This meeting is being held in accordance with public laws 1975 chapter 231. Adequate notice of this meeting has been provided by a notice sent to the star ledger, the local source, and posted in the main lobby of the municipal building
and on the township website. The pledge of allegiance will be led by Carl Ostagar Jr., commander of the American Legion Post 228. >> I pledge to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for it stands, one nation,
indivisible, liberty and justice for all. Please whoa. Please remain standing for a moment of silence for our service members here and abroad. >> Madame clerk. >> Mayor Laer >> present. >> Deputy Mayor Kaiser
>> present. >> Committeeman Capidis is absent. Committeeman Yuber is absent. Committeeman Weber >> here. I would also like to take a moment of silence to commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Um, so please take a second.
Proclamations and announcements. Springfield 55 plus residents calendar February 2026 uh is out. Christmas trees will be collected curbside throughout the month of January. Please remove lights,
decorations, wire, tree stands, and plastic bags. If you are interested in serving on any boards, including rent leveling, planning, library, there are still some vacancies. Please email your information, including any relevant
professional background, to residents review at springfieldj. us. And uh now the moment several of us have been waiting for. Um the swearing in of
Sergeant Anthony Vorhees. Bring your family up. Hold the Bible. I will support the United States. All the duties in the office. I just don't remember everything. I won't be that long. I know it's uh it's very big font, so don't worry about
me taking too long. but just so I don't mess it up and have to start over. Right. So, I'd like to thank everyone that's here tonight uh to support Anthony in the ceremonial swearing in as
our Springfield's newest sergeant. He was officially sworn in on the 13th. Today, we did it ceremonially so everyone could be here to uh celebrate with us. So, I'd like to thank all of his teammates that I see that are here from the department along with first aid
squad and fire department members, his colleagues from federal agencies, and mostly his family, especially his mom Joanne. His wife Daniela, daughter Victoria, and son Anthony Jr.
Anthony senior was born and raised in Springfield and is a proud product of the Springfield school system. became a volunteer Springfield auxiliary police officer in October of 1999 and he served the township until November of 2003.
Anthony attended and graduated from Satan Hall University graduating uh with a major in criminal justice in December of 2002 with a GPA of 3.7 something you bragged about. I know something like that.
>> Yeah, he did very well. proud mom, too, I'm sure. Uh, in 2005, he attended the John H. Stamler Police Academy as an alternate route recruit. Um, which is a program where you pretty much don't have a job, but you pay for yourself to go through the academy in the hopes of getting
hired. Um, which of course Anthony did. Anthony did. We had um made him an offer, a conditional offer with our police department in November uh as long as he did graduate in December, which he did. So he was then hired by Springfield
in December of 2005. He was then assigned to patrol from 2005 through 2013 where he had become a department training officer, a motor officer, and a firearms instructor for our department.
In February of 2013, he was assigned to the detective bureau as an investigator. His investigative abilities had me assign him to the Homeland Security in 2015 as a task force officer working financial investigations.
He was then promoted to detective in January of 2017 and was assigned as the juvenile officer in our detective bureau. In 2019, Anthony was reassigned back to his position working financial investigations with the federal government. He also continued to assist
our department in cases where additional resources were necessary to further our investigations. He remained there until his promotion to sergeant. Um like I said two weeks ago. Anony's family has a legacy of volunteerism in
Springfield, beginning with his grandfather who was instrumental in raising funds and sourcing materials to construct what is now our first aid squad building. I think it used to be an old DMV or some other old building in town. Um, so they were instrumental in
creating what we have today. Um, and his family is still involved as cousin Joe is still a first aid squad member. Joe, you're here somewhere probably. >> Oh, he's not here. >> All right. Over his career, Anthony has
received numerous commendations for his actions as well as letters of appreciation from civilians that he has assisted. Lastly, I still can recall quite vividly when I was a new cop working the crossing post at Mountain Avenue in Caldwell in front
of the Dayton High School. And every day Anthony is and his friend uh his his little gang of wise guys on their way to school. I mean, they were all good kids. They were just really wise guys. They're wise asses. Yeah, I'll I'll say it like it is. Um,
but they were all good kids. And I think one or two of them wound up becoming law enforcement to some degree somehow. Who would have guessed that some 15 or so years later I would be working with him. Oh, and he's still a wise guy. He's just a lot older.
Um, but he's been a great cop and he's certainly worthy of this promotion. So, congrats, Sergeant For. AND I'D LIKE TO THANK THE COMMITTEE FOR allowing us with the restructure and to uh have another needed promotion. Thank you very much.
