Borough of Point Pleasant Beach Council Meeting Minutes
September 19, 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 meeting to order at 6:32PM. 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.
The Municipal Clerk read the Resolution for Executive Session: “Whereas, Section 8 of the Open Public Meetings Act permits the exclusion of the public from a meeting in certain circumstances; and whereas, this Governing Body is of the opinion that such circumstances presently exist, now, therefore, be it resolved by the Mayor and Council of the Borough of Point Pleasant Beach, County of Ocean and State of NJ, as follows: the public shall be excluded from discussions concerning the hereinafter specified subject matter; the general nature of the subject matter discussed is as follows: (1) Personnel matter. It is anticipated that the subject matter discussed may be made public upon its conclusion or final disposition.”
Motion by Councilwoman Byrnes to enter Executive Session was seconded by Councilman Ramos and carried by roll call vote.
VOTE: Councilmembers Vitale, Testa, Byrnes, Ramos, Crowley, Migut….YEA
EXECUTIVE SESSION BEGAN AT 6:33PM AND ENDED AT 7:45PM
Mayor Kanitra called the regular meeting to order at 7:52PM. 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 Councilman Vitale to approve the September 5, 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
DISCUSSION: Monopole
Mayor Kanitra: BA/CFO Riehl was going to talk to the cell phone companies about potential options (BA/CFO Riehl: we did – Engineer Mele is here with a report from our cell expert).
Engineer Mele: reached out to the consultant, FSD Enterprises about questions that came up at the Council meeting – whether we could get the equipment on top, centrally-located, more horizontal, less dense, etc. – might be able to remove some stuff up there but not enough to make a significant difference with the sections and separation needed for the individual providers and equipment – even if irrelevant or obsolete sections could be found to be removed, the difference would be almost negligible – the proposed monopole is 170′ – they cannot make it shorter – choice is to put back on the tower after rehabbing and painting all three tanks, or clear everything from the elevated tank – most feasible is to do everything on the monopole in the area of the 100’ lattice tower presently there (Mayor Kanitra: asked, if equipment is put back on the tower, if there can be a provision that the cell phone companies are responsible for repainting it if it rusts or has structural issues – the rust is coming from the cell nodes and we’re paying to re-do it) already have a contract in place – while doing stuff up there, if starting to deteriorate, we need to notify them, and they have to be proactive at that time (Mayor Kanitra: seems like a failing that we didn’t catch this when it started; all talking over each other; Councilwoman Testa: at the last meeting, someone brought up material that doesn’t rust – in Lavallette, the water tower is painted blue and white and the equipment is also, so it is camouflaged – asked if all can be painted like that; Mayor Kanitra: asked if we can request that they paint the nodes; BA/CFO Riehl: can look into – need to decide where it’s going to go; Councilwoman Testa: is against having a 170’ pole; Mayor Kanitra: asked if anyone still wants a monopole; Councilwoman Crowley: don’t need it; Mayor Kanitra: asked for a motion to rescind the bid for the monopole and require as detailed a level of accountability on the water tower as possible, going forward – any kind of rust, structural degradation, aesthetic problems is on them – and if they can paint the cell nodes to match the new paint scheme of the water tower, they should do that; BA/CFO Riehl: they’re now dropping a $1M expense by not doing the monopole, so maybe they’d be willing to).
Motion by Councilman Vitale to rescind the bid for the monopole as discussed, was seconded by Councilwoman Crowley and carried by roll call vote.
