e e e e e e e e e hello everybody can hear me yeah we'll
start in just like a minute so everybody grab seats yeah all right everybody thanks for uh coming out to the February luncheon looks like really attendance for today I'm putting my face as close as this microphone so hopefully this is good uh
can we start with the uh Pledge of Allegiance I pledge allegiance 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 and then
Reverend murky for a a blessing welcome everyone come back next month this is awesome it's really good to see you God thank you so much for the blessing of your presence thank you for our city and and County for the investment in businesses in nonprofits
in churches and schools I'm just so great grateful for all who are represented here today I pray your blessing on our mayor as he brings his state of the city address and God I ask that you would lead us forward by your grace in all things as we share in this meal may it nourish and strengthen us
that we may serve you well for we ask it in your name amen thank you sir uh just a quick uh shout out to the dignitaries obviously mayor romic commissioner suie I don't know if Miss Taylor um came in while I
was up here but if not no okay so just a shout out to the dignitaries in the in the room the elected officials uh uh I meant to start off by saying go birds so obviously go Birds that's the first thing I should have said um uh might be
on the board but thanks to our growing sponsors just to acknowledge them our Diamond sponsors Arc International Duran mville Savings Bank Ocean First Bank sponsors mince insurance and Allen Associates silver members in spe Health city of milville the Authority South
njmp and Christy funeral home so thanks to all those for for being uh various uh sponsors for us um and obviously a big shout out to the njmp today uh I know with the the snow overnight and everything that everything was really
will plow um should be a really solid event so really big th thanks to them um for the lunch's host I'm going to get Gary up here for inspir just to say a few words wherever he is good gotta put it real close to
it a shound good that's good okay first of all it's a privilege to be here to represent the spe and Foundation our team is unbelievable and those of you on the foundation Team stand up and I want
a round of applause to these guys come on guys come great thank you and again I want to give a shout out to the road department mil road department Motorsports for clearing the roads we came in from violent roads were perfectly clear and
I'm sure milville I'm sure the mayor must had something to do with that the roads were clear I'm sure his and thank you all thanks Gary uh just another few words for the urban promised M group if you want to get up for a new member just
to say a few words here hello my name is CH Smith and I'm the executive director of I'm here with my daughter need today we both work part time atomas campden as high school math and English teacher years and I worked their on an off since
2017 um and I just love what they do in Canon I think it's really unique and different um the way they walk alongside children from elementary age all the way through going into college and how they invest back into their community and it's really important to me since I live in mville to um be someone who makes the
city better um so this is our first like year board approved that we ran anything so this past summer we did uh a free summer camp for six weeks for kids in milville we primarily served kids in this like the numbered streets from second to 10th um we had over 30 kids
attend and we fed them over 700 free meals um we also are running a new after school program and we hope to open um an urban trackers program in a fall which connects Urban Youth with outdoor experiences that they might otherwise not have so um it would be great if you
just like follow us on social media or just make a mental note of us cuz we're new and sometimes it's just hard that like momentum building as a nonprofit so thank you for having us today that's great thank thanks for uh everything you do thanks for coming out appreciate it um uh last thank you is
for Mr dagel on the back for being a sponsor want to say an awards sponsor or awards host for today so thanks Don for usual and then um let me turn over to Jerry to say a few words make some announcements okay thank you Mr
President welcome to everyone uh what I would like to do uh this is a 2025 a new 2025 tradition so uh members of the Board of Trustees of the greater meville Chamber of Commerce please stand if you are in attendance today
there we go what a great group of people the and I I can tell you these are the movers and shakers that are really delivering a new vision for the chamber a lot of new things we are introducing this year uh my gosh it's good to have
some youngsters On The Board of Trustees all those great ideas so thank you for all the work you do on behalf of the greater Melville Chamber of Commerce uh I I'd just like to kind of reinforce what Christa just said uh I
would respectfully suggest when you have some time go to the urban promise mville website so you can Google that and as soon as you do Urban promise milville that site comes up they are part of a national National Organization
