Willard Will Open Thursday, Area Residents Not Satisfied With Cleanup [Updated]

Ridgewood Public Schools announced that Willard Elementary School will be open to students Thursday, but many parents in the area are saying the damage has been done and the cleanup efforts have been lacking.

"We've already lost a day," Willard HSA President Heather Middleton told Patch Wednesday afternoon. Though all schools were closed Monday and Tuesday, . Power was restored to Willard at approximately 9 p.m., an hour after the school made its decision Tuesday night.

"It's unacceptable the village couldn't get to us so kids could get to school on Wednesday," Middleton said.

Worse, history seems to be repeating itself around the West Side district, according to many residents. "This is the second time this has happened where just Willard kids missed an extra school day," Middleton remarked, citing the .

Wednesday's school closure will have to be made up, and with winter still to come several parents said it's a good bet that day won't come arrive until summer, something they said could have been avoided with a greater cleanup effort.

Safety concerns remain in the area as the post-storm phase enters its fourth day. Downed lines are still present and many trees are closed off. Sherwood, Avalon, Fairmount, Parsons and Monte Vista are particularly hard hit.

[Editor's note – the following two paragraph were added at 5:35 p.m. Stay tuned for a video to be added shortly.]

Village workers were seen operating dump trucks and bulldozers on Heights Road near Willard School late Wednesday afternoon. One worker said Heights should be cleared by Wednesday, and nearby streets like Fairmount have already been done. The worker said the storm has been a considerable challenge and though he admitted progress has been slow, they are out and focusing on Willard-area residents.

"The worse the street, the quicker we'll get there," the worker said, adding half a dozen guys are out with wood chippers picking up whatever debris piles they see. They're picking up town trees and resident trees as well, he told Patch.

Resident Rachael Marussich said that because of the repeating storm problems in the Willard area, the town should have dedicated more manpower to clearing the neighborhood.

"The town should be here focusing on this neighborhood knowing 90 percent of streets have power down or are impassable [to traffic]," she told Patch Wednesday afternoon.

Though Marussich has seen PSE&G and Alabama Power trucks, she's spotted nary a village wood chipper truck. Marussich said she's aware the village can't touch any debris tangled with wires, but remarked that many streets are just full of only downed trees and remained untouched.

"No one's done anything and we're on day five," according to Avondale Road resident Jennifer Contrucci, who reported her street is impassable with a tree down but no wires near it. "I've yet to hear a good explanation why this hasn't been cleared."

Residents around the Willard area have also questioned why the village was able to send out recycling trucks but not grab trees.

According to officials, clearing will begin once the village get the OK from Public Service that the wires are de-energized, which PSE&G estimates will be completed Wednesday or early Thursday morning.

There's been no established timetable as to when the full cleanup will be done; officials estimate it could be several weeks. 

Superintendent of Schools Daniel Fishbein, in a statement posted on the district website, said students and parents should be careful on Thursday. 

"Please continue to exercise caution when walking or driving to and from all schools," he said.

Village Manager Ken Gabbert could not immediately be reached for comment.