Borough of Point Pleasant Beach Council Meeting Minutes
March 1, 2022
Held in-person at Borough Hall Council Chambers, 416 New Jersey Avenue, Point Pleasant Beach.
Live streamed via https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCflODKbSFakXUEKiyxSYdUA/live
Mayor Kanitra called the regular meeting to order at 7:30PM. The Municipal Clerk read the notice indicating compliance with the Open Public Meetings Act: “Adequate notice of the time and place of this meeting was given under the provisions of the Open Public Meetings Act and was posted and sent to the officially designated newspapers in compliance with the law.” Present were Councilmembers Vitale, Testa, Byrnes, Ramos, Crowley and Migut.
FLAG SALUTE, INVOCATION
Motion by Councilman Ramos to approve the February 15, 2022 Council meeting minutes was seconded by Councilman Vitale and carried by roll call vote.
VOTE: Councilmembers Vitale, Testa, Byrnes, Ramos, Crowley, Migut….YEA
Mayor Kanitra requested the following public discussion item (no objection):
DISCUSSION: Beautification Committee Sheds
Mayor Kanitra: was called 1½ weeks ago by Cooks Ln. residents upset by the 2 new Beautification sheds there – he understood they were necessary, as the Committee had problems going down the steps into the basement, and Council voted the sheds through – thought they were going to be at the Water Dept., not the water well, which is a different area – residents are concerned with anything temporary there – if they are kept there, the lot needs nice fencing and cleaning, the disconnected telephone pole needs to be gone, the huge hole that goes into an underground opening needs to be filled, foundations that are not on concrete blocks would need to be fixed and landscaping added, OR the sheds could be placed at staged appropriately at the northern 3rd of Osprey Ln., behind Antrim, which is flat and vacant – per BA/CFO Riehl, gates there are closed on weekends – cars would have to be backed up to the gates, leaving about a 50-ft. walk with materials – OR the sheds can be sent back – shared photos and opened the discussion.
Mary Steiner, 423 Yale Ave., PPB/Beautification Committee Chair: doesn’t know if solution to keep sheds where they are will appease Cooks Ln. residents – suggested turning turn them and putting them closer to the fence – asked if there is enough land by old water tower (Mayor Kanitra: Homeland Security requires keypad entry there with new fencing and strict access; BA/CFO Riehl: the sheds came the Friday of the snowstorm and were put in place where they wouldn’t be too close to either side of the property, accessible for Beautification, but could be moved at any time – suggested putting up a fence – there will be no electric, music, noise, lights, entertainment, etc. – would just be getting something in and out of the shed, if necessary – Councilman Pasola was passionate about getting this done – their location is what she refers to as the well property – she advocates leaving them there; Mayor Kanitra: can send them back and build something more permanent and nice looking – would take time, planning and additional cost – doesn’t like building one-use properties – when building on the oil property, wants built-in space for the cat trailer and Beautification storage – all housed in a nice permanent structure that maybe matches Town Hall with the same aesthetic values – can then start peeling back the trailers and temporary structures that people, rightfully, don’t like – would take until 2023 or 2024 to go to bid) hopes Cooks Ln. people would be amenable to shifting the sheds and a fence – a lot of members can only do work on weekends and, with summer coming, can work until 7PM (Mayor Kanitra: the walk would be the same to the back of the property against the fence line, as it would on Osprey, closest to the northern fence, where they are out of sight – asked BA/CFO Riehl if they can be put in the northwestern-most corner of Osprey; BA/CFO Riehl: no – talked to DPW Super. Trout, Jack Johnston & Ned Martin – won’t work for them – it’s locked, there is not a lot of space, it’s NJ Transit property – now, they are out in the open, should there be any shenanigans or vandalism or break-in – in her opinion, if a neighbor can dictate what we can and can’t do for our property, the employees who work there day in and day out and have responsibility for the area should get some say; Mayor Kanitra: he told Cooks Ln. residents we would stop putting temporary stuff there – doesn’t think anyone would want temporary trailers or sheds next to their property – the most important thing to him is that their voice should be heard – shouldn’t just throw stuff there because it’s the DPW area; BA/CFO Riehl: suggested a caveat that when the permanent structure is built, the sheds go away – can spin them to a more favorable position and put up a fence; Mayor Kanitra: asked that she work with the Cooks Ln. residents on where they would like it to be for the next year or two) they are not junky sheds (Mayor Kanitra: no, they are not) he doesn’t like the community garden there either – it’s not just the sheds, it’s anything – he is dictating to us (Mayor Kanitra: he is like the emissary of Cooks Ln. – while he was there, other neighbors tried to stop by and say things – there were 7-8 people on Cooks Ln., out of about 20 people there, who were upset about it – that’s a sizable percentage – maybe can work with them on placement, type of fence and landscaping; Councilwoman Testa: asked what if they say “no” – she is for the sheds being there; Mayor Kanitra: compromise would have to be to take down the telephone pole, fix up property as much as possible and assure them that when the oil property is done, the sheds will go away; Councilman Ramos: if you turn it to the side, it’s not as imposing – can paint a mural on it or something – can be more aesthetically pleasing – it’s property we own – it’s a good compromise; Councilwoman Byrnes: if we move them forward, it would free up space in back for easier access from the road – can dress them up and make them look less temporary; Mayor Kanitra: thinks there will be push back and the best chance, from their perspective, is to hide them as far back in the corner against the fence as possible – it’s a good thing that this is the biggest problem we are talking about in PPB).
