Home Care In Clifton, NJ

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CLIFTON

2-minute read

NorthJersey.com

CLIFTON — The city is looking for its oldest longtime residents to tell their stories for an oral history project.

The city's communications manager, Margaret Morse, said residents over 70 who have lived there for at least 35 years are the perfect candidates for the project.

The residents selected will be asked to share their experiences in an audio-recorded interview (no video required) and have their photo taken for publication, Morse said.

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The chosen personal stories will at first be used in the city's monthly newsletter, which debuted in February, but Morse said they also may be part of a larger project later.

"All interviews will be archived and preserved for the purpose of expanding in the future," she said, adding that "Oral History" will debut in the March issue of the newsletter and will be published monthly moving forward. "Couples are more than welcome to share a joint story," she said.

"This initiative celebrates the rich history of our community by sharing personal stories from longtime residents," she said. "There are no strict limitations on word count or the number of photos."

So far Morse's proposal has been favorably received. Former Clifton Mayor James Anzaldi, a lifelong city resident who served as mayor for more than 30 years, said it's "a very nice idea."

"We still have a few people probably in their 90s that were born before the war," Anzaldi said. "They would be interesting because, after the war of 1947, '48, '49 is when all the Cape Cod houses were built and all the farms along Valley Road were disappearing."

Former city residents such as Keith Oakley, who moved to South Carolina a few years ago, support the project. He said he was in the city visiting family when he was approached to take part.

Former residents, Oakley said, are interested in what's happening to their former city and would love to read the newsletter. He said he is willing to share his personal stories for the effort.

"My family has lived in this area since 1820," Oakley said. "We've seen it all. The incorporation of the city, its buildup."

Newer city residents also appreciate the project and the ability to get more firsthand stories from residents. Former Little Falls resident and Montclair State University professor Arnold Korotkin, who now lives in Clifton, said there is great value in the project.

"I'm a strong proponent of oral history projects," Korotkin said. "It's always good to preserve the memories of days gone by. There's lessons to be learned."

Morse said she's looking forward to hearing residents' stories and those special personal moments that make people proud to live in "The City That Cares."

"These stories will serve as a testament to our city's strong sense of community and history for generations to come," she said.

To participate, contact Margaret Morse at 973-470-5807 or email [email protected].

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CLIFTON

NorthJersey.com

City Manager Dominick Villano resigned his position Tuesday night, effective immediately.

“It is with great sadness that I have been forced to tender this letter of resignation, and retirement from my position as the City Manager for the City of Clifton," said Villano reading from his resignation letter, "a city that I not only live in and love but I’ve faithfully dedicated my career to."

Villano, who has filed two tort claims (notifications that he planning on filing a lawsuit against the city), told the council Tuesday night that he can't accept the hostile work environment.

He named councilmembers Mary Sadrakula and Tony Latona as sources of the hostility and added he had hoped to continuing serving the city.

"I am resigning effective immediately," Villano said, who before the public session attended the council work session.

Villano added that he was subject "non-stop insults and attacks" making his job intolerable.

Over the past year and during several meetings with NorthJersey.com, Villano had expressed an increasing level of frustration. Still his resignation came as a surprise.

Clifton Mayor Ray Grabowksi said he didn't blame the manager for resigning.

"I respect his decision," the mayor said. "We had the opportunity to make things right. We didn't."

He said that he was surprised that Villano stayed as long as he did.

Some councilmembers voted not to accept his resignation. Councilwoman Rosemary Pino asked who will be running the city without a manager. In Clifton's form of government, the mayor and council set policy, but the manage runs the day-to-day operations.

"Who is going to tell the DPW what they are to do tomorrow?" Pino asked.

Councilmember Joseph Kolodziej also voted against accepting the resignation, but said it was largely ceremonial.

Villano was named city manager in 2015 and before that he served as the city's engineer. A number of residents chastised the city council for his treatment.

Tom Whittles, president of Clifton Against Substance Abuses, said he hopes that Villano successfully sues the city because of what the manager had to put up with.

"You treated him like he was garbage," Whittles said.

Former city councilman Matt Ward said the city council has spent too much time arguing about who sits where and in fighting than making sure the city runs correctly. Villano's resignation might be the final straw.

"We are having a crisis in confidence right now," Ward said.

Villano resignation is just one of the numerous upheavals. At a recent budget meeting, the city council voted to give a Rice notice to then City Attorney Matt Priore.

On Tuesday night, it was also learned that City Attorney Matt Prior also resigned.

In the beginning of the year, Municipal Clerk Nancy Ferrigno also announced that she was retiring. Her last day will be at the end of the month.

Also on Tuesday night's agenda was a tort claim notice from the City's Personnel Director Doug Johnson.

North Jersey's own Rachel Zegler was one of the many stars in attendance at the 97th Oscars on Sunday night. While she was not there as a nominee, the Clifton native was among the star-studded group of presenters including Whoopi Goldberg, Cillian Murphy, Emma Stone and many more.

