Duplexes Ordinance Returns, Reassessments Paying Off Top This Week's News

Controversial Duplex Ordinance Heads to Planning Board for Review

With council chambers packed to capacity by Park Avenue residents, the River Edge Mayor and Council introduced a proposed zoning change ordinance to allow duplexes along the eastern side of the street.

The ordinance, approved 4-2 with Councilmen Ed Mignone and Alphonse Bartelloni casting the nay votes, will now head to the Planning Board for reivew in March.

While the 2012 River Edge reassessment hadupset taxpayers, developers and realtors last spring, the borough is now seeing a 90-percent sale ratio with homes going at the assessed price or higher according to tax assessor Jim Anzevino.

While the fight over state funding continuesbetween the Bergen County Historical Societyand the Department of Environmental Protection, preliminary plans to construct a $350,000 museum at New Bridge Landing (NBL) remains a work in progress.

To date the Society has raised $130,000 towards the construction of an 18th century Dutch barn replica that would house the Society's many artifacts which haven been placed in storage since the April 2007 Nor'easter.

With over 400 wins to his name and 18 years of coaching experience, Lady Hawks head basketball coach Lou Wejnert will be the fifth River Dell coach to be inducted into the New Jersey Scholastic Coaches Assocation/NJ State Interscholastic Athletic Assocation Hall of Fame this spring.

Wejnert is one of 36 New Jersey coaches that will be honored during the April 14 Awards Program at Pines Manor in Edison. 

Oradell youngest youth will once again be able to attend a general education preschool program at Oradell Public School next fall as the district has renewed the tuition-based classes.

The class offers the borough's three and four-year-olds to attend school five days a week and the opportunity to socialize, play and learn under the direction of the preschool staff.

Holy Name has been working to help the Hôpital Sacré Coeur help the people of disaster and poverty stricken Milot, Haiti, and hopes to raise support for the effort with a new public television program.

In the wake of the Newtown massacre, schools coping with upgrading security without going over the 2 percent cap may get relief from pending legislation.

There is still time to purchase your tickets for the 2013 Special Events Committee Beefsteak Dinner. The annual event, scheduled for March 9 at 6pm, will once again raise funds for the Fourth of July fireworks display and be held at the Veterans Building/Senior Center, located behind the Post Office.

The Bergen Catholic Jazz Ensemble braved an early February snowstorm to take the stage at the jazz club Trumpets in Montclair.

The ensemble, which is comprised of 20 young men split into four instrumental sections of saxophones, trumpets, trombones and rhythm section (guitar, bass, piano and drums) performed classics such as “Funk-O-Matic, “Boogie Stop Shuffle” and “In A Sentimental Mood.”

Just in time for the upcoming tax season, some lucky River Dell High School (RDHS) students received a grant from H&R Block to educate themselves about personal finance skills.

The Oradell Rotary Club hosted Assemblyman Timothy Eustace, of Maywood, and Oradell resident Anne Sullivan at their meeting on Feb. 13. They spoke about their continuous philanthropic work of building classrooms for schools in Kenya, Africa.

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