Sandy Pasola, PPB/Beautification Committee Member: asked why the sheds can’t be put where the permanent structure will be built, until it’s done (Mayor Kanitra: would have to move them during construction) then, they could be sold or demolished and everything put into the new building (Mayor Kanitra: suggested telling them these are the 2 options; Councilman Vitale: should leave it there and work with them and don’t give options – whatever is better for the Committee).
Mary Steiner: thinks that would be ok (Sandy Pasola: wouldn’t matter to walk a little bit).
Dave Cavagnaro, 118 Parkway, PPB: suggested behind the band shell – out of site, but easily accessible (Sandy Pasola: it’s more open; Atty. Riordan: more vandalism) asked if people on Cooks Ln. want this lot to remain open (Mayor Kanitra: thinks they would prefer something permanent) suggested putting that property up for sale again or telling the residents the sheds will stay there with the nice little garden (Mayor Kanitra: it’s an asset for the town, if we can potentially make money on it – will need it until we construct on the oil property; Atty. Riordan: in general, you don’t sell anything unless you make a determination that the Borough does not need it; Mayor Kanitra: asked BA/CFO Riehl: to work with the Committee and Cooks Ln. residents to make it aesthetically pleasing as possible, with the understanding that, when the permanent structure is built on the oil property, it will go away; Councilwoman Byrnes: kids from PPBHS Environmental Commission saw they sheds and asked permission to put a greenhouse there; Mayor Kanitra: the problem with kids’ initiatives is that they last as long as the kids are in school; Councilwoman Testa: agrees with the Mayor – everyone should have a say – compromise – a fence, arborvitaes, mulch – not flowers that have to be maintained – make sure it stays nice – the residents’ problem is that it was aesthetically a dumping ground – but it is town property – if shed is moved and kept nice, as a resident, she would be ok with that; Atty. Riordan: obvious that, because this is the Beautification Committee, it’s not going to look like garbage; Councilwoman Testa: agrees – they were put there during the storm – never had this conversation – that’s why we are having it now, to come to a compromise; Sandy Pasola: to send them back is not a solution to Beautification’s problem – have been told a skunk lives there – asked for something to keep animals out; Mayor Kanitra: if we build a nice foundation, they won’t get under) sheds can be installed in one of 2 ways for residents – on blocks with anchors or poured concrete, which becomes taxable – was done as supposed to be, according to the Building Dept. (Mayor Kanitra: we’ve got good solution – everyone is happy).
