##VIDEO ID:-m2KUccD9As## wow wait for everybody to come back in before I well now the batter is here we can get going all right okay guys we're going to go back into session um can I get a motion to reconvene motion motion second second all those in favor I we are back in session um we're going to recognize obviously a whole bunch of guys in dark sweatshirts out here um um but I'm going to hand it over to councilman klei first uh to say a few words about why you're all probably here thank you mayor um so in 2024 both the Hillsdale Hulk peew and juniors won their respective Super Bowls tonight we're recognizing the Juniors and we're going to recognize the peewee's on February 4th's meeting so it being a banner year for the Hawks uh the organization continued to demonstrate its continued commitment to Excellence and to teaching our children in this town the formula for Success uh not only uh in the form of teaching them a sport uh but again teaching them a formula that can help them in life and and I say to all the players and the cheerleaders I hope you realize that you know when you're preparing and practicing and executing and then you guys do it all over again you correct you improve and you repeat that cycle your coaches are teaching you how to be successful and the proof is in the pudding with your Victory so congratulations on that um when when recognizing Excellence we start at the top of the organization so I would just like to recognize Craig Cardell I know he's been around for a really long time contributing to the organization and I think he's done a wonderful job uh and and also the rest of the Hawks Association officers countless hours go into running the program and we all recognize that uh next the parents and the coaches you should be recognized because football by no means is a season uh it's a lifestyle and it extends well beyond the regular season it's an enormous commitment so now specifically this team um 37 wins and five losses over the past four years Craig yes 37 wins and five losses they played three and three out of four Super Bowls over those four years they won the Super Bowls as peewees they won 11 and0 this year and they won the Super Bowl again so congratulations to the Super Bowl champion Hill so so at this time the mayor and Council would like to recognize the junior football and cheerleader head coaches and if you could come up um and meet the mayor uh co-head coach Dan defabio co-head coach Mike Weaver and cheer coach Moren wolf [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] thank you very much think you guys all did this um the dedication I I always say this I'm always astounded by the volunteerism of parents behind not just for their kids but for every other kids in town done a great job um on behalf of the council thank you uh we have these certificates for you um for all the children as well I don't know all the kids are named on this and so I'll hand this to you do a photo Janetta wants to get a photo of you I'm sure you would like to say something I'm sure that we're all more than happy to hear what you got to say on how you got here great kids you got and families it's you know as it was stated before it's it's definitely a lifestyle for many months out of the Year oh no I don't want to talk no hold hold it here um the kids are dedicated they have a great time doing it and it makes it a joy to help them get to where they are both for the cheer and the football players it's great thank [Applause] youate I do love this I love coaching it's frustrating at times it takes a lot of time but we have a lot of good men that are uh teaching these boys uh to be men and um and I appreciate all their help um listen boys you guys did great this year I just want to hear it Hawks on three one two three [Applause] Hawks uh boys fantastic job like coach said but uh I would just like to thank uh the mayor and the rest of the council Bob thank you for letting us come here and be recognized it's greatly appreciated we really appreciate what the town does for us from the DPW Barry you guys who work very hard it's very appreciated the fields are always like set up and you know Dan from you know the wck department uh and it it's just fantastic it's just the the support that we get we cannot be more appreciative so thank you very much greatly appreciate [Applause] it I can't be more proud of this group of guys you're the best I've I honestly never wanted to coach football ever uh I played it my whole life uh I love it this you guys literally awoken a passion in me I haven't had in years I love the game of football I love watching you guys grow I'm proud of every single one of you two times for you two times for them all right thank you very [Music] much does any does anybody from the public want to else want to say anything take it out of turn for a minute no if not then you know what we'll take want to take a couple minutes to break so that I know that you nothing better you'd love than to listen to resolution but maybe we'll take a f minute break so if you wanted to clear out or go somewhere to celebrate you could do that okay thanks [Applause] guys so I like this wall is how T they are taller than me you're good you're good come in slide over Jeffrey jmy I think we're good here thank you all right scen no Clowning Around please it's not easy having your picture [Music] yeah BR some water e e e e e e e what okay we're going to come back in as I was saying here are the true policy junkies right can't get enough of this stuff okay um we're back in session um can I'm going to approve all the minutes at once we've got the council Mee December 3rd uh 2024 uh councilman Fox absent um Council meetings from December 10th special council meeting December 17th and the closed council meeting December 17th can I get a motion I motion second second discussion none uh will the clerk please read the role council member maang she has to abstain she has to abstain from these yep I still have that okay council president Oso yes council member ruko yes council member troh Muk yes council member klei yes council member foxed from just the first one from the first yeah and yes to the rest yes okay okay good great they're passed uh we're going to have the initial public comment uh 3 minutes time limited to items only on the agenda one topic per speaker please state your name and town of residence for the record would anyone like to speak this time on items on the agenda see yes you would like to speak it's Rick Savino you're the one Richard Savino 64 Westell Avenue I just want um there's an item on tonight's um introduction 25-6 the financial agreement I guess this is otherwise the pilot tax payment um and what jumps out at me is this is a 30-year tax agreement for storage space and the one of the consideration for doing giving them a 30-year tax agreement which I think most res residents would consider it a tax break for that you know when you negotiate a a a tax payment like this um was one thing for 255 Apartments which really delivered people and but it you know the consideration was 10 full-time employees and I've been in and out of many storage centers and they're staffed by one so maybe if they're open extra hours it's staffed by two people you know it's a minimal Staffing maybe a part-time cleaning guy so it's not bringing employment to the town it's bringing storage space and to give them a 30-year tax agreement is is much more frankly I don't know why they need a tax break at all they could just pay property taxes it's a commercial activity it's a for-profit activity and it's not delivering you know it's delivering I guess it's delivering a development you know that we like to see and will help in town to you know as part of that overall development project but that we have to give them such a a 30-year tax break seems except you know maybe it could be a 15 year here consideration so I know it's on for introduction tonight