NORTHERN VALLEY AREA, N.J.—If you were reading Northern Valley Press during 2019, some local and regional issues appeared frequently in print and online—grabbing public attention—and provoking public interest and comment throughout 2019 and likely into 2020.
Although not even close to exhaustive, a review of 2019 Northern Valley Press print and online coverage distilled the topics dominating our coverage.
2019 ‘hot topics’
Among many 2019 hot topics:
• Marijuana legalization legislation progress and local reactions;
• Northern Valley Greenway’s progress on plans for its 7.4-mile greenway on an unused CSX rail line;
• Deer and their impacts to public safety, area forests and suburban landscapes.
In addition, other top issues included new development throughout Northern Valley, some related to affordable housing settlements and some not.
Old Tappan, Haworth add new, affordable units
Two stories, both related to affordable housing settlements, were big news: In Old Tappan, the borough rezoned a 21-acre tract, formerly Pearson Education, for a large 229-unit mixed-use development with retail space, luxury apartments and townhomes (now in Planning Board hearings) including 40 affordable units.
In Haworth, the borough settled its affordable obligations (under Superior Court deadline) by agreeing to a “realistic development potential” of 28 affordable units at two properties, including Schaefer’s Gardens.
At a March public forum in Haworth, scores of residents opposed new development but local officials pointed out their affordable settlement limited development and density on two parcels, including Schaefer’s Gardens, a 5.5-acre garden center.
200,000 SUEZ customers
Other hot issues in Northern Valley included Suez Water Company’s ongoing efforts to remove lead from its pipes. The utility’s mandated testing of homes found 15 of 108 homes tested over the last six months of 2018 with elevated lead levels over 15 parts per billion, the federal drinking water standard.
After refusing to name towns where high lead levels were found, the utility—which serves 200,000 customers and about 800,000 people in 57 Bergen and Hudson county towns—warned customers to monitor lead levels and offered to test water free if its services lines contained lead.
Under pressure from towns to move faster, the utility began an expedited lead line removal program to replace 25 percent of its lead lines in 2019 and later, proposed a customer lead line replacement program, in an effort to eliminate lead in service lines.
That program offered to charge customers a flat $1,000 to remove a lead line, with any cost difference made up by a surcharge on all customers.
That proposal has yet to be reviewed by the state Board of Public Utilities and is opposed by state Division of Rate Counsel for not specifying the surcharge amount and violating state law by charging ratepayers for work on private property.
A possible $500 million Bond Act proposal to help fund lead line removals statewide was recommended in October by Gov. Phil Murphy following a task force report on New Jersey’s widespread problem with lead in drinking water.
Pot vote postponed
After several failed efforts to legislate marijuana legalization, the vote to legalize or not—another widely reported story—will now be decided by voters in November 2020.
If approved, legislators will draft bills to regulate the market, along with oversight from the Cannabis Regulatory Commission that currrently oversees medical marijuana.
Municipalities may impose a 2 percent local sales tax on local marijuana enterprises, ranging from retail, wholesale, cultivation and distribution.
So far, all Northern Valley police chiefs and public officials appear opposed to legalization, with law enforcement, school and parent-teacher organizations leading the opposition.
Safe Schools Task Force charts A course
In March, the county Prosecutor’s Office issued a Safe Schools Task Force report, which given recent school shootings and security concerns, was regularly featured due to its findings and efforts to improve school safety and security.
Articles have covered issues from active shooter response training to school “hardening” against intruders, plus related topics such as two-way communication apps to alert authorities, trust among students and adults, and mental health awareness programs and outreach—all part of the task force’s disparate efforts to improve student safety and help prevent tragedies before they happen.
Greenway progress
All year long, advocates for a 7.4-mile unused CSX rail corridor have been working with state Department of Transportation consultants to promote the possibility of a safe and secure linear park called Northern Valley Greenway. The proposed greenway spans six towns—Tenafly, Cresskill, Demarest, Closter, Norwood and Northvale—and is supported by all six communities.
Moreover, up to a dozen nearby towns hope to also benefit economically from greenway walkers, hikers and bikers.
If advocates are able to keep raising support and funds for the unused rail line’s purchas, plans gain more momentum.
In mid-December, the county Parks’ Master Plan included the Northern Valley Greenway in its long-term vision as a model greenway effort and county officials expressed support for the groups’ work.
Greenway team leader Andrew Mikesh continues to seek funding, partners, and to purchase the unused CSX rail line.
In addition, finding a management partner to help turn the unused rail line into a greenway and manage operations remains the group’s next top challenge.
