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Video-1: youtube.com/watch?v=7SOj8uCCnks

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Call to order. Good evening everyone. The date is July 29th, 2026. The time is 6:00. And I'd like to call the special meeting of the Rochelle Park Township Committee to order. Pursuant to the open public meeting, notice the July 29th meeting was published on the township website on July 24th. Copies of all notes are on file clerk and have been

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made available to the public. Roll call, please. >> Here you may be absent from the meeting today. Mhm. >> Here we're going to go to the pledge of allegiance.

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>> All right. Please rise and join me for the pledge of allegiance. >> Just Yeah. I pledge allegiance 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. Please

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remain standing for a moment of silence. Thank you. You may be seated. >> All right. At this time, I'll ask for a motion to adopt resolution 26-233 authorizing tax committee to enter close session. The committee will discuss legal issues, litigation, potential litigation, contract negotiations, and attorney client privilege matters concerning the sanitary sewer, pump

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station contract, and legal guidance regarding business hours, as well as personnel matters concerning Department of Public Works, police, and legal guidance regarding land acquisition and legal advice regarding toll. May I have a motion to enter close session? >> Motion. >> Have a second. >> Second. >> All in favor? I. Any oppose? Thank you

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so much. The town committee will now enter close session. We'll return at approximately 7:00 p.m. to conduct further business. We are now in close session. All righty. Good evening. Can I get a motion to come out of close session? >> Motion. >> Do you have a second? Second. >> All in favor? I. Any opposed? Wonderful.

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We'll move right on to discussion. Collier's engineering is here. We're going to invite them up to the microphone in the front to discuss their project proposal for project manager of the pump station. Gentlemen, thank you so much for being here. Thank you,

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>> Mayor. Thank you. >> Thank you for having us. Uh Jordan Vulk from Calier's Engineering Design. So, our proposal is for the construction, administration, and observation of the pump station project. So this would be managing from the time of the

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pre-construction meeting with the contractor all the way through completion of construction. um all of the the what we call construction administration services which would include reconstruction meeting, review of the schedule, review of schedule of values, review of pay applications,

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review of any RFIs, change orders, um you know, any any issues that come up throughout the duration of the contract, reviewing the schedule with the contractor, and then also inspection as needed throughout the duration of the contract to ensure what the contractor

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is putting in place is is the contract documents. All right. Any questions from the township committee? >> All right. I'm going to just create the opportunity to open it up to the public and we'll do all agenda items. Uh so can

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I get a motion to open up to the public uh at this time? >> Motion. >> Have a second. >> Second. >> All in favor? >> I. Any oppose? Wonderful. Public comment is now opened. Uh you have three minutes and you're limited to one speaking opportunity.

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>> Agenda right now on agenda. >> Agenda nine. >> Agenda not agenda items. >> What is the cost? They explain what they're going to do. What does that cost? >> Gentlemen, you're welcome to answer that.

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>> Sure. So, for the two two-year duration of the contract uh for the for the contractor for construction administration observation, it is $800,000 for that. Not to exceed less. >> Yes, that's that's possible. It's it's build as we expend that time over the

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duration of the contract. And that's for I believe the the contract is approximately $8 million for the construction contract. >> When does that bring out? That can vary across the different staff we have on the project. So I don't have an answer off the top of my head what

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the average is. So you're using the 10% I'm assuming right% >> that's the 10% is something that we look at as a rule of thumb to gauge the construction cost in in relation to construction administration observation

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cost >> when the contractor is there um we will have somebody there not full-time but part-time checking on them. Um there's certain things and aspects that you want to have somebody out there the entire sometime is pouring concrete excavation

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bearing you know putting in pipe and bearing pipe things you can't see afterwards but things such as installing conduit and piping inside of the building and pumps things along those lines we won't be there full-time looking at them but we will be checking on them while they're while they're working each day.

