Borough of Point Pleasant Beach Council Meeting Minutes
May 16, 2023
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
The Governing Body reserves its right to amend and supplement the purposes of executive session by motion at the public meeting.
Mayor Kanitra called the regular meeting to order at 7:33PM. 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
APPROVAL OF COUNCIL MINUTES:
Motion by Councilwoman Crowley to approve the May 2, 2023 Council meeting minutes was seconded by Councilwoman Testa and carried by roll call vote.
VOTE: Councilmembers Vitale, Testa, Byrnes, Ramos, Crowley….YEA
Councilman Migut….ABSTAIN
OATH OF OFFICE: Police Officer Christopher LeVan
Clerk Farrell administered the oath; Mayor Kanitra and Capt. Grace welcomed and said complementary words about Officer LeVan.
PROCLAMATIONS: Pt. Pleasant Beach High School 2022-23 Girls & Boys Varsity Basketball Teams
Councilwoman Testa presented the proclamation to the Girls Basketball Team.
Councilwoman Crowley presented the proclamation to the Boys Basketball Team.
DEPARTMENT HEAD MEMO: AZO Savacool RE: Curb Cut Requests
a 207 St. Louis Avenue
b 302 Chicago Avenue
Councilwoman Crowley: suggested tabling both; haven’t heard back from the neighbor about the driveway relocation at 207 St. Louis Ave.; would like to visit 302 Chicago Ave. with ZO Savacool because the curb cut will take away a spot – wants to make sure it is located so not more than one is lost.
COMMITTEE REPORTS:
Councilman Vitale: gave the Police Chief’s report since the last Council meeting – training included Mandated Canine and Firearms Recertification – the PD is committed to keeping PPB a quiet and safe community for residents and visitors – asked all to call immediately if they see something suspicious or think something needs a Police response – do not wait or report it through social media, which will result in a delayed or no response – contact the Chief’s office with any personal concerns – in early spring School Resource Officer Marchetti began educating 5th-8th graders on the rules of the road and bicycle safety – on April 1st, patrols began performing bike stops to provide educational materials, with Spanish-speaking officers and materials available – as of May 15th, there were 106 bike stops, 149 riders of which 66 were juveniles and their parents contacted – 124 riders were on regular bicycles and 25 were on electric bicycles – on several stops, there was more than one rider on the bike – the PD will join with police from around the Country in cracking down on unbuckled motorists and passengers as part of the national Click it or Ticket campaign, May 22-June 4, to reiterate the life-saving value of seatbelts; the Recreation Committee’s planning for the June 10th Battle of Bands is finalized, with 12 bands competing, emceed by on on-air personality from the WRAT – Pickleball 2-hour sessions seem to be going well – Summer Camp planning is ongoing, with most counselors interviewed and Director interviews being finalized this week – Uklele/Guitar on the Beach starts July 10th, with registration ongoing; asked Clerk Farrell to call the Local Finance Board for response to her letter, if we don’t hear back from them in the next day or two; the $50 rehang fee for Miliary Banners must be submitted to Borough Hall immediately, in order for banners to be hung by Memorial Day – DPW is going out this week to hang them – there are plenty of poles available if people want to order a banner; the memorial bolder for the fallen heroes is being finalized and should be ready for next Saturday’s ceremony.
Councilwoman Testa: the Arts Committee is teaming up with Recreation for the Battle of the Bands – Party by the Sea is this Thursday, with tickets available at the event – encouraged all to check out Artist of the Month Heather Brown’s artwork, which will be on the walls for a couple of weeks – are talking about 3 weekly Children’s Art History summer sessions, 12:45PM-3PM, to be approved by Council; the Beautification Committee has ordered flowers and will be planting this weekend and next, getting ready for the season, so the planters will look gorgeous – thanked the volunteers – she will be planting with them; the Municipal Alliance Committee is donating money to Project Graduation, a great event for seniors on graduation night.
