Yeah, we got an easy You guys good? >> This meeting's called to order in accordance with the open public meetings law in accordance with chapter 231 of the public laws of 1975 adequate notice of this meeting has been provided. This
meeting of May 4th, 2026 was provided to the Curry News and Star ledger and placed on the burough's website and placed on the bulletin board at Burough Hall. A copy of this notice is available to the public and a copy of the statement shall be included in the minutes of the meeting. Mayor Brian Gallagher
>> here. Council members Terresa Bonner is excused this evening. Andrew Ki >> here. >> Glen Zeny >> here. >> Randy Pitts >> here. >> Gina Stravik >> here. >> Roger Vern >> here. >> All right. Motion for approval of the minutes of April 6 and April 20. >> So moved. >> Second. >> Discussion. Roll call, please.
>> Council members Andrew Ky. >> Yes. >> Glen, >> yes. >> Randy Pitts, >> yes. >> Gina Stravik, >> yes. Roger Verm. >> Yes. >> All right. Please stand for the salute to the flag and please remain standing afterwards. >> 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. >> And I would just like to ask for a moment of silence for uh for uh two people. Uh first is uh Herb Hall. Uh Herb was a longtime fixture uh in
Somerville, born and raised in Somerville. He was actually raised in a home where the county jail is and uh then moved to Fairmont Avenue and he was my neighbor. Um Herb was one of those go-to guys who did everything. Uh when we started a local public access
television station, Herb was the station manager. He started TV. Uh when our cemetery was near bankruptcy, uh we placed Herb in charge and he fixed it. When our library, uh was near insolveny, uh same thing. We put Herb in charge, he
fixed it. Um he was also very active with the county adult day center. Um just a man about town. Uh a good guy and uh he will be missed very very deeply. Um and then also um yesterday uh a
precious little six-year-old boy who attends Vander School unexpectedly passed away. And I would ask for your prayers and your concern for for his family. >> Thank you. Okay, departmental reports uh and
notices. Um we have our Memorial Day parade coming up on May 25th. Uh and then we also obviously have the uh the tour of Somerville bike races uh immediately following the parade. I'm sure Glenn may have some additional items to report on that. Uh let's go
through committee reports. manager. >> Uh historic advisory committee didn't meet last month, but we will be meeting on the 21st here uh at 7:00 7:30. So, please come out and talk about our historical buildings and how we can help support them. >> Great. Thank you, Gina.
>> Uh the Somerville Rescue Squad responded to 119 calls um in the month of April. Uh they continue to do good work for our burrow. Um the board of health meets on May 20th. Um they did have volunteers out at uh the public pulooa and also uh
the green fair. Uh some county board of health was there yesterday. Uh so thanks to all those folks and also um as less on to the department of public works. I just like to say thanks for their help the past couple weeks. Uh they've done a lot of great work in town and um new leadership and and uh an invigorated
department. So thank you to their leadership and to the the good workers of our municipality. >> Great. Agreed. Glenn, thank you. I'll start with a uh report for the DSA from Councilwoman Bonner. Uh Puppy Pooa, which was just held, uh brought an
additional 4,700 unique visitors, making it sec the largest event, second only to the International Street Fair. So, a very successful first venue for that. And then also, uh downtown just welcomed the Bloom Bazaar to Division Street. So,
check that out. And girls night out is coming soon next Thursday. You can find tickets available at the DSA's social media and Eventbrite. The theme is Hollywood glitz and glam. So, come on out and hopefully the weather will hold for that one next week as well. All
right. And then uh let me start with I'll go start with the environmental commission. So, the environmental commission has been busy, although we don't meet till next Tuesday the 12th at 7 p.m. right here. But, we did have to reschedule our green fair and our cleanup. So, they was held yesterday. Uh
luckily we were able to partner up with the farmers market and we still had over 30 volunteers helping clean up yesterday and some had done it informally before that. Uh many people were out to enjoy the fair and we want to thank the environmental commission especially Tim Marie for all the flexibility and
organizing in putting those events together and being able to pivot when the weather was not so friendly. So thank you and see us next Tuesday for that meeting on the 12th. All right. Uh lots of things for today and then uh tour Somerville. So touris Somerville
committee's been meeting uh pretty repeatedly. We just had another OEM meeting about that with the tour of Somerville and it is coming up quickly. Memorial Day right after the parade. We'll have the 81st running of the Tour of Somerville. It is America's longest running bike race. So come on out and see that. Um, there will be an enhanced
community zone between Bridge Street and Grove Street, uh, with lots of activities for the kids, including a cycling course set up by Pops Cycles. So, uh, definitely come for the parade and stay for the races. You can find more information at toursomer.com.
