Ridgewood residents press council over Schedler soil and PFAS concerns; council says remediation funding included in bond plan

Residents pressed the Village of Ridgewood council on March 12 over contamination at the Schedler property and the village’s handling of PFAS and soil testing, saying they have lost trust in the transparency of the process.

The issue surfaced during the public-comment period when Cynthia O'Keefe, a Ridgewood resident, said neighbors are living “in fear” over contaminated soil at Schedler and urged the council to weigh residents’ health in decisions about redeveloping the property. O'Keefe said the village had once presented a smaller plan that was later enlarged, and added, “We have lost trust.”

Why it matters: The council and its consultants are treating the Schedler site as an active remediation project; residents told the council that their private wells and daily exposure are at stake, and they demanded clearer answers about the extent of contamination and the timeline for cleanup.

What residents said

Anne Loving, a Ridgewood resident, noted public-health risks when she reminded the council that biological agents can be…