BUZZWORTHY
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Wayne
JETSCOACHSPORTS PCTI T-SHIRT
On Sept . 10 , New York Jets Head Coach ROBERT SALEH appeared at his afternoon press conference representing another team — or at least wearing a T-shirt that did . Saleh , who said he plans to wear a different high school T-shirt each week to spotlight the New Jersey schools and sports programs that do “ something pretty cool ,” chose to wear a PASSAIC COUNTY TECH Bulldog shirt as his first fashion statement of support . “ This is PCTI , it ’ sPassaic County Technical Institute , the Bulldogs ,” Saleh said of the vocational school inWayne . Specifically , he said , he was honoring the Passaic County Tech Lady Bulldogs . “ The girls are the first varsity flag football team in the history of New Jersey to win a championship ,” he said . “ So , they ’ re the first .” The league was created by Nike and the New York Jets to grow flag football asatrue varsity sport for girls across the state .
— CINDYSCHWEICHHANDLER
Woodland Park
THE TAIL THATWAGSTHE DOG
The $ 150,000 dog park that opened in RIFLE CAMP PARK this summer may be the last word in pooch pleasures — it has water fountains , ramps , and separate runs for large and small dogs — but it represents only one aspect of the $ 2.3 million in upgrades Passaic County is making to the 169 acres in Woodland Park . The planned improvements represent the final phase of the county ’ s effort to upgrade its entire park system , says County Administrator Anthony J . De Nova .
Rifle Camp Park is getting substantial upgrades , including new playground equipment and a sledding hill that will open this winter near the senior picnic area . Park users who enjoy passive recreation will benefit from renovations to the warming shelter and bathrooms at the Carnie Bragg picnic area , which will also get new fixtures and new roofing . One of the bathroom facilities should be open year-round , park officials say . In a second phase , renovations will be made to the amphitheater and the nature center .
— MATTFAGAN
Wayne , Woodland Park , Clifton
TOP-SHELF GROCERYSELECTION
The Wayne area is expanding its grocery store horizons :
• A new Inserra-owned SHOPRITE is being constructed at the former site of Wayne Hills Mall at the corner of Berdan Avenue and Hamburg Turnpike . It will be 74,554 square feet , about 15,000 square feet larger than the ShopRite at Plaza Square shopping center , and will also be connected to a 5,593-square-foot liquor store . The new location is expected to open at the end of October .
• An AMAZON FRESH store will open in the former location of the Fairway Market at 1510 Route 46 in Woodland Park . Amazon Fresh , which started as an online delivery store , offers checkout-free shopping . As customers shop , the carts scan the selected items and charge them to the shopper ’ s account .
• WEEE !, a fast-growing ethnic online supermarket that specializes in Asian / Latino groceries and hard-to-find items , is moving into a 220,000-square-foot warehouse on Delawanna Avenue in Clifton . The warehouse is not open to the public ; instead , shoppers go to sayweee . com and order groceries online . Customers in Wayne , Pompton Lakes , Pompton Plains and other nearby towns will be able to get delicacies such asfresh Pacific black cod from Half Moon Bay and Kyoho grapes with just afew clicks ( and a credit card , of course ). “ We ’ re all about making food more accessible and exciting for ethnic communities , whether our customers reside in Manhattan or Jersey ,” says Weee ! founder and CEO Larry Liu . Southern Passaic ’ s location , the proximity to New York City , its airports and its diverse population are what attracted the grocer to Clifton , company officials say .
— REBECCA KING AND MATT FAGAN
ROBERT SALEH : COURTESY OF DENNIS WASZAK JR .; RIFLE CAMP PARK : ANNE-AMRIE CARUSO
4 FALL 2021 WAYNE MAGAZINE