##VIDEO ID:TB-83EMvrrg## R around the two of them their cousins oh my gosh so fun yeah let how are you how are you what did she do good evening everybody so nice to see everybody here um you may or might not know we don't have any we haven't had heat in this building for two days so it's good to have a lot of people here normally we don't have anybody so I'm glad to see so many smiling faces and um and support so um welcome this is the burough of Allandale combined work and regular sessions it's December 5th at 7M Linda will you please call the meeting to order and read the open public meeting act announcement in compliance with the open public meetings act the notice requirements have been satisfied the meeting dates for the year are confirmed at the annual meeting are posted on the public bulletin board in the municipal building and on the burrow website published in the record within the first 10 Days of the New Year and copies are sent to the Ridgewood news in Star Ledger notice of this meeting by the November 21st 2024 Sunshine notice was sent to the record of the Ridgewood news and Star Ledger and has been posted on the public bulletin board in the municipal building and burrow website councilman deloo here councilwoman homman here councilwoman Lis solo here councilman oconnell councilman UL here councilman Yaro here mayor wolinski here everybody please stand for the pledge all right so we're going to get our business done very very quick so we um can because we have a lot of special things to do in honor this evening um so first we have our approval of minutes November 14th work and regular meeting do I have a motion so moved second please second roll call councilman deliso yes councilwoman homman yes councilwoman Lis solo yes councilman oconnell yes councilman UL yes councilman Yaro yes thank you Al there's a seat right here in the front you like sorry yeah welcome the mayor of do river okay next we have um we have our consent agenda these are matters that are considered routine and they're enacted in one motion um I'm going to just go p p pull out a couple of things so everybody can see some of the work that we're doing um we've got our interlocal court agreement with ho hocus that we're renewing um for next year and we're actually are hiring uh Burgess Associates who is our planner who we is also now going to be um our professional um in our fair share housing plan the fair share housing is something that I've been talking about for quite some time and at every meeting it's something that every municipality is going through and so now we have a a team and Ed virgess is actually an integral part of that team so we can navigate through our um extremely high numbers um we have actually some more dispatchers that we're uh we're bringing on board and we have our list of bills check that Suzanne L did you check the list of Bill absolutely did all righty and then we actually have um the last approval payment over our streetscape we're really happy to see that that's actually done before the winter and our um our last meeting um our our reorg meeting is actually scheduled for January 6th of uh next year and all of our meetings next year are going to start at 7 o'clock instead of 7:30 wooo so do I have uh first I'd like to open up to the public does anybody from the public wish to speak on anything um on the agenda not seeing anybody do I have a motion to approve the consent agenda so moved hman second please second councilwoman sorry councilman deliso yes councilwoman hman yes councilwoman Lis solo yes councilman oconnell yes councilman OU yes councilman Yaro yes super thank you um okay so we have a couple presentations first we have uh the Boy Scouts is he here the Boy Scout here do his presentation oh well that's too bad because it actually had to do with uh I'm like you have a great audience with all the firefighters here yes I do not see him do you have his text maybe you can text him maybe he thought it started later maybe um all right next then I'm going to um go move on and read um a proclamation for PE Harbor Day lot's going on so for Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day whereas December 7th 1941 marks the day when the United States was thrust into World War II as Imperial Japanese Navy launched a surprise attack on the United States Naval Base at Pearl Harbor Hawaii and whereas this unprovoked attack resulted in the loss of over 2400 American lives including military personnel and civilians and caused extensive damage to the Pacific Fleet and whereas The Bravery and heroism displayed by the men and women who served that day as well of the subsequent efforts by the armed forces and the American people helped to shape the outcome of the war and secure the freedoms that we enjoy today and whereas December 7th is a solemn day of remembrance recognizing the sacrifice of those who perished and honoring the resilience and courage of all who served during this pivotal moment in American history and whereas the burough of Allendale count County of Bergen state of New Jersey acknowledges the importance of preserving the memory of Pearl Harbor and the lasting impact it has on our nation and commits to educating future Generations about the lessons learned from this historic event now therefore I