Okay, welcome to the Township of Sparta Environmental Commission meeting of Thursday, July 24th, 2025. The meeting is called to order at 7:02. We are live in the council chambers at the municipal building and also live streaming at
www.youtube.com backspartatwpstreams. Um, notice of this meeting was provided to the public and the press on January 10th, 2025 by delivering to the press and posting on the township website a copy of this notice. Um, would everyone
please join me in saluting the flag to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
Thank you. Roll call, please. Emily. Deputy Mayor Margie Murphy, here. Chair Kimberly Null, here. Vice Chair Leil Sarowine. Christine Dunar here. Ted Gaul here.
Christine Rogers here. Barbara Kazulka here. Landon Tier here. Robert Otto here. John Grath here. Thank you. Thank you, Emily. All right. First on the agenda is approval of the minutes of
July 10th, 2025. This was quite a long meeting. I appreciate everybody who was here and hang in there, hung in there, sorry, to the very end. Um, did go, I think, till 9:30, 10 o'clock at night. We usually we
don't f often have those that long of a meeting. So um does anybody have any changes, updates, clarifications to the meeting minutes? On uh page two,
the second line down where it's talking about what Brian responded, if it was 38 square miles, it would be about two. it instead of saying two, it should say four deer based on the 161
deer total. The math is wrong. It should be um four deer per square mile. Okay. And then on the same page under the presentation um bold underline
two lines down from that it says to show the recent cuts over the past two years. Yeah, get rid of the word ago, I guess. And it could just say over the past two years on Sparta Mountain. And then on page five
in that middle paragraph, when the current plan was written in 2017, uh the journal article, the author's name is spelled incorrectly. It should have two T's at the end.
Yeah. Okay. Where is that? On page uh five. Page five. One uh second full paragraph. One, two, three down towards the end. Kelllet. K E L L E T.
Oh, got it. That's all I Okay, good. Anybody else? Okay, those seem like relatively minor changes that most folks would be comfortable with approving the minutes given those one as a typo and
clarifications. Is everybody okay? Yes. Okay. Do I have a motion to accept the minutes? I'll make a motion to accept the minutes with those minor changes. Thank you. Do I have a second? I'll second. Thank you, Christine. All in favor? I I have to abstain. I was not here.
Yeah, I'm just stayed too because I wasn't here as well. Okay, thank you. But I did watch on YouTube. At least on YouTube, you could probably fast forward a little bit. Nope. I watch from start to finish. Oh, good. All right. Next up is
applications. We have the capital improvement plan for um Alpine School Edition. Um by a little bit of background, there is a special referendum that is happening on September 16th. um so that the voters in the town can
weigh in on this application. So I think it's over here, right Emily? We have it down table. Okay. Folks want to come and look at it, we can Yeah, I think we started looking at this previously. No, it's amazing why they didn't put it on the November election.
Cost a lot of money, like 20 grand. And um Christine, I think you said we did start looking at it, but then we don't know what happened. We wanted more time. Yeah. Yeah. Because I think it was supposed to be last meeting that Yeah. And it's also not um being heard
until August 8th, so we had plenty of time to review it. Oh, thank you so much. This is what it looks like now. Actually, I w I went and walked around it the other day. First floor plan right now. Okay. So, there's lots of kindergarten
classes. It's just prek and kindergart. Yeah. Okay. This is first floor. I guess there's a cut off here. Yeah, I think they're showing the two half of it.
Oh yeah. But I don't know if anybody is familiar with this building. You're probably not at all. Okay. So this is the site plan. second story edition over the it's like
kind of behind it. This is the front where people are walking. What's the difference? Look a new bus drop off area. Dark the dark existing and these are proposed renovations I believe and the proposals new building.
Okay. So this this and this are going to be but there's going to be a second floor on top the existing. Correct. No no this is existing. So they're proposed renovations these two those are existing buildings. Yes. So second story
proposed building is over here. Okay. And it's a second story. What's it going on top of? And it's only one story. It shows here. They're going to have classrooms. That's
the building. They're going to have classrooms on the first floor, classrooms on the second floor, and the gym area. That's the new building. Oh, that is storage. That makes sense.
