| A HISTORY OF THE BOROUGH OF MONTVALE |
On Thursday, August 30, 1894, a special election was held at the Public House of John A. L. Blauvelt near the Mont Vale Depot of the New Jersey and New York Railroad to determine whether a Borough should be formed. The inspectors of that special election reported "the whole number of ballots cast containing the words 'For Incorporation' is 49 ... 'Against Incorporation' ... none." On the following day the results of that special election were certified by the County Clerk, and the Borough of Montvale was officially formed.
The expenses incurred in the formation of the Borough were about one hundred dollars, and this amount was raised by subscription in order to comply with the law placing such costs on the petitioners.
The "Public House of J.A.L. Blauvelt," where MontVale residents voted to form a Borough in 1894, became W.C. Baur's Grove House in 1902.
Because the Townships of Orvil and Washington, from which the new Borough of Montvale was extracted, had already collected the taxes for 1894, it became necessary for the Borough to borrow $200 for Borough purposes and $75 for road repairs for the balance of that fiscal year.
And so the Borough of Montvale began. The first Mayor, Jacob TerKuile expressed it best when he said, "thus launched into the realms of municipal government, with limited resources but without indebtedness, the Borough went forth undaunted, sustained by a kindly trust in a hopeful future and the merciful dispensations of the Most High." Mayor TerKuile also identified the financial challenge the new Borough faced when, on January 26, 1895, he vetoed a resolution that the Borough Council has passed which awarded a salary of $100 per year to the Borough Clerk, with the statement, "township government, however beneficial it may have been for other regions, has left Montvale without adequate school facilities. In this and other respects the new Borough finds itself in the necessity of making heavy outlays the first few years (and) a rigid economy is a duty, nay, an absolute necessity in the government of this Borough. Otherwise, such expenses as building a new schoolhouse, buying a road machine, opening new roads, etc. will become too heavy a burden on a considerable part of the people. I am firmly convinced that under these circumstances the salary voted the Clerk is entirely too high."
The Council did not heed Mayor TerKuile's suggestion that the Clerk's salary be only $25 per year, but they did reduce it to $84 per year, and it remained at that level for the better part of a decade.
During that first decade of the Borough's existence, the motorcar or automobile was in its infancy. In 1900 there were only 8,000 automobiles and less than 150 miles of paved roads in all of the 45 United States. As the number of autos rapidly increased, it soon became apparent that the vast majority of the roads which had been intended only for travel by horse were grossly inadequate.
On May 12, 1903, during the administration of Mayor Alfred M. Crotty, a special election was held in Baur's Hotel for the purpose of voting onthe question of bonding the Borough for $15,000 to build macadam roads. The outcome was affirmative by sixteen votes, and $10,000 worth of the bondswere sold at par, with the remaining bonds being placed in Mayor Crotty'soffice safe, the Mayor's real estate office being the "Borough Hall" of that time.
Work on upgrading the Borough's road network began in earnest. A rock crusher was purchased, and soon some of the Borough's main thoroughfares were "macadamized." However, an unfortunate incident took place in the beginning of the Borough's second decade of existence, and that incident remains a dark spot in Borough of Montvale's history.
In the Summer of 1904 ugly rumors of fiscal irregularities caused some of the Borough's residents to petition for an investigation of the Borough of Montvale's financial affairs, and a summons for Borough officials to appear at the Supreme Court in Morristown on October 20 was received. At about the same time that the petition was filed, Mayor Crotty quietly left town. It was later learned that he had used the unsold road bonds as collateral to secure loans totalling $2,850; neither Mayor Crotty nor the money was ever seen again.
During the next fourteen months, Acting-Mayor August Avenengo and Acting-Mayor Fred C. Linderman led the Borough through a very difficult period. The missing road bonds were located and recovered through litigation, but the court-ordered financial investigation revealed that a former Borough Clerk and two former Tax Collectors had mis-appropriated modest amounts of the Borough's funds, and these, too, had to be recovered.
In 1906, Mr. Linderman was elected as Mayor in his own right and served six years in that capacity. It was during the first year of Mayor Linderman's administration that telephones began to be installed in the Borough. A few years later, street lights began to appear, the latter happening after Mayor Linderman pointed out during his message at the Borough's 1909 Organization meeting that "Montvale is the only Borough along the N.J. and N.Y. Railroad in Bergen County without street lights."
The first auto of Mr. and Mrs. E. P. Serrell in 1909. Serrell was Mayor of Montvale in 1922-1925.
On July 19, 1909 an ordinance was adopted "TO PROVIDE FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF A PLANT FOR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRICITY ... FOR THE LIGHTING OF STREETS ... AND SUPPLYING LIGHT FOR PUBLIC OR PRIVATE USE IN THE BOROUGH OF MONTVALE" and to raise $5,000 for the construction of same. However, the referendum on that matter was defeated.
Undaunted, the Mayor and Council conducted a Public Hearing in December 1909 to consider a request by the Rockland Electric Company for permission to install a system to provide commercial and public light and power for the Borough, and on January 3, 1910 an ordinance was adopted granting a 50-year franchise to Rockland Electric.
It was also during Mayor Linderman's administration that the first gun permit was issued in Montvale. At the July 6, 1908 meeting of the Mayor and Council, Michael Francaviglia asked for permission to carry a revolver because of having received three letters from the Black Hand threatening his life; permission was granted.
J. Ernest Thier took the oath of office as Mayor of Montvale in January 1912, and his four-year administration had a tragic beginning. In the ten-month span between April 1912 and February 1913, three Councilmen (two of them Council Presidents) died in office.
On June 6, 1913 and ordinance was adopted providing for a public park, and the parcel of land in the center of town south of Grand Avenue was purchased from Garret N. Ackerman for $2,000, payable over ten years at 5% interest. It is reported that Fred Huff, the father of former Mayor George Huff, was responsible for filling and grading that land to create the park that Montvale residents have enjoyed for so many years.