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>> So how would you be doing on a monthly basis? Yeah, we typically invoice monthly for the hours expended during during that month. >> Seems like a month for a whole thing.

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>> It's it's yeah it's within the typical you know the ASC has guidelines of engineering fees in relation to construction costs and you know it's it's within those those typical guidelines. So, so you're going to have somebody from is going to be there on

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site. Just observe once they're >> I don't know off the top of my head what the early fee for inspectors and I I don't also don't have that exact person set at this time until construction starts. So, that can vary and that can vary based on what is being done. If if

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if there's earth work being done, we want might want somebody with a geotechnical background. If there's structural being done, we might want a structural engineer out there. So that could also vary for just going to be doing a general observation. I was just wondering what

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compar $200,000 an hour, $1,000 an hour. >> I don't know. It's it's it's within our rate schedule approved with the with with the township. >> So it's going to be one of the pre-approved rates. >> I don't know. I I should be part of the contract. No, we're only accepting a

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proposal tonight. Then the contract will be approved. I imagine we'll have all this the rates in the contract. >> Our rate schedule is part of the general agreement that we have with the with the township. >> The existing correct correct same rate schedule that we use for >> Yeah, that's what we use to put together

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our fee for the project. >> I'm not just trying to get some kind of question. I think that's a lot of money, you know, um for someone to be there and we know they're not going to be there on a daily basis now already. and and and so

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when they're doing a concrete work and again especially like you're talking about doing concrete work but what they need to know what it is that's going underneath it you can observe it afterwards >> that's correct yeah >> I understand that you always talk about the clip

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type of of a um a person that would be out there that old terms frankly but I'm just just trying to get some kind of an idea because I mean it it's this turned out to be a very expensive project that absolutely needs

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to be done but we're almost adding another million dollar so or the potential of being another million dollar so I guess will there be another open meeting when you um when

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the proposal itself >> absolutely and I believe that we'll have all those figures by then laid out uh for the public and as he mentioned some of the professionals there uh have varying roles. So there are some professionals that will be visiting that

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will have a higher hourly rate than than you know the the person that's there on a regular basis. >> No, I appreciate I think it's also clear for the public to know that it's to not exceed $800,000. >> Right. question if there's going to be some

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project changes or whatever the case might be then you're going to have that >> absolutely and Kier's engineering >> right absolutely and Kier's engineering has been very vocal that they will come to us before any of those changes would

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have to be made absolutely >> yep anybody else public comment is Open agenda and non-aggenda items. >> Linda bottom case 33 Parkway. Um I've said this many times before, I'll say it

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again. It's time you go to two meetings a month because here we are in three meetings a month. So I suggest when you start making the calendar for 2027, you add two meetings a month. Thank you.

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>> Thank you, Miss Bonaface. I agree with you. I think that we can just schedule two meetings a month and if we need to cancel, we can cancel. But, you know, we're we're getting a lot done this year. >> Sorry, I need another minute. Um, did anybody from the township committee

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attend that flag meeting with our congresswoman >> and Saddlebrook? Yes, I was there. >> Okay. Thank you. It didn't seem like anybody else did on a certain post. >> Thank you so much, Miss Bon. Thanks. Who's coming up next? Is this where you

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can talk about anything? >> Yes. >> Great. You guys pulled me out of the house. I didn't couldn't come last week. Can I sit here? >> Please make yourself at home. >> The power move. >> All right. I'm a little unsteady on my feet, guys.

