Page 6 THE VILLADOM TIMES II • November 2, 2011 Emmanuel asks... Can officials Village You Help? by John Koster Ridgewood Mayor Keith Killion and Council Member Paul Aronsohn said they were hopeful and pleased with the results of a tour by State Senator Kevin O’Toole once the senator had seen firsthand the problems caused by clutter in the Ho-Ho-Kus Brook. “They were very helpful, very personable,” Mayor Killion said of Senator O’Toole and his aides and Department of Environmental Protection staffers. Killion Ridgewood made the remarks at last week’s council work session, which convened a few hours after the visit. “I’ve never experienced that kind of cooperation from a state agency before. It was like a breath of fresh air.” Killion and Aronson told those at the council meeting that Ridgewood officials understand that dredging the entire length of Ho-Ho-Kus Brook is beyond the scope of what Ridgewood could hope for. The Ridgewood officials said they basically want state approval to remove sandbars, upbeat about stream clearance nod 4-29-09 karen/janine EmmanuelHelp3x.75(4-29-09) 3 x .75 Youth needs life-saving transplant Two-year-old Ezra Fineman needs a bone marrow transplant to survive. Two-year-old Ezra Fineman loves the alphabet, music, and his tricycle. Fineman, who has a rare primary immune deficiency disorder called Hyper IgM Syndrome, needs a bone marrow transplant to survive. Tissue type is inherited, so his best chance is a genetically matched donor of Eastern European ancestry. To find out if an individual is a match, all it takes is a simple swab of the cheek. Individuals can become potential donors by joining the HLA Registry. Temple Israel and Jewish Community Center of Ridgewood will be holding a Bone Marrow Registry on Sunday, Nov. 6 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Donors should be between the ages of 18 and 60, must be willing to donate to any patient, and must meet the health guidelines. This Bone Marrow Registry is co-sponsored by Temple Israel, Community Blood Services, and the HLA Registry. Temple Israel and JCC is located at 475 Grove Street in Ridgewood. It is an egalitarian Conservative synagogue with members from over a dozen Bergen County communities. See “Help4Ezra” on Facebook for more information about Fineman. Additional information is also available at (201) 444-9320 and www.synagogue.org. Council Member Paul Aronsohn, Mayor Keith Killion, and State Senator Kevin O’Toole at the start of the tour on Oct. 26. extraneous boulders, and fallen tree trunks and limbs, and the obstructions under stream bridges with their own public works crews to prevent water from forming a temporary lake near Ridgewood Village Hall every time there is a heavy rainfall. Village Manager Ken Gabbert, who hosted the senator’s tour along with Killion and Aronsohn, noted that the Bergen County Mosquito Commission had already accomplished some useful stream clearance that could help alleviate the now-regular flooding of the brook and of the first floor of Ridgewood Village Hall and several houses near the brook. The owners of the affected homes have asked for relief at several council meetings. “I shared our concerns with the DEP,” Killion said. “We also visited the (Ridgewood) High School bridge with the faculty.” The mayor said that Senator O’Toole seemed to be sympathetic. The senator told Killion he had lost his own wedding photographs during a house flood. (continued on page 14)