Borough of Point Pleasant Beach COUNCIL MINUTES
The Mayor and Council of the Borough of Point Pleasant Beach met at 5:38 PM. with Mayor Vogel, Council Members Liotta, Loughran, Corbally, Dyer, DiCicco and DiCorcia present. The Municipal Clerk read the notice indicating compliance with the Open Public Meetings Act.
Presentations were made by the following individuals, who submitted proposals for preparation of study on Financial Impact of Tourism and who answered questions posed by the Governing Body: Dr. Nolan, Director of the Institute for Tourism and Recreation Management; Dr Swiger, Ernest Swiger Associates; and Anthony Innverso, via speakerphone teleconference, from firm used by school system.
Department Head memos were discussed: several items were move to agenda for action; Attorney Gertner asked that action be held on Ocean Avenue paver item; cell tower contract bid will be discussed in closed session; changes to specs were approved on re-bid of Trenton Avenue culvert replacement.
Motion by Councilman DiCorcia, to enter closed session to discuss possible litigation (4), contractual (2) and personnel (2) matters, was seconded by Councilman Dyer and carried by the following roll call vote.
VOTE: Council Members Liotta, Loughran, Corbally, Dyer, DiCicco, DiCorcia…..YEA
Closed session started at 7:07 P.M. and ended at 7:44 P.M.
Mayor Vogel called the regular meeting to order at 7:54 P.M. Present were Council Members Liotta, Loughran, Corbally, DiCicco, Dyer and DiCorcia. The Municipal Clerk again read the notice indicating compliance with the Open Public Meetings Act.
Motion by Councilman DiCorcia, to approve the minutes of the March 21, 2006 Council meeting, was seconded by Councilman Corbally and carried by the following roll call vote.
VOTE: Council Members Liotta, Corbally, DiCicco, Dyer, DiCorcia.…YEA
Councilman Loughran….Abstain
Mary Lou Halvorsen, Jenkinson’s Marketing Director, made a monetary presentation to the Point Pleasant Beach Fire Department, which was accepted by Fire Chief Joseph Michigan.
Chief Michigan: thanked the Storino organization and Governing Body; reported that after ‘Beachtown Hoedown’ Fire Company #1 truck was flagged down by bystander and fire personnel were told there was a woman in cardiac arrest on Boardwalk – recently received defibrillator through grant – Fire Company #2 also had defibrillator in their truck and stopped as well – hooked up defibrillator – brought woman back but she sadly passed away, later, at the hospital.
Registered nurse from CentraState Hospital and doctor from Robert Wood Johnson Hospital stopped to help – they should be commended, as should members of both the Point Pleasant Beach Fire Department and First Aid Squad.
Ordinance 2006-12 (Low Speed Vehicle Ban) was considered on first reading.
Motion by Councilman DiCicco, seconded by Councilman Dyer and carried by the following roll call vote, Ordinance 2006-12 was approved on first reading. The public hearing will be held on May 16, 2006.
VOTE: Council Members Liotta, Loughran, Corbally, DiCicco, Dyer, DiCorcia.…YEA
Ordinance 2006-13 (Smoking Ban) was considered on first reading.
Councilman DiCicco: asked if this addresses concerns of Chief DePolo.
Attorney Gertner: gives exemption to open air decks and bars – incremental step – may have to amend this or adopt some form of the County ordinance currently being drafted.
Motion by Councilman Loughran, seconded by Councilman DiCicco and carried by the following roll call vote, Ordinance 2006-13 was approved on first reading. The public hearing will be held on May 16, 2006.
VOTE: Council Members Liotta, Loughran, Corbally, DiCicco, Dyer, DiCorcia.…YEA
Borough Auditor Gene Farrell: will hold hearing on 2006 budget, but not vote to adopt tonight – will vote on temporary emergency resolution to purchase car (with monies donated this evening), then vote on approval of Budget amendment – amendment must then be published before it can be adopted – once adopted, can adopt amended budget; met needs with small increase of 1.4 cents – have some surplus – should be commended for addressing cost drivers – most municipalities are looking at double digit increases with heavy reliance on extraordinary aid.
