PARK RIDGE—The Borough Council on July 9 approved the introduction of a $3.8 million bond ordinance to fund a water treatment system to remove so-called forever chemicals from one of the borough water utility’s wells.
A public hearing on the bond ordinance will be held on Aug. 13, officials said. The treatment system is planned for Well 21, in Woodcliff Lake, according to the ordinance.
Former Councilman William Fenwick questioned when federal aid to help reimburse the water treatment systems that the borough previously bonded for might be received. Mayor Keith Misciagna told him officials expect federal funds to arrive by year’s end, which, Misciagna said, was what Fenwick was told during budget hearings earlier this year.
In 2022, the borough bonded for over $2 million to add filtration systems to remove PFAS chemicals from three wells that were taken offline when high PFAS levels were detected.
With the help of Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-5), the town received $3.4 million in federal grants in 2023 to install filtration systems at two wells that had been taken offline when “actionable levels” of PFAS chemical residues were found.
At the January council reorganization meeting, Misciagna said upgrading water supply wells to provide clean water for future generations was a priority, along with addressing the dredging of Electric Lake (Mill Pond) after a $15.5 million non-binding referendum was defeated last November; upgrading the borough’s electrical grid to meet new electricity demands, and revisiting the community center project.
TANS2; group renamed
In other news, Councilman Greg Hoffman said the Taxpayers For Aircraft Noise Solutions (TANS) advocacy group had been “rebranded” as “TANS2,” which stands for Taxpayers for Aircraft Noise Solutions & Safety. The TANS2 group represents public officials and residents of 10 Pascack Valley towns, including Oradell and Old Tappan.
Hoffman said, “We are now focusing on safety and environmental concerns as well.” He added that the TANS2 group advocates for pilots to use an “alternate route” Runway 19 landing route to Teterboro Airport, which flies directly over Route 17 heading to the airport. This route, rarely taken by pilots, avoids most of the towns in Pascack Valley.
Hoffman noted the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) told him that pilots chart their own landing route when flying and that the FAA can only suggest an alternate landing route. Hoffman called Teterboro “one of the most heavily trafficked private airports in the country.”
He said TANS2 would continue to engage with the Teterboro Aircraft Noise Abatement Advisory Committee (TANAAC), an airport advisory group representing communities within five miles of the airport on noise concerns, which so far has excluded any Pascack Valley town from joining.
Hoffman said TANS2 would continue to press for “common sense solutions to give our residents reprieve from the bombardment of aircraft noise,” especially on weekends, “which are just crushing us.”
Misciagna said he was recently informed that a federal lawsuit was filed by Queens against a regional airport because the pilots were not following the recommended flight plan, a situation similar to that faced by Pascack Valley towns with Teterboro. He expressed hope that the lawsuit “might get some traction.”
Operation Blue Angel
Councilman Robert Metzdorf also reported that the police department recently began “Operation Blue Angel,” a program allowing the police department emergency access to a resident’s home.
He explained that if a resident is incapacitated, disabled, or unable to open their door, and only at their request, the police department can provide a blue lockbox on a home’s door, allowing the police a key to access the home in an emergency.
Residents interested in Operation Blue Angel should contact the Park Ridge Police Department.