So, they'll be out of trailers. Okay. But the population really hasn't gone up that much, has it? I don't know. I think the I was looking at the demographics and North Village added
North Village has added a lot of I don't know the age that it's coming but that added a lot more children than was originally proposed and free of travel. Okay. Right. So, if
you're in a wheelchair, how are you? What's that? Although, what is this? What's that? Oh, janitor. Janitor. That's stairs. Yeah. I don't know if there is
Well, they have the person on the second floor in a wheelchair. Not up the stairs. What is this? Maybe this is an elevator here. Is that a I don't know.
This is the roof plan. Construction. New roof. panels first. That's for the renovation of those renovation parts. Okay, here's the multi-purpose room for
anybody who's been over there. door. That's the same thing for the renovation of this part of the of the building of the classrooms for everything inside. Yeah. That's what we were looking at before.
That shade area. All right. Here is now we have our new building. This is existing. I'm not sure. Maybe that was a reference to page 11. Sees This is only for is that what's that
only for prek kindergarten? It looks like they're adding first grade. Yeah. Well, second grade. Yeah. Oh, that's right. Fourth, fifth. 1 through six. 1 through six.
But they're they're shifting classes around because in those rooms that they're renovating, those are for second grade right now and they're putting the arts in one, music in the other one. That's why I think they're putting the second grade on the
second floor of the of the new building. Second graders. Yeah. They go to the top floor. Yep. So that was like fun. Was there anything I'm still not clear on how somebody on a wheelchair would
maybe they will have this small um lips. Yeah, like lips. Yeah, I I'm not sure but wheelchair accessibility. Okay. Anybody see anything in there other than wheelchair?
What is where are the other maps, right? There are other maps. Yeah, there is an engineer's memo in there if that helps. Yeah, there are other maps showing the wetlands.
Oh, yeah. Yeah. There were more maps on this I think. Maybe more. Making sure that they Yeah, they were showing Yes, they were showing the wetlands here
on this side. Oh, I guess it was Denma. Yeah, the big one that shows the new proposed building that show the wetland domination over here. Oh, really? Yeah, we missed it. Let's go back. Yeah.
One of the Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So, the one that shows the new addition. Let's go back to the next map. It will show how close we are to the wetlands.
additional rooms. Yeah. And look, they're putting in a whole new bus lane because right now the buses come in and drop the kids along here. while the parents are also dropping their kids in here and the kids have to walk like this.
So this a lot. So this right now that's one like the parking area for the buses in the back. So that's all paved right now. And that's they want to and they have the basketball court and something like
that over there. I think this is behind like be like right over here. Yeah, this will be new. This will be new. This I think is existing. No, they said they're adding new are there now, but I guess they're
adding more new asphalt. Oh, I guess I don't know. There's one on either side. Exactly. Well, I don't know what This is a pretty
They're the same. Yeah, the same. So I don't think here's the variances. Oh no, these are just I don't think it was. No, it's the same. I don't think it was there. All right. So, I guess that's our question. What are the variances you're
requesting? probably and I wonder if we'd want to request that tables the fees associated I agree. Yeah. I don't know. Construction. parking lots.
Right. Looks Right. It's very simple like to drop them off to park here to how they operate but I don't know 136. I know when my granddaughter went to zoo
the organization and it was pretty once in a while but This is we talk about this. This is a lot of I don't know how
I guess it's not of trees. Yeah. All of this is right. They are removing some putting the building here
and replacing them with the parking as well. I think Maybe if we check that maybe we could compensate like we do for adults
for another children to maybe have a tree planting project in the back team in the middle. I don't know. It's usually
is what has everything usually look has not been submitted today. Yeah. What about drain? What about all of the storm water run out? Maybe there's down
two houses. Norally when we see these water we saw countyex we saw And all they were doing was taking down that one
beehive shaped building% really and it was just sitting that whole building was just sitting So they finally building 1954. They're working better now to work
community college. So hopefully they can help each other. was here, right? And I'm sure there's other I don't know. No, we need we need I think that's a pool as well.
