Aging is inevitable, and for many, it signals the beginning of a new chapter - one where you cross off bucket list items and live life to the fullest, on your own terms. However, for some women, aging is a horrible prospect, filled with chronic fatigue, irritability, and inability to perform in the bedroom. If you're concerned about life in middle age and beyond, we've got great news: there are easy, proven steps that you can take to help stop the negative effect of aging.
Global Life Rejuvenation was founded to give women a new lease on life - one that includes less body fat, fewer mood swings, and more energy as you age. If you're ready to look and feel younger, it's time to consider HRT (hormone replacement therapy), and growth hormone peptides. These therapies for men and women are effective, safe, and customized to fit your goals, so you can keep loving life as you get older.
HRT, and growth hormone peptide therapies bridge the gap between your old life and the more vibrant, happier version of you. With a simple click or call, you can be well on your way to a brighter future. After all, you deserve to be the one in charge of your wellness and health. Now, you have the tools to do so - backed by science and applied by our team of HRT experts with more than 13 years of experience.
As women age, their hormones begin to go through changes that affect their day-to-day lives. For women, hormone deficiency and imbalance usually occur during menopause and can cause chronic fatigue, hot flashes, and mood swings, among other issues. Hormone replacement therapy helps correct hormone imbalances in women, helping them feel more vibrant and virile as they age.
Often, HRT treatments give patients enhanced quality of life that they didn't think was possible - even in their 60's and beyond.
The benefits for women are numerous and are available today through Global Life Rejuvenation.
As women age, their bodies begin to go through significant changes that affect their quality of life. This change is called menopause and marks the end of a woman's menstrual cycle and reproduction ability. Though there is no specific age when this change occurs, the average age of menopause onset is 51 years old. However, according to doctors, menopause officially starts 12 months after a woman's final period. During the transition to menopause, women's estrogen and other hormones begin to deplete.
As that happens, many women experience severe symptoms. These symptoms include:
The symptoms of hormone deficiency can be concerning and scary for both women and their spouses. However, if you're getting older and notice some of these symptoms, there is reason to be hopeful. Hormone replacement therapy and anti-aging medicine for women can correct imbalances that happen during menopause. These safe, effective treatments leave you feeling younger, healthier, and more vibrant.
The most common reason for menopause is the natural decline in a female's reproductive hormones. However, menopause can also result from the following situations:
Oophorectomy: This surgery, which removes a woman's ovaries, causes immediate menopause. Symptoms and signs of menopause in this situation can be severe, as the hormonal changes happen abruptly.
Chemotherapy: Cancer treatments like chemotherapy can induce menopause quickly, causing symptoms to appear shortly after or even during treatment.
Ovarian Insufficiency: Also called premature ovarian failure, this condition is essentially premature menopause. It happens when a woman's ovaries quit functioning before the age of 40 and can stem from genetic factors and disease. Only 1% of women suffer from premature menopause, but HRT can help protect the heart, brain, and bones.
For many women, menopause is a trying time that can be filled with many hormonal hurdles to jump through. A little knowledge can go a long way, whether you're going through menopause now or are approaching "that" age.
Here are some of the most common issues that women experience during menopause:
If you're a woman going through menopause and find that you have become increasingly depressed, you're not alone. It's estimated that 15% of women experience depression to some degree while going through menopause. What many women don't know is that depression can start during perimenopause, or the years leading up to menopause.
Depression can be hard to diagnose, especially during perimenopause and menopause. However, if you notice the following signs, it might be time to speak with a physician:
Remember, if you're experiencing depression, you're not weak or broken - you're going through a very regular emotional experience. The good news is that with proper treatment from your doctor, depression isn't a death sentence. And with HRT and anti-aging treatment for women, depression could be the catalyst you need to enjoy a new lease on life.
Hot flashes - they're one of the most well-known symptoms of menopause. Hot flashes are intense, sudden feelings of heat across a woman's upper body. Some last second, while others last minutes, making them incredibly inconvenient and uncomfortable for most women.
Symptoms of hot flashes include:
Typically, hot flashes are caused by a lack of estrogen. Low estrogen levels negatively affect a woman's hypothalamus, the part of the brain that controls body temperature and appetite. Low estrogen levels cause the hypothalamus to incorrectly assume the body is too hot, dilating blood vessels to increase blood flow. Luckily, most women don't have to settle for the uncomfortable feelings that hot flashes cause. HRT treatments for women often stabilize hormones, lessening the effects of hot flashes and menopause in general.