Ahead of their upcoming film, Disney's live action "Snow White," Zegler and Gal Gadot took the stage at Dolby Theatre to present the award for best Visual Effects.

The nominees for this category included "Alien: Romulus," "Better Man," "Dune: Part Two," "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes," and "Wicked," with "Dune: Part Two" ultimately coming out on top.

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Known for her breakout role as Maria in Steven Spielberg's "West Side Story," which was nominated for seven Oscars in 2022, Zegler has yet to receive any Oscar nominations.

Her newest role as Snow White will hit theaters on March 25.

NJ nominations and wins at the 97th Oscars

The Garden State's talent was front and center at the Oscars this year with New Jersey actors, a director and a cinematographer receiving nominations for numerous awards.

New Jersey's Sean Baker, who wrote "Anora," received the Academy Awards for the best Writing (Original Screenplay), Directing, and Film Editing. "Anora" also took home the Oscar for Best Picture with leading actress Mikey Madison winning the award for best Actress in a Leading Role.

Passaic's Zoe Saldan?a won an Oscar for best Actress in a Supporting Role for her performance as Rita Mora Castro in "Emilia Pe?rez."

Who votes for the Oscars?

We've all heard the Oscar winners make their way onto the stage to thank "the Academy" for the life-altering award. But who actually is the Academy?

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is the governing body that oversees the Oscars awards show. According to the Oscars website, the mission of the Academy is to "recognize and uphold excellence in the motion picture arts and sciences, inspire imagination, and connect the world through the medium of motion pictures." The Academy has a global membership of more than 10,500 members.

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All eligible Academy members participate in Oscars voting. The nominations for best picture are determined by eligible members from all 19 Academy branches while nominees in other categories are determined by members of the corresponding branch. For example, the actors branch will determine the nominees for the best actor and actress categories, the writers branch will determine the nominees for the two writing categories and so on. Each category may have special rules and procedures.

All rounds of Oscars voting are done by secret online ballot, according to the Oscars website. Following the announcement of the nominees, all eligible Academy members may participate in the final round of voting to determine that year's winners. Members may vote in all 23 award categories during the final round.

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CLIFTON

4-minute read

NorthJersey.com

CLIFTON — The city's Board of Education is moving toward opening a third middle school as early as September to address the above-capacity enrollment at the other two.

The district said it has agreed to lease the former Pope Paul VI High School on Valley Road to house the yet-to-be-named new school for its sixth through eighth grade students.

Though a few hurdles remain before the school is a done deal, including approval of the lease by the state Education Department, the administration has determined that Christopher Columbus and Woodrow Wilson middle schools' enrollments are more than the buildings can handle.

The district wishes to reduce Christopher Columbus' enrollment, which has reached 1,111, and Woodrow Wilson's, which stands at 1,246 students, said Schools Superintendent Danny Robertozzi.

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"Our middle schools are bigger than most high schools in the state," Robertozzi told school board members.

Studies, he said, show that the ideal size for middle schools is between 600 and 900 students.

The administration's plan is to move students in stages to the new middle school until there are about 650 students in total, leaving 850 students at each of the existing middle schools.

The plan is to begin in September.

Which Clifton students will go to the new middle school?

The move would be gradual, Robertozzi said, with about 220 sixth graders entering the school in September. The next year, more new sixth graders would be added until year three, when the school is expected to be fully occupied.

Students at the new middle school will come directly from about three elementary schools. Those schools have not yet been determined. The district said a logistical study will be commissioned to provide a recommendation on which schools will feed to which middle school.

Redistricting will be based on a balance of social economic groups as well as financial concerns. Robertozzi said moving students to the school all at once would cause unneeded disruption to students and to the district's finances.

For instance, the school will need more staff, including a principal, support staff and teachers. The trustees and administrators said the vice principal of Christopher Columbus Middle School, Robert Bertolini, will serve as the new school's first principal.

Once the district decides how to redistrict, Robertozzi said, the administration will have to remain rigid on what students go to which school and minimize exceptions.

The superintendent named two exceptions the district will consider when placing a student. One will be if the student or students moving to the new school have siblings at one of the other schools, or if they are part of a specialized program based at either of those schools.

Parents of students who are going to the new middle school will be notified after the regular April school board meeting, Robertozzi said.

Why is Clifton getting a new middle school?

The district conducted a survey last fall asking residents how to use an extra school if one was acquired.

More than 37%, or 2,501 of the respondents, said an additional middle school was needed. Just over 31%, or 2,053 respondents, said they would like to see a specialty high school/academy.

Even with the survey results, not all board members were comfortable with moving forward with the superintendent's middle school recommendation.

Trustees Lucy Danny and Judy Bassford said the board had decided the public should have a chance to comment before a decision was made.