Mayor Vogel: Finance Committee, Chief Finance Officer and department heads worked very hard.
Councilman Liotta: thanked all – worked very hard – conservative budget, which gives more solid footing – progressing in the right direction.
Councilman DiCicco: thanked Christine Riehl, Kathy Beno and department heads – happy to be able to meet challenge of keeping tax rate stable.
Councilman DiCorcia: are we hurting ourselves if we use surplus to lower increase?
Auditor Farrell: will get spikes in tax rate by artificially keeping it down – if drastic change in real estate market, will see it in revaluation appeals and possible tax collection – could use that surplus to protect you from that.
Councilman Dyer: surplus going to help us to keep things stable in the future – thanked all.
Mayor Vogel opened Budget hearing to the public.
Bob Eltringham, 314 Trenton Avenue: can save $35,000 on four wheel drive car for Construction Code Department (was requested, but did not fund) – replacing bucket truck in Public Works (not funded – some talk about sharing with Borough) SUV for Police (can only purchase SUV through bonding, not regular vehicles – used for emergencies, foul weather, etc.) bringing in a gas hog (only SUV in the department – need in case of high water, etc. – will not be a patrol car – will be used by detectives and in foul weather); think you should take $90,000 in surplus and give no tax increase (were in a position like this 10 or 11 years ago with a pretty strong surplus with only 1 to 2 cent increases each year – started hitting that surplus about 6 or 7 years ago – that’s how we got that 13 cent raise – if revenues do not come in as anticipated will have to make it up and it will impact on future years – not willing to take that chance).
Motion by Councilman DiCicco, to close public hearing on 2006 Municipal Budget, was seconded by Councilman Loughran and carried by the following roll call vote.
VOTE: Council Members Liotta, Loughran, Corbally, DiCicco, Dyer, DiCorcia.…YEA
Motion by Councilman DiCicco, seconded by Councilman Liotta and carried by the following roll call vote, 2006 Municipal Budget Amendment was approved on first reading.
VOTE: Council Members Liotta, Loughran, Corbally, DiCicco, Dyer, DiCorcia.…YEA
Clerk Ellsworth added several items to Consent Resolution 2 and corrected consent resolution2/ item ‘e‘; Mayor Vogel: holding consent resolution 2/item ‘h’ .
Motion by Councilman Corbally, seconded by Councilman DiCorcia, resolutions, covering the items listed below, were approved by the following roll call vote:
CONSENT RESOLUTION 1:
a) Support Water Resources Development Act (S728)
b) Approval of Payroll #9 ($202,585.37)
c) Memorialize action to place memorial for Sgt. Sherman at Veterans’ Memorial Park
d) Transfer escrow accounts from Bank of America to Manasquan Savings and Loan
e) Payments to Galvin Law Firm from Board of Adjustment accounts ($3094.06)
f) Refund Board of Adjustment escrow account ($400)
g) Payments to Schoor Depalma from escrow accounts ($6397.67)
h) Payment of 2nd Quarter Tax Allocation to County of Ocean ($1,424,156.91)
i) Payment to Certified Valuations for work completed on revaluation ($5668.20)
j) Payment to Bollinger for employee prescription benefits ($33,668.65)
k) Payment to Alarm Distributors for repair of DVR units ($3500)
l) Payment to Metric Parking for pay & display ticket paper ($5500)
m) Payment to Pierce Mfg for aerial fire truck ($3713)
n) Payment to Horizon BCBS for employee health benefits ($59,394.07)
o) Progress Payments 1 and 2 to Meco, Inc. for improvements to North, East and West Streets ($108,846.25)
p) Payment to the Ronan Agency for volunteer group accident policies ($4683)
q) Approval of computer generated vouchers ($1,693,093.26)
CONSENT RESOLUTION 2:
a) Emergency Temporary Appropriation
b) Authorize Borough Engineer to prepare specs and advertise bids for CDBG Handicapped Accessible Curb and Sidewalk Improvements
c) Payment to Capt Howard Bogan of deposit for summer recreation program
d) Payment to Warnock Fleet for 2006 Dodge Durango for Fire Dept ($21,120)
e) P O to Warnock Fleet for 2006 Ford Explorer for Police Dept ($22,769.35)