At the January 1, 1914 Organization Meeting of the Mayor and council, a Mr. Davis reported losing all his chickens to thieves, and a motion was passed that Park Ridge, River Vale and Woodcliff Lake be asked "to set aside a certain amount for the arrest and conviction of chicken thieves in this section."
The following month a Public Hearing was held concerning an ordinance providing for the opening, widening and straightening of Kinderkamack Road in Montvale, which was to be part of a $233,000 County project extending from Hackensack to the New York State line. The project was completed a year or two later, and it resulted in a great deal of consternation on the part of many Montvale residents because of the need for land acquisition and the moving of several houses.
Dr. Calvin R. Moulton was sworn in as Mayor of Montvale on January 1, 1916. The following month he suggested that the Borough's books be audited by a "disinterested party." The Council was reluctant to spend the money to do so, but in August 1916 they relented and authorized the Mayor "to employ a certified accountant to audit the books of the Borough at a cost not to exceed $75." One year later in August 1917, it was revealed by the Auditor that the Council illegally spent $1,581.60 in 1913, and then $4,624.55 in 1915, to pay certain bills and charges incurred by the Board of Education, and the Borough Attorney was instructed to commence action against former Mayor Thier and all Councilmen responsible for such payments. Additionally, on November 2, 1918, a report was submitted in which was documented a shortage of $2,929.78 in the tax records of former Collector William R. Meyer. On that date a resolution was passed directing the Chairman of the Finance Committee to request reimbursement from the bonding company and to file a criminal complaint against Mr. Meyer.
If times were turbulent in Montvale during that era, they were even more so on the international scene. Germany, under Kaiser Wilhelm, invaded Belgium in August 1914, and World War I was underway. As the war expanded in Europe and "Kaiser Bill" became more successful, more and more Americans found themselves in sympathy with the Allies, and when German spies were discovered sabotaging American industry, feelings against anyone and anything German reached a fever pitch. At a special meeting in Montvale on March 29,1917 that was convened at the suggestion of the State Adjutant General and the County Board of Freeholders, Mayor Moulton said it has been suggested that we organize a Loyalty League in the Borough "to protect local property in case of internal trouble." Councilman Murray, who had attended meetings on this subject held in Hackensack said "it was pointed out that the State authorities have in their possession information of such a serious nature that the forming of this League cannot be delayed."
Four days later on April 2, President Woodrow Wilson declared war in order "to make the world safe for democracy," and twenty-eight residents of Montvale went off to serve in the armed forces. Fortunately, all available records show that not one "doughboy" from Montvale lost his life in "the war to end all wars."
During the administration of Mayor Moulton and carrying over into the administration of Mayor Edward Paul Serrell (that is, the early 1920's) it became necessary for the Council to petition the County of Bergen to assume the responsibility of rebuilding and maintaining all of the main streets and roads in the Borough. During the previous decade the Borough had reached the statutory limit of its bonding capability, and the condition of the roads was still far from satisfactory. In fact, there were times when some of the streets and roads were so impassable that tradesmen, physicians and postmen refused to travel on them. The County complied with the Borough's requests to take over some of the main roads after the Borough provided the County with funds that would partially pay for upgrading the roads to County standards.
Taxis and their drivers awaiting the arrival of a train beside Montvale's original railroad passenger station, which was destroyed by an arsonist in 1921.
It was during this same period that the citizens of Montvale became preoccupied with police and fire protection. In the early morning hours of October 11, 1921 the railroad passenger station and the real estate office of D.H. Atkins both burned to the ground. Front page headlines in a daily newspaper on that date proclaimed "Montvale Depot and Office Blown Up By Bombing Firebug." The fires caused lengthy discussions concerning the appropriation of funds to provide special police protection or a night watchman because of "the nervous state of the residents ... in view of the present crime wave." The fires also caused the citizens to question the adequacy of the fire protection provided to Montvale by the Park Ridge Fire Department. On October 26, 1922, Mr. George Schofield representing The Citizens' Association suggested that "the cost of a small chemical apparatus be ascertained and same purchased and paid for through popular subscription." The matter was referred to the Public Welfare Committee.
Then in February, 1924 the Mayor and Council attempted to negotiate a new fire protection contract with Park Ridge, and when an impasse could not be resolved, a committee was appointed to gather data as to the cost and operation of a Fire Department in Montvale. As a result, on October14, 1924 the Council adopted two ordinances. One created the Montvale Fire Department, and the other appropriated $6,000 for the purchase of a firetruck.
Early in the fourth decade of the Borough of Montvale's existence, another important event took place. A little more than five years after the 19th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified and women won the right to vote, Mrs. Cornelia E. Schofield was duly elected and began serving the people of Montvale as their first Councilwoman. It happened on January 1,1925.
Also in 1925 the Council passed an ordinance which allowed for the Borough to improve, and thereafter take over and maintain as public streets, certain private streets, provided the residents who own property on said streets petitioned for same and agreed to pay the cost of said improvements. Hillcrest and Westmoreland Avenues were the first streets to be taken over in this manner, and many more streets followed suit during the next several years.
In 1926, the first year of Mayor Alexander R. Murray's administration, the Borough of Montvale's first Building Code was adopted, and C.R. Busch was appointed as the Borough's first Building Inspector.
Frederick Emerick was hired as the Borough's first full-time paid policeman in 1928, the Special Officer being compensated "at an expense not to exceed $50 per month."
In 1929 an ordinance was passed calling for the laying of waterpipes, hydrants and valves under certain streets to allow for improved fire protection, the water being provided by Park Ridge, which had begun operating their municipal water system four years earlier.
Between late October and mid-November in that same year the stock market plummeted and lost more than 40% of its total value. That crash of the Big Bull Market signaled the decline of the nation's economy, and before long the entire country was mired in the Great Depression.
However, after Mayor Harwood S. Nichols took his oath of office in 1930 and before the full effect of the Great Depression hit the Borough, two important events took place. Early that same year, petitions were accepted from residents calling for a water system to be installed, and on September 21, 1930 an ordinance was adopted providing for the construction of a system that would allow the residents along certain streets to have domestic water service upon the submission of a petition signed by two-thirds of the property owners if they agreed to pay for the installation. Samuel Gray, Charles Gray's father, was appointed Water Registrar. Then in March 1931, the Public Service Electric and Gas Company requested, and was granted, permission to begin laying gas mains in the Borough, and their installation began shortly thereafter.
