Where is that? You going to go to the south? I was playing a prank on you. My 2000 when I have a mustache. I don't have a password. Look, I can't get locked up. Yep.
I'm sorry. It's I can't get logged in. my paper. It's right here to log in. Are you good? Good evening. Please rise for the pledge of allegiance
and please remain standing for the invocation by the Reverend Canon Richard C. Reed of the Church of St. John the Evangelist. I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for it stands one nation
under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all. The other night, my wife and I were watching television and emergency signal came over the TV and then both our cell phones went off to tell us that there
was the chance of a damaging storm. And the two of us looked at each other and said, "Thank God we're in New Jersey because if we'd been in Texas, it would have been a different story." And the fact is is I think what many
people don't seem to realize is the level of care and protection we receive from our local governments. And that's something and that is one way in which God takes care of us is by virtue of the fact that we have people
with local and county and state governments that care. And the thought that 130 people would die over a million dollars in Texas suggests that um there are some places
where care and concern for others which is a part of my Christian tradition is s sorely lacking. So, I give thanksgiving to you all for the work that you do and for all our levels of government in New Jersey.
Or at least I know I'm not going to drown when I'm camping somewhere. I share with you tonight a prayer that was drafted in Philadelphia at the same time as the US Constitution was being
drafted as a preparing the first Episcopal book of common prayer. Let us pray. Almighty God, who has given us this good land for our heritage, we humbly beseech
thee that we may always prove ourselves a people mindful of thy favor and glad to do thy will. Bless our land with honorable industry, sound learning, and pure manners. Save us from violence, discord, and
confusion. From pride and arrogance, and from every evil way. Defend our liberties and fashion into one united people the multitudes brought hither out of many kindreds and tongues.
Endue with the spirit of wisdom those to whom in thy name we entrust the authority of government, that there may be justice and peace at home. and remember especially those who hold office in this township of Gloucester
and pray that they may feel and experience the spirit of wisdom, charity, and justice that with steadfast purpose they may faithfully serve in their offices to pro promote the well-being of all your people through
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Amen. Thank you. the Reverend and I were in a program 22 years ago called Leadership New Jersey uh where we went through different parts of the state to learn
about how government and our society works. and uh there's 50 of us and 20 he is still the same and I appreciate your words today. Uh thank you very much. Can't tell you how delightful it is to
reconnect with your Orlando. So uh this regular meeting of the township council is being held in accordance with the schedule of the means of the township council established and adopted by the township council which schedule designated the time and date and place of this meeting. Adequate public notice
of this meeting has been provided pursuant to the provisions of the open public meetings act. We are using electronic amplifying recording device in orb to obtain a clear and audible record and we request all those that are wishing to speak be recognized and state your name and address directly to the microphone. The recording device to be
solely utilized by the township clerk's office for the preparation of the minutes and shall be the official record of the township council meetings. Madam clerk, may I have the roll call, please? Mr. Mun here. Mrs. Aubrey Tropsel here. Mrs. Love here. Mr. Nash here. Mrs. Walters here. Mrs. Mr. Mcado
present. Mr. Kryle here. Mr. Curtis here. Chief I'm sorry. Deputy Chief Manazi here. Mr. McIll here. Some of you may have noticed that Miss Winters is not here. Uh Mrs. Winters on
June 25th submitted a letter of resignation effective June 30th of 2025. when there is a resignation uh from council that was sent to myself and also the township clerk and the solicitor uh
the township clerk notifies the party that that individual is part of. So the clerk contacted the Democratic party chair uh Mr. Piccolo and made him aware that Mrs. Wyers had resigned effective
as of June 30th. That position has to be filled within 30 days of June 30th. Within 15 days, the Democratic Party chair has to provide three names from the Democratic County Committee to be reviewed by council.
Those three names were submitted on July 2nd, uh, 2025 to, uh, the clerk, myself, and also the township solicitor. on uh the following uh week on June 7th,
three candidates were interviewed by a subcommittee, myself, Vice Pre, Vice President Mion, and Councilwoman Walters. And they those individuals will be discussed in a close session that we will go into uh immediately after I'm
done my remarks here. So, I will need a motion to go into close session. uh and a second. Then we'll go into close uh then we'll go into close session. We will come out and an individual will be appointed to council and will be seated this evening. So may
I have a motion to go into close session? I'll make that motion. Is there a second? Second. On the question roll call, please. Mr. Minion, yes. Mrs. Alrexel, yes. Mrs. Grace, yes. Mr. Nash, yes. Mrs. Walters, yes. Mr. Mcado, yes. Before I do that, I do apologize.