VOTE: Councilmembers Vitale, Testa, Byrnes, Ramos, Crowley, Migut….YEA
COMMITTEE REPORTS:
Councilman Vitale: gave the Police report since last meeting – the Police Dept. thanks the NJ Office of Homeland Security, NJ State Police, Ocean County Prosecutors’ Office, all assistive agencies with their canine explosive teams, and all of the Officers who worked the Festival of the Sea and did an excellent job providing safety & security for residents and visitors – 2 Police recruits for summer 2024 began the Ocean County Police Academy on Sept. 15th – reminded all that paid parking is in effect through October 31st, dogs and smoking are not allowed on the Boardwalk, and Officers will continue to enforce these violations – reminded all that Police will conduct daily house checks for people on extended vacation who fill out a form at the Police Dept. or on the website – recognized and thanked the Police Dept., EMS and Fire Dept. for their response to last Thursday’s tragic boat accident – first responders helped rescue survivors out of the water and aided in the search for the missing young man – thoughts and prayers go out to the family; the Locals Only Bonfire was on Sept. 9th with more than 600 attendees and a great musician – thanked Ryan Simunovich and Recreation Committee members, BA/CFO Riehl, FO Martin, PPB Fire Dept., PPB Police Dept., places who provided food & drink and DPW who did the lion’s share of the work – the Kid’s Fishing Derby was this past Sunday with 85 kids – thanked Ryan Simunovich and the Recreation Committee members who planned the event, the Berkely Striper Club who donated time and gear, and local fishermen who helped – the Seafood Fest 5k was Saturday with had 200 runners – thanked Erin Leahey and the Recreation Committee members who helped – this Sunday is the Hey Rube Still Got Your Tube? parade at 11AM, race at 2PM, and after-party at Martell’s Tiki Bar – are watching the weather and will be in contact with the lifeguards and Coast Guard – the Tug of War will be held on Oct. 8th and there is still time to join a team; the Golden Gulls Italian Luncheon is Oct. 10th at 11:30AM – a Paint & Pizza Party is being planned for Oct. 27th at 12PM with local artist Sheila Soyster – planning is under way for an Asks the Experts event on Nov. 9th – Golden Gulls sold bags and ornaments at the Seafood Fest all day where they got a bunch of new members and seniors who want to take part in activities; the Governing Body should sign up for Cybersecurity webinar trainings that are coming up; he and Councilman Ramos met with the Storinos on Monday regarding the beach closings and residents’ dissatisfaction – they had an honest and frank discussion, reminding them of their responsibility to maintain access to the high water mark – they explained that they are actively working with DEP who issued a letter today – they understand everyone’s concern and are anticipating a positive resolution in the near future – very positive meeting (Mayor Kanitra: asked if he was informed about that meeting) didn’t think he need to be (Mayor Kanitra: there’s legal implications involved – asked if Council voted to give Councilmen Ramos and Vitale authority to represent the Borough and discuss legal matters) were no legal matters involved (Councilman Ramos: was a friendly meeting; Atty. Riordan: the Governing Body, as a whole, has the authority to reach out to individual stakeholders in the community, but individual Council members, without the authority of the Governing Body, have no authority to speak for the Governing Body and to meet with individuals – can certainly do it as private citizens; Councilman Ramos: weren’t speaking about anything legal – weren’t speaking as the Council; Mayor Kanitra: they were talking on behalf of the people, which is what their elected job is, without informing the Mayor and Borough Attorney; Atty. Riordan: and there is presently litigation; Councilman Ramos: was a cordial conversation; Mayor Kanitra: doesn’t matter if it was cordial or adversarial – you do not have the authority to talk about PPB government matters without a Council vote; Atty. Riordan: asked if BA/CFO Riehl was informed) he informed the Administrator before they did it (Mayor Kanitra: asked why he wasn’t notified; BA/CFO Riehl: believes Councilman Vitale came to her after the meeting; Mayor Kanitra: he is the Mayor – the Council has power in PPB – Council has to authorize anybody to talk to anybody about government issues, especially when there are State matters and legal implications at stake – no lawyer would have their backs – that can never happen again; Councilman Vitale: will go as private citizens; Mayor Kanitra: you can go as private citizens but you can’t talk about what the residents are coming to you for).
Councilwoman Testa: gave the Building & Code Dept. Committee report YTD – 599 permits which is 82 more than last year, permit and violation fees collected are $249,239.00, have 70 grease trap applications which have doubled since last year, have 390 approved seasonal rental units which expire on Dec. 31, 2023 and 45 approved annual rentals which are good for 3 years, have 427 business registrations approved, have 289 floodplain permits – the Plumbing Inspector is checking the Wharfside and Lobster Shanty regarding a grease backup on Channel Dr. last week – Brittany Groff is replacing the Technical Asst. to the Construction Official (TACO) inaudible – 2 vent pipes off our wastewater treatment plant under Central & Ocean Aves. are getting fixed; the Arts Committee Sandcastle Contest was last Sunday – thanked Jenkinson’s for all they did – they built a huge mound of sand for our sculptor – had to stop due to lightening – was a lot of fun – hard to get new events launched – will probably be on a July weekday next year and there will be a rain date; new paintings by Emily Gilman Beezley are on display and for purchase in Borough Hall – the Homegrown Fair is on Oct. 22nd – Arts is teaming with Recreation on the Pet Parade – will be a Pie Contest with $1.00 tastings – she and Councilwoman Byrnes are working on a Scarecrow Contest – cornstalks will be going up – can adopt a pole and make your own scarecrow – Arts is bringing back the Farmer’s Market on Sundays with 2 interested farms, potentially at the Bandshell area; Beautification Committee is looking for at least 2 more gardens.