Uh, there is now merchandise available and definitely a lot more information on that website. So, looking forward to that as well. >> Awesome. Thank you. >> Ready. >> Thank you, Mayor. And good evening, everyone. In recognition of National Small Business Week, I'd like to take a
moment to acknowledge the small businesses that make Somerville such a special place. Small businesses create local jobs, define our downtown, and give our community its character. They show up every day. Trust me, I know it. Not for
a corporation, but for our neighbors. This week, I encourage everyone to shop local and support the entrepreneurs who are investing in Somerville. And I'd also like to mention if next year we could do a proclamation for our small businesses. >> Absolutely. Yes.
>> Thank you. >> Good. Thank you, Roger. >> I have nothing. >> Okay. Um All right. Uh I do have a uh a resolution uh that I'd like to present. This is in honor of Asian-American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, which
is May of 2026. And I'm going to come down there for this. I don't know if anybody would like to come up and join. Come on over here. You gonna >> Yeah, come on in here.
>> Come on in. >> Ken, get up here. You have never been shy in your entire life. Now's not the time to start. Okay. Gives me great pleasure to present this. Um whereas the United States
Congress designated May as an Asian-American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, officially recognized since 1992 to celebrate the achievements, contributions, and culture of Americans of Asian and Pacific Islander descent. And whereas Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders
represent one of the fastest growing and most diverse populations in the United States, encompassing more than 50 distinct ethnic groups and speaking more than 100 languages whose histories, cultures, and traditions have enriched our national character for generations.
And whereas Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders have made extraordinary contributions to the fabric of American life, serving with distinction in the United States military, advancing science, medicine, arts, education, business, and public service, and building thriving communities throughout
our nation. And whereas the burrow of Somerville is home to a vibrant and growing AAPI community whose residents, families, and business owners contribute meaningfully to the cultural, civic, and economic life of the burrow, including through cultural, and faith-based
organizations, as well as a diverse array of locallyowned businesses that include Soulville, Quite Noodles, Tease Up, Cafe Day, Manila, Utaka, Sushi Palace, Yokohama, I Sushi, Canton Palace, Hong Kong Garden, Monty and
Milo, Black Belt World, Maintain, Spotted Leaf, Taco, Sweet Parlor, Boulevard Seafood, Dosy and Chai, Bombay Canteen, and Sunrise Massage Therapy. And whereas the Burrow of Somerville along with the downtown Somerville Alliance strongly support the AAPI
community with appointments to various boards that include the DSA and land use boards. And whereas the mayor and burough council of the burough of Somerville recognize that celebrating the diversity, heritage, and contributions of our AAPI neighbors strengthens our community and affirms
our shared commitment to inclusion, equity, and mutual respect. Now therefore, I, Brian Gallagher, mayor of the Burrow of Somerville, along with the Burough Council, do hereby recognize the month of May as Asian-American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month and urge
all residents to join in honoring and celebrating the extraordinary heritage, achievements, and contributions of our Asian-American and Pacific Islander community members. Thank you. Yes, you can. I will present this to
who? You know what? I've known Ken the longest. So, Ken, you present this to you, but we will get copies to present that to you. speech. >> Sure.
>> Thanks for your Thank you all for coming out. We appreciate it very much taking your time out of your day. Okay. This is Okay. Next up is um a presentation uh for the community energy plan. Uh it's a
public hearing uh and I think Glenn's going to do some introductions on this. >> Sure. Thank you, Mayor. So, the community energy plan we'll hear more about, but the uh the burrow received a grant in order to try to to start to make a plan uh in order to become a little more sustainable. And we will
hear the details here, but the environmental commission has worked hard along with TNM associates uh to look through priorities and have some big discussions because there's obviously an awful lot that we could do to save energy. So, we had to narrow that field down a little bit and try to generate a
plan that we would be able to move forward to. So, it kind of provides a roadmap for the burrow moving forward in energy initiatives, but we'll hear more details from Gail from TNM. >> Great. >> Thank you. >> Thank you so much, Councilman. Good evening. Thank you for
>> Oh, yeah. Just >> on button. Good evening. We'll try that again. Thank you, Councilman, for the introduction. >> Um, it's a pleasure to be here tonight. Um, I'm also going to introduce myself, Gail Lala. I'm with TNM Associates. I'm a part of the planning group that has
been working with the green team and the burough administration on compiling uh Somerville's community energy plan. And I also want to introduce to my right is Porna from Sustainable Jersey who is a
technical assistance partner. I'll go to the next slide. So today we're going to cover I think I can scroll here. Um, what is a community energy plan? The community energy data for Somerville, what's been
gathered to date. >> Perfect. And I'll just talk through in terms of discussing what a community energy plan is. So it's essentially a framework that accomplishes the state's goals which were outlined in um the previous version of the energy master
plan which is to have 20% clean energy goals by 2050. It empowers municipalities to create actionable plans that reduce communitywide energy consumption. So today we're going to cover just some more details high level
on what goes into the master plan, what goes into the energy data that we've been reviewing the energy actions that have been considered. We'd love to seek continuous public input for a select period of time and then we'll discuss next steps and what we hope to
accomplish. So as I mentioned before, a community entry plan is a town level road map that helps a municipality understand its energy usage. It sets local priorities and aligns with the New Jersey Energy Master Plan to create a cleaner, more
resilient, and more affordable energy future. So, it's it's known as more of a regional townwide study um that improves and accelerates energy um energy products. So, the state New Jersey board
of public utilities created this program about four years ago. So they're actually I think in their energy year four with issuing grants for the amounts of 10,000 and 25,000 $25,000 grants were for overburdened communities. Somerville
Burough falls into the $10,000 grant category and we started this process once the grant was awarded successfully to the bureau by identifying strategic directions to reduce overall consumption with strategies that the state has
outlined. Um we met with the green team in January of 20 of this year actually for just reviewing some high level priorities and then we reviewed the data collection. So Sustainable Jersey has been a great technical partner because
they actually house all of the information that has existed from 2015 till today and we'll show that we're here today to gather public input. So this is considered our second stakeholder meeting. Our first was with the green team and then we've had
continuous discussion with the administration and department um contacts. Then the next step is creating the plan. Um sustainable Jersey had provided a template for the plan. It's called a work plan which has all of the
strategies that are outlined as well as deadlines, departments that are involved and the implementation um deadline. So our goal is to finalize that in early June for adoption um potentially in June into July.
