The club issued an apology after a late-night fireworks display on Wednesday, April 26 that prompted neighbors to complain on social media. “We take our relationship with Glen Ridge and the neighboring communities very seriously, and in this instance, we needed to be a better steward of that relationship,” the club said in a statement.
The Glen Ridge (N.J.) Country Club is apologizing after a late-night fireworks display on April 26 sparked heated reactions from neighbors in the area, the Woodland Park-based NorthJersey.com reported.
Several residents took to social media, including various community Facebook pages, to complain about the noise, surprised that the club set off the fireworks so late on a weeknight, allegedly without notifying all neighbors, NorthJersey.com reported.
Glen Ridge police sent out a Nixle alert just before 6:30 p.m. Wednesday stating there would be fireworks that night due to a private function at the club. The alert said the fireworks would start about 9 p.m., but local residents said the time was closer to 9:45 p.m., NorthJersey.com reported.
Montclair resident Greta Read, who lives less than a half-mile from the club’s location, said she and her husband were settling down for the night when the fireworks’ reports sounded. Her three kids, ages 6, 8 and 10, were asleep, along with her dog, a small shepherd mix, NorthJersey.com reported.
“It would’ve been just nice to have a little bit of heads up,” said Read, estimating the fireworks lasted 15 minutes, NorthJersey.com reported.
“This was not a ‘normal’ day to expect fireworks,” said Bloomfield resident Susan Unkert in an email. “I have dogs who are highly reactive to fireworks. With notice, I could have taken them somewhere where they wouldn’t have heard them or even given them medication to calm them.”
She also worried about veterans with PTSD. “This is devastating for a lot of them,” she observed.
The club posted an apology to Glen Ridge, Montclair and Bloomfield residents on its Facebook page Thursday:
“While this display was put on by a private charitable organization hosting a function at our club, we allowed it to take place on our property and are fully responsible for the resulting disturbance. We take our relationship with Glen Ridge and the neighboring communities very seriously, and in this instance, we needed to be a better steward of that relationship.
“We again apologize for the disturbance and we will certainly give more consideration to our neighbors moving forward.”
General Manager Harris Coble said Thursday the club erred in making sure that residents of other towns were notified in a similar way that Glen Ridge was, through police. A permit had been secured for the fireworks a while back, Coble said, a responsibility of the charitable organization that was holding the event, NorthJersey.com reported.
While traditionally the club only holds fireworks once a year on July 4th, “this was obviously a different circumstance,” he said.
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