Borough of Point Pleasant Beach Council Meeting Minutes
October 19, 2021
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 and Cortes. Councilman Santanello arrived at 7:33PM during Committee Reports. Councilman Migut was absent.
FLAG SALUTE, INVOCATION
Motion by Councilman Vitale to re-approve the September 21, 2021 Council meeting minutes, with transcript as attached, was seconded by Councilwoman Byrnes and carried by roll call vote.
VOTE: Councilmembers Vitale, Testa, Byrnes, Cortes,….YEA
Councilmen Santanello and Migut….ABSENT
Motion by Councilman Vitale to approve the October 5, 2021 Council meeting minutes was seconded by Councilwoman Byrnes and carried by roll call vote.
VOTE: Councilmembers Vitale, Testa, Byrnes, Cortes,….YEA
Councilmen Santanello and Migut….ABSENT
COMMITTEE REPORTS:
Councilman Vitale: Police training since the last Council meeting included SWAT, Canine In Service, Street Cops, and Basic Police Officer Waiver – there were arrests for disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, possession of false government documents and drug paraphernalia, and contempt of court; reminded all about daily house checks available for those on extended vacation and the Halloween curfew for those under 18, 7PM-7AM through Nov. 1st, with exceptions; the Breast Cancer Walk was on Sunday with upwards of 10,000 participants – received assistance from several neighboring towns with their bomb detecting dogs, as well as from the Fire and First Aid squads – thanked his officers and mutual aid agencies for ensuring a safe and secure venue for the event; thanked all involved in the Tug-of-War including the Recreation Committee, Chamber of Commerce, DPW, PPB Police Dept., Dive Team, PPB Fire Dept., Coast Guard and all team captains – went off without a hitch – will bring the trophy back next year; the this Sunday is the Homegrown Festival on Bay Ave. – the Recreation Committee is sponsoring the Tricks and Treats Pet Costume Parade 1:30PM-3PM; Grom-O-Ween registration is open – event is at the Skate Park on Oct. 31st, 10AM-4PM, with judging on costumes and skills; Recreation is bringing back the basketball league in mid-November, with sign-ups this week at Antrim; Arts and Recreation and the Chamber are working on the Winter Wonderland, Dec. 11th in Pleasure Park; Recreation is looking forward to 2022 and is putting in all their Special Event applications going forward; has been working with Lt. Grace and Det. O’Neill to evaluate Social Media investigation tools; got some new Military Banners today – the initiative is still ongoing for a couple of weeks, if anyone is interested.
Councilwoman Testa: the scarecrows are up in the Gazebo – Antrim School does this every year – check them out; Beautification is getting ready to put planters and gardens to bed for the winter and will be setting a date to put up the garland – need volunteers to get on the ladders; the Arts Homegrown Festival is on Sunday, the 24th, 1PM-6PM on Bay Ave., with vendors, authors, pie tasting contest, live music, a Senior variety show and Halloween Pet Parade – she is the MC (Mayor Kanitra: he is judging – he can’t bring his dog); shout out to Sheila Soyster for the The Great Wall of PPB – a lot of community volunteers, effort, and creativity – a great restoration and a fun event – thanked Sheila and the volunteers; submitted the Safe Routes Grant application – acknowledged all involved – took almost 2 years to put it together – should hear back in March or April – it’s about $1/2M (Mayor Kanitra: it’s competitive – lot of applicants – put our best foot forward – if unsuccessful, can re-submit – is really thorough and vital for pedestrian and bicycle safety in PPB – commended Councilwoman Testa on taking the initiative to lead this).
Councilwoman Byrnes: the Golden Gulls Spa Day last Monday was wonderful – 22 seniors attended – were treated to shampoos, blowouts, mini-facials, and manicures and/or pedicures – hosted by Spa Bella and the Senior Committee – the Golden Gulls were then invited to enjoy coffee and desert at She Shed, hosted by Patty and Anthony Camme – a wonderful afternoon – received many calls from people who were grateful; on November 9th, there will be a chocolate demonstration and other activities for the Golden Gulls at the Firehouse on Laurel Ave., 1PM-4PM; planning on bus trip to a local theater holiday show – thanked Steve and Sue Fisher, who generously offered transportation – some Gulls will perform in the Homegrown Fair on Sunday; DPW will install a lending library for the Environmental Commission on Arnold Ave. between the Firehouse and Post Office – it’s weatherized and ready to go; the Sustainable Jersey team just received word that they have been able to maintain their Bronze status – not an easy feat in these difficult times – thanks to Cathy Sogorka, Jackie Sirchio, Laurie Vicari and Anne Lightburn; made a motion to carve out items on the agenda for discussion – 1s-1v (now Consent Resolution 4a-4d); Attorney Riordan: don’t need a motion, just a request from the Councilperson).