and would ask you know to to take a second look and because the and the consideration of bringing employment in the town that just doesn't seem that doesn't make any sense to 10 full-time employees in a uh you know in a for a Storage Center thank you for your comments thank you would anybody else like to make a comment on the agenda an item on the agenda seeing none will the clerk let's there is oh please come up you're hiding all the way in the back I didn't see you you have to be more vocal come on up go okay I forgot what I was supposed to say I'm Rosa manasian I live in town I'm 15 over Brook Place I've been here before and I have three children all with disabilities so what I would like to speak about is the Jake's law agenda for today the application and my three children one that's back there hope she was actually in here recently a police officer won an award for saving her life yes I've watched more than three times two of my children almost lose their life in front of me so it's very hard to have disabled children and go through what US parents with children with disabilities go through and a problem that I have right now is that the playgrounds in town are not safe for my children I've had one of my children with ADHD run into a tree at Beachwood I could not keep track of where she was I have one one kid on the swing I'm holding another one another one of my children my oldest child with epilepsy fell at Meadow Brook and because it's just mulched in in the month of May there was barely any Mulch and she broke her wrist Hope Has No swing nothing to play on I'm off-roading with her stroller I cannot seem to get her a disability stroller so I'm using a hand-me-down stroller for her like nothing is good enough for them and not just my children there are other parents that said that their children have gotten hurt on our fields or playgrounds and I just want better for our town I understand that Jake's law this specific application this Green Acres funding is really not what the council or the town wants and I understand the points why but I would just like my voice heard and know that there is our children need more you know I want them to I have know parents that grew up here and now live here because they love this small town and I want my children to maybe later on in life say Hillsdale gave me a great childhood and I might want to settle here as as well so this is just something that I want for our town and for our children thank you thank you appreciate it anybody else father know I think I do come to the microphone come to the I came on behalf of the entire community of St John the Baptist which is about 2,000 families to strongly oppose the construction of the storage facility about 30 ft from the entrance to St John the Baptist in light of everything that has been happening in that corner of our B which for some is kind of a bad side of the proper back side of the property nobody can see for us is the entrance uh so uh I just don't know whether this is the time to speak or I'm supposed to speak later at the this is fine now okay and I know that I have three minutes but uh first of all a full disclosure as a pastor Parish of 2,000 families and many of you know me uh what I have done in this B I'm profoundly touched and hurt by the fact that I'm learning some of these facts now so late in the game when some of the approvals are being done I'm particularly concerned because as many B Representatives know we got almost flooded and the stream of water on Prospect was so strong on December 3rd that it carried the entire pallet of the material from the construction site and it carried pipes and other material that seriously endanger people on our property I live about 30 30 ft plus another 60 ft to the house from the intended construction site of the storage facility and I found it to be quite problematic and I used in my meeting with the mayor and the board administrator quite offensive because if for some it's just a piece of property in Hillsdale if somebody would build a storage facility right here in this where you have 7-Eleven and that parking lot people would say this is offensive because for us it means something we this is couple of feet from the place where people enter every day to arrange for funerals to go in this stress I can tell you story and stories about people that walk into that office which for some not doesn't mean anything for us is very very problematic I'm very concerned about the design I'm very concerned about the procedure about the fact that four stories high storage is being slapped so close to the church without any discussion with our community and uh I also have to inform you that St John's Community is in the middle of very major serious uh uh Insurance claim uh to the archis of Newark the flooring of the entire building of the church started to buckle and we are very concerned about the uh about the uh hydrostatic pressure in that area and all the recent almost flooding of of our community so this where we are I just want to state that we'll use every mean legal and public relations to protect the property of St John the Baptist and will need to be as vocal and as Direct in this in this situation thank you thank you for your time um does anybody else have anything they would like to speak about please come on up to the microphone your name and my name is Majid Muhammad I came here to thank the council for Ramadan Cent placing uh the fting ceremony uh I have my daughter here and my wife and community members uh who I uh extremely thankful for coming up here uh I want to take a moment to thank you guys uh this event allowing us to place a Ramadan Cresent light in our town your support means great deal to us and we are excited to see this symbol of unity shine in our community for Muslims around the world Ramadan is a sacred month of fasting reflection and giving it's time to strengthen our connection with God care for those in need and Foster unity and love within our communities we would love to invite all of you to join us on February 22nd for the official lighting ceremony it would be an honor to have you with us as we celebrate this special occasion thank you thank you thank you thank thank you my wife and my daughter would also like to speak please daughter seems a bit reluctant good evening everyone I'm maryan rusa Hillsdale resident um thank you so much um this is my daughter Farah Farah um so I want to thank all of you um on behalf of our family and um the community um for your Forward Thinking and improving this initiative today we stand here not only to celebrate the approval of the Crescent Lighting in our town but also to acknowledge the importance of inclusive inclusivity understanding and the Beautiful tapestry of faiths that enrich our community it is truly beautiful when everyone's culture and Holiday are recognized especially for children as our community is a melting plot of different cultures and religions this gesture goes beyond just the light it's a message of unity a sign that we value diversity within our community and are committed to creating a space where everyone feels respected so thank you all again thank you want to say something put the mic away there you go hello my name is Farah Muhammad I want to thank the mayor Shane fi Feld and the council members for approving the Crescent lighting this makes me feel so happy that our town will that will help me and others celebrate Ramadan thank you thank [Applause] you I EXC do you oh sorry another speaker please you saved me from having to come down you can til the speaker back thank you so much hi zahira Khan from 63 Woodland Road from Montville um my mayor you probably know from Montville mayor gazali has done actually our Crescent lighting over three years ago so um he has always been very gracious and supportive of our community and we are very thankful that we have our neighboring Community doing the same thing as well