I This is what I was talking to. I had to add a short Remember that year? One, two, Did you get it from Oh, I saw it. How do I know? Thank you very much.
I'm running away. USA. I checked. I don't In accordance with the open public meeting act and state law, be advised that a notice of this meeting was made by posting on the bulletin board and town hall and forwarding to the officially designated newspapers. This
meeting would take place at Milurn Education Center at 7 p.m. on March 17th, 2026. Meeting details in the draft agenda are also posted on our township website. Please all stand of the United States of America and to
the republic for it stands one nation indivisible with liberty andice for all. >> Mr. Cohen Mr. Costco >> here. >> Mr. Cerudo >> here. >> Mr. Stler >> present.
>> Mayor Sakamandandy >> here. >> Thank you. >> All right. Before we move on to the agenda, I just want to remind everyone the second read and public hearing for ordinance 2737-26 strategic planning committee and ordinance 2738-26
cultural diversity committee will not take place tonight. Both are being adjourned to April 7th due to a clerical error that occurred to public notice. That said, may I have a motion to approve the agenda? >> So move. >> I have a second. >> Second. >> All those in favor?
>> I. >> Any opposed? Extensions. >> All right. I have a motion to approve the February 17, 2026 Township Committee regular meeting minutes. >> Have a second. >> Second.
>> All those in favor? I >> no opposed. No obstensions. Okay. Uh I'm now going to turn it over to Chief Vera uh so he can um provide the background on the motion we have slated
courtesy. >> Thank you, Mayor. Good evening, Mayor Sakamandi, Deputy Mayor Cosgrove, members of the township committee, Alex Omar, colleagues, friends, and family. On behalf of the Buildar Fire Department, I thank the township committee and the community. It is my
honor to introduce tonight's promotion candidate, Sean Slaven, whose dedication and hard work inspires us all. Sean firefighter Sean Slavven is being promoted from firefighter to the rank of fire captain. Shawn resides in the township of Union, New Jersey. He has
collaborated with the Milbert Fire Department to respond to emergencies and serve township residents. He has also contributed to departmental initiatives including implementing record management systems and supporting computer and technology operations.
Shawn serves on the department's USAR team and has completed numerous specialized training programs throughout his career, including rapid intervention team, structural collapse rescue, trench rescue, confined space operations, and incident command system training.
Before joining the Milber Fire Department, Shawn served as a combat engineer in the United States Marine Corps Reserve and Brigade Company Bravo Six Engineer Support Battalion. He deployed to Iraq in 2003 and later
became a platoon sergeant overseeing marine training and combat engineering operations. Shawn holds a bachelor of science and architecture from the New Jersey Institute of Technology and a vocational degree in drafting from Union County Magnet High School. His construction
background stren strengthens his understanding of building construction and its effects on the fire ground conditions. In addition, Shawn currently serves as the president of the Milbour FMBA Local 32 and treasure of the Milbour Relief Association. Shawn is joined tonight by
his wife and family and thanks them for their ongoing support and love. He also expresses gratitude to the lower fire department members for their mentorship and friendship throughout his career. Captain Slave will be assigned to the platoon as officer.
May I have a motion to approve resolution 26-087 which confirms the promotion? >> Motion. >> I have a second. >> Second. >> We'll call vote, please. >> Mr. Costco. >> Yes. >> Mr. Sero. >> Yes. >> Mr. Stler. >> Emphatic. Yes.
>> Mayor Simandandy. >> Yes. >> Thank you. >> Right. I will now come up to issue the oath of office. Ready? >> All right. Uh, please repeat after me. I state your name. do solemnly swear >> I Sean Slavven do so solemnly swear >> that I will support the Constitution of
the United States >> that I will support the Constitution of the United States >> and the Constitution of the State of New Jersey >> and the Constitution of the State of New Jersey >> and that I will faithfully discharge the duties of fire captain >> that I will faithfully discharge the duties of fire captain >> of the Milbourne Township Fire
Department >> Milbour Township Fire Department >> according to the best of my ability >> according to the best of my ability. >> So help me God. So only That's the question. All right, we will now take a brief five minute recess for those of you that
don't wish to stay the entire I got no hair. >> You have to leave the back door. Yeah. >> Thank you very >> All right. Today is St. Patrick's Day, so I want to wish a happy St. Patrick's Day to anyone
who celebrates. Uh the planning board met two weeks ago and approved two applications. One was for changes needed to accommodate a new tenant in the Trader Joe's building and the other was to modify the lot line of existing property. Um see at our last meeting her
public comment on the ordinance to repeal and replace CEDA Reverend Marabella she's here tonight of uh Mount Zion Church shared that while she was very grateful to finally be included in the mural project. She asked that going forward her community not be treated as
an afterlaw. I took that to heart the following day I reached out and last week I had the privilege of visiting Mount Zion uh church and sitting down with President Maraveville personally. Mount Zion has stood in this community since 1902, over 120 years of faith,
perseverance, and service. It was one of the most meaningful conversations I've had since taking office. During that visit, I offered a personal apology to Reverend Marabel on behalf of the township and CEDA for Mount Zion's initial exclusion from the Neural Project. A congregation with that
history with those roots in Milbourne should never have to feel overlooked. I am glad we had that conversation and I'm glad that we are choosing to move forward together. Reverend Marbel and I spoke about healing, about the opportunity to transform a moment of hurt into something that makes this
community stronger. And I believe we are doing exactly that. The new cultural diversity committee is not just an administrative change. It is a fresh start, chance to build something inclusive from the grounds up where every voice in this township has a real seat at the table. and I'm looking forward to our next TC meeting on April
7th when we will have the final vote on the ordinance to replace CEDA with the new cultural diversity committee. Finally, I was asked by a member of the Charter Study Commission to let everyone know they have a meeting this Thursday night at 8:00 PM at the Power Center. They'll be having a special meeting this
Sunday at 3M at the Power Center. This Sunday meeting, residents are going to be able to come and engage in a conversation back and forth about Melbourne's uh government. So we encourage anyone that's interested in that process to uh try and attend that event. Turn it over to Deputy Mayor
Cost. >> Thank you, Mayor. Uh I have three reports. Um the HPC historic preservation, they had their regular meeting uh approved several applications. Everything went smoothly.
Uh the senior citizen committee also had a meeting. Uh they had their election of officers. Um and uh there was a good discussion about uh what um services were available to seniors in the community to remove snow. Um Mr. Cerudo
has gotten in touch with the the Boy Scouts in town. There's a meeting Thursday of this week uh to discuss having them potentially do that for seniors. Um open space. I'll defer to Ben since you're the chair. Okay.
>> That's it. Thank you. Good even. >> Good evening. Great to see excellent crowd tonight and congratulations to our new fire captain. Uh the shade tree advisory board uh would like me to let y'all know that our day is Arbor Day is
Friday, April 24th, and there will be a free giveaway of tree saplings in the morning um at the public works of the dump and also a ceremonial tree planting um for America's 250th um held in the
afternoon at 400 p.m. on April 24th. Go to the township website for more information. And if you didn't already know, Milbour has been recognized as tree seed as a Tree City USA community for 47 consecutive years. Um, so we love
our trees. We want to keep our treeline streets and treeine um open space. Flood mitigation advisory committee. Mayor Sakamandandy and I will be reconvening uh the mayor's railway river coalition along with Mr. McDonald. Thank you, Mr. McDonald, for your assistance. Um and
our flood mitigation advisory committee is working diligently uh having uh strong conversations with the county as well. Um and we believe the Orange Reservoir bypass and retention can really become a reality. So we're planning uh and putting a lot of energy into leading the charge on behalf of our
neighboring communities and that starts uh with the um mayor's railway river coalition which will meet later this month. Pedestrian Safety Advisory Board proud to announce um you know that the pilot is going to be moving forward uh with angled parking and um temporary
bumpouts at the corner of uh between Lacawana and Woodingham Terrace. That's obviously a hot spot in our community for pedestrian safety. Um and so the engineering department and police uh you know um are taking those first steps. So really awesome to see uh government in
action. uh holiday lighting committee met and we did a walkthrough through downtown. Work is ongoing. Uh tomorrow, Mr. McDonald and I um will be working with Jersey Central Power and Light um to uh look at our downtown telephone poles and excess wires. We're also
setting up a meeting with the Department of Transportation and talk about cut through traffic going on in town uh based on congestion on Route 24. Um 250th committee joined Milbour 250 at the library for NJ Makers Day this Saturday the 21st from 1 to 4 pm. And
also on Thursday, March 26th, Katie Green eyewitness to the revolution will take place at the library as well. Visit milburn250.org for more information on future events and ways to get involved. Planning is also underway for the Memorial Day parade and July 4th festivities. Um, as
a reminder, uh, we must remain vigilant and our police department is doing an amazing job keeping us all safe. Um, the police department offers free home assessments and has strong burglary patrols. There's also a new junior police academy, which I think Mr.
McDonald um, uh, is uh, uh, has now been officially open. >> This will be the second >> second year. Um, but we really do encourage the community if you're interested in home assessment, uh, take advantage of that, you know, uh, quiet quiet storm right now. Our police doing
an amazing job, but let's be proactive. Uh, protect yourself and others. And that is it for me. Mayor, >> thank you, Mayor. Uh, recreation committee, the annual Acon. I hope people show up to this because we keep pushing it. Uh Taylor Park scheduled for
Saturday, March 21st at 10:00 a.m. Taylor Parkway lights phase 2 uh began and all the new lights should be installed within the next couple weeks. Uh pole resurfacing and ADA ramp project also started last week and should be completed uh before May 1st. Special
improvement district. Uh the item that we're basically working on right now is the pedestrian safety improvements on Milbour Avenue. That's between Lacawana and Holmes which are partially funded by our 2025 Main Street New Jersey grant. I think Alex will talk a little bit about that later. Okay. Finance committee. We
had a last we had a a meeting a few weeks ago where we reviewed the budget. We reviewed forecast and many other metrics. Uh the state of Milbour is in great shape of the AAA credit. BOE board of education leaison robotics team ended
up playing having two teams in the finals of the state tournament this weekend. Milbour versus Milbour. Milbour won. So that's a great great uh celebration for for Milbour recognition of our robotics team. Uh we had 16
National Merit finalist uh which is incredible. Uh that's the extraordinary accomplishment for dedication, talent, and academic excellence of all our students. Um the Adams family is now playing at the brand new auditorium, the refurbished auditorium at the high
school. Heard it was fantastic. Everybody try drop into that. Uh Washington schools recognized by random acts of kindness for its distinguished kindness school. Um celebrating voices through the African-American readin. On February 27th, Milberg Middle School
hosted its third annual African-American readin, part of a national initiative launched in 1990 to celebrate literacy and black history month. It was led by core 7 and wave peer leaders. The event features students sharing powerful works by African-American authors along with
original poem by student Maya Rosenlat. Milbour speech and debate team got second in the state. Uh congratulations to everyone who placed. I'm not going to go through all of them, but it was a fantastic showing. Uh Black Student Union hosted inspiring career panel at
the MHS library as part of the week of action bringing together students and professionals for a powerful conversation. What else we have here? Uh moving on, we did not joint joint facilities, no update at this time. Uh
open space tax fund advisory committee, what Mr. Cosgrove was alluding to. Uh we had a robust discussion on the fields project. It was probably one of the best discussions we've had to date. Everyone was professional, competent on the issue, inquisitive, and open-minded. Uh there was a vote put forth to back the
open space trust fund um advisory committee for the project to to turf the bills. The final tally was 531 543 against one abate abstension. And just so you guys know how that committee is made up. Uh it's two committee
members, David and myself, three resident members, uh a reccomission member, environmental commission member, and a historical commission member. Um uh we are also working on the list uh a submission list for new projects. Uh I
know there's about eight to 10 in the works. Uh we're also putting that up on the website. All the the the website's good to go for those those forms. Affordable housing. I'll defer to council. That's my reports. Mayor, >> uh Mr. Stler, I believe the open space
trust fund advisory board made a recommendation that the 25% of their annual >> That's correct. We'll get into town later. Okay. >> Just wanted to that that's what the vote was about. Um all right. Uh business administrator McDonald.
>> Thank you, Mayor. Just a reminder about the budget schedule and a slight change to that schedule. Um on April 7th, we will be introducing a municipal budget. On April 23rd, uh we'll be having our uh normal public information session on the budget at the Melbourne Library starting
at 7 PM. And on May 5th, uh the uh uh projected uh adoption of the budget or public hearing and adoption of the budget. Just a quick update on the cell tower on JFK. Um uh that that has been out there for a little while. I think we
the township committee approved uh that process last year. Uh unfortunately or we're at this point we are trying to get power to the site at JFK um working with New Jersey American Water and Diamond Communications who is a cell tower uh uh
constructor um to get that power there. And so most likely going to require an easement across uh some New Jersey American Water property uh and then across JFK to to power that site. But uh working on it. It's in prog progress and I think uh in process and and I think
we'll see uh some additional pro progress uh soon on that. I just wanted to provide the community an update that that is still ongoing. Um the um short host train station uh as some may be a aware the township received a grant in the amount of
$479,000 for safe safe routes to transit. We've been uh working on a um a potential plan for that eastbound side of the short train station. Uh we are looking to have a public information
session and uh discussion on April 13th at 6:30 at the Melbourne Free Public Library. Uh all of this will be um advertised to the public as well, whether through the Melbour message, the website, social media, etc. Uh tomorrow free parking, one hour free
1-hour parking. Better be careful with that. Free one hour parking and the uh the deck uh will start. Uh it's been uh the pay stations have been reprogrammed. Their signage by the pay stations as well as the variable message board will be outside of the deck indicating to
those visitors that uh wish to park there for their shopping needs will can receive one hour of parking. It is important to note that you still need to put in your license plate. Um, so, uh, be sure be sure to take advantage of that. Um, I know at this point now that we're
crawling out of winter, the roads are in pretty um, uh, interesting shape. Um, DBW has been working hard uh, getting out there uh, to fill in potholes, to repair some roads in and where they're needed. Uh, even coming in on uh,
Saturday to to get some additional work done. uh they will continue to do that until you know it's done. We are also uh in the process of evaluating the road system for 2026 in terms of what uh roads will be done. We we've just
recently done a study through IMS that does a gives uh each road a pavement condition index and that's how we make our decision on what roads are uh are to be repaved and scheduled for paving. We do have um you know some in our network that are very poor and some that are poor. So obviously those will take
priority and precedent um for uh for the 2026 program. Uh we also have some additional 2025 uh roads uh that are carrying over to this year that will be done starting in June um or end of May June and those can be found on our website under the project listing page
uh under government on the township website. And just to touch a little bit on the pedestrian safety that's taking place between uh Lacawana and Holmes, uh we are going to be setting up a temporary um sort of test of that uh
angled parking as well as the the bumpouts at Whittingham and Holmes. The the project scope is going to be between Lacawana and Holmes. And so um the businesses have been alerted. They've been notified uh of the changes coming tomorrow uh between 9 and 11. the left
lane of of Milurn Avenue will be closed down for markouts and for um for work done by DPW and the police department. And uh we hope to have those installed and in place at the end of March uh for a trial period and in the time uh we will start putting together bid
specifications for a more permanent project in that area. But uh the the the businesses seem to be excited about the addition of four additional parking spaces in that in that area. So those are my updates. Attorney Kent.