Mood swings are common occurrences for most people - quick shifts from happy to angry and back again, triggered by a specific event. And while many people experience mood swings, they are particularly common for women going through menopause. That's because, during menopause, the female's hormones are often imbalanced. Hormone imbalances and mood swings go hand-in-hand, resulting in frequent mood changes and even symptoms like insomnia.
The rate of production of estrogen, a hormone that fluctuates during menopause, largely determines the rate of production the hormone serotonin, which regulates mood, causing mood swings.
Luckily, HRT and anti-aging treatments in Ridgewood, NJ for women work wonders for mood swings by regulating hormone levels like estrogen. With normal hormone levels, women around the world are now learning that they don't have to settle for mood swings during menopause.
Staying fit and healthy is hard for anyone living in modern America. However, for women with hormone imbalances during perimenopause or menopause, weight gain is even more serious. Luckily, HRT treatments for women coupled with a physician-led diet can help keep weight in check. But which hormones need to be regulated?
Lowered sexual desire - three words most men and women hate to hear. Unfortunately, for many women in perimenopausal and menopausal states, it's just a reality of life. Thankfully, today, HRT and anti-aging treatments Ridgewood, NJ can help women maintain a normal, healthy sex drive. But what causes low libido in women, especially as they get older?
The hormones responsible for low libido in women are progesterone, estrogen, and testosterone.
Progesterone production decreases during perimenopause, causing low sex drive in women. Lower progesterone production can also cause chronic fatigue, weight gain, and other symptoms. On the other hand, lower estrogen levels during menopause lead to vaginal dryness and even vaginal atrophy or loss of muscle tension.
Lastly, testosterone plays a role in lowered libido. And while testosterone is often grouped as a male hormone, it contributes to important health and regulatory functionality in women. A woman's testosterone serves to heighten sexual responses and enhances orgasms. When the ovaries are unable to produce sufficient levels of testosterone, it often results in a lowered sex drive.
Often uncomfortable and even painful, vaginal dryness is a serious problem for sexually active women. However, like hair loss in males, vaginal dryness is very common - almost 50% of women suffer from it during menopause.
Getting older is just a part of life, but that doesn't mean you have to settle for the side effects. HRT and anti-aging treatments for women correct vaginal dryness by re-balancing estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. When supplemented with diet and healthy living, your vagina's secretions are normalized, causing discomfort to recede.
Uterine fibroids - they're perhaps the least-known symptom of menopause and hormone imbalances in women. That's because these growths on the uterus are often symptom-free. Unfortunately, these growths can be cancerous, presenting a danger for women as they age.
Many women will have fibroids at some point. Because they're symptomless, they're usually found during routine doctor exams. Some women only get one or two, while others may have large clusters of fibroids. Because fibroids are usually caused by hormone imbalances, hysterectomies have been used as a solution, forcing women into early menopause.
Advances in HRT and anti-aging medicine for women give females a safer, non-surgical option without having to experience menopause early. At Global Life Rejuvenation, our expert physicians will implement a customized HRT program to stabilize your hormones and reduce the risk of cancerous fibroid growth.
Endometriosis symptoms are much like the effects of PMS, and include pelvic pain, fatigue, cramping, and bloating. While doctors aren't entirely sure what causes this painful, uncomfortable condition, most agree that hormones - particularly xenoestrogens - play a factor.
Endometriosis symptoms are much like the effects of PMS and include pelvic pain, fatigue, cramping, and bloating. While doctors aren't entirely sure what causes this painful, uncomfortable condition, most agree that hormones - particularly xenoestrogens - play a factor.
Xenoestrogen is a hormone that is very similar to estrogen. Too much xenoestrogen is thought to stimulate endometrial tissue growth. HRT for women helps balance these hormones and, when used with a custom nutrition program, can provide relief for women across the U.S.
Hormone stability is imperative for a healthy sex drive and for a normal, stress-free life during menopause. HRT and anti-aging treatments for women balance the hormones that your body has altered due to perimenopause or menopause.
