I call to order this special meeting of the township committee of the township of Mars this Wednesday, November 12th, 2025. The time is now 6:30. This meeting is being held in accordance with the open public meetings act and adequate notice of this meeting has been provided
as required by law. Specifically, notice of this meeting has been mailed to the daily record and the Morris newsby on November 3rd, posted on the township of a Mars website and posted on the bulletin board outside the clerk's office. The agenda and resolutions for the meeting are available at
marriswp.com under agenda center. Certain portions of this meeting may be closed to the public for the purpose of personnel andor other matters as outlined in the sunshine law. Notice to members of the governing body and township staff, any use of electronic devices during this meeting
shall be used solely for the purposes of township business and any communication is subject to the open public meet records act. Madame clerk, roll call, please. >> Mr. Griselle, >> yes. >> Mr. Jory, >> here. >> Mr. Janata, >> here. >> Mr. Ravitz,
>> present. >> Mayor Grigio, >> here. Tonight, we have one resolution on the agenda. This resolution authorizes the township ABC council to execute a settlement agreement with Rock Bottom Entertainment LLC doing business at
Fringe Gentleman's Lounge, holder of Plenary Retail Consumption License number 1422-33-00002- 012. Madame Clerk, please read the title of resolution 237-25 into the record.
Resolution 237-25, resolution authorizing the ABC prosecutor to execute a settlement agreement with Rock Bottom Entertainment LLC, trading as Fringe Gentleman's Lounge, Township of Morris, Morris
County, New Jersey. Morris ABC board. I will now turn the discussion over our over to our attorney Julia Tameo to provide details regarding the settlement and answer any questions.
>> I believe that my partner Daniel and >> you're on uh was here in this committee had the opportunity to review the settlement agreement. So, uh, unless you have any questions at this time, um, about the settlement, I believe it's straightforward. Um, but I'm I'm happy
to answer any specific questions. >> Does anybody have any questions or comments? >> Do you want do we want to go over some of the highlights or just >> I don't Well, we can go over the highlights. So,
the license C was issued for violations or notices of violation for incidents that allegedly occur on March 25th, 2023, September 1st, 2023, September 15, 2023, September 16, 2023, September
23rd, October 29, 2023, January 1st, January 6, February 17, and February 24th, 2024. Um the charges were listed as exhibit 8 in the agreement.
You can see them by date of the violations and there's several violations on most of them. Um and uh in order to resolve the issues we believe that it is in the best interest of the township to
enter into the settlement agreement with the Lency. That way the issues that are um addressed for example uh their violations regarding nuisance and the need for police intervention um and the
license C agrees to certain conditions pursuant to the agreement. Uh for example the no go dancing, exotic dancing or live entertainment um on the premises going forward. uh this prohibition is included to the
employment of engagement of dancers or performance to appear to um in a tie or engaging conduct inconsistent with the standards of decency. And so there's different provisions to address the issues that have been raised but there are multiple violations. >> So uh the agreement is comprehensive as
to all the violations that were listed for that period of time. So it covers 2023 and 2024. >> Thank you. If there are no other questions or comments, can I have a motion to approve resolution number 237-25?
>> Some move. >> Second. >> Madame clerk, may I have a roll call vote for resolution 237-25? >> Mr. Griselle, >> yes. >> Mr. Janata, >> yes. >> Mr. Jory, >> yes. >> Mr. Ravitz, >> yes. >> Mayor Griglia, >> yes.
Resolution 237-25 is hereby adopted. This concludes the ABC portion of tonight's meeting. Thank you. There are nobody there's nobody on Zoom and nobody here from the public. So >> I will I will still open it.
>> Okay. Okay. >> Currently there are not any members of the public joining us either on Zoom or here in person. But we will open the public the meeting to public comment. We'll take comments from in person. >> We're listening.
>> Yeah. Mayor, Mayor, I move that we open public commentary. >> Second. >> Is there a second? >> Second. >> All in favor? >> I. >> Mayor, I move that we close public commentary. >> Second. >> Is there a second? All in favor? >> I.
>> It is now 6:35. Can I have a motion to adjourn the special ABC meeting? >> So move. >> Second. >> All in favor? >> I. The regular township committee meeting will begin at 7 PM following this ABC hearing the M at the municipal building at 50 Woodland Avenue. Thank
you. I call to order this regular meeting of the township committee of the township of Mars this Wednesday, November 12th, 2025. The time is now 7 o'clock p.m. This meeting is being held in accordance with the Open Public Meetings Act and
adequate notice of this meeting has been provided as required by law. Specifically, notice of this meeting was emailed to the daily record and the Mars Newsby on January 3rd, 2025 and posted on the Township of Mars website. The agenda and resolutions for the meeting
are available on marriswp.com under the agenda center. Certain portions of this meeting may be closed to the public for the purpose of personnel and/or other matters as outlined in the sunshine law. Notice to members of the governing body and township staff, any use of electronic
devices during this meeting shall be used solely for the purposes of township business and any communications are subject to the open public records act. Madame clerk, roll call, please. >> Mr. Gelle, >> here. >> Mr. Dury, >> here. >> Mr. Ravitz,
>> here. Mr. Janata >> here. >> Mayor Griglia >> here. Please rise and join me in the pledge of allegiance. >> I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation
under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Can I have a motion to approve the minutes from September 17th, 2025, the closed and regular session and
by one motion? >> So move second. >> All in favor? >> I mayor, I was absent for the September meeting. Do I need to be uh abstained from that vote? >> Thank you. >> Thank you.
Yesterday was Veterans Day and the members of the committee spent the day laying wreaths and honoring our veterans. We do have one proclamation on our agenda this evening recognizing November 11th, 2025 in honor of Veterans Day and Committeeman Jory will now
present the proclamation and share his remarks. >> Thank you, Mayor Griglia. Um, and thank you to all of our veterans for their selfless service to our country. Uh and as as Mayor Gregory mentioned, we had our Veterans Day services yesterday at town hall, a second service on the green
in Marstown. Uh and we ran around uh town early in the morning with the veterans to lay reads at the memorials. And that's all thanks to the memorial veterans day association of Marstown and Mars Township. As a community, we don't only owe our thanks and appreciation to our veteran community for the ser for
their service, but also for their continued contributions to our town. Our veterans continue to improve the lives of those around us. long after their time in the military ends. Specifically, we'd like to recognize the Memorial and Veterans Day Association and the American Legion Post 59 for their
longtime and continued work bringing our community veteran stories to life throughout the year. We are grateful that the association added Captain Brian McNield to their list of memorial stops uh to place REITs at the morning of Veterans Day. Uh it was a fitting
tribute to Brian's legacy and humbling to share those moments with Brian's parents, their neighbors, and their friends. Further, we'd like to thank those who have made Mars Hatchup the great place that it is to live today. Uh from our veteran employees at our DPW
and our veteran law enforcement officers to our veteran firefighters and volunteer board members, all veteran members of our our township family have been foundational in making Mars Township the place it is today. Lastly, we are grateful for the partnership with
Post 59 and uh Anelise Rush from the administrator's office for their hard work uh putting together our hometown heroes veterans banner program which now displays the names and faces of close to 60 Mars Township veterans across our roadways here down by town hall. I'm
proud that this township committee continues to take the input from the community to recognize the services of those in uniform in many ways like our veterans parking spaces at our public facilities and our partnership with the veterans valor healing garden project at
Fringilling Heisen Arburetum. We look forward to the projects and um services that come next in the future and on behalf of the township again thank you to all of our veterans out there for their service to our country. Thank you mayor. Thank you, Committeeman Jory. There are currently two members of the
public joining us via Zoom and six in person. At this time, we will open the meeting to public comment. We'll first take comments from the in-person attendees and then we'll switch over to Zoom. Please raise your hand on Zoom if you would like to speak. Please state your name and if you are a resident or
not. For the record before speaking, please note that comments are limited to five minutes per speaker. If you have questions that you would like answered, your remaining time to speak will be yielded back for this person. Is there a motion to open public comment? >> So move. >> Second.
