Page 4 THE VILLADOM TIMES II • August 15, 2012 Ridgewood Parking garage proposal draws interest, questions by John Koster A proposal for two parking garages in Ridgewood, whose cost would be offset by rent from a two-story retail building, will be further studied in September. The introduction of the concept at last week’s Ridgewood Village Council meeting drew some praise and some criticism. “I was really surprised at the magnitude of it,” longtime resident Ron Verdicchio said of the tentative proposal from local business leaders, including Ed Sullivan and John Saraceno. The concept, Verdicchio said, appeared to have cropped up rather quickly. He criticized the fact that no paperwork was available to the audience or the press at last week’s meeting. “Be forthcoming. Be transparent,” Verdicchio urged. Other people in the audience said the idea was interesting, but they wanted to see far more information. “When we schedule a work session in September, it’s going to be on the agenda,” Mayor Paul Aronsohn said. The previous council, which was headed by Mayor Keith Killion with Aronsohn as a member, had voted down a previous, larger plan for a parking garage at the principal site on Walnut Street near Franklin Avenue on land Ridgewood had acquired for the purpose. Mayor Killion, a life-time resident of Ridgewood, said he could not envision a building of the formerly proposed size dominating the landscape of Ridgewood’s commercial district. The new plan calls for a two-story, 12,000-square-foot retail building with 6,000 feet per floor to replace the small parking lot between The Gap and Gilsenan Realty. Proceeds from the new building would theoretically enable Ridgewood to build a parking garage on Hudson Street and, eventually, a second garage on Walnut Street where the larger building had been proposed a few years ago. Members of the Ridgewood Chamber of Commerce hope the two proposed garages would take the pressure off street parking in downtown Ridgewood. All the land targeted is already owned by the village. The plans are tentative, and the Ridgewood Village Council initiated no action last week, but agreed to study the matter further. Past councils have planned large amounts of supplementary parking for the last several decades, including a parking garage with wrap-around retail stores on the outside facing the streets and a multi-tier parking garage on the inside. At one point, parking in a manmade cavern to be hollowed out under Van Neste Park was also considered. Previous plans foundered on aesthetic and financial concerns. West Bergen Mental Healthcare, a non-profit counseling and psychiatric center located in Ridgewood, recently announced its Fifth Annual Super Cash Prize contest. Five hundred tickets are expected to be sold at $50 per ticket. First prize will be 25 percent of the total proceeds, second prize will be 15 percent, and third prize will be 10 percent. The winners will be announced at A Fall Night of Fine Dining, which will be held Nov. 5 at the Indian Trail Club West Bergen Mental Health sponsors contest in Franklin Lakes. Participants need not be present to win. All funds raised from the contest will benefit the programs and services of West Bergen, including the Center for Children and Youth in Ramsey, which provides counseling, therapy, and addiction treatment services for young people, ages two through 18, and their parents. For further information about the contest, or to purchase tickets, call Carol Cohen at (201) 444-3550.