uh they are doing really cool things across the city so a new nonprofit it would be great if we could help them kick start an expansive fundraising effort and get some dollars in to support what what they're doing I think
once you go online and see the efforts they are putting in for our young people across the community really empowering them to be leaders it's a really neat program so please check that out um I'd like to uh
welcome our newest members Christa and her organization is one of our newest members we also have full circle training uh the milville Moose Lodge and impact fitness and martial arts so welcome to our newest members uh just some things coming up March 12th right
here at njmp we will have a special event in collaboration with the greater vinand Chamber of Commerce our keynote speaker that day will be New Jersey senator Michael Tesa who will provide a Trenton update this will allow this the Good Senator an opportunity to brief us
on some key issues affecting the state and most importantly South Jersey and Cumberland County tickets are on sale through the gmcc website and also the Vinland chamber website so I would suggest you get your tickets for that we
expect a large crowd on March 12th on March 27th we will be hosting an after hours networking event at Mission spirits on Buck Street uh check the website for details on that and a thank you to everyone who participated in the nomination process for the 2025 pride
and Melville event uh to be held May 22nd at the Levoy Theater uh award recipients will be announced shortly so look for that announcement through chamber emails and also on our social media with that I would like to
introduce former gmcc president donel to make a very special presentation okay I was uh happy to be asked to do this today um you the person I'm going to be introducing or basically saying thank you to is uh someone who's
been on the mville board for close to 20 years um and he's retiring from our board and we just want to say thank you he's received numerous Awards so we're not calling this another award because he didn't want one so what it is it's
it's a thank you to Chuck wble uh for being on the board since the early 2000s he's been a board member not just in name but he's been on just about every committee not just on the Committees but the chair of the car show for years um
organized the Christmas parade with you know wouldn't happened without him uh pride and milville committee he was the vice president for years before becoming the president he was also during my reign as president he was the uh Treasurer so he served in every capacity
and um welld deserving of you know a heartfelt thank you he's a consumate gentleman uh someone who made every board member feel better about the job they were doing so um Chuck thank you come on
up [Applause] thank you very
much thank you very much I appreciate this it's great to be honored and u u just want to say it's been a pleasure it's been an honor to serve on the board um I also want to say I think the board right now is really strong I want to thank Jerry Dan for doing a tremendous
job of guiding the chamber through the years and um thank you very [Applause] much okay uh we will take about a five minute break and then we will introduce
our keynote speaker for today we're looking forward to that message so enjoy your lunch TD Bank sees millions of transactions but we never forget it's the humans behind them that matter most so even though we're leading changing where and
how people bank and we have the financial strength and Industry expertise to support small and Global businesses we'll always believe in putting people first and believing that is how we're making banking unexpectedly
[Music] human e ser e e are good e e e e e
think e e e e TD Bank sees millions of transactions but we never forget it's the humans behind them that matter most so even though we're leading changing where and
how how people bank and we have the financial strength and Industry expertise to support small and Global businesses we'll always believe in putting people first and believing that is how we're making banking unexpectedly
[Music] human e spe really e e e e e e
e e thank you Presidente uh my voice is uh almost recovered since Monday but since Rob say it first I will Gober congratulations to Super Bowl 59 Philadelphia
Eagles um so if I squeak or stumble a little bit blame the Eagles for and uh not me for screaming at the TV um for 4 hours straight and then 4 hours afterwards good afternoon Melville I'm proud to be here today and also honored to be your mayor of mville I'm excited
to share what's happened in the past year and as well as to tell you what is currently ongoing with the city and what will come this year first let me thank all of mville City's employees for their hard work and dedication for making 2024 a successful
year and to continue on through this year let's talk talk about what's happened this last year and how those events will impact today and the future in January 20124 we we got delivered Tower 30 Tower 30 is a brand