COMMITTEE REPORTS:
Councilman Vitale: gave the Chief’s report – training since last meeting includes Mandated Canine and SWAT, ICAT & ABLE, Taser – there were various arrests – are participating in the Ocean County Special Needs Registry Program – can register individuals with a physical or mental impairment – the registry will provide first responders with vital information regarding the registrants’ special needs, contact information, physical description and current photograph – information provided is confidential – shared only with law enforcement/first responders – refer to Facebook or www.ocsnrnj.com – is meeting with Det. O’Neill next week to revitalize the Neighborhood Partnership Initiative that sat dormant during COVID, with a meeting in early May – thanked the Police Dept. for putting a camera in Pleasure Park – as soon as it was up and functioning, they observed an individual urinating on the building and issued a summons; recognized March employee anniversaries – Paschal Drew 18 years, Scott Nase 16, Kevin Napalo 22, John Flynn 22, William Popp 12, Ita Brown 10; Recreation is finalizing plans for the Sham Rock event on March 12th, 12PM-4PM, with activities for all ages – Last Wave Brewery is hosting the after party; met with DPW Super. Trout and BA/CFO Riehl about expanding the lights hung up at Pleasure Park – goal is to encompass the whole front area from Forman to Trenton – DPW Super. Trout will get quotes on extending electrical outlets etc.; is bringing back the Military Banner Program with banners on Arnold Ave. – will be $50 re-hang fee and anyone can purchase a banner – will announce a link on Facebook tomorrow; the DotGov transition has been completed (BA/CFO Riehl: is meeting with web host, Christopher Cochran to facilitate the transfer; Mayor Kanitra: kudos to the Chief and Police for ticketing for dogs on Boardwalk – 98% last year were people from out of town).
Councilwoman Testa: Arts Committee met this week – a lot going on – there is an event on March 15th at Refresh Your Palette – 20 people maximum – the project will be the beach badge; are partnering with the Recreation Committee on Sham Rock event – encouraged all to come; will do a juried art show but need someone to take the lead – will do via Zoom – Party by the Sea is coming up – they are hosting something every month – talked about painting a cross walk – met with BA/CFO Riehl about it and showed her pictures – would have to find someone to paint it and take care of it – would have to be the right kind of paint – want to find a town road where everyone can appreciate it.; thanked Mary Steiner on Beautification and all volunteers who work really hard – all are appreciated; she and Councilmembers Byrnes and Ramos met with the Building Dept. – learned a lot – invited questions on Building, Zoning, permits, etc. – everything is right online (Mayor Kanitra: doesn’t think anyone realizes the sheer numbers that the Building and Zoning Dept. is dealing with since Sandy and Sandy was unprecedented – there are 20-30 new home applications and close to 100 major renovations – it’s 2-3 months turnaround – that is par for the course, if not better than our peer municipalities) with FEMA requirements, if we had another Sandy, we might not have that mass destruction – it might be annoying but, if we can keep our town safe and you safe, then so be it (Mayor Kanitra: we are making the town more resilient so that, when the next big storm comes, the town will be better prepared than other towns and there will less devastation – great job to the Arts Committee on their incredible events – the Beautification Committee should be happy to have Councilwoman Testa because she is a pit bull for them).
Councilwoman Byrnes: has no Fire Company report – business as usual; the Shade Tree Commission is gearing up for another robust planting season for the spring; Golden Gulls is hosting a Meet and Greet at the 3G Simulated Golf facility on March 8th, 12PM-2PM – 35 slots available – on March 15th, there will be a Paint and Sip event at the Laurel Ave. firehouse, instructed by 2 local artists 12:30PM-3PM – April 10th is the fashion show at The Elks Club – looking for models – June 10th is a bus trip to probably Bethlehem, PA for gambling.
Councilman Ramos: the Board of Education is changing their meeting from February 15th to February 21st, due to some changes out of Trenton – as of March 7th, masks will be optional; plans to get with DPW Super. Trout this week and getting acquainted with Water/Sewer – will follow up next week.
Councilwoman Crowley: DPW is busy as usual – status quo; met with Finance Committee and reviewed the needs and wants of the 2 biggest departments – BA/CFO Riehl is amazing; is happy the Beautification sheds are in – are blessed to have the men and women on the Committee – maybe placement can be addressed.
Councilman Migut: the Finance Committee met with BA/CFO Riehl, Chief Kowalewski and DPW Super. Trout – took the recommendation of Engineer Savacool on water tank repair – will not affect the Municipal Budget – it will be funded through the Water/Sewer Dept. as a bond issue – Chief Kowalewski and DPW Super. Trout agreed to delay some capital purchases to reduce this year’s tax impact – a reduced number of Special Officers will be hired, due to a drop in applications, as many full-time positions are available this year around the State – BA/CFO Riehl will select a date for a Budget Workshop meeting, so the entire Council can weigh in on what capital projects should be done and what should be held (BA/CFO Riehl: can either caucus at 6:30PM, in advance of the March 15th meeting, or on March 22nd; all agreed on March 15th – will advertise; Mayor Kanitra: asked that Patty Kile send out a calendar invite as well).