Mrs. winner sent in uh a letter uh that formally resigning from her position as a council member effective June 30th. Uh the decision, I'm reading her words, was not easy, but after careful consideration, I believe is in the best interest of me and the council, I have thoroughly enjoyed my time serving the
community and working alongside such dedicated individuals. The experiences and knowledge I have gained during my tenure have been invaluable. I'm committed to ensuring a smooth transition. I'm willing to assist in any way possible during this period. Please let me know I can help to make this process as seamless as possible. Thank
you for the opportunity to serve on Glosser Township Council. I look forward to seeing continued success and progress of our community. In addition to that, she gave me another note. Um, serving on council has been a tremendous honor and deeply rewarding experience. I'm proud of the work we have accomplished
together and the ongoing efforts to improve our community's quality of life. uh due to personal commitments and professional opportunities, I believe it's in the best interest of the town and myself to step aside and allow someone else to continue this important work. I want to express my sincere gratitude to the residents of Glouster
Township for their trust and support during my time in office. I also extend my appreciation to my fellow council members and community partners for their collaboration and dedication. I remain committed to the well-being of our town and will continue to support its progress in any way I can. Sincerely,
Michelle Wyinners. Michelle had served on council for 12 and a half years. She was appointed in uh early of 2013, was elected in November 2013, was reelected in 2017, was reelected in 2021. As I said, she served for 12 and a half
years. She was the liaison to the Blackwood uh Blackwood Lake committee uh the entire time that she was here. Uh she is not one for fanfare. She did not want to be here this evening. Uh but I
will tell you in in the years that I have known her, she has been steady uh fair uh a strong leader and um reserved, but don't mistake her her uh the fact that she's reserved um
for being anything other but a strong advocate for Gloucester Township. Her family has grown and she wants to spend time with her grandbabies. Uh so we wish her the best um and we look forward to appointing a new member this evening. So with that, we're going to go into close
session. Thank you. I have a time limit of about 20 minutes or so. I'll hold You better. Yes. Madam clerk, may I have the roll call, please? Mr. Mangan here. Mrs. Albright Troxel
here. Mrs. Grace Love here. Mr. Nash here. Mrs. Walters here. Mr. Marcato, present. Mr. Carlamir here. Mr. Cartis here. Deputy Chief Manazi here. Mr. McGill here. We reviewed the three names that were
provided to council and I believe there is a nomination on the floor. I'd like to nominate Siri Castro Jr. Is there a second? I'll second that on the question. Roll call, please. Mr. Mone, yes.
Mrs. Albreight Troxel, yes. Mrs. Grace Love, yes. Mr. Nash, yes. Mrs. Walters, yes. Mr. Marcato, yes. Mr. Castro is in the audience. Mr. Casually, can you come up with your family and have someone hold the Bible?
And Mr. Carlair, our township solicitor, will swear you in. Yeah. Come here. Anybody wants to take pictures? Raise your right hand. Place your left
hand. And then repeat after me and insert your name. I I, Siri, do solemnly swear do solemnly swear to support the Constitution to support the Constitution of the United States of the United States and the Constitution and the Constitution and laws and laws of the state of New Jersey of the state of New Jersey and to bear true faith
and to bear true faith and allegiance and allegiance to the same and to the governments established in this state into the government established under the authority of the people under the authority of people that brother so I will faithfully that I will faithfully impartially
and justly and perform all the duties perform as a member as a member of Lost Council Council Lost Township Council Council for Boston to the best of my ability to best. So help me God. Mr. Cast I'm gonna give him a hard copy.
Well, Mr. Casher was filling out some paperwork there briefly, just to give you a little bit of background. Uh, he's been a resident of Gloucester Township since, I believe, 2013. Uh, he lives off the summer road corridor uh with his family. Uh, he is a
Army veteran. uh a fire marshal in the Camden City Fire Department and a member of the American Legion Post 81 and anyone 281. Excuse me. 281. What did I say? 81. 81. I didn't put the two in there. Post 281.
I apologize. Uh and this past uh Memorial Day was the keynote speaker going to Memorial Day services. He also has been involved in our community coaching uh baseball. Uh coached with Mr. Nash at one time in GL Township
baseball and also Gloucester Township basketball. So we want to welcome you, Mr. Castro uh council. And I also want to thank the two other other individuals. I'm sure people are curious what their names are. Mr. Singh, uh Sean Singh, who is a resident of Gloss
Township, born and raised here, grew up here, went to Columbia University, and worked in the White House uh and is now back in in our township. and we want to thank you for his interest and Morin Berseron who's actually here today. Uh Moren Berson has been a member of
community for three years but but was an elected official uh in uh in Canon County for many years and has serves as a director of senior services over uh in Lakeland for the Canon County. So I want to thank you very much um for interviewing and expressing interest uh
in this position. With that, we'll now go into our uh public comment period. Uh this is for uh agenda items only. Anyone who wishes to speak may address council on time. Each speaker is entitled to three minutes.
There's 15 minutes total for the first public comment. Mr. leader. My name is Dave Leader. I live in Glendor and R-25 col07-265 um
increasing the amount when I change order for the blackbox building. My question is, what is the total spending on the blackbox building to date? I didn't see the community development
block grant program as an agenda item, but it was in the document that I found from the clerk's office. Is that what is the purpose of having this document with tonight's agenda? Waser Township Community Development
Block Grant Program. I read that document and there are no references to schools which I see as an ongoing oversight from this group. There needs to be
coordination before you approve additional housing with all the school boards. The zoning board also needs to be informed of the school board's capacity to take on new
uh children. And finally, the um the zoning board also needs to be considered. You can't keep approving and reszoning
and not have the capacity to teach the students that will come with those housings. Resolution 25007-267. Next in importance to freedom and justice is popular education without which neither freedom nor
justice can be permanently maintained. That's a quote from James A. Garfield 1880 20th US president. Education is very important. Give our students in town a head start.