new 100 foot ladder truck that assists in all dwelling and dwelling and fires in the city of mville for the mil mville fire department went operational in May of 2024 we remember leavon meets I talked
about it last year we had a wonderful grand opening ceremony with the chamber and great attendance a lot of the city Representatives all of the leavon family from Italy was there and I say a warm day but we might remember it was rather
very very warm um I remember deciding whether I should go between a black suit or blue suit and I went with blue and still wasn't the best option and with on beyond that the relationship that the city of milville has bu built with the Chamber of
Commerce in the city we have installed new leadership and with that leadership such as business administrator Joe couchi has a great relationship with executive director Jer CLL and the city has grown together and collectively with the Chamber of Commerce to better part
both the city and the Chamber and I just want to thank both of you for allowing the city and chamber to do that we talked about how the milville car show and milville Christmas parade was in long term operated by the milville Chamber of Commerce in the end of the last year
they wanted to give it back to the city and we wanted to continue doing great things with those car shows and Christmas parade and millville's car show last year we had over 200 Cars all the way to Broad Street and a quote I'm about to say from Mr Rob bruny of bruny's breakfast and
burgers he got lemonade for all his employees and was walking back to his business on High Street he says I quote in 10 years of business here on High Street this is the most people and carves I have seen the milville chamber parade yours
truly was Grand Marshall over 100 Parade entries and over an hour and a half long it was a great turnout I love seeing the Christmas spirit I love celebrating all the wonderful times in mville and that is a tradition that will continue from now on with the city and through many
many more years to come and you got to love mil because I parked on High Street after the parade was over and uh somebody stole my sign uh uh from my truck but what are they going to do with it um I am the mayor it says the Grand Marshall for the Christmas parade but I still have
one last year I talked about infrastructure and how positive infrastructure creates for City growth we paved luro Lake three roads it's a start more to come 29 new homes were built in the City of
Melville last year new businesses and these are all new businesses that opened at Union Lake Crossing last year Sketchers Bath and Body Works Old Navy crumble cookie Five Guys fun
city and as well as inspir health a primary care facility that will host doctors for patients in all of mville and all of cumland County to receive their Prim Primary Care at a wellestablished popular Shopping Center
in mville I was there for their grand opening I got to speak and present about how this will help the community the city likes to focus on how it can help its Community with businesses and events and things for all ages for people to attend but inspir
Primary Health will be there for everybody that needs that exact thing their Primary Health Care I thank Amy Manu and Robin Walton which before that day I actually met at their inspir golf reception party for
the very first time and they were like hey we'll be in milville I be like oh yeah I'll be there tomorrow too see you there new businesses that we be coming to Union Lake Crossing so far Jersey Mike Subs which will be opening in the spring and poke Bros poke
bows which will be opening in the winter I mentioned last year about $1 million sewer plant upgrade this wastewater treatment plant third secondary clarifier plant upgrade will begin this spring I had to copy that verbatim from engineering because that
was a mouthful and I had to make sure I said it right thank you engineering staying with engineering upgrades within the city Ireland Avenue Force main replacement will begin in the in the next few weeks as well as Woodland Avenue water main replacement once again
happening in the next few weeks Ginger Avenue mult Municipal Aid Grant Road improvements are currently in design upgrades to the city water system to increase capacity remember I talked about improving structure we're doing
it here's one that a lot of people will like because it's been asked for years and years Pleasant Drive Road improvements out to bid this spring Mr Paul Decker you're welcome got a lot of comments about what's that weird structure going up on
47 near the electric substation well it's a temporary structure for ground remediation for South Jersey glass gas that is all I know if you have further questions please contact the engineering department for six floor City Melville 15th Street was sold why was it
sold why didn't we keep it it is a valuable ratable to somebody else than the city of mville it has rail access and its location in the Mike lardis industrial park that access to 55 is pivotal for businesses and what they want to do and
bring for their industry and be able to move product not only by truck but by rail parks and public properties has moved to Wade Boulevard the former gelli Bros Warehouse with the move from 15th Street we have
