Borough of Point Pleasant Beach MINUTES
The Mayor and Council of the Borough of Point Pleasant Beach met at 6:39 PM with Mayor Barrella and Council Members Mercun, Loughran, Tooker, Cervino, Dixon and DiCorcia present. The Municipal Clerk read the notice indicating compliance with the Open Public Meetings Act.
Department head memos and correspondence were discussed with many items moved to agenda for action; request to provide tree expert services was held for input from Shade Tree Committee; St. Peter PTA special event application for Fisherman’s 5k Run was held due to conflict with Little League parade.
Mr. Knapp, 100 Harvard Avenue: asked Council to revisit their decision to offer him a payment schedule instead of relief from sewer portion of his water bill – installed new sprinkler system and was not aware of irrigation meter option – water just went into the ground, so would like relief from the sewer potion of bill (homeowners need to assume responsibility – could open Pandora’s box – didn’t support waiving amount owed, but would support lowering 18% interest rate; Borough Attorney: should document the rational basis to lower interest rate; Borough Attorney was asked to check with other towns regarding precedents and numbers and report back to Council).
Council addressed Mr. Bilotti’s correspondence on the hotel/motel tax.
Motion by Councilman Cervino, to authorize the Borough Attorney to draft an ordinance to repeal the hotel/motel tax, died for lack of a second.
Councilman Mercun: not prepared to address that issue until Council has information on what the budget will be; Mayor: although, Mr. Bilotti makes some good points, tax is not unfair; implementation on 7% of the tourist base is – those who rent homes short-term, and who are in competition with hotel/motel owners, are not subject to it – not a level playing field – can level it by subjecting all to the tax or finding other revenue sources that will provide tax relief, greater than this tax, to all taxpayers – cannot be rectified through repeal of this tax; Councilwoman Tooker: unfair, especially for smaller hotels which we don’t want to lose – suggested a phased-in approach, starting with smaller hotels/motels – perhaps an abatement during the NPP process; Councilman Mercun: Mr. Bilotti makes valid points – Council responsible for getting everyone in town to partner in moving town forward – have issues with budget and tax appeals – need to explore ideas, look at our shortfalls, where money can be raised, and how the tax burden can be equitably distributed – although sympathetic to hotel/motel owners, would be irresponsible to repeal tax without knowing our shortfalls; Mayor Barrella: working on a comprehensive package to raise revenue from all segments and aspects of tourism – hoping to level the playing field, but the financial condition of Point Pleasant Beach cannot sustain the request being made here – potential tax increase this year is probably greater than 2002, which was 13 cents – problematic when coupled with 4% cap – for too long this town has not taken on the issue of where the true burden lies, and that burden lies with the other 93% of tourists, not just this 7%; Councilman DiCorcia: take exception to Mr. Bilotti’s statement that Councilwoman Walsh invented the hotel/motel tax in an attempt to get control of Council – his letter presented a lot of inaccuracies.
Motion by Councilman DiCorcia, to enter closed session to discuss litigation (1), personnel (1) and contractual (2) matters, was seconded by Councilman Mercun and carried by the following roll call vote:
VOTE: Council Members Mercun, Loughran, Tooker, Cervino, Dixon, DiCorcia….YEA
Closed session started at 7:34 P.M. and ended at 7:58 P.M.
Mayor Barrella called the regular meeting to order at 8:00 P.M. Present were Council Members Mercun, Loughran, Tooker, Cervino, Dixon and DiCorcia. The Municipal Clerk again read the notice indicating compliance with the Open Public Meetings Act.
Bob Hoppe, 217 Washington Avenue: Bradshaw Beach shed shouldn’t be on the sidewalk and was supposed to be removed in September; Dave Cavagnaro, 118 Parkway: asked if Baltimore Avenue improvements addressed “bubble up” – requested that advanced advertising of special event walk routes be mandatory; Joe Lemma, 203 St. Louis Avenue: asked if beach where scallop boat was removed, was private (yes )and why we paid for it – State should pay (boat ran aground, boat removal services were authorized – need to pay and then explore options to recover the money); Vince Castin, 15 Trenton Avenue: questioned water quality due to Jackson’s plan (Jackson will not be using that chemical and will stay with the State program); Ben Dispoto, 311 Parkway: asked if River Avenue parking lot matter was an addition to work in progress (no, just received DEP permits); Clerk Ellsworth added several items to Consent Resolution 3.
