Page 8 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • August 18, 2010 Allendale Mayor urges residents: Comply with sprinkling rules Allendale Mayor Vince Barra has urged residents to cooperate with the sprinkler schedule that allows sprinkler use on alternate days of the week, and no watering on Mondays, or face an outright ban on sprinkler use. “We’ve asked our police department to begin enforcement,” the mayor said at last week’s council meeting, Mayor Barra said he had learned that many residents are ignoring the schedule, imposed when a total emergency ban was lifted early in July. Residents with even-number addresses may water on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Those with odd-numbered addresses may water on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. In-ground sprinklers may be operated from midnight to 4 a.m. on appropriate days, and hose-fed lawn sprinklers may be operated from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Hand-held hoses may be used to water flowers and shrubs at any time. The lack of compliance by some residents, together with the dry, hot summer, has reduced the inventory of water to a point that is becoming critical, Mayor Barra said, and he urged all residents to follow the schedule immediately. “If things get much worse, we might have to go to a full ban,” Barra cautioned. “We’re hoping to be able to tough it out through the summer.” J. KOSTER Gaining experience Jeff Scherr, a senior landscape architecture student at the University of Rhode Island, is interning at Borst Landscape & Design of Allendale this summer. Scherr is working closely with the firm’s landscape design team and is learning about property surveys, working with towns on permits, and assisting Borst’s marketing team with promotional items and photo boards. He is proficient in the Auto-CAD (computer assisted design) computer program. To date, he has used professional architecture software including CAD and SketchUp to design waterfalls and an outdoor kitchen. Council meeting (continued from page 7) to be put up. The signs, which were viewed by some as an eyesore and a detriment to property values, led to a neighborhood protest. After Allendale officials and the neighbors called Bergen County, the signs were changed to read “Roadway may flood.” The new signs represented some improvement, neighbors said, but asked if the flooding problem itself might be rectified. Mayor Barra said the complete solution would be to open Franklin Turnpike and install a new drainage system at a cost estimated at $500,000. He added that Bergen County does not have the money. Neighbors said that local drainage with seepage pits at a fraction of this cost could lead to partial improvement, but Mayor Barra told them that Allendale does not have the money. “We have a whole bunch of these things on county roads that are serious problems,” said Barra, citing a culvert on Elm Street that he said could cave in at any time, and a bridge on Forest Road to Mahwah now closed to trucks because of its poor condition. “I hope that the bridge doesn’t fall down. These are real problems.” The neighbors then asked if a portable sign could be made and posted only during flood conditions. Barra said that, especially on weekends, there would be a shortage of manpower due borough employees coping with trees and wires down during the type of storm that would cause serious flooding. A temporary sign would just put more of a burden on the police department and the road department – a burden Barra and the council did not want to impose. “Some of these flood-prone areas can really become dangerous,” Mayor Barra said. “We have to listen to our police officers. When they tell us it’s a safety issue with motorists, we rely on them.” Mayor Barra said there is no money in Allendale’s municipal budget for any road drainage work this year, and the money might not be there next year, either. “Next year is going to be worse than this year,” he said. 4 Out of 5 Ain’t Bad! One of my SAT Verbal-Writing tutorial students got into four out of five colleges he applied to…including his target school. College counseling too… ����� ��� ��� ���� �� ��� ����� ������ ������������ ���������� ��� ���������� � ������������� �������� �� ��� ���������� ���������� �������������� ��� ���������� �� ������ ������� ��������� 201-445-1343 • $60 per hour. ��� ������� �� �� ������ ���� ��������� ������������ ������ ��������� ��������������� ������ ��������� Serving All Your Air Conditioning & Heating Needs Prompt, Reliable Service You Can Depend On, Plus The Personal Attention You Deserve. • Oil & Gas Heat Systems Serviced & Installed • Automatic Fuel Oil Deliveries • Tank Insurance Available 24 Hour Air it n tion ConsdInsiollaing ta , Sale & Service ����������������������� 201-891-1000 Emergency Service ������������ ������ � ������ ������ ������ � ��� �������� ������� �������� ����� ��� ����� ��� � ������ �� �������� ���� � �������� ������ � ���� ��������� ��������