Community Corner
Hospital Jobs, Cell Towers Top This Week's News
Here's a look at the past week in Westwood, Washington Township and Hillsdale.
Hospital Looking For New Employees
HackensackUMC at Pascack Valley is planning to hold an employment open house in Westwood on Oct. 10, according to hospital rep Lauren Zaccardi Samman.
The hospital is looking to hire 40 people this year for positions in a wide variety of medical, technical and administrative fields.
The hospital has plans to employ about 350 people by next spring, when they are scheduled to open.
Find out what's happening in Westwood-Hillsdalewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Cell Tower Approved by Board
The Westwood Zoning Board unanimously approved an application from MetroPCS to build a 25-foot cell phone tower above Pascack Theaters during a special meeting Tuesday.
As a condition of the approval, the tower will be housed inside a rectangular faux-brick case which will match the existing building.
Find out what's happening in Westwood-Hillsdalewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Cell Tower Contract Almost Ready
Washington Township and Verizon have almost reached an agreement for a new cell phone tower to be built at the Municipal Complex, according to township attorney Kenneth Poller.
Poller said this week that Verizon was working on some final adjustments to the exact placing of equipment before the contract could be signed. He did not know exactly how soon the agreement would be signed.
Washington Township Looking to Repave Roads
Washington Township officials are looking to begin repaving local streets for the first time in about 15 years.
Officials said during their meeting this week that they may begin a system similar to the one used by Westwood, in which a few roads are milled and repaved each year.
Township engineer Paul Azzolina listed Sussex Road, Morgan Court, Grace Court and sections of Ridgewood Road North, Hoover Avenue and Crest Place as priorities for work, which could start as soon as next spring.
Township Property Revaluation Could Come Next Year
Washington Township officials are planning to have a revaluation of township properties performed due to a large number of tax appeals, but the work will not be able to be done this year, officials said this week.
Township Tax Assessor Ray Damiano recently sent letters outlining the township's criteria to appraisal companies who expressed interest in doing the work, but none of them are available for this year, according to Administrator Catherine Navarro-Steinel.
The change in property values would not take place until 2014 at the earliest, Navarro-Steinel said. Because the state must review the revaluation, the appraisals must be done by October of the year before the changes take effect.
Westwood Hospital Approval Challenged by Competitors
he Valley Hospital in Ridgewood and Englewood Hospital and Medical Center appeared in court Monday to ask a three-judge panel to make State Health Commissioner Mary O'Dowd reconsider her approval ofHackensackUMC at Pascack Valley, according to a report on NorthJersey.com.
O'Dowd approved the plan to reopen the former Pascack Valley Hospital in February following arecommendation from the State Health Planning Board last November.
An attorney for Valley said he believed O'Dowd had considered HUMC's needs, but not the area's needs when she approved the plan, according to the report.
Township Officials Consider Hosting Westwood's Dispatching
Washington Township officials said Monday that they would examine the possibility of hosting emergency dispatching for Westwood.
The two towns have been considering a proposal from Westwood to host the township's dispatching, but that plan would involve theWashington Township Police Department beingclosed at night. Both towns would also help pay for some new equipment for Westwood's dispatch center, much of which the township already has, according to Mayor Janet Sobkowicz.
Township councilmen agreed during their meeting Monday that Westwood's plan was good, but that they should investigate the possibility of hosting dispatching for the borough.
Glow Holds Grand Opening Celebration
Glow, a new venue in Westwood which hosts parties, recently held a grand opening celebration and a ribbon-cutting.
The event showcased a variety of the activities they offer, including a dance party, magic show, and free henna tattoos, according to owner Marisol Rossi.
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