[Music] Good to see you, brother. [Music] No. [Music] I open the Bergens Township Committee meeting for May 27th, 2025. Please stand for the flag salute to the flag of the United States
of America and to the republic for it stands nationy and justice for all. Mayor's opening statement meeting. Adequate notice of this meeting would posted on the bulletin board in the municipal building one collar lane basking bridge on the township website
and emailed to the Bernard's news whipony the courier news bridgewater tap and2.net patch.com and filed with the township clerk on December 18th 2024. Any motion to go into close session will include that those matters discussed at such close session will be disclosed to
the public when such matters are finally determined and there is no further reason to prohibit the public from disclosure of information relating to such matters. No new business will be introduced after 10:30 p.m. Public comments will be accepted at all meetings. Speakers will be limited to 5
minutes each. All meetings will adjourn no later than 11:30 p.m. Roll call. University. Miss Acy here. Mr. Dwarte McCarthy here. Mr. McN here. Mr. Tangry here. Mayor Fields here. Executive
session Christie. None this evening. Mayor. Next. Resolution 2025-0118 Burners Township Stigma Free Community Resolution. and I'm going to hand it over to my colleague um Anna McCarthy who's um representing the
municipal alliance to present the resolution. Thank you, Mayor. Um so I'm really pleased that we're presenting this stigmafree resolution this evening. And as background, the township first designated a stigmafree community through a resolution that we passed in
2018. And at that time, Bernard's Township was among the first municipalities to do so. While the resolution was not passed again in subsequent years, there was continued focus from our board of health and the municipal alliance to focus on education
and support for those with mental health concerns. In addition, Somerset County had placed a renewed focus this year on fostering stigmafree municipalities and this coincided with the municipal allianc's objective to reinvigorate our
efforts. Some folks have asked me what is stigma? Stigma is the practice of associating negative stereotypes with certain memberships or characteristics such as substance abuse disorders, race, social class, income, or intellectual or
developmental developmental disability status. This can create barriers and challenges that could be eliminated in relationships, housing, employment, and education. Many feel ostracized and isolated and rejected based on these perceived differences and societal
values. Because of this, we are very um hopeful that the efforts that we're going to reinvigorate will continue to show the importance of being a stigmafree community in Bernard's Township. So, mayor, now I'd like to invite my colleagues to make comments and then I'll turn it back to you for
your comments and our vote. Okay, David. Bernard's Township has been a leader in promoting a stigmafree community through educational programs and training by our health department and municipal alliance. Individuals with physical and mental disabilities should not be judged or discriminated against.
These individuals and their families deserve our respect, compassion, and guidance in receiving the help they require. Bernards will continue our efforts to raise public awareness of this condition and maintain a community of acceptance and support. Thank you, Jen.
As a healthc care professional, it's the right thing to do. um under the leadership of Lucy Forgion, our previous health officer, and our current new health officer, Don Marling, um through the efforts of their leadership, and obviously Caitlyn, and all of the
programs that you run, um the um actions that you do show that it is important from a mental health perspective. Many of us know that many of the reasons uh why we have issues uh within the community in particular. One of my areas
of interest is related to screens and youth. Um mental health is very important and so I completely support uh this type of resolution to show that we are an inclusive community and believe that you should be stigmafree not only
for mental health but other healthcare conditions as well. Thank you. Thank you Andrew. Thank you, mayor. Uh, I applaud this resolution, uh, marking Burners Township as a stigma-free community. I thank the municipal alliance, the health department, all the programs put on to
address mental health issues. As the resolution so eloquently observes, there is no health without mental health. Programs addressing mental health help bring about open and honest dialogues about mental health challenges, facilitating those in need of mental health care to get it more easily.
Stigma can be among the greatest barriers to obtaining needed mental health care and ensuring a stigma-free climate is an important way for people to overcome those barriers. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you, Mayor. Before your comment, I just want to add that we have
Caitlyn Cartio here who is senior health educator in our Burner Township Health Department. And then after we approve the resolution and take our photo, we want to invite Sophia Burkart Cutu to make remarks. She's a member of the municipal alliance, a licensed social worker, and is the clinical outreach
director at Barrett Life Recovery in Floren Park. Okay. Thank you. So, I just want to say how important this is that there's such a large stigma with mental health. So many people feel like they can't be open and honest and share. Um, it's it is a debilitating disease. Um,
it's hard for people to deal with. and the support that you could get is being able to tell people and like Andrew said, being open and honest of what you're dealing with. So, it's so important that we highlight um the stigma and we work with people and educate people so that more people know
that it's accepted and and that we're here to help them. And I do want to say something um about government does play a role in that because I'll never forget when Dick Cody who was governor then his wife came out and let everyone know that she had mental illness and it really
highlighted that somebody like her had mental illness and it really uh made a difference and I remember when I met her at an event and I thanked her for that and I said I think it's really important that you came out and let everyone know that you were going through and that you
wanted people to be open and honest about mental illness and uh it made a difference for me and I think it made a difference for for everyone in the state. So the the way we can do that is to continue to highlight mental illness and work and educate and Anna and I have talked about bringing um a program
together with municipal alliance and the fabric of Bernards to do some kind of program and work with you Caitlyn um within our community to uh to talk about it and to educate mental illness. So, Anna and I hopefully will be doing that and hopefully Jen will join us in that.