so I really commend you all and the DPW as well to take part in this event and thank you again thank you nice to meet you do do you know the time about is it think it's still 6 at night even would anybody else like to speak I cut it off too soon last time let's see no okay uh will the clerk please read the correspondence first one is an email from Majid Muhammad requesting the placement of a crescent during Ramadan in the park along with the small celebration and kickoff the second is a letter received from the Hillsdale fire department requesting use of the West lot for their annual Carnival from May 5th to May 10th can I get a motion to receive and file motion second second I think we can do this by Voice vote all those in favor I okay so uh let's go on to the professional reports Nick from Colliers that could be your last name right Nick from c i I prefer the one that I was giving Nick yes um so not too much active right now as it's the the middle of the winter but we do have a bunch of things planned um for this next year and a little bit beyond that so right now we're planning out the NJ dot 2025 project we were awarded a grant in the vicinity of$ 150,000 it was $152,000 um so we're going to be working with uh with Mike uh narrowing in the scope of that and getting that project designed um we are also currently planning out the 2025 Riverside Cooperative Paving program so that is um something that the town gets great pricing on roads and is a is a great way to kind of take care of the odds and ends that don't fit into certain other projects like dot projects so um we're going to be evaluating roads for that this month uh for the Melville Road Project the construction was delayed there um um we didn't have great weather there was also a water leak on the road so we ended up having to push that construction period into the spring the good thing is the um the contractor is going to be holding pricing so you pretty much have 2024 prices being constructed in 2025 so as soon as weather permits um we're going to be getting that project underway um you know right when it starts getting warmer outside and they can they can lay concrete and and asphalt um for Centennial Field similar issues we had a um very rainy November which made it difficult to get construction equipment on the field there was a lot of mud um they did make pretty good progress most of the drainage system has already been installed but they were not able to finish the final grading and lay down sad so that is going to have to take place once the weather gets warmer it's difficult to say exactly when but it should be early early spring um I think we're still looking at having that field open in the spring but it will be late spring rather than beginning of Spring so um that is pretty much oh and Memorial Field we uh we're currently working on the revisions to the concept plan for that so that that's in progress it should be completed pretty soon and um you know we're going to be having additional meetings to to go over that and um andn meetings or meetings with the field committee what what's the both okay yeah both yeah so yeah that well we'll continue to refine that design as needed um you know based on the feedback that we receive Nick do you think that we'll have that revision done by the end of January I believe so yeah so um the plan is uh to get that plan uh in January and then to present it to the Council on February 11 at that meeting before that we will also be meeting with a Rec commission show them what we got but there will be a presentation on the agenda on uh February 11th for oil field Nick can you just talk uh very quickly on the roads uh to be paved this year you did so Melville which is the one that was slated to be done late this year that's that's going to be done in in 2024 uh we haven't finalized the road list for we have a list no for the for the Riverside Co-op we're we're still working on identifying roads for that but we'll have that probably within a week or two I think um and then the NJ do project the roads that we applied for were Liberty AV Arcadia way and wor Miss Lane um and then we just have to have a discussion on whether we are going to stick with that as a scope because that may exceed the grant funding amount so it would require some some Capital funding in addition to the grant probably to to continue with that scope but that's that's the the plan for 2025 is those okay um anybody else questions for the engineer seeing none we have uh we have Police Department report all right thank you Travis Woods uh Lieutenant with hills out police I'll make this pretty brief so I'm going to just in cap 2024 into five quick uh bullet points so in 2024 the police department participated in over 20 uh successful community policing events uh those include not only there's more to this but our major everyone's tours of headquarters uh book readings junior Police Academy uh multiple Touch of truck events we did Toys for Tots uh chief for a day uh School drop off event we continued with snow tubing event which is held in campaw which is actually again uh this Thursday we did coffee with the cop uh Sergeant seers who's the head of the community placing unit made two separate trips to Asheville North Carolina one of those trips was to donate winter jackets that he personally or the community policing unit uh collected second one was to drop off uh Christmas gifts um to Asheville to the victims of the hurricane um traffic update in 2024 we conducted 1,172 motor vehicle stops uh took 60 selective enforcement details responded to 67 traffic motor vehicle complaints and address 280 parking complaints um traffic also partici participated in numerous funerals and parades uh investigations detective Bureau conducted 165 investigations they closed 159 of them um many multi many indictable and non indictable charges came out of detective Bureau uh firearm's investigation unit is uh they conducted approximately 170 investigations that's for um fir permits and Etc and our Humane law enforcement officer had seven animal cruelty investigations um opened in 2024 and all closed does anybody have any questions for the lieutenant no thank you thank you R DPW inter term superintendent Barry Peterson good evening mayor council um make this real quick also so for December uh our leaf collection program ended December 20th and we collected a total of 5,979 75 cubic yards of leaves um we decorated during that collection the uh Veterans Park and the train station for the holiday season our December 21st and 24th snowfall two both storms combined about roughly 3 and half to 4 in with a combined total of 150 tons of salt used on all bur and County own roads uh 100 tons of that was reclaim uh through the county by doing the county roads um we've installed the remainder of the pallet shelving the main DPW garage to get more equipment up off the floor uh we had a heating issue at the train station uh caused by dead battery and the thermostat we had some frozen pipes they were fixed and along with the uh pipe repairs I installed had the guys install some uh pieces of rubber across the bottom of the door to kind of cut back on any cold draft coming in and that's all I have great thank you any questions for our DPW bar quick question about the train station uh what things can and can't we do then uh the only thing I can do without uh permission from transit is paint the building the same colors any other kind of construction work I have to get approval from uh New Jersey Transit the uh historical uh portion of New Jersey Transit they're going through all pictures and files and and whatnot because they want to uh restore that building to original historic uh looking which would be different color paint some ornate things across the top of roof and whatnot and that's going to take some time so during the winter the The Waiting airing inside I understand that the door was locked yeah so we are