Page 12 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • July 18, 2012 Area Village: Water restrictions unrelated to fine by John Koster A low water reserve has been cited as the rationale for the Ridgewood Water Company’s cutback to Stage II watering restrictions. Village officials asserted that the more stringent regulations are unrelated to the $38,000 fine the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection leveled against Ridgewood based on excessive water use in 2010. “It doesn’t relate to the fine and it never would,” Ridgewood Village Manager Ken Gabbert said at last week’s Ridgewood Council meeting. “We have to make sure we have water to pump in case of fires. That’s it.” Ridgewood is appealing the recently reported state DEP fine, but would provide no further details. The Stage II watering policy means that Ridgewood Water Company customers may not water their lawns on Monday, when the system catches up from anticipated heavy weekend water use. Residents whose homes have odd-numbered addresses may sprinkle their lawns with in-ground or portable sprinklers on odd-numbered days of the month. Residents whose homes have even-numbered addresses may use sprinklers on even-numbered days. The use of hand-held houses is permitted Tuesday through Saturday. Violators face a $50 fine for watering outside the permitted schedule. “Adherence to alternate day irrigation helps reduce the peaks in demand that reduce storage reserves,” Gabbert wrote in a public letter. “Water in store is vital for maintaining pressure in the system and for fighting fires. Low storage tank reserves are the principal reason for the imposition of more stringent restrictions.” Ridgewood Water Company Director Frank Moritz con- firmed, outside the council meeting, that the DEP state fine had nothing to do with the Stage II restrictions Ridgewood announced during the second week of July. “The fine had nothing to do with it,” Moritz said. The Ridgewood Water Company and Ridgewood are now being sued by the other three communities served by Ridgewood Water -- Glen Rock, Midland Park, and Wyckoff -- for water rate increases that Glen Rock, Midland Park, and Wyckoff say are untenable. Ridgewood recently increased the water rate for all four towns an additional two percent. The three towns outside Ridgewood charge that Ridgewood has used money collected from the water fees to pay salaries for Ridgewood public employees who have nothing to do with water service. Ridgewood officials have said that the charges are without merit, but have declined to discuss them in detail due to pending litigation. The Mahwah Regional Chamber of Commerce will be honoring Ridgewood philanthropist David F. Bolger as the Humanitarian of the Year at the Chamber’s 21st Annual Golf Outing & Dinner. The founder and chairman of a Ridgewood real estate and investment firm, Bolger is a regional business leader and well-known community philanthropist. Bolger has chosen The Valley Hospital Foundation as his designated charity. This affair will take place at the Tuxedo Club in Tuxedo, New York on Monday, Sept. 10. Bolger is the president of the Bolger Foundation, which has made more than $75 million in philanthropic donations since 2000, and has supported those working on behalf of healthcare, disadvantaged youths, churches, seniors, mental health programs, conservation activities, and edu- Regional Chamber to honor Bolger at Golf Outing cational opportunities. The Valley Hospital Foundation provides philanthropic support to the Valley Hospital. For more than 60 years, Valley Hospital has existed to care for the people of the community when they need it most. The doctors, nurses, and employees provide healing, ease suffering, and work to improve the quality of life for patients. From the tiniest premature newborn to the grandmother at the end of life, Valley provides compassionate care, regardless of ability to pay. Modern facilities, cutting edge technology, and innovative programs are costly, but thanks to charitable donations, they are available for all who need them. For more information about the MRCC Golf Outing and Dinner, or to register to participate, visit www.mahwah. com/golf. Founded in 1957, the Mahwah Regional Chamber of Commerce is a dynamic organization that represents members from over 90 communities in the region. The Chamber’s membership includes retail, professional, service, and corporate businesses, both large and small. Its primary objective is to advance the general welfare and prosperity of the greater Mahwah region so citizens and the business community may prosper. Particular attention is given to the business, social, civic, cultural, and educational interests of the region. For more information, contact Executive Director Sharon Rounds at (201) 529-5566. The Chamber is based at 65 Ramapo Valley Road, Suite 211, in Mahwah. Visit www. mahwah.com. record, and the best career winning percentage of 127-2. He won four county singles titles: two at second singles and two at first singles. Ron Anello, the athletic director at Ramapo praised Carcione, saying, “He is a remarkable young man, and even more so, aside from his tennis accomplishments and achievements, he’s a great person. He’s a role model to the other students in the building, a humble young man, a wonderful young person, and a respectful, great student. “This is my 31st year in education, and I’ve met a lot of wonderful kids during that time, but he’s right up there with the best of them.” Tennis champion (continued from page 4) New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association champion, and was on the first team all-league, first team all-county, and first team in all-groups all state. He was the Bergen County Athlete of the Spring and was named Athlete of the Week during the season. Carcione won the state singles tennis title for the second time in a row on June 7 after a hard fought battle against Thomas Caputo of Livingston, who was previously undefeated this year. Many thought Carcione had lost the match when, after winning the first set 7-5, he lost the second set 2-6 and fell behind 5-3 in the third set and had to fight off two match points before rallying to win the final set 7-5 to win the match and the state singles championship. Last year, Carcione had a record of 33-0 and was the Bergen County tennis champion in addition to winning the state’s singles championship. During his career at Ramapo, he broke four records with the most wins in a season at 35, most career wins at 127, best winning percentage in a season with a 33-0