October 20, 2010 THE VILLADOM TIMES IV • Page 5 Mahwah Township plans to improve Riverside Park playground by Frank J. McMahon The Mahwah Township Council has passed a resolution authorizing the submission of an application to the Bergen County Open Space, Recreation, Farmland & Historic Preservation Trust Fund for a $20,000 matching grant to improve the Riverside Park playground area. Riverside Park is located at the end of Reich Avenue, which is accessed from Ramapo Valley Road at the end of Island Road. The park contains two baseball diamonds and a soccer field with a small playground area and a storage shed. Before the resolution was approved, Mahwah Business Administrator Brian Campion explained to the council that the county’s open space trust fund tax was reduced this year from one cent to a quarter of a cent. As a result, there will be a reduction in the amount of available funds this year. “We’re only expecting $20,000 this year, so we were looking for a $40,000 project such as the Riverside Park playground area,” Campion explained,” and so we will put in an application for that project.” The county trust fund provides matching grants to municipal governments and to nonprofit organizations for assistance in the development or redevelopment of municipal recreation facilities. Campion said the township council wants to make an application for this matching grant and to furnish such documents as may be required to obtain such a grant. There was no public comment when the governing body held a hearing at the Sept. 23 council meeting. The resolution indicates that the county will determine whether the application is complete and in conformance with the scope and intent of the County Trust Fund. It also states that the township is willing to use the County Trust Fund in accordance with the fund’s rules, regulations, and applicable statutes, and is willing to enter into an agreement with the county for this project. The completed project application must be submitted to the county this month. The resolution states that, in the event of a County Trust Fund award that may be less than the grant amount requested, the township has, or will secure, the balance of funding necessary to complete the project, or modify the project as necessary. The County Trust Fund was created on Nov. 4, 2003, when the residents of Bergen County voted to approve a referendum that permits county government to collect funds for open space preservation, recreational improvements, and farmland and historic preservation. The fund is supported by a dedicated tax that is contributed to annually by property owners based on the assessed property values. The 2003 referendum eliminated the five-year sunset provision of the previous trust fund that was created in 1998, making the program permanent. According to information provided by Bergen County, the County Trust Fund meets an increasing demand for high-quality open spaces to serve various functions ranging from large-scale public spaces to a variety of smaller public spaces such as municipal parks and playing fields. The County Trust Fund also provides funds to protect the county’s remaining agricultural properties and preserve its historical landmarks. In honor of its tenth anniversary, the DACKKs Group for Supportive Housing Development will host a gala reception on Monday, Nov. 15. The event will take place at the Mahwah Sheraton Crossroads at One International Boulevard, Mahwah, from 6:30 to 10 p.m. The evening will include a wine tasting reception, a special auction, dinner, and program. Tickets are $150 and all proceeds from this event benefit the DACKKs Group. The DACKKS Group is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization. Now celebrating its tenth year, the DACKKs Group has provided safe, decent, and affordable permanent and supportive housing to 27 homeless adults – many of whom are disabled – and children in scattered site housing throughout Bergen County. Providing a leg up, not a handout, tenants are selected not on their ability to pay market rent, but on their ability to pay a rent that is affordable to them, and is based on 30 percent of their income, whatever the income may be. In each of its 10 years, over 90 percent of donations went directly to the group’s properties or saving for new ones. The DACKKs Group was named Organization of the Year by the Mahwah Chamber of Commerce in 2009. Event Co-Chairs Larry Rosenblum, director of The DACKKs schedules anniversary gala DACKKs Group, and Joanne Westphal, vice president of TD Bank, have announced that the honorees include Donor of the Year: Becton Dickinson and Volunteer of the Year: Fulton, Timmes, Frega & Straubinger, PA. Since Becton Dickinson’s founding in 1897, this global medical technical company has been dedicated to improving people’s health throughout the world. BD is focused on improving drug delivery, enhancing the quality and speed of diagnosing infectious diseases and cancers, and advancing research. The company’s culture is strengthened by its social investing programs that combine the expertise of its associates with financial and product donations to improve the health and well-being of underserved communities. Fulton, Timmes, Frega & Straubinger, PA is the evolution of a CPA firm founded more than 65 years ago. Its primary goal is to provide a high level of client service based on a one-to-one business relationship with a partner of the firm. As a committed member of the local business community, FTFS provides accounting and tax services to several volunteer organizations serving the needs of our local communities, including the DACKKs Group. 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