The governor has just signed new laws that are going to require stepped up levels of education in our classrooms. Kindergartens will be a full day and preschool is being mentioned as
well. I don't know what the current count is, but I think it's embarrassing to have a list of children waiting to get in preschool. That's the earliest start in their life and we're overlooking it.
You can say it's a school board's job. Thank you, Mr. Leader. But it's your job to not have the housing that brings in those new people. Thank you. Thank you for your attention. Is there anyone else? Yes. Nancy Kelly Blackwood. Um,
good evening. This is going to be a two-part just because I found something. Um, I would like to express serious concerns regarding the potential rebid for batting cages. As you know, the previous build approached nearly a million dollars and it was rightfully canled due
to excessive cost. Considering the town is facing a staggering 70 plus million dollars in debt, revisiting this project is not only fiscally irresponsible, it's a step in the wrong direction. What's even more concerning is the lack of
transparency from the last bid as residents did not have a clear understanding from council of the monthly operating cost and maintenance cost. Taking on a large capital project without knowing the long-term financial impact only deepens the longterm burden
to taxpayers. It also adds the uncertainty to an already strained budget. Adding to our debt without full financial picture is not fiscally planning. I and others absolutely value sports. I
was a sports kid. My kid was a sports kid. I value sports and all that they bring to the table. Teamwork, discipline, and community spirit. I am not being a naysayer. We all want what's best for our kids.
What's best isn't handing them a $70 million debt to deal with later. This kind of financial strain isn't a today problem. It's our children's problem and our grandchildren's problem. They will be paying this debt of 70 million for
many years to come. Youth programs can be supported in a responsible creative way. I also notice this is the timing. I feel like this is political showmanship launching an expensive sports project.
Meanwhile, our critical infrastructure like our sewer system is being overlooked. Before entertaining costly new facilities and adding additional obligations to the taxpayers and adding more to the $70 million in debt, council
should focus on the basics. Infrastructure needs function in pipes, modering our modern sewer system that will not leave us dealing with floods, backups, or emergency repairs. We should be proactive, not reactive. That's what
the GT has for obligations. I urge council to focus on reducing debt, funding services before entertaining costly non-essential products. I have 20 seconds left. Um I just saw this on serving South Jersey
for LD4. They have secured $750,000 for Gloucester Township Community Park to build indoor batting cages. Are we putting the cart before the horse now? That's that is a question. Are this is a done deal. So,
thank you very much, Miss Kelly. Your time is up. Is there anyone else would like to speak? Seeing none, we'll close first public comment. Uh, Mr. Leader, uh, the total spending on the black box, I would not have that. No one would have that here.
Uh, so I I can't provide that to you. Mr. Cartis, is that something that you can respond to, Mr. Leader via email? what the total spending is as of today. Yes, I will ask uh the CFO Christier to compute those numbers, put those numbers together for Mr. Leader.
Okay. Uh you had mentioned the CDBG program. So that's community development block grant which through the HUD housing urban development. It would not address any school related issues. uh when you have a CDBG grant that is addressed for low and moderate income
individuals, affordable type housing, uh seniors, veterans. Uh so when you talk about you talk about that particular program, you you question if we're coordinating with the school board regarding uh the additional housing that's taking place
and zoning. Um there are conversations that take place uh between the administrations of both the district and uh the township. Um I don't know what you were referencing regarding the CDBG and um and what was included in the
agenda uh on resolution 267. You referenced that, but then you talked about you talked about education. Uh so I I didn't follow you on that one, sir. And then you kind of ran out of time.
Miss uh Nancy Kelly, the batting cages. Uh that uh and your comments about fiscally being irresponsible and the debt. Uh that is correct. Uh Mr. Hutchinson. Uh our assembly uh
legislative district 4 secured $750,000 to go towards uh batting cages that all of our baseball and softball organizations can use at community park. We're not going we don't go back and forth. You know that. No, we don't do
that. So, uh so that is going towards that. So, so thank you for providing that update, but we were going to announce that as well. So, I want to thank Assemblyman Hutchinson and Senator Morardi and Assemblyman Miller for securing that grant for our township uh
and for our recreation programs. Okay. Now, we'll go to our bid report. May I have a motion for bid report 2025 community solar developers? I'll make that motion. May I have a second? A second on the question. Roll call, please. Mr. Mo, yes. Mrs. Aubrey Troxel?
Yes. Mrs. Grace Love? Yes. Mr. Nash? Yes, Mrs. Walters. Yes, Mr. Mcado. Yes, Mr. Caster. Abstain. Oh, yeah. That's fine. Weigh the reading. Accept the minutes of the workshop meeting June 9th, 2025.