So after the first stakeholder meeting and with um robust discussions with the administration, we came up with these core areas. Um I'll speak to them high level since this is a small screen. Strategy one um which is reducing energy
consumption and emissions from the transportation sector. So there are five areas that we hope to include in the plan. Adopting supportive zoning and regulations for EV infrastructure, electric vehicles, purchasing alternative fuel fuel vehicles,
improving municipal fleet efficiency and solving public EV charging and community EV outreach. So that falls within that area. Then we moved on to strategy two which is focused on accelerating deployment of renewable energy and distributed energy resources. So that
will entail looking at additional supportive zoning and permitting for solar, buying renewable energy for municipal facilities, community solar as an outreach coordinator, and hosting a community solar project on municipal property. So what's interesting about the community entry plan is that you can
identify actions that are already underway. So we understand that um successfully um Somerville has um adopted a community solar project on a a site. So that will be incorporated into the plan. Then moving along to strategy
four, reducing energy consumption and emissions from the building sector. So this is looking at implementing a green building policy and then looking at giving guidance for developers to complete a green development checklist. So that could be something that's housed within the construction and zoning
department. Strategy six, lastly, is supporting community energy planning and action with an emphasis on encouraging and supporting participation by low and moderate income and environmental justice community. So, that's a mouthful. So this focuses on inclusivity
and energy outreach to low and moderate income residents households and also encouraging more support for the community solar subscriptions which um helps out any residential property that doesn't have access to building physical
solar on site. So there were seven overall strategies. So this is what we came up with um through our process of convening. Then just drilling down into Somerville's energy data um with a
population size of around 12,000. Um it's pretty common that this is a makeup of also um the residential use, commercial, industrial, and then street lighting. Um I'm just going to move quickly into
transportation. So uh most popularly other recipients of the community entry plan um tend to focus on strategy one transportation because that's typically the largest area for greenhouse gas emissions. Um so in this we've shown 85%
for car, truck and van um are the means of transportation for um any commuting work. And that's really important to note because we are looking at um ways that we can adopt clean and alternative
fuel uh vehicle projects that support reducing greenhouse gas emissions in this area. So, this is also just a a sampling of electric vehicle infrastructure that's been installed within the Burough of Somerville. This is um a list that's
evolving. So, we have more up-to-date numbers that are going to be uploaded online to the website to show what's as of today as there are some other level two installations that have been underway in recent in recent years.
I think in today's data we were looking at about 300 electric vehicles that are currently used within the bureau. So we'll show that in an updated graphic. Then the next slide shows uh renewable energy and solar potential by property
which is showing 74% on the left and then available solar capacity on the right. In today's data, since between the years 2005 and 2025, there's been about 251 residential solar
installations and 17 commercial solar installations within that time period. So, a total of 277 total. And then this is just drilling into prior residential energy data that we have pulled from Sustainable Jerseys
community profile uh website. And we also were analyzing the uptick of um work from home because that was interesting data to also see um a reduction in some commuting too.