Meanwhile, the effects of the economic stagnation were beginning to be felt. Records show that a few families were taken care of by the Borough's Overseer of the Poor, Jennie Boyd, and by the Tri-Boro Relief Association in 1930 and 1931, and the Council even adopted a resolution on November 30, 1931 appropriating $2,800 toward unemployment relief and $1,200 for dependency relief. However, Mayor Elwood J. Wilson, who took office in 1932, and the Council soon realized that they must take extreme measures because of the rapidly falling rate of tax collections and the swelling of the unemployment rolls.
The Borough's 1932 budget of $31,582.55 was slashed almost 13% in 1933, largely through the negotiation of a new contract with Rockland Electric that provided for a reduction in the number of lights on some streets and the total darkening of others, resulting in electric light charges being reduced from $4,800 per year to $2,520 per year. The Mayor also refused to reappoint the Borough's only full-time policeman, which saved the Borough an additional $1,300.
Meanwhile, the Borough began employing the unemployed in town to shovel snow, cut firewood, clean gutters and improve dirt streets and roads. The minutes of the Mayor and Council meeting of February 16, 1933 revealed that a resolution was adopted authorizing the payment of $1.38 each to eight men for shoveling snow.
In May 1933 it became apparent that relief for the unemployed and their dependents was becoming a major problem, and the Borough enrolled in a County program that provided matching funds for money spent at the local level for relief. Then in 1934 an even more generous program was made available that was funded by the Federal and State governments, and the Borough Council voted to apply for that. As a result, for an 18-1/2 month period beginning on October 1, 1934, the Borough expended $1,273.00 for local relief and received a Federal/State subsidy for $6,181.35 to go with it. While the amount varied from month to month, at the high point, which was reached in May 1935, 114 people in Montvale, approximately 9% of the population, were on relief.
On the lighter side, Prohibition, sometimes referred to as "The Great Experiment," was repealed on December 5, 1933. For fourteen years, liquor, beer and wine had been illegal throughout the entire United States, but seldom had a law been more flagrantly violated. It is reported that more than one alcohol-producing still operated in the Borough of Montvale in those days. In fact, the minutes of the Mayor and Council meeting of October 10, 1929 states that a resident, Mr. Klem, complained that three days after the still next door to his property was raided and the mash dumped on the ground, his well became contaminated. The matter was referred to the Board of Health.
In any event, the State Legislature adopted "An Act Concerning Alcoholic Beverages" early in December 1933, and on December 13, 1933 the Borough Council passed a resolution fixing licensing for the retail consumption and retail distribution of alcoholic beverages. Two applications for licenses were received that same evening. One was from local pharmacist and future Councilman, Henry Metlitz, the father of our current Mayor.
Excerpts of two messages from Mayor Elwood Wilson delivered at two successive Organization Meetings give an indication of the dire financial straits of the Borough of Montvale in those difficult years. On January 1, 1935 he said, "last January we put in the budget an item of $10,000 as a Reserve for Uncollected Taxes. We thus abandoned the old pretense that we collected 100% of our taxes and frankly put on the shoulders of those who pay taxes the burden of carrying those who do not. However, at the sametime, we agreed to make an effort to collect on the outstanding tax sale certificates, but I regret to say that up to the present time nothing has been done." He went on to say that only 50.5% of the 1933 taxes were collected in 1933, and just 56.7% of the 1934 taxes were collected in 1934.
On January 1, 1936, after he took the oath of office at the beginning of his second four-year term, he said, "for the first time in its history the Borough is now operating on a cash basis. We are no longer 'in the red' so far as current operations are concerned." He explained how this was brought about, stating "Borough expenditures were cut down to the lowest possible point, while still maintaining adequate service. This was done by a conservative estimate of receipts, by appropriating only cash surplus and not a paper surplus, by a judicious use of reserves in the budget for uncollected taxes, and by realizing on tax and assessment liens."
The Federal Government created a number of "alphabet agencies" during the Great Depression in an attempt to ease the burden of the unemployed and jump-start the economy. The Emergency Relief Administration (ERA), which was responsible for subsidizing payments to the unemployed and their dependents, as mentioned earlier, was one from which the citizens of Montvale benefitted. Another was the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), that provided jobs for young unmarried men in a variety of conservation projects such as tree planting and drought relief. It is reported that on April 24, 1934, eight young men from the Borough went off to join the CCC.
However, the most important work/relief agency was the Works Progress Administration (WPA). It provided more than eight million jobs and funded the construction of hundreds of thousands of public buildings and other facilities between 1935 and 1941. It is not known how many Montvale residents worked for the WPA. However, we do know that on January 8, 1936 Mayor Wilson reported that Montvale would extend its water system to Akers Avenue and Main Street (now Spring Valley Road) under the auspices of the WPA. The Borough was to pay for the pipe, valves, fittings and hydrants and furnish the tools and equipment, while the Federal Government was to provide the labor. Later that same year, WPA projects to pave Montvale and Brook Avenue and provide sidewalks on Grand Avenue from Magnolia Avenue (Kinderkamack Road) to Hillcrest Avenue were begun and carried over into 1937.
In the 1930's, military threats were growing throughout the world. Italy under Benito Mussolini invaded Ethiopia in 1935, Japan sent troops into China in 1936 and Adolph Hitler's Germany annexed Austria in 1938 and invaded Poland in 1939. However, Isolationism was the preferred policy in the United States, as we struggled to get out from under the Depression. This mood gradually changed, though, as Hitler's Panzer Divisions swept across Europe, and in the Fall of 1940 Congress passed the Selective Service and Training Act, which established the first peacetime military service draft in the United States.