>> Thank you, Mayor. Um on March 9th, um the county committee held a special meeting where they which was dedicated to approving legislation required uh to implement our fourth round fair housing obligations. Um several ordinances and
resolutions uh were passed uh that day. Um each of those were uploaded um to u to the courts uh by the March 16th deadline. As part of that submission, we requested a hearing from the court, which is why it is required uh based on
our submissions uh to the court. Uh we firmly believe that Touch Melbourne will get his fourth round immunity, which will give us immunity through uh July, 2035. Uh once we get that hearing, I will continue to update uh the public. Um and that I have no further updates.
>> Great. >> All right. Public comment. When invited to speak to offer your comments, please come to lecture. Clearly state your name and whether you are a Melan resident or property or business owner. Please do not provide your full addressing. As our meetings are recorded and readily
available for the public to help facilitate the meeting all be heard. Speakers shall limit their comments to one three minute session. You'll be prompted when there is 30 seconds remaining. A reminder, this is not a time for dialogue or to debate a matter. This is a time during our business
meeting for public offer comments. Open the public comment period. I think we're going to start with student first. >> I don't have anyone's hands up. >> Okay. Revisit that the audience
please. Do you want to give a reminder for Zoom? >> Uh, yes. If you are on Zoom and you wish to make a public comment, please use the hand. >> You do have one. >> Yeah, let's do that. muted.
Okay. >> Um, so whoever's online raised your hand, you could unmute and turn on the video. >> There you go. Sorry about that. Sorry about that. Sorry about that. Sorry about that. Mayor um Nick Romano, 37year
resident of Milbour. Um I'm following up on Committeeman Stler's remarks on the Open Space Trust Fund Advisory Committee. I would like to reread um my remarks that were read into the record by Committeeman Stler at that last
meeting. Thank you. My name is Nick Romano. I have served on the recreation commission for the past 20 years and currently serve as its chair. However, today I am speaking only for myself.
I am saddened that the high school field project has turned into a political football. For the record, I am 100% in favor of this project. For the past two decades, Commissioner Chris Ducker and I
have worked to secure more playable fields for the youth of our community. No one can argue the fact that we need more fields and better fields. As a longtime baseball, softball, and soccer coach, I have traveled throughout the
state, and quite frankly, Milburn's field do not come close to those of many other towns. As our recreation director Chris Meyer often says, "We are program rich but field poor."
This project is needed and long overdue. Nothing but good things happen when our children are given the opportunity to participate in sports. >> As a coach, I often use sports as a metaphor for life. Sports teach
humility, teamwork, dedication, competition, sacrifice, leadership, and accountability. They teach you how to get back up when you are knocked down, and how sometimes you can learn more from a loss than from a win.
>> The Open Space Trust Fund is a great way to help fund this project. The money's already there. Taxpayer need taxpayers do not need to be asked again. They already voted for it and approved it by an overwhelming majority.
Many residents, including myself, supported the referendum because we believed it could help address our community's need for more field space. >> Years ago, supporters of the Open Space Trust Fund said it would provide our
town with opportunities like those provided by the county's open space trust fund. However, there is no county owned property in Milbour where the county of Essex could build ball fields. Commissioner and Ducker and I have explored those options in the past. In
the past, the county has used its trust fund to build some of the best fields in the state. >> Many of which are turf fields. Many of which are turf fields. When the environmental commission presented the open space trust fund to the rig
recreation commission, it was clearly implied that these funds could be used for field improvements. When residents voted on this referendum, it was also understood that the funds could be used for projects like this.
Hopefully, they do not create a bait and switch situation. Now, our community is far too informed and engaged for that. >> There is no reason not to vote yes on this project. >> And if
yes, Nick, if you're still there, we had to cut you off by you may want to remind so we're muted. I think you may have had his YouTube or Zoom playing off your laptop. >> Yeah. So, uh to anyone that's on uh Zoom uh if you're going to make public
comment, make sure that you aren't simultaneously watching the YouTube stream. Uh otherwise, there'll be feedback and it'll cause >> Yes. Good evening everyone. My name is Pas Marble. I am the uh pastor at Mount
Zion A&E Church. Uh that is at 54 Church Street. And I wanted to begin by expressing my heartfelt thank you uh to Mayor Sakamandi. I really appreciate your visiting Mount Zion this past week. Your presence was both encouraging and
inspiring. And it meant a great deal to our congregation. When I told them on Sunday that you were there, you got a full applause. Although you were not there to receive it, our mission in our community is to truly be a part. So, thank you.
Thank you. Thank you. During our visit, we discussed the rich history of Mount Zion and the importance of preserving our sacred space and the opportunities that exist when we move forward in unity and collaboration.
I also had the pleasure of meeting with Jackie Lieberg this week and together we explored ways that our work, faith, arts and culture can intersect in jazzy ways to bring the community together. These
conversations, both of them really reaffirmed that partnerships are essential to creating a vibrant and inclusive Milbour. This month we are celebrating our second anniversary of Jesus and Jazz. Yay.
which has grown to welcome over 1,500 people who love jazz. This program along with our other offerings, communion and choirs on the first Sunday, blues and blessings on the second Sunday, poetry and praise which we just had, and our
minister was a 92year-old who brought the word without any notes in front of her. And we have of course every fourth Sunday Jesus and jazz. This arts and culture and worship and arts has created a space where faith, culture and
community meet. And these programs have drawn new people into Milburn. They celebrate diversity and strengthen connections across our town. And quite frankly, many come in and say, "We didn't know you were here." And we say, "I know. We're here and we're going to
stay." And we are welcomed here. So moving forward, we are committed to building stronger voices, shared vision, and meaningful partnerships with the township. The cultural diversity committee we look forward to being a part of and all who care about the
future of Milbour. Together, we can ensure that everyone is seen, everyone is heard and valued, and that the beauty of this community continues to flourish. Thank you again, Mayor Sakamandi. I appreciate you and the township committee for your leadership walking
alongside us. Thank you. >> Good evening members of the township committee. Jackie Benjamin Lieber. I just want to mention that several community partners are not mentioned in the new CDC committee. the Paper Mill Playhouse
representative, a BOE liaison, an art advisory representative, and in years past, Explorer Melbourne Short Hills representative as well as senior citizen advisory representative. In the spirit of engagement, inclusion, I recommend
that you make room for these art and community organizations. They are a vital part of the fabric of Melbourne. I also want to mention that if in fact we missed any organizations for the 250 mural, I assure you that this was not
intentional but an oversight. I'm extremely proud of the good work that we have accomplished and it will be a sincere privilege to work with such dedicated volunteers which will be included in the new CDC committee. Thank you.
Good evening. Uh Kenny Gam Shore Hills. So my name is Kenny Gman. I represent the Milurn Soccer Club. We have about 600 players from elementary through high school in town. Um not here really to talk about sports. I'm here to talk
about kind of a systemic infrastructure failure. Right now Milbourne has 16% field deficit. in any other area called schools or roads that would be treated as an emergency. But in recreation, we've normalized it, making do. Field
access has become a zero- sum game. Recreation programs, school teams, town clubs are all competing for the same limited space, and our kids are the ones paying the price. Let's address the core issue. Some say we want fields, but not turf. In a perfect world, I'd agree, but
in reality, that's not feasible. The high school back fields sit on wetlands and simply don't drain. Even advanced grass fields can only handle about 20 to 24 hours of use per week. Milburn's demand exceeds 65 hours. We're asking our fields to do three times what's
biologically possible. Choosing grass means continuing a system that cannot meet the town needs. We've explored alternatives. There's no viable plan B. Voting against this bond means continuing the shortage and limiting opportunities for thousands of kids. On health and environmental concerns, we
take them seriously. But current data shows modern turf systems fall within strict safety standards and new design significantly reduce environmental impact. Meanwhile, maintaining grass fields and wetlands requires constant chemicals and intervention just to keep
them playable. For the first time in years, all stakeholders, the board of education, the recreation department, and the open space trust are aligned. Funding is identified. Studies are complete. What remains is the decision to act. I'm asking you guys to say yes.
Yes to reliable fields, yes to consistent, safe playing services. Yes to investing in our kids instead of managing their disappointment. Every delay is another lost season that we can't give back. This is the only sustainable solution. Please move this
bond ordinance forward. Thank you. >> Diane Egla like resident former mayor two-term count committee member. So I do have some institutional knowledge that I feel compel compelled to share. Mr. Sakamund is not true that Mr. Stler was the first TC member to meet with the
county in over a decade. Mr. McDonald and I met in Jod's office specifically to address flooding among other issues. In fact, I met with Jod D on numerous occasions as did May as did Mayor Profus and Mayor Romano. Though those through those efforts, we secured meaningful projects and
consistently worked to bring more service to our town. What originally brought me into public life was the proposal to build a 90oot concrete dam. This plan would have raised the road by more than 20 feet and destroyed thousands of acres and required the removal of tens of thousands of trees.
It would have shut down the reservation road for two or three years, forcing all traffic onto only two roads, Old Shred Hills Road and Wyoming Avenue. The Army Corps of Engineer, the state, the county, and surrounding municipalities all opposed it. It carried an enormous cost and ultimately failed the benefit
cost analysis. Now, Mr. You're proposing a new concept, a 70 foot earth & dam. >> Where would this be located? >> Who would fund it? And I watched the last meeting. And why do you believe surrounding towns, the county, and the state would support the destruction of
the reservation when they previously rejected a similar proposal? Turning to CEDA. When I was mayor in 2019, I conceived this committee. Mr. McDonald and I developed the acronym and we formally established the committee by resolution appointing its initial members. The vision for the iconic
wheels came from observation of the center pavement of the paper playhouse. Then assistant business administrator Jimmy Tomy accessibly sourced the wheels ensuring they were suitable for painting and durable for outdoor conditions. My goal was to have the project completed in time to launch the first cherry
blossom festival in Taylor Park. The vision was re wonderful. Following year, Jackie M Jackie Bieber assume old chair and to her credit see expanded significantly and taken on more inclusive initiatives. I commend her
dedication and tireless work. Now, I wrote this before I realized you took away those two um second reads. So, I'm going to ask you anyway, Mr. SA Monday. Why were you so intent on dismantling the success? Why remove the a the art? And why were you looking to bypass
standard procedure by moving to second reading without the customary meeting in between? This is not an emergency measure. It appeared vindictive, punitive, and frankly reminiscent of Doge. Mr. Stler, if my decision to leave the Democratic Party was your call to
action, let me be clear. The party did not support my independent approach. When I was denied my opportunity to run, I chose to run as an independent, not as a Republican. I have never taken off my Democratic mantle. Mr. Sudo, why were you so offended to point out you're all
white males? It is your party that advocates for strict adherence to your assigned gender at birth. >> Good evening, Melbourne. I'm not here to defend what Dan Ev just said, but I have a little
comment for anyone to say that the TC's all white male. I ran for township committee and I did not. So, if I had won, it wouldn't be an all white male.
There will be diversity on the township committee. Is Melbourne ready for someone like myself? I was not put into office. So, who are we to blame? The township committee for winning or the people who
vote for them to put them there? So, let's be clear on what's happening here. I was a Democrat before I ran as a Republican. If I go back to being a Democrat, I will still believe what I believe.
So diversity when it comes to CEDA is a problem. So there's no Republican or Democratic way to pave a road. You just do the job. So this is not what I come here to talk
about. I've written my notes before, but I just have to say that we need to stop playing with residents intelligence. Seda is not inclusive. Would you someone like myself that looked like me was not
placed on CEDA and everyone knew me. I sat on the schoolboard for four years. I served for four years. If you want to reach OA lobby, you know where to get. You know where to find me. Everyone in town knows the name Oen. Now back to my
reading if I have enough time. Again, my name is Owabi Melbourne. I want to begin by reaffirming the concerns I raised at the last township committee meeting regarding the omission of the black American community from Melbourne 250
mural. I stand firmly by those remarks. That incident to me was not an isolated oversight. It exposed a deeper structural issue in how this township approaches representation and inclusion. I want to be clear. I'm not here to
create conflict. I'm here because accountability matters. And because this township cannot afford to repeat the same pattern when an entire community is left out of a major historical project, the problem is not individual. It is systemic and systemic issues require
systemic solutions. That is why I remain a firm believer that restructuring is necessary particularly with CEDA. In its current form, CEDA cannot claim to represent the full community when African-Americans are not part of its membership. A committee tasked with ad
advising on diversity, equity and inclusion must itself reflect diversity. Equity and public comment. >> Thank you. >> Good evening. Uh my name is Tom Holman. I spoke to you all at the March 3rd
meeting and told you that I've been appointed to the SEA committee after uh living here in this town for 37 38 years. Very pleased to be appointed to the committee. Disappointed that the committee was being disbanded, being
dissolved. Um, as some of you uh on the township committee are aware, we've been working uh with seated chair Jackie Lieberg uh since early part of the year uh to try to put together an inordin.