Councilwoman Byrnes: there is no amount of praise or acknowledgment she can bestow upon our first responders, the EMS, Fire Companies, Dive Team & Police Dept., to honor their valiant efforts with that tragic accident last week – they are everyday heroes – will help them to secure funding for water safety kits and other appropriate gear; the Shade Tree Commission is accepting applications for street trees until Thursday – interest in the School Environmental Committee has weaned; Chair Yoga and Zumba Gold was held today – another fine day for them.
Councilman Ramos: outstanding job by Carol Vaccaro and the Chamber of Commerce, the Police Dept., EMT and DPW during the Festival of the Sea – thinks there was a record crowd – appreciated the low humidity – amazing how fast it went back to normal afterwards – an outstanding event; the Bd. of Ed. is meeting tonight to vote on and move forward with the referendum question – State has committed close to $2M in grants for the project – Bd. of Ed. is committing $2M from the reserve fund, and the first outside donation of $1M has been accepted – additional outside funding sources are expected – all to bring down the actual funds needed for bonding – PPBHS Open House want well last week – Antrim’s is this Thursday; the Environmental Commission has again attained Bronze Status with Sustainable Jersey – continuing to work toward Silver Level – had a well-staffed booth at the Festival of the Sea with a lot of interest about their programs and initiatives – the next Environmental Commission meeting is Sept. 28th at 7:30PM in Borough Hall with new participants welcome.
Councilwoman Crowley: thanked DPW for their hard work and efforts in always making the Seafood Festival a big success and keeping the streets clean after such a busy day – thanked the Police Chief and staff for making the day safe; thanked the EMS, Fire Dept. & Police Dept. and all involved in the terrible, sad incident at the Inlet – prayers to the family – that’s why the beaches are closed – out of our control right now; the Sandcastle contest was wonderful until the storm hit – tried to get a rain date but could not because the beaches are closed – hopes for more success next year when it’s in the middle of summer and there are no riptides or dangers; she attended the Bonfire – been attending since it began – wonderful event – so many more food donations – should be very proud of the town we live in.
Councilman Migut: the Animal Welfare Committee decided to forego their fall fundraiser – will have a holiday party in late Nov. or early Dec. – this is the first year in their 15-year history that no feral kittens had to be housed in the trailer, which means Trap, Neuter, Release is working; the Parking Authority went out to bid for bank kiosk for Borden’s lot – Ocean First backed out because they sold their building but got the option of keeping the ATM in their building – were no takers this round of bid advertisements – will advertise again – their operating budget was cut this year in anticipation of kiosk revenue – since there was no snowplowing necessitated this winter, they are in fine financial shape and are prepared to make it through the winter – they plan on painting parking stalls in lots next year– asked if they should make a capital request for that (BA/CFO Riehl: more than likely – they can request it).
MAYOR’S REPORT:
Mayor Kanitra: good to see they are being proactive – sad that Animal Welfare isn’t doing a fall event because the summer one was nice; lots of thanks to go around for the events that most Councilmembers touched on; the tourism video showed at the last Council meeting started playing on News12 NJ yesterday through year-end – if it convinces 5-10 families to move to PPB full-time, it’s worth it – has gotten nothing but positive feedback; the Go Pink kickoff event to Breast Cancer Awareness Month is on Oct. 3rd at 10AM – they get local officials, celebrities, chefs, and people throughout the community involved in their Go Pink campaign – they raise a tremendous amount of money in PPB, their 3rd largest walk in the country – the other walks are in massive cities; asked for progress on the EV charger agreement at the next meeting, and on the west-side parking lot of NJ Transit with a discussion beforehand.
ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT:
BA/CFO Riehl: had a favorable demonstration of the Boardwalk cleaning – looking for quantities, estimates and costs, to see if it can be wrapped into the Boardwalk Preservation Grant application – moving forward with that as well; meeting with the Ocean County Engineer next week to close out the Ocean and Arnold Ave. Resurfacing Project; a manhole was installed today for the Boston Ave. Improvement Project with concrete work scheduled for next week; Pleasure Park Fencing is substantially complete – are a couple issues with the wire on top.
Clerk announced additions to the agenda.
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION BEGAN AT 8:25PM
Evie Goldstein, PPB: asked what computer-generated vouchers are; asked if there was a plan for Council to formerly negotiate/discuss with Jenkinson’s (Mayor Kanitra: a matter between Jenkinson’s and the State DEP – the Borough is not allowed to weigh in – our plan was in the legal interest of the Borough– the best interest of the residents and taxpayers was to not say anything publicly – it’s why neither he, as Mayor, nor any member of the Governing Body was authorized to talk to any of the parties – it’s a State issue – and it may potentially be a legal issue with a lawsuit at play; Atty. Riordan: can discuss the litigation briefly because (a) we are not a party and (b) the only things that you and I know are public knowledge – the lawsuit is between a family that had, unfortunately, a drowning in the off-season on Jenkinson’s Beach, and they sued Jenkinson’s Beach, and they subpoenaed the Mayor for a deposition because, they said, the Mayor insisted that we keep our beaches open – he said, “no, that’s the State of NJ,” so you don’t need the Mayor – eventually, they decided not to depose the Mayor – however, it appears they then decided to meet with Councilmembers individually – don’t know what happened – pleased to hear you didn’t discuss any legal matters, but we have just prevented the Mayor from testifying in this matter – concerned you may have put yourselves in a position where you may now be asked to testify – lawyers involved in litigation will stretch what you and I believe is appropriate – concerned they’ve put themselves in a position where they may end up being deposed – hopes they didn’t – if they did, told them to please call him; Councilman Ramos: was just a friendly chat – no negotiation, no legal decisions discussed; Atty Riordan: shouldn’t be doing it unless Council authorizes; Mayor Kanitra: expressing the wills and wishes of the residents is a de facto position – that’s the concerning thing; Councilman Ramos: they see that people are talking about it on Facebook and we acknowledged that – we are not negotiating for the town; Mayor Kanitra: believes that – but going to them with resident concerns not acceptable; Councilman Vitale: we did it as private residents; Mayor Kanitra: you cannot be a private resident if you are going to somebody and saying “we are hearing from residents” – talking on behalf of residents is what you are elected to do – talking to a business, involved in a high-profile matter with the State, over mutual issues that the town, residents and business have, as a representative of the residents, in any capacity, regardless if you are negotiating or not, is not acceptable – if you were going as a private resident, you would say “here’s what I feel” and “here are my personal thoughts on the matter” – you would not say you are here to tell them what the residents are speaking).
Jennifer Jarahian, PPB: here to discuss Building Dept. – had a fire on June 7th with constant issues – spoke about item 1w – she and other residents have serious issues – have gained legal advice and decided to go further – stared with CO Thulen last Dec. – weeks went by – just looking for approval for their blue prints – he was out the last 3 weeks of Dec. and first week of Jan. – their plans were approved when they finally spoke in the beginning of Jan. – then, in March, CO Thulen told him they needed Bilco doors attached to their house – a $10K change to their budget – he gave them specs, down to the centimeter, to follow – they did it – then they were failed by Zoning because of what CO Thulen told them to do – this ceased work on their home for about 3 weeks – between the home they were living in and the home they paid for, they moved 3-4 times in a year and 4 months and paid $6K-$8K to maintain their home and the rental – this is one example – has many others – her lawyer is looking it over and has documentation of the money spent and delays they were put through – there were no consequences or follow-up – is a 40-year lifelong resident – has gone to the State and sat down with lawyers – he is unqualified – not personal – spoke with other residents, because she has a business in town and they are seeking legal advice and also going to the State – concerned about things going on the Building Dept., how things have been done, what it’s costing people – have put people out of their homes (Mayor Kanitra: asked Atty. Riordan if the Governing Body can talk about personnel and if they are not allowed to talk about a lawsuit; Atty. Riordan: residents can come up and make specific comments about specific employees – they have the right of free speech – but the Governing Body can’t be talking about confidential information they know about employees from Personnel Committees or other things – can certainly address residents’ concerns when they talk about what an employee has done, except for this situation when somebody says, “I’m talking to my lawyer, I’m going to sue the Borough,” or “I’m thinking about it” – asked them not to comment at all because they’ve been threatened with litigation; Mayor Kanitra: asked if they’re allowed to talk about specific conditions of potential employment or components; Atty. Riordan: no; Councilwoman Crowley: asked if they can explain that they didn’t just pick this out, that this is how Civil Service works; Mayor Kanitra: asked Atty. Riordan if there is any color he can provide to the situation; Atty. Riordan: probably better that BA/CFO Riehl do that – Mr. Thulen was hired in Dec. 2020, has been a provisional employee, is on the Civil Service list, his permanent employment is on the agenda – whenever you appoint somebody permanently, you are in a position to have a working test period of three months according to the laws of Civil Service – ordinarily, municipalities in that situation will have some measurable criteria they want the individual employee to meet during the working test period – could certainly do that with any employee – can’t discuss any particular employee or any particular program; Mayor Kanitra: any hire would come with a three-month conditional period where things could be assessed and any egregious things dealt with appropriately; Atty. Riordan: ordinarily, the case is that, during the working test period, the employer asks the employee to meet certain goals and measurables that have to do with his or her performance).