Amy wilinsky mayor of Allandale do hereby Proclaim December 7th 2024 as Pearl Harbor Day in the burough of Allandale and call upon all citizens to observe a moment of silence at in remembrance of the lives lost and to reflect on the strength and resolve of audition during times of adversity in witness whereof I have here onto set my hand and caused the Seal of alel to be a fixed to this December 5th 2024 Proclamation all right next we have um the Women's Club who would like to come up and give a a little presentation do we have the Women's Club representative on so um you can stand there kind of face I guess the face everybody you can actually if you would like actually why don't you take the microphone and actually put it this way and then stand on this way so you can face everybody I think that would work better thanks backwards we probably should have my name is Laura denoya I'm from the Women's Club I'm the co-president of with Den regalia and we wanted to come here and give our congratulations and our appreciation to um officer dun and to all of the officers and the and the fire department and everybody who was involved in that incident and helped out the Women's Club like everyone else in town was really touched by what happened and we wanted to do something really special I reached out to Lieutenant Griffith so that we could get an idea what we could do that was special and memorable for this support that we wanted to give and he recruited on officer for and officer Ford came up with this great idea and it is a pin that everybody can wear and support and if you want to see what this pin looks like there are an awful lot of people here who are wearing it on their sweatshirts and it says done strong and this CH is to be worn on the lels of all of the First Responders Who provided the care to be able to support you through all of your recovery and to pay allegiance to you for everything that you've given in support of what you have been doing for us and we want to say thank you and we have enough kins for all the First Responders and I think we might have enough pins for Saddle River too you have one come on right now yes I did trck we're gonna do our down there yeah come on over here stay there for the rest ofu there perfect thank you let see it we're gonna come down now and do the rest of our proclamations did the voice get show anybody's looking at you a proclamation honoring police officer Demitri Ford for his rapid resp response on October 5th 2024 whereas on October 5th 2024 a serious motor vehicle crash occurred involving a burough of Allendale police officer and a burough of Saddle River Police Officer and whereas the burough of alendale is deeply committed to the safety and well-being of its residents and recognizes the critical role that the members of the Allendale Police Department play in safeguarding our community and whereas police officer dimetri Ford of the burough of Allendale Police Department responded swiftly and with tremendous professionalism to the scene of the accident displaying courage compassion and calm under the most challenging circumstances and whereas police officer Ford acted with great dedication providing immediate assistance to those involved securing the scene and ensuring that First Responders had access to the injured parties in a timely and effective Manner and whereas the actions of police officer Ford on October 5th 2024 were instrumental in managing a complex and dangerous situation helping to Pro protect both fellow officers and the public and whereas the burough of Allendale recognizes the exemplary service demonstrated by police officer Ford and wishes to express its sincere appreciation for his efforts and contributions to the Safety and Security of our community during this critical event now therefore I Matthew OU council president on behalf of Mayor Amy wasinski the burough Council and the residents of Allendale do hereby Proclaim police off officer Ford is hereby recognized and honored for his heroic response and selfless dedication to to duty on October 5th 20124 in the aftermath of the motor vehicle crash involving Mark Dunn a police officer from the burough of Allendale and John Locka junor a police officer from the bur of Saddle River we had further Proclaim that the Bureau of Allendale is proud to have police officer Ford serve as part of our community's law enforcement team and we commend his professionalism commitment and unwavering dedication to the protection of our res this Proclamation shall be presented to police officer Ford is a symbol of our appreciation for his courageous actions and exemplary service in witness hereof I have here to here unto set my hand and cause the Seal of the burough of alale to be fixed this 5th of December 2024 the next we have a proclamation for a dis to that Tyler's GNA she could it here today but we' like to get it on a proclamation honoring dispatcher Carol lablanca for her vital communication role on October 5 2022 whereas Public Safety dispatchers play a critical role in ensuring the well-being of our community by serving as the vital communic link between those in need and emergency responders whereas on October 5th 2024 this bachor carol leblanca serving the burough of Allandale Police Department displayed