Um we've been uh trying to determine whether it's a feasible uh project and uh Mrs. Lieberg has uh been a whirlwind of support. Um I want to say that I look
forward to working with Reverend Marabel and the uh and her church. Um as as you I'm sure know uh she is one of the local experts on jazz music and I look forward to gaining her expertise
working with her to try to develop that festival. Um so I'm here uh you know actually to to ask for some clarification. U a number of us 22 people um are on the CEDA
committee which uh I think has a couple weeks more of existence uh before we're officially uh dissolved. Um, I understood the mayor to say at the last meeting, um, I think that, uh, he would be, uh, considering appointing,
uh, all of the present seated members to the new, uh, cultural diversity committee, if I understood them correctly. I think it would be appropriate this evening to clarify whether that is the case or whether the
22 members need to make a new application. Um, so there's no interruption in the work of of this committee and I'm a little little biased that I'd like to see my project uh go forward uninterrupted and so the appointment of a full committee uh would
be in the best interest I feel of uh of the township because I think we're going to bring a lot of value uh to the township if we get this this festival uh established. So, I hope that that clarification can be made by the mayor
later later tonight. Thank you very much. >> Hello, my name is Donald Jeffy. As a resident of Maplewood, I have an ongoing interest in assuring the safety of roads for both bicyclists and cars in both Milburn and Maplewood. First, I'd like
to express my appreciation for completion of the re repaving of Glenn Avenue from Brookside to Old Hill Shoresh Road. That that area, that piece of road was very very treacherous. So, I I much appreciate that. And also, I'd
like to thank you for this opportunity to address two additional sections of road uh that require some attention. I would like as a bicyclist and motorist who travels these roads on an almost daily basis. I note that they are pretty bad shape and are particularly dangerous
for bicyclists. Complete repaving and not only pothole repair is required for both roads. First, there is a long-standing problem with Glenn Avenue uh beyond what was done before from Myrtle Avenue to Wyoming. I note that
pothole repair has recently been completed on this section, but this repair is still inadequate to address this dangerous section of road. Secondly, Jefferson Avenue from Washington Avenue to Lake Road is is in terrible shape and is particularly
dangerous for bicyclists. I know quite often when I go through there and I use that as a typical route, I have to switch to the other the other side of the road because I just cannot travel on that section. So, uh I would really
appreciate these two sections of road uh to be looked at and maybe put in as in in the 2026 period. I I sent a copy of this to the to the committee to the town council and I appreciate the opportunity
to speak. Thank you. Janet Part, third generation resident for almost 73 years. It seems that we have a conundrum of semantics. A township committee mayor stated that there will not be a disillusion of the
CEDA committee when the ordinance clearly states it. A township committee member stated that existing members would slide into the new CDC, but it has also been reported that Jackie would be allowed to stay until the unveiling of
the um 250 mosaic. Council committee members stated that the dissolution is not political, but the quote, "We've had complaints" unquote reported at the February 17th Township
Committee meeting, but from new seed members after having just attended a very first meeting on February 4th. Oh, three new Republican appointments. I'm not a root >> and oh one being the chair of the
Milbour Republican company and oh another one being the husband of the mayor but this is not polit ordinance paragraph 4. It has come to the township committee's attention that theta has been chronically deficient in
its recordkeeping and organizational duties but it's not punitive just as long as we know it's not political and it's not punitive. two or three newly appointed Republican committee member complaints versus two dozen testimonies of Jackie's
outstanding achievements and long-term positive working relationships in CEDA from committee me from the CEDA committee members themselves and the public you three Republican committee members are extraordinarily bright and you're
capable of terrific works in this township so of all the options and all the possibilities that existed. This was really your best remedy because this is a bonafide scandal and it will be a blemish on your tenure on
the township committee. Is this what you want for your legacy? Because if you do not, there is still an opportunity to prelude further political scandal and derail a debacle. So, we've heard both sides, both
scenarios. Will Jackie slide over into the CDC committee or will she be expelled from her community ser committee service after the June 12th unveiling of the 250? Tonight you owe us an absolute
answer of clarity longterm resident of short hills. Um, before I speak on the topic I prepared a speech for, uh, Diane Eckler, you call me out personally. You lie through your teeth. Get your facts straight before
you start talking. You're absolutely wrong. I'm going to leave it to Committeeman Stler and Committeeman Cerudo who know what my plan is and it's not what you said. Okay? So, I'll leave them to answer that. I I don't want to use my time for that and I hope I'll be
granted extra time and finish what I came with. Uh I'm a chemical engineer with over 50 years experience including polymer process R&D. I understand synthetics, how materials behave in the environment, what is inert, what is toxic, what
persists, what breaks down, solubilities, dispersions, diffusion rates. Uh I also serve on the flood mitigation advisory committee. So, I'm familiar with storm water management and sensitivity for local waterways. There
are advantages and disadvantages to both natural and synthetic formats for the fields. But this discussion needs to be grounded on current science and facts, not outdated assumptions, looking at the complete picture, not handpicked opinions or outdated hype. Many of the
concerns raised by the critics safety, health and environmental effects are based on older systems. Chrome rubber infill less advanced materials. That is not what is being proposed today. The technology has evolved. Modern systems use significantly improved materials.
Infill free or organic infill options designed with far greater environmental and safety considerations. Even small details such as the shape and thickness profile of the artificial grass blades have been optimized. Moreover, critics
of synthetic turf uh ignore the very real drawbacks of the natural turf fields. First, the use usage difference is undeniable. It takes roughly three grass fields to equal the playing time of one synthetic field. Milburn simply does not have enough fields nor the land
to build them on to meet the demand. Second, natural grass requires constant maintenance. Fields must be mowed often twice a week. We have had extensive uh debate last year about gas powered equipment. Yet those same emissions in
particular are part of maintaining the grass fields. In addition, fertilizers, pesticides, fungicides, herbicides are applied to keep fields playable unless we are willing to accept mud, weeds, and unsafe conditions. Importantly, Van Wrinkle uh the Van Wrinkle branch of the
Huawei River runs less than two feet 200 feet behind the high school fields. Chemicals do not stay in place. They leech into our world. Yes. Now consider over this 30 year uh life of the turf
field multiply the mowing emissions and chemical applications by 30 years. >> Sorry, Mr. Statement. I'm very much in favor of the >> artific. So, thank you. Um, let me start first with a simple point. Um, Melbourne's
field shortage is not new. It's existed for over a decade. Our students, families, and community groups have been managing overcrowded, overused, and often unplayable fields for years. At this point, delay is not a neutral option. It is a decision to continue
failing to meet a known need. I support moving this project forward now. The demand is real. The usage levels are well understood. The um I'm sorry, and the status quo is not acceptable. That said, I want to address the concerns raised by Milbourne
for climate action. Those concerns should be taken seriously. The questions about environmental impact, materials, and long-term sustainability are appropriate and should continue to be addressed. But let's be equally clear, those concerns are not a justifiable
reason for stopping or postponing this project. They are reason to proceed with rigor and transparency. As this project advances, the township should continue to share information openly about materials, environmental safeguards, and long-term planning so the public understands exactly what is being built
and why. That is how you build trust while still delivering results. What we should not do is reopen the fundamental question of whether to act. That question has already been answered by years of unmet demand. Milar does not need more delay. It needs execution. We can and should deliver fields that meet
our community's needs while also meeting high environmental and safety standards. Those goals are not in conflict unless we allow them to be. So, I urge the committee, move forward, do so expeditiously, and continue addressing concerns transparently as the project progresses. Our community has waited
long enough. Thank you. >> Good evening. members. My name is Jennifer Alesine. I'm a Milbourne resident, a mother of two, and I serve on the board of Milbour Soccer Club. I want to thank the committee for bringing this this initiative to the table. I'm
here tonight to talk about utility. Right now, we have a taxpayer funded asset, our high school's fields that is effectively out of order for a huge portion of the year. Between rain outs, drainage issues, and the early sunset,
we are leaving hours of usable time on the table. By moving forward with this tarp and lighting proposal, we are doing three things. Eliminating downtime. We stop the field close signs. Turk doesn't need recovery time, meaning we
effectively double the playable hours for our kids and adult leagues overnight. Fixing the foundation. We have chronic drainage issues that are damaging the landscape. We can either keep paying for temporary fixes on failing grass or we
can be fiscally responsible and install a modern permanent drainage solution. Now, modernizing access. Adding lights creates a second shift. It allows our working parents who can't get to a field at 3:30 p.m. to actually participate in
community sports after 5:00 p.m. The science is in. The March 2026 California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment findings confirm these fields are safe for our children. This isn't just about sports. It's about making
sure our town's infrastructure actually works for the people paying for it. I urge you to move forward with the project as originally planned. Let's stop ignoring a physical problem and start providing real value to our Melbourne families. Thank you.
>> Hi, good evening Mayor members of the committee. My name is Ora. been a member of residence since 2013. I also happen to be a member of soccer club 400. I'm here to talk about the field issue. The issue is not heretical for us. It's
something our families leave every single season. Our kids love practices, games, and opportunities because our fields simply can't keep up. Even days after storm fields are very closed. Schedules of the families are constantly disrupted and our players are the ones
who feel the impact. We have a real shortage of play space and it's holding our community back. This proposal is not about preference. It's about solving a problem we've had for many years. Turfields provide reliable consistent access. They allow our kids to play when
they're scheduled to play. They allow programs to grow instead of being limited. They give the community the capacity to play with the kids. These are not just school fields. They're community fields. They're used by hundreds of drivers across multiple sports across all age groups. This is
shared infrastructure and investments and investment in our entire community. And I want to be very clear supporting the project doesn't mean we don't care about the environment or safety. We do deeply, but we also care about our kids having a place to play, to be active, to
be part of the team. Those things matter, too. Right now, we have an opportunity to finally address the issue in a meaningful way. The open space trust and advisory committee has done the work and made the recommendation. I respectfully ask that you move the project forward and don't don't let this
people away. Our kids and our community have waited long enough. Now it's your time to act. Thank you for your time and your service and thank you to all the kids that >> Good evening Jerry P Milburn res and one of the newer members of CEDA. Um I want to talk tonight about permanent
monuments. In 1869 the transcontinental railroad was completed at Promontory Summit Utah. One of the greatest achievements in US history. To celebrate, a photograph was taken, a permanent public record of that moment. Just some background, 12 to 15,000
Chinese laborers worked on that rover. They blasted through the Sierra Nevada, lowered off the cliffs on ropes to set explosive charges. The difference between life and death, a matter of how quickly they were pulled back up. As many as a thousand dotted amidst the blasted rock lie their remains, the
steep human cost of American progress. In that photograph taken to celebrate that achievement, not a single Chinese laborer is recognized, a permanent public record of exclusion. I thought about that photograph when I watched the America 250 mural project unfold inside
Ceda. Another permanent public art piece, another celebration of American community. And once again, people who sacrificed for this community, who have worshiped here and raised families here for generations, were not in it. Bams had been reached through the wrong individual. Mount Zion am church was
overlooked entirely. Yet the self-anointed chair saw fit to bestow upon herself a tile bearing her own name and was reluctant to make room for BAMS and Mount Zion even as other organizations had as many as seven tiles.
History does not have to repeat itself. That is why the new members push back. There is real harm when marginalized groups are not treated as stakeholders from the very start. To call that a clerical error is to intentionally downplay something gravely serious. It
is symptomatic of a deeper problem whether malicious or not to gatekeep who is in and who is out. That is not a paperwork issue. That is a culture a culture of disengagement from the very communities CEDA was created to serve. A failure not only of governance but of
inclusion. At the last township committee meeting a supporter of the deacto chair called Mount Zion's exclusion inconsequential. The self-anointed chair did not challenge or renounce that cate characterization. Instead, she told us it was her understanding that minutes, agendas, and an elected chair were not
required. It wasn't a mistake. She had unilaterally decided the rules did not apply to her. And then she accused the township committee's actions of being malicious. Note, the people who were nearly written out of this monument did not use that word. Reverend Marble did not. Bams did
not. Only one person used that word. The one who believed the rules did not apply to her. 250 years ago, we declared independence as a nation precisely because we rejected a monarchy. No one gets to anoint themselves chair of a public body, then write themselves into a permanent monument at the expense of
marginalized groups. Correcting real harm done to the community is not malicious. It is exactly the kind of healing our town needs. Shame on anyone who attempts to portray it otherwise. Good evening. My name is poet session. I know Re Marvel more than 20 years. It
was I who question why they weren't included. If anyone wants to get blamed, blame me. I'm not a Republican. I'm a long-term Democrat. Understand that. um the context that we're talking about today the community I urge everyone to
look at the charter study commission's last two three presentations in the interviews there's an education we have to understand that explains the problems that we have in this community I have submitted heads up emails to the council
none of you have responded to my questions I urge everyone to read today's David French's op-ed in the New York Times talking about hate hate is dividing this our whole country. I want to u
I support the field. The only question is let's make sure if we do it properly through municipal financing and our agreements allow us to seek open space funds from other organizations as to the regular consent agenda. I have questions because of these snow
courts that we've had. Are we going to advertise them over five years? on the bill list there's a payment for 170 a little bit more than $172,000 the max Cali for a tax settlement that came back from 2019 do we have any
exposure for 2020 2021 2022 2023 and 2024 there's a contract with the Shog group to do cutting grass what field are they cutting you know they get like I think a price of $1,400 per cut. Is that per cut
just for one field? Are we talking about are they going to be doing Gerald Park, George Hills, um Park? What are they doing? You can't tell. I am concerned because tonight we have first readings on two ordinances. One may involve a sale of property and the other of an
easement. We have a custom of not attaching the exhibits that you're approving. One of the material terms is what is the price that someone's paying for? What is the monetary consideration? David
Coswell, today is St. Patrick's Day. One of them, Tom Barrett, issued his annual report of the famous, most important Irishman. One of them was Judge Kennedy, who I appear for. And Judge Kennedy scolded Orange, gave a doglike warning. You had to look at the four corners of a
legislation. Can a court determine what deter from them? We can't. as these two proposed ordinances as to the three first reading ordinances. Why are we on an accelerated schedule? Why aren't we doing the two um cycle schedule that the
hearing feed on April 21st? Why are they coming back on April 7th? Um I talked about that, but hopefully you consider my question back later. Thank you. >> Hi, Tom Stford. I live in the Wyoming section. I've been interested in
neighborhood for over 30 years about the um the uh ash artificial turf field that considering at the high school um I realize it could get used more because
of the hours but I don't see it as the creation of green space that uh you know which would provide more fields for the children to play on after school. I um sure some of you are aware that the uh the state is considering um
prohibiting these type of fields at schools and um I think in they may grandfather it and of course they may not if they don't I don't want it to be like downtown where we tore up our curbs and then didn't like them and tore them
up again several years later. So, there are obviously concerns for children to play on these fields. I don't know if anyone here has played on an artificial turf field, but um there's um polymer underneath it, the substrate that that
provides some cushion, and you end up with this um all over your clothes, on your skin. And I'm sure some of it goes inside of you. And since we know that microplastics are a problem, I think you should reconsider it. Um, and maybe we
need to encourage some sports that don't require fields. Thank you very much. >> I'm Phil Kersh resident. Um, once again tonight we've heard an argument this time regarding CEDA based on some
assumptions of ill intent. Um, but that's not what we're going to talk about right now. I was happy to see that the second reading of the ordinance to dissolve CEDA has been postponed even if for clerical reasons since this
will give members of the committee more time to consider their votes to consider for example the value of public input that it is no disgrace to change an opinion based upon consideration of the desires and thoughtful input of significant number
of their constituents. Otherwise, what is the value of public meetings or public comment? Also, time to consider the long-term consequences of an action that will be perceived as political in nature in an
already divisive environment. Furthermore, is it truly necessary for the township committee to directly choose the chair, vice chair, and secretary of a new group? Is this being done for all advisory committees?
And I don't think so from what I've seen. If so, it may be viewed as a power grab by the committee and truly undemocratic. If not, why only for this group? So, I hope that all of you will sincerely consider the concerns expressed tonight and at the last
meeting so that the second reading and open hearing on April 7 will be more than just a previously determined outcome. Thank you. >> Hi, I'm Carol Kersh. I'm a 44 year resident of the Wyoming section. I'm
very happy to hear tonight about the appropriate expansion of the diversity and inclusion in the tile project that will be coming up. But I just don't understand the solution that is being proposed about the CEDA committee at the
time that the committee is actively working on a very special upcoming 250th anniversary project and especially at a time when there is already so much anxiety and political discomfort all around us.
It would seem to me that simply requiring the CEDA committee to start taking notes and with the addition of what's come about now um it would be a logical solution
um to just have for including notes advising the committee to include notes although I personally believe that individuals on each of the committees should be the ones who decide who amongst them will serve in the various
roles on their committee. If the township committee believes that they should be the ones to make these decisions, I believe it should be for all committees and only be initiated at a January reorganization meeting.
I have been a regularly attending township committee meetings for approximately 20 years. And while meetings have not always seemed totally apolitical, I have always appreciated the absence of political partisanship when it has not been present. This
proposed ordinance has to many of us an uncomfortable quality of partisanship which I believe for the sake of our community, our township committee should attempt to avoid at all costs. Thank you.
