Good evening and welcome to the township of Clark Council meeting on Tuesday, February 17th at 7:30 p.m. Roll call, please. >> Council member Hoff, >> here. Council member Hund, >> here. >> Council member Maserella, >> here. >> Council member Maniti is absent. Council
member Okconor >> here. Council member Tol >> here. >> Council President Smith >> here. Please stand for the pledge of allegiance and a moment of silence. >> To the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God,
indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> Thank you. This meeting is in compliance with the open public meetings act chapter 231 PL1975 as adequate notice of this meeting has
been provided by mailing the annual schedule of meetings to the star ledger the leader and the union county local source by posting such annual meeting schedule on the bulletin board in town hall reserved for such announcements the official website of the township
ourclark.com in compliance with the PL 2025, C72 effective March 21st, 2026 and the proper filing of said notice. Formal action may be taken at this meeting.
>> Thank you. All right. First order of business, we're going to have an executive resolution to go into executive session to conduct discussions regarding litigation. Matthew J. Plackin verse Clark Township, docket number-l. Can I get a motion?
>> Thank you, Council Member Okconor. And a second, Council Member Hoff. All in favor? >> Any oppose? Let the records show at 7:32 p.m. We're going to go in executive session. We'll be back shortly. Heat. Heat.
Come on. What Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Hey, Heat. Heat. Heat.
Heat. Hey, Heat. Heat. Heat. N. I want to do. Heat. Hey, Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. N. Okay, we're going to resume the public meeting. I like a motion. >> Thank you, Council Member Okconor, and
second, Council Member Maserella. All in favor? Bonds, let the time uh be noted at 8:13 p.m. Okay. Now, we're going to move on to communications from the mayor and reports of township officers, Mayor Albanesey's.
>> Thank you, Council President. Okay. The first thing I want to cover is um little update on the lawsuit that was filed by the New Jersey Attorney General regarding historical policing practices in Clark Township.
Uh so let me be clear at the outset. The remarks that were reported from years ago were offensive and unacceptable. They do not reflect the values of this community and they do not rep represent the standards this administration
demands from anyone who serves here, serves the public here. At the same time, it's important that the residents understand the full context that in 2020, the Union County Prosecutor's Office placed the Clark Police Department under formal
oversight. That oversight remained in place for more than five years. During that time, policies were reviewed and strengthened. Additional training was implemented, supervisory structures
were enhanced, and accountability mechanisms were reinforced. When the county prosecutor's oversight concluded, the state attorney general's office implemented a law enforcement monitorship through the Department of Law and Public Safety's Office of
Policing Strategy and Innovation. In written correspondence, the attorney general acknowledged that no systemic problems requiring continued oversight had been identified and recognized the reforms that had been
successfully implemented. A November 23rd, 2023 report similarly stated no instances of biased based policing or misconduct conduct were found during that oversight period.
In summary, there are no new allegations, nor has there been anything uncovered that wasn't part of the 2020 super session. I am the mayor of Clark Township, and I and can assure you that the leadership of this town and this administration is
committed to professionalism, transparency, and ethical conduct in every department. This administration is and we are committed to professionalism, transparency, and ethical conduct in every department.
This matter will proceed in the court where it belongs. Here at home, our responsibility is to continue serving residents with integrity, to maintain high standards in our police department, and to to ensure that every member of
this community is treated with fairness and respect. Clark Township is not defined by isolated misconduct from years past. It is defi defined by how we respond, how we reform, and how we move forward.
And this administration will continue moving forward. Okay, moving on to tonight's agenda, some of the items that I'd like to touch upon uh which I can discuss as we get to them. But you'll notice if you looked at
the agenda, um there are several ordinance on ordinances here. And as you may may recall at our meeting in late January, I told everyone that we had reached an agreement with the fair sharehousing center. We're committed to imple
implementing the many housing element and fair share plan requirements as amended. The administration has been working with our planner Paul Ricky, our legal adviser, and the council to ensure that the long list of tasks that needs to be completed is done timely as is
going on in many other towns across the state. Tonight, we'll be introducing ordinances 26 there 6, 7, 8, and 9. And all of these are part of the items that we need to get completed. And I want to thank Jim Olrich and the
council for all your work in making sure that all these tasks are completed within the deadlines. Um my other comments I'll hold uh for the end of the meeting. Thank you. >> Thank you, Council Member Huff.
>> Thank you very much. Um, regarding the township report from the library for February, um, in January, the library had a total of 7,771 visitors and recorded 16,718 online visits, excuse me. All of these
events are found on the library's website as well as their Facebook page, but they are hosting um, at the library the Revolution New Jersey traveling exhibit, which is taking place from it started on Valentine's Day until March 1st. And there's all things that are occurring during the American Revolution
specific to New Jersey. There's take your ch children to the library day on Sunday, February 22nd at 2 p.m. American Sign Language Story Time is taking place Thursday the 26th and Betsy Ross um event is taking place Tuesday, March 3rd, as well as a Celtic music journey
with Heather Mulby is taking place on Thursday, March 5th. Um being part of the library has uh board has been wonderful. There's some improvements that are going on over there as well as um amazing increases in resources, library of things, museum passes, etc.
So, I encourage everyone to please uh visit the library, visit the website. I'm sure you'll find something that's of interest to you. Uh that's all. Thank you, >> Council Member Hund. >> Thank you, Captain President. I have the Clark Police report for January 2026.
We saw a total of 1,810 calls, 589 which came in via 911 for service, including but not limited to 122 for ambulance requests, 65 alarm calls, 41 fire
department responses, 70 motor vehicle accidents, 26 shoplifting and thefts, and four fraud and identity thefts. There's a total of 19 arrests, including but not limited to six for warrants, nine for shoplifting, two for robbery,
one for burglary, and one for aggravated assault. The Youth Aid Bureau handled a total of eight cases, including but not limited to one for motor vehicle theft, one for shoplifting, and two for harassment. That concludes my report. Thank you, Mr. President.
>> Thank you, Council Member Maserella. >> Yes. Thank you, Council President. This is my DPW report for this evening. Uh, please, ladies and gentlemen, remove all the basketball hoops and nets from the roadway. It impedes our cleaning efforts. So,
please, it'll make it safer for us and our equipment. Electronic drop off um is February 28th from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. behind this building in DPW yard.
An ID is required. Please remember that. Spring cleanup begins this March and it runs through April. Bulky and appliance pickup resumes this March, weather permitting. Uh please, ladies and
gentlemen, if you're going to throw out to discard refrigerators or freezers, please take the doors off before you put them out. It's required by law. They will not be picked up if the doors are on. Um and appointments are required a
week before your schedule pickup and DPW has been making available outside the gate 16 in wood are free for the taking. Please do not make a mess and when the bin is empty we will replenish the bins
as it becomes available and please no splitters or chainsaws. And for more information, go on to dpwourclark.com or call DPW at 732-42864 A42
for more information or www.ourclock.com for all your schedule and service pickups. Thank you. That's the extent of my report. >> Thank you, Council Member Okconor. >> Thank you very much. Before I get into my report, as you heard from the clerk, Councilmani is not here tonight and Councilman Metti is a liazison for the
Clark Fire Department and um the Clark Fire Department um definitely deserved to be talked about tonight. There was a uh a house fire on Broadway. Um, not sure if you know it, but about 5:59 in the morning, they got a call that there
was a a fully involved houseire uh to the point where not only Clark, but Cranford, Lynon, Rowway, Union, Roselle, Westfield, and Garwood were on scene or on standby at on standby at the Broadway firehouse. In total, there were 27 Clark
firefighters at the fire, 22 mutual aid firefighters, eight firefighters on standby at our Broadway uh firehouse, six mutual aid coordinators were there, as well as the emergency squad. So once
again, um the house was empty, so no one then, thank God, there was no injuries on the on the fire department side or anybody else who was there. But again, I mean, these are volunteers from our town, right? They're out there going in in fires. And at I believe at two
different times during the fire, the firemen had to retreat from the fire because the the heat was too intense and then they could go back and approach the fire again. So again, you know, thank you to the firemen, thank you to the emergency squad, the coordinators, everybody who was there, the mutual aid from other towns, and we also provide
mutual aid to other towns as well. Um it it's a it's a family community. It really is. Um but I just wanted to make sure that again um we recognize we being the township recognize how important our
volunteers are specifically um in this case the fire department and emergency squad who were there and thank you and e and the coordinators as well. So thank you very much for uh for that for the fire department. So for my report from the finance committee, we continue to be able to meet our current obligations.
