Good evening everyone. This is a regular meeting agenda of the govern body of the burough bloom on Tuesday October 23rd 20257. Call this meeting to order to the [Music] >> Ice to the flag of the United States of
America and to the republic for it stands one nation under God indivisible and justice for all. All >> here >> also happen. This meeting is called to pursuance and
conditions of the open people. Adequate notice of this meeting is advertised in the Harold News on January 9th, 2012. Topic provided to the local news media post. A copy of this notice is available to the public.
[Music] As per state fire code, I am required to acknowledge there are two emerging exits to this council change. the main entrance which you enter through and secondary exit to the left where I am scene there's emergency
exit and door downstairs and out uh seeing none uh we do have one non-aggenda item tonight is um a resolution to add search and rescue member Michael [Music]
so that will a nonident. >> All in favor? >> I wish no one the motion to close. >> All in favor? >> I know John was born
on Saturday. I thank the came out first place [Music] now two kids was good well attended event commission put a lot of work and effort into
[Music] Uh, November 11th, Veterans Day, 11:00 a.m. in Sloan Park. Um, also November 11th, we're offices to close and go to
PW pickup. Um, also a reminder 27th and 28, Thursday and Friday were off to closely pick up um for the Thanksgiving holiday. Uh we have health screenings for the
seniors every second Tuesday 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. in the senior center. We also have health screenings for the non senior group every second to Tuesday of the month 2:30 to 400 pm and chambers.
Um they will check their blood pressure cholesterol and hemoglobin rabies clinics uh Ringwood and Butler are November 1st. The times are posted on the website and on our social media. Ringwood and Butler November 1st,
Riverdale Pops Lakes November 8th, Winnow November 15th. Uh election, as I mentioned last week, Dropbox is in the back of town hall on the one hand at our back entrance. Also in person October 25th to November 2nd.
Um in person, the closest facility we have to residents is State County Community College. That's at 500 Union in Pascal. Um, also, um, I posted on social media and the website Springfield Acres, um, St. County is doing a survey.
Uh, there are QR codes on there. We've had a couple people ask, you can just hardcode on your phone and that should take you right to either the English or Spanish version of the survey. Um, also Rave,
um, if you have not signed up for our emergency notification system, RAVE, please do so. We now have several optins. The opt-ins are public events, uh, office of emergency management, senior center, DPW water, non severe
weather alerts, and severe weather alerts. When you sign up for RAVE, you are automatically signed in for emergency notifications. And all the other optins are things that you just simply might be interested in. Um, and you don't have to opt into any of the
opt-ins or you can opt into a couple of those. So, what's really nice is it puts the choice um in the resident's hands. If anybody wants a flyer, I do have them tonight. Um, I think that's it. >> I think that's me.
Uh, the board of education has submitted to the county a contract for the hire of a new superintendent and they hope to be getting that back shortly. >> Is that the intro? >> Intro. Intro. [Music] >> Um,
[Music] >> no comment. >> Oh, you can go ahead. >> Uh, mayor, just under new business item E, we'll be removing that. It's not ready for action by the governing bodies >> and that's simply either of the board at
least least >> nothing this evening ma'am >> um for me I noticed you guys are here tonight I spoke to Jody at Glenwell Gardens regarding the beer issue um informative because I figured what
better place than a garden center because they have everything and more than what we have in our garden. So, they have a company that comes in and sprays all their their plants that deer eat and it works
really well. I also spoke to um it was it was suggested to me that the county did it at one of their parks many years ago. It was a huge failure because of the um the outbreak of going into a park
and harvesting deer. Um, so it didn't go over really well and it didn't do and this is going many years ago. This isn't recently. And it didn't eliminate the population as what they thought it would. But my suggestion
is if you talk to Jodie at Glennwald Gardens, she will give you a company's name. anybody that is interested in having them come out and spray in their their yards to eliminate most of the problems with deer eating those bushes through those plants. um when we get the
um open public if you want to come up um actually we're talking about if you have a question you can come up now >> if you like if that makes it easier we're talking about so I'm just going to say okay now >> um okay so you
>> um so yeah so we we do spray and know about companies that spray but that's sort of a a band-aid on a bleeding jugular right it doesn't it doesn't fix the problem. Um, so, you know, I've done
I have some more information. I know we talked about, you know, bow hunting won't work. There's no money. Um, so the uh New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection has a program called community- based deer management.