Hi, Chris Hinrich Mil resident. You all know that I've been a staunch supporter of the field since forever. So, I just wanted to come up and reiterate that one more time. I don't think I need to go through the the reasons. I think they've all been brought up and uh push back on
successfully. I definitely encourage do not delay. That would be vic that would be a disservice to all the kids who are looking forward to these fields to correct our deficit. I would like to say I am a staunch environmentalist. I actually bet my career on it once
working for a startup that did recycling and other green action. So it's not just lip service when I say that. I do appreciate everyone who came out and spoke for artificial turf, the hazards, the causes. That makes us better when
those questions are brought up. I wish they were brought up earlier, not a last minute effort to delay the project, but I do appreciate it. I think they've been dealt with. There are concerns along with concerns of injury, but I do think the benefits far outweigh the
costs and I encourage case study approval. moving on to construction and getting this field in service as soon as possible. Um why I have another minute. Um I'd just like to address a hot topic. I I
know nothing about CIA, but just coming to the meetings in the the last few few times um seems to me it's not a question of the good work they've done or the efforts of the chairperson over the last several years. That all seems great. It
seems like the plan is to continue that work under new form. Seems to me there's some um characterization of some of the issues as in you know mere paperwork. Oh, we didn't take minutes. Let's just correct that. Seems like it's much more than
that. There's willful neglect here amongst the leadership of that committee, amongst the township committee members who were appointed to supervise that committee. At some point, it should have been called out that this was not going. There was plenty of time
for corrective action. So, a deeper remedy is called for. So, I applaud your courage because you had to know this was not going to be a popular thing to do this. It seems like the overall goal is to strengthen this and
make it right. So, I appreciate your efforts in doing Thank you. >> Hi, my name is Bill Brazelle. I live in South Mountain. I'm a frequent softball coach and the chair of the environmental commission. On St. Patrick's Day, my
people and many others wear green. Um, I'm here about the green. Although it may not be clear to some, we all share the same goals. More playable hours for our kids, better fields for our athletes in our community programs. That is something we all want. My daughters play
softball on those fields and have had games canled for excessive soggginess. The Environmental Commission has never been opposed to increasing playable hours. We are parents, too. We're asking the town to get there responsibly, please, by doing an independent analysis
of the three main options for improvement. One is engineered natural grass with subsurface drainage. The second is hybrid or reinforced turf systems, and the third is fully synthetic turf with the infill materials
that are that have now been proposed, organic or infill-free. I spoke recently to Scott Bills who is a certified sports field manager. Some of you may know he has an 8 to 10 year history working on these very fields, the Milbour High School fields. He noted
that it's true that you can plow snow off of artificial turf whereas you can't do that with grass. So turf does allow kids to play outside in February if that is something that they would like to do. Those otherwise snowcovered days do
indeed raise the average playable hours of artificial turf. For the rest of the year though, he said, if we were to properly manage those fields, if we regraded them, added some sand, and regularly airrated them, those fields
would be every bit as playable. He said that engineering and managing the fields that we have would cost half or less than the artificial turf. Our town pulled just 60 people in order to assert
that the entire town wants artificial turf fields. More than six times that number have signed a petition asking the town to do a genuine analysis of the costs and benefits of engineered natural grass as well. We are asking the town to
do the best it can to keep Milbour green. Happy St. Patrick's Day. Thank um this is in support of the artificial turf that is going to be put in place and as a material science
graduate degree holder I can say that there are uh number of benefits associated with it. First of all is flow maintenance. Second of all is related to the water conservation. We are on the lower
riparian or riverarian of the basia river. So we do have flooding as per the FEMA maps. So that being said we need need to have artificial as compared to natural that is going to have a runoff. We saw that
during IDA and also previously during sanction. Uh most importantly if you look at this room itself you can see the lot of plastics and components that are incorporated in it and how they have become part of our day-to-day life. So
and these plastics also comes from petroleum based products. These are not something that are coming out of synthetic but rather we are petroleum based products. So that being said, going back to natural t would be
resetting the clock by about 120 years of all advances that we have made and the improvements that we will have. And last but not least is also regarding the historic society. I'm very much in favor of the historic society because I do
have like two young kids and as they move around town there are a lot of construction almost like every third permit is a tad down and a complete rebuild and there are a lot of debris and um due to the cost and economization that has taken place. Uh there are
corners that are being cut where it is affordable housing and sometimes uh they come back and they tell that they're very scared to even walk on the roads when they see the huge construction vehicles that roam around our town. And uh just as a rule of thumb there's like
almost every third one is a complete tear down and re and every fourth house almost has some form of a renovation or a repair that is going on that can be tracked with the number of permits that are issued which are greater than 3,000 plus
and then um this is regarding the CEDA we would like to know how we could volunteer for that and be a part of the solution. We do know that there have been certain cases where there have been value omissions such as the Africame
American community among 250 but mistakes have been made. We understand that but we want to progress and how do we enhance it and as a volunteer what do we supposed to do for that? We would like to hear the feedback
from the township council. Thank you. Good evening. Richie Cyber Township resident 25 years. So I've lived in town 25 years and honestly I never heard of CED ever. Yet two
township committee meetings now or more maybe that's the main topic of what's been going on. Uh, I trust the township committee members who are elected by the residents of our town to make a decision on what seat is going
to be in the future. And one last thing, uh, Milbour Robotics is the state champs. They won the state champ. >> Robots going to the worlds in St. Louis next month. And if everybody remembers
uh back in 2019, Milburn was the world champs. They beat China become the world champions. So it >> Good evening. Nicholas Bulchelli, 19ear resident of Milberg. I look to rise in
support of the council committee's decisions around the fields. You know, it wasn't that long ago that the library field was turned into Perth. I don't remember all these objections at that time from some of the same voices who today are objecting to the same actually
a better solution. The field of library through Robert Crump includes a concrete underlay which does not absorb the options the township committee is now considering are advanced from what had been chosen at the library field. So it does feel like some of this opposition
might be as natural as the astroturf that's about to be laid. Second, uh, regarding CEDA, you know, these things naturally are political, unfortunately, right? For the voices out there calling for a political and what is a naturally a political body, I'll
remind us that it was not that long ago that people rising at this very podium were shouted at, spoken over until their voice until their time ran out right over just couple years ago. So this committee has moved and that's the last
couple years including but this committee as well. This has been incredible decorum this evening. So I do think this group is doing a fair job of representing us with decorum and I trust the decisions that they are making. So that's my
>> hi Leah Cruz Shells resident. I've stated that I've been in favor of the turf fields in the past and I just want to reiterate that and um I watched a lot of um baptur back and forth on Facebook and it's made me more confident in my stance to be pro turf fields and I just
want to um read something that um Stacy Tel a local pediatrician wrote online today that really solidified my stance. Um turf is a good alternative. We shouldn't make perfect be the enemy of good. Youth sports are so important. Obesity and
screen time are probably the biggest issues negatively impacting our children's health these days. Let's figure out a way to give kids fields to play on. Um, also I come to these meetings a lot. There are a lot of regulars here and I see a lot a lot of
new faces. So I I'm just curious if people would be willing how many people in the audience are here in support of Turfields? Would you like to comment? >> Sorry. >> Christine Best Township. Um I'm uh just
trying to quickly guys um thank you for your quiet. Um, I just want to talk in support of turf fields. As most people in this room know me, I am an environmentalist and I care about a lot of things in environment and uh on the
turf fields I stand in support because I don't think after looking at the research particularly that was done very heavily by the township I mean they really looked at this they looked at the numbers in so many different ways. I don't think that you could say, "Oh,
microlastics are more dangerous than glyphosphate." And glyphosphate is a very highly highly highly toxic chemical that causes cancer. So, you're going to have to spray Round Up on all these fields and many other types of, you know, toxin pollutants that will
directly be absorbed in kids skin. Whereas microplastics, you know, normally they're contaminated through food products. And I want to remind everybody that almost all of your produce at Whole Foods is packaged in microlastics. So, what I'm trying to say is when I look at this, you're going to
get almost 2.45, you know, extra, you know, sort of playing fields or, you know, playing time, I'm sorry. And, um, you're saving yourself from installing three additional if you do these two fields, it's down already. They're already there. It's already in an area that's
non-residential. Now, you're going to go and have to open up and find three more playing fields. So, are you going to go and take them into from Ultra Hills Park? Are you going to take it from the golf course? So, you're now actually going to have to go take down trees, trash an area, make
le have less open space to get the same end result because, you know, specifically there's a lot of research done on the amount of playable hours. So, that is why as somebody like the lesser of two evils, we have to pick. I mean, it's important for people. There are so many people, particularly
Pricket, I mean, have not gotten their fields. And I I'm fully in support of it. And I think you guys have done a great job. I'm also really concerned why the EC, you know, is kind of flip-flopping on things because they approved a little playground in Taylor Park that has a lot of toxic chemicals
in it right next to a riverhed. I called that out. I sent that information to the chair of the EC and basically it was like a nothing burner. So I'm kind of interested why close to an election. This is just my personal point of view. This is all coming up and why does the
EC not, you know, against, you know, a development on old Jordan Hills Road that was going to have a 100 car parking lot and really thrash the environment and also the original turf field. Why is this such an issue? And you guys did an amazing job for over a year and you did a lot of heavy presentations and people
had a chance to comment. Please, I hope you move forward and I hope that people who play sports enjoy the fields. Thank you. So, um I just a lot of people already said a lot of stuff about the tur fields more scientific than I am. I'm only really here to just say I really want my
kids to play and have a place to play and feel safe playing here. Whether they're going there on their own or I'm driving them picking them up, I want them to feel safe and be able to play. Now, I might be a little biased. I've been with Mo Soccer Club for a while. My kids teams always get the fun fields
such as Old Trails Park, Arts Store in Glenwood, Deer Deerfield, Washington School, all of which are really, really not great. as the best choice of words in the fall. Um, and we played in there, we've practiced there, we've had games
there. Um, and quite frankly, they just suck. Um, on top of that, we've had games behind the high school as well. So, the current behind the high school field, we've had soccer games there. And I do remember, you know, my kid was a little smaller. There was another guy here whose kid is also a little smaller
with my kid at the same time in the same team. and we both watch our kids disappear in little potholes in the back of the field while trying to play soccer. So, you know, when we talk about safety and all that kind of stuff, you know, watching our kids drop into potholes on field, not something that I
really want to, you know, continue doing. Um, so that's my thing about safety. The other safety thing I do have concern about, um, you know, so there's going to be lights in the back. Obviously, most of the high schools usually lit up. It's kind of in town, so there's a lot of people there. you know, when we do practice at places like Old
Short Hills Park, you know, that place is pitch black in the fall. So, like parents kind of just, you know, hanging out, driving through the parking lot. You have kids running through the driveway just to get to the parking lot to their, you know, to their parents because they think they're there. You know, that's a safety concern, too. And
I see that also again in the fall, mainly in some of the, you know, elementary schools, maybe not so much the high school or the library and things like that. So, you know, I just want to say that. So, at the end of the day, I just want my kids to play, right? And that's why I'm here. And I'm in
support of the turf fields. As long as that gives my kids more time and more opportunity and safety to play, that's what we should be doing. You know, let the scientists figure out all the other stuff, but we should move forward with this. Thank you. Good evening. Al Carlin, a Milurn
resident and no children in in the school district. Never have that many. Uh but I'm calling about uh the state of New Jersey and everyone has assumed the budget and looked at what happened and
what the uh uh governor said last uh week. I think it was last week. How will that affect Milburn's Township? What about uh less money coming into the school system? What was it about 200 something thousand 3% or whatever? How
will that affect Milbert? Uh will that where will that money come from? Will more money go back into the school system from other places? You know, these are just simple questions. What about pensions? How will that affect ongoing hiring in Milbour? I mean these
are not you know difficult questions but it will be ongoing. How will that affect is a fairly welloff town. Other towns that have been well off are having problems. Uh our wonderful friends in Montlair and they still have to figure
out how they're going to support their school system. eight books they still trying to figure out who what won and there still it's 24 pages to figure out without uh curling what is it curling
figuring out what votes are legal and what not legal the provisional ballots I mean this is costing the uh Essex County a lot of money where's that money coming from it's coming from folks like you I
mean hundreds of thousands of dollars because those wonderful people in Montlair didn't make some good decisions. So where's our money going to? It's going to our citizens. Now this is going to affect everyone in Milbour. Now we're
going to we are losing money. Not we because I don't have any children in this place but it's affecting everyone and what happens in Milbour is important. Pensions school and where is the money go? We talk about fields. It's
fine. I never played on these fields. I play stick ball. You know, years ago on, you know, you know what stickball is? You probably heard me. But, you know, I play soccer on in, you know, in fields years ago. I'm going to
be 78 and I'm going to be here. I am not going to Israel or tomorrow to see a wedding because there are problems out there. Also I'd like to find out what is being taught in the high schools about what is happening there. You know what's happening in the high schools? What's
being taught? These are important things I think you know others may not. Have a good day folks. Bye. Uh, >> you're just address. >> My name is William Abuity and I live in
Melbourne. I play for Melbourne Soccer Club and I really think we should have turf fields because a lot of the time at my practices we go on maybe grass fields and it might have just rained earlier
a couple days before and the fields are really wet and muddy and if you fall down your knees and clothes get all dirty and so I think we should after fields would help us play bit better
and I think it would be cleaner also. Hi, good evening. Can you hear me? >> Yes, we can hear you. >> Okay, good evening. My name is Venita Wangal. I'm a short hills resident, member of Melbourne Environmental Commission and Melbourne Climate Action. I'm here tonight representing Melbourne
Climate Action to reiterate one statement. We want the same thing as many families in our town. That is more games played and fewer cancellations. Playable hours matter, but we believe so do the health impacts on our athletes, our community, and our shared environment. That is precisely why we
appreciate the commitments this committee has made in their recent response, moving away from traditional crumb rubber and toward organic infill, infill-free systems, and hybrid options. Those are the right commitments. However, here is a concern. Those better
options have not yet been priced. Neither has engineered natural grass, which deserves to be evaluated as a serious third option. And let's be very honest here. These options will very likely cost more than traditional artificial turf because plastic is cheap
and cutting corners is always cheaper. So, here's a question for the committee. If the bids for the environmentally superior options come back significantly higher, will this committee hold the line or will we quietly end up with the cheaper option these commitments were meant to replace?
In addition, since there's so much focus on cost per playable hours, we also asked this committee to commit to an honest analysis of playable hours across all viable options. Each surface type will perform differently on the site and the community deserves to see those
numbers transparently. More importantly, playable hours cannot be the only northstar because a field that wins on playable hours but fails on safety, contamination, or climate resilience is not a win for this community. This particular site faces
risks that go well beyond surface type. Flooding is a known ongoing risk here and our state has experienced increasing temperatures every year for the past 10 years. Our climate is expected to continue to change significantly over the very 30year period this proposal
covers with more frequent and intense heat waves and flooding events. The township model assumes predictable maintenance and consistent playable hours with artificial turf not accounting for weather or climate impacts. There's no doubt that if we get the surface materials wrong, these
playable hours and cost numbers will not hold. Once again, we acknowledge that the commitments made by this committee are a welcome step in the right direction. However, the right decision can only be made if it is based on a full costbenefit analysis that gives due
weight to environmental impacts and public health, not just playable hours. Over 375 residents who signed the Melbourne climate action petition are counting on you to do exactly that. I would like this petition and our concerns as stated tonight entered into
the public record. Thank you. Uh, Alex, if you could turn on your video and unmute yourself. >> Oh, there we go. Hey guys, how are you? >> Hello. >> Okay. Can you hear me? >> Yes. Good. We can see you.
