Glen Ridge civic news, summarized for you The Ridge Report https://ridgereport.jonathan.gluck.dev/ 2026-10-27T04:54:57Z https://ridgereport.jonathan.gluck.dev/meeting-zdnYfEL_ZPk.html 2026-10-27T04:54:57Z

At the October 26, 2026 meeting of the Glen Ridge Mayor & Council, members awarded a road improvement contract for the Maolis Avenue, Hamilton Road, and Spencer Road/Avenue project to Selian Sunset General Construction of Nutley, NJ, the lowest of five bidders, at a cost of $413,764.25. The award still needs sign-off from the New Jersey Department of Transportation before work can begin. The co

https://ridgereport.jonathan.gluck.dev/meeting-5lNhIX8jjVE.html 2026-10-26T01:17:45Z

At its October 13, 2026 meeting, the Glen Ridge Mayor & Council approved a $90,133.16 change order with MSP Construction Corp. for additional water valve work and retrofitting. The original contract had been $870,015, and the addition brings the total project cost to $963,148, a 10.3% increase. The work is being funded through the New Jersey Water Bank. Council also rejected all bids that had b

https://ridgereport.jonathan.gluck.dev/meeting-lQiXqeYgo1E.html 2026-09-29T21:08:41Z

At its meeting, the Glen Ridge Mayor & Council voted unanimously to adopt a resolution authorizing the borough to apply for a roughly $50,000 grant from the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs' Transportation and Public Safety Modernization Program, which would fund capital purchases for the borough's Jitney shuttle program. Relatedly, a councilmember reported that the borough has received

https://ridgereport.jonathan.gluck.dev/meeting-kPJZaS9-YG0.html 2026-09-15T13:44:28Z

Glen Ridge's Mayor and Council approved a series of change orders to the borough's 2024 road paving contract with J. Alexander, adding $12,070.87 for night paving work in front of Mountainside Hospital and $20,897 for additional wheelchair-accessible ramp work. Combined with earlier changes, the contract now totals $528,493, paid for through a New Jersey Department of Transportation municipal aid

https://ridgereport.jonathan.gluck.dev/meeting-https-www-glenridgelibrary-org-uploads-1-39df5f30.html 2026-10-27T04:46:16Z

The Glen Ridge Public Library Board of Trustees learned at its September 9, 2026 meeting that the library received a $5,000 unconditional bequest from James Kent Young, given in memory of his wife Patricia Ann Britten, a Glen Ridge native. Because the gift comes with no restrictions, the Board will decide later how to spend it. Director Doody told the Board that a staff member plans to retire e

https://ridgereport.jonathan.gluck.dev/meeting-1k_62ficPM6YECaX1ZBHvJgR04TvOT8hY.html 2026-10-26T01:08:36Z

The Glen Ridge Board of Education returned from summer break on September 8, 2026 with a packed agenda that included nearly $85,000 in emergency repair spending tied to a ceiling collapse at Linden Avenue School. The board approved payments to more than a dozen vendors — including $56,840.96 to Magic Touch Construction Co. for lighting reinstallation, $4,400 to Protective Services for rewiring th

https://ridgereport.jonathan.gluck.dev/meeting-7ikoOwDye6A.html 2026-09-01T13:26:49Z

Glen Ridge's Mayor and Council approved waivers for two different film productions to shoot in town at their August 10 meeting. The larger item was a waiver for Netflix's untitled spy comedy, currently going by the working title "Spy Duo" and starring Kevin Hart and Henry Cavill, to film at a home on Ridgewood Avenue; the resolution permits setup, filming, and breakdown activity on September 4 (n

https://ridgereport.jonathan.gluck.dev/meeting-https-www-glenridgenj-org-wp-content-upl-06a46758.html 2026-09-01T13:26:54Z

Glen Ridge's Historic Preservation Commission spent much of its August 5, 2026 meeting on an unauthorized change to an ongoing project at 480 Ridgewood Avenue, where a retaining wall was built with two courses of stone instead of the three that had been approved. The commission is planning a field visit with a subcommittee to inspect the site, and members debated how to handle cases where applica

https://ridgereport.jonathan.gluck.dev/meeting-13CHEKrMRF1magUmadfZlKrSXFcmUMvht.html 2026-10-14T03:53:07Z

The Glen Ridge Board of Education approved $100,220 in emergency repair work at Linden Avenue School after a ceiling collapsed there, covering ceiling grid and tile replacement, plaster and ceiling abatement, reinstallation of heat detectors and lighting, and additional air sampling to ensure the space is safe. In other business at the July 21, 2026 meeting, the Board accepted the Superintenden

https://ridgereport.jonathan.gluck.dev/meeting-nkjyv9hsKio.html 2026-09-01T05:50:33Z

During both public comment periods at the July 13 council meeting, a Montclair-area resident renewed a complaint he had raised at a previous meeting about how the library director (referred to in the meeting only as "Miss D.") handled a dispute between library staff and a patron. He said he had never spoken directly with the director about the matter despite it being her responsibility to address

https://ridgereport.jonathan.gluck.dev/meeting-https-www-glenridgenj-org-wp-content-upl-bf10946e.html 2026-09-01T05:22:41Z

