Waldwick September 5, 2012 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • Page 9 Persons who charge for lessons on public parks in Waldwick must now get prior authorization from the mayor and council to use the facilities. The governing body last week amended its parks ordinance to prohibit for-profit businesses from using the public facilities unless they first get a license from the borough clerk and show proof of general liability insurance. The authorization must be approved in advance at a public council meeting. According to council members, who have been discussing the proposed ordinance for a number of weeks, people are using the borough’s tennis courts to give private lessons and the baseball or football fields to coach individual youngsters. “We don’t want people making a profit off municipal Commercial use of tennis courts now requires a permit assets and depriving our residents of using the facilities,” said Councilman Don Sciolaro when the ordinance was first introduced. “This gives the police something to go on.” “This ordinance puts it in black and white; it puts teeth in our regulations,” said Councilman Frank Palladino. He said that he had often witnessed hazardous situations at the tennis courts, with “hundreds of balls all over the place.” Borough Attorney Craig Bossong said proposed uses will have to be acted upon on a case by case basis because there is a distinction between a commercial activity and a for-profit use. “A non-profit giving lessons is still commercial,” he explained. Councilman Chuck Farricker said that in the past it has been hard to determine if the coach was being paid. “If you ask if they make money, they say no,” he said, adding: “This is the first step. It may not get someone off; for that you’ll still have to call the police. Maybe the next step will be to erect signs and set time limits,” Farricker said. Resident Anthony Celeste suggested volunteers be recruited to monitor the courts and to encourage limits on play time. He said a monitor could give out the rules to players. “At times it gets very confrontational,” Celeste said. Celeste also suggested keeping a closer eye on the courts to prevent vandalism and further deterioration of the surface. “It’s not critical, but it’s getting worse,” he said. Mayor Tom Giordano said the police department would be asked to monitor the courts more closely. He also invited Celeste to attend the next mayor and council workshop session to discuss his concerns. Sump pump ordinance (continued from page 3) second notice, might be fined for refusal. Remediation would be granted only if the property owner could show he or she took all reasonable measures to make sump pumping unnecessary. This could include installation of a dry well, connection to a storm sewer, or use of a homeowner’s own property without inconveniencing neighbors. For example, clean water could be used for lawn or shrub irrigation without runoff onto neighboring properties. After March 31, any Allendale resident who wants to install a sump pump would be required to pay a $50 permit fee and clear the sump pump with the code inspector to make sure it discharges water into the storm sewer and not into the sanitary sewer. Violation of the ordinance would involve a fine of not less than $1,000 per violation and $100 per day for each day the situation that led to the fine is not rectified. The council studied sump pump issues for a number of months in concert with Waldwick, to make sure the Allendale ordinance would protect the rights of the individuals with sump pumps, the right of the community not to pay excessive taxes, and the environment. One-Box-One-Soldier Program gains momentum In the past two years, members of the American Legion Post 57 in Waldwick have been sending care packages to troops in Afghanistan. To date, they have shipped nearly 1,600 boxes filled with snacks, toiletries, protein bars, batteries, and many other items. After hearing about the program, the Northern New Jersey Walgreens district manager invited the group to set up displays and collection boxes in Bergen County stores. Well over $5,000 worth of merchandise has been donated by the patrons of the stores. This has boosted the momentum of the project tremendously. Recently, Camp PRT Paktika in Afghanistan flew an American flag over their camp. They later mailed the flag to American Legion Post 57 honoring the One-Box-One Soldier Program. Legion members: Mike Echeverria, Nancy Nielsen, and Gold Star Mother June Augusta (displaying flag from Afghanistan honoring One-Box-One-Soldier Program) with and Project Coordinators Jan and Steve Toms.