Then came Pearl Harbor. Japanese warplanes attacked our Naval Base in Hawaii on December 7, 1941, "a date which will live in infamy," and World War II began. Records show that 196 of Montvale's finest served in the Armed Forces during WWII, and two of them, Anthony Della Bella and Robert Bates, paid the ultimate price.
As might be expected, things were somewhat hectic on the Home Front during the early days of the war. In fact, on December 10, 1941 Mayor Fred Puvogel spoke regarding the necessity of protecting the women and children of the Borough from possible danger during the war emergency, and he asked the Council to consider building an air raid shelter because of "the close proximity of this Borough to many defense industries." That same evening, Police Chief Wesselman received a telegram from the State Chairman of the Defense Council requesting that someone be delegated to receive air raid signals and asking that 24-hour service be maintained. In March of the following year, the Council voted to send a $50 contribution to the Pascack Aircraft Warning Service, and on September 23, 1942 the Council passed a resolution authorizing payment to Clarence Collignon of $200 per year to take over the duties associated with an Air Raid Alarm Service in Montvale on an around-the-clock basis.
A Salvage Committee, chaired by Councilman George Kreis, was responsible for collecting scrap paper, metal and rubber for the war effort. Money collected from the sale of the scrap was donated to the Montvale Service Committee, chaired by William Hulford, who used this money and other funds to purchase personal items to send to the men in the armed forces.
Late in 1942, Mayor Jules Schwenker received a letter from the War Production Board stating that the sale of new cars would be frozen in 1943.
Therefore, on October 29, 1942 the Council authorized the purchase of a new 1942 Pontiac for the Police Department to replace its only police car, which by that time had more than 50,000 miles on it. The price, with trade-in, was $617.25.
In March 1943, Mayor Schwenker announced that a property on Grand Avenue had been obtained from Mrs. Levine for use as a Community Victory Garden. He went on to say that such a garden came under the jurisdiction of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) and was mandatory.
As the war progressed, shortages developed, and Americans had to make some sacrifices. As early as January 1942, critical items such as tires and gasoline, and such foods as meat, sugar, coffee and butter were rationed. Because of the shortages of these and other commodities, there was a fear that price gouging would take place, so the Federal Government created the Office of Price Administration (OPA). On October 11, 1944, Mayor Schwenker spoke of a letter he had received from the OPA that made reference to a persistent price violator in Montvale. The Mayor stated that the letter suggested an ordinance be adopted permitting local enforcement of ceiling prices. The Borough Attorney advised against doing so, but the record does not show the reason for such advice.
The year 1945 saw the end of World War II. At the Mayor and Council Meeting of May 9, 1945, Mayor Schwenker suggested a silent prayer of thanksgiving for VE Day, which had occurred the previous day. The end of the war in the Pacific Theater, VJ Day, was on August 14, 1945.
At the Adjourned Regular Meeting on January 2, 1946, Mayor Schwenker made some final remarks as he concluded his term of office. Included among those remarks was the observation that "the Boroughs of Montvale, Park Ridge and Woodcliff Lake would benefit jointly by a consolidation of the three Boroughs." Later that same evening, Mayor-elect George Huff took the oath of office, and began his fourteen-year administration.
Late in 1945 it was reported that several property owners in the Borough had been contacted with regard to the acquisition of land on which to build a Borough Hall, and a committee was appointed to evaluate the suitability of the various parcels of land. Early in 1946 it was decided that a piece of property on Railroad Avenue would make an ideal location for a Borough Hall, and it was acquired for $4,250 from Wanna Jones and "temporarily" converted into a municipal parking lot.
Later that same year the Mayor and Clerk were authorized to sign a contract for a two-way radio system serving Montvale, Park Ridge and Woodcliff Lake. The Tri-Boro Radio system was up and running early in 1947, and on June 11, 1947 the position of Radio Dispatcher was created. George M. Hecker was appointed to fill the position, which paid $40.00 for a 48-hour week and $1.00 per hour for overtime.
In August, 1947 the Mayor and Council discussed obtaining an option to buy 26 acres of land on Grand Avenue "for recreation and school purposes," and on January 14, 1948 the Mayor and Clerk were authorized to pay Samuel and Francoise Alexander $15,000 for the land that was to become known later as Memorial Park.
While these relatively tranquil things were happening on the local level, the international scene was quite another matter. World WarII had created an uneasy alliance between the communist Soviet Union and the Western democracies. They shared one common goal to put an endto fascism. However, within a few years after the end of WWII, the Communist Block and the Western Democracies entered an era of intense competition, referred to as the Cold War. Perhaps a reflection of that conflict was the resolution passed on March 9, 1949 by the Montvale Borough Council which vilified the Communist Party and requested that the Party be outlawed, its non-citizen members deported, its citizen members arrested and all government employees who were Communists be immediately discharged.
A little more than a year later, on June 25, 1950, tens of thousands of communist North Korean troops invaded South Korea and advanced toward its capital, Seoul. Five days later, General Douglas MacArthur was ordered to deploy naval, air and ground forces in support of South Korea, and he was placed in command of United Nations forces consisting of troops from 17 nations. Twenty-three young men from Montvale served in the armed forces during the Korean War. Fortunately, not one of them was killed in the line of duty.
On a lighter note, a letter from the State Department of Health was read at the May 5, 1951 meeting of the Mayor and Council. The letter stated that there was no law permitting the issuance of a free dog license to a dog with a war record, Thomas McGirr having obtained a free license for his dog, Tornado, earlier in the year. In response, the Council voted to send the State a check for $0.25, which represented the State tax on each dog license.
Birthrates soared after the war and throughout the 1950s, a period known as the Baby Boom. Between 1940 and 1950, the Borough's population increased 38%, with most of that increase, no doubt, occurring after the war's end in 1945. Then, from 1950 until 1960 our population increased a staggering 99% to reach 3,699 residents.
The Baby Boom produced another boom in Montvale, That one was in home construction. Housing developments with such names as Grandview Estates, Montvale Acres, Crestwood Manor, Montvale Highlands and Woodland Ridge soon dotted the Borough's landscape and created still another boom, a flurry of school construction.