>> All in favor? >> I. >> Is there anyone here in person who would like to go to the podium? >> Uh good evening everyone. Uh I'm Jennifer Nielsen. I'm in town at 17 Eggbert Avenue. I was here last month
month uh to advocate for the climate super fund act and its benefits to the municipality for covering some of the costs that are going to be coming for climate damages. I realize that time is short to pass the resolution by the
committee, but um rather than clog your emails again with another reminder, I just thought I'd come in person and say that we would really welcome signatures on the letter to the governor and the legislature from all each member. Uh we
have seen Mr. Janatada's signature. Um just expressing support for this um uh legislation to be passed this year. Uh it's so close to the finish line. We'd like to get it done. So um I'm happy to
have any answer any questions if anyone has. Um anybody have any questions? >> I think that uh all of us up here are going to be in support of it and I think it's going to be on next month's agenda. >> Okay. Wonderful. And it's a quick very quick signature on the on the the
letter. It's on online link in your email box somewhere. >> Thank you so much. >> Thank you. >> I'm filling it out now. >> Hello. >> Hello. Good evening and thank you for your service. It's good to see you again. I'm Sally Muscarella from 11
Eagle Nest Road. I've been a resident of the township since 1989. Um, and I'm here tonight to continue our discussion on food composting. Uh, you'll recall that I spoke at this podium on August 20th at the township
committee meeting. We discussed the substantial environmental health and economic benefits of food composting. In fact, in Hoboken, the cost per ton of landfill waste is five times more than
the cost of compost waste. Um, I've shared those details with the mayor and with CA and Jeff and Mayor Griggley encouraged us to continue to work on this program. So, thank you. Um, the issues that were raised in the last
township committee meeting, I believe, have been resolved. So, I'll briefly recap. The issues were state regulations, bugs. And we are not proposing any open food composting sites. We're proposing a drop
off food composting program using wellestablished third-party service providers who um give us a secure closed compost container and regular pickup. That's similar to what many of our
neighboring towns are doing. Some towns that are early in the process use this drop off approach and then towns that get further along the process do their own composting. In terms of next steps, uh the environmental commission can pursue
grants to cover the costs of the program and they can also identify program participants using a survey. Most important, we need your support um for the program and to have two locations so that we can serve residents at the both
ends of the or both sides of the uh town. Of course, one location can be the DPW location. Um it was wonderful to see this room overflowing with citizens interested in the environment at the recent
sustainable landscaping meeting held by the environmental commission. It's clear that township residents really care about our environment. Um, uh, as I've mentioned before, 95 towns in New Jersey have some form of food composting. The
leaders are Princeton, Hoboken, and Jersey City who have extensive programs. Um, our goal, um, is that yard waste and food waste can and should far exceed
what we put in landfills. That is definitely achievable. We're we're ways from that, but that that is the long-term goal. So, my first question is, are there any remaining issues from the township committee on
the food composting program >> and I don't want to committeeman Janata, I don't want to put you on the spot, but he was just communicating again today with many of us. So, >> thank you. We're having those conversations and he got back some information back to us.
>> Yeah, there was it's a work in progress, let's say. >> Okay. So, no issues, just moving forward. >> When if issues come, we'll we'll reach out. >> So, what I wanted to ask is, is it possible to, you know, commit to a time
frame to get this going? Because I know it's been going for a while. Um, I know Brian Morgan on the environmental commission is so capable. Um, and you know, maybe if if a meet if a meeting could be arranged, if there are any
remaining issues, I don't know what the holdups are. Um, as I said, I was here in August and it's it's November. I I would say that we are continuing and like I said just today, I think we're getting closer to where um we will be able to make a decision on what we're
doing. >> Thank you. >> Um I know that committeeman Janata is if that could be by year end that would make him very happy. >> And everybody else >> and Brian too. >> Yeah, we have such a talented environmental commission. It's it's a
joy to see. Yeah. Okay. I appreciate your time and and thank you for your support. >> Sally, before you go, can you repeat that statistic you the cost statistic you shared in the very beginning? >> Five times um five times uh so per ton
the cost is five times for landfill waste than it is for compost. And then Hoboken, they have to haul it out of the city. Some, you know, even the composting they're hauling out. So that's the cost per ton. It's $106, I think, per ton. Um, Hoboken is paying
for landfill waste and they're paying uh $20 per ton for compost for for compostable for food and yard yard waste. >> Okay, great. Thank you. >> Yep. And and those statistics um I know
I've sent along and I'd be happy if if you need need more information >> that Thank you. Is there anybody else here in person? >> Hi, I'm George Quillin from Nine Barbar Road in the township and I just wanted
to get up and congratulate Jeff Gareel on his reelection to the township committee. Uh, Deputy Mayor Gareel, congratulations. Uh, it was a blowout election. uh you seem to have won in every one of the 23 voting districts of
Mars Township according to what is posted on the website of the county clerk as of today. >> So I know some votes are still trickling in and still being counted, but it's a wonderful win for you and uh I wish you all the best. >> Thank you, Georgie.
>> Uh so we see a lot of close elections across the state and across Mars County, but this one was not one of them. So congrats. >> Thank you. Thanks. >> We agree, Mr. Quillin. >> Seeing no hands raised, is there a motion to close public comment?
>> So moved. >> Second. >> All in favor? >> I. >> So next we have our friends from the Southeast Morris County Municipal Utilities Authority here. And I'd like to invite up Executive Director Drew Saskowitz to the podium.
I can just on the mic. There's a button there. Just make sure the green light comes on. There you go. Thank you. >> Good evening. I'm Drew Sasquitz, the executive director and licensed operating director for Southeast Mars
County Municipal Utilities Authority. Uh first, I'd like to thank you all for inviting me here this evening to speak on behalf of the authority. Um my plan is to tell you a little bit about the authority, what we are, what we do, and then I'll review some of the recent
capital projects that we've completed that are ongoing and what we have planned for the near future. So the Southeast Mars County Municipal Utilities Authority was formed in 1977 by the creating municipalities of Marstown, Mars Township, Township of
Hanover, and the Burrow of Mars Plains. Uh we serve nearly 65,000 people every day and we are Mars Countyy's largest water purveyor. Uh our primary mission is to maintain, operate and improve the
portable water system and distribution system for the protection of public health and safety. Our system covers 60 square miles uh and contains over 380 miles of water main. Uh the system is broken up into eight
different hydraulic gradients that range from 423 feet above sea level on the eastern side up to 1,000 feet above sea level on the northwest end. We have six booster stations for let down stations that move the water between the
different pressure gradients. We have 10 wells that we use to treat. We have a surface water reservoir and treatment plant uh out in Mendum. We also purchase water at a wholesale rate from a couple different utilities. We purchase from Mars County MUA, which is a groundwater
supply. And we also purchase through an agreement with New Jersey American Water. Water that is produced either at or a combination of Pic Valley Water Commission and North Jersey District Water Supply. We have 15 storage tanks in our system
uh for a total capacity of 15.5 million gallons of storage. We have about 1,800 fire hydrants in the system that require annual maintenance and flushing. We have about 4,300 valves in the system that dependent upon their
size require maintenance and operation every 2 to four years. And we have approximately 18,000 metered service connections in the system. Uh historically we try to uh replace meters every 10 years but we've since switched
to a new Neptune smart meter with a 15 to 20 year lifetime span. Uh I'll start reviewing some of the capital projects now. Um the larger capital projects that we do are water main replacements. uh in
accordance with the water quality accountability act uh we are to maintain a 150year lifespan of water man. So at 380 miles of water man in our system we have to replace between two to three miles every year to meet that. Uh some
of the recent projects we've done uh we replaced 9,000 ft this year uh on Styles and some of the cross streets in Mars Plains. Uh 4,200 ft on Glen Brook Road last year. Uh we replaced uh 6,000 ft
this year on Harter and Old Harter Road in the township. Um we replaced 4800 feet in the Bradford Estates area recently. uh 900 feet on Langden Lane in the township this year and we installed an
an additional 220 ft on Ridgewood Road uh ahead of the township's paving uh schedule this year. We focus our main replacements based on areas that are known to contain lead or galvanized service materials
uh on areas that have a higher main break rate. uh and and we try to work in conjunction with the municipalities to uh limit the impact on residents and our customers. Some of the upcoming main replacement projects next year, we're going to be
replacing uh 4,800 ft on Gaston Road ahead of your schedule there. Uh we're going to be replacing Pine Boulevard, Oak Boulevard, and Pleasant A in Hanover next year. Uh 2027 we plan to replace
the main on uh Treetop um Knox Hill Road and one other road near Treetop in the township next year or in 2027 I'm sorry.
