March 25, 2009 THE VILLADOM TIMES IV • Page 21 Kids with heart Saint Paul Interparochial School in Ramsey recently participated in a Hoops for Heart event for grades 5-8 and a Jump Rope for Heart event for grades K-8 in the new gymnasium. The Hoops for Heart event was a round robin tournament followed by different class competitions with the winning teams signing a basketball to be put on display. The Jump Rope for Heart event was different jumping stations performed by the upper classes working with the primary classes. Partner jumping was one of the favorites. The students became aware of the benefits of collecting money to raise funds for the American Heart Association. Pictured: Hoops for Heart participants Alyssa Annunciata, Jordan Martini, Hayley Fredericks, Meghan Berger and Mary Kate Kelly and Jump Rope for Heart participants Amanda Ciafardini, Cassie Mitsinkos, Annamaria Alcaro and Danielle McKernan. Pilot application (continued from page 3) Kelly suggested it would be helpful if a “real world” gap analysis was also conducted at the Valero site. Judd Rocciolo, the board’s traffic expert, whose traffic counts were comparable to those taken by Pilot’s traffic expert, also suggested that if a gap analysis is conducted at the Valero site, the analysis should include a comparison of the queuing there versus his estimate of the queuing at the Pilot site. Rocciolo also asked Maser if the closing of the Ridge Road access to the Pilot site would reduce truck traffic to that site. Maser said traffic would increase because it would be a newer site. A group of Mahwah parents who formed a group called Parents for Safety and hired attorney Ira Weiner to represent them, has placed full page ads in a local newspaper claiming the renovated site within 500 feet of school property across Ridge Road would attract significantly more car and truck traffic if its application is approved. The group asserts that the increase in traffic would create the risk of more accidents. Pilot has countered with full-page ads of its own, pointing out that the existing driveway access to the site from Ridge Road would be closed if the plan were approved. The company asserts that over 80 truck parking spaces would be eliminated, reducing truck traffic to the site, which would be landscaped and fenced. The existing Pilot site contains 4.5 acres and has 90 percent impervious coverage, meaning the majority of the site is asphalt paved. There are two buildings, a truck scale, and a five-pump diesel fuel station canopy on the site with 95 parking spaces, 85 of which are for trucks. Pilot’s plan is to remove an acre of the pavement and eliminate 90 percent of the truck spaces on the renovated site, where a 4,282 square foot convenience store building would be constructed. If approved, there would be a 12-station car fueling area with canopy on the north side of the property and a six-station truck diesel fuel area with canopy on the south side of the property. There would be 36 parking spaces, eight of them for trucks. The property would have building mounted lights and free standing light poles, which would be 30 feet high, but lower on the north side of the property near the adjacent hotel property.