Thank you. Yeah. So, can I have a a motion? So, move. Second. All in favor? I I Thank you. Would you like to say a few words before we present the resolution? Take a
picture. Oh, go ahead. Right here. Do I have to say my address? No. Oh, thank God. Okay. I know that's so weird. Um, as a newly appointed member of the township's municipal alliance, I am very excited to see what we as a community can do in terms of
mental health awareness and sub substance abuse prevention. This initiative encourages us and our children to have more open conversations about mental health and helping to normalize the experience of seeking help. It sends a clear message that no one should face these challenges alone
and that seeking support is a sign of strength, not weakness. I do believe that as a community we can break down the barriers of stigma and ensure that everyone has access to the care and support they need to thrive. As a lifelong resident of Basking Ridge and a member of the recovery community, thank
you everyone for your support in this vital endeavor and let us continue to work together to build a healthier, more inclusive community for all. Thank you. [Applause]
Take a vote. Congratulations. Thank you for your service. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you. [Applause]
So much. So, the next two resolutions before I read them, I want to jointly say this uh on behalf of myself and my colleagues. Uh the Jewish community, the Asian-American and Pacific Island heritage uh um the Asian-American
Pacific Island Heritage Month and Jewish Heritage Month. So, you have the Jewish community, you have the uh brick, which is the Basking Ridge Indian Community, and then you have the Chinese-American um association. Um like I I want to personally say from all of us, your organizations have been so inviting to
all of us um to keep us informed, to keep us invited in your community, to teach us about your culture, to teach teach us about your religion, and uh it's meant a lot to all of us that your organizations have really extended your you have extended yourself to all of us
and included us in anything that you've done and we really appreciate that because not everybody does that. And since the day I started, I know a lot of my colleagues, your organizations reached out to us personally one by one and said, you know, want to introduce my organization and let you know what it's
all about and what we do and we want to teach about our culture, teach you about our religion. And that's meant a lot to all of us. And I I just want to personally thank you and thank you on behalf of um uh my colleagues. It's it's it's been tremendous. And I always say
if we educate ourselves about organizations, about culture, about heritage, about religion, the more we know, the more we understand about one another because we're all different in some ways and we were all raised differently. And so then
that doesn't divide us, it brings us together. So I just want to say thank you before I I I read the uh resolutions. First one is resolution 2025-0230 which is Jewish Heritage Month celebration May
2025. So we have a resolution to present to um we have the Habat of Somerset County and with us tonight we have Rabbi Mendel Shmto. So instead of reading the resolution I'm just going to read something and then each of my colleagues will say something. I'm proud to
recognize and celebrate Jewish Heritage Month, a time to honor the rich history, enduring traditions, and remarkable contribution of Jewish individuals and communities to our town, our nation, and the world. For generations, Jewish Americans have helped shape the culture,
economic, scientific, and civic fabric of our society. From social justice movements to artistic achievements, from groundbreaking innovations to steadfast community leadership, the Jewish community has played an intricral role in building a more vibrant and inclusive
future. This month, we reflect on persuasive of who we decide cultures for centuries of adversity and persecution and have continued to thrive and continue with courage. You can you have contributed so much with your courage,
your resilience and dignity. We also take this opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to fighting anti-semitism in all its forms and ensuring that everyone in our community can live with safety, respect and pride in their identity. Let us honor Jewish
heritage not only with celebration but with continued learning, solidarity and actions. And together we will ensure that the values of inclusion, diversity, and mutual respect remain the foundation of our
community. Would anybody Jen where to start? Um the rabbi uh you and your organization have been, as the mayor said, um beyond welcoming. Um your facility is stunning. The depiction, the
artistic depictions within your center are something that everyone within our community, Jewish or not, should have the opportunity, should make the time to make to see this beautiful um depiction. We can't thank you enough for
all that you bring to our community. Um and we look forward to continue to work with you and to learn from you. Thank you, David. Jewish Americans have played a key role in American culture since its founding. Judeo-Christian values of compassion,
justice, moral responsibility, faith, and family with a framework of our founding documents and continue to guide our country. People of the Jewish faith faith have contributed to every aspect of our society, have fought in every war, and have provided moral leadership to our government, shaping our national
identity. For me, it's an honor to celebrate with you this month. Honor. Certainly. Uh so this Jewish American Heritage Month, as uh the mayor said, was first proclaimed nearly 20 years ago um in 2006. And many of these heritage
months were done because there was an opportunity to embrace cultures, ethnicities, um disability, areas that had not previously been discussed in society andor celebrated and acknowledged all these rich contributions. And while it's been 20
years, I think the timeliness of this is more important perhaps now than ever. Um, in 2023, we saw the tragic events that occurred um in October that took the lives of so many innocent people. And with it came this increase in
anti-semitism. And we we have to, you know, talk about things like this and to and to acknowledge that so that it doesn't continue and that we are able to be respectful and inclusive. And this is something that this resolution provides.
Personally, as U committeewoman AC said, you know, the Habad is a wonderful place. It's welcoming. Um it is a opportunity for many to learn more about the culture and also to celebrate the faith through the beautiful artistic work that's there and through the many
events and programs that you always invite the community to. And lastly, you've personally now become a member of the municipal alliance. So there's a nice segue from the resolution we just passed and your insights and perspectives on how to bring these
topics across our community are really valued. So, I join my colleagues in celebrating Jewish American Heritage Month and also thanking you and the community for all that you do in turn for Bernard's Township. Thank you. Thank you, Deputy Mayor. Thank you, Mayor.
It's with great pleasure uh that we mark Jewish Heritage Month in Bernard's Township tonight. I too want to thank uh Rabbi Shav of the Hav of Somerset County located right here in Bernard Township for joining us tonight to accept this resolution. Over thousands of years, the Jewish people have preserved their faith
and traditions in all corners of the globe. The Jewish people from ancient times to the present have given humanity tremendous gifts in science, law, technology, medicine, spirituality, arts and entertainment, and countless other fields. Preserving the traditions,
faith, and identity of the Jewish people over the millennia has not always been easy. Dating back to biblical times, the Jewish people have suffered through slavery, expulsions, pgrams, discrimination, and other forms of oppression, including the horrors of the
Holocaust and other manifestations of anti-semitism. Uh just last week, in an outrageous act of terrorism, two members of the staff at the Israeli embassy in our nation's capital were murdered. Yet the Jewish people persevere. While
empires rose and fell all around them, the Jewish people not just endured, but have continued to thrive throughout the world. And this includes the Jewish community here in Bernard's Township, which continues to thrive. I'm happy that we mark May as Jewish Heritage Month in Bernard's Township. Thank you.
