January 14, 2009 THE VILLADOM TIMES II • Page 7 Ridgewood Village council ponders austerity budget for 2009 by John Koster The Ridgewood Village Council is pondering an austerity budget for 2009. Mayor David Pfund and Village Manager James Ten Hoeve agreed to work out a consensus on what absolutely has to be funded and what could be postponed. Mayor Pfund asked Ten Hoeve to have a list of the mandatory items by the Jan. 14 public meeting. Pfund added that the public would have two chances to comment on any future spending: once when the ordinance is introduced, and once when the contracts are bid and considered for awards. “We could eliminate paving this year and have a figure of a million four, or we could pave and have a figure of two million four,” Mayor Pfund said. Ten Hoeve pointed out that deferred paving generally leads to increased expenses down the road, besides the inconvenience to motorists, but agreed to consider all aspects. Pfund and Ten Hoeve, with the council’s tacit approval, also agreed that decisions on major projects would have to be postponed until the basic maintenance projects were all funded or deferred. “We have to take the main projects and put this on the side,” Ten Hoeve said of Ridgewood’s Open Space plans and other major developments. “Administration has not yet put 10 minutes on these larger projects.” Mayor Pfund said parenthetically that Ridgewood would probably follow through on the offer to buy the 7.4-acre Schedler property with outside grant assistance, but that major improvements on the Habernickel property might have to wait. “We have a pretty good commitment on the Schedler property,” Mayor Pfund said. “Do we want to do what we can for Habernickel? Yes we do, but we need to do it on an incremental basis.” The Habernickel Horse Farm, purchased with the first use of Ridgewood’s Open Space funds, became controversial almost immediately as sports advocates wanted as many as five ball fields constructed on the pasture area, while neighbors wanted as little change as possible. After several meetings, the council decided on a plan for two overlapping fields that could not be used simultaneously, while the rest of the property would be developed with walking trails. Some improvements have taken place, but completion of the project may be impacted by economic realities. The Schedler property, an estate that includes a single house and second-growth woodland neat West Saddle River Road, has been offered to Ridgewood with the proviso that the land will be sold to the highest bidder if Ridgewood does not buy it. Mayor Pfund and the council decided last year to make an offer before the land was sold to developers, but told sports advocates that an offer to buy was no guarantee to construct more sports fields. Fields, Pfund said, would have to be considered in the remote future, but securing the land had to be done immediately. GRAND OPENING Waldwick Location! of our The January art exhibit in the Art Gallery at the Stable will host the juried works of a group of local women, “Salute to Women in the Arts.” The exhibit will include approximately 40 pieces in a variety of media including oils, acrylics, watercolor, decoupage, collage, printing, Gallery hosts salute to women and sculpture. The Stable Gallery, located at 259 North Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, is open for viewing weekdays between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. or by appointment. For further information contact the Ridgewood Parks and Recreation Office at (201) 670-5560. a y’ s s R ner FREE Pie C l ea ce Dry Cleaners Expert Tailoring • All Natural Process • Leather & Suede • Wedding Gowns • Curtains w ith c leanin g of 5 p w ith a DRY CLEA NING : e DayWORK DONE ON PREMISES S a m v i ce Ser Open Mon-Fri 7:30am-7pm; Sat 8am-5pm 20 Years Experience Tailor On Premises ith 2 With pieces of d r t hi s ad • y cleaning Exp. 3 -1- 0 9 Shor Pants tenin lterati on of 2 pair ($ g Shirt s Lau 20 min). n $ 00 dered w ieces a $ t TAIL ORIN 2.99 ea. F R EE G: 1 ������������������� �������������������������� MIDLAND PARK 650 Godwin Ave WALDWICK 10 Franklin Tpke (Godwin Plaza Shopping Center) 201-251-4522 201-444-2513 (next to Matthew’s Diner)