September 25, 2013 THE VILLADOM TIMES II • Page 3 Ridgewood Village approves contract for Graydon ramp by John Koster The Ridgewood Council has awarded a $48,454 contract to C and C Masonry, Inc. of Ridgefield for construction of the contro- versial concrete handicapped access ramp for Graydon Pool. The village previously received approval from the Department of Environmental Protection for the ramp project. “The village council voted tonight to construct a ramp in Graydon Pool and to award the bids for its construction,” Mayor Paul Aronsohn said. “This is an impor- tant moment in the life of our community. Tonight, Ridgewood became a more wel- coming, more accessible, more inclusive community.” Council Member Thomas Riche voted “no” on the resolution, but Council Member Bernadette Walsh voted in favor. Riche and Walsh had agreed, at least to some extent, with resident opponents, including Sally Brandes and Marcia Ringel, who had said at previous meetings that the proposed concrete ramp would be an eye- sore and that it would inconvenience and perhaps even endanger some handicapped swimmers, while helping others. Ringel, in particular, had objected to the fact that a flotation device made available as an alter- native was not purchased by Ridgewood. Opponents of the ramp said handicapped swimmers who had to use the ramp to access the deep water would actually be at risk. Opponents had also asserted, contrary to a statement from Ridgewood officials, that the ramp as proposed is not actually handicapped-compliant. Neither Brandes nor Ringel was pres- ent at last week’s meeting and there were no comments from the public on the ramp issue. Deputy Mayor Albert Pucciarelli noted that the ramp would be constructed and colored to blend with the sand around the lake-like Graydon Pool, making it more harmonious and less obtrusive. “The resulting ramp is a very thoughtful project...but it is certainly not a final step,” Pucciarelli said. “This is a good accom- plishment but it is certainly not the last step toward making Graydon accessible.” The council had agreed to build the ramp earlier this year after extensive testi- mony from supporters and opponents, only to have the project stall when the DEP stud- ied the plans through the entire pool season and released word of the approval well after Labor Day. In a separate issue, Ridgewood has asked the DEP to investigate a substance leach- ing from the new 65-foot utility poles being installed by Public Service Electric & Gas. Neighbors have reported that the leached substances appear to be killing grass on contact and have urged that the poles be removed. The content of the substance is under investigation. Citizen affected by scam A Ridgewood grandmother was scammed for a total of $3,000 to bail her grandson out of jail for an alleged DWI arrest in Florida. The woman received a telephone call indicating that her grandson was in jail for driving while intoxicated in the State of Florida. The Ridgewood woman, who contacted the Ridgewood Police Depart- ment on Sept. 13, had already made two transfers of funds totaling $3,000 to a location subsequently traced to the Dominican Republic -- only to learn later that the grandson had never been jailed in Florida and the request for the emergency bail money was a scam. “We get these calls all the time, but usually the people call us first and we tell them not to send the money,” a Ridgewood police detective said. The person sending the money often does not know it is going to a foreign coun- try, and money sent to locations outside the United States is almost never recoverable. A number of northwest Bergen County police forces have reported instances in which concerned grandparents are asked to send bail money or lawyers’ fees to other states or other countries after a pur- ported accident or arrest, only to learn that the grandson or granddaughter had never been involved in an accident or an arrest.