August 31, 2011 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • Page 21 Allendale Notebook Chamber plans meeting The Allendale Chamber of Commerce will host a Sept. 13 dinner meeting at Mezza Luna at 6:30 p.m. The restaurant is located at 97 West Allendale Avenue. Festival Day, which is slated for Oct. 1, will be on the agenda. RSVP to Adrienne at Jumbleiah, (201) 327-8411 or e-mail Jumbleiah2@aol.com. Marching band hosts Ceilidh competition The Northern Highlands Regional High School Marching Band and Color Guard will host a Ceilidh competition at the high school on Oct. 2 at 1 p.m. Ceilidh (pronounced kay-lee) is Scottish for a social gathering with music. Several award-winning local high school marching bands will bring their latest repertoires to the Northern Highlands’ sports field, which is located at 298 Hillside Avenue in Allendale. The concession stand will be open and home-baked goods will be available. In case of rain, the event will be moved inside. Admission is $10 for adults; $5 for students and seniors. For details, contact the high school at (201) 327-8700. Inaugural Afternoon Tea to be held at Fell House The Concerned Citizens of Allendale, owners of the John Fell House, will host an inaugural Afternoon Tea on Wednesday, Sept. 14 at noon. The tea will be held in the house and on the grounds of this historical home at 475 Franklin Turnpike, Allendale. The community is invited to join CCA’s Tea Room Committee for a four course tea catered by Passport Café of West Milford. This “Patriots’ Afternoon Tea” will offer two appetizer courses followed by traditional tea sandwiches, scones with preserves and Devonshire clotted cream, petit fours, and a surprise dessert. There will also be a presentation by a local business: the Celery Farm Soap Company. The cost is $35 and all proceeds will go toward the restoration and renovation of the John Fell House. Reservations are a must as space is limited. To RSVP, call (201) 783-8754 to leave your name, phone number and the number of guests attending, or e-mail Linda Schropp at lschropp@optonline.net with details. Checks made payable to Concerned Citizens of Allendale should be mailed to Theresa Salameno, c/o 475 Franklin Turnpike, Allendale, NJ 07401 no later than Sept. 7. For more information visit www.fellhouse.org. The Tea Room Committee has planned two further Afternoon Teas this year. A Harvest Tea has been set for Tuesday, Nov 8, and a Holiday Tea is scheduled for Sunday, Dec. 11, when the Fell House will be decorated for the holidays and guests will be invited to walk around the house to view each themed room. Reservations are also being taken for the November and December Afternoon Teas. Water ordinance tabled (continued from page 19) easily effected. He said the formula is more complex than people realize. Police Chief John Wanamaker asked the resident what had happened with her husband’s encounter with the police officer. McKee explained that he had received a written warning, but not a summons. Phoebe Flemming asked whether the system has leaks. Randall reiterated that the system is presumed to have some leakage, noting that no system is 100 percent watertight. “Our experts don’t believe there is a significant leak,” the mayor added. Flemming said homeowners who receive unusually high water bills would be compelled to check for leaks in their own homes. She added that the system could be checked with underground cameras. She also questioned where the money in the water utility budget goes, asking if some of the funds could be used to check for leaks. Troast said the portion of the water budget Flemming had referenced is used for repairs and maintenance. Montag added that the funds also go toward the utility’s largest expense: power. Montag said the funds are also used for equipment costs, fuel use, permitting, and fines, among other expenses. The water superintendent also addressed the question of leaks, telling the resident that he can tell from experience if there is a major leak in the system. “Leak detection is done as part of system maintenance,” Montag added. “It’s not financially viable to (check) the whole system at once.” Gary Tyler asked, “Why is it OK that we’re paying fines to the DEP?” Randall responded, “It’s not OK.” Tyler asserted that everyone should have to stay under the guidelines. He added, “Don’t water when it’s raining. Have rain sensors, or shut the water off. Don’t overwater your lawn.” Robert Inglima Jr. offered to help the council with this issue. He suggested that a committee be formed to examine the problem and perhaps provide voluntary audits of residents’ sprinkler systems. He said the borough should look at where and how water is being used. “There’s a lot of waste,” Inglima said, adding that irrigation is not the sole problem. As the hearing concluded, Montag provided a summary of the situation. He noted that he does not like to tell people when they can and cannot use water, but he said the state has caught up with the borough for last year’s violation, and he does not want Ho-Ho-Kus to become a repeat violator. “Eventually, the fines (from the DEP to the borough) stop and the jail time starts,” he said. He cautioned that purchasing water from an outside source would be expensive. He said the companies that sell water have CEOs with large salaries, and he said residents might not like the quality of the water they receive from outside of Ho-Ho-Kus. Montag said no one has had his or her water service shut off without numerous warnings. “We’re not doing this to persecute anyone,” he said. Montag added that the water situation is important in terms of fire protection and sanitation. He explained that the appropriate amount of water pressure is needed to keep the water fresh and to avoid boil water orders that must be issued when water pressure drops too low. The governing body thanked Montag, with Randall stating that he had appropriately summed up that the water issue is a serious problem with serious consequences.