The next slide is commercial and industrial properties. Um so this shows that there has been participation successfully from commercial properties in energy efficiency and incentive programs. So we'll talk more about what types of incentive programs are
available for residential, commercial, industrial and municipal. So it's showing about 24 completed projects in this time period and I am going to enroll your help actually to Marie or the chair of the green team. So, we're seeking public
input because we find that it's incredibly important in this process to have comprehensive input to all of the strategies that have been selected and to see if there's any areas that we're missing in terms of projects that are underway within a residential, commercial, industrial capacity. So,
there's a couple ways that we're going to invite the public to provide questions or feedback. One is by emailing the environmental commission at somervillej.org. by we're respect respectfully asking by May 27th so we can have enough time to
incorporate these comments into the final community community energy plan document and then we also have these poster boards to my right that has the overarching four strategies. So we're going to hand out sticky notes and
markers so that you can provide feedback and give any comments. It could be something as I'd like to see maybe electric vehicle infrastructure on this particular street. Um, tell me more about what is community solar. So, we welcome all types of feedback on the
post-it notes. So, that will be there um within the bureau um on display. Okay. Then next, so public and comments get included uh by May 27th. will finalize the community energy plan by
early June. Uh we'll look at coming before the governing body uh one final time for the adoption of the final community energy plan by early July. And then my favorite step because I'm also a grant writer is seeking additional
funding which is always something we want to look at concurrently. So this grant pays for the the work plan and the overall brainstorming um and data analysis but the implementation is
really where um within the next three to five years you can have a majority of the projects underway. So potential funding sources you can see here that can be considered are the utility incentive programs which include rebates
um for things like heating um cooling equipment anything with energy efficiency uh building measurement system um BMS technology uh variable frequency drives etc. They also have solar programs. So that's the
PSEG utility incentive program. Uh New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection also has a great tool for overall funding for green projects. So I encourage to to also look at this active list. There's Drive Green New Jersey also housed within NJD and the New
Jersey Board of Public Utilities will also um showcase hopefully more additional incentives for implementation as well. In the past, they've had rounds of funding for 250,000 is the ceiling for implementation of projects that they select from the final
work plan. And then lastly, there's an overall New Jersey grants database that you can also look at mining potential grants that will um coincide with the work plan. So, the goal is to have a funding source tied to each strategy.
And with that, um, I can open it up for questions. >> Questions from council first. >> So, sorry. So, I have uh a few comments and then a question as well. So, first off, just thank you for all your work and then also the environmental
commission for coming out and all the extra time I know you put in into other meetings uh to come up with this initial plan and start us off on the right foot. So, I appreciate all of that. And then as far as the the strategies you reviewed, I sort of catched the four intersecting elements, right? We had
sort of how we move with our environ with our EVs, how we obtain our energy through solar, how we build, so how we're developing and growing the burrow, and then also an element of fairness, so making sure that all the residents are included and benefit from these energy
initiatives. And I think all four of those are great and intersect in a lot of different ways. And as we go forward, I think we'll see how they they interact even more. The only question I have then is sort of in that building element, and I think you just alluded a little bit to it, is how do we get more of the
established commercial buildings to take advantage of some of these things as well. I would say that was the only thing that I didn't quite see lots of new, you know, we could take care of the new development with some of the green building, but as far as existing development, trying to get them to help participate in some of it, too. So that
I guess that's my question is how to do that. >> Absolutely. So um I can jump in by just giving a high level which will be details that we um write into the plan um as encouraging. So the step one for implementing a green building policy um
it's similar to encouraging existing developers and new construction for participating in programs like third-party green building certification programs such as the US green building council lead well um and other
certifying bodies. It could be also a custommade program that the bureau has with priorities that they would like to see. Maybe it's um outside of adoption of being e um solar ready for rooftops which is
already an existing ordinance um for many municipalities. It could be also some other um areas of maybe green infrastructure. So this is an area that has a lot of room for customizing it to what fits your current development
community. Um which this is where it would be very interesting to get additional input from from the public on on this piece. Um and then >> yeah absolutely >> to cover the point you've just mentioned we can add strategy three that is for
existing buildings. uh focuses largely on the municipal buildings but it also includes other buildings in the community and programs like PSG's energy efficiency opportunities which are for all three the municipal or the local government sector which includes the
schools and municipalities and it also has programs for the residential commercial and large business uh in this township. So PSCNGs since you have both electric and gas through PSENG uh it's a great opportunity to work with them they
have uh come up this uh cycle the trienium 2 for even decarb decarbonization projects which allow you to move from traditional fuels uh as well as natural gas to electric. So all these opportunities for existing
