The Personal Injury Attorney Near Me Park Ridge, NJ, You Can Trust

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PARK RIDGE — Residents this fall will be voting on three options regarding the future of Mill Pond.

The pond, also known as Electric Light Pond or Electric Lake, was last dredged in 1979. About 16 feet of sediment has accumulated since then, reducing stormwater capacity and increasing the flooding risk to the area.

Officials have said there is a strain on "critical" stormwater infrastructure and that the stagnant water has contributed to more mosquitoes and poor water quality.

Mill Pond was created in 1906 to provide water for a hydroelectric plant, says the Pascack Historic Society, becoming a "defining feature" that allowed the borough to to generate its own electricity.

The November referendum is based on cost estimates from the borough engineer for dredging the pond. The borough has not secured bonds for dredging, but it has $1.5 million from a state grant and is actively pursuing additional funding.

The engineering design is almost complete and environmental testing is underway, the referendum information says. The dredge depth is an approximate average, with some parts deeper than others.

Park Ridge attempted a referendum on dredging the pond in 2023. The proposal failed, with 1,629 votes to 1,112.

The referendum choices are based on an assessed home value of $500,000 with a 25-year finance period. The additional tax increase will be lower or higher based on the specific property's assessed value. Any tax increase would affect only the municipal portion of the property tax bill, which represents about 24% of a homeowner’s total bill.

As an example, on a $5,000,000 appropriation, if a home has a tax valuation of $400,000, the additional municipal property taxes would be $80.80 per year for a total of $2,020 over 25 years.

What questions are being asked on the Park Ridge ballot?

The borough is asking three non-binding referendum questions regarding the future of Mill Pond.

"How much shall the Borough of Park Ridge appropriate and expend, if anything, up to for the purpose of facilitating the partial dredging of Mill Pond (also known as Electric Lake)?"

Option A

Option B

Option C

The fight to recall Park Ridge Board of Education member Robert Fisher Jr. is officially over — because he just resigned, leaving behind a colorful resignation letter that took aim at politics and praised his own policy battles (attached).

Fisher, who joined the board in January 2023 just months after graduating high school, submitted his resignation Friday, Sept. 19, according to a filing his attorney Michael Collins sent to Bergen County Superior Court Judge Peter Geiger.

“I write today to resign my position as Trustee of the Park Ridge Board of Education, immensely grateful to God for the opportunity to serve our borough, a wonderful community in the greatest country on Earth,” Fisher wrote in his own letter of resignation sent out to the media Friday afternoon.

Throughout the statement, Fisher cited his “prized accomplishment” as requiring the district to comply with Title IX, which he said saved $100,000 annually in federal funding and ensured "every girl in our schools can excel in the sport they love participating in."

He also defended his broader approach to governing, writing: “In a world full of electeds who serve as thermometers of public opinion, strive to be the thermostat, setting the temperature for the just world you desire to see."

Fisher’s resignation ends weeks of courtroom drama that nearly guaranteed voters would decide his fate in November. A recall petition signed by 2,141 residents — hundreds more than required — was first tossed, then reinstated after a judge ruled the Bergen County Clerk’s office had given out incorrect guidance.

The looming vote meant Fisher could have been recalled — and even re-elected — on the same ballot. Instead, Fisher, now living nearly 900 miles away in Nashville while attending Vanderbilt University, stepped down on his own terms.

See Attachment

The process to begin filling a vacancy left on the Park Ridge Board of Education will begin in mid-October.

Former school board member Robert Fisher resigned on Sept. 19 after a state appellate court declined to block an effort by borough voters to put a recall question on the November ballot.

The board will will formally accept Fisher’s resignation at its Oct. 14 meeting, according to its president, David Bradler. Board members will then announce a 10-day period during which candidates can submit letters and resumes for consideration for the position, Bradler said in an email.

After that period is over, the board will hold a special meeting to interview candidates and vote on the replacement. Once Fisher's successor is appointed, they will serve for a year and have the opportunity to be on the 2026 November ballot, where voters will choose a more long-term replacement.

The K-12 district serves about 1,200 students at two elementary schools and a high school.

Once the 10-day period for submitting resumes is open, candidates can send them to board Secretary Bob Wright at RobertWright@PARKRIDGE.k12.nj.us, said Bradler.

Park Ridge recall: How we got here

Fisher, a Park Ridge High School graduate, became one of New Jersey's youngest ever school board members when he was elected at 18 years old in 2023. But he moved to Nashville, Tennessee, to attend Vanderbilt University and, critics said, stopped regularly attending board meetings or serving on board committees, prompting the recall effort.

Fisher argued that he'd spent "thousands of dollars" on travel to come back to Park Ridge regularly and planned to return to town after graduation. He lost two legal challenges last week, setting the stage for his resignation. On Sept. 15, state Superior Court Judge Peter Geiger ruled in favor of the Committee to Recall Robert Fisher, a group of borough residents who had challenged Bergen County Clerk John Hogan’s decision to disqualify their recall petition.

The petition included more than 2,000 signatures in favor of putting a recall vote on the November ballot, but the Clerk's Office, which oversees elections, initially ruled the document wasn't properly notarized. Geiger overruled that decision, prompting Fisher to file for an emergency review by the state Appellate Division.

The appeals court denied that in a late afternoon order on Sept. 18, sending the case back to Geiger. Fisher resigned before Geiger could schedule another hearing.

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In a statement to the media Friday, Fisher thanked the taxpayers of Park Ridge, veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces for securing his "right to vote and serve at just 18 years old" and the "hardworking families who entrusted me with the oversight of the schools that their children attend."