Uh in 2028, we'll be uh replacing uh water mane um on uh Fair View A in Hanover. Uh we plan to replace or install new water mane on uh
Anthony Wayne Road and Ravenswood Lane uh to eliminate a couple of dead ends and to supply additional uh water and pressure to the southwest section of our system. In 2029, we'll be moving to Mount Kemell A, which spans Marstown and
Mars Township. Uh Mount Kimell is known to have uh a lot of galvanized service connections. Some of our other large uh capital projects are tank improvement projects. So, in the last couple years, we've rehabilitated five of the 15 storage
tanks. Uh four of which have been in Mars Township. Uh we completed the two Joneswood tanks this year. Uh the year before we rehab uh one of the Pikatini storage tanks and the uh Easley storage
tank for a combined storage capacity of 7.3 million in Mars Township. Uh next year we plan to rehabilitate the two tanks on Skyline Drive, also in Mars Township. And uh in conjunction with
these tank improvement projects, we are doing a lot of work at our booster stations prior to the work at the tanks. So for um the Joneswood tanks, we installed two new pumps and two new variable frequency drives at our
Pikatini booster station. ahead of that project. Uh this year we completed the installation of two new pumps and two new variable frequency drives at our Shangam booster station uh in preparation for our Highland Woods tank project coming up in 20.7.
Um we have also recently upgraded our Malipartis booster station and plan to upgrade our mountain uh our mountain a booster station uh in 2027. By far and away, the largest capital
project that we're going to be investing in is our treatment facilities. So, currently we are in compliance with all federal and New Jersey D regulations for primary contaminants. New Jersey was one of the first states to uh institute max
maximum contaminant limits for perm and polyloral alkal substances, more commonly referred to as POS. uh and we are in compliance with the New Jersey MCL's. In 2024, the EPA released a reduced maximum contaminant limit for
these perforinated compounds and a few others. Uh the limits that they set for these are four parts per trillion. Um so the equivalent something that the common person could relate that to four parts per trillion is the equivalent of 4
seconds in 32,000 years. That's the level at which we have to treat to. So we are estimating $40 million in the next six years in treatment facilities to treat for these POS contaminants. Uh
that does not include the operation and maintenance that will be ongoing thereafter. Um some other capital projects um for fire hydrants. Uh this year we will be purchasing
um special operating nuts to reduce tampering of our hydrants to decrease the theft of water in our system and the unnecessary discoloration events that happen when people uh illegally open the hydrants. Uh so this year we'll be
buying for approximately half of the hydrants in our system and next year we'll be buying uh these special operating nuts that prevent tampering for the other half. Uh we'll also be providing fire departments with these special operating wrenches to operate the hydrants.
Uh we have been focusing on meter replacements. So this year to date, we have replaced over 3,500 of the uh smaller residential meters in our system. The reason for focusing on hydro on meter replacements is one because
they're older and we're switching to the new meters, but also it provides us an opportunity to get into customers homes and identify what their service line materials are. Uh in conjunction with that, we've also been focusing on identifying service line materials. So,
if if we can kill two birds with one stone, get in there, change the meter, we're doing that. If uh the meter doesn't need to be replaced, we're getting in there and identifying on the customer's side. This year, in the last 12 months, uh we have identified uh
5,521 customer side service lines. Um, I can tell you the system as a whole right now has uh 7,827 lines identified on the customer side as
not containing lead or galvanized materials. Uh, there are as a system 606 homes identified as containing galvanized materials and an additional 10 homes as containing lead materials. As of today, there are still 11,015
homes that are unidentified on the customer side. So, if we continue at the rate that we have in the last year, 5,500 services identified, hopefully by the end of 2027, we'll be pretty close, if not finished, with identifying the
service lines on the customer side. Um, that's as a system. I'll tell you the numbers for Mars Township because you're probably more interested than that. So, Mars Township has 3,454 homes identified as not containing lead
or galvanized materials. There are currently 190 homes identified as containing galvanized materials and five homes as containing lead. There are 4,124 homes in the township that still need
the customer side identified. Um, as far as lead service line replacements, in the last two years, we've added uh a contract, it three weeks ago changed uh from uh John Garcia
Construction to Griggs Plumbing uh for the replacement of customer side uh service lines. So, customers uh wishing to replace their service lines uh notify us that they would like our contractor to give them a quote. uh we put them in
touch with their contractor and uh they then have the option to go with our contractor, obtain their own quotes and and get their own contractor to perform the work. Uh when they decide to use our contractor, they have two options. One,
they pay the estimated cost upfront and the work is performed and SMCMUA issues the check then to the contractor. uh or two, if they can't afford to pay for it all upfront, uh they have the option to have the cost split over their
next four quarterly water bills. I can tell you in the year plus of having a contractor uh on board with us. So far, there's only been one customer that did decide to use our contractor to
perform the services. um they did pay for the entire cost upfront and the uh was then reimbursed the cost that uh wasn't it was an allowance a 10% allowance uh for the cost that the customer was then reimbured afterwards.
We have had uh outside of that one customer as of today 67 customers that were identified as having le galvanized materials did go out find their own contractor and have it replaced. uh 28
of those 67 were from Mars Township. Um we also have a contract uh this is the first year of the contract uh we call it the test bidding contract where a contractor goes and excavates the curb stop to identify both the SMC MUA own
portion and the customerowned portion at the same time. Uh that contract is uh underway right now. Uh I have budgeted for uh to continue that contract for the next four years as
well. And as of next week's uh board meeting, if t if approved, we plan on purchasing some of the equipment inhouse to have our staff perform those test pits at the curb stops as well. Um I can open it up there for any
questions if you have any. >> Sure. I'll open it up. And um thank you. I have one quick question. Do you know what's the average cost spin for the replacement? Do you know? >> So, yeah, the average >> I know summer properties are different, but I'm just curious. >> The average cost is between 8 to 12,000
based upon the length of the service line, >> right? >> Okay. Any questions from any of the committee members? >> Committee. >> Thanks, Mayor. Uh, thank you, Drew. Um, I will say, um, at least through my
experience with the fire department, our water ser like the water manes, the pressure in the township and the hydrant service is phenomenal. Um, like I'm a pump operator in the fire department. You're trained on how to pump. When there's low pressure, we never have low pressure. We never have to worry about
that. So, um, thank you for to Smucka for expanding the hydrant capacity in the township everywhere. Um, you guys have always been responsive to our head fire headquarters. I know when we have issues and you've replaced hydrants when needed. So, thank you for your attention to that. Um, but yeah, the smug has done
a tremendous job with the hydrant services and making sure our firefighters have the the pressure they need to to fight fires effectively. Um, I did have a question. Um, can you can you tell us what which neighborhoods exactly where the galvanized pipes are
identified and where the five lead uh service lines were identified or at least the parts of the township? Uh I can tell you the probably the biggest area where lead and galvanized have been identified in the township is over near
uh Mars Plains on off of West Hanover EV in that section of >> so fair. That's where the lead is. >> Yeah, that's the biggest pocket of lead and galvanized identified in the township thus far. And then probably Mal Campbell too.