And then for the emergency squad for the month of um February, the squad had standby crew, I'm sorry, January, uh the squad had standby crews during the large snowstorm to ensure efficient response times. Mandatory annual OSHA training were assigned to all members. All
required reports have been submitted to EMS Council of New Jersey regarding 2026 activities and membership information. LO SAP information has been submitted to the township. With regard to the call volume, January had 133 calls with two mutual aid calls. This does not include
any calls we were dispatched to but canceled on. The total hours responding to calls is approximately 728 manh hours. This does not include any hours members were on duty but not on calls. Year-to- date call volume is 113. With regard to membership, at this time all
cadet positions are filled, but we will continue to conduct interviews and keep a waiting list. Accrediting um accepting applications for those 18 years and older, free CPR, driving and EMT training. We will now be holding interviews the fourth Tuesday of the
month. If interested, please uh complete an application. Anyone interested can email the squad at www.clark.org or membership@clarks.org. And with regard to servicing the community, the squad hosted two blood drives in January, respectfully submitted from Lorie Sheldon, the
trustee. That concludes my reports. Thank you. >> Thank you, Council Member Tol. >> Thank you, Mr. President. Uh, this past weekend, we, the mayor, mayor, uh, Councilman Hund, and Councilman Okconor, and myself went over to the historic Rawway Cemetery, which is right on St. George Avenue across from Chicken
Delight and next to the Merchant and Jober's historical home of Broadway. And we played honor to our township's namesake. This past weekend, Abraham Clark celebrated what would have been his 300th anniversary. He was born on February the 15th, 1726. And when he
died on fe September the 15th, 1794, he was interred in the historic Rowway Cemetery. He was a part of the Revolutionary War of America and the independence and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Abraham Clark did not live in Clark, but he lived in what was called the fields of
West of Elizabeth Town and his home was recreated and is in Rosel Park now. So, if you ever have an opportunity to go over when the four centuries are open and all the historical sites of the different communities, you can go over and see what the Abraham Clark house was like where he it's a recreation of what
he had and lived in. But Abraham Clark was known in the colonial times as a poor man's counselor. He turned and helped your local farmers to do ascertainive surveys and other things. But he gave of himself and didn't charge a lot of money because most people didn't have a lot of money back then. But Abraham Clark then went down and
became a delegate for the Continental Congress that signed the Declaration of Independence. He put his life and his family's estate and belongings in jeopardy because the British came right through here from New York in through central New Jersey and Union County and went right through Clark actually, which
Clark was a part of Rowway. So, it was only proper that we took the time this past weekend with our mayor and our council members to honor our township's namesake and hopefully bring a little recognition to somebody who we appreciate who put this country together and gave of himself so we might have
what we have today. Thank you. Great. Thank you. Uh from the U recreation department, uh our rec director Ralph Bernardo would like to thank uh Clark Travel Basketball for their constant generosity uh to the
recreation department year in and year out. Uh it ultimately benefits all the citizens uh specifically the children, the seniors. Um, the Clark Basketball not only gives monetary donations, but they recently purchased a new
refrigerator and a standalone freezer which are in the kitchen of the Brewer cafeteria uh, which will be used by any organization uh, throughout the year. Uh, and that's all I have this evening from the recreation department. Okay, we will move on to
uh, ordinances, appropriations, and claims. No objections have been received in connection with the proposed ordinances. Ordinance 2603, an ordinance to exceed the municipal budget appropriation limits and to establish a cap bank
NJSA4A col4-45.14. >> Uh before I open this to the public, I just want to throw it over to our attorney for a quick second. >> Uh thank you, Mr. Council President. Um, it was brought to my attention that in the first line of the ordinance that was
previously presented to you that the citation to the statute is slightly incorrect that has been corrected to say NJSA4 capital A4-45.14 at SEC the A is uh was added and the 14
was added and however I find that this change is not substantive or material. material because in the remainder of the ordinance, specifically in the heading of the ordinance and in several other paragraphs, the correct citation was provided. So, I do not believe this is a
material change and you can proceed with the public hearing and adoption if you so desire. >> Great. Thank you for clarification. All right. At this time, I will open the meeting to the public on this ordinance and this ordinance only. If you'd like to come forward, please state your name and town you reside in. We'll have 5
minutes of duration and when you're finished uh we will address any comments if needed. >> Good evening framer Clark New Jersey. Simple question on this and the way it reads a little confusing. I
do appreciate the clarification of some money errors there. Uh there's a reference to one and a half percent 3 and a half% 1 and 12% is 350 3 and 12% is um 823.
The diff the delta is 470. So, did we already increase it by 1 and a half% and now we're looking to add another 470 to get to 3 and a half%. It's question number one. Question number two, it talks about
I guess a bank for less uh lack of a better term and that for two years. So, that would be carried over into 27 and 28 in case we needed more money. Those are the two questions. Thank you. >> Great. Thank you. Anyone else like to come up on this
ordinance? >> Okay. At this time, I'd like a motion to close the public hearing. So, >> thank you, Council Member Tol and second. Council member Maserella. All in favor? >> Any opposed? At this time, a motion to adopt the ordinance. >> Yes, I'll move it.
>> Thank you. >> Yeah. Can I answer that question? >> Do it at the discussion. >> Where do you want to do that? >> The discussion. Yeah. Let me just uh So, council member Maserelli, can I get a second? I'll second. Second and then any discussion? Go ahead, Mayor Albanesey's. >> Okay, this is a little confusing. So,
what this ordinance is about is there are two caps in terms of raising taxes. That's a revenue cap. And then there's an appropriation cap. And this is money that's spent by the township. Each year the um DCA comes up with a a percentage
of um inflation that can be used and this year they gave us one and a half% increase. I mean we know it's all higher than that but they are permitting one and a half%. Okay. But what you're allowed to do is pass this ordinance and you're allowed
to budget up to 3 and a half% if the council approves it. So you're allowed up to three and a half%. Once there is a good reason for doing this ordinance and that is if you have appropriations that are higher than
the 1 and a half% you can go up to 3 and 12% in your spending. Okay? If you don't go up to that amount or whatever is left in that amount, it can be put into a bank because we know that some years we have more expenses than others. Correct? So that's the reason for this ordinance.
I hope that answers the question that you were asking and it uh after you get this current year's excess that's left to spend and then you bank it and then that bank expires after two years. Okay, >> great. Thank you. Okay, roll call,
please. >> Council member Hoff, >> yes. >> Council member Hunt, >> yes. >> Council member Maserella, >> yes. >> Council member Okconor, >> yes. >> Council member Tol, >> yes. >> Council President Smith, >> yes. >> Motion adopted. Great. Thank you. >> Ordinance adopted. Sorry.