buildings are there from PSCNG and there are also other grants available from DP which we can see in the grants navigator but we'll add a strategy three to it then. >> Great. Thank you. >> Other questions? No, excuse me. There'll be there'll be an opportunity for the
public. Um any other questions? I'd just like to add I'm I'm uh I think everyone wants to see their energy bill reduced um as as uh we're in an energy crisis right now and there was a third a
lot of value in third party energy plans um purchasing third party energy and and I and I know that that had been done by municipalities too. So I don't know if that there's still a market for that if that's possible but that's something that that I would put in as a question
and a possibility. government energy aggregation again. >> Yes, that was a potential strategy for I think this is strategy number >> two. >> Yes, towards the end of two I think it
was maybe 2.7 um for uh participating in energy aggregation or municipal energy procurement. Um I think as a part of our exercise we want to make sure that we can provide um a look at existing
municipal energy usage and um provide more education if there is interest in uh energy purchasing aggregation or co-op as well. >> So so a couple of things one thank you uh this is this is an interesting very
interesting concept. So, um, to to Glenn's point from the already built outside, we should probably then also be looking at the zoning behind it to to ensure that the zoning would allow for the implementation of solar, for
example, or for an EV charging station because it behind it there are, you know, there's challenges behind it. So, I would imagine that has to fit into this then as well and that would become part of that plan. >> Correct. >> That's correct, Mayor. Yes, we would um include
um there are model ordinances that we can include. Actually, Sustainable Jersey also gives templates for um customizing those. Um I believe we were looking at potentially the solar sighting ordinance to see if there was anything that um needed to be updated in
the future for encouraging more. >> Yeah. So, so then it it kind of dovetales. We we've been, you know, very broad uh discussion about the idea of having a centralized a municipal centralized EV charging lot, a larger
lot uh or Veterans Memorial Drive, which I think there's actually a grant application on for tonight to uh to put charging stations along Veterans Memorial Drive actually over here. Um I guess the timing is good because we're coming, you know, we've got the
community solar project. we have a PS substation down at the end of South Bridge Street. I guess my question is is there enough juice >> to handle this? And I I I don't know. I don't know that for a fact. So I think that's really an engagement that would
have to be done with PS as well to ensure that you know the the plan we come up with ultimately does have the ability to be fulfilled because PS is an integral player in all of this as well. So, you know, and I don't know, it's nothing you can answer at this point,
but I I think it's just something that we should all be aware of that, you know, is there enough juice to handle it? And it's just a question. >> Yeah, >> I think there is. Uh, the capacity maps are available in the renewable energy part of the planning process. And as for
those maps I just saw on the screen, it's green and yellow, which means there is capacity. The red is the lowest >> section. So, right now, you are in green and yellow. there is significant capacity and like you rightly mentioned uh PSG is the first point of contact
they will be able to kind of confirm the possibility of doing these projects >> okay >> because the interconnection part would be handled by them so they will confirm that there is possibility for interconnection and once that is approved by them then you can add on the
projects >> okay okay all right thank you >> that's included in the planning process Great. Thank you. Uh we have to open up a public hearing. Correct. >> Yes. >> Okay. So I'll ask uh council for a motion to open the public hearing. >> So moved. >> Second. >> Discussion. Uh roll call.
>> Council members. Andrew Kiy. >> Yes. >> Lendy. Yes. >> Randy Pitts. Yes. >> Gina Stravik. Yes. >> Roger F. >> Yes. >> All right. Public hearing is now open. >> If you have a comment, uh please feel free to come up >> and just state your name and address for the record, please.
And these are comments. Uh uh >> Mayor David was part of the So we do have a Yes, we do have a team. Uh David and Tim Marie is part of that uh team that we put together with Gail. Yes. So, so I just wanted to kind of get the
context. >> Absolutely. >> Thank you. Uh so there's two points I wanted to make until I heard about uh the business and I was raising my hand out a third. First, I wanted to commend T Marie Deal for her leadership on the EC and for guiding the subcommittee that
decided on the initiatives that were presented to you. Um, second, I want to emphasize that these initiatives are not about politics, that energy is the foundation of how every community functions and prospers. And these
recommendation these recommendations speak to the reliability, resilience, affordability, and long-term planning. Things that matter to every resident regardless of their viewpoint. And as a voting member of this community, it's my
expectation that this council and the mayor take these initiatives and the forthcoming community energy plan very seriously. The energy landscape that these initiatives envision is one that positions Somerville for long-term prosperity, stability, and
competitiveness. And with regards to um the buildings that you were talking about before, the BPU offers a program called CPACE, which um does not involve government grants. It it leverages uh commercial lending and leverages
property tax uh payments to businesses which means that the initial upfront money is provided through a loan and payback is over the length of the uh the notes on those buildings and carries over to whoever owns those buildings.
which means that it's relatively more simple for a business to finance those energy efficiencies. So I just wanted to bring up CPACE as an possible avenue. So, so to that end, a an avenue for something like that might be creating a
toolkit for business, for small business, correct? They could, you know, whether it's PSEG, the the uh what the program that you just talked about and creating a toolkit for them to understand as part of our program. >> There is the the the obstacle for CPACE
is that it does place an additional burden on the town's tax department because they're the ones that need to place what the loan payback would be through their property taxes. So there is a burden that's placed on the town.
