August 29, 2012 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • Page 7 Ho-Ho-Kus Water regulations could be relaxed in September by Jennifer Crusco Ho-Ho-Kus officials are eyeing a September return to the twice-a-week watering schedule. The twice-a-week watering regulations, which the council approves for the borough’s use each year, had been reduced to once-a-week in mid-July due to the prolonged hot, dry weather conditions. Residents were notified via a Reverse 911 call. At last week’s council meeting, Councilman/Water Commissioner Steve Shell reported that, since the Reverse 911 call was made on July 15, there had been a significant decrease in the amount of water the borough’s system had been pumping. The borough had anticipated a July savings of eight to nine million gallons as compared to the July 2011 figures. However, Shell reported that the savings reached 9.7 million gallons for July 2012. He also reported that the borough was trending well for August, with 6.8 million fewer gallons pumped during the first 20 days of the month than in August of 2011. Shell added that new leaks in the system had been detected, and many have been repaired. Ho-Ho-Kus Mayor Thomas Randall said residents’ compliance with the water regulations had been very good. He acknowledged that the overall issue, which has been the borough’s tendency to exceed its pumping allowance during the summer months, is due to a combination of issues. “We turned to the people and asked them to do their part,” Mayor Randall said. “Obviously they’ve done well, and we thank them. It’s not all the residents’ fault.” He added that officials hope the borough’s water customers will continue their positive water use trends so the water regulations could be relaxed, and return to normal, in September. During his report to the council, Ho-Ho-Kus Borough Administrator Don Cirulli pointed out that Ho-Ho-Kus is not the only area town that has had to tighten its watering regulations this summer. He also commented on a recent news article that indicated that United Water is facing many of the same concerns the Ho-Ho-Kus Water Utility is experiencing, including the need to search out and repair leaks. Cirulli asserted that United Water costs more than HoHo-Kus water, and said Ho-Ho-Kus provides better water. He said that, at this time of year, United Water tends to have a swampy smell. The administrator said that the source of the borough’s water is an aquifer, which provides better quality water. Mayor Randall joked that Ho-Ho-Kus could bottle the local water and sell it to Paramus (which is supplied by United Water). At press time, the following watering regulations remained in effect in Ho-Ho-Kus. Those in Area I, which is west of West Saddle River Road and south of Holly- wood Avenue, may water on Thursday. Those in Area II, which is west of Saddle River Road and north of Hollywood Avenue, may water on Wednesday. Those in Area III, which is located east of West Saddle River Road, may water on Tuesday. No watering is permitted from Friday through Monday. Outside watering is only permitted between certain hours on watering days. Details are available at www. ho-ho-kusboro.com. The doors of the Ho-Ho-Kus Public School will soon swing open to students in kindergarten through grade eight, and staff members will be ready. The school’s staff members have been busy developing lessons and attending workshops. Recently, several district teachers spent a week working with Lucy Caulkins on ways to incorporate the Columbia Teachers College model for School ready for new academic year readers/writers workshop into the school’s curriculum. The district has also been working to improve the mathematics and service learning projects for the seventh and eighth grade students. The school’s newest teachers have already participated in three days of in-service training. New staff members (continued on page 19)