>> Now we'll move on to introduction of proposed ordinances. >> Ordinance 2605, an ordinance amending section 310-30 titled responsibilities of owners and occupants of the township code to clarify section 310-30A
that the entire width and length of sidewalks abooting or bordering their land are to be cleared of snow and ice. >> Can I get a motion? >> Yes, I'll move it. Thank you, Council Member Mezerella. Second, please. >> Second that, please. >> Thank you, Council Member Hund. Any
discussion or questions? Jim, you want to clarify anything? I >> mean, it's um I think it describes itself. You know, the responsibilities now is going to be the full length of your sidewalk. Um you know, we haven't had a storm like this in quite a while. Uh people were just making a two-foot
path and it was causing some issues with people being able to walk, especially in our downtown district. So, we would just want to make it clear um after my discussion with this township attorney, it, you know, it wasn't 100% clear and this is going to clarify that one item.
>> Great. Thank you. Uh roll call, please. >> Council member Hoff, >> yes. >> Council member Hund, >> yes. >> Council member Mazerella, >> yes. >> Council member Maniti, oh, Council Member Okconor, >> yes. >> Council member Tol, >> yes. >> Council President Smith,
>> uh, yes. Public hearing will be on March 2nd. Next one is 2606, an ordinance amending chapter 195 zoning of the code of the township of Clark to establish a new RB-16-2 multiple family residential overlay
district for block 148 lots 1, 10, 13, 15, 19, 20, 23, and 24, and block 131, lot seven. >> All right. Thank you. Can I get a motion? >> I'll move that. >> Thank you, Council Member Okconor.
Second, please. >> I'll second it. >> Thank you, Council Member Hoff. Uh, this goes from New York to Popppler on Rowton Road, I believe. Jim, he's block. >> And again, as you know, the mayor described, the next couple are going to be uh changes on the zoning based on the
fair share housing settlement. >> Great. Thank you. Uh, roll call, please. >> Council member Hoff, >> yes. >> Council member Hunt, >> yes. Council member Maserella, >> yes. >> Council member Okconor, >> yes. >> Council member Tol, >> yes. >> Council President Smith, >> yes.
>> Public hearing on this will be on March 13th. Next ordinance is ordinance 2607, an ordinance amending chapter 195, zoning of the code of the township of Clark to establish the mixeduse affordable
housing overlay district for block 63, lots 5253,54 and 55.01. >> I get a motion for this one. >> Thank you, Council Member Okconor. Thank you, Council Member Hun.
Um Jim, >> um same thing. Um this is Raran Road, you know, from Brookside Apartment straight up through the end of the post office between the post office and the veterinarian, all of Clark and the chiropractor that's prior to the um
Clarkton Center. >> Great. Thank you. Roll call, please. >> Council member Hoff, >> yes. >> Council member Hunt, >> yes. >> Council member Maserella, >> yes. >> Council member Okconor, >> yes. >> Council member Tol, >> yes. Council President Smith. >> Yes. >> Public hearing will be on March 13th.
>> Ordinance 2608, an ordinance amending chapter 195 zoning of the code of the township of Clark to establish a new age restricted/ senior housing overlay district for block 52, lot 15.0101.
>> Get a motion, please. >> I'll move it. >> Thank you, Council Member Maserella. Second. >> I'll second it. >> Thank you, Council Member Huff. Uh, and that's the Grand Centurion's property, I believe. You have anything else to add to that or enjoy part of the agreement? Great. Thank you. Uh, roll call, please.
>> Council member Hoff, >> yes. >> Council member Hund, >> yes. >> Council member Mazerella, >> yes. >> Council member Okconor, >> yes. >> Council member Tol, >> yes. >> Council President Smith, >> yes. >> Public hearing on this will be on March 13th. Ordinance 2609, an ordinance adopting an
affordable housing ordinance and development fee ordinance in accordance with the fair housing act uniform housing affordability controls and NJAC 599-1. >> Can I get a motion?
>> Thank you, Council Member Okconor. Second, please. >> I'll second it. >> Thank you, Council Member Hoff. Jim, you have anything to add for that? This is um an update to the affordable housing ordinance. So from the town, what our responsibilities are uh fees associated with affordable housing when
construction is taking place. Um it's actually 47 pages of you know legal ease and it's gone through we've gone through with the affordable housing attorney, our planner, our engineer, myself and um you know it's what we agreed to you know
increase and change as part of this process. Thank you. Roll call, please. >> Council member Hoff, >> yes. >> Council member Hun, >> yes. >> Council member Maserella, >> yes. >> Council member Okconor, >> yes. >> Council member Tol, >> yes. >> Council President Smith, >> yes.
>> Public hearing will be on March 13th. >> Thank you. Okay, now we'll move to payment of claims. Councilman Okconor. >> Thank you. I have re reviewed I have reviewed the bills um through February 11th, 2026 uh at $152,52186.
>> Great. Thank you. Okay. Now, we're going to move on to the citizens hearing on the agenda. Uh public comment portion of the meeting is to allow the public to bring to the council's attention their concerns or comments in accordance with NJSA10 colon 4-12A and the code of the township
of Clark. Each person addressing the council shall give their name and town in which they reside to the clerk. All remarks shall be addressed to the council as a body and shall not exceed five minutes in duration. At the conclusion of the statements or questions from a member of the public,
the council president has her discretion may choose to respond or not respond. Floor is yours. Frank McCroche, Clark, New Jersey. To try to keep this short because there's too many comments and a lot of things to
do here tonight. So, um maybe if we go back to what was it intro three, uh the wording, I think, uh the BA gave a great explanation and I think I heard that folks in the downtown district aren't
shoveling their sidewalks. So, can the rules that already been um on the books be enforced? Right. It was traveled portion of the sidewalks. Now we're changing it with a lot more
specificity full length end to end not only on your land but on the uh what's the word what you use a budding and adjoining. Um so I'm not quite sure what that means
right and what that means for me as a homeowner from a tor liability perspective. So, if my land abuts somebody else, do I have am I obligated to show this sidewalk? Probably not. Um, but it's just the wording is
I guess intended to be clearer, but raises some things. It doesn't also, if you're going to change it, then add in the crosswalk stuff. I think that would be important as well because I didn't I couldn't find that in the township code. I did find uh for fire hydrant removal
it was 3 foot by 3 foot all the way around. All right. Next the um all the affordable housing stuff. I think it's great to keep FSHC off our tails, right? Because they just wind up
filing injunctions and as I understand they've probably acted against at least 350 towns so far. So kudos on getting this done. Now the question for me is across the board, no matter which one of
the three ordinances, it's all capped at 16 units per acre, right? And if we looked at recent precedent, if we looked at 52 Westfield Avenue, the density there is 74 units per acre. If we look at 8286 is 32 units per acre. And if we
look at uh 175 181 Westfield Avenue, that density is 170 units per acre. So I'm not quite sure what the strategy is. I mean, do we just do this to appease um that and then we wind up coming up with
redevelopment agreements when we know what somebody what when we know what somebody wants to build. Either way can work. Um, just a couple of pointers. Not worth the time. Um,
shared services agreement with Mountainside. I noticed that's a separate freestanding agreement. I thought we had a predecessor agreement and if we are then maybe one should just say this is extending that agreement and made it simple. Um, number 11, uh,
contemporary terminology is no longer STDs. It's STI, not diseases, but infections. But if that's the way Elizabeth names it, I guess we're stuck with it, right? And then tax appeals 15 and 16,
as I understand, those are reductions in the assessment, not reduction in tax. Um and those credits are towards the taps and are they all one shot one time or is it dispersed over various quarters and
you know it's also interesting if you look that as you get further or closer to in 2025 the reductions are more than they were 24 23 etc. I'm not quite sure I comprehend that even though we had uh
our tax assessor uh a while back. I'm still fuzzy on that. Okay, enough for now. Thank you. >> Thank you. Good evening, Dillia Collins, Clark. Um,
I have two two or more questions regarding the affordable housing issue and changing the zoning. um if this zoning was not changed prior to um any kind of selling of the property who
would have to change the zoning if this was not done by the township. My other comment is I thank Mr. Olriidge for explaining to the people of Clark via his explanation of where these properties are. It was very hard to find
information even on the overlay and all the information was took two or three people to figure out what properties were involved. Again, 26 06 is New York Avenue to Popular and
also block third that wasn't mentioned is the Polish Cultural Foundation on Broadway. 2607 is Clarkton Shopping Center and 2608 is the Grand Centurans. So, a lot of
this was on social media, but there are people in town that are not on social media, and I'm glad that it was explained this evening. Uh, also, I'm very concerned about this March 13th meeting at 3 p.m. 2 p.m. on a Friday.