I did see emergency exit. I'll put that on the list too. But now now you have the why and Everyone just go. Okay. All right, we got it.
All right. Next. I'm sorry. Any other comments? I didn't capture right now what I have just in case people couldn't hear. Uh, wastewater fire suppression, environmental impact statements, engineers report, second floor wheelchair, how are they getting up
there? um landscape plan, lighting plan, and imperous coverage. Oh, and construction mitigation. Okay. All right. Thank you. All right. Moving
on to correspondence. We got from PSNG a bridge replacement that is happening. Um it is on Woodport Road, 854 Woodport Road. Looking It looks like
I think we determined it's over when you're leaving Sparta and going south on Route 15. It's over there in that area. And it's essentially to allow the wetlands water to go through.
Um, and they're replacing wooden mats. Wetlands crossing currently comprised of timber mats with a new crossing comprised of concrete pipe located within the RO referenced above.
What's What's wrong with the mats? Mats seem like they're more sustainable than making a concrete structure with the pipe. Are they afraid that um it won't suffice in case of flooding?
Yeah. Explanation like why what's the explanation for this? I don't know enough about it. Does anybody know what RO stands for? Right away. Oh, thank you so much.
And they're paving the gravel. I thought it was a bridge for animals, too, but I'm not sure. I guess I think it's for the water. I think it's for the water. You didn't happen to bring this map with you, did you, Emily? Okay.
It's just super small. So small. Plant this seed mix. You can see that? Yeah. Well, I brought glasses. Not normally, but I don't have a magnifying. Wait, let me
get a magnifier on this bomb. Bomb. I mean, I like what I see in here. Bergamont, wild. Wild wild bergamont. Bomb milk. Common milkweed. I mean, that's good. A lot of the restoration plant seed mix.
I got to say, I'm impressed that you can see this. I am too. I can't even see. I have these Oh yeah, sage. Blue. False blue indigo. I can get some of it. That's
Oh, yeah. This is all good. It would just be I would be curious why they're paving the gravel area so it makes access easier. I they just don't provide much reasoning
when they do these projects sometimes. And then I want to know a little bit about the well it would be nice to know the minor soil boring purpose or minor soil borings.
I noticed that the date on this is June 30th. And on this here, my only comment would be is this pipe going to stop the flow of any stream
or water? Impede the flow of any water. Yep. I'm sorry, Christine. What were you saying? I did notice that the received date is June 30th and it asks us to submit our written
comments within 15 calendar days and now it's what the 20 or 4th. I know that we've responded late in the past and we have still got that answer but we'll have turned this one around pretty quick.
Yeah. Do you want me to call them and ask them Ted's question and anybody else's question and I can try to get back to you tomorrow. Okay, that'd be great. So, the other question had to do with the soil boring
like why are they having to do that? And I think your question was why what's wrong with the timber mats, right? Why are you adding the concrete and the pipe? Could they share like digital folder of so we could see this in more
detail? Maybe some of the rale could you maybe they could share a digital folder with you? I mean you can ask these questions but if they had like a plan set with the rationale
did you send this one out via um or no? Um, I don't I don't think so because it was only this. Yeah, it was only this one page. Yeah. Can we have the copy of the whole application on the Hold on. Did you see what it says? You can call
and make an appointment to view the application at the office in Trenton. Oh, okay. No, that that would be a little bit, but I can I can call to see if there's anybody there that, you know, can draw up the
application and answer questions. All right. Thank you, Christine. Well, we'll see what happens. All right. Let us know. All right. Yeah. Yeah. Sorry. What was the other comment? I missed it. Barbara,
I mean it says here as required one complete copy of the entire application package is also being provided. So, was the township provided with the application or I think this is it you're looking at. Oh, this is everything.
I think Okay. I thought this was just like the legal letter saying that. Okay. All right, Christine's gonna call. Thank you so much. Are we ready to move on to the next one?