Motion by Councilman Mercun, seconded by Councilman Loughran, resolutions covering the items listed below, were approved by the following roll call vote:
CONSENT RESOLUTION 1:
a) Banner Permit Applications (2) from PPB Chamber of Commerce for sidewalk sales
b) Cancel 2008 taxes for Block 175, Lot 31
c) Payment to Columbia Weather Systems for weather station ($4550)
d) Refund unexpended Bd of Adjustment escrow acct balance ($624.74)
e) Approval of contracts with Borough Attorney, Engineer and Auditor
f) Approval of purchase with authorization for reimbursement – Motorola encryption boards ($175)
g) P O to Sensus Metering Systems for system upgrade ($14,062)
h) Payments to CME Assoc from developer escrow accts (#4755.30)
i) Payment to American Uniform for crossing guard uniforms ($4304.70)
j) Payment to Motorola for UHF and VHF radios ($5859.20)
k) Payment to CDW-G for police computers ($8440.62)
l) Payment to Brick Cardiovascular for police recruits’ stress tests ($3250)
m) Payment to Plainfield Consultation Ctr for police recruits’ psychological exams ($2915)
n) Authorization to apply for County Tourism Grant for Boat Parade
o) Authorization for Mayor to execute 2008 County MAC agreements
p) Approval of Schedule C Agreement with County of Ocean
q) Appointment of members to Local Emergency Planning Council for 2008
r) Change Order #1 to U S Tank Painting for water tank rehab ($-14,000)
s) Change Order #1 to Sea View General Contracting for Boston Avenue drainage improvements ($0.00 net change)
t) Payments to Galvin Law Firm from Bd of Adjustment accounts ($820.71)
u) Payments to CMX/Schoor Depalma from Bd of Adjustment escrow accts ($406.25)
v) Payment to Horizon BCBS for health benefits ($119,873.20)
w) Payment to Selective Insurance for inlet comfort station flood ins ($2039)
x) Payment to NJ Cash Mgt to refund double payment ($3921.93)
y) Payment to Ocean County Landfill for tipping fees ($50,000)
z) Opposition to revision of the “Wrongful Death” Statute
CONSENT RESOLUTION 2:
a) Change Order #1 to A C Schultes, Inc. for potable well decommissioning project ($8010)
b) P O to Finishing Touch for asbestos abatement at Boro Hall ($2985)
c) Scheduled Payment to PPB Board of Education ($452,646.91)
d) Approval of Payroll #3 ($229,539.65)
e) Banner Permit Applications (2) from County Columbus Day Parade Committee
f) Re-Appointment of Emidio Caruso to the PPB Parking Authority
g) Appointments of PPB Community Endowment Fund Trustees
h) Authorize O’Donnell, Stanton, & Associates, Inc. to proceed with sanitary sewer rehabilitation, replacing CME Associates as project engineers
3 – CONSENT RESOLUTION 3:
a) P O to Ocean County Mayors Assoc for annual ad in assoc golf digest ($175)
b) Payment to Winner Ford for 2008 Ford Expedition ($26,510)
c) Payment to Brick Utilities for December bulk water usage ($49,814.82)
d) Payment to Reliable Safety Systems for closed circuit TV component ($8250)
e) Payment to Sungard THE of CAD400 and Crimes Mgt. maintenance contract ($20,125)
f) Payment to Four Point for heat & a/c maintenance contracts ($4491.50)
g) Approval of January hand checks ($56,452.42)
h) Payment to Brick Utilities for January bulk water usage ($45,537.84)
i) Payment to Horizon BCBS for employee health benefits ($150,231.76)
j) Appt. of Debra Gelson as conflict magistrate
k) Emergency Appropriation to 2008 Temporary Budget
l) Transfer of funds between 2007 budget accounts
m) Payment to Hewlitt Packard for exchange server ($3335.01)
n) Approval of computer generated vouchers ($2,298,942.46)
o) Payment to Certified Valuations for revaluation ($51,442.06)
p) Payment to Pedroni Fuel Co for gasoline ($22,343.88)
q) Authorization for CMX bid River Avenue Parking Lot project
r) Authorization for Boro Engineer to submit 2008 CDBG application for Ocean Avenue curbs and sidewalks
s) Payment of 1st Quarter Tax allocation to Ocean County ($1,676,012.73)
t) Payment to Pedroni Fuel for low sulphur diesel fuel ($9052.66)
u) Payment to Ground Hawg Demolition for removal of scallop boat from beach ($18,500)
v) Payment to Four Point for replacement of pumps at Boro Hall ($2750)