Um, you don't get many people coming to a meeting at 700 p.m. dur 7:30 p.m. during a weekday. Having it at 2:00 p.m. on a Friday, we have a meeting scheduled on March 2nd, which would be the workshop
meeting. Uh, can there be a public hearing at that time? uh so that the people that are working or not available during 2 pm on a Friday afternoon attend the public hearing. Thank you. Oh,
>> thank you. All right. Nancy Toscus Clark. the three ordinances six, seven, and eight. Only seven mentions about the affordable housing overlay. So, is that the only structure that will have
affordable housing units in it? Eight will be the senior housing. That's obvious. And six will be just a multif family dwelling without the affordable housing requirement.
Thank you. Thank you. >> Evening. Uh my name is Sean Keegan Foley and um actually resident of Scotch Plains and hopefully that's okay. Um but I've come here and I'm going to every municipality in Union County about an issue I'm really concerned with. Um, I'm
visiting municipalities across Union County as part of a regional effort to address algorithmic uh, rent pricing by building support through municipal uh, resolutions. >> Excuse me, Sean. Yes, this is just on agenda items only.
>> Oh, we'll have a portion near the end of the meeting where you'll be able to come up. >> All right. I I'll be back. Okay. No, no worries. Thank you. Okay, seeing no one, I'd like a motion to close this portion. >> Thank you, Council Member Tolk. I get a second. Thank you, Council Member Hund.
All in favor? >> I. >> Any opposed? Mayor or Jim, do you want to address any of the questions? >> One of the questions I want to address is what Dia Collins brought up about the dates. Now, the planning board, as you
know, only meets once a month, the first Thursday. So, we'll have the first meeting in March um before they have a chance to look at things and pass those on to the council. So, that's why we need a special meeting because everything's due, I believe, the 15th.
>> March 15th, I believe. >> March 15th. >> So, that is the reason for the special meeting. So, it'll be for to approve items that were approved by the planning board. >> Yeah. The state gave us a very tight window to get this all accomplished and that's the reason for the rush to get
everything done by certain dates. Uh Jim, you have anything else to add? >> Yes, some of the other questions. Um the properties that we mentioned today are in addition to the properties that were in the first, second, and third round. So it's not like these are the only properties. So everything that we
originally zoned in the downtown village district um the Exxon gas station or the former Exxon gas station on Raridan Road um are all still going to be part of the affordable housing. Um and even the uh the gas station they wanted us to make
that an area need of redevelopment that's coming up in the next couple next meetings. So that'll also be done by the 15th. Um the question on uh I guess it's 15 and 16. Yep. That's uh one time credits are
issued uh and you know it's not going to be over you know multiple years and the you know the shared service with mountainside uh I think the attorney you know the shared service agreements are
only for one year and we have to renew them every year. So, we would love to have multiple years, but we we can't do that. And the STD clinic, um, again, that is the re that's how it's referenced in Elizabeth. And I'm not
sure what other things we could do about it. And quite honestly, I don't think it's that important, but I think that got all of them. >> Uh, and just on the on the sidewalk, back to Mr. Makose's uh comments on that. It says sidewalks are budding or
bordering their land. So you're responsible for the sidewalks on your property. Is that correct? >> Um I don't know. I didn't even I didn't even look at that. Hold on. >> I mean I think that might be even
something that's more for the attorney. >> Try to address that. Mr. Council President, >> the budding and adjoining pro uh language is from the existing ordinance. That language is not new to this ordinance. What is new is to make clear
that it is the entire length in front of your property and the entire width in front of your property. Um and a budding is next to uh so it's whatever is in front of you in front of your property that would be the responsibility of that
property owner. >> Thank you for the clarification. Okay. Now we'll move on to uh consent agenda resolutions. >> The following items are considered routine and non-controversial items by the township council and I will and will
be enacted upon one motion. There will be no separate vote on these items unless a council member so requests in which the event will be rem will be removed from the consent agenda to be discussed and voted on following the approval of the remaining items listed
on the consent agenda. Number eight, requesting approval to authorize an emergency temporary appropriation in accordance with NJSA4A- colon 4-20 current fund. Number nine, accepting the donation of one trailer
mounted message sign from the Burrow of Rosel Park to the Clark Police Department for traffic enforcement. Number 10, authorizing the mayor and township clerk to execute a shared services agreement with the burrow of mountainside, whereby Clark will provide
a studio production associate to facilitate the burough's media needs. Number 11, authorizing the mayor and township clerk to enter into an agreement between the township of Clark and the city of Elizabeth Division of
Health STD clinic. Number 12, council as the pool utility authorizing the pool rates and fees for the 20 26 pool season. Number 13, authorizing the tax collector to make the proper adjustments for 100%
property tax exemption of block 51, lot 17 in accordance with the directive from the US Department of Veteran Affairs. Number 14, authorizing the tax collector to make the pro proper adjustments for
100% property tax exemption of block 52 lot 6 in accordance with a directive from the US Department of Veteran Affairs. Number 15, authorizing the tax collector to settle a tax appeal for block 70 lot
28.01/00002 01/ C00002 as authorized by the Tax Court of New Jersey with credit issued in the amounts of $48,83753 for 2024 and 2025. Number 16, authorizing the tax collector
to settle a tax appeal for block 92, lot one as authorized by the Tax Court of New Jersey with credit issued in the amount of $27,356.30 for 2018, 19, 20, 21, and 22.
Number 17, appointing Dante Tigini as a regular member of the board of adjustment to fill the unexpired term of William Helm. >> Can I get a motion to adopt Mr. President consent agenda? Thank you, Council Member Tolk. Can I get a second?
>> Thank you, Council Member Hoff. Roll call, please. >> Council member Hoff, >> yes. >> Council member Huns, >> yes. >> Council member Maserella, >> yes. >> Council member Okconor, >> yes. >> Council member Tol, >> yes. Council President Smith. >> Yes.
