Ridgewood November 23, 2011 THE VILLADOM TIMES II • Page 9 Stout named Legionnaire of Year The costs of Hurricane Irene in Ridgewood were ostensibly contained at less than a half-million dollars and will be covered by the 2012 budget. The Ridgewood Village Council approved two resolutions at the end of the last public meeting related to the late August storm. The first resolution amended Emergency Resolution #1 for the remediation of Ridgewood Village Hall, which was awarded to Insurance Restoration Specialists of Monroe Township for $95,000 by adding an additional $5,000, to take the total to $100,000. The Restoration Specialists essentially stripped the water-damaged sheetrock from the ground floor of the building and removed damaged furniture and equipment that could not be restored. Plans continue as to how to best restore the first floor, which is now seen as subject to potential serious flooding and six-figure damage after every major rainstorm. Cleanup costs near $500K mark In 1999, Tropical Storm Floyd flooded the ground floor of village hall, leading to a $1 million reconstruction that was designed to be somewhat storm-resistant. However, the building suffered flood damage during a previous storm and again during Hurricane Irene to the point where facilities were temporarily closed. The second resolution was to authorize emergency appropriations for Hurricane Irene cleanup costs in the amount of $376,000, categorized as $188,000 in cleanup costs, $95,000 for overtime/extra wages due to demands on police, firefighters, and road crews, and other expenses in the amount of $93,000. In an unrelated vote, the council appointed Gary Negrycz as an Alternative #2 member of the Ridgewood Planning Board for a term that will expire on June 30, 2012. J. KOSTER Christopher C. Stout The Ridgewood Village Council recently honored Christopher C. Stout as Bergen County’s American Legionnaire of the Year. Stout was recognized for his work as Post 53 historian and for his patriotic and humanitarian works in the greater Ridgewood area and the county. Ridgewood Mayor Keith Killion noted that Stout served eight years in the U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Coast Guard Reserve, much of it on the U.S.S. Duane, a Coast Guard cutter used for rescues at sea and patrol of the nation’s coasts and the high seas. Stout was also honored for locating a 45-year-old homeless veteran of the U.S. Army and her son, and arranging for food, shelter, and other life-supporting assistance, and for frequent volunteer work with the New Jersey Center for Food Action, which provides emergency or regular food for the unemployed or underpaid. Stout is the author of a book and a number of articles about Americans killed in combat. He was also the principal coordinator of the Nov. 11 ceremony to rededicate the memorial to Ridgewood’s 14 military dead of World War I and the installation of a new plaque at Graydon Park. He also arranged for 800 American flags to be placed at the graves of U.S. veterans at Valleau Cemetery. Mayor Killion and the members of the Ridgewood Village Council applauded Stout for his contributions to the veterans, their families and descendents, and the entire community of Ridgewood and Northwest Bergen County. J. KOSTER