Page 12 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • November 27, 2013 Park Windmill ‘Toys for Tots’ requested The Midland Park Volunteer Fire Department is collect- ing donations of new unwrapped toys for the United States Marine Corps Toys for Tots program. Toys may be dropped off at the firehouse on Witte Drive on Wednesdays between 7 and 9 p.m. now through Dec. 7. Several Midland Park businesses have also offered to serve as collection sites. They include Rock Your Hair Salon, 633 Godwin Avenue; Parisi Sports Club, 156 Green- wood Avenue; and the Parkwood Deli, 342 Erie Avenue. On Dec. 7, local fire fighters will deliver the toys to the train carrying Santa Claus and several United States Marines. The delivery will be made at the Wortendyke Train Station at 11 a.m. Have Breakfast with Santa The Midland Park Fire Department will host its Annual Pancake Breakfast with Santa on Saturday, Dec. 14 at the firehouse on Witte Drive. Breakfast will be served from 8 to 11 a.m. The menu will include pancakes, sausage, coffee, and juice. Tickets are $5 for adults and $2 for children ages two through 12. Children under two will be admitted free of charge. At the event, children will receive a souvenir photo and small gift from Santa. Baseball association to meet The Midland Park Basketball Association will meet on Tuesday, Nov. 26 at 7:30 p.m. in the Highland School Library. The group will discuss the upcoming season, including the travel league’s schedule, the recreation league program, and fundraising. All are welcome. Chamber plans Meet & Greet The Midland Park Chamber of Commerce will host a Holiday Meet & Greet Networking event on Dec. 11 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. The group will meet at Fiona’s Ristorante at 118 Godwin Avenue. Tickets are $20 when purchased in advance. Tickets purchased at the door will cost $25. Attendees are requested to send a one paragraph business bio to be included in the event program. RSVP to Lisa Plasse at flute76@aol.com by Dec. 2. Holiday display contest announced Midland Park residents are invited to participate in the borough’s first Holiday Home Decorating Contest, which is being sponsored by the Midland Park Department of Rec- reation. Residents may sign up to join the competition in the following categories: Best Holiday Spirit, Best Use of Theme, and Viewers’ Choice. Borough residents are wel- come to cast their votes for best display. To enter a home in the contest, submit your name, address, phone number, and e-mail address to: Midland Park Recreation, 50 Dairy Street, Midland Park, NJ 07432 or to mprec@optonline.net. The entry deadline is 5:30 p.m. on Dec.19. Judging will take place the weekend of Dec. 20 and 21. A listing of all participating homes will be available on the town website. Contest participants should indicate if they would prefer not to be included on the list. Winners will be announced Dec. 24. ‘Mail for Heroes’ campaign launched The Midland Park Recreation Department encourages the community to thank U.S. military personnel for their service by participating in the American Red Cross Holi- day Mail for Heroes campaign. To participate, visit the DePhillips Center at 50 Dairy Street, the Midland Park Public Library at 250 Godwin Avenue, or borough hall at 280 Godwin Avenue and fill out a holiday card. These cards will be delivered to veterans, military families, and active duty service members at hospitals and installations around the world. Gingerbread House Contest deadline near The Midland Park Library reminds residents that the deadline to enter the Gingerbread House Contest is Monday, Dec. 2. Entry forms may be dropped off or mailed to Mid- land Park Recreation, 50 Dairy Street, Midland Park, NJ 07432. The forms may be printed from the library’s website at midlanpark.bccls.org. The gingerbread houses will be on display at the Mid- land Park Library beginning the night of the Town Tree Lighting on Dec. 6 and will remain on exhibit through Dec. 12. The library is located at 250 Godwin Avenue. Call (201) 444-2390. Cookie Walk announced The Midland Park United Methodist Church’s Annual Cookie Walk will be held on Saturday, Dec. 14. The event will feature homemade cookies and holiday treats that can be purchased by the pound. The sale will be held at the church at 269 Godwin Avenue from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. – or as long as supplies last. Call (201) 445-3787 for details. Recycling center update The Midland Park Recycling Center is now accepting commingled materials. Items may be placed in the blue bin located at the center located at 20 Greenwood Avenue. New hours for the center are: Tuesdays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday hours are noon to 6 p.m., Friday and Saturday hours are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The center is closed on Sundays and Mondays. Shannon honored (continued from page 5) Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, and the Wyckoff/Midland Park Rotary Club. He also serves as a volunteer firefighter. He was a founding member of the Wyckoff Education Foundation, and a former member of the Wyckoff Lions Club and the Wyckoff Community Park Committee. He has also served as a coach in the Wyckoff Recreation Program, a swim official for the Wyckoff Family YMCA Swim Team, and an assistant scoutmaster for Troop 77. Shannon lives in Wyckoff with his spouse Jody. They have two children, Anne and Timothy. Golf course plan (continued from page 7) McBride advised further that the property owners had entered into a contract with Toll Brothers to be respon- sible for obtaining those approvals while they remain focused on running the golf club during the remainder of the lease. The approvals McBride referred to pertain to municipal planning and/or zoning board approvals and any county and state governmental agency approvals that may be required in order to develop the property. He advised that the owners of the golf course have already obtained all the necessary New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection approvals and sewer service is available to the site from the Northwest Bergen Utilities Authority. McBride explained the decision to sell the property, saying that the club’s membership had decreased from 1,240 members six years ago to about 200 members at the time of his letter, primarily due to the impending end of the club’s lease and the lower cost of joining other private clubs in the area. He also pointed out that the lifestyles of the younger members of the owners’ families are not the same as the older members and they do not have the same feelings about the golf course that the older generations do and they want to move on. Russell Farms Park (continued from page 10) on the land as free of toxins. Originally a fruit orchard, Russell Farms was abandoned for agriculture when it was sold by the owner. The site was later targeted for condominiums, and ultimately planned for six large single-family houses. Problems with pesticide together with the housing slump led to negotiations with Barrister Construction to sell the land at the intersection of Sicomac Avenue and Russell Avenue to the township for use as a passive park with landscaping and walking trails. Some of the money to purchase the tract came from Wyckoff’s local open space trust fund, instigated by the Friends of Wyckoff, a local environmental group, that peti- tioned to have the set-aside put on a November ballot. The rest came from a grant of $1.9 million from the Bergen County Open Space Trust Fund. The total price at the April 2012 closing was $3.1 million. Almstead Tree & Shrub Care donated 130 trees to the new park. Glenn Sietsma of Greenway Irrigation donated the irrigation system and the trees located along the drive- way, roadway, and planted berm. The Wyckoff Department of Public Works provided a substantial amount of the labor to convert the farm into a park. “What has already been done at the park, much of it by our DPW, is substantial,” said Township Committeeman Brian Scanlan. “This is just the beginning. We plan to con- tinue to improve the park and make it another great place for our residents to use and enjoy.” Last-minute preparations over the past few months included an ordinance that banned smoking in the five-acre park, but permits visitors to smoke in the privacy of their own cars in the parking lot. Another ordinance requires all dogs being walked in the park to be restrained by a leash of 10 feet in length or less.