Village BOE Won't Demand Valley Expansion Study

Ridgewood school officials said Friday that although they support calls for more information on the proposed Valley Hospital expansion and its effect on nearby schools, they "trust" the village Planning Board to "protect... the health of all residents."

After receiving a resident-signed petition June 7, schools Superintendent Dr. Daniel Fishbein and board President Michele Lenhard agreed with calls for an environmental impact study. However, they deferred to the Planning Board to determine when.

"Whether that timetable should be altered and an environmental impact study conducted prior to the vote to amend the Master Plan cannot be determined by the Ridgewood Board of Education. We trust the village Planning Board, as the body responsible to ensuring our community's interests and protecting the health of all residents, to make such determinations as they see necessary," they said in a statement.

As the Planning Board nears a vote on a Master Plan amendment that would allow the hospital to expand building mass 200 percent, parents from the adjacent Benjamin Franklin Middle School and nearby Travell Elementary School petitioned the district to demand a study prior to a vote—expected next week.

Lorraine Reynolds—a petition organizer—also linked a district-issued parent survey to the hospital hearings, a claim school officials deny.

"Call me cynical, but sending out this survey just after receiving a petition with almost 700 signatures asking the BOE to ask the Planning Board for an environmental impact study is too much of a coincidence," she said.

The district issued the survey June 9 by e-mailing parents a private link enabling them to offer opinions on communication, safety, activities and other school issues. 

"The Board of Education is always interested in learning parent and guardians' perceptions of their children's educational experience," Lenhard said. "In undertaking this survey, the board will seek to gather information on a variety of topics... Effectively, we are asking the simple question, 'How are we doing?' "

District spokesperson Debra Anderson denied a link to the hospital proceedings and pointed to long-term board goals from the past two years calling for a parent survey.

"Two years ago, the board identified enhanced two-way communication with the community as one of its goals for the school year, including the creation of a survey," Fishbein said.

The district set a survey deadline for June 17—presumably after a vote, which could come Monday or Tuesday.

The hospital link not withstanding, Reynolds said parents should voice their Valley opinions in the survey.

"[Question] #6 'Is my child is safe at school?' and #27 'Is BOE responsive to parent concerns?' Be careful how you answer these. I think the BOE is hoping the majority will respond 'agree' and not make a comment on the Valley issue. Then they can say the majority of parents do not say this is an issue," Reynolds said.

Numerous residents have questioned the Planning Board at recent hearings, demanding an environmental study be undertaken prior to deciding on the Master Plan amendment. They argue that delaying a study could impact their childrens' health during construction.

Echoing points made by the Planning Board, school officials said, "Such a study is typically completed as part of a full site review, once the Planning Board has examined detailed engineering and architectural plans and approved construction."

Valley spokesperson Megan Fraser has said previously that more detailed plans are needed before a study is undertaken. As required by village ordinance, she said, the study will be completed before construction can begin.

The hospital originally approached the village with its "Renewal" project in 2006. Since, the Planning Board has drafted two Master Plan amendments that it hoped balanced the hospital's desires and residents' concerns. The current draft offsets the increased  building mass by increasing setbacks along borders.

The board will reconvene Monday at Benjamin Franklin Middle School so experts can answer previously asked questions from residents. Additionally, it will receive its legal charge from board attorney Gail Price. A vote could follow Monday or at the board's regular meeting Tuesday at Village Hall.