I call to order the meeting of the mayor and Council the bur of River Edge March 13 2025 regular meeting River Edge Public Library 685 Elm Avenue and zoom I ask for uh a moment of Silent refraction
uh which will be given by councilman Benson uh I just take a moment to thank of all the people who are being affected by the conflicts around the world in Ukraine Gaza Africa and just you know pray for their safety and and that we
get peace the call on Council all to leave it lead us in the pledge ready salute to of the United States of America the fors
nation indivisible and justice for all all right uh statement of compliance with the open public meeting act this meeting complies with the open public meeting act by notification of January 6 2025 of this location date and time to the town
news and the record and by posting of the same on the municipal bulletin board and burrow website following notice of the same with municipal clerk Madame clerk roll call please council president Montano Cohen here councilwoman canella here councilwoman
Mal Larry here councilman Benson here councilman glass here Council Wan Aral yes mayor papalo here all right so uh we have approval of the minutes could I have a motion in second uh for the
approval of minutes of the mayor and Council regular meeting close session uh February 27 so move second it's been moved and seconded all in favor please say I are there any opposed or any extensions hearing none it is unanimous
so we have a wonderful uh event now we're going to be honoring Richard merman dick merman Rick dick if you could come forward and could I ask the current president of land Sports comfor they could come and stand right here
thank you and Edwin alter who is our land use board Clerk and family Moren come on up and Grandson so um there we go let me step out of the camera so we have been honored and uh
blessed in River Edge for um I should probably be standing in for this part for some um many decades if not hundreds of years uh with a sense of volunteerism that permeates our community and um
Richard is an Exemplar of that um he is the quintessential um resident who cares and gets involved he has done amazing things as you'll hear in the proclamation and he has stepped down uh from uh the lers
board which originally was called the planning board and he's done phenomenal things for our town and uh his handy work his influences can be seen so many places in uh regular homes in buildings
uh of the town and um his wisdom has guided the luse board as a leader of it so um first let me begin with the proclamation Proclamation whereas Richard a merman PE was appointed to the
planning board of the burough of rge in 1988 where he served as the chairman from 199 3 to 1995 in the luse board Vice chair from 2017 to 2025 so think that's uh what 36 37
years amazing whereas he has vast knowledge and experience in a multi uh multiple Industries including Public Works industrial power industry Recreation and major corporations he has helped rehabilitate upgrade and modernize
various firehouses Mr nman was involved in operating and refueling components of the four nuclear power plants he was the lead civil engineer for site work including state-of-the-art drainage facilities for the Next Generation power
and whereas Mr merman had an intricate role in many projects in River Edge he helped design and construct the public safety building which we call the police department he played a vital part in downtown kimak improvements to establish
Gateway Mr merman facilitated the Riveredge 2000 study of potential downtown improvements he was the driving force behind pudding in the kind kindak forhe Avenue commercial shopping site he also functioned as board engineer for
the Riveredge Crossings Total Wine design and development whereas Richard merman's Mission has always been to promote a safe orderly and open space for the deel development uh preclude land abuse and be uh
cognizant of high potential rise Canyon SE consequences his presence will be deeply missed by theanu Ford the governing body of the burough of Riveredge who have benefited from his knowledge and leadership in the face of challenges and changes that have been
presented over 40 years now therefore be it resolved that I Thomas papalo mayor and on behalf of the governing body and residents of the B of Riv to hereby extend our thanks and sincere appreciation to Richard a merman for his
many years of dedication and committed service to the burrow of River Edge and with the proclamation we have a plaque so we'll just show that real quick okay all right and it says Richard
merman River Edge planning board land use board 1988 to 2025 in recognition of your years of dedication dedicated service work and countless contributions to the community
luse board Vice chair 2017 to 2025 luse board chair from 1993 to 95 mayor Thomas Pap on Council Rich so um dick if you'd like we would really benefit from you say a few words
mayen would want to though I'm not going to put her on the spot if she doesn't want to may I sit down uh hold on oh I didn't mean there you go thank you and Marie told me I was limited to 45
minutes I am going to make an executive decision and I'm going to suspend that limit um yeah H Mr Mayor as you've noted I've I've served the burrow for 40
years I've U served every Administration in that 40 years yeah um we've done some nice things there have been many people um along the line uh in the burrow and our Consultants that I've interfaced
with um and including uh um eded Walter uh I recognize as one um River Edge as you mentioned is quite a town
river residential wise especially single family um really started to come about postwar and um some of the older house is reflect that our zoning reflects that
with the layout of the lot size as you can tell um the generation and so forth as they moved along um I've enjoyed working uh and interfacing with many many people um including our
consultants and um I would personally like to thank uh Ed wal for his um assistance and I'm going to label Ed
