Ringwood Council Meeting Blog 7/21/26
Hi Ringwood! If you would like to watch the entire video of the meeting, you can do so here:
https://ringwoodtv.viebit.com/watch?hash=XCOMYU6W1k8pvjkt
Proclamations and Presentations:
Our volunteer fire fighters, Ambulance Corps., and dive team were recognized for their many years of service. Thank you for your years of service, dedication, and bravery!
Erskine Lakes Volunteer Fire Company:
John Jonker Jr 45 years
Pete Wattley 40 years
Chris Delsasso 20 years
Matt Finch 15 years
Pat Ranft 10 years
Conor Phillips 10 years
Dan Jonker 5 years
Ringwood Borough Volunteer Fire Company #1:
Bart Lidsky 25 years
Aaron Williams 25 years
Mike Hafner 20 years
Jeff Lysaght 5 years
Chris Gerrity 5 years
Skyline Lake Fire Department: (not pictured)
Matthew Brandt 15 years
Matthew Zartman 10 years
Ringwood Underwater Search and Recovery is celebrating 35 years of service:
Mark Ravese 35 years (founding volunteer)
Linda Farkas 10 Years
Ringwood Ambulance Corps:
Laura Haftek 30 years
Scott Fitterman 10 years
Larry Casteline years
Norm Leser 5 years
We also celebrated our Ringwood Raptors 13U baseball team for having an undefeated season and for winning the USABL championship. Great job boys! Good luck on your summer season!
Manager's Report
Courtesy Busing to Lakeland
Note: Courtesy subscription busing is available only to students who live less than 2.5 miles from Lakeland.
A draft letter regarding courtesy busing was inadvertently distributed to families by Lakeland before it was finalized.
Lakeland tracked courtesy busing ridership throughout the school year. Approximately 5 students rode the morning route and 25 students rode the afternoon route. The two routes cost the Borough approximately $139,000 to operate.
The Ringwood Board of Education previously helped fund this program but discontinued its support during the 2025–2026 school year, leaving the Borough to fund it in full.
The Borough does not want Lakeland students to cross Skyline Drive or walk along Stonetown Road to get to school, we have continued to fund courtesy busing. However, we will be transitioning to subscription busing, which will cost $300 per student. This will help offset costs and identify which students truly need the service. We may also be able to reduce courtesy busing from two buses to one to achieve additional savings. Students who qualify for free or reduced lunch will not be charged the fee.
EPA
The EPA held an information session on July 22nd at the Cannon Mine Road playground regarding the Superfund site. Deputy Mayor Michelle Kerr was in attendance.
The EPA shared this update for the community:
“Under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's supervision, Ford Motor Company is preparing the engineering design of the groundwater cleanup work. In March 2026, the Department of Justice lodged a $3.4 million settlement in federal court with the potentially responsible parties for the site, Ford and the Borough of Ringwood, to address groundwater contamination. EPA expects groundwater treatment to begin in the Peters Mine Pit Area in 2028, after the design is complete and the settlement becomes final.” -EPA representatives Joe Gowers and Drew Curtis.
Note: This EPA meeting happened after our 7/21/26 meeting, so the above was not reported at the council meeting.
Grant Update
The Borough has applied for approximately $1.9M in grants in 2026 to date.
We received a letter of intent to fund a $119,000 Health Grant, which will support Animal Control Services through the second quarter of 2027 and offset a portion of Health Department salaries.
The 2025 Clean Communities grant application has been completed and submitted. Approval status and funding amount are not yet known.
Hockey Rink
We would like to recognize Kyle Allison and Joe Andriulli — Lancer Ice Hockey team captains — for their efforts in cleaning up the Roller Hockey Rink at Hewitt School.
A motion was passed to add a "Dedication by Rider" option to fundraise for the Roller Hockey Rink. Donated funds will be held in a separate account.
Stormwater
The State has mandated that the Borough complete a Watershed Assessment Report by the end of this year. The report includes an analysis of the Borough's waterways and documentation addressing Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs), which establish the maximum amount of a pollutant a waterway can receive while still meeting applicable water quality standards.
This phase of the report is not funded by the State and will cost the Borough approximately $50,600. An additional phase will be required by the end of next year, representing a further future expense for the Borough.
In addition, the State is requiring the Borough to replace all curb inlets with environmentally compliant curb heads. Over the past 15 years, the Borough has replaced curb heads and grates as streets were paved. The Borough now has until the end of next year to replace the approximately 1,400 remaining curb heads and grates, at an estimated cost of $800,000 for materials only — not including labor.
Town-Wide Garage Sale
The town-wide yard sale will take place Saturday, September 26th and Sunday, September 27th, from 9am to 4pm. Applications will be available online during the second week of August. Lo
Old Business
Ordinance 2026-#07: Subscription busing to Lakeland Regional High School for students living less than 2.5 miles away.
$300 per student annual fee.
For the 2025–2026 school year, an average of 5 students rode the bus in the morning and 25 in the afternoon, costing the Borough over $139,000 — not a cost-effective use of mostly empty buses. Subscription busing will help identify which students truly need the service, and we hope to reduce service from two buses to one to help cut costs.
Students who qualify for free or reduced lunch will not be charged.
New Business
Ordinance 2026-#06: Amending Ordinance 2024-#15, fixing the salaries and compensation of police officers.
Ordinance 2026-#08: Amending Chapter 7 (Traffic), Section 7-20 (Stop Intersections), to add a stop sign at Hilltop Road near Buena Vista Drive. This change was brought to our attention by residents in the area.
Ringwood Downtown 501(c)(3)
Mr. David Edwab was a guest speaker at the Council meeting and reported that there has been real economic development over the past year through Ringwood Downtown and our Director of Economic Development. He has said that there is positive indication that other developers in town are closely monitoring the PILOT program and the Azarian property.
Ringwood Downtown is not waiting for Azarian to make improvements to the Ringwood Downtown experience. Through sponsorships and donations, we have been hosting Music in the Woods every Thursday this summer, driving foot traffic to our Special Improvement District. We also run a gift card program in which participating businesses offer discounts to customers, and our recent Plant Bingo event was well attended.
This fall, we will host an Oktoberfest at the field next to Azarian. On October 17th, the Community Center will hold a silent auction, sponsored by local businesses, featuring donated items. An independent survey showed strong resident interest in a Farmers Market, so starting in September we will pilot one. Organizing a Farmers Market requires many vendors and farms, as well as sufficient foot traffic to sustain it.
End-of-Meeting Comments
We would like to thank all of the volunteers honored here tonight. You are our hometown heroes, and we thank you for your dedication and bravery.
It was also wonderful to see the Ringwood Raptors 13U Baseball team in attendance — congratulations on your undefeated season and championship win in the USABL.
We would also like to thank Mr. Edwab, Kristen Holton, and everyone on the Ringwood Downtown board for their hard work on Ringwood's economic development. We are excited about their momentum and upcoming events, especially the Farmers Market.
Mayor Landis also announced that the Borough has been recertified as a "Film Ready Community." One of our schools received $5,000 in rent for allowing a film crew to use its parking lot. Ringwood is one of only 10% of towns in New Jersey to hold this certification.
Warm Regards,
