Ho-Ho-Kus August 10, 2011 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • Page 3 Local officials hopeful after professionals, DEP meet by Jennifer Crusco Ho-Ho-Kus officials were guardedly optimistic after borough professionals and New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection representatives discussed a possible increase of the borough’s water allocation. Eileen Feldman, a public engineer and senior principal of Hazen & Sawyer of New York, and Katie Hoek, principal scientist at the same firm, represented Ho-Ho-Kus at the session, which took place last week in Trenton. “They are advocating for us,” Ho-HoKus Mayor Thomas Randall said. “I think they have made the points for the town that they needed to make regarding our efforts. I’m encouraged and hopeful that (NJDEP officials) are listening to the argument being made on our behalf.” Mayor Randall reiterated his comments from a recent council session, at which he noted that the borough is working to meet its current one million gallon per day water use requirement, while seeking long-term relief in the form of an allocation increase. Ho-Ho-Kus is attempting to show the state that the borough’s current allocation is not adequate. Ho-Ho-Kus Borough Administrator Don Cirulli also said last week’s meeting in Trenton seemed to have gone well. Cirulli pointed out that DEP statistics discussed at that session indicate that the last time the borough’s water allocation was changed was in the 1980s, and the borough’s population has increased by four percent since that time. The administrator pointed out that the state uses a complex formula to arrive at the water allocation figure. That formula includes population, the size of the municipality, and other factors, including the number of aquifers present in the area where the town is located. The borough exceeded its water allocation for 2010, and is already over its allotment for 2011 to date. The borough Ho-Ho-Kus Jottings August schedule announced The Ho-Ho-Kus Borough Council has cancelled its regularly scheduled work session for August. The council will meet on Aug. 23. Sessions are held at borough hall, 333 Warren Avenue, Ho-Ho-Kus, and begin at 8 p.m. Eagle Scout candidate paints house numbers on curbs Ryan De Marco of Boy Scout Troop 54 in Ho-Ho-Kus has planned his Eagle Scout service project for this summer. He will be painting house numbers on the curbs in front of borough homes in order to make the homes easier to locate, particularly in an emergency situation. Scouts working toward the rank of Eagle are required to plan and execute a service project that benefits the community. Residents who are interested in having their house number painted on their curb may e-mail hhkcurbs@gmail.com. Residents are urged to respond as soon as possible. De Marco plans to work on this project over the summer. ‘Hymn Sings’ open to public Saint Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church invites the public to its Hymn Sing every Thursday from 9:30 to 10 a.m. at the church located at 70 Sheridan Avenue in Ho-HoKus. The sing is followed by a Eucharist healing service and Bible study. For more information, call (201) 389-6564. is currently facing a fine for exceeding its water allocation during 2010. The exact amount of that fine is currently the subject of negotiations. An interested resident has asked the council about the reason the borough’s water utility is pumping more than a million gallons per day, but no single answer has emerged. During the recent public council meeting, Cirulli said a great deal of research is being done, and there are many possible causes for the increase in use. He noted that many small issues could be combining to produce to the overages. At that meeting, Mayor Randall asserted that a lot of borough residents are not following the current watering schedule. He said there have been instances of non-compliance, with Ho-Ho-Kus residents not watering on the designated days.