Regular meeting June 9th, 2025 and June 23, 2025. May I have a motion, please? Make a motion. Second on the question. Roll call, please. Mr. Mone, yes. Mrs. Albreight Troxel. Yes. Mrs. Grace Love, yes. Mr. Nash, yes.
Mrs. Walters, yes. Mr. Castro, abstain. Mr. Marcato, yes. Ordinance, second reading. There will be a public hearing on this ordinance. Ordinance uh 0-25-18. Ordinance vacating a portion of Bringhurst Avenue in the township of
Gloucester, County of Candon, state of New Jersey. We'll now open up the public hearing. Anyone who wish to speak on this matter? Yes. a limited provide for Dave Leader Glendor,
can you go into detail about what is actually being vacated and what it will be used for? Thank you, Mr. At the first reading, there was a survey attached to it. I don't see one attached to this, but we reviewed that when the
first request comes in. Council will always entertain a request for a property owner along a street or avenue to request a vacation. Uh the policy is to reach out to any adjoining property owners. This particular street deadends
into township owned uh green acres property. So that street can never continue. Uh it comes off and it just is one particular lot a distance rather large lot that made the request. uh we reached out to the adjoining property
owner. Uh we did not receive a response or a denial and then that's usually what happens if they're not going to object to it. There's you don't get a response. We reached out to engineering to see if that would create any difficulty uh with uh vacating the street if there was any
difficulty of parking on on any area street parking. And the report that came in from the engineering was that there was no objection to that being vacated. So since that street dead ends, uh we uh agreed or at least initially uh to put
it on the agenda at the request of the property owner to vacate it. Thank you, Mr. Cars. Is there anyone else like to speak on this? Yes, sir. Hi Rexstein Glenn Oaks. Um my question
is said there's a large property owner. Is is that a private owner or is that somebody that's trying to redevelop something? It's a private owner. It is already has a house on that property. So I believe what he's trying to do is do a garage or
something in the back. I don't can't quote me on that, but I believe that's what he's trying to do. But that property only has frontage in a sense on the left on that side on Brenhurst uh Avenue. The right is a front street and I forget the street. Do you recall the
street that that's on? It's offers. Yeah, it's off Kersley Road. So his h but his house sets back. It doesn't sit right on Kersley. So there's he's an individual owner. I don't know if he's going to try and subdivide it to put another house, but he probably can't
because his frontage is really on Kersley now if there's no street there. Uh on the other side, uh there we received nothing from that property owner, but that property owner we made sure had sufficient frontage for access to his property, which he does, and the
back portion of it butts up to Township Green Acres Land. So, the street can't go anywhere. Okay. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Is there anyone else? Seeing none, we'll close public hearing. May I have a motion, please? Make that motion. Second on the question. Roll call, please.
Mr. Mo, yes. Mrs. Aubry Troxel, yes. Mrs. Grace, yes. Mr. Nash, yes. Mrs. Walters, yes. Mr. Castro, abstain. Mr. Marcato, yes. Next is ordinance 0-25-19. It's the first reading, an introduction.
There will be a hearing at its second reading. This is ordinance creating chapter 39 of the code of the township of Gloucester entitled miners and parent responsibility of the code book of the township of Gloucester County of Camden and state of New Jersey. What this
particular ordinance does is that it holds parents responsible for the supervision of their children. It deals with uh apprehension of violators uh that they'll be subject to penalties. Uh this was something that was discussed.
This is dealing basically with minors and uh we've seen that there have been instance in in incidences throughout the South Jersey area and out through throughout the state. Uh and this is uh a proposal an ordinance to try to curb that type of behavior. But the whole
parents responsible where they could be fined up to $2,000 and or spend 90 days uh in detainment. Um the parents. So, uh, may I have a motion, please? I'll move it. A second
on the question. Roll call, please. Mr. Minion, yes. Mrs. Aubrey Troxel, yes. Mrs. Grace Love, yes. Mr. Nash, yes. Mrs. Walters, yes. Mr. Castro, abstain. Mr. Mcado, yes. Next is our consent agenda. Um, any council members have to like any would
like to have any item removed, please speak up. There is one item that does have to be removed. uh resolution 257-262 that was placed in there as an error. If you look at the agenda, you see
there's a lot of grants that were inserted into the budget. And I just wanted to highlight a few things. Resolution 253 uh which is a $1 million uh grant that was secured by Congressman Norcross to be dedicated to the black box in
downtown Blackwood. Uh in addition to that uh there are several grants that were earmarked uh for our police department bullet proof vest grants um click or ticket grants uh the
drive silver grants. Uh so and also a $82,000 was secured for uh the renovation of the Braw West Park there. So, those are some things that are included within that resolution. So, can I have a motion to accept uh excuse me,
excuse me, to remove resolution 262? I'll make that motion. Second on the question. So, this is motion to remove 262. My uh roll call, please. Mr. Man, yes. Mrs. Aubrey Troxel, yes to remove. Miss Grace Love,
yes. Mr. Nash, yes to remove. Mr. Walters, yes. Mr. Castro, abstain. Mr. Marcato. Yes. To remove. I'll now accept a motion to accept the consent agenda as amended. I'll make that motion. Second on the question. Roll call, please.
