Borough of Point Pleasant Beach Council Meeting Minutes
September 21, 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 (Councilman Santanello objected to Councilwoman Byrnes attending via phone, as there is an ordinance against it; Councilman Cortes: read from PPB Code 2-3/Meetings, “participation by members of the Public Body at regular scheduled public meetings shall only occur in person. Members shall be physically present at the site of the public meeting and shall not be permitted to attend or participate by telephone or other electronic or audio/video device;” Mayor Kanitra: asked the Borough Attorney if, during a pandemic, the State has special guidance for this; Attorney Riordan: they do; Councilman Santanello: asked him to read it – doesn’t believe that’s true – thinks he is making it up for political reasons – neither he nor Council President Testa were given the option when they missed meetings – it’s despicable; Mayor Kanitra: Councilwoman Byrnes wanted to come in but is really sick – he was going to suggest putting her between Councilmen Santanello and Migut – can just rearrange the order and ask her to come in; Attorney Riordan: objection noted – can proceed – can bring her in or do whatever you like: Mayor Kanitra: confirmed with Attorney Riordan that he feels confident that, legally, they are in good ground; Attorney Riordan: feels confident, legally, that are on good ground), Testa, Byrnes via phone, Cortes, Santanello and Migut.
FLAG SALUTE, INVOCATION
Motion by Councilwoman Testa to approve the September 7, 2021 Council meeting minutes was seconded by Councilman Vitale and carried by roll call vote.
VOTE: Councilmembers Vitale, Testa, Byrnes, Cortes, Migut….YEA
Councilman Santanello….NAY
PROCLAMATION/PRESENTATIONS:
Council President Testa read a proclamation recognizing Suicide Prevention Awareness Month.
Robert Duerr, Brick, NJ, President and Founder of Leave Only Your Footprints (LOYF), a 501(c)(3) environmental advocacy organization based in Brielle – had good discussion with the Environmental Commission – it’s a subliminal messaging program – a proven psychological and advertising tactic, addressing the societal plague of littering – key is to get the community behind it – presented a brochure and various high weather signage and decals in different languages – they suggest where the messaging should go – Manasquan had emblem emblazoned on their garbage cans – are worldwide – program has been around for more than 6 years – program is free and they arrange for signage to be put up with no holes in the ground – has assistance from Environmental Club and Surf Team (Mayor Kanitra: could agree to deploy where we see fit because visual pollution is important; Attorney Riordan: have a sign ordinance – probably need to send them to the Building Dept. and let them talk to CO Thulen; Mayor Kanitra: have dedicated a tremendous amount of resources to controlling litter this year – very importan; Attorney Riordan: no motion is needed – just direct Councilwoman Byrnes and BA/CRO Riehl to work with the organization to get that done).
Sandra Lazzaro Division Director of Ocean County Business Development & Tourism: presented a certificate on behalf of the Ocean County Board of Commissioners to Jay Vitale of AquaServe Lifeguards in recognition of the beach patrol – the often-unsung heroes of the seashore, lifeguards are the backbone of tourism and an important asset Ocean County; Mayor Kanitra: Ms. Lazzaro is a great friend to PPB – thanked her for all she is doing.
