Page 6 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • March 31, 2010 Area Wyckoff Chamber rallies to save DMV location by John Koster Wyckoff Chamber of Commerce President Matt Brogowski and other members of that organization are asking their legislators and the New Jersey Department of Motor Vehicles to allow the local DMV office to remain in operation in Wyckoff. The office is currently located in the strip mall near the proposed Shop Rite supermarket, and plans currently call for that mall to be razed. Brogowski said that DMV employees told him they might be relocated to other offices in the state in three to six weeks, but that he could not find anyone in Trenton to confirm that the local office would be closed. The rumored closing of the Wyckoff office has been decried by people all over Northwest Bergen, because of the convenience of location, helpful staff members, abundant parking, relatively short lines, and because the inperson renewal of driver’s licenses in particular has put a burden on many people’s schedules. “According to my sources, the Wyckoff office is profitable to the state, so they can’t claim any cost savings as they are making money there,” Brogowski said. “It will be said to see it go, as it drew considerable business traffic to our town center every day that it was open.” Wyckoff’s township officials have refrained from commenting on the DMV office, though talks with Inserra, the supermarket construction and management company, are continuing. The Shop Rite site plan was withdrawn from a Wyckoff Planning Board hearing schedule earlier this year for revision after the Wyckoff Design Review Committee asked for changes, and the hearing on this matter had not been rescheduled at press time. Wyckoff Township Committeeman Kevin Rooney said he does not see much chance of saving the DVM office at its present location because saving the strip mall would leave Inserra short of parking and buffer space. Rooney said, however, that he and the Wyckoff Township Committee supported the initiative by the Chamber of Commerce to sway DMV officials to keep an office somewhere in the township. “It was a big concern for us that people from Wyckoff and the surrounding towns, and the auto dealers as well, wouldn’t have a place to get their registration work and inperson license renewals taken care of, and I’ve just learned that the Wayne office is also going to be closing, so that’s an even greater concern,” Rooney said. “The nearest place would be Oakland and we’d really rather that people from this area had someplace in Wyckoff or nearby.” He said that township committee officials had contacted their state legislators as soon as they realized the Shop Rite site plan would obviate the building where the DMV office is located. The Shop Rite would replace an A&P that has been vacant for more than a decade. The existing building would be razed and replaced by a slightly smaller new building that would be situated at a diagonal with the edge of the parking lot. Ho-Ho-Kus Police Department Report On March 17, Sergeant Minchin investigated a twovehicle accident in the parking lot of a local business. No injuries were reported. The same day, Patrolman LaCroix clocked a vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed. After stopping the vehicle, LaCroix learned the driver had warrants out from another jurisdiction. He also learned that the driver was driving while suspended. Summonses and a court date were issued. While on routine patrol on March 19, Patrolman McBain observed a vehicle driving with no lights on. After stopping the vehicle, McBain observed the small of burnt marijuana coming from the vehicle. The driver’s eyes were droopy and red. When asked if he had been smoking marijuana, the driver responded that he had. After searching the vehicle, a plastic bag with marijuana in it was found. The driver was arrested for possession of a controlled dangerous substance and given summonses and a court date. On March 20, McBain was dispatched to a call of a car beeping its horn very early in the morning in front of a resident’s house. After locating the vehicle, McBain asked the driver to step out. When she did, she almost fell. After conducting field sobriety tests, the driver was arrested for driving while intoxicated and brought to headquarters for a Breathalyzer test, which she failed. Summonses and a court date were issued. A friend was called to drive the suspect home. Sergeant Grego investigated a two-vehicle accident on Route 17 South on March 24. No injuries were reported. design/build ������������������������������ Horizon Landscape & Irrigation Craftsmen has been creating and maintaining beautiful landscapes for over 35 years. 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