going to be changing the door this year and we actually had the door already and changing the floor okay uh so that that'll be uh on our time with the approvals but is the door open now every morning yes the door is open every morning um I had unlocked it I think maybe in between myself unlocking it and the CL any company coming in they may have locked the door behind them uh because the prior week the heat was not working and we had the building locked up so the following morning that was all set ready for everybody to go in okay great any other questions gentlemen thank you for your time appreciate it we'll move on to committee reports let's start from left and go right cman ruko thank you Mr Mayor I've got four reports to make so just bear with me um senior years uh the senior way on the senior lunch at St John the Baptist was held at December 18th there was a Christmas lunch for the 50 plus uh Club on December 20th 50 plus Club met on January 9th uh I want to thank Patty use for providing musical Arrangement there uh I think it was enjoyed by the folks who attended the next senior event is a senior lunch on January 15th at St John the Baptist the uh Board of Health they'll be meeting on January 21st um there has been Communications between the members of the Board of Health and the burough administrator regarding questions about the proposed shared service agreement with the county that's still an ongoing discussion um the financial committee we met on January 14th with the CFO and the burrow administrator we reviewed the financial reports for the buau as well as for the pool utility for December uh the burrow uh nothing unusual in those reports for the month of December uh Stony Brook end of the year with an estimated profit of 188,00 which is good uh but it is down from the 133% from the prior year we had very preliminary estimates of the 2025 budget very preliminary and uh its funding implications were shown to the committee but adjustments continued to be made by the Barrow administrator and by the CFO to conform to a number of things our Surplus policy uh our need to provide for essential services and to keep the tax increases to a minimum uh it's a challenging work in progress so I'll be reporting as we go through that process the committee is going to meet again on January 28th to review another draft and then meet with the heads of the largest departments to go over their operating budget and capital uh the budget just for all the members of the days uh has to be introduced no later than the mayor and council meeting of April 1st it must be adopted no later than the mayor council meeting of May 6th um access for all uh this gets a little um a little lengthy but I'll try to make it sure we they met twice they met on December 16th and January 14th uh the schedule they put forward their schedule meeting dates they elected officers Ron Miller as the president Yanna mermal as the vice president Mustafa Aro as Treasurer and angal deari as secretary uh they welcome new members Mustafa Aral and Grace Salah uh they're still asking looking for help from the burough administrator to suggest members who can represent the schools the police Recreation and the Board of Health that's usually a normal part of having an access for all committee uh plans are moving ahead for a 2025 art show at the library with an opening date of May 1st at 6:30 p.m. I encourage the attendance of all the members of the council uh to show Support also plans have been made for a series of arts and craft workshops also in the library to take place on February 22nd March 15th and April 26th I updated them during their meeting on the matter of the council approving submission of the Jake law Grant to fund the creation of a new handicap accessible playground in Beachwood Park that would place the existing non-handicapped access that would replace the existing uh playground that's there now it's non- handicapped accessible we have a resolution tonight r 25042 on the agenda uh but I intend to make a motion when it comes up for discussion to postpone consideration of that resolution uh for the next council meeting and I'll explain why uh we have a letter from the access for all president Ron Miller dated January 8th in support of that project there's been a petition of about 350 signatures uh in support of it and several emails to the mayor and councel that we've all received um however I informed them that it was recently brought to the attention of the council Aon council president asso uh that uh and he brought it to the attention of the rec committee that a jake law Grant in the state of New Jersey uh had to be approved under the aices of the state's Green Acre program um that would mean that the burough would have to agree to restrictions on the use and sale of all recreational Open Spaces in the town including uh our being required to let any New Jersey Town any New Jersey Sports Association or organization or individuals um who use that that open space if it was available assuming that it was funded by a Green Acres Grant it also has been clarified by the state that those conditions would apply to any of our recreational uh open space facilities so if you accept Green Acres money it comes with a bunch of negatives uh some towns have agreed to this quid proquo others have not if the council is not concerned with these restrictions then it probably should not vote for postponement tonight as I move to postpone it uh it should move to approve it uh but if you have some concerns um postponing it will give us time to finalize our understanding of what the uh Green Acres restrictions really are um I've assured the uh access for all members that the recreation committee and at least several council members uh here favor creation of a new handicapped accessible playground and will be open for ways to fund it perhaps even without a grant uh I will intend to ask the CFO and the ba at a finance committee meeting to explore whether it can be budgeted for in 2025 if not in 2026 if the council is agreeable to that suggestion in the meantime the recreation director has agreed to explore what other grants are available and if necessary work with the a and the rec committee to determine a More costeffective Design I think it's very important at a time when we're considering spending millions of dollars for the renovation of Memorial Field and we've already spent close to a million on Centennial it's important that we demonstrate support for the children and families who may not be able to reap the full benefits of our Centennial Field and Memorial Field Renovations um that's all I have Council woman tro yes hello um the uh Library Board of Trustees meeting uh was on Monday night um they elected a new set of board of directors um the president is Amanda Miller vice president Cal sheeper uh treasur is Bill Bird and secretaries Barbara wam um as a general report for 2024 I think what really stands out is that the library is now back to the um circulation that it was at prior prior to covid it's taken all this time to get back up to that level and so in uh 2024 the circulation um out of there's 3,684 uh residential addresses associated with um Hillsdale um of of that 1,64 actually hold a library card and have actually used it during the course of 2024 which represents 44% of the households um which is up from the year before which was only 42% so the point of that being that the library is strong going strong continuing to be a um a sort of a center for the uh Community um they do have a lot of programs um there um and I I always urge every time I give a report is I always tell people they should go to the website and you will see all sorts of programs for children for adults um last night for example there was a program on Iceland uh somebody was giving a whole presentation about traveling to Iceland so I mean there all sorts of there's music concerts Etc and you can see that by going