In November 1952, the Mayor and Council received a letter from the Board of Education requesting permission to use part of Memorial Park for the construction of an elementary school, and on August 12, 1953 a resolution was passed authorizing the deeding of land for that purpose. During this same period, there was a movement afoot for the construction of a regional high school, which was to serve the young people of Hillsdale, Montvale,River Vale and Woodcliff Lake. On April 8, 1953 the Council passed a resolution declaring opposition to the regional high school. It is believed that the reason for doing so was their concern about funding the simultaneous construction of two schools.
On June 9, 1954, Mayor Huff received a note from Mrs. Clara Collignon requesting that the Borough make other arrangements for the garaging of its fire engines, the original lease with the Collignons having been signed in December 1924. The Mayor declared an emergency and suggested that the Borough construct a building to house the fire apparatus. Shortly thereafter, the Mayor and Council accepted the recommendation of the Planning Board that the new fire house be built in Memorial Park, and on October 9, 1954 the Council voted to award a construction contract for the original three-bayfire house for $21,731.
In the early 1950s, the State determined to construct a major north-south highway through Bergen County and the rest of the state. It was originally to be called Route 101, but was later changed to the Garden State Parkway. While the north end of the Parkway was not completed until 1957, Mayor George Huff claimed, in an interview shortly before his death, that he started working on changing the route of the Parkway and locating an interchange in Montvale as early as
The "marriage in Montvale" was consummated on August 30, 1957 when the Garden State Parkway was connected to the New York Thruway. Shown here are New York Governor Averell Harriman, New Jersey Turnpike Director D. Louis Tonti, and Montvale Mayor George Huff.
1953. Mayor Huff also claimed that he personally obtained all of the land necessary for the extension of West Grand Avenue from Spring Valley Road to Chestnut Ridge Road at no cost to the Borough, said road extension being completed in 1958.
The construction of these two roads and the interchange connecting them, plus a strong zoning ordinance updated and enforced down through the years, are widely recognized as the principal reasons Montvale has grown and prospered to such a great extent. Another less-well-known factor which enhanced the development and growth of the Office and Research (O&R)and Specialized Economic Development (SED) Districts in the Chestnut Ridge Road area was the sale of the Borough's water distribution system in 1959. In 1929 the Borough took steps to provide fire protection and a domestic water service. Water was purchased from Park Ridge, which began operating a municipal water system in 1925, and resold to Montvale residents with little or no profit and insufficient monies set aside to cover the costs of major repairs and system replacement.
This system was limited in scope, but the quality of service was acceptable. When postwar expansion began, complaints of low water pressure or no water at all began to be heard. It was evident that something had to be done. At the March 14, 1951 Council Meeting, a recommendation from the Planning Board that a well and pump be installed on Summit Avenue was rejected. On April 8, 1953 an ordinance was adopted approving the installation of a booster pump near the intersection of West Grand Avenue and Spring Valley Road. In spite of the fact that Park Ridge installed a new water tank in 1955 "that would insure sufficient water for a long time," there was still a vast portion of Montvale that could not be served.
Montvale's water system was sold to the Hackensack Water Company in 1959. Upgrading of the system began shortly thereafter.
At a Public Hearing on October 8, 1958 called to discuss "AN ORDINANCE PROVIDING FOR THE SALE OF THE MONTVALE WATER DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM ..., AND FOR THE SUBMISSION OF THE QUESTION OF SUCH SALE TO REFERENDUM VOTE,"it was pointed out that "under the present contract with Park Ridge they cannot supply water beyond a 370' elevation that includes 40% of Montvale."In fact, the water for fire protection in the Chestnut Ridge Road area at that time, was provided by five ponds along that road which were maintained by the Borough.
Fortunately, the referendum passed, the system was sold to the Hackensack Water Company for $157,000 and the Borough was assured of having an adequate water supply for that portion of Montvale which was ripe for development after the opening of the Garden State Parkway. Over the years, the system has been expanded and upgraded as many corporate headquarters moved to the west side of the Borough.
Getting back to the Cold War, the international arms race was escalating dramatically during the 1950s and early 1960's. Russia exploded their first hydrogen bomb in Siberia in 1953, and in 1957 they unveiled an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of delivering an H-bomb almost anywhere in the world. Then in October 1962, the Cuban missile crisis occurred, and for one brief moment it was felt that doomsday might be upon us.
Because of that ongoing threat, communities like Montvale were obligated to develop a civil defense plan, and Captain William Rodriguez was named as the Borough's Director of Civil Defense.
At the Council Meeting of October 29, 1962, during the eight-year administration of Mayor Edward Ihnen, it was mentioned that Memorial School and School No. 2 were designated as fallout shelters, and the new Borough Garage, on which construction had just been completed that same month, was designated as an emergency post office. It was noted that the Army was also interested in using the Borough Garage as a hospital or mortuary in case of attack.
Lehn & Fink (now L&F Products) was the second "Blue Chip Ratable" to call Montvale home in the mid-1960s, and they are still here today. The first one, Mack Truck Corporation, departed shortly after they arrived.
It was several years after Parkway Exit 172 was completed in 1957 until the first "Blue Chip Ratable" was attracted to Montvale. In the late 1950s and early 1960's, most of the non-residential construction that occurred in the Borough was on the smaller parcels of land in the SED District along Craig Road. However, in 1964, the Mack Truck Company moved into their brand new Corporate Headquarters at 85 Chestnut Ridge Road, and Lehn & Fink followed suit on Summit Avenue a year or two later.