Um, you can apply for it. Uh there's things that are allowed under this program that are not typically allowed. Uh they work specifically with municipalities. They have a biologist on staff that you call. They will work with
you throughout the grant um throughout the application process. If you have town meetings, they will come to the town meetings and serve as educational um resource to provide fair and accurate information about um management
programs. Um there's things that are allowed, you know, we've focused specifically on bow hunting. There's things that are allowed that are not typically allowed, such as um baiting of deer to drive them into a specific area.
And then um you can hire sharpshooters who can use rifles with silencers. Actually, like there are things that are seem really extreme, but that are allowed and actually sort of um encouraged by the state of New Jersey to control the population. And they say
that those methods are specifically um helpful in areas where there are very small um properties and you know it'll it where other methods would not be effective. I can
just tell you I've spoken to some residents that I've know in those areas just in general conversation and I've been questioned about because it's been coming up here and then it was in the environmental on that end of it and the feedback I got
really wasn't good um because most of those people don't hunt or any of that stuff. The problem that I believe I have with it and I used I used to hunt I don't any longer um is its own
residential areas and if you hit a deer and it goes traveling into your neighbor's property goes against this who's going to go take that deer off or the deer going to sit there and suffer? I mean, when you hit a deer and you you shoot a deer, especially with a bow, it
you just don't hit it and it drops. It hit it and runs. You have Starlight Camp up there and all residential around. That's the problem I'm having with it because it's just you just picture a deer falling in
somebody's yard that is not doesn't believe in any of this. They don't hunt. They do anything in the deer. I mean, I can tell you you get phone calls for a deer got hit by a car. want you to take it to the vet, you know, but you can't do that. It's whatever happens happens, they put a deer down. But I just I think
we're going to have a huge um outbreak of people that will be against it up there, but you probably figure that yourself. And the state acknowledges that and that's why they have resources such as a biologist who who
uh you know is help willing to act as a resource through the process. um going to, you know, back to our front saddle river. Um they did uh they had a vote in their town and they asked if you
know they asked would their residents support non-lethal methods of control. And they asked a second question, would their residents support lethal methods? People voted in favor of both. people voted more in favor of the non-lethal
methods. So, they actually applied to this program to the state of New Jersey for for um deer management program and they were rejected because the proposal focus specifically on non-lethal methods. I think it was um trapping and
I guess spaying or neutering the deer. And the state said that's too expensive and it won't work because the state acknowledges that an effective deer management program has to include lethal methods. And I'm a lifelong vegetarian.
I've never touched a gun in my life. I don't hunt. I have no interest in hunting. But I have an interest in the significant overpopulation, you know, of deer in our town and the impact that it's having. Frankly, our
quality of life. >> Let me let me ask you that. Obviously, you did a lot of research in this. >> What is enough of how many you have to harvest >> depends how many you have, >> but how do you know how many you have when you have nothing but natural woods behind you for miles?