Mayor Kanitra lead a discussion regarding a solution to traffic safety issues in the vicinity of Arnold Ave. and Rtes. 35N&S: this administration made pedestrian, vehicle and bicyclists safety a priority – Councilwoman Testa has led efforts on this front – been successful in deploying new signage, cutting back trees, painting lanes and going after grants – have made inroads on Inlet Drive and Broadway – Rte. 35 and Arnold continues to be a difficult spot – wants to be on the record from the Governing Body that this is a priority – have emailed the State DOT and corresponded with the County – must find a solution – issues include the number of cars there, it’s in heart of downtown, are lots of cyclists, people block the box, have distracted drivers and cyclists – not one solution – need to get people’s attention with flashing sign, street painting or whatever – owners of Point Lobster and Bain’s Hardware see people go the wrong way down Rte. 35 everyday – people who are not from PPB and may never come back to PPB and they don’t know how to navigate properly, creating a lot of issues – a woman emailed him today to say her husband was hit by a car in that area, but never reported it – wondered about other near-misses and unreported things – asked BA/CFO Riehl, Attorney Riordan and Chief Michigan to do all in their power to find a tangible solution (Councilman Santanello: when people come westbound on Arnold and make left on Rte. 35, should be a delayed green – also suggested not letting people cross on both sides – everyone wants to jump the light and don’t expect pedestrians to be there – a fence was put up by the Mayor’s) has helped a little bit – telling people what they can’t do is difficult – had to stop today for a little old lady crossing from Stop & Shop to Joe Leones and put his hazards on (Councilman Santanello: asked about yielding to pedestrians and jay walking laws; Chief Michigan: must be in a crosswalk – controlled areas dictate when people can cross – crossing where there is not a crosswalk is jay walking; Attorney Riordan: of course, it doesn’t give license to run them over; Councilman Cortes: used to have a second U-turn by Exxon to force traffic on Broadway, keeping traffic off Arnold – State complained that it backed-up traffic over the bridge, so they closed it off, forcing traffic onto Arnold – forcing traffic on Broadway would cause a speeding problem: Attorney Riordan: have a bigger volume on all roads since the time of that second U-turn; Councilman Cortes; bicycle safety and education starts with adults – is an avid cyclist – stops at crosswalks and Stop signs and rides with traffic, but a lot of people don’t – many are distracted; Chief Michigan: explained recent accident with bicyclist hit by pick-up truck on Rte. 35S and Arnold; Councilwoman Testa: must look both ways, even at one ways – out-of-towners don’t know this – should encourage people to go past the baseball field; Councilman Cortes: is nerve wracking on Rte. 35 where people jay walk and one lane will stop and the other won’t).
Motion by Councilwoman Testa for a resolution expressing unanimous support for the State and County to present possible solutions was seconded by Councilman Cortes and carried by roll call vote:
VOTE: Councilmembers Vitale, Testa, Byrnes, Cortes, Santanello, Migut….YEA.
COMMITTEE REPORTS:
Councilman Vitale: relayed Chief’s message– the Seafood Festival and Elksfest were a success – gave a shout out to the Chamber and Elks – neighbors and friends told him how great the layout was – they felt safe, secure and at ease – Elks followed everything asked of them – thinks both events can co-exist in the future – Police Dept. is planning for the Tug-of-War and Breast Cancer Walk; Locals Only Bonfire on September 11th was a great success with approx.. 600 residents, Sam Sims band, local restaurants donated pizzas and desserts – thanked DPW Super. Trout and DPW for their help digging pits and delivering pallets; the first annual Bags on the Beach corn hole event is Saturday at Jenkinson’s – can register online via the Recreation Facebook page or reach out to him for the link; Recreation is finalizing plans for Tug-of-War on October 9th – can join a team online or reach out to him; Recreation is joining with the Arts Committee and Chamber for the Winter Wonderland at Pleasure Park on December 11th.
Councilwoman Testa: Sheila Soyster, mural artist at the Jeager Lumber wall, agreed to fix the wall beginning this month – Jeager Lumber is on board – will begin at the end of September – all residents can participate during the week and on weekends – more information to come; the Arts Committee is doing a fantastic job – just completed a mural at The White Sands – they will be hosting the October First Friday – theme is Sweater Weather; the Homegrown Harvest Fair is on October 24th – Bay Ave. will be closed – there will be contests and fun events for adults and children; gave a shout out to QOL Dir. O’Rourke, who is amazing and always available with a wealth of information, always going beyond – does a great job with grant writing, etc. – appreciate everything she does; have a couple more things to do for the Safe Routes grant; reached out to Det. O’Neill and Chief Michigan about bringing back the Beach Rodeo – looking at a date in spring – big event to pull off – get helmets donated – there is music, food, bicycle safety talks – want to educate them when they are young.