Thank you. Can I have a motion? So moved. Second. All those in favor? I I [Applause] Thank you. Wow. It's thank you all for your really heartwarming words and to
reflect back at you. I want to thank every single one of you for being so supportive and participating and for not only Kabad center but for all Jewish members in the community and community at large and as displayed by the annual
manora lighting that you guys part support and participate in every year. It's incredible to see. Not every town's like this one. This one's something special. So, thank you. I really, really, really appreciate all the support and the resolution here tonight. Thank you. We're going to bring it down
and take a picture of us. All right. Well done. [Applause] And uh mayor, if I may, I just while the rabbi's here, wanted to thank him for
the beautiful prayer that he gave at our Memorial Day uh c commemoration uh on Monday. Thank you, Mike. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Next is resolution 2025-0231, Asian-American and Pacific
Islander Heritage Month Celebration. So, with us tonight, we have the ChineseAmerican Assoc uh Bernard's Chinese American Association, and we were supposed to have somebody from the uh Basking Ridge Indian Community, Gotham, but I see him in the audience.
So, I'm going to present the uh resolution. Again, I am honored to recognize May as AsianAmerican and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. A time to celebrate the profound contributions that AAPI have made and especially here in Bernards. Spanning a vast diverse
range of cultures, languages, and traditions the AAPI community has enriched every facet of our community. Here in Bernards, we are fortunate to be home to a vibrant and dynamic AAPI population that continues to shape our identity and strengthens the fabric of
Bernard's community. We honor the legacy of those who came before us and recommmit ourselves to create a community where all people, regardless of their background, are seen, valued, and empowered. Let us take this opportunity not only to celebrate, but also to learn, to listen, and to stand
with AAPI neighbors. Diversity is one of our greatest strengths here in Burners and together we will continue to build a future rooted in respect inclusion within our community. David say sure Asian-Americans and
Pacific Islanders have been one of the fastest growing communities in Bernard's Township. They've made many contributions to our township through volunteerism and community service. We welcome them, thank them for sharing their history, religions, and traditions with our fellow residents. I look forward to them serving in a larger role
in our community. Congratulations, Mayor. Um, I'm pleased that our township is recognizing Asian-American and Pacific Islander Month. Individuals of AsianPacific Islander heritage make up 24% of our township's population and contribute
across every facet of community life. The community is vibrant, including the two organizations you mentioned, the Bernard's Chinese American Association and the Basking Ridge Indian Community, which have created opportunities for all of us to embrace these cultures while
inviting all to partake and become educated in the rich and vibrant traditions and customs. You are also very active participants as volunteers across the community. Um, many of you serve within different organizations, including our own township boards. Um,
Jane Zang, who's here, uh, recently helped the YMCA, as an example, as a collaborator on their strategic plan to help provide insight and input. So, um, you know, you're just terrific and I really am so pleased that we are again recognizing this month and able to
celebrate all that you do for our community. So, thank you, Jen. So, as we know, May is actually AsianAmerican, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. On November, excuse me, May the 17th, um,
we were invited to attend the Somerset Hills YMCA togetherhood committee along with HCTCS hosted an AAPI Heritage Month celebration. So it was a wonderful event that was held um and it was beyond who
we often traditionally work with for instance brick. Um so it was a wonderful um experience sharing in food and dance and music uh within our especially our Indian cultures. Um, I sort of feel like
we're blessed that not only is May this dedicated month, but because of Brook and the BCAA, Berners ch Chinese American Association, you celebrate, you share your culture with us multiple
times a year. So, we get the benefit of um Jane, you and and Nick and your leadership team to share with us around your um mid-autumn festival later this year as well as um the new year celebration. So, again, so grateful to
your volunteerism, your leadership in bringing this um to our community. So, thank you, Deputy Mayor. Thank you, Mayor. I'll echo some of the sentiments of my colleagues. It's certainly wonderful to mark May as Asian-American and Pacific Islander
Heritage Month by way of this resolution. Uh members of this community represent a large and growing population within our township. And doing this resolution is a great way to mark the contributions of Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders to our community, our
country, and indeed the world over. um contributions of Asian-Americans and Pacific Islands to culture, religion, art, science and technology, philosophy, and countless other fields cannot be understated. Their contributions to the American experience, however, did not come without struggle. And like many
other communities, Asians and Pacific Islanders encountered discrimination and exclusion during their history here in the United States. Uh in ages past, differences in language, culture, and geographic separation more profoundly divided east and west as they as opposed
to how they do today. Uh for hundreds of years in this country and elsewhere and continuing to this day, Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders have shaped American world culture, enriching all of our lives through their contributions. Today, with this resolution, we honor these rich contributions and achievements of Asian-American Pacific
Islanders in Burn Township, and we look forward to those of the generations to come. Thank you. Thank you. Can I have a motion? So moved. Second. All those in favor? I um Jane [Music]
Zang will come up with your board members and then we'll take a picture. Jane Z from the Chinese Americ. Um thank you so much uh all the committee member um and the the comm community uh community uh our
organization actually formed exactly three years ago. I remember Holland registered the company um um to start with we were so nervous about when we held our first event in September of
that year. I called Jen in the very late hours of the two days before. We first worry about it too not too not enough people to attend and then worry about too many people attend. Um so it's kind
of a very um good memory and in the last three years we did uh hold quite a few events and uh really appreciate all the um township committee members make every effort to attend which means a lot. Uh
we want our organization to be part of the broader community. We don't want just a closed door to anybody. So this is uh so um meaningful for the this um resolution and for all the last three
four years action means a lot to our community and I really want to thank all the board members and all the uh from the Chinese community who attended come to the event without everybody's volunteer uh this is nothing can happen
thank you so much everybody How are you? Good to see you. Thank you. [Applause] Thank you. Thank you guys. Awesome stuff. Yeah.
Thank you. You can go if you'd like. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Public work session, Christie? None this evening. Correspondence? None. Next is public comment. Comments are welcome
during the public comment period during this meeting on any agenda item or other matters over which the township committee has jurisdiction. However, if an ordinance is listed for its own public hearing on the agenda, please hold your comments for that particular public hearing. The public comment portion of the agenda is not structured
as a question and answer session, but offers an opportunity to share your thoughts with the township committee. The committee may or may not address these comments during the meeting. However, all comments are considered. To address this body, the speaker must come forward to the microphone and state his
or her name and address for the record. Each speaker is limited to five minutes. Clerk will keep time. Please prompt me yield the floor when time is called and return to your seat. Your cooperation in adherence to these rules of order will ensure an orderly and a respectful meeting.
