Ridgewood council approves contracts, ADA improvements and budget amendments in single consent vote

Ridgewood Village Council on July 9 adopted a slate of resolutions and ordinances by consent, approving contracts and budget adjustments for water treatment, station repairs, street resurfacing with accessibility upgrades and several park projects.

The consent vote included an award for the East Side Reservoir PFAS treatment facility, upgrades to the water pollution control SCADA system, restoration of the eastbound kiosk stairwell at Ridgewood Train Station, resurfacing of South Pleasant Avenue with enhanced improvements for people with disabilities, and a state grant-funded playground renovation at Habernacle Park. The council also authorized multiple equipment purchases, budget insertions for state grants, and several routine contract awards under cooperative purchasing agreements. Several ordinances (40-50 through 40-53) were approved on first reading and will return for public hearings on Aug. 13; ordinance 40-49 was adopted on second reading and final publication.

Why it matters: the package covers infrastructure and accessibility work that affects municipal water quality, downtown transit access, street safety for people with disabilities and recreational amenities. The council also placed a local referendum question on the general-election ballot to increase Ridgewood’s open-space tax levy and endorsed a fourth-round housing element and fair-share plan adopted earlier by the planning board.

Key items adopted in the consent vote - Awarded construction of the East Side Reservoir PFAS Treatment Facility (resolution 25-297); contract amount not specified in the meeting record. - Approved upgrades to SCADA system software at the Water Pollution Control Facility (resolution 25-298). - Authorized restoration of the eastbound kiosk pedestrian stairwell at Ridgewood Train Station (resolution numbers listed). - Awarded contract for South Pleasant Avenue resurfacing with enhanced improvements for the disabled (resolution listed). - Accepted a New Jersey Department of Community Affairs local recreation improvement grant for the Habernacle Park playground and authorized related budget amendments. - Authorized an ADA playground purchase and installation contract for Habernacle Park under a cooperative purchasing system. - Authorized several routine equipment and construction contracts under state, Bergen County or cooperative purchasing contracts, including village hall roof work and grounds mower for parks. - Authorized refund and cancellation of specified tax overpayments and property-tax corrections. - Placed a local referendum question on the November general-election ballot to increase the open-space tax levy (resolution listed). - Endorsed the fourth-round housing element and fair-share plan adopted by the Ridgewood Planning Board (resolution listed).

What the meeting record shows: the consent package was read by title and adopted with a single motion and a roll-call vote (Mortimer: yes; Perrin: yes; Weitz: yes; Winograd: yes; Vadyanos: yes). Specific contract amounts, bid winners and implementation timelines were not read aloud for every item during the consent vote; those details are recorded in the resolutions and contract files kept in the clerk’s office.

Next steps and public process: several of the ordinances approved on first reading (ordinances 40-50 through 40-53) were scheduled for public hearings on Aug. 13. Individual contracts and professional-service awards will proceed according to the terms in each resolution; where grants were accepted (for example the Habernacle Park playground), subsequent project notices and procurement steps will follow grant rules and local purchasing policies.

Votes at a glance: the consent package (resolutions 25-297 through 25-321) and the listed ordinances were approved in the single consent vote noted above. For detailed roll-call records and full contract documents consult the village clerk’s office.