Ridgewood December 22, 2010 THE VILLADOM TIMES II • Page 5 Village council adopts gift ordinance revision by John Koster The Ridgewood Council has adopted a revision of the village’s gift ordinance that allows the village manager to accept or reject donations with the approval of the council members. The previous ordinance had banned donations from anyone who had an application before the Ridgewood Planning Board or the Ridgewood Board of Adjustment with a fixed time frame. No gifts could be accepted within 90 days of either the introduction of an application or until 90 days after an application had been approved or denied. “Why is that ordinance going to be changed?” resident Roger Wiegand asked the council on December 8. “Why are you going away from the 90 days and into this new system? You’re putting it all on the shoulders of the village manager now. There used to be a definite time factor.” “We never want someone to not give us money,” Councilwoman Bernadette Walsh said. “For instance, the (Christmas) tree -- that was a donation to the village.” The Ridgewood Chamber of Commerce put up the money to install and decorate a large Christmas tree in the village this year after a number of merchants and shoppers complained that the tree in Van Neste Park was not visible to many shoppers and strollers. “The idea is to make it smoother and better,” said Councilman Paul Aronsohn. The Ridgewood Village Council has honored Inez Bunza and Josephy Suplicki as Volunteers of the Year. Bunza was honored for her work with special-needs youngsters and Suplicki was honored for his work as Ridgewood’s official historian. Bunza has been president of the Learning Services Home and School Association since 2005 and a member of the Human Resources Coordinating Council since 2007. She has served as a member of the Ridgewood Community Access Network, a group chaired by Ridgewood Councilman Paul Aronsohn that deals with disability issues and solutions. Bunza is also the treasurer of the Ridgewood Historical Society. The mother for four children, one of whom has a very challenging disability, Bunza served as the president of the Ridgewood Federated Home and School Association from 2007 to 2009 and is now treasurer of the Ridgewood High School Home and School Association. She has also served as treasurer of the Home and School Associations at the Travell and Benjamin Franklin schools. Suplicki has been Ridgewood’s historian for 10 years Bunza and Suplicki are Volunteers of Years along with his wife, Peggy Norris, who is the Ridgewood Library’s local history and genealogy librarian. Suplicki and Norris joined Art Wrubel, chair of the Historic Preservation Commission and former Glen Rock High School science teacher Bill Carbone in creating a DVD entitled “A Walk through Historic Ridgewood.” The DVD offers a look at the history of a number of buildings in the business district with an eye toward inspiring residents to preserve and maintain those buildings. His personal perusals of old newspapers, official records and plans, and tombstones, also helped Suplicki to help residents and groups learn more about the history of Ridgewood. He is a deacon of the First Presbyterian Church of Ridgewood, a member of the Property Committee, and has helped out with the Ridgewood Fourth of July Parade Committee and with fundraising for the Ridgewood Education Foundation. The Ridgewood Village Council honored and praised Bunza and Suplicki for their work on behalf of all the residents of Ridgewood and the community as a whole. J. KOSTER “We tried to streamline it, which is why we changed it,” said Mayor Keith Killion. “The manager will have the power to determine the rules and regulations subject to the authority of the governing body,” Village Manager Ken Gabbert said. Killion and Gabbert both said that distinctions had to be made between small, spontaneous gifts and gifts that might be seen as inappropriately large if someone had a major application before a local board. “People will drop off cookies. They will drop off food. We were violating the ordinance maybe once or twice a week,” Gabbert said. The previous ordinance had been seen as an attempt to make sure that Ridgewood philanthropist David Bolger was not perceived as having an undue influence over Ridgewood’s planning and zoning process because of his many donations to Ridgewood. When Bolger’s repainting of the columns in front of the Ridgewood Village Hall and Ridgewood Library were called into question earlier this year, he said he would make no more donations to any edifice or group under control of the Ridgewood Village Council, including the library, where he was a major contributor. for...CONVENIENCE COMPETENCE We Are Located Right In Town We are ASE Certified and AAA Approved We Save You Money Over Dealer Prices NJ No Longer Does Safety Inspections. WE DO! COST SAVINGS $ SEASONAL SPECIAL A $60 Value Change the Cabin Air Filter, Change the Wiper Blades BE WINTER WISE PROFESSIONAL 3595 • Lube, Oil & Filter • Tire Rotation • Brake Inspection With Coupon • Not to be combined with any other offer • Includes up to 5 quarts of oil. • Most cars Expires 1-12-11 TIRE & AUTO SERVICE 209 S. 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