>> So, that's where Raran Valley Community College, for example, comes in. Does an infrared drone survey to determine an estimate of the deer population. Um, I don't know the cost now, but I know for example, Riverdale hired Rarely
Community College to do a survey. It was back in 2019. It cost them about $3,300. So, I'm assuming it's more expensive now. But the state of New Jersey, the same program for the deer management patrol program. They also have a grant program, and you can apply for grants
for um the deer surveys, the deer population surveys. You can also apply for grants for um Once you're calling the deer, um there's grants for actually to cover the cost of the cl butchering because you are required to um donate it to Hunters
Feeding the Hungry or something. >> Um but you know these programs typically like if you if you were to hire sharpshooters, you know, you it would be the town hiring a professional sharpshooter to do this. So I think in
some ways that might mitigate the effort the or the concern about deer being injured and not dying because you're actually contracting not it's not just the general public who would be hunting. You're contracting with somebody like this is their job. They know what
they're doing and so um you know they can bring the deer into a controlled area. you can get approval from the county to use silencers. So, people won't even know. I mean, people will know that it's going on because obviously you want this
to be open to the public, but um you know, you want the public to be aware, but it's not going to be horrible and intrusive necessarily the way that people may initially vision. >> I'm personally having a hard time with it, just
>> I know. and I'm going to keep coming back until >> I know you're going to keep coming back, but I'll be honest with you going through this and and like I said, I used to be I didn't really dear enough. I've hunted and and I believe in it. I believe in harvest and I believe in all that, but it's it's just I have a real
hard time having people. You might not have a problem with it. Three houses out, they might go crazy. And I know for a fact when I don't care how good of a shot you are, the deer's gonna run. It's just automatic the shot they run. It could be 100 feet, it could
be 10 feet, it could be 100 yards, you know, and then a deer dropped it. >> So, >> and I talked to some guys that are avid avid >> hunters. They they lot more than I was ever into it and I know them since young and they're the ones telling me deer's going to run.
It's just that's why they have tree stands. you shoot, you sit and wait, and then then you're going to look. >> Were there any other options that the state came up with as far as part of the program? >> Um, well, you know, they're willing to support a combination of legal and and non-lethal methods, but they say in
order for a program to be effective, it has to include lethal methods. >> I understand, but I'm saying besides sharpshooters that could there were there other things besides that >> if you have enough money to spend on them. Yes. Uh there's like trapping and
euthanization which is you know you can do it but it's much more complicated than um you know hunting. You know you have to trap them. You still have the issue of you have to trap them and then you have to euthanize them. Well what
what does that mean? You either shoot them or you use you know some sort of a chemical and and so either way and and that's much more expensive. I just think in the long run it it and like I said it's a wide thing. Everybody can have
their own and uh I just it doesn't say sound humane to me and I understand when people hunt they take the deer or whatever they're hunting for and they use it for food or whatever or donate it to where
wherever. Um, but to to just eliminate an animal because it's and eating plants, I h I personally have a hard time with that. It just to me makes >> do and I and I I I can show you pictures
of my house on the side of the house, you know. >> So, there are some different ways to think about it though and everybody has their own opinions, right? But, um, there is a level of property damage that this caused, right? Um, if if it was a
construction company that drove, you know, drove their vehicle down the street and knocked over a tree, would we hold them accountable for property damage because of that? Right. It's kind of the same thing. >> That's really I I totally disagree with
you there because if a truck hits it, you can go after the truck. If a deer hits it, you can't go after the deer. I mean it's that just that just doesn't me there's there you're two ends of the spectrum. Um I understand deer cause problem they have for many years as I
said probably many meetings I just know the the hunter population of people getting their lights is not as it used to be and then people and I can tell you the camp behind you when I was much younger you used to be a t in there. All
right. You're no longer allowed to because that's the Salvation Arms property and they make the rights to come and go. And then once you get beyond that, you have Campanes and then you keep going past you're into the borders of West Milford deep in the woods.
I think going up to the properties you're talking up by your house and you I'll make the numbers up. You eliminate 20 or 30 deer in this process. the next 20 or 30 are right behind it.