>> Yeah. Um, normally I'd have to give some kind of pep talk to the younger officers who whether they were getting hired or they were getting promoted, uh, you know, about what their job entails and what they're
supposed to do. I was, uh, one of the people that interviewed you and, uh, you crushed it. I I don't even have anything. I'm so confident in you and that what you're going to do for the township that all I
can just say is I I I'm I'm excited for the residents and for what you're going to do as a supervisor. For anybody out there that's watching the bench of the other potential candidates was really good. The next round's going
around for for more promotions. We have a really solid bench and the leadership in the Springfield Police Department has literally never been better. Good luck and thank you. >> Congratulations. Uh uh uh everybody was
uh uh this was a pretty unanimous and easy decision. Not all decisions are easy. this one was uh uh so congratulations, good luck, but more importantly, thank you to your family for lending him to us to make our family
safe. So, thank you. >> You You know, it's a big deal when multiple series show up for a swearing in. So, uh, so I I I want to, uh, you know, I was I was lucky enough to to interview you and and, you know, crash a chicken
Marsala dinner, uh, that you had, uh, and, you know, you looked right at home on the road and and I've heard nothing but, you know, uh, tremendous things, uh, about you and and your your calm demeanor and, uh, I know you'll you'll
transition to to to the role of sergeant uh, seamlessly, and I look forward to to seeing uh what's next and and and how you will make Springfield Police Department better. Uh and and I really
uh and I admire the fact that, you know, when you interviewed you you you said, you know, it doesn't matter where you put me, you can throw me in the middle of a pond um in a rowboat and and that's if that's where I'm needed, that's where I'll be. And uh and you know, Sergeant,
for all we know, you may be in the middle of a rowboat, in the middle of a pond. >> He he actually did say >> he did. That's that's a direct quote. Um and uh and we know you'll do it with command and we know you'll do it with uh
with competence and uh absolute ability. So, thank you. And and congratulations. Uh we're going to take a brief fivem minute recess so people um can file out who are here for the swearing in. We do have a public meeting surrounding the
Oakland Avenue Park uh directly after our recess. So I'm going to we're going to keep it to like five minutes. Uh so we're in recess. If I ever find out, >> sure. Uh so
this is a uh public hearing on the Oakland Avenue Park. Um I just want to let everybody know there will not be a decision made tonight. We plan on making uh a decision by the end of next month in order to get moving with whatever route we decide to go on. Um so I just
want to give everybody a sense in terms of time frame. Um, and uh, you know, we we did receive a piece of correspondence from the public. Madame clerk, do you want to read that because I don't seem
to have it. >> Oh, right here. This is from Emo Tagi, 41 Oakland A. As a senior citizen, I feel safer turning left at a traffic light. What benefit is there in blocking the intersection to
create a park, forcing us to take detours and jeopardizing our safety? Who wants this park and for what purpose? Please use our tax money for more meaningful purposes. Thank you, Miss Tagi. Um, with that, I want to turn it over to
uh Committeeman Weber uh who's going to give a brief overview of of the project uh and what options we're looking at. And after Committeeman Weber speaks briefly, we'll turn it over to the public uh for for you guys to engage,
give input, ask questions, um and try and make the project as best it could possibly be. So Chris, briefly. Okay. So, two years ago, we acquired Oakland Park after um a lot of negotiations with
Outfront. Oakland Park did not generate much revenue from the township at all. Okay. They paid I believe it was 10 I'm I'm going to speak from my memory, but most of it's correct. It was about $10,000 a year in taxes, right? They didn't generate much
money on anything at all. Those billboards when we went back and we were in negotiations with without front on them. We had gone back well over 60 years. Those billboards at one point were were originally put up as
intersections to this way to Mountainside, this way to Elizabeth. That's actually what they were for. And somehow along the line they got grandfathered in they were purchased. Let me back up. They were purchased by
the billboard company. They became billboards when this was a farming community and that was not a center of town. They then get grandfathered in and they were there. We are one of the only communities that had these billboards.
They are unsightly. They have no business in this day and age being part of our landscape for our center of town. So, when we were able to strike a deal with Outfront and actually get the land
for $1, we jumped on it. I I was in the meeting. I pled my case to Outfront and I said, you know, the township at this point is looking for a win against big guys. Your billboards are everywhere.
Please hear our case when we tell you that we do not want billboards here anymore. Okay. Okay. So, we get the land. We then decide we're going to build a sitting park for the businesses and and and everything over there because
there seating is a premium over there and there's not anywhere to go once the the small sidewalk spaces are filled up and once the storefronts are filled up. There's really nowhere to go. Then queue in after school.
after school, those kids are literally staged in the street and there's no stopping them. And I think we've known that. That's been like that for decades. So, we don't know how to stop that. So, then another thought came around. We already know we're going to build a
sitting park on Oakland. What if we had closed off Oakland Avenue and had the traffic come up Waverly? And the thought behind that was these storefronts
are at the top on Mountain Avenue. Oakland would become a culde-sac and the storefronts would still on the storefront on Mountain Avenue in between Oakland and Waverly would still have access to leave out of Waverly.
The road in the in the back was looked at by fire, was looked at by police, was looked at by the county. We had enough room. We still have enough room to use that road if we want to, contrary to what anybody else has put
online. And I will preface everything I'm saying right now with there was a lot of drama put online unnecessarily and a lot of things that were put out there that were not factually true at all. They were just pure wrong. There
was no paper sitting on the county's desk that was dead on arrival. There was none of that. Counties looked at it. That was a paper road. They've already said that we can do with this if we want to. So the thought said, well,
maybe that would be better because then we would not have people waiting in the street on Oakland Avenue, kids, and it would actually increase the square footage of the park by 600 some odd feet, maybe a little bit
more. Gave us some good usage if we wanted to do maybe concerts, etc. So, we did a traffic study. The traffic study showed we did five days on Oakland and I believe we did four days on
Waverly. Waverly beat Oakland. It was it was like a,00 to,600. More people used Waverly than Oakland. That is a fact. I the traffic study says that.
