Oradell Closes in on Finish Line for Elm St. Bridge and Police Promotions This Week

Rehabilitation of Elm Street Bridge Nears Completion

Following months of delay due to weather and anesting heron, the $1 million expansion and renovation Elm Street Bridge project is now expected to be completed by March 2013.

Work on the 1892 pony-truss style bridge was initially expected to begin in April 2012 but was pushed back two months to allow the heron's clutch to hatch. The County-owned bridge, which splits Elm Street between Oradell and New Milford, is expected to be widened by two-feet and increasing the weigh limit from three-tons to 40-tons so it meets federal standards.

With several rank-and-file leadership positions open in the Oradell Police Department, the borough is nearing completion of its own police promotion ordinance, to outline the department's requirements for advancement.

The ordinance outlines the process for officers to be elevated to the rank of sergeant, lieutenant, captain and chief and will be voted on later this month for approval. The ranks of detective and detective sergeant will be added in the spring.

As part of its 2013 goals to make River Edge more pedestrian friendly at its three business centers, the borough recently installed nine roadway stanchions along Kinderkamack Road.

The crosswalk pedestrian stanctions are located where Kinderkamack Road meets with: Midland Avenue, Lincoln Avenue, Continental Avenue, Madison Avenue, Voorhis Avenue, Howland Avenue, Reservoir Avenue, Main Street and Grand Avenue.

The Doug Parcells Athletic Complex (DPAC) will have a new look come March as the Oradell governing body gave the go-ahead for the Recreation Committee to start selling fence space for advertising banners.

The banners, measuring 4-feet by 5-feet, would be placed on the back fencing closest to the wooded area from March 1 through December 1 in a one-year trial basis.

Twice named NFL Coach of the Year, the "Big Tuna" and River Dell alumni Bill Parcells was once again named to the finalist class for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Parcells was a finalist in 2012 but just missed out on joining the current 267 Hall of Fame members.

Before the holiday season came to an end, St. Peter the Apostle Roman Catholic Church in River Edge, hosted a gingerbread house-making fundraiser in December to raise funds for Habitat for Humanity of Bergen County’s Sandy Rehabilitation efforts.

The event was a success, raising over $1,100 and bringing together community members, who took the time out of their Sundays to raise awareness of the need for affordable housing by building their own gingerbread homes.

Nico Santoli might just be Oradell's toughest 2-year-old.

In 2012, little man Nico was diagnosed with unilateral retinoblastoma - a rare form of childhood cancer that affects the eyes - but that didn't slow the toddler down.

During a recent evaluation on Jan. 9, Nico and his family good news that about 40 percent of his tumor is dead. The cancer seeds, which plant the cancer where the tumor originated, are calcified after just one therapy.

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