Community Corner

Schools Open, Emergency Dispatching, Apartment Hearing This Week

Here's a look at the week ahead in Westwood, Washington Township and Hillsdale.

Local schools are opening for the new year this week.

Hillsdale and Pascack Valley Regional district students return to class Wednesday. Westwood Regional district students start Thursday.

for anyone who still needs to do their back to school shopping.

Find out what's happening in Westwood-Hillsdalewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

There have been several changes in local schools over the summer, including new principals at , and .

Shared Dispatching

Westwood and Washington Township officials have been discussing the possibility of to save money.

Find out what's happening in Westwood-Hillsdalewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Previously, officials had considered using Bergen County's dispatching, but emergency responders in both towns expressed concern that the county may not be able to maintain the same level of service each town provides for itself.

Under the current plan being examined, Westwood would host dispatching for both towns with four full-time civilian dispatchers and several per diem dispatchers as needed.

Some of Westwood's dispatching equipment would need to be upgraded, which would cost $140,000.

The Westwood Council is scheduled to discuss dispatching during their meeting this week. Their public meeting begins at 8 p.m. Tuesday in the .

Orchard Steet Apartments

The Hillsdale Planning Board is scheduled to hear the closing arguments this week for a proposal to build a new apartment building on Orchard Steet.

Developer 100 Park Avenue Associates has plans for a new 36-unit apartment building and 70 parking spaces to replace three existing homes on Orchard Street between Broadway and the train tracks.

The plan requires a use variance because the site is located in a commercial zone.

The Hillsdale Planning Board meets in St. John's Parish Center at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Have a question or news tip? Contact editor Jim Leggate at Jim.Leggate@patch.com, or find us on Facebook and Twitter. For news straight to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.


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