Page 22 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • November 13, 2013 Saving the downtown saves the whole town! Some things are too important to be written off. The importance of quality local shopping is one of them. Here are some collective examples. The other day, I ventured into my favorite realm of the absurd: automotive transport. I am not a great fan of recre- ational motoring, but since my wife generally knows where I sleep I am not about to stand her up for a ride home from various work-related locations. Over the weekend, while clambering during darkness and rain into the crammed driver’s compartment of the biggest SUV I could have afforded 10 years ago, I surmise that I must have rammed the seatbelt tong into the seat-bound clamp over a piece of somewhat challenged soft paper. This is not difficult to do when you are my size and wearing a heavy coat, especially at night and when it is raining. I surmise this because the next time I tried to ram the tong into the clamp, it would not fit. I was serenaded by that ominous monotone tink-tink- tink-tink-tink-tink-tink-tink that sounds like the musical introduction to Tom Jones singing “Delilah.” It was not a happy ride, but it was a short one. The next morning, I analyzed the problem. I discovered very soft but surprisingly stubborn paper detritus inside the seat belt clamp. This stuff was as impervious to being dislodged as it was impervious to reason. What to do? Call my son, who knows more about cars than I ever wanted to? I generally maintain a policy of allowing him to spend Saturday afternoon and Sunday with his nuclear family and, as I ascertained later, he and my daughter-in-law and grandson were at the Children’s Museum in Philadelphia -- a venture not to be disturbed. When they were kids, I used to take my son and daughter to a lot of museums and historic homes like Museum Village, Speedwell, Morris- town, Jockey Hollow, The Hermitage, the Steuben House, and the De Wint House. I felt validated that they had done likewise. Next thought: Get tweezers. I got the tweezers, but they were too thick to fit into the crevice in the seat clamp. My wife arrived at the scene of the catastrophe and we both sorted through downtown on a Sunday morning to try to find affordable tweezers that would fit in the malicious crevice. She actually located such a pair of tweezers, and the price was right. “Your son did me a favor once, so I’ll loan you this one,” the local merchant said. “It costs $22, but it’s mine, so please bring it back and give it to me personally.” The tweezers were indeed the thinnest I had ever seen. They were almost thin enough. The key word here is “almost.” I got a little bit of the upper stratum of paper out, but not enough. My next thought was to go to the local supermarket or the hardware store and buy a toothpick and some glue. I would then dip the toothpick in the glue, twirl it in the stubborn paper dust, and let it harden until the paper was more stuck on the toothpick than the clamp. I also briefly thought of burning it out with one of those electric fire starters people use for barbecue grills, but the proximity of the SUV’s gas tank convinced me this was not a good idea. Then it struck me. The downtown service station gives people free air for their tires. Was there a way to channel some of the free air into the crevice and blow out the shred- ded paper? The two attendants came over, located a nozzle, and hooked it up to the air hose. All three of us awaited the results of the experiment with fascination. There was a great hissing whoosh and, in a matter of seconds, the recal- citrant shredded paper had become part of the atmosphere and the seat belt clamp worked again. How would this problem have been resolved had I not lived in a town with a friendly downtown? In a worst- case scenario, I would have driven off, headed toward the Hudson River or the New York border trying to find a car dealership for this particular make of car. (Both of the dealers in northwest Bergen County have been shuttered for years.) I would have been pulled over for not wearing a seatbelt. You can only stand so much of the first eight bars of “Delilah.” I have had other favorable experiences. When a swivel chair collapsed, the local hardware store found a way to fix it at a very affordable price. When I needed what I called a “soap eraser” -- what the manufacturer called a “soft eraser” -- the local pharmacy had them in stock at a reasonable price. My two most recent books -- tandem, in one case, with the first book I ever wrote -- are now displayed in glass-front picture frames, arranged locally at a downtown store. When I stagger off to bed, I can look at them and reflect that my life has not been entirely in vain. Downtown businesses must be saved. The way to save them is to shop there first, even --gasp -- if it might cost a few cents more than buying the same article at some place in a mega-mall where the gasoline costs involved in get- ting there eat up any savings. Ever see what the prices are like in the stores at airline terminals? Five bucks for a soft eraser shaped like a hippopotamus? The mega-malls may be a little more competitive, but do the math. You can walk downtown on a pleasant day, or drive there for a fraction of a gallon of gasoline, support the local economy, probably find just what you want, and get home in less time and with less money spent than you would spent on a haul