May 2, 2012 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • Page 19 The Borough of Waldwick is looking into leasing out the vegetative waste transfer station off Wyckoff Avenue to a private contractor. The lease would potentially save the borough the nearly $100,000 it pays to run the station and transport the leaves and yard waste elsewhere for disposal. Last week, the borough council authorized Borough Administrator Gary Kratz to seek bids for a potential Borough eyes leasing out leaf transfer station lease of the borough facility, which is also used by the Borough of Ho-Ho-Kus. Kratz said a private contractor approached him with the idea and the governing body agreed it was worth pursuing. “It was a difficult bid to write. The specifications are tricky,” said Kratz, noting that restrictions are different if the borough continues running the operation or if it is run as a for-profit business. He said an outside operator Members of Waldwick American Legion Post 57 Auxiliary will be distributing red poppies during the month of May through Memorial Day. The artificial poppies are distributed by the volunteers in exchange for contributions to assist disabled and hospitalized veterans. Residents may get theirs at the Legion Hall, 44 Franklin Turnpike, after 5 p.m. daily, at the Auxiliary table during Red poppies available from Legion Auxiliary the 5K Run on May 6 and at the Memorial Day Parade. The poppy movement was inspired by the poem “In Flanders Fields” written by Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae of the Canadian forces in 1915 before the United States entered World War I. Selling replicas of the original Flanders’ poppy originated in some of the allied countries immediately. would need to get a variance from the board of adjustment and approvals from the NJ Department of Environmental Protection. “We would need certain protections, and it can’t impact the neighbors,” he said. The facility, located behind the Boston Market, has been in operation for more than 20 years, Kratz said. The tub grinder at the site is shared with Ho-Ho-Kus. He said the neighboring town would also benefit is the site is leased out. Kratz said under the terms of any potential lease, the vegetative material would be transported elsewhere for composting, but then the mulch would be brought back on site and offered wholesale. He said the specifications call for an initial three-year lease, with options for two, one-year renewals. It would be contingent on the board of adjustment and DEP approvals. When the mayor and council initially discussed the possibility of leasing the site in March, council members expressed concern about traffic and said limit should be placed on how much vegetative waste a lessee could receive for processing. Borough Attorney Craig Bossong said that the industry is regulated and that state permits would be needed once the borough was no longer the operator.