This is a regular meeting of the township committee. Public notice of this meeting has been given as required by the open public meetings law. A resolution was adopted on January 1st, 2025, designating this date, this Holland, 7:30 p.m. as the time for this regular meeting of the township
committee of the township of union in the county of Union. A notice of each and every meeting of the township committee was posted in accordance with the aforet open public meetings law in one public place reserved for the posting of ordinances and official notices of the township of union, namely the bulletin board next to the clerk's
office. In addition there too, a copy of said resolution was forwarded to the local source in Star Ledger. A copy of said resolution is on file with the clerk of the township. Thank you. The tonight prayer will be recited by committeewoman Sergeant Terrell and the flag salute by Manny
Figero. Everybody stand please. As we gather as members of this township committee, we pray that we are ever mindful of opportunities to render service to fellow citizens and to our community, keeping in mind always the enduring values of life, exerting our
efforts in those areas and on those things upon which future generations can build with confidence. Let us continue to strive to make a better to make a better community. Amen. Amen. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the
United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you. Uh, can I have a motion, please, for the approval of the roll?
I got to do roll call. Roll call. Miss Figerito here. Miss Terrell here. Miss Frasier, I made it. Uh, uh, Deputy Mayor Florio here and Mayor Bowser is excused.
Uh, now could I have an motion for the approval of the minutes of the executive conference and regular session minutes of September 9th, 2025? Motion to approve. Second. All in favor? I. Madam Clerk, could you read your ordinances, please? I for consideration
on second final reading an ordinance amending chapter 131 of the municipal code changing the composition of the police department. Move the ordinance be taken up for a second and final reading. Second an ordinance amending chapter 131 entitled public safety department
article 2 division of police in the township of union county, New Jersey. This ordinance addresses the composition of the police department. Does anyone from the audience wish to comment on this ordinance? Move the ordinance be adopted. Second. Mr. Figerito,
yes. Miss Terrell, yes. Miss Frasier, yes. Deputy Mayor Florio, yes. For your consideration on draft and first readings amending chapter 170 of the municipal code entitled prohibited uses to include massage and body work parlors.
Move the draft be taken up on first reading by title at this time. Second. An ordinance of the township committee of the township of union, county of union, state of New Jersey, amending chapter 170-1209, the code of the code entitled prohibited uses. This ordinance prohibits massage
and body work services. Mr. Figero, yes. Mr. Terrell, yes. Miss Frasier, yes. Deputy Mayor Florio, yes. Move the draft be referred to the planning court. May I have a second? Second. Mr. Figero? Yes. Mr. Terrell? Yes.
Miss Frasier? Yes. Yes. Deputy Mayor Florio. Yes. Creating a handicapped space in front of 2095 Melrose Parkway. Move the draft be taken up on first reading by the title at this time. Second. An ordinance amending the designation of
restricted parking spaces for use by persons with special vehicle identification cards in the township of Union, Union County, New Jersey. This ordinance creates a handicapped space in front of 2095 Melrose Parkway. Mr. Vigoro. Yes. M. Terrell. Yes. Miss Frasier. Yes.
Deputy Mayor Florio. Yes. Move the draft be taken up at the next regularly scheduled meeting for second and final reading. Second. Mr. Figero. Yes. Miss Terrell. Yes. Miss Frasier? Yes. Deputy Mayor Floria? Yes. Creating a handicap space in front of
1113 Woolly Avenue. Move draft be taken up by title at this time. Second. An ordinance amending the designation of restricted parking spaces for use by persons with special vehicle identification cards in the township of Union, Union County, New Jersey. This ordinance creates a handicap space in
front of 1113 Woolly Avenue. Mr. Figero, yes. Mr. Terrell, yes. Miss Frasier, yes. Deputy Mayor Florio, yes. Move draft be taken up at the next regularly scheduled meeting for second and final reading. Second. Mr. Figero? Yes. Miss Terrell? Yes.
Miss Frasier? Yes. Deputy Mayor Floria? Yes. Adopting amendments to the Clinton Manor redevelopment plan. Move draft be taken up on first reading by title at this time. May I have a second? Second. An ordinance of the township committee
of the township of Union County of Union, New Jersey, adopting certain amendments to the Clinton Matter redevelopment plan pursuant to the local redevelopment and housing law. NJSA482A-1. Mr. Figero. Yes. Miss Dell. Yes. Miss Frasier. Yes. Deputy Mayor Florio.
Yes. Move draft be taken up at the next regularly scheduled meeting for second and final reading. Referred to the planning. Move the draft be referred to the planning board. Second. Mr. Figero. Yes. Miss Terrell. Yes. Miss Frasier. Yes. Deputy Mayor Florio.