HRT for women is a revolutionary step in helping women live their best lives, even as they grow older. However, at Global Life Rejuvenation, we know that no two patients are the same. That's why we specialize in holistic treatments that utilize HRT, combined with healthy nutrition, supplements, and fitness plans that maximize hormone replacement treatments.
If you've been suffering through menopause, is HRT the answer? That's hard to say without an examination by a trusted physician, but one thing's for sure. When a woman balances her hormone levels, she has a much better shot at living a regular life with limited depression, weight gain, mood swings, and hot flashes.
Here are just a few additional benefits of HRT and anti-aging treatments for females:
Hormone imbalance causes a litany of issues. But with anti-aging treatments for women, females can better process calcium, keep their cholesterol levels safe, and maintain a healthy vagina. By replenishing the body's estrogen supply, HRT can relieve symptoms from menopause and protect against osteoporosis. But that's just the start.
Global Life Rejuvenation's patients report many more benefits of HRT and anti-aging medicine for women:
If you're ready to feel better, look better, and recapture the vitality of your youth, it's time to contact Global Life Rejuvenation. It all starts with an in-depth consultation, where we will determine if HRT and anti-aging treatments for women are right for you. After all, every patient's body and hormone levels are different. Since all our treatment options are personalized, we do not have a single threshold for treatment. Instead, we look at our patient's hormone levels and analyze them on a case-by-case basis.
At Global Life Rejuvenation, we help women rediscover their youth with HRT treatment for women. We like to think of ourselves as an anti-aging concierge service, guiding and connecting our patients to the most qualified HRT physicians available. With customized HRT treatment plan for women, our patients experience fewer menopausal symptoms, less perimenopause & menopause depression, and often enjoy a more youth-like appearance.
Growth hormone peptides are an innovative therapy that boosts the natural human growth hormone production in a person's body. These exciting treatment options help slow down the aging process and give you a chance at restoring your youth.
Sermorelin is a synthetic hormone peptide, like GHRH, which triggers the release of growth hormones. When used under the care of a qualified physician, Sermorelin can help you lose weight, increase your energy levels, and help you feel much younger.
Human growth hormone (HGH) therapy has been used for years to treat hormone deficiencies. Unlike HGH, which directly replaces declining human growth hormone levels, Sermorelin addresses the underlying cause of decreased HGH, stimulating the pituitary gland naturally. This approach keeps the mechanisms of growth hormone production active.
Ipamorelin helps to release growth hormones in a person's body by mimicking a peptide called ghrelin. Ghrelin is one of three hormones which work together to regulate the growth hormone levels released by the pituitary gland. Because Ipamorelin stimulates the body to produce growth hormone, your body won't stop its natural growth hormone production, which occurs with synthetic HGH.
Ipamorelin causes growth hormone secretion that resembles natural release patterns rather than being constantly elevated from HGH. Because ipamorelin stimulates the natural production of growth hormone, our patients can use this treatment long-term with fewer health risks.
One of the biggest benefits of Ipamorelin is that it provides significant short and long-term benefits in age management therapies. Ipamorelin can boost a patient's overall health, wellbeing, and outlook on life.
When there is an increased concentration of growth hormone by the pituitary gland, there are positive benefits to the body. Some benefits include:
Whether you are considering our HRT and anti-aging treatments for women in Ridgewood, NJ, we are here to help. The first step to reclaiming your life begins by contacting Global Life Rejuvenation. Our friendly, knowledgeable HRT experts can help answer your questions and walk you through our procedures. From there, we'll figure out which treatments are right for you. Before you know it, you'll be well on your way to looking and feeling better than you have in years!
866-793-9933
Torre Watson doesn’t just have Ridgewood roots, he has a Ridgewood soul.“I am a spiritual person and I believe God is just moving me around, he brought me into education and coaching came with that,” Watson said. “I have worked in different schools in Ridgewood and this was the time for this transition to happen.”The 50-year old Ridgewood graduate, whose family has been part of the community for generations, was named the Maroons' new head football coach Monday night at the Ridgewood...
Torre Watson doesn’t just have Ridgewood roots, he has a Ridgewood soul.
“I am a spiritual person and I believe God is just moving me around, he brought me into education and coaching came with that,” Watson said. “I have worked in different schools in Ridgewood and this was the time for this transition to happen.”