So when does it stop? >> It slows down. >> How much does it slow? I don't know. >> Significantly. And I think that there's other towns that that have demonstrated that. But >> um Sal River
>> and that's when he told me all their properties are 2 acres of greater. So it made more sense there. He was hoping there would be another Bergen County town that would jump on board. I don't think that's happened yet. You've got a lot of heat up there from
presidents >> for doing >> that are doing and some that are for it and some that are against >> kind of like you're saying >> what you said some mater on your property my property I'm for it you're not for it >> and then who's responsible >> responsible my property to pick it up
>> it won't hurt to talk to these people before we commit to anything and it just in my eyes it's you're in heavily residential area with a with a a private community or private organization behind you. Um, if it was if you bordered you
on Glamald, you bordered Northern Green State property, allowed to hunt there, they they just actually just I think they just opened up hunting up there again which should help. They somewhat I would think they're not going to cross over and >> but we'll we'll look into this, but I am
not making any promises. It's very very We have started talking you know we've obviously been coming here we've been talking to you know neighbors and things and you know everyone that we've talked to seems to feel that the deer are a
significant problem and should be >> should be you know that something should be done about them and um you know I'm I'm can't help but wonder if you know a town might survey you know for example the the deer management program. That's one
of the things that they ask for. You know, they ask um you know, for for facts and figures and and one of the ways to obtain that is to survey the residents to ask how many people think it's a problem to estimate how much property damage they believe they've
incurred as a result of this. Um >> if I was to put the survey up there to say a deer problem, you're going to get a thousand yeses. >> Yeah. >> But if I if you have to be more spec exactly The deer are a problem. Yes. To
eliminate the deer, we're going to organize a shoot. I would call a kill a shoot. >> I think the feedback will be >> But that's what Saddle River did. They they liter they had a referendum and they specifically asked, "Do you favor non-lethal methods?"
>> A referendum or just a >> referendum. >> I'm sorry. well late for a referendum. >> Yeah, >> it said they presented two referendum questions to the public >> and I recommend it is very costly to
>> and and it needs to be submitted in August to be on just letting you know procedurally. >> Sure. >> If the bureau was going to do that, it needs to be submitted to the county in August. I think it's 88 days before the
election in order to get on the ballot. >> I just thought the the easiest thing to do was to go have a conversation with the garden center that has >> multiple multiple plants that deer eat because they sell everything. and our garden center, the owners of it. I don't know if you know them or not. They're
just very educated people out cuz that celebration I purposely spoke to Jody who was at our environmental commission 10 and I brought that up to her cuz I don't she said we have a company who's comes in and we don't have a real issue with it when they come. So, one of the
employees at Glen Wild, when we started coming here to talk about this issue, I mentioned that um one of the employees at Glenn Wild Gardens suggested I shoot bottle rockets at the bottle rockets would have report ones that you make
make a popping noise to scare them away. So >> Glen Glenn Wild Greens might not Glen Wild um Gardens might not be the best resource for all >> Joy's the owner very educated. She has a really great employees that's why her
employees might be different but she tells me about I believe it cuz if I have problem with my plants I go to her they come back. What I was going to say, so if again because you know of deer and Bambi and you know
no one wants to harm a deer, there's kind of a an emotional attachment to it. But what if the problem was with rats? Would we say, "Oh, there's rats here. They've always been here. What are we going to do? It's just nature." Or >> you call an exterminator and an
exterminator does it. And that's that's a a you know it's it's totally two different things. A rat is a is an infestation process of mice, ants, >> whatever. But ticks, >> you know, you know, I personally I have
dogs. I spray my yard for ticks. They don't get ticks all over them. I spray my yard. But that's deer waste that again there's about cleaning up your dog waste. How is deer okay? like it there, you know, we cross into some some issues
here. Geese, right? Um, Bo Pond, I think there's been some geese management performed on >> spray. Yep. >> So, so same thing. >> We don't kill, we spray, >> you know, >> if there was some option like that, something to help control the deer. So,
like I think shrugging our shoulders and saying, "Oh, it's it's nature." Oh, well. I I I I think there are examples of um towns and communities taking action to try and manage these situations. >> We've been talking about this for few
months now, right? And we've looked into ways of dealing with it and so far everything we have that's been coming back that we've looked into has not been positive. This might be a little bit different. We'll look into this. Even the person that Mike spoke in up in
Saddle River, um he had opposition and people in favor of it. So even though they did their referendum, they still had controversy over it. But I'm having personally having a hard time with the way we kind of explain how we get it
done. This might be more manageable. You know, I'm not taking a cost factor into it. I'm just taking what can happen. And I personally spoke to a lot of people in the hunt. They said, "No matter how you shoot it, you know, some will drop 10 ft, 100 yards. If a shoot's gun to your
property and falls into your neighbor's property, who's responsible for it?" I don't know. Would they be able to cross lines and take it out or are we responsible for getting rid of it? >> These are all fantastic questions. I
don't know. I think probably the the you know the most important takeaway from all this is that it's a serious enough problem in New Jersey that the state has developed the resource to address the these questions and and answer these things with the consideration of you
know suburban communities like ours which are you know not farmland and and there are you know houses and small lot sizes that need to be considered. So there are there is a resource there. There is you know something that maybe can help support this.
