We have you want to read this? You want me to read it? >> All right. So, roll call. Uh, county commissioners Bartlett >> here, >> Cruz >> here, >> D'Vor >> here, >> Duffy >> here, >> James, >> Deputy Director Lazera >> here,
>> Director Leapour >> here. >> Uh, for the record, D uh director um uh Commissioner Duffy is joining us telephonically. >> Okay. Do you want me to read this? >> Okay. Um, so we could uh ladies and
gentlemen, notice requirement that open public meetings law has been satisfied with respect to the meeting specifying the time, date, and location filed with the county clerk and posted administration building and published in the annual notice. >> Need to read this later.
>> Take a motion to open a public hearing. >> Not yet. This is the public. >> Okay. >> Ask everyone to please stand and join me in saluting our flag. I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for it
stands nationy for all. Other Ryan Christ as a light illumine and guide us. Christ be over me. Christ behind me. Christ on my left.
Christ on my right. Christ be before me, behind me, about me. Christ, this day I walk with you. Christ the lowly and the meek. Christ
will will all powerful be to the heart of each to whom I speak in the mouth of those who speak to me in all that I do this day. All that I see, all that I
hear. Amen. >> Amen. Please remain standing for to remember all the men and women who have died of serving in the United States armed forces. Thank you. >> Take a motion to approve the minutes of October 14, 2025.
>> Make a motion. >> Second made by Duffy, second by Cruz. Roll call. >> County Commissioners Bartlett. >> Yes. Cruz, >> yes. >> D'Vor, >> yes. >> Duffy, >> yes. >> Deputy Director Lazera, >> yes. >> Director Lefor,
>> yes. >> I'll take a motion to approve the proclamation. >> So moved. >> Second motion made by Bartlett. Second by >> director. There should We should have wrote none next to that. There is none. >> Okay,
I follow you. >> I can't Administrative report. >> Yes, director. Good evening. Uh first uh on my agenda, we have a recognition ceremony celebrating creativity and civic pride honoring a number of uh young students in Betay County. If I could call up our superintendent of
elections, Shona M Pollock and Commissioners D'vor Lazar and Cruz for this presentation. Okay. Good evening everyone. It is my honor to welcome you to this very special recognition ceremony. Tonight we gather to celebrate the
creativity, talent, and civic spirit of an exceptional group of students whose designs were chosen for our county's new I voted stickers. What makes this group even more special is that they were chosen by their peers to represent the
incredible cohort of future leaders and change makers better known as girl goals. To be clear, after an engaging educational tour at the Superintendent of Elections office this past summer, 35 girls from the city of Patterson,
ranging in grades from K through 8, participated in a thoughtful and meaningful discussion about voting and the electoral process, which was then followed by a little craft activity, designing a new I voted sticker. When
the girls were done, my staff and I were completely blown away by their artwork. We narrowed down the choices to three in three age groups, and the girls got to pick for their winner on our voting machines. It was such an enriching day,
and we were truly honored to provide the girls with their first experience in a lifelong journey of civic engagement. Thank you, Zanab, Sophia, Kayla, and Cada for honoring us with your contribution to the 2025 general
election. These stickers and designs will be proudly worn by thousands of voters and will serve as a small but powerful symbol of participation in our democracy. Voting is the cornerstone of our democratic society. And tremendous
thanks to the girls girl goals summer program and their program directors Shereice Taylor and Farhana Seag Farhana Seagek. They have created a program that cultivates confidence, leadership and civic pride. By partnering with Girl
Goals and inviting the students to design the stickers, we hope to continue to build on the interest their interest in civic engagement while also also encouraging the next generation to see themselves as vital participants in shaping our future. Their remarkable
artwork that you will see here today reflects that goal beautifully. I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to each of the students we are honoring along with their parents, family, friends, teachers, principles, and community leaders. Your
creativity will inspire countless voters to wear these stickers with pride, sharing their message that every vote truly does count. Thank you. I want to recognize a few people that are here tonight. I see Dr. Dr. Lori Newwell, who's our Patterson School Superintendent, who who is so gracious
here to join us in celebrating these girls tonight, as well as um Deborah Robinson, who's here on behalf of Kesha Drake, who our county superintendent. >> So, >> thank you, uh, Madam Superintendent of
Elections. Ladies and gentlemen, let's give these young ladies a big round of applause. I think it is uh my colleagues and I probably echo the same sentiments about the importance of having our young people involved in our civic process, letting them know from a young age how
their voices are powerful and can be heard and how voting is extremely important for their the protection of our future and their future because at the end of the day the work that we are doing up there is truly for you guys and for that next generation of leaders to come. you guys will be sitting up here
one day and that's our job is to make sure that we lay the foundation for our young people to continue the the great work that's being done here. So, another big round of applause to the young ladies and the young people that were involved. And uh Madame Superintendent, I'll ask you to please call them up as
we give them each their proper recognition. Uh you have certificates from the board of commissioners, from our county clerk, Danielle Ireland Immhof, and our madam superintendent of elections as well has something for you. So you guys will be called up one at a time. Then at the end, we'll do one big
group photo. Uh at that point, Dr. No, I'll ask you to join us for the big group photo as well. All right. >> Yeah. First person. >> You want to do the first person? >> Is that the same? >> Um yeah.