In 1965, the site plans for the Lapidus and Krell (Grand Union)Shopping Center and the A&P Shopping Center, both on Chestnut Ridge Road, were approved by the Planning Board and ratified by the Council, and construction of both began shortly thereafter. At that time, all of Chestnut Ridge Road south of Summit Avenue was designated as the "Business A" District,and because of the rapid pace of development, concern was expressed that "it would soon look like Route 17." For that reason, the Council adopted an ordinance in November 1966 calling for a moratorium on building in the district until rezoning could be considered, and on February 14, 1967 a public hearing was held on an ordinance which called for changing the "Business A" District to an Office and Research District with minimum five-acre lots and extending that O&R District northward to include a 15-20 acre parcel on the northeast corner of Chestnut Ridge Road and Summit Avenue, which was zoned residential. Petitions containing more than 800 signatures (there were approximately 2,700 registered voters in Montvale at that time) were presented in opposition to the zone changes, and attorneys representing owners of properties in both the effected business and residential districts eloquently pleaded their clients' cases, but the Council was resolute in their conviction and voted to adopt the ordinance, which was vetoed by Mayor Ihnen and the veto was overridden at the following meeting.
This action did much to change the growth pattern of a community which, at that time, was identified as the "second fastest growing municipality in Bergen County." It was mentioned earlier that the Borough's population had grown 99% in the 1950s. That growth rate was almost equalled in the 1960's, as the population increased 98% to reach 7,327 residents in 1970, a figure that was not attained in either the 1980 or 1990 censuses.
Another way to measure the Borough's growth is to look at the way the value of land and improvements have appreciated over time as land development occurred. In 1957, the year that Exit 172 was completed, the net equalized value of real estate in Montvale was $15.2 million. Five years later in 1962 it had almost doubled to $29.5 million, and it doubled again five years later to $59.1 million in 1967. That same trend of almost doubling everyfive years was to continue through the decade of the 1970's, as it went from $86.5 million in 1970 to $163.4 million in 1975 and $320.3 million in 1980.
During this period of relative prosperity, Montvale finally built a new Borough Hall. In the very early days of the Borough's existence, the Mayor and Council met in the Mayor's home or the Mayor's place of business. For awhile they met in the local hotel, and one or two meeting halls, and in later years they convened on the stage of the auditorium in the basement of School No. 2. During all of this time, Borough records were kept in the homes or places of business of the various Borough officials.
Montvale's Borough Hall/Police Station was leased from the Erie Railroad from 1954-1971. The cupola and the four-way clockwere donated by ACTION in 1962. Brun's store in the background was demolished in 1966.
In 1954, the Borough began leasing the passenger station from the railroad for use as a Borough Hall and Police Station. The building was renovated and enlarged during the 1960's, but it was still woefully inadequate. Finally in May 1969, an architect was authorized to prepare plans and specifications for a new Borough Hall/ Police Station, which was to be located in Memorial Park. There was considerable sentiment that School No. 2 be renovated for that use, but on July 14, 1970 Mayor William Sweeney made an impassioned speech in favor of going forward with a new building, and shortly thereafter contracts were awarded totalling $236,296 for the complete bid package. The new building was dedicated on September 14, 1971.
Sometime during the late 1940s or early 1950s, the Bergen County Sewer Authority was formed and began to provide sanitary sewerage for many of the communities in the county. As early as September 14, 1955 the Council passed a resolution expressing a desire to join Stage 2 of the Sewer Authority's project as soon as facilities become available. In June 1962 Mayor Ihnen appointed a Sewer Advisory Committee that was chaired by Councilman Walter Carroll, and in October 1963 the Council voted to retain McClave and McClave for a sewer feasibility study. In 1966 the same firm was retained to prepare plans and specifications for Montvale's Sewerage System, and in August 1970, the contract for Phase I was awarded. The first properties were hooked up to the system in April 1972, with the final hookups being made sometime in 1974. $6,923,000 worth of bonds dated May 1, 1973 were sold to finance the sewerage system. The final installment payment on the bonds of $350,000 is due May 1, 1998.
On November 18, 1969 a resolution was passed authorizing the Mayor and Clerk to buy a 10-1/2 acre parcel of land on Chestnut Ridge Road from Gaetena Litrenta. The purchase price for this property that is now officially known as the Chestnut Ridge Recreation Complex, although commonly called "Litrenta," was $100,000. Most of the fill that was used to bring it up to grade was obtained from the contractors installing the Borough's new sewers.
In the midst of this euphoria of almost uncontrolled growth on the home front, an international struggle was taking place to keep communism from taking hold in Vietnam. The United States' involvement began in the 1950s when we began providing financial aid and military advisors, first to the French and later to the South Vietnamese. However, our involvement escalated, and by 1967 almost half a million U.S. troops were fighting in Vietnam. President Nixon started pulling U.S. troops out of this extremely unpopular war shortly after he took office in 1968, but we weren't completely out of there until March 1973. This war proved to Montvale's most costly encounter. Eighty-five Montvale residents served in the Vietnam War, and three of them didn't return home. They were David Brooks, Kevin Humphrey and George Smyrychynski.
In January 1971 the price of Arab light crude oil was $1.80 per barrel; three years later it was selling for $11.65 per barrel. Add this to the OPEC embargo of oil shipments to Israel's allies during the 1973 Yom Kippur War, and we had a full blown energy crisis on our hands. This impacted the Borough in a number of different ways, and it resulted in some creative thinking. For example, at the November 13, 1973 Council Meeting a resident, William Foster, recommended that there be no outdoor Christmas decorationsthat year because of the energy shortage.
The following month Mayor Willis Swales appointed a Transportation Committee, chaired by Cornelius McShane, which was to attempt to facilitate ride sharing and increased usage of public transportation, and shortly thereafter, an owner/operator of a local gasoline service station, John Rothschild, reported the theft of 900 gallons of gasoline.
In February 1974, at the height of the gasoline shortage, the lines at the gas pumps were actually blocking rush hour traffic, so Mayor Swales issued an Executive Order which limited the hours of operation of gasoline service stations, forbade the selling of gasoline to the driver of any auto having a gas tank more than one-half full and required the station owner to post a green flag when he had gasoline to sell and a red flag when he had none.
Tennis courts became a volatile issue in the late-1970's, when Mayor Arthur V. Gelnaw and the Council decided in 1977 to build three tennis courts at Memorial Field at the site of an existing girls' softball field. Another three courts and the lighting of two ballfields were to be added at the Chestnut Ridge Recreation Complex, all of the tennis courts and the lighting to bepartially funded with a Green Acres grant. The $172,000 grant was awarded in December 1977, and the Council adopted an ordinance on December 28 authorizing the expenditure of $344,000 to fund the project. However, the impending loss of the softball field had become such a major political issue that in 1978 it resulted in an even split on the Council between Republicans and Democrats for what could very well have been the first time in the Borough's history.