Mr. Mone, yes. Mrs. Aubrey Troxel. Yes. Mrs. Grace Love. Yes. Mr. Nash. Yes. Mrs. Walters. Yes. Mr. Castro. Abstain. Mr. Marcato. Yes. We have an addendum to the agenda. Uh resolution 276 was rescending a
resolution that authorized renewal of a club liquor license for Holy Child Club. Uh that uh paperwork information has been updated. So that's why we have a resolution to approve an authorized renewal of the club liquor license. That
resolution is 278. Is that correct? 27. 277. May I have a motion for 277? Make a motion. Is there a second? Second on the question. Roll call, please. Mr. Minion, yes.
Mrs. Aubrey Choxell, yes. Mrs. Grace Love, yes. Mr. Nash, yes. Mrs. Walters, yes. Mr. Castro, yes. Mr. Mcado, yes. Okay. Resolution 278 was to
um exclude the public from discussion. Yep. Okay. But we don't have to announce that. And 279 is to fill the vacancy. Okay. All right. Very good. Uh we did not receive any gtegov access emails. We'll now open up our second public
comment period. Each speaker is entitled to five minutes. There's 30 minutes for this uh time period and each speaker gets to speak one time. At the end of that public comment, council will respond to those comments. Miss Coin
followed by Mr. Burns. Denise Coin, Chief Landing. Good evening. Good evening. I'm here tonight to raise what should be a simple issue, but continues to be met with avoidance and deflection. For two months, I've asked where the council members received the
Michael's organization 181page redevelopment proposal, when they got it, how they got it, and whether they got it before voting. These are yes or no answers. If you did receive it, and if proper procedure was followed, it would be an easy yes. The council
president responded to that question by saying he received a packet. That's nice. All council members receive a packet from the clerk before every meeting. The question is whether the 181page proposal was received by every member of council before the vote.
Several council members have already admitted they did not receive it. Do you want us to believe that some members were sent the plan and others were not or that it was only sent to the council president? So I ask again, did every council member receive the 181page
redevelopment plan before voting to approve the resolution? This is about township own land. It should not be optional to answer. Instead of addressing whether instead of addressing whether you followed the process outlined in New Jersey redevelopment
law, you dodge, deflect, and perform. The council president often says he provides me answers, and I just don't like his answers. No, I don't like his non-answers. They're insulting. Your refusal to be transparent makes it look like you're avoiding account
accountability for whether you followed the law. If you followed it, why would you avoid saying so? At the last meeting, we were given a feel-good story about the Gloucester Premium Outlets, how it used to be farmland bringing only
in $6,000 a year in taxes, and now it's one of the biggest taxpayers. But you only told half the story. The rest of the story is that the developer received a five-year tax abatement while taxpayers funded millions in infrastructure including ramps, roads,
and utilities. The developer, the landlower, land owner, and the pay-to-play vendors benefited immediately. The public paid upfront were left with the bill and waited years to see a return. I don't think that's smart development. It is however a
reminder of why transparency matters. And let's not ignore who owned the outlet land. If reports are correct, it was tied to George Norcross. The council president said that residents were upset about that. The Michael's organization also has ties to George Norcross. Did
anyone mention that relationship knowing it was an issue previously? This time though, the residents own the land. It's public land and we deserve to know all the facts, including political connections. And yes, the plan may come back to the redevelopment entity, but
that doesn't excuse the fact that you already passed a resolution naming a conditional redeveloper with zero discussion. Future steps don't fix skipped steps. Also, it's not the public's job or the job of individual
council members to make sure a resolution approving a conditional redeveloper doesn't end up on the consent agenda. That responsibility belongs to the council president. And if a resolution does slip slip through, it's the solicitor's job, at least as
far as I understand, to speak up and correct it. That didn't happen here. If you didn't know what you were voting on, that's a failure of leadership. If you did know and you chose not to say anything publicly, that's a failure of transparency. Either way, the public
loses. This isn't about personalities or politics. It's about public trust. Right now, the public sees a governing body more interested in protecting itself than serving the people it represents. You were elected to represent us, not hide from us. Transparency isn't
optional. It's your job. We're asking the right questions, and we aren't fooled easily anymore. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Burns. Followed by Miss Kelly, followed by Mr. Leader.