to move documents and I would like to thank the board of education for their help and for us to continue to grow our partnership with one another it's a snow day for the board of education at least for the students but Matt mazone good to see you here we are in the process of meeting
with the acua to extend our partnership going forward with B waste this is a big one cannabis 2024 brought us our first check from our first live grower in mvo construction of third eye Farms
growth facility is currently underway on Cedar Street retail retail will soon happen in the city of mville businesses please do not call me yet I said soon in government that means
months but it is of the topic of discussion as on Monday the planning board talked and discussed and more to come I'm going to elaborate on that retail cannabis cannot be
Diversified from any other business it is a retail business and with unlike any other business in the state of New Jersey it provides a 2% tax to the municipality the biggest question we get not to me but especially my business
administrator probably 15 phone calls in a week hi we're so and so company do you have retail yet no well now Joe you have more power to say maybe CRP commercially realy Partners last year I talked about that how here
in the James R Hurley industrial park we had almost all or soon to be all sold contracted or in negotiations the city of milville sold over 240 acres to commercially Roy Partners a veteran owned and operated
business company in North Jersey with a commitment through the City of Melville and through CRP of five warehous and a 200 room Hotel it does come with a caveat 30-year
pilot program and what does pilot stand for payment in lie of taxes with that 187 million will be granted through all three phases to the city of milvo I would like to thank Joe
Nitti and as you have said and I quote CRP is committed to mville and your help has been invaluable together we will will have success in make mville a strong logistic submarket end quote NAB
Avenue talks with the county will happen but I just learned from watching direct oar's interview with Jim Quinn on Monday he said something that would be way more beneficial to the James R Hurley industrial park and I quote Mr
sorrow I want a bridge end quote director we will talk we've got a lot to talk about what else is coming to the city groute 47 development it's Woods right now but
it's the corner going into Walmart past Wawa and the M Che cashing place as you're heading north out of the city towards vinand on 47 it'll be a Raising Cane Starbucks with a drive-through Aspen
Dental veling Quick Service and other businesses to come that will occupy the remaining open storefronts so businesses if you need a storefront don't contact me please contact rout 47 developers or contact me and I'll get you in touch with
them that is it'll be a tight and interesting area but it's all for the growth of mville a city being over 40 miles wide we need not to focus on one certain location we have to focus on all
locations whether that's improving downtown whether that's improving the Mike a lardis industrial parks the James R Hurley Industrial Park uh Union Lake Crossing on 47 somewhere both North and South
directions we need to focus on all and everything within the city of mville to continue to grow and move forward I was just speaking about Route 47 development uh city engineer Wayne Johnson just told me here I don't
know half hour ago said we had a good phone conversation with them worked out a lot of The Kinks um it is a because of a natural uh waterway in their property it's going to be a tight tight compact area but uh it's good to see that the
city is working well with the grout 47 developers and making this project uh go forward in fruition here's another big one route 49 Bridge or City Hall
bridge that will be replaced NJ do is reviewing the project with a probable this is government's talking probable start date of this summer uh I don't like it as much as anybody else of you probably don't like it that either live on the west side and
have to go to the east side or live in the east side and have to go to the west side uh it will be a headache uh I don't think and I probably could say I don't yeah I don't think but that the NJ do knows how busy
milville at from 3 to 5:00 can be going from one side to the other and then you want to close a bridge or make it one way one day that'll be fun I met a lot of great people since becoming the city's mayor in March of
2024 I enjoy attending events both near and far to promote Melville and what it has to offer growing relationships that are already established and building new ones all benefit growth for many parts of the city 2025 will be a successful year and
I'm excited to see what will come in the future I'd like to thank the staff of City Hall through floors five and six and out on South 2 Street commissioner suie for being
here M police chief Hoffman EMS Chief PHS thank you guys thank you County business administrator Kevin spata I look forward to working with all types of businesses legislation all to
