By Joseph Cramer
Total costs associated with the pre-Halloween snowstorm are expected to be about $240,000, village officials announced at a meeting on Wednesday.
Of that total estimate, $60,000 comes from village staff overtime, $140,000 from debris removal costs and $40,000 from payment to the outside contractor brought in to expedite the process, according to Village Manager Ken Gabbert’s cost breakdown.
An obstacle still facing the village is the disposal of all the material collected so far, not just the branches, but the leaves that have piled up in recent weeks.
In the past, the village could turn debris and foliage into compost and sell it later, but the amount of debris inundating village recycling facilities this year has made that impossible, Gabbert said.
“One of our problems right now is that we have so much material that has no recycling, no compost value,” he said.
Gabbert reported that to date, approximately 38,000 cubic yards of debris have been collected, nearly the total for a typical fall season. He anticipated the total amount for this season to approach 63,000 cubic yards. Debris is being tub ground at the village’s compost facility to reduce volume to about one-twentieth the amount on the street, Gabbert said.
Under typical circumstances the debris could be kept at the facility to be composted for resale, but “very strict” DEP regulations place a cap on the amount of debris allowed to be held at the facility, Gabbert said.
“This year we literally have to take the material and pay, unless we work something else out, for it to be removed from the facility,” he said. The village is seeking a contractor willing to take the material without a fee.
An outside private contractor was brought in to assist village staff for five days to alleviate stresses on the village workforce and equipment.
“We needed the equipment offered by the private contractor and were working our staff the maximum overtime safely possible,” Gabbert said in an email Wednesday.
Gabbert estimated 5,800 hours of manpower – also far above the norm – would be utilized by the end of leaf pickup, which he expected would be completed by Dec. 21, weather permitting.
In response to frequent resident criticism, both at the meeting and through emails to officials, of the leaf and debris collection process this year, Mayor Keith Killion said he has instructed staff to revise the plan for next year, which they plan to announce in coming months.
“We have the same concerns, all of us living in Ridgewood, of the response to the storm and the leaf pickup,” he said. “We do realize the problem. The plan has been in effect for many, many years and evidently it’s outdated, and what compounded it was the storm.”
OEM procedures
A long-running discussion regarding the village’s emergency management procedures continued as Gabbert again defended his role during the snowstorm against Councilman Paul Aronsohn’s allegations that he neglected his duties by attending two out of the five Office of Emergency Management (OEM) meetings held that weekend.
According to the OEM organizational chart, “what happens in any declared emergency, your OEM director takes full charge of that event,” according to Gabbert.
“The mayor’s not giving up authority, I’m not giving up authority, but we do have a focus so that there is not misinformation during a crisis,” he said.
Aronsohn said he uncovered “disturbing revelation after disturbing revelation” in the aftermath of the storm, citing specifically a “breakdown of communication” from Village Hall and Gabbert’s absences from OEM meetings. He also alleged that Gabbert was not aware of OEM procedures during or after the storm. Aronsohn said he had to submit an Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request to find the procedure himself.
“The village manager is in charge… And it’s disturbing that he wasn’t clear as to his role in a time of crisis,” Aronsohn said.
Gabbert denied these and other claims, saying he never gave up authority to the OEM coordinator and was in constant communication with staff even if he was not physically present at meetings.
“This comment … of ‘radio silence’ in the village is such a misstatement,” he said, addressing Aronsohn’s concerns over communication with residents. “But saying that we were doing nothing or there was absolute radio silence is disrespectful to the staff and simply not correct.”
Killion suggested putting an end to the discussion and for the council to start working to improve future response.
“There were mistakes made,” he said. “I think it’s a learning point and a jumping-off point.”
E-mail: cramer@northjersey.com
