Borough of Point Pleasant Beach COUNCIL MINUTES
The Mayor and Council of the Borough of Point Pleasant Beach met at 6:30 PM. with Mayor Vogel, Council Members Liotta, Corbally, DiCicco, Dyer, and DiCorcia present. Councilman Loughran was absent. The Municipal Clerk read the notice indicating compliance with the Open Public Meetings Act.
Department Head memos and correspondence were discussed.
Little League special event application, Opposition to A2762/S1219, and request from American Legion were moved to the agenda for action.
Chamber of Commerce request for Governing Body’s opinion on replacing static sign by Manasquan River Bridge with LED sign was addressed; Councilman Corbally: great idea – requires Board of Adjustment approval – of 50 terms, 10 would be for police, emergency management, traffic, etc – ads would not appear between messages – no ads for alcohol-related events; Councilman Dyer: asked if it is same as at Wall Airport; Peter Sandomeno, Chamber of Commerce Vice-President, hasn’t seen Wall sign – similar to Brielle’s, but larger (52”x84”) – moves only if programmed to – Chamber would spend advertising revenue on tourism, charity events, Beautification Committee projects, etc.; Councilman Liotta: supports Chamber, but doesn’t like LED signs – would like to help with more traditional sign – not in favor, as proposed; Mr. Sandomeno: have had traditional signs – concerned with revenue; Councilman Corbally: confirmed there will be no flashing – in favor – current sign an embarrassment; Councilman DiCicco: shares Councilman Liotta’s feeling – marked contrast between current sign and this – were issues with sign on Boardwalk – appropriate there, but not at gateway to the community; Councilman DiCorcia – asked size of current sign (Mr. Sandomeno: 4’x5’); Councilman Dyer: will look at Brielle’s – doesn’t like Wall’s rolling LED; Councilman DiCorcia: would like to see both to make aesthetic judgment; Mayor Vogel: doesn’t seem favorable – Brielle’s is aesthetically different than Wall’s; Mr. Sandomeno: Brielle’s is the one to look at; Mayor Vogel: concerned with rolling lights – shouldn’t look like Times Square; Governing Body will look at both signs and discuss on April 4th.
Ted Lamicella, Certified Valuations, Inc.: explained that revaluations are being conducted per County mandate to ensure tax burden is equally distributed – will appraise all properties, sending letters to each owner and knocking to gain access – if no one home at time, will collect exterior data and leave card indicating when they will return (Councilman DiCorcia: asked if inspectors can tell number of units from exterior and if evidence would be compared to current tax roll) yes – inspectors will have photo ID’s – names and driver’s license information will be on file with the police and tax assessor – inspections will begin next month and continue through December – will complete by 1/10/07 – will collect data and do sales analysis to determine market value of each property – around October 1st preliminary valuation notices will be sent out, indicating assessed value for 2007 – August 2007 bill will reflect new tax rate and valuation – if unable to gain access to a property, are required to estimate the property to its highest potential – anyone who disagrees with the valuation can schedule an appointment with a representative to review – will be available to inspect homes at that time – if numbers are inaccurate, changes will be made (Councilman DiCorcia: asked how revaluation would affect homeowners on a block on which no home has been sold in the past ten years) if no sales in neighborhood, will use similar neighborhood to compare and then make adjustments – taxpayer hearings and necessary re-inspections will be conducted from October thru December – around the end of the year, another letter, stating value, will go out to everyone who came to a hearing – anyone with further questions after that point can contact the Ocean County Board of Taxation to file a tax appeal (Councilman Dyer: asked if procedure is outlined in letter to property owners) brochures will be available in the assessors office and with inspectors – Governing Body must approve language in brochures (Councilman Dyer: should let people know that it’s to their benefit to provide access to inspectors) the more people are involved in the process, the less hearings there are – maybe brochure can be mailed out with tax bill (Councilman Corbally: asked for estimate of appeals, based on past) typically, 10-15% will have an informal hearing with the evaluation company and 2-3% will file county appeal – no decisions made after informal hearings – data will be collected and some properties re-inspected – will go back to appraiser for review (Councilman DiCicco: asked for valuation methodology for properties on which there will be no comparable sales data) also utilize income approach for commercial properties – will send out Chapter 91 requests for income expense data – not uncommon to compare similar properties within the County or along the Jersey Shore (Tax Assessor Rowe: person doing inspection may not do valuation at all, just collect data – there are a lot of other hands that touch the valuation of the property) in addition to the inspector, a photographer will take exterior photographs of homes – will divide town into neighborhoods and utilize comparable sales to develop market values – each property will have a market and cost approach done (Mayor Vogel: commercial process is based on what property would receive as income, not the business – asked Mr. Lamicella to avail himself to the public for questions during tonight’s meeting ).