Councilwoman Byrnes: the Fire Dept. held their annual dinner dance over the weekend – she attended – they had a wonderful time together; the Shade Tree Commission completed an evaluation of trees on the traffic islands, north and south – will be an ongoing communication with DOT – several species of trees are in need of attention there – DOT is working on a planting plan for the area around Rickover Park – volunteers installed a 50-gallon rain barrel to support the Christmas Tree by Bam Bam – thanked the volunteers – it’s new tree planting season, so there is more to come; had the Golden Gulls exercise program this morning with 2 more new joiners – moved from the afternoon to 9AM-10AM during the warmer months – was very well attended – 56 seniors attended the Spring Tea – were treated to a guided painting session by Mary Ellen Savage, finger sandwiches, homemade desserts and acoustic guitar music by local artist Lorrie Tomlinson – it was a wonderful event – a full calendar of events being planned – will report on them once they are passed by BA/CFO Riehl.
Councilman Ramos: congratulated the Girls and Boys Basketball Teams on their proclamations tonight – the Junior and Senior Prom is on June 3rd – June 6th is Senior Scholarship Night, 8th Grade Promotion Ceremony is on June 20th, High School Graduation Ceremony is on June 21st – the District will have 3 students at the Ocean County Recognition Breakfast on May 30th, which is a nice honor for them – Antrim School’s beloved Field Day is on May 25th; the Green Team/Environmental Commission is working on maintaining their Bronze Status and, hopefully, going on to the next – the next meeting will be on Thursday, May 25th; water tie-ins are done – Arnold Ave. is paved, as is the west side of Ocean from Broadway to Carter – will be paving tonight, 8PM-6AM – final striping of Arnold will start tomorrow – additional concrete work on Arnold will commence on Friday and go through May 24th – the final striping of Ocean Ave. will start on Monday, May 22nd and finish on May 24th.
Councilwoman Crowley: congratulated the newly-sworn Police Officer – great to see a new addition to our wonderful force; congratulated the boys and girls on their basketball acknowledgments – an honor to be part of that; DPW is gearing up for Memorial Day – Buildings and Grounds are maintaining everything around town – parks look beautiful – a lot of work from now until the end of summer – boilerplate maintenance – keeping the parks and recreational areas looking great – thanked DPW Trout and team for their efforts; enjoyed the Golden Gulls Zumba class this morning today – didn’t realize how much fun it was – remarkable number of Golden Gulls come out and enjoy this event – thanked Councilwoman Byrnes for running such an amazing group of women and heading it all.
Councilman Migut: the Parking Authority, since the beginning of spring, has been working with a new landscaper who won the bid to take care of the landscaping and lawn cutting around the parking lots – everything is going smooth – an improvement over last year with the former landscaper; the bid for the bank kiosk in Borden’s parking lot is going out next month – unfortunately, Ocean First, which initiated the program, is no longer interested, so it will be a different bank; the Animal Welfare Committee is continuing some minor cat trailer repairs initiated last year – had to stop for the winter – will finish this spring – the trailer is empty, even though it’s kitten season – testament to the Committee’s work over the past 13 years, controlling the population with Trap, Neuter, Release – due to their successful fundraiser last month at The Ark, they are looking forward to their next one at Last Wave Brewery in early October.
MAYOR’S REPORT:
Mayor Kanitra: asked BA/CFO Riehl about her response to the email surrounding item 1e – he went to look – seems like one coat of paint, very thin in a lot of spots (BA/CFO Riehl: she drove all over town today and completely disagrees – not a spot that they missed – they weren’t hired to do crosswalks –County does their own on County roads – we do the ones on ours – they only do the yellow curb and white stalls) some aren’t done – asked if the County is going to tackle the yellow curbs that have already been scuffed up since paving (BA/CFO Riehl: her painter will come back and do the yellow curbs on Ocean and Arnold – Lasting Line will finish the numbering – last year, they numbered Silver Lake gratis, just because they were here and had paint and time – it’s $29K for the entire town – she sets a budget and he works until he hits it) asked if it’s standard for other towns to do the painting every year (BA/CFO Riehl: no – we do it every year to help the Police with enforcement) asked if the longevity of our paint is satisfactory, like in other towns (BA/CFO Riehl: doesn’t know that you can compare, with the number of cars and pedestrians we get – another difference is that, when the County does road jobs, they use Thermoplast, which we are not equipped to work with – is concerned that when they put the stalls down on Arnold, we can’t change them – they have to either completely deteriorate or we have to grind them out and start over to be able to maintain them) asked her to respond to the resident email (BA/CFO Riehl: she did); is glad the Elksfest is going through without discussion – speaks volumes; spoke about 1j/Coast