Page 4 THE VILLADOM TIMES II • October 10, 2012 Ridgewood Council approves Boy Scout’s cleanup plan by John Koster The Ridgewood Village Council has given the green light to Eagle Scout candidate Kurt Schnaars’ community service project. Schnaars, who is a member of Troop 5, will clean up storm-damaged Grove Park in a work detail that will run through the month of November. Schnaars told the council that Grove Park was damaged due to severe storms about a year ago. He was referring to the October 2011 snowstorm that knocked out power to parts of Ridgewood for five to seven days. “Many trees and branches fell, which destroyed trails and also affected water runoff,” Schnaars said. “This resulted in inaccessible walking trails in Grove Park.” The project, he said, would improve access to the park, and to its yellow and white trails, which are named for the color of their blazes. The park is located on the south side of Grove Street just west of the Saddle River along the approach to Route 17 and Paramus. The park is one of Ridgewood’s wildscape areas, which include nature trails. In the 32 acres of beech forest and field that make up Grove Park, visitors can find wildflowers that bloom between April and May before they disappear when the shade thickens. Visitors also find poplars, which are the tallest and straightest trees in the wooded area, turkey tails, and fungi. Ridgewood Village Engineer Christopher Rutishauser supported Schnaars’ proposal, and the council praised the young Boy Scout for his initiative. Kurt Schnaars