Clerical abuse
It started in February and continues today with Attorney General Gurbir Grewal’s ongoing investigation into alleged Roman Catholic clerical sexual abuse. Back in February, the archdiocese released its list of 188 “credibly accused” priests, which was criticized as “too little too late” by victims’ advocates as well as misleading.
Victim rights advocates said the church was hiding the truth by declining to release numbers of victims of certain priests, noting church records revealed ”multiple” minors were abused by certain priests but listing no dates or venues where alleged abuse occurred.
Later, the Boy Scouts of America released their “Perversion FIles” that included 311 newly named priests alleged to have abused minors.
Moreover, a new state law effective Dec. 1 allows all victims of child sexual abuse a two-year window to come to grips with sexual abuse that occurred decades ago and file a lawsuit.
Have you herd? Deer Dilemma Considered
No matter where you looked in 2019, people were talking deer – due to increased landscape damage and deer-vehicle collisions – and the news was mixed.
In Englewood, a deer census survey showed increasing numbers citywide and a director with New Jersey’s DIvision of Fish and Wildlife said the most effective deer population control was a regulated hunt.
In Bergen County, most public officials appear strongly opposed to a hunt, while the county Parks director said during summer he did not see an immediate need to focus on deer reduction.
He did say he would be willing to discuss a possible regional approach.
In addition, the director said he would only consider developing a wildlife management plan once a county parks Master Plan was in place, which was approved Dec. 18 by county freeholders.
Many local officials point to unmanaged deer populations in the county parks 9,000-plus acre system of golf courses, forest and open space, plus Suez Water Company’s extensive watershed lands, as areas where deer need to be better managed.
Both constitute large land areas, say municipal officials, and are preferred places to start a deer population control program.
In June, a top-ranking state environmental official told about 40 Northern Valley public officials that they should take action alone on deer overpopulation and not wait for a “regional deer management” approach to solve problems.
Only one Bergen County town has begun a regulated bowhunt to reduce deer: Saddle RIver. In 2018-2019, 135 deer were killed in a bowhunt; 2019-2020’s Saddle RIver bowhunt is ongoing.
Besides Saddle River, only River Vale officials are considering a bowhunt for 2020. Due to opposition from animal-rights activists and residents passionate against hunting, a deer bowhunt in River Vale seems less certain for 2020.
More top headlines
Other top headlines involved a merger between 352-bed Englewood Hospital and Hackensack Meridian’s 17 hospital statewide network; a shutdown (and subsequent reopening) of Tenafly’s Cinema by owners who refused to allow historic designation of its facade; Bergen County’s aging stock of voting machines and voting machines’ security; and an affordable housing trial involving Englewood Cliffs, a town that did not provide a single unit of affordable housing in over 40 years since the original Mount Laurel decision.
Other hotly followed stories included the nearly five-month imprisonment of Haworth resident and journalist Omoyele Sowore, arrested Aug. 3 in Nigeria and twice ordered released by Nigerian courts but held in prison by Nigeria’s Department of State Security (DSS).
He was recently released Dec. 24 but required to remain in Nigeria under bail conditions, and faces trial for treason and other charges in February.
Fighting fires
In Englewood, continuing controversy swirls around the hiring and firing of 15 rookie firefighters, with a lawsuit filed by 10 or 15 firefighters demanding their jobs back.
Meanwhile, the city approved a residency preference ordinance in May to provide residents who pass a police or firefighter exam with hiring preference over non-residents.
This ordinance was in response to regular citizen complaints, including an Afirican American firefighters group, about non-resident police and firefighters not caring as much about Englewood as residents do.
Also, the fate of nearly 120-year-old Russell C. Major Liberty School, declared an area in need of redevelopment in early 2018 and oft-rumored to be prime for residential or mixed-use development, remains unoccupied and unused.
Despite widespread interest to turn the historic structure into a community center from several local groups—and the city’s stalled efforts to hold community center listening forums—little council action has occurred.
Also in Tenafly, the school district’s new superintendent, Shauna DeMarco, nixed her own recommendation in January to hire six armed officers for its schools due to parent and public opposition to armed officers in schools.
Also, annual costs of $300,000 likely helped defeat the proposal.
Stay tuned to Northern Valley Press in 2020 to follow our coverage of local issues and feel free to contact us with potential story ideas at northernvalleypress@thepressgroup.net.
Happy New Year!
Michael Olohan covers 14 towns for Northern Valley Press. Contact him at 201-358-9500 if you have ideas for local coverage.