Councilman Cortes: hydrant flushing started and on Washington Ave. this morning – water pressure may be impacted a bit; the contractor on Ocean Ave. is all the way down to Makin Ave. with pipe replacement – have one lane closed; the gas company is replacing pipe on the Broadway Bridge – was away for a week on vacation, so he deferred to BA/CFO Riehl on anything else.
Councilman Santanello: quoted Friedrich Nietzsche, “He who fights with monsters, should be careful lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will also gaze into you.” He then said, “I firmly believe in the grace of God, and that is even more infinite than great. Making this the perfect time for me to walk away.” Councilman Santanello left the meeting at 7:46PM.
MAYOR’S REPORT:
Mayor Kanitra: said Councilman Santanello’s was as an appropriate and self-aggrandizing exit as has ever been in PPB; kudos to the Environmental Commission and Green Team on the Sustainable Jersey Bronze status – invited a representative or 2 from the Green Team to join him and 3 of the Councilmembers at the League (NJLM) luncheon for much needed recognition; emailed the Borough Clerk earlier this week asking to have a proclamation recognizing Sheila Mickle Soyster and the Arts Committee for their work on the Great Wall – it looks incredible – probably more than 100 people from the community worked on it – thanked the volunteers in the audience; he, the Council and the Borough received a preservation award – thanked Preservation NJ – event was at The 1867 Sanctuary in Ewing – some real passion projects were recognized – the Borough of PPB received a huge round of applause – it was incredible, humbling and an inspiration to do so much more; will be teaching/speaking on a panel entitled “Small Towns can do Revitalization Too” – was asked by NJLM to talk about a lot of the business development efforts in PPB – a testament to Council, BA/CFO Riehl, employees and professionals; Safe Routes to School Grant was submitted – unfortunately were not successful on the Historic Site Management Grant – there was an outdated architectural survey that can be fixed and they feel confident PPB will receive funding next year; put in a Thunderbird fly-over request for the Offshore Boat Race next yet; looking for funding on electric vehicle charging in the train station lot; are working on Sister Cities stuff toward the end of spring.
ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT:
BA/CFO Riehl: had a progress meeting yesterday with the contractor and engineer on Ocean Ave. pipe replacement – anticipate completion in 120 days, weather-permitting (Mayor Kanitra: they’ve been utilizing Borough resources that shouldn’t have – BA/CFO Riehl nipped that in the bud, saving taxpayer money); sent out memos to everyone to submit 2022 budget requests in early Dec. – asked all committees and clubs to be on the lookout for it – everyone else’s will include the annual budget and capital requests for next year; talked about traffic calming – got estimates of roughly $2.5K/each for solar speed radar signs and roughly $93K for 2 bump-outs for the intersection of Bay and New Jersey, construction only with no soft costs included – can get a quote and move forward with the speed signs – asked if the Governing Body would like her to petition the County to do a study or think about approving a 4-way stop at Bay and New Jersey (Mayor Kanitra: asked if the stoplight at New Jersey will help mitigate the problem) it might have some effect on people going north, but not anyone cutting through/going south (Councilman Cortes: Rte. 35S from Bay to Richmond is not going to be impacted – this light is more of a safety feature, so cars don’t stop on the tracks while heading west – it will force them to stop prior to the tracks; Mayor Kanitra: as it is the off-season, he recommends petitioning the County first – he’ll reach out to the County Commissioners and explain that the 4-way stop is a priority – if they can’t do the 4-way stop, will maybe look at the speed radar signs, give it a year or 2, and if that doesn’t work, go from there; Mayor Kanitra: asked BA/CFO Riehl to submit request to the County stating that, at the Mayor’s request, she is cc’ing the County Commissioners or Asst. County Administrator Fiore – will talk about it); has a proposal for renovations to the Police bathrooms from McCarthy Contracting for $34,564.00 – would like to add a PO tonight (Mayor Kanitra: are getting close to acquiring the Coast Guard Station and the Historical Society will be moved – asked if this would be affected by that; Chief Michigan: have over 100 men in the dept. – will have 2 bathrooms/2toilets now – anything else after that is gravy – need a lot more; Councilman Cortes: asked if that is under the bid threshold and if McCarthy has done work here) it is and they did (McCarthy PO added as item 2j).
