Villadom Times Weekly Newpaper Online-November 4, 2009 Issue

Mahwah November 4, 2009 THE VILLADOM TIMES IV • Page 9 Council balks at Darlington Schoolhouse path by Frank J. McMahon The Mahwah Council has indicated a reluctance to grant a request by the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference to construct a walking path through the wooded area between the Darlington Schoolhouse at the end of Darlington Avenue and the Continental Soldiers Park parking area. At a recent public council meeting, Edward Goodell, the executive director of the trail conference, requested permission to build the path between the two sites for those times of the year when meetings would be held at the schoolhouse and overflow parking spaces would be required. The schoolhouse site, which includes the wooded area that separates it from the Continental Soldiers Park parking area, is jointly owned by the township and the NYNJTC. Goodell said the schoolhouse property would have 24 parking spaces plus two handicapped spaces, but that 10 to 20 more spaces would be needed during the Thursday evenings that these meetings would be held at the schoolhouse. Meetings would take place approximately six times a year. He explained that the schoolhouse building, which sits on a 3.3-acre site adjacent to the park to the north and the Ramapo Valley County Reservation to the south, contains 4,400 usable square feet with one room downstairs and one upstairs. The plan is to preserve the upstairs community meeting hall and build a 3,800 square foot addition onto the rear of the building to be used for office space. Councilman Robert Hermansen voiced a concern that the Continental Soldiers Park is very active most of the year, and the parking lot is often filled. But Goodell said he would coordinate his meetings with the township’s recreation committee to ensure there was no conflict, and he would reschedule his meetings, if necessary. Council President John DaPuzzo said, however, that while he feels the township could accommodate the trail conference by providing parking spaces, he was not in favor of the walking path that would essentially connect Continental Soldiers Park to the Ramapo Valley County Reservation, which is adjacent to the Darlington Schoolhouse property. “I don’t have a problem with the use of the parking lot,” DaPuzzo said. “I have a problem with the inter-connect.” He explained that parents sometimes have to use the parking area across Route 202 from Continental Soldiers Park to find parking and there is a problem, on occasion, with visitors to the county reservation using the parking lot of the Immaculate Conception Church, which is located across the road from the schoolhouse. Tibor Latincsics, the trail conference’s engineer, suggested that a drawbridge could be designed to cross over the Darlington Brook that meanders through the wooded area between the schoolhouse and the park. He explained that drawbridge could remain up whenever there was no need for overflow parking at the schoolhouse property in order to prevent anyone from the county reservation from using the Continental Soldiers Park for parking. DaPuzzo and other members of the council felt that might be a good solution, but Councilwoman Lisa DiGiulio said she felt the drawbridge would create a dangerous condition for children. She also said the expansion of the building was not included when the township agreed to the plan to restore the schoolhouse. DaPuzzo agreed that he did not think the council knew about the addition, saying he thought the original plan was just to restore the building. Councilman John Roth also voiced concern about the increase in the size of the building, saying it would double its size and that would require significantly more parking. If the trail conference is successful, Roth said, it would grow and the potential conflict would increase. According to Goodell, the restoration of the historical building and its architectural elements could cost $3.1 million, and the trail conference expects to operate from this site when it is completed. But the specter of the trail conference backing out of its agreement to restore the building was raised by several members of the township’s historic preservation commission. Barbara Shanley, the chair of the commission, expressed the opinion that if it becomes too difficult to get the needed parking, the trail conference may not restore the building. And Carol Greene, a member of the commission, claimed the trail conference board of directors is “strained to the limit” adding, “This could be the end of the trail for the trail conference if you can’t work something out.” Ward Donigian, a member of the Mahwah Recreation Committee and the township’s planning board, said he could not see why the parking issue could not be coordinated, and he thought the drawbridge was a great idea. “I don’t want to see these folks hike down the trail,” Donigian said, “and then we’re stuck with the building.” John Speich, a member of the environmental commission, emphasized that the building should be preserved because of its long heritage in Mahwah. “But let’s face some facts,” he said. “The township has no money to fix up the building. I don’t understand why we can’t move forward.” Goodell confirmed their concerns, saying, “We can’t do the historic preservation as a separate activity. We would not move forward if we cannot see a clear path to the end.” Andy Norin, the attorney for the trail conference, added that when the property was acquired two years ago, it was referenced in the documents that there would be a trail on this property for public use. But DaPuzzo responded, “If that was in there, I would never have voted for it.” Rork encouraged the council not to vote on the matter until the trail conference returns with new plans that provide alternate solutions to the parking problem. “I have great reluctance to approve something that is not well thought out,” he said. The council agreed, and set Nov. 12 for the trail conference to return new parking plans. THOUSANDS OF DESIGNER & FAMOUS MAKER COATS FOR WOMEN, MEN & KIDS PLUS HUNDREDS OF LADIES’ DESIGNER SHOES AND BOOTS HUGE SELECTION OF \ The Milstein family has been keeping America warm and happy since 1924 and are thrilled to be here in Paramus to do it again with the very best coats at the very best prices! 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