So, uh, Zanap Zanap Amed. >> Congratulations. >> Congratulations. >> Congratulations. >> Stay up here. We'll take a picture at the end. >> Yeah. Know this. We'll do a picture at
the end with the group. >> Kadada Mustafa. >> Congratulations. >> Kayla Sey. Here, Kayla. >> There you go. >> You got your little crunch. >> Here you go, Kayla. What's the doll's name? >> Haley.
>> Haley. Let's give it up for Haley, everyone. >> Haley. >> Sophia Partardo Martinez. >> Congratulations. >> You're welcome. All right, we'll ask uh my colleagues to join us for a photo. Before we do that, Shauna asked me to to
say something about these young ladies who rock. And to be honest with you, I was like, "What? What do you want me to say?" And she said, "Whatever's on your heart." I want to say this, young ladies, congratulations. This is a big deal, and you all are a
big deal. Keep up the engagement. And like crew said, one day you'll be sitting up there as well. We thank you for your involvement and I wore my sticker proud when I voted on Saturday. Thank you. So before we do the group photo, we just
been joined by our mayor of the city of Patterson, Andre. We'll ask him to come up and say a few words. I noticed our commissioner said a few words. I'm not quite sure if I'm capable of doing that, but this >> isn't the Patterson City. >> That's true. Wrong venue. Good afternoon, everyone. First, I want to
salute our superintendent. Thank you. As a matter of fact, we were on the phone a few weeks ago. We're going to finally repave River Street. And we said it will be accomplished by her birthday. That's my gift to her, May 25th. Correct, Superintendent? There you go. And I'm
not just here as the mayor of the city of Patterson is saluting these young ladies. I'm a proud parent. One of the honores is or winners is my daughter Kayla. Kayla Seiya and a real testament to her mom and her
sisters here Sophia and her brother Aiden. We take parenting very seriously in our city and we're proud of the fact that our three children are at the number one school Dr. renewal in not just the city but in the state of New Jersey according to US News and World Report.
>> And I see Sharice, thank you for what you're doing with our civic association because it's about empowerment and providing our young people with positive outlets. So yes, we want to encourage them to vote, but we want to also encourage them to be engaged and civic engagement is a priority for us as a
family and it should be a priority for the city of Patterson as well. So, can't wait for you to be registered to vote and just remember how you spell my name on the ballot. Thank you very much. Are you going to be a writing You saw yesterday. >> Yeah. Freddy Freeman. Freddy Freeman is
a Yankee killer. Sorry. No, don't be. So, don't don't they say he's a Mets killer. Thank you. Have a good night. >> Take care. Be well. >> All right. >> This isn't a proclamation. All right,
director. Next, it is uh breast cancer awareness month and we have a presentation by uh Beverly Brevard and our health officer, Araceli Pintel. So, Ariselli, I'll turn it over to you. >> Thank you. >> All right. So, good evening everybody.
Um, so commissioners, administrator, thank you for giving us the opportunity today to talk about October National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Um, so we know that breast cancer is something that affects a lot of women in the
United States. In the state of New Jersey alone, there's a estimated amount according to the American Cancer Society of a total of 316,950 women that are going to be affected with this disease. in the New Jersey state
cancer registry um for the years of 2018 and 2022 we we were recorded to have in Pay County a total of 13,735 people that were affected by this
disease. So, I think, you know, again, thank you for the opportunity to help us raise awareness today. Um, and just remind people that if you're in the age of 40 or if you have family history, um, to talk to your provider and see what
screening options are available for for you. Um, the other thing is to keep in mind that with screening, the early um, screening, it will decrease mortality and it will increase options for treatment. So the earlier it is catched
the better. So just friendly reminder to our county residents and everybody that's here today. If you haven't made your appointment, you still have time. We still have a few more few more months for the end of the year. Call your provider and get checked today.