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I don't, you know, I came down with an illness. Uh, so I've been a little missing in action lately. So, uh, pardon the facial paralysis, but thank god the camera faces the back of the head. Okay, a couple things. Um, I just wanted to give the township committee a couple of

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updates, uh, from the Shade Tree Commission and the Environmental Commission. So, I'll start with Shade Tree first because that's the easier one. Um, we are on track for this fall to fulfill the current list of shade tree requests. Those are those are the

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requests from residents who wanted a tree in their home uh in front of their home um and signed up on our list to um get one. They received an email from me this week indicating that uh we are on track for the fall. Fall plantings can

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occur from September to early November. Um and um we're going to get quotes from our three contractors and we'll uh vote on that at our next shade tree meeting on August 13th. at 6:30. Um Dave uh

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Brown and I uh worked on the list together and I'm just waiting for one or two homeowners. They have to pick a smaller tree because as you guys know, we are planting the right tree at the right place to avoid power lines, you know, trees going to power lines, sidewalk lifting. Uh so sometimes

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residents ask for a tree that is too big or will get too big for the area they want to plant it in. So um I'm just waiting to hear back from one or two of them. don't hear back. We're going to select a tree um to uh to replace the one that

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they asked um for. Um that's my update for Shade Tree Commission. Well, at the same time, um we were visited by some uh people from town. Uh Jamie Davidson in particular, uh friends with Tara Galo,

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um you know, back uh in in the past. They asked us to plant a tree in her honor. They uh her and her friend Jodie, I think she was here a couple of months back, uh their friends donated to us uh over $1,600.

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Um uh we're also going to to get a bench for um uh for Tara. Um however, Roshchel Park does not have a lot of green space. Um so um we've been talking

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about the gate that's locked up top of Chestnut. um uh where we planted the Arbor Day tree from 2025. Um that gate's locked all the time. Uh that space there would be very nice for a park/green

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space for residents. I think it could add value especially, you know, um that we don't have a lot of places to go in town. Um so our thought was to plant the tree there. Um, but we also don't want the gate to be locked cuz we might want to

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sit at the bench and admire the tree and um, family of Tara may want to go sit there as well. Um, so we're kind of talking about this because we want you guys to consider opening that gate, maybe passing an ordinance that would

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set a a time that that area is open to the public. uh plenty of before I got this uh been visiting some public parks and you know some of them are not big but they have a sign outside that says you know park is open from here to this

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time no loitering you know blah blah blah um and uh if you you know and then they have the ordinance up there and if someone's you know there after hours you can always call the police to to address it um but it would be a nice place to

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for you guys to use open space grant to make it look pretty. Um, there's really no place to go as an adult. You know, Carlac Field is wonderful for the kids. They have wonderful playgrounds. The field is there. But as an adult, you want to kind of maybe just sit, have a

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coffee. Uh, maybe on Fridays, uh, a local vendor can come by, you know. Uh, I people will use the park if you have something cheap to eat or drink and a place to sit. And um you can name it whatever you want to name it, but you can do a lot with the space. Not just

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plant commemorative trees, but maybe a bench uh a commemorative bench for um you know people who lived in town who were prominent. Um, this obviously is going to take some planning and thought, but um, we're trying to plant the tree

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by autumn um, for Tara and um, we're hoping you guys consider and discuss this, you know, at some meeting or whatever where we could perhaps use that space. I know of a second space. It's over by where Miss Bonaface lives. Again, an empty lot that is not being

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used. And you know, after my tax bill, I want I think it would add value. It would give me at least we could say we have something for people to use. Um you know, otherwise we don't really have that kind of space here. I know it's tight. Um so

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we're we're asking when I say we, it's the Sha Commission, environmental commission for you to consider tear down that gate. you know, as Ronald Reagan said, you know, I know he said tear down that wall, but uh you know, um my favorite president. So, I just uh he is

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um also uh but yeah, that's what we wanted to kind of do is uh make it a place for Rochelle Park residents to go and sit and admire nature and and I think that'd be a nice area. It's it's pretty sizable. So um those are my

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two things I think right maybe three I don't remember but you have any thoughts thank you so much Mike >> question go ahead yeah >> the gate you're talking about car >> so yeah if you were to go up a chestnut so if you take the

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>> no that gate's open there's a space to uh if you're facing carlock from chestnut it's to the right um it's a separate locked gate And inside that gate is the lone tree, the arboret tree. >> It would be behind home plate on the far field. >> The emergency gate.