>> Thank you. >> Thank you. Thank you. >> Any other public comment? >> Hi. Uh Tim Deal, 76 Culver Street, um chair of the environmental commission. Thank you guys uh for for listening to this. I just wanted to make a quick comment. Um the environmental commission
is is really proud and excited to be a part of this process. Um, we are taking our role in it very seriously. Um, you know, we have David and Helen and Jeff Kaiser and I are kind of the the subcommittee spearheading this. Um, and
it's been really great to work with TNM and and Kevin, uh, you know, as we kind of aligned on these. I did want to just quickly shed a little bit of light on how we ended up with the I think it's 10 or 12 of the initiatives, the strategies that we landed on. So um you know we
approached this very um regimentedly. We essentially created like a rubric um and we took all 40 of the possible strategies that are available and we kind of scored them um to the best of our our judgment um on a few different
types of um uh categories. So we tried to really whittle it down based on just sheer, you know, understanding of what would be the most feasible for the town and balancing that with what would be the most impactful. Um we considered the
financial impact for uh the cost from the bureau or from the resident or you know whatever the situation was. Um so we really tried to take uh take this in a way that that was very analytical um while also including that human element uh that's needed for um you know some of
the the very kind of uh impactful pieces of this. So, um, and in all of that, I did want to recognize, um, David Vorne, who you just heard. Um, his, uh, part to play here, has been instrumental in, um,
you know, our understanding of, uh, of the energy space in general. He sits on the Somerset Energy Council and has been just a font of knowledge and enthusiasm and passion. Um, so I just wanted to take a moment to thank David. Um and yeah, so really just a one last plea to
um anybody watching, anybody here tonight. Um we really want input from the residents and um you know, we don't want to be making uh these types of suggestions to uh to you guys and to the town in a vacuum. So um please reach out
to the environmental commission email at environmental commission at somervilleen njj.org or um include the post-it notes um uh live in Burough Hall whenever we can get that set up. Um but yeah, thank you so much. >> Great. Thank you. Any other public
comment? >> I'll ask for a motion to close the public hearing. >> So move. >> Second discussion. Roll call. >> Council members Andrew Kiy. >> Yes. >> Glen, yes. >> Randy Pitts, yes. >> Gina Stravik, yes. >> Roger Ver, >> yes. >> All right. Uh thank you very much. Thank you to the Environmental Commission.
Thank you to the uh green team. And uh thank you to TM TNM as well. >> And mayor, one final word. I saw that list. It is very hard to narrow down. You look at it and you're like, "Oh, we could do that that that that." Like it's very hard. So they they've worked really hard trying to figure out the best, you know, get the best bang for the best
buck both environmentally and financially. >> Well, I think some would be very surprised to find out that I actually sat on the sustainable Jersey for schools committee as we developed the criteria in order to achieve that certification. I don't think I don't think people understand that that I do
get it. I understand it. Um and I sat on that for probably about six, eight months as we developed that criteria. So it's very interesting and I do understand it. So thank you. I I have to point out how great it is that we are already down the road on some of these things, right? Like our community solar efforts are already underway. Our
electric vehicle efforts have already been underway. It's just great that we are um this plan's coming out, but also and thank you all for your hard work, but it's it's great that we're kind of already on the way. >> All right. Um at this point, I will open
up the meeting to the public. Uh let's ask for a motion. >> So moved. >> Second. >> Discussion. >> Roll call. >> Council members. Andrew Ki. >> Yes. >> Glendon, >> yes. >> Randy Pitts, >> yes. >> Gina Strav, >> yes. >> Roger Ver, >> yes. >> All right. Public meeting is open uh for comment. Uh, please state your name and
address for the record. Please address your comments to me. >> Peter Roose, 190 North Mid Street, Somerville, New Jersey. Uh, I was here two weeks ago when Mr. Vroom was sitting where you're sitting. Uh, Mr.
And I asked a couple of questions about um the building that's going to happen on uh Mountain Avenue. And I was wondering if I could get a few answers from my questions, the density, how many units we're going to propose to be put in there, or is that going to be tabled
until the meeting of the 18th? >> That's it. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Any other public comment? >> Hearing none, I'll ask for a motion to close. >> So moved. >> Second >> discussion. Roll call. >> Council members Andrew Kiy. >> Yes. >> Glen Deny. Yes.
>> Randy Pitts. Yes. Gina Stravik. Yes. Roger >> F. Yes. >> So, so Mr. Roose, uh, what I will tell you is that there is no plan um, right now. The only thing that's being addressed is is zoning. Uh, that area, the Reuben Estate, is zoned R1.
Currently, when all of this is done, it will be zoned R1, which means single family residential. Uh, I don't know if if everybody understood that. The only change is it goes from a 10,000 square foot lot as an
R1 to a 7,000 square foot lot as an R1. I believe the density, if I'm not mistaken, is six units per acre. Um, nothing changes. That's the only change that was made. Uh the only additional change is that it allows for
the that the ordinance burrowwide now allows for a percentage of affordable housing and that percentage is either 15 or 20 depending on whether it's rental or for sale. Um so there is no change.