Yes. Adopting amendments to the Styson Avenue redevelopment plan. Move the draft be taken up on first reading by title at this time. Second. Ordinance of the township committee of the township of Union County of Union, New Jersey, adopting certain additional amendments to the Styson Avenue redevelopment plan
pursuant to the local redevelopment and housing law NJSA 48 12A-1 at SEC. Mr. Figero, yes. Miss Terrell, yes. Miss Frasier, yes. Deputy Mayor Florio, yes. Move the draft be referred to the planning board. Second.
Mr. Figero, yes. Miss Terrell, yes. Miss Frasier, yes. Deputy Mayor Florio, yes. the following resolutions authorizing a settlement of a tax appeal for property located at 1085 Mars Avenue. Motion to approve. Second. All in favor? I.
Supporting S3545A 4696, the climate super fund act. Motion to approve. Second. All in favor? Iding resolution 2025192 increasing the amount to Samuels Inc. trading as buy an additional $5,000 for
the purchase of automotive and light truck parts for a revised total amount not to exceed $70,000. State contract number 85992. Motion to approve. Second. All in favor? I. Authorizing the submission of a grant application to the New Jersey Department
of Community Affairs in the amount of $8,000 to provide recreational programming to benefit developmentally disabled individuals. Move for approval. Second. All in favor? I. Authorizing a contract with the claim inventory LLC to provide a fixed asset inventory at their low
responsive quote not to exceed $8,400. Motion to approve. Second. All in favor? I. Authorizing the release of a performance bond in the amount of $4,500 and cash bond in the amount of $500 for PVC Properties LLC, 517 Chestnut Street.
Motion to approve the release. Second. All in favor? I. Authorizing payment of all approved vouchers for solid waste collection, hollage, and disposal at the interim rate. $759 per ton for household waste and $12952
per ton for bulky waste for the month of August. Motion to approve. Second. All in favor? I. Authorizing the purchase of equipment for emergency incidents for the fire department from Continental Fire and Safety for an amount not to exceed $23,597.80.
State contract number 17, fleet 00805. Move for approval. Second. All in favor? I. Manning resolution 202551, increasing the amount to Home Depot by $5,000 for the purchase of building supplies for a total amount not to exceed $59,000.
State contract number 18, fleet 00234. Motion to approve. Second. All in favor? I. authorizing a memorandum of agreement between the township and the Colombian Club of Union, also known as the Knights of Columbus, memorializing the purchase and sale of the property at 1034 Janette
Avenue to the township. Motion to approve the agreement. Second. All in favor? I I. Authorizing the execution of a redevelopment agreement with Interglob NA Real Estate LLC for 650 Liberty Avenue. Motion to approve. Second. All in favor?
I. Authorizing the execution of a redevelopment agreement with 700 Liberty Avenue LLC for 700 Liberty Avenue. Move for approval. Second. All in favor? I. Designating block 2903 lots 11 through 15 and 25 through 29 Stson Avenue on the
tax map as a non-demnation area in need of redevelopment. Motion to approve. Second. All in favor? I ask you to approve the finances as listed on the agenda. Motion to approve the finances. Second. All in favor? I I
the following communications from Terry Melanda tax collector requesting the township committee authorize checks issued to the following representing the redemption of tax sale certificates as listed on the agenda. Motion to approve. Second. All in favor? I I from Yaying Chen 99 cents plus
requesting to display merchandise in front of the store located at 350 Chestnut Street from September 27th through December 27th, 2025. Move for approval. Second. All in favor? All right. From Olan Leman, Bloomfield Center Alliance, requesting the use of the showmobile for their harvest fest on
Saturday, October 11, 2025 between the hours of 12 and 4 p.m. Motion to approve. Approve. Uh second on that, but uh noting that the overtime will not be waved. All in favor? I. From Debbie Ivans, TNT Fireworks
requesting permission to hold a tent sale in the parking lot at 900 Springfield Road from October 9th through October 23rd, 2025 utilizing a 20x 40 foot tent, banners and flags. Also requesting permission for a 10x 20ft container for storage and a small
generator to operate the lights. Motion to approve the request. Second. All in favor? I various residents requesting the following block parties. Hamilton Terrace, October 25th, 2025 from 3:00 to 10:00 p.m. The rain date of October 26,
2025 from 1 to 6:00 p.m. Redwood Road, October 19th, 2025 from 12 to 3:00 p.m. Motion to approve. Second. All in favor? I. From Jack Beta Gmbro, requesting to display merchandise in front of the store located at 1745 Mars Avenue from
September 28th through November 30th, 2025. Move for approval. Second. All in favor? I. From Sonia Murray, Connecticut Farms Church, requesting permission to use the Weon Avenue parking lot for overflow parking for community events on October
4th, 11th, 18th, 19th, and 25th and November 22nd. Motion to approve. Second. All in favor? I have department reports from the municipal court, fire department, and police department. Move they be received and filed. Second. All in favor? I
I that concludes my part of the agenda. Thank you very much. We'll move on to committee reports. Committee woman Terrell, please. Thank you, Deputy Mayor. Uh so for the Union Police Department reporting periods, September
6 through September 19th, uh directed patrols, there were 986, there were 256 calls for service, and there were 68 arrests. And all those numbers were down from the previous reporting period. So,
