Yeah, it does. Uh, council agenda, township precipitate, Troy Hills township council agenda meeting of November 13, 2025. Introduction posting a notice. Sadic notice of this meeting has been provided in accordance with the requirements to open public meetings law by following the notice in the office of the township clerk and by posting the meeting notice on the booking board at the municipal building on December 2nd,
2024 where it remained posted since that date. A legal notice appeared in the daily record in the New York Star Ledger on December 6, 2024. May I please ask everybody to stand for the flag? 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. >> Roll call. Mr. Hernandez >> here, >> Mr. McGrath >> here, >> Mr. Mella >> here, >> Mr. >> here, >> and Mr. Karifi >> here.
>> Okay. Also in attendance are Mayor James Barbario, business administrator Jamie Cryan. We have our uh township attorney Michael Avery and the municipal clerk Ked Madden. Uh council president, we have a quorum. Can we begin? >> Yes, please. >> Upcoming meetings. November 25th, 2025
at 7 p.m. which is the regular meeting. December 2nd, 2025 at 7 p.m. which is the agenda meeting. We have ordinances none. At this time, we're going to go ahead into public session. I'd like to entertain a moment. I'd like to entertain a motion to open up the public session. >> Make a motion. Second >> motion made by Mr. Mucella. Seconded by
Mr. Neglia. Roll call. Mr. Hernandez. >> Yes. >> Mr. McGrath. >> Yes. >> Mr. Mucella? >> Yes. >> Mr. Neglia? >> Yes. >> Mr. Ki? >> Yes. >> Okay. The floor is open to the public. You guys have 5 minutes to speak. You can speak on any matter you'd like. Please state your name before speaking.
>> Kandowski. I'm the resident of Paripony. Good evening, council. Unfortunately, there is a new threat to public land, including forests and environmentally sensitive lands. A new bill, >> can you speak a little bit into the mic? >> S 4736. Is it on?
>> It should be on. >> Introduced by Senator Troy Singleton, is intended to help churches, nonprofits build affordable housing on their property. However, as written, and by the way, you all got an email with with this information earlier today. As written, the bill gives developers
sweeping power to build highdensity construction that is predominantly market rate with no protection for environmentally sensitive lands and allows overriding of local zoning laws. The bill ignores the need to protect New Jerseys and Paripony dwindling open space and overstressed natural
resources, including the recharge areas for the buried valley aquifer where Paripony gets most of its water. This bill would allow developers to bypass local zoning boards and override master plan goals and address flooding, protect drinking water, and build climate resilient infrastructure. Developers
would be pre-approved to build highdensity housing at 40 units per acre with heights one story above the highest building in town at 80% with 80% at the market rate. The League of Municipalities, I am told, is opposing this bill. The bill has been introduced
into the current lame duck session which ends in only eight weeks. While it has not yet been assigned to a committee, things can move quickly in lame duck. So, towns must act quickly. And I sent you a template uh resolution and I would ask that you protect your zoning rights
or your rights to zone and support the League of Municipalities and pass a resolution uh opposing this bill. You know, and when you stop and think about it, uh the idea that somebody has passed a bill on an issue as important as
incendiary as affordable housing um and is doing this without any other stakeholders involved. You know, a program like that as as as much as it impacts everybody should p policies and practices and regulations for that
should only be be able to be developed when you have all the stakeholders come together and have their inputs. Now, I'm not saying that the process, whatever it was, that produced what we've got on affordable housing laws today, was wonderful, but it gave everybody an opportunity to have a say and to input
into how it should be be worked. This is a terrible precedent to have this bill say no, the regulations should be what whatever is in that individual bill taking and taking away your zoning rights. So, if this bill gets passed, what else what other rights are you
going to lose in the future? So, I would hope that you would all uh pass this res pass a resolution as soon as you can. Um because who knows what's going to happen to lame duck. >> Um >> thank you very much. >> First, I I couldn't agree with you more
on on this um bill. This is horrible for townships like Pipony with the amount of churches that we have. And um this is the same gentleman that expedited the new affordable housing fourth round rules as well, which uh is not an advantage to the township. Um, I agree
with you 100%. We should put this on for the next meeting. >> Okay. >> Yes. >> Absolutely. Agreed. >> Absolutely. >> Agree. >> We already sent that around this week. >> Okay. >> All right. Good. >> Yeah. >> Uh, Nicole, same subject.
These churches are getting out of hand. And we have a situation here right now in Precipany in progress South Beverwick Avenue. They think they can uh live in a vacuum.
