Emerson • Hillsdale • Montvale • Park Ridge • River Vale • Township of Washington • Westwood • Woodcliff Lake
PA S C AC K VA L L E Y ’ S H O M E TO W N N E W S PA P E R
VOLUME 27 ISSUE 38
Holiday Shopping Guide
See page 11
DECEMBER 4, 2023
UNDEFEATED STATE CHAMPS
2023 Westwood Cardinals 21-20 in OT; school-record 13-0 season; Coach of the Year
RIVER VALE
SAFETY COMPLEX IS A GO
BY MICHAEL OLOHAN OF PASCACK PRESS
By a vote of 3-0, the Township Council awarded a nearly $15 million construction bid contract Nov. 27 to Dobco, Inc. of Wayne to construct the new Public Safety Complex on a township owned parcel at the corner of Rivervale Road and Prospect Avenue. Councilmember John Donovan and Council president Paul Criscuolo were absent. Approving the contract award were council vice president Denise Sieg, and members Ari Ben-Yishay and Jim Tolomeo. The winning bid of $14,778,500 was the lowest of five bids submitted by contractors following council rejection of bids that averaged $500,000 to $1 million
See PUBLIC on page 264
VOTERS GET BOND OPTION OVERVIEW ON JAN. 11 Next steps on George G. White Middle School renovation pitch BY MICHAEL OLOHAN OF PASCACK PRESS
PUBLIC
Council OKs $14.8M bid for construction at Rivervale Road and Prospect Avenue; costs questioned vs. mayor Brombergʼs ʻWe need to do this projectʼ
HILLSDALE
W
Bergen County Executive James Tedesco III sums it up: “Congrats to the undefeated Westwood Cardinals for their win in the group 2 state football championship! 21-20 OT! You made Bergen County proud!” It was the Cards over the Rumson–Fair Haven Bulldogs at Rutgers in Piscataway, Nov. 27, 2023. — Bill Hickey photo EʼLL BE TALKING about this game, this team, for generations, and rightfully so… Hungry Rumson–Fair Haven scores first on senior RB Alastair Orrʼs 2-yard run in the first quarter for a 7-0 lead at the N J S I A A / R o t h m a n Orthopaedics Group 2 final Monday night at Rutgersʼ SHI ter on a 3-yard run by junior RB junior QB Owen OʼToole to Aidan Dugan to tie it at 7. The sophomore TE Jack Gyimesi, Stadium in Piscataway. Westwood gets on the Bulldogs get back on top in the 14-7. scoreboard in the second quar- third on an 8-yard pass from Continued on page 39
A third public forum to discuss the three proposed middle school renovation options—along with yet-unreleased higher annual taxpayer costs for a likely 20-yearbond term as required by the state—was rescheduled for Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024, 7 p.m. at the George White Middle School, said school officials. However, the superintendent told Pascack Press Nov. 27 that they were exploring whether the new construction elements of the proposed three options might be bonded separately—and possibly over a longer 30-year term—versus the 20-year bond term required for school renovation options. But the superintendent said this may not be possible. "There is no scheduled (bond costs) release anytime before that. The feedback from the meetings was that Option 3 was the favored option. Having said that, we want to explore options for bond terms at and beyond 20 years for all options to help work toward a resolution for presentation to the voters for what has been a decades long challenge surrounding the infrastructure and learning settings and space of George G. White
See VOTERS on page 244
RAIDERS TOPS
B ck in time...
Park Ridge Raiders on Nov. 20 beat the Bengals, 28–0, to win the Super Bowl as champions in the 3rd/4th grade division of the Pascack Flag Football League PAGE 19
During one of your visits to the Pascack Historical Society’s museum, you might have heard a volunteer refer to the building as their biggest artifact. There’s good reason for that.
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