Motion by Councilman Liotta, to enter closed session to discuss 2 contractual matters, was seconded by Councilman DiCorcia and carried by the following roll call vote.
VOTE: Council Members Liotta, Corbally, DiCicco, Dyer, DiCorcia…..YEA
Closed session started at 7:05 P.M. and ended at 7:12 P.M.
Mayor Vogel reconvened caucus at 7:13 p.m. Present were Council Members Liotta, Corbally, DiCicco, Dyer, and DiCorcia.
Mayor Vogel: asked Councilmen Liotta and Corbally to present achievement awards to winners of the Point Pleasant Beach Town Calendar cover contest – a great collaborative effort between the school system and Governing Body – thanked school system for support and children for hard work.
Councilman Liotta: last year Councilwoman Cadigan introduced the idea of a town calendar –there was a recycling grant available to help fund it – Councilman Corbally became involved – asked Antrim School Principal O’Hara and School Superintendent Ravally to sponsor a poster contest with the grand prize winner’s poster to grace the cover – a good way to get young people involved in recycling – school put contest together quickly – the posters, submitted by students in the 3rd, 4th and 5th grades, were reviewed by Councilmen Corbally and Liotta – asked Principal O’Hara to help him distribute certificates, on behalf of the Mayor and Council, to the winners, recognizing their outstanding efforts – 2 students from each grade (Carly Pringle, Monish Rachuru, Anna Riley, Erica Morieko, Chauncey Thompson-Quartey and Kati Lin Stone)and a overall winner (Dylan Gates) were recognized – Hoffman’s donated ice cream to winners.
Motion by Councilman DiCorcia, to enter closed session to discuss 1 contractual and 1 personnel matter, was seconded by Councilman Dyer and carried by the following roll call vote.
VOTE: Council Members Liotta, Corbally, DiCicco, Dyer, DiCorcia…..YEA
Closed session started at 7:21 P.M. and ended at 7:40 P.M.
Mayor Vogel called the regular meeting to order at 7:45 P.M. Present were Council Members Liotta, Corbally, DiCicco, Dyer and DiCorcia. Councilman Loughran was absent due to work commitment. The Municipal Clerk again read the notice indicating compliance with the Open Public Meetings Act.
Councilman DiCorcia asked for a moment of silence in memory of resident Dick Griswold.
Motion by Councilman Dyer, to approve the minutes of the January 17, 2006 Council meeting, was seconded by Councilman DiCorcia and carried by the following roll call vote.
VOTE: Council Members Liotta, DiCicco, Dyer, DiCorcia.…YEA
Councilman Corbally….Abstain
Ordinance 2006-08 (Display of ‘Pay and Display’ Ticket) 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 Corbally, seconded by Councilman Liotta and carried by the following roll call vote, Ordinance 2006-08 was adopted on second reading.
VOTE: Council Members Liotta, Corbally, DiCicco, Dyer, DiCorcia.…YEA
Ordinance 2006-09 (Multi-Purpose Bond) was introduced on first reading.
Mayor Vogel: ordinance covers acquisition of a Ford Explorer for Police Department; 5-yard dump and sanitation trucks for Public Works Department; Police Dictaphone replacement; car-mounted video cameras; emergency public radio station; battery back-up power for two traffic lights; SCBA equipment for the Fire Department; communication equipment; roadway improvements for Newark, Briarcliff, Rosewood, Harvard and Sanborn Avenues; reconstruction and drainage study for Baltimore Avenue; purchase of new pay-and-display machines; computer hardware and software for Borough Hall; CDBG projects; irrigation systems for Borough Hall and locations; Boardwalk repair and construction; and improvements at Lake of the Lillies and Little Silver Lake (not Lake Louise, as noted).
Motion by Councilman Corbally, seconded by Councilman DiCicco and carried by the following roll call vote, Ordinance 2006-09 was approved on first reading, as corrected. Public Hearing will be held on April 18th.