The 50-year old Ridgewood graduate, whose family has been part of the community for generations, was named the Maroons' new head football coach Monday night at the Ridgewood Board of Education meeting.
Watson takes over for Chuck Johnson, who announced his resignation after 38 years at Ridgewood in February. Johnson was the longest-tenured coach in Bergen County and won six sectional titles during his career.
Last year, Johnson suffered an illness just before the start of fall practice and Watson served as the interim coach. When Johnson recovered, Watson and Johnson were reunited as co-head coaches near the end of the season. The Maroons finished 6-4, losing in the second round of the Group 5 playoffs to West Orange in overtime.
“Chuck provided such a great foundation for this program,” Watson said. “I learned so much from him, like organization and his attention to detail.”
Watson served as an assistant coach at Ridgewood under Johnson off and on since 1996, working with the offensive and defensive lines. He also spent some time on staff at Ramapo and Fair Lawn.
Watson graduated from Ridgewood in 1991 and went to Westchester University, where he played football. He tells the story that after college he didn’t have enough money to join a gym, so he started working out at Ridgewood High School when he encountered Johnson, who asked him if he wanted to become a volunteer coach.
“I told him I really need a job, but when I found one, it had flexibility which allowed me to come back and coach for the first time,” Watson said.
From there, Watson has served multiple roles at Ridgewood. He joined the wrestling program as an assistant in 2000 and became head coach in 2006. He’s also an assistant outdoor track coach working with the sprinters and jumpers.
He plans on keeping all his current positions even while adding head football coach to his resume, but said time will tell if he has to change depending on the time commitments needed.
“Last year, I was thrust into doing both [wrestling and football] and it worked itself out,” Watson said. “There’s no need to shake that apple cart right now, but it will come down to self-assessment and making sure that everything is getting the proper attention.”
For Subscribers:Here's what Yankees are getting (and not getting) for $277M, and what needs to change
Under Johnson, Ridgewood stuck with the Wing-T offense, which prides itself on quickness and deception. It was successful, but as football has changed over the years, fewer teams rely on the Wing-T as their main strategy.
Now that Johnson has resigned, have we seen the last of the Ridgewood Wing-T?
“I will say this,” Watson said, after a chuckle. “We are still in the midst of securing our staff at all levels. I’ve been part of this program for 20 of the last 26 years, creating the foundation, so there are some things that we will sustain. I am also different, so there are things that will be very different and we will not look like the Ridgewood football of old.”
Watson said the majority of the Ridgewood football coaching staff will be returning. He's hoping to meet with the team officially sometime next week. He’s currently working at Ben Franklin Middle School, but said he will be reassigned to the high school.
For Subscribers:The $358M Mets: Here's what needs to change for the most expensive team in baseball
Watson speaks fondly of his family’s pride in Ridgewood. His grandmother graduated from Ridgewood in 1932, his mother in 1966. His uncle played for the Maroons, he coached his nephew in the early 2010s.
He is the first Black head football coach at Ridgewood, and is now the third current Black head coach of a Bergen County high school football program, joining Joe Hoyle at Dwight Morrow and Harold Clark in Teaneck.
“It’s a huge thing for me in every position that I hold that I represent my family and my lineage,” Watson said. “I am extremely proud of that.”
Ridgewood is one of the signature athletic programs in North Jersey and Watson understands that this position comes with a spotlight. He’s going to rely on his assistants, his perseverance and mentors to move the football program forward.
“My family has been ingrained in the educational community here for a long time,” Watson said. “The opportunity to come here and leave my mark, that’s what has me excited.”
Ridgewood's "No Mow May" proclamation is the first by a New Jersey municipality to take up the challenge started by Great Britain's Plantlife and picked up by Bee City USA encouraging residents to modify their grass "footprint."The April 12 Council proclamation asks residents to refrain from mowing all or part o...
Ridgewood's "No Mow May" proclamation is the first by a New Jersey municipality to take up the challenge started by Great Britain's Plantlife and picked up by Bee City USA encouraging residents to modify their grass "footprint."
The April 12 Council proclamation asks residents to refrain from mowing all or part of their lawn during May to create a short-term habitat and food source for early pollinators. The long-term goal is to raise awareness of environmentally-friendly alternatives to sweeping expanses of water- and chemical-treated lawns.