um, that's pretty good, I think. Uh, in our enforcement division, uh, in truck, uh, in truck enforcement, there were 28 stops, 25 tickets, and seven of those were for local deliveries/residents. Red light enforcement, there were 57
stops, 53 tickets were issued, and six of those were residents. And in our speed initiative, I don't have numbers for this week, but I promise to get those to you uh during our next reporting period. So, just a few highlights and announcements. Under public safety, I just want to report on
one incident. On September 19th, 2025, officers responded to a report of a male possibly waving a firearm in the vicinity of Morris Avenue and Lehigh Avenue. Multiple officers were dispatched to the area to locate the individual in question. During the
course of the search, officers observed a group of individuals gathered near a vehicle parked in the CVS parking lot. Through further investigation, officers recovered two loaded handguns and controlled dangerous substances at the scene. An arrest was made without
incident and the situation was resol resolved promptly and safely. And this week, I'd like to end on a positive note. We received a letter um uh recognizing one of our officers and I just wanted to share a little bit about
uh what was in that letter with you. Um so we received a heartfelt call or uh email from Mary, a longtime parent at Bernett Middle School. She shared high praise for officer Robert Honeyar. She commended his e exceptional
performance during school drop offs, noting that traffic flows smoothly and efficiently when he is present. Mary highlighted his polite and respectful demeanor, saying he greets everyone with a friendly hello and goes above and beyond in his role. Having voiced
concerns in the past, Mary felt it was important to recognize excellent service at this time. She expressed her appreciation not only for officer Honeymar but for the union the entire Union Police Department uh especially in
recent years. So I'd like to just take a moment to acknowledge and thank officer Honeymar and our police department for the outstanding work and positive impact in our community. So thank you officer Honeyar [Applause] figuro
and that concludes my report. Thank you, Deputy Mayor, for that impromptu introduction. Uh, from our uh public works department road division, 311 streets were swept. They filled 109 potholes, patched five road
intersections, 13 overlay applications, and utilized 16 1/2 tons of asphalt material. Uh, sewer division flushed out and cleared 41 sanitary lines for maintenance. There were two afterhour emergency call outs for sanitary issues,
44 enzyme applications to eliminate grease and various sanitary lines, and they repaired three catch basins. From our shade tree division, they removed 20 hazardous trees, removed 13 stumps, they trimmed five trees, and assessed 18
other trees. And our grounds division continues by cleaning 56 of our township park and recreation and properties of various litter and debris. There were 100 field cuts and they cleaned eight overgrowth locations. And as always, if
you have a concern or an inquiry regarding Department of Public Works, you can call them at 9086861922. We do encourage you to utilize the report of concern which is on our township website where we get a direct response to that. Um from our recreation
department, the union rec department travel basketball interest list is available through October 3rd. Travel basketball program is for boys and girls in 4th through 8th grade. Travel basketball is a great way for aspiring
players to play at a higher level of competition before they get into the middle and the high school teams. Those looking for an introductory program will be able to sign up for our clinics and uh these will be open for registration later in the fall. The Union Rec
Department is also gearing up. Believe it or not, Halloween is coming. The longstanding annual traditions of our Halloween window painting and scarecrow contests will return once again. Registration will open later this week. So keep your eye out for more info
coming soon. And for more information about the Union Recreation Department, you please call 9086864200. Deputy Mayor, that concludes my report. Thank you very much. Pier Fraser, please move on. Uh before I begin, good evening
everyone and I would like to make a motion to approve the following licenses the license applications. Outdoor Cafe Chrasco LLC 347-349 Chestnut Street and BYOB Nova's Cafe
Shop on 12665 Styverson Avenue and Peruvian Flavors Restaurant LLC 1020 Styverson Avenue. Second. All in favor? I I thank you. I will begin with the fire
department report. During this reporting period, the Union Fire Department responded to a total of 186 calls for service, including fire suppression, emergency medical assistance, and motor vehicle incidences. Our firefighters continue to provide reliable,
highquality emergency response while maintaining the highest standard of safe safety and professionalism. significant responses. On September 10th, the fire department responded to a motor vehicle accident on um Roswell Road and Valley Street involving two
vehicles. One vehicle caught fire while the second became an exposure issue. The fire was quickly extinguished and two patients were transported to St. Barnabas for precautionary medical care. On September 18th, the fire department
responded to a reported house fire on Mountain Mountain View Avenue at um igniting plastic containers inside. The fire was swiftly contained and no relocation was required for the residents. September fire safety tips.
