Borough of Point Pleasant Beach MINUTES
The Mayor and Council of the Borough of Point Pleasant Beach met at 6:30PM with Councilmen Mercun, Loughran, Corbally, DiCicco, and DiCorcia present. Mayor Vogel arrived at 6:31 PM. Councilman Dixon was absent due to illness. The Municipal Clerk read the notice indicating compliance with the Open Public Meetings Act.
Council President DiCicco thanked the Recycling Task Force for attending.
Ben Dispoto, Recycling Coordinator: County will implement paper recycling 1st Quarter 2008 – seeking expansion of Task Force through 2008, in order to participate.
Curt Leach: things changing – important to keep eye on the ball – things that were mandated at inception of Task Force are now obsolete.
Ben Dispoto: County is progressive, trying to follow State outline – would like Council to implement recycling at all town facilities; had positive meeting with Chamber of Commerce – would like containers on Arnold and Ocean Avenues, in yellow curb areas, so Public Works can pick-up – bi-product of recycling will be a cleaner town – will seek merchant sponsorship; Public Works Director Meany suggested researching grants – received approximately $35,000 in 2005/2006; would like to do a mailing when recycling change-over takes place; some property by the Public Works garage that is being used for recycling is owned by NJ Transit – unsure as to if there is a release to utilize it.
Mr. Leach: improvement and planning are precluded until this is resolved.
Mr. Dispoto: if reconfigure property up to lot, might not need railroad property.
Presented photos and discussed recycling facilities at Wall, Sea Girt, Brielle, Manasquan, Bay Head, Spring Lake, and Spring Lake Heights.
Councilman DiCicco: asked for Committee’s recommendation (will discuss with Mr. Meany, review dimensions and provide suggestions – looking at modular facilities).
Governing Body agreed unused NJ Transit property ownership should be explored.
Department Head Memos and correspondence were discussed and several items were added to agenda for action. Need additional quotes for air conditioning unit – air conditioning unit must be addressed before mold problem can be remediated. Boardwalk bench request will be added to list of those waiting for program to be reinstated.
The Mayor called for a recess at 7:17 PM
Mayor Vogel called the regular meeting to order at 7:31 P.M. Present were Council Members Mercun, Loughran, Corbally, DiCicco and DiCorcia. Councilman Dixon was absent due to illness. The Municipal Clerk again read the notice indicating compliance with the Open Public Meetings Act.
Motion by Councilman DiCorcia, to approve January 16, 2007 Council meeting minutes, was seconded by Councilman Corbally and carried by the following roll call vote.
VOTE: Council Members Mercun, Loughran, Corbally, DiCicco, DiCorcia….YEA
Mayor Vogel presented a proclamation to the Boy Scouts of American, in honor of their 97th Anniversary, commending their service to the young people of Point Pleasant Beach, and proclaimed February 4 -10, 2007 as Scouting Anniversary Week.
Motioned by Councilman Mercun to appoint Kevin Starkey, of Starkey, Kelly, Kenneally, Bauer & Cunningham, as Borough Attorney.
Explained basis for selection – public bidding and competitive contracting meet requirements of the Fair and Open process – Borough Attorney proposals were evaluated based on the most advantageous selection for the Borough, giving due consideration to price and other factors – criteria that went into recommendation was: experience and reputation in the field, vendor’s knowledge of subject matter to be addressed under the contract, availability to accommodate any required meetings of the agency, compensation proposal, and other factors demonstrated to be in the Borough’s best interest – firm is well established in legal community, reputed to be extremely competent in all areas of law, including representation of municipalities and public entities – represented Borough in 2005 – familiar with daily operations and requirements of appointed and elected officials – 3 firm members are certified by NJ Supreme Court as trial attorneys – 9 members, including Kevin Starkey, have been evaluated by Peer Review from Martindale-Hubbell Ratings System – no other firm disclosed trial certifications or that they were objectively rated by Martindale Hubble Peer Review System – based on objective assessment and firm’s reputation in the legal community, compensation proposal is competitive and justified – experience and independent certification attest to firm’s legal ability and professional ethics, which is important to the way the Borough conducts business, especially in light of proposals to formulate a Borough code of ethics and code of conduct – asked that analysis and recommendation be part of public record.