MAYOR’S REPORT:
Mayor Kanitra: asked for moment of silence for his friend, Lacey Mayor Nick Juliano, who passed away today after a short battle with cancer – he was a friendly, warm, engaging, passionate guy, an incredibly hard worker – this came out of the blue around Thanksgiving – asked BA/CFO Riehl and Clerk Farrell to send card of condolence on behalf of Borough; there is a meeting coming up regarding electric vehicle chargers and the game plan QOL Dir. O’Rourke has worked out with an individual company that has decided PPB is a viable market (Councilman Migut: left room briefly at 8:16PM) – will have advertising space for town events and information – looking at them for possibly the Little Silver Lake and/or NJ Transit lot – 2-4 cars in summer – not funded by taxpayer dollars – will be a huge asset; the town newsletter is coming up – reminded departments to get everything in in a week or so – want it to hit resident mailboxes by mid-March – shooting for a Career Fair for all Committees, Fire & First Aid on March 27th (Councilwoman Testa: events will be listed in the newsletter; QOL Dir. O’Rourke: will be an insert that can be removed an put on fridge) good for seniors who are not on Facebook – the town newsletter has been a Godsend in terms of keeping people informed – an asset for all committees; have selected an individual for the promotional video – waiting to hear back on the Ocean County grant – need to submit the Fisher Family grant, which has been pre-approved, so we can start filming – they are going to do 4K video of 10-15 town events this year – goal is a 3-5 minute video to put on Facebook – sole purpose is to attract families to PPB to live, work and play – will have 30- and 60-second television spots for family-friendly television stations in 2023 – will develop an archive of footage that can be marked for any kind of event – committees can spend $50-$80 to get a promotional video made because we will already have the footage to edit – will help for years to have some modern stuff to help promote what everybody is doing; the NJ Motion Picture meeting is coming up in 2 days – Kim Surowicz Allen, who is on the Arts Committee and works in Hollywood and just came off doing a big blockbuster in LA, will work with QOL Dir. O’Rourke on how we can bring financial benefits to PPB and businesses year-round by fostering family-friendly, bright, happy productions in town – NJ has tax incentives if you go outside a certain radius of NYC – behooves some big pictures to come to places like PPB – if bringing in a film crew, are taking up hotel rooms, doing Kraft services, bringing in extras – a great way to showcase the town and stimulate the economy; the next meeting for the Business Improvement District is March 7th – after that, will come to Council with more official directives to keep moving that forward.
ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT:
BA/CFO Riehl: the Army Corps will be in town tomorrow doing beach surveys to see the current state of dunes – anyone is welcome join them – they will provide a report shortly thereafter; the DOT Rte. 35 paving job, Osborne to Rte. 70, boring has started – will continue to 2024; Ocean County will pave Chicago Ave. this year and finish the Ocean Ave. job – the shared service agreement for the curb and sidewalk work is on the agenda – County will do the work and we will reimburse them at an amount not to exceed what is on the agenda (Mayor Kanitra: that’s just for the Borough work, not work done for residents that would be charged) they will do Arnold road project as well (Mayor Kanitra: the major area of curbing we are dealing with is the frontage on Ocean Ave. where weeds have been pulled – there currently is no curb in a lot of sections); contacted the bench company – they’ve had a material issue, but are looking at early May – they won’t have to be stored, but can be put right out when done; had some kind of snafu and somehow the electric meter pan and all the wires attached to the bathhouse and the Police camera on the Boardwalk were torn off the building – perhaps a utility truck or something hit them and ripped them off – apparently there is a meter pan shortage as well – may take some time for our electrician to restore the electric back to the bathhouse – hoping it will be a short time period until they are back up; received an email from the Sea Girt Administrator, who said there was a letter circulating from a wind company, Ocean Wind LLC, that was supposedly mailed to Bay Head, Beach, Sea Girt, Spring Lake, Belmar, Lake Como, Avalon, Bradley Beach, Manasquan, Mantoloking – local beach areas – and no one had received the notice – they are looking to see if municipalities got it and are going to send a resolution in opposition to it – it said the letters went out in mid-Feb. that they are putting in an application for the Coastal General Permit – no one received the initial