f) Payment to Brownfield Redevelopment for ANJEC grant preparation ($600)
g) Payment to Laird & Co for ‘barrel’ planters ($125)
h) Held
i) Authorization to start work on drainage complaint remediation as per Borough Engineer’s recommendation, outlined in memo from Borough Administrator
j) Authorization for Borough Attorney to draft FEMA ordinance
k) Approve payment of band shell programs up to an aggregate of $5,000
l) Authorize Borough Engineer to look into storm-water management disposal and storage remedies
m) Award of cell tower contract to Omnipoint Communications ($28,060)
n) Deny request for relief from increase in water/sewer permit fees
VOTE: Council Members Liotta, Loughran, Corbally, DiCicco, Dyer, DiCorcia….YEA
Mayor Vogel: commended Police Department for ‘Beachtown Hoedown’ – great community event; received letter from Engineer regarding Sea Coast Oil and next step; received letter from DOT about crosswalk from Maryland Avenue beach to 7-11 – they will follow up and take remedial action; received one bid on cell tower – will go out to bid again; Governing Body has reviewed Lake Study and comments – read a lot of information on phragmites – would like to see Governing Body consider appropriation for maintenance permit, which will be about $1500 – $2000 – would like to do some maintenance with phragmites in certain areas.
Motion by Councilman Corbally, to authorize Borough Engineer to apply for General Permit #16, and Mayor and Municipal Clerk to execute documents, was seconded by Councilman DiCicco and carried by the following roll call vote.
VOTE: Council Members Liotta, Loughran, Corbally, DiCicco, Dyer, DiCorcia….YEA
COMMITTEE REPORTS:
Councilman Liotta: quite a party going on for 75th anniversary of Manasquan Inlet opening – Point Pleasant Beach, Point Pleasant, Manasquan and Brielle are all involved – banner will be draped across Inlet from Manasquan to our side for grand reopening on August 22nd – will be movies and river tours – each town is allowed 25 boats, 22 feet or larger, for boat parade; thanked Administrator Riehl and public works for taking down trees, per Beautification Committee’s request; have surplus of meters that were replaced with pay and play – would like to sell them and would like Governing Body’s approval to have Administrator Riehl and Bob Meany pursue that (all okay).
Councilman Loughran: asked about status of Public Works building renovation (Administrator Riehl: waiting for plans for prefab building that is being donated – having problems getting them) – birds flying in and out leaving bird droppings, roof leaking (looking at $40,000 – $50,000 to purchase prefab building).
Councilman Corbally: First Farmers Market will be on Sunday, along with car cruise.
Councilman DiCicco: new parking boxes in lot doing good job – problem with signage on Arnold Avenue – asked Chief and Public Works to look at signs – maybe add one on easternmost section of lot, and better illumination; on April 6th met with Charlotte Boniga of the DCA and walked through town – looking to get grant of $25,000 this year and $100,000 per year for the next four years – decision will be made prior to Memorial day – will be 8 winners from the 14 still in contention – will be used to improve gateway rectangle; authorized preparation of a FEMA ordinance to adopt digital mapping in order to remain in flood insurance program – committee had its third meeting with good game plan in place – will appoint coordinator who will be our liaison with FEMA – meets last Tuesday of each month at 5:30 p.m. – shooting for fall deadline of getting rate decrease; attended Open Space Committee meeting, along with Councilman Dyer – need to provide open space inventory – in running for an ANJEC grant to prepare open space plan – elected Sal Pepe as chair, Anne Lightburn as vice-chair and Tom Migut as recording-secretary – meets fourth Thursday of month; in process of preparing updated master plan – planner from T&M Associates will be appearing before Planning Board- one last meeting of Review Committee will be held to prepare updates/corrections to master plan review report.