Vincent Barrella: asked what Martindale-Hubbell is and if attorneys pay to join (Peer Review process is separate from paid membership) asked if other firms’ qualifications were researched (applicants were asked to submit qualifications they felt should be considered) asked if others might have viewed these honors as puffing (NJ Supreme Court set standards, with extensive exam and review process, to attain trial lawyer certification – many fail the exam) rate is about 30% higher than lowest bidder – asked if Mr. Gertner was considered unqualified (Mr. Starkey’s firm is better suited – Mr. Gertner’s firm is recommended as Special Projects Attorney).
Motion was seconded by Councilman DiCicco and carried by the following roll call vote:
VOTE: Council Members Mercun, Corbally**, DiCicco***, DiCorcia….YEA
Councilman Loughran*….NAY
*Councilman Loughran: nothing against Mr. Starkey – last year illustrated you can appoint someone with no political or town connections – Mr. Gertner made no contributions to any political party and did an excellent job – charges $100/hour for meetings and $120/hour for other matters – Mr. Starkey’s firm has made political contributions and has the highest rate of those firms that applied – would have been an opportunity to say we’re against Pay-to-Play and to save taxpayers’ money.
**Councilman Corbally: Mr. Gertner was right on top of things when he started last year and did an outstanding job but, over the last 6 months, he dropped the ball on several occasions and was not as responsive – Mr. Starkey will do an outstanding job.
***Councilman DiCicco: choosing an attorney is a personal decision – need to work closely – a matter of comfort level – Mr. Starkey will serve the Borough best at this point.
Attorney Starkey: thanked Councilman Mercun for the exhaustive review and assured Councilman Loughran that his firm will render representation and opinions without regard to political affiliation.
Councilman Mercun and Mayor Vogel: explained Pay-to-Play and the Fair and Open RFP process.
Ordinance 2007-01 (TWU Salary Ordinance) was considered on second reading. Public hearing was opened, held and closed with no member of the public wishing to be heard.
Motion by Councilman DiCicco, seconded by Councilman DiCorcia and carried by the following roll call vote, Ordinance 2007-01 was adopted on second reading.
VOTE: Council Members Mercun, Loughran, Corbally, DiCicco, DiCorcia….YEA
Motion by Councilman DiCicco, seconded by Councilman DiCorcia, resolutions, covering the items listed below, were approved by the following roll call vote:
a) Appt. of Patrick Sheehan (Law Office of Patrick Sheehan) as JIF Attorney
b) Appt. of Sean Gertner (Gluck, Allen & Gertner) as Special Projects Attorney
c) Appt. of John Stefani (CME Associates) as Borough Engineer
d) Appt. of James Priolo (Birdsall Engineering) as Special Projects Engineer
e) Appointment of Valter Must (Rothstein, Mandell, Strohm & Must) as
Municipal Prosecutor
f) Appt. of Robert Rothstein, Laura Halm and Charles Bauer (Rothstein, Mandell, Strohm & Must) as Alternate Municipal Prosecutors
g) Appt. of John Ducey as Conflict Prosecutor
h) Appt. of Lawrence Dooley as Public Defender
i) Appt. of Theresa Cunningham (King, Kitrick & Jackson, LLC) as Alternate Public Defender
j) Appt. of Carmine Villani (Villani & DeLuca) as Alternate Public Defender
k) Appt. of Roberta Burcz as Alternate Public Defender
l) Appt. of Greg Hock as Alternate Public Defender Defender
m) Appt. of W. Reed Gusciora as Animal House Magistrate
n) Appt. of Joseph Grisanti as Animal House Prosecutor
o) Appt. of William Mayer (DeCotiis, Fitzpatrick & Gluck) as Municipal Bond Counsel
p) Appt. of Warren Korecky (Supplee, Clooney & Co) as Borough Auditor
q) Appt. of Meridian Occupational Health as Borough Physician
r) Appt. of Plainfield Consultation Center as Police Psychologist
VOTE: Councilman Mercun (Items ‘a-d’, ‘m’ and ‘o-r’), Loughran (items ‘a-b’ and ‘d-r’),
Corbally, DiCicco, DiCorcia….YEA
Councilman Mercun (Items ‘e-l’ and ‘n’)….Abstain
Councilman Loughran (Item ‘c’)….NAY
Clerk Ellsworth made corrections and added several items to Consent Resolutions.