If the owner of the property wants to come for added density, it's no different. They would have to go to the zoning board. That's it. nothing changes and and I think um emotions may have gotten the better of
of of some folks and you know nobody likes change. Nobody wants it to change. It's been a beautiful parkland for well the house has been vacant for 15 the house was vacant for about 15 years. They had a few folks living in
there. Uh but it's been down for what eight years now? Nine years. and everybody gets used to a park. It's their property, so they have the ability to uh to build on it. Is it
going to be one house? I I couldn't tell you what they want to do. I I can tell you I just met with them to help try to understand where they want to go, but up to this point, nothing's been done with that property. And the burrow's engaged uh those residents over the last 20
years. I've had three or four engagements uh on that piece of property to figure out what's next. So, um in our planning process, we took a very careful look at that and we said we don't want it to change from an R1. We don't. So,
it's still an R1. That's it. So, I I hope that answered your question. um it may not satisfy uh but but it I think it answers the question of you know what's the density and and I think it's about six units per
acre um which is which falls in line with the R1. It's a little bit less uh in terms of square footage but it's an R1. So um all right with that we will go on to ordinances for intro uh ordinance
for introduction. Uh, ordinance number 2801 is amending chapter 102 entitled land use development article 11 entitled zoning section 116 entitled conditional uses subsection U entitled fences to establish that an applicant can have a
combination of fence material. So this is in relation to corner lots. Corner lots are a very different uh animal when it comes to fences and the burough took a uh a good look at this last year to try to amend the zoning ordinance. And what this does is it does allow for uh
different fence types on a corner lot provided that it goes before the architectural review board for review and approval. Again, what we're trying to do is to give people who live on a corner lot the ability to enhance their pro their their property without being
punished for living on a corner. So, um I will open up for public comment, which I don't have to do, but I always do. Uh public comment on this ordinance now is open. Hearing none. Oh, okay. Hearing none, I'll close public comment and ask for a
motion for introduction. >> So moved. >> Discussion. >> Roll call. >> Council members. Andrew Kiy. >> Yes. >> Glen Deny. >> Yes. >> Randy Pitts. >> Yes. >> Gina Stravik. Yes. >> Roger Verm. >> Yes. >> All right. Ordinance for public hearing and adoption. Uh, ordinance number 28-
2800-26-0420 eliminating chapter 112 of the burough code entitled newspaper recycling listing chapter 112 as reserved. Kevin, can we just give us an overview on that? >> Yeah, this is an ordinance from I I think from the 1980s maybe. Uh,
basically what it is, it's it's obviously we recycle paper. This the ordinance talked about stacking it on the curb line which we don't do. So, it's eliminating this ordinance from our books. As as we spend the year going through the book, we're going to be
picking some of these ordinances out that no longer apply. So, this really just doesn't apply anymore to what we do. >> Understood. Uh, I'll ask for a motion to open the public hearing. >> So, moved. Second. >> Discussion. Roll call. >> Council members Andrew Ky. >> Yes.
>> Lens, yes. >> Randy Pitts, yes. Gina Stravik, yes. Roger Verm, >> yes. >> All right. Uh public comment or public hearing on 2800 is now open. >> Hearing none, I'll ask for a motion to close. >> So moved. >> Second. >> Discussion. Roll call. >> Council members Andrew Ky. >> Yes. >> Lensen. Yes. Randy Pitts. Yes. Gina
Stravik. Yes. Roger Verm. >> Yes. >> Um I will ask for a motion for adoption. Please. >> So moved. >> Second. >> Second. >> Discussion. Roll call. >> Council members Andrew Ky. >> Yes. >> Glen Deny. Yes. >> Randy Pitts. Yes. >> Gina Stravick. Yes. >> Roger Verm. >> Yes.
>> Okay. Consent resolutions. Are there any to be pulled off for further discussion? >> 149 >> 155. Okay. >> All right. Uh 145 is approving Somerville Fire Department application for Mustafa Mallister. 146 is approving
the hiring of full-time lifeguards for the 26 pool season. 147 is issuing a refund of uncollectable taxes address known as 444 Katherine Street block and lot as noted. 148 is recognizing May 3 through 9ine as Small Business Week in Somerville Burrow. Please support your
Somerville small businesses. They're the entrepreneurs, lifeblood, and economic engine of this burrow. So, support them every day. Uh 150 is approving uh approval to submit a grant application and execute a grant contract to New Jersey Department of Transportation,
local aid 27, transit village grant program for Veterans Memorial Drive, enhanced pedestrian crossings, and EV charging stations. 151 authorizing the burough administrator to submit a grant application to the statewide joint insurance fund for the procurement of a public emergency notification system.