Also, in the late 1970's, an unusual event occurred on the Borough Council. In January 1979, Timothy Maurer took the oath of office as Councilman and in doing so succeeded his father, Thomas, who had served in the same capacity for the previous thirteen years. Tim Maurer resigned his Council seat in March 1988 to become the Borough's first Recycling Coordinator as the Borough became increasingly more affected by the troublesome and costly problem of solid waste disposal.
At a Council meeting on June 8, 1976, Councilman Albert Gazzola expressed concern that the tipping (dumping) fees charged by the Hackensack Meadowlands Development Commission (HMDC) for solid waste disposal might escalate from the current $1.50 per ton to as much as $9.00 per ton if the plan to construct transfer stations in the Northern Valley and other locations went through. Twelve years later, after the HMDC had closed their Kingsland landfill in February 1988, the Bergen County Utilities Authority (BCUA) was charging $94.00 per ton to dump solid waste at their North Arlington transfer station, and that fee escalated to $124.00 per ton in 1990.
This proved to be a tremendous financial burden for the Borough which, in the mid-1980's, was generating and paying for disposal of approximately 7,000 tons of solid waste generated annually by its residential sector; other communities faced the same problem. In an effort to mitigate the problem, some communities began to remove recyclables such as newspaper and metal cans from their waste stream, and to encourage them to do so, the State Legislature passed the Recycling Act of 1981 which, among other things, provided monetary tonnage grants to communities who voluntarily removed recyclables from their waste stream. During that period, the Fire Department provided a newspaper shed where residents could drop off used newspapers, but there was no other recycling effort in the Borough beyond that. Under the voluntary program, the Borough's residential sector recycled only 218 tons of solid waste in 1986, with 721 tons being recycled in the commercial sector.
Shirley Keller and Mayor David Metlitz at the "grand opening" of the Recycling Center in 1988.
As the problem of solid waste disposal became more severe, the State Legislature passed the Mandatory Source Separation and Recycling Act of 1987, and the Borough got into the recycling business in a big way. In January 1988 the Borough Council passed a Recycling Ordinance which required all residents to separate newspaper, magazines, aluminum and bimetal cans, appliances and plastic containers from their household waste and place those recyclables at the curb twice each month for pickup by the Borough's Department of Public Works.
Montvale's recycling program began on May 1, 1988. At about that same time, an $82,282 contract was awarded to construct a Recycling Center behind the Borough Hall to serve as a drop off point and a place to store and transfer twenty-yard containers of recyclables to the various markets for same. The Recycling Center was dedicated on July 26, 1988 with a brief grand-opening ceremony officiated by Mayor Metlitz. Those attending were entertained by Montvale environmentalist and performer, Shirley Keller, who played on her guitar and sang a song written by composer Bill Steele that was appropriately titled, "Garbage."
Recycling Coordinator Tim Maurer doing his part to reduce the size of the waste stream.
In 1994, Montvale's residential sector recycled about 2,100 tons of solid waste, and its commercial sector recycled about 2,900 tons. Through source reduction and recycling, solid waste from the Borough's residential sector has been reduced to about 2,500 tons annually. Expressing it another way, approximately 61% of the solid waste generated in the Borough of Montvale in the residential and commercial sectors in 1994 was recycled. That is a record to be proud of!
The idea that every community has an obligation to provide affordable housing, while beginning to impact heavily on the Borough of Montvale at present, is not a new one. As long ago as 1975, the State Supreme Court rendered a decision that became known as "Mount Laurel 1", which stated that all communities have an obligation to provide their fair share of affordable housing. In response to that decision, legislation was drafted entitled "The Comprehensive and Balanced Housing Act," which would give the state the power to establish housing objectives in each community. Borough records show that in January 1976 the Council passed a resolution asking the State Legislature not to adopt that legislation.
Then in August of that same year the Council passed a resolution objecting to Governor Byrne's Executive Order No. 35, which would give priority for government funding to municipalities which are meeting or plan to meet their "fair share" of low and moderate income housing. Again in December 1978, a resolution was passed by the Borough Council declaring opposition to pending affordable housing legislation. The Borough, then, had established a long and consistent position on this issue a belief that to mandate affordable housing for municipalities was a clear infringement of "home rule" and a violation of our right of self-determination .
Little wonder then, when the Fair Housing Act of 1985 was passed by the State Legislature and Montvale's mandatory quota of 304 affordable units was established, that the Borough was slow in complying with its requirements. A planner was retained in June 1989 to assist the Planning Board in preparing an Affordable Housing Fair Share Compliance Plan and a Housing Element for Montvale's Master Plan, but when the Planning Board presented the plan to the community at a Public Hearing in November 1989, there was so much opposition, that the plan was not adopted.
Before the Borough could prepare a revised plan, two land developers filed lawsuits charging the Borough with exclusionary zoning practices, and the Court assigned a Master (planner) to assist Montvale in preparing a revised plan.
That plan, now calling for 146 affordable units, was approved by Judge Peter Ciolino early in 1994, and the Borough's Zoning Ordinance was changed on August 9, 1994 to provide for the plan's implementation.
A review of the Borough's early years revealed frequent malfeasance and defalcation of the Borough's funds by Borough officials, usually by a Tax Collector. However, this had not been a problem for quite some time; that is, until the 1990's. Late in 1991, it was learned that fiscal irregularities had been found in Montvale's Municipal Court, and in January 1992, Lynne Yahn, Court Administrator, resigned her position. Later that year, an auditor who was retained to investigate the Court's financial records of 1991, reported that $17,486 was missing, and the matter was turned over to the County Prosecutor. Early in 1994, the Borough's former Court Administrator was found guilty of official misconduct and sentenced to 18 months in a rehabilitation center, five years probation, 100 hours of community service and required to make complete restitution to the Borough.