Guard Station – former Mayor Reid put out there that he had negotiated a deal for $1 – he looked into it and found emails from Cong. Smith’s office, from when he was a Councilman in 2018, clearly stating that the project was not eligible for the Lighthouse Grant Program and we would need to bid it – a former intern of Cong. Smith, he talked to him all the time and he went to bat for us – explained the divestiture procedure – Cong. Smith was able to get the Coast Guard to do a direct sale to PPB – the money for housing new Coast Guards comes from divestment of property, so they don’t do that anymore (Councilman Migut returned from leaving briefly) – all thought the Coast Guard building, a State historic monument and only Federal historic monument in PPB, would cost $2M and we were willing to move forward – are lucky to get it for $1M to be able to safeguard it for the community – a seismic win – all of Council is active with their committees – tough to have meetings at Borough Hall – Historical Museum is in Police Dept. space – the town’s biggest treasures are in a trailer that hasn’t been opened for years – acquisition of the Coast Guard building gives us opportunity to save an important building, to put a historical museum in there, as well as the boating and surfing museums, and others – creating a regional attraction with displays on the walls and in shelving, so there would still be usable space – full industrial functioning kitchen could be gutted and equipment sold, or it could be leased out to an operator, like a coffee shop, that would also bring people in – can have community events there – there is some office space for committees – a homerun; a mailer went out talking about taxes – asked BA/CFO Riehl how many years the previous Mayor was in office and how many years he and the Council raised taxes (BA/CFO Riehl: 4 and 4); spoke about the Offshore Wind Bridge Walk – Stafford Mayor Myhre held an incredible event in Stafford, going into LBI – momentum on the offshore wind issue is growing – a Farleigh Dickenson University poll said the tide has turned by 20+ points in terms of public opposition – 46% of the NJ public, not just beach towns, but the entire State, is opposed to the offshore wind project and only 28% is in favor of it – ecstatic that the public is waking up on this blatant money grab and that we have an actual chance to save our shoreline, keep the ocean from being industrialized and save our tourism – a study said it was said it’s “only” going to affect the economy by $1B – and that’s their own statement with studies that they funded.
ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT:
BA/CFO Riehl: Beautification had put some rock and the Broadway/Ocean triangle, which the County has issues with – the County added some rock at no cost to Borough – appreciates that; on the agenda is authorization for repairs at our old decommissioned well property on Cooks Ln. – will fill it, take the concrete away and get rid of the pipes (Mayor Kanitra: residents will be thrilled); will start Boston Ave. drainage improvement on June 6th – are scheduled to be done on the 15th; met with Engineer on the Inlet Walkway Project – how we want things to look, where we want concrete vs. rubber – very good meeting; in early June, we have a meeting with DOT for the Pedestrian Safety Project/Bikeways project.
Clerk announced additions/deletions to the agenda.
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION BEGAN AT 8:18PM
Kristin Hennessy, 604 New Jersey Ave., PPB: wonderful news that tide is turning on the windmill issue – been personally involved from afar – last thing she wants is our beaches and oceans littered with disgusting windmills – a money grab – doesn’t do anything for the economy or environment – the Greener Deal is a farce – is thrilled and thankful – hopes the tide continues to turn – excited that it’s not just shore towns opposing – tourists are jumping on board; spoke about 1j/Coast Guard Station property – commends Mayor & Council who support this – one of the most reasonable, prudent purchases we could make – her dad, the longest serving Mayor in Ocean County, had a vision that someday we need to acquire it to preserve and protect the history of PPB – many long-time folks saw and agreed with that vision – could use it for many things – trying to preserve the historic character of PPB – this is $1M waterfront property and a historic building – compared to $23.9M that the school wants to spend, this is a no-brainer – can be used for Recreation meetings, senior events, gatherings, a multitude of things – an extension of Borough Hall – wants to talk to BA/CFO Riehl about bonding ability – don’t need a Field of Dreams at the school or a new Recreation building at Pleasure Park – an investment in this building will be a major return on our money that will benefit community members in an ideal location – the only Federally-owned building in town – this goes back to the year 2000 – Mayors Hennessy, Pasola and Vogel all attempted to acquire it – have the opportunity under Mayor Kanitra’s administration – under Dan Hennessy’s leadership, had an opportunity to buy Risden’s Beach, from Trenton Ave. to New Jersey Ave., for @$20K, but several Council people said we don’t want to be in the beach business – think about where we would be today, and where might we be in 20 years if we own the Coast Guard Station.