The Municipal Clerk announced additions and revision to the agenda.
Councilman Cortes: asked about item 1e – if that was an accident (BA/CFO Riehl: it was – got insurance reimbursement – have a $2,500.00 deductible – a kid backed into a dumpster).
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION BEGAN AT 8:00PM
Dave Cavagnaro, 118 Parkway, PPB: asked about items 1f (Attorney Riordan: project on Rte 35 – Point Lookout – Zoning Board imposed upon them the obligation to provide a couple of affordable housing units in order to meet the Borough’s affordable housing obligation and this approves the Borough taking over the marketing plan to ensure that the Borough gets the proper credit) and 1y (BA/CFO Riehl: there are 4 Borough holidays, League of Municipalities, Election, a school teacher’s function – to have a quorum, generally only have one meeting in Nov.) doesn’t understand why it’s not done in January.
Patty Camme, 845 Arnold Ave., Pt. Pleasant: owns a small business on Arnold Ave. in PPB – she and her friends did a 3-mile beach clean-up every day during COVID – their efforts were recognized by the TV news, local newspaper and the Governing Body gave them a citation, honoring them as Volunteers of the Year – joined forces with other community groups where she met other local residents, in particular, Fallon Schultz – these residents are on a mission to spread goodness and put unity back into the community – together, helped facilitate several phenomenal events – has been involved in various committees and community events – opened business in June 2021 – was inspired to raise funds for the refurbishment of Pleasure Park – was also asked to be one of the co-chairs of the Winter Wonderland carnival – joined the Senior and Beautification Committees and supported several other events in the community – this connection and involvement inspired her to open her business in June 2021 – this community felt like a family in line with her values and purpose – since June, has had quite a few negative experiences, which started with the cancellation of her fundraising event at the 11th hour at Pleasure Park, after the town requested a $2M insurance policy from everyone the day before the event – from there, have been a barrage of experiences that she finds threatening, strongarming and singled-out as a woman in business – some of the actions were brought forth by Councilman Vitale – there have been accusatory rumors spread by unnamed parties – has had the Police called on her establishment on events held in front of her shop – has had the town Attorney called for questioning her Facebook friendship group that she put together to meet her business neighbors at a breakfast he hosted – at that breakfast, had a woman come in to spy on what they were doing, taking pictures and notes of what she said and abruptly leave – she has always been warned about this bubble but she never thought she would become a victim of such childish actions – her relationship, friendship and community involvement with Ms. Schultz and the negative stigma brought on by the members of this bubble have overflowed to her business and attacked her character – the below-the-line actions she has been experiencing are nothing short of threatening, discriminatory and defaming – these actions by the member of this Governing Body are going to dismantle this business community and drive vacancies into downtown – she is not the first person to experience this threat – this is a virus that, with Police involved, the Attorney questioning her Facebook group, spying – negative effects of the PPB bubble – threatening, discriminatory and defaming – this is a virus that, from what she understands, has been affecting this business district for years – that virus, in her opinion, is now affecting the Governing Body – hopes she is the last person that this type of behavior and action happens to – as a human being, a business owner and a woman, she will not tolerate it – she will not be victimized or judged by the friends she keeps – this behavior will not build a better community for businesses and residents – asked that the matter be addressed in the utmost seriousness.
Councilman Vitale: threatening is a very strong word – he never threatened – there has been a well-known rift downtown between the Chamber, other members, Fallon and the Gottlieb – he was asked to step in as a mediator and he did – he spoke to the Chamber, to Fallon and to Patty – it seems the rift is not going to be mended – he is sorry Patty feels she was threatened – she was absolutely not threatened by him or anyone else – this is an issue that is compounding – he tried and there is nothing he can do to mend those fences – his goal was to foster communication between all groups to continue to make downtown thrive and that’s all he did.