Yeah, there's definitely Yeah. >> Okay. And then um could you just repeat the contractor you were using to >> Sure. Uh right now we're using Griggs Plumbing. >> Griggs. Okay. >> Yeah. >> Okay. Thank you, Mayor.
>> You're welcome. Any others? >> Just a quick question. >> Committee Rabbitz. And then >> uh thank you, Mr. Sasqu. That was a very informative report. I just have uh one comment on something you had mentioned. Um the average cost of replacing a
galvanized or lead pipe from the curb to the home 8 to 12,000 depending on the length of the run. And you mentioned that um if a homeowner can't afford because that's a that's a big bill. and
if a homeowner can't afford it, um that you will spread, let's say, $8,000 over four quarterly payments. That's still a significant amount of money. Um just letting you know that a lot of people aren't going to be able to afford that,
especially in these trying economic times. Just wanted to make that comment that it might be something you want to look at to spread out those payments a little bit further. >> That is true. Um, if I may, something I tell customers because most of the
customers that are requesting quotes I'm dealing with directly. Um, I'll start with from the inception of the lead and copper rule in 1992, Mar Southeast Marsh County has been in compliance with lead. Uh, compliance on
for lead is based on what's called the 90th percentile. So the 90th 90% of your samples have to be below 15 parts per billion to be in compliance with the lead law. Uh I can tell you uh initially uh you go
on what's called standard monitoring for system average size. It includes 60 samples uh in January through June and another 60 samples from July through December. uh systems that are in compliance for that initial round then
can be reduced to reduced monitoring. Reduced monitoring means 30 samples a year for a system error size and only once a year. So we did that for many years on this reduced monitoring. Um and then in 2017 it was changed where every
large utility went back to standard monitoring. We completed the standard monitoring again. Again we were in compliance. we've have been reduced to the annual 30 samples. When we sample for the uh lead compliance, we have to
sample from homes that either have lead service lines, galvanized lines, or copper lines constructed before 1986 that have uh lead solder. So, you're dealing sampling with the the worst case scenario for for lead. Uh for all of
those homes, we also uh provide what's called the first draw, which is the compliance sample and a flush sample. All of the flush sample results, which customers are instructed, run the water for a couple minutes till you feel it
reaches a steady colder temperature, all of those samples, flush samples are non-detect for lead. So, I tell customers that can't necessarily afford it's it's lead is an issue. It's a concern of course,
>> but if you run the water for a few minutes till it reaches a steady colder temperature, you have eliminated your exposure to lead from the drinking water. >> That's that's good information. Has that been made known to the public? >> So, we send that out on our annual
notifications. is we send that out when we're uh customers are are identified as having lead or galvanized lines. They're provided the sample bottles, they're provided the flushing instructions, they're provided pictures to remove lead and the filters for a six-mon supply to remove the lead. Um and then when we
give the customers the results, again, we were telling the customers, run the water for a few minutes till it reaches steady colder temperature. You eliminate your exposure to lead. >> Thank you. That was very informative. Deputy Mayor Grael, >> as a follow-up question, S if somebody uses a Brida type filter in their home,
does that eliminate all of the risks or there still is there still something that gets through? >> So, the any pictures you use to remove lead have to be NSF-53 certified to remove lead. Then they also have to be
replacing the filter cartridges as recommended by the manufacturer so that they're reducing the lead concentration to acceptable limits. So it's it's a matter of using the proper filters which we provide when we identify lead and galvanized lines and
replacing the cartridges as recommended by the manufacturer. >> So are the are standard brida filters sufficient? Do you know? Uh, I couldn't answer that. Unless you had a Brit filter that had the NSF-53 logo on it to
remove lead, then yes, you your Brit filter would remove. >> That's what we need to look for. >> Yes. >> Okay. Um, a few other questions related to the tanks and the the huge amount of water that we have stored. How does that get circulated so that the water stays fresh?
>> Yes, that's a good question. Uh, so uh, as I mentioned, we have eight different pressure gradients. Um, seven of the pressure gradients have storage tanks. And the way uh we operate now is when the water in the tank reaches 2/3 of the
total volume, the pumps or booster station for that gradient turn on and fill the tank. Then when it reaches before it reaches the overflow height, the pumps, the wells turn off and then the tank will supply the gradient until
one/ird of the volume has been uh removed from the tank. >> Mhm. >> Okay. So, it's never it's never fully flushed. >> Uh they're not typically fully flushed. Uh when we do tank maintenance, they're
drained and cleaned and sand blasted on the inside and repainted. Um we are also going to be or I'm going to be talking speaking to the board um about a tank maintenance project that would have us every two to three years fully drain the tanks
>> to uh inspect and clean the tanks every 2 to 3 years. We also have mixers installed in our tanks that help keep the water uh from settling in the tanks that would cause any buildup in the tanks. >> Okay. Um my next question is related to
supply. So you said comes from within the district that comes from surface water out in menum, right? Clyotss >> uh well water, >> right? >> And is there anything else in district other than those two sources? >> No, those would be typically you only
have two sources of water. groundwater or service water >> and service water. >> And what percent what percentage of the water usage in the district is from in district? >> From in district. >> Um I would say on the average day 75% is
within district. We have a contract uh with New Jersey American Water uh to purchase water. Uh the minimum in that contract is 2.4 4 million gallons a day that we have to purchase. The maximum would be 6 million gallons a day. So the
source water pipeline that runs from Pake Valley Water Commission all the way out to New Jersey American system uh in short hills uh we actually own 24% of that. So that pipeline delivers 10 million gallons a day. Using 24% of that
pipeline, our minimum requirement is 2.4 million gallons a day. >> Mhm. And is that treated water that goes through that pipeline or we still have to treat it? >> No, that's treated water. >> That's treated water. So, how do you differentiate when when the water's running through our system the the treated water that we need to treat in
district with that water that's flowing in? >> Is it how is it all mixed together? >> So, each of our wells and our surface water plant, all the treatment that is pulled from the ground or the reservoir is treated at site before it enters the
distribution system. >> Interesting. And you said there are 15 points of sourcing. Is that do I remember correctly? >> No. 15 storage tanks. >> 15 10 wells and a surface water reservoir. >> Okay. And are all those wells uh
performing as they have historically? Are you getting reduced flow for many wells? >> So over time wells do produce less. Uh that is also one of our capital projects is well redevelopment. Uh this year we uh rehabilitated our two Blackbrook
wells. Um, one of them is actually scheduled, I believe, next week to go back online. So, I'll see what the pumping capacity is from that, but the first well that we did at Blackbrook, uh, actually restored it to beyond what we were even allocated or permitted to
pull from that well. >> Mhm. >> So, every year we're planning in the capital budget to rehabilitate two wells. >> Okay. Okay. >> To maintain our allocation, our permitted use from the wells. >> Okay. I'll have to ask you offline. We won't get too technical about how you
actually get more water out of a well, but that's >> interesting. More than what is permitted >> more than necessarily more than the pump capacity, but more than what we're permitted to pull. We're permitted to pull 1,400 gallons a minute, which equates to 2 million gallons a day. We
were pulling 1,700 gallons a minute. We had to reduce the the pump speed so that we're pulling less water. >> Yeah. Because if you pull too much water, you risk the well collapsing, correct? Or the the aquifer collapsing. >> Yes. Yeah. >> Right. Okay. Because it has to maintain its own pressure internally.