Rob Clayton, PPB: he’s been employed for the last 3 years – asked if that counts for the 3–month test period (Mayor Kanitra: in any position, can state what the expectations are in that 3-month period) asked why 3 months would be needed, when he has had the last 3 years (Mayor Kanitra: need to take the entire picture into consideration) somebody from the Building Dept. told him about a letter or email about a toxic work environment due to that gentlemen (Atty. Riordan: ordinarily, if a municipality receives a complaint about a hostile work environment, they hire an independent investigator to investigate whether or not that’s true, and the investigation and results are given to the Governing Body and they’re confidential – so if, in fact, such an email or letter was sent to the Governing Body, he would expect that what would happen in such a case is an investigation would be done, the results would be provided to the Governing Body and then the Governing Body, if necessary, would take any action; Mayor Kanitra: we’d do our job – if there was something egregiously wrong or some massive violation, we would have to tackle that: Atty: if someone is accused of something and is exonerated, the only people who’d find out about it are the people who made the complaint, the people who investigated and the Governing Body) if that was true, and regardless of the outcome, it’s concerning not knowing what’s going on – as a resident, it’s his job to ask that question – putting our faith in who the Governing Body is hiring (Mayor Kanitra: would have more information than him as a resident; Atty. Riordan: ordinarily, when a complaint comes in and an invitation is done, the Administrator, he and the investigators are aware of it – ordinarily, they do not inform the Governing Body because they don’t have anything to do until it’s completed – are always concerned that, if they know ahead of time, they could be motivated to attempt to influence) asked if there is a conflict of interest of anyone to vote on the appointment (Mayor Kanitra: doesn’t believe so).
Mark Cipolloni, PPB: asked the status of the burnt house on Boston & Arnold – an eyesore and dangerous (BA/CFO Riehl: doesn’t know – assumes they’re still working through insurance; Mayor Kanitra: the Borough Administrator can look into it).