Motion by Councilman DiCicco, seconded by Councilman Corbally, resolutions covering the items listed below, were approved by the following roll call vote:
CONSENT RESOLUTION 1:
a) Establish 2007 salaries for Borough employees in accordance with TWU contract
b) Authorization for Mayor to execute 2007 Municipal Alliance (MAC) Grant
c) Authorization for Mayor to execute 2007 MAC Coordinator Contract
d) Approval of Schedule C Agreement with County of Ocean
e) Approval of Payroll #2 ($202,972.72) and Payroll #3 ($207,217.36)
f) Raffles License Applications for UNICO (2)
g) Authorization for Borough Counsel to draft Ordinance creating a new zoning district to be known as SF-2
h) Approval of RFP for Lake Consultant and authorization to advertise same
i) Approval of voluntary deduction Vision Service Plan for borough employees
j) Reduction of Performance Bond – Curtis Ave LLC
k) Payment to Sea View General Contracting for remedial work on Downtown Revitalization Phases I and II ($6012)
l) Payment to Plainfield Consultation Center for police academy recruit evaluations ($5565)
m) Payment to Riggins, Inc for diesel fuel ($5365)
n) Payments to Schoor Depalma from escrow accounts ($1914.27)
o) Payment to Brick Cardiovascular for police academy recruit tests ($6000)
p) Raffles License Applications for Seaside Chapter Deborah Hospital Foundation (4)
q) Refund of dumpster bond – 206 New Jersey Avenue
r) Approval of January hand checks ($1,458,116.35)
s) Payment of 1st Quarter Tax allocation to Ocean County ($1,575,101.65)
t) Payment of 2006 added/omitted assessments to County of Ocean ($40,418.92)
u) Progress Payments 5 & 6 to Certified Valuations for reval ($114,837.73)
v) Payment to Horizon BCBS for employee health benefits ($102,417.72)
w) Refund Board of Adjustment escrow deposit to Lori Armstrong ($400)
x) Payment to Meridian Occupational Health for police academy recruit physicals ($5970)
y) Payment to Pedroni Fuel Co for no-lead gasoline ($15,772)
z) Payment to Institute for Tourism for tourism economic impact study ($4000)
aa) Payment to Quality Communications for Panasonic toughbook computer ($4495)
CONSENT RESOLUTION 2:
a) Authorization to advertise and conduct sale of surplus police vehicles (4)
b) Payment to Detcon for garbage truck repair ($4060.63)
c) Payment to Paul Zimmerman Foundries ($643.54)
d) Authorization for Mayor & Clerk to execute contract with T & M Associates for projects assigned during 2006
e) Payments to Schoor Depalma from Bd of Adjustment escrow accts ($619.25)
f) Payment to Schulmann Wiegman from Bd of Adjustment escrow acct ($225)
g) Approval of computer generated vouchers ($1,988,692.66)
h) Transfer of funds between 2006 budget accounts
i) Authorization to apply for CDBG funding for Sanborn Avenue
CONSENT RESOLUTION 3:
a) P O to Pt Pleasant Bicycle for parking enforcement bicycles ($405.94)
b) P O to Pt Pleasant Bicycle for police patrol bicycle ($1846.92)
c) P O to Mocean for bike patrol uniforms ($3576.12)
d) Authorization to apply for permit and submit control plan to Ocean County Soil Conservation District regarding Newark Avenue road improvement project
e) Appt of Class II special law enforcement officer
f) Water/sewer bill adjustments (8 accts)
g) Water/sewer bill relief (house demolished) – 113 Chicago Avenue
h) Change Order #2 to Mark Woszczak Mechanical Contractors for replacement of water valves at various locations (-$1.77)
i) Progress Payment #2 to Mark Woszczak Mechanical Contractors for replacement of water valves at various locations ($5,834.89)