you know to their website and you know you should I I always encourage everyone to drop in the library is beautiful inside um and they're constantly making Renovations and changes and they're it's it's almost going to be on its way to to sort of be almost like it's a very Gathering Place for the community uh especially for children children families with children love to go there um Moms little children who aren't in school yet seniors love to go there so I just I'm just trying to put it back out there in the public that please go check it out if you haven't been there I think you will be surprised at at what it what's going on in there um and that's it for my library board any other just Library board oh there was a planning board meeting also and I elected uh also a new um panel but um unfortunately I don't have all their names well I think they may have switched up a little no no we stayed the same we got stay exactly the sameth k still the chair is still theair is the vice chair okay well there you Scott Raymond is the secretary because our mayor is a representative on the uh I was there with you so yes he was there with me um and um I think then that would be it for that meeting correct that's it yes thank you okay councilwoman maach Chong okay so I have a couple of updates um to reports um I'll start with ambulance my first ambulance committee meeting is scheduled for next week I'm looking forward to attending this meeting as it'll provide an opportunity for me to engage with the committee and gain an understanding of their current operations uh but in preparation for this meeting I do want to thank Richard Savino sitting in the front there for uh you know I took the initiative to visit the ambulance house last week um and during my visit I did receive a comprehensive tour of the facilities which was very insightful it was a great overview of their daily functions responsibilities got A Sneak Peek into uh the V and all the wonderful equipment that's in there uh I do want to uh thank you again because experience did give me a valuable firsthand knowledge of the work that is needed and all the work they perform and the critical role that this ambulance does play um in our community so I do look forward to building on this Foundation uh collaborating with the ambulance committee to support and enhance their efforts and I'll provide uh hopefully I'll have an update for you guys uh next meeting uh I'll move on to the board of ed local so a couple of weeks ago Mr Saxon and the Board of Ed they shared a detailed update on the progress of our Middle School construction project um building on that update I'm happy to share that the construction documents are moving forward and remain on schedule The Architects engineers and construction managers are working hard to finalize the projects uh phases and uh as we prepare for code and bid submissions um they are also closely monitoring construction costs in real time as these costs continue to fluctuate uh as we as they have noted throughout the process um also huge shout out to uh the staff that they recognized last night there was a recognition of five staff members uh have earning 25 years of service um it was Andrea Lincoln Tracy alderton Joy Goodman Marissa Lamont and Eileen Thomas so the board as well as the mayor and councel are very thankful for their service or commitment and impact um on the student experience during their tenure that's it okay council president Oso yes uh the police committee had an opportunity to meet yesterday uh new members of the committee Melissa maach Chang and jic truk I we introduced to both lieutenant camparelli and Lieutenant Woods who is Al also the officer in charge uh they were um kind enough to provide us an overview of the department um uh just an update on the uh the PBA local 207 contract that was negotiated last year uh it will be presented to the May Council in February for approval um and that'll be presented by uh dieus Hol um with regards to the rec commission uh Edward Grill was elected chair uh John coring was elected vice chair and uh quick congratulations to an cron who was uh reappointed um to her seat there um basketball recreation has started uh there were 330 registrants uh that uh have signed up uh it's just in it's inine line with where they were last year in terms of registrations uh the spring brochure for uh Rec is going to be released on February 15 uh please check out the Hillsdale Recreation website for dates of events uh events that you can find on there are the summer concert series uh the Halloween uh the Halloween parade and and other various events that were very successful through the year um John um John provided us a pretty significant update on Green Acres and written some stuff to say about that but I don't want to rehash everything I think his summary was pretty thorough uh also when we uh get to the resolution we'll have additional time to discuss it as well um also wanted to thank Rick Savino for providing the supports to associations at the rec commission meeting last night uh an opportunity for safety and first aid training uh that the commission will strongly consider and hopefully we'll have a number of people that will register for the program great is that it yep okay Council Fox uh the intern superintendent of DPW took care of my report uh and councilman rugo updated uh on the pool Revenue so I have nothing else to report okay Council MTI thank you uh in regards to the PV High School Board of Education there are no updates from last week uh at which time they reconstituted in terms of the environmental commission uh the commission did hold in conjunction with the Boy Scout Troop 108 and the DPW their stof from from recycling drop off event this past Saturday in the west lot uh that was an enormous success about 78 cars dropped off styrofoam filling what I believe was either a 30 or 40 yard dumpster plus uh the back of one of the DPW dump trucks uh the majority of the residents were from Hillsdale uh there were some from Woodcliff lakes and Montville uh and there were numerous request uh to determine if we could hold such an event more regularly uh what's going to happen with this is all the product is going to poly molding and that styrofoam will be recycled into park benches so very successful event in terms of the fire department we will be reconstituting hopefully sometime between Thursday of this week and the end of next week and I can provide updates that great B Gali thank you Mr Mayor I have a very short one we have a new business in town sha Japanese Kitchen uh coming to 321 Broadway we don't have a date opening yet and I just want to uh clarify just one point um Council Maro uh for the second time says that Centennial costs us a million dollars uh we actually pulled the numbers from 2019 I just want to go on the record just to clarify so we're all on the same page and I will make this available to the council and to the mayor since 2019 uh we paid DMR $49,000 stati we paid him $165,000 col year we paid $177,000 uh and then we have the Environmental Group about 50,000 that comes up to 363,000 up to that point where we started the new plan the new plan costing us 374,000 and Engineering about 50,000 environmental about 50,000 all in all uh including the previous work from 2019 to date when we are handed the key to the field it will cost us $842,000 um so it's close to the million but it it it includes you know the new plan was any of the work that was done from previous able to be pulled forward into the work that's been done now yes so K year uh engineering and from satil we used uh some of the services that they gave uh in 2021 and 2022 uh use that data for the new plan if we didn't have that we would have to pay more get that okay also while we have Nick here uh Nick you've uh you're familiar with that field right yes and that work that was done in the past inclusive of that $400,000 investment that