Have your furnace, boilers, and fireplaces inspected and cleaned uh by a professional. Keep all combustibles at least 3 feet away from heat sources. Schedule a chimney cleaning to prevent fire caused by buildup.
Test your fire alarms monthly and replace batteries at least once a year. Replace alarms every 10 years or as soon as the manufacturer's recommendations. Install fire alarms in every bedroom, outside sleeping areas, and on each
floor. Again, always practice your home fire escape plan, ensuring two exits per room and a designated meeting spot. Teach children and seniors how to respond in emergencies. And ensure your home address is clearly visible from the
street for quicker emergency response. Make sure extinguishers are easily accessible and fully charged. Familiar familiarize yourself with the past technique. Pull, aim, squeeze, and sweep. only use a fire extinguisher for
small contained fires within a clear escape route. And October is fire prevention month. The fire department will be actively involved in community outreach, scheduling school visits, and con conducting fire safety education
initiative initiatives throughout the month. Thank you for your continued support in helping keep our community safe, stay safe, and stay prepared. I will also be reading the senior department report this evening.
On Tuesday, October 7th, from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m., the nurse will be providing health maintenance check and prevention service. Card making class on September 30th from 10:30 to 11:30. Discover the joy of creating one-of-a-kind cards and
showcase your personal style and celebrate the special people in your life. In this workshop, you'll learn how to design, craft your own greeting cards using a variety of materials such as paper, stamps, and more. Behind the
music, September 24th from 12:30 to 2 p.m., comedy and music. Join us for an afternoon of nostalgia. Step back in time and enjoy a collection of oldtime favorites in both music and comedy. The classics, the classics that made us
laugh, cry, and tap our feet. It's an afternoon filled with memories, joy, timeless entertainment. You won't want to miss it. Movie day, Wednesday, October 1st, two days before my birthday, guys. At at 1:30 p.m., get ready to dive into
the Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman. A witty, clever, and heartwarming mystery that brings together a group of unlikely individuals who prove it's never too late for adventure. Popcorn will be served. Tap your troubles away.
Wednesday, October 1st, October 8th, October 15th, October 22nd from 10:30 to 11:15. Come join us for a lively and welcoming tap dance workshop with Deborah Mitchell. Are you guys going to be there? I think I want to go. Yeah.
No. Okay. Is that before you tap dance or after you tap dance? This is a tap dance workshop. Okay. Um, whether you're a first- timer or a seasoned dancer, this is your chance to have fun, learn, and connect with the rich history of tap dance.
Reminisce about the beloved American art form of tap dancing. Wind Creek Casino, Thursday, October 16th. Bethlehem, PA. $40 per ticket. Departure on Janette Avenue. Columbus Flea Market and Farmers
Market. This is October 9th from 9:30 to 3:30 p.m. $3 to join. Hunteran Hills, Friday, October 24th. Tickets are $90. Michael Jackson impersonators. Um ticket pricing
includes bus transportation, show, table served, entree, dessert, buffet, coffee, tea, and gratuitity. Bus departs from the senior center at 10:00 a.m. For any additional information, call the senior center at 908-851-5290.
That concludes my report. Thank you very much. Uh from the mayor's report tonight, before we discuss our upcoming events, I would like to congratulate Annne Margaret Shannon on her current exhibit, the Holocaust photo essay titled A Journey in Their Footsteps at the Union Art Gallery. I
encourage everyone to stop by to view the exhibit and stay connected to future events by following our art station at TWWP Union Gallery. Please stay attention. A lot of stuff's coming up at our new library and our Blackbox
Theater. Uh fitness at the Plaza. This will be the final event of the year. Join us for the final fitness at the Plaza program for the year on Saturday, September 27th. We invite you to Union Arts Center Plaza to celebrate the end of a great season with free fitness
classes. A big thank you for all those participating businesses that offered their fantastic programs to our community. Following again at TWWP Union New Jersey on the social media for more uh that that has been a very big success
with room not uh the classes of fitness which a lot of people have attended. We hope again to continue this program next year. The Mayor's Day 5K is the Greater Union Chamber of Commerce invites you to join the annual Mayor's Day 5K on Sunday,
September 28th. A portion of the proceeds will go to the Rivera family as Julie battles an aggressive form of avarian cancer of commerce.com to register. There's even a rumor that maybe Figurito might run this year. Is that true?