better the city of mville and to create good Partnerships about that future I want to continue to be your mayor of milville through the year 2029 I'll be running for my reelection
and hopefully be able to serve you as your mayor of mville I thank you all for attending all that showed up I really appreciate it thank you [Applause]
questions Mr President yep right right over the Mars River yeah yeah State Road 49 no East Side to West
uh take a grand drift which I just new was a county Ro questions comments complaints anybody a Chiefs fan you want High Street Buck Street Second Street uh you want me to talk about
wheatens High Street let's see High Street is so there's a lot that can be and will be happening to High Street uh you can look if you're looking at the Levoy Theater you can look to the left of it the old fats building over $2
million was invested through private in individuals there's plans they have ideas I don't want to give that light yet but something cool will definitely be happening right next door to the
Levoy that not only citizens and people visiting will be able to utilize but also performers when they come to the City of Melville oh you can extrapolate uh we always we're not
forgetting about downtown we know that it's a thriving area um and through uee and NPP um were able to have many many events that like I talked about last year but we had the uh Holly City fest
is that happening again Sam do you have a date so Saturday August 30th is Holly City fest last year there was over 70 vendors three live bands it was once again nice and warm um but
it's a great turnout just for not everybody that lives in milville but for everybody that lives in cumland county in South Jersey and it's all just to promote vendors near and far and the businesses all on High Street I remember meeting a a company of
um organic dog food uh they weren't they were Atlantic County residents and they saw this was a place to sell their product and they had a good turnout um cuz uh that was an event oh one of the main many things that last year was uh
Quinn broadcasting like to give me a microphone at all the City events and run around and talk to all the businesses uh and not many businesses are as outgoing or uh want to be interviewed by some random young guy that says Hi I'm the mayor mville what's
your business and they all like to point at each other and say well Susie you you can talk about our organic dog food but uh uh there's many events that are forthcoming you could check uh visit M and J
um our Facebook page is back online City website for all our upcoming events that are um obviously one that event is five months away six months away uh so always downtown is for the events but always to
bring new things downtown and unfortunately I can't talk about a lot what could or will happen um at least not today but when I know and I when I can share the news Jerry you'll be the first to know any further questions
comments anybody going to the parade on Friday Hopey thank you all thank you Chamber of Commerce uh thanks mayor uh great presentation um he's also a chamber board member so I don't know where he finds the time but somehow he find some time for all us
helping our community so uh just a quick presentation Mr powerb back's going to bring something up thank you rob yep well done young man congratulations on behalf of the chamber and as the directory Meritus of the New Jersey
Conference of Mayors we'd like to present you with this pair of goldplated mayoral cufflinks to match the one on your lapel now and these were given out to all the Mayors in the state back in 1998 and as best as I can figure you
might have been learning to ride your tricycle as best I can but job well done thank you Mr fabeck thanks uh yes I was three then again uh thanks van romic great job um we're all honored that you came here and thanks again thank
you uh that concludes the the V for today doesn't conclude it business card a beair a beach chair and two free lunches this I just want to make sure everybody sa the DAT Thursday March 27 we haven't had one for a while we've got
a mix set up just Mission spirits and we're going to have a good event it's be 5:00 to 7:00 registration link is not live yet on the website but it will be so look for there's 50 or 60 places available you will have to
$25 work on $25 you get a free drink uh there's going to be plenty of food and good time good mix THS March 27 one right here first one Tower hospital I Olen
[Applause] one more uh Carol Central [Applause] Bank oh one more Don you know what Don
one more we got another beach chair not done yet wait don't pick the same one though sh right the rain Spencer can't [Applause] win conflex yeah always wins right got
seven here you're the winner you're the winner my friend all right it's Gary um anyway so that yeah that concludes the event we have um next chamber lunch March 12 it's a uh uh co- chamber so that'll be on the website so register
when you can and without further Ado that's that's [Applause] itce this has been a QBC television production in association with our partners and sponsors QBC broadcasts on Comcast cable channel 22 and live
streams its programming on Facebook and YouTube All Rights Reserved by Quinn media and QBC programming that serves the South Jersey Market for