I open public comment. the title Stein Riverside Drive. Nothing personal is business. Um the budget was introduced March 25th and it was voted on April
29th. In the future, I would like to see a public comment when it's introduced and not wait a month later to have comment on it. When you're not going to change it in almost 25 years of
coming to these meetings, I've yet to ever see the committee say we're not going to do it this way. We're going to change the budget. So it's a dead subject to even I mean you're legally you have to have that public hearing on that second
reading but it does no good you get no answers and whatever suggestions you have it means nothing should be done when it's introduced a lot of people have questions and then you have a whole month to kick it around and say well is
that a good suggestion or not. does no good especially because you have public comment before you even present the budget. So they only know what to ask and then as we saw last last week
where last time we had the meeting the freaking projector didn't even work. So it was a dead thing. It was So I'm just asking for next for the future ones to consider it. It shouldn't be a problem. It's not like
the room is filled with a lot of people, but I'm sure there's people have questions. And that's the one thing. Um, I'm just wondering where everybody is tonight for the endorsing the housing element and fair share plan
tonight. I guess Facebook's not working tonight. And they weren't there last week either for the planning board where they had the planner there who actually explained the elements. I was there and one other young lady was there and that
was it. So all that yelling and crying, if you came and listened and asked questions, you had an understanding. I looked at it. I'm going to tell you, we dodged a bullet. I think the plan that we got was a very good
plan. It's a plan that was uh presented by a year before and then for some reason we got on a tangent and made everybody angry for a good plan and it was a good plan. Westgate was already
approved. Thank you, Todd. And um there was no reason to build I know I dodged a bullet because I had the Lord Stone School which I had no problem them developing over there. Well, they were probably put 80 units in there. And I'm going to tell you, 80
units right there would change dramatically that whole section of town with traffic and everything. You talk 80 units, that's probably 160 people and that's without kids and then cars.
So if people get a chance should take a look and see I think it's page 20 on the document page 50 if you look at the agenda and you look at that one thing it'll tell you all the different
developers that the president that gave plans for you know approval and you're going to see over town you've dodged big bullets. I think that's all I have for tonight. Thank you very much, Scott. We appreciate the compliment. Anyone
else? Nancy Dandrea, three Vander Drive. Um, I didn't go to the planning board because I think most people think that once you guys have approved it that the planning board can't change anything. People, a lot of people don't understand
local government 101, but that's okay. I understand. Um, actually I'm here to tell you a a very ridiculous story of uh my son who's now 24, but uh when he was
uh 14, he entered Rich High, but he had never been in the public school system here until Rich High. Uh he was a Montasauri from age 2 to 14. And uh when he entered he was like, "Wow, there's a
lot of different kids here." Like the diversity, you know, and he because of his um classes, he said when he came home from school that first day, I go, "So, you know, are there a lot of girls, boys?" He goes, "No, you're asking the wrong question." He goes, "I'm the minority."
He goes, because it was the honors classes. So, he goes, "I was the minority." So all his friends throughout Ridge were usually not the traditional white American boy, okay? They were all different u Chinese, Indian, and then
when he went to college, uh it just happened to be that he was surrounded by Filipinos and and Japanese students and Chinese students and and his his roommate was Chinese for two years. So because of this exposure, my son decided to learn
Mandarin. I was like, "Okay, you can learn Mandarin." Like I said, "You could barely handle French, but good luck." And so he learned Mandarin, actually got a degree in it, which cracked us up. And he went to Taiwan for study abroad. And
he absolutely loved it. And he would want to go he wanted to go back. He wanted to go to Taiwan or to China, but then we had a pandemic. Okay. So, um, and so he he really loved it. He he became, you know, like he picked up Chinese yo-yo and he did all these
things that were wild. And then he would get into all these different clubs and he'd be like the white boy in the Japanese uh association club at school and everything. But what I'm trying to say here is that that though the other
groups are so welcoming that they said, "Okay, yeah, come on, little Italian boy. Come on, let's go. And they just made his experience at Ridge and at college, uh, very different, very
educational, and, uh, opened up a world to him that he said, "Yeah, I want to go to Taiwan." So, I think it's really great that we have 24% of our of our, um, of our town that is diverse of AAPI.
And then you throw in the the the uh Jewish community which is huge and our Muslim community which is huge and and it's it's just a very interesting. Now I consider Bernard's Township really really um special. 25 years ago maybe
not but now I consider us more special. So thank you very much for listening to my story. Thank you. Anyone else? Okay, I'm going to close public comment, staff comments, township committee comments, and board and
liaison. Pat. Uh, thank you, mayor. Uh, just wanted to welcome personal appointments. Joanne Sllayman, planning and zoning. Uh, congratulations to Tyler Ostrander, DPW, for her promotion to truck driver. And uh, just to acknowledge Michelle Santoro on her
retirement, 17 plus years, outstanding service to the town. We wish her well in her retirement. That's all I have. Thank you. Thank you. Mr. Bolardo. No, thank you, Mayor. Then it was good to see Dan Birkhart here. Uh I remember growing up with uh his
children and my children. I hadn't seen them in a number of years. It was good to chat with the meeting. Christie, none this evening. Thank you. I'm going to have um Committeeman Tani uh kick it off. He um is going to give the report on
charter day. I was on vacation. Thank you, David. prepared a overview of charter day. Colleagues can expand on it their time. Charter day took place on Saturday, May 17th to celebrate the 265th anniversary of the signing of our
township charter in 1760. We had a large turnout of residents throughout the day thanks to the beautiful weather. The day's activity started at noon with our town crier Hank Barry leading a procession of dignitaries that included committee woman, committee
woman, county commissioner Morano, county surrogate Jallo, Assembly womanis, and myself. We were escorted to the main stage where we joined Deputy Mayor McN. Pastor Dennis Jones from the Basking Bridge Presbyterian Church gave the
invocation and Deputy Mayor McN followed with a speech focusing on the history of Burners Township and its connection to the American Revolution. The flag ceremony was performed by the Girl Scouts of Burns Township and the national anthem was sung by Matthew Saitto
Fatelli. Throughout the day on the main stage, 11 groups performed for the crowd. Food trucks lined the street in front of the stage. There were rides, games, and face painting for children at Oak Street School. 70 nonprofit organizations, religious groups, local
artisans, businesses, Bernard's township committees, and departments had tents to interact with residents and share information. Committee woman McCarthy and I worked the township committee tent along with student volunteers who were excellent. They were knowledgeable. Uh they were great hosts.
