Waldwick February 23, 2011 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • Page 3 Waldwick’s emergency services responded to a transformer explosion at the PSE&G substation on Hopper Avenue on Feb. 16. Several reports came in just after 8:02 a.m., including one from Waldwick Police Officer Frank Paccione. “I was doing a detail and saw the explosion and a cloud of smoke,” Paccione said. “I started driving toward it.” Paccione called for assistance, and was met at the scene by additional police officers, the fire department, Transformer explosion still under investigation and the ambulance corps. A PSE&G official told police the building had been evacuated and a head count was being taken. “There were no injuries,” Paccione continued. “We were very lucky because there was shrapnel expelled from the transformer, but no one was in the immediate area.” He estimated that 20 to 25 employees were on the site. Paccione said PSE&G cleared the incident themselves, Council discusses potential sale of naming rights Will it be Izod Park or Jones Town Hall in Waldwick? Borough Administrator Gary Kratz told the mayor and council at a recent meeting that he had been approached by a company that finds willing buyers for naming rights to town property, such as parks or buildings. “We could end up with a million,” Kratz said. “We would be generating additional revenue and could potentially put back the concert series, for example, which was attended by several hundred people.” He said that any funds generated would go into the general fund to be used as the council saw fit. Council members were not so sure they like the idea. “The taxpayers had the buildings built; now we would be saying we’ll make it into the Stop’n’Shop building. What will they say? There will be repercussions from the com- munity,” said Councilman Thomas Giordano. “Continental Arena was technically built by the taxpayers too,” noted Kratz, “and there were concerns when you tore down the old municipal building.” Kratz said the practice is a rising trend, noting that recent legislation now permits school boards to sell advertising on school buses. Mayor Russell “Buddy” Litchult said the borough would lose its individuality if it sells the name rights. “It gets you away from ‘Waldwick,’” he said. “It depends how much they are willing to pay,” said Councilman Andrew Brennecke. “I’m willing to go outside the box to try to keep our taxes down.” He suggested the council generate a list of possible locations that could (continued on page 16) but the Bergen County Office of Emergency Management was notified and responded, and the state police and other agencies inquired about the incident. The explosion in Waldwick came just moments after an incident at a PSE&G facility in Ridgefield. Officials believe the two incidents were related. During the previous weekend, a transformer exploded in Westwood near Broadway. The cause of the Waldwick explosion is not known, but PSE&G was reportedly investigating the matter. Power flickered around the time of the explosion, but was not affected in the immediate vicinity. PSE&G customers in Fort Lee, Ridgefield, Little Ferry, Teaneck, and Moonachie reportedly lost power. The situation in Waldwick was brought under control quickly, Paccione reported. The incident was reported at 8:02 a.m. and the area was cleared by 9:39 a.m. The Allendale Police Department helped detour traffic around the area, and emergency responders from Midland Park, Ho-Ho-Kus, Mahwah, and Wyckoff reported to the scene. Waldwick Fire Chief Ken Warr indicated that there had been a small fire in the PSE&G plant, which the utility officials said they had handled on their own. The emergency responders also monitored the area for potential runoff of hazardous materials, which was not an issue. “We all worked well together,” Warr said of the PSE&G officials and the local emergency responders. 99 West Allendale Ave. Allendale, NJ Phone: 201-327-2423 ������� Fax: 201-327-9550 ������������ FEBRUARY SPECIALS Buy a dozen bagels, Buy 2 lunch sandwiches get 1 lb. of cream cheese and receive the and 1 large coffee free* 3rd one FREE* Monday thru Saturday 6am to 3pm • Sunday 7am to 2pm But STILL can’t lose that Tummy or Cellulite? Call me about VelaShapeTM A NEW Nonsurgical method of Fat reduction and body contouring • Non-invasive • No Anesthesia • No Downtime Beverly Dunn, MD Waldwick, NJ • 201-445-0032 Dieting? 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