Councilwoman Byrnes: sorry if her absence caused strife – wanted to err on the side of caution – is burning with fever and thought it best to stay home – would have toughed it out in the past, but you have to feel differently these days; concurred with Councilwoman Testa about QOL Dir. O’Rourke, who is a wonderful addition; last night’s Senior Committee was well attended – received several calls in response to the notice in tax bills from people who want to be a part of it – finally picking up traction; thanked Mr. Duerr for being here tonight – creative ways to combat litter have been a topic of conversation all summer – thought this could help; the Environmental Commission will air the documentary “Drift” about Barnegat Bay’s past and future – it was made in collaboration with the 50th anniversary of Save Barnegat Bay (Mayor Kanitra: the Senior Committee boat event was out of this world – heard Senior Committee was great last night – heard that there will be an outdoor screening of “Drift” in the spring).
Councilman Cortes: Councilman Vitale had reached out – there were bleachers at the Tug of War two years ago that everyone liked – called Brian Moberg and will borrow Little League’s again this year – DPW Super. Trout will have them set up the day before – he will contact Carol Vaccaro and help also.
Councilman Santanello: asked to carve out 1h for separate conversation and vote (will be Resolution 3); reminded all that the Seafood Festival layout was the creation of the previous Governing Body, former Mayor Reid, in particular, and he is who deserves credit, not the current Governing Body; is against 1i, particularly towards the Borough Attorney – going from $75K to $150K for bad advice and poorly-written ordinances – are paying to do political activity and multiple conflicts of interest.
Councilman Migut: believes the Free Parking sign for the railroad lot was ordered – the Parking Authority discussed sending a letter to the Chamber and/or putting an ad in the Ocean Star – some business owners are aware the lot is free and are using it; his car was struck by a stolen vehicle evading police on the Brielle Bridge – he was an eye witness– the Special Officer, who was the first to approach the car, conducted himself with the utmost cool and composure, as people were disobeying him – saw six Police Officers running up the bridge, includign Lt. Grace who, as he was running, was fastening the straps on his tactical vest – he knew that something serious was going to happen but that everything would be OK. – they were ready to jump into the fray – unfortunately, but maybe for the good of all, they got away – commended the Officers who responded (Mayor Kanitra: happy he is OK in that crazy situation – great to hear the guys were apprehended up north – hopes it will stop people from doing what they shouldn’t here).
MAYOR’S REPORT:
Mayor Kanitra: echoed comments about the Seafood Festival – Carol Vaccaro did an incredible job – hears it was as successful as we’ve had – showed that the Elks and Seafood Festival can co-exist – people loved the layout – were no incidents from Elksfest – were able to accommodate the crowd – bunch of tickets were sold for the Cooks Tour – committees and commissions had booths (Councilwoman Testa: cops at Elks and gathered to take pictures with kids) on behalf of the Chamber, reminded all that the Restaurant Tour is Saturday – can buy tickets at the Chamber and at Lola’s – a fantastic time – everyone rides bikes from restaurant to restaurant – great opportunity for restaurants to showcase their skills – brings in a lot of out-of-town people – just another community event; addressed the Animal Welfare Committee (AWC) issue regarding feeding cats at the DPW lot – asked all to find a compromise – talked to BA/CFO Riehl, Camile Renner from the AWC – everyone feels a fair situation came about – one cat has been spotted at another colony – feeding has ceased until clear of rabies incidents – all seem mostly happy – thanked BA/CFO Riehl, Muskrat Jack, Councilman Migut and all who were at the meeting; are moving forward on the Business Improvement District – will have the same overlay as the Historic District; will be submitting for the Safe Routes to Schools grant by the November 14th deadline – are applying for $1/2M, which would go a long way towards traffic and pedestrian issues – a lot is focused on sharrows and some bike lanes; QOL Dir. O’Rourke is applying for a $33K Historic Site Management Grant for the new Downtown Historic District; looking at a $200K Recreation Improvement Grant for Phase II of Pleasure Park, as the new playground is a big hit; QOL Dir. O’Rourke is compiling a database of public and private grant opportunities and working on the newsletter, which will be going out shortly – she mentioned that we have a new interim Postmaster General, whom he hopes is as good as the last – she attended a virtual roundtable with Sister Cities – hope to have a delegation come here or go there in late spring; working on the bench issue – some have been stolen at the Inlet – can maybe make some money off plaques; QOL Dir. O’Rourke is also trying to get a Thunderbird flyover for next year’s boat race.