Basking Ridge Presbyterian Church hosted a student art show in Westminster Hall and the Brick Academy had historical displays. I want to thank Parks and Rec Director Jennifer Gander and the parks and recreation staff for making this another successful day. Also, thank you
to the Somerset County Sheriff's Office, the Bernards Township Police Department, the Liberty Corner Fire Department, the Basking Ridge Fire Department and First Aid Squad, all who participated in the day's events. Over the years, my children always loved Charter Day. They would say
it was one of the best days of the year and and I I agree with that. So, it's a day to be proud of the rich history of Bernards and a day to celebrate the welcoming, diverse, family oriented community that we are. Thank you. Regular report.
On Saturday, uh, May 3rd, uh, I observed the filling of the Pleasant Valley pool, uh, and was provided the tour of the facility by our pool manager, uh, Dan Wikoff. And I want to thank the Liberty Corner Fire Department and especially Chief Ken White, for giving their time
to to fill the pool on a Saturday afternoon. The pool did open this past Saturday and will be open every weekend 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and beginning June 21st, the pool will be open full-time, seven days a week. The next extended hours for pool membership IDs
will be June 9th, 8:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Yesterday, Mayor Fields, Deputy Mayor McN, and I participated in the annual Memorial Day parade. This year's parade was in my neighborhood of Liberty Corner and was hosted by the Liberty Corner Fire Department. It's always a
solemn and dignified tribute to all who gave their lives in service to this great country. Thank you to everyone who participated and attended Parks and Recreation. Um on June 12th from 700 p.m. to excuse me,
from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. the Somerset County Parks Commission will host anformational session on therapeutic recreation for children, teens, and adults with developmental disabilities uh right here in the municipal building. Um this year our parks and recck uh
department have been working on partnerships with Somerset County Parks Commission to provide programs here in Bernards for disabled residents. The parks and rec committee parks and department are also working on creating new programs for adults with
disabilities. Uh and the mayor and I will be meeting the parents of these adults in early June to determine what types of programs will be most beneficial to these individuals. Thank you, David. Jen, sure. Adding on to um your very thorough
report, David. Very nice job. Um I was just going to add um that from the Girl Scout perspective, a unique thing that we did this year, we had four troops. We had two cadetses and um a Brownie and Daisy troop. And that was unique in the
fact that the older girls were mentoring the younger girls. So, um, the cadets are getting to the point that maybe they'll pass along the torch, so to speak, and, um, had a great time. So, again, thank you to everybody that made Charter Day what it was on May the 1st.
So, looking back, um, I had the opportunity to attend the New Jersey 2025 film film expo at the Melands Arena. So, it was a great event interacting with all those within the film industry. You may or may not know that right now New Jersey has the most
number of film projects um in the state uh excuse me in the country with 20. So there is a lot of onsite activity and hopefully we'll get a chance to get something. Also last week um I had the
opportunity to attend the conference of mayors. So down in Atlantic City there were some excellent sessions like one on um um artificial intelligence. One of my favorites was called unlocking innovative revenue for municipalities beyond the tax base. A lot of discussion
related challenges that we all face like affordable housing as well as trying to get our energy tax receipt revenue back. Um the networking and learning from other mayors was beyond valuable because as we need to recognize there are 564 municipalities, Berners Township is just
one and we are not the only one facing issues. We're not an island and there's a great opportunity for us to learn from others and and way to work with others. So, it was a great experience. Looking forward um from a board of health perspective, I'll let Anna speak to the uh upcoming Twilight Challenge. I'm just
excited to share though that I'll be there. Hopefully, uh my base is there and my my daughter will run with me. So, I look forward to seeing you on June the 1st. For private well owners, um there is an opportunity for you to test your drinking water through lowcost testing
offered through the nonprofit Raritan Headarters Association. There's an event um at Bernardsville June the 2nd through June the 6th at the Burrow Hall. The tests are r aal excuse me available for a range of potential contaminants. Um so
please go to the uh board of health and health department website for more information on that. Also, please don't forget that we do have free radon test kits. So, for all of the um properties within our contracted towns, um please
go to the health department. Those are um as supplies last. Um and last, I also wanted to acknowledge Michelle Santoro, our dedicated animal control officer for her upcoming retirement. in her 17 years as I've served on the board of health,
the animals that she has saved, um, wildlife as well as domestic, um, this woman is not afraid of anything and, um, the animals clearly have, uh, been able to do well with her at the dead. So, um,
we're grateful for her service and thank her for it. Thank you, Anna. Thank you, mayor. I have a few updates from our boards and commissions. At the beginning of May, the environmental commission partnered with the Great Swamp WHED to distribute
neighbor uh to distribute native plants to residents at our local Ross farm. Several members participated and it was great to see the continued enthusiasm within our community to plant native plants and start pollinator gardens. It was great to be part of this year's
Charter Day celebration, which David gave a great summary and mark our township's 265th anniversary. The agricultural committee, I will call it, at one point had several members of the Molo family, including Jim Molo, the committ chair committee's chair, uh,
sharing information about our local farms. So, that was pretty special to see. On charter day, the township's anniversary committee also launched our logo contest which will commemorate the nation's upcoming 250th anniversary. The not logo will be central to all of our
communications around anniversary programs. There is more information available on the website. The contest is open to residents of high school age and older and will conclude on July 4th. So, if you are interested in this, please
see our website or you can contact me or other members of our committee. Um, coming up, as uh committeewoman AC shared, we have our municipal allianc's 35th Twilight Challenge this coming Sunday, June 1st. There is still time to
sign up for the healthy walk, which is at 5:30, or the um 5K run, which is at 6 PM. And this is a great opportunity for you to support this alliance's objectives of supporting education and
prevention of substance abuse, tobacco, and alcohol. So, please join us. Um, it's a great community event. A lot of partners come like the YMCA comes, other organizations, there's music, and it's just a great way to convene. So, we hope to see you there. Um the golf advisory
committee memberships are still available for the Kley Russo golf course and as shared at our last meeting there is a new upcoming adaptive golf program which is going to run in June. This is going to be led through the inspiration golf range and the New Jersey golf
foundation. The wonderful news is that within the program being announced it was fully registered within 24 hours. So we are hoping to run a second session and I want to again thank Sutra who our resident who's here who brought the idea forward from her own experience uh