Uh on your back. Uh the annual Union Car Truck and Bike Show is back on Sunday, October 5th. Join us from 11:00 a.m. to 6 p.m. for an amazing day featuring over 400 vehicles, awards, and prizes, a kids zone,
delicious food, and refreshments, and more. Once again, visit vis visit us at uniontownship.com for details and how to register for your vehicle today. Operation Clean Sweep is something we do once a year. Join us for the township
union for our annual Operation Clean Sweep on October 11th starting at 8:30 a.m. We will clean up the streets, parks, and public spaces while making a difference. Come out for a day of community action and help keep our town looking great. This is something which a lot of our
high school students participate to get credit. It's really a great day and visitors come and when we're done there's a picnic or a barbecue at 12:00 and this all takes place at the Department of Public Works. Again, information at uniontownship.com to register like to know you're coming.
If you have a pet and you're not yet registered your pet for the year, please remember you can easily do so by contacting our clerk's office. Applications can either be picked up in person or via your your uniontownship.com website. Please don't forget that proof
of vaccination is required. If you have any questions, please contact the clerk's office at 9088518501. Again, we encourage people to sign up for emergency and general notifications online at ww.unatcount.com. That's the Everbridge Notification
Systems. These updates are posted on Facebook at TWWPU Union New Jersey or NJ. Uh it's very important you do this. This is how we we can notify you of any emergencies that we have and anything is important. Uh you need to do it. You can
get it on your you can get on your phone, on your iPad, on any type of communication and know multiple ones if you want. Uh want to mention something else that the we've just worked out an agreement with
New Jersey Water. Uh they are going to replace the known lead pipes in our water system over the next several months or possibly a year at no cost to to our residents. Uh this is extremely
important. Uh I I can't you know all you hear about is lead in the water used to be or was currently that the water company was responsible from the street to the first intersect or actually a sidewalk is where it comes in and the homeowners
responsible from there into the house and we know a lot of old homes built before 1952 contain lead which is not good for your health. There's now, like I said, been an agreement that the water company will come in and do the replacement of the lead pipes that they
are aware of. And uh I think this is a great thing that we've worked out with the water company again for the betterment of our community. Uh that closes my remarks. I'll now open the remarks from the public. Please remember to state your name and address when you
come up and there is a fivem minute limit. Would anyone like to speak tonight? Raise your hand. Here we come. Yeah. Yeah, one of you has come up. Thank you. I think that works better. Okay, you can
hear me. Okay. Um I'm Katherine Hunt. um live in Monroe Township and I'm here to introduce a resolution called the immigrant trust act and I hope that you will pass a resolution in favor of the immigrant trust act. Um I'm working
mostly with uh DIY DIRE which is a group that works with deportation immigration and we're a team. So we work um with our community groups and our churches um which you may have heard of the kind of
work that we do. Uh we help the immigrant communities and lately we've been having trouble with ICE in our communities. um they will just indiscriminately round up people who are working. And for example, the other day
you might have heard about a raid on a uh bonded warehouse in Edison. um in which case the um the customs um regularly visits bonded warehouses
and examine the paperwork and sometimes the inventory but they have nothing to do with the people that work there. But in this case ICE followed them and it they took out of 100 people. There were about uh three ambulances. A lot of you
people got hurt um by the eyes. They were quite violent families. We were consulting families in the parking lot because um they were crying. They didn't know where their loved one had been taken. And these are just people that had worked some maybe 20 years, 27
almost or 30 years just raising families. Their kids go to school with our kids. They they come to our churches and um you know so now what do the churches do and the community groups do? Well, we're
helping the families and um you know sometimes it's their bread winners. So we're raising funds for their rent. We're helping them locate them because usually they don't even know uh where they were taken and they can't hear from them. There's no contact. So, we're
trying to find the legal aid for them as well. Um, so that they can contact their family members and um you there's just a lot of things that the that the churches and the and other community groups do to help the families and our community. So,
um, when ICE comes, they they don't have a judicial warrant, and they've been doing this, wearing masks, not identifying themselves. Now, our police don't do that because they follow the Fourth
Amendment. And it's an interesting thing how we got our Fourth Amendment. And it's very appropriate to bring this up to a municipal group, a municipal council, because this is how we got our Fourth Amendment
back in the day when we had British troops. They they would come into your house, they could take any man, woman, child, animal, your stuff, your crops, whatever. And people didn't like that. And so they started to pass ordinances,
resolutions and laws in their towns. And eventually this made it to the states, the state constitutions. So the state constitution also um wrote uh this into their constitution
and finally it made it into our national constitution as the fourth amendment in the bill of rights. And we need to maintain our fourth amendment. We need to defend our constitution. It may be that at some
time in your life, I know I did uh took a promise to defend and protect our constitution. And I hope you will remember your promise if you made one to support, defend, protect our constitution
and pass the Immigrant Trust Act resolution. Um, this will be Senate Bill I'll read it off S 3672 A4987
and u hope that you will pass the Immigrant Trust Act. Thank you. Why don't you pass that on to our clerk and we'll take that into consideration. Thank you. Um off to the right here. Over here. Dep deputy mayor, can uh you ask the speaker to please uh restate her name and address for the record?