>> Thank you. Is there any uh new business on the calendar? >> There's no new business, M. Council President. >> Thank you. Okay. Now, we'll move on to public comments. At this time, I'll open the meeting to the public. Uh public comment portion of the meeting is to allow the public to bring to the council's attention their concerns or
comments in accordance with NJSA10 col4-12A and the code of the township of Clark. Each person addressing the council shall give their name and town in which they reside to the clerk. All remarks shall be addressed to the council as a body and shall not exceed 5 minutes in
duration. At the conclusion of the statements or questions from a member of the public, the council president at his or her discretion may choose to respond or not respond. So if anyone would like to come forward, you have five minutes or duration, please do so. Evening council, mayor. Excuse me for
that before. Um, my name is Sean Keegan Foley and I'm a resident over in Scotch Plains and I am visiting municipalities across Union County. It's part of a regional effort to address algorithmic rent pricing by building support through municipal resolutions and I have shared
this resolution with each municip municipalities clerk. At its core, this issue directly impacts the cost of living for working families, seniors, and young people trying to remain in communities they call home. In Union County, we have seen a lot of
apartments being built and this alone should have brought rental prices down. After all, in a free market, the logic is straightforward. When supply increases, price should prices should stabilize or come down. That is basic supply and demand. And we
should all agree on one thing. Whatever policy path we choose, the market should function honestly and competitively. However, the pricing algorithms that management companies use fundamentally break that logic. Instead of allowing
rents to respond naturally to increased supply or local conditions, the management companies use systems that share data across multiple properties to recommend rent levels that prioritize maximizing revenue, not competition. In
practice, this means rents can continue to rise or refuse to come down even when more uh housing units are built, vacancies increase, or demand softens. So, we end up in a situation where communities do the hard work. They
approve new housing. They absorb the impacts of infrastructure, schools, and services. They take on the political risk of growth. All with the expectation that increased supply may help families. Now, the promised affordability never materializes because
prices are being propped up by coordinating pricing systems. This drives astronomical costs for community members. And so, the attorney general recently has already found alleged price fixing tied to rent setting algorithms used by multiple
developers, including here in Union County. The result is higher rents, less competition, and real harms to families who are just trying to stay in their homes. The resolution simply affirms the principle that housing markets should be fair, transparent, and genuine genuinely
competitive. And currently, New York has done this so the state of New Jersey can achieve the same. As technology advances at breakneck speed, we have a responsibility to ensure that our communities are protected from the unintended harms that
can arise from rapid and often unregulated technological change. Allowing these systems to operate uncheck is like leaving cash out of the bank front count of our bank instead of securing it securing it in a vault. The incentives are too strong and the risk
to the public too great. And finally, I want to add as a former elected official. I understand I was a councilman in Garwood. Uh I understand the time, effort, and care that can go into the work you all do. And I want to be clear that my advocacy on this issue will always come with the utmost respect
and professionalism. And I also recognize that with the start of a new year, budget planning and other factors uh are understandably top priorities. And regardless, I w I felt it was important to show up personally, introduce myself, and raise awareness
about this issue that is actively harming families across New Jersey. Thank you for your time and consideration. >> Thank you, Mr. Foley. >> Good evening. Last time you have to hear from me tonight, Frank McCroche, uh, Clark, New Jersey.
So, want to start this off with a thank you for adopting the ordinances that allowed the stop signs uh the yield signs to be replaced by stop signs. I think there were enough police officers who live in proximity and have been doing the road jobs to recognize the
hazards there. Uh I think it's helping at Hilltop. I think you would have to speak to the crossing guard at Fairview um and uh Mildrid to see if it's helping there. uh maybe a nice painted stripe to show where they should stop and that's
not in the intersection at the yellow line. Um so again, thank you to the police department for that proactivity and moving that to council. Number two, CFD, it's already been mentioned. Um I think they did a always difficult, you know,
when you have such devastation to say that they've done a good job. Um, I mean, think about I'm no longer an active firefighter. I'm a a life member. Uh, getting up at 6:00 a.m. in the morning and being thrown
into an inferno. Um, it's really quite the challenge and I think we owe a lot of thanks to our volunteer firefighters in town. The reason it's hard for me to say gene's a good job which is a devastation
but typically in places like the city of Elizabeth Planefield you have one structure on fire before you know it the next exposures wind up on fire and maybe sometimes in back. So they did a good job in protecting the exposures the
Charlie exposure on Prospect and the Delta exposure on Broadway. the um so what I want to do is knock on wood. Oh, maybe this is this is plastered. Um I think when you look at what the police
department is doing, they're doing a great job. Uh, you know, we read about Cranford, Westfield, continued house breakins, continued theft of automobiles. We're very lucky to have the police department that we have. Um, and I think they need to be recognized
for it, and you know, we should communicate more strongly about that. Maybe one aspect, and this is where council, uh, you know better than anybody, I don't know what the town's tort liability exposure is. We've had
three speed signs put in, right, by ordinance of this council maybe two, three years ago. Those signs are ones that collect data. Are we looking that data at that data? Are we sharing it with the traffic consultant, Mr. Troutman? And are we considering
acquiring anymore? If they're working, great. Maybe we can apply it in other areas. So something to think about, right? The data could be there, but we don't look at it. And then through discovery, we just used identity. Maybe maybe I'm not the attorney.
I think uh when we looked at what DBW did, they did a great job um they really did a great job uh removing snow uh multiple times down my block. So I think it's it's fabulous. And lastly, u some
of the towns are sharing it. I don't know if Claude is doing it. I think I heard from uh one of the council folks that we are planning something for the semi semiquentennial, the 250th birthday. And it would be good
to put that out there as you develop the plans so people can put it in their calendars rather than the weekend before and they're down the Jersey Shore or whatever. So, I would encourage us to be transparent and communicate. Thank you.
Thank you. >> Good evening, council. Um Glenn Fogerty, Clark, New Jersey, live off Lake Avenue. Uh good evening. Happy New Year. I didn't make it to uh January meeting. Uh I want to express my support for I
believe what Mr. Keegan was saying. uh I particularly find some of these algorithms fairly sinister and Orwellian that are being used by these corporate landlords. Also, I am aware of a pattern of some of these landlords uh these
large corporate landlords engaging in a patter pattern of harassment against older residents, particularly those that are grandfathered in at lower rents. if they harass them enough about uh trumped up claims of untidy
conditions or your porch has a a grill on it or something like that. Even if it's an electric grill, they write them up and then they use them as an excuse to non-renew their lease or what and then
gut the place and then charge twice the rent in ex in existing apartments. And this is unfair to especially older residents and people who have been there. Uh I think it's something the township should be aware
of. Uh our older residents are are a key part of this community and that includes renters as well. And these algorithms are very unfair as well. You know, we we live here, we're from here, we love our towns. We shouldn't be subject to
Orwellian algorithms and harassment by out of town corporate landlords. Furthermore, I want to address uh this absurd civil rights lawsuit that was uh instituted by the
outgoing person who I refer to as little Maddie. I want to give him my award as my family on my mother's side came from communist Czechoslovakia. We were aware of Stalinist tactics. So I
want to give him my award for the Lenti barrier award for 2026. Who was Lenti Barrier? He was the head of the Soviet NKVD who engaged in kangaroo courts and and defamation against anyone who didn't fit the
program. I support our police department. Our police department is not racist. You don't want to be arrested, then don't speed along Lake Avenue. I myself, coming from Scotch Plains, have been cut off on the right side on the bridge by
someone going 45, 50 miles an hour, passing me on the right. So, you want to pass through Clark, don't speed. Furthermore, we have Latino police officers. Are they racist, too, Mr. Platkin? So Mr. Barrier said, "Show me the man
and I will show you the crime." So when it comes to this, show me the town and we'll pour on the slime. This is defamation against Clark. This is defamation against our police officers who work hard every day and deal with um
