Ridgewood
July 15, 2009 THE VILLADOM TIMES II • Page 3
Parking fee revision adopted by council
by John Koster The Ridgewood Council has adopted the revised parking ordinance that doubles parking meter fees between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. but allows free parking at the Chestnut Street lot on Saturday and offers diners a grace period so they do not have to interrupt their meals to feed the meters. “No one wants this,” Mayor David Pfund candidly told the small audience as the council voted to adopt the ordinance at the public meeting last week. “We feel it’s necessary to benefit the village as a whole.” The council members had explained in detail at several previous meetings that Ridgewood’s parking authority is now operating at a loss and was threatened by a state takeover if something wasn’t done. Council members felt that shoppers, rather than taxpayers in general, should cover the cost of maintaining parking meters and inspectors, rather than passing the cost along to the taxpayers in a tough economy. The ordinance changes all lot and on-street hours from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, changes the meter fee from 25 cents an hour to 50 cents an hour, and establishes a parking fee of 10 minutes for 10 cents and 15 minutes for 20 cents. Chestnut Street will provide 44 spaces for four hours and 25 commuter spaces for 12 hours, and will be free on Saturday. Tom Hillman, a local merchant, and other local business people said they thought the increase was too steep and might impact business. Roger Wiegand, a resident, said he thought that maintaining a vital downtown shopping area is important to all of Ridgewood’s residents, not just to the merchants. “If we don’t have a viable downtown, I think it affects all of us,” Wiegand said. “Why don’t we look at the expenses side, and see if we can reduce the expenses instead of raising the parking rates?” “I think we can do what we need with less,” Councilman Paul Aronsohn concurred. However, he added that something needed to be done about parking. “Why should the taxpayer support the downtown busi-
ness area?” Deputy Mayor Keith Killion asked. “It doesn’t make sense to me.” Questioned by Boyd Loving, another resident who (continued on page 15)
Lisa Kender, right, President of the Board of Directors of the YWCA of Bergen County, accepts a check for $25,000 from Melinda Cronk, immediate past president of the Newcomers Club of Ridgewood. The club streamlined its approach to fundraising over the past year, which resulted in its largest donation to date to the YWCA. The funds will be used to support vital YWCA programs including scholarships for families in need of child care, adapted fitness programs for those with special needs, and the county’s only 24/7 Rape Crisis hotline. The Newcomers Club brings together new residents in the community and sponsors a wide range of activities and events, including afternoon and evening socials, family fun events, interest groups and volunteer opportunities.
Newcomers make record-setting donation
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