Anthony Camme, 845 Arnold Ave., Pt. Pleasant: called Councilman Vitale a liar – said he has him on tape – he was threatening his wife – he singled her out – said Councilman Vitale brought one internet page to the lawyer of the town – he wants to see the other ones he brought – said Councilman Vitale has no ethics and, if he had any integrity, would stand up and resign (Attorney Riordan: advised Councilman Vitale that there is no need to respond to that kind of nonsense; Mayor Kanitra: it is well known that there is a rift between the Chamber and another group – has tried to mediate the situation to absolutely no effect or success – has repeatedly asked to stay out of it – as an outsider, it appears that there is a game of brinksmanship going on, where he sees different supporters turning each other in – a game of one-upmanship – will ultimately be bad for the town – are doing such great things – downtown, the community is buying in – would strongly urge that some middle-of-the road détente can be reached, where both sides lay down arms for the betterment of PPB and thriving businesses – no good can come from all the horrible things he’s heard going back and forth).
Dr. Luann Breese, LuLu’s Lingerie owner, 642 Arnold Ave., PPB: need to come to a resolve – she has tried – she has asked the Chamber for certain things and there was no response – when she asked about certain emails she didn’t receive, she was told to check her spam folder, that they are not working, that there is a pandemic – last year, she opened her business during a pandemic – she tried her best to bring people together, but there is a dividing force – when you ask them for things, there is no response (Mayor Kanitra: this is for items on the agenda – the Chamber of Commerce has no affiliation with the government of PPB – can’t speak on anything specifically related to that) it is imperative, as a new business owner, that all try to work together and that is what we would like to do – has been resistance – asked what the resolve is (Mayor Kanitra: resolution doesn’t come with more animosity – need to be finding common ground and diffusing the situation in general – only sees bad things happening) asked why Fallon’s events are being turned down and why it is a Recreation Committee issue (Mayor Kanitra: that’s why it’s been carved out to be discussed; Councilwoman Byrnes: it does need to be addressed – it’s creating a lot of really bad feelings).
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION ENDED AT 8:11PM
Motion by Councilman Cortes 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 #20 ($291,829.03)
1b Auth for Borough to enter/execute/acknowledge agreement w/NJDOT for Rte 35/NJ Ave traffic signal
1c Approval of PO to Glenco Supply for sign post puller (NTE $2K)
1d Approval of PO to Slabjack Foundation for hydraulic hoses/fittings-2021 ($4,500)
1e Approval of payment to Solveri Collision for Ford F-350 repairs ($4,167.53)
1f Adoption of Affirmative Marketing Plan
1g Approval of payment of hand check from Developer Escrow account
1h Approval of payment to the Ocean County Treasurer for County tax levy-4th quarter ($2,332,187.80)
1i Approval of payment to the OCUA for 4th quarter sewerage payments ($318,071.25)
1j Approval of pymt M. Woszczak Mech. Cont. for hydrant removal/replacement, 719 Arnold ($6,150)
1k Approval of pymt to Natl Auto Fleet for Ford Super Duty F-550 dump truck/spreader/plow ($96,101.12)
1l Approval of payment to ATS Environmental Svcs for fuel system repairs-2021 ($2,615)
1m Approval of payment to Riggins for No Lead Fuel 9/24/21 ($15,165)
1n Memorialization of auth to conduct hydrant flushing 10/18-11/12 & advertise in Ocean Star 10/15-11/5
1o Approval of W/S relief request
1p Approval of payment to State of NJ for active & retiree health benefits ($92,713.89)
1q Approval of Board Dash/PPB Surf Team S/E app for MD Ave Beach & Bdwlk Sweep 11/13 (rain 11/14)
1r Approval of PPB Rec S/E app for Tricks & Treats Pet Costume Parade, Bay Ave 10/24
1s CONSIDERED SEPARATELY AS RESOLUTION 4A PER COMMITTEE REPORTS
1t CONSIDERED SEPARATELY AS RESOLUTION 4B PER COMMITTEE REPORTS
1u CONSIDERED SEPARATELY AS RESOLUTION 4C PER COMMITTEE REPORTS
1v CONSIDERED SEPARATELY AS RESOLUTION 4D PER COMMITTEE REPORTS
1w Approval of payment to NJ DCA for 3rd quarter State Training Fees ($3,473)
1x Acceptance of Annual Audit for 2020
1y Cancellation of November 9, 2021 Council meeting
1z Approval of PPB Advisory Committee appointments
CONSENT RESOLUTION 2:
2a Approval of payment of computer-generated vouchers ($3,651,446.44)