j) Authorize changing CDBG program funding cycle to bi-annual basis after 2007
k) Approval special event application for Pt Pleasant Chapter Deborah Hospital Flea Market on 6/16/07
l) Approval special event application for Chamber of Commerce Classic Car Cruise, including anniversary cruise event, with fee waiver
m) Approval special event application for Chamber of Commerce Seafood Festival on 9/15/07 – approval of Ocean County road use application
n) Approval special event application for Chamber of Commerce Christmas Tree Lighting on 11/23/07 with fee waiver – approval of Ocean County road use application
o) Approval special event application for Chamber of Commerce 2007 Sidewalk Sales – May 18 – 20 and August 16 – 19
p) Approval special event application for Chamber of Commerce Boardwalk Information Table with waiver of fee
q) Authorization for Mayor to execute agreement with County of Ocean for installation of flashing traffic signal at intersection of Ocean and Washington Avenues
r) Authorization to proceed with upgrade to parking system at Inlet recreation area
VOTE: Council Members Mercun, Loughran, Corbally, DiCicco*, DiCorcia….YEA
*Councilman DiCicco: Consent Resolution 1, item ‘g’ is an outgrowth of meeting with District 1 residents – will have many opportunities for comment – creates bump-out zone in certain areas for larger lots; commented on Progress Payments 5 and 6 to Certified Valuations – payment held last meeting due to concerns – asked auditor and CFO to study process – random properties were analyzed – per Tax Assessor Rowe’s report, protocol/NJ law were followed.
Mayor Vogel: regarding Consent Resolution 1, item g – discussed grandfathering existing properties in new SF2 zone – asked Attorney Starkey to address legal concerns (Attroney Starkey: subdivisions granted prior to this change are, in effect, grandfathered, and will remain in effect after adoption of ordinance – ordinance will be reviewed by Planning Board after first reading, with any concerns addressed on second reading); appointed Antrim Elementary School Principal Thomas O’Hara to Safety Council; appointed Jill Capuzzo and Carol Vacarro to Beautification Committee; asked Council to consider recommendations of Michael Geller, engineer who reviewed grading and drainage ordinance, to make it easier for people going through process, while continuing to protect neighboring properties; will meet with County Engineer to discuss 2007 projects on County roads, speed humps on River Avenue, speeding on Bay Avenue, etc.; asked that resumes for Shade Tree Commission be submitted by February 16th, so appointments can be made at next meeting; announced next ‘Meet the Mayor’ session on February 19th at 8PM.
COMMITTEE REPORTS:
Councilman Mercun: holding town meeting for resident opinions on traffic and speeding on all streets; met with motel/hotel owners – recent ordinance went into greater detail than the State about what is sufficient ID – State ordinance appears to apply to those with rooms of 10 or less – if doesn’t apply to our motels/hotels, would have to be covered in an ordinance; owners asked about regulations in rentals/guest homes – asked Attorney Starkey to provide ordinances; may be able to broadcast Council meetings live over town’s radio station – Chief will check with technical people; our Police Department has a Juvenile Driver Parental Notification Program – if driver under 18 is stopped for a motor vehicle offense or is at fault in an accident, investigating officer informs parents – gives parents understanding of what children are doing – police work starts at home.