Say your name again, please. And and your address. You're from Monroe, right? Yes. Katherine Hunt, 121, letter P as in Papa Loel Lane. Thank you for coming up and speaking tonight. All right. Thank you.
You can pick it up. No, I'm just saying. Don't get up. Hi, my name is Tony Faber. I'm from Scotch Plains. Also here to speak on behalf of a resolution for the immigrant trust act. Katherine spoke about some of the issues that communities in New Jersey have been having with ICE. I'd
like to mention briefly what uh the immigrant trust act does and what a resolution passed by you would support. The Immigrant Trust Act cottifies the separation uh between ICE and local law enforcement and other organizations.
While there's been trouble recently, it could be a lot worse. The Republican candidate for governor has promised to have ICE working directly with local law enforcement, which would make New Jersey communities much less safe, as many people in the communities would have no
reason to cooperate with police and government organizations. I think that would be a disaster uh for everyone. Uh the bill has been sitting in committee and uh will probably have the votes to pass but needs a little push. So towns around New Jersey, including Edison, uh
including uh Princeton, including uh South Orange and Maplewood have also passed similar uh resolutions saying that they too would like to keep uh a separation between ICE and local law enforcement and organizations and not
require that organizations turn over their data to ICE so people can participate fully in their community without fear of deportation. Uh I've got documents, one is a sample resolution uh and others are documents in support of
uh of this uh which I will uh uh leave extra copies if you need them. Yes, please uh leave our copies to our clerk and we will absolutely consider it. And can you rename this the uh towns that have already made this resolution?
Um yes, I can name some of them. Uh, I don't know if I can name them all from memory, but uh, South Orange, Maplewood, um, Planefield, um, Morristown, Edison, Flemington,
um, Princeton, uh, which Madison, um, I know Newark was considering one about now. I don't know if they've passed it yet. Um, and I'm probably forgetting a few others. Okay.
Thank you. Thank you. You got to turn it the other way. Anyone else like to speak? Yes, sir. I'm Steven Yafett from Could you lift the mic up a little bit so it come close to your face? Tilt it up.
Yeah. um uh from Hillside and what was your name again please? Steven Yafett. Okay. Y AF I want to thank you commend you all that good stuff for your consideration of the uh S3545 A4696
and I think that's um we have we live in a difficult time and that's uh I just want to say there's a lot of volunteers behind this effort and I know them obviously and and they They're a wonderful bunch and and you have stepped
forward stepped up to this too and uh let's just hope um we we uh get somewhere with this as you know you probably know it's it will be challenged um definitely in court. New York is
being challenged now and u so it's difficult time um but thank you very much. Thank you for coming up and speaking. We appreciate that your commentary. Uh, anybody else wants to come up? Ruth Slovic, 1221 McGee Avenue. Um, I
just had a few questions for clarification. Sure. Number 10. um authorizing submission of a grant application for a recreational program to benefit developmentally disabled individuals. Um what organization are the developmentally disabled individuals
a part of or is this for the the recreation department? How is this going to be um used? It would be a combination of the recreation department and get us reformed. Wherever we can get grant money, we'll apply it wherever we can. And here once again is for disabled individuals and we are aware of some of
them and we will help in whatever way we can with programs and things. So would it involve the schools as well? Excuse me. Would it involve the schools as well? Uh I don't think that's just strictly us, right? Strictly us. Okay. So it could be part of um
like a uh a playground or an existing Well, whatever. Remember it's $88 $8,000. It's not it's not a lot. $800,000. So Okay. Okay, thank you. Um, then I question you on number 16. It says, um, memorandum agreement between the
township and the Colombian Club of Union um, memorizing the purchase and sale of the property. Um, is there like public knowledge of how much they're paying for it? Well, we're paying I'll tell you
exactly. We're paying 1.5 million for it. And most of that money thanks to our all of it actually uh has been acquired through the state through our Senator Joseph crying. So it's not really going to cost us anything. And uh it's a we're giving them a one-year lease
uh at a dollar and at the end of that year they'll have to find another place. We'll try and help them find a place. But we're taking over the facility. Uh we have plan possible plans for the future. We don't have them exactly finalized what we want to do with that property. It's a very valuable piece.
There's a pool there and everything. So, uh, that's what we're doing. An outdoor pool, you're saying? An outdoor an outdoor recreational pool. Yes. Okay. And, um, you say it's valuable because of that. Well, it's be used for the same recreation type things.