letter but Avon-by-the-Sea has already submitted a resolution in opposition to the proposed project (Mayor Kanitra: QOL Dir. O’Rourke, with her Assembly experience, has done an excellent job of framing the conversation – we are an environmentally-friendly town in PPB – we have no problem with alternative energy sources – if they want to stick windmills past the visual horizon and are not going to hurt shellfish, fishing or migratory bird grounds, we are not in opposition – we are in opposition to anything that would look to commercialize Channel Dr., in terms of support, generation of electric, support ships, anything that would disturb the coastline, like seismic boring, running cables, anything that would devastate the tourism economy in terms of sticking windmills 8 miles offshore where you are sitting on the beach watching them etc. – asked for a motion to make a resolution in opposition along those lines, that would stay true to what QOL Dir. O’Rourke has already sent letters to 10 different agencies about, so that we continue to make it clear what our concerns are) there is a timeline – only have 15 calendar days to send it – this allegedly went out Feb. 15th – Sea Girt just sent this out yesterday – no one seems to have seen this letter (Mayor Kanitra: he was part of a working group 2 years ago – this working group is making initiatives and he hasn’t gotten a phone call or letter – seems to be very sneaky, the way that members and interested parties are getting notified and not getting notified – that speaks volumes.
Motion by Councilwoman Testa to let QOL Dir. O’Rourke use the boilerplate we’ve been using, was seconded by Councilman Vitale and carried by consent of Council.
Frank Luna at JCP&L has worked some magic and now JCP&L is ready to do conceptualization for landscaping – need our help watering – that’s fantastic).
Clerk announced revisions to the agenda.
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION BEGAN AT 8:27PM
Vincent Castin, 15 Trenton Ave., PPB: great meeting – a pleasure, as a resident, to hear all the good things going on in town – the newsletter is a good idea for people who don’t have devices; 100% for the windmill resolution – they are a farce; 30 new homes are good news – asked if 1d includes street paving (BA/CFO Riehl: this is just allowing them to do the curb and sidewalk work for us – they said they’re going to pave Ocean Ave. before Memorial day; Mayor Kanitra: drives him crazy when $1M is paid for a freshly-paved road and people carve into it fix utilities – BA/CFO Riehl had a great idea to do a rough pave until after summer, so when people come into the bungalows on Ocean Ave. in June or July and turn their water on and find that they have to fix their connections, it will get dug up and then, after the summer, will be finished beautifully; Atty. Riordan: it’s happened every single time Ocean Ave. has been paved since he was born, so it’s going to happen again, if we don’t address it – there is no question; BA/CFO Riehl: right – they all have individual service lines – some have service lines connected to each other out to our main in the street and everything is not pieced back together correctly – we have to open the street; Mayor Kanitra: and some will say it’s our financial responsibility when, since they’ve been built, it’s their laterals: Councilwoman Testa: is surprised they wouldn’t know – been talking about this for 2 years; Mayor Kanitra: doesn’t think the average person in town knows what an ordeal it is to get a road paved); asked about 1f (BA/CFO Riehl: in anticipation of paving Boston – believe there are issues with the drainage underneath, so we are going to televise it – there are a lot of sinkholes – may be a second abandoned service); asked about 2h (Atty. Riordan: Special Law Enforcement Officers; Mayor Kanitra: asked if we could grab a couple more for the June session; Chief Kowalewski: yes, trying to grab a couple more Class I’s for 2-week Academy in May and certified Class II Officers as well); asked why 2 dispatch chairs cost $5K (Chief Kowalewski: 8-hour shifts – they are ergonomic).
Dave Cavagnaro, 118 Parkway, PPB: on the wind turbine issue, had a letter to that effect at the last Planning Board meeting – thinks the work was being done south of Bay Head and thinks the Planning Board suggested we send a letter of concern – thinks Board Secy. Mills was coordinating with someone else (QOL Dir. O’Rourke: is coordinating with Board Secy. Mills – there is a discrepancy in the deadline – application isn’t available at the DEP – Clerk Farrell has a copy – they mailed a hard copy to us) surprised they would send it to the Planning Board and not the Council.
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION ENDED AT 8:36PM
Motion by Councilman Ramos to close public participation and approve the items listed below was seconded by Councilman Vitale and carried by roll call vote.