Councilman Loughran: spoke with Governing Body members about charging for parking year-round – proposed $1/hour charge in off season – would cost visitors about $2/visit – could garner an additional $100,000 in revenue – Councilman Corbally suggested charging March through November – appropriate to contain between Trenton Avenue and Parkway (Councilman DiCorcia: no objection to moving back a month, but concerned about year-round impact to Districts 3 and 4 – machines should be covered and not issue receipts during off-time – need new signage); will meet at 3:30PM tomorrow with Councilman Corbally, Dennis Russell, Chief DePolo, Administrator Riehl and interested members of the public about charging in railroad lot; asked residents to park off-street during snow to ease removal.
Councilman Corbally: laptop discussion started while networking Borough offices – Clerk Ellsworth and Administrator Riehl attended OPRA seminar and recommended that Governing Body use laptops to keep town business separate from personal – Council communicates mainly via e-mail because of their different schedules – e-mail makes Council more productive and informed – vote to go with laptops was bi-partisan, upon the advice of the Borough Attorney – NJ League of Municipalities Executive Director has addressed the need for new rules that recognize the change from paper-based files to electronic records and messages – “NJ Law Journal” says government officials should dedicate a computer solely to government e-mails and not co-mix – the laptops are used for government business and Council agreed, in writing, to be responsible for them and return them to the Borough in good condition – Councilman DiCorcia returned laptop because he didn’t know how to use it, not because he didn’t agree with the purchasing; received lawn spray for geese problem, but have to wait for warmer weather to use it – was directed by resident Vince Castin to “awaywithgeese.com”, which offers a solar light that beams at night so geese can’t sleep, effectively driving them elsewhere; need to broaden current parking pass system to include all taxpayers (including commercial) – summer-only taxpayers would have to produce a water or tax bill with drivers license or registration.
Motion by Councilman Corbally, to authorize Attorney Starkey to draft ordinance to include all taxpayers in resident parking pass system, was seconded by Councilman DiCicco and carried by the following roll call vote.
VOTE: Council Members Mercun, Corbally, DiCicco, DiCorcia….YEA
Councilman Loughran: NAY
Councilman Corbally: installing parking boxes at railroad lot is complicated – must consider residents, commuters, beachgoers and lumberyard personnel; Administrator Riehl is looking for commercial parking tags for Borden’s lot – businesses will be notified of new ordinance – revisions to Engineer’s plans will include input from Beautification and Environmental Committees; Beautification Committee will now meet bi-monthly in Borough Hall; County has not made a decision, as yet, about installation of River Avenue speed humps – will meet with County Engineer later this month.
Councilman DiCicco: received CME proposal on I&I plans/specs/contracts, etc. – ready to go out to bid and begin remediation process – hope to see more efficient system – will lead to next level, dealing with inappropriate connections; next FEMA meeting is February 13th – Engineer Frank Little will present draft of Flood Plain Management plan, pre-requisite for re-entry into community rating system – will present pamphlet for public, which will get us service points – applications only considered twice/year and decision takes about 6 months from date of submission – hope to submit by end of April to be into system by October; Finance Committee is meeting with Department Heads on budgetary needs – trying to prepare budget to present at public workshop meeting in early April; directed Borough Attorney to prepare first zoning ordinance of the year – sets forth skeleton of what we’ll do to redevelop/revitalize Point Pleasant Beach – need to get control over development – zoning ordinances are step one – lots of planning devices must be put into place – have recently hired NPP Coordinator – need to expand his duties to include overall town revitalization; scheduled meeting with NPP Coordinator, Mayor Vogel and Councilman Corbally to discuss moving forward on Mr. Castin’s “Project Looking Good” and Mr. Cavagnaro’s revitalization proposal – meeting is also scheduled with Planner; discussed construction that causes damage to other properties with Borough Attorney and Construction Official – options include an ordinance denying CO if damage is not fixed or posting of bond to ensure that off-site damage is repaired – also discussed drafting an ordinance to deal with pile driving construction technique and the need to set standards.