2b Approval of PO to Fire & Safety Services for repairs to Fire Company No 2 vehicle 430 ($6,450)
2c Approval of payment to All Covered for IT maintenance & support for Sept, including PD ($3,495)
2d Approval of PO to E.R.S. Fleet Repair for servicing Fire Company No 1 fire trucks (est. $4,800)
2e Appointment of 17 SLEO II’s
2f Approval of PO to NJ Fire Equip. for SCOTT 4500PSI 45 MIN CARBON CY for the FD ($12,492)
2g Approval of PO to NJ Fire Equip. for SCOTT AV3000 HT W/KEVLAR 4STR ($4,406.40) for the FD
2h Amend Res 2021-0921/2D (Auth to accept OC JIF grant for Police Accreditation Svcs & execute agmt)
2i Approval of PO to ESI Equipment for Holmatro Pentheon Rescue System for Fire Co 2 ($76,588)
2j Approval of PO to McCarthy Contracting for bathroom in PD ($34,564) – ADDED PER BA/CFO
CONSENT RESOLUTION 3:
3a Authorization to advertise RFPs for professional services for 2022
3b Approval of Payroll #21 ($301,354.15)
3c Award of contract to Shore Top Construction for Central Ave Imp, subj to Atty review/approval & availability of funds ($704,986.25)
3d Approval of pymt to Doctor Peppers Flooring for carpet tiles-common area-bldg ($4,4802.38)
3e Approval of PO to Jersey Shore Publications for full page ad in Chamber Guidebook ($1,200)
3f Approval of payment of hand checks from Pl Bd escrow accounts 10/18/21
3g Establishment of Council reorganization meeting date & time of January 2, 2022 at noon
VOTE: Councilmembers Vitale, Testa, Byrnes, Cortes,….YEA
Councilmen Santanello and Migut….ABSENT
Mayor Kanitra: as Mayor, he controls agenda, as does the Council President Borough Administrator and Borough Attorney – asked for background – his understanding is that, initially, Fallon chose to apply for permission for an event that the Recreation Committee had submitted for last year – last year, the Governing Body voted on Recreation Committee approval – at that point, was told the Recreation Committee had gotten applications in for their various events and they would be running them and this was put on as a result of that – spoke to Councilman Vitale, Fallon and BA/CFO Riehl and was told that Fallon came up with the idea for the event and partnered with Recreation last year to run it – asked for the same construct this year – Fallon seemed open to it – Councilman Vitale explained that she is still on Recreation Committee – his understanding is that this is on the agenda the same as last year, that the Recreation Committee would be the ones to have it officially voted in and that Fallon could help again and that’s why the denial and approval was set up this way – asked, if Recreation submitted last time, why someone else would submit this time (Councilman Vitale: reached out to Fallon yesterday, when the agenda was public, via text and phone call, to talk to her about running this event and, as of now, has not heard back from her; Councilwoman Byrnes: believes all of the artwork is Fallon’s – Councilwoman Testa: read from last year’s Facebook posts: “Join us St. Patrick’s Day – PPB Sham Rock – hosted by a collaboration of the PPB Council committees – sponsored by the Gottlieb District” and “The First Ever Show Us Your Heart Valentine Event in Downtown Pt. Pleasant was a huge success – thank you” and that was sponsored by the PPB Recreation Committee – doesn’t have a problem with the Recreation Committee doing the events – have plenty of time to do them – doesn’t like the division – doesn’t look good on anyone – doesn’t want to have downtown store owners feeling this way – they put a lot of heart and soul and pay a lot for rent – have to come to some resolution – doesn’t know what’s going on with the rift – doesn’t know where we went from collaboration/joining forces to this – is not involved with any of that – is friends with everybody – respects everyone on this Council and all who spoke – she sat with Fallon last year and heard her create these events – understands both sides – in good conscience, it’s Fallon’s event – can each have different events on Valentine’s Day and St. Patrick’s Day – Recreation has plenty of time to submit an application for another event – is for the community – is for the stores making money – is not against anyone, for the record; Councilwoman Byrnes: was good camaraderie among everyone – it has just stopped – feels really uncomfortable; Attorney Riordan: when the Recreation Committee started applying for events last year, he insisted that most events be partnered with the Chamber – believes that’s true of these events; Councilman Vitale: they were not last year – they will be this year; Attorney Riordan: so these occurred before the correction where the committees and