>> Mhm. >> Uh Got it. Are you also looking at new new wells, new sources of water? >> So, we one of our 10 wells had a failure of the well casing in 2017. Uh we did drill a new well right near it. Uh it's
off of Mountain Way in uh Mars Plains. Um we did not have the capacity that we had hoped for from that. So we are going to be we have budgeted for next year uh to uh look for uh another area in the
vicinity that we can drill a well and hopefully get the water that we're looking for. >> Mhm. And is that on your own land? Do you own these parcels of land? >> So >> when you source a new well, where do you >> Some some of them we own, some of them
we have easements on. >> So we will be first looking at the land that we own or have easements on before we have to look elsewhere. >> Okay, good. Because I I know that Morris Township and I don't know the rules about using open space for things like
this that are important to, you know, run our town, but we have lots of open space and I don't know how you identify where the largest aquifers are. We are working with a hydro geologist for that. >> Okay. Good. Because one of my concerns is with all the housing that's coming
right into New Jersey that there's not going to be enough water supply, let alone within our district. We're we're only producing 75% right now and we're relying on 25% from elsewhere. And I'm concerned about overall water supply. >> Right. Well, that 25%
most of it is the 2.4 4 million minimum requirement for that contract. >> Mhm. >> Yeah. >> Right. But what what happens when they run out of the water that you know there's only so much water, >> right? >> Well, contractually they have to supply
up to 6 million gallons a day for us >> until when how long is that contract last? >> Uh that's in perpetuity that contract. >> Okay. And then good. Uh, and then relating to the the POS treatment that you said is coming up
and you said you were going to install six plants for that. >> No. So, >> are you going to install one at each source? >> It's going to be We're right now we're in the design phases for combined treatment of our two largest wells and
we're also uh doing combined treatment design for our next two largest wells. So four of the wells are being designed treatment right now and we're combining treatment for those two two at each facility. >> So the idea is you're going to treat for
the PAS at the source like you're doing treatment right now. >> Yep. >> Yeah. And eventually all of our wells and the surface water reservoir will include treatment for >> PAS. Okay, great. My biggest concern is just
water supply over time and if we have enough. >> As of right now, we're we're okay. We're looking good. >> We're good. >> We're looking good. Okay. >> Very good. Thank you. >> Committee Janata, you have any questions or no? >> No. >> Had a followup, mayor. >> Yep. >> Um Mr. Abage, you talked about the cost
of um the replacement of the galvanizing lead. I just want to remind the committee and our residents that the state of New Jerseys regulations requires private water utilities not to charge. that prohibits the private utilities from charging to replace those service lines of the private utilities.
Public utilities like Smucka are allowed to charge for it. It doesn't prohibit them from charge, but it doesn't say it doesn't prohibit them either. So, we have a situation where we could have residents if they lived in Chadam or parts of Floren Park
or in Mendum and they're on New Jersey American water, they wouldn't be charged for their service line. Correct. Is that correct? They wouldn't be charged the initial cost, but I can guarantee eventually it'll be seen in their rates. >> Yes, but everyone's rates are going up,
too. But like this is a 10,ou10, 12,000 bills in neighborhoods with people who probably are less able to afford this charge one time than some other residents. So, that's been my biggest concern over the years, as you guys well are well aware. Um, and that's where I
have a lot of issues with. We're following the minimums from the state. We're not going beyond them. We can, but as with that, rates would go up. There is grant funding. Towns and municipalities get and utilities get grant to help pay for these. Um, I guess
my followup question, Drew, I know you guys were talking about it. Did you guys hire a grant writer to try to find funding for some of these projects? >> We have not hired a a grant writer at this time. Uh, we have looked into grants. Uh and the grants that are being offered right now for this are uh being
prioritized to economically burdened areas which Mars Township does not uh include. >> Do they is that for the entire service area or is can you apply for grant funding for the specific neighborhoods that are
economically burdened because we definitely have >> So the state has a map of areas that are considered economically burdened. Um none of which were in the township. They were uh there was a little pocket in Mars Town. >> Mhm. >> None in the township. >> Do they have lead and galvanized in that
part on Marstown? >> Uh we are still working to identify uh the unknowns in in those areas. >> But again reminding Arthus committee and our residents that potentially if you lived in Chad in a different town, you
wouldn't be paying a dime for this. you're going to be paying more in rates, but everyone's rates are going up no matter what it is, whether it's gas, electric, cable, internet, everything. But just reminding folks that >> Drew, have you had anybody yet who could not that had to have the pipes replaced
and have not been able to even over the quarter quarterly pay? >> Uh, so there have been customers that I've spoken to that said that um they just weren't going to make that type of investment right now. And again, I reiterate to them, it's your personal
choice. It's your personal property. You can replace, you can choose not to do so. Uh, my recommendation in those scenarios would be run the water for a few minutes till it reaches steady colder temperature before you use it for drinking or cooking with.
>> Okay. So, I mean, the response is then though that then they can't get their pipes replaced if they just don't aren't able to afford it at the time. >> There have been customers that said that. Yes. >> Do you know about how many? I'm just curious. >> I it would hard now.
>> And the people who have not yet had you come out to tech to look at their pipes, is that on them to contact >> come out. I know everybody >> routine reminders please uh in addition to the annual notification that's
required that we send out that your service line is unknown or your service line is lead or galvanized we also are uh choosing areas of the system to focus with rave alert saying we're requiring you to please uh call us so that we can
make an appointment to come in and identify your service line material. >> Okay. All right. If >> I had another followup. So you said so far in Morris Township, how many have been identified? >> 3,454 lines are not containing lead or
galvanized materials. >> Mhm. >> 190 contain galvanized materials and five contain lead materials. >> Okay. >> That's as of today. Now, this is a rolling number. Every day changes. As I said, 28 homes or residents in the township have already replaced their
own. >> Mhm. So that number every day could go up, could go down, but as of right now, 190 galvanized, five lead, 3,454 no lead or galvanized materials. And
4,124 yet to be identified in the township. >> Mhm. And it doesn't matter if it's lead or galvanized, the cost of replacement is the same. >> Cost is the same. Correct. Yeah. And so that's 8,000 per pop for that those 100
>> 8,000 is for some of the smaller service lines. In Mars Township, you have a lot of longer service lines. >> And you you can't sell your house without replacing it. Correct. >> You can't sell center. I thought that was part of the >> So it it has to be disclosed that you
have a letter galvanized line, but I don't know that there's a law prohibiting you from selling your house with a letter galvanized line. >> Okay. I thought it was one of the meetings we had a few years ago was there was a 10-year window and then part of it was that basically it was all it
was all going to happen as a closing fee basically to sell your house because the next level person's not going to want to take on because who's going to buy a house with a lead pipe >> so you're going to pay >> people are going to pay whether it's an estate or what have you the residents are paying10 to 12,000 to get replace
these things >> and Drew what's the annual budget for for the whole utility. >> Uh you're talking operating plus capital budget or just >> capital >> uh >> everything that goes into the rate.
>> So it varies. Uh it is uh roughly 33 million I think for next year. >> Um but for the next six years the capital budget varies between 13 million up to 21 million a year. Mhm. >> So all of that the six-year capital
budget gets uh factored into what the rate increases are going to be every year. >> Yeah. So just doing the quick math, you know, if you raised rates by 10%, do you think you could cover all of the replacement lines?