Now, there were several concerns about getting out in case something flooded or uh there was a bad weather situation or so on which then made us take a look at maybe a hybrid,
right? So, we have two designs in front of you and one of them was for a closed off park with Oakland closed and one was just open leaving Oakland open. There is a third possibility that was out there that said
there would be a way to close off Oakland when it wanted to be closed off with the use of removable ballards and open when it needed to be open. And I'm just going to give an example that I'm just going to pop out of my head.
Monday through Friday, if the businesses are open 9:00 till 2, they would be open the roads. When school comes out, maybe they would be closed down for an hour. It was
just things that were thrown around. The intention of this meeting was always to let everybody have a say in it. We had a forester over there looking at those trees. Those trees had to come down. We
had our head of DPW come and look at those trees. Those trees had to come down. There was nothing there that was salvageable and everything is going to be replanted 10 times over over there. So the purpose of this meeting is for
input because we have not made decision again contrary to what was put online. No one's made a decision on anything. We want to know what you guys think. Are you in approval of maybe a culde-sac on Oakland? Are you in approval of maybe
a hybrid where Oakland can get closed off at times on a weekend if there's a events going on? Are you, you know, in approval of just keeping it open? We're trying to make everybody happy and
there there's a a lot of information um that had been put out that was bad. the the county supplied us with a $416,000 grant for this park. So, we are going to spend every dollar
of it because the money cannot be used anywhere else. You can't go online and and and and I keep referring online because it's just the devil at this point with what's get thrown out there. You can't take a hundred,000, build a park, and put 300,000 towards the budget. That's not how this works. All
$416,000 is going to be spent on this park no matter what. The only thing I can tell you is that the park will have electric. It will have Wi-Fi and we're looking for water for this park. I think that's that's that pretty much
covers it. Thank you, Chris. Uh at this point, does would anybody from the public like to come and speak on this issue? >> Yeah, come on over. Uh before you start, please state your name and address. And I believe we have a fourm minute speaking time.
>> Four minutes. >> Sure. Uh Chris Shramp, 54 Waverly. I spoke at the last meeting uh showing my approval for the park, but opposition to uh closing of Oakland Avenue. Um at that time, I listed many scenarios. You just brought up a traffic survey.
Your traffic survey has not been documented. We haven't seen that. What I'd like to know and what you guys really should be upfront about is okay, you did an a quantity of cars, but now whatever was going down Oakland is 100% going down Waverly. Um, so making a
left-hand turn. I understand the concept of timing and everything like that. Also, you mentioned at the last meeting that you were looking for input. At that time of the meeting, I, you know, uh, presented my opposition, my case, my theories. Um, after the meeting, I got
to thinking and I looked at your rendering and I decided to contact Mr. Chris um, Capidis through email and I sent him a proposal here that I wanted to share with you tonight. I'm still in opposition of closing Oakland, but maybe
a happy medium would be to make it a one-way going out. So, you can still make your left turn. You can now narrow Oakland Avenue, create a bigger buffer for kids to stand on, and what you just brought up where if you did want to
close it with barricade, you could easily close a oneway versus a two-way. I took my own liberty to do this. the concept of what we're think what I was thinking. Um I don't know if this was presented to you by Mr. Capid and
that's a little disappointing that it wasn't because I took the liberty of emailing him and sending this to him. Um so now I'm bringing it here to bring it to your attention. Um, ultimately what you brought up about timing, I kind of agree that yes, if this was closed on a
weekend, it's not going to affect us. But from 7:30 to 8:30 in the morning trying to make a left turn with the school, it is insane. And now with the snow, it's even worse. And recently, Mr. Capid just posted on his um newsletter to the town. He made the perfect case
again that people in town are complaining who live on a culde-sac that their snow removal is not as good, not as efficient. And that's what's going to happen on Waverly and Oakland. So, so we still have the liberty to make a left
for both the businesses, the residents, and the um uh employees at those businesses. Currently, Waverly does get more traffic primarily because of the cardiologist office, but now you're asking all the businesses that do go on
the Oakland side to now congregate with the cardiologist office. I so I so I think this is a happy medium. I think you with your engine seriously with your engineers and then incorporate your idea if if you did want to close it with
barricades for events. I think we could live with that, but ultimately it has to stay open for a left turn is my position. >> Okay. >> Thank you. >> I I just want to add one thing to what you were saying because that's something that actually had had come off of my uh
my memory. One of the catalysts for the closing of Oakland Park was you had a resident who lived right who who's moved since then, but they lived right at the first house over there. And the complaint was with the stores
being put there, there were cars being parked in front of their house and that was an issue. And the police had been called numerous times to that person's house with requests to make people move cars, which we cannot.
So residents of Oakland, that's another possibility that I want you to think about also is that there is a chance that Oakland does become a parking zone for people wanting to use the stores.