bad actors on our roads and uh for the town to be slammed again because we're a corridor to the Parkway. And people come through here in a rush and they're speeding any which way you go. We have shopping centers here now. There's chaos
in that parking lot at Whole Foods. You want to take your life in your hands some days, go to that parking lot. And I'll bet you a lot of those people are not Clark residents. So I find these this action this parting glass of
hemlock on the part of Little Maddie uh to be disgusting. It's partisan. It's defamatory. And it's an insult to our police department and our police officers. It's absurd. It's totalitarian. And it's
ridiculous. Thank you. Good night. >> Thank you, Mr. Fogerty. Hello, Bill Greb from Clark. Um, tonight we heard Councilman Okconor talk about our fire department and such a great job what they do. Um, they do a far a
wonderful job for the community. Same with the first aid squad. And that's something I wanted to talk about tonight. Um, in the state senate, um, there's some Republicans from southern Jersey that are looking to put in a bill that's going to lower the utility costs
for volunteer fire departments, volunteer emergency squads, um, and bring it down to the minimum cost from what they're paying. It's it's my understanding a lot of these pay commercial costs and and so forth. Um, and an organization like our volunteer fire department, our volunteer first aid
squad that gives so much back to the community, I think we should do something for them. And if it means our council looks into this bill, I um, and passes a resolution from the entire council basically saying like we support it as a town. Um, I don't know if
there's anything hidden in there or not. I mean, I haven't read the whole bill. I read it read it briefly before here and it looks pretty safe to me. Um, but I just ask that the council looks into this to give back to those that give back to our community so much. Um, I'd love to see that for for them. Lower
their costs. Give them some more money to give more back to Clark. In fact, more than their donations give. That's all I got. Thanks. >> Thank you, Mr. Gribs. Hello again folks. How are you? My name is Gabrielle Ruda um from Clark. Uh I
was at a planning board meeting recently um thinking that they were the correct group to ask about an ordinance um related to uh funding from new development going to support a public art program and I learned that it is uh
something that should be discussed over here. So, I'm back again. Hi, Councilman Tol. Nice to see you. Look forward to connecting with you again. Um, so I would like to request that the council members uh create a percentage for art
ordinance to tie x amount of funding related to let's say all new development moving forward in Clark um to create uh a body of um art exhibitions, public
sculpture, rotating murals throughout town, working with uh businesses uh both larger corporations in town and small businesses to create um a more revitalized uh community and sense of well-being and uh a generally warmer,
more aesthetically pleasing uh downtown, particularly Westfield Avenue. But I think it would be something that would be useful in the various pockets of town that we uh utilize every day. So I think along something that is goes
tandem with um asking for an ordinance uh on a percentage for art um would be to create a commission uh public art commission um which I would love to participate in and help um solicit uh members of the community and some of you
find folks as representative obviously the mayor as well if if that's if you'd like to participate um or if you guys want to do that at all. Um, but I would I would hope that you would and uh we could um you know make a much more robust community for our um older
residents and for children and to have people have uh for us to have a different perception about ourselves through art that um honors our history and and focuses on our growth and celebrates industry in this town. And uh also at the uh planning board
meeting, I uh suggested the idea um which uh for the record, the clerk should note it's actually my mom's idea. She told me when I got home that it was her idea and I didn't credit her. But um if anyone had ever uh thought about developing Campbell Place uh in town,
Campbell Place is the small block between Dairy Queen and the Cartsmart um into a pocket park um to try to take back some green space there and uh put some seating and uh perhaps the that
fence that um separates the the public road from the Polish Cultural Foundation. that could be a place that could have artworks on it, murals on it or beautiful lighting or native planting uh in the ground there. Um because it's
kind of otherwise just an extended um you know uh entry ramp uh into into Dairy Queen. So um I don't know if that's something that starts with you guys uh or how that would happen or who funds that. Um, but you know, I'd be
happy to get out there and help jack hammer um that street away to u make it more beautiful for our residents. So, um that's all I have this evening, but I would really love to see art come to this town and uh and and foster that in any way that I can. So, thanks very
much. What happens with the ordinance? >> Thank you. >> Thank you for your time. Nancy Tosscus Clark. I thought it might be a good night for me to bring up an existing ordinance because it's a little bit related to the removing your snow
off of your sidewalks so that people can use the sidewalks. And this happens to be ordinance 347-28, parking restrictions for vehicles exceeding weight limits. I'm not going to go through reading the whole
ordinance, but in general, because it's worded right here, I'll read that part. Only passenger type vehicles which are not registered commercially or used for commercial purposes may be parked upon any roadway within the township. All
other vehicles such as recreational vehicles, campers, trailers of any type, trucks, tractors, semi-trailers, boats, work vans, work equipment, or construction equipment, whether registered commercially or not, shall
not be parked upon any roadway within the township. And there are times of day, basically it's 24 hours a day that they can't be parked there unless they're doing something within 200 feet of where they're parked. Um, sometimes I
feel like Clark is becoming just a big DPW town with all these commercial vehicles parked all over the street. People have driveways that they could be parked in, which they're not using. They're parked close to fire hydrants.
And I think it's um I think it's time the clerk educate the residents because I'll assume the residents don't know. They are not deliberately not following the ordinance. they probably just don't know there is an ordinance. Um, there is
a question I have though on part C of this ordinance where it there are certain exceptions and it's any truck of less than two tons unloaded weight. I'm not really sure what kind of truck that applies to, but that's probably just
kind of an insignificant thing. But maybe I'm wrong, but to me, if everybody's driving around, you have to see all of these commercial vehicles parked all over the streets. And I think something needs to be said to make
residents aware. And maybe by me speaking here, some residents will be aware that watch live or watch it on YouTube. But it probably I think it's more appropriately coming from the government of the town to enforce ordinances or why bother having them.
Thank you. >> Thank you, Nancy. >> Dan Fuches, Clark, New Jersey. Um, so I am happy to hear uh the mayor's statement. It is at least in part what I've been asking or what we've been asking for years um to be said. Um my
hope is that the town isn't going to stop there. I'm not saying that there is been a problem in the recent years. I know it's been pointed out about maybe we shouldn't open up old wounds and stuff, but our reputation is what it is and we
need our leadership to to get us past that. So, I feel like this is a good opportunity. sal's gone. Hopefully those police officers are gone soon to sort of seize this opportunity and and just I don't know almost like rebrand the town.
Um the artwork sounds like a great idea. I just don't I just don't want that statement to be the end of this and then we just say, "Hey, we're so perfect. Nothing's happening in a few years and move on." I think Captain Akaboo and the police department have done a really good job the last few years. Uh point of
pride in this town. I think um you know the volunteer program obviously did an excellent job but these things are not going to be highlighted so long as we have that reputation that we have because god forbid something happens in this town whether we deserve it or not it's going to be on the news it's going
to be same old Clark so is my hope that we continue on beyond that statement maybe meeting with township leaders or leaders of other towns or whatever other ways we can do outreach or or anything um you know we really need to work on
just totally rehabbing this town because I know most residents don't want to live in the town with a reputation of being racist and I know a lot of people in town don't want other people feeling uncomfortable coming through our town. So whether we disagree on how deserving
we are for the reputation that we have, I think we all agree that we have the reputation that we have and we have to fix it. So I thank you for the statement. Um, I hope there's more to come and I hope the police department continues doing a great job that they've been doing. Um, and you know, there's a
lot of good things to say about the town and I know I usually I know I never say anything good about the town when I'm up here. Um, and I should. Um, so I it's it's important to point all those things out DPW. Also, a lot of good and bad in this town, but I'm I'm just hoping that we continue to work to rehab the uh
reputation of the town. Thank you. >> Thank you, Mr. Fuches. Okay, seeing uh no one else, I'd like a motion to close the public comments portion. >> Thank you, Councilman Okconor and second, Council Member Hund. All in favor? >> Any opposed?