through traffic with rude people who can always find the horn, but may not be able to find the brake. A lot of people refuse to believe this. Spending $5 to save 50 cents sits well with them. I presume these are the same people for whom every vacation trip is advertised as an escape. Who wants to escape from northwest Bergen County? I don’t. A lot of people work a second job just so they can keep living here. This area is a bastion of civility and intelligence compared to other places I have lived or have covered as a reporter. Why would anybody want to escape? Rather than escaping, we should cherish and protect. Shopping at local stores is one of the best ways to do this. Other ways include volunteering for environmental proj- ects, enjoying local programs at the libraries, and dropping the idea that a vast lawn with no other plant life is the key to the American Dream. Do not throw out those mums that people seem to buy in September and throw out in Novem- ber. Plant them and mulch them. Many of them will grow again next year. This is it! There are a few other places as nice as this. If we let local businesses slide because we are penny wise and pound foolish, the darkening of our downtowns will represent the darkening of our own lives. Shop locally; it helps keep our hometowns great places to live. Supermarket lawsuit (continued from page 3) The board unanimously approved the variances and the plan in November 2012 and approved the memorializing resolution in February 2013. The appeal officially filed on March 26 takes issue with the fact that the original proposal indicated a building lot coverage of 64,974 square feet, but the planning board sub- sequently approved a building of just over 62,000 square feet. The appeal further objects to the planning board’s agree- ment that the area was zoned for a supermarket and asserts that the abandonment by the A&P more than 10 years ago voided the zoning of the site for supermarket use. Several residents had argued that the present vacant store is an eyesore and supported the application by Inserra ShopRite for a store in that location. “The (planning) board improperly discounted the mag- nitude of the safety issues at play regarding pedestrians... and similarly disregarded conflicts in the site plan design that present significant on-site traffic safety problems for pedestrians and vehicles,” the appeal states. The appellants also object to the elimination of a require- ment for a traffic light at Wyckoff Avenue and Greenwood Avenue; delivery truck access, which they claim is inad- equate; and parking lot aisles, which they say are located at excessive distances from the store. The appeal seeks to have the variances granted by the Wyckoff Planning Board to be declared null and void, essentially sending the ShopRite application back to the drawing board. The plans, as approved, call for a new building to replace the building that currently occupies the site. The 53,500-square-foot building now standing at the corner of Greenwood and Wyckoff avenues formerly housed an A&P and an adjoining Walgreens. The property has been vacant for more than 10 years, and the structure and existing 431 parking spaces are considered to be in a state of disrepair. Inserra Supermarkets became the long-term ground lessee of the 7.6-acre site in 2009. Inserra ShopRite successfully requested a number of variances. For instance, the minimum lot depth was requested to remain at 390 feet, while 500 feet is required; and the minimum rear-yard setback was requested at 50 feet, while 100 feet is required. Parking stall sizes were allowed to be reduced from 10 by 20 feet to 10 by 18 feet and 10 by 19 feet in some instances; the minimum setback for ground signs was reduced to nine feet, where 20 feet was required; and levels of permitted soil disturbance in landscaping, and some signage size limits, were waived. Ramsey Cinema (continued from page 21) The cinema closed on Aug. 20, after 80 years, but the Ramsey Theatre Group was determined to save this local landmark. The group’s brochure explains the various contribution levels and the rewards associated with each gift. For exam- ple, those who pledged $10 or more will receive a voucher for a movie ticket to see a digital movie. Vouchers that cannot be used by the donors will be given to the Hearts & Crafts Grief Counseling Center in Ramsey. There are 12 levels of pledges, with the top level being $10,000 or more. Rewards at level 12 include naming rights to a portion of the theater, on-screen recognition for one year prior to each movie, a private showing for up to 150 people with popcorn and soda included, and four tickets to the Gala Red Carpet Re-opening. The group chose Kickstarter.com to help fund the proj- ect because the funds are only released if the target goal is reached or exceeded. This was an all or nothing endeavor – and the group managed to reach its goal in just 35 days. The group plans to use pledges for full digitization (video and sound) of both theaters. Aside from the pur- chase of the digital equipment, including projectors, plans also call for interior improvements. The Kickstarter.com campaign ended last week, but Rose indicated that pledges are still being accepted. He said pledges may be dropped off at Planet Swirl at 119 East Main Street – next door to the theater. For additional infor- mation, call (201) 232-5454 or (201) 207-1867, or e-mail RamseyTheatre@gmail.com.