>> I think it would become more of a parking zone if it was a culde-sac. >> That's what I'm I'm just I'm throwing it out though. But that's that's that was >> in my rendering there. I actually created parking spots. Whether you do it on the left side or the right side, >> right, >> up to that particular person's house is totally legal. >> Correct. >> No different than people coming and
parking in front of my house and going to Myel Park. We deal with it. >> Absolutely agree with you. But that was one of the catalyst. >> We love our neighborhood. It's quiet. It's tranquil. Yep. >> But you're definitely doubling the capacity of Waverly Avenue. And now that Meisel Park is open, now that it's lit,
our traffic is even more. >> You're not taking that into consider. I'm there. I've been there for 30 years. >> That park has been doubled in capacity since they put the lights up. It's been wonderful. We love it. It's great to walk around there. You guys need to replace the bridge. >> I hope you're aware of that. It's going
down again. >> We did repair it. >> Go down. No, it's gone. It's It's breaking again. I walk it every day. >> Okay. We will take a look at it. >> What you need to do is not totally different. Just put it on top of the train tracks and build a metal one and take that one down because it's not going to last. >> You're the first one now that we will
look at it tomorrow. You're the first one that's approached us with it. >> Don't close it cuz I need to walk my dog there. Completely understand. I can get across, but don't close it again, please. Just replace the It's all broken. The kids bust. >> We will take a look at it again. Thank you. >> Thank you, Mr. Sherem. >> Anyone else?
>> Yeah, come on up. >> Hey. Uh, my name is Brendan Dugan at 59 Brier Hills Circle. Um, so as I'm not a resident of this particular block, um, I but I have a I go to the get my haircut at one cut right here. Um, I've been to
the new ice cream shop. Love that area. Um, personally, I'm in favor of a culde-sac. Obviously, it doesn't affect my property value or any of that. So, take that with a grain of salt. But um personally I think any extra public space for pedestrians is a plus just as
a whole for the town user. Um it's a lot more user friendly as you said. Um kids from the high school need a place to hang out as well. Um it'll most likely increase the um efficiency and like uh traffic foot traffic for the businesses
um in that area. Um and more green space, fewer cars just like in that particular area. We don't have a straight up uh like a main downtown per se in Springfield. This is
if we do add a little bit more green space, more pedestrian friendly areas, I feel like it would start to make this part of Springfield a little bit more cohesive as a downtown >> downtown unit. >> Yeah. So, that's really appreciate the comment.
>> Thank you, Mr. Dugan. >> Anyone else? Come on up. I'm >> You can pull it down if you need to. It's just >> I'm Neil Schubert from 26 Oakland Avenue. Uh closing that street is very
um dangerous to my opinion. I lived there for many years. When my mother-in-law lived with my husband and I, we had called 911 for numerous times. God forbid you guys
close that street. We have to call 911 in the middle of the night or in the middle of the day. It doesn't matter what time it is. How fast you think we can get help to us or god forbid there is a a fire. How fast can a fire truck
turn down the street? >> Keep that in mind. That's all. >> Okay, >> thank you very much. >> I'm Dana Black. I live in 19 Norwood Road. So, I'm on the other side of uh Mountain like by Penoff. Sorry. Um I
have two little kids. We walk to that main street all the time. I'm >> address was 19 Norwood. >> Oh, 19 Norwood Road. >> Um I'm personally in favor of closing it down. I think having that walkability, especially pushing strollers, having little kids running around like crazy.
Um less, you know, chaos would be really nice. Having that central part where we're all outside. I think co taught us having more outdoor space that we can hang out at is a good investment in the long run. Um, and I'm personally really
impressed that you guys thought about this and are putting it forward or hopefully like it's some parkland something putting forward. >> Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Anybody else? Okay. I would like to stress that we uh
Oh, one more. Come on up. >> Hi, I'm Alyssa Shra. I'm at 54 Waverly Avenue. Um, I'm all for the park. I'm not for closing it. I would love to keep W uh Waverly open. I go down Waverly all the time to make right turns, left turns, especially during the school
traffic in the morning, in the afternoon. As someone who works in the environmental industry, like like I said, I'm for the park, just not for closing the street. It would just be a major major traffic hazard. And I'm driving all the time, too. So, thank
you. Thank you, Mim. All right, last call. Uh, if anybody else would like to speak on the Oakland Avenue Park project. Um, seeing nobody else. Um, I'm going to go
ahead and uh and ask if anybody up here would like to provide provide any comments. Um, if not, we could go ahead and close the public hearing. Chris. Um,
public comments right now. The looking at the one way the the one way is absolutely something that um should be looked at. Anybody I mean I I guess I could just do
a show of hands with anybody here. I if the if the situation was a hybrid situation and you're here about this park and what I mean is hybrid meaning we can close it off when we want or we can open it when we want. Is there anybody opposed to that?
>> If if the if if >> Well, I think I think the default would be that it's open, right? >> I I think the default would be that it's open. That's that and >> Okay. That's kind of what we're looking for.
>> Yeah. Speak for yourself. Absolutely. >> Okay. Thank you. Understood. Thank you. Um, thank you Chris. Alex, any comments? Uh, we have a two members absent. I
think there's needs to be uh much more discussion amongst them. Um, >> definitely agree. >> It's continued to be nice to hear from everybody. I mean, hey, we have some money. Something is going to get done. That's not going to continue to be an
empty lot, uh, uh, past this year. If it is, then >> something really wrong. >> Yep. >> Um, so, uh, we do need to make a decision, I think, quicker than sooner than later, just because I don't think we want to see, uh, another empty lot
for another spring there. And I think we have to make a decision by the end of winter so that we can get contractors in place and we see how slow things get. Uh um but we'll continue to hear from people. If I've been taking a
ticker for the last two meetings, but if anybody out there still has some thoughts, you know, please email us. That's still uh another way that it gets on record, at least for all of us. And uh I I I don't know when I forget when
our next meeting is, but if if if mayor you want to make a decision by the end of February and I think at the next meeting we need to make sure all members of the committee input up here. >> February 10th is our next meeting.
