Page 20 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • June 17, 2009 Letters to the Editor (continued from page 24) serve the community. We look forward to your continued support of our charitable fund raising efforts and hope to see you at the Lions Carnival next year! Should you, or someone you know, be interested in information about Lions Club membership, please contact the Saddle River Valley Lions at P.O. Box 333, Saddle River, NJ 07458. Paul D. Beck SRV Lions Club President Dear Editor: I am a World War II South Pacific Navy/Marine Combat Corpsman, Veteran of Foreign Wars, Ho-HoKus/Ridgewood Post 192. I have become increasingly concerned with the statements and distortions of fact expressed in recent newspaper articles by the Ramapo Valley Railroad Club President Dennis Alderman and the Railroad Club’s pro bono attorney David Watkins. I will touch on a few of them. Among the several lease violations, the one concerning the Post’s meeting room is extremely disconcerting. Paragraph nine of the addendum to the lease states “a suitable space for seating 20 individuals with two tables must be provided for the VFW’s monthly meetings.” The space provided by the Railroad Club is a 12x13 foot corner space, which if occupied by the 20 people specified in the lease would be a violation of the HoHo-Kus Building Code. The only way 20 people could occupy this space would be by sitting on one another’s laps, which also would be a violation of each members’ personal seating code! If it is bullying of the Railroad Club by the VPW Post as stated by their pro bono attorney Watkins to demand adherence to the terms of the lease, it seems a very contorted interpretation of the term. This comes after more than four years of trying to get the Railroad Club to sit down and discuss these lease arrangements. Oh, yes, there was one meeting of the Railroad Club with the VFW during this four year time span. The results were extremely negative on the part of the Railroad Club, and since then the Railroad Club has refused to meet with the VFW in any way unless their attorney approves the communications. The Railroad Club pays $100 per month in rent, about 50 cents per square foot per year under the lease approved by a mayor who was a club member, drawn up by the club attorney and described by an attorney as “a sweetheart deal.” Will some other organization please give the Railroad Club a 2,500 square foot space for 50 cents per year per square foot? Mr. Alderman has stated that their exhibits are too big to move to another location without dismantling them. Sounds like what the government said about the Bank of America and the AIG being too big to fail. Mr. Alderman had stated that we have a legally binding contract and as long as we uphold our end of it, why is there a need to cancel it? With all of the lease violations including the size of the meeting room, how is the RR Club upholding its end and not providing a basis for contract cancellation? The Railroad Club has the services of a pro bono attorney to protect their freedom to play with their model trains -- the freedom provided for them by the men and women who served in the armed forces of the United States of America in times of war. How do they show great patriotism and thanks to these veterans when they won’t even support the reconstruction? The offer of pro bono legal services from a Bergen County attorney to assist us with this legal matter would be greatly appreciated. Donald R. Alverson Jr. Ho-Ho-Kus Dear Editor: We are writing in response to the recent council meeting about adding other towns to Crestwood Lake, and the subsequent article in Villadom TIMES. We agree with Maria Aiello and planning board member Todd Fliegel that we have to draw the line somewhere. Crestwood Lake is a wonderful place. One of the things we like about Crestwood is the small town feeling of knowing the majority of families that are sitting around us. We are comfortable leaving our belongings on the beach; and because we know so many families, we can lean on each other to watch the kids play should we have to step away for a few minutes. There have been many good changes: the water has been much cleaner the last two years, the new picnic area is nice and the bathrooms are clean. However, last year it was a lot more crowded; there was more trash on the beach and overflowing trash bins, and we did not feel it was as safe at times with the large number of swimmers. In order to maintain the small town feel, we would like to limit memberships to those who have a real connection to Allendale (such as families sponsored by Allendale residents and those towns who share our high school). We understand that if there is a budget deficit, we have to raise the money somehow. We did not see the appeal in the newsletter asking for donations in order to make the lake exclusive. On the Crestwood Lake application there was a request for tax-free donations, but nowhere did it specify where those funds were going. It did not state that if we got enough donations, the lake would be kept exclusively for Allendale residents, Allendalesponsored families and residents of the towns that share Northern Highlands, so therefore we did not donate either. It should have been clearly stated that we have a deficit of $190,000 in the budget for Crestwood Lake. In order to keep memberships to Allendale and Allendale supported families, we need to make up that shortfall. Otherwise we will be forced to open the lake to other towns as well. That way people could have made a wellinformed decision whether to donate or not. Our family uses Crestwood Lake on an almost daily basis during the summer. We are concerned that we are going to lose more members from Allendale if we keep opening our lake up to more towns. Please keep Crestwood Lake the small town lake that it is. Joakim and Carol Diedrichs Allendale Railroaded out of town Keep small town feeling (continued from page 7) softball field will be created on the property. According to the engineer’s plans, the project will take approximately 160 days. The construction work will begin with the installation of filter barriers and stabilized construction access. The next step will be to clear, strip, and stockpile topsoil for the construction areas. Crews will then rough grade the field area and will continue by constructing the ball fields, including topsoil and seed to stabilize any disturbed areas. The final stage of the construction project will be the removal of temporary filter barriers. The plans also state that any disturbed area that will be left exposed for more than 30 days, but not subjected to construction traffic, will be temporarily seeded and mulched. If the weather does not permit temporary seeding, the area will be mulched and bound. After the rough grading phase, any areas that are subject to erosion will be seeded and mulched according to state standards. Driveways will be stabilized with crushed stone. In addition, the storm drainage outlets will be stabilized before the discharge points become operational. The borough has already received a $155,000 matching grant from the Bergen County Open Space Trust Fund for the field renovation project. The matching grant requires the borough to provide the other half of the funds for the project. The borough has also applied for a FEMA grant. An engineering error made in the 1930s reportedly exacerbated the area’s flooding problem, since the culverts installed at Route 17 and West Saddle River Road were at the same elevation. This situation causes the local stream to fill with silt, adding to the water problems. The board of education acquired North Field in 1966. In 1978, the school board agreed to lease several acres at the north end of the field to the borough. The tennis courts were constructed, and former Police Chief Robert Re was reportedly the first to have played a game there. Current state regulations preclude the reconstruction of the courts at that location. North Field Break the Highway Trend! ...not your community’s back. Save Time! Save Gas! Save Money! SAVE YOUR COMMUNITY! We Need You ���������������������� ��������������������������������������� ������������������ SHOP LOCALLY. IT’S SMART. ...and besides, it’s so convenient! ��������������������������������������������������������� ����������������������������������������������� �� Local businesses are the backbone of your community and the trend to shop the big guys on the highway hurts us all.Your local businesses have what you want... at the right price... and close to home. So, why hassle with the highways? What could be bigger than the life of your kid? Prescription drug abuse can kill teens, but most parents are not aware of the danger. Place this coupon in your wallet as a reminder to talk to your kids. It’s one of the best ways to stop the abuse. Learn more at drugfree.org. SAVE BIG!