Public comment and no public is here. So, moving on to reports. Um, Neil's not here, so we won't have a minor subcommittee report. Um, minor site plan report. Um, Margie, would you like to go first or
We haven't had any meetings. Okay. Since we met last, except for uh there are five applicants for the fifth town council seat. Okay. For petitions were handed out. And uh
they have to be turned in in August 20th. I August 21st. Okay. To be put on the ballot for November. August 21st to be on ballot. Okay. I believe it's August 21st, 21st, 23rd and
there has been no appointment to fill the term as of yet. Um, but we don't we will have a meeting the second week in August will be our next meeting. What's taking so long? Um, I think Good question.
I think um Mayor Neil said he was going to put us on the agenda to um provide the town council with our annual report, environmental commission annual report. Okay. So, we looked at it last time and we we
approved it. Okay. So, we'll um present it at that meeting, too. Oh, great. Okay. All right. Great. Um I'll double check if we're on the agenda. I don't know how busy your agenda is going to be, but I don't not
I don't not yet, but I have a pre-aggenda meeting Tuesday, so Okay. Yeah. So, just make sure we're on there. I mean, if there's Okay. Um, but you all should have also gotten a copy already, too. Oh, Emily left. I'll ask her. All right. To put your um environmental
the annual report, environmental commission's annual report, which is June 30th through June 30th. So 2024 to 25 I don't know why it's June to June but it is some annual some annual companies
annuals June to I don't know. Yeah. Um all right Christine do you want to go next? Well um or Rob I'm sorry. I think that would be Rob. Yeah yeah Rob. Planning board.
No comment. I mean I It was okay. Okay. Yeah, we spent a lot of time in executive session that and really we didn't cover much other business. Yeah. Yeah. Yep. Okay. Sorry.
And then Landon Trails. Yeah, trails has been going very well as expected. I guess in the summer people actually are very interested in stuff. So, um, steady progress on trail projects, but really good progress on
looking at the station park and middle school and high high school area. So, um hopefully we get some um finalized information and then we can officially comes to the town with a bit more of a proposal and information and then go
from there and and hopefully get some shovels in the ground sooner rather than later and um see a project that we're looking at projects that are really um lowhanging fruit and things that would really improve the town in all aspects
from environmental side of things, safety, recreation. So, um, that location has been a top priority, especially given how many people are using it. So, it's definitely been at the top of our attention, and we're at the point where we're going to start subdividing within our little committee.
So, if you have any people who might be interested to actually work and have um a task at hand, um, please let us know. So, thank you. Thank you. That's exciting. All right. I didn't miss anybody, right? No. Okay. Unfinished business. Is there
any updates on the sustainable New Jersey certification? Uh, I put a couple of additional actions in for our recent projects. The final approval is the end of this month, so that'll go in. Um, the only other one I
need to put in is the update for recycling. There was like a recycling education and compliance one that we got approved last time. So, I'm just trying to update that so we get those points again. And Emily's looking into um the points for the solar and the um
vehicles, electric vehicles that we got approval last time, but I think there they don't know if they have access yet to the all the files. So, if it doesn't get approved by next week and we get access, then we'll just put it in later. Okay. Awesome. access to
uh the database that has all of the annual data for Mike Dempsey retired and he used to have the access so they're trying to get access to the files. Okay. Um but we did I don't know if you heard
this but we did get broad certification so we have enough points for that. Yes. That's awesome. I mean we'll have to get the official notice but all right um the next three are resolutions that um I'm going to also
hopefully get on the agenda for the town council so that I can bring them to your attention and then hopefully get um get the town council to have some comments and maybe approve them. So, okay. Okay. Okay. Um
I know actually Neil did attend a uh a meeting with down in uh he went to mayor's conference. Oh, and he attended a meeting on um we we were looking at composting and
certain things like that. So, he's got all that information. Okay, great. Yeah, I know we have talked about that over the years. Can I just add uh a little something uh about these uh these three? Yes. Um, I think they're particularly
significant because all three of them pertain to Sparta in some way. They're not resolutions that just uh impact the coastal area or um the central Jersey or
the Bergen area. All of these packaging, paper product stewardship, waste, food waste reduction, and us here need funds if we were to have um