>> Absolutely agree. Um D Kaiser just said Kaiser just said um um um something definitely has to go there. Um there are definite safety issues with closing it. Um I would like to confer with our first responders just
in terms of uh where their thoughts are. Um but uh you know uh safety points and the traffic points were very well made. Um, kudos on the artwork and uh and the handwriting, Mr. ShraMM. Well done. Um, and it was a really solid idea. Um,
appreciate your thought into it. Um, I'm going to go I'm going to go ahead and close this public hearing and we're going to move on with our regular business uh, agenda. >> Okay. Thank you all. >> Thank you all for coming. business meeting. Uh, we're gonna have
public comment on agenda items only. Um, anybody come on up. >> I want to just ask a favor. It's not the agenda, but I have I'm diabetic. I have to eat. It's a very quick compliment. If I could just make a statement for the
first aid squad, if you don't mind, and I know it's against protocol, but if you could I'm gonna be gone in 30 seconds. >> Sure. Go for it. >> Roer, 98 Washington Avenue. I just want to thank the first aid squad because I thought I was having a heart attack a week ago Sunday. They took picked me up in an ambulance, got me to the hospital.
They calmed me down. They took care of me and the hospital luckily found nothing wrong. But, you know, since I've had quadruple bypass surgery, I do get chest tightness. I have health issues and they took care of me. I just want to thank them. They they calmed the situation and I was very appreciative. >> They are fantastic. Thank you very much,
Mr. Gro. >> I didn't post it online. I can't >> You're feeling okay now? >> You're good. >> Thank you. Oh, I'm okay. Yeah, it was just a I go through these pains and they come and go. It just it was one that was more than normal, so I was scared. >> Will you come help shovel my sidewalk? >> No, I I'm not allowed. Are you Oh,
you're being funny. No, thank you. >> Okay. Um any public comment? Agenda items only. Moving on. Uh reports, administrators report. Mr. Bicolo. >> Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Um, can I just
make a comment, Mr. You pointed out that the bridge again were having a problem. >> Well, >> yeah, we got to be careful because we've got issues as far as who owns what we're allowed not allowed to do.
>> Well, it's got Oh, I don't disagree. >> We got to do it under the cover of darkness. >> All right. Uh, I just wanted to touch on a few things. Mr. Robert Betcher is with us today, our head of DPW. So, we're going to discuss the last storm because
that was a major topic for us. But before we do that, I just wanted to touch on a couple things. If anybody noticed, we had a big camera project in town that we just finished town hall last Thursday, Friday.
>> Yeah, we finished down. >> So now we've got we've got cameras in town hall, municipal building, PD, uh DPW, the pool, and the fire department. So, we're covered with closed circuit TV everywhere and it records, etc., etc. As
far as illegal dumping at the pool, we've had 6,8 people that have gone to court and been fined for illegal dumping. >> That's correct. >> So, and that's posted everywhere. So, we're trying to we're trying to stop that because it ends up costing us a
bunch of money to get rid of this stuff that's being dumped that we can't just discard. Some of it is hazardous. So, we have to be very careful. One other thing I wanted to touch on that Craig is working on for us. We found out about um
Mr. Mrron brought up to me is that these ebikes when they get in an accident and they break down if somebody runs one over, the batteries catch on fire, they stay lit for several days and they become hazardous material.
>> Now, the county comes out and boxes them up like to protect it, but they will not take them away. So then we've got to get rid of the batteries. And Mike, what do you think we were looking at? Two grand. >> Yeah. So, um it all depends. They they were talking about a um a lithium-ion
battery for like an ebike, let's say. >> Yeah. >> It catches fire. We extinguish it. It could take up to several hours. Once it's extinguished, uh the county hazmat team will come out and they will overpack it, they call, in a 55gallon steel drum where they'll put um like fire retardant around it, pack the
battery, then they leave that with the homeowner or the bike owner. uh they do not take it. To get rid of a 55gallon drum is roughly $2 to $3,000. Um there's incidents occurring um throughout the county and throughout the state where these bikes catch fire. The fire
department extinguishes it. Hazmat teams throughout the state. They pack it and they leave it at the homeowner site. They call the insurance company. Insurance says we're not paying for it. So, you know, these drums are found on the side of the street for regular garbage. They're not taken or they're found inside these uh people's homes or
driveways again. So, um, you know, it's one of these things that these bikes are all over the place. We see them going up and down the road and we're going to have an incident. How are we going to dispose of it and and um how we can recoup the funds? That was the big topic of the conversation that I had with uh Mr. Basilico and they have um they have
identification on them so we can we should be able to track it back to the owner. So, we're asking Mr. doubt to look into putting something on the books so that if somebody does have an accident and abandons it, that $2,000 to get rid of it doesn't end up on us.