VOTE: Council Members Liotta, Corbally, DiCicco, Dyer, DiCorcia.…YEA
Clerk Ellsworth added several items to Consent Resolution 2; Mayor Vogel: water plant should be included on Item ‘u’ of Consent Resolution 1 (Councilman DiCicco: should also include removal of existing piping at well at block 33, lot 7); Ben Dispoto: asked whom is being provided stress tests in item ‘r’ of Consent Resolution 1 (part of police physical); Councilman Corbally: asked about Consent Resolution 1, item ‘x’ (Mayor Vogel: being done in anticipation of the painting) asked how long painting would last (Administrator Riehl: at least 15 years).
Ann Marie Rossi, 12b Inlet Drive: asked about bills in Consent Resolution 2 item ‘c’ (Clerk Ellsworth: impose unreasonable fines and penalties for violations of the Open Public Meetings Act and impose further requirements – relate to Governing Bodies and subcommittees, does not take into account the State Legislature, promote overly-long meetings and impose additional burdens on subcommittee meetings).
Motion by Councilman Liotta, seconded by Councilman Dyer, resolutions, covering the items listed below, were approved by the following roll call vote:
CONSENT RESOLUTION 1:
a) Payment to PPB HS Project Graduation from MAC Donations ($5,000)
b) Approve annual ad in PPB Little League Ad Booklet ($100)
c) Approval of Payroll #6 ($226,205.06)
d) P O to Four Point Heating & A/C for Heat & A/C in Police Dept ($12,725)
e) Payment to Birdsall Engineering for potable well sealing project ($6044.50)
f) Return of street opening bond ($250)
g) Support ANJEC ‘Open Space’ Grant Application
h) Support of Click-It or Ticket Campaign
i) Proclaim May 2006 as Older Americans’ Month
j) Proclaim April 23 – 29, 2006 as National Volunteer Week
k) Support League of Municipality’s Anti-Gang initiative
l) Authorize Asst. Fire Chief to approve final design and construction of aerial fire truck
m) Payment to PFRS of annual employer contribution ($185,730.60)
n) Payment to PERS of annual employer contribution ($41,831.60
o) Cancel taxes Block 176, Lots 1 and 59
p) Refund Developer escrow fees ($294.75)
q) Payment to Stafford Twp of administrative fee for participation in cooperative pricing system for year 2006 ($500)
r) Appointment of Brick Cardiovascular to provide exercise stress tests
s) Appointment of Plainfield Consultation Center as police psychologist
t) Appointment of Meridian Occupational Health as borough physician
u) Authorization for Birdsall Engineering to finalize contract documents for decommissioning of wells
v) Authorization for CME to perform engineering services related to flow metering ($35,000)
w) Raffles License Applications for Bay Head Home & School on 5/4/06
x) Authorization for Mumford-Bjorkman Assoc to inspect water tanks ($2100)
y) Transfer of funds between 2005 Budget Accounts
CONSENT RESOLUTION 2:
a) Approve Temporary Capital Budget
b) Approval of Special Event Application for PPB Little League Open Day Parade on 4/8/06
c) Opposition to A2762/S1219 amending Open Public Meetings Act
d) Approval of American Legion request to hold annual poppy drive
e) Approval of bid specs for placement of cell towers, subject to final Counsel and Engineer Review
VOTE: Council Members Liotta, Corbally, DiCicco, Dyer, DiCorcia….YEA
Mayor Vogel: appointed Jay Reynolds as Mayor’s Representative to Planning Board – thanked Mr. Reilly for serving on Planning Board and taking a position on the Board of Adjustment; appointed Councilmen Dyer and DiCicco as Governing Body Representatives to the Open Space Committee; Borough Engineer discussed Baltimore Avenue drainage situation with Ocean County Engineer Lotrecchio – coming up with plans to address flooding – target date of fall 2006 – will follow-up with County – Governing Body has bonded funds; announced ‘Meet the Mayor’ session at 8:00pm on Thursday; resident suggested moving parking spots in front of 1625, 1627 and 1629 Ocean Avenue to improve traffic flow – two of those residents are in favor, one expressed concerns about pedestrian safety – asked Governing Body to consider removing spots and adding signage to encourage use of side road to access Route 35 North – there are traffic flow and speed issues there – can contact County about traffic calming measures; resident suggested including Governing Body’s biographical information on Borough’s web site – if no objections, can set format; asked Administrator Riehl to follow up with N.J. DOT on signaling improvements at intersections of Arnold Avenue and Routes 35 North and South; received request that tribute be paid at beach access point to longtime resident Nick “Jaws” Jaworovich, who was very active with CRAB and beach access – asked Governing Body to provide suggestions at next meeting; thanked those that participated in last night’s meeting on the two lakes – very informative – lively discussion and commentary – look forward to engineer’s report and working together with the residents to improve those areas.