>> So good evening everyone. Um, in celebration of breast cancer awareness month, the PT County Department of Health Services um will be hosting denim day will be hosted on October 31st. So, any employee who donates $5 or more will
get a chance to wear jeans to work that day. Um, we have added a caveat to um this year's program. Um, so anyone whoever raises the most money will get an opportunity to pick out a great um a
great gift from us. Um, we are raising money for the American Cancer Society for their programs and services for research and also in hopes of ending this um horrific disease. In addition to
that, um we will be here on the 31st in the commissioner's conference room um with um materials, educational materials um and uh we also will be hosting a flu clinic that same day. So all employees
um even um the community is welcome to come in and get um a flu shot that day. Thank you very much. Yelli, I want to thank you and your department. Uh you guys have done a lot of great work um raising this issue with our residents. I know the women's health extravaganza has
been a big hit and a lot of our residents visited. So, thank you for all you guys are doing. >> Thank you. >> Any other questions, commissioners? >> Thank you. You ladies want to join me here? Um, so you preempted a lot of the data points in our proclamation here. Uh but
nevertheless uh I do want to take a minute uh to read into the record this proclamation because uh I think some of the data that you showed are really important. It is such a prevalent disease. It's a disease that men can get um and that affects so many women uh
that I think almost all of us can say that we know someone uh whether it's a spouse or loved one, whether it's a colleague u whether it's someone in our community or in our neighborhood who's been affected by this and the fact that it affects entire families uh when it uh
when it strikes an individual. So just to take a moment to read into the record. Whereas October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which is an annual campaign to increase awareness of this disease, breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women in the United States and remains
one of the leading causes of cancer related deaths. And whereas approximately one in eight women, as we saw, will have a chance of being diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime. And men are also at risk with a chance of one in 726. And whereas in PA County between 2018
and 2022, the New Jersey State Cancer Registry recorded a total of 13,735 cases of invasive breast cancer. And whereas early detection through regular screenings and mammograms can significantly increase survival rates and improve outcomes. And whereas the
Pay County Commissioners and Pay County Department of Health Services are dedicated to promoting education, prevention, and access to resources that support individuals and families affected by breast cancer. And whereas during breast cancer awareness month, we recognize the courage and strength of
survivors, honor those who have lost their lives to this disease, and reaffirm our commitment to supporting research, awareness, and access to care. And whereas community organizations, health care providers, and residents throughout Pay County play a vital role in promoting awareness and supporting
those impacted by breast cancer. Now therefore be it resolved that the board of county commissioners of the county of Payic does hereby proclaim October 2025 as breast cancer awareness month in Payic County and encourages all residents, government agencies, private businesses, nonprofit organizations and
all our other interested groups to participate in awareness activities like Denim Day, wear pink to show support and take proactive steps for their health and well-being. And be it further resolved that this board commends the ongoing work of health care
professionals, advocacy groups, and volunteers who continue to advance education, screening, and treatment for breast cancer in our community. Signed by all of the county commissioners, and we're happy to present it to you >> as part of all the extraordinary work that you do with the women's health
extravaganza and with awareness efforts to all of our county employees. Thank you very much. >> Thank you very much. Thank you. It's you. >> All right, director. Um, next on my agenda, as everyone knows, um, earlier this year, u, we launched Pay County
Move, which is a microtransit pilot program in the cities of Payic and Clifton that has been wildly successful, as you'll see from the presentation. Um, fitting to recognize PIC Board of Education Commissioner Christina Schz who's joined us. I hope you've been using Pay County Move. Um, and I'm going
to call up uh our our operating vendor for the program, uh, VIA, to give a little update on where we stand with things. Thank you so much for having us. Thank you. Thank you so much for having us. As you can tell, we're really excited to be here. And it's hard to
believe that it's only five months since this service has launched. So really excited just to join you here today to as Matthew was saying go through what the service is, how it provides so much value to the residents of the county and what we're excited about moving forward.
So just to introduce myself, my name is Mike Long. I'm the partner success principal working with Pay County Move. >> My name is Ria Sha. I'm a vice president of operations here at VIA and I oversee our transit partnerships here in New Jersey including with Pay County Move.
>> Great. So we'll start with a high level view just looking at New Jersey where we're we're lucky to work with so many different counties, agencies, municipalities in Jersey and being a Jersey boy myself, I'm excited to work with a lot of those agencies and
organizations. Two of the things that we're most proud of are on the left hand of the screen. So, first the safety and the accident rate where compared to relevant statistics for FTA, our accident rate is 36% lower than what you might expect from an FTA average. And
so, the other thing that we're really excited about, including with Payic, is just the rate at which we connect people to other forms of public transit. So, people really use our service not just to do errands themselves or to connect to medical resources, but also to actually connect to a bus or NJ Transit
or other types of public transit. Just to give a lay of the land, knowing that some folks are more or less familiar, we launched on May 20th. And again, feels wild to think that that was only 5 months ago because the service really has come so far in such a short time. Thinking back to the reasons why the
county invested in this, a lot of it's about access and opportunity. This service really connects people in a way that they weren't able to before to opportunity for medical services, jobs, going to school, and even just doing
essential errands that they wouldn't be able to do otherwise if they hadn't had the service. Importantly, it's also connecting them to economic opportunity. And it's driving some economic growth in the county by helping people get to work and helping people do connective trips that again are hard to access without
this type of service. At a high level, the service zone is about 10 square miles. There are about 10 vehicles, three of them service wheelchair access, and it's open for about 12 hours a day. Sorry, 14 hours a day during weekdays.