the Chamber worked together, so they slid in; Councilman Vitale: correct; attorney Riordan: but that’s not going to happen again; Councilman Vitale: that’s not going to happen next year – and the idea of a committee is that someone comes up with an idea and everyone rallies around it and sees that idea to life) I came up with the idea of the bonfire and it’s now being run by the Recreation Committee (Attorney Riordan: no one owns any of these ideas) right, it’s now the Recreation Committee’s bonfire (Councilman Vitale: that’s why he is baffled this is even being talked about) there is a division between the Chamber and Fallon – he didn’t cause the division – he only tried to mend it – the division is about ownership of downtown – Fallon goes to businesses and tries to get them on her side – the Chamber has businesses of theirs – there are different competing interests – trying to be objective and frank as he can – Fallon is collecting dues for Gottlieb Connect (people in audience said that is a misconception: Councilwoman Testa: that’s why we need to have a meeting and sit down and get to it) there is concern that is this just going to become about who submits applications first for major holidays and events – and he is worried about the precedent that sets – asked why Fallon would have cut out the Recreation Committee and submitted this permit on her own (Councilwoman Testa: it goes deeper – it’s not her taking ownership – maybe she thought it was OK to put the application in herself – she can’t speak for Fallon – Fallon is not here – she is looking at this objectively as well – if this is strife, like with the Seafood Festival and the Elks application, should step aside and have a conversation and come to a resolution – before voting, should have a conversation; BA/CFO Riehl: suggested pulling all 4 events – they are not until next year, so meetings can be had with all parties involved) thinks that’s best – doesn’t see anyone suggesting a resolution – what he sees is fostering more division – doesn’t want to be culpable for creating a battleground for competition – doesn’t want the Governing Body playing a role in this – having a healthy Chamber is important to this municipality, as are healthy businesses – anything that hurts a business or the Chamber is not good for the Governing Body or for Point Pleasant Beach – tried to mediate the situation and it made no difference whatsoever – he committed days of his life to trying to mitigate this and it didn’t make an dent and, generally, that’s because people don’t want a resolution – so, if pulling this from the agenda, there has to be a real and peaceful resolution (Attorney Riordan: BA/CFO Riehl is volunteering to mediate; Councilwoman Testa: there should not be a lot of people involved and the Governing Body should have nothing to do with it; Councilman Vitale: asked if committees have first right of refusal for events; Attorney Riordan: no; Councilman Cortes: followed both events on Facebook last year – both seemed to be well-attended and a big success and everyone was happy – the Gottlieb was one of Mayor Kanitra’s pet projects – has stymied – any entity downtown should be able to have an event – asked if they’ll have to go to the Chamber for approval; Attorney Riordan: yes – the problem was that the committees demonstrated an inability to follow the Local Public Contracts Law, so the Chamber became the conduit for the money in these events, so that the Local Public Contracts Law was not consistently violated by the committees) asked if a business can just submit an event (Attorney Riordan: yes, a business can certainly just submit an event, but the Special Event Committee discusses it amongst themselves; Councilman Cortes: asked who the Special Event Committee is; Attorney Riordan: the Chief, the Administrator, Fire Official, First Aid maybe – it’s by ordinance – usually, the committee and Chamber partner and the money flows through the Chamber; Councilman Cortes: asked where money goes; Attorney Riordan: that’s between Chamber and the committees; Councilman Cortes: asked if the Governing Body is allowed to see the Chamber’s books; Attorney Riordan: if Chamber says yes) they’re not part of the government (Attorney Riordan: they are not subject the Open Public Records Act; Councilman Cortes: Councilman Mayer asked when they asked for money: Attorney Riordan: and they refused, as he recalls – he was asked to force them to do it and he was unable to do so; Councilman Cortes: is all for pulling this and having a discussion – has nothing against the Recreation Committee, who does a great job.
