Updated: District Leaves Students, Neighbors in a Cloud of Dust

A whirring cloud of dust fell on neighbors of the high school and even afflicted some of its students, according to Heermance Place neighbor Tom Kossoff.

The boisterous, outspoken critic of the district brought photographic evidence at Wednesday night's village council meeting that the contractor tasked to clear the damaged turf football fields cleared the air, too. Only, Kossoff says, the company really shouldn't have in that manner.

Demanding the district be issued a citation to the district, Kossoff reported that his back yard was covered in soot and debris blown by the machines used to clean RHS Stadium Field's damaged turf field. In addition, his upstairs was full of particulates and his car was covered in a dark coating.

"But here's the sick and sad thing," Kossoff said, showing the Ridgewood Village Council photos of two high school runners in a cloud of dust, appearing to cough and hold their hands over their faces.

"They were like, keeling over in some of these photos," he said. "I spoke to the maintenance guys at LandTek [the district's contractor] and they said, 'We were told no one was going to be allowed on these fields.' But they [the district] don't maintain anything, they leave the gates open, et cetera, et cetera."

[Editor's note: Update at 4:49 p.m. on Monday, September 19 to include Health Department's involvement]

In a note Patch obtained by the head of Ridgewood's Health and Human Services, Dawn Centrulo, LandTek "is in the process of trying to remove the flood sediment without causing it to blow dust into the air." Centrulo said the tools being used include water and mesh screening to mitigate the effects of the dust.

The heath department is keeping up on the happenings, she said, and still recommends students do not use the field until the sediment is cleared and the fields sanitized.

In the meantime, neighbors are feeling the impact of the dirt health-wise, Kossoff said.

"My wife, her eyes are watering," Kossoff said, adding that despite being in good health, he also felt it in his throat. "That stuff is as bad as some of the raw sewage coming [up people's toilets in unrelated matters]. We don't know what's in that stuff."

Kossoff on Wednesday also complained that contractors are working before village ordinance allows, waking people up.

The council was sympathetic to Kossoff's points. "We'll seek legal redress on some of these issues," Mayor Keith Killion said, assuring Kossoff the council will do what it can.  

However, regarding the issuance of summonses, Killion said he wasn't sure that was the route to go.

"Writing the board of education a summons is just going to come out of taxpayers' money," he said. "As far as the dust, we need to consider that as it affects the neighbors. I'd like the Village Attorney [Matt Rogers] to look at that and see if there's a resolution."

Killion also said he'd speak to Board of Education President Michele Lenhard on the issue. Reached for comment Monday afternoon, Killion declined to discuss the substance of their conversation. 

Multiple requests for comment to the district have not been returned as of Monday afternoon.

The village, claiming to be cognisant of Kossoff's information, has pledged to let neighbors around its turf field [Maple Field] know when its cleaning–with a different contractor–begins. 

"There is going to be dust as you saw in those pictures," Councilwoman Bernadette Walsh said.

A letter has been drafted to send to residents when work begins sometime this week, Killion said Monday.