Letter: Resident Says Leaf Pickup Isn't Working

[Editor's note: The following letter was sent to the five members of the village council as well as Patch. It is unedited aside from minor style changes.]

Village Council Members,

As each day passes I become more and more bewildered and more and more enraged. I continue to ask the same questions... Is the town waiting for our streets to become impassable? Are we waiting for another person to get hit? Are we waiting for the snow to compound the problem? What? At what point is the town going to clean the streets????  

It has been over a month and the leaves continue to fall and the piles simply get higher. There has been no effort in over 30 days to clean the leaves and make our streets safe. And if safety is clearly not a concern, what about the eyesore that has become our town. Sadly, it was an embarrassment to host Thanksgiving this year.  

As out of town family members drove in the main topic of conversation was how it is impossible to get through our streets, it is impossible to park, and it simply looks horrible. Usually, I am proud to call Ridgewood my home but I can honestly say I was unable to contradict the comments being made and I simply just listened as many of my guests bashed our town. Is this the image you are happy to convey? It is truly time for this town to take some action. I truly am shocked at each passing day.  

At what point did this town that was once the envy of others adopt this "Do Nothing" policy? That is all we do. No changes, no progress, no growth, and now, no service. I hear about monetary raises being issued. You should be embarrassed to be pocketing our money. And if you have the nerve to accept your raises and take our money you should be working overtime to service your residents.

The parking situations at schools was already bad. Now, parking is virtually impossible. Accidents are becoming the norm rather than the exception. The schools are struggling to get parents to drive safely on a good day. It would be nice if the town was helpful in alleviating our congested school areas. But no, the leaf piles surround the schools too!

I just picked my car up from the dealer. $350 to buff out the scratches that are all over because I can't drive down a street without swiping a leaf and stick pile on one or both sides of my car. Weaving around leaf piles, pulling over because our two way streets are now one way (if we are lucky)! 

Again, the question, when is the town going to DO SOMETHING??????

Clearly, this system is not working. It is time to make residents bag their leaves if the town is unable to pick them up. Or, if you really must stick with this system, neighborhoods must be limited to specific days when the trucks can get to the piles within a day or two. Not thirty.... and counting! This is your job. You ran for these positions. You asked for this responsibility. Get these streets cleared!

Rachael and James Marussich

617 Upper Boulevard