>> Great. Um just wanted to this is this is this is about the the uh the turf the turf field situation. Um just want to make a statement. Uh for six years I was uh I was on the board of education. Um during that time one of the most consistent things that I've heard over
and over again from parents, coaches and residents was simple. We don't have enough field access. Not because of poor planning, but because we are built a built out town, limited space, and at the same time, the board of ed controls one of the most significant pieces of
usable land we have, the high school campus. That really hasn't changed. So, the question in front of us isn't whether turf is perfect. It isn't. There are legitimate concerns and they deserve to be taken seriously. But we also have
to ground this discussion in facts, data, and credible studies and not fear or speculation. When you actually look at the research, what you see is nuance. Some of the concerns that have been raised simply are not supported by evidence as real
world outcomes. Others are legitimate, but as outlined in the township's own response document, they are understood, measurable, and manageable through proper design, material selection, and operational practices. That distinction matters because we also
have to be honest about the constraints we're operating under. We cannot create more land or build new fields easily. and reducing demand, telling kids they get less practice time, fewer games, or limited access is not something this community wants.
What we can do is make better use of the space we already have. This is why this partnership between the town and the board of education is important. It's not just a project. It's the only realistic way to expand access in a meaningful way. And when you look at the
options available today, turf is the one solution that significantly increases usable time on the field on the same footprint while also providing reliability in the climate where weather frequently disrupts schedules.
So this comes down to a practical practical decision. Do we acknowledge the trade-offs, address them responsibly, and move forward with a solution that meaningfully improves access for our kids and community? Or do we continue to debate about without a
viable alternative and leave families, students with short the same shortage we've been hearing for years? My experience, both on the board and as a member of this community, the need is real. It's been real for years. We've
studied this and we've heard all the sides. At some point, we have to make a decision grounded in facts and move forward. It's time to get this done and serve the community. Get the field done. Thank you.
unmute start video. Come on. Good evening everyone. Happy St. Patrick's Day. Thank you to the township committee as always for your service. I wanted to reach out to you briefly tonight to uh voice my concerns about the ordinance that is up
for first reading tonight. Um, ordinance 27412. >> Before you continue, can you please state your name? >> Oh, I'm so sorry. Regina Truit, short short hills resident. Um, I was also on the board of ed for seven years. My daughter played on those fields. I know how important it is for sports. Um, I
don't think anyone tonight is denying that there needs to be more opportunity for our Milbourne students and our Milbourne athletes and indeed for revenues to come to Melbourne to to be able to play on our fields. But I'm going to g say the old adage is measure twice, cut once. And I'm going to say
actually in this PA place um I agree with Gene Pastnac that we should not be so eager that we should be looking at the facts the environmental facts. There are two issues to this to this concerns tonight. The first one is the health and safety of our athletes and secondly and
also the environmental concerns. I was moved by Mount Si School of Medicine's position statement that strongly discouraged the installation of turf fields, artificial turf fields. and I express my caution with that. Our own environmental commission has suggested
that we not move forward with artificial turf. The second concern of course is the use of public o open the public open space trust funds to use for these projects for artificial turf in particular. And I am going to point out to you that I noticed your ordinance
tonight does not lock you in to anything synthetic. It actually says various field improvements. You are not locked into turf. And I hope that you won't let facts get in the way of your decision being made up already. You still have room. Um the open space trust funds.
Most residents in Melbourne that I've spoken to feel deceived because they thought this was going to be to preserve natural resources. And I would encourage you to follow through in the spirit of that ordinance and that passage. Lastly, I just want to follow up with I
want to end up with saying the Milbourne Environmental Commission and the Milbourne for Climate Action have proposed an independent commission to to look at all options to make sure that we are providing playing fields for our students and our athletes in the most safe, responsible, and environmentally
sound manner. And I would encourage you to please consider that when you adopt this ordinance tonight, if you pass it tonight, that you also leave room for the commission to do its independent study. that is in addition to the limited studies that you've looked at already. Thank you so much.
>> Anyone else online? >> No. >> Anyone else from the audience? Going once. With that, we will close public comment. >> Uh, sure. All right. Uh, thank you for everybody coming came out the kids. uh and such.
Uh I know it's past your bedtime possibly and you did do a lot of homework. So um as I start here, I really don't know where to start, but I'm going to take a place. Are you still here? >> Yeah. Oen, I love you. I love your children, your sons, your daughter,
everyone. She is a big part of the reason I ran for this township committee. She ran the year previous uh prior. I was called out today by I guess Diane Eglo for a letter that she wrote. I want to read parts of this letter because it all came together and then after speaking to Hawaiian I decided to
run. I have four kids, a big business, uh play a lot of golf. Listen, there's a lot of better things I could have done with my time. But what I felt is that the community at large was being ignored because we want solutions to our problems. We don't want environmental
roadblocks. Bill Brazelle on the Sierra Club, uh, head of EC, uh, strongarms people on environmental issues. This is a community. We do what's best for the community at large. We have to make difficult decisions. That's what sitting up here means, making difficult
decisions and getting all the information, all the input. Back to this letter. I'm a lifelong resident of Milbour, a longtime registered Democrat. I've never been registered as a Republican. I've always registered as an independent. In fact, I think somebody texted me that my family
is all registered as Democrats. I served Mil Milburn Township and volunteered position for over 25 years, including 15 years on the MSH volunteer first squad. Over the last six years, blah blah blah blah blah until recent local events forced me to choose between the party and my conscience. I had no
intention of leaving the local Milurn and Short Hills Democratic Party. I noted a problem with my party politics when I was expected to hire firms that were promoted by the county Democratic Party. How can we live in that society where that's happened? That was a big part of it. I talked to Oy. Everybody wants
diversity, but no one wants to vote for diversity. We had structural issues with SE. That seed is not going away. It's being improved with the CDC. So, so as we sit here today uh and we move forward, please don't try to
gaslight the entire committee. Bill Brazelle just said there's 270 people who signed a petition. Bonita said there's 375. I have a thousand people from this Milbour Club here tonight. I have North
and I walked in here and her entire live football team to say we need fields. This isn't a a political football. This is about real life solutions for our community that need to be resolved,
not stuck in some arbitrary uh uh space that we don't know. Let me tell you, there's 194 apartments. >> Could we ask Mr. Stler to calm down, please? >> I think I think if the audience get
animated as they are. Yeah, there's >> everyone wants to be animated in his response. >> And I appreciate it, Dave. Thank you for I just get emotional about some of this stuff. Okay, thank you, Dave. >> We're putting 194 apartments on a reservoir on JFK. Where was the
environmental commission then? >> Yeah. >> Yes, >> it's right on our reservoir, folks. >> The infrastructure is broken. The school system's going to be overcrowded. They're eliminating the Indiana bat of whole things, the species and they're eliminating it by putting that structure
there. Where was the environmental commission then? Where was the environmental environmental commission when we they're putting 75 families on a contaminated dump site? >> Thank you. >> Where were they when they're putting up this Annie project? It's a monstrosity. Has anybody driven up Milburn Avenue
towards uh towards Maplewood lately? >> Thank you. >> That's pvious. It's impervious. There's no water going to go into the ground there. It's all coming downhill. It's going to hit South Mountain. >> Again,
>> Pastor Marabel, thank you so much for what you do to your community. Mr. Holman talked about including you in jazz. Jazz in Jesus. I love it. Did he ask you about that before this came to light? I don't know. Probably not. It's a nice afterthought. I would think that
would be thought as a preamble to doing a jazz community. >> And I'm all for the jazz. Can't wait to go. >> I'm going to read some some schools here. Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Penn, Princeton, Yale,
all aspiring universities, colleges that our children want to go to. They all have turf fields and they're 90% turf. So for us to sit here and say that turf is bad, it's environmentally challenged. We're
looking at the I would not put my child on something that I thought was dangerous. I would not put any of your children on something that we thought was dangerous. When I got elected that first week I met with Chris Hinrich, I saw Chris Chris, you still here with Chris Hinrich? He'll
tell you, how do we create a partnership to solve the fields? And you know what Chris did? He yelled at me. It was hysterical. And then we've talked simply and and we came to understand that we will do everything we can to
make this happen for our children. And it was a great partnership. This is culminating in the one of the best partnerships we've had with the BOE and it's all for a solution, not to identify a problem, kick the can down the road and create issues long term. This is
about creating a solution. Um, they have anything else here? Uh, the the gentleman who's talking about biking. Listen, little Wyoming turns in a little 500 every weekend. I agree with you 100%. It's dangerous out there. We have to be careful. We should do what we can
to do we can to improve to improve the the riding uh experience. Uh, >> and whoever texted me that I have an Ohio State water bottle, I had to pull it from my daughter this morning. Everybody knows I'm a hooer, so quit
yelling at me about that. >> That's it for now. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you, mayor. A few comments. Get this on. Thank you, mayor. A few comments. I'll try to take it in order when they were made. Um, I I haven't seen anything political at all relating
to the fields. Um, and that was a comment made by someone on open space. There's been a few comments on open space. There is going to be a separate vote uh at a later date on the open space funding and whether this committee
uh chooses to adopt the recommendation of the open space committee. If you listen to the open space committee hearing, not saying you you should have, but you certainly can. You'll see that I was not in favor of using open space money for the fields. And I think people
have connected those two somehow when they're not connected. The fields is one question. It's on tonight. Open spaces are completely separate town. The town has plenty of money for the fields. It doesn't need the open space money. So there's two different things going on
there. Note that the open space committee did vote to, you know, to authorize 25%. Um, and if this thing ends up, if the bond itself ends up being a, let's say, a 10-year bond, you know, a rough estimate is $250,000 of
the open space fund will go every year to pay down that bond. Um, that's 250 that's not available for other projects on it. But, but it has no connection to the field at all. on CEDA. Um, in my mind at least, um, what I
think people are missing is the point that, um, there are better ways, um, to correct the perceived deficiencies such as, you know, people being left out, um, not keeping minutes,
etc. rather than having the township committee appoint the secretary and the chair every year for the rest of the life of that committee. So my my thoughts process there on the seated committee is um you know let's not you
know kill a fly with a hammer let's fix it but it doesn't have to be as severe as it is. Um, as um there was a comment about whether or not people here, and I think I can speak for everyone here, uh, whether we read the emails that we get from you
folks. Uh, we do. Um, I certainly do. I talk to a lot of you. Um, very happy to see this many people here tonight. Um, I'm happy to hear the comments from everybody, but we do listen and read everything. I don't honestly respond to every uh, email message that I get. Um,
sometimes it's because I I don't feel a need to um respond to them. Um, Matt Cali, there was a question asked about Matt Cali. Um, and I think the Mali money that's being refunded um, drives
home to at least to me on this board that we have to be fiscally responsible. We are going to have to occasionally, you know, have a tax appeal where where it's not a couple thousand dollars, it's a lot of money. Um and as as a board we need to watch how much you understand
it. Thank you very much. >> Yes. Uh I might add uh Reverend Marba also uh anybody who do does know her uh there's nobody better at community engagement. you know, she has unbelievable connections and I think is going to be a great addition to the community uh excuse me, cultural
diversity committee with her amazing role at NJPAC. Uh she and I have seen each other at at a couple of events over there. Uh so thank you very much for your um uh engagement here and of course engage engagement around the state. I
think you are a welcomed addition. Um a few different notes. Um, so on uh roads, no question. Uh, Mr. McDonald uh knows that I'm eager to improve our our municipal
infrastructure. So certainly the roads that you mentioned um and uh um and others that uh you you all haven't mentioned, the township is keeping an eye um and uh trying to take care of whatever is necessary. I was driving
down actually Glenn Avenue. We were talking about DPW is out there filling potholes two days ago. Uh you know, I turn a corner on to uh X Street, they're out there. So, we have an amazing team. Um and uh real kudos there. Um
just want to uh recite a quote. Lost time is never found again. Benjamin Franklin. So, you know, uh, many of you know that there are some star athletes, wimpy athletes in the Cerudo family. Um,
anyone want to guess which side I found? >> Well, actually, I lettered in football and golf here, so I'm on the strong side. Uh, but, uh, I want to give some kudos, uh, to the young athletes that are in the
audience. Anybody who does, anybody who's sitting out in the audience and who did speak tonight, um this is how I got my start, right? Speaking actually about an oil tank issue, uh in my boy scout uniform uh several years ago. Um so maybe one day you'll serve on the
board of ed as the young uh as the young uh resident and maybe on the township committee. Um but I think what's what's stated um by so many out here is is so important. I mean, look at the winter that we've had. Um, I played on these fields, right? I played on the turf
fields. I played on the uh grass fields. Uh, I went to the the school district. I'm the only ones sitting up here who did play on our fields, who did experience um firsthand. Um, so I think, you know, we see the stars aligning here
and I'm looking forward to supporting this. Um, I think more than anything, um, you know, you've heard that we're trying to do our due diligence, right? I mean, I came home myself. You could, you know, look in our years and years ago, a washer and dryer and whatever pellets,
you know, whatever you want to call them. Um, and that's not the kind of turf that I want to see. Um, you know, the the old style. I want to see us uh being uh responsible. And I think, you know, today I was even looking at some examples with the recreation director. Um, and I was really impressed with what
I saw. Um, you know, the time now is not to delay. it's uh it's to do what's right for the community and um you know we need to do what is right and I think at this point um this is the
right step um to Mr. Cosgrove's point receive all of your emails read everything um you know don't always get a chance to respond directly but um but read read everything whether that's Mr. Brazelle got along I think today or that is uh
feld whether that is uh whether that is uh anybody in in the audience. So know that and I appreciate everybody's engagement. I think it's great to see uh this attendance any of our as field uh special visitors tonight. You know you could join every two weeks.
