February 4, 2009 THE VILLADOM TIMES II • Page 5 Ridgewood Village to proceed with Valley View water tank by John Koster The Ridgewood Village Council decided last week to approve the conceptual plans for a new water system tank at the Valley View site after a year of negotiations with neighbors led to the reduced size of the proposed replacement tank. “If no one is happy, we’ve done our job,” Councilman Patrick Mancuso said. “We really want to do what’s best for the residents, and for the water company, and for the future.” The ranking veteran among Ridgewood’s council members, Mancuso was commenting after a handful of neighbors tried to renegotiate several locations for the footprint of the tank – placing it farther from their individual property lines. “I think the water company did a very good job in reaching out to the community,” Mayor David Pfund said in summation. Ridgewood Water Company Director Frank Moritz and Chief Engineer William Mowell explained at last week’s meeting that the two tanks now serving Glen Rock and a portion of Ridgewood from the Valley View tank site near Sunset Avenue are both more than 100 years old and that the older tank, built in 1900, had to be taken off-line last year. The working tank was built in 1908. “There’s no doubt about the need to replace the tank or build a tank there,” Moritz said. “Those tanks are at the end of their useful service.” Mowell showed artist’s renderings of the proposed new tank, negotiated down in size from 1.7 million gallons to 1.3 million gallons and finally to 1.1 million gallons. Setting the new tank five feet into the ground will enable Ridgewood to reduce its profile somewhat, and a berm and landscaping will further screen it from intrusive visibility to a degree. The water company officials said they would use native species of trees and shrubs, including ferns, rhododendrons, and mountain laurels and would install some plantings as tall as 14 or 16 feet to maximize the screening. Some of the half-dozen neighbors who spoke questioned why it was necessary to shift the footprint of the 50-foot-tall tank 60 feet forward on the lot, impacting on the tank’s visibility from the street and from most of the houses on the street, while reducing the visibility to a few neighbors as compared to the 1900 and 1908 water tanks. “I think that the only way to spread that unhappiness around is to put that tank in the middle and make everybody miserable,” Ed Rice, a neighbor, said. “No one wants to have a tank there and this is a very quiet neighborhood, but there certainly has been a lot of compromise,” Mayor Pfund said in conclusion. Moritz said that completion would probably take another year and a half after a year of negotiations with the neighbors was now completed. “We are right on the cusp of being able to get the state approvals, get it designed, and get in on-line in the fall of 2010,” he said. The Ridgewood and Glen Rock police departments, with an assist from Bergen County and Paramus, pursued a suspect who resembled a suspect in a number of auto thefts after a Robert Street resident was found sitting in the family’s parked vehicle at 2:24 a.m. Jan. 22. The man, described as a black male in his 20s with a green jacket, dark jeans, and a black skullcap, ran when he was spotted. Police from Ridgewood, Glen Rock, Paramus, and Bergen County set up a perimeter and sent in the Bergen County K-9 dog, but the man was not apprehended. The fugitive fits the description of a man involved in a number of auto thefts or attempts the previous week. Police pursue man found in vehicle During the investigation, a vehicle stolen from Elmwood Park was discovered around the corner from the intended theft victim’s house. Three hours later, a High Street resident reported that he had started his 2004 Honda to warm it up and then heard the engine speed increase and saw an unknown person drive away with the vehicle. The vehicle was later recovered in Paterson. Anyone with information about this string of auto thefts and attempts is urged to call the Ridgewood Detective Bureau at (201) 251-4537. J. KOSTER ���������� ���������������������������������� ��������������������������������������������������� ������������������������������������������������������� ������������������������������������������������������������������������� ������������������������������������������������������������������� ����������� ���������� ������������������������� ����������������������������� ������������ ��������������������������������������������������� Winter specials available now for a limited time only. Call Robin at 973-636-7000 ������������������������� ���������� ���������������������� S easons ... for Valentine’s Day All by Feb. 14th Receive Free Gift Voucher Unique Gifts at Extraordinary Prices Spend $25 ����������������������������������������������������� ������������������� Hamilton Square Shopping Center 140 Franklin Tpke, Waldwick • 201-251-7577