Page 4 THE VILLADOM TIMES II • September 14, 2011 Ridgewood Use of village hall revisited after damage from Irene by John Koster The Ridgewood Council has unofficially decided against having the first floor of Ridgewood Village Hall be a primary use area, and is pursuing plans to make the area as waterproof as possible in the wake of Hurricane Irene. “I think we’re all on the same page here,” said Deputy Mayor Thomas Riche as the council wrapped up discussions to cope with storm damage now tentatively estimated at around $600,000. “We know we’ve got a problem, and we’ve got to deal with it.” Ridgewood hired Insurance Restoration Services, a professional contracting firm that deals with flood damage, to strip those portions of the first floor that had been contaminated by flood water during Hurricane Irene. The bill for the work that has already been completed is estimated at $95,000. The restoration showed that the first floor walls faced with sheetrock and paint were damaged beyond repair and had to be ripped out. The rest rooms, drained and faced with more permanent, water-resistant wall surfaces, simply had to be washed down and allowed to dry out to be functional again. Ridgewood’s plans now call for refinishing the entire ground floor in similar materials so that another five-foot flood would keep the cleanup affordable and minimize damage to the walls. Cosmetic restoration with sheetrock and paint for the short term, Ridgewood Village Council members agreed, was not a viable solution. “Hundred-year floods seem to be coming every other year. We just can’t keep replacing sheetrock every time it rains,” said Mayor Keith Killion. “It’s just not good business.” “I don’t want to spend $30,000 just to have this look better,” Deputy Mayor Riche said. He urged that the damage be sanitized but not cosmetically restored – just replaced in a way that made the first floor far more durable. “I don’t want this thing to go on like this because we’ll probably get another 100-year storm next month,” Mayor Killion agreed. “This is not a good thing, to keep throwing new money into bad money.” Mayor Killion said, however, that he felt that residentproposed plans to convert the entire first floor into a parking garage were not practical because of the way the building was constructed. The support stanchions are not placed in a way that would accommodate interior traffic flow, there are no potential entrances and exits for vehicles, and the two-inch concrete floors are not heavy enough to support substantial automobile traffic and parking. Ridgewood Village Engineer Christopher Rutishauser, who was in the audience at last week’s council work session, tacitly agreed with Killion. Boyd Loving, a resident who frequently speaks at council meetings, agreed that cosmetic restoration was not a good idea. Loving suggested that the wooden reception desk on the first floor not be replaced and that those who enter the first-floor lobby should be directed by signs to the offices they need to visit on the four upper floors. Leonard Eisen, another resident, suggested that only plastic or steel furniture be used on the first floor. Facilities on the first floor include the Anne Zusy Community Center, the Patrick Mancuso rooms for senior citizens and other residents to gather for social occasions, rest rooms, and storage. In 1999, Tropical Storm Floyd flooded out the old first floor, causing $1 million in damage to the police headquarters, and leading to internal mold that necessitated a stripping and remodeling of the entire building at a cost of $5 million. The use of the first floor in the remodeled building was reduced – the police headquarters were located on the second floor and were well above the flood line – but substantial damage to the sheetrock and other construction material which was not flood-resistant raised concerns about what might happen the next time. The Ridgewood Police Department and other law enforcement officials are investigating an incident involving a would-be bank robber. The incident took place at 9:08 a.m. on Sept. 3, when a white male who was about 30 years of age entered the Boiling Springs Bank on East Ridgewood Avenue. The man told a teller to give him money, but left without any receiving any of the cash. On Sept. 2, a South Van Dien Avenue resident reported Bank robber flees, but without the money that a jewelry box had been stolen during a party. Detective Douglas Williams recovered the jewelry box, but the theft is still under investigation. Two residents of Mulberry Place reported vandalism on Sept. 2. One resident told police he had found his front screen door broken and his next door neighbor reported that he had a car window broken. These matters are under investigation. J. KOSTER