Thank you very much and kind of end you there. >> Thank you. Uh, first off, I would like to uh William, the young gentleman who came and spoke up for him, thank you so much for your bravery. I know it's difficult to get up
in front of a lot of people and say what you need to say. So, kudos to you. Um, to everyone else that came out to talk about fields, you know, I really appreciate you all taking the time to come speak about, you know, what you're
passionate about. And, you know, I think what I walk away from amongst all the conversations that we've had tonight about fields is this is something we absolutely have to do. This is something that's long overdue and we can't let perfect be the enemy of good. Now, the
township has gone to great lengths to have public settings. Uh they put out a 20page document that responds to claims that the EC had made about uh you know turf uh versus natural grass. Uh it's
very comprehensive. It has an entire like page or two of bibliography references. uh site study after study that shows that you know the materials that we're considering for synthetic turf fields are uh are safe. We would
never you know as township committee members we would never put our kids in harm's way or your kids in harm's way. So obviously we will ensure that any material we use is safe. But I do think some interesting points were raised tonight about some of the dangers of
natural grass, right? All of the fertilizers, all of the pesticides, and you know, all of the water that gets used uh for maintenance of fields. And I'm going to address some specific claims uh and questions that the Milbour
climate action group uh made and and that the EC uh raised in a letter they sent earlier when I introduced the ordinance. a little more on that. But um you know I will say I think there are two sides of this coin and you know just because the synthetic fields are made of
plastic that doesn't make them bad doesn't make them dangerous. We need to look past that and look at really what's best for our kids and uh right now that's moving forward with this project. So hopefully we'll do that very shortly. um on CEDA. Um you know, I was I was
quite dismayed that uh there was a clerical error and we couldn't vote on that tonight. Um going forward, actually, we're going to no longer leave a gap in between first and second read uh of ordinances. We're going to do this across the board. I've talked with our
township clerk about this. There are new noticing requirements that uh went into effect uh that make things much easier. We only have to do 48 hours notice. And our township has a system you can sign up for if you want to receive alerts
about ordinances and and funds and all that. So, anyone that really wants to be in the know can. Uh so, we feel that, you know, given the fact that there's no longer a need to have to get something to a newspaper, we're going to get more done and we're going to do that by not
leaving the gap. So, um that's what we're going to do going forward because I know someone So, we brought that up why why there wasn't a gap there. Um, so going back to CEDA, so look, I think we've heard that CEDA has long-standing structural issues. I've talked to
members of CEDA, not the ones that were just appointed, okay? I've talked to other members of CE, but what they have told me is the self-anointed chair, you know, as as great as she may have been in helping the community, etc., I was told that she ran this like her own
personal thief. Okay? We do not have kings. We do not have queens and we do not have peace here in Milbert. Okay. I was also dismayed when I learned that the uh self-anointed chair decided to put a tile with her name on it, okay, on
on this wall that's going to be there permanently and yet left off the Mount Zion church, left off the Black Americans of Milshore Hills. That doesn't seem right to me. I was also further dismayed when I met with uh Pastor Marbel to learn that she and
Jackie actually knew each other and interacted prior to this situation. So, it's not as if the self anointed chair It's not as if the self-anointed chair >> That's not true. >> He listened to you. Listen to him. >> You're out of order.
>> So, they knew how to get in touch. Uh, furthermore, the self-inited chair also knew how to reach Buyan, who is one of the founders of BAMS, Black Americans of Melbourne Shore Hills. So, okay, if she says it's an oversight, maybe I'll believe that, but I don't know, maybe I
won't. Thing is, there's a systemic issue, and when we encounter a systemic issue, it's incumbent upon us to fix it. Right? This tile project uh that's being undertaken by Cena is collecting money
from uh the Shorells Mall. It's going to be deposited into township accounts and I think the township's going to end up probably having to cover, you know, any gaps in funding. We're going to have the township DPW workers involved in potentially, you know, putting these tiles up. That gives the town exposure.
It gives us liability. If we leave a group out and they get upset about it, that's a reputational risk for our township. CEDA is not an independent organization. It is a it is a creature a creation of the township and we need to do things properly. So when we have a
committee that we learn is not following its founding guidelines, is not performing a reorganization, has a self-anointed chair in perpetuity, then we're going to take action. And if there's other committees that we come across that have similar issues, then
we'll we'll look at those and on a case-by case basis, we'll take the appropriate action. But in this case, the appropriate action is to tear down this committee that excluded others in our community and build a new one that's focused on diversity and inclusion and
make sure that everyone that wants to be a part of it can be a part of it. And that's why I said last time that any member of CEDA that's currently a member, you will automatically be appointed to the new cultural diversity committee. Unless you tell us that you don't want to be a part of it, you will
be automatically appointed. Now, for anyone else, and we're going to talk about this later into new business forms, for anyone else that would like to join that committee, we will let anyone in town that's a resident be on the committee. Now, there's a good point that should probably be made. you know,
our our pastor here is not actually a Milbourne resident. And when I met with her, I suggested that what I the recommendation I'm going to make to the CDC is that they form subcommittees and they have those subcommittees uh reach out and include other organizations in
town. So, what I learned is there's a group of um you know uh ministers and pastors and rabbis and you know, all of the clergy in town, they meet together as a group. I I would think that there should be a subcommittee of the CDC that's focused on including the clergy
because that's part of culture and that's part of diversity. I think that you know the the SID for instance uh and some of the other organizations that that were mentioned that were supposedly left off the ordinance they can be incorporated through subcommittees. I think the new committee will also be
able to decide, you know, what what groups they want to include and if they have people that they want to recommend to be put on CEDA, they can encourage them to apply because we're going to have the new CDC open to everyone. So, anyone that applies, it's going to be put on there. So, it's going to be open.
And that's that's different than how it was in the past. I mean, it wasn't until now that some of the people that are on CEDA were actually able to be put on CEDA. So, You know, it's definitely not political. When we we encounter a problem, we're
going to solve it. Just like the fields, right? We encountered a problem, we're going to take action to solve that tonight. We got complaints uh about CEDA, we took corrective action, and if we get complaints about something else, we will look at it and take the appropriate action.
Let's see. Um, Mr. Carlin, uh, with regards to how the state budget is going to impact our township, that's something that we'll have to look at in more detail. Um, we're used to sort of getting the short end of the stick when it comes to funding here in in Milbour. Uh and
luckily we have uh very you know we we've had a very good fiscal policy over the years and we're very responsible with our taxpayer dollars and we have a AAA credit rating. So I'm certain that regardless of what the governor uh may
throw at us in terms of a budget that we will be able to continue to provide the high level of services that our residents demand. So I'm I'm not concerned about that. Right. Well, I think that that covers most of
it and as I said, I will address some of what the EC and the Milbury climate action brought up specifically later on. Uh, with that, I will turn it over to you, Mr. McDonald. >> Thank you, Mayor. Just a few brief comments regarding the roads um that
have been brought up received. However, I just want to reiterate that we do use a um a data-driven decision process when it comes to pavement condition index. So, uh while I realize that everybody will certainly feel that their road is in the worst condition and probably
should be paved, um we do have a limited budget and we do make that based on uh that data. And so, but uh with that being said, um I don't think the roads that were mentioned here tonight are are are far off of of that list. um particularly Jefferson uh has been
brought up for quite some time now even within our engineering department. So uh also on the snow um snow cost uh we are we are not going to amortize that over five years. Um the township has a uh storm trust in which we utilize four
such things um to ensure that we don't have to amortize those types of costs over five years. Uh in addition, this storm was uh not the particular storm was very close if not will be eventually um deemed a reimburseable storm. We've
already done the uh the analysis and the cost for that and provided that to the county uh in the event that it is reimburseable. Um so and then as far as large turf mowing um that yes that does include Old Shore Hills Park, JRo Park,
Taylor Park um all of those large spaces Hobart Park are are mowed through this contract. >> Attorney I have no comments may thank you. All right, with that we will move on to the consent
agenda. The township committee will now consider consent agenda resolutions. Are there any comments from the committee in regard to any of the items listed on the consent agenda? Seeing none, may I have a motion to approve resolution 26-088 26-096.
Motion. >> Yes, I have a second. >> Second. >> Roll call vote, please. >> Mr. Poss. >> Yes. >> Mr. Cerudo. >> Yes. >> Mr. Stler. >> Mayor Sakamandandy. >> Yes. >> Thank you. >> Ordinances. Ordinance 2740-26.
Deputy Mayor Costco. You're scheduled the sponsor. >> Thank you, Mayor. I would like to present an ordinance entitled ordinance number 2740-26. Ordinance amending and supplementing the Township of Melbourne Streets and side
park ordinance. There has been an amendment to to this um ordinance um that's being presented tonight. I'll give you a brief description of what the ordinance is about. Um we we felt it or certainly I do, but I think we all felt it was
necessary to get better control over what happens to sidewalks uh that are next to and joining um developments that are being done. U we've heard complaints about Andy Sanders. We've heard complaints about Silverman sidewalk move from one side to the other. Um so that's
what this is about is to try to get some requirements you know around that. Uh the amendment is going to add if you've looked at this ordinance D3 uh and I'll just read it says no approved sidewalk closure shall last more than six months. Any closure that's
necessitated beyond six months must sub resubmit for permitting and review by the engineering department at least one month prior to the reaching of this six month of closure. So that's trying to put a cap on how long a sidewalk um you
know is closed um which you know which puts the public out and you can't use that sidewalk for no sort of time. So anyway on to it. That's the uh purpose of it and that's the amendment. I move that this ordinance be taken up and passed on first reading and that the
township clerk be authorized to have the ordinance posted in accordance with law on the Matt Miller and Township public notices page for hearing and final passage on Tuesday, April 7, 2026. >> May I have a second?
>> Second roll call vote, please. >> Mr. Cosboro, >> yes. >> Mr. Cerudo, >> yes. >> Mr. Stler >> permanent. >> Mayor secondy. >> Yes. >> Right. Ordinance 2741-26.
I am the sponsor and I would like to present an ordinance entitled ordinance number 2741-26 bond ordinance providing for various field improvements at the Melbourne High School by and in the township of Melbourne in the county of Essex State
of New Jersey appropriating 4,500,000 therefore and authorizing the issuance of $4,275,000 bond notes of the township finance part of the cost thereof. So before I make a formal motion to
introduce this ordinance, I want to address some points that those in the opposition to this ordinance have brought up earlier tonight and over the past few weeks. First, what is happening tonight. This is a first reading, an introduction. It will be a full public hearing before any final vote. The
suggestion that this project is being rushed does not reflect reality. This project has been studied, discussed, and publicly debated for the better part of two years. Tonight's vote doesn't lock in a surface material. It authorizes the township share of project funding so
that we can move into the engineering phase which is where the final surface selection material specifications and detailed cost engineering will happen. That is the proper sequence for capital projects of this scale. Several speakers tonight and a letter we received from the Mourin Climate Action Group and the
Environmental Commission have asked us to pause and commission an independent study comparing synthetic turf to engineered natural grass, specifically sandbased systems with subsurface drainage. The Milbour Climate Action Group recommended that we contact three
sources, Lantech Group, Tuo Turf Farms, and the Brother Center for Turf Grass Scientist. They gave us website URL links. The website we were provided for the Lantech group was incorrect and sent us to a Chinese meter product website. We were
also given the wrong website for Tahoe Farms. Now, we did some due diligence and we did track down the proper Tahoe Farms and we'll be speaking with them to see what they have to say. But not wanting to give up and and wanting to have some answers for tonight, we contacted Ruters University Center for
Turf Grass Science. And I want to share what we learned. Dr. Brad Park of the Rutner Center for Turf Grass Science told us that he is unaware of any municipality in the state of New Jersey that has a st a sandbased root zone playing field. He said those systems are typically found at professional and
college facilities and that most municipalities do not have the staff with the aggronomic expertise required to manage them. The sports field management association's own best management practice guide confirms this. It states that sandbased fields are
generally used for professional or high-profile college sports and require intensive management. The Sports Field Management Association's cost guide shows sandbased natural grass construction runs $55 to
$8 per square foot, which is comparable to synthetic turf, but with a fraction of the usable hours. And here is what I think is the most important point. Dr. Park and Dr. James Murphy, the director of the Ruter Center for Turf Grass Science, co-authored a Ruter's
Cooperative Extension Bulletin on the management of natural turf sports fields. In that publication, they write that in communities where demand for sports fields is great, many grounds managers have found that installation of synthetic turf is what helps manage the
load on natural grass. Their own published research recommends synthetic turf as a solution for exactly the situation Milbourne is in. The underlying science is straightforward. The Sports Field Management Association, Cornell, and Oregon State have all
established that natural grass, even premium sandbased systems, can sustain a maximum of 20 to 24 hours of organized play per week. Wilbur's fields need to support the use from 3:30 to 10:00, 5 days a week, plus weekends. That is over
65 hours per week, roughly three times the biological maximum for any grass surface. No drainage system changes that grass needs time to recover from foot traffic. Today's letter from the environmental commission also references the Westfield Edison fields project as a
reason to slow down. Fields budget grew 37% because of rising material costs and expanded requirements, the exact forces that punish delay. The bond ordinance is the mechanism that allows us to move into the engineering phase and lock in real numbers. Waiting doesn't save
money, it costs money. I want to address the health and environmental concerns raised tonight. We published a 28page source cited response to every concern the environmental commission raised prior to the date of publication. We are not proposing chrome rubber infill. The
systems under consideration use organic or infill-free materials with zero PAS, zero EHS, and zero lead. The California Office of Environmental Health hazard assessment, which is a division of California EPA,
released its final health risk assessment for synthetic turf this month and found that cancer risk is well within the EPA's acceptable range. We plan to submit our NJDP permit application later this month. EC's letter also cites the Princeton Hydro Flood Study which found that
storms above the 25-year threshold will over top these fields regardless of surface type. That is exactly the point. When flood waters recede, a synthetic surface drains and is playable within hours. A natural grass field turns to mud, needs weeks to recover. On a
floodplone site, synthetic turf is the more resilient choice. Our families have been living with muddy, unusable fields for years. Games canled, practices relocated. The feasibility study was conducted by professional engineers. The
Open Space Trust Fund Advisory Committee has voted to recommend supporting this project. And using up to 25% of their annual revenue to help fund this bond. And when we reached out to the very experts the opposition cited, they confirmed what the science already tells
us. Further delay does not produce better answers. It produces another lost season. Therefore, I will now formally make a motion to introduce this ordinance and I urge my colleagues to support it. I move that this ordinance be taken up and passed on first reading and that the township clerk be
authorized to have the ordinance posted in accordance with law on the Milbourne Township public notices page and for hearing and final passage on Tuesday, April 7th, 2026. May I have a second, please? take my honor. Second it. >> Okay. Now we have an opportunity for
discussion. Any of the TC members? Anything they like to say? >> Fully supported. Let's roll. >> Let's get this thing done. >> I agree. In that case, we have a roll call vote, please.
>> Mr. Costco. >> Yes. >> Mr. Sero. >> Yes. >> Mr. Stler. >> Absolutely. >> Mayor Sakamandandy. an emphatic yes. >> Thank you. >> Um take a three minute recess.
All right, going to resume our meeting. Give you guys a moment to take your seats if you're if you're going to continue with the ordinances. Ordinance 2742-26
sponsor. >> Yes, I am. >> Okay. I would like to present I would like to present an ordinance entitled ordinance number 2742-26 an ordinance of the township of Milbourne County of Essics authorizing the township of Milbour to execute an
agreement of the sale as execute an agreement of sale as to portions of real estate. So um this is Correct. >> Incorrect. >> That's fine. What did I say? Oh, I apologize. You know what? I looked at my
It's written as 07078 on here. Uh, and I apologize. Uh, 07041. I just want to make sure the ordinance text will. >> Excellent. >> So, noted. Uh so this is uh to acquire
property that is in flood zone of course um within the township and is going to allow us uh it's going to allow flood mitigation uh uh for flood mitigation purposes. I move that this ordinance be taken up and passed on first reading that attention clerk be authorized to have the ordinance posted in accordance
with law in the Milbourne town public notices page and for hearing and final passage on Tuesday April 7th 2026. I'll second that. Roll calls open, please. >> Mr. Costro, >> yes. >> Mr. Sero, >> yes. >> Mr. Stler,
>> Mayor Sec, >> yes. >> All right. Ordinance 2743-26. Condler, you are scheduled with the sponsor. Thank you. >> I would like to present an ordinance entitled Ordinance number 2743-26.
