Page 12 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • December 19, 2012 Saddle River A group known as the Committee of Concerned Saddle River Taxpayers has organized under Paul Schulstad’s leadership in opposition to a proposed $5.5 million renovation to borough hall. At press time, the group was urging residents to attend this week’s meeting (set for Monday, Dec. 17) to express their views on the construction plan. According to a Dec. 13 letter signed by group member Amy Fisher, residents also have the opportunity to sign an online petition requesting that Mayor Samuel Raia and the council withdraw the proposal until all of the options have been fully explored. In his Dec. 6 letter to Saddle River resi- Taxpayers’ group, borough officials spar over project dents, Mayor Raia also encouraged residents to attend the Dec. 17 meeting. He wrote that the ad hoc committee that studied the municipal building question recommended in November that the existing 9,000 square foot building be replaced with a new 19,000 square foot building at a proposed cost of approximately $300 per square foot, and that plan has since been reduced in both size and cost. “Subsequent to the (November) meeting, during which there were a number of questions raised about the size of the building, I asked the committee to re-engage the architects to review the space allocation in the proposed structure to determine if the size could be reduced without sacrificing functionality,” Raia wrote. “The committee has since met several times with the architect and has drawn upon the expertise of the committee members. “I am pleased to report that by rearranging the interior configuration, the committee was able to come up with a plan that reduced the overall size of the additional space by almost 40 percent from 10,000 square feet to approximately 6,400 square feet so that the total size of the building that would replace the current 9,000 square foot structure would be approximately 15,400 square feet. The reduction in size would also result in a proportionate savings in cost from the original estimate of approximately $5.5 million to an estimated cost of approximately $4.5 million. “Because of the reduced size and cost, the annual amortization of this expense over a 20-year bond would average $331,000 per year over the life of the bond versus $454,000 in the current annual tax revenue to be generated by Saddle River Grand so that the project would be absolutely tax neutral to our residents, with a margin of $123,000.” He added that he has seen statements that indicate that this project “would cost each borough household $7,000, implying that your property taxes would increase by that amount. This assumption is patently false,” Raia wrote. He further emphasized that there is “no planned intent to bring other communities’ functionalities to Saddle River.” The Committee of Concerned Saddle River Taxpayers claims the proposal for a 15,400 square foot borough hall is worse than the original concept. An open letter from that organization notes that the mayor’s letter indicates that the project would be tax neutral because the cost of the new building would be offset by revenues from Saddle River Grand. The taxpayers’ group says that linking the funding of the second proposal to the Saddle River Grand cash flow is “absurd (as) Saddle River Grand is a completely unrelated project.” The taxpayers’ group also wrote, At a recent ceremony, AAA North Jersey presented Saddle River Police Officials with an AAA Award of Merit. The award is presented to communities for their outstanding traffic safety program activities. Saddle River has not had a pedestrian fatality in over 15 years. The department is very active in preventing crashes through DWI roving patrols. seat belt checkpoints, and speed enforcement programs. Pictured are Lieutenant John Gaffney, Officer Jeff Fortemps, AAA North Jersey Vice President James Dugan, and Chief Timothy Mc Williams. Outstanding record “Assume that a person finds a $100 bill on the street. Later that same day, the person spends $100 on dinner at a restaurant. How much does the dinner cost? Mayor Raia wants you to think the dinner is free!” The group states that the dinner costs $100 regardless of how it is funded. They say the $4.5 million could be spent on committed projects, used to reduce debt, or for tax relief. The taxpayers’ group also states that the “tax neutral” argument assumes that all of the $454,000 Saddle River Grand tax revenue will be available to offset debt service related to borough hall. The group claims this is not true, and states that the new residents of Saddle River Grand will need municipal services and the use of the local schools. When the plan for new construction was presented in November, Saddle River officials noted that the project would bring borough hall, including the municipal court, into compliance with current safety and access standards. The existing T-shaped borough hall was constructed in 1937, and underwent an internal update in the 1980s, when the downstairs portion of the structure that had served as the fire station and police department was converted into municipal offices. The building, which is not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, has three floors. The second floor has traditionally been used as the council chambers, and the third floor is used for storage. The brownstone portion of borough hall now houses the court, a conference room, the construction office, a computer room, and the archives. Plans call for the brownstone portion of the building to remain. At present, there is no access to the third floor via elevator. Although barrierfree access is available to both the first and the second floors, there is no barrierfree option to move between the first and second floors without going outside the building and re-entering from another doorway. Saddle River Valley Notes Board of education to reorganize The Upper Saddle River Board of Education will hold its reorganization meeting at 8 p.m. on Jan. 3. The session will be held in the media center at Cavallini Middle School, 392 West Saddle River Road in Upper Saddle River. Santa Claus is coming to town The Upper Saddle River Volunteer Fire Department is launching Project Santa this holiday season to help raise funds for the department’s Sept. 11 Memorial Project. Imagine a fire truck with lights and sirens that is playing Christmas carols pulling up in front of your home with Santa Claus. For a $20 donation from each Upper Saddle River family, Santa will deliver the family’s gifts by fire truck on Saturday, Dec. 22 from 4 to 8 p.m. A delivery schedule will be e-mailed prior to the delivery date. This service is open to Upper Saddle River residents only. To participate, bring a small, wrapped gift (that fits in a normal sized grocery store paper bag) and a check made payable to the “USRFD” to the firehouse, 375 West Saddle River Road, Upper Saddle River. (One gift per person, please.) Drop-off of gifts will be on Wednesday, Dec. 19 from 5 to 8 p.m. For information, call (201) 327-0285, e-mail usrfdprojectsanta@gmail.com, or visit www.usrfd.org. Church hosts Christmas events The Old Stone Church in Upper Saddle River will hold an afternoon of Christmas Carols beginning at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 23. There will be a free will offering during the event to help the victims of Hurricane Sandy. Two services will be offered on Dec. 24. A Christmas Eve Family Worship will be held at 5 p.m. The service will include carols, the Christmas story, Dutch gifts for children, and the story of Sinter Klaus discovering what carrots, cookies, candy, and coal have to do with wooden shoes. At 11 p.m. there will be a Candlelight and Communion Worship service with carols, the story of the birth of Jesus, and Holy Communion. The church is located at 481 East Saddle River Road in Upper Saddle River.