extraordinarily extraordinary professionalism composure and skill in responding to a motor vehicle accident involving two police officers and whereas this Bater lanca demonstrated exceptional situational awareness and Swift action by coordinating emergency servic uring the safety of the officer Revol and the efficient handling of the incident and whereas the dedication and quick thinking of dispatcher leblanca exemplify the highest standards of public service and reflect great credit upon the buau of Allendale and its police dep now therefore I Tyler yino councilman of The Bu of Allendale behalf of burough Council and mayor wasinski and our grateful Community do hereby recognize and commend this bachelor Lanka for her outstanding service and invaluable contributions to Public Safety during this critical incident we have further proclaimed that this Proclamation be presented as an expression of our heartfelt gratitude and appreciation for dispatcher L Blanca's exemplary actions and unwavering commitment to Public Safety of our community proclaimed this fifth day of December 2024 in the burough of Allendale County Bergen state ofri may you like to come up next we have a proclamation for officer John lacker Jr so this is a proclamation honoring police officer John laa Jr for his sacrifice and courage on October 5th 2024 whereas on October 24th 2024 police officer uh John uh John laca Jr of the s River Police Department was performing a police stop when he was struck by a drunk driver resulting in injuries whereas despite the traumatic nature of the incident officer laa demonstrated remarkable courage composure and resilience in the face of a in the face of a lifethreatening situation and whereas officer lac's action on that day as a law enforcement officer was dedicated to protecting the community reflect the higher standards of public service and his commitment to duty and the safety of the residents of Saddle River and is an inspiration to us all and whereas the burough of Allendale acknowledges the sacrifices made by Officer laa and the impact of this incident on his physical emotional and professional well-being as he continues to demonstrate immense strength and resilience during his recovery now therefore I Amy wasinski mayor of the Bureau of Allendale on behalf of the bureau Council and all the residents of Allendale do hereby Proclaim name that officer John laa Jr is hereby recognized and honored for his bravery and selfless selflessness and for the sacrifices he made in service to his community October 5th 2024 be it further proclaimed that the buau of Allandale offers its deepest gratitude for his years of service and commitment to the Safety and Security of the community and his proclam this Proclamation shall be presented to police officer John laca Jr as a symbol of our appreciation admiration and solidarity in witness whereof I have here on to set my hand and caused the Seal of the bur of alel to be fixed on this fth day of December 2024 so this is a proclamation honoring Sergeant Jamie hillgardner for her leadership and dedication on October 5th 2024 whereas on October 5th 2024 serus motor vehicle accident occurred during a routine traffic stop involving Burl bendale police officer and a saddle biver police officer who were struck by a drunk driver and where as sergeant Jamie hillgardner upon learning of the incident demonstrated extraordinary leadership courage and composure by swiftly responding to the scene coordinating emergency assistance and ensuring the safety and well-being of all individuals involved and whereas Sergeant Hill Gartner's decisive actions were instrumental in mitigating the impact of the incident providing critical support to the injured officers and facilitating the seamless collaboration of multiple responding agencies whereas her professionalism dedication of Duty and steadfast commitment to Public Safety exemplify the core values of the burough of valo police department and reflect credit upon herself and the burough of Allendale now therefore I Amy wasinski mayor of the burough of Allandale on behalf of the burough Council and our grateful Community do hereby formally commend and recognize Sergeant Jamie hillgartner for her Exemplar exemplary service and heroic actions in the face of this critical incident be it further proclaimed that this Proclamation be presented as a testament to Sergeant Hill Gartner's dedication and unwavering commitment to protecting and serving our community proclaimed this fifth day of December 2024 the bur of Al County berin state of New Jersey I got him in there what about you I have the I have the honor to push him so I'm going to put him in the middle I got a couple there all right police officer Mark D so this is a proclamation honoring police officer Mark Dunn Jr for his bravery curs and selflessness actions on October 5th 2024 whereas on October 5th 2024 while responding to an emergency in the neighboring town of sat River officer Mark dun Jr of the burough of Allen selflessly assisted officer John laca of Saddle River Police Department in their efforts to maintain public Public Safety and whereas during this dangerous and heroic Mission an unwavering commitment to his duty despite the risk he faces every day officer Dunn was struck by a drunk driver