An ordinance of the township of Milbour County authorizing the township of Milbour to execute an easement agreement granting an easement and a right of way on real property located at 14 Haron Circle Milbour, New Jersey 07078. >> Thanks. >> I'm
uh this ordinance is for the purchase of an existing easement and purchase of a small portion of further property at 14 Heron Circle. The easement on this property is necessary to facilitate several improvements at the Gilbert Place pump station. Uh this piece of critical storm storm water management
infrastructure provides pre and posttorm mitigation for the south mountain area of the township. The pump station needs new electrical components, permanent backup power, and additional pump for the purpose of redundancy and increased capacity. This ordinance will facilitate the easement of real estate that is
needed to bring these extensive changes to fruition. The ordinance will ensure the township can pursue this important flood related project. I move that this ordinance be taken up and passed on first reading and that the township clerk be authorized to have the ordinance posted in accordance with law
of Milbourne Township public notices page and for hearing and final passage on Tuesday, April 7th, 2026. >> Second roll call vote, please. >> Mr. Costro, >> yes. >> Mr. Cerudo, >> yes. >> Mr. Stler. Mayor Sakamandy.
>> Yes. >> Thank you. >> Right. Ordinance 2737-26. We're going to be adjourning the public hearing on this until April the April 7th uh committee meeting. I would like to make a motion to adjourn
the public hearing and consideration of adoption of ordinance 2737-26 titled ordinance created by the long-term strategic planning advisory committee and adding section 2-39 to the Milbour Township Code to Tuesday,
April 7th, 2026 Milbert Township Committee meeting beginning at 7 p.m. at the Milbour Education Center located at 434 Milbour Avenue, Milbour, at which time the public hearing is scheduled. Seeing there was an administrative error
with adequately posting the notice, this hereby serves as the official notice of the change of public hearing date, April 7th, country committee meeting, and the ordinance will be posted in accordance with law on the Milurn Township public notices page. May I have a second, please?
>> Second. Roll call vote, please. Mr. Costco, >> yes. >> Mr. Sero, >> yes. >> Mr. Stler, >> Mayor Sakamandi, >> yes. >> Thank you. >> All right. Ordinance 2738-26. We're going to be adjourning this one as well. I would like to make a motion to
adjourn the public hearing and consideration of adoption of ordinance 2737-26 titled ordinance repealing resolution 20-35 permanently disbanding and dissolving CEDA and creating section 2-40 of the Milbourne Township Code and
creating the cultural diversity committee. the Tuesday, April 7th, 2026, Milurn Township Committee meeting beginning at 7 PM at the Milbert Education Center located at 434 Milild Avenue in Milbert at which time the public hearing is scheduled seeing it
was an administrative error ad notice. This hereby serves the official notice of the change of public hearing date to April 7th township committee meeting in the building posted in accordance with law in the Milbert Township notices page.
I have a second, please. >> Second. Roll call vote, please. >> Mr. Costco, >> yes. >> Mr. Cerudo, >> yes. Mr. Stler, >> mayor, second, >> yes. >> Thank you. >> All right. We have nothing on old business. So, we'll move directly to new business. First item under new business
is historic preservation design guidelines update. Uh, so I'm going to give a little background on this. As we've been going through the HPC designation process um over the past, you know, few months, we've identified that our HPC guidelines, which is what
our HPC uses, um well, it's partially what they use as a basis for rendering their decisions, uh it also serves to allow architects and homeowners to see what the guidelines are for properties in historic districts. the ones that we
have are really out ofd. Um, and that really stems from the fact that the state regulations are out of date. So, for instance, uh, you know, I think our existing design guidelines may have led some people to believe that if you had slate roof that you would have to replace it in kind. Well, that's not true. Now, there's modern materials that
look like slate that can be used instead. So, there's a lot of little things that need to be updated. And so the idea is to have uh Barton Ross, our HBC professional, uh go and finish um a
process. They already started basically um there's some draft guidelines that they have, but they need to be formalized. It's going to take about two to three weeks of his time and um you know, we wanted to make sure there's consensus on the committee to move this forward because of course it's going to cost a little bit to have our
professional do it. But I think that this will be a huge benefit for the homeowners uh you know of those that live in in districts uh and also you know anyone uh you know in town that might be you know considering uh designating their home etc etc. So open
it up for >> I would being that I do live in in a historical deed home I'd love to see those new changes made and what they entail. Uh, and I'm probably the only one after it was at 0741 and 07078
U zip code. So, I made that mistake. I apologize, but I'd love to see it and see where it goes. >> Sure. >> I I'd also be interested in that. I'd love to see it expanded to the entire town, not just the historic.
>> Yeah, I some point >> I I agree. I think we've talked about doing design guidelines townwide. Uh and I think for that we probably will want to convene a committee that has you know members of zoning code examination
committee maybe HBC planning board etc on our town planner. Um so that's something that I think you know if there's consensus uh for we can we can look into doing. Um but that's sort of separate apart from the HBC design
guidelines. Um, so if that's something that all of you are in favor of rolling on that in the background and and that would just be add >> essentially. >> Yeah, fully support it. >> Yeah, that's on that. All right,
>> next next up uh solicitation of volunteer interest forms. Um so basically um what this is about is we know that at the next meeting we have two committees that are going to be
voted on and I imagine the votes are going to going to pass them and so we want to put the VIP form out and we want to start advertising that there's going to be openings obviously pending you know the vote so that way anyone that wants to apply to be on the new CDC
committee or on the strategic planning committee has, you know, extra time to uh show their interest, submit their VIP form, send, you know, emails or letters to the TC showing their interest. That way, we can get these committees populated uh right away. And as I said
earlier, with regards to the CDC, we plan on putting anyone that was on the old seated committee onto the CDC. We're not going to be excluding anyone. um we will be picking the the leadership of that committee but we will not be excluding anyone from the committee
itself. Uh so I just wanted to make sure that there was consensus for us to go ahead and have township start advertising uh that those spots are going to be available and people should apply if they're >> listen what makes our community are the
people and to have more opportunities to volunteer. Absolutely. Yep. Support after that. >> Great. Great. Consensus. All right. We will get on that. Um, next up is
final public comment. Public comment period is to allow for final comments from the community. When invited to speak, offer your comments. Please come to the lect term. Clearly state your name and whether you are a Melbourne resident and or property or business owner. Please not provide your
full address as our meetings are recorded and are readily available to the public. A reminder that in order to help facilitate ordering meeting and permit all be heard, speakers shall limit their comments to one three minute session. I now open the public comment
of short hills. Uh I wanted to finish my comments on the tur field. uh some topics that we didn't uh discuss in in enough detail I feel but we talked about the fields being wet but in the dry summer months those fields also be
watered if they're natural grass fields and uh what will you do with an engineered turf field when an insect or fungal infestation happens what will you do when the nitrogen phosphorus and potassium levels or the soil nutrients
drop. Uh what will you do when the weeds outgrow the grass? Uh you'll put down chemicals. 50% of those chemicals will stay in the soil. 50% of them will leech off into the Van Winkle brook which is
200 ft away. So when we talk about environmental concerns, let's talk about environmental concerns, not just one little piece of it. It's ironic that the same person that uh opposed gas powered lawn tools last year now is in favor of
a solution that requires the permanent use of gas powered lawn tools to maintain the fields. So there got to be some consistency in messaging. Uh so to that I say don't stop at the high
school fields. Gear Park should be next. um a totally different subject. I was traveling. I've been going to physical therapy my need every Monday, Wednesday, Friday morning uh
to the uh center behind the uh uh in that part of town. I I passed by the Any says property traveling westbound on Milbour Avenue and uh when I make the right-hand turn onto Essex at
the fourth there's been at least three mornings where as soon as I make that turn the construction people in the right hand lane blocking the right hand lane there was a water truck one day there was another truck making a lumber delivery blocking the right lane there
was no flagman there was no notification of the police department to let them know to warn income on oncoming traffic that the minute you turn and make a right turn, you're right. Your lane is gone. So, there's a safety issue there. It's not the first time I've I've cited
a safety issue at that place. But, um, somebody needs to be paying attention to the safety at that site. I I talked to Alex about the crane reaching over the power lines without a firewatch and he responded right away and had a policeman station
there to say within an hour. So thank you for that. >> Jeffrey felt first an interest in unity. I want to wish everyone to be celebr c celebrated holly recently. There'll be a feast breaking Ramadan. Many of us
will be selling Passover and many will be selling celebrate Easter. I'm a blended family is very important that remember escape from slavery into freedom, the importance of the rule of law, humility of Moses, the life of a
dissident rabbi was executed by the Romans and also the sale of someone's soul for use of the silver. Um, I request that you said that there's going to be a a pedestrian meeting at the
library at 6:30 on April 13. You could maybe postpone it or push it back to 7 because I know one commuter, that being my wife, gets off the train at 6:25 and that she I think would be very interested of the pedestrian safety of that parking lot. Um, as to agreements,
I think you amended the joint use agreement by you putting conditions on you saying that nothing will be issued until you get an engineering report. When you looked at the joint use agreement, which was never really attached to the original approval
resolution or posted, you didn't have any condition. So, I just asked like the attorney to look, you know, can you because I think you just told the the town that you will not issue any bonds until we receive this engineering report, but I think that might have to be in writing in some type of document
and just something to look at. Um, also the exhibit A's to the two ordinances about the easements and sale, I just asked that they be attached for the next agenda packet so we know what the monetary terms are. Um, we heard about consistency in messaging. You heard
about killing a fly with a hammer. When we encounter a problem, we cure it. Look at the SID. Are you what you just said inconsistent what's happened in the last five, six years? How we treated certain planism? Have you tried to kill them
with kill a fly with a hammer? Have you admitted that there were problems, structural problems, but you haven't cured it? Again, everyone who's going to be celebrating the holidays, I wish you and your family the best. >> Good evening, Phil Kers, Milburn
resident. Um, I I had a question about these two ordinances that have been postponed are both advisory committees. >> One of them has the township committee appointing the officers. The other one has them elected by the members. Um I
think I'm not sure but I think that most if not all the committees have the officers elected by the members. I just like a very clear answer on why in the case of the CDC um in this ordinance you're going to appoint the officers. What's what's the difference in nature? What's the motive
for that? If you could answer that. I also felt that uh the uh controversy about the turf fields I find similar to the controversy about um the ban on gas gas powered uh leaf blowers just in that
we had very strong feelings on both sides. We had people looking at different facts or looking at facts interpreting them differently. So you really had things that very strong emotions. However, I think in both of these, I think, you know, one side like
won out or got their argument um made official, you know, in one of these and it looks like, you know, going to happen again with one side on the other one. That's the way that works. So, uh a lot of science involved, a lot of detail, which which I wouldn't pretend to have any expertise on, but I don't think
again I think that people on both sides and both of these were sincere. So I really didn't like to hear from up here in the committee the implication that there was some other kind of motive that there was inconsistencies. Why did the environmental commission do that? Why did Bill Brazelle was inconsistent on
this? I think that really that doesn't show respect for the citizens putting in their time. I heard the same thing from the mayor when he the way he referred to uh the chair of Cena as this self-appointed person very much that you were trying to um imply that she had
some motive got total control and be a king that it was insincere and I don't think it was insincere but you did this and I think that Stler and Sacramento you both have strong principles you feel very strongly you get emotional but I think you need to pull it back a little bit and as members up there on the today
has set an example show more respect for the people out here and for their motives. But I would like a very clear simple answer on this on the difference in the appointment of members on these two committees and how that's done as a general rule. I think that'd be very
easy to answer me exceeding. Thank you. >> Good evening Jerry Kong Shroy Hills resident. As usual um I had not planned to make a statement but Mr. Hershe uh urge me to speak up. So uh just just a point about the self-appointed chair. If you're taking umbrage by the fact that
the mayor is using point the term self-anointed chair, I believe that's a factual adjective. Um given that the first reorganization meeting of CEDA this year, I don't think there was an actual election of the chair. And I believe because I was there in person and you can watch the recording that
there was a person that was acting as the de facto chair. So, you know, you want to talk about emotion, let's talk about facts. I think that the term self anointed chair is appropriate. Thank you, >> Pastor President. Um, I just want to
make one other comment um related to what a few people here have said. Um, I I really commend this township committee for keeping the doors open to anybody qualified that wants to serve on a committee that is so different that would happen for at least the five or
six years that I've been following this uh township committee. I I myself have have really wanted to serve and been been turned away every single time I've applied to be on a committee until just this year. So, I think we have to be
honest, intellectually honest about what did take place in the past and why sometimes we are where we are. Um, it's not about partisanship. It's not about politics. It's about just being honest and inclusive and letting people serve who really want to. They have
qualifications. Um, and the second thing I wanted to say is, um, we had such a really good start to this year. I felt like this committee has been working in a in a bipartisan way. Uh I felt in my role as the Republican chair worked well
with the the Democratic chair on this ICE uh thing that we did, but all of a sudden it's all wiped out over what over something that is falsely being called political. And I really do hope that we can return to where we started this year
with all of us. Thank you. Christine Best, Lumber Township. Um Dave, I I want to thank you so much for that suggestion on adding design guidelines across all the housing stock in the town. I've been a big supporter of that and I think that that will
preserve this town as an elegant, beautiful place and it doesn't have to be, you know, like an HOA moment in any way whatsoever, but it's getting a little out of control with some of the road design. And um so thank you for thinking about that and when my health
is a little better, I would love to be part of that. Um and then I also wanted to and I also the historic preservation design guidelines. I've been hearing a little bit about it and just commenting not as a member but as you know township resident I'm very excited about that because the town the um HPC really does
a great job of actually working with the homeowners and coming up with alternative ideas and I think putting it on paper will make people as you said Frank much more confident about owning a house in the historic preservation area um and actually your house is is more
valuable if you own more in historic preservation. I also wanted to just talk quickly, you know, there was there was a lot of um intense heat and I'm not out to put anything on any single person or organization, but one of the things that
I want to talk about is I see a lot of um usage of communities for political play. This is what I see. I I don't care what other people's opinions are, but with with the 250 mural, what I saw, I looked as many tiles as I could see on
the Facebook page. And I saw what appeared to be a lot of groups eliminated. So, if you're going to play in that world of inclusivity, you need to understand what the definition of that means. And so, I don't see any ode to the historic Indians. We have a ton of street names after different Indian
tribes in this township. None of that I don't think I might be wrong is in there. But also, you know, I didn't see I saw not a lot. There was a lot of um Protestant groups that founded that Protestants actually probably 0001%. There was no ode to people who are
interfaith. There's actually a lot of interfaith and intercultural marriages in this town. That is why I moved to this town. My husband's Jewish. I'm Christian. I didn't see call out like that. So, you know, and also the black community, which is, you know, a founding community in this country, you
know, wasn't called out in originally. And I'm not trying to, but when you, if we're going to play in that world, you got to do your homework and you got to make sure everybody's included. And so, that's really important to me. And I also think that there's a lot of groups that are very inclusive that are um, you
know, newer immigrants to this town or second generation. And I want to call them out because I feel really included by the Chinese Association because they put on these great events. They make they market it out to everybody and it's really exciting and they do it on their own without the government getting
involved and I really love that. Okay. About that. And the same goes for black I just went to a black heritage event which was awesome and I felt really welcome and also the desi club. So for me yes my time's up. Bye. Thank you. This is Weda. I would like to thank the
committee for passing the resolution on the turf and most importantly I would like to read out what uh professor Emanuel Hunt had said that uh we're looking for the perfect utopia which he said will never arrive. there is
progress undeniably so and which each step there is going to be some disscent associated with that and we are welcoming that descent and we have that open discussion. I do find that some people have uh the shoes switched from
one leg to another. They find it like discomfort to what they are used to. But we are looking forward to working together across the aisle, across the party lines so that we do what is best for our neighborhood and for our town. And that we see in the leadership of our
mayor and deputy mayor as well who are representing two different parties but they're working towards moving the ball forward so that we are able to meet meaningful solution.