"I thought the rollout would be different," Danny said.

Board President Alan Paris responded that the district had also brought in an independent third party to evaluate the city's school-age demographics. The consultant recommended that the city add a third middle school, as did the district's administrators.

"I don't know what would be the benefit of having another public meeting," Paris said. "We are on a timeline here."

The district began exploring the acquisition of the school from the Diocese of Paterson in late 2021, and talks continued through 2024.

The district said it wanted to purchase the property, but the diocese did not want to sell it. Eventually, the diocese agreed to lease it to the district, officials said.

"We are grateful to the Clifton Board of Education for negotiating a lease agreement," a district statement reads. "It would benefit both parties if approved, providing Clifton with needed educational space while helping the Diocese of Paterson make the best use of underutilized property."

School officials said the lease includes the use of the diocese's offices at a date to be determined. The representative from the diocese declined to say where its new offices will be.

Clifton's new middle school needs a name

Robertozzi said the addition of a middle school is a historic moment for the city.

The superintendent said the residents and students will be given the chance to help select a new name for the school.

Trustees last summer adopted a policy on naming new schools. "Naming Schools, Parts Thereof and School Facilities Application" sets the criteria for naming schools and other facilities.

The policy requires that a name change or new name proposal be made by petition with 25 signatures from city residents. The name, whether of people, trees or other items, must be connected to the history of the school district or area.

Ideally, petitions to name the school should be submitted by April 1, Robertozzi said.

Christopher Columbus Middle School served as the city's high school until 1962, when the current high school on Colfax Avenue was built. Woodrow Wilson Middle School was built in 1955.

The middle schools were originally junior high schools, serving students from seventh through ninth grades.

The city has leased shuttered parochial schools in the past to relieve burgeoning enrollments. In 2004, voters approved the acquisition of the high school annex on Brighton Road.

The building first opened in September 2009 as a freshman academy for about 500 Clifton ninth graders. However, beginning in 2017, all students were housed at the main high school campus.

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CLIFTON

2-minute read

NorthJersey.com

CLIFTON — Stew Leonard's, a popular regional supermarket chain, is looking to expand its footprint in the city with a low-cost swim school in honor of the founder's grandson who drowned as a toddler.

Dubbed the "Disneyland of grocery stores," Stew Leonard's opened its Styertowne Shopping Center location, the second in New Jersey, last May.

The company will appear before the city's zoning board next week to seek approval to open its second Stewie the Duck Swim School, on Bloomfield Avenue at the former Lucille Roberts Health Club.

The swim school is part of Stew Leonard's charitable arm, the Stew Leonard III Water Safety Foundation, which was founded by the family-run, Connecticut-based corporation after the drowning of 21-month-old Stew Leonard III in 1989.

The first Stewie the Duck Swim School was opened in 2023 in Norwalk, Connecticut.

Drowning is a leading cause of death for children 4 years old and under, but those who receive swim lessons are 88% less likely to drown, the foundation's website notes.

"Losing my brother Stewie in a drowning accident 36 years ago changed everything for our family," said Ryann Leonard, executive director of the Stew Leonard III Water Safety Foundation and daughter of the chain's CEO, Stew Leonard Jr. "We made a vow to help other families avoid that heartbreak."

The opening of the second swim school feels personal, Ryann Leonard said. The school will charge for membership and for the swim lessons, but the profits are donated to local learn-to-swim programs.

"Every child deserves the chance to learn to swim," she said.

The foundation supports swimming programs at the Boys & Girls Club of Clifton, Miss Yvonne Swim School, Montclair YMCA, Raritan Valley YMCA, St. Benedict’s Prep School, Wayne YMCA, Wyckoff YMCA and YMCA of Ridgewood, officials said.

"I know the foundation hopes to support even more swim lessons for kids in New Jersey if the Clifton swim school gets the green light," said Ryann Leonard, who lives in New Jersey with her family.

The swim club is before the zoning board to gain permission to turn the shuttered Lucille Roberts Health Club into a swim school, which is not a permitted use of the property, city officials said.

The foundation wants to construct the pool at one end of the shopping mall, which also houses a Sherwin-Williams Paint store and a Michael's crafts store.

The applicant's attorney, Andrew S. Kohut, of Paramus' Wells, Jaworski & Liebman law firm, said the foundation is addressing concerns about the capacity of the local sewer line.

The applicant, Kohut said, recognizes that there are capacity limitations on the property's sewer service. The plan is to install a special system that will slow the discharge into the system, he said.

"This will allow for a drawdown at a rate that can be handled by the sanitary sewer system," Kohut wrote in the application to the board.

The pool, to be on the mall's side closest to Route 3, will be about 75 feet long, with showers and private and family changing rooms.

The location in Norwalk, Connecticut, charges a $25 membership per family per year, $30 for group lessons and more for private ones.