Councilman Dyer: thanked Anne Lightburn who has really driven the process of Open Space and is doing a great job; Building Department is down one person, but revenue is up 18-19% with increased workload; working on Code Enforcement Task Force – ran into a couple of challenges – no-one in Building Department holds Class I Special certification.
Councilman DiCorcia: thanked Jenkinsons for what they do for the community – thanked them for their help with Elks Special Olympics relay; have meeting with Board of Education before next Council meeting; asked for one more survey of street lights.
Mayor Vogel: New Jersey Transit going to be doing some paving work at crossings on Arnold and New Jersey Avenues – will close those crossings for a week and will post detours.
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION PERIOD OPENED AT 8:44 PM
David Cavagnaro, 118 Parkway: thanked Council for water installation at horseshoe – thanked Administrator Riehl and Lynn Aber for the mulch and compost that was delivered – pulled strings to get it released – thanked Public Works for taking time to pick it up; is there a work order to fix the lamp in front of Bank of America? (Administrator Riehl: will be about $8,000 to replace; Mayor Vogel: will be on next agenda); asked about garbage receptacles – some are missing (Administrator Riehl: spoke to Bob Meany – will question Council liaison about how many and where to put them); gazebo light still out and light on American flag is out as well; asked about fence and stairs on Zilai Row – Attorney Gertner was asking which safety issue was the reason for the staircase being issued a summons (Attorney Gertner: can’t say anything because now potential litigation – no predisposition to the issuing of a summons – some question as to the corrective action that was being recommended; Mayor Vogel: doing everything we can to work with property owner to the best of our ability) now the property owner is being denied a CO unless they move the staircase (Attorney Gertner: Mayor and Council did not take action – Construction Official did, utilizing the current ordinance and his interpretation – since litigation has been threatened, advised Mayor and Council not to comment) if the Attorney makes recommendation that something be supplied before moving forward and its ignored, that makes Council culpable.
Rita English, 224 Ocean Avenue: owner of the house, in question, on Zilai Row – been told stairs are non-conforming and must be turned – not told what we are not conforming to – thanked Mayor for calling – threatened litigation due to loss of summer rental – we didn’t change anything, neighbor did – cannot get contractor at this late date, so cannot get CO and will loose that revenue – asked in October for help because it’s a safety issue – now all of a sudden its not a safety issue and we’re non-conforming – we didn’t change anything (Attorney Gertner: provision under article 13, that deals with a request for further information and extensions – suggest making an appointment with Administrator to go over the ordinance and discuss the procedure; Mayor Vogel: goal is to work with you; Councilman DiCorcia: asked that Building Inspector be at meeting with Administrator and Englishes) what do we tell the real estate about the renter who is shortly coming in? (Councilman Dyer: if you put forward an application, can be given an extension; Councilman Liotta: Borough Administrator will set-up meeting; Mayor Vogel: truly unique circumstance – Administrator and Building Inspector can work with you to get through summer season).
Kathy Foley, 115 Randall Avenue: questioned General Permit #16 (Mayor Vogel: to maintain vegetation around the lake shore) Lake Study report doesn’t say anything about maintaining plants – talks about habitat creation and enhancement (Mayor Vogel: received a lot of commentary with report – in interim, this is a solution that can be applied to meet all the concerns – will continue with dialogue and meetings to work through the process); not much room, on Ocean Avenue, between the sidewalk and the curb – people will put household garbage out – would like to see recycling cans there – will bring up at Recycling Task Force meeting.
Ed Sirchio, 722 McLean Avenue: any plan to treat the outfall? (Mayor Vogel: had discussions with County Engineer – was here in April – Councilman DiCicco provided him with information) Wreck Pond has been rebuilt – what’s coming out of there is hazardous (Councilman DiCicco: sent Mr. Lotrecchio information on outfall in Rhode Island and literature on 2 different filter devices that can treat outfall – asked him to try and find a plan to treat effluent) testing done in December – summer season starts in 22 days; how’s Boylan case going? (still in litigation) how much has it cost the town (Administrator Riehl: can get for you); house on corner of Ocean and Michelle Lane hasn’t been completed since 1997 and is an eyesore; many municipalities in New Jersey preserve their trees – when moved here had trees over 150 years old – people arbitrarily cutting them down and they take more than a lifetime to grow (Mayor Vogel: was to be addressed tonight but speaker couldn’t be here).