a climate related disaster. So these are all really great things for for us to support. Any other comments on those? Thank you. um student leazison. We have not had an application yet that I'm
aware of, but um Emily just sent it back out and John was nice enough to reach out to his school and some folks there, but no luck so far. So, thank you. We'll keep asking. Um okay. Any other unfinished business
that maybe didn't make it? I have a question. What if we went to the businesses and I know I have gone to different like just coffee shops in town and some of them were using paper straws at points ended up back being plastic
straws. Um some of them used more uh compostable instead of the all the different uh to- go plates they were using ones that were much more environmental friendly. Um, and that seemed to have
kind of subsided. Did you know? I don't know if you I've noticed that also in some places. Why are you giving it me my food and this to take home and and the extra s the plastic spoons and forks and
um so I started noticing that I started going to different places and seeing what they had there. And it was really I found like Green Beans has a great straw that's paper that they use. So I'm gonna find out and see if maybe some of the
restaurants around wouldn't just start doing something as small as that. Yeah. If we could make specific recommendations of brands and just for a few small things and ask them to comply.
Yeah. And see where we go. I know that this week is um get rid of plastic in your kitchen week. It is. Yeah. I was listening to the the radio and they had a whole report on things that you should replace uh in your
kitchen going forward. And stainless steel of course was really big and um of having to not replace it. Yeah. Just to get rid of your plastic spoons and you know implements. Blenders were a problem though.
coffee coffee makers were a problem. Um to find good sustainable replacements, they recommended for frying pans, um iron, cast iron was good or ceramic. Yes, are good.
Never aluminum ever, right? Yeah, there's allergies severed. And like 20 almost 30 years ago I threw out all I read started researching this that it developed they were you doing uh
autopsies on people when Alzheimer was getting more of a major concern and everyone they did a autopsy on they had an amazing amount of aluminum in their brain. Yeah. Yeah. They threw everything out.
Yeah. There are some restaurants that are actually um They're setting the standard in the culinary arts and replacing what they cook with now to hopefully start a trend. That's great.
Um, you could also use a coffee press. Yes, she recommended that. A glass coffee press. That was another one. Yeah. Or a pour over. You just put the ceramic thing in and pour over the top.
probably be less caffeine because it's the brewing time that brings down the caffeine. Yeah, that's why espresso has less coffee. I mean caffeine, does it? Yeah, it tastes but it has less. It's the brewing time that brings down the caffeine.
All right, moving on to new business. So, last meeting we had two presentations. One was um about uh Sparta Mountain and protecting our forests and why we should be concerned about protecting our
forests. And the second one was about deer management. I apologize. We should have had deer management on here also as part of new business. Um so the the organization Julia Smers and I think they're called
all I can think of is SOS, but that's not their name. The Sparta Mountain stop the chop organization. They um went ahead and assisted us with drafting a resolution as per the next steps from that presentation.
Um that just got sent out one or two days ago. Um but uh Christine was very quick on the draw and has already reviewed it and had a couple changes to it. So, um I'm going to go ahead and
review Christine's uh suggested changes and then if there's more, we can do that. I suggest we don't take a vote today and allow a little bit more time to digest it. Um but let's let's see what everybody else thinks. Um
so the very first line that Christine wants to change is just basically getting rid of the parenthesis. So that says Mountain Wildlife Management Area for a stewardship plan and not in parenthesis. And then the parenthesis are only on
March 2017. And then is it easier if I just email it to everyone because I have like a c I have several changes. Overall, I think I really did like um this, but I had some
tweaks to the language to just make it, I think, a little bit more of a formal municipal document in places. Um because this is going to be a resolution that we're hoping the town council adopts. Um so, I'm happy to send it out, but that might be easier, Kim, if we
just like send that out or combine it with with everyone else's changes and then we just have one document to look at because I had a couple change. You can have this paper copy if you want. Yeah, this is the one Emily printed out. That was the original, but like I sent that to Kim today with
my changes. Okay. I just got it like an hour before this meeting. You can you can send it to me. I can print it out. That's fine. So, do folks feel it's okay to take a look at this and digest it over the next before the next meeting? Yes.
