October 6, 2010 THE VILLADOM TIMES II • Page 3
Ridgewood
School light concept referred to planning board
by John Koster The Ridgewood Village Council has accepted the concept that up to $25,000 of the money from the Ridgewood Field Committee Trust Fund will be used to pay for lights at Ridgewood High School, but referred plans for the lights to the Ridgewood Planning Board for a courtesy review. The council has maintained that the lights at the field would be deployed in such a way as to preserve the property values of those neighbors who live near the school. The planning board study is seen as a way to make sure that no undue glare is imposed on private property. In a separate action, the Abbington Track Club donated $1,000 to the Ridgewood Board of Education for the funding of lights at the high school field. Council members were concerned that improved lighting might expand the hours of the field would be in use, and the noise from the field might disturb the neighborhood. The council also mulled a broader question of gifts as the members discussed, but did not introduce, an amendment to the gift ordinance stipulating how much money could be donated to Ridgewood by private benefactors without the need to list all contributions. The existing ordinance states that no one who has an application before the planning board or board of adjustment may make a donation to the village 90 days before or after an application. Council members discussed whether there should be a different standard for anonymous or acknowledged donations, and it was pointed out that the names of anonymous donors could be discovered through the Open Public Records Act, which raised the question as to whether any donations are actually anonymous. Some thought was also given to the idea that amounts under $1,000 did not need to be subjected to the 90-day rule, but no decision was reached. Ridgewood philanthropist David Bolger, who saw himself as the target of the gift ordinance, at first withdrew, but then restored, his offer to refurbish and repair the Pease Library, which had fallen into serious disrepair. Bolger and carried out the restoration in a way that drew plaudits from the council and the public. Earlier this year, the council was surprised to learn that Bolger had also sent work crews to paint the columns in front of the library and at Ridgewood Village Hall, and to repair a stairwell. The response from the village led Bolger to terminate future donations to Ridgewood. Bolger’s name was never mentioned by the council in relation to the gift ordinance, but he was frequently mentioned by residents who opposed the ordinance. Other residents praised the council for its forthright decision to oppose any perception of undue influence.
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