One thing you'll see at the bottom of the screen is average ride rating. So when folks take a look at our service and they rate it from one to five, that average is 4.9. So we're really excited that when people are using the service, they're like, "Wow, five stars. Love
it." And I think that's a lot of what's driving the use of the service today. And here's a quick look at cumulative rides over time. So what you'll see is just a really strong growth in terms of how many people are using the service. You might see this statistic on the
right, productivity. That's really a mark of efficiency. So what this is showing is that each van is carrying about four passengers per hour that it's active, which is really showing that these vans are moving like true to the name. It's moving folks in and out of the county. And these are shared rides.
This isn't an Uber. This isn't a lift. This is public transportation that is connecting people and even having a lot of shared rides within that service. Core to the purpose of this program is accessibility. And something that we're proud of and eager to present is some of
these statistics. When we surveyed our riders, 86% of them don't have access to their own personal vehicle. 75% of them have a household income of less than $50,000. So, when we think of who's using the service and how, you can see some of these survey responses on the
left. This person in the middle is saying, "I need the service every day to get my daughter to school and to do my errands, or I use this to go to the grocery store and the cleaners, or this is what I use to get my kids to their doctor's appointments." So really proud and excited about how the service has
grown and how it's really servicing these trips that are just critical for medical opportunities, employment opportunities, school and work. And last of all, really excited just to show a map of how people are using the service and where the most popular destinations are. So when we're chatting
with the team today, it really seems like a lot of the trips are most clustered around the highdensity downtown areas. You'll see things like Payic High School or the train station or the park and ride. And again, 57% of people using the service are using it to
get to school or get to work. So all in all, really excited about how people are using the service to expand access to all those things. Finally, one thing that we're proud of is the drivers because the connection between the drivers and the riders is a lot of what drives that high engagement.
When people love the person who's driving them, they come back. And you can actually see this bottom statistic down here is the average number of trips per rider per month. So, we're so excited that in the last month from
September 23rd to October 23rd, each rider took about 8.6 trips. That's a person who's really using and valuing a service. And so, when you talk to your constituents, I think one thing you can ask them is like, who is your driver? And some of them might be able to tell
you like Donnie is very personable or Nashali is so nice and so pleasant. And one thing we're excited to share is that when we look at who we're hiring and who's operating the service, threearters of the drivers are from Pa County. And so really excited about how this is an
engine for economic growth and for just access to medical services and care. So that's what we have for you and we'd love any questions. I just have a quick question. Um
the the drivers, how are they are they salaried employee or how how do they get compensated? You know, your typical ride share program, they they receive a piece of the revenue in this case. How how are they compensated? >> The drivers are compensated on a per
hour basis. So even if they provide zero rides in an hour or five rides in an hour, they're still getting that same hourly rate. So it becomes a really nice predictable source of earnings and our average driver is driving over 35 hours a week with us. Perfect. Thank you.
>> And I think one thing that is helpful about that is when you think about that FTA statistic, our drivers aren't rushing to get as many rides as they possibly can. And so I think we're hoping to provide the right incentives for that safe, high quality ride. >> Thank you.
Do you have a number of how many uh folks used this service since its inception? >> It's about 32,000 completed rides. >> Oh, that's all. >> Very good. Very good. Thank you. >> Yes.
>> Any sense? And first of all, thank you guys for the presentation and for really an extraordinary kickoff. I'm excited that we've gotten the start that we have. I'm excited that we're applying for funding to expand the service area. I think it's a terrific program. Um any
sense of how many ride how how frequently is a rider uh riding with another rider as opposed to riding alone in the van? I know one of the things is it's about shared rides and shared destinations. How often are you riding with a neighbor and as opposed to just
you and the driver? >> We can double check, but I believe it's about 51%. That's a measure of how often am I sharing at least one minute of my van time with another person. >> I took a ride this morning and was on board with two other people. It was really nice to see and it was slightly
after the the peak time of the day. So, it was really nice to just see that that shared ride experience in the car. Had some nice conversation with others in the vehicle. It was just really nice to see that community feeling in the vehicle as well. >> Um I know I understanding it's not
door-todoor service. Has there any been feedback on the fact, you know, people having to get to the pickup hub? >> Fortunately, no. Um, typically you walk, you know, one to two blocks in order to meet your vehicle unless, um, you are in
a wheelchair or have some other mobility impairment. And then in those cases, we meet you right where you requested your ride and drop you off right where you requested as well. would definitely be curious if you all hear anything from your constituents, but from our perspective, we have not been hearing um any notable complaints or negative
feedback about the corner to corner experience. >> Got it. >> It'll be interesting to see what happens now that we are entering the winter. Uh we will keep a close eye on it and can definitely calibrate if needed. >> All right. Thank you. >> Basically answered my question in reference to answering his. I wanted to know the hiccups that you were
experiencing and hearing none. I guess that's a good thing. >> Generally not. I think there's always some learnings with a new service. For instance, I think that we're really seeing how much of the service is seasonal. Um, and as you saw, one of our top destinations is Payic High School.