w) Payment to J Marcel for winter bike patrol uniforms ($3065.37)
x) Payment to R Molner General Contracting for work in police dept ($6480)
y) Authorization for Boro Atty to draft RFP for special tax counsel for tax appeal litigation
z) Appt. of Clem Bremmer to the Shade Tree Committee
aa) Authorization for Boro Atty to draft ordinance to increase road opening application fee
bb) Establish hearing date for Wharfside ABC license expansion application on 3/11/08 at 6:30 pm
cc) Approve Bradshaw Beach shed request
dd) Authorize draft of ordinance to address ministerial changes in parking ordinance as per Clerk’s memo
ee) Authorization for CMX to proceed with Niblick St roadway improvement project
ff) Authorization for CMX to proceed with Baltimore Ave drainage improvement project
gg) Authorization for CMX to proceed with Municipal Bldg remedial repairs
hh) Authorization for CMX to proceed with Sanborn Ave & Water St roadway improvement projects
ii) Authorization for CMX to proceed with New York & Delaware Ave roadway improvement projects
jj) Approval of Chamber Special Event App for information table on Boardwalk
kk) Approval of Chamber Special Event App for Tree Lighting & Santa arrival on 11/28/08
ll) Approval of Chamber Special Event App for Festival of Sea on 9/20/08
mm) Approval of Chamber Special Event App for Sidewalk Sales on 5/15 – 5/18/08 and 8/14 – 8/17/08
nn) Approval of Alzheimer’s Assoc Special Event App for “Memory” Walk on 9/27/08 and parking fee waiver request
oo) Approval of American Cancer Society Special Event App for “Breast Cancer” Walk on 10/19/08 and parking fee waiver request
pp) Approval of American Heart Assoc Special Event App for “Heart” Walk on 10/05/08 and parking fee waiver request
qq) Approval of National MS Society “Coast the Coast” Bicycle Tour on 5/17/08
rr) Approval of Arthritis Society Special Event App for Walk on 4/27/08
ss) Authorization to proceed with Shared Services Grant study on feasibility of community/recreation center
tt) Authorization for Boro Engineer to review and amend spill prevention control & countermeasures plan
uu) Approval of Stoney JIF Settlement – Closed Session Item
CONSENT RESOLUTION 4:
a) Appt. of Terry F. Brady (Mulvaney, Coronato & Brady) as Public Defender
b) Appt. of Gregory Hock (D’arcy, Johnson, Shober & Hassel), Ron Venturi and Sonya Lopez (Kent & McBride) as alternate public defenders
c) Appointment of Miguel Diaz to the Open Space Committee
d) Appt. of Max Gagnon to the Open Space Committee
e) Appt. of Sal Pepe as alternate to the Open Space Committee
VOTE: Council Members Mercun, Loughran, Tooker, Cervino, Dixon (all items except
item“ee” on Consent Resolution 3), DiCorcia…YEA
Councilman Dixon (Consent Resolution 3/Item “ee”)….Abstain
Sgt. Brian Schliep, Point Pleasant First Aid & Emergency Squad, reported on Squad activity: volunteer squad, founded in 1929, serving Point Pleasant Beach, Bay Head, Mantoloking – provides round-the-clock service, 365 days/year – maintains strict training regimen – 22 active members, 6 are certified EMTs – most calls are handled by 8 members doing 70% of work – answer all types of calls including motor vehicle collisions, overdoses, intoxication, psychiatric problems, chest pains, breathing difficulty, choking – trained for mass casualty and bio-hazard events – supply medical supplies to police substation – responded to 1200 calls in 2005, 1500 in 2006 – translated into man hours, comes out to 20,000 in 2005, 18,000 in 2006 – per auditors, in-kind amount based just on salaries for these services would equate to $186,000 for 2005, $190,000 for 2006 – these fees could have been billed to the town by a private service – most operating revenue comes from donations, approx. $138,000 in 2005, $118,000 in 2006 – received about $38,000 from municipalities served in both years – biggest expenses are depreciation on equipment, building, medical and office supplies, and insurance of over $40,000/year – projects for 2008 include replacing 2 ambulances and dive team equipment, that has been in use for over 10 years – need to do a better job communicating needs to Council.