>> Well, I mean, with the new law now, everything need now needs to be registered. Um, you know, I I know there there's a catch-up period, but I mean, it needs to be registered. Uh, some things need to be insured. Uh, so obviously things that are insurable
would be insured. Um, so I I mean and it would come down to a matter of billing, right? >> Well, as Mike pointed out, the insurance companies are somewhere walking away from the disposal. >> So, we just want to make sure that we can get rid of this. >> Has that been has that? I mean, they're
they're there's no ebike insurance now, is there? >> So, these bikes are not insured to begin with. Correct. They had a structure fire in a garage. I would assume the insurance company would take that as part of the property and loss. However, you know, we have a problem, let's say, on Mountain Avenue where the bike
catches fire on the way to school. Who picks it up? I mean, the kid can't take it home and now we have this uh hazardous battery that caught fire sitting on the side of the road in a drum. How do we dispose of it? And that was the big topic. It was brought up at a meeting because it's it's happening
throughout the state and everyone's pointing the fingers and figuring out who's taking this stuff. We just can't leave it on the side of the road. So, the hazmat team will make it safe. They'll make it so it can't catch fire again. And if it does, it doesn't extend anywhere. But now we have an unsightly
55gallon steel drum with a hazmat sticker on it sitting on the side of a road. Somebody needs to take care of Correct. Yeah. Um I mean e even if there is eventually insurance for it, what's the probability that people get
insurance for a bike and don't just uh uh don't just drive it anyway or wherever? Um I mean it is certainly a cost that somebody has to bear. So but this just goes back to the point
I think uh I think committeeman Weber made this point is when parents are looking to buy these for the the kids. It's different than any other kind of pedal bike in the past and people have to be
aware of that that there's a lot more to this. They're they travel at high speeds. They they do have some more danger than a regular bike and people have to be aware of this before just buying it off of uh uh T-Mu um and
having it delivered. So, >> so Craig is looking into that. We'll keep you guys a breast goes on. >> Thank you. >> Going back to the snowstorm, first of all, I want to I want to put out the the thanks to Robbie and the DPW crew. They
worked very very hard, long, long hours to try to clean up the town. And it's not an easy thing. Uh we were receiving two inches per hour when we were out there and salt wasn't helping because the temperatures were so cold. We put down 50 tons, but it just doesn't do a
whole lot. On top of that, we got seven township buildings, seven bus stops, 25 cross crosswalks that we got to clear. There were 11 park sidewalks, 35 outer sidewalks, and over 80 or over 60 intersections that we also had to
clear. So, the guys besides plowing the roads, they're very busy with a lot of handwork also. Um, Robbie, why don't you touch on what the guys actually did, what what it took. >> Okay. F first let me say that every
street in town is treated the same. Timing may be a little off according to SOP. So, uh, if I took a zone like zone 2 and we're getting 2 in an hour, uh, my main priority is to keep the through
streets open, which in zone 2 would be like Laurel, Redwood, Smithfield, Evergreen, and Miltown Road, so that emergency services can get to the heart of that section and then move on from there. um
as John said, uh you know, and then afterwards we'll we'll move into the secondary streets. We try to keep them passable, but again, we're returning back to the through streets. We have um
over 220 streets in town. We were able to cover every zone with between two and three plows. And we worked uh the snow came in early Sunday morning. It ended Sunday evening.
We had the roads open by Monday morning at 8:00 at which point we moved on to our buildings, bus stops, crosswalks, parks, sidewalks, and in between all that um we do respond to
every resident. every call is addressed and we get back to everybody. Um, snowstorms are taxing on everybody, taxpayers, DPW, fire department, police, everyone.
Out of the gate, our goal is to not place any burden, unnecessary burden I should say, on any taxpayer, but to be consistent with snow plowing. Unfortunately, some residents look at it as
a burden. >> The other thing I wanted to touch on again, and we asked people before this, please don't have your landscaper allow your driveway into the street and leave it. We had some businesses that actually did their parking lots and push snow
into the street. So, we're going to have our zoning officer address the businesses that we know are doing it and ask them, they got to keep it on their own lot. They can't push it into the roadway. We go by, we clean the road, they push it back in the roadway. We're like chasing our tail and then it gets
it gets crushed and next thing you know, you got a a sheet of ice. So, that that's kind of always a little bit frustrating for us. >> I actually tried to take pictures throughout the storm and show a street that was plowed by us. And again, properties don't have any place to put
the snow, so they're moving it out into the street. So down the road, it looks like we didn't do our job. But in fact, we actually did. So we actually have to return to a lot of these streets after working 24 hours on the streets and now
we're on sidewalks and everything else. Residents are looking for us to come back. So it gets to be very tough. two points on this. Uh um one I I don't
um I don't know what the answer is, but I have been noticing I I and I noticed it in other places. some of the new construction they do they just don't have a a good spot to put it uh and then
they just it either stacks up and then you you notice it with a lot of places and and I did notice it driving around this storm and the last storm. It's just like you get to a spot and then there's like suddenly a new patch of snow and clearly it's not that the snow plow
didn't lift up his thing. It's that somebody clearly pushed it out in this thing and and in and some of the apartment complexes, we should and I don't know if it's through the planning board, but when they come, they're I don't know if you can make them have a a plan of what they're going to do with
