August. A month that brings hot and heavy weather. And rain. Lots and lots of rain.
In recent days there have been several torrential rain events.
And with it the persistent mudflow off the Toll Brothers Apple Ridge site onto roadways.
Into streams.
Into rivers.
Possibly containing arsenic, lead and other harmful toxins.
Passing into waterways where children fish.
Nearly 8 months have passed since the first incident and still these problems persist.
Local waterways in the Upper Saddle River and Mahwah areas are continually running brown.
Which makes you question – what are the local authorities doing about it?
Town officials?
Construction officials?
Environmental officers?
What are Toll Brothers doing about it?
Silence all around.
Of course, there may be be serious efforts at containment and clean up, invisible to onlooker eyes.
But until the silence is broken with information, a statement, some test results residents are left in the dark.
And the question is why?
All valid questions and ZERO answeres!
Mayor Minichetti should be ashamed in my opinion for her silence and town engineer together with zoning officials should be ALL fired immediately and new slate of true professionals should be brought to this town ASAP.
Rain was present on Apple Ridge site for hundreds of years and never in the history of Upper and Saddle River we had chocolate milk color water meandering through the town every time rained in Bergen Country. It is truly shameful if not criminal in nature what Mayor Minichetti is doing to this town and the value of our homes. In my opinion it’s time to call the feds to investigate and EPA from Washington DC to clean this mess up. Also in my opinion independent body needs to look into the dealing behind the curtain in this time and answer another question: how it is possible that 600 soil samples were tested and only two officials water samples were taken!
I demand 600 water samples to be taken from Pleasant Brook. One water sample a day is my answer. Until the entire project is completed and than one water sample after each rain until all trees are grown and matured to the same age as before famous “Minichetti Tree Massacre” from 2016.
“But until the silence is broken with information, a statement, some test results residents are left in the dark.” – we’ll said Citizens. Keep up the good job and keep reporting!
Thank you for your sharing your thoughts and your energy and passion. Hopefully through committed efforts we will be able to resolved this.
Thank you for that !!!!Very well written summary of ourTollBrothers disasterr!!!!!Excellent points.
As of our last meeting at the town we asked the very same question, our mayor threw up her arms and the answer was EPA is dealing with it, it’s not my concern. When we asked about the resolution of the Eruves removal from East Saddle River Road and the areas that were supposed to be removed per agreement, she threw up her arms and said it’s in the Upper Saddle River Site, why are you asking me this question. When we replied saying we did look at that site it’s not available, she directed us to Swift system. By the third question about recycling, she rolled her eyes and said I’m getting sick of this and she was done with us!!!
The three times we have gone to the town meeting and having seen her reaction and responses, I can see why the town does not attend the meetings. It is not because the town citizens don’t care, it’s because the town citizens do not get any answers ,and A no care attitude plus they get insulted, disrespected and offended.
I recently spoke to a homeowner in front of whose house was a new free standing LECHI to which the wires were connected and beautiful green ribbons on her property. She did not know that it was going up. Having gone to the town meeting , she was pretty much told off and was not provided with any information of what she could do. At this point, other than selling, she doesn’t know what she can do with this in front of her house, feeling caged in like an animal encircled by an Eruve to which she doesn’t belong.
Let us ask mayor Minichetti where is the transparency in this?? We have asked the town for documentation of the agreements that discuss the placement of these free standing LECHIS on private property, we still have not received it.
We don’t know what’s in the agreement, we don’t know what exchanged hands, and we don’t know why our private properties are being given to a religious group that is outside our town, and clearly, their agreement claims their religious people need to come and be able to freely walk in our town any place they please.!!!!
Does that mean they take over our homes with Eruves and make it their private property without our knowledge without our consent????
What LAW, ORDINANCE or any portion of our DEED allows the town to be giving away any portion of our property to any RELIGIOUS GROUP that is using it for their own self serving purpose!!!!! PSYCHOLOGIC BLOCKBUSTING, AND SEIGE??????!!!!!!!
WHAT LAW IN ANY COUNTRY WOULD ALLOW THIS????
WE WILL NOT TOLERATE LECHIS &
ERUVS ON OUR PRIVATE PROPERTY!!!
Interesting points. The problem with silence is it can be interpreted in many ways. Thank you for your comment.