All right. Now, we'll move to closing uh comments and we'll address some of the I guess the questions or comments that were made in our closing uh comments. Go ahead, Mayor Alan. Okay, let me start out with um first of all Pat, thank you very much for that detailed report for Jim Maniti on the
firefighters that was really gave a picture of what was happening at that place. And as Frank said, you know, you know, really the saving grace is that first of all, no one was hurt. None of the firefighters, none of the individuals
were there at their house. Um but also it's it's the adjoining properties. we know what can happen quickly um if it's a windy day etc. So fortunately it wasn't windy and they were able to um really do a great phenomenal job. Um,
also Frank mentioned uh the uh well you mentioned the bic quincsentennial, the semiquincentennial, the cester centennial. There's so many different names to acknowledge the 250th anniversary of our declaration of independence including America 250 and
the quarter millennium. So we have our teams working together. Liz will be our communication officer will be sending out um information about all the events going on. Some were mentioned by Councilman Hoff. Um, for example, the Betsy Ross reenactment on March 3rd, I
believe it is. Um, that individual is an excellent um, um, performer of, you know, doing different characters. I think she did one recently at the Westville Library and there are many um, videos online. So, that's one item. As
uh Councilman Tol mentioned, we went out to the Abraham Clark exhibit at uh um not exhibit, the um the uh grave uh to celebrate his birthday, his 300th birthday. And uh which brings me into
the exhibit that's at the library. We have an exhibit going on right now called um it's on loan to us thanks to Jim Olrich in coordination with the board of education John Pingor and others who were involved in getting the exhibit um on our list of places to
visit on the list of places to visit and it's right now in place at the library and it's called revolutionary lives and it's about the average lives of um individuals who lived in that time but um also um there's information about what happened in New Jersey, how what
was going on in New Jersey and which is a very historical place. So hopefully you'll take advantage of that exhibit. Um it's on the second floor and it will be there until March 1st. Takes about a half hour to walk through, look at the items. Maybe it'll inspire you to you to
read a biography about one of the individuals and uh learn more about what was going on in the lives of those people and how it relates to us today, how how we deal with our everyday lives. Um Glenn mentioned uh you know I made me
think about Clark. Clark's a town that's divided. You know, we're we have the parkway that goes right through our town. So so many towns come through our town. We're a cutthrough town and we have about 47,000 cars a day go through our town. So yeah, sometimes people get
stopped and things like that, but the point of it is that there's a lot of people going through this town and um we we'd appreciate if everyone drives safely. I know when you come off the Parkway, you've been going 65 70 miles an hour and you tend to get on roads
like Valley Road and you just want to speed through. So, we don't want to see that. Um, let me see what else. Oh, it's that time of year. For individuals who were 65 in
2024, they're probably familiar with the um PAS1 form. Um, the checks have gone out for the state New Jersey benefits part of them in February. the freeze payments have been paid uh earlier in the year anchor. So now it's this time
of year the new books are coming out for the PAS1. So if you turned 65 during 2025 you can apply for some of those programs and you may qualify for at least one or more of them. So last year we had some
seminars that we presented to the senior citizens and then also had a um meeting here um and we're planning to do the same thing. So the tax collector Laura Caliguire and myself will be here um on April 16th which is a Thursday night at
7 p.m. to go over any questions that people have. We're happy to help um individuals get answers to their questions as well as we're going to be um on the first Thursday of the month, Ralph Bernardo has a senior citizen meeting. At the end of that meeting on
April 2nd at 1:30, Laura and I will be there to answer any questions, explain um information about the program. So, I wanted to bring that up. Um the art um ordinance we can address another time. We can get together
Gabriel and talk about that um what the opportunities are. I hope you'll reach out to our library director and perhaps do some programs over there and think about what what uh you might want to do. And then finally going back to the revolution and um I'm sorry, the
anniversary. If you have ideas on programs, please present them to us. But otherwise, we'll be rolling out information on those items. And then finally, um, uh, Council President Smith, thank the, uh, travel basketball
team, uh, group for their donations. We appreciate that very much. And I encourage everyone, if you're a basketball fan, uh, to go out to, um, the tournament. We have the largest tournament in New Jersey here for basketball. We have 212 teams coming
here from throughout the state of New Jersey and uh everyone loves to visit Clark because it's been getting bigger and bigger each year that program. And the games will continue until March 1st and it's truly March Madness over there.
Games going on and on at the recreation center and at Comf and at the high school. So, it's um it's a full plate load and I I thank the police for stopping by and checking in on things from time to time. So, um if you're a
basketball fan, please come out, cheer the kids on. They they have um 32 brackets, uh 17 boys, 15 girls, grades three through eight, and they've been working hard all year, and we wish them all the best of luck and uh hope they
have a fun time. Um, that concludes my comments at this time. >> Thank you, Council Member Huff. >> Thank you, Council President. Um, thank you very much, Mayor, for the statement you gave tonight. Um, fully support and appreciate everything that you said. Um,
continue to thank the DBW for the work that they're doing. And, um, I did want to add on just the back of everyone else, uh, referencing all of the work that our emergency services are doing. Um especially because my very good friend lives behind that house on Broadway that was on fire and that
family was very quickly relocated out in the morning and uh grateful for the work that was brought up multiple times tonight making sure that um unfortunately for that house but that there wasn't anything uh more catastrophic that occurred for the neighbors. So I was very grateful for that. Um I did want to add too just in
terms of positivity, my son is enjoying the teen center at Brewer. Um I was there the first year it opened. Yes, I was. And uh it looks very different now, but it is occurring from 6:00 to 10:00 p.m. on Fridays from sixth grade up. It is not occurring during the basketball
tournament. So feel free to go. Um as the mayor and other members have said, uh the travel basketball and and the committee that's doing it, not just because it's my brother-in-law, Jason Katz, there I think they're doing an incredible job. Um I was there multiple times over the last couple days. Such
exciting energy, little games going on. So, um it's been really really nice to see all of the activity over there and the concession and everything else that's going on and the fact that they're giving back to the town is especially um appreciated. So, um thank you again and uh stay safe.
>> Thank you, Council Member Hund. >> Thank you, Mr. President. Um don't want to piggy back too much on the mayor or Councilwoman Hassel. I was going to just want to thank the the first responders for everything they've done the last few weeks and everything they've done, not just the last few
weeks, but since I've been on board here and and continue to do the jobs that they do, it puts themselves in danger when they go to situations like that to the police department. Just want to continue to do the good work that you've been doing uh and stay safe out there. The basketball tournament is a fun
thing. My children are older, but if you have younger younger boys and girls that like to watch their friends play, it's a great time to go there, hang out with your kids, and enjoy their friends games. Uh, and that pretty much is all I have for you tonight. >> Thank you. >> Thank you.