>> Did they mention there's any other towns? I read this whole thing in here that have done this. >> Not specifically, but they that's one of the resources that they offer. If you call them, they will put you in contact with other towns that have successfully um had these programs. I would think
that the public safety and the police would get involved if you're going to change an ordinance because you can't fire discharge >> and and that's one of the things that they do specifically mention that um there are towns that have amended their
local ordinances specifically just for to discharge a firearms for this purpose. and you know that >> they they talk about um you know especially the small lot size that you know one of the things that they require
is like written permission from homeowners who would allow that on their property. Um, and that's part of the the process, but >> this would just be another organization that we will contact >> and see dig into see you know >> what options that they are.
>> Would it be an approach to to get a more, you know, because you're talking to people, you say the people you talk to aren't in favor of it. We talked to people, everyone that we've talked to has been in favor of it. Is there some way to get a
a a better um understanding of how the town actually? >> Well, I think I think the first step is this is sounds a little bit more involved that they're in favor of it. It sounds like what the researching is. So, I think we would contact them first and then we would put our public safety
committee together with our police and do the research and maybe they can come up and meet with us first and see the options and then if we're interested they can come up and speak to the entire at a public meeting and speak on behalf of this this program and see what
direction we'll go. But let's look into this. This will be another option. >> It's too late for a referendum. We understand that you know This is not something that's going to get solved overnight. If it gets solved at all, >> right? >> Um we totally understand that. But um
are there other mechanisms other than you know an official ballot item, you know, in a referendum, a a town website survey or something? >> I think if we get if we go to that direction, it' be sort of like the
survey horse. We just put up on our website. go there and click this, put your opinions in and then if there's and just to get feel >> got a definite answer just >> All right. >> Yeah. >> Thank you. >> Thank you.
[Music] >> Okay. Um did you want to talk about main streets being done? >> You can um I guess everybody noticed that Main Street is almost complete. The striping is being done I believe tomorrow. I
think. Are they still there tonight? Because they were there. >> Uh, no, they left when I came up. >> They did. Okay. I know lower half of Main Street was completely yellow. It looks very nice. They're going to see a different um arrow pointing like like I believe at the Union. So, where traffic
going by the traffic light. So, there'll be some difference. The crosswalks are huge. Um, you'll see that they call that the um the ladder. Basically, the way they they laid it out. There's no rails on the side of it. Um the
stop yield um crosswalk push button things are are operating. I saw them working on that this morning to make sure they were operating. It took a while to to figure it out because they were pushing one at Main Street and then all of them were going on. All right. So they had to reprogram the mains all the
frequency. So I believe that is all done. So Main Street project is um almost complete. You know what I would love to see is down the line for us to replace the ugly
metal posts that hold the blinking signs with maybe something a little bit more black decorative down the line. Maybe find a grant for something like that. Um so that it's it looks a little nicer with what the
lights that we already have on that section of Main Street already have. Okay. Okay. That's pretty much all I have. Um, [Music]
>> all right. Um, item number eight, resolution 202510.8, consent agenda. Do have a motion for the consent agenda. >> Some moved. >> Second. >> Any questions? >> Roll call, please. Crunkers.
>> Yes. >> Rodiano, >> yes. >> Yes. >> Nancy, >> yes. [Music] >> Okay. All right. New business. Adopt a resolution number 202510.18.