>> No. So roughly speaking, if you look at, we'll say 195 lines in Mars Township to be replaced at an average of $10,000 a line, you're looking at almost $2 million just for that,
>> just Mars Township. >> Mhm. >> So 10% raise would not be in line with replacing all the lead and galvanized services. Not to mention, as I mentioned, an estimated $40 million coming up in the next six years for POS
treatment, >> right? Municipalities do this. We go to bond, put out 10, 20, 30year bonds to pay for these things. I mean, other counties have done it. Essex County stepped up and replace all Newark's lines. Mars County can step up to help out, too, to
help with the financing. But it could happen. But I don't think all four towns are in agreement on what should what's how Smokco should do it. I mean, you guys are doing what you're doing. People are paying out of pocket. Maybe that changes down the road, but people are paying out of pocket now.
Won't be able to >> get any uh money back for that. >> Get that back. >> Okay. Any other comments or questions? I just one closing comment like if you did raise rates 10%. It's for me it
would be six bucks a month maybe five bucks a month uh but it would provide a fund going forward to replace service lines uh or offset the cost of them maybe half price instead of full price. And I I agree with Mr. Jory. It's something that I think the utility
should be absorbing on behalf of the community. There's a lot of things that we pay for as a community that everybody doesn't use. And I view this as one of those examples, right? We pay for public schools for only a handful of people that, you know, not a handful, but a certain percentage of the public that
uses public schools, right? And there's example after example. And I think if we raised rates and subsidize certain people or subsidize the replacement, I think that would be for the for the better of the entire public is my opinion.
Okay. Well, again, thank you very much for coming in and we do realize, you know, you you're working hard trying to do everything you can, but um happy to have you come in and hope that you'll take our feedback and uh really consider what the hardship it is on the towns and
especially to our residents that have to replace these pipes. So, thank you for coming in. >> Thank you. >> Thank you, J. Thank you. >> Hey, thank you, Dr. Jmer. Thank you. >> Thank you. Thank you for having us >> this evening. We have one ordinance scheduled for public hearing and
adoption. Ma madame clerk, please read the title of ordinance 26-25 into the record after which we will open the public hearing. >> Ordinance 26-25 amending chapter 410 sewers and sewage disposal of the code of the township of
Morris. Note sewer service fee and connection fee for 2026 through 2030. We will take comments from in-person attendees first and then we'll switch over to Zoom. Please raise your hand on Zoom if you would like to speak. May I
have a motion to open the public hearing on ordinance 256-25? >> Second. >> All in favor? >> I. >> Seeing no hands raised, can I please have a motion to close public comment on ordinance 26-25?
>> All in favor? I May I have a motion to adopt ordinance 26-25? So >> move second. >> Is there any discussion or any questions? Seeing none, madame clerk, may I have a roll call vote? >> Mr. Gazelle, >> yes.
>> Mr. Janata, >> yes. >> Mr. Dorphy, >> yes. >> Mr. Ravitz, >> yes. >> Mayor Greglia, >> yes. I, Donna J. Gerrigia mayor declare ordinance number 26-25 approved and adopted and direct the township clerk to publish proper notice
thereof in the official newspaper. We have two ordinances for introduction on tonight's agenda. Madame clerk, please read the title of ordinance 27-25 into the record. Ordinance 27-25, an ordinance amending chapter 88
entitled vehicle and traffic article 2A section 88-2A.2 and schedule 2 handicap parking spaces. Note removes a designated handicap parking space at 15 EMTT A.
>> May I have a motion to introduce ordinance number 27-25? So moved back. >> Any discussion or any questions? Seeing none, Madame Clerk, may I have a roll call vote? >> Mr. Ravitz? >> Yes. >> Mr. Janata?
>> Yes. >> Mr. Griselle? >> Yes. >> Mr. Dorphy? >> Yes. >> And Mayor Grigley? >> Yes. The public hearing and final consideration and adoption of ordinance 27-25 will be held at the next regular township committee meeting on December
17th, 2025 at 700 p.m. Madame Clerk, please read the title of ordinance 28-25 into the record. 28-25, an ordinance of the township committee of the township of Morris, amending chapter 88 entitled
vehicles and traffic, adding article 23, bicycles and scooters. Note regulates use of bicycles, scooters, and ebikes. >> May I have a motion to introduce ordinance number 28-2? >> So moved. >> Second.
>> Any discussion or any questions? Madam clerk, may I have a roll call? Oh, I'm sorry. >> I just wanted one comment that this was something that the transportation advisory council has committee had been discussing for months. And I'm I'm h
glad to see that we're having this ordinance because of all the safety concerns that have been in the news and all over the state and all over the country. And glad that's been introduced. And I encourage we encourage the public to make comments on this. um
now and into the next meeting. Thanks. >> Thank you, >> Madame Clerk. May I have a roll call vote? >> Mr. Torphy, >> yes. >> Mr. Janata, >> yes. >> Mr. Griselle, >> yes. >> Mr. Ravitz, >> yes. >> Mayor Griglia, >> yes. The public hearing and final
consideration and adoption of ordinance number 28-25 will be held at the next regular township committee meeting on Wednesday, December 17th at 700 p.m. We have 11 resolutions on tonight's agenda. May I have a motion to approve resolutions
number 239-25 through 249-25 by one motion? So move. >> Second. >> Madame clerk, may I have a roll call vote? >> Mr. Dury, >> yes. >> Mr. Mr. Ravitz, >> yes. >> Mr. Gazelle, >> yes. >> Mr. Janata, >> yes. >> Mayor Griglia,
>> yes. We have four items on the consent calendar this evening. I have a motion to approve both items on the consent calendar by one motion. >> Three items, right? >> Oh, there's four. >> Oh, four. Sorry. >> Page over. >> Thank you.
>> Is there a second? >> Second. >> All in favor? >> I. The following reports are on record with the township clerk and the township administrator. September 2025, police and joint court. October 2025, the
library and tax collector. May I have a motion to approve the monthly reports? >> So moved. >> Second. >> All in favor? >> I. >> Claims for payment and the list of bills and vouchers. The total amount of bills and vouchers for this meeting is
$14,935,743.17. We are also the tax collector for the school district district, the library, and the county. May I have a motion to approve the list of bills and vouchers? >> So moved. >> Second. >> Madame Clerk, may I have a roll call vote? >> Mr. Janata? >> Yes.