alter as the guardian angel of of the of of the landu sport and here he is he definitely is he was with when when I interfaced with him and he's actually the most should be considered the most
valuable player let's put it that way all right MVP counil say so um yeah um I work very no no that's me
thing tax deductible of course yeah um yeah um it it it has been an immense help over the years and you should cherish them believe me uh
where else can I tell you it um it's been very uh uh satisfact satis personal satisfaction when I go downtown and and and um look
at what we have today uh with the movement of traffic with the development with the street Scapes and um I don't know if one of the other councilmen or councilman are aware at one time we had
a uh what they called the Bergenfield salvage yard which in layman's terms was a junkyard okay that that sat on a corner of a was a Palisades in Main Street I believe and
that's since gone so um when when uh I I drive through town I gain the satisfaction of accomplishment and uh that's my big reward and
for those of you who have U heard me um of course we we were on Zoom heard me refer to my um to my staff um who uh by the way is a uh born
and raised and River yeah uh a resident all her life even a product of the school systems so in river and that's my wife Mor um she's
the she's the shadow uh or the person that makes the gears work and and and then there's there's a thing in my household that at least a couple of times a day I say to Morin how do we get anything from that yet and and then I'm
going to miss that all right uh but uh what else can I tell you it's uh I have my grandson here one of my grandsons um who lives nearby and it's home on Spring Break um at least
he's not in Florida or whatever his father w't won't spend the money I guess that's about it who else we have Chris Chris yeah Chris Chris Chris and I um um have kind of bonded
over the u o over the land use board and and and all and we talk frequently there's other Consultants um that um likewise are such with Marina steinley
um we we've had many conversations over the years and so forth I'm probably get home and think of six other things I wanted to say but you guys will be glad I'm gone but uh yeah yeah someday someday I'll
tell you stories about the old days of when we had earlier planning boys um and and some of the events that happened um I started so somebody early before in the meeting that we had in near Riot one
night U and I won't go into that but well yeah maybe we'll go off a coffee for yeah so that's it folks I'm glad I'm glad I left my little Mark on the town
and I'm proud of it it should be it's an indelible mark thank you thank you I'll give that's okay you want have take pictures yes yes yes my bad um we're just gonna everybody
just come in close [Music] and yeah just like that oh you're not in hold on okay let me slide over no no you're you're fine fine CH over a little bit there we go there we go all right
ready okay good all right than you all right thank you again thank you thank you very much mayor appreciate it thank you good fin appreciate it thank you all appreciate thank you thank
you yeah my job is worries that's it that's it thank you all again thank you thank you have a good meeting okay um could I have a motion in second to open the comments uh to the
public on any item on the agenda second all in favor please say I um andir can you show us if anyone is currently in I don't think oh no there should be participants
left okay if anyone would like to um raise their hand uh R do you have anything on the agenda on the agenda oh no okay great all right I don't see anyone could
I have a motion second to close to the public all in favor please say I can we uh please close participants great all right great um appointment and Personnel change could I have a motion in second from the council president and second from uh councilwoman canella uh to
approve the appointment of elizabe Tores to the uh 20 two I'm sorry 250th anniversary committee so moved second all in favor please say I okay monthly reports are on uh the record tax
collector Library trustees um Ray could you ask step a little further [Music] away okay well I think we're okay though thanks anyway we're good
all right could uh I have a um motion from um councilwoman molari in a second from councilman Benson uh that the following ordinances be introduced and passed on first reading and setting March 27 2025 at 7M or as soon
thereafter as the matter can be heard as the date and time in the River Edge Library as the place in Zoom as a virtual platform for hearing on said ordinance ordinance 25-7 ordinance amending section uh 380 I'm sorry
384-7494 of the revised General ordinance of the burrow River Edge entitled fees I'm sorry trees second thank you um Miss uh AA could you please um a port
I'm sorry could you please uh tell tell the public what we're trying to achieve here yes this ordinance updates the chapter of bural code regarding tree it um clarifies the determination of the replacement Alternatives and it changes
under exemptions um residents who remove uh less than four trees per acre um that fall into category one two three of the replacement table to two in order to save our tree canopy excellent all right
uh is there any uh comment or debate okay uh it's been moved and seconded all in favor please say I any opposed any exstension okay this uh ordinance will be on for a second reading of which the public will be free to ask questions and
to make comments but I have uh from um councilman glass and from Council woman uh darwall a motion second to move resolutions 25- 95-25 -99 move um is there any question debate or
comment I have a question there absolutely um apologies I wasn't able to review these carefully um but um could we have a brief explanation about um the status of the
work associated with uh resolution 2599 burrow Hall entrance and police station parking lot improvements specifically I'd like to understand uh if I understand correctly this is a resolution take to receive bids but I'm not clear on what the