Mayor Barrella: asked Chief DePolo to comment on incident that occurred on Saturday; Chief DePolo: 17-year-old female came downstairs at about 6:30 p.m to find an intruder brandishing a knife in her house – during violent struggle, he attempted to sexually assault her – she fought aggressively, sustained injuries, but is doing well – Police worked with her to come up with composite – asked public to keep their eyes open, be aware, lock doors and cars.
Mayor Barrella: all residents must get in the habit of locking doors; asked Councilman Cervino to work with Borough Administrator and Engineer to examine street conditions after being opened by utility; asked Attorney to work with Engineer to draft floor area ratio ordinance – Board of Adjustment has requested this for years.
Motion by Councilman Mercun, to authorize Borough Attorney and Engineer to work together to draft a floor area ratio ordinance, was seconded by Councilman Cervino and carried by the following roll call vote:
VOTE: Council Members Mercun, Loughran, Tooker*, Cervino, Dixon, DiCorcia….YEA
*Councilwoman Tooker: end up with a lot of boxes sitting on lots – regulating floor area ratio would solve that problem.
Mayor Barrella: met with Governor Corzine – in concept and theory, his idea to straighten out State finances by paying down debt and stabilizing fiscal situation is good, but laying it all on tolls is not – will hurt tourist industry and further impede our ability to raise tourism revenue – will be used as an excuse as to why we can’t tax tourism locally; along with Council Members Cervino and Tooker, met with Senator Ciesla and Assemblyman Holzapfel – made an impression on Senator Ciesla, but he still needs some work, and I will continue to do that – yesterday’s “Asbury Park Press” article regarded municipalities’ need to levy taxes to hold property taxes down – Bill Dressel from the League of Municipalities indicated that this type of home rule for municipalities is something the League could get behind – was much talk last year about getting this done and how Council could marshal forces to lobby Trenton – the League is an enormous tool and hopefully, this will bode well for our efforts to raise additional tourism revenues and level the playing field talked about earlier; had one budget meeting – met today with Administrator Riehl and our auditors to go over numbers – there are some who would claim I am playing Chicken Little when talking about the surplus being drained, but starting surplus available to apply to 2007 budget was $2,193,000, while starting surplus to be applied to the 2008 budget is $1,288,000 – we have lost $900,000 of starting surplus, an enormous number, which translates to 3-4 cents on the tax rate – we also have State-mandated expenses, including pension and health insurance, that have gone up roughly $600,000 – last year’s tax appeals were not reserved for and this year’s tax appeals need to be reserved for – all-in-all, preliminary numbers show an increase of about 6.5% on current revaluation numbers – to put that in perspective, it’s probably 10 cents more than disastrous increase in 2002 – no stones being cast – this is the hand this Council has been dealt – will do my part lobbying Trenton to get this parking plan working – CFO will trim what she can and we go from there – please note, she is starting with last year’s actual numbers – when you lose $900,000 of surplus as a starting point, and when you have these appeals, it’s not something that you can easily make-up.