Bob Eltringham, 314 Trenton Avenue: Governing Body is a bunch of honest hard working guys – know none of you would do anything to benefit yourself personally; suggested no-charge resident permit and non-resident permits, for a fee, to park in railroad and Borden’s lots – then town can put parking meters in there for weekends or summer – by putting those three things together, can get more revenue from people who use these lots free – Cranford charges $500 per month for a parking permit, with a line waiting to get them – if parking lot between post office and fire house is included, there are about 460 parking spots that can bring in revenue and help reduce taxes.
Rosa Crowley, 1401 St. Louis Avenue: Council has been receiving letters in opposition to Lake Shore Study – passed out letter in favor of study and urging Council to move forward with removal of phragmites (Mayor Vogel: took action to apply for permit 16, to allow maintenance that is aesthetically pleasing and environmentally friendly, around Lake of the Lillies and Little Silver Lake – next actions will be taken in September) when will we get the permit? (about 30 days) – disturbed by Mrs. Foley’s comments – where has the Environmental Commission been all these years while this lake has been deteriorating? – neighbors started taking care of it – then received letter telling us not to cut there (Mayor Vogel: moving at appropriate pace – bottom line is to get the best result, not the most expedient – can balance needs and concerns to get to that point; Councilman DiCicco: after reading the report don’t feel informed enough to make intelligent conclusions – before making decisions would like to have Schoor DePalma here to answer questions; Mayor Vogel: want to make sure we make the right decisions).
Joe Lemma, 203 St. Louis Avenue: we paid $1 for Gull Island – gave it to County for $1 (Councilman Loughran: gave it to the County and they made it a County park).
Peggy Buccino, 319 Newark Avenue: thank you for cutting Newark and St Louis – hope they will come sooner then they normally do; thought Lake Study report was from a very professional firm and don’t think they would recommend anything that would hurt – are you thinking of doing another study? (doing research for response to questions from public – would not authorize another study) will Council be setting up a Lake Committee? (probably an off-shoot of the Environmental Commission).
Dan Sharkey, Toms River: heard about incident of fumes from auto body shop – were before Board of Adjustment, which made them take steps to put the situation in a neutral position – Board Attorney told me they don’t police, the Building Department must follow through – if not continually monitored, will be a big problem again – southeast wind will bring it right up New Jersey Avenue – telltale sign is the masking odor – puts out 5 carcinogenic materials, that are contained in the paint – Councilmen Loughran and Carey and Mayor Pasola saw them painting at night, after budget meeting – need to keep a close eye on what’s going on over there (Councilman Corbally: Elaine Petrillo sent letter to Gary from Atlantic Auto body immediately – response was quick and will stay on top of).
Ben Dispoto, 311 Parkway: thanked Councilman Loughran for action on storm water situation; complained about old business; regarding Lake study, what does maintenance mean? – clarity in communication would help; if you pre-empt and address maybe the questions will not take as long.
Craig Jones, 1503 St. Louis Avenue: not real fond of Lake Study, but do like page 11’s recommendation to eradicate phragmites from shoreline of Lake of Lillies – noticed letter from resident on Washington Avenue defending phragmites but doesn’t have them in her back yard.
Kathleen Foley, 115 Randall Avenue: misinterpretation that I am against restoration and enhancement of the lake – Environmental Commission is made up of volunteers that give freely of their own time.
Jim Wisniewski, 314 St. Louis Avenue: asked if he could get a copy of information on phragmites (was provided).
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION PERIOD CLOSED AT 9:50 P.M.
Meeting was adjourned at 9:51 PM
Attest: ______________________________________ Maryann Ellsworth, Municipal Clerk