Uh here here's um for some reason, and I believe it was Pipony, and I don't know who, they gave him a Highland Highlands exemption number two. which means they could expand their
footprint 125%, they can go, they have to go up. They can't go much f further than what what what they are. But the kicker is exemption number four is specifically
for nonprofit religious institutions. They can do the same thing, but it's like they could make a bathroom or put a tool shed or maybe expand the parking lot a little bit, but they can't make
affordable housing. They're trying to get slick. They're using religion as as their uh you know uh uh soap uh snake oil to to get away with this. And
it we should put our foot down right away. And like Kent says, we it it and here's the thing, they're not a church. Now, a church or religious, you think they would 100% affordable housing. No,
it's the same formula. It's more market will bear. You have waiting lines right now. People can't get affordable housings. So the solution is, and this should have been part of the lawsuit, lower the rents, lower the fees, don't
keep building because until you occupy the space, the need is affordable housing. And you can't endless growth is impossible. Nature can't uh take it anymore. But the thing is, stop building, lower the rents, and these big
these billionaire real estate corporations, the only thing that's going to happen to them is their profits are going to slow down. That's it. But, uh, churches getting involved now trying to get slick. No way. So, uh, please,
uh, support whatever Ken said. Can we uh can we make sure that we have that for the next meeting so that we can vote on that at the next meeting? >> Absolutely. >> Whenever. >> Okay. Seeing no one else, I'd like to entertain a motion to close the public meeting. >> Motion. >> Second.
>> Motion made by Mr. Neglia. Seconded by Mr. Mucella. >> Roll call. Mr. Hernandez. Mr. McGrath. Yes. Mr. Mucella. Mr. Neglia. Yes. Mr. Karifi. >> Yes. >> Okay. Just quickly review the consent agenda. Moving along to uh presentation and reports. Uh
mayor, >> I have no reports for today. >> Council, we do have a presentation by Craftsman Farms. Council President, can I call them up? >> Yes, please. >> Okay, you guys have a minute and a half. No, I'm just kidding. So, uh, I'm Jonathan Clancy. I'm the new executive director of Craftsman Farms.
Uh, and just here to give you an update from the Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms. Um, I want to take about 15 minutes of your time, uh, condensed into a minute and a half. So, you're all done. Um, just to tell you sort of what we've been doing, where we are, and
where we're headed. uh for that. Um it's useful sometimes to give you a a refresher. Uh and again there'll be a quiz after this. Um so the property is occupied by Gustaf Stickley and his family 1910 to 17. Uh and then under
bankruptcy sells the property to the Farnney family. They move in. They occupy it until 1989. At that point threatened by development township purchases the property. This partnership with what was called Crafts and Farms Foundation begins.
In 1990, we're granted National Historic Landmark status. Throughout the '90s, we restored the log house, the clubhouse, the sort of center of the property. In the 2000s, we had additional upstairs rooms restored. In the 2010s, we
continued that, finally culminating with an education center that has a library uh on the top floor. And in 2024, we completed the annex and log house uh kitchen uh process which was lengthy uh
but we are appreciative of this. It is a large property. We have 30 acres with about nine buildings on it. Uh each in various states of preservation, each in various states of public access. Uh it really is, I think, one of the the
gems in Paripany um to have. Now, what I want to stress tonight is that with great partners, great things are possible. And I want to thank you all for being those great partners. It's a partnership in which the museum at
Craftsman Farms is responsible for operating running the museum. We work in the preservation efforts across the property. We acquire, we ensure the museum collection that people come to see. The property and buildings are owned by the township.
So what does Paripony get? Paripony gets a national historic landmark. You get a research library that is widely known and now has a global reach. We get a partner committed to preservation, who understands the
importance of history, values parkland, instills a sense of local pride. We all get the benefit of a local economy through heritage tourism, through employment. And I think I want to stress that we've
been instrumental in preserving the property. I want to to stress that we've proven to be effective stewards who have worked diligently to maximize the investments that the township has made. Uh and finally, after a a long absence,
we are proud to be a voting location in 2026 again. for that. Now, this was our last project. It was the annex in the kitchen project. I should say it was the award-winning annex and kitchen project. Uh because last week we
went to uh Trenton to pick up an award from Preservation New Jersey, which honored us with a project award for this. Uh, the restoration allowed us after a tree came down to rebuild the shop and to finally restore the kitchen to
what it looked like in that era. And so we have the restoration of the stove, we have the original cabinets, we have the green of the woodwork. The entire first floor is now open and accessible to visitors who come. Uh, and it really is a
it's just a gem. I mean, it's a you could have a bad day at work, but a bad day here is still pretty good. Um, so I think we're fortunate to have this. I think you guys are fortunate that you have us at the museum
because we match with New Jersey Historic Trust and it effectively doubles every dollar the town invests. So these are grants that we identify, we write, we manage, we report and project management or the cost associated with this role is born by us
as well. So coming up second phase $150,000 grant from New Jersey Historic Trust. The annex and kitchen project just was 3/4 of a million. A white cottage the first phase another $150,000. And you see that this extends really
into the '9s. There's another type of grant which you guys never see except to pass a resolution to say it's okay to apply for. And in that case, we identify the needs, apply for the grant, cover from
our budget 20% of the cost, and improve the structures that are owned by the township. And so this includes restoration of the fireplace hoods, of the log ends, the upstairs hall, and exterior work on one of the
cottages. We've had a pretty good 2025, right? We were closed for years from COVID, from a tree strike, from the rebuilding effort. And since January 1st
of this year, we booked 6685 tours. We've had 17,985 views of library materials online. These are from people across the United States. They're from people in France, in the Netherlands, in New Zealand
looking at the Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms in Paripony so that we serve a global network of of worldwide learners. Like, how cool is that? We have over 300 member households. We have filled more than 600
seats for online courses. And by the end of the year, we will have hosted four free community openhouse events. That's not bad for a year. Now, what comes next? And originally, I had titled it this what we need. And I
thought there's no way they're going to want to see what we need. But what comes next is things you've already approved. White cottage phase 2 funds have already been set aside for this. We have secured a grant from the New Jersey Historic Trust to match your funding. Then we
went back to them and said because there's been additional costs from CO, we applied and secured another $70,000 which you are not obligated to match to cover price increases.