>> Mr. Dory? >> Yes. >> Mr. Gazelle? >> Yes. >> Mr. Rabbits? >> Yes. >> Mayor Grigley? >> Yes. We'll now have our standing committee reports and general commentary from each member of the township committee. And we'll begin with committeeman Janata. >> Okay. Thank you, Mayor. First, I want to
congratulate Deputy Mayor Jeff Brazil and his recent re-election victory. And I want to congratulate our congresswoman, soon to be former Congressman Mikey Cheryl as governor elect of New Jersey. He had been a very effective representative for us in the
township and and congressional district 11 as a whole. And we look forward all look forward to working with her and her staff as governor. And congratulations to Assemblywoman Nora Dunn on her reelection as well as to Marissa Sweeney for her election as our new
Assemblywoman to LD25. The township will be well represented with these two women. I also want to thank the candidates who were defeated for running for office. It takes courage to put your name out there and to give voters a choice. Voting is
the ultimate example of democracy in action. On to the committee reports. As I mentioned, um thank I'm thankful that the ordinance on ebikes and e scooters has been introduced and since there needs to be regulation for this for
everyone's safety. Also, I'm saddened to hear that Betty Simmons will be resigning from TAC. She had been an asset for the group since its existence. I'm thankful to have known her and hope she will provide advice in the future. And the environmental commission, we had our
sustainable landscaping forum right here, hosted by the Morris Township on October 28th, which has been a huge success. About 90 people came in person. It was hosted by Charlie Shaker and Brian Morgan. uh five panelists
panelists spoke on different aspects of the s sustainable landscaping. The recording and slide decks have been shared on the environmental commission page on the township website and Morris Township has officially achieved sustainable Jersey bronze with
250 points. I will be attending a lunchon next week at League of Municipality Conference in Atlantic City along with EC members Barb Buddha Buddha and Kathleen Hahan. And yesterday we commemorated Veterans Day this past Tuesday both at Township
Town Hall and Morristown Green. And tomorrow there will be a groundbreaking ceremony at Freeling Eisen Arboritum for the Veterans Valor Garden to help veterans and others suffering from PTSD and other ailments. And on sa Saturday,
November 15th at 1 p.m. Chaki Hollow chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution will be dedicating a liberty tree at Burnham Park in Morristown. I will be one of the speakers representing Burnham Park Association. So if anybody's interested, please come
and join. And a few months ago, I talked about the 200th anniversary of the Erie Canal. October 26 was the commemoration of that completion of the canal. A replica of
the Senica Chief boat, first canal boat traveled from Buffalo to New York Harbor with water from Lake Erie and other parts of the canal were poured into trees at Battery Park and Liberty State Park. This was replicating the marriage of the waters performed by Governor
Dwood Clinton back in 1825. Northern New Jersey had its own canal system. The Morris Canal. It was built from 1824 to 1831. It transported anththerite coal from Pennsylvania to New York City. It was founded by George
McCullik of Mccullik Hall of Fame. It was originally supposed to go through Morristown using the Whippony River, but the terrain was difficult to build. So, the canal was built north of town along the Rockways >> in the northern portion of the Pay. >> The canal statistics says it was 102
miles long. It started in Philipsburg and ended in Jersey City where Liberty State Park is now located if one wants to know. Lake of Pacong was created by damming two ponds, the great pond and little pond and became the major water
source for the canal. So the the Morris Canal is Lake Pacong is in existence because of the Morris Canal. It used a lock system similar to the Erie Canal, but it also used incline planes where boats were replaced in a cradle car then
pulled by cables. The incline planes are still in use in Europe if one wants to see one. Peak canal usage was in the 1860s until railroads eventually supplanted it and it declined declined completely by the 1900s and closed in
1924 100 years after its inception. Much of the canal was expanded. Water was drained. Bridges and locks were abandoned and demolished. But parts have now been preserved as Morris Canal Greenway. And visitors can still still
see preserved remnants and as well as picking up pieces of anththerite coal that can still be found along the canal topads. Thank you. >> Thank you, Committeeman Jarpie. >> Uh thank you, mayor, and congratulations, Deputy Mayor, on your re-election.
um not only on your margin but um quite frankly a lot of residents were nasty and mistreated you in public and in private and you didn't bat an eye to that and I respect that. Um when they
went low, you did you did not go low. You you went high or you stayed steady. But um congratulations because >> Yeah. No, seriously. Like like personal attacks and just like vitrial just going to your personal inbox randomly
throughout the entire campaign. So congratulations to you on uh on your victory and no one deserves that sort of treatment. Um, for shared services, Comm uh Committeeman Rabbitz, myself, Chief Nun, Lieutenant Cornine from the fire
department, and uh, Michael I for his last name from Madison from the mechanic of the DPW traveled to Paramis DPW uh, with the Department of Community Affairs from the state of New Jersey uh, to tour their their uh, DPW facility. Um, Pamis
DPW has over 45 shared service agreements for maintenance for vehicles. They Paramis takes in over a million dollars a year in profit from this facility. So they service fire apparatus, DPW vehicles, police
vehicles, you name it. They even service vehicles for the county of Bergen. Uh, so I think the mo the most surprising thing aside from how many towns are sending their vehicles there is the fact that they did this all just naturally
and organically without any support from the county or state government. They're still in their original facility. They never expanded. They don't have enough room to expand, but they have figured out a way to get 13 mechanics on board. They used to have 19. They're starting apprenticeship programs. Uh they're
really um just a testament to what good governance good government can do. And um I've for the past few years since I was mayor been working with the fire chief, Mr. Quinn, and neighboring towns to try to start something at a much smaller scale here in Mars Township to
satisfy a very specific need for our local fire departments. and that is to hire trained certified mechanics which are very hard to find to work on electrical equipment, pumps, etc. Uh there is state funding out there um and
um to to not only help with the initial costs to startup costs, but also to buy permanent equipment. And I know the chief has said time and time again, we have space to start servicing some vehicles here in Mars Township. We used to have a mechanic based at fire headquarters for years and years. So,
um, it was an eye- openening experience. Um, I'm hoping that Chief Nun can continue working with the local chiefs to find an opportunity where even if we just find one town who wants to to go in on this to try to save ourselves some money, uh, it would go a long way. Um secondly,
um we had obviously we just talked to the water utility, but um I know most of us on this day know, but I've continu continuously been frustrated with with our water utility again for probably three years since I was mayor for uh for
two for two years. I had worked with mayors Dardy, Carr, and Gallagher uh with the water utility for the past several years um trying to find a solution to replacing these lead and galvanized pipes. And year after year after year, the water utility has
resisted our calls for them to take on the burden of replacing these water lines for people have no fault of their own. They didn't buy their house knowing they had galvanized pipe that had that was going to somehow need to be replaced because of some regulation that was promulgated by the state years later.
Um, and I don't think it's fair that residents who might not have the means have to shell out 10 to 12,000 to replace these lines. Um, especially given the fact that if you're in a town with a private water service, you don't have to pay a dime for that. Um, and
yes, obviously the rateayers are going to take on that burden, but the rate the rateayers are the taxpayers. They they're taking on the burden to pay for parks that their kids don't play at. They're they're paying for the burden of providing senior services. If they're a young person, they don't use that. Uh,
so again, I continually just be continuously have been disappointed. Um, they are doing the bare minimum that the state requires and I never think that doing the bare minimum is a good thing. Uh, and I encourage the utility, I encourage our board members to ask for
more uh to to find grant writers to try to bring some some water uh some money in to help replace these service lines. Um, $2 million to replace the lines of Mars Township. That's not a lot of money for a government or a public utility to pay for. They can do this right now.
they can go to bond right now to prevent someone who maybe makes minimum wage or less or is living off of Medicare and Social Security to replace their line. Uh so I'm again continue to be frustrated. Um I have concerns that the board of Smucka has forgotten that they
represent the residents, not the water utility. Uh that continu continues to be a problem uh there and um I think it's time for the township committee and our neighboring towns to finally do something about it. Mayor, I'll I'll yield back. Thank you. >> Thank you, Committeeman Rabbitz.