So, I think there's some opportunities for us to really learn about the seasonality of the service, pull back slightly on the number, the amount of supply that we're putting on the road in the summer. Those are the types of things that we can just learn with time. I wouldn't call them a hiccup. I would just call it learnings as we really learn and make sure that we're providing
a great local service here in Pose County. >> Awesome. Thank you. >> Great. Thank you. I mean, one of the interesting things for me was how many, you know, kids and students are using it to get to schools. When, you know, we were starting launching this program, that wasn't even something I was
contemplating, but um it really has been a a successful program in terms of economic debility, e economic development, mobility, affordability. Um, you know, we've heard a lot of antidotal stuff about people that were otherwise using Ubers to get to work that are now using S County Move and
saving hundreds of dollars. So, you talk about affordability and a service for our resident it's residents. It's really been fantastic. So, thank you both. >> Thank you. It was very nice to see you all and I'm sure we'll be back again soon. So, thank you.
>> All right. Next on the docket, we um have finalized P County's heritage tourism master plan and we have a presentation from our director of cultural and historic affairs, Kelly Rafel. So, Kelly, She ran down the aisle. This could be trouble.
I hope. Oh, maybe not. Okay, we can hear me well. Right. Uh, so thank you uh for the opportunity to present on our recent uh planning initiative, which is the P update to the P County um heritage tourism master plan. Uh the last plan
was completed in 2013 very transportation focused and it was led by then Michael Lace and Michael Lucados former planning directors for the county. Um this was grant funded by the New Jersey Historic Trust. We received $75,000 and it was a truly team effort.
We had the friends of p county parks and our project team was Clark K and hence hunter research and Harve International um who is sort of the premier tourism uh study agency at this current time. So um
what I'm again this is a summary uh we are going to go through with with support of the planning department the process to adopt this plan. Um so you will see this back here at the board. So this is just a general summary and then afterwards I'll provide a link and
wonderful copies of our heritage tourism plan um for you to look through and provide any comments. So the plan itself is broken down into three components. Uh the first is sort of this assessment of heritage tourism within the county in
general. Uh so first right we conduct conducted this comprehensive review of existing heritage tourism products and visitor services. So what is that? Uh kiosks, maps, um anything that's sort of tangible for, you know, tourism. Um we
evaluated changes since the 2013 plan. So what do we accomplish from that plan? Um what were areas in need of improvement? Um you know, what do we do well and how do we build upon that? Um we also assessed uh visitor readiness of
new and emerging attractions. So right 2013 uh till now especially with our push for you know park development historic site restoration we didn't have the same attractions during the first plan that we do now and to add that it didn't just look at Pay County owned
property but the count you know privately owned other municipalities etc. So we have a full detail uh assessment on each of those attract attractions. Um and then we analyze the economic impact of tourism within the county using 2015, 2019 and 2023 and
2024 data. Um which is through various studies that are produced by either other counties, the state of New Jersey um and private uh schools specifically like Stockton University who is our premier um hospitality industry school here.
The next component uh very important right research and stakeholder engagement. Um so we examine different trends in market profiles. Um our comparative studies are with our neighbors in Bergen County and Morris County. Uh we look to you know further
reaching with Chester County and Pennsylvania uh Rockland County and Westchester County in New York. Um, so there's a lot of data that kind of places Pake County um, you know, against our neighbors, but we're, you know, sort of in the same uh, trend of growth um,
as compared to our neighbors. Um, we did quite a few surveys, one-on-one interviews with our constituents, and we held focus groups um, to establish what our priorities are going to be and what those benchmarks of success. Um so with
that you know sort of that material and that data and information um we were able to develop um an analysis that you know shows Pay County strengths, weak weaknesses, opportunities. Uh so an example um a weakness you know
identified was about trans public transportation and access. So right we public transportation routes in the lower part of the county is great but now how do we get those visitors from Patterson Pay Clifton all the way up to the Highlands region. So that is like
defined um and then what that analysis will do is give us you know um sort of sorry I'm losing my words will give us um you know ideas to how to improve that. Um, and then lastly, uh, during
this component and again with our stakeholders and the relationships that we have throughout the county, we were able to come up with a five-year, so this is actually a five-year plan, not a 10-year plan. Usually, these are a bit longer. Um, so it's our vision 2030, uh,
that, uh, outlines, you know, five years of goals, objectives, um, and implementation strategies. And just to kind of overall the data that we collected, um I wanted to kind
of share Pay County in numbers. Um just overall the state of New Jersey, uh the her the tourism industry is about $45 billion annually. Um and $3.9 billion of that. So that's about 89% is from directly heritage tourism. So it's
visiting historic sites, visiting parks. Um and that trend is growing from pre- pandemic till now and especially with all the buzzwords of you know the World Cup next year 250th um we do see an increase by year um in that. So how does
Pay County fit in? So in 20 2000, so last year 2024, um we're estimated to have 2.1 million business and leisure travels travelers who have visited our county, which is a 4.5 increase from the year prior to that. Um most of this
comes from day visitors. You know, that is our sort of bread and butter. Uh that's at 1.47 million. And then our overnight visi visitors are about 700,000, which is still an increase from 2023, about 2.6%. 6% and it's above