152 is approving the Triumph Association to utilize parking spaces in front of historic courthouse on August 14 from 5 to 9:00 p.m. for cruise night. 153 is authorizing the mayor, CFO, and clerk administrator to execute a grant agreement with the state of New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
for the Green Communities Inventory and CFMP development program. 154 is approving chapter 159 for the state of New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and JUCF Green Communities 24 grant. 156 is authorizing a refund in the amount of $100 to Main Street Cheese
for a food license fee paid in March 26. 157 is approving the MOU between the Office of Professional Employees International Union and the Bureau of Somerville for the period January 126 through December 3129 and authorizing the burough administrator and mayor to
execute all necessary documents. 158 is approving the annual tour of Somerville Bike Race and Memorial Day parade May 25 and approving all required road closures and defined by the road closure and detour plans. Do we have a motion? >> So moved. >> Second. >> Roll call. >> Council members Andrew Kiy.
>> Yes. Glendon, yes. Randy Pitts, yes. Gina Stravik, yes. >> Roger Ver, >> yes. >> All right. 149 is authorizing a contract for extraordinary unspecifiable services to National Fitness Campaign LP for the purchase, delivery, and installation of a National Fitness Campaign Fitness Court. Do we have a motion? >> So moved.
>> Second >> discussion. >> Uh I just brought it up because uh I did look it up. It seems very interesting. I think the title is very odd. Unspec unspecifiable services. Um could we clarify that? Uh yes, council member, >> that's the state of New Jersey.
>> Yeah. So there there's two options to do this. Um there's a formal bid process where the number of biders that could bid on it is limited to those that are proprietary contractors for this product. Um or there's an EU, which is
the mayor is correct. It's the terminology the state uses meaning that technically really it's not an open bid. It's one contractor that's going to get the award. So instead of going through the process of that and getting the contract to build a trademarked fitness
center, it's just kind of a shortcut where we are following um the rules that are allowed. Um Rutherford, Stafford Township, uh Glouster, they they they all have done this through an EU and the state New Jersey has accepted it that way.
>> And then Kevin, just for the uh sake of the public, could you just explain what we're buying and putting in and where? Yeah. So, it it's a grant we received. Um it's it's it's this effort through Blue Cross Blue Shield uh insurance statewide. Um many municipalities doing
it's basically an adult uh fitness facility. It's outdoors. It's basically concrete. Um the struggle now is actually doing the concrete slab. The area that's currently defined and marked out is is near it's off of the uh it's
between Cliff and High. Um the burrow had authorized a boy scout to do work there. It's in that same vicinity. Um that's the that's the proposed location. Uh we did receive proposals this week for concrete that were a little a lot
higher than Stafford, Rutherford, and Gloua has received. So we are a little stuck on that right now. Um but we'd like to award this contract to see if we can um get the project moving within the time frame of the grants. But that
that's the project. >> Great. I've used them before. I look forward to having it in town. >> Great. Thank you. >> Awesome. Uh roll call. >> Council members, Andrew Kiy. >> Yes. >> Glendee. Yes. Randy Pitts. Yes. Gina Stra. Yes. >> Roger Ver. >> Yes. >> All right. 155 is calling for the
restoration of energy tax receipts and enhanced municipal aid to deliver real property tax relief. Do we have a motion? >> So moved. Second. >> Second. >> Discussion. >> Yeah. Yeah, I was just curious uh where did this come from and what is it pertaining to? >> So, so the state of New Jersey, our
budget, uh anticipates both um consolidated relief aid. It's not necessarily state aid. It's it's the it's the monies that are provided by all by folks that are pay the energy tax, right? So initially when it happened um
when this occurred, municipalities kept that money. Um over the years it w it was prudent to have the state of New Jersey collected for all the municipalities and the goal was that money would get redistributed back to the 564 municipalities uh with some rec
recognition that the state would be uh taking some of that for the administration. Um, this comes from the League of Municipalities in an effort to ask the state to stop taking more of that money and leaving more for the local um for the local agencies to
receive. Our budget's adopted already. So, this is really looking towards the future, but this is what it's a it's through the uh an effort through the uh New Jersey League of Municipalities. >> Okay. Further discussion. Roll call. >> Council members. Andrew Kiy
>> abstain >> Glen Deny. >> Yes. >> Randy Pittz. >> Yes. >> Gina Stravik. >> Yes. >> Roger F. >> Yes. >> Okay. Bills and vouchers. Roger. >> I make a motion to pay bills and vouchers in the amount of 3,464,726.75. >> Second >> discussion. Roll call.
>> Council members Andrew Ky. >> Yes. >> Glendee. Yes. >> Randy Pitts. Yes. >> Gina Stravik. Yes. >> Roger Ver. >> Yes. >> All right. I will entertain a motion to adjourn from Gina. >> Motion to adjurnn. >> Second. >> Discussion. All in favor? I
>> opposed. This meeting is adjourned.