Good evening, Council. Brian Burns, uh, Sawwood. I had communication with Die Murray today who informed me that closing is supposed to take place next week on her property. All right. So, I wanted to confirm that. Um, the other thing I want to do is hand out
some photos and review them with you. Uh, since I've been very busy the last two weeks out in the mud with the bugs and the sweat and, uh, doing conservation work within this particular watershed that you guys have worked on preserving. I I think you're going to
find these very interesting. Yeah, sure. Yeah, we can. Thank you, Brian. All right. Thank you. Thank you. So, the the first picture there is a day
we spent with US Fish and Wildlife Service. Um, and we are putting up deer fencing that was damaged by the the recent storms we had with the heavy winds and whatnot. Uh, deer love to eat swamp pink, which is the endangered plant species, which is, you know, in in
in our waterheds here. So, we were out there taking care of that. Um, it was about 100 degrees out and mud was about up to our ankles or so. And uh, but this is what we do. people who are passionate about preserving natural resources. You
know, this is what we do and it's because of you guys who have worked with me in conjunction with me in preserving this property enables us to do this. So, the second picture is the water temperature Mason's Run. Now, if you go
to most bodies of water around here, lakes this time of year, even the streams, it's going to be in the 80s. Okay, look at that water temperature. 66.7. That is all protected spring water bubbles up out of the ground. And that
is the reason that this trout population continues to exist. And it's absolutely it's pretty amazing that you know because I I've done other readings in other streams and nothing is even close to these low temperatures. Uh there's only one or two storm water outfalls in
the entire watershed. And by protecting the Merry property, Rosland Bridge property, the Haze property, it's all contributing to protecting this this particular stream. The third picture, I don't know. Can anybody identify that
plant in the center? Laurel. Laurel. That's Swamp Pink. Swamp Pink. Oh, that's what Swamp Pink looks like. And then this is on the Merry property. This is the property you guys help protect. And we were back there with US Fish and Wildlife Service. They they found this
population in 2009 and had not been back there until just last week. And the population is still there. Wow. So it's it's you know it's very positive thing. All right. The next picture, what do you see there? You see a white fawn.
This was also on the Merry Properties. While we were back there, you know, one of the US Fish and Wildlife Service happened to see it and we didn't disturb it. We left alone. We respected its, you know, its position and we just took a couple pictures. Now, I learned
something myself. I thought it was an albino, but it's not. It's actually called a pie bald uh coloration, and it happens about one in every thousand deer. Wow. So, it's really quite rare. Yeah. Yeah. Uh the next picture you may have
seen this type of turtle around is a box turtle. We ran into a couple of these guys while there. And you might think, well, what's the big deal? Well, the big deal that they're right now, if you look at the the other hand out I gave you, they're a species of concern because
their habitats are being destroyed. You know, if if a land clearing company comes in to tear down some trees that, you know, to go put in more town houses and apartments, the deer, the foxes, they can all take off. turtles can't take off.
So, they're, you know, they're on a category called species of concern and they may become threatened if, you know, New Jersey doesn't control the amount of development that's taking place. They can end up on the threatened list. Okay? They could end up on the endangered
list. So, I'm trying to open up your eyes here that when you approve things, you know, maybe you can go out and look at these properties and actually see what's there instead of just voting yes and the land clearing guys come in and
you really don't have an understanding of of what is is being destroyed. Now, I only got three two seconds left. Um, but I did look at the draft of the open uh recreational plan and it did say that we are still not at acceptable levels of
land preservation. So, I want to thank you. I think I've been here 10 12 years starting with the Riseland Bridge and then the Hayes property and then the Merry property and all told if you can include the the acreage from the HOA
it's 200 acres of undisturbed continuous intrack land that that's quite an accomplishment. Thank you Mr. Appreciate it. Thank you for your comments. Thank you for sharing Miss Kelly. Nancy Kelly Blackwood. So, we took your thunder away and I
announced that 750K that LG4 announced. So, we're going to get 750K for Gloucester Township Community Park. This funding is to be used to build indoor batting cages. Awesome. Love it. Glad it's not coming out of my pocket. But what I do want to know, what's going to
be coming out of my pocket? Um, monthly operating costs. That's what I want to know. How much for gas, electricity, water, two sewer bills, staffing, payroll, taxes? It's a lot.
So, are we going to be setting aside a reserve from the 750K to run it, or is it going to be taxpayers or are we going to charge to use this if outside teams from different towns use
it? Um, so if this is secured money and we're looking for a bid to build indoor batting cages, I want to know to make sure that we are going to know the operating costs and
who's going to be paying for the operating costs or we're going to be setting aside a reserve from that 7 750k. That's what I want to know. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Leader. Dave Leader Glendor.
It sounded to me like 277, resolution 277 was added. Um, I thought I listened pretty clearly, but I didn't hear actually hear an actual reading of the resolution. I never heard
anything that began with resolution of the township council, etc., etc. Did I miss that? Is there anyone else? Seeing none, we'll close public hearing.
