KOUR PARK RENOVATIONS
COMPLETED
New Science Labs Open a
World of Possibilities for
WRHS Students
w ood-Ridge High School is wrapping up its first year successfully
w illiam Kour Park on 13th Street is in full bloom this spring with new
landscaping, trees, a sprinkler system, ornate stone walls, winding path-
ways and new benches and picnic tables, reported Councilman Joseph
DiMarco, who serves as the liaison to the Community Development Com-
mittee.
“Kour Park has been enhanced to a premiere green space on par with the
others in our community, one that residents of all ages are invited to enjoy,
whether taking a walk, appreciating nature, engaging in a conversation
with neighbors or admiring the view of the setting sun to the west,” noted
DiMarco.
Funding for the project was provided in part by a Bergen County Open
Space Grant. To date, nearly $800,000 in Bergen County Open Space
grants have been awarded to the Borough and applied to the enhancement
of parks and recreational facilities throughout Wood-Ridge, including the
6th Street Field, 14th Street Field Playground, Bowman Park tennis courts,
and Veterans Park on the Boulevard.
T he Boroug h of Wood-Ridge received the
2017 Bergen County Historic Preservation
Award on May 4, 2017 for its Restoration of
the Brinkerhoff House / Wood-Ridge Memo-
rial Library. The Brinkerhoff House, built
around 1784, was originally a farmhouse
built from hand-cut native sandstone, and
is the only surviving sandstone house in
Wood-Ridge. Its storied history includes once
crowning a 200-acre farm, being saved from
demolition by a group of concerned citizens
in the 1950s, and being repaired by Edgar I.
Williams, architect and the brother of the late
poet William Carlos Williams.
The Borough undertook the renovations
utilizing a Bergen County Historic Trust Fund
Grant, said Councilwoman Catherine Cassidy,
who also serves as the President of the Library
Board.
utilizing all-new science labs as a result of a comprehensive, col-
laborative Borough-Board of Education overhaul of school facilities
benefiting all grade levels.
“Each lab is used by all students at WRHS who are enrolled in ei-
ther Physics, Chemistry, or Biology, and beginning with an inaugural
class in September 2017, students enrolled in the Academy of Sci-
ence and Technology,” said Council President Dominick Azzolini,
who also serves as Vice Chair of the Education Facilities Special
Committee. “Although the labs can be used interchangeably, each
was designed in collaboration with the teacher of the specific disci-
pline to cater to the laboratory needs of each scientific discipline.”
Among some of the labs’ most exciting technological features
are a large format printer and a “3-D printer” which allows for the
creation of a three-dimensional objects from digital files. The labs
officially reopened at the beginning of 2016-2017 school year.
Part of a Borough-wide initiative envisioned by the Mayor and
Council and Board of Education together to upgrade Wood-Ridge’s
existing school buildings for the next generation of students, the lab
renovations are part of improvements which have included install-
ing new windows, security cameras and heating and air conditioning
systems in all schools. Work at Doyle School was completed last
year and work at the Jr.-Sr. High School will be completed by the
end of this year. The renovations, which are partially funded by a
$4.8 million state grant, were overwhelmingly approved by the vot-
ers in a 2014 referendum.
“The renovations included structural
enhancements with a keen eye to preserving
history for future Wood-Ridge generations
and patrons of the library to enjoy,” said
Cassidy, noting that Brinkerhoff House has
received renovations to its roofing, drainage,
siding, trim repair, masonry repointing, and an
upgrading of its exterior lighting.
Pictured at the recognition ceremony, held
at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Englewood,
are Bergen County Historic Preservation
Advisory Board member Jeffrey Lahullier, Li-
brary Director Margaret Mellet, Councilwom-
an Cassidy, Library Board Members Linda
Radulich, Judy Pepe, Ann Riccardella, Ronnie
York, Lauren Magnusson and Pat Sloan, and
Margaret Hickey and Tom Connelly of Con-
nelly and Hickey Historical Architects.
2017 Road
paving
scheduled
T he Borough of Wood-Ridge
announced that it has recieved
$165,000 in grant funding
from the State Department of
Transportation to be applied
to road enhancements in the
Borough. The Borough will
use the funds to move ahead
with paving Marlboro Road,
Windsor Road and Sussex
Road, all from Valley Boule-
vard to 10th Street, and 7th
Street from Highland Avenue
to Sussex Road. Work is
slated to begin in August and
be concluded by November.
“The Borough continues to
be on track with a comprehen-
sive road resurfacing program
that has brought repaving,
new curbs and sidewalks, and
enhanced drainage infra-
structure to nearly every road
in the borough over the last
15 years,” said Councilman
Phil Romero, who Chairs
the Borough’s Public Works
Committee.