Full Notification

TRAFFIC TOWN HALL
 
We had a great turnout for our Traffic Town Hall on June 27th both in person and virtually. 
 
Here is the link to the Town Hall recording here.  The first 30 minutes sets the context and is useful as an overview and for understanding what we can and cannot do.  While we do not cause the problem or are able to prevent traffic from coming through Leonia, we had better manage the symptoms proactively and intelligently if we are to maintain our collective sanity.   Friends and neighbors offered some outstanding suggestions during the public comments period, all of which are noted here and are being weighed as part of our traffic mitigation efforts going forward.    
 
To the 50 or so residents who recently signed a petition for a new traffic light at Lakeview and Grand, we are talking to the State about this.  It is more likely we will have the kind of rapid flashing beacons we currently have at Grand Avenue and Station Pkwy, but we will ask the State to evaluate the intersection first for a traffic light.   Since Grand Avenue is a State road, we are at the mercy of the NJ authorities on what ultimately goes there.  I have shared your petition with our NJ State Senator Gordon Johnson so he is aware of your concerns too and can help us improve pedestrian safety there too.  I will keep you advised.
 
Our next Town Hall will be in September and focused on an update on Redevelopment & Revitalization.  Even during the ‘slow summer months’ there is much happening around this effort so a September Town Hall meeting will be important to host and bring everyone up to date. 
 
MEETING WITH COUNTY EXECUTIVE TEDESCO
 
The morning of the Town Hall, I met with County Executive Jim Tedesco 1:1 for over an hour to discuss our mutual concerns over traffic.  I came prepared with a few maps and provided the County Executive with some historical context for where we find ourselves today.
 
We agreed that the County will deploy additional resources to help us keep our intersections clear on Fort Lee Road at Grand, Broad and Glenwood.  The latter has become particularly problematic recently.  County Executive Tedesco indicated his willingness to leverage his contacts within the New Jersey Turnpike Authority and the Port Authority Board of Commissioners to help us look at the management of traffic as more of a regional concern.  I welcome with open arms this more regionalized approach and thank the County Executive for this outreach. 
 
As it relates specifically to the Port Authority which, conservatively estimated, takes in over $6 million per day from vehicles crossing the George Washington Bridge, I am looking for some tangible financial support to help us pay for special duty police details.  Fort Lee already receives some financial support from the Port Authority and we are going to do our best to get a little support ourselves.  This would go a long way to helping us.  The Town Hall recording will give you the details of what we have in mind.
 
I am meeting next week with Englewood Mayor Michael Wildes to invite him and other area Mayors with the County Executive’s support to the table for a discussion of our mutual concerns over traffic and how we can be more coordinated in our individual responses than we are necessarily today. 
 
NEW OWNER FOR BUILDING AT CORNER OF BROAD AVENUE AND FORT LEE RD
 
A new owner has purchased the building which houses Snack Stop, Fontana Tritone and the soon to open Patisserie Bakery.   After the new owner received a scaffolding permit from the  borough, I phoned him to see what’s up.   Because the brick face of the building has not always been consistently maintained, the new owner informed me, even though he personally prefers brick, his intention was to apply a yellow stucco instead.
 
Personally, and I appreciate how everyone has different tastes, I do not believe a yellow stucco is necessarily in keeping with the aesthetic we seek at one of our main commercial intersections.  So, I asked the owner if he would be willing to consider other suggestions relating to stucco color, and he agreed to do that. 
 
At my request, the Mayor’s Advisory Committee on the Arts has provided their input and the Leonia Historic Preservation Commission is also preparing a packet of information for consideration.  This link here will take you to the letter I sent the new owner and the note from our Arts Committee. 
 
At the end of the day, it is the new owner’s decision what he wants to do with his property.  The Borough of Leonia can ask but we can’t make him use a specific color or approach as long as what he wants to do meets all existing codes.  My sincere hope is that he will seriously consider the suggestions which are being offered in the spirit of good neighborliness. 
 
REVISED TREE FEE REPLACEMENT SCHEDULE
 
If you happen to have missed it…. Leonia now has a new fee schedule in place to reflect the actual replacement cost of healthy trees which are removed by homeowners.  These fees are calibrated to the size of the tree being removed.  While it might seem obvious, you can’t replace a 40” tree at Breast Diameter Height (BDH) with a 3” sapling.  Leonia’s former fee schedule did exactly that and was inadequate to the task. 
 
The new fee schedule better reflects the value many of our residents associate with trees taking into consideration how they help our property values by maintaining the “green oasis” character of Leonia, distinguish Leonia for the right reasons from surrounding towns, represent cleaner air, more shade, lower utility costs and assist us big time with flood mitigation.  For example, a large tree can absorb 4,000 gallons of water per year.  It is always surprising to me when a homeowner removes a large tree and then complains about flooding in their basement when “that never happened before”. 
 
