Community Corner
Police Promotions, Lightning Warnings, Public Health Nurse Top This Week's News
Here's a look at the past week in Westwood, Hillsdale and Washington Township.
Proposed Westwood Police Promotion Rules Include Education Requirement
Westwood Police officers seeking promotions to the ranks of lieutenant, captain, deputy chief and chief will still need a bachelor's degree in order to qualify, under an ordinance introduced by the Westwood Council this week.Candidates for promotion to sergeant would not need a degree, but college credits would count equally compared to experience at a rate of 32 credits to three years of experience. Sergeants act as shift supervisors but are "not part of the command structure," according to Councilman Peter Grefrath.
Rules Needed to Ensure Lightning Warning Works, Mayor Says
A lightning detection system monitoring town parks and school fields in Westwood, Washington Township and Emerson is now running, Westwood Mayor John Birkner said Tuesday.New signs advise field users that they should evacuate and "use common sense" if the alarm sounds, but Birkner said he believed officials should set a policy or pass a new law requiring people at the fields to evacuate when the alarm sounds.
Hillsdale to Maintain Public Health Nurse Position
The Hillsdale Council decided during their meeting last week that they would let the Board of Health hire a new public health nurse and not go to an outside agency for the service.Hillsdale Mayor Calls For Brook De-Snagging
Hillsdale Mayor Max Arnowitz said during the last borough council meeting that he hoped to undergo a de-snagging project in the Pascack Brook to help reduce flooding, possibly as soon as next year.Significance of Changes, Not Flooding, At Issue in Development Hearing
Officials won't consider neighbors' concerns about flooding during a hearing for a 37-home development on the border of Hillsdale and Washington Township.Caliber Builders, Inc. plans to build an age-restricted development on a wooded Ell Road property, just off Pascack Road. The Hillsdale Planning Board gave them preliminary approval in 2008 and,after several years in court, they are now seeking a final approval.
The flooding issue has already been dealt with in depth during previous hearings, board attorney Harold Ritvo said.
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