July 24, 2013 THE VILLADOM TIMES II • Page 11 Finamore named Legend Quarterly All Star North Haledon resident Ray Finamore, plant operations technician II, was recently honored as a Legend Quar- terly All Star by Christian Health Care Center in Wyckoff. CHCC staff members are invited to nominate coworkers as Legends as part of the CHCC’s service-excellence ini- tiative. A Legend is someone who exemplifies the mission and values of CHCC in an outstanding and easily recog- nizable manner, contributes exemplary service for the ben- efit of those served at CHCC and beyond, or demonstrates behavior beyond expectations. Finamore was nominated by Jamie Pesci, health infor- mation management director/privacy ifficer. “Ray came to the aid of a disheveled person who was lost and wandering on campus,” said Pesci. “He recognized that the person was in need of mental-health services and contacted the appropriate staff for assistance. While wait- ing for help to arrive, Ray provided kind words and encour- agement.” Finamore is known for being the first to jump in to lend a hand to anyone who needs help. He volunteers to come in early, stay late, or work holidays. He volunteers with youth sports programs and other charitable community organi- Residents express concerns (continued from page 6) Protesters led by David and Alyssa Steinberger said the matter was badly handled and that the poles and their much higher voltage were a threat to the neighborhood. “We’ve got these clunky poles being stuck into Hope Street, which floods every time it rains,” said Jim O’Rourke, a resident for 48 years. “It’s about bullying -- not to submit to it. The message is clear to our children if they look at PSE&G: Bullying works.” “This is absolutely unacceptable,” said David Siegel, an Oak Street resident. “You need to find a better route for these poles....They have no right to do what they’re doing.” The statements by residents were applauded by other residents. About 40 people turned out and a dozen spoke. The council members explained that, based on communi- cations they had received from the utility company, they had not expected 65-foot poles, which tower over the 30- foot houses and most of the shade trees. In 2011, an Oct. 29 snowstorm knocked out electric power and land line telephone in much of Ridgewood and neighboring towns for a week. Many of the trees still had leaves. The leaves caught a good deal of the wet snow, and many trees and limbs that were above the lines on the 50- foot poles broke, fell, and took down power lines. PSE&G had to call in work crews from as far away as Florida to repair the breaks. Whole trees were knocked down by Hurricane Sandy in October 2012 with the same effect. Observers at the time said the power lines could either be placed underground -- a project estimated at $1 million per street mile -- or that the poles could be raised so the power lines were above all or most of the trees. Rutishauser, surprised by the magnitude of the current utility pole project, said he had been touch with the utility company and that eventually all power and communica- tions lines, including cable TV, would be concentrated on the 65-foot poles. The older 50-foot poles -- some of them now visibly leaning – will be taken down, he added. Residents said the utility company should have gone before the Ridgewood Planning Board for variances. The only legal paperwork Ridgewood reportedly processed was for permits for “minor street openings” that did not refer to the increased height of the poles. Rutishauser said, with input from Ridgewood Village Attorney Matt Rogers, that legal resistance to the poles is unrealistic. The poles are part of a grid that includes New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Vir- ginia, and West Virginia, and supervision is handled at the federal level with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commis- sion. Rogers said public utilities can claim some exceptions to zoning rules. “We pay very high property taxes,” a Spring Avenue resident said. “We don’t want to be a superhighway, neither for cars nor for electricity.” The 65-foot poles made their march through neigh- boring Glen Rock without much opposition. The installa- tions will now reportedly proceed down East Ridgewood Avenue over the border into Paramus and link up with the power substation at the Fashion Center on the far side of Route 17. Ray Finamore zations that benefit underprivileged children. His friendly, outgoing personality is admired,especially by CHCC’s residents. A non-profit organization, CHCC provides mental health care, elder care, residential living, and rehabilitation services based on the Christian principles on which CHCC was founded over a century ago.