where we were pre- pandemic. And then lastly, what are our goals? Um, so our goals just wanted to give broader context or fit in these four categories, right? Preservation and stewardship. Of course, we are the Department of Cultural and Historic Affairs. That is
what we do. Um, so how are we going to preserve our county's historic and cultural assets as we move forward? um how do we expand and deliver on the high quality programs? So between the parks department, our department um we have
already providing different experiences, different events, right? Book festival, art in the park, the recreation, um soccer tournaments. So you know, we're offering over 600 programs annually and that continues to build each year. So
you know, through this, you know, how do we even build upon that? what's our capacity going to be? Um how do we reach different audiences? Then the next um activity or goal sector is um encouraging encouraging development. Um just like we were we've been talking
about the state county move. Um so right how do we make the infrastructure that's accessible to get visitors to our sites and our parks and then branding and marketing. How do you know outside of Pay County um how do we brand and market
to you know bring others in? So the last slide I promise um so there are goals for years one year two year three year four year five. So, I've kind of condensed like some of the maybe ones
that would jump out more, but know that there are, you know, over probably a hundred different activities that have been identified in this plan for us from all various, you know, levels, minor to to major. Um, just some examples I'll throw out here. U right, developing a P
County arts and cultural plan. I can tell you that since the restoration of the art center and implementing that, it is probably one of our most busy busiest historic sites, you know, art programs sell out very quickly. Um, so sort of expanding outside of Hawthorne where the
location is. Uh, developing a countywide arts and cultural plan is one recommendation. Um, hire a branding consultant. We have already gone through that like the first part of the heritage tourism 2013 plan was about wayfinding which the county did in 2018 2019 and we
love that logo. So now how do we take that further when marketing our uh sites and happy to report that we did receive a grant to do just this another $75,000 from the New Jersey Historic Trust this year. um you know host an annual tourism
week um a lot of um building workshops for our partners constituents in various different fields whether it's hospitality uh food um education so having these workshops to you know educate people on what we do how they can contribute and be a part of tourism
in the county um increasing our way finding and directional signage for sites and parks um developing travel itineraries and uh weekend promotions So um again just various um activities that we would implement or start to implement
over the next five years. And then uh really in closing uh the plan overall uh speaks to the volume of the foundation that has already been built by this board over the last 10 years. Um again uh can't thank you enough for the historic site
restorations, our park development acquisitions, funding for programs that has allowed us to get to where we are today. Um it also has allowed Pake County um to establish itself as a destination marketing organization. We
were also the first county to go through the tourism like certificate program that the state had offered uh two years ago. Um and we're one of the few counties who are receiving direct funds from the Division of Travel and Tourism
for initiatives just like this. So um we look forward to implementing this plan um starting now till 2030 and I'll take questions if there are any. >> What do you have for
what do you have planned for the 250th anniversary? >> It will start with the opening of Lambert Castle followed by the opening of the Scala Kofax House reopening of the tower. So, how I have approached 250th and we're the only county doing
this. I attend uh 250th roundts at the state level. Our next one is in Hunter County. Um we're the only ones who have invested on a capital level to get sites visitor ready. So, Pakes County sites will all be open and ready for our 250th
anniversary. um this is not the norm in the state funding for historic sites and you know right there some of them are nonprofit owned or um you know municipal owned like they have various stories and they're not in a position that we are in. Um so we've kind of approached this
as sort of a preservation and capital investment. Um second we are going to be rolling out our 2026 calendar very dime mansionheavy but um you know we have been working on 250th since 2019
county is still revolutionary that is our slogan because right the American revolution was fought here um you know we have Washington's headquarters the industrial revolution well without p county the industrial revolution uh in America would not have taken shape And
then we go to the labor revolution of the 19s where you know we have the bottle house and instrumental movements during the silk strike. Um so we've contributed to right you know over 250 years of American history. Um so we will have programming um that will fit all of
those themes. >> You have a kickoff event. >> We can have a kickoff event. >> Okay. Thank you. >> You're welcome. >> Thank you Kelly. And it's honestly it's it's convenient that PE County Move is here because it it shows how a lot of
what we're doing is happening uh in tandem. Kelly talked about the P County Book Festival and we were actually able to do a push notification to residents in Clifton and Payic that the book festival was happening and you can get a ride via via to to get there through Pay
County Booth. Um, so I think this report and great job Kelly is is very timely because over the last 10 years we've uh the board has spent upwards of 50 million on the park system and our historic sites. Um, and now we all have them in a place where we need, you know,
our focus is on improving the visitor experience. Um, and you know, there's a ton of different benefits to P County uh, in terms of this investment we've made. You know, Kelly talked about the tourism, um, the economic development, the increase in property values. So, it's all, you know, great stuff that
this board is doing. Kelly's department and all the other >> very often we're able to do that with supplementation of federal and state and charitable funds to make these projects possible at minimum cost to the taxpayer. Kelly, I want to acknowledge
