridgewood resident, said that the idea of having a pedestrian killed or injured while trying to negotiate Route 17 on foot was a nightmare, and that he could not approve athletic field development until the problem had been addressed. The council concurred, but also felt that the Schedler Property should be purchased, even in tough times, to prevent development of that land into something less desirable and to save another parcel of green for Ridgewood’s present and future residents. Coastal Vines tastes like a $10 bottle that we’re selling for the ridiculously low price of HARDING WINE&SPIRIT $ HEARING AIDS � Get the Right Information in a Private Consultation � Have a Complimentary Hearing Evaluation � FREE Hearing Aid Trial Call for Your Appointment 201-934-7755 www.HearNJ.com ADVANCED HEARING SERVICES, INC. 119 Interstate Shopping Center, Ramsey, New Jersey Intersection of Route 17 & Franklin Turnpike Supervising Licence. NJ Hearing Aid Dispenser * Licence # 743 It blew us away! 5 .01 750 ml HUGE WINE SELECTION Beer • Super Premium Spirits Party Planning • Gift Baskets Free Parking • Ice • Soda WE DELIVER Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, White Zinfandel Liberty Creek $ Barefoot Wines $ 305 E. Ridgewood Ave Ridgewood, NJ DEBIT CARDS ACCEPTED 201-445-7122 Pinot Grigio, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, White Zinfandel & Moscato 5 9 .99 1.5 liter .29 1.5 liter Thomas J. Higgins, BC-HIS*, ACA** No rain checks issued. Not responsible for typographical errors. *Board Certified by the National Board for Certification in Hearing Instrument Sciences. **American Conference of Audioprosthology