status of the actual uh concept and design of of the project um other than the bu engineer had met with our DPW superintendent to um fine-tune the the concept in order to
finalize design to solicit the bids I don't have the bid packet with me um but they came up with a base bid and Alternatives based on the the presentation as well as follow-up
discussion with Jason and then um once the bids come in the governing body will be able to see not just the price but even um it falls below the budget I thought I know that um CA came in and
they presented a concept and we had an opportunity to review it and discuss it but I didn't see the final design or any of the bid uh package or anything um I could ask them to forward
to forward a all I have is the the B noted yeah I thought I thought we just had a concept and there was an agreement on the final I know there were a lot of questions about the pavers other items associated with the borrow Hall insurance and I I might have
missed the meeting I don't think I did though but I didn't know that we'd come to agreement on the concept so that would be great thank you forette for offering it anything else all in favor please say I any opposed any
extensions hearing none it is unanimous could I have uh Finance chair councilwoman canella and one of the member of the uh finance committee move resolution 25-100 payment of the bills at a regular meeting of the mayor and
Council of the B of Riv County of Bergen state of New Jersey held on March 13 2025 be it resolved that the mayor and Council of the burrow of R approve the following expenditures current fund
$4,240 General Capital fund $509 71 Grant funds $553 trust other $3,522 31 payro
$2,562 196 unemployment trust $5 de developers esar $187.50 Recreation trust $115.99 so moved second SP moved in second all in
favor please say I I any opposed any extensions may I need to abstain from uh resolution 25 -00 on the following checks check number 6586 check number 658 79 check number
6588 check number 65 893 check number 65 945 check number 64 and check number 6005 very good is there new business is there old business could I have a motion second
open the public on any issue move second all in favor please say I I is there anyone here would like to speak right I'll do it all right right and would you also go back to the uh if anyone who is remote would like to
speak please raise your hand now and when uh Ray Ray finishes speaking Ray you got to say your full name and address you know yeah I know Ray sits um 210 Mohawk Drive River Edge New Jersey um this is an item that's a while ago
the approving of the walk over over route four the pedestrian bridge right yes and I just want to know because as you know I put the flags up there yeah and I just need to know
timing number one when should I take them down for the construction three years 2030 2030 2030 they still still
here I will take them down if I'm not here we'll take it down so they have not yet um we're not supposed to do this but it is a it is a construction question so uh for the Public's benefit um there two major construction Ray why don't you
finish with any other questions and then I'll then answer I think that's it but I only get one shot at this right otherwise I can't even go on the back of the line okay
um um the the the Banners are progressing not as not as quickly as I had hoped but hopefully when they start seeing them up in town they're going to say well no one
told me about it you know but and um so far it's getting very positive results from the people that are putting it in so hopefully it will grow from there and that's it all right thank you Mr SS
appreciate it all right um so um there was a uh meeting of Mayors with the design team uh for for all those towns that uh might be impacted um so I think
hackin was there we were there uh and that I think that was it uh there uh the bridge is in in sad shape it needs to be replaced um they're in uh they're in the design phase uh and then from that they
would go to the bid phase right well the hacken SE bridge by fdu they did the public comment so they're moving forward with the design to finalize the design to go out to bid the brid the bridge in town yeah is still um they're still
fine-tuning it to open it up for public comment that's right and then after public comment they will finalize the design and um solic then do the solicitation process for for bidding but we're not kidding they estimate
construction being complete 2029 2030 yeah and the other one that Miss appella mentioned was that they're going to be replacing the root four bridge that crosses the hackensac river that connects T neck to for lack of a
better um uh land Landmark would be the um Riverside no what's the mole yeah Rivers Square Riverside Square mole and what they're going to do that in phases and they're going to um they're going to demolish they're going to create a um
temporary Bridge off to the side they're going to demolish the I believe the westbound side then they're going to re put in new uh footings rebuild the westbound side then they're going to go and demolish then
they'll open that then they'll demolish the eastbound side and put in new footings and off to the off to uh further uh that would be further south of the eastbound side they
are going to actually build the entire segment and then one for they have claimed that for one day only they'll shut down for the the lanes going east and the the westbound Lanes will handle
both east and west and they will just slide it into place and drop it down upon the U the uh pilings so hopefully that will all go well but uh I don't know how many of us will still be on council at that time so we'll see all
right any Council comments okay could I have a motion second to uh resolution 25-11 resolution bone to close session attorney CL privilege njsa 10 col 4-12 uh B5 solicitation process and
construction update second all in favor please say I I but I have a motion in second to adjourn uh the regular meeting we will not be returning for any decisions all in favor please say
I all right we just need to close the door and we wish you well