working at the New Jersey golf association and the committee just ran with it. So it was just a nice story all in all. And then lastly the Shade Tree Commission has also launched the tree of the month campaign. Each month, the Shade Tree Commission will highlight a
special tree within Burners Township that stands out and makes a difference in our community, environment, and lives. You can nominate a tree on your property, a tree on public land, or even a neighbor's tree if you have their approval. Uh there is information about
this on the Shade Tree Commission's web page. And we are starting it with the not no surprise, May's tree of the month is the Basking Ridge white oak. So for more information on this, visit the shade tree commission page on bernards.org. Thank you, Mayor. Thank
you, Deputy Mayor Nally. Uh before you get going, I also want to say if you want to say something, I don't know if you're planning on saying something since I couldn't make the mayor's conference league of mayors conference. You want to mention that you uh went to represent our town here um at the league. So thank you for that. Yes,
certainly. And that was indeed a a wonderful event, a great opportunity to interact with uh mayors from around the state. Um uh regarding Charter Day, I won't belabor the point, but I wanted to thank uh all of our municipal staff, our
volunteers, vendors, businesses who came together to make, uh Charter Day success. And a special thank you to all the residents and visitors who joined us at Charter Day this year. Um, this past Monday was Memorial Day and uh, Bernard Township commemorated
Memorial Day with our annual parade. Thank all those who marched with us in the parade and all those who laid wreaths at the war memorial in Liberty Corner. Thank Mayor Fields and Military Mom herself for her profound remarks as our keynote. Rabbi Shento and re Reverend Barnabas Spring for leading us
in prayer. I'd especially like to thank uh the members of the Liberty Corner Fire Department and Mike Bart for all their work to organize the event as well as BaskinRit Fire who came out brought their trucks as well. And certainly last but not least, uh Liberty Corner Fire
Chief Ken Ken Whitesburg is our MC for the day. Um it was truly wonderful to see so many residents line the streets for the parade. As the speakers mentioned during the event, while Memorial Day is often regarded as the unofficial start to summer, its true meeting is a solemn occasion. Uh we
honor those whose lives were lost in def defense of our great country. Those sacrifices can never be repaid, but I'm proud that Bernard's Township continues to honor this tradition as do so many of our residents and local organizations. Thank you, mayor. Thank you.
So, not to duplicate, I was going to say the same thing of uh to um thank you for everyone for charter day. I'm sorry that I missed it. I was on vacation. Thank you, David, for the report and stepping up for me. I appreciate it. Um also, you said exactly what I wrote about um you know, Memorial Day. I was going to thank
uh Michael Bar who coordinated it. Um and uh Chief Kent White, thank him also for being um running the ceremony. Um it was a beautiful day and I enjoyed spending time with my colleagues Andrew uh Andrew McN and David Treaty deputy mayor that is and like the same thing he said it was it's just a beautiful
experience to walk the street and the patriotism that we have in our community is unbelievable and a matter of fact the rabbi was there and he said to me do you always get this many people I can't believe it and I said we do they all come out that early in the morning and line the streets and watch the parade and it's just magnificent. So so proud
to live here and to see that everyone comes out and supports our community. Uh speaking about the Liberty, speaking of the uh Liberty Corner Fire Company, they are bringing back their food truck and music festival in September. So I will keep uh continue to keep you updated. Uh this is their fourth annual. I remember
they started it. A lot of hiccups, but we made it through and now it's the fourth annual. Excited about that. Um Farmet Art Center. Uh the Lord Sterling Theater Company presents She Stoops to Conquer. Play dates are May 30th to the 31st and June 6th to the 7th. And the
performances are at 7:30 p.m. and then June 1st to the 8th at 2 pm. So you can visit farmsteadartscenter.org to purchase tickets and see what other shows are coming up. Um the library board uh the library and friends of the library had a
table at Charter Day and promoted many of the library's upcoming events and collections. They're holding another repair cafe on Saturday, May 31st. Community members are invited to bring one or two broken items to be repaired for free by skilled volunteers. Our
volunteers repair things like bicycles, jewelry, household appliances, lamps, and more. This is a great program, really great program. So, if you have anything that's be repaired, please go to the uh stop by the library on May 31st. Um also, um they've been
outreaching a lot of efforts. They've been at Ridge Oak. We have Bonnie here with us. They continue to outreach to Ridge Oak and the VA Food Bank. Also, uh I wanted to mention um the Twilight Challenge, which I'm looking forward to attending. Thank you to the Municipal Alliance for another uh
great year of putting that together. Anna, also I would like to mention Michelle Santor too in her retirement. Um she's just amazing the love and care that she's given the animals. Um it's hard to replace that. Matter of fact, I had to go to uh Baskeridge of Atarian
Hospital and Dr. Hollow said, "Can I speak with you?" And I said, "What's the matter?" And he goes, "I'm really concerned." And I said, "With what?" And he said, "With Michelle leaving, you know, we just really need to make sure whoever replaces her um is cares like
she does and and takes care of us." And I said, "Uh, I'll make sure of that. You don't have to worry about that. Burners always make sure we have the the best people." Um so he said okay just want to make sure. So that's what a great job she did when you have a veterinarian who um speaks so highly of you and doesn't
want you to leave. Uh really makes a difference. So and with the reports also I want to say um you know it's going to be a busy summer with all the plays and movies in the park and we're all looking forward to that and I know Jim Jen had touched on it but I want to mention it. So a lot of people have asked me about
the film ready and about the town and about uh about about that. So, I did mention that um you can go to our website under the municipal clerks and there you'll find the document for the permits and um I wanted everybody to know we do not have a liaison for the film ready or for anything to do with
the filming. So, we had decided we weren't going to have a film leaison and that um the clerk's office is going to handle it. So, the clerk's uh clerk if you're interested and need to know anything about filming about film ready, you can call the clerk's office. Christine is handling that through her office and if anything needs to be
escalated or we can't answer any questions, Christine knows that she can contact me and and I can take over and help. So, I just wanted everybody to know there is not a film liaison person in our town. It is the clerk's office. It's not us. They are personally handling that. And also to address um I
know there was some conversation about the economic and development. Um the committee consists for the economic dele um we're going to be working on that. It consists of committee members Anna McCarthy and Dave Jani and we have had discussions not formally. We were
supposed to have a meeting I had to cancel but I wanted to say that it's so important that we get through the affordable housing and our focus was mainly on that. So, we wanted to make sure that when we did the economic and development committee that we would be able to put all our time and energy into
that and not be distracted by anything else, which has been the affordable housing. So, we will be resuming that because tonight we'll be finishing up the affordable housing and we'll be moving on to the economic and development and I look forward to working with my colleagues and getting started on that. So, that's all I have.