Yes. Yes. And it'll be part of the township. Okay. Um, and then number 17, a redevelopment agreement. And number 18, the re development agreement. um about 650 Liberty Avenue and 700 Liberty Avenue. What What are they? What are they
redeveloping? What is the plan for that? Well, that's property that was sold and there's a couple of companies moving in. One is Inter Global, which will bring 300 employees into the town, 300 jobs, and they're basically an office and a warehouse type of operation. So, we had
to amend the plans about basically what was there. Okay. So, who owns the property currently? I'm confused. Uh, I'm not sure what what's the company that actually owns No, I mean the township does not own it. They want to redevelop it. I'm confused. Township does not own the property.
Properties are owned by a uh private real estate trust that was the successor in interest from uh Bed Bath and Beyond subsequent to their bankruptcy and liquidation. So, how does that involve the community the township if it was Bed Bath and
Beyond? I mean, the township has a uh responsibility duty to uh to zone and determine land use. It's part of the settlement of that litigation. Um
redevelopment plans were agreed to and the prospective purchasers are uh acting accordingly. Oh, I see. So, it's it's we are more or less the intermediator between those two parties to make sure it aderes to the
redevelopment plan. Is that what you're saying? That's it's not really what I'm saying. I'm sorry. No. Okay. Um redevelopment agreement. So, well, you don't own the property though. Say that again.
It's a We are executing a redevelopment agreement and yet we don't own the property. We are ensuring that the land is going to be used in the manner in which the township believes it should be used for uh uh commercial use,
warehousing use, etc. And that's what the uh the prospective purchasers are doing in fact. So we're acting as an overseer. Is that a better word? No, we're exercising our uh lawful power to zone. That's a redevelopment plan. We don't
own the property but we have try to maintain some kind of control as to what goes there and a redevelopment plan does that allows different kind of things that can be there. So we don't physically own it but we try and control the property to some extent. Okay. Thank you very much.
Thank you. Anyone else like to speak? If not asked for a motion to adjourn, please. Oh, sorry. Sorry. Raise your hand. Go ahead. I'm was looking for the um agenda. Um, I want to ask uh two things. I'm one
is about the immigrant trust um act. I do live in Union. My name is Danny Castanelli. Do you need my address now? It's 1879 Birkshshire Drive. Um I am here to express my support of that. Also, um one of the things that my
family and I love about this town and um the reason that we sought it out is because of the diversity. Um, we really enjoy living in a neighborhood where we have neighbors from uh, Colombia, from Ecuador, from Argentina, from um,
Jamaica. There's Haitian families on our block. We are a very multi-racial community and um, we really appreciate that our kids get to experience that at, you know, in their childhood to see people from all over the world and all
different colors, you know, getting along. Um, and I have a concern that, and I've had this concern since the new administration's taken over, that um, one day I will be picking up my son from school and there could be an ICE raid
um, at school. And, um, you know, it's something that is in the back of my mind knowing that I'm kind of in the minority um, as a white, you know, first generation or, you know, uh, United States person. um English is
my first language that that's not the majority of people who are at school. So I have a concern that you know the kids should be able to leave school um the teachers leave school without fear of
you know that kind of fear of interruption. Um so I would encourage you to um to consider um making Union a sanctuary township. Um and um that's my my one
statement and my other statement is that my son goes to Connecticut Farms. Um they have a very small playground there that um really I think is for the purpose of the prek and kindergarten classes there. Um my son is now in
second grade and he's getting like too big to even like run underneath the playground which that a lot of the kids like to do after school. I'm been I've been told that there is no uh the town has turned down the playground or
building a different playground there and I was wondering you know where I can get more information about um about that situation because right now on the other side of the school where my son has recess it's just a big uh
pavement area and he's already fallen and injured himself pretty badly twice last last year and this year. Um, so I hope that something like that would be reconsidered and we can have like a, you know, a functional facility that bigger
kids that's appropriate for kids that are in um the older grades. It sounds concerning, but that is a board of education facility in Are you aware of any other construction that goes on there? No. So, I mean, uh, that that should be brought to a board of
education meeting, okay? Because they're the ones who, you know, that's the schools and they pretty much control it. You know, we'll make our comment, but they pretty much control what's going on. Okay. I was told that it was the town that did not approve the permits, though. So, maybe that was not correct
information. Uh, no. Okay. Okay. All right. Thank you. Thank you. and and just I'll just make Yeah, you got I just want to make a general comment. You you can go sit it. One of the things that we're extremely proud of here in the township union over the
years and I've been in this office a long time is our great diversity and it's unbelievable as our town as a young lady there said how all of us get along, how we try to promote diverse events to all different ethnic groups and I think