Mayor Gelnaw appointed a Cable Television Committee in January 1979 to investigate the possibility of getting Montvale wired for cable television. After three frustrating years of attempting to do business with one or more of the CATV companies serving the communities to the south, east and west of Montvale, the committee finally persuaded the company serving southern Rockland County to offer service to the Borough, and in February 1982 the Council adopted an ordinance consenting to the awarding of a ten-year franchise to Orangetown Cablevision, later TKR of Rockland.
During the three-year franchise renewal process in the early 1990's, the Mayor's Cable Television Advisory Committee identified a desire on the part of Montvale's TKR subscribers for local programming, and The MonTVale Access Group, under the direction of Donald Galvin, was formed in an attempt to satisfy that desire. The Access Group's first attempt at program production was when they videotaped the Mayor and Council's Organization Meeting of January 2, 1992, and it was broadcast by TKR four days later. Now the Access Group has three hours of scheduled broadcast time each week and is producing original programming on a regular basis.
At the January 2, 1986 Organization meeting, Mayor Metlitz said, "Montvale has very little open space ... in terms of development, I think we're seeing the end of it. From this point on it will be a much more difficult task for whoever runs Montvale, because the new tax revenues from corporate investment in this community will not be here." That statement proved to be prophetic. While the net equalized value of real estate in the Borough more than doubled between 1986 and 1991, the overwhelming reason for that rise was an almost frenetic increase in the value of real estate. Then in 1992, and again in 1993 and 1994, the net equalized value of real estate in Montvale declined, and to compound the problem for residential taxpayers, the decline in property values was not uniform. As recently as the late 1980's, owners of nonresidential properties paid 50% of the Borough's property taxes and the residential property owners paid the other 50%; In 1994 the ratio became 43% nonresidential versus 57% residential.
Additionally, because nonresidential property owners successfully filed numerous and large tax appeals, the Borough found itself at the end of its first century of existence in exactly the same position as at its beginning ... in a severe financial crisis. In spite of the fact that in 1994 the Borough applied for and received a $400,000 state grant under the Special Municipal Aid Act, which is reserved for municipalities "currently experiencing financial distress," the Borough still found it necessary to raise taxes 19.5% in 1994 to support the municipal budget.
As the administration of the Borough of Montvale's business became more complicated and cumbersome, thoughts turned to the hiring of a full-time Borough Administrator. Mention of this first appeared in the Minutes ofthe January 10, 1978 Council Meeting, when Mayor Gelnaw recommended that the matter be investigated and a Borough Administrator be brought "on board" by July or August of that year. It didn't happen quite that quickly, but on July 14, 1981, Allan C. Bonhoff was hired as Montvale's first Borough Administrator at $27,500 per year. Bonhoff was replaced by Donald H. Perlee in December 1986, and he, in turn, was replaced by the current Administrator, Helene V. Fall, in November 1993.
The Borough Administrator is the Chief Administrative Officer of the Borough and as such is responsible for all day-to-day operations of the Borough including preparation and execution of the budget, purchasing, personnel, and all other administrative duties of the Borough.
The Borough's 1994 Municipal Budget is a little over $8.4 million which includes all operating, utility, debt service and capital expenses. The Borough employs forty-five full-time employees, 54 part-time employees and a number of seasonal recreation employees.
Much of the operations of the municipal government are mandated by the State of New Jersey. The Borough Clerk is the official record keeper of the Borough. Her responsibilities include preparation of all Mayor and Council agendas, minutes of those meetings, elections, licensing, raffles, voter registration and all official communications on behalf of the Borough. We currently employ a full-time Court Administrator, Deputy Court Administrator and Clerical assistant, a part-time Municipal Judge, Prosecutor and Public Defender to operate the Municipal Court functions of traffic tickets, criminal proceedings and domestic disputes.
Our Tax Collector/Treasurer and her full-time assistant ensure that the $20 million dollars in taxes (for municipal, local and regional school support) are collected in a timely manner. Our part-time Tax Assessor oversees the assessment of the $1 billion plus in Borough ratables.
In addition, the Borough has a part-time Certified Municipal Finance Officer who, with the Treasurer, Auditor and Administrator, provide financial oversight and control over the Borough.
Our Construction Office is staffed by a full-time Secretary/Control Person, part-time Construction Official/Building Subcode Official as well as part-time Subcode Officials in the areas of Electrical, Fire, Plumbing and Elevator. These inspectors ensure that all buildings and renovations (both residential and commercial) are constructed to State and Local building codes. In addition, we employ a part-time property maintenance inspector who is responsible to ensure that local property maintenance codes are complied with.
A full-time Purchasing Agent and a part-time Purchasing Assistant coordinate purchase of all materials, equipment and services of the Borough to ensure the best items are purchased for the best price, and to ensure that the Local Public Contract Law and Local Public Bidding Law are complied with. In addition, the Purchasing Agent is responsible for the processing for payment all bills of the Borough.
A full-time custodian maintains the Borough Hall, Police Headquarters, Train Station and Library.
The Borough employs a part-time Fire Official and four part-time Fire Inspectors who inspect all a commercial buildings on an annual basis to ensure compliance with mandated fire codes.
The Borough also provides secretarial support for other essential services through our full-time and part-time employees such as Registrar of Vital Statistics ( for recording of all deaths, births and marriages within the Borough), Planning Board, Zoning Board, and Board of Health.
The Department of Public Works is staffed by nine full-time employees including a Public Works Superintendent, Mechanic and seven laborers. Their responsibilities include maintenance, repair, snow removal and ice control of approximately 50 miles of municipal roadway, maintenance of all parks, Borough-owned lands, Borough-owned buildings and facilities, maintenance of the Recycling Center, and maintenance of the sanitary sewer system and storm drain system.
Those who have been elected to serve as Mayor of the Borough of Montvale and have served in that capacity for a period of several months or more are listed below. Also listed are those Council Presidents who have served as Acting Mayor for several months or more when the elected Mayor has been unable to serve.
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