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General News: Villagers Win a Delay in Actions in Cliffside Park
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| Christine McDonald spoke while neighbors listened |
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| Residents listened to Catherine Paull |
February 27, 2007
People power came to the village boardroom on Monday evening when a group of some 30 residents of Cliffside Park convinced the board to reconsider its order to remove private property from public streets, the first step in a move to improve access to the narrow, winding lanes that give the neighborhood its character.
The residents had been stewing about the issue since year’s end, when 17 property owners received an official letter from the village, telling them that items they had planted or placed along the edges of their property were in fact on public land and would have to be removed within six months.
Opposition to Changes Grew
Public outcry grew louder after January’s board meeting, when Mayor Ed Moulton said that the letters were the beginning of a plan, still unformulated, to widen roads in places to assure safe access for emergency vehicles.
Several Cliffside Park residents, who had already formed a bond in their opposition to the mayor’s new home in the neighborhood, got together and quickly lined up plans to resist the road changes.
At the meeting on Monday, Mayor Moulton opened the discussion noting that the board is aware of the ‘trauma’ caused by the letters and noted that they don’t have a full plan for changes but would try hard not to impact the character of the neighborhood. Among the possibilities the board members mentioned was creating one-way streets.
Trustee Mark Edsall explained that the encroachments would be addressed individually, noting that some were minor. “If it (the encroachment) doesn’t make a difference, then you don’t have to move a fence six inches,” he said.
Wider Not Necessarily Safer, Resident Says
Not satisfied by these statements, about a dozen people rose to speak, including Catherine Paull, who read a two-page statement citing research that found that narrow lanes in fact increase safety, while wide streets encourage speeding and recklessness.
“Traffic calming is being practiced across the country,” Paull told the board, “narrow winding streets lined with trees that induce drivers to drive at the appropriate speed.”
Residents questioned the mayor’s assertion that fire trucks couldn’t respond to an emergency in the area, noting that Santa’s fire truck seems to make it through just fine every holiday. Others wanted to know why the letters they had received seemed so threatening and suggested that they were pointing to a hidden plan.
Money is an Issue
Catherine Paull challenged the idea of spending time and taxpayer money on a project that had not been thought through. The mayor said the survey of the property lines had cost the village about $3,000.
The issue of money, of village spending, hit a note with trustee William Fogarty, who noted that the village has to prioritize its projects and that it has more serious demands on its resources than the revamping of streets in Cliffside Park.
“I’d take six dollars in debt reduction before six inches of property lines any day,” Fogarty later said.
With the village board members clearly wavering on the importance of the encroachment issue, Christine MacDonald said the village should have enforced their rights decades ago, when some of the trees now towering on public land were just saplings. She then suggested that the board say it was a mistake to send out the letters.
Mary O’Meara, who had received her letter days before Christmas, said she would like someone to say for the record that the project wasn’t going to happen.
The Board Steps Back
Minutes later, trustee Mark Edsall said the board should table the demand until the board has a better handle on the scope of any project in Cliffside Park. The audience interrupted him with applause.
Edsall then introduced a motion that homeowners should ignore the letters they had received until the village determines its plan. It passed unanimously to even more applause and cheers.
Everyone seemed pleased by the ending. Judy Wilson of Grandview Avenue thanked the mayor and the trustees for their flexibility in working with the public on the issue.
Mrs. Schilling, a resident of Academy Avenue who just happened to be at the meeting because of another issue, smiled in appreciation for the spirited debate and its resolution, “That’s what I love about town hall meetings,” she said.
Mayor Moulton wrote a letter to the editor on this subject Tuesday morning. Read it here.
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