Principal's Resignation, Hospital Opening, Payment to Former Chief Top This Week's News

Westwood High Principal Certo Resigns

Matthew Certo, the principal of Westwood Regional Jr./Sr. High School, has resigned effective July 1.

Certo joined the school as principal this yearafter previous principal Tom Gorman left for a job at Ridgewood High School.

In a letter sent to district parents Monday morning, Interim Superintendent Rory McCourt wrote that Certo was resigning due to "personal and family reasons" and he will be on a leave of absence for the rest of the school year.

HackensackUMC at Pascack Valley Opening in Westwood June 1

HackensackUMC at Pascack Valley is set to open June 1, exactly 54 years after the Pascack Valley Hospital first opened in Westwood on June 1, 1959.

While the new hospital will occupy the same space as the former, work has been underway over the past year to renovate the building and update it to improve the experience of patients, according to hospital CEO Chad Melton. More than $147 million has been spent on the renovations and new equipment, hospital officials said. The renovations are now nearly complete.

Payment to Former Police Chief Was Focus of Investigation

An attorney hired by the Washington Township Council to review a terminal leave payment has found that there was likely no violation of the state's Local Governments Ethics Law, but did find some discrepancies between how the payment was made and what the Township Charter requires.

Ronald Mondello was hired by the Council to investigate a terminal leave payment of $38,184.90 made to former Police Chief William Cicchetti after they approved a payment of just $24,000.

Barbara Gregory Resigning From Westwood Regional School Board

Barbara Gregory, a 24-year member of the Westwood Regional Board of Education, has announced she will resign from her seat June 30.

Gregory said she wanted to spend more time with her eight grandchildren — two of whom are Westwood Regional students — and traveling with her husband.

Authors of Pascack Valley School Split Study Answering Public's Questions

An attorney and the authors of a study which reported that splitting up the Pascack Valley Regional School District "would succeed" willgive a presentation about their findings and take questions from the public during a Woodcliff Lake Council meeting next week, NorthJersey.com reported.

A report on the same subject prepared on behalf of Hillsdale and River Vale found that there would be high costs for residents of those towns if the district were split.

The meeting is scheduled to take place Monday night at the Tice Senior Center, 411 Chestnut Ridge Rd.

Westwood Regional Interim Superintendent Search Nearing Finish

Westwood Regional Board of Education President Roberta Hanlon said she hopes the board will select a new interim superintendent at their May 9 meeting.

The Board interviewed three finalists for the position during a closed session meeting last week, but members did not yet have a chance to discuss the candidates, according to Hanlon.

BP Plans to Reopen Former Washington Township Getty

The former Getty on Washington Avenue in Washington Township could reopen as a BP, if the township Planning Board approves an application for the plan.

According to engineer William Vogt, BP wants to simply clean up the site, give the garage a fresh coat of beige paint and replace the Getty signs and pumps with their own. They do not plan to have any retail sales at the site as had been rumored, he said at a Planning Board meeting last week.

Hillsdale School Board Approves $112K Fiber Optic Installation

New fiber optic cables being installed at Hillsdale's three K-8 schools will allow the district to enter a shared service agreement withPascack Valley High School that will improve Internet speed and save the district money.

The Hillsdale Board of Education approved a $110,137.43 contract with Millennium Communications Group to install the network and an additional $2,300 for an annual inspection after the warranty period during their meeting Monday night.

Hillsdale Among 10 Bergen Towns Supporting PSE&G Infrastructure Upgrade

Hillsdale was one of 10 towns in Bergen County and 32 across the state to recently pass resolutions supporting PSE&G's proposed $3.9 billion infrastructure upgrade.

Equipment at the utility's power substation in Hillsdale — which flooded during Hurricane Irene — would be raised as part of the project.