Councilman Mercun: DPW is using Seacoast property as a temporary recycling site while sewerage work is done at their property – discussed using the site for emergency management, which is not a dead issue – looking to put up fencing to block view of site and lessen impact on residents; nobody likes tax increases – disagree with Senator for discounting Mayor’s plan – Council has cut expenses where we can – must take a practical approach and look at what we really need – constant balancing act; from perspective as a prosecutor for 30 years, vigilance is important – if there is someone in your neighborhood who shouldn’t be there, call the Police, especially at this time of year, with so many vacant homes – let Police know if you will be away – don’t confront strangers.
Councilman Loughran: regarding investigation, Police have put forth a great effort with men out 24/7 – commended Police; winter used to be a reprieve from what goes on in summer – specific to Harbor Lights, Harbor Lights East and Mariner’s Cove Motel on Broadway, there were 12-13 calls on drug possessions, assaults, shoplifting, during last few months – negative activity is substantial and includes dangerous substance, domestic violence, warrant services, assaults and disorderly conduct – Police conducted a pro-active investigation at Mariner’s Cove last Thursday, resulting in a number of arrests – a January 31st investigation resulted in the arrest of numerous persons for marijuana possession, prostitution and drug paraphernalia, and the removal of a 2-month-old child from motel – will meet with these hotel owners, along with Chief DePolo, to deal with this problem – owners owe it to the residents to operate proper businesses – have asked that their mercantile license applications be held – after meeting, if they refuse to cooperate with newly-implemented policies, we will withhold their mercantile licenses permanently; per memo from Lt. DiCorcia, a home health aide swallowed a morphine patch she had taken from her patient – she was found unconscious and not breathing – commended Sgt. Michigan, Officer Bortula and Mike Fioretti, who were instrumental in saving her life – she was subsequently arrested.
Councilwoman Tooker: new paper recycling starts tomorrow – town pays for dumping garbage but receives money for recycling – paper weighs a lot, so town could really tip the scales financially if everyone gets on-board – all paper goes into one bin – no tying or bagging – suggested putting everything in an 8-lb. Rubbermaid container with lid and putting it at the curb the night before – accept every kind of paper except chipboard and phonebooks; appointed people to Recreation Committee – in the near future, should see some good senior programs; will meet about Farmers Market soon – if anyone is interested in helping, contact me; proposed forming an Animal Welfare Committee, at no cost to the Borough, to address geese problem, emergency management issue for pets and feral cat problem, which is presently controlled through traps and euthanasia, paid for by town – suggested a neutering program to control the life cycle.
Mayor Barrella created an ad hoc “Animal Welfare” Committee and appointed Councilwoman Tooker as Council liaison – an important issue – cats serve a purpose as they take care of other undesirables.
Councilman Cervino: busy time – gratifying to see turnout here and at various committees – encouraged all to attend; in reference to Kiley Construction, need to tend to road openings and deplorable conditions of scars – agrees with raising fee; Beautification Committee discussed barrels around town – concerned about where new dirt would be dumped – Asst. DPW Supervisor Trout assured Committee that there is a place for such a truckload – operative word is ‘cooperation’; also applies to Mayor Barrella’s remarks – town is in fiscal trouble – all of us need to come together; attended Brownfields seminar – $3,000,000 available – suggested applying for one of those grants for Seacoast and/or Lake of Lillies; would like to see town create FEMA coordinator position; northeast corner of Antrim field is still scarred from work done by well decommissioning company; pedestrian and bicycle committee has a plan to make town bicycle friendly.
Councilman Dixon: Building Department issued 9 warnings for car removals, 13 warnings about garbage, parking on sidewalks, fences, etc.; public security and fiscal problems need to be addressed; surprised Councilman Cervino brought up repeal of hotel tax – doesn’t understand how, when there may be a major tax increase, he could speak about giving $200,000 to $300,000 back; activity going on in some hotels is out of control – usually same hotels involved; last year, Council rezoned portion of Broadway to effectuate replacement of Harbor Lights with condos – hotels complain that they aren’t making as much money as they used to – perhaps some need to go out of business and be replaced with something else – those motels are catering to the dregs of society; perhaps a Neighborhood Watch needs to be formed -people need to report things right away.
