Waldwick February 9, 2011 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • Page 3 Council will contribute to library addition The Waldwick Public Library’s building fund will be getting a boost from the Waldwick Borough Council. The governing body decided last week to include $100,000 in its capital budget to contribute to the project. “I think it’s a worthwhile project,” said Councilman Don Sciolaro, the council’s liaison to the library board. “The community has made a commitment by its financial support. This is our contribution,” he said. A fundraising effort spearheaded by the library board over the past year has brought in $255,000 of the $400,000 needed for the project. Of the money raised to date, $165,000 has come from private donations and $90,000 has come from revenues from the Library’s U.S. Passport Application Acceptance Program,” according to former Mayor Rick Vander Wende, chair of the Building Fund Steering Committee. The decision was not made without dissention, however. Councilmen Thomas Giordano and Frank Palladino voted no on the motion, and Councilman Andrew Brennecke, though voting with the majority, had previously suggested giving half of the money as a loan. For Palladino, who said he “loves the library, uses the library and loves what it does for the community,” the decision boiled down to needs vs. wants, he said. “I can’t rationalize this ‘want,’” said Palladino. “We don’t have the luxury of investing $100,000 in this economy. This is not the right time. We should illustrate to residents that we mean business,” he added. He also said that whenever he speaks to residents, they express concern about taxes, not the fact that the library is too crowded. Giordano said that the funds could be used to address other priorities which have been deferred, such as vehicles and improvements for the department of public works. “We’re always putting things off; you’d still be in the old building,” said Mayor Russell “Buddy” Litchult, who advocated the project during last year’s budget discussions. “If we had done it last year, it’d be done already, and it would have been cheaper,” he added. “We’re getting a $400,000 improvement for $100,000, and we’ll be able to do more with the building than now. It opens more possibilities for the community,” said Sciolaro. He pointed out that the library is the only public building that is not maintained by the borough. Borough Administrator Gary Kratz estimated that the $100,000 contribution will cost the average household and additional $2 a year. “The town owns the facility. It should be supporting it. The town should put in its fair share,” said Sciolaro, noting that the proposed addition will double the size of the meeting room and add an area for historical records. “We’ll be able to do more with the building than we can now. It will open more possibilities for the community. We have no community center. The schools are not open at night unless they have a function. The library is the only place that is open every night. There are lots of reasons not to do it (allocate the funds). And there are a lot of reasons to do it,” Sciolaro said. Kratz said most of the work should be able to proceed without curtailing library operations during construction. Programs, however, would probably have to be limited. Giordano questioned where parking would be accommodated for the additional people a larger room could hold. Kratz said the addition would not take up any existing parking. He also said that the numbers might be the same, only the attendees would not be crowded in as they are now, where standing room only is the rule for some programs. Giordano said it should be made clear that the public is not permitted to park in spaces designated for firefighters or other emergency personnel. Vander Wende said that fundraising is ongoing for the additional $45,000 needed before the project can go out to bid. The Friends of the Waldwick Library and Building Fund Steering Committee plan a mailing in March. Entitled the “1 K Way,” it will encourage donors to contribute at the $1,000 level. Other fundraising activities are also being considered by the committee. “The Steering Committee is delighted that the Mayor and Council recognizes the importance of the Waldwick Library in the life of our residents by committing capital funds to this important building project. We are now so very close to our goal. If only 45 families step forward to show their own commitment to the library by making a $1,000 donation, we can start building this summer. This is very exciting,” Vander Wende said. Two, three-year seats are up for election on the Waldwick Board of Education this year. The terms of trustees Lisa Tesoriero and Edward Sandve expire in April. They are both finishing their first full term on the board, after having previously been appointed to fill unexpired terms. Candidates for those seats must file a nominating petition with the local school board in order to get their names on the ballot for the election. The current deadline to submit the nominating petition is 4 p.m. Tuesday, March 8. The Two school board seats available election is scheduled for Wednesday, April 27. Prospective school board candidates may obtain a “School Board Candidate Kit” online at www.njsba.org. Published by the New Jersey School Boards Association, the School Board Candidate Kit includes a nominating petition, information about legal qualifications for school board candidacy, and the role of the school board member. Information about the New Jersey School Ethics Act and important dates in the election process are also included. New Jersey Pediatric Neurosurgical Associates welcomes Dr. Lauren Schwartz to its new state-of-the-art facility in Hackensack Dr. Mazzola has published several peer – reviewed articles and has presented numerous posters and abstracts at national neuroscience conventions. She was responsible for the creation of the Neuromuscular and Movements Disorder Center for Children at Hackensack University Medical Center in 2001 and the Craniofacial and Cleft Lip and Palate Center at Morristown Memorial Hospital in 2006. She has authored and co-authored more than twenty-five papers, and has received grants from the Children’s Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation and the N.J. State Cancer Commission. As the mother of five children, Dr. MazCatherine Mazzola, M.D. zola understands the responsibilities of parenthood and is able to empathize with parents who have children with special needs. As an active and concerned pediatric neurosurgeon, Dr. Mazzola gives several lectures a year for patients and their families, nursing organizations, pediatricians, and residents and has cared for thousands of children with neurosurgical disorders. Certifications: American Board of Pediatric Neurology; American Board of Neurological Surgeons. One of two board certified N.J. Pediatric Neurosurgeons and one of the few female neurosurgeons in N.J. Catherine Mazzola, M.D., Director Dr. Schwartz is committed to advancing neurosurgery both in the US and internationally. She has been an invited lecturer on topics in pediatric neurosurgery, neurotrauma, stroke, aneurysm surgery, spine surgery and the social and political issues affecting neurosurgery. She recently served as the 20th president of Women in Neurosurgery (WINS), a national neurosurgical association for which she currently remains a member of the Executive Board. Dr. Schwartz has written and co-authored multiple journal articles, textLauren Schwartz, M.D. book and web chapters and was featured on Lifetime TV’s “Women Heroes of 9/11” for her service at Ground Zero. Neurosurgical training: the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Cleveland, Ohio and at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Yeshiva University in NY. Fellowship training: Pediatric Neurosurgery at the Institute for Neurology and Neurosurgery (INN) at Beth Israel Medical Center, NY; Christopher’s Hospital for Children, Philadelphia, Pa. Lauren Schwartz M.D. Comprehensive care for neurosurgical patients and their family. 385 Prospect Ave. • 2nd Floor • Hackensack, NJ 07601 • 201-996-9300 131 Madison Ave. • Suite 140 • Morristown, NJ 07960 • 973-326-9000 Both offices open 5 days www.njpediatricneurosurgery.com 2-9-11 joan/janine