Page 8 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • March 27, 2013 Midland Park Bridge replacement termed cause of Goffle Road/Paterson Avenue woes Midland Park Police Lieutenant Bernard Vandenberg says the closing of Lake Avenue during the bridge repair project is causing the traffic issues at Paterson Avenue and Goffle Road. Last week, Vandenberg told Villadom TIMES that the bridge work has caused a 30 percent increase in traffic in the Goffle Road/Godwin Avenue area, as motorists detour around Lake Avenue. Resident Irene O’Marra recently asked the mayor and council if something could be done to improve exiting Paterson Avenue onto Goffle Road during the evening rush hour. Her concerns were directed to Vandenberg, the traffic officer. O’Marra suggested the traffic signal at the nearby intersection of Goffle Road and Godwin Avenue should be better synchronized to remedy the situation. She also asked if an officer could be posted in the area in the evening to direct traffic. Vandenberg said that the lights are properly synchronized so the traffic flow between Godwin and Wyckoff Avenue/Lake Avenue will not back up into each intersection during the normal signal cycle. Traffic backup in that area is an important safety issue due to the presence of the railroad tracks. The Midland Park and Oakland branches of the Valley Hospital Auxiliary have teamed up to host the 44th annual Fashion Show, luncheon, and fundraiser at the Brownstone in Paterson on April 16. The event will begin at 11:30 p.m. Fashions are provided by The Kurth Gift Shop. Tickets are $35 and may be purchased by calling (201) 370-9891. Funds raised by the event will benefit the $1,500,000 pledge toward the expansion of the Valley Hospital Breast Surgery Pavilion and to support the Valley Home Care’s Butterflies Program for Children, a palliative care and hospice program for children. Fashion show slated “If these rates were altered in any way, there would be gridlock into both controlled intersections,” Vandenberg said. “Placing an officer at that location would also alter the flow of traffic on Goffle Road, thus causing residual backups and gridlock. Also, it would be nearly impossible because of availability to place someone at that location.” The officer said the Lake Avenue closure pushes the traffic that would normally be on that street onto Godwin Avenue and Goffle Road. “We don’t like to get involved altering the flow of traffic, if we don’t have to, especially when the two intersections are so close. It makes matters worse,” Vandenberg said. Vandenberg also said that the idea of closing the driveway on Goffle Road was not a consideration since that would have a considerably negative effect on access into and out of the lower level of the (Midland Park) Shopping Center for both patrons and emergency vehicles, if needed. Vandenberg said that, when the borough initially met with the county regarding the bridge project in 2012, the county estimated the work would take 270 days. Work on the bridge began in August of 2012. Retired Midland Park School District educators Florence Mahon and William Brady have been selected for induction into the Education Hall of Fame. They will be officially recognized at a future board of education meeting, and their portraits will be displayed with past Education Hall of Fame honorees in a designated hall at MPHS. Mahon was part of the original staff when Midland Park High School opened in 1957. She had joined the district in 1955 as a math, science and spelling teacher at Highland School. Mahon was the first female administrator in the district, serving as the head of the math and science departments in 1981. She continued to teach 12th grade calculus until her retirement in 1993. Brady served as a speech therapist in the district for over 30 years until his retirement in 2005. He provided critical therapy services to young students, using realworld experiential pedagogy to elicit conversation and Mahon, Brady chosen for hall of fame promote strong oral language skills. The board of education established the award in 2008 to recognize the key contributions made by past district staff members. To be considered, former Midland Park employees have to have been retired at least three full years prior to their nominations and made significant contributions to the improvement of the school system in their own special ways over at least a five-year period of employment. Inductees were selected by a committee following the receipt of letters of nomination from staff members, former students and the community at large. Last year, former social studies teacher Ted Sawey and guidance counselor Don Nolan were honored with the award. Former honorees have included the late Jerry Thomas, the late Jack Cogger, Athletic Director Sonny Santorine and Music Director Gordon MacDonald.