"Without their labor, thrift, and entrepreneurial spirit, not a single pupil could be enriched by our school district," he wrote. "Within this group of exceptional people, I recognize my supporters, those who remained firmly by my side through a grueling two years."

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Park Ridge BOE to replace school trustee who resigned under fire

Veris Residential has sold The James, a 240-unit upscale community in Park Ridge, N.J., for $117 million. Berkshire Residential bought the asset, public records show. CBRE represented the seller.

Veris had acquired The James in 2022 for $129.6 million or $540,000 per unit. That deal was involved in a 1031 exchange, according to Yardi Matrix data.

The current transaction marked Berkshire’s second purchase from Veris in two months. In July, the firm acquired a 197-unit community in Morris Place, N.J., in a deal also brokered by CBRE.

The recently completed James

The James came online in 2021 at 87 Madison Ave. in downtown Park Ridge, adjacent to Park Ridge Station. The community is 28 miles north of Midtown Manhattan.

The five-story building features nearly 18,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space, as well as shared amenities such as a fitness center, coworking spaces, a game room, a plunge pool, an outdoor lounge and barbecue grills. The unit mix includes studio, one- and two-bedroom layouts that range in size from 513 to 1,264 square feet, according to the same data provider.

CBRE Vice Chairman Jeffrey Dunne, Senior Financial Analyst Travis Langer and First Vice Presidents Stuart MacKenzie and Eric Apfel led the Institutional Properties team, as well as worked together Senior Managing Director Roland Merchant and Director Tom Pryor from the Investment Banking team, in arranging the deal on behalf of the seller.

The Northern New Jersey multifamily market saw $957.3 million in investment sales year-to-date through July, with 28 properties having changed hands at an average per-unit price of $373,013, according to Yardi Matrix information. The figure is significantly higher than the one recorded in the first seven months of last year, when 11 properties traded for a combined $292.2 million at an average of $294,209 per unit.

Park Ridge School Board member Robert Fisher Jr. has formally challenged the effort to recall him from office. It's now up to Bergen County officials to determine whether the campaign can go forward.

Fisher met the Friday, Aug. 22, deadline to file a challenge with the Bergen County Clerk's Office, with a letter from his lawyer saying recall proponents hadn't gotten their petitions properly notarized. That renders them invalid, attorney Michael Collins said in an Aug. 20 letter to the county.

Fisher became one of New Jersey's youngest school board members ever when he was elected in 2023, just months after graduating from the borough's high school. But he has since moved to Nashville, Tennessee, to attend Vanderbilt University. Critics say he rarely attends board meetings and misses other key district events.

A committee formed by a group of borough citizens filed petitions with 2,141 signatures to the Elections Division at the Clerk’s office earlier this month. The petition needed a minimum of 1,864 signatures.

Sabrina Taranto, a supervisor in the Elections Division, said on Friday that the clerk's office is reviewing Fisher's objection and will make a determination on whether it is valid. If the recall petition stands, the county would issue a certificate of sufficiency to Fisher.

He would have five days to resign, said Taranto. If he chooses not to, the question to recall him will be placed before voters on the Nov. 4 ballot.

Fisher could not be reached for comment on Friday. In July, he said he intends to return to Park Ridge after graduation and has no plans to give up his seat.

Like many college students, he told The Record and NorthJersey.com, he “chose to maintain my residency in the town where I grew up and continue to have longstanding connections to the community.”

“This is protected by New Jersey law and precedent, as I intend to return to living full time in the borough after college and currently spend breaks in Park Ridge,” he said.

In the challenge letter, Fisher's attorney said that, according to New Jersey’s Uniform Recall Election Law, each page of a recall petition must be “signed by circulators under affidavit” and that the petition must contain a “notary block requiring that the circulator’s signature be ‘[s]worn and subscribed to before’ an individual.’”

“The Recall Petition fails to comply with the statutory requirement that the circulators complete a signature under oath and affidavit,” Collins said in the letter. “Based upon the applicable law, this is a defect that cannot be cured, and the Recall Petition must be rejected by the County Clerk.”

Laura Clark, one of the founders of the recall committee, said Friday that the committee is “anxiously waiting for the county attorney to respond as we believe that it will be in our favor.”

Clark said she believes the county will accept the petition based on an email she received from the clerk’s office on June 24 outlining requirements for those gathering signatures. The response mentioned names, addresses, a statement of legal residency and other items, she said.

“There is no requirement for notarization when it comes to the circulators’ statements and signatures,” Clark said in an email Friday.

Recall supporters say Fisher has missed about a third of board meetings this year and note he has refused to serve on board committees. After his parents moved out of town, Fisher established a “$10” rental agreement with another Park Ridge homeowner to maintain the appearance of residency, the recall committee says.

Fisher has said the borough, state and county have all recognized his roommate agreement in town as legitimate. He also says that he makes regular trips back to Park Ridge to attend meetings, spending "thousands of dollars" on travel.

As for committee attendance, Fisher has said he won’t serve on such bodies until they are either made open to the public or required to make minutes public. Recall proponents say many committee subjects, such as personnel discussions, are required by law to be private.

Asked about the legal requirements for school board committees, Laura Bishop, a communications counsel with the New Jersey School Board Association, said that the "Open Public Meetings Act requires a public body to keep reasonably comprehensible minutes of all its meetings, but it is unclear – based on the facts presented – whether the committee meetings in question constitute a ‘meeting’ within the meaning of the law, or whether there may be a board bylaw, policy, or regulation which addresses this issue."