severely injuring him and he now faces a long and challenging road to recovery and whereas despite the physical and emotional challenges he has faced officer Dunn has demonstrated remarkable strength resilience and determination throughout his recovery process and whereas oh sorry she gets me every time where was I I got it whereas the buau of Allandale stands in solidarity with officer Dunn as he embarks in this difficult journey to recovery and expresses its full support to officer dun and his family during this challenging time and whereas officer Dunn's courage perseverance and indomitable Spirit has shown in the face of diversity reflect the highest ideals of public service and The Bu of ell remains deeply grateful for its dedication to the safety and well-being of our community whereas the actions of Officer Mark Don exemplify the highest standards of Courage professionalism and dedication to public service and he continues to serve as a symbol of Valor inspiration within our community whereas the burough of Allendale recognizes this extraordinary Act of Bravery that contribute to the protection and security of our neighboring community now therefore I Amy willinsky mayor of the burough of Allendale on behalf of the burough Council and all its citizens of Allendale do hereby extend our deepest gratitude to officer Mark Dunn Jr for his courage selflessness and sacrifice we honor and commend officer dun for his service and wish a full and Swift recovery as he continues to embody the spirit of public service that strengthens our community in witness whereof I here onto set my hand and cause the Seal of the burrow of Allandale to be fixed on this fifth day of December 2024 say a few words Mark I think he's gonna be doing a lot of public speaking so he should get used to it and take one the other way too yeah you got the picture phone my I send me that hry I need my extra all right um actually before we continue um we have a Boy Scout here who has a quick presentation uh Josh where are you his dad is one of our firefighters G to be say and and he has a presentation which is kind of cool because it has to do with um fire department you're on hello my name is Joshua V and I an Allandale resident and a senior at Northern Highlands I am here to present my Eagle Scout project idea for the town of Al my project suggestion is to paint a yellow multis cross two feet from the curb adjacent to each City fire hydrant not a fire hydrant owned by county or uh State firefighters can have a difficult time seeing fire hydrant at time fire hydrants at times due to weather or other things in the way of site um the bright yellow painted multis cross could be helpful in an emergency when trying to locate a hydrant close to an incident if there is no time when driving by um even after snow being plowed the yellow multis cross would be bright and stand out to help in an emergency situation I asking the town's permission for this project as I feel it would be beneficial to the fire department and the community for materials I would be asking for donations from businesses in Town Home Depot and other hardware stores to contribute to my project I would also be doing fundraisers as well as uh collecting funds for materials uh for Manpower I would be asking volunteers from this from group 59 and the parents from gr 59 to assist with the plan in conclusion as time and years pass the mult and the malti cross starts to fade this would be a great future Eagle Scout project for another troop 59 Scout to repaint the cross thank you for your time and I hope to be able to contribute to Allandale community and safety well it sounds like a good project this thing and I understand your brother is doing the same in SLE River yeah is that right yeah so you'll be doing this in front of it mayor C oh there you are so um sounds like a great idea everybody anybody have any questions or comments I I'm just thrill ni it's it's Eagle projects are awesome and to choose something that really benefits all residents wonderful we have our Alo fire chief here Greg you good all right excellent well thank you very much thank you well done you now I'd like to P up Chief Dylan I know he has a couple words you'd like to say thank you madam mayor on behalf of each and every member of the AL Police Department thank you to the mayor and Council for recognizing the sacrifices and professionalism of everyone involved in the response to this critical incident I would like to thank the community for their outpouring of support for Mark his family and the department thank you to Mark John Jamie Dimitri and Cara for their commitment to Public Safety in Allandale and Saddle River dispatch Lanka is currently working the Allandale police desk that's why she couldn't F here councilman yakar know myself will be presenting to her at at her workplace after this Pastor Charles swindall is is quoted as saying life is 10% of what happens to us and 90% of how we react to it we can apply this quote broadly to the field of Public Safety more specifically to the events of October 5th Mark and our department are living embodiment of this quote we aren't defined about by what happened what defines us is Mark's recovery and how everyone came together to support a team member in need thank you again