CONSENT RESOLUTION 1:
1a Approval of payment of Payroll #4 ($298,355.58)
1b Adoption of Procedures for Administration & Inspection of Federal Aid Highway Projects
1c Approval of W/S relief request
1d Auth for Mayor to execute Shared Svcs Agmt w/OC for Arnold/Ocean Curb & Sidewalk Improvements
1e Approval of PO to Integrated Technical Systems for parking meter paper ($3,960)
1f Approval of PO to Oswald Enterprises for TV inspection – Boston Ave. ($3,150)
1g Rescind approval of Recreation S/E app & approve Chamber S/E app & fee waiver request for
Sham Rock event on Arnold, Bay 3/12 (rain 3/13)
1h Approval of payment to NJDPB for annual PERS & PFRS appropriations ($1,367,420)
1i Approval of salary adjustment for T. McCrystal for completion of Rutgers CPM Program
1j Approval of payment to the OC Landfill for landfill escrow on 2/10/22 ($50K)
1k Approval of payment to M. Woszczak Mech Cont for Broadway Bridge at Channel Dr. East ($8,143.17)
1l Authorization to hire G. Loder, PPB as P/T Code Enforcement Officer
1m Approval of payment to Atlantic Salt for de-icing material on 2/7 & 2/8 ($5,663.68)
1n Approval of PO to Atlantic Salt for de-icing material 2022 ($5K)
1o Approval of PO to WB Uniforms for Public Works uniforms (NTE $3,200)
1p Authorization to implement personnel adjustments
1q Promotion of K. Wright to position of Parking Meter Supervisor
CONSENT RESOLUTION 2:
2a Approval of payment of computer-generated vouchers ($1,577,026.65)
2b Approval of membership in Fire Company No 1 for S. Dews, Point Pleasant Beach, NJ
2c Approval of Fire Co 1 Ladies Aux request to use lot/accept donations, Suns 5/29-9/4, Memorial Day,
July 4th & Labor Day
2d Approval of PO to Motorola for PD radios interconnection w/school ($4,413.18)
2e Appointment of R. Carne to F/T position of Public Safety Telecommunicator
2f Approval of payment to National Business Furniture for 2 police dispatch chairs ($4,808.56)
2g Approval of payment to Safe Fleet for police in-car cameras ($15,285)
2h Appointment of (12) Seasonal SLEO I’s for the year 2022
2i Approval of payment to Axon Enterprise for 5 police tasers (4th of 5-year payment plan $2,505)
2j Approval of payment to Motorola Solutions for annual CAD maintenance – police ($18,037.88)
2k Approval of payment to Guardian Tracking for annual subscription tracking for PD ($3,628)
2l Approval of pymt to American Fire Supply for Storz Hydrant Converter for Fire Co 1 (NTE $17,316)
2m Approval of payment to ESI Equipment for Holmatro Pentheon Rescue System for Fire Co 2 ($76,588)
VOTE: Councilmembers Vitale, Testa, Byrnes, Ramos, Crowley, Migut (except 2a-2c & 2l-2m)…YEA
Councilman Migut (2a-2c & 2l-2m)….ABSTAIN
ORDINANCES:
Ordinance 2022-02 (Amend Ch 19-8.4 – Raised Houses) was considered on second reading. Mayor Kanitra opened the public hearing with no member of the public wishing to be heard. Motion by Councilman Vitale to close the public hearing and adopt Ordinance 2022-02 was seconded by Councilman Ramos and carried by roll call vote.
VOTE: Councilmembers Vitale, Testa, Byrnes, Ramos, Crowley, Migut….YEA
Ordinance 2022-03 (Amend Ch 15, Section 8 – Amend Fire Safety Fees) was introduced on first reading. Motion by Councilman Migut to approve Ordinance 2022-03 on first reading was seconded by Councilman Vitale and carried by roll call vote. The public hearing will be held on March 15, 2022.
VOTE: Councilmembers Vitale, Testa, Byrnes, Ramos, Crowley, Migut….YEA
Ordinance 2022-04 (Amend Ch. 2-10.4 – Quasi-Public Policy Duty Svcs) was introduced on first reading. Motion by Councilman Vitale to approve Ordinance 2022-04 on first reading was seconded by Councilman Ramos and carried by roll call vote. The public hearing will be held on March 15, 2022.