Councilman DiCorcia: wants no part of laptops; writing skills have gone down with computers, as have math skills with calculators – using phone to answer constituent questions is more personal; received call from VFW Commander – he and Veterans are upset that Borough Hall flag is not lit and flag coming into town is still at half-staff; contact any Council Member to nominate Citizen of the Year; thanked Chief for memo on radar machine; thanked Ben Dispoto and Recycling Task Force for presentation and ideas; asked that Sgt. Otto contact Principal O’Hara about Safety Council meeting dates; updated Council on streetlight situation – system is working.
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION PERIOD OPENED AT 8:37 P.M.
Vince Castin, 15 Trenton Avenue: if light makes geese tired and unable to fly, Muskrat Jack could round them up – asked Council to explore other geese deterrent avenues/venues for spring implementation; asked about Lake Consultant RFP (specialist who will give professional advice on dealing with lakes – drafted with Environmental Commission input –Council is committed to moving forward with project).
Lee Jani, 1023 Gowdy Avenue: after three phone calls, got call back from Certified Valuations – had attitude, but answered questions adequately – assessment figures, based on current tax rates, makes my knees knock – asked about tax rates and ability to appeal (just started budget process – will be public hearings – rate will go down considerably, based on new valuations).
Dave Cavagnaro, 118 Parkway: clarified that money generated through property taxes is predicated on budget – theoretically, if assessment goes up 4 times, tax rate goes down roughly 3/4 – don’t think people were treated well by Certified Valuations – were told they’d get response letters – haven’t (Clerk Ellsworth to follow up with Assessor Rowe); thanked Administrator Riehl for getting lights on; thanked Councilman Corbally for treating all taxpayers equally, with respect to parking permits; thanked Councilman DiCicco for looking into revitalization; asked about pump at Lake Louise (will be discussed as capital project), seeding at Band Shell, price on Niblick and Boston bubble-up (don’t have final numbers), status of bulkhead at Boston and Harvard Avenues (applied for grant), if there is a back-up for laptops (could back up to CD), and that Council e-mail addresses be advertised (on web-site – will put on info cards).
John Fernicola, 202 Arnold Avenue: asked for cumulative revaluation figure – can figure rate based on last year’s budget – needs to be published; thanked Councilman Mercun for meeting with lodging accommodations association – aspects of existing ordinance are offensive to tourism – asking for ages of occupant’s wife and children, etc., doesn’t speak well for Point Pleasant Beach – people will be suspicious of motivation – doesn’t occur in other destinations – thinks production of ID is fine – asked that situation be corrected before spring.
Joe Lemma, 203 St. Louis Avenue: last year, had 125 parking permits – today, 180 – will keep going up; parking boxes are being installed all over the shore to help tax rates – beach people park in train lot for free and walk to beach – every municipality has meters year-round – everyone north of Manasquan charges at railroad lots – suggested no parking 10:00 AM –1:00 PM in that area – lots should all have boxes in summer.
Vincent Barrella, 116 Niblick Street: sat on Master Plan Review Committee – asked why deviating from their report – District 1 area is currently SF5 – asked why zoning change is not being done in all districts (bigger lot sizes there); thanked Mr. Fernicola for hitting nail on the head – revaluations have been assessed and still don’t know tax rate – not acceptable; asked if laptops are critical and essential; asked to have seasonal rental authorities posted on Borough web site; parking permits have become the rage in town – for years, they were suggested and never went anywhere; Councilman Mercun works as Conflict Prosecutor in other towns – worried about daisy chain of work referrals from Borough to Borough and case to case – asked that Council put safeguards in place, that would give the Borough confidence that this is not happening.