Uh I would also give a shout out to the DPW crew. So this winter storm since uh December 15 to like most recent times has been very severe but there was not even one time where the roles were not allowed or there were any complaints
associated with it. Uh the two were always present there. They had sorted the roads. They cleared the roads so that we could continue with our day-to-day life and activities. And there was only probably one day where the garbage was not picked up and that was because of a snowstorm and the
emergency that was declared by the state. But on the whole, it is kudos to the DPW team as well. Thank you. Al Carlin, president uh 30 something years. Uh different subject affordable housing uh is we talk about that and
everyone in the state seems to be talking about that. Uh could we invite the uh commissioner of of DCA uh to uh come to Milbour explain what's going to be happening in the new administration
concerning affordable housing uh named I believe is Jacine Suarez. She has more than a thousand people working for her. Uh she has a huge plate over a billion dollars in her budget and why not? I
mean, Wilberg is a uh township and we have very interesting we're very interested in affordable housing. Uh I don't believe she's been here to speak to the residents. Uh someone might invite her. Uh why not speak? And we
have more and more uh apartment buildings, multiple dwelling units coming into town. We have to uh get involved more or less concerning our taxes. Well, everyone's taxes. Everyone's concerning about the safety
schools. Uh her name is uh she's an attorney. Uh we have an attorney here. Ask some questions. What's going to be happening? Uh the uh governor, she reappointed her. What's going to be happening there? I think it's important.
Uh building uh number of other things like that. I'm a first generation. My father was born in Ukraine, tried to get into the United States. Couldn't make it. Had to go through Canada before he came here. Uh he could never become a citizen
because it said in Russia documentation, so he wasn't a good American. I was able to become I became a citizen because I was born here. Things like that. And I do have did have a security clearance after three tries with the FBI, but
things like this do happen. So I do understand uh this. Thank you very much. Oh, I have 20 seconds. More people safety cross Milbour Avenue. Yes, people have almost gotten killed and I can see the building
every single day and all the violations, people making incorrect turns. And that is an important item here going across there. The sidewalk is not there. That's why anyone online. >> Hi, good evening again. Uh this is
Venita Gangwal, president of Deerfield Action and member of Milbourne for Climate Action. I feel compelled here to make a second statement tonight after hearing frankly a lot of disparaging comments uh from people on the dice here
about members of this community, members of Milbourne for Climate Action Group as well as Melbourne Environmental Commission. So I want to set the record straight. The issue here tonight is not whether artificial turf is the right solution or whether we should go ahead with this project or not. That was not
the question being asked by for Milbourne for climate action group. Repeatedly over last two months, there were three letters sent to uh Milbourne Township Committee and BOE requesting more information about how did the bodies here come to this decision that
artificial turf is the right answer because the only publicly available information was a 2024 feasibility study which was narrowly scoped to answer a simple question. Can the field be converted to artificial turf? It never asked if that's the right answer. It never asked if due to flooding concerns
artificial turfs would serve the purpose that we are looking for. It never did any of that. Then there were two presentations by the rec department which essentially just talk about the deficit of playable hours and how we are trying to uh solve for that. Acknowledging the concern about playable
hours, every single outreach that was done for by Milwin for climate action started by applauding the BOE and TC to to working together to solve this long-standing problem. We came with the spirit of collaboration and we only asked the questions that a community
deserves in this kind of a project with 7.5 to 8 million of capital investment 30 years commitment of public lands to something which is an irreversible decision. So I really find it extremely insulting that after all these efforts to reach out to you privately through a
letter signed by Melbourne climate action members privately sent to all uh the BOE and rec department and TC members. You are here disparaging us >> and telling us that you know we we are uh essentially trying to create an issue
where there is none. The issue here is the lack of transparency. The issue here is that a decision was made to convert to artificial turf without a proper analysis without really dulging all the information to the public and now some corrective actions are being taken but
that really came in response to all the public pressure was which was being put on you and I will also tell you is that now you are committing to all these hybrid solutions which I welcome as a person who has uh who really takes environmental concerns very seriously but what about the people in this town
who don't really want to spend too much money on this project. Have you come out with an analysis on how much is this hybrid solution is going to cost? Right? Is there transparency about this project even today? There is not. I know people want this and we are all supportive. The
only thing that was being asked was be transparent. Do an analysis and you cannot really be transparent if you haven't done the analysis. And I'm sorry to say you haven't done that yet. Thank you. Anyone else online? Nobody. Anyone else from
the audience? Last chance. All right. Now, close public comment. Going to begin about this. Um, Mr. Gambber, I think you raised some really excellent points about the environmental
concerns that have not been talked about uh that come along with natural uh turf. Uh certainly fertilizers, pesticides, etc. Um yeah, that stuff's going to wash right into uh the uh the bin of brook.
um you don't have that problem with yeah you might have you know some potential microplastics here or there but as someone pointed out earlier tonight um you know microplastics are generally more of a problem when you're eating them and eating our
um so I also thought it was an excellent point that you know it's interesting that those that came out so emphatically in favor of the seasonal restriction on the gas powered leaf blowers seem to be the ones now that are
arguing for a surface that requires more gas powered lawn equipment maintaining. Um really would be interesting uh if someone did the calculation and looked at the amount of CO2 and pollutants that came out of you know those uh lawnmowers
that would be needed for a natural turf surface versus you know the pollutants emitted by a synthetic surface. So, if someone wants to do that analysis, that'd be very interesting. Um, with regards to Annie says and the
safety, um, we actually are going to be engaging with the police department, um, to look at pedestrian safety when the project was originally conceived. Police department had taken a look at it and figured out, okay, this would be, you know, the best way for pedestrians to
get from point A to point B safely. Um, and we're going to have them look at that again and make sure that's still certainly had a lot of complaints from people about sidewalks being closed and um, you know, I think tonight you brought up an issue of, you know, lanes
being blocked, etc. So, that's something we're going to look at with the with the police department. Um, let's see. Uh, Mr. Feld, um, you want to know the reason that we can't quote unquote cure the SID. Uh, well, we had Uh we had come
up with a solution to uh reform the SID. Um but due to ongoing litigation uh you know by you and your client, we felt that it was not in the best interest of the township continue to expose oursel further litigation by making any changes
to the SID because if we were to dissolve and recreate the SID uh with new, you know, uh new rules and and with a tiered structure, etc., then that would allow uh someone to go and file a
lawsuit challenging that new ordinance. And you know, I don't think we want to have uh a repeat of of what we've seen over the past few years. So, um you know, the offer still stands. We made a settlement offer uh to
u you know, your client, Mr. fel and if they would like to revisit that and we can give them some sort of settlement we can reexamine you know making the modifications to the SID that we had talked about. Um Mr. Kersh you asked why
some committees uh are have their leaders appointed by the TC while others vote for their own. Um you know I I think that someone brought this up earlier in their comment. They said that willful neglect requires a deeper
remedy. I think that's exactly what's going on here. Um, we've seen that a committee has been operating uh with a self-anointed chair. And I say that because that is a factual statement. The current chair made
themselves the chair. We have no records of that chair ever being voted in by any other members. You know why? They never took minutes at any of the meetings. There's no official record that shows and from the other people that I talked to on the committee, none of them could tell me of a time when there was a
proper reorganization. So maybe one occurred. We don't know because we don't have records of it. Right there in lies the problem. Problem is we had a committee operating in a rogue fashion. They weren't keeping records. They weren't doing proper reorg. They were excluding whether it was on purpose or
not. They were excluding uh people from this tile project that we have. they were excluding groups in this tile project. And so when we encounter something with structural issues like that, we're going to take corrective action. And our corrective action was to rip it out and replace it. You know,
we're going to maybe build back better in this case, right? Uh so that's exactly what >> else because because the former committee has proven itself incapable of properly electing their leadership we
will as a TC appoint the leadership and uh that's that's how we're going to deal with this particular situation. Let's see um Dr. Kung again thank you for uh for pointing out
semantics and the uh the factual nature of the selfanointed chair. Um see pastor Mac I agree I I think in the past that um prior township committees have excluded certain people including
yourself from committees. I certainly saw that myself and you know when Ben and I were first elected and we got on this day as we worked hard to fight for uh diversity uh on our committees not just diversity amongst cultures and
races and ethnicities but also political diversity. We wanted everyone that really wanted to volunteer that had the proper qualifications to be able to take part in our various committees. I think we've done a fantastic job over the past few years of making our committees more
inclusive, of having more diversity on our committees, and we're going to continue to do that. Um, so that's why I'm really looking forward to uh our next meeting when we finally solidify this new cultural diversity committee and welcome anyone that wants to join.
Um, let's see. Uh, Mr. Carlin. Um, you know, I don't know that we would need to talk to the commissioner at the DCA. Um, you know, especially since we've been involved in litigation, uh, you know,
sort of on the other side of the state on this issue. But what I can say is we know what's happening in the fourth round of affordable housing because we did the plan. Um, and we we did the plan with community uh, input. We did the plan with input from all the various uh
you know venues boards and committees. It was a completely open and transparent process and we know exactly what we're going to get and we have followed all the steps that are required. We didn't miss any deadlines. Uh and you know we know what the next 10 years is going to look like unless the state throws a
curveball at us and changes the law, right? That that could always happen. But uh for now we know exactly what the uh fourth round is going to look like and uh we're very proud of the plan that we put forward. Um Miss Miss Greenwall
um I understand the question the Milbert climate action group is is asking. It's interesting because they've asked a number of different questions and the questions seem to change when we put out new information. Then there seems to be something else that you guys want to
know about and that's fine. Um questions are always good and questions are welcome. But the suggestion that we you know sort of stop the process and you know have another you know independent uh body come in and do an assessment. I
I I think that's not necessary. The original assessment that was done was done by the BOE. It was done by an independent outside third party. And I believe that one of the reasons that they didn't bother to look at me natural grass at that time was because it didn't meet the simple criteria that it didn't
meet the playable hours that was going to be required. Now I'm an engineer and when I approach an engineering problem the first thing I do is I start with the requirements. I get the requirements and then I look at various products and services and solutions that'll meet
those requirements. And if one of the paramount requirements is to increase the number of playing hours to over 60 hours per week, the natural grass surface and even the engineered natural grass surfaces don't meet that
requirement. So therefore, why would we continue to consider them when they don't meet the requirement? Whereas the synthetic materials do meet that requirement. we will be able to achieve the goal of increased playing hours over 60 per week if we use a synthetic
material. Now, I think we have to, you know, do our research on figure out which synthetic material makes the most sense. But after talking to the uh after having the town talk to the people at Ruckers that climate action encourage us
to talk to, I I think we've we've got a pretty clear indication that even a engineered natural turf solution is not going to make sense. But in in the interest of exploring all options, we are working on speaking to the other two companies that were mentioned. We'll see
what they have to say. But all the research and studies I can find say that the natural uh the natural grass even if it's an engineered solution is not going to meet requirements. So I don't think we need to do another study. I think we've been open and transparent about
that. Um furthermore, we're not necessarily considering a hybrid solution. I think the solutions we're leaning towards now are fully synthetic. Some have infill, some have more natural infill. Um I I don't know that the hybrid option makes the most sense, but
the engineers uh will look at that during the engineering phase. All right. Does anyone else have >> Sure. Thank you. And well put on the uh on the on the bills, you know, Mr.
Hurst. Um, I do have a passion for a lot of things that I'm doing up here and it's because I've lived a long time in this town. I've raised four kids here. My youngest is a freshman. And me sitting up here doing this work. I'm not at my daughter who's practicing on a
muddy field behind the high school right now for flag football. Well, not right now at 10:13, but when we started. I always appreciate your advice. I take it to heart. It's very good advice. You and Mr. Carl have lived more years and have a lot of lot of miles under you. So I appreciate everything you say. I do take
it to heart. Um that being said, you're not privy to a lot of things that happen outside of this room and you know some of the I don't want to call it arm twisting and strongarm tactics and things to get things pushed through, but they do occur and sometimes it boils up.
That being said, uh it does seem that every time we go through these analysis that it's changing using AI at the speed of light. It really is from from some of the submissions we're getting. I've been working at this since the day I was
brought, you know, won this seat working towards helping us get a solution to this lack of playability. We've done the work. We've spoken to people. I've spoken to a lot of different companies. Uh I've I've gone out to Mount Clare and
walked that field uh with the uh no infill option with the 12 to 15 month uh lifespan with the same maintenance cost is infill turf and grass. Uh and I think >> 15
year lifespan, correct? Um, and as we look at this, we've done the work. We've rolled up our sleeves and and we're comfortable with with the process going forward. Uh, you know, and it really is, and Mr. Bambber was up there, I think he he meant to say that the same people
that were for for the gas power blower restriction are now for use of gas power blowers. It really does beg the question of what's going on and and what are the motives behind it. That being said, I heard your point. Thank you very much. I
appreciate it, Mr. Kersh. Um, uh, Mr. Abala Ven, I agree 100% with the just the, uh, great job, the yman's job that our DPW did during this, uh, rough patch. I think we had what, 30 some odd days of sub freezing weather. It It was
crazy. And, uh, lastly, I'll bring this up. the New Jersey Transit uh tunnel project actually is completed. Uh although there was a fire on the tracks yesterday on the bridge. That's the whole but uh I
will be taking the uh train tomorrow morning at 6 a.m. I'll let you guys know how that goes. >> Yeah, I'll just comment. I want to uh just add on the praise for the Department of Public Works and the amazing first responders we have in the community. Um
appreciate everybody's engagement. Um look, I'm not opposed to bringing in the commissioner. I'd like to have her sit on, you know, do a drive around town and see the monstrosities that we have and see the pedestrians trying to cross the street and uh so maybe we can try to set
something. Why don't we reach out? >> We'll re We'll see if we can reach out because I would certainly be happy to get that individual up here. >> Yeah. Yeah. We can do a Q&A and do a tour and honestly I wish they we had
what is it called? Virtual reality. You could see what it looked like and now what it looks like today. So, uh that's it for me. Uh and I mean Milbourne Avenue the trucks Andy says I think what Mr. was referring to. Yeah, I think we
should um we just got to we got to just take a look at that. Um I like that frame. Build back better. Where have we heard that before? >> Nothing. >> Just one comment on the trucks. Uh obviously if you see a condition like that I would encourage you to call the
police department non-emergency number so that we can have somebody go out there and address it right away. In that case, motion to