The Municipal Clerk announced additions and revision to the agenda.
ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT:
BA/CFO Riehl: did a bench survey – had 25 new benches – 12 at the Inlet – 7 disappeared there and the other 5 were broken – were bolted into the ground – notified the vendor, who went to the manufacturer because they were under warranty, to get the 5 broken benches replaced – they are unable to provide the same benches for a public setting, but offered to let us keep what we have and pick out 25 new ones at no cost (Mayor Kanitra: want the heartiest ones they make; Councilman Cortes: BA/CFO Riehl can choose) have 12-15 at the Bandshell that are fine – can swap them out for new ones (Councilman Santanello: the new 9/11 Memorial was designed by BA/CFO Riehl and implemented by her daughter it’s impressive – and she ran the ceremony) it was a very nice ceremony (Councilwoman Testa: it was a beautiful ceremony – thanked BA/CFO Riehl and everyone for the outstanding job; Mayor Kanitra: apologized – thought he had spoken about this before – it turned out great and appropriate – Greg Morrone was grateful to share his father’s story – it was incredibly tasteful); another round of Ocean County Cares money is available for the AWC (Mayor Kanitra: and will try to automate more in Borough Hall); the Ocean Ave. Water Main Replacement project will start tomorrow; there is a good chance of CDL forgiveness – $800K overall – have a lump sum due in 2023 – should know within 10 days (Mayor Kanitra: incredible – thanked BA/CFO Riel for her help on that; Councilman Santanello said that 1i was increasing the Borough Attorney’s salary from $75K to $150K – asked what was approved for the Borough Attorney’s salary last year) mixing apples and oranges – have a legal line item – a bunch of attorneys and/or other professionals come out of that legal line item – a couple of years ago, the DCA required that, when a professional contract is put in place, you must affix a NTE dollar amount – then required to make another resolution to increase that amount to whatever you want – as on medical leave and not part of reorganization meeting this year – knows that the resolution went through again last year at $75K (Mayor Kanitra: the April 20, 2021 minutes said we budgeted $175K) that’s for everyone, not just Attorney Riordan (Mayor Kanitra: and we are not going to go over that $175K this year) it could go over – but it would be not for Mr. Riordan, but for everybody (Councilman Santanello: stands by his comments).
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION BEGAN AT 8:32PM
Vincent Castin, 15 Trenton Ave., PPB: asked about 1h (Councilman Santanello: will discuss separately), 1p (BA/CFO Riehl: curbs, sidewalk and paving – received DOT funding – must award contract and go out to bid – entire length of Cooks to Ocean), thinks LOYF signs are good – must be careful where they are put and should be in one language only; is a nightmare to make a left on Arnold from Rte. 35S (Councilman Santanello: at least when they are jammed, they are not moving; Councilman Cortes: it’s a short block, with the train), bikes are on sidewalks, pedestrians in streets, kids riding bikes with iPads.
