Letters to the Editor (continued from previous page) The schools are in disrepair. Let’s fix them. Show the pride that we have in our school district! Please stand proud and vote “yes” on Dec. 11 for the Midland Park School District Building Renovation Program. Philip Luberoff Midland Park ety and stress, as they wonder how they will fulfill even the smallest Christmas wish for their children. The Midland Park Children’s Love Fund, Inc. collects wishes from our families and displays them on our Giving Trees. This year, the Children’s Love Fund has displayed Giving Trees in the children’s room at the Midland Park Library, at Starbucks, and at Family Hair Care. Please stop by and take a wish from one of the trees and make a local child’s Christmas special. You can purchase and wrap a special gift, place the tag from the tree on it, and bring the gift back to the library, Starbucks, or Family Hair Care. A Love Fund volunteer will bring your gift to the child’s family before Christmas morning. Your generosity will make a huge difference in how a child from a struggling Midland Park family remembers Christmas. If your routine doesn’t take you to one of our Giving Tree locations, but you still feel the spirit of giving, please send a donation of any amount to: The Midland Park Children’s Love Fund, P.O. Box 327, Midland Park, NJ 07432. Earmark your check “Giving Tree” and a Love Fund volunteer will purchase and wrap a gift for you! There are even opportunities to “adopt” a Love Fund family this holiday season. If you have any questions about the Midland Park Children’s Love Fund, or want to “adopt” a family this holiday season, please call Michelle Nejmeh at (201) 670-7292 or Laurie Kamp at (201) 670-1062. Thank you for your continued kindness and generosity. Noreen Desbiens The Midland Park Children’s Love Fund, Inc. Dear Editor: On Tuesday, Dec. 11, Midland Park voters will have the opportunity to approve a much-needed referendum to improve school facilities in the district’s three schools. As the president of the Midland Park Education Association, I urge all voters to vote “yes” on both bond proposals. For too many years, the school facilities and infrastructures have taken a back seat to academic components and curriculum. This is now the time to take a proactive stance to the district’s needs rather than the reactive stance that has been taken. Your children deserve a learning environment that allows for them to reach their maximum potential. Midland Park has implemented a new “S+E+R+V+E” program, which represents the district’s commitment to students, environment, December 5, 2012 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 29 Dear Editor: For too many years, the upkeep and modernization of our school buildings have taken a back seat while our talented teachers and administrators have worked diligently to provide a wonderful education for our children. Some improvements have been made, and we’ve learned to look past the faults of the building as we grew to appreciate the love and invaluable education our teachers have given our children. However, there comes a point where you can no longer ignore the physical conditions and functionality of the facilities in which they learn. After spending a decade in various PTA roles, I can attest to the fact that flooding storage rooms, broken equipment, inoperable toilets and sinks, and roof leaks, do not bode well for our community, not to mention our children’s self esteem. Classrooms are often too hot or cold for our children, which hinders their ability to focus and learn. Un-lockable doors along with fields and bleachers that are “unfit for use” raise safety concerns while the list goes on and on. My husband and I are so appreciative of our schools. While controlling costs and taxes is a way of life underscored over the last several years, we must continue to grow and invest in our future. The correlation between the strength of our schools and the attractiveness of our community, and home values, is well documented. The time has come to finally reinvest in efforts that will pay dividends for generations to come regardless of the school district’s structure in the future. Help make a lasting difference on Dec. 11. Colleen Monahan Midland Park Encourages voters to support referendum responsibility, vision, and education. As part of that commitment, this referendum has been put to the electorate. An educated electorate is an important part of the democratic process. Please take the time to look over the comprehensive materials about the referendum that are available on the district website: www.midlandparkschools.k12.nj.us. There you will find detailed information about the project