Councilman DiCorcia: fire companies received 18 calls in January, mostly alarms and gas leaks – will attend February 27th Board of Fire Officers meeting – perhaps Fire Chief would like to present at a Council meeting like First Aid did; Newark Avenue Park is rarely used – juvenile drinking problem there at night – believes property is zoned residential – could sell it for about $400,000 and use money for Open Space, to purchase other property, or for Recreation Center; another idea to raise revenue is to collect meter revenue from March 1st or 15th instead of April 1st – if year-round Boardwalk businesses are making money, we can bring more income into the Borough; would like to meet with Ben Dispoto concerning bench issues and with Board of Education about how recycling program is fitting in; Safety Council’s #1 concern is bicycle safety – although school has a great education program, still see kids riding double, without lights or helmets – need more Police enforcement; thanked Councilwoman Tooker for location survey.
Mayor Barrella: Open Space Committee discussed that property – need to find out if it can be sold or swapped – excellent idea – most don’t know that park even exists; Councilman Loughran suggested surveying neighborhood.
Administrator Riehl: Boston Avenue drainage improvement almost complete – there is a County moratorium on road openings, so have to wait until March 1st; just authorized bid on Borden’s Parking lot project, awaiting DOT permits, which should be available in a few weeks; Lake Louise bulkhead project ran into a problem due to DEP regulations regarding no pollutable materials allowed in actual bulkhead – will see if County can help with that because it will likely exceed bid threshold – may be able to use Schedule C to get it done more quickly and cost effectively; drainage aspect of DPW renovations is finished, underground pipes are done – waiting on the weather to improve so they can do the grading/paving – anticipate 2 to 3months to complete.
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION PERIOD OPENED AT 9:16 P.M.
Ben Dispoto, 311 Parkway: thanked Councilwoman Tooker for recycling effort – State is proposing a $3/ton tax on garbage starting July 1st; thanked Councilman Mercun for prompt response in reviewing hazardous situation on Parkway; thanked Police for response to home invasion incident – asked if Council would consider establishing a reward program for apprehension of the perpetrator (Borough cannot; asked Administrator to reach out to Chamber of Commerce); impressed with presentation from First Aid Squad.
Rosa Crowley, 1401 St. Louis Avenue: glad to see Recreation Center feasibility study on agenda – would like more recreational opportunities for children – Newark Avenue Park is used by my children and neighbors – Open Space inventory shouldn’t be sold for development; just had a revaluation and taxes went sky high – how can town’s financial status be so bad? (Mayor: revaluation shifts the burden, doesn’t bring in more revenue – aggregate assessed values increased, but tax rate decreased – last year’s municipal rate was 16.9 cents, which would have equated to 60 cents at pre-revaluation assessments – overall tax rate, including school, County and municipal, was $3.02 in 2006 and 82 cents in 2007 – property taxes increased for some and decreased for some, with properties east of the railroad hit harder – haven’t had any meaningful municipal tax increases during last three years – during that time, mandated expenses increased – revenues were generated from parking and court fines, but those sources were used to keep tax rate stable – that type of financing caught up with us this year – surplus is down $900,000 with an increase of $300,000 in pension costs, $176,000 in insurance and increased salaries/wages); taxes have gone up every year (municipal tax has gone up very little – property taxes also include school and County taxes – municipal taxes haven’t gone up commensurate with spending increase) taxes went up – unless you have a new home, it shouldn’t have been that out of proportion; there must be a floor area ratio in place – I came before the Board for a variance and was restricted because of floor area ratio coverage (that was for 30 % maximum lot coverage – floor area ratio is concerned with total square footage of building); asked about the status of the Lake Study (Councilman Mercun: Council is still in process and needs to straighten out legal issues that judge pointed out, such as misrepresentation, in agreement with US Fish and Wildlife, that Borough owns entire property – also have to correct the Open Public Meetings Act technical violation – while the court felt that Council wasn’t being untoward it still has to be addressed and