Mayor Vogel: asked about owners who are unaware they have two tax lots in proposed SF2 zone (Attorney Starkey: if lots were previously subdivided or exist in Borough records as separate tax lots, are entitled to maintain).
John Szafranski, 319 Yale Avenue: asked where we are going to get more tourist revenue and if study is available (end of month); asked if Councilman Mercun looked into Wildwood tourist development fee approved by State statute – per Senator Ciesla’s office, should review with legislature to see if this is another exceptional case, because there is no money coming in from the beach – paying for upkeep of Boardwalk, infrastructure, Police Academy training for summer officers, increased Public Works personnel; other municipalities have passed tighter Pay-to-Play legislations; per State statute, you cannot leave car or bus running more than three minutes or be subject to fine, both the driver and parking lot owner – buses idling for long periods by Aquarium lot – supposed to have a sign there citing statute.
Kathleen Foley, 115 Randall Avenue: asked if there’s a policy about Council answering e-mails and identifying themselves; regarding commercial parking permits, Boardwalk owners have several business names – can raise issues with the number of permits they’re allowed; have no driveway – flooding the area with meters pushes people to park where there are none and residents get impacted; regarding Consent Resolution 1, item ‘y’ – fuel charge for police vehicles – suggests idling only when necessary.
Tim Lurie, 1020 Gowdy Avenue: Attorney Gertner advised using laptops – concerned about expense (fell within bonding of computer network) – a waste buying Councilman DiCorcia one when you know he can’t use it; regarding SF2 zone, if you have subdivision approval now and you don’t do any improvements you’re not grandfathered – under the MLUL, approval is only valid for 2 years (Attorney Starkey: will investigate and have an answer at next meeting).
John Deter, 301 Cooks Lane: thanked Councilman Corbally for addressing Public Works’ vehicle idling problem so quickly; asked for status of oil company property (foreclosure on hold – applied for grant to further remediate contamination) – should pave over and make skateboard park; disappointed that Council is paying Certified Valuations – finally got through – gentleman was nice, but useless – being assessed for 4,000 sq. ft. of attic space – it’s actually 9 sq. ft. (Tax Assessor can file appeal on his behalf); asked that Councilman continue to answer phones, as he will not use computer.
Frank Carey, 806 Briarcliff Avenue: asked for clarification on SF2 zoning (currently 50’x100’ lots allowed – proposal will require 75’x100’ lots in that zone).
Max Gagnon, 304 Parkway: asked Council about DEP ruling at Inlet – made OPRA request regarding that property and collected a lot of information – will go through it and bring matters to your attention – going to be a big issue – are asking for a lot of things from the DEP that were never permitted by the town.
Anne Walsh, 812 Oak Terrace: here about SF2 zoning – 8 people worked on Master Plan Review Committee (MPRC) for 2 years – you want to change zones already – only 6 of the 20 lots in affected area can be sub-divided – grand-fathering brings it down to 4 – going to a lot of time and expense for possibly 4 homes over the course of a few blocks – you’re spot zoning – noted that MPRC recommendations didn’t last very long – asked about time frames – had sub-division approval last September that is been dragged out through appeals (Attorney was authorized to draft an ordinance for public commentary at next Council meeting – first reading would be at first meeting in March, then there are notification requirements for property owners – ordinance would be sent for Planning Board review and comment – Governing Body could take action at second meeting in March or first meeting in April – approximately 6 to 8 weeks).
Ben Dispoto, 311 Parkway: thanked Mayor and Council for time given to Recycling Task Force – should have report by end of quarter; tripped on crack at new construction site east of Medicap Pharmacy – getting worse (will have Engineer inspect).
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION PERIOD CLOSED AT 9:29 P.M.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:30 p.m.
Transcribed By:
Eileen Farrell and Maryann Ellsworth
Attest: Maryann Ellsworth, Municipal Clerk