was made uh did that add any value uh with regards to drainage and uh being able to uh make those fields playable uh that wasn't throwaway work right the work that was done previously by chrisel are you referring to Yes um quite honestly a lot of that drainage system didn't really function properly it's not that it's it's throwaway we it still is going to remain in place um but it wasn't really working so it's what we're doing now is additive to that or a supplement so so yeah to answer your question the answer is yes that that still is yes that's correct that's all I have Mr Mayor okay any other questions no okay I just want to question the Eng when we spoke to be clear the work that Chris too did which the resulted in a visual look that the parents didn't like uh they and the statti engineering put new drainage in pretty much my understanding after talking to you was that it had to be red it was like we we put money in but it's to know what so yeah it was it was a a bit of a bandid fix right um but it it did it does provide some benefit it does store some storm water so it does reduce the amount of storm water that is Flowing off site and or ponding on the site but you wouldn't change anything you're doing because he did that work that's correct yeah our system is designed to work as if that is not there right but it does his his drainage design does supplement our system so it does add a benefit right right there's also that is it not true that there are there are some uh costs by virtue of us having decided to do centen or redo centen manual field that that we've introduced more intensified D testing that has to be done on a quarterly basis as well as about a 55,000 expense for the lsrp so the specifics of that I think you would need to ask your lsrp that question I would say in relation to the construction our testing ,000 is related if we were to do any case the same but anything you're doing at that field because it's a landfill is going to require monitoring to make sure that it doesn't have impact to the the landfill below or there's methane deposits that are being released or anything like that right but our work now our decision to move ahead with Centennial Field and and redo things that we'd already done and improve upon that is costing us more monitoring expenses than we had previously what was going on before correct there there's a there's a monitoring expense that is just an ongoing kind of like maintenance expense and as active construction occurs there's additional requirements that's correct if you know me you know that I'm a big proponent of being honest and open I think you are with the uh with the costs that we're experiencing when we get benefits there are also costs and I just want those costs to be made known to the public and John those costs for the DP D monitoring they'll come down over years right we hope so so okay they go away don't they well do they go away forever there well when we first Capp that in 2000 Mike knows the the dates a little better than I do but um they they made us test and they just continue to make us test for years but you have to push the DP in order to uh get Freedom okay all right we're going to move on to the ordinances everybody who gets to now hear a meet speak quite a bit here okay 251 at the beginning of the year we start with one an ordinance to amend and supplement ordinance 0901 chapter 138 fees and chapter 71 swimming pool commission be it resolved that ordinance 251 does now pass first reading and that set ordinance be further considered for final passage at a meeting of the mayor and councel in the municipal building 380 Hillsdale Avenue Hillsdale New Jersey on February 4th 2025 and that and at said time and place all persons interested will be given an opportunity to be heard in concerning the same and the clerk is hereby authorized and directed to publish said ordinance in the Ridgewood news once at least one week prior to said hearing with the notice of its introduction and of the time in place when and where said ordinance would be considered for final passage can I get a motion motion second second uh can clerk please read the role council member chimu yes council member ketti yes council member Fox yes council member maach Chang yes council president Oso yes council member ruko yes uh that is introduced okay 252 in ordinance establishing Sal salary ranges for the staff of the Hillsdale swimming pool Commission in the burough of Hillsdale County of Bergen state of New Jersey be it resolved that ordinance 252 does now pass first reading and that set ordinance be further considered for final passage at a meeting of the mayor and Council in the municipal building 380 Hillsdale Avenue Hillsdale New Jersey on February 4th 2025 and at said time and place all persons interested will be given an opportunity to be heard considering the same and the clerk is hereby authorized and directed to publish that ordinance in the Ridgewood news once at least one week prior to set hearing with a notice of its introduction and of the time and place when and where said ordinance would be considered for final passage can I get a motion motion second second will the clerk please read the role council member colleti yes council member Fox yes council member m Chong yes council president Oso yes council member ruko yes council member troh yes that consider introduced 2503 an ordinance establishing Recreation Department program and summer camp fees in the borrow of Hillsdale be it resolved that ordinance 253 does now pass a first reading in that set ordinance be further considered for final passage at a meeting of the mayor and Council in the municipal building 380 Hillsdale Avenue Hillsdale New Jersey on February 4th 20125 and at said time and place all persons interested will be given an opportunity to be heard concerning the same and the clerk is hereby authorized and directed to publish said ordinance in the Ridgewood news once at least one week prior to said hearing with a notice of its introduction and of the time and place when and where said ordinance would be considered for final passage can I get a motion motion second second is there a second there second okay will the clerk please read the role council member Fox yes council member maong yes council president Oso yes council member ruko yes council member choim Muk yes yes council member ketti yes we're going to move on to 254 introduction ordinance establishing salaries for the recreation department be resolved that ordinance 2504 does now pass a first reading and that said ordinance be further considered for final passage at a meeting of the mayor count and Council in the municipal building 380 Hillsdale Avenue Hillsdale New Jersey on February 4th 2025 and at said time in place all persons interested will be given an opportunity to be heard concerning the same and the clerk is hereby authorized and directed to publish that ordin in the Ridgewood news once at least one week prior to set hearing with a notice of its introduction and of the time and place when and where said ordinance would be considered for final passage can I have a motion moot motion second second well the clerk please read the role council member maach Chang yes council president Oso yes council member ruko yes council member Chim Muk yes council member k in New Jersey Redevelopment plan be it resolved that ordinance 255 does now pass a first reading and that set ordinance be further considered for final passage at a meeting of the mayor and Council in the municipal building 380 Hillsdale Avenue uh Hillsdale New Jersey on February 4th 2025 and at said time and place all person would be given an opportunity to be heard concerning the same and the clerk is hereby authorized and directed to publish that ordinance in the Ridgewood news once at least one week prior to said hearing with the notice of its introduction and of the time and place when and where said ordinance