Fire and rescue appointments. None this evening. Mayor ordinance 2579. Christie, an ordinance of the township of burn appropriating 6 million190,591.79 for various capital improvements. And this is a public hearing.
I open the public hearing and welcome comments. I close public hearing. May I have a motion? Mayor, I move that ordinance 2579 be adopted and advertised as required by law. Second. Any discussion?
Roll call. Christie. Miss Acy. Yes. Miss Dorte McCarthy. Yes. Mr. McN. Yes. Mr. Tenry. Yes. Mayor Fields? Yes. Motion carried. New business consent agenda. The items listed within the consent agenda portion of the meeting have been
referred to the township committee for reading and study and are posted on the agenda on the website and are considered routine and will be enacted by one motion of the township committee with no separate discussion. If separate discussion is required, the items may be removed from the agenda by township committee action and placed on their
regular agenda under new business. Would anyone like uh any items removed from the consent agenda? May not hearing any. Uh can I have a motion, please? Move the consent agenda. Uh second. Any discussion? Roll call.
Christie. Miss Ay. Yes. Miss Darte McCarthy. Yes. Mr. McN. Yes. Mr. Tani. Yes. Mayor Fields. Yes. Motion carried. Resolution 2025-033- 0233. Authorizing the
Bernard's Township Attorney to file a copy of this resolution 2025-233 endorsing the housing element and fair share plan adopted by the township planning board on May 20th, 2025 with the affordable housing dispute resolution program through the EC courts
pursuant to the administrative directive of the courts 14-24 docket SOM-L-157-25. I have a motion. So move. second discussion. Would anyone like to say something? I would, you know, I wanted
to uh just comment that the as you were saying, this has really been a pathway to meet our fourth round obligation. And I want to thank our township planner DH Sly, our affordable housing planner, Kendra Ley, and members of the planning board for their comprehensive review and
approval of the draft housing element fair share plan. As Mr. Edelstein mentioned, it's was really I watched it on YouTube. excellent presentation by Kendra Ley on the elements that of the plan and the context that she provides from that report. And there were various
data points among others that I think resonated for me that the decision that we made um on these ordinances that the three the house ridge oak and westgate um were in fact the right decision. They're developable. That was a question
that came up. There is sewer and water capacity at both sites. Um, this is relative to Ridge Oak and Westgate. Um, it's mentioned in Kendra's presentation that the Westgate hotel is not currently in the sewer area, but that the residential areas are. So, that was
critical. Uh, the stu the two sites are located in the state planning area 2, which is a the state's designated suburban planning area, and this is where in the state they want to see redevelopment and development and is a preferred location. affordable housing.
They are compliant with New Jersey D. They will not affect any historical or architecturally important sites and districts. Um they have also in the presentation and in the report that Kendra shares, the township, as we know, received seven other proposals and our
objective was to address the obligation with the least number of total market rate units. So these proposals with our house save us about 250 units from being constructed um and have the least amount of impact to the environment and the
existing infrastructure can support i.e. utilities, roadways, and then related um in light of the significant opposition to this project that we heard along with support, we had recommended to Bonnie Kelly, who's here, uh director of housing development, that Ridge continue
to engage with the neighboring residents. And on May 16th, Bonnie sent a letter to all surrounding neighbors communicating that the ordinance uh was going to had been approved to construct these affordable rental units. And in
her letter, states. Um, as we did with both Ridge Oak 2 and three, when we have well-developed engineering and architectural plans, but before we go to the Bernard's Township Planning Board for site plan review, we will invite our neighbors to our community center to
discuss project details and to solicit their thoughts and suggestions. I think that's a terrific step. It's positive. It's important to engage the community as the project goes forward. So, that's greatly appreciated that that was done. And then on Westgate, um, you know,
traffic was cited as a concern during public comment. I know a number of my colleagues did speak to that. Um, the property does have access to a street. There's an existing internal drive that comes onto Martinsville Road. It's a four-lane highway. Um, it's it was
designed for intense use when that was at its peak of office professional use. And now we're looking at multifamily development that won't have that same volume of traffic. Um, differently though, while we consider Westgate, we're also looking at bringing, you
know, a thousand plus residents to the community. And that along with the development of Mountain View, uh, provides the the township with the opportunity to explore ways to create more connectivity to these areas. Um, particularly through the consideration
of pathways or different ways just to ensure that this doesn't become sort of this island unto its own. But again, I just want to uh the planning board for its hard work and it just reaffirmed that the decision which was a difficult one was the right one. So, thank you,
mayor. Thank you, Jen. Yes. So, um to the point about residents not being here tonight or at the planning board, um many of those residents are still very angry. Um I still hear from them and they very much disagree with what was approved. Um, we
as a township committee obviously disagreed 4 to one on the proposed plans and we can uh we will always disagree as to what is the definition of overdevelopment. Allowing um the um excessive number of families into the
community is what was the biggest concern for our specific community. So having um you know when it's all said and done with our third and fourth round obligation inserted at Westgate and Mountain View when you have maybe 2,000
new people there with the traffic that is related um it's going to be a concern and residents will perhaps remember and regret. Um so at the end of the day it's something that yes the state required
affordable housing. The state did not require the particular proposals that we that we that this committee approved and it woefully undermet the need of our community which is housing for uh seniors. We very much need housing for
seniors as well as adults with ID intellectual and developmental disabilities. So at the end of the day um we really needed to address that and it's still an unmet need. David
our house fine organization and the TC is proud to to sponsor it support its mission. Um the four units is a small contribution towards a large number of units needed and hopefully we can actively work to have more of these units for special needs adults. Um Ridge
Oak once again as I've said is a fine facility. Senior housing is in high demand. project gives us 100% credit towards our obligation and the project will be an inherently beneficial use serving the public good and promoting general welfare. Um just to add to what
Carth said about the Westgate, um I just think from the perspective of the students we may have come to the school system. Um the site is in a in a rather low remote location uh and the multi-story building that's going to be converted um will probably bring less school age children um to that
development. That's based on the Rucker study and information provided to us by local our local officials, our local planner. Also um just to say The housing element and fair share plan adopted by the planning board is the best option to fulfill our
constitutional duty for the fourth round of affordable housing. It will result in less overall development without having to develop develop one or more sites to achieve that goal. Um the acceptance of this plan is the best choice to minimize development in my opinion. Uh, and as I
stated on April 15th, low-income housing should be a part of any responsible master plan to provide housing to seniors, disabled, low-income families, and individuals. However, it should not be decided. It should be decided by local officials, not by trend bureaucrats. Thank you. Thank you,
Deputy Mayor. Thank you, Mayor. Um, with the planning board having unanimously approved the housing element and fair share plan last week, the resolution we're considering tonight authorizes the filing of the plan and associated resolutions in the appropriate docket.