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>> Yeah, but it's like right now. >> Yeah, >> guys. One at a time. I I I can't hear this ear. So, >> go ahead, Jack. >> No, I'm That's the emergency gate. I believe that's locked. >> Yeah, I know. I spoke to Dave Brown. He's you know, he just was told to keep it locked. Um, but you you know, I'm

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asking you to consider using some open space grant money to make it look nice. I mean, I I think putting a bench there with the tree and maybe some other things. I don't know in particular, but if you give me time, I'll I'll I'll come up with things. But uh um to even name

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it like Chestnut Street Park, I don't know. Like I just like there's a space no one can use. It's locked up. And why can't we say we have now a space a small park space for residents? That's all I mean that's really the gist of it. So

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I'm sorry. Go ahead. Uh no Mike I think this is a great idea. I think we should put this on the next agenda for discussion and uh I'll touch base with you if the environmental commission wants to come and do a presentation talk about it more but uh I would love to have this conversation. It's definitely an underutilized space. There's just one

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tree planted there and I think it was when the Sha Tree com uh commission planted that Arbor Day tree. So, let's see what we can do with that space. And I think one thing that we've talked about is we want Carlock to be a place that is great for residents of all ages. So, I think those are the type of ideas to bring that to life. Also, mayor, I

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know that you ask the environmental commission to do to get those little free libraries. Um, so I think that area would be a great place to put one of those. um it's easily accessible for people who are walking on the chestnut

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or whatnot, but it's a park space and that's where they're generally located in public areas where you know um so that's one of the areas we're trying to find to put this little free library um that uh we're in the process of purchasing which by the way I have to

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thank Mike Giuliano uh he's been great so helpful thank god and Michaela's great too but um he's you know Mike's helping me with this thing because the the pro The purchasing process is a little cumbersome with them, but uh but it's all good. So, we have an amazing

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township staff. Thank you so much. >> Okay. Thank you guys. Appreciate it. >> I didn't realize there's any >> just very quick number one last last evening I was critical about not knowing about the meeting like you guys went. I

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did see this post and I greatly appreciate. So, thank you for that. quick response on that. And and the other thing is is that we we had a very good working relationship with Sally Brook. I was now I'm disappointed again

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because again, we didn't know anything about this meeting that I think something just behind us. I don't know. But I mean, I certainly would have attended that meeting because I had a high interest and all sound really um what's going on here. So we you know I

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don't know what we do know or what we don't know other than I know I saw a photo of your stuff being at that meeting but I didn't see anybody else like that. So um anyway saying that uh maybe we can get to come here and do a

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presentation. Yeah, >> because I think that we, you know, the residents, there's 800 homes that want to get serious that wind up getting affected by fire and any kind of work or anything that's being done try to correct it. I think they should know

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about Thank you. >> Thank you so much, Mr. Davidson. And speak uh speaking of uh speedy responses, uh our clerk, Gina Kim, just pulled up the hourly rates for this project proposal, and it does range anywhere from $85,

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uh all the way to $425, but a majority of it seem to be in the 100 to 200 range. >> Yes. So, the whole thing, 800,000, you got to do a lot of work for that. >> Thanks so much, Mr. Davidson. Mr. Scarpa. >> Joe Scarpa.

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>> Why did he say there was no status? >> He doesn't have it in front of him. I have the luxury of a computer right next to me. >> Just that I didn't have it with me. >> Okay. Um, just one thing. Uh, committee

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woman was going on for hours today on Facebook political attacks, which is fine, but she was at work. What does that have to do with the township of Rochelle Park? >> She's a council person. So I went to She was right about politics.

