Councilman to West Bergen on New Group Home: 'Don't Be In The Community, Be Of The Community'

The Ridgewood Village Council told West Bergen Mental Health Facility CEO Michael Tozzoli that the organization needed to be absolutely clear and open with the community in the construction and development of its .

The approved project, which will see a roughly 40-foot tall building that accommodates for ten persons with Asperger's Syndrome and a live-in staff member, was originally defeated by the Zoning Board in 2008 and again by a previous council in 2009 before under the weight of legal threat, the village council in 2010 approved the plan, changing zoning law. Residents of the diverse S. Broad St. neighborhood were upset with the decision last year, and questioned West Bergen's commitment to communicating with neighbors.

Tozzoli said Wednesday night that the commitment to interact with "sensitivity" to neighbors was of great importance and outlined the steps West Bergen would take to work harmoniously with the neighborhood. With funding finally closing the deal with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on Friday, exterior construction, he said, would begin within the next two weeks and will take about 10-12 months barring any complications, likely due to weather.

"At that time we will start to move residents into the project," he said.

Among some of the key points:

• Mayor Keith Killion said he would be the contact from the council to receive monthly construction updates; two individuals from West Bergen–one likely to be Tozzoli, another the HUD consultant–will be available to work with the mayor. Neighbors and others with questions can go through that trio for any answers.
• A West Bergen Staff member, who occupies the eleventh unit, will live at the 234 S. Broad site full time and can be reached by neighbors with any concerns. Tozzoli couldn't guarantee that the individual or others would be on-scene 24/7, but reminded the council and audience that the ten residents are "extremely high-functioning people who could potentially live alone."
• A facilities manager will also be present on a regular basis as well as a rotating number of other staff though the number hasn't yet been determined because it will depend on the residents' needs.
• The ten individuals afflicted with Asperger's Syndrome have not yet been identified, Tozzoli said Wednesday night.
• The contractor carrying out the construction has experience in building homes for special needs and is familiar with the controversial nature of the project. "This is not just someone just selected off the street," Tozzoli said.
• Tozzoli is willing to put a placard up for emergency personnel and meet with them as well.

The old adage is communication is key, and one councilman said that it was a process that needed to be better moving forward.

"As you recall during this process going back several months there were concerns among residents in the neighborhood and there were a lot of questions," Councilman Paul Aronsohn said. "One of the things that obviously came up and was clear to everybody was the need for there to be more communication between West Bergen Mental Health and residents."

Said Aronsohn: "We talked about being not just in the neighborhood, but being of the neighborhood."

Tozzoli responded that now that construction is about to begin, that's why monthly updates were important as well as stronger communication inroads. "Certainly we're willing to have an open dialogue whenever a community member wishes to," he said.

Councilman Steve Wellinghorst remarked that he was all too familiar with Asperger's Syndrome but said education throughout the community may not be up to snuff, imploring West Bergen to be "more aggressive" in educating the public, especially neighbors.

"What are your plans to educate the community at large . . . that it's much ado about nothing?," he asked.

Tozzoli replied that West Bergen–which he said is the largest provider of services for those with Asperger's throughout the Tri-State Area–has an Asperger's team with a clinical director and specialization. The organization recently held a workshop program to inform the public of Asperger's, which Tozzoli called "strictly a disability" and not a mental illness. He was willing to provide workshops on an ad-hoc basis.

"We think it's an actual issue we are challenged with in terms of teaching the community Asperger's Syndrome and we take our role very seriously," he told Wellinghorst.

When questioned by a neighbor, Tozzoli said there were some "sight modifications" with where the building would be placed on the lot per the village's request but did not have specifics at the meeting.

"As early as this morning we held a great meeting with our contractor, architect and our team. Sensitivity to the neighbors was pretty much the beginning, middle and end of the meeting," Tozzoli said.