the snow. >> That's a good point. >> Uh but I I have noticed it. I noticed it at work a lot of times. It's just like they just don't know or they have inexperienced plows that just don't don't clear the the the right space. But maybe if we can put that part of the planning that they they have some kind
of snow plan. >> Yeah. >> Uh uh to do it. I I mean some lots really should just >> kind of pick it up off site and take it, but uh I don't think you can mandate that. The the second point is, hey, we
haven't in a we've had snow events in the last few years, but I don't I think this is the largest uh storm in a very long time. So, I think everybody, right, if you're doing it every year, you're probably a little bit more uh uh
on the ball, right? But a after a break of So, this was a an an amount of snow in a limited time. I think I woke up around like 5 5:30 and there was really nothing on the ground. And then when I looked back out by like 8:00, it was
deep. So, uh uh it was kind of dumped a lot of snow in a short amount of time. and we haven't had a such a storm uh in a very long time. So I think that added to some people's uh uh stress levels and
having had not been stuck inside for a 10 to 12 incher in a very long time. Uh definitely added to some of the stress of everybody. We actually had to go back out again at 2:00 this morning uh over to Caldwell School because the snow was
piled so high there was no place to drop the kids off. >> So DPW came in at 2 and did you actually have to remove that pick it up and cart it out or did you do >> Yeah. So, what we normally do on a snow like that, because there's no parking in the school lot, uh the length of
Callwell, pretty much just outside the footprint of the school, the um residents pull up to drop their children off. So, they have to climb over the snow to get onto the sidewalk to get into school. So, it's really very
unsafe. So, normally what we do in a snow like this, we come in early in the morning, which was 2 o'clock. This morning we shut the road down. We clean the whole one side and the sidewalk. There's no snow there. We c it to our community pool parking lot and we dump
it in the back. And this is also a us areas where we remove snow has a lot to do with pending snow when we're getting it in the forecast and we ourselves don't have room. So, um it's just a safe thing to do for the
school because there's no parking. >> And we did help the school out. We got some calls from the high school. I know Rachel had called us. >> They had a truck that broke down. We brought a mechanic in to help her out with that. And you salted also for him. >> Yeah, they are don't have a lot of
equipment and she called me up. Their salt truck broke down. Um, we took it over at TPW and my mechanic fixed it, but in the meantime, we went over and we salted their lots and took care of them. So again, anything that
comes my way in the interest of safety, I'm always going to make that call in the interest of safety. Whether somebody views it as correct or not, it's just the safe thing to do. >> Any questions? >> Yeah, I actually want to thank you
because um I gotten my sidewalk cleaned. It was perfect and then your plow came down and literally kept me outside for like another hour. No, but but I'm I'm I'm I'm I'm teasing because that is the nature of the game.
They were going it was going so fast. I had it clean by let's just say 2:00 3:00. There had already been another 2 3 inches on the ground since the plow had come by again. >> You know, >> people got to be patient. I I don't
there's nothing else that can be done. We we try and I get it, but we try to ask homeowners to wait so you only have to shovel the apron once in your driveway one time. Um but again, they >> No, for for for me it worked better
because it was just going so fast that even when the plow came again, it only threw an inch or two back on the sidewalk and I was able to get a grip on it. But I I guess my point of of just teasing with you right now is is to the people that think it's done intentionally or whatever, there's
nowhere for the snow to go. The plow's going. You you know, we have the luxury of going curb to curb. A lot of towns don't do union can't do that. I mean, they're trying to put people on the on the on the lawns over there. >> Yeah.
>> We have the luxury of of of really going curb to curb and getting these things as clean as we can. So, um I think it was a bangup job. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> I hope we don't get another shot at it this weekend. >> Oh, me too. >> Uh yeah, Robbie, I just wanted to
personally thank uh your department and as well as you. Um you were uh you were incredibly available. You were incredibly reachable um and incredibly responsive. So, thank you. Um, you were there about 12 people
that said that we had the best streets in the area. Uh, some online, some over text. Um, so that's that's a testament to you. I don't know what you I don't know how you train them or what you feed them, but keep doing it. >> As long as you feed them, they always stay.
>> Um, but, uh, I mean, this had to have been this had to have been I mean, manh hours. It had been two straight days at work pretty much, right? >> Yeah. Yes. It was uh about 35 hours. >> I mean, you got a little punchy with me at one point, but
>> Oh, yes. I got a little confused with you, >> but uh but uh truly just a masterful job. Um it was you really did great and and and you know Deputy Chief Mastroni, Chief Cook, um uh you know, I'm sorry your two departments don't get nearly
the amount of glory, but um you know, didn't hear any issues. So, uh seriously well done, Robbie. >> And again, I always uh welcome any phone call, any resident to call who wants to speak to me about procedures, how things work, I'd be more than happy to go out with me and meet with them. Can we just
get a little clarity real quick on temperature that salt becomes effective, not effective, and why does Springfield not brine roads? We've never br and brimming, in my opinion, is only
effective on the initial snowfall. And if it rains before it snows, that brine really is ineffective and it's expensive. And I find salt to is just as effective.