Motion by Councilman Cortes to TABLE CONSENT RESOLUTION 4 was seconded by Councilwoman Testa and carried by roll call vote:
CONSENT RESOLUTION 4:
4a Approval of PPB Rec S/E app for Show Us Your Heart scavenger hunt, Arnold & Bay 2/12/22
(rain 2/13)
4b Approval of PPB Rec S/E app for Sham Rock scavenger hunt Arnold & Bay 3/12/22 (rain 3/13)
4c DENIAL of Gottlieb District 1906/Gottlieb Connect S/E app for Show Us Your Heart event
4d DENIAL of Gottlieb District 1906/Gottlieb Connect S/E app for Sham Rock event
VOTE: Councilmembers Vitale, Testa, Byrnes, Cortes,….YEA
Councilmen Santanello and Migut….ABSENT
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION BEGAN AT 8:32PM
Phil Cowdell, 211 Randall Ave., PPB: a few weeks ago, there was an agenda item about noise and Airbnb renters on Lake Louise – he is an on-site host with minimum 3 nights and 7 in summer – is part of the community – he walks around the property and alerts people of noise ordinances, etc. – there is already an ordinance – sees no need for more (Mayor Kanitra: doesn’t want to go the way of San Francisco where Airbnb’s are owned by corporations – is committed to keeping a family community; Attorney Riordan: is researching).
The Municipal Clerk announced that the public hearing for Ordinance 2021-31 would be adjourned to November 23rd, due to the cancellation of the November 9th Council meeting.
Dave Cavagnaro, 118 Parkway, PPB: thanked Councilwoman Byrnes for helping his friend with the Spa Bella event; scarecrows look fantastic – noticed a huge sign in the middle of the Beautification Garden (Mayor Kanitra: it’s the Parking Authority’s – BA/CFO Riehl has let them know that Mrs. Steiner would like it relocated; Attorney Riordan: asked if it meets the sign ordinance; BA/CFO Riehl: it’s a banner; Attorney Riordan: the sign ordinance covers banners; BA/CFO Riehl: the permanent sign says free parking – there are no machines in the lot, so there is nothing to pay anyway – the Parking Authority stood on site and said where it goes; Attorney Riordan: they have to abide by the sign ordinance, no matter who they are; Mayor Kanitra: they can apply for A banner – also pointed out that the Tug-of-War banner needs to come down – BA/CFO Riehl: has told them it needs to be removed immediately).
E.J. Geiger, 115 Arnold Ave., PPB: the parking lot sign across from Frankie’s is still cut in half – brought it up before (BA/CFO Riehl: it’s not our sign; Attorney Riordan: it’s the Parking Authority’s – reminded Council that they appoint the members of the Parking Authority; Councilman Cortes: will reach out to them: Attorney Riordan: he will call their Counsel).
Dave Betton, 400 New Jersey Ave., PPB: was thinking about the traffic pattern where the bike accident was – right now, it’s a 2-cycle traffic light pattern – should use 3 cycles like on Ocean Ave – would alleviate some problems (Mayor Kanitra: DOT said it would create too much traffic; Attorney Riordan: don’t control the traffic lights – PPB has been talking to DOT engineers for decades – they are not interested in what laymen have to say; Mayor Kanitra: Engineer Mele submitted a wholistic plan: Attorney Riordan: hopes that, because he is an Engineer, they’ll listen).
Mary Steiner, 423 Yale Ave., PPB: asked Councilwoman Byrnes about the little free library, if there will be any security, a camera, and if it will be there all year (Councilwoman Byrnes: yes, all year – If it’s a nuisance, it will be removed) asked who repairs it, if vandalized (Councilwoman Byrnes: will have to think about it).
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION ENDED AT 8:47PM
Motion by Councilman Vitale to close public participation and adjourn was seconded by Councilman Cortes and carried by consent of Council.
Meeting was adjourned at 8:47PM.
ATTEST: _______________________________
Eileen A. Farrell, RMC
Municipal Clerk