Dave Cavagnaro, 118 Parkway, PPB: asked if anything besides addling can be done with the geese – addling doesn’t seem to work (Mayor Kanitra: would like to see proof that eggs are being addled) numbers continue to grow – it’s on the sidewalks (Mayor Kanitra: one option was rounding them up in vans and taking them away; Attorney Riordan: Prosecutor’s Office takes this very seriously: Mayor Kanitra: stated, for the record, that no one should take geese matters into their own hands); asked about 1p (Councilman Cortes: paving Cooks Ln. to Ocean Ave.; BA/CFO Riehl drainage improvements as well; Councilman Santanello: if asking for curb cut, now might be the time; BA/CFO Riehl: letters are going out; Mayor Kanitra: wants a commitment from the higher ups that, if they have projects for the next 5 years or so, that it won’t get ripped up or it would be on them; Councilman Cortes: been pushing for 9 years for a moratorium – can’t overly enforce it if there is an emergency (Attorney Riordan: their definition of an emergency would not come close to yours or mine; Mayor Kanitra: asked if ordinance can be changed to require that, if a utility rips up a street, they must go curb to curb, instead of just doing half the street; Engineer Mele: did it; Mayor Kanitra: if we do Central, it will at least go curb to curb; Engineer Mele: yes) asked if property owners can do curbs on Central (Attorney Riordan: doing same thing on Central as on Ocean; Mayor Kanitra: are doing the same for every paving project as long as he is in office) asked if all curbs are being re-done on Central (Engineer Mele: no: Mayor Kanitra: if dangerous, will be done the same was as Ocean and Arnold).
Arrigo Conti, 819 W. Laurel, PPB: bicycles have been on his mind since he came to NJ in 1975 – sent letters to Bay Head and PPB Mayors in 1999 about bicycles – read the response he received from Bay Head – anyone 16 and under must wear helmet – must have reflectors – never double ride, etc. – failure to comply resulted in summonses to parents and child – bicycles are regulated under NJ Title 39 of Motor Vehicle and Traffic Regulation – read what it requires – people cross everywhere in NJ – children should be taught to walk bikes across intersections and should have lights on bikes (Mayor Kanitra: asked that he give his materials to Attorney Riordan to look at; Councilwoman Testa: thanked him – with age comes wisdom – little lights are very cheap – used to give them out to her son’s friends) during WWII, back of bikes were painted white, so they could be seen in the moonlight.
E.J. Geiger, 115 Arnold Ave., PPB: spoke about Rte. 35 safety – loves the planters but there is one on Laurel blocking sight – on the corner of Rte. 35 and Arnold, there are grasses that Point Lobster put out that touch the cars in the left turn lane – look at the simple stuff; asked about 1i – which contracts are being increased (BA/CFO Riehl: one is Kevin Riordan, another is Mark Woszczak, who does plumbing emergency work, from $50K to $125K, another is John Mele from Colliers Engineering, from $100K-$325K) asked if the $175K is part of that [BA/CFO Riehl: no, they are different – putting a new cap at $175K – doesn’t mean they will spend that – if so, will have to do another emergency resolution; Attorney Riordan: had asked that it be raised to reflect actual numbers over the course of the last 10 years, which is about $100K-$150K – some folks wanted to do what they are doing tonight, rather than raise it to what it should be; Councilman Santanello: it’s what he has been talking about all year, which is way overspending and then planning to way overspend and then doing this; Mayor Kanitra: Councilman Santanello has been trying to craft this insane narrative – asked BA/CFO Riehl how common 1i is, compared to the last decade or so; BA/CFO Riehl: have been doing the resolutions every year since (inaudible; a heated altercation quickly ensued between Councilman Santanello and Mayor Kanitra (simultaneously screaming over each other); Chief Michigan intervened, telling them to sit down, take a deep breath and relax].
Tom Fastuca,316 Niblick Street, PPB: should teach kids about train crossings – very dangerous.
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION ENDED AT 8:58PM
Motion by Councilman Vitale to close public participation and approve the items listed below was seconded by Councilwoman Testa and carried by roll call vote.