we've been fairly successful with that and we want to continue that. So diversity is a big thing here in the township of union. Does anybody else want to comment? Yes, sir. Go ahead. Come on up. Hi, good evening everyone. Uh my name is
Ruben Enriquez. Um I live in Union um 989 Mosner Avenue. Um yeah, essentially yeah, this is uh this is my first time uh attending one of the townships. So thank you so much. which I appreciate it. It's been a great experience. Um there's something that I
did want to bring up that I don't even know if it I'm not even sure if if it's fitted for this place here, but I would say that prior to um coming in um stepping in here, I was able to talk to a couple couple folks and they they they they gave me some guidance. Uh but
essentially um in the neighbor in in the block that I that we that we live on and there's a couple other members uh that live on the same street as me on Mosner Avenue there is a there's a concern that the streets are um really torn down. Um there's a you know uh essentially in
addition to that where we live there is a bagel shop which I'm sure probably saw maybe you have have been there to to get your bagels in the morning but there's also uh master's pizzas there. uh there's quite a bit of traffic. So, I was just curious as to would there be
any consideration to potentially making that a one-way street to help mitigate some of the traffic there, making that a little bit more safe, but also, you know, hopefully, you know, fixing up the street there. Um I have in the past like some of the neighbors in on that on our
block they have sent out um not correspondences and notifications just letting folks you know sharing with the town that there's there's a lot of potholes there and it's it's it's a difficult street to maneuver. Okay. We we produce a list our engineers
go out and look and we sometimes a couple years out how many streets. We've probably paved more streets than anybody in the whole county really over the last 10 years. millions of dollars we spend to try and keep up. Uh we'll look at Mosner. I'm not sure whether it's on the list or not, but
we'll have our our DPW person come out and take a look at it and see if it's not on the list whether they feel it should be on the list to pave. Okay. Because a lot of streets with regards to a oneway, I think we'd have to refer that to our police to take a look at that. Uh you know, determine whether that's possible. I know the
street you're talking about. I know the bagel shop and all that. So, uh let us do that. But uh like I said, let's take a look at we'll take a look at the street. If it's really bad, we'll see if we can get on the list. If not this year, next year. Awesome. And is this the proper setting to bring something up like this? Absolutely. Absolutely.
I'm in the right place then. Thank you so much. I appreciate you. All right then. Have a wonderful evening. Would anybody else like to comment? Yes, sir. Uh hi everyone. Uh my name is Inker. I am at Mosner Avenue, 983 Mosner Avenue.
I am speaking about the same thing um that Rman is also speaking about the reason why I think it's important to bring light to this even more and I understand that there's a procedure that needs to be done in order to get this fixed but I've been in the neighborhood
now about five years and I've been calling um on numerous occasions and obviously budgets and things like that happen and you have to take your time to order in order to get to this. I've driven around Battle Hill section and I
can tell you that Mosner Avenue is the on I guess there's a south side. I'm not even sure which direction it is, but on the bagel shop side. It's the only street in that vicinity that has not been attended to. Um, and I think it's really important especially because
we're getting into 2026 and I guess you're doing your contract negotiations etc. Today I had a conversation, one of many conversations with Dian from the um the engineering department and we are
told that we're tentatively on the list. I understand that. Where did you say you were on the list? Um tentatively tentatively. Yes. So I don't know, you know, there are many different ways we can, you know, take a look at that, but I just think it's really important. I've been
calling about the same issue. We have had numerous neighbors fill out a concern request report, whatever that's called on the website. So, I just want to make sure, you know, as we're looking into 2026,
that our street is prioritized because again, it is one of the only streets in the Battle Hill section that is considered a mixed residential and commercial street. So I think it's important that we get some such sort of
prioritization this year because in that section we are the only street that is still in that condition. So I understand we need to make sure that we you know take a look at it and do those things but I think from a repaving the street
standpoint I think there are too many potholes. I think it's one of the worst looking street and I'm telling you it's embarrassing, you know, having people visit you when your street looks like that compared to everything else in the neighborhood. So, I would just implore you to whatever needs to be done to make
sure that our street is prioritized. Okay. Thank you. Okay. We will have I'm sorry. Go ahead. No, I just thank him for it. Well, we will we will have engineering take a look again and report back to our administration to see where this falls and if it's really that bad, maybe we
can get it on definitely get it on the list. Okay. Thank you. But we'll have our engineer go take a look at it again. All right. Thank you. Anybody else? I want to thank all of you who came up and Did I hear somebody? Me. Clerk. The clerk. Oh, that's right. I think we
have a Don't want to ignore the clerk. I have uh comments from Gary Mosher, 2152 Tyler Street, regarding Mr. Anteneelli's remarks at the previous meeting. I will repeat, our accusations are against the Township of Union. We
believe we can prove you are willfully and maliciously denying us services. We