Is everybody I can Okay. Is everybody here for the in August or people going on vacation? Uh going on vacation, but I'll be here at the last meeting in August. The next one you're not here, Christine.
But the next one's the 13th. But I'm there would be 14th August 13th 14th. So everybody else is here. Yeah. I don't I don't mind going one more meeting. I don't want to go like
all the way to September. I think Okay. I if I have any comments, I'll I'll forward them before I leave. Thank you. Yeah. Okay, good. Um, next item is the deer management plan. So, one of the next steps from the
presentation from uh DE D Fish and Wildlife presentation regarding how to help us with our deer problems. Um the next step is to basically talk to them about creating a deer management
plan and what that would look like. And so they would come in and do a study. Um they couldn't really say how exactly where our deer are a problem or exactly um how many deer we have. They said on average kind of a town of our size would
have you know four deer per square mile. So, the deer management plan gives you more details, a more in-depth study about how severe, how healthy, how much deer population you have and then also will help you identify where to focus.
Um, maybe there's a larger problem, for example, I'm not saying this is the case, in Lake Mohawk versus, you know, up Glenn Road in the woods where there's hunting happening quite often. Um and then they also make a recommendation at the end of that as to
um what we should do about an issue if we have a deer manage deer issue which I think that we do but they would do that analysis also. Um so I think we should move forward with that. I don't know um other folks thoughts. I just want to
make sure that we are all alarmed. I don't think it requires a formal vote but like to hear everybody else's thoughts. I think I remember him mentioning that um that there is a grant there may be a grant um involved. So
that would be you know really good and um I think we should like you mentioned keep in mind that the deer they don't have a walls around to just keep them in one section of our
our town. Um, and uh, looking around at my neighbors bought a very expensive kind of signal. You know, they planted it in the ground and it shoots out a signal, a wavelength that are supposed to keep the deer and the rabbits and
everything out of their yard. I was leaving tonight and I looked over, all of their hostas are gone. I have tried everything, including that. It didn't work. It didn't work. I Okay. Yeah, because I was thinking because my garden has been
devastated there in Sparta Commons on the ridge. I'm not even planting anything else this year. Maybe some cryanthemums, you know. All I have are are the vinkas. Pull them out and they'll spit them out, but they won't eat them. But that's it.
Not native. Yes, that's it. All right. Any other I I think we're in agreement. We want to move forward with creating a deer management. Okay. I'll continue to work with Brian and um get that moving and then if we need a grant,
we'll have to go to town council of course to get approval for that and we'll go from there. Is this a town council decision to move forward or is this EC? It depends on if we need money for the grant. If we need money for it, then we would
they have to approve all grants. Okay. It doesn't cost anything. We'll just do it. I think we're it's within our Nobody can hear you. I think if we have if it doesn't cost any money, we can go ahead and do it.