for your support and guidance as we navigate not only this challenge but obstacles to come thank you is anybody else from the community want wish to speak uh on October 6 early in the morning it was very difficult the chief called me we traded places he took over I took over in town he took over I heard your voice in the background so that was so good mine yeah so that morning and I didn't mean to be rude I said to Mike we're good friends and I know the vo is in the background I knew it wasn't his wife or his daughter Elizabeth I said who's that so I said the mayor I said what she doing there he say hey but being being out with us that early in the morning that quickly oh I'm up Ear no but being out with us with the police chief and heading to carlot to to the dun's household I thought that was really I was so impressed I really appreciate it I also appreciate Mark D senior who lets me dress in full uniform in honor to push his son um and chief Tom Cox from carlat was to let me take over part of the escort motorcycles and everything to his town and Carl Police Department was with us and chief Dylan the whole way but thank you so much Madame mayor anybody else wish to come up and speak on up sergeant I don't know which way to face but uh no are out but um as the mayor said before I'm Sergeant Jamie hillgardner I'm Mark direct supervisor and I was working the night the in whatnot the one thing I just wanted to point out from being somebody that was unseen and that's worked with Mark over the last year and a half as a police officer but he was also our dispatcher was his initiative um that's something being consider act supervisor that I saw on a daily basis whether it was picking up traffic cones setting up the parking signs or going out there and you know getting dirty when things got tough and here muff's Mom but whenever things were more of a dangerous situation or more chaotic Mark was the first one to volunteer and I think we can all kind of say that collectively as a group um that evening some of you aren't even aware of that's why I kind of want to point it point it out as well the during our 12-hour shift within like a two mile radius over a span of like two three counts there were four DWIs that were invested ated let alone you don't even know how many people were actually driving intoxicated three of those Mark was directly involved with so just a quick backstory on that night earlier in the night Mark actually assisted wal police with a DWI on one of their side streets a lot of people don't know that um Mark's a kind of guy that when you call for backup or another town needs something it it's not even a request to go help out that town he kind of just tells me um it's one of those scenarios so I trust sense um and then we came in we had dinner and literally before we could even go back out in the road SLE River uh officer laa who was also doing uh proactive stop and we all know how dangerous the highway is late at night and all that kind of stuff um so another um you know piece of information too um before I could even answer Mark as to like who was going to go up there he just dipped up his V and said do you mind if I go out and it was kind of one of those things where I'm like H I guess because you're already two steps out the door so um I just wanted to point that out and obviously the thir DWI was you know the one that injured Mark and you know some of you guys don't even know hours after um the incident Chief Dylan and I were come back from the hospital and um Nick and trip were working and a 4 DWI hit the Ramsey rescue truck that was helping with the investigation on the highway were ultimately stopped in alale arrested in process so that just shows the dangers you know as nice of an area as this is in the small town and stuff we do face those dangers a lot more often than the General Public tends to know um you know I think everybody came together everybody was hands- on Deck so I think the police department dis BS everybody did a great job and the community has been awesome you know I've gotten I've been on traffic details and we're getting asked how's Mark doing what can we do to help um the the girls on the rum program I did were already involved with that girl scouts helped out with stuff so you know the more support the better but I did just want to point out you know there's a million adjectives that have been thrown around for both Mark and John but the one thing both of them were being proactive and took you know initi to you know maintain safety for the motor in public so I just wanted to mention that you know Mark I anybody else like to come up anybody over there the meet yeah no I don't want to come up there I can't speak of but I just un oh my gosh of course and if you start crying the mayor it's gonna start I know have to learn all right so I'd like to bring it back to the council does anybody from the council have anything to say um well I like say what a tremendous honor it is to be here amongst all of these heroes in this room um our police as well as all the First Responders that are here tonight um what a blessing it was that everyone involved on that October day acted so professionally and so quickly and that Mark is on the menend and finally what a blessing it is that we live in