RIVER VALE, N.J.—The Township Council approved a golf course management contract, a mailbox damage reimbursement policy and an agreement for a new traffic signal at its Sept. 28 meeting.
The council awarded a three-year, $525,060 contract to Long Ball Golf Management, LLC, of Wood-Ridge, to operate the township-owned River Vale Country Club. The contract includes options for two one-year extensions, according to the approved resolution, which described the award as “most advantageous to the township.”
Long Ball has managed the club’s day-to-day operations since 2010, Chief Financial Officer Gennaro Rotella told Pascack Press.
The township purchased River Vale Country Club in 2010, preserving the 18-hole, semi-private course at 660 Rivervale Avenue.
Nearby, the private Edgewood Country Club has an 18-hole course adjacent to the recently completed Fairways at Edgewood, a 249-unit townhouse development built on nine holes of Edgewood’s former 27-hole course.
Mailbox damage reimbursement
The council also approved Ordinance 483-2026, establishing uniform procedures to reimburse residents for mailboxes damaged by direct contact with Department of Public Works vehicles or snowplows during snow removal.
The policy recognizes a “shared responsibility” between homeowners and the township when mailboxes in a public right-of-way are damaged.
“The Township’s primary obligation is to ensure that its roadways are as clear as possible of snow or ice,” the ordinance states. “It is also understood that most mailboxes are located within the public right-of-way, and, therefore, while fulfilling the primary objective, mailboxes may be unintentionally and unavoidably damaged.”
Rotella told us, “The Township is changing the process of reimbursement of mailbox damage during winter storms. We are copying other towns in the area to be consistent.”
Under the ordinance, homeowners may receive up to $75 for damage caused by a DPW plow or vehicle. Damage caused by thrown or moved snow does not qualify.
Homeowners must submit a Mailbox and Post Damage Notification Form within 14 days of the damage. The DPW superintendent will investigate the claim. If reimbursement is warranted, the township will mail the homeowner a written response and a check.
Residents remain responsible for repairs or replacement. The ordinance also allows residents to forgo reimbursement and file a tort claim under Title 59 of the New Jersey Statutes Annotated.
Traffic signal agreement
The council approved a consent resolution authorizing Mayor Mark Bromberg to sign a shared-service agreement for “intersection improvements and signalization” at Piermont Avenue and Rivervale Road, a county-owned intersection.
“This is nothing more than a traffic light at the intersection,” Rotella said. “(It) will probably take two years to have it installed with all the engineering.”