>> Thank you, Mayor. Um, you you like to say that by the time it comes around to you, there's nothing left right now. >> I got to say between Mr. Janata and Mr. Jory, they pretty much said it all. I mean, I I concur
with all of that. Thank >> congratulations on a on a great victory. What am I going to say? It's it's the same thing. Um, also congratulations to Mikey Cheryl and all the winners and as committee man Janata said for those folks who you know came up a little
short. You know, it's as all of us up here know it it takes a lot to put yourself out there and and and you know to public scrutiny and and run an election and it's not easy. So, you know, kudos to all those folks who whose name is on the ballot but came up short
and also of course congratulations to the winners. Uh, real quick, I don't want to take up a lot of time. The, uh, parks and wreck winter brochure is out. It should have been mailed to all cop residents of the township. We have extra
copies here. Um, we also have uh our holiday lights contest coming up, so please visit the parks and wreck website for for details. And just real quickly, because I didn't
post anything about Veterans Day on on social media, but I did want to recognize um the vet the Veterans Day. So on each on each November 11th, we pause as a nation to honor the men and women who wore the
uniform of the United States. Veterans Day is more than a holiday. It's it's a moment of gratitude, reflection, and promise. It's a reminder that the freedoms we we so often take for granted were bought with courage, duty, and
sacrifice. And now, um we honor those who served in times of war and peace, those who came home to build their lives again, and those who never returned. Their service reminds us
that patriotism isn't measured by words. Their their service um I'm sorry, isn't measured by words, but their willingness to stand for something greater than themselves. Our veterans carried the weight of defending
democracy so that we can live under its protection. The best way we can repay them is not just with parades and ceremonies, but with our actions. By striving every day to build a nation worthy of their sacrifice. So on
Veterans Days, let us all commit to be the kind of American our honored veterans fought and sacrificed for. Citizens who cherish freedom, protect justice, and look out for one another. That is how we truly honor their their
service. And on that, I wish everybody a safe and happy Thanksgiving season. I always personally raise a a glass to absent friends and family because it's proper that we honor them by thinking of them. And lastly, as you go about your
day, please remember to be kind. K kind to yourself, kind to others because you can make a big difference in somebody's life. Thank you, Mayor. >> Thank you, Deputy Mayor Greyel. >> Uh, thank you. I've had a bit of laryngitis the last week, so I'm going to keep my remarks short. Uh, but first
I would like to thank everybody up here and I assume I'm going to get congratulations from >> um, you know, thank you for all your congratulations here. Um, thank you for the member of the audience uh, who congratulated me and Mr. Coen and thank you to everybody who has congratulated
me uh, on email and and other ways. Um, I am honored once again to serve the community. Uh it's been an honor for 12 years now and I look forward to continuing my commitment to everybody here in Morris Township. Um but I also want to say I'm honored to serve with
all of the rest of my colleagues up here in the deis. Uh you do a fine job and honored to to sit up here with all of you again for another term. Um I will say ditto to Mr. Jory's comments regarding SMAKa and what they should be
doing to step up on behalf of our residents. Uh Justin, I I gave an example, you gave a few examples how uh communities share in costs in different ways and some of us use those services and some of us don't. Um but we all step up as a community to help each other out
and and pay for things that we might not use because we're all part of this bigger community and we're in it for the greater good and I agree that Smucka should be stepping up and raising rates in order to supplement or fully pay for the service lines. Um, I'll ditto what
Mr. Rabbit said about Veterans Day. I won't go into it, but it was a beautiful ceremony. Uh, the mayor gave a beautiful speech. Uh, thank you for that. >> Thanks. >> And, uh, I was at Edok last night along with the mayor, but I'm going to let you speak about it. So, you have something to talk about.
>> Good. I It is my one thing at the top of the page. >> Exactly. >> Thank you, Deputy I'll >> Deputy Mayor Grael. >> Thank you. >> Uh, so yeah, just on my uh updates first on on Eid Act. Uh we did have a meeting. It was our last meeting of the year last
night. Um so a couple things. One, for those of you who didn't know that um One Paw Away opened up, which is a great if you have very little friends, it's over on South Street and it's a beautiful facility now for your pets and especially it's like a spa there. It's
beautiful. If you walk through it, you would you would like to stay there yourself if you could. Um we did have two presentations at Eat Act last night. One was from Shop Morris County and the other was from Last Mile Investments who own the marketplace. Um, so they came in
on Zoom, which was nice of them to join us, and we talked a lot about how we can work together to create small business events and share resources. And Shop Morris County already works with some of the municipalities um, in our area. And that's something else that we're going
to look to because we're all continuing to look to promote uh, small business here in Mars Township. We also talked about too, one of the things I think we'll all be looking at, but especially on the economic development advisory committee, um, is the upcoming 2026
250th celebration. So, we're tryinging we're going to try to come up with some things that we can help businesses celebrate there and especially as the World Cup will be coming in 2026 to our area. So, um, exciting things there. Again, uh, we've pretty much covered
TAC. Uh, the only other thing about the seniors, I'd like to let everybody know that um our health department here is doing eating healthy as we age on November 19th at 1:00 right here at town hall. That's something that um you
should all attend the seniors if they can. Again, Deputy Mayor Greyel, I would like to offer my congratulations in your resounding win. And what I love, Mr. Quillin is that if that's true that you
won in every district. I think that's such a great message to show that in the township, not only the good job that you're doing, but as you said, as we share this commitment to our township, it's nice to see that. So, congratulations on that. That's probably
your first, I bet. >> I think it's a first. Yes. >> Yeah. So, that's exciting. Again, my congratulations to Governor Elect Cheryl. That's another very exciting I think we're all in good hands and um
again to see the wins um that took place in the state of New Jersey and all those who went out all everybody who chose to rand if they won their election. I think this was a year that everybody came out
and really let people know what their feelings were and how they were feeling about not only what was going on in the country but right here in New Jersey. So, um the election showed that they show that when people come out, they make a difference and they send a
message. Um again, we've talked about Veterans Day and the healing garden. Um I do want to the winter farmers market opens on December 7th. Please everybody try to go to that as often as you can. It's one of the best ones around. And another little tidbit I always um it's
interesting that I look certain things up. And today was actually chicken soup for the soul day, which are these silly things that they come up with. But I hope everybody out there, if you didn't have chicken soup, maybe you should have a bowl. So it'll be good for your soul.
And the last thing I have to is just happy Thanksgiving to all of our residents and hope that you have a great holiday. That being said, one of the other things um I did want to we skipped over received for the rec record, we did have two tax appeals.
We will now um go to our second public commentary. There are actually two members joining us on Zoom and one still here in person. We will first take comments from in person and then we'll go to Zoom. Please raise your hand on Zoom if you would like to speak. Please
state your name and whether or not you're a resident. And then please note that your comments are limited to 5 minutes. If you have questions you would like answered, your remaining time to speak will be yielded back. Is there a motion to open public comment? >> So move. >> Second.
>> All in favor? I. >> Mr. Quen. I'm George Quillin from Nine Barbar Road and I have problem with my voice today too like Deputy Mayor Graal. Um, so I had a couple of things I wanted to say. First of all, I happen to be watching
C-SPAN this afternoon. I was looking for the debate in the House about about the shutdown bill. And I just happened to be watching when Mikey Cheryl got up and said um I am going to be resigning next week and this is my last speech on the
floor of this chamber. So that was an interesting uh moment. Um so that that happened about 5:00 this afternoon. Um I wanted to um tell you about um the ordinance
that you introduced on bicycles and scooters. Um, I I read that quickly today and I found what I think is a typo or just a an editorial change that needs to be made. There was one place where the
township was referred to as a burrow. I think that um the document may have been in part copied from someone else's uh in in another town. So um that if you search for the word burrow, I think you'll find that. Um, I wondered why
um the ordinance needed needed to be so long. It um it referred to a New Jersey ordinance, which I did not look up and said New Jersey ordinance would of course govern uh to the extent that there's any conflict between this ordinance and the
New Jersey ordinance, but it wasn't clear the level of detail in the New Jersey ordinance. But anyway, anything everything that I saw in there looked completely reasonable and I'm glad that um we're going to have all these rules in the township whether they come from
the state or from local government. Uh and then finally, I wanted to say I'm going to be going home and looking at the labels on my Britta filters to see if they if they are NSF53. I thought that was a question that um the representative from Smucka should
have been able to answer um more completely and I agree with the comments made about um the fact that it seems like um Smucka may not be sufficiently receptive to comments from what should
be its governing bodies. Right. So you folks plus the uh your counterparts in the other three towns should be in charge of what's happening at Smucka at least over time through your appointments and I don't know um
what to say about what's happening there but it seems like some changes may be needed. So that's all I had. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Seeing no hands raised, is there a motion to close public comment? >> So moved. >> Second. >> All in favor? I
>> the time is now 8:22. May I have a motion to adjourn the regular session? >> I move. >> Second. >> All in favor? >> The next regular township committee meeting will be Wednesday, December 17th, 2025 at 7 p.m. The regular meeting
5:30 will be closed and it'll be held in the municipal building, 50 Woodland Avenue. Thank you and have a great night.