COMMITTEE REPORTS:
Councilman Liotta: budget workshop will be held Thursday at 6:00pm; Little League dinner will be held Friday at 7:00pm at Martell’s – honorees are Greg Moberg and Alan McCartney; thanked Bob Santanello, of the Little League, for purchasing two red oak trees, which the Public Works Department planted between the gazebo and the Little League field – hold Little League picnic there each summer and there is no shade – thanked Dave Cavagnaro and Anne Lightburn for tracking down trees and getting a good price; thanked Lynn Aber and Administrator Riehl for a tremendous job putting together the first town calendar (will be available at end of week) – had a cover contest at Antrim School – winner was Dylan Gates.
Councilman Corbally: still working on computer networking at Borough Hall – he, Councilman Dyer, Administrator Riehl and Clerk Ellsworth will meet with 2nd company next Wednesday – looking for 3rd and 4th; thanked Chief DePolo for letter to Freeholder Kelly regarding traffic calming on Bay Avenue – spoke to Freeholder Kelly – he will send someone over – thinks speed limit will come down from 30 mph to 25 mph on all of Bay within 2-3 weeks; talked to Coke and Pepsi – no longer do water tower advertising, due to changing logos – looking for non-alcohol businesses to promote their name and the Beach or Garnet Gulls, or something along those lines (resident suggestions include Ocean County Board of Tourism and Commerce Bank) – would sign yearly agreement for 10 years with an estimated advertising cost of $25,000 to $30,000 per year; fire truck will be ready to be picked up on April 6th; Farmers Market coming along – 7 or 8 people are really involved – are now turning vendors and farmers away – hopes to send out sign-up letters by end-of-week, asking for insurance certificates.
Councilman DiCicco: moving to resolve I&I problem – authorized engineer to do flow metering study, showing specific infiltration spots – engineer provided a mass balancing report, which showed more payments to OCUA for output than to Brick MUA for input – now, during rainy season, trying to find where main infiltration is – on schedule, with conclusion of investigation by early summer, data analysis during summer, contracts in fall to begin remediation; on March 27th, at 6:00 pm, Brick MUA will hold a hearing regarding borough’s water charge – last year, received 11.8% increase – this year, there is at least a 7% increase on the board – will be required to pay it, but will express why it might be inappropriate – pay a lot for water and to have it treated by OCUA – last year, borough received 4% increase from OCUA on sewerage treatment side – rates keep going up – have to do something with infrastructure; authorized engineer to prepare contract documents to get wells decommissioned and make properties more productive – three wells are being worked on – main one is on Cooks Lane property, potential spot for future municipal building or can sell – hopes to have contract in place by fall; met with Councilman Liotta and Army Corps of Engineers at DEP – making progress on Lake Louise dredging project – received good news about scope of the dredge and what might be permitted – thinking about 5-foot dredge of entire lake – will enhance recreational opportunities and health; last year, received resident complaints about pile driving, a construction technique which has damaged houses on Ocean Avenue and done potential damage on Central Avenue – engineer prepared analysis – thanked Councilman Liotta and other Councilmen for helping think through the issue – nothing in the BOCA or Point Pleasant Beach Building Code that applies to it – not aware of regulations in any other municipality – per engineers, seismographs can be installed to measure vibration in zone of influence – will continue discussions to see if it is worthwhile to move forward to minimize disruption and damage to existing properties – believes pile driving will become more pronounced, in order to comply with flood regulations – is more aesthetically pleasing than blocks – will continue reporting as more information is received.
Councilman Dyer: thanked Masonic Lodge and Gary Englehardt – pancake breakfast raised $1800 for Project Graduation – talking about having breakfast every year; Administrator Riehl wrote a great letter, in which she stated, "I believe our court is professional and efficient and functions above average under the management of our Court Administrator" – thanked Court Administrator Sargent for her efforts and Administrator Riehl for her letter; asked Council to consider adding money to budget to support weekend code enforcement – police do a good job enforcing, but not their major function – would like to address quality of life on weekends with code task force (Mayor Vogel: concern with overcrowded homes – instance in Belmar last year, fire in seasonal rental with 17 people evacuated); will meet with Councilman DiCicco, Planning Board Chair Ammirata and Board of Adjustment Chair Moberg regarding floor area ratio – been much discussion regarding floor area and style of houses – will encourage new building to have architecture other than box.
