January 23, 2013 THE VILLADOM TIMES II • Page 5 Ridgewood Council wants sticker parking for Heermance by John Koster A village resident who is not usually at a loss for words was astounded last week when the Ridgewood Council introduced an ordinance calling for sticker parking for teachers on Heermance Place. This small road is located near Ridgewood High School. “I guess I’m somewhat surprised that the ordinance is scheduled to be introduced since at last week’s meeting the planner had no information whether those questions had been resolved,” Boyd Loving said on discovering the ordinance on the agenda. The questions he mentioned include: Who owns the parking spaces on Heermance Place, the village or the Ridgewood Board of Education? Who would have the right to reserve the parking spaces for teachers instead of throwing them open to everyone? “It’s probably not clear at this point and it would take some feedback to get the answer,” Ridgewood Village Manager Ken Gabbert told Loving and the balance of the audience. Ridgewood Village Attorney Matt Rogers ruled that it was legal to introduce an ordinance before officials ascertain who owns the road, since the adoption vote is not scheduled until Feb. 13. “I think there are some legal aspects that need to be discussed,” Rogers added. The council has tended to split 3-2 on the issue of whether to reserve Heermance Place parking for teachers and high school staff or to leave the spots -- generally presumed to be on municipal property rather than board of education property -- for either teachers or students based on when they arrive. Loving and several other members of the public had suggested that, since the students are presumably the children of Ridgewood taxpayers, they should be able to park on municipal property and not be banned for the benefit of teachers who often are not residents. “I am grateful to the council for listening to our request and carefully looking at the staff parking needs at the high school,” Board of Education President Sheila Brogan said prior to last week’s meeting, which she did not attend. Brogan and Superintendent of Schools Dr. Daniel Fishbein had attended two previous council meetings. The board president previously said that “(a)llowing staff permit parking on Heermance Place would enable the board to provide needed staff parking and to designate a few parking places in the school lot for visitors.” Brogan said she had no problems with introducing an ordinance while the research was still being conducted, but in previous votes, Council Members Thomas Riche and Bernadette Walsh opposed closing Heermance to early-bird Ridgewood students because their families were taxpayers. On Feb. 13, the council will also consider an ordinance to establish a four-ton vehicle weight limit on Glenwood Road from Morningside Road to the Ho-Ho-Kus border; an ordinance to establish a stop sign at the Habernickel Park Driveway; an ordinance to establish a $700 license fee for any dog declared potentially dangerous by a municipal court; and an ordinance to amend the insurance requirements for taxi cab and limousine service to register a sum of not less than $300,000 to satisfy all claims for damages of bodily injury to property damage. Join Highlights in Leisure Time on Feb. 14 as Donald Samick from J&R Lamb Studios offers a visual presentation of original and restored stained glass windows, including examples from two Ridgewood churches. The group will meet at the Ridgewood Village Hall-Community Center at 131 North Maple Avenue at 10 a.m. In existence from more than 150 years, J&R Lamb Studios, located in Midland Park, is the oldest of its kind in HILT announces February activities America. On Feb. 21, HILT will travel to the Hunterdon Hills Playhouse in Hampton to see Leonard Gershe’s comedy “Butterflies are Free.” The cost is $50 for HILT members and $55 for non-members. The cost includes lunch and bus transportation. The bus departs from Graydon Pool at 9:45 a.m. (continued on page 7)