>> Thank you, Councilman Maserella. >> Yes. Thank you, Council President. Uh, I just want to take a moment to give a special shout out to all of the fire personnel, the EMS, police, and DPW personnel who responded to that
devastating fire um that we had recently. Uh, you are truly outstanding in your performance and your dedication for our community and well-being of all the residents of our community. Thank you
for that. And uh ladies and gentlemen, please remember as I've said at each meeting, lock your vehicle and your home doors at all times. Uh and if you see or hear or suspect something, don't
hesitate to call our police department. They'll respond quickly to ensure your safety. That's all I have this evening. Have u a good uh couple of weeks and I'll see you then. Take care. >> Thank you, Council Member Okconor. Thank you very much. So, a lot of nice things
were said about Clark tonight by various members of the audience today. And it it's great to see the recognition from our residents that the town is a good town. We have a great police force led by uh officer in charge Akaboo. Um we
have a outstanding volunteer system within our town whether it's fire, ambulance, coaching, uh what have you. I mean this is a great town. Unfortunately, there are some perceptions that are out there that aren't true anymore. Clark is a great
town. It's a great place to be. I think Clark's almost pretty much full. People like living here. I like being on the governing body. I like the fact that I was born and raised here and never moved because Clark's a great community. So, thank you tonight to those who spoke in positivity of the
town and recognizing that Clark is a great place and continues to be and will be in the future. Thank you, >> Council Member Tol. >> Thank you, Mr. President. I'm going to start off with this and I'll keep it quick. 189 Broadway. 189 Broadway. You drove by it every day or if you drive
that part of Clark. 189 Broadway. That's what where the house fire was. You drove by. It used to be a Cape Cod and it got morphed into a larger two-story structured house. The residents have been there for quite a while. The house was built in 1958 59. We know it in town
as 189. When I campaign, hi, how are you? I hope everything's okay. Do you need something? Yeah, slow down the cars. Number one issue out of the homeowner. But when you're driving through the town, you see a landmark house like that, you're like, oh, okay. It's just Clark. It's a part of the community. But when you go by today or
tomorrow, you're like, "Holy cow, you just takes you back and shocks you because now you look at that house and the and the word devastation was used tonight and it's the truth. You look at that house, you're like, did anybody survive?" The intensity of that fire burnt out from the garage first floor up
through the kitchen and took the entire side of the house out. And the firemen, if you look at the website, our clark.com, you they have a video of it showing the process of the fire and how they attacked it. Very educational, very informative, and you learn a lot. But it
shows how they attacked that fire. Incredible. But it also makes me stop and I hope others in this town going, "That house was always there. What happened? It was an incident. It's now an historical event in the history of the township. And we only had when was the question I like to throw out is
trivia. What was the last fire house fire we had in town? Schmidt and Klouse a year earlier. Schmidt and Claus. People we know had a houseire over there. And hopefully I don't have to say this again. In a year's time, they had another house fire. But these things do happen. It's unfortunate. But we had we
had to stop and take a moment and say, "Holy cow." And slow down on Broadway. Because that's the one residence along Broadway always bring up to my attention. It's the cars are speeding. You go down near the firehouse to go into the firehouse on Broadway. The cars are speeding. You're going to get rear ended because people are driving too
fast in this. So, I'm piggybacking two issues on this. But when you see something, go over to 189 Broadway. That's the house number. And you'll see that devastation. You'll be like, "Thank God nobody got hurt." And hopefully people will take the steps to fire prevention and the fire department are
always advising on us and how to take care of your home and make sure things like this doesn't happen and hopefully it was nothing whatever the point is we must take care and watch out for our neighbors. Now a couple other issues got brought up tonight. Frank McFrank we are not going to let the 12 the 250th
anniversary go by without any talk. I will say this to you and answer your question a little bit more informative. We've been working with the mayor. Who else goes out into five inches of snow in Rowway Cemetery on a cold day to lay a wreath to somebody who's been dead 250
years. Yes, we will do more and we will have more for you. I have a whole bunch of ideas in his head and I'm going to You have to put them into a process to make sure that the community can react to it. That there's money there. The labors, the people are there to volunteer. You can't just, oh, I need
you. I need you. I need you. But I know a lot of people when the finger comes pointing to them that they'll get up and they'll help. They always do. And that's why once we get a uniformed outline of what we're going to try to accomplish. I have the ideas. I'll tell you the next date. April 11th. April 11th was the
first town hall meeting in the township of Clark and a cow by the Scutter family walked into the meeting. We did something in 1989. Maybe we'll do it again. We're going to see can we get something together quickly and efficiently and publicize it. Gabrielle
and I had a conversation on the phone and I try to say to her,"Great ideas, but let's see how we can implement your ideas. How do we take a piece of art, what do you use this bottle, if this is art, if you want to interpret this as art, and how do we tell somebody who
buys a piece of property, well, you got to put this beautiful piece of art and hire this group and hire that group." How how do we do we have that right? So I have to go and take your ideas and go to a lawyer who's going to say what what what are you looking for us and we tell them what we're looking to do part if
you're talking ordinances that's great but we have to create by the laws and that's where does this go into the pro plan is it going to cost $50,000 going to cost $50 million you just don't know but that's where you take an idea and we're going to try to implement it into
the governmental system. Okay. Same thing like back I'm going to go back 30 37 years ago when we were doing the anniversary stuff for Clark in 1989. To run fireworks you had to go through the fire department. You had to go to the police department. You had to go through the state, the county. You had a whole
checklist to go through. We did it one year ' 89. Then we did it in 90. And because of what we did, it became a regular occurrence and a part of the township's budget and process. and it ended up getting moved to where somebody who has a part of the job they weren't
hiring somebody they were here it's a part of the recreation which it should have been originally and it was so Ralph Bernardo gets stuck not stuck but he another labor of love Ralph keeps getting all the extras put on him because he does such a great job and we love him so yes Frank we're going to
have more stuff historical when it comes and what we're going to be doing for the 250th Gabrielle yes we're going to have a continued discussion about what we can do to implement art into the community's facade. Okay, that's all I got. Um, ladies and gentlemen, the year is going
to be going quick. So, if you have any ideas, suggestions, you have thoughts, we're here to help. We're we're trying to implement them and make it into a great community. And yes, the township at Clark had a bad reputation. And you know what? It's our job to correct that and make sure the reputation and the
what people think of this town at exit 135 is basically what they say to us. Oh, you you're at 135. We want to make sure 135 is always known as our home. Thank you. >> Thank you, Jim. >> Um, a couple of things quick. Uh, the
commercial vehicle ordinance, you know, I'll work with, um, Liz Cle and we'll get some public relations out there just so people understand, you know, what's permitted, what's not permitted. Um, on the volunteer uh, bill, I think I
just looked it up. It's Senate Bill60004. Um it's actually uh being co-sponsored by Common Omato, my one of my friends. So, I'll find more about it, but we'll actually um bring it up. He's actually
my um senator. So, I'll um I'll see him on Thursday actually at a fundraiser. And last but not least, I just want to, you know, highlight another thing. you know, at that fire, the DPW is out there hand salulting um just to keep everybody
safe. And so it's a it's a combination of fire department, ambulance squad, DPW, police department, you know, everybody's out. It's all hands on deck. And then the final item and that was brought up by the mayor and I just
wanted to um you know, a little bit more detail. I mean, just getting the uh presentation over to the library. It was a combination of the township, the library and the um board of ed who had the truck to pick it up. So, you know, in a lot of towns, the board of ed, the
library, the library and the town, the town and the board of ed um don't work together. I mean, this is a picked up a phone call, John. Does he have the truck? You know, he does called Megan. You know, we have the truck, we'll come and pick it up. So, there is a lot of cooperation in this town and you know,
everybody should be really proud of that. Great. Thank you, Madam Clerk. Do you have anything? >> Uh, no, thanks. >> Councelor, you have anything? >> Uh, no. Mr. Council President, >> uh, the last thing I just want to close with, uh, as the mayor mentioned, the
Clark Travel Basketball uh, board every year. This is the 21st year putting on the basketball tournament. I started with them in the second year uh, when we had about 80 teams and I believe 12 of them were Clark teams. Uh so out of the 212 teams,
they go all the way from Middle Sex County all the way up to Sparter, Montil, uh out west, uh into New York. Uh we played 179 games between Thursday and yesterday. Uh I want to give, um
thanks to Jason Katz, who is the tournament director. He spends five or six months of his time coordinating this um putting all the information out there, getting the registrations, uh getting the teams registered, and then putting the brackets together in all the
different divisions. Um, also want to thank just Jason Ham, who's the president and uh the Clark Travel Board, which I am a part of, but specifically Mike Pazik, who uh retired from his job a couple years ago with Verizon, and
he's been an integral part of this tournament. He sits in the same chair in room two uh for the last 21 years. Uh but he does so much for this town, and his children have been out of this travel basketball league. I believe his
son Michael is 28 or 29 and Michelle is 30 or 31. So he's been out of it about 15 16 years. So he still continues to give back uh and the rest of the board. So it's a huge undertaking and there is a full concession there. Uh if you have nothing to do this weekend, you want to
come uh see children in grades three through eight uh play basketball, boys, girls. Uh it's in both gyms at Brewer. It's at the two gyms in the high school and also at Com Middle School. Uh, it's a fun event and we have two more weekends to go. We have about another
220 games to be played until we crown our champions. So, on that note, I'd like a motion to close. >> Thank you, Councilman Tol. Second. >> Second. >> Uh, thank you, Councilman Okconor. All in favor? >> Any opposed? All right. See you in two week uh two weeks or first. Where are
we? I lost track. First and third Monday of the month. Thank you.