Page 6 THE VILLADOM TIMES II • October 12, 2011 Ridgewood Officials review options for flood-damaged area by John Koster The first floor of Ridgewood Village Hall may be refurbished with brick construction or with a new waterproof fiberglass sheeting invented in response to Hurricane Katrina, but no decisions were formalized at the tour and hearing on the topic of what to do with the flood-prone area that accommodates the Anne Zusy Youth Center and the Patrick A. Mancuso Senior Center. Mayor Keith Killion and Councilwoman Bernadette Walsh took about 20 residents on a tour of the first floor of Ridgewood Village Hall on Oct. 3, and showed them the damage from Hurricane Irene. Those on the tour observed water marks three feet high on the interior walls, where sheetrock had to be stripped away, revealing the rubblestone walls underneath. Most of the materials lost -- a piano, pool table, and couch -- had been donated, but the removal of the sheetrock and carpets alone came to $90,000, and the Ridgewood Village Council decided that no mere cosmetic replacement would take place until the council and staff has decided how to prepare for any future floods. “It’s throwing good money after bad because of the way that the floods in North Jersey have gotten progressively worse,” Mayor Killion said of suggestions that the first floor be rehabilitated for the use of seniors and youngsters as quickly as possible. He said that whatever solution the council and staff worked out had to look forward to an immediate future of more floods. “This took many years to get worse...it’s going to take many years to fix.” Dominck Nizzo, one of Ridgewood’s senior residents, and Ellie Gruber, a senior and environmental activist, urged that senior concerns and youth concerns be prioritized, but Mayor Killion said that pragmatic con- Floor plan of the first level at Ridgewood Village Hall. cerns revolved around not spending money on solutions that didn’t work. “We need these rooms up and running, but we have two masters here,” Killion said. “We don’t want to rush and end up spending money on something that’s just going to be destroyed again.” Mayor Killion said he liked the idea of bricking up the entire first floor so postflood recovery would be quick and inexpensive. At the Oct. 3 meeting, former Fire Chief James Bombace offered another suggestion that Killion liked: a fiberglass sheetrock that is extremely water-resistant and can withstand flooding far better than standard sheetrock. Bombace said the fiberglass sheetrock was DEP and fire dode approved, but conceded that, while cheaper than glazed-brick masonry, it was about three times as expensive as standard sheetrock and less durable than brick. Killion noted that the Army Corps of Engineers had warned as early as 1970 that Ridgewood, because of over-building and its location at the bottom of a downhill slope, could expect flood problems in the future. Village Assistant Engineer Jovan Mehandzic explained to residents that subterranean drainage beneath the joint village hall and library parking lot already exists. There are 79 seepage tanks with 10,000 gallons comprehensive capacity. Better drainage was not seen as a solution because at flood tide, the Ho-Ho-Kus Brook backs water from the drains right into the parking lot. Dredging the brook would require approval of the Department of Environmental Protection and the construction of baffle walls to deflect water from Ridgewood. Officials said this plan would not gain (continued on page 12)