But great. I I just for um are we on new business still? Yeah. Is there any other new business? I just want to mention um maybe a couple of things. one is is that we have been really I'm
very grateful to Christine and and you and everyone here because we have had such excellent programs this year. I have never been I've been on the EC for a few years and and we have really outdone ourselves
and my concern is is that how can we get our neighbors to come and see them? You know, I felt so bad for Renee and Michelle with the preservation. They drove all the way from Nolton. This is their life preserving land. They're
experts. And then here we are. We're learning a lot. But where were our neighbors, you know, and uh Americaore with Jenna Black doing her presentations, the same thing. And now
we have two spectacular PhDs in ecology here that are renowned throughout this area. Sharon Wander and Emil Devito. And again, there's all of these blank
seats, you know. I mean, they are the best, you know, for this area in the world. So, maybe we could kind of scratch our heads and and think about that. I know that we have tried with the signs,
right? The signage and it's on our website. U I've mentioned it to um Sparta Commons folks when we have our meetings, but to get them out, you know, I'm just hoping that we're seeing more
people on Zoom. Oh, absolutely. There's a lot more views. Wonderful. I know I think I checked on Monday our last meeting with the deer management and ecology there was about I think 83 views which is you know pretty high for that for that
it was like 15 when I was watching because I can see how many people are viewing it too I see it yeah that was pretty good so what it seems like is people are watching it some online but some are watching it after the fact because I had a log some of the numbers for our sustainable jersey so I was ple
like pleased because like you said people haven't been coming here necessarily, but we have had dozens watch our meetings. So, I think that's at least a good sign for, you know, our presentations and our regular meetings, but it seems like the ones that have,
you know, presenters have better attendance. Yes. Yes, indeed. And and having these little lights here when you speak into this because it really is hard to hear. Yeah. And having this and knowing that you're talking, you can hear.
Yeah. at home. I mean, I've got my Oh, I just wanted to say one thing. I mean, I think this might speak to like a bigger technology problem. Maybe we or improvement that can be done. We have only one camera to show everything. So, I know at other municipalities,
especially when you're getting to the the 20,000s plus people, even the your your cities, your 50,000 people, they have two to three cameras to switch angles when a lawyer is speaking or a presenter speaking. And it kind of makes the clip if we are going to then
advertise or or show off that 20 minute presentation on Facebook or make a separate YouTube video of just the presentation. Um it's a little bit more engaging than having almost like a CCTV angle. Yeah. When you're watching on YouTube,
you can't even see the faces. You know, it's so far away. Yeah. Yeah. I think we'll get there. Um, but I know that there is technology because a few years ago I was at the Newton meeting and they stopped during public
comment and people from home were asking questions. Yeah. I don't know how they did it, but there was an actual dialogue and question and answer with these folks from home. And if we're having folks at
home watch it, I mean I mean I know it's less the number that are real time, you know, I think that would be very engaging and I don't know what we would have to do to our technology to you could just keep asking as during the presentation if anyone's watching send
in their comments and by the end of it if there's any comments Emily can read it out. Yeah. Yeah. live comments on YouTube like a set send them in in the chat or Yeah, there's live comments on YouTube. I've never seen how where you can put
them when you're watching it. Oh, yeah. Usually on my phone I see them pop up. Oh, you do? Yeah, because I have the YouTube to make sure it's streaming properly, you know. Comments because I You don't see it on the TV. Yeah. Oh, okay. Not on the TV. On the phone. Okay.
Or a computer. Yeah. Okay, that makes sense. But they turn it off for maybe some meetings where it might not be appropriate to have the public commenting and have them come in person and do it. That's always best. Yes.
You know, but but um but if you know them, if you recognize them, they can identify themselves maybe as a resident or concerned resident, uh it would be great. Could you do that now? Can you look to see if there's any
questions? I'm just curious. Zero. There's only two people viewing and one is probably myself now. Yeah, there's no Thank you. Whoever is out there viewing, we appreciate you. Come on in. See you.
So, Emily, you said it was 83 when you last checked. The one on July 10th, right? It's 167 now. Wow. But okay, that just about one of them was and Mark, but we were on the same
um I just one just one more thing. Did anybody get a chance to view that artificial turf webinar from Sustainable New Jersey? I didn't. I registered and I did not get to see it, but I know Dean did. Okay. So, I will get I saw his name. I did also.
I registered, but Yeah. Did you watch it? I watched it. Yeah. Can you go back? And they said they weren't going to record it, but what they but then farther into um the presentation, Taylor McFarland
um the director of the New Jersey Sierra Club said she would post it. Oh. So maybe I'll try to find out um about that. Yes. Would you? Yeah. I don't know whether she's going to post it on her website. I don't think so. I
think she probably would give permission for Sustainable New Jersey to post it on theirs. Cuz it was like a a lunchtime. It was a 12:00 12 to 1. Yeah. And I I know I tried to go too but then work. Excellent. Excellent presentation.