you and your whole exceptional staff and also the volunteer members of our boards, the friends of Pay County Parks and Friends of Dimesion. >> I just have, if I can just real quick, um, what tools do you use to measure the
approximate visitors? I asked because I know like at the Great Falls parking lot, they have like, uh, you know, mechanism on the ground that clicks every time a car drives over it. Um so I'm just curious on what we use
>> is an excellent question. Every site uses a different let's say system if you will whether it is metric like reading car data um visitation surveys you know visitor count uh
counters ticket sales. So it's a great question because a lot of there's a lot of data in this that is about like visitors and visitors in terms of numbers. So it is compiling from what sites individually report, what businesses report, but then overall like
state economic studies which again right is sort of general and is probably under reportported than where it truly is. >> Thank you. >> Thank you, Kelly. Um, director, next we have a public hearing for the exterior restoration of the S County Courthouse
annex. I can go turn that over to Lou when he gets back up here. >> I guess while while Lou's doing that, I I can just note um in relation to this project, uh we have secured uh through Kelly's department um a $2.25 million
grant from the New Jersey Historic Trust, which is going to fund a big portion of these improvements. This public this public hearing is being held to solicit the comments from the public regarding the county of Payic Department of Cultural and Historical Affairs desire to establish
pre-qualifications to biders for the exterior restoration of the Pay County Courthouse annex, historically known as the US Customs House, whose address is 6365 Hamilton Street in the city of Patterson, New Jersey. The goals of this
project are to clean, repair, and restore the entire exterior condition of the building, replace all existing iron work fencing, add and improve exterior lighting, and modernize the clock mechanism. The scope of the work consists of a single prime contract or
general conditions, acquisition of all required permit provisions of temporary facilities and controls, selective demolition, masonary and roof restoration, replication of iron work and fencing, uh membrane roof
replacement, clock tower repair and modernization, electrical and lighting installation, and window replacement. according to the project manual plans and specification. This uh this public hearing is being held today at 5:30 on Tuesday, October
28th in room 220 in P County Administration building. The following public hearing was noticed in the Herald news in the record on October 5th, 2025. Uh roll call. Uh, commissioners Bartlett >> here, >> Cruz >> here. >> D'Vor
>> here. >> Duffy. Uh, hold on one second. >> Uh, uh, Deputy Director Lazar >> here. >> Director Laapour >> here. >> Motion to open a public hearing. >> So moved. >> Second.
>> Moved by Cruz. Second by Bartlett. Roll call. >> County Commissioners Bartlett. >> Cruz. >> Yes. >> D'vor. Yes. >> Daffy. >> Yes. >> Deputy Director Lazar. >> Yes. >> Director Laapour. >> Yes. Does anyone present desire to be heard on this application?
>> Seeing no one, I move to close the public hearing. >> Motion made by Cruz. >> Second. >> Second by Bartlett to close. Roll call. >> County Commissioners Bartlett. Yes. >> Cruz. Yes. D'vor. Yes. >> Uh Duffy. >> Yes. >> Deputy Director Lazera. >> Yes.
>> Director Leapour. >> Yes. Motion to adjurnn. So moved. Second by >> Bartlett. Second by Cruz. Roll call. >> County Commissioners Bartlett. >> Yes. >> Cruz. >> Yes. >> D'vor. >> Yes. >> Duffy. >> Yes. >> Deputy Director Lazar.
>> Yes. >> Director Leapour. >> Yes. >> All right. County Commissioner reports. I I had two more quick things. Director. Sorry. They weren't listed. Uh we had a uh a note sale last week or the week
before. Two weeks ago. average >> two weeks ago. Um we had four biders. Um Jeff was the winning bidder with a net interest cost of 2.56% which is a very good interest rate. Um shows how strong countyy's financial position is in the
market. It's testament to the work of our chief financial officer Rich Cahill. Our former administrator who's joined us here Anthony Denova often likes to remind me of the very different financial states the county was in when we entered this position. So, um, great work by all. And then finally, I just
want to note that, as everyone knows, the federal government has been shut down. Um, we've been noticed that, um, SNAP benefits are going to run out on November 1st. Um, I just want to recognize the the great work being done by Art, our human services director, working with local food pantries to prepare. I know Commissioner Lazar has
been very involved. Um, we're doing everything we can to support our local food pantries as they're going to see um, increased people visiting um, as these benefits run out. So, that's all I have. Okay, questions. >> All right, commissioner reports
up Rodney, I think you have. >> Thank you, director. Um, throughout my campaign, I I I was always reminded and I would mention every now and then how my mother taught me some valuable lessons of saying please and thank you. And you're saying, where are
you going with this? Um, so I continue to say uh please to the residents and voters of Pay County to be patient as I get my footing together and to do what needs to be done to move Pay County forward. I also say thank you for the
vote and confidence to sit in the seat to do what I need to do to also with all that was said today and presented to move P County forward. And on this particular day, October 28, 2025, I want to say thank you to my mother for those
lessons and happy 95th birthday. Beautiful. Happy birthday. Anyone else? Okay. No communications. Take a motion to open a public portion of the meeting. >> So moved. >> Second. Motion made by D'vor, second by
Cruz. Roll call. >> County Commissioners Bartlett, >> yes. >> Cruz, >> yes. >> D'vor, >> yes. >> Duffy, >> yes. >> Deputy Director Lazera, >> yes. >> Director Leapore, >> yes. Uh, anyone from the public wishing to be heard, please step forward to the microphone. Uh, know that you have three
minutes. Please state your name and address and know also that uh anything that you say is a matter of public record. >> Commissioner Duffy, no one's here. Roll call. >> County Commissioners Bartlett, >> yes. >> Cruz, >> yes.