Dave Betten, 400 New Jersey Ave:, PPB asked if there is parking with the Coast Guard purchase (Mayor Kanitra: no – that’s one reason we could negotiate them down; BA/CFO Riehl: they said our first offer was way less than they thought they should get – she wrote a letter saying she low-balled it because of no parking; Mayor Kanitra: has asked BA/CFO Riehl to identify some options on Inlet Dr., to carve some out for seniors) seniors aren’t going to go there for Chair Zumba and park at the Inlet and pay – asked the opinion of the Open Space Committee (Mayor Kanitra: Open Space is not in favor; the Historic Commission & Town Historian are emphatically in favor – not using Open Space funds for it – and every resident he’s talked to for the past 4 years is pretty much in favor of it).
Anne Lightburn, 307 New Jersey Ave., PPB/Open Space Committee Member: have two major objections – one is the cost – does not stop at $1M – will need significant renovations for ADA and, every year, this old building will require maintenance – will need staff, cleaning – looked at this as a cost to the taxpayers – with zero parking, it won’t get the use we would like – use will be fairly limited – a historic museum does not draw large crowds – have all managed with current meeting rooms – there are cheaper options, facilities to rent – asked if the town has talked to Green Acres about funding (Mayor Kanitra: no – have talked to them about other projects) Green Acres provides money for historic spaces – will match on the land value only – need to talk to them before buying because they’ll want to evaluate it first – Open Space discussed that Council has to be on the lookout to buy bungalow property in that area to knock it down and use it as parking, or no one will get to it in the summer – must go beyond this year (Mayor Kanitra: all very valid things – have discussed options for dedicated parking at the Inlet and have put some there in the past – asked BA/CFO Riehl how feasible it is to say we are putting 4 spots in front of it or down the street; BA/CFO Riehl: there is parking on the Inlet side, but not on the other – could put parking there – could probably take the meters out of a couple paid spots on the curb by the Fishermen’s Memorial – assumes the yellow curb around the building had something to do with the Coast Guard – could maybe pick up some spots there; Mayor Kanitra: if that yellow curb was a vestige of it being a Federal property, would strongly encourage asking the Borough Engineer to see how many spaces we could put at the Inlet, decide how many we think we need for that building, and if we can fit any more in there, can meter the rest and make money; Councilwoman Testa: suggested a shuttle; Mayor Kanitra: have Point-2-Point Shuttle; Councilwoman Byrnes: endless options; Mayor Kanitra: asked BA/CFO Riehl to call Green Acres before signing the contract – are open to that, unless it messes up the process; BA/CFO Riehl: had asked the County; Atty. Riordan: will look into it; Ms. Hennessy: asked about the property across the street where the barracks are; Mayor Kanitra: that stays Coast Guard property – all the members of the Historic Preservation Commission said they strongly disagree with the proposal of the Open Space Advisory Committee to not purchase the Coast Guard Station – the Building is on the State of NJ’s List of Historic Places, however this does not guarantee that if the building was purchased by a private owner that it will maintain its iconic presence in PPB – read into the record Borough Historian Jerry Woolley email that he believes it’s in the town’s best interest to acquire, preserve and utilize this building for municipal purpose, among other uses – in his view, parking is a minor issue compared to the historical significance of the building).
