January 12, 2011 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 27 Park Windmill Reminder for coaches, volunteers Prospective coaches and volunteers for the Midland Park Youth Sports Associations are reminded to submit a record of having viewed the volunteer DVD at the DePhillips Center, completed the Rutgers safety training course, and their criminal background check. These are prerequisites for volunteers who want to coach or hold a board position with any of the Midland Park Youth Sports Associations. For more information, contact the Midland Park Recreation Department at (201) 445-0993. Learn about the college application process Join Deborah Shames, a state certified school counselor, for “Surviving the College Admissions Process” at the Midland Park Memorial Library on Feb. 3 from 7 to 9 p.m. Shames, who has nearly 20 years of college admission experience, will discuss how to select the right college, what financial aid and scholarship opportunities are available, when to visit colleges, and how to get the most out of a college visit. The program is open to the public, especially freshmen, sophomore, and junior students and their parents. To register, call the library at (201) 444-2390. The Midland Park Public Library is located at 250 Godwin Avenue. Baseball registration begins The Midland Park Baseball Association will hold inperson registration on Jan. 15 and 29 at the Midland Park Public Library, 250 Godwin Avenue, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the downstairs meeting room. Registration forms for the travel and recreation teams, and the required code of conduct/parental waiver form may be found on the Midland Park Baseball Association website at http://www.eteamz. com/MidlandParkBaseballAssociation. Children offered Valentine’s Day craft Children are invited to stop in and make a Valentine’s Day craft on Tuesday, Feb. 8 from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. at the Midland Park Memorial Library. A variety of projects will be available for children of all ages. The library is located at 250 Godwin Avenue. For more information, call (201) 444-2390. Band concert set The Midland Park High School Band Program will present its annual Winter Concert on Jan. 13 at 7:30 p.m. at the school on 250 Prospect Street. The concert will feature performances by the high school wind ensemble, middle school concert band, high school percussion ensemble, and the mass combined bands. The band will welcome guest conductor Dr. Chris Wilhjelm of the Ridgewood Concert Band. Pieces will include selections by Percy Grainer, Gustav Holst, Eric Whitacre, John Powell, and others. Admission is free. For more information, contact Director of Bands David Marks at (201) 444-7400, extension 225. American Legion to meet The Hugh E. Connelly American Legion, Memorial Post 130 in Midland Park invites members to its Feb. 3 meeting at the hall located at 28 Fanner Road. Meetings begin at 7:30 p.m. and are held in the first floor meeting room. The group meets on the first Tuesday of the month. Harlem Wizards to face local players Midland Park Basketball Association will host The Harlem Wizards Basketball Entertainment Team at Midland Park High School on Jan. 23 at 1 p.m. The team will offer a show of basketball talent and comedy when they take on a team made up of Midland Park players. Anyone interested in playing on the Midland Park team (adults and high school juniors and seniors only) may contact Michele-Lee Shapiro at mlandss@aol.com. All tickets are $12 and may be purchased from Jerry Mercadante (jerrymercadante@hotmail.com) or online at www.harlemwizards.com; click on “events schedule,” then click on Jan. 23, 2011 Midland Park game. PAPS sponsors grocery tote sale The Midland Park High School Performing Arts Parents Association is selling large grocery tote bags for $3.50 each. The forest green bags are recyclable, reusable, and hand washable. The bags feature reinforced 20-inch handles and a 10-inch gusset with matching bottom insert. To purchase bags, contact Cheryl Boland at (201) 4441406. Orders may be sent via e-mail to Beth Adams at turconi@optonline.net or by making out a check payable to: Midland Park Performing Arts Parents and mailing it to Beth Adams, 105 Highwood Avenue, Midland Park, NJ 07432. Board of education plans meeting The Midland Park Board of Education will meet on Tuesday, Jan. 18 at 8 p.m. The meeting will be held in the August C. DePreker Media Center at Highland Elementary School, 31 Highland Avenue. Outreach to benefit food bank In response to the low stock of food at the Center for Food Action in Mahwah, the Midland Park Recreation Department is sponsoring an ongoing food drive. Bins are placed in the DePhillips Community Center which is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Monday through Saturday evenings from 6 to 9 p.m. Items in high demand are macaroni and cheese, pasta and sauce, hearty soups, bottled juice (100 percent fruit), canned beans, canned tomatoes, canned potatoes, cold cereal, Parmalat, and pancake mix and syrup. be on property taxes, affordable housing, and creating harmony and service in the borough. He emphasized that the council controls about 15 percent of the borough’s property taxes, while the county represents another 15 percent, and nearly 70 percent pays for the borough and regional school systems. “For the 15 percent that is attributable to this governing body I am committed to a zero-based spending program each year designed to minimize your taxes,” Bivona said. “We will be under the two percent cap but there are still too many exceptions to that cap which we must attack, like health care costs, and we must keep our tax rate among the lowest in the county.” Bivona promised to protect the natural beauty of the borough through aggressive management of its affordable housing obligations. “In light of the new developments in the Council on Affordable Housing legislation and the rejection of the borough’s affordable housing plan, immediate action is necessary to establish a realistic plan that is accepted by the agency and allows the borough to successfully negotiate with developers.” On harmony and service, Bivona said, “We must work together as a governing body, volunteers, committees, boards, employees and professionals, all as one team. There is no reason for political discord and our focus must be to resolve the key issues that face our town. The delivery of unsurpassed municipal services should be our goal. “Residents and taxpayers are our clients, and we must promote a sense of client service by instituting a meritocracy in the management of our employees. “The New Year will be filled with challenges and I look forward to an open dialogue with residents and taxpayers,” Bivona concluded. He invited comments, suggestions, and the involvement of the public. To aid in that effort he said he will establish set hours for anyone who wants to visit the mayor’s office to discuss issues that are of concern to them. “My door will always be open and my cell phone on,” he promised. New mayor (continued from page 7) circumstances. We are fortunate to have such dedicated people and we owe them a debt of gratitude.” Bivona also thanked the volunteers who serve on the various boards and committees that are part of the borough’s governing process. “Thank you to the many residents who volunteer their time and talents giving to our community,” he said. The mayor also took time to recognize the borough’s employees and professionals whom he described as “one of our most important assets.” “These are the people (who) make this borough tick,” Bivona said. “They are led by Greg Hart our borough administrator and they are a talented group of people who work very hard and tend not to get the recognition they deserve.” Bivona asked Hart to post a list of their accomplishments on the borough website so the public can see all the things they do for the borough. “I think you will be impressed,” he said. “All of our accomplishments in 2010 are significant, but I believe that our council tackled one of our most important issues: the stabilization of our financial position. Despite persistent economic woes and past practices such as surplus spending to cover gaps, tripling debt, and excessive employment costs, we have made progress,” Bivona said. “This year we have made many tough decisions that will impact next year. We stabilized our surplus, we actually reduced our debt, and we renegotiated employment and service contracts, just to name a few initiatives. These actions are already saving tax payer dollars. “More must be done and we are beginning to see some help from Trenton. The proverbial ship is turning and we are headed in the right direction to meet our two percent tax cap without compromising the quality of service.” Looking forward to this year, Bivona said his focus will Market Your Business Through The Villadom TIMES TIMES! ● Newspaper ● Internet ● Fliers & Inserts The Villadom TIMES is 100% mailed to 12 north west Bergen County towns with a total circulation of 56,300, and now you get the exposure of thousands of additional readers online! ADVERTISE 201-652-0744 Independently Owned & Operated for Over 20 Years YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD NEWSPAPER www.villadom.com