Uh, we'll start, Mr. Leader. 277. I had referred to resolution 276 that was rescended uh for holy child because of uh some paperwork and that 277 was the addendum uh authorizing renewal of their
club liquor license. So I summarized that part before we voted on that. So thank you for that. Uh Miss Kelly uh regarding monthly operating costs and staffing and taxes and uh is there a reserve? I'll defer to Mr. artist,
there is no reserve. Um, we do have our open space tax which equates to approximately $900,000 per year. Uh, that was by referendum back in the early 2000s and it was overwhelmingly passed. Uh, so that money is available, but most
probably we'll treat it as all all of our other buildings and it'll be under the operating budget. Thank you, Mr. Burns. Thank you for providing uh those pictures and um we're happy that we're closing in on or closing on the Murray property. Uh but
thank you for providing those pictures to us. And Miss Coin, uh you've asked this question on several occasions. I have responded to your question on several occasions for myself. I cannot answer for the other five council
members uh that were here. Mr. Castro is new here, but I can't answer for them. I have answered for myself. Um, and that feel-good story, I'm going to go back to that feel-good story because let's let's give the whole picture of that. That was
the Nicholson farm that was there and Nicholson sold it uh to Cooper Hospital and Cooper Hospital had intentions of having a facility there. That did not materialize. And I guess people got upset because Cooper Hospital made a profit on it when they sold it to Simon
Properties. Again, that was a 60 acre parcel of land that was generating about $6,000 in farmland assessed taxes. Uh the project was completed on August 15 of 201, excuse me, 2015. It'll celebrate
10 years. It did receive a five-year tax abatement. On a tax abatement, you have a abatement. You're not paying taxes on the improvements. It scaled zero 30% 50% 70% 90% then 100% you pay full freight
after five years. They did that. They were still paying the taxes on the land because now it was assessed as a commercial property and not farmland assessed. Uh that is the largest taxpayer in our township. The fact that
the Michael's organization or the individual you had indicated Mr. Norcross have a relationship. Uh to be quite frank with you, that does not concern me at all. We have a Nike base that has stood vacant along in the southern part of our town for years. No
one has put a project there. If they're willing to put a project there and invest in our community, I have no problem of that uh project and who were there connected to. None at all. Uh, if any council member would like to
respond to Miss Coin's question, and I keep answering and responding the same thing. I read the document. I took a look at the document. I was aware of the document. Miss Coin, you keep asking folks. There are other people here on council. They could respond to you if they like.
Why don't you poll them, Mr. Leader? Please don't shout out. Why don't you pull them, Mr. I'm not responding to you. Sorry. I didn't shout the second one. I I did receive the uh report. Okay. I went through my all the paperwork I
have at home from this position and I did I did see the report and I did go through it. I didn't read the whole 181 pages, but I did skim through it and I just felt I should let you know that. Okay. I also received it and went through it also.
I also went through it. I have it at home. Yes, we read through it. I read through. Thank you. Okay. Uh, with that, uh, pull in directors, please. Mr. Carlamir, nothing to report. Mr. Cartis,
nothing to report. Deputy Chief Manazi, nothing. Mr. McIll, nothing to add. Thank you, Mr. Minion. Mr. Burns, thank you for these really neat pictures. They're really neat to look at. I thought that deer was an albino. Also, uh, congrats, Mr. Siri, and welcome.
Thank you. Uh, also congratulations to the Blackwood 10U team, their their baseball team. They won the district 14. Um, and they're currently in the semi-finals of sections. And congrats to their 12U team who also won district 14, but unfortunately lost in the sectionals. Uh, Little League, their 8U
softball team won. Their 10U softball team won district 14, but lost in sections. And congratulations to the 8U baseball team, which is a which is a new tournament. They won district 14 and so far 1 and0 in sections. They're two wins away from going to states. Thank you,
Mrs. Aubrey Choxel. I'd like to take a moment to um thank Mrs. Winters for her 12 and a half years of service to our township. Uh I always felt she was fair and equitable with all her decisions that she made. I think she made a great council woman and I'm very
proud of the work that she has done over the years and I wish her continued success in her life and I know her grandbabies will give her great joy. Uh, I'd also like to take a moment and thank our new council person for stepping up to the plate and wanting to apply for
this position. I think you're going to do an outstanding job, too. Uh, when I looked at your resume, I was very impressed and uh, happy to see someone with that your abilities that wanted to be on council. So, thank you very much for stepping up to the plate. Thank you very much, ma'am.
You're welcome. And also, uh, Mr. Burns, all your work you do for all the different um properties in town to keep them. Thank you so much and thank you for these. I do have a box turtle that lives on my property. And whenever my husband used to mow the lawn, I used to
tell him, "Don't touch the box turtle." So, he'd have to stop and I'd know that that box turtle was somewhere. And it's been there for years. It's on our property. And I've just watched it grow. And that's a joy to have something like that. I believe that nature is is a wonderful thing, especially if you can
live near it and I think we have a lot of properties in town that we can do that. Um, also, um, I think that's it. So, thank you all for coming and it's Mr. Mr. I was going to say Mr. Siri, but I'm afraid my phone
will speak up. Mr. Castro, it was so nice that your whole family came and I thank you all for coming and showing your support for him because we're going to be using him a lot. And thank you, Mrs. Grace Love. Thank you. I love his
uh uh cheerleading and you know, squad out there. It's wonderful. Again, um congratulations, Councilman Castro. Welcome. And I'm I also read your resume. I love all of the services and and thank you for your service um um as
a firefighter and everything else. So, welcome and if you need anything from us, please let us know. Um I want to share a few things about Michelle Winters, Councilwoman, Michelle Winters. She was one of the first council persons when I was a little baby person in the
community trying to do a little community work and we had our first clean up. Um, Michelle Winters was also one that had a focus on cleaning, I believe, one of the lakes every year. I can't remember what lake it was, but she
came over. I always share this story. Um, we didn't have much in Britney Woods. We She came over and she brought us fruit, she brought water to our very first cleanup, and she said to us, "Anything you need, um, please let us know." and every and thereafter all the
council persons came out to support all the work that that happened in Britney was. So we I'm really thankful for her because we also campaigned together and she and I had many conversations um about the works of Gloucester
Township and how to make it better. And so I really appreciate her and I want to wish her very you know um you know retirement from council and you know to joy joyful um ventures with her family. Um I just want to also wish everyone
else I I don't know we talked about Junth I can't remember when we last met. Did we talk about Junth? Okay, that was also a nice event and um just you know um I want everyone to have a great um evening and uh week. Thank you very
much, Mr. Nash. Uh yeah, I want to reiterate what they said. Brian Burns, you're an asset to this to this town, so I want to thank you for everything you do with all your conservation efforts. Thank you. Um second, my man sir, welcome to the team.