Councilman DiCorcia: asked Administrator Riehl to check with County about speed limit on Arnold Avenue, east of tracks – should go down in May (Mayor: with new State legislation, can pursue 25mph year-round); thanked Chief for street light surveys; got calls from citizens – want to keep Gull Island as open space (Councilman Liotta: had calls from both sides – low impact recreation or leave in current state – presented both sides to Freeholder Bartlett, who will have something in 4-6 weeks); finally cleaning up by High School; must replace trees between curb and sidewalk – took down trees in Silver Lake lot (Councilman Liotta: need to take down several more dead trees – may have been a live tree cut down – but whole area looks much better since public works attended to it ); “power to tax is power to destroy” – State must have a balanced budget – driving middle class out of the State of New Jersey.
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION PERIOD OPENED AT 8:29 PM
David Cavagnaro, 118 Parkway: asked status of fence ordinance (Administrator Riehl: received memo from Mike Gardner) – asked if Council will consider property on Zilai; in past, residents could appeal Board of Adjustment decisions to Governing Body – have been asked to consider re-instituting procedure (on Governing Body’s radar); looking at Bond Ordinance and thanked Council for Baltimore Avenue study – asked Council to look at what can be done to relieve flood situation in town; asked about appointment of residents to Open Space Committee as application deadline is 24th (members from Planning Board, Recreation and Environmental Commission are in place); asked about status of planning grant for Broadway and Ocean (planning firms were appointed – will identify which firm will work in which areas shortly).
Ann Marie Rossi, 12b Inlet Drive: curious why 1.5 square mile town needs 4 professional planners (Mayor Vogel: from dollar perspective, all will be paid same rate – each had strong points, such as COAH and architectural standards – will have a collaborative environment – two of the firms have worked together and wrote one of the books issued by the State) asked what firms will be pigeonholed where (not determined yet).
Vince Castin, 15 Trenton Avenue: signs at entry points to Boardwalk are in disrepair – assumes they are going to be replaced – signs on poles say ‘No dogs allowed’ – asked that signs be placed at beach entry points (not town property; Chief DePolo: issuing summons – fine is about $100); asked what part of Boardwalk is being replaced by Bond Ordinance monies (contingency fund – in case storm comes, will have ability to respond and do work).
John Szafranski, 319 Yale Avenue: bicycles and skateboards on Boardwalk – bicycles on boards after 9:00 am – fence is ours – could put ‘No dogs allowed’ signs there; asked how town interacts with Board of Education budget as cost of education is major part of our budget (only have interaction when budget is defeated – Board of Education meeting is best venue to be heard on Board of Education budget matters).
Joe Lemma, 203 St. Louis Avenue: apologized for being out of order at the last Council meeting – was not the only one – suggested having a Sergeant of Arms at meetings.
Ben Dispoto, 311 Parkway: need ‘Pedestrian Crossing’ sign at west corner of Ocean and Parkway – sign broken off 4 or 5 inches up; suggested giving code enforcement personnel one weekday off to work one weekend day (have report from State that indicates need for available inspectors – more man hours); asked where spoils from Lake Louise will go (certain amount on Gull Island – most cost effective – hopes for cost sharing on project); parking stops at Inlet are scattered about – no garbage receptacles there either (Administrator Riehl will handle).
Kitty Phillip, Inlet Drive: traffic issue at Ocean Avenue and Broadway, where Jenkinson’s driveway is (Councilman DiCorcia: being addressed; Councilman DiCicco: had discussion with Chief regarding that – Chief thinks it’s a good idea to move driveway, but haven’t had cooperation from property owner – will reach out to property owner, again, to address situation and ask for cooperation); spoke with owners of Rockafella’s, Shrimp Box and Cottage – had same problem, as Lobster Pot, with slow business on beautiful summer day.
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION PERIOD CLOSED AT 8:52 P.M.
Meeting was adjourned at 8:53 PM
Transcribed by:
Eileen Farrell and Maryann Ellsworth
Attest: _________________________________ Maryann Ellsworth, Municipal Clerk