would be considered for final passage can I get a motion motion second second clerk please read the role discussion please usually we do we discuss introduction typically on every motion is allowed for discussion okay so the discussion is on the motion in some way or on the merits of the ordinance the merits of the ordinance I don't is is it is that Germain at this time this it's been motioned it's seconded the normal process is according to Robert's Rules of Order to have you can permit any member to discuss I'm thinking it through as we go this is not something you would hold until the actual adoption of the ordinance I think that would be my choice okay let's just discuss the is there a second introduction it's already been motion second uh the only matter I'd like to discuss or or at least bring out to my fellow council members is that we've had uh St John the Baptist pastor indicate that he's uh concerned about it I because of the potential for increased flooding that occurs at St John's um I think it's important if someone is going to object to that that uh that objection be sustained AED by a Engineers report or some evidence because what this mayor and Council have seen uh from um the work that's been done up to this point is that with the addition of retention tanks both in the residential part of the prior approved development as well as now the new self- storage development um there might be an increased capacity to whole water that falls down in that area um but I would be sensitive to any scientific study that is presented before the council that argues to the contrary and that's all I want to say okay well we've heard that no no it's there's something there's a motion before it for vote it's been postponed will the clerk please read the role is there another one Mark can I ask you a quick can I ask you question this is just an introduction Inu that's all it is okay I have one quick question for the ba um are we changing the date to the 11 mention that yeah uh and and that's to uh actually to accommodate St John the Baptist to have more time if we can change it to February 11 change that from February 4th to February 11th as read okay thank you so the motion would be we get a motion for it on for the 11th right okay so that's it any other discussion no so this is for the 11th will the clerk please council member K yes County of Bergen state of New Jersey approving an application for a long-term exempt uh long-term tax exemption and authorizing the exe execution of a financial agreement with permont Avenue urban renewal related to the Redevelopment of block 128 lot one on the tax maps of the bureau be it resolved that ordinance 256 does now pass a first reading and that set ordinance be further considered for final passage at a meeting of the mayor and councel in the municipal building 380 Hillsdale Avenue Hillsdale New Jersey on February 4th uh and at said time in place all persons interested will be given an opportunity to be heard the same concerning the same and that the clerk is hereby authorized and directed to publish set ordinance in the Ridgewood news once at least one week prior to set hearing with a notice of its introduction and of the time and place when and where said ordinance would be considered for final passage is there a motion motion is there a second with respect to the earlier ordinance um in this case ketti and myself were disappointed that the attempt to introduce this the uh added to it as well the re development scientific evidence comment that's fine the 11 okay so with a second consideration of it for February 11th yes will the clerk please read the role council member ruko yes council member choim Muk yes council member klei yes council member Fox yes council member maach Chang yes council president Roso yes so we're going to move on to the 255 uh let's get a let's get a motion and then we'll ask to to pull it now can I get a motion motion second we P we're going to p no we're going to pull it I think we pull first we should pull first we're going to pull nobody's we're going to pull 2542 I would also like so is there a motion I'm sorry is there a motion on the consent agenda with the sanss 2542 I think P wants to pull yeah I'd like to pull 254 254 to be considered separately please okay is there any other resolution to be pulled yes 2554 okay you got three easier just with the and 25 second council member kti yes council member Fox yes that passes with the except acttion is in the and they could destruct no so to over or semicolon and delet M the 25 proed Council to restriction without the be available I would say discuss can you just provide confirmation that work parks to the general public the grant ortion identify or two I'll set because the I yeah is in between the a major wants to Pro is there a time so it's got to okay is there a second second okay also has been tabled let's have some it's the first Duty why we Public Safety officers they need to do so with proper perspect the investig which I cannot describe because it's in litigation to a situ of our police law enforce still has been without an if after the is not permitted by this coun wait a second here are we getting far field make sure that we're not violating anybody's right I want to St me immediately that's why I'm I'm asking counsel yeah I I I I can't say anything that's been said is uh VI's rights outcomes and po outcomes correct so I I'm I'd like to stay away from that um the the the resolution is on for the purpose of appointing a person to do a job um if the councilman seeks to provide some perspective on that it's I don't know that it's necessary but it's certainly his prerogative yeah I at my West bullet point okay excellent if he chooses not Comm search of candidate of course I want to protect everybody's here I appreciate the commenters of this resolution to resolve this everybody's protection we need to confine it thank you yesu is adop non second Council remember 25 someone hello I live in here since I also went to pass no Divine um lock down a whole country has been um is place of worship emotional mental health support network you're going to of the of the and social Community monity nothing but store um this and you could look into on the community's mental Heth thank you for your comment anybody else like to speak that I didn't clarify that we and objections I absolutely not only and the construct storage facility it a part of the Parish Mr Finance council issue that I needed to seniors with a lot of for any events related U our insurance happen to anyone with very very so uh uh so sooner we get this done then uh then to welcome till the uh Community Center is complete thank you thank you for your comment is there any other comment one then two Avenue think you've heard me speak a few times I just want to say a couple of things hard work that's going into the improvements in the plans that are that are happening um around um a little bit to kind of hear some of the thoughts that we've been mulling over um uh at home and you know with some of the neighbors that we are friendly with I don't want to speak for everybody I don't know everybody who has been coming up here to talk um but first of all I want to say that we really need this park to happen seeing the boys here today was really I think uplifting hearing from the coaches um so these improvements are needed for the town and I don't think that anybody's opposing those happening um being so impacted being so close to the fields there are a few concerns that I would like to address traffic is a huge issue in the area when large scale town events happen right now those events are few and far between at that Park 10 or less a year so they're a lot more tolerable um if that field is truly going to be the only place used for large scale events those those incidents anymore because they're going to be con like to throw out a couple suggestions because I don't feel like