VOTE: Councilmembers Vitale, Testa, Byrnes, Ramos, Crowley, Migut….YEA
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION BEGAN AT 8:38PM
Teresa Dosch, 407 Newark Ave., PPB: Senior Committee Co-Chair – very proud of all the volunteers and all the work from Councilwoman Byrnes – last year, she worked with QOL Dir. O’Rourke and submitted for the AARP grant, which falls in line with everything the Senior Committee is doing – didn’t get it last year, but it’s open to any organization that serves seniors – were told we need Council approval to apply this year – asked why (Atty. Riordan: the Senior Committee is an advisory committee to the Governing Body – they can’t do anything other than recommend things to the Governing Body – doesn’t know what happened last year – it must have fallen under the radar, but what has to happen is the Governing Body has to review it – this particular application only came to Christine recently – so, it’s being reviewed – it’s not done yet, but it needs to go through a process, and it had not done that until very recently, and it’s being looked at) asked if that’s true of any grant (Atty. Riordan: anything – you are an advisory committee to the Governing Body – you are not a legal entity of your own – you can’t do anything other than advise the Governing Body, who then takes your recommendation and decides to act on it or not – by yourself, you can’t do anything) asked if that is true for every committee (Atty. Riordan: every committee – they are all advisory committees to the Governing Body, with the exception of the committees that are made up of Governing Body members, which are different; Mayor Kanitra: part of this is a testament to how much great work the Senior Committee is doing – the Senior Committee didn’t exist before and the Arts and Recreation have never done such substantive amount of work – haven’t raised funds or anything like that – have been growing pains with every committee – he and Atty. Riordan butt heads about how everything needs to be done properly – he (Mayor) wants to go 10,000 miles/hour – he gets just as frustrated but, once we figure out the best practices and make sure we are doing the right checks and balances, it goes pretty quickly and easily – BA/CFO Riehl looks at what the Borough’s commitment could possibly be, financially – Atty. Riordan is always looking at what our exposure is – even something as benign as this requires a lot of looking at – was told there is still time to get this in by the next Council meeting – asked BA/CFO Riehl and Atty. Riordan to work out concerns with the Senior Committee – if we can come to a common place, will look at it at the next Council meeting ; Atty. Riordan: we are working on by-laws for all the committees, which will set timelines – the committees are not going to like it, because they are going to be require to provide stuff to the Administrator ahead of time – it’s going to take a little longer, but’s it’s going to get done right – he is of age for the Senior Committee, so he will start going to the meetings; Mayor Kanitra: not a reflection of what we think about the grant or how much we appreciate the hard work all are doing – hopes the Career Fair brings in more volunteers – will get where we need to be – if we had the say, we would just say do it; Councilman Vitale: several weeks ago, he brought the Recreation Committee Chairs and Treasurer to sit with BA/CFO Riehl and Dep. Finance Officer Beno – highly recommends that Senior and Arts Committee do that – learned a lot that we were doing that we weren’t supposed to be – going forward, we know exactly what we need to do, in terms of collecting money and bringing stuff to the Administrator for approval – meeting was well worth it and long overdue – should have done this from the start; Councilwoman Testa: set up a meeting in mid-March for Arts Committee board members with BA/CFO Riehl to go over by-laws, etc.; Atty. Riordan: one of the things that committees are struggling with is that they are subject to the Local Public Finance Law, which means you have to deposit your funds within 48 hours, period; Councilwoman Testa: it’s a testament to all the great things that are happening in the last 2 years – there is a lot of involvement and events – a lot of this is new to everyone and it’s exciting – want to make sure to do everything right – once we work it out, it will be smooth sailing; Councilman Ramos: likes the idea of by-laws being provided to each group – will be uniform and all will have an understanding of how it’s to be done, going forward and make the process a lot easier).
June Cuzzo, 302 Forman Ave., PPB: Senior Committee Member – asked how to ensure they are on the March 15th agenda, so they can meet the deadline (BA/CFO Riehl: she will make sure it is on the agenda) asked if there is a form (Councilwoman Testa: per BA/CFO Riehl; not for this – there is a Special Event application for special events).