Dave Smith, 107 Chicago Ave,, PPB: asked about 1e – if they can come back and put down another coat of paint on the lines – tops weren’t done on Atlantic & Chicago – $29K is a lot of money –was $9K last year (Atty. Riordan: it was not $9K last year; BA/CFO Riehl: that might have been a second payment or another job, but we do $30K every year; Atty. Riordan: $30K every year; BA/CFO Riehl: he is not coming in to “Taj Mahal” PPB – he is working within the budget he has – the lines can be seen and enforced – would rather spend the money on paint for areas where you can’t see or need to be enforced) was done a lot better last year – he moved his car on the east side of Chicago and Sanborn so he could paint and he never came back (BA/CFO Riehl: he said Mayor Kanitra had to call someone to get them to come back – asked who he called) he said something to him and the next day it was done (Mayor Kanitra: he forwarded his message; BA/CFO Riehl: he wasn’t finished with the job and they came back and finished it; Mayor Kanitra: feels like we need to be very customer service friendly – have a resident who has a concern – asked BA/CFO Riehl to meet with Mr. Smith so he can show her some of the areas he thinks they messed up on) will have to be after 4:30PM because he works every day; BA/CFO Riehl: asked him to send her a list of concerns) asked why there are no more bike racks at Borough Hall (BA/CFO Riehl: they were removed; Mayor Kanitra: asked that they be put back; BA/CFO Riehl: of course).
Dave Cavagnaro, 118 Parkway, PPB: congratulated Mayor and Council on item 1j – great idea/ a steal; asked about 6a curb relocation – should ensure a parking space on either side of the curb cut in 6b.
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION ENDED AT 8:43PM
Motion by Councilman Vitale to close public participation and approve the items listed below was seconded by Councilwoman Crowley and carried by roll call vote.
CONSENT RESOLUTION 1:
1a Approval of ABC S/A app for Chamber Fest of the Sea Wine/Beer Garden, River Ave lot, 9/16 (rain 9/17)
1b Approval of payment to Cherry Valley Tractor Sales for 2023 tractor parts ($3,294.81)
1c Approval of S/E app for Chamber Grand Prix Parade, Arnold & Ocean Aves, 6/10/22
1d Approval of S/E app for Pt. Pleasant Summer Hoops at Pleasure Pk, various dates in June & July, 2-8PM
1e Approval of payment to Lasting Line Painting for line painting throughout town ($29,865)
1f Approval of PO to JESCO for repairs to street sweeper (NTE $7K)
1g Approval of payment to OCUA for 2nd Q sewerage payments ($318,071.25)
1h Approval of payment to Driving Academy for CDL class for M. Grimme ($3,960)
1i Approval of payment to Riggins for no-lead/diesel fuel for DPW ($7,059.15)
1j Approval of Offer to Purchase property from USA/USCG, subject to Atty review ($1,050,000)
1k Amendment to Resolution 2023-0502/1E -Help2Care S/E app, to remove the time of 6AM-5PM
1l Approval of S/E app for St. Peter PTA car raffle sales, Bdwlk on various dates, 5/23-9/17
1m Approval of S/E app for NJ Transit Summer Outreach table on Bdwlk, 5/26
1n Approval of registration fee of $110/child for Rec Wrestling – Spring 2023 & Summer 2023 Sessions
1o REMOVED
1p Approval of $1,500 stipend/session for Head Coach of Spring 2023 & Summer 2023 Rec Wrestling Prog
1q Approval of registration fee of $45/person for Rec Football Camp
1r Appt. of J. Zaccone as Head Coach of the Recreation 2023 Football Camp
1s Approval of $5,000, from Rec Cmte’s Fisher Fund Grant, to be used for general Recreation supplies
1t Recognition of Elder Abuse Awareness Day
1u REMOVED
1v REMOVED
1w Approval of payment to Brick Township MUA for April bulk water usage ($64,732.98)
1x Award of Annual LSV License to Point-2-Point Shuttle ($1,301)
1y Extension of Point-2-Point Shuttle drivers’ licenses through October
1z Approval of payment to R.T. Davies for Water Plant tree removal ($10K)
1aa Auth for Amin to execute Shared Svcs Agmt w/Brick Twp for Sign Stop Svcs, subj to Atty review
1bb Award of contract to M. Woszczak for Cooks Lane Garden Lot Improvement project (NTE $2,500.00)
1cc Approval of ABC S/A app for Elks Fest, 9/16 (rain 9/17)
1dd Approval of PPB Rec S/E app for Skateboard Lessons, 6/26-6/30 (rains: 7/1 & 7/2)
1ee Approval of PPB Rec S/E app for classic car show, 8/8/23 in Silver Lake Parking Lot
CONSENT RESOLUTION 2:
2a Approval of computer-generated vouchers ($1,682,805.59)
2b Support for Click It or Ticket Mobilization, 5/22-6/4
2c Approval of payment to All Covered for IT/Maintenance, including for the PD ($5,827.17)
VOTE: Councilmembers Vitale, Testa, Byrnes, Ramos (except 1cc), Crowley, Migut….YEA
Councilman Ramos (1cc)….ABSTAIN
ORDINANCE
Ordinance 2023-05 (Single Use Bond Ordinance for Acquisition of Coast Guard Station $1,070,000.00) was introduced on first reading. Motion by Councilman Migut to approve Ordinance 2023-05 on first reading was seconded by Councilwoman Crowley and carried by roll call vote. The public hearing will be held on June 20, 2023.