The actions we're taking tonight complete the formal work we as a township committee were obligated to do to fill the under the law to fulfill the fourth round mandate which extends for the next 10 years. While I personally disagree with the notion of affordable
housing mandates, it has been incumbent on all of us to figure out the best path forward and accept the law as it is and our options as they are, not as we would prefer them to be. Um, it's important that we take
responsibility for these decisions rather than leave our fate on these matters to the courts and I believe we have done that with the actions that we've taken. Um, I would like to thank uh our professionals including our planners Kendra Lley and David Schlie
and of course our our learned council John Bolardo uh who has spent countless hours uh working uh on this. Um certainly I'd like to thank all of our municipal staff, my colleagues on the township committee, and very notably the
volunteer members of the planning board um uh whose recent work um um helps us to comply with uh our fourth round of uh mandate. Um so um uh this was a uh significant
effort on the part of many many people uh including uh those who are going to be developing these properties filled the mandate. Um so thank you mayor that concludes my remarks. Thank you. So, I too would like to uh thank our professionals, our planner, Kendra, Dave
Sly, um the staff. Uh but the gold star goes to our counselor, uh John Bolardo, thank you so much. From the beginning, you got us on a road and had us hire a planner you recommended who was fabulous and every step of the way. You worked with me and worked with my colleagues
and really got us through this. uh your knowledge and expertise really made the difference and I can't thank you enough because that's what made our job a little bit easier. So, thank you so much. Appreciate it. Thank you. And I say that really profoundly because I've
been reading in the newspapers um how many local towns they don't have a plan. They don't have money. Um they they have to bond to do affordable housing and we're done after tonight. Some of them aren't going to be done for a while, even though they're supposed to make the
deadline. They don't have the money. They have to bond. Uh they don't have the land. They didn't plan. We knew this was coming. We planned a year in advance by getting a planner and having a committee and have a committee decide what we were going to do. So, we did all the right things. And then in the end,
we worked as a team and we worked together and we asked all the questions and we were so serious about it. Hours and days and weeks and time spent on this. And you know, when we have to sit up here and make a decision, it's never easy. We know there's, you know, both sides, the negative and the positive. And some people want it and some people
don't. But I have to say, you know, when you have, you know, we're a majority rules committee, and when you have four committee members saying that this is the right decision, and then you have a planning board saying you have the right decision, you know what? We can sleep at night knowing that it was the right
decision. And why it was the right decision also is because it does benefit people in our community. It uh benefits the elderly. So we're meeting our obligation by helping the elderly and the people who need it the most. They they look for affordable housing. They need affordable housing. That's how they
live. We have the special needs. We're working with our house. We're doing units for special uh uh adults with special needs. And I'm telling you right now, my promise to all of you is I'm still working on more housing for special adults with special needs. and my colleagues all know that I haven't
given up yet for more units and more uh development for them because I know how important it is to our community with children with special needs. And so we're continuing to work on that. And then the Westgate project, I'm going to say it again, it is not overdevelopment.
If overdevelopment is if we didn't do Westgate, we would have had to do two in addition to that two more developments in town. So it would have been three developments instead of one. So I'm happy about that. I'm happy about the
decision. And I wanna I want to thank my colleagues Andrew. I want to thank Anna and I want to thank David for really us coming together and working and not always agreeing but at the end making the right decision. And Bonnie, thank you so much. Anna had told me that she was going to talk about it about you
sending the letter and you listened. You heard the people. they weren't comfortable with the decision and you took the initiative to send them a letter and let them know, listen, we're going to work together. We're going to get through this. So, thank you so much for that. Our pleasure. Thank you.
So, thank you. Okay. Can I have a motion? Uh, so moved. Second. Roll call, please. Miss Acy, no. Miss Dwarte McCarthy, yes.
Mr. McN, yes. Mr. Tani, yes. Mayor Fields, yes. Motion carried. Thank you. Ordinance 2580. Christie, an ordinance to amend the revised general ordinances of the township of Bernard's chapter 4 general licensing section 10
alarm systems. And this is introduction. May I move that ordinance uh 2580 be introduced on first reading advertised as required by law and scheduled for a public hearing on June 24th, 2025. Second. Any discussion? Roll call
Christie. Miss Acy, yes. Miss Darte McCarthy, yes. Mr. McN, yes. Mr. Tani, yes. Mayor Fields, yes. Motion carried. Approval of minutes for April 29, 2025 open session minutes. Can I have a
motion? So move. Second. All those in favor? I I. Executive session Christie. None this evening. Mayor, may I have a motion to adjurnn? So moved. Second. All in favor?
I