remedied; Administrator Riehl attended a meeting last week with State DOT and County Program Director on dredged materials – no matter what plan is developed for Lake of the Lillies, dredging issue could take about two years – not only must plan satisfy State and Federal agencies, should Council decide to remove dredge materials, they must be stored, dried and hauled away, and all actions require plans – there is correspondence going back to 1986, but nothing has happened; discussed the need, with Councilwoman Tooker and the Mayor, to develop a hard and fast plan with all expert input – have heard promises made by the County and State, but people we deal with are not politicians – they are the people in charge of those departments – will start process by arranging a meeting with these individuals to find out what needs to be done – then a plan needs to be developed along with a way to fund it – time for talking is over – has been talked about for, I imagine, 50 years – now is the time to come up with a plan, present it to the Governing Body, and have a hearing – this is a highly-charged emotional issue, but I think we can all agree we would like the lake revitalized – if you waited this long, you can wait a little longer for us to say “Folks we did our homework. This is the best we can come up with. What do you think?” – Council is earnestly working to do what is best for the town in the most reasonable, environmentally sound manner).
Marilyn Burke, 118 Central Avenue: asked whether there was a new Broadway revitalization plan initiated by present Council (devised by NPP Coordinator Cadalzo, submitted to State, and viewable on web-site); asked Council to provide figures on amount of recycling revenue expected; suggested Council could save money by collecting trash once a week in winter.
Bob Hoppe, 217 Washington Avenue: complained about geese and their waste, Bradshaw’s shed, vehicles lined up by Briggs Taxi, which prevent street cleaning, bicycles chained to every tree, pole and fence throughout town, and NJ Transit not cleaning premises; requested that town get rid of newspaper machines on Washington Avenue; (Administrator Riehl was asked to check on Briggs Taxi situation and look into the magnitude of chained bicycles – property on west side of tracks is NJ Transit property – are negotiating with them about town maintaining it).
Max Gagnon, 304 Parkway: Community Notification Program is a good idea, though a bit late, in reference to recent crime – commended Patrolman Meany for the job he did; suggested generating revenue through taxation and levying fines for illegal oceanfront building and garbage (Building Department is reviewing files to verify that current building configurations are reflected in revaluations) asked why we are not in the beach business – in 2006, Belmar’s beach revenue was $4,277,858.00 – time to move on discussions with Risden’s Beach, use eminent domain (were ready to go in 1998, but Mr. Risden backed out – the beach is not for sale, now, just the parking lot – no one was privy to negotiation with two Council Members last year) maybe our offer wasn’t substantial (would still be competing with Jenkinson’s – probably only a third of beach is Risdens, which equates to $1.4-$1.6 million, if going by Manasquan revenues – need to ensure it’s sustainable and get numbers from our auditors – can’t comment on parking lot plan as it is currently before the Planning Board).
Dave Cavagnaro, 118 Parkway: asked about getting copy of Chief DePolo’s memo; asked if parking plan would be presented to public prior to ordinance (will probably discuss at Council Meeting before putting in ordinance format); thought we were going to have a meeting last year about emergency management (County has provided a plan for pet friendly shelters) – concerned that a lot of residents don’t know where to go (depends on where storm hits as to which shelters will come into play – our radio station will handle evacuation information); glad to see optimistic view of still acquiring beach – researched and there was a draft ordinance to re-zone there (not in favor of spot zoning).
John Szafranski, 319 Yale Avenue: asked where cars would park for Risdens Beach if 47-car lot is used for homes; presented article about Belmar and its beach revenues, at last Council meeting; asked that Council talk to State about Boardwalk tourist expenses (researching whether Boardwalk is a street or sidewalk – town agreed to maintain center section of Boardwalk, by resolution, in 1976 – Borough Attorney is researching whether we are legally obligated to maintain it) – other towns maintain Boardwalk through beach fees – Council representative should call State (Mayor: don’t see any difference between a Prudential Center ticket and a beach badge).