the community that we do that shows so much love and support my God I'm getting ched up now that shows so much love and support towards towards each other I'm very than but thank you to all of you well said else I mean I just I think then that was a great statement thank you to all of our First Responders do every day and certainly wish been contined he haven't been a fireman long time ago uh I value the First Responders out there and I'm uh proud to call you a lot of you my friends so uh I just wish you all the best don't get hurt and uh Keep Us Safe like you always do thank you so much for everything you do um so I have H just something to say as well um I'm really happy to see everybody here tonight um as we recognize all the r police officers but especially those who were injured that day um John and Mark but to all the law enforcement that is here today the firefighters um the ambulance in this room you all embody the highest ideals of service selfless selflessness bravery and dedic dedication and a strong sense of community you all step into situations that we all would run from um you confront danger headon to safegard the well-being of others and a lot of people can't say that they would do that um you you do this to ensure the safety and security of our families our our homes our communities our neighborhoods the experience that night has left such a lasting impression on our community I've never really dealt with anything like this before in our community um the outpouring of support is really what makes Allendale so special um and it really shows how loved and supported um our offices are to everyone and especially where's our William Patterson cops I told you in the interview that Allendale loves our police officers um so to everybody involved in that night um from the dispatchers to all the officers I just I can't imagine how this impacted you and of course especially Mars the injuries that you sustain that night are a reminder of the risk that you all take every single day it's a reality that many of us do not fully understand but we deeply respect so please know you're not alone we stand beside you we're committed to supporting you in your recovery and we honor all of your contributions um to Mark and his family and all the families um and our Police Department um led by um Chief Dylan I know the impact that this has had on our uh police department especially of course our chief and I mean I know Jamie you were there um Sergeant Jamie hillgartner was there every step of the way including that night and we really heard how amazing you were that night like how calm you were and kept everything under control um really is amazing it really is amazing and I was there when you were so young first coming to the burrow and it it just makes me it really doesn't makes me so proud you were a baby um and then I know Dimitri um he was you know you guys are are great friends I'm so glad you were there I'm so glad Gregor was there as well and I know how much that meant and of course Lieutenant Todd Griffith you've been there you know for him every step of the way how everybody um really Step Up stepped up and really rallied I just couldn't be more proud of all of our um officers who have supported Mark and will continue to support Mark until he gets back on his feet so um whatever you all need we absolutely have your back because you've had our back this whole entire time so this evening um just want to express our profound gratitude um not for what you have done but for all for all who you are you guys are all the best of us your sacrifices uphold the values that bind us as humans and a community we're all inspired by you we thank you for your courage your sacrifice and your service finally we honor you for not only as um police officers and heroes but your role models and your all charish members of all the communities that you serve so thank you so much so now I'd like to open up the meeting one more time to anybody that like would like to speak you I would still like to speak one of the things I'd like to say mayor you said it yourself as you look around this room and you see Community you see partnership you see friendship and yes the events that happened on that day were truly tragic the one of the lessons that we take out of that day is moving forward in the lessons that we've learned and the things we reflect on and the things to which we are grateful not only were these communities affected but so many communities that I've heard throughout the state of New Jersey as I'm sure you've all heard as well know what happened on that day and realize that the tragedies that happen every day and the things that could happen that First Responders face daily are challenges that you never expect but we know that the men and women of our community law enforcement and our surrounding Community enforcement are 100% prepared to deal with with the utmost professionalism Mark we continue to wish you well and again thank you all for your ass anybody else public all right motion to adjourn don't move all in favor I thanks everybody thanks so much for coming oh yeah um actually gonna forget that um where's Dimitri can you oh yeah we always enjoy our oh my gosh thank you I added Facebook people realize that wasn't we were s good