scope, the estimated tax impact, and an informative PowerPoint presentation that includes pictures and renderings of our current facilities. I hope that after viewing these materials, that you will see the need to make this very important investment in your community’s schools. I urge you to support the referendum by voting “yes” on both bond proposals on Tuesday, Dec. 11. Maureen Fister President MPEA dents of Midland Park receive. Had the board of education been more prudent in managing our money, they would have made these capital improvements on an incremental basis over a number of years within the framework of their yearly buildings and grounds budget. The taxpayers of Midland Park know how to live within their means. The board of education does not. It is time they learn. On Dec 11 between 2 and 9 p.m., please vote “no” on questions 1 and 2. Send a clear message to the board of education to stop using the taxpayers as their personal piggy bank. This obnoxious $15.2 million referendum must be dramatically reduced in size, scope, and cost. John J. Meeks Jr. Midland Park Schools deserve investment Dear Editor: The Midland Park Board of Education is attempting to pass a $15.2 million bonding scheme on Dec. 11. Maybe they chose this date because it would be even more obvious they were trying to suppress the vote if they chose Christmas Day. Voting is the last thing on people’s minds at this time of year. The board of education is under the illusion that Santa Claus is coming to town…on the 11th. Well, the board has made a wish list, and I’ve taken the liberty of checking it twice. Let me explain why it’s not so nice. It raises taxes on the average homeowner by $405 per year, for a total of $8,109 for the 20year life of the bond. Most parents would agree that a $37,000 scoreboard, $1 million of artificial turf, and upgrading the school buildings to the tune of $12 million, will hardly improve the chances of your child being accepted into an institution of higher learning. In fact, not one cent is being used to improve the quality of education the stu- Says referendum should be dramatically reduced Dear Editor: A recent notice on Midland Park’s town blog informed residents that they and their families could avail themselves of a free photography service. Our own Rich Formicola of Hot Shot’s Photography has been extremely community-minded throughout the years in many ways. He has offered to take family portraits this holiday season free for the benefit of the Children’s Love Fund with the wish that people would subsequently make a donation to the fund. What a great idea -- and what a wonderful stretch of kindness and caring. Those interested need only to call Rich at (917) 9692074 to set up a date for a sitting. This is another example of the unique benevolence that has been our town trademark throughout the years. I continue to be proud of the fact that my years as councilperson and chair of the Love Fund were two of the greatest, fruitful experiences of my lifetime. Go for it Midland Park. It’s a terrific opportunity! Betty Sullivan Midland Park Photographer’s project supports The Love Fund Dear Editor: Thanksgiving has passed, and our thoughts now turn to Christmas and all the preparations and excitement of the season. Unfortunately, for some of our Midland Park neighbors, this is a season of anxi- Children’s Love Fund requests Christmas gifts Obituaries (continued from page 26) United States in 1956 and worked as a baker. Before retiring in 1982, he was a field engineer for radioactive instrumentation for 15 years at the Motorola Corporation. He was a member of the Second Reformed Church in Little Falls, and later a member of the Preakness Valley United Reformed Church in Wayne. He is survived by his wife Marilyn Rijkse (nee Jaasma), his children Donna Lee Veenstra and Lisa Ann Dykstra, both of North Haledon, seven grandchildren, and his brother Wim Rijkse of New Zealand. Arrangements were made by Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home in Wayne. Memorial donations may be made to Christian Health Care Center, 301 Sicomac Avenue, Wyckoff, NJ 07481. Royal A. Vreeland of Wyckoff died Nov. 28. He was 91. He was a U.S. Army veteran of World War II. While in the Army, he was assigned to President Roosevelt’s funeral detail. He was a technical illustrator at Curtiss-Wright. He is survived by his daughter Linda Vreeland of Wyckoff, and his nephew William Meyer of Pompano Beach, Florida. Arrangements were made by Vander Plaat Funeral Home in Wyckoff. Memorial donations may be made to Alzheimer’s Association, 400 Morris Avenue, Suite 251, Denville, NJ 07834 or NJSPCA at www. njspca.org/donate-memorial.html. Royal A. Vreeland