VOTE: Councilmembers Vitale, Testa, Byrnes, Ramos, Crowley, Migut….YEA
Mayor Kanitra: thanked all for Coast Guard Building approval – because it’s on the State and Federal Historic Register, will be eligible for a ton of historic grants – that’s the quintessential thing they give out grant money for – rehabilitation – because they want to keep it true to the historic character – will send QOL O’Rourke, who has already done a great job, to aggressively go after that, and to get the Meerwald here as well.
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION BEGAN AT 8:45PM
Anne Lightburn, 307 New Jersey Ave, PPB: she parks at Bradshaw’s Beach on Washington Ave. – people who come don’t understand what direction they should park – they’re trying to do the right thing – would like to see a sign or painted arrows – are giving tickets to people who pay to park – it’s not clear and summer is coming (Mayor Kanitra: asked Capt. Grace to discuss with the Chief – hates more new signage on poles, but can maybe put underneath a sign on an existing pole) there is misleading sign there.
Kristin Hennessy, 604 New Jersey Ave., PPB: asked for an update on the Pleasure Park bathrooms and the plan to open and close them during daylight hours (BA/CFO Riehl: they will be opened by DPW at 7AM and closed by the Police Dept.) that’s wonderful; she and her dad met with Chief Kowalewski, Capt. Grace and Mayor Kanitra just over a year ago about traffic problems on New Jersey – were told there were plans in the works from DOT for a traffic light to be installed at the corner of New Jersey & 35N – asked for update (BA/CFO Riehl: it is happening – are working with DOT – they are doing drainage improvement and limited work with Chicago – looking to see if we can get them to pave the 500 block of New Jersey as well) this has been going on for 3-4 years – her mom and dad were complaining about it going back to Chief DePolo (BA/CFO Riehl: we signed the light agreement in 2012; Mayor Kanitra: asked BA/CFO Riehl or QOL Dir. O’Rourke to follow up with them for an updated timeline, as residents are talking about it).
Dave Cavagnaro, 118 Parkway, PPB: his neighbors are talking about foxes in their yards – had a fox pursue his dog and him while walking at night – one neighbor had a fox’ nose up against the screen on her sliding door at 10:30PM – asked if anything can be done (Mayor Kanitra: asked for a public information campaign on Facebook on how to be aware of them, handle them and interact with them, what they eat, etc. – they seem to move in summer; Atty. Riordan: Gull Island) they are feeding during the day (Councilman Ramos: and they scream all night long).
Dave Betten, 400 New Jersey Ave., PPB: asked about the variable blinking message signs throughout town – were put out during COVID – thought they were temporary– asked for a solution (Mayor Kanitra: he, the Chief and Councilman Vitale have spoken on this – have been working hard to get a handle on disrespectful behavior on the Boardwalk – thinks we’ve done that – the problem is, we get new guests to PPB every year, who don’t know or understand our ordinances – trying to let people know, before they drag a 5’ cooler up to the beach that they can’t have one, can’t smoke there, etc., to keep things family friendly – orange, construction-looking things are not ideal – is open to allocating funds to a more aesthetically pleasing option that still gets the message across – thinks if we let are guard down and stop alerting people to our ordinances, it will go back to the way things were) valid – but we don’t need them out all winter (Mayor Kanitra: fair enough; Capt. Grace: he manages the signs – he does the messages about no dogs on the Boardwalk, reminding people not to swim in the ocean, etc. – messages will change for summer – truly believes it works – will be at Broadway, Arnold, New Jersey – putting others at Forman an Trenton (Councilwoman Crowley: used them by the lake when swans were dying – important stuff – not every resident reads up or knows what’s happening; Mayor Kanitra: the message is the most important part – maybe have them professionally painted; Capt. Grace: some Police Dept.’s paint them) asked if they can be turned off at a certain time (Capt. Grace: people come up to the Boardwalk at all hours – can look into it – will bring to the Chief).