What were the major takeaways from it? Do you recall? Oh yeah. that on one of like one of the days that we're having right now, if you take a thermometer and put it like a meter above the the field, it's 158
degrees for those kids. That really stuck in my mind. But if you take the same thermometer and you put it over grass, it's just in the 90s like it, you know, normal air temperature. And there's more injuries for um
injuries are up especially for girls for some reason um because it's very slick. I know my granddaughter played on that for a while and and there's no give like grass. Yeah. It's why for the World Cup they're making all the American stadiums switch back to grass field.
Yeah. Yeah. And um the num the for one typical field I'm not sure if this is right so I probably shouldn't say it but it was a lot. It was like in one year um there's a oh in all of Europe there's like
40,000 tons of plastic that come off of all of their fields in PAS or in being removed PAS um just goes washes into because they can measure it they can see the erosion on it you know so they know this
has disappeared into the water wash away or into the soil also Oh, yeah. It's like Angerman Field and we have the the river right there. The stream. Yeah. See what stream is right there. We tried we tried to
stop that. Maybe we can uh take a look at that and make a suggestion because we're going to have to replace that in six or seven years, the new one that just got put in. Um and then yeah, just creating heat islands and um all the
most vulnerable. Thank you for coming. Kids are uh playing on that. So yeah, great. And every 10 years, right? There were they have to be replaced. And they said if you hazardous actually look at the m the
cost of the field and everything and compare it to a real field's cost that a real field comes out a ahead in terms of economy. Well, because there's a there's at the end you pay a pretty big price because you got to truck that
all out and then you haven't even calculated the cost from the runoff. Yeah, that's the disposal of whatever remains. But from the time of installation to the disposal, there's a certain percentage again that's lost to runoff.
So, um yeah, they sit out there in rolls and they don't know really how to dispose of them. So you have these fields and huge rolls at these places that have agreed to take them off, you know, or paid to dispose of them, but they're just sitting there and they're
eroding and adding to the problem. They can't recycled. No. No. Yep. We said all that at the town council meeting that. Yep. What What's the next turf field that's up for date for replacement in the town? Would it be the Freedom Fields
and Station Park? My understanding is we have two fields and the the ones out White Lake at White Lake are they that are town owned. Now that doesn't include the board of ed
but Station Park's owned by the parks department. I'm pretty sure Freedom Field is a that Right. So I guess we have three. Yeah. Station Park. Did you mention Yeah, Station Park. There's one in Yeah, I mean I'd like to see a moratorum
that we no longer put turf fields in. We can finish the life of the ones that are here, but I think we should no longer put them in. I I think the governing body should start to set aside money for that
eventual conversion back to natural gas and removal of um I mean they they should be planning it now um so that the money is there available and also well I don't know if you'll recall
because they used greenacre dollars I was going to say also greenacre money was used uh to put in fake grass. So, we I would also recommend that that not be
used for plastic. Um, but was Greenacre also the the inclusive playground um that was floated for Station Park? Whatever happened with that? It's still being worked on because um it has the same issue because it uses
for that surface it uses recycled tires and I was just on one in Byum. It's I mean it's the same material similar material. I think the scope is changing a bit now with some of the funding stuff. Okay. The fields were put in though with open
space funds, right? Which are different than green acres. Green Acres, is it? No, it was at least the White Lake fields were open space. that 1 cent fund the the inclusive playground was I
thought green acres and the playground was green playground yeah and I don't think they're using green acres for that didn't open yeah you're right open space for the yeah and that brings up something else but they couldn't do so maybe we could look at
making a recommendation that open space funds aren't used for artificial turf. Okay. All right. Anything else? Good discussion. All right. Do I have a motion to
I'll make a motion to adjurnn. Thanks, Landon, for seconding. Okay. Meeting adjourned at 8:07. All in favor? I Thank you. Thank you. When's your last day?