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>> No. Well, that's not that's not really accurate. It has nothing what someone does at their workplace has nothing to do with Rosha Park. Nor does the politics. >> She's talking as an official in the town. >> Nor does the >> she was talking as an official in the town. >> So you want to comment on what she said

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in her post? >> That she threatened to be removed from the town hall in Washington. Well, that's >> again, yeah, that's in call for the police chief here >> to remove me from the media. >> That's inaccurate. >> That's not what the chief said.

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>> All right, but you're bringing an issue regarding Wington. That's a Wington issue, not a Rochelle Park. >> I just Ro, why are there two police here? We had shootings on streets >> and you have two police here. >> Because you came to my job to harass me

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to intimidate. You did. >> We drove from >> All right. All right. This is a personal dispute regarding something that's irrelevant to this meeting. So, please keep it relevant to the township meeting. >> I don't see them now. I I I don't see >> I I don't see them now. I did see two

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police officers. I'm there's there's been many meetings this year where the police department has been present. >> And I know that you've been present for some of them as well. >> Why? >> I'm not sure why the two police officers were here. I have no idea. So, who requested them?

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>> I don't know if they were requested or if they strolled in. Uh, >> say it would be better served the residents to have them on the streets patrol. >> Yeah, I have >> I got more police in here, but there's no need that too. I think they better all patrolling the streets.

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>> Thank you for your comments. Anybody else? Seeing our hearing, no one, can I get a motion to close public comment? >> Motion. >> Can I get a second? >> Second. >> All in favor? >> I. >> I. Any opposed? Wonderful. Gentlemen, thank you so much for being here. We

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really appreciate it. >> All right. Uh, Miss Kim, any correspondence? >> Any new business? Township committee. You know, just to remind everybody again that um national app is coming up on

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August 4th. Thank you. >> Right. And I believe there's going to be a couple of tables. I think there's also going to be a table for donations. I've been working with uh Dominic about donations for the school. So, if you want to backpack or whatever. Um and of course, there's a couple other tables that are going to be there also. I see

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there's going to be a boy scout table there, too, right? Um sign up for scouts or something. >> Yes, I believe I saw that as well. Thank you for bringing that up. >> Access. Yeah. Access for all. Is that Wreck's going to be there, too, but that's good. Yeah.

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>> Anything further? >> No, thank you. >> Wonderful. All right, let's move right along to approval of the agenda. Before we approve the agenda, can I have a motion to add resolution 237 to authorize the administrator to provide layoff notices to township employees and

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add resolution 238, acceptance of proposal uh to college engineering for project manager of pump station. Do I have a motion to add those resolutions to the consent agenda? >> Yes, I said proposal. >> Yeah. Yeah. >> Do I have a motion?

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>> Motion. >> Do you have a second? Second. All in favor? I. Any opposed? All right. May I have a motion to approve the agenda as amended? >> Motion. >> Have a second. >> Second. All in favor? >> I I. Any opposed? Thank you so much.

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It's time for the consent agenda. All items listed below are considered routine and non-controversial and be approved by one motion. There'll be no separate discussions unless a committee member or citizen requests that it be removed and considered separately. May I have a motion to approve the consent agenda? Excuse me. Motion as a citizen.

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I have request um notification of layoffs. Is there any discussion on that? >> No. >> Does anyone have any discussion on that? No. >> No. >> What's it about? >> What department? We will we allow to know anything?

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>> Yeah, it's the uh uh uh police department uh and the court employees impacted by the shared service agreements. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Yeah. >> Uh, dispatch. Thank you.

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>> Yep. >> Do I have a second? >> Second. >> All right. Please. >> Yes. Woman Judge Cabella. >> Yes. >> Yes. Mayor Miller. >> Yes. >> All right. The next meeting of the township committee will be held on Wednesday, August 26th at 7:00 p.m. Is

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there any further business? May I have a motion to adjourn this meeting? >> Motion. >> Have a second. >> Second. All >> in favor? I. Any oppose? This meeting is now adjourned. Thank you so much and we'll see you at the next meeting. Don't