Ideally, we need pre-qualifying resolutions to be placed on the agenda, hopefully passed, so that we can begin the bidding process and get construction moving. with these COVID funds specifically, we
need to spend those down quickly. So, there is a little urgency to getting these resolutions on the agenda uh and passing. The other project we're working on is a site plan, and this is a site plan to really help with circulation, with parking, with increasing access and
availability to the museum for the public. You have passed a resolution authorizing us to pursue the grant. The total cost for it came in lower than anticipated and again it is 107,000
uh dollars for this 75 of that will be co uh covered by New Jersey Historic Trust meaning that the the township it's it's almost a 3:1 match on this. Um, so I think we've been been very uh diligent in trying to
maximize and trying to really appreciate the investment that the town and the council have made in the property uh over the past years. The last slide is just to say thank you. We want you to come visit all of you
here. Uh how do you do that? You can go to our website. You can book a tour. Come to an open house. You can call us, you can email me, my personal email uh on there, which I I send because nobody ever writes it down. Um, but if you have
questions, if you have concerns, if you just need to understand better what we do and what the next steps are, do not hesitate to reach out. So, it is uh something I enjoy talking about and I am very grateful for your time. So, thank you. >> Thank you very much.
>> Hey, quick quick question for you. You mentioned timeline on the co funds. What is the timeline? >> So the timeline is these funds will be reported need to be reported by the end of the year which means >> reporting will start uh yes but 2026.
So we'll start submitting those reports end of summer. So in we need two rounds of sort of pre um qualifying resolutions. Then we need to advertise the bid. The bid needs to be out
hopefully picked up by people, submitted to us, and then accepted. And then we need to start paying down and we can the early part of that project um hopefully in the late spring, early summer so that we don't lose it. >> And you submitted those qualifying
resolutions already. >> We have. Yes. >> Anyone else? >> Thanks. >> Thank you very much. >> I just want to say it's beautiful. if you haven't been there. I mean, we went on a tour last year, but we went back in the summer. It's just great.
>> And thank you guys for helping us out and being a polling location printer for the next election. Thank you again. >> Yeah. Thank you all. >> Thank you for not having a 50 point PowerPoint presentation. >> All right. >> But no, thank you, John. Good work. For the people who don't know, John took over for Vonda who uh did a great job.
So, I know you and Barbara are going to ensure that the good work there continues. >> Thank you all. Mr. President, yeah, Jonathan is doing a great job. Vonda did a great job and the the glue, as Justin mentioned, that holds this legacy
together, and that's of really good work has been Barbara, who is the chair of the board, and she's done a great job for this town and for uh craftsman. >> And I think she has her Gustaf Stickly scarf on. >> Yes, I do. >> Oh, good. I got that right. Okay. Yeah.
>> Thank you again. All right. Thank you. >> Thank you. Any other member from council? Okay, moving along. Uh, township attorney. >> Uh, no report this evening, council president. >> Business administrator cran. >> Uh, no report. >> Okay. Uh, I don't have a report and no officer committees. At this time, I
will, uh, ask the council to quickly review the section of ordinances and first reading. Seeing there's no questions, we're going to go ahead and move along to the non-consent agenda. R 2025177 authorizing the purchase of open gov
asset management software. Motion to approve the resolution above. >> Motion. >> Second. >> A motion made by Mr. Neglia, seconded by Mr. Mucella. Roll call. >> Mr. Hernandez. >> Yes. >> Mr. McGrath. >> Yes. >> Mr. Mucella. Yes.
>> Mr. Neglia. >> Yes. >> And Mr. Kar. >> Yes. >> Motion passes. Um, CFO Angelica Sabatini recommends authorization for payment. Number one, authorizes payment of the November 7th, 2025 regular miscellaneous
payroll estimated at 1,650,000. And number two, payment of bills from voucher list of 11525 and 11325 uh totaling uh 6,115,23511. May I please have a motion to approve the authorization for payment?
>> Motion second. Motion made by Mr. Enlia, seconded by Mr. Mucella. Roll call. Mr. Hernandez. >> Yes. >> Mr. McGrath. Yes. Mr. >> Mella. Mr. Neglia. >> Yes. Mr. >> Kari. Yes. >> May I please have a motion to adjourn the meeting? >> Make a motion. >> Second.
>> Motion made by Justin Musella. Seconded by >> Mr. Neglia. Roll call. Mr. Hernandez. >> Mr. McGrath. >> Yes. >> Mr. Misella. Yes. >> Mr. Neglia. >> Yes. >> Mr. Cy. >> Yes. >> We're journed. Have a great night
everybody. Thank you.