Paying of the bills. Do I have a motion to pay the bills? >> Second. >> Any questions on the bills? Yes. >> Yes. >> Yes. >> Yes.
>> Adoption of resolution 202510.19. Appointment of chief financial officer Heather Barking Bush. Do I have a motion? Second. >> Any questions? [Music]
>> Yes. Yi. >> Yes. Rockhurst. >> Yes. >> Graziano, >> yes. >> Item C, adoption resolution 202510.20, award of Ann roadway improvement project
to Mike Fitzpatrick contractors. Do I have a motion? >> Second. >> Any questions? >> Roll call. >> Yep. >> Yes. >> Rockhurst. >> Yes. >> Gradiano, >> yes. >> Hudson, >> yes.
Item D adopts a resolution number 202410.21 award Ann and Elm water improvement project to Mike Fitzpatrick contractors. Do I have a motion? >> Second
roll call. >> Yes. >> Graciano. >> Yes. >> Yes. >> Yes. >> Okay. And we're going to keep this one at that, right? The introduction. You want to move back to >> uh that doesn't matter.
>> Okay. Introduction of ordinance number 26-2025 amend chapter 92 zoning walls. Do I have a motion to read by title? >> So move second. >> All in favor? >> I. >> An ordinance of the burough of
Bloomingdale counties to say state of New Jersey amending chapter 92 zoning of the code of the burrow of Bloomingdale. This ordinance will be referred to the planning board. So second and final reading and adoption will be December 16th.
>> Okay. U motion open up late public comment. >> Oh, I'm sorry. Thanks. Okay. Okay. Um resolution 202510.22
22 to appoint search and rescue Michael Alito um to the search and rescue team. Do I have a motion [Music] roll? [Music]
>> Yes. >> Yes. >> Yes. >> Broner, >> yes. Okay. have a motion roll by public comment. >> Second.
>> All in favor [Music] 6 a.m. Um the stop lights are not working properly. When I was coming down Main Street today, I you know tonight this one person pushed the lights and it starts there. I said, "Okay." So I
stopped and then I kept going and every other stop light was flashing again. I'm looking like what's going on here. So >> okay >> cuz I know a couple weeks ago they were working on it up at the butler and I saw the guy pushing it and I looked in my rearview mirror and everyone was on. So I called the county who was responsible
for them and they told me it was a frequency issue that have to separate them and you push one or all the same frequency that's why they're all going off. So that is obviously not fixed. Okay. I saw the desk working because what happened is when I got to those other lights, it started going off and I'm looking I don't I don't see anybody.
So I went again my car. >> I saw somebody this morning down by the IGA pushed a button and just the one was flashing on well the two on the one side was flashing. The one across from it that was close was not flashing. So they have to fix it.
>> Um as far as um the deer I I agree with you. I I would have a very difficult time with the sharpshooters. I would definitely sorry but there's no way on earth I could ever go for that. >> It's okay. >> Secondly, I live by a bud federal. So
what a deer in federal. We spray the only um plant they go after my mails. That's it. I have tulips. I have I mean daffodils they don't bother with and they don't bother them because we spray.
I have an acre piece of property and I spray. >> Okay. >> And plenty of deer. >> We're on the same page. Look at that. >> Okay. Also on Ratkin Road there's a poor deer. I don't know if you saw the other day. He's got two leg tumors in his
face. >> Should I call animal control on that? Cuz I mean it's just it's it's so it's so sad looking at this poor thing. I don't know if they'll do anything um with it. >> I don't know. That's I'd have to they right. They don't >> No,
>> I don't think they're authorized to even put it down, >> right? >> No. >> Try that. Try and get it out by whatever. But they won't they won't >> take it killed by car. They call space
farm and space. [Music] >> Okay, that's it. Thank you. >> You're welcome. Anyone else? >> See no one. A motion to close. So move. Second. All in >> favor.
And we do not have an executive session tonight. Our next meeting will be November 11th. The workshop meeting at 7 p.m. Have a motion to adjourn. Second. >> All in favor? >> Thank you all for coming out. I appreciate it.