CONSENT RESOLUTION 1:
1a Approval of payment of Payroll #18 ($325,016.45)
1b Authorization to renew Animal Control Officer contract
1c Award of contract to M. Woszczak for Water Syst Valve Exercising subj to Atty review/approval & availability of funds ($177,800)
1d Approval of S/E app for PPB Rec Cmte Grom-O-Ween at Skate Park, 10/31 (rain: 10/30, 11/6, 11/7)
1e Approval of S/E app/fee waiver for Kiwanis Club Pumpkin Palooza – Pleasure Park, 10/30 (rain: 10/31)
1f Approval of St. Peter PTA Banner Permit App for Craft Fair banner on Arnold Ave, 10/31-11/14
1g Approval of W/S relief request
1h CONSIDERED SEPARATELY AS RESOLUTION 3
1i Approval of increase in contract amounts for professional services
1j Approval of Durand Lodge ABC Social Affair Permit application for event on 10/3
1k Approval of employee request for personal LOA
1l Auth to enter into a license agreement for road improvements with Point Lobster, 1 St. Louis Ave
1m Approval of committee appointments
1n Approval of S/E Application for PPB Rec Cmte Skateboard Lessons, Tues & Weds, 10/5-11/23
1o Authorization of records disposal requests in accordance w/NJ DORES retention schedules
1p Authorization to go out to bid on Central Avenue project
CONSENT RESOLUTION 2:
2a Approval of payment of computer-generated vouchers ($1,189,370.42)
2b Approval of PO to Baycomm for electric siren for the Fire Dept. ($26,706)
2c Approval of PO to The Rodgers Group for consulting service for PD ($39,900)
2d Auth to accept grant from Ocean County JIF for Police Accreditation Services & execute agreement
2e Approval of Chapter 159 Resolution – OCJIF Accreditation Grant ($20K)
2f Approval of payment to Atlantic Tactical for 10 bullet proof vests for the PD ($15,326.52)
VOTE: Councilmembers Vitale, Testa, Byrnes, Cortes (except 1i), Santanello (except 1c, 1i, 1o,
#’s 01553 & 1998 in 2a, 2c, 2d, 2f), Migut (except 2a, 2b)….YEA
Councilman Cortes (1i), Councilman Santanello (1c, 1i, 1o)….NAY
Councilman Santanello (#’s 01553 & 1998 in 2a, 2c, 2d, 2f),
Councilman Migut (2a, 2b)….ABSTAIN
Councilman Santanello: read the appropriation resolution written by Attorney Riordan, which was re-written by BA/CFO Riehl – should be talking about removing Attorney Riordan, not increasing his fees – vast amount is being spent on Socialism, telling people what to say and what to think – also, paying an Engineer as Zoning Officer because of what he called the legal, moral and ethical conspiracy between the Mayor, Borough Attorney, and another sleazy $1K suit to lie to the Council, to fire Gina Tumolo for the crime of not kissing Kanitra’s ass and not calling him the new Jesus; read Statute 40A:4-48 – has to pass by 4 Council people – if it doesn’t, it goes down – offered, despite (the Mayor’s) attempts to bully and intimidate him, that this be tabled and other 3 Council members can negotiate with them (Mayor Kanitra: said Councilman Santanello charged at and hit him) said when the Mayor got in his face and started acting like a big tough guy, he went back at him (Mayor Kanitra and Councilman Santanello again screamed over each other – inaudible; Chief Michigan: asked Councilman Santanello to let the Mayor talk; Mayor Kanitra: there’s plenty of video about that) feel free (Mayor Kanitra: said Councilman Santanello is taking shots at the Borough Engineer) is not taking shots at the Borough Engineer – is taking shots at the unrealistic budget – the ridiculous amount of money being spent is unnecessary – has no problem with John Mele (Mayor Kanitra: the BA is also CFO – asked her how budget looks so far this year and if in good financial shape; BA/CFO Riehl: revenues are coming in strong – a lot have met or exceeded what was anticipated so far – as it pertains to fees and permits, grading and drainage – went into this budget with the old fee scheduled – the new ordinance raised a lot of fees – hopes, moving through year, that the anticipation will be so much greater that next year can anticipate more revenue to offset some expenditures; Mayor Kanitra: asked Attorney Riordan’s opinion about what Councilman Santanello read about the vote percentage; Attorney Riordan: it’s the percentage of the Governing Body, not Council – so, if there is a 3-3 tie and you vote, that’s 4 out of 7 and that’s plenty) no it’s not – read the statute again, “The Governing Body shall by resolution