The Historic Preservation Commission's July 1 meeting opened with owner Chris Haskell appealing a subcommittee's denial of precast concrete "Cambridge" pavers to replace a deteriorating sandstone sidewalk at 245 Forest Avenue. Commissioners explained that while concrete itself is an acceptable material, the specific precast pavers and their modern orthogonal pattern don't fit the historic distric

https://ridgereport.jonathan.gluck.dev/meeting-I6MQr93OAPA.html 2026-09-01T05:49:42Z

Glen Ridge's Mayor and Council approved two notable expenditures at their June 22 meeting: a $228,898 payment for garbage collection services (Resolution 107-26), and an $88,144.78 replacement tractor purchased through the Hunter County Cooperative Purchasing Program (Resolution 109-26), which will replace a 2015 unit currently used for grass cutting in summer and converted to snow removal in win

https://ridgereport.jonathan.gluck.dev/meeting-https-www-glenridgelibrary-org-uploads-1-bb1921ed.html 2026-09-30T21:18:27Z

The Glen Ridge Public Library Board of Trustees approved a flat-rate bonus payment totaling $11,841.50, including payroll taxes, to current library staff at its June 17, 2026 meeting. The money comes from the Chapman Fund, a designated library account that held $88,466.27 against a required minimum balance of $62,500, and the board cited positive patron feedback from a recent strategic planning s

https://ridgereport.jonathan.gluck.dev/meeting-1zTgn3wGlJJAbmrTNHa4kOYpS6l3e7_SPUaG-2G9Gi5U.html 2026-09-18T17:02:08Z

The Board of Education approved a series of emergency contracts totaling nearly $170,000 to address a ceiling collapse affecting five classrooms, a restroom and a closet on the second floor of Linden Avenue School. The board approved $89,400 for BL Contracting Environmental Services to remove and dispose of the affected ceiling tiles, metal grid system and asbestos-containing plaster, up to $40,0

https://ridgereport.jonathan.gluck.dev/meeting-ZZlI5Jj6XiE.html 2026-09-01T21:25:53Z

Borough officials reported that a New Jersey Superior Court judge overseeing regional affordable-housing litigation has entered a consent order finding Glen Ridge fully compliant with its fourth-round affordable-housing obligations. Officials said the ruling extends the borough's legal "repose" -- protection from builder's-remedy lawsuits, of the kind that previously forced a large residential de

https://ridgereport.jonathan.gluck.dev/meeting-https-www-glenridgenj-org-wp-content-upl-6d87c3b0.html 2026-09-01T05:22:04Z

At the Historic Preservation Commission's June 3 meeting, Vice Chair Joaquin Stearns recused himself from the commission's review of a proposed addition, porch, and walkway repairs at 269 Ridgewood Avenue and instead appeared to present the application on behalf of the property owner. The commission approved the project 5-0-1, with Stearns abstaining, contingent on further subcommittee review of

https://ridgereport.jonathan.gluck.dev/meeting-5ShYCuPLx0k.html 2026-09-01T05:48:27Z

The May 26 meeting -- held the day after Memorial Day -- opened with two proclamations. The council honored Denise Aendovo for 30 years of service to the Glen Ridge Municipal Court, tracing her path from deputy court administrator in 1996 to municipal court administrator in 2018. The council also proclaimed June 5, 2026 as National Gun Violence Awareness Day, marking the birthday of Hadiya Pendle

https://ridgereport.jonathan.gluck.dev/meeting-1mdscXoQh38QKg452dsgpbNXAJSc5bQ-QsmZUn4VmokM.html 2026-09-18T17:02:08Z

The Board of Education opened its May 13 meeting by observing a moment of silence for Jennifer Gonzaga, a longtime second-grade teacher at Linden Avenue School who died the previous Sunday. Superintendent Winnie Kievit described how the school community rallied together in the aftermath, noting that the Linden Avenue Home and School Association brought staff sandwiches and that colleagues covered

https://ridgereport.jonathan.gluck.dev/meeting-https-www-glenridgelibrary-org-uploads-1-98e08301.html 2026-09-02T23:18:31Z

The Glen Ridge Public Library Board of Trustees, meeting May 13, 2026, addressed water damage that flooded the elevator shaft after snowmelt runoff pooled inside it earlier in the year. The April bills, totaling $93,617 and approved by the Board, included $1,600 to repair the elevator, which has since been waterproofed, and Borough public works crews are now checking it every month to prevent a r

https://ridgereport.jonathan.gluck.dev/meeting-cZ7IXls2Hbk.html 2026-09-01T05:47:49Z

Councilman Lefkovits and the borough's Chief Financial Officer, Matt Larrissy, presented the 2026 municipal budget before the council held a public hearing (no residents spoke) and unanimously adopted it. A borough-wide property revaluation lifted the town's total assessed value from about $1.73 billion to roughly $3 billion; because the revaluation is designed to be revenue-neutral -- reallocati

https://ridgereport.jonathan.gluck.dev/meeting-https-www-glenridgenj-org-wp-content-upl-09246917.html 2026-09-01T05:21:28Z