Joe Lemma, 203 St. Louis Avenue: discussed metering Borden’s and downtown white elephant parking lots – parking there 24 hours even though sign says 3 hour limit; asked about installing ATM machines – will make money and bank will pay (will revisit).
Elizabeth McLaughlin, Central Avenue: locks her doors and locks her children in backyard – don’t have neighbors on either side and don’t feel secure in that area in winter – didn’t know about “Peeping Tom” – see new faces walking the street all the time – it’s important to have a Neighborhood Watch (Mayor: asked Chief to look into reactivating Neighborhood Watch program; Councilman Mercun: important to show a very visible police presence).
Ron Duran, Hawthorne Avenue: property across from Dunkin Donuts owned by State – suggested, when bridge operation completed, looking into using it as a parking lot – would probably park 1,000 vehicles (been in conversation with DOT for two to three years – also looked into property by Burger King, but State decided to keep that for storm water management purposes); asked about last year’s court and parking revenues.
Candace Donoghue, 1304 Baltimore Avenue: you agree the hotel/motel tax is unfair, but can’t give up the revenue in this tight financial crunch – wonder if there is a correlation between that and motel crime which is impacting public safety (Councilman DiCorcia: those problems existed long before the hotel/motel tax existed – growing in recessive times- days of mom and pop motels are gone – tax is a way to bring in money) thanked Council for trying their best, putting forth a lot of time and effort.
Mickey Diaz, 711 Atlantic Avenue: park on Newark Avenue is being looked at by Open Space Committee.
Craig Jones, 1503 St. Louis Avenue: best way to save money is to use volunteers; came up with a mini action plan, in conjunction with Princeton Hydro; town cleaned storm drain on Blodgett but storm drain next to the silt trap is full; asked for role of Council liaison to Environmental Commission (Borough Attorney: sits in fiduciary role, ex-officio representative, reports to Council; Councilman Mercun: as fiduciary, has legal responsibility to express members’ opinions – our views are public, but that doesn’t forfeit a person’s right to express an opinion – technically, every Council member could be at every one of these meetings, but nobody would have that much time – so that person acts as Council representative and reports back to Council, who ultimately decides).
Rich Bilotti, 101 Broadway: runs family’s hotel – 3% tax hurts business – forgoes a lot of income in winter by not catering to that type of clientele – neither Mariner’s Cove nor Harbor Lights are up to code – agrees with Councilman Loughran and Chief that the incidents mentioned earlier are giving the rest of the hotels a bad name; all curbs, at Boston Avenue, have been ripped out and not completed (not finished over there).
Jim Wisniewski, 1403 St. Louis Avenue: appreciate everybody reviewing lake study, but been waiting a long time – read Judge Grasso’s decision that Borough has a legal obligation to maintain the lakes – read property maintenance ordinance (Borough Attorney: sometimes exception swallows the rules – this particular ecosystem, given that it,s part of litigation, requires the Borough to review what has occurred over 50 years – Council is dedicated to doing that, to maintaining the lake, as far as possible, as the Judge directed – dedicated to the restoration of that lake; Councilman Mercun: am an opponent of short-term resolutions for larger problems – have seen, over the past year, that if somebody screams loud and long enough, Council responds only to find that we helped one person but ticked off 500 others – a complex issue that is going to be done right – are committed and are taking everybody’s contributions into account –we’ve got to stop kneejerk reactions just to appease a couple of people – it’s got to be thought out right and a plan formulated that the judge can live with) recommended using the egg timer.
Joe Bilotti, owner of Surfside Motel at 101 Broadway: strongly disagrees with hotel/motel tax – playing with his livelihood.
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION PERIOD CLOSED AT 10:44 P.M.
The meeting was adjourned at 10:45 p.m.
Transcribed By:
Scarlett Johnson
Attest: Maryann Ellsworth, Municipal Clerk