adopt by no less than 2/3 vote of its full membership declaring an emergency exists requiring a supplemental appropriation” – if three vote no, that’s 50% – even if you let him vote, which he is not allowed to do, it’s still only 57% – said Attorney Riordan is again incorrect and that’s why he should be gotten rid of – everything he talks about is based upon the politics of what he wants to do – said the Mayor wanted Councilwoman Byrnes on phone tonight because he felt he needed the votes – said, if this passes, the three Councilmembers will go to the State, talk to the Director, say they committed an illegal vote and file ethics complaints against them; Attorney Riordan: should feel free) said Attorney Riordan he is breaking the law he claims he is supposed to represent as a legal (inaudible; Mayor Kanitra: asked his objection to 1h) way overspent, did an unrealistic budget, screwed over an employee because she wouldn’t kiss your butt – all caused massive overspending – said even this is a scam – are going to add $175K, which bring up to $400K – have already been billed for $450K – will get billed for a lot more – said they will come back again for another emergency appropriation – will try to keep it below 3% because this Attorney Riordan is trying to convince them they don’t need a 2/3 vote – scamming the taxpayers and residents – is sick of it (Mayor Kanitra: knew Councilman Santanello was going to do this – has been trying to craft insane narratives all year – banged his gavel and told Councilman Santanello he will shut up when he is talking) said he’d shove the gavel up his ass (inaudible; Mayor Kanitra: said he let Councilman Santanello talk, let everyone hear his insane ramblings and let him assault him in front of an HD video camera) said he didn’t assault him (Mayor Kanitra: will go back and take a look at that – called Councilman Santanello unpredictable and unintelligent, throwing out crazy figures to scare residents and attempting to set this Governing Body up by capitalizing on the pandemic – said his lies are easily debunked with clear facts and figures – have done changing of salaries every year – have done an emergency appropriation 5 times in last 8 years – Councilman Santanello didn’t rant and rave those other 4 times – he recognized it was a normal part of the budgetary process and voted everything through when his friend was Mayor – he also said in the April 20, 2021 minutes that we’d spend $1M-42M on engineering costs this year as part of his fear mongering – even with this emergency are not coming near that – also said he (the Mayor) was going to give himself $100K and town car – said, despite his lunacy, the majority of engineering expenses are technical things like coordinating Rte. 35 draining issues with NJ DOT, assisting with Boston Ave. bulkhead, working on the layout of Ocean Ave. where the County said we’d lose dozens of parking spaces, but Engineer Mele ended up saving it and getting dozens more – said he brought a list of Councilman Santanello’s conspiracy theories – noted GIS mappings of catch basins and outfalls, draft notice to residents to curb sideway aprons and repairs, St. Louis seem repair, Shade Tree Commission meeting for Master Plan, Coast Guard Station subdivision, Atlantic Fishery discharge nuisance issue, etc.– said there are items where engineering costs got a little larger – spent $11K on stormwater mapping to find breaks in the line were and save money, spent $12K on the Master Plan and putting a clear path forward for the town’s future, spent $6K on Historic Preservation and preserving the town’s past, it cost $6K to work on and submit for State aid and received $1M in return, spent about $10K in saving our flood rating, which in turn saved every home in a flood zone, roughly $200-$300 each – asked which of these projects should they not have spent the money on) said they should’ve budgeted responsibly – have never spent $400K on engineering – ridiculous (Mayor Kanitra: ran on a platform of fixing all the things neglected for years and they did – as they saw revenue coming in, it all has balanced out – are in a clear picture, financially – BA/CFO has said that – also noted that multiple people in the Building Dept. got COVID and were out for weeks – another employee has been out sick for a total of almost five months – were