Mayor Paul Vagianos and Deputy Mayor Pamela Perron said they would personally participate, along with 10 municipal properties, including all or part of Village Hall, its library, three parks, the Stable, Ridgewood Water, Monroe Tennis Courts and Graydon Pool.
"At my house, we're not mowing the lawn in May," Vagianos said. "I hope everyone else will join us in this very worthy effort.
Perron emphasized that taller grass has deeper roots that need less water.
"When demand for water spikes in the warmer months, Ridgewood Water has to then operate wells that have higher PFAS," Perron said. "No Mow May is one of the ways we can conserve water."
"No mowing" may sound like fighting words to Village residents who cherish their weedless putting-green yards. But Mike Faherty, who heads the Village's GreenRidgewoodNJ subcommittee said "a whole new generation" of residents are voicing increased concern about the long-range consequences of expending water and weed-killer on land with no food-production value, not to mention depriving wildlife of habitat and food sources.
"It's the new aesthetic," Faherty said. "A large lawn won't be cool anymore."
Faherty emphasized that the program is for one month, which is not long enough for ticks and other animals to set up housekeeping in the weeds.
"We will want people to mow their lawns at the end," Faherty said.
Because the village has ordinances that require regular lawn maintenance, residents must register to participate. They will receive a sign to post announcing their cooperation with the program so they are not mistaken for mowing "slackers."
"Additionally, Green Ridgewood will randomly select one participant to win an electric lawnmower," Faherty said.
No Mow May is a compliment to the committee's "Project 1,000 Acres" started last year seeking residents who will formally commit to helping convert 1,000 of the Village's 3,600 acres to more sustainable landscape practices.
NO MOW PUSHWhy many NJ lawns are wildly overgrown (and why that's a good thing)
"We have a list of 10 common sense things residents can do," Faherty said. "They include converting part of your lawn to native plants, fertilize organically, and water less."
Anything that saves water has the wholehearted endorsement of Ridgewood Water Director of Operations Richard Calbi Jr., who wages a seasonal battle with residents of Glen Rock, Midland Park and Wyckoffas well as the Village to conform with their lawn watering restrictions.
"Participants will save water and avoid placing fertilizers and pesticides on their lawn, which ultimately find their way into our waterways and groundwater," Calbi said.
RESIDENT ATTEMPTSWhy a Bergen woman fought back (and won) after local officials forced her to mow her lawn
Resident apiarist Frank "The Beeman" Mortimer also gave No Mow May an enthusiastic thumbs-up, especially to preserve the much-maligned dandelion.
"The dandelion is among the earliest-blooming flowers," Mortimer said. "If every homeowner would refrain from pulling out just a few of these, a handful would help with early pollination. By not mowing your lawn, you are helping pollinators survive so they continue pollinating your flowers, plants, trees and gardens."
There is no charge to register for No Mow May online at ridgewoodnj.net/no-mow-may-registration, or by visiting Ridgewood Parks Department at The Stable, 259 N. Maple Ave., where signs may be picked up.
RIDGEWOOD — The Village Council finds itself between a historic rock and a hard place as opposing forces weigh in on the newest plan for use of the Zabriskie-Schedler house on West Saddle River Road.The proposed plan, which includes a ballfield overlay to a previously-proposed multi-purpose field, was presented by Village Engineer Chris Rutishauser at Wednesday's work session. The ballfield is shown with the home plate facing Route 17, unlike previous designs that showed it with its back to the highway and facing ...
RIDGEWOOD — The Village Council finds itself between a historic rock and a hard place as opposing forces weigh in on the newest plan for use of the Zabriskie-Schedler house on West Saddle River Road.
The proposed plan, which includes a ballfield overlay to a previously-proposed multi-purpose field, was presented by Village Engineer Chris Rutishauser at Wednesday's work session. The ballfield is shown with the home plate facing Route 17, unlike previous designs that showed it with its back to the highway and facing West Saddle River Road. A 40-stall parking lot is shown.
No vote was taken on the newest plan, and a previous plan to vote on March 8 has been shelved. Mayor Paul Vagianos said he wanted at least one more work session at which another version of the design could be considered showing the ballfield more tightly aligned with the multi-purpose field before the Village Council votes on a design.
