Ridgewood June 20, 2012 THE VILLADOM TIMES II • Page 7 Mason recognized for emergency management by John Koster Ridgewood Mayor Keith Killion and the village council recently honored Bradford C. Mason for his long service in Ridgewood’s emergency management program prior. Mason officially retired last week. Mason, who was present at the meeting to receive his plaque, first joined the program in 1996 when he began to update the Ridgewood Emergency Operations Plan, a process he undertook every four years. He became the deputy director almost as soon as he signed on, and became the emergency management director in 2006. Mason instituted tabletop training programs that involve Ridgewood employees and elected officials along with members of the Ridgewood Board of Education, the clergy, Valley Hospital, the American Red Cross, and the Ridgewood Chamber of Commerce. He also worked closely with the schools to develop their emergency plans. Mayor Killion, a former police captain and chief of detectives, noted that Mason had been on duty through a number of weather emergencies, including the major flooding events of March and April 2011 -- which once affected the first floor at Ridgewood Village Hall -- and through the Halloween Nor’easter, a snowstorm that broke branches, toppled trees, dragged down power lines, leaving large parts of Ridgewood and other northwest Bergen County communities without power for five days or more. The lease on the Ridgewood house located at 1057 Hillcrest Avenue, part of the former Habernickel Horse Farm, has been extended for another two years by a unanimous vote of the Ridgewood Council. The minimum monthly rent for the house is established at $3,918, and the term that began on June 15 may run for as long as two years. If the tenant extends the lease for the second year of the two-year term, the rent will increase based on the Tri-State Consumer Index. The rental agreement permits pets on a limited, specific basis, but does not permit the use of the tennis courts, “which may be maintained or demolished by the Village of Ridgewood.” Lease extended for two years The house is one of two located on the 10-acre property which Ridgewood purchased some years ago. The village is gradually developing the site into a mixed-use park with a sports field on the level ground and walking trails and gardens on the sloping ground, based on plans discussed at great length at several public meetings. The horse farm was used to board riding horses until the land was purchased and the horses were relocated to other farms. The land was purchased in part with the half-cent per $100 of assessed valuation setside authorized by Ridgewood voters at the polls to save as much wooded or undeveloped village land as possible. J. KOSTER Pedestrian power Michael Pallone of Ridgewood joined ‘Team Marching for Marie’ at The Lustgarten Foundation’s New York City Pancreatic Cancer Research Walk, where 100% of every dollar raised will go directly to pancreatic cancer research thanks to Cablevision’s support. The event was held at Hudson River Park. (Photo by Ben Asen.)