Tallman stars in studies in L.A.

Resident Catherine Tallman has been accepted into the “QU in LA” program from Quinnipiac University and is working for a production company specializing in crime documentaries. Her spring semester, now based in Los Angeles through an online college curriculum, sees her gaining realworld production experience.

The Los Angeles program is available to Quinnipiac juniors and seniors who have maintained a minimum 3.0 GPA. Tallman has made the deanʼs list every semester and say she found the internship after an extensive search. We last reported on her in 2021, when Congressman Josh Gottheimer (D-5) lauded her for attaining her Girl Scout Gold Award.

The Quinnipiac program provides a fully immersive experience for students, who are housed in a central location to bond with their fellow program peers. A fulltime program director oversees the internships while aiding with the personal and professional resources the students need.

Tallman has taken full advantage of her first month in Hollywood. While experiencing preproduction preparations at work and attending her virtual classes she has witnessed the filming of a few talk shows and attended panels for writing and casting.

The awards season has provided exciting events around the Writerʼs Guild Awards and the Grammys, and Tallman has been invited to attend the post-Oscars broadcast of “Live with Kelly and Ryan.”

Tallman says sheʼs returning to Connecticut in the fall and is scheduled to graduate in spring 2024.

Quinnipiac University says its QU in LA program gives participants “the opportunity to live, work and learn in the heart of Americaʼs entertainment industry. Los Angeles is home to the ʻBig 5ʼ film studios, 10 professional sports franchises, major broadcast news network bureaus — including ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC — and a media market that reaches more than 5 million people daily ” erty.

During the March 6 Township Council meeting, the consultant prepared a quarterly report that was only made available to council members. Pascack Press obtained a copy via public records request after the meeting.

The Feb. 22, 2023 quarterly report by GLD Associates, Summit, said nearly $300,000 in additional grant funds were “filed and pending” over the last two years

“Following is the quarterly report of the various grants presently being researched, tracked, awarded and/or applied by GLD Associates on behalf of the Township of Washington to date,” states the grant summary.

“Also, it does not reflect all of the various grant awards, activities or projects that were researched and/or discussed with Township officials and determined not to be in the best interests of the Township, or a suitable project could not be decided upon, or for other eligibility issues.If there are any questions concerning this report, please communicate with the Township Business Administrator who will contact GLD Associates accordingly,” the report notes.

Over the last two calendar years, grant awards to date total $801,919.

These included: 2022 Bergen County Open Space $438,750; 2022 NJDepartment of Commu- nity Affairs American Recovery Plan (ARP) Firefighters $13,150; 2021 Bergen County Community Development Block Grant ADA Improvements Sherry Field $26,000; 2021 FEMA AFG COVID-19 Fire Department Equipment and Supplies $15,705; 2021 USDepartment of Justice Body-Worn Cameras $26,848; 2021 NJ Department of Community Affairs Recreational Opportunities for Individuals with Disabilities $15,000; 2020 FEMA Firefighter Staffing and Retention $72,000; 2020 Bergen County CARES Act $25,586; 2020 Bergen County Open Space Sherry Field Dog Park $29,000; and 2020 FEMA Hurricane Isaiah RPA $139,880.

O ther fiscal year 2022–2023 grant applications filed and pending total $294,177.

These pending grants i nclude: 2023 NJDCA Local Recreation Grant $68,300; 2022 FEMA Assistance to Firefighters Equipment and Safety $54,931; 2022 FEMA Assistance to Firefighters Vehicle (Rescue Boat) $45,503; and 2022 Bergen County CDBG ADA Improvements to Library $125,443.

Ongoing 2023 County Grants

The five-page report lists

FROM PAGE 10 two grants currently in preparation for the County Open Space grant program: one for a 2023 Bergen Park Improvement Grant, most likely for the swim club; and one for an Open Space Land Acquisition Grant, possibly for 450 Pascack Road, or another tract. No funding amounts are listed.

Under the Land Acquisition Grant Synopsis/Comments colu mn, the report notes, This (County Open Space) grant will provide funding to purchase a particular tract of land (to be determined) in the Township of Washington that will be used for park and recreational purposes. A letter of Intent is due by April 14, 2023 and the full (Bergen County Open Space) application is due by May 12, 2023.”

It notes under the reportʼs C ouncil Action column, “No action required at this time.”

Recently, the council, mayor, and residents have spent parts of several meetings debating the pros and cons of moving to purchase 450 Pascack Road, a 3.2-acre tract of mostly wooded land squeezed between Ridgewood Boulevard East and Washington Elementary School and Memorial Field.

Some residents have called for preserving the 450 Pascack tract as open space, although no formal or informal conversations have occurred publicly over its future public use.

Residents, and Mayor Peter Calamari, say they fear the property may be sold and possibly developed with affordable multifamily housing, or a larger development, though the property is zoned for single-family homes.

T he mayor and neighbors have pressed for its purchase while council members seem uncert ain about acquiring it without a specific public purpose.

I n late 2021, the council bid $430,000 for the property, under threat of condemnation.

N egotiations appear to be continuing, though no condemnation filing has yet occurred.

N egotiations occur in closed s essions and few details have been made public.

( See “450 Pascack Road, Well Sited, Sees Pressure For Deal,” Michael Olohan, Feb. 27,

2023, Pascack Press.)

T he property also was liste d on commercial real estate sites since late 2021 at $2.1 million due mostly to its “developm ent potential” though any use besides single-family would require a use variance from the Z oning Board of Adjustment.

Residents repeatedly raise the fear that affordable housing w ill be placed on the site after a new round of affordable housing commences in summer 2 025. No current proposals on t he site are pending or proposed. A dilapidated home and b arn near the front of 450 Pascack were recently cited for v iolations as a “nuisance prope rty” under the townʼs property maintenance code.