JANUARY PROPOSALRidgewood looks at historic house lot to ease shortage of sports fields
However, several interest groups have now entered the fray with differing views on the property's development:
RESTORATION BEGINSRidgewood begins restoration of historic Zabriskie-Schedler House
Rutishauer said he had finally toured the site with members of the State Historic Preservation Office, or SHIPO, which has jurisdiction over what can be done on landmarked sites, and a member of the Bergen County Historic Trust after a two- to three-year COVID-related delay.
"There were a number of key points they made very clear," Rutishauser said. "They strongly recommended whatever the village does in this park development they keep encroachments to the historic house in mind, the historic sensitivity of the house. They couldn't emphasize enough that any design we do should not have an encroachment that they cannot administratively approve."
He said such encroachments would have to be approved by the Historic Sites Council in a more time-consuming process and would include artificial turf and permanent field lighting.
The John A.L. Zabriskie house at 460 West Saddle River Road east of Route 17 north was built around 1837 and was last occupied by Florence Schedler until her death in 2007. It was added to the state historic register in August 2019 and the National Register of Historic Places in November 2019 as one of the last surviving 19th-century frame homes in the county,
FUTURE UNCERTAINSchedler house repairs to go forward, but how the property will be used remains uncertain
The house was not built at the time George Washington passed through Bergen County with his troops during the Revolutionary War. However, Washington did use the Old Paramus Reformed Church a quarter-mile south of the Schedler house as his headquarters in 1778 and 1780, according to Bergen County's Revolutionary War Sites. As such, there is ongoing speculation that artifacts of the era remain in the area.
Rutishauser said archeological supervision has been provided when the property was trenched to facilitate the installation of water and power lines. However, he said a more time-consuming and expensive oversight would be required for the construction of the fields and parking lot.
RIDGEWOOD — Mark Schwarz, superintendent of the five-school, 2,560-student Madison school district in Morris County, has been named superintendent of the Ridgewood school district, the largest in Bergen County, with 10 schools and 5,705 students.Board of Education President Michael Lembo announced the appointment at Monday's meeting. Schwarz will join the district July 1. His starting salary is $260,000.Schwarz, 43, will succeed Thomas Gorman, who announced his resignation from the district in March 2022 to...
RIDGEWOOD — Mark Schwarz, superintendent of the five-school, 2,560-student Madison school district in Morris County, has been named superintendent of the Ridgewood school district, the largest in Bergen County, with 10 schools and 5,705 students.
Board of Education President Michael Lembo announced the appointment at Monday's meeting. Schwarz will join the district July 1. His starting salary is $260,000.
Schwarz, 43, will succeed Thomas Gorman, who announced his resignation from the district in March 2022 to become superintendent of the Montville school district, ironically in Morris County. Leonard Fitts was named interim superintendent in Ridgewood in May 2022 and has been serving in that capacity since July, its first Black superintendent.
The announcement comes a month after the Ridgewood Board of Education voted to initiate a "later school start" for its high school students next fall, among the few in Bergen County to undertake this still-debated policy, which was embraced this past fall by the entire state of California.
Schwarz grew up in Green and Lafayette townships in Sussex County and was a shared-time high school student between High Point High School and Sussex County Vocational Technical School.
Schwarz has a bachelor's degree from Ramapo College of New Jersey and a master's from Seton Hall University, where he is also a doctoral candidate.
SUPERINTENDENT RESIGNSRidgewood schools superintendent is leaving to run Montville district
He has served as superintendent of Madison Public Schools since August 2017. He previously served the Rockaway Borough Board of Education in Morris County for five years: as vice principal from July 2012 to June 2013, principal from June 2013 to June 2015, and superintendent from July 2015 to August 2017.
Previously, Schwarz served Jefferson Township Public Schools for nine years as a high school teacher; the K-12 supervisor of social studies, visual art, and technology; and the founding head coach of the district’s volleyball programs.
Schwarz is married with two children.
LATER START APPROVEDRidgewood approves later start time for high school this fall, schedule details to follow
The Ridgewood district has been debating a later school start for middle school and high school students for the last year, part of a national trend based on recommendations dating back to an American Academy of Pediatrics September 2014 paper "School Start Times for Adolescents."