Now, they brine a lot earlier because it sticks. So, we just get out a little bit later and pre-salt the oats. Um, that's just my opinion of brimming.
salt does not work in the single digits. It it's >> they're they're both active and in inactive depending on the temperature both the same. >> So, you know, and a lot has to do with the with the traffic that's on a road and sunlight. Now, if you look at any
road, and I've gotten it a lot of times, oh, I've come down uh South Springfield, Misa, whatever. Traffic is a major factor in bringing the roads down to blacktop. If you're on a side street, let's just say a culer sack, it's not
going to look like a main road where you get a thousand cars over a period of several hours versus 10 cars on a side street. Those cars actually help the salt and so does the sun. So it it it
all depends on temperature, traffic, and sunlight. >> Just that that that makes some sense. I I mean some you can tell when you're driving on a brined roaded, but in some in the beginning it does make a difference. At least I've noticed like in the initial
>> Oh, yeah. Absolutely. In the very beginning it will, but once you get the road snow covered, >> it doesn't. >> It's >> It's like in that sleet moment, it does make a difference. >> Yes, it does. >> And if you get any precipitation, it washes it away. >> And then would the the how what what is
the expense compared like a I don't I don't know if we're looking at a ton of I don't I don't know what the comparison is, but a ton of salt to a ton of uh uh brine that you would >> I actually don't have the cost. I would have to look into it for brimming. I did
have a proposal. Uh I met with a couple of uh gentlemen that came to my office. They left me >> u proposal on brimming. So either you can partner up with another town. Um there's companies that will come out and set you up for the season.
And and I just in my opinion I didn't feel it was necessary. >> Gotcha. >> But we're paying $73 a ton for salt. And then do do we salt like uh uh all the side streets or do we hey I I focus just
primarily on the cutthroughs like a culde-sac do we >> Well again salulting you know when we leave we're not going to put the spinner on >> Yeah. >> and just drive. So, we saw a lot of the hills, bridges, uh the curves, uh and
then we spot the side streets on the straightaway so that because you would just go through a massive amount of salt. Um, so yeah, there's areas that get a lot of salt and there's areas that don't require a lot of salt and we usually spot all of our stop signs as
you're approaching uh any intersection and it there's storms storms are very unique. Uh I can go through 50 ton on a storm and go through 10 ton on a same storm based on the consistency of the
snow. So every every storm is unique. It's just uh >> the nature of it. >> I can tell you on cost in the previous life we made our own brine because it was expensive to buy and it's nothing more than salt water.
>> Yeah. So I mean I can get five inches of snow with the temperatures we're having now where I'm going through like John had on tonight 50 ton of salt so far in this storm. I can get five inches of snow. you got sunlight and then, you know, later on in the evening the
temperatures go above uh 32 and the next day the sun's out. I probably wouldn't use that much salt, you know. So, >> anything further? >> Thank you, Robbie. >> You're welcome. >> Thank you, >> John. Does that conclude your report?
>> That concludes. >> Okay, moving right along. No ordinance on first reading. No ordinances on second reading. Oh, minutes. >> I will make a motion to adopt the regular and executive meeting minutes of
December 16th, 2025 as emailed. >> Second. >> All in favor? >> I. >> Finally, we have 2025 complete. >> Moving right along. Resolutions. We have resolutions 202660,
202661, 2026 62, 202663, 2026 64, 2026 65
2026 666 20667 2026 668 202669 202670. Is there a motion?
>> Make a motion to adopt resolutions 2026-60 through 2026-70. >> Second. >> Committeeman Weber. >> Yes. >> Deputy Mayor Kaiser. >> Yes. >> Mayor Laugher. >> Yes. >> Okay. discussion and action items.
Accepting the resignation of Erica Dubo as a member of the library board. I will make a motion to accept Erica Dubo's uh resignation. Thank you, Kirk, for her service for the township. And once again,
what I I she got me back. Touche. Um, I will thank her for her service and of course uh this goes uh uh with saying that uh
we're looking for people. So I think Mr. Mayor, you made that pitch in the beginning. This is clearly we need people. >> We absolutely need people. >> Chris, would you like to second that? >> Second. >> All in favor? I. Next is approving a request from Kabad
Jewish Learning Center for the use of the Margaret Bandowski Meeting Room on Monday, March 2nd, 2026 from 300 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. for a Porum event. Hold harmless provided certificate of insurance to be provided when approved.
>> I would like to make a motion to approve that request. >> Alex, >> uh second. >> All in fa Oh, roll call. >> Committeeman Weber. Yes. >> Minimman Kaiser. Deputy Mayor Kaiser. >> Yes. >> Mayor Laer. >> Yes. Next is a request from uh New York
Blood Center, New Jersey Blood Services for use of Chisum Community Center Adler Gym on Monday, March 30th, 2026 from 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. for a blood drive. Hold harmless and COI are provided.
>> I would like to make a motion to approve that request. >> Second. Committeeman Weber. >> Yes. >> Deputy Mayor Kaiser. >> Yes. >> Mayor Laugher. >> Yes. >> Finance. >> I will make a m motion to uh make a
payroll and invoices for the period of January 14th, 2026 through January 27th, 2026 in the amount of $4,770,99983. >> We'll second that. >> Deputy Mayor Kaiser. >> Yes. Committeeman Weber. >> Yes. >> Mayor Ler.
>> Yes. >> Correspondents, we have none public comment on any governmental issue. Anybody? Public comment is closed.
Um, we are not going to be in executive session due to our uh due to our numbers today. We're going to push it to February 10th. Everybody who is riceed will remain riceed. Um so no executive
session, no action taken. Um so we're going to skip that agenda item. Uh are we going to uh move for an adjournment? >> Make a motion. >> Make a motion to uh
>> You're seconding. I'm sorry. >> All in favor? I >> I We are adjourned.