Week in Review: If You Missed It... It's Here!

School may not start for weeks, and it will be months until the district needs to deal with the possibility of delayed openings, but efforts are under way to provide crossing guards for those days when the weather is bad enough to give administrators pause but not quite bad enough to cancel classes altogether.

This week, we brought you the news that four members of the Community Emergency Response Team will likely train as crossing guards to add as a complement to the regular staff, overseen by the Police Department. The school district has been brought into the talks, with hopes of finding a resolution for the start of the school year.

The school district has not had the benefit of the delayed opening option when driving conditions are dicey, primarily due to the Police Department's reluctance to supply officers later in the morning if the regular guards are not available. Should the CERT team members be trained, the police chief has indicated that he would change his stance on delayed openings.

In related news, the CERT team is looking to bolster its ranks. Interested in being trained as an emergency volunteer? See more information here.

Other items of note over the past week:

• Residents who would like to see a tangible demonstration of the height of the proposed ShopRite can stop by the Greenwood Avenue shopping center starting this afternoon, where Inserra Supermarkets representatives will stage a demonstration with construction equipment in keeping with Planning Board requests. The demonstration will be visible until Thursday, following the board's second hearing Wednesday on the ShopRite application.
• In police and fire news, members of the Fire Department were called to Coolidge school to put out a tar kettle that had burst into flames. Responders quickly got the smoldering unit under control, without damage or injury.

We also reported on the Police Department's recent arrests and citations, including a resident who has been accused of trespassing twice this summer.

Police also were on traffic duty this past week, managing the flow of vehicles down Franklin Avenue while rail workers replaced an underground storm drain at the tracks across from the Main Street and Franklin Avenue intersection.

• We also took a look at a state proposal that would increase county school superintendents' power over locally negotiated teacher contracts, as part of the governor's ongoing efforts to rein in property taxes.
• We spoke with the folks at Companion Animal Advocates, an advocacy group headquartered in Hillsdale, who will help those who are struggling by providing pet food. The nonprofit's efforts will be focused on six local municipalities, including Wyckoff and Ridgewood.
• Ramapo graduate Eric Halejian spent time at a recreation football camp run by resident Pat O'Hagan where youngsters get individual and group instruction to hone their skill sets. According to O'Hagan, the camp has the added benefit of tiring out rambunctious kids, to the delight of summer-weary parents across town!
• We also took a glance at a state effort to slice the cost of public document copy costs. Should the governor sign the Legislature-approved bill, copies of most documents under the Open Public Records Act would fall from 75 cents a page to 5 cents.
• Videographer Nilsa De La Cruz stopped by the weekly Cruise Nights at the Greenwood Avenue shopping center, where car enthusiasts gather all summer. Her video sheds light on the history of the Wyckoff tradition while spotlighting many of the fine automobiles on display. If you attend the weekly event, please keep in mind that organizers ask that you not speed in and out of the parking lot or "burn" your tires, out of respect for nearby residents.
• We also welcomed columnist Allison Witkowski, a Wyckoff resident and real estate agent, who will venture to bring you the "Real Deal" on real estate on a regular basis.
• Of course, we went Grocery Shopping With Gloria, a columnist Gloria Johnson took a look at frozen food that's so good, you'd think you were eating in a restaurant.

As always, don't hesitate to call or write with a story idea or just to chat. I can be reached at 201-208-3349 or nick@patch.com. See you this week!