other vacancies and tons of lost man-hours as a result – Engineer Mele stepped in to help backfill– it’s not charity – generated roughly $45K in revenue from his work that shows as a negative in his budget because it’s time he is spending working on it – need to fix that next year – every time he does grading and drainage reviews, we get billed but we also bring in fees from that work and those fees go to a different line item and don’t offset things – it’s almost an $80K swing when you go both ways – said, if Councilman Santanello had spent 1/10th of his time on hard work and governing, he wouldn’t be about to leave office as the most do nothing Councilman in PPB history) said the Mayor is a clown and he doesn’t care what he thinks (Mayor Kanitra: is looking forward to what Councilman Cortes does – has let Councilman Santanello lead him down a path of voting no on all the things the town and residents wanted, including historic districts, downtown improvements, Channel Drive funding and beach ordinances – if he votes no tonight, will be voting against all the projects he just outlined, that residents are thrilled with – knows it drives Councilman Santanello nuts when residents tell him they are happy –have spent smartly and responsibly – town is massively up in revenue – are in sound financial footing, as BA/CFO Riehl outlined – next year will be better – read a taxpayer letter complimenting Engineer Mele – would be a travesty to vote no on 1h – if so, will have to stop work on the various initiatives that the residents have asked and voted for and they’ll have to hold those who vote no accountable.
Motion by Councilman Vitale to approve RESOLUTION 3: Approval of emergency appropriation for engineering ($175,000) was seconded by Councilwoman Testa and carried by roll call vote.
VOTE: Councilmembers Vitale, Testa, Byrnes, Migut**….YEA
Councilmembers Cortes*, Santanello….NAY
*Councilman Cortes: the Mayor’s and Councilman Santanello’s actions up here are sad – had to bring him into it – has always been an independent thinker – voted no on a lot of things, based on certain line items – voted yes on the beach ordinance once amended, voted no on historical preservation because he doesn’t like certain harsh restrictions, voted for revitalizing Channel Dr. because it’s not the burden of the town – last year at a Zoom meeting, the Mayor called him a “do nothing vegetable” – that’s not Mayoral-like – and he called him “Mr. No” on Facebook after the primary – likes all the programs but they have to be done within budget – have already taken money out of surplus this year.
**Councilman Migut: was suspicious of the language in the original resolution and was prepared to vote no but, havening heard BA/CFO Riehl’s explanation that this is not an anomaly, and not wanting to penalize the taxpayers with a stoppage of work on ongoing projects and creating a calamity, is voting yes (Councilman Santanello: asked the Mayor why he doesn’t insult him again, like the last time he voted).
ORDINANCE:
Ordinance 2021-31 (Amend Ch.19 to Permit 6’ Fence in 10’ Side Yard) was introduced on first reading. Motion by Councilman Cortes to approve Ordinance 2021-31 on first reading was seconded by Councilman Migut and carried by roll call vote. The public hearing will be held on November 9, 2021.
VOTE: Councilmembers Vitale, Testa, Byrnes, Cortes, Migut….YEA
Councilman Santanello….NAY
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION BEGAN AT 9:20PM
Dave Cavagnaro, 118 Parkway, PPB: thanked Councilwoman Byrnes for helping neighbor go to Spa Bella.
Vincent Castin, 15 Trenton Ave., PPB: asked about the Coast Guard Station (Attorney Riordan: asked all to make no comment – at the present time, the appraiser, GSA, Administrator and he are discussing it – has asked Mr. Castin not to comment either – can mess it up; Mayor Kanitra: it’s all moving ahead very nicely) that was rude – it’s public information (Mayor Kanitra: same update they gave last time – the Borough Administrator is moving forward).
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION ENDED AT 9:22PM
Motion by Councilman Cortes to close public participation and adjourn was seconded by Councilman Vitale and carried by consent of Council.
Meeting was adjourned at 9:22PM.
ATTEST: _______________________________
Eileen A. Farrell, RMC
Municipal Clerk