Quiet tree-lined streets largely define Leonia – whether they are Borough-owned trees in the right of way or in our parks or in front, side or backyards.  Our tree canopy bolsters property values for all of us.  Leonia is on the front lines in a battle against urban sprawl and numerous healthy trees will continue to be a key differentiator for us.  I am confident that if we are successful in having urban sprawl leapfrog Leonia (and this new fee schedule is an effective tool), we will enjoy substantial property value increases, especially being this close to New York City. 
 
When I wrote in my status update two months ago about the immediate need to up the fee schedule to deter wanton and considerable tree cutting in town, especially of some absolutely beautiful and irreplaceable majestic trees, I was serious and this revised fee schedule is an indication of how seriously I, along with the members of the Council, feel about this. 
 
When we invited the public to weigh in on this issue before any decision was made, I wanted people to take advantage of the opportunity to comment by generating greater awareness around the issue.  Public input is always welcome and heavily weighed.  In fact, it was a resident during one of the three public meetings this was discussed who first alerted the governing body to the NYC approach regarding tree replacement costs which we ultimately adopted. 
  
If you don’t want to come to a public meeting you don’t have to, you can participate virtually.  And if you don’t want to participate virtually, you can easily send your comments to [email protected].  These are the most common and official channels to participate in the democratic process and ensure your perspective is part of the public record.
 
In any case, here is the new fee schedule and it will function, in my opinion, to protect our trees and Leonia’s best interests in the long run.  I am proud of the governing body for taking this definitive action.  Other than the provisions for a new fee schedule the rest of the existing ordinance remains the same, including waiving fees for trees which are determined to be dead, diseased or dying. 
 
GARBAGE TRUCK FIRE
 
We had an unfortunate incident with one of our garbage trucks this past week.  If not for the quick thinking of the DPW crew, we might have lost the truck to a fire ignited in the back by a lithium battery which should not have been disposed of in the trash.  Fortunately, our DPW dumped the load on the street before damage to the truck.  The Leonia Volunteer Fire department extinguished the fire. 
 
Please DO NOT discard lithium or rechargeable batteries in the garbage or trash as they pose a significant fire hazard.  It can be dangerous to our DPW personnel and very expensive.  Each garbage truck costs Leonia taxpayers about $250,000.   Here’s a link to the Leonia recycling app Recycle Coach which can help you determine how to properly dispose/recycle your batteries.
 
LINDEN TERRACE BLOCK PARTY
 
Linden Terrace residents recently hosted a block party.  It was a huge success with the street being closed, children playing and all kinds of family activities and food being offered by friends and neighbors.  If you are interested in having a block party on your block, I encourage you to do so.  It is a great event that gets friends and neighbors together.  All you have to do is complete a permit application on the Borough website (no fee involved) which jumpstarts the road closure process with our police department etc.   Here is the link. 
 
TV AND MOVIE PRODUCTIONS IN LEONIA
 
As you’ve heard me mention before, I am very interested in attracting TV and movie productions to Leonia.  No less than $750 million will be spent by the entertainment industry this year in NJ alone.  I want a piece of that action for us.  To move this forward, Council President Christoph Hesterbrink and I attended a certification program on how to attract TV and Movie Productions.  In conjunction with the volunteer committee I formed,  we will host a location scout here in Leonia for 4 hours one day this month. We will be showing him around town hoping to pique some interest in some Leonia locations that could be used for TV and movie filming.   
 
When the time is right, I will also invite you to complete a location profile for your home if you believe it has some appealing qualities and want it to be considered for any future filming opportunities.  If your home is selected for a production, it could represent a considerable amount of money for you.  My hope is that we will find some homes, businesses and other Leonia community locations which will reflect positively on our town and raise a few bucks at the same time.  Stay tuned….
 
TELL YOUR FRIENDS/NEIGHBORS TO SIGN UP FOR THESE NIXLE UPDATES
 
Please tell any friends and neighbors that you know who might not already be on the borough’s Nixle sign up list about signing up.  Feel free to pass along this link to ease the process and suggest they receive these regular updates about what is happening in town.
 
MAKING YOUR VOICE COUNT
 
One of the easiest ways, of course, is to come to a meeting of the Mayor and Council.  Here is the upcoming Mayor and Council meeting schedule. If you don’t want to come to a public meeting you don’t have to, you can participate virtually.  And if you don’t want to participate virtually, you can easily send any comments to [email protected].  These are the most common and official channels to participate in the democratic process and ensure your perspective is part of the public record.
 
 
Hope everyone is having an enjoyable start to the summer and somehow managing to stay cool,
 
Kind regards,
 
Bill Ziegler
Leonia Mayor