The Historic Preservation Commission's May 6 meeting produced its most contested vote in recent memory over 3 Laurel Place, where owner Giovanny Calle's newly built garage was found to differ from the design the commission had approved in September 2025 -- different garage-door panel styles, smaller light fixtures than approved, and a security-camera light installed in the middle of a panel inste

https://ridgereport.jonathan.gluck.dev/meeting-VOzWBUXHAKY.html 2026-09-01T05:46:59Z

At its April 27 meeting, the Glen Ridge council gave final approval to an ordinance allowing the borough to exceed standard municipal budget appropriation limits and establish a "cap bank" for future flexibility, and separately adopted an ordinance clarifying stop-sign rules on Linden and Laurel and creating a new multiway stop at Washington Street and Hillside Avenue. On first reading, the counc

https://ridgereport.jonathan.gluck.dev/meeting-1PGkHgO-Ujb6gtBx67GTJDuIwq9luIVCf90-KiHNP8x4.html 2026-09-18T17:02:08Z

The Board of Education formally adopted its $44.2 million budget for the 2026-2027 school year at its April 28 meeting following a public hearing, with a 2.7% tax levy increase that includes a 0.7% health benefits cap exception. Business Administrator Barbara Murphy told the board that the owner of a home assessed at the borough's new average of about $1.2 million will see an estimated $387 annua

https://ridgereport.jonathan.gluck.dev/meeting-1Z-Am1vMyFkvKPP8w6DAS9i87bP5vQjcz.html 2026-09-01T05:33:46Z

The Glen Ridge Board of Education met for a special session on April 21, 2026, dedicated entirely to internal governance matters rather than routine district business. Board members discussed the role of the student representative on the board, the responsibilities of the board attorney, how board committees are structured, plans for board member development, and ways to improve community outreac

https://ridgereport.jonathan.gluck.dev/meeting-FqSEjDlRKsY.html 2026-09-01T05:46:21Z

At its April 13, 2026 meeting, the Glen Ridge Mayor & Council introduced Ordinance 1834, a "cap bank" measure that lets the borough exceed the standard 2.5% limit on municipal budget increases, raising that limit to 3.5% and allowing the borough to save the unused portion for use over the next two years. The ordinance passed unanimously. Building on that, the council introduced the 2026 municipal

https://ridgereport.jonathan.gluck.dev/meeting-1y5WN6MWzqguKBNVLNoZbCtPDcZqxPwEg.html 2026-09-18T17:02:08Z

The Board of Education accepted the superintendent's findings that Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying was substantiated in two separate investigations involving Ridgewood Avenue School students at its April 8 meeting, with board members Luke Franklin and Kristin O'Neil abstaining on both votes. The board also reported that a personnel matter raised in written communications from Nina Kundra,

https://ridgereport.jonathan.gluck.dev/meeting-https-www-glenridgenj-org-wp-content-upl-d9f148e6.html 2026-09-01T05:20:58Z

Owners Jason and Kathryn Connor appeared before the Historic Preservation Commission after a violation was discovered at 332 Ridgewood Avenue: a rear pergola and exterior fireplace, visible from the street, that had been built without the required historic renovation permit. Commissioners objected to framing a wood pergola over an open fire feature and to the aluminum railings and vinyl lattice u

https://ridgereport.jonathan.gluck.dev/meeting-https-www-glenridgelibrary-org-uploads-1-e56f9184.html 2026-09-02T23:12:22Z

The Glen Ridge Public Library Board of Trustees voted 8-0, with Damein Phoenix absent, to spend $1,430 from the library's LCBA grant to winterize the building's chiller by draining its water and adding glycol, a step meant to prevent future pipe bursts. The move follows an incident in which Sander Mechanical repaired a burst water pipe at no charge to the library. In other facilities spending,

https://ridgereport.jonathan.gluck.dev/meeting-CS5o2QkjwnA.html 2026-09-01T19:27:43Z

The council opened by presenting Boy Scout Troop 55 -- led by Scoutmaster Dan Kopek, senior patrol leader Christian Kopek, and assistant senior patrol leader Neville Kendalwala -- with a proclamation honoring scouts who volunteered to shovel snow and clear walkways for Glen Ridge senior citizens during the winter of 2026. Recreation Director Jim Cowan had brought the troop's efforts to the counci

https://ridgereport.jonathan.gluck.dev/meeting-1Re2jEkg8fCrRQEauKEvwIOIPPBks9Sw7.html 2026-09-18T17:02:08Z

The Glen Ridge Board of Education voted March 18 to appoint Acting Superintendent Winnie Kievit as permanent Superintendent of Schools, capping an eight-month process that included review of 52 resumes for the post. Kievit began her career as a chemistry teacher at Glen Ridge High School and spent 15 years as director of technology and curriculum before being named acting superintendent in July 2