Andrea Bowne, 103 Arnold Ave., PPB: the event on Saturday at Little Silver Lake was nice – they were respectful, didn’t hear them very early, music wasn’t that loud, and they utilized the band shell – hopes that’s what will happen moving forward – hopes there is a noise ordinance to be signed off on with the permits – hates bothering the Police Dept., who can’t do anything because they have a permit – her house, 50’ away from the band shell should not shake; doesn’t know why her street had to be paved at night (Mayor Kanitra: it’s a County job) she called the County, who said the town signed off on it (BA/CFO Riehl: they coordinated with their contractor and gave us a schedule) feels that the town could have pushed back and said it should have been done during the day – her neighbor had to go to a hotel because of the noise and dust at night – – during the day, they just leave and come back – and they weren’t notified – her neighbors on Central were notified and there were signs on poles, but not on her side of the street – until she saw the big blinking sign 2 days before, had no idea (Mayor Kanitra: asked to have Engineer Mele look at that; BA/CFO Riehl: can call the County and voice her disappointment and concerns – we oversee Central Ave., a Borough job) still lives in PPB – feels exiled on a County road – pays town taxes; in 2016, the lease for the cell tower was signed, with no notification to residents – they have 4 successive 5-year terms – that’s 25 years they get to take that land and put up that pole – asked what can be done – that is not temporary (BA/CFO Riehl: it’s temporary in the fact that it goes up and comes down – when the 5G nodes come into town, it’s possible that we will no longer need the cell tower in that location).
Christopher Porzio, 107 Arnold Ave., PPB: the telecom industry is nosediving in regards to its stocks, liquidity, and ability to stay afloat – when a company like Verizon becomes a utility, they get government subsidies to carry out their business, which is to pay stakeholders – when stocks go down and they can’t pay a fat dividend, they go out of business – the glut of money they make comes from their stock price – hopes to arm Council with another angle of insight to see what will happen here in a couple of years – Belmar has a petition against the twenty 50’ cell towers, they want to dot the beach with – town pushed back successfully, but they just moved to the County road – Verizon will rent cell towers to competing companies, but Verizon will be more than $200B in debt next year (Mayor Kanitra: a breach of contract, if they stop paying us, and we would rip everything out) will get paid because it’s subsidized – when they go out of business, they will then be renting satellites – taxpayers will be responsible for disassembling the rust bucket cell towers – big possibility – be prepared – they will roll through here wanting to claim as much space as possible – hopes we have some method of pushback (Mayor Kanitra: the town was very pragmatic and proactive on this issue – State and Federal laws are in favor of cell phone companies – can’t say no cell phone towers in your town – everything is stacked in their favor – we proactively passed a 5G ordinance, saying they must co-locate in certain areas and we allocated a bunch of areas across town, with the use of a consultant, to make sure their coverage zones would be addressed – should have 1/4 of the number of 5G towers as other towns will have – Council did a very good job in terms of preparing for that – when they come, will fight on height and aesthetics.
E.J. Geiger, 115 Arnold Ave., PPB: each department used to have a report from a Councilperson at Council meetings – today, we had DPW, Fire, Police – the one that seems to have dropped off is the Building Dept. (Mayor Kanitra: had a ton of meetings recently – ship is moving in the right direction; Councilwoman Testa: gets reports from Mike – they meet once per month and go over everything going on with permits, mercantile licenses, what’s outstanding, activity – have a lot of new homes – has the report – on top of it; Mayor Kanitra: will do one next meeting).
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION ENDED AT 9:12PM
Motion by Councilwoman Crowley to adjourn was seconded by Councilman Ramos and carried by consent of Council.
Meeting was adjourned at 9:12PM.
ATTEST: ______________________
Eileen A. Farrell, RMC
Municipal Clerk