Mary Steiner, 423 Yale Ave., PPB: twice, in the Ocean Star the Council meeting dates were listed as the 2nd and 4th Tuesday – asked that it be corrected (Mayor Kanitra: asked Ocean Star reporter, Alyssa, to update); Councilwoman Crowley’s email is still not working – sent something today and it was sent back (Councilwoman Crowley: is not on her end – are looking into it; Mayor Kanitra: a problem has existed for 2 years when people were forwarding their emails – asked Councilwoman Crowley if she forwards her emails; Councilwoman Crowley: no; Mayor Kanitra: asked that tech look at WiFi – it’s not fast enough; BA/CFO Riehl: they are coming next week to address issues; Councilwoman Crowley: no one else has said that they tried to reach her and weren’t able to, but BA/CFO Riehl said she thought there was an issue with her email); thanked former Councilman Cortes for helping take down garland and cutting cable ties on 64 poles – he started at 6:30AM and is the only one who used the ladder (Mayor Kanitra: thanked him on behalf of Council); said thank you for the sheds.
Dave Cavagnaro, 118 Parkway, PPB: debris pile from the road work at Silver Lake lot is growing (Mayor Kanitra: and at the NJ Transit lot – he and BA/CFO Riehl complained and sent pictures and talked about it with the County; BA/CFO Riehl: she asked the Borough Engineer to reach out to both contractors about cleaning up the mess – both lots are atrocious) thanked for email regarding the planters – asked if a professional has determined if they are rotted (Mayor Kanitra: asked the Governing Body to look at the planters – they have to be 20 years old – believes the Beautification Committee would have held on to the wooden barrels downtown for another 10 years if we didn’t move forward – can see rot from some and they were built at the same time – water intrudes into wood and sits in there – expansion, contraction – should fix all at the same time – can put back the exact same type of wood in the exact same way, if the Committee wants, as long as it’s new, so it lasts another 20+ years) is concerned about cost (Councilwoman Testa: planters that go up towards the door are worse than the front big planter – suggested no planters, just plants instead – thinks it would like nicer – if going to have a front planter, that should be your showpiece – she told Mary Steiner and BA/CFO Riehl that she thinks that’s the way to go) front planter doesn’t have rot – asked that someone check the walkway ones and try power washing, just for the sake of cost (Councilwoman Testa: Mayor’s thought was to do it right the first time – Mr. Cavagnaro can be a part of picking out wood/stone, giving recommendations on plants – need to know, so there is enough time to order flowers; BA/CFO Riehl: was told we are removing all the wood planters and replacing the one out front with something mutually agreed upon – not replacing the 2 on the side and coming up with a concept plan for the future – sent Councilwoman Testa landscaper recommendations, if she wants to reach out to landscaper to meet with Beautification; Councilwoman Testa: yes, if that is something Mr. Cavagnaro would like, she will reach out to BA/CFO Riehl to see what works for everyone and they can meet with the landscaper and everyone will feel good about the decision – want his input – it’s up to him to pick a date) asked if there would be cost analysis before it’s done (Mayor Kanitra: can get quotes to replace existing wood; BA/CFO Riehl: confirmed that all 3 are going: Councilwoman Testa: yes – they are going to pick wood/stone/something different for front planter – will still have water system; Mayor Kanitra: have get rid of the wood – can do that, but would be ideal to do all at the same time); asked about replacement bulbs in Parkway lights being the same wattage (Mayor Kanitra: same lumens – wattage is different when dealing with LEDs – there is currently an associated cost) confirmed that the plan is just to replace bulbs not fixture (Mayor Kanitra: yes) if replacing fixture, would suggest something solar.
MaryJo Gradel, 402 New Jersey Ave., PPB: said she is a volunteer on the Shade Tree Commission – thanked the Governing Body for support with the JCP&L landscaping – our contact there asked for landscape proposal (Mayor Kanitra: BA/CFO Riehl: sent it over) should use NJ native plants – that should be in the proposal – will follow up with him and BA/CFO Riehl: to be on same page; Councilman Ramos; email is also not working (Councilman Ramos: is getting emails; Councilman Vitale: it’s external emails; Councilwoman Testa: happened to her too when she started – they fixed it).
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION ENDED AT 9:01PM
Motion by Councilman Migut to adjourn was seconded by Councilman Vitale and carried by consent of Council.
Meeting was adjourned at 9:01 PM.
ATTEST: ______________________
Eileen A. Farrell, RMC
Municipal Clerk