PT is very lucky to have you. Thank you, sir. Uh, also, uh, I'm going to read an email, short and sweet, from Joanne Carr, who's a member of the historical society. She reminded me that next year is the country's 250th
anniversary. But GT just celebrated its 330th birthday. So, uh, her words were, uh, next year we'll celebrate the 250th year of our country. This year, two 2025, Galia Township is 303 330 years
old. founded in 1695 and going strong. So, I just wanted to thank Joanne for uh bringing that to my attention and hope everyone has a good night. Mrs. Walters, um I want to thank everybody for coming tonight. I want to thank um I want to piggyback off what
Helen um had said about Michelle as well. Um and uh Carolyn, she's been a supporter. She's been an asset. She's been helping us during when we had campaign. She's supporting out in the community. So, she she did help. So, I wish her well. Um, congratulations,
Cecilia. It'll be nice to spend some time and to get to know you and to help out in the community with your thoughts as well. Um, thank you, Brian. My husband and I and my we take our kids out to different places in the um township to see. So, thank you for
bringing this and hopefully other people will go out there as well to enjoy the greenery. Um, and everybody have a good week. Mr. Marcato, I want to thank everyone for coming out this evening uh and also echo the sentiments about Michelle Wyinners. Uh
she contemplated this for a while and I said, "Can you hold on? Can you hold on?" Uh but uh the joy of being a two-time grandmother within the last year uh outweighs this and I truly understand that. uh as I stated at the
beginning of the meeting uh was a steady hand here um one that was very supportive. She did not hesitate calling the next day if she needed to speak to someone about a matter that may have happened at our council meeting. She may not verbalize it here, but she had uh no
issues in reaching out and providing help or uh constructive criticism. Uh but uh we're going to miss her and her 12 and a half years that she was here. Uh I want to wish uh Mr. Castro uh the
best here. Um I had opportunity uh to meet him a couple months ago and u you know did some digging. I worked in the city of Camden uh and I still have connections in the city of Camden. And when I contacted those folks, they spoke
very highly of you and of your family. uh your service to our country, the service to the Canon Fire Service. Um and when Jim had indicated you had coached with him uh you know, that was it.
That was it. No, but your involvement and I and I do appreciate you um taking this challenge and being part of this. So, uh, normally I end the meeting, uh, with my thoughts, but we're going to end the meeting with you and, uh, don't forget to thank your
wife and your family. Okay. Well, thank you for the time. Thank you again, everyone. Uh, I do want to start off with, uh, from Miss Winters. I, from what I hear, I have some very big shoes to fill. So, I'm looking forward to uh,
stepping in and working with everyone uh, as a group and individually. Uh, like I said, I'm a sponge. I'm going to be soaking a lot of things up. Please, uh, I'm easy to direct. I'm always open to constructive criticism as well. So, don't ever feel to approach me in any
time, day. I'm always open to talk. Mr. Brian, uh, thank you again for the photos as well. Like to send everyone else, I do look forward to going out there and taking a look at the turtles. I used to have a turtle as a kid. Wasn't that big, but
I hope it eats carrots. With that being said, I actually wrote a uh quick little speech. Uh standing before you today is one of the greatest honors of my life. Being entrusted with a role on the city council for Gloucester Township is not only a
privilege, it's a responsibility I will carry with immense humility and dedication. But tonight isn't just about me. It's about the people who made this possible. To my family, your unwavering support has been the
bedrock of my every step I've taken. Whether it was a late night phone call filled with doubt or an early morning full of hope, you've always been there, steady and strong. Your love is my anchor, and I wouldn't
be here without you. to my mentors who have become close friends and my closest friends who have become my mentors. You stood beside me through every
chapter of my life. Thank you. You believed in me when I barely believed in myself and you remind me to laugh, stay grounded and keep pushing forward. Your faith, your time, your
encouragement has shaped me for this moment and I will carry the weight of this role with the intention of honoring all the residents of this great township from the bottom of my heart. Thank you and I am excited and look
forward to getting to work. I entertain a motion to adjurnn. Is there a second? Second. Those in favor? Have a great evening everyone day. Such a busy day.