you can only come with up with problems um one of the things that um has been mentioned is that some of the other fields are not even really worth investing in they're that poorly in shape one of those being Beachwood um I would like to throw the idea out there of using Beachwood as spillover parking for Memorial if it's not worth investing in improving it why don't we take away all that parking issues all the problems with people leaving their cars you know in unsafe areas by just turning Beachwood into a parking lot for Memorial that will take away that second parking lot in the corner um we can use the space that we already have and then use that as spill parking it's close enough to walk that will give the wreck parents and Spectators a safe place place to leave their car and will take away a lot of those issues in their surrounding area I think that that's something worth thinking of uh I know lights are a huge issue um hearing from the recck Department they're really necessary um but my thought is I think the 9:00 proposed curfew is a lot more fair for the local residents um I would also like to to suggest possibly only lighting it for Field Sports and not for baseball and softball considering we have lighting for baseball and softball at Centennial and from what I understand and again the engineers could probably clarify further that lighting for field sports is less invasive than lighting for baseball and softball because they can be set at a lower angle um which might be a good compromise kind of for the residents and giving our wreck kids what they need for the town to throw out the um idea of just putting [Music] portable that can be used so that believe that's the need need for that events at our beautiful field was only divided towns Westdale Road just like the introduction couple months ago this was originally introduced and I commented about um the council was careful had you outlined why you accepted and rejected the planning board recommendations and that was listed and identified online but I had asked about in the Amendments themselves the height of the building was raised and the impervious surface was increased now father is that's the heart of his objection um and back in November I asked for a further explanation of why that was happening and I knowe in the intervening two months there is no it's the same document I think that was posted with to the agenda back in November and you know I I don't understand why the storage space needs an extra story and why they're increasing their impervious surface which was already a very high percentage much higher than any other uh any new construction would be permitted in town um that under the Redevelopment plan and that was justified at the time of the Redevelopment plan because it was more permeable than existed when when it was large when it was almost completely paved so I would just ask you know between now and February 4th please explain what's going on we have we have increasing objections here to the to those exact points and I just find it you know I I'm just it's distressing that ask a question and no further explanation comes out it's the exact same document being repeated thank you thank you is there anybody else who would like to comment seeing none we'll close that period and move on to council commentaries I will begin just by saying uh my state of the burrow speech was sufficient last week so I figure I've talked enough um and we will just go from there this time we'll start at the far end on Council commentaries Council MTI yeah simply put just thank you for the community's involvement in the meetings appreciate your input your statements everything is taken into consideration thank you councilman Fox no comment council president no count councilwoman maachan yes I just want to uh big congratulations again to the Hawks Junior and peee um Super Bowl champions along with the outstanding cheerleading teams um we're very proud of them and their hard work um I also want to thank Mr Muhammad for his letter and helping to um initiate a new tradition for our town so I'm really looking forward to the February 22nd uh Crescent lighting so thank you for initiating that um also I want to thank Rosa um aselli for sharing her story and her concerns regarding parks and for being an advocate um I think you know we really appreciate hearing it and we will work on possible solutions and funding uh and lastly we'll be honoring Martin Luther King next week uh reflecting on his incredible Legacy of uh equality Justice and service so let's just take this time to remember him and his dreams for a better and more United Future great councilwoman Jim I would also like to congratulate the Hawks and the cheerleaders um I'm also very pleased that we will be um uh celebrating participating in the uh Ramadan celebration um and I also would like to thank everyone that does attend these meetings it's always um very refreshing for us and um it's a very good interaction with the community and of course as you know most of the time there's no one here so it is very good and and uh Secret really very I think encouraging to all of us when we see people coming it shows that you're you know reading listening uh kind of interested in what's going on on Council and I think that people who have uh stake in the community should show up at these meetings um voice their opinions their concerns all along sometimes people just really show up sort of at the end when maybe they've just heard of umor or or they've just found out something that's been going on maybe for a year or two or three and so it's um you know we welcome still those opinions and ideas but um I strongly encourage people to to you know attend these meetings and if you can online there's always the minutes from prior meetings that you could read to sort of bring you up to date or speed as to what is going on you know if you can't attend right um and I think that's it for me thank you okay councilman R thank you mayor I want to congratulate Mary Williams uh on her retirement after many years of working in the burough in the building and construction Department she has a well-deserved reputation as always being Pleasant helpful and knowledgeable to Residents and fellow employees and she's going to be sorely missed um the last point in a recent story published in the pasac press the executive director of f share housing Corporation said that Hillsdale was a quote historically exclusionary municipality unquote and criticized us for joining a lawsuit with scores of other New Jersey towns that would put a hold and force the legislature to modify the fourth round of affordable housing requirements his comments would have the public believe that we and other towns s uh included in the litigation are practicing a subtle form of discrimination against African-Americans Hispanics and others he apparently is ignorant of hillsdale's long-standing approach of requiring inclusionary housing affordable housing in all new residential developments approved by our planning board this has been going on for years and years it's too bad that he and he's not even a municipal official doesn't recognize that the municipalities he has thrown under or the bus are only trying to correct the unreasonable aspects of the state's affordable housing requirements these municipalities are led by both Democrats and Republicans the executive director himself has fallen victim to stigmatizing this legitimate effort to improve the program so that municipalities remain attractive and do not overbuild shame on Executive Director Adam Gordon that's all I have to say thank you before I adjourn I just want to make sure everybody knows the Crescent lighting ceremony will be on the 22nd at 6 p.m. in Veterans Park okay okay thank you may can I get a motion to adjourn motion second second all those in favor we are adjourned the next meeting will be February 4th at 7 p.m in these Chambers