>> D'Vor, >> yes. >> Daffy, >> yes. >> Deputy Director Lazera, >> yes. >> Director Leapour, >> yes. Um, county council's informed me that there are no late starters. Um, does anyone want to vote on anything separately?
>> Nope. >> Uh, yes, Commissioner. Uh, I have to vote or for item number three. I think you just recuse yourself. >> You can do a gym. >> Have to vote separately. >> Yeah.
>> Yeah. >> All right. I'll take a motion uh to vote on L1 and L2 and L4 to L61. >> So moved. Motion made by Bartlett. Second for I'm sorry to second by Bartlett.
Ro call. County Commissioners Bartlett, >> yes. >> Cruz, >> yes. >> D'Vor, >> yes. >> Duffy, >> yes. >> Deputy Director Lazera, >> yes. >> Director Poor, >> yes. Take a motion on L3. >> So moved. >> Second.
>> Motion made by Cruz, second by Bartlett. Roll call. >> County Commissioners Bartlett. Cruz. >> Yes. >> D'Vorain. >> Duffy. >> Yes. >> Deputy Director Lazar. >> Yes. >> Director Leapour. Yes. Uh, under new
business, uh, take motion for personnel. >> Move the personnel. >> Moved by Cruz. >> Second. >> Second by Bartlett. Roll call. >> County Commissioners Bartlett. >> Yes. >> Cruz. >> Yes. >> D'vor. >> Yes. >> Duffy. >> Yes. >> Deputy director Lazaro. >> Yes. >> Director Leapour.
>> Yes. Uh, take a motion for bills. >> Move the bills. >> Second. >> Moved by Cruz. Second by Bartlett. Roll call. >> County Commissioners Bartlett. >> Yes. >> Bruce, >> yes. >> D'vor, >> yes. Duffy. >> Yes. >> Deputy Director Lazar. >> Yes. >> Director Laapour.
>> Yes. Um. >> Mhm. >> Okay. Uh, before I ask for an adjournment, I just want to remind everyone um that next Tuesday is election day. Um, we hear it a thousand times, but uh I think this time is the
most important time. It's the future of our not only of our this board but our state. Um with the two candidates up, please don't take it for granted. Please get out and exercise your civic duty to vote. Get uh people that you know,
family, friends, uh to vote. Um again, I state because it's very very important. >> Okay. Anybody else? >> Yes. >> Yes. Through you, director. You'll be happy to hear this. >> I will. >> Yeah. On December 9th, we invite you all
to come to the meeting. You'll be here. But we are going to honor Director Leapour and Commissioner Duffy at our meeting on the 9th. Did I say 10th? >> December 9th. >> Yep. >> It's a Tuesday. So,
>> yes, you all have to show up. >> Did you get that? >> For their 21 years. and it's to honor them for their 21 years of service. So, we invite you to be here. >> Very nice. Thank you so much. >> You're welcome.
>> Thank you. Thank you very much, Commissioner, and uh to my colleagues on the board. Um I'll I'll probably have something to say then, but right now, I'll I'll start out by saying it's been an honor uh to serve with each and every one of you and all the pre the past
commissioners. um the current f uh department uh administration department here under Matt Jordan, the former administration head, Anthony Denova sitting in the back
trying to hide. Um so I'll have a couple more things to say. >> I know. I know. >> I heard him. I heard him. I'm trying to ignore him. Unfortunately, we'll be here on the night. >> Okay. Thank you very much, folks. Uh,
take a motion to adjurnn. >> So, moved. D'Vor, second by Duffy. Roll call. >> County Commissioners Bartlett. >> Yes. >> Cruz. >> Yes. >> D'Vor, >> yes. >> Duffy, >> yes. >> Deputy Director Lazar, >> yes. >> Director Leapour, >> yes. Safe trip home, everyone. Thank
you.