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION ENDED AT 8:45PM
Motion by Councilwoman Testa 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 payment of Payroll #18 ($357,026.92)
1b Approval of/auth for Mayor to execute Shared Svcs Agmt w/Ocean County for Bikeway Imp Maint
1c Approval of pymt to M. Woszczak Mech Contractors for emerg sewer svc at 123 Ocean ($8,038.79)
1d Authorization for Remington & Vernick to go out to bid for Imp to Dartmouth, Richard & Arbutus
1e Proclamation of September 2023 as Prostate Cancer Awareness Month
1f Approval of payment of hand checks from Bd of Adj & Developer escrow accounts
1g Approval of payment to the State of NJ for employee & retiree health benefits ($155,096.02)
1h Approval of S/E app for Arts Cmte Harvest Festival, Bay Ave & parking lot, on 10/22 (rain 10/29)
1i Approval of PO to Detcon for repairs GT #6 ($9,716.51)
1j Appointment of S. Allen to the position of full-time Laborer
1k Auth for Letter of Support & Intent to Participated in proposed NJTPA/OC Subregional Studies Program: OC Coastal Evacuation Plan Improvements Study
1l Appointment of B. Seaman to the Cultural Arts Committee
1m Approval of S/E app for Rec Cmte Trunk or Treat event in Silver Lake Lot on 10/28 (rain: 10/29)
1n Approval of PO to Metroclick for digital sign kiosk ($10,798)
1o Approval of S/E app for Rec Cmte Grom-o-Ween Skateboard Contest at the Skatepark, 10/28 (rain: 10/29)
1p Approval of S/E app for Rec Fall Skateboarding, Sundays, 9/24-11/12, except 10/29 (rain: 11/19 & 11/26)
1q Approval of S/E app for Chamber Intracoastal Tug of War at Inlet, 10/8 (rain 10/14)
1r Authorization for Arts Committee to receive 100% of the vendor fess from the Tug-of-War
1s Approval of payment to STV Inc for Channel Dr. Revitalization ($39,329.82)
1t Approval of payment to AT&T Mobility for GPS Tracking for vehicles ($4,397.72)
1u Auth execution & delivery of loan agmts and escrow mgmt. agmt, pursuant to FY ‘24 NJ Water Bank
Financing Prog for funding Ocean Ave Water Main Replacement
1v Resolution determining Form & other details of NTE $3,100,000 gen’l obligation bonds and providing for their sale to NJ Infrastructure Bank & State of NJ, acting by & through DEP, pursuant to FY ‘24 NJ water Bank Financing Prog for funding Ocean Ave Water Main Replacement
1w Appt of M. Thulen as permanent Construction Official/auth for Clerk to dispose of CSC Cert List
1x Approval of pymt of Pay Cert 1 to Northeast Roof Maint for Borough Hall roof maint ($78,755)
CONSENT RESOLUTION 2:
2a Approval of payment of computer-generated vouchers ($1,373,743.07)
2b Approval of payment to Absolute Fire Protection for vehicle maintenance for Fire Co 1 ($7,854.62)
2c Approval of payment to All Covered for IT/maintenance for August, including for the PD ($6,454.95)
2d Appointment of (2) Seasonal SLEO IIs and (1) Seasonal SLEO I for the year 2023
VOTE: Councilmembers Vitale (except 1w), Testa, Byrnes (except 1w), Ramos (except 1w),
Crowley (except 1w), Migut (except 2b), Mayor Kanitra (1w)….YEA
Councilmembers Vitale (1w), Ramos (1w)….NAY
Councilmembers Crowley (1w), Migut (2b)….ABSTAIN
Councilmember Byrnes (1w)….RECUSE
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION BEGAN AT 8:46PM
Ken Montalbano, PPB: confirmed that the monopole has been rescinded and is off the table and everything is being moved onto the tower (yes) – thanked doing something about their concerns.
Dave Cavagnaro, PPB: asked if there has been a meeting between the Building Dept., Mayor and Attorney on the Airbnb (Mayor Kanitra: not yet; Atty. Riordan: discussions, no meeting; Mayor Kanitra: asked if he can schedule a meeting; Atty. Riordan: we can).
Rob Clayton, PPB: asked for an update on103 Chicago (Mayor Kanitra: that’s the one they said was an Airbnb and we were looking into it; BA/CFO Riehl: the one the rental was revoked on – doesn’t have a current update – can get him one) had a good conversation with FO Martin – last time it was in court, was supposed to be going towards a 2-year ban – asked, if the ban goes into effect, if it’s still possible for him to rent after that; Mayor Kanitra: no – then we can start assessing fines, lien, etc.; BA/CFO Riehl: can get the answer).
Larry Schwartz, PPB: since the Governing Body has admitted it is impotent in dealing with the beach issue, would seem that it’s up to residents of PPB to take charge and try an put whatever pressure we can to try and facilitate a compromise/agreement/arrangement that can satisfy all parties (Mayor Kanitra: doesn’t think residents have the legal authority to negotiate a settlement, but they certainly can reach out to the DEP; Atty. Riordan: it’s very clear it’s up to the DEP) it’s up to the residents to make their voices heard (Atty. Riordan: thinks the residents have already been heard) thinks there’s more that can be done – if we do nothing, nothing is going to change.
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION ENDED AT 8:52PM
Motion by Councilwoman Crowley Ramos to and adjourn was seconded by Councilman Migut and carried by consent of Council.
Meeting was adjourned at 8:52PM.
ATTEST: ______________________
Eileen A. Farrell, RMC
Municipal Clerk