The report argued that adolescents go through a temporary disruption of their circadian sleep rhythms, need to sleep later, and benefit from starting middle school classes no earlier than 8 a.m. and high school no earlier than 8:30 a.m.
Ridgewood is not the first to adopt a later start. Tenafly converted in 2019. Chatham High School in Morris County and Princeton High School in Mercer County have also switched to later starts.
In a split decision, the village council narrowly voted in favor of installing a multi-use turf field on the historic Schedler property.|Updated Tue, Apr 18, 2023 at 10:12 am ETRIDGEWOOD, NJ — A large turf field can be built on the Zabriskie-Schedler property after the Ridgewood Council gave the controversial project a green light with a slim vote in favor.The Ridgewood C...
|Updated Tue, Apr 18, 2023 at 10:12 am ET
RIDGEWOOD, NJ — A large turf field can be built on the Zabriskie-Schedler property after the Ridgewood Council gave the controversial project a green light with a slim vote in favor.
The Ridgewood Council voted 3-2 to install the multipurpose sports field on April 12 after an intense, months-long debate considering the purported benefits and ill effects of putting such a field onsite.
Council members Evan Weitz, Siobhan Winograd and mayor Paul Vagianos voted in support of the resolution, while Council members Lorraine Reynolds and Pam Perron voted against.
"I have come to the reluctant but strong conclusion that a large, turf field is absolutely appropriate there and is needed," Weitz said. "I proudly vote yes on the resolution."
He said that that he is comfortable "owning" the legacy of this vote and feels that the affirmative vote is the right thing to do.
In effect, the vote paves the way for construction of a full-sized regulation field, providing space for multiple sports, at the village parcel on West Saddle River Road; a project start date has not yet been announced.
Winograd said she supported the adopted plan, as maintenance of a turf field is expected to cost less than grass, and as the village needs more sports fields in less flood-prone areas.
"I know some people will not be happy with the net-net here, and some will be very happy," Winograd said. "But I want people to understand that this conversation happened out in front week after week."
Mayor Vagianos, before voting in favor, said the "main driver" for adding this field is that all of the village's major fields are in flood hazard areas.
"Imagine living in a community where athletes have to go to neighboring towns to have practices because we don't have enough fields," he said.
"When the floodplain collapses, and (the sports fields) are under water, it wreaks havoc on the entire program for all of our youth."
Reynolds and Perron voted against the plan out of concern that squeezing the field into the limited space would result in more trees removed, and that polyfluoroalkyl substances (also known as "forever chemicals") are reported to have been found in turf.
"We will be tearing down trees, and harming our residents' rights to clean air, safe drinking water and preservation of the natural scenic, historic and aesthetic qualities of the environment," Reynolds said. "(The vote tonight) takes those rights away from people."
In response, the mayor said "plenty of trees" would, in fact, be planted (to replace those cut down), and argued that PFAS are already found in everyday products such as cookware or some dental floss.
Perron held that the council owed Ridgewood citizens (and all its living creatures) more.
"We know that PFAS is potentially bad for not only humans, but fish, oysters and insects," Perron said.
"Just because PFAS is ubiquitous doesn't mean that we should throw our hands up and say, 'Well, we can't do anything about it.'"
But Winograd put the focus on the Schedler house, which is listed in the New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places and is also being restored.
"We are putting money into a house for which we have no future intended use," Winograd said.
"I am respectfully asking that the house be added to the discussion for the next work session."
The council also awarded a contract — in an amount not to exceed $8,600 — to a historic preservationist to gather information on the property, identify regulatory approvals, and coordinate with the project team.
All council members voted to award the contract to Peter Primavera Partners, LLC, except Reynolds who said she didn't feel as though she had enough information about the contractor.
"We should not be voting on this; this should come off of the agenda," the councilwoman said. "We are putting ourselves in harm's way."
Mayor Vagianos disagreed; he said CEO Primavera has labored in historic preservation for more many years for numerous town councils, and that the contractor can help "push the Schedler project over the finish line."
"My professional credentials and experience are already accepted by the Ridgewood council, and any towns, counties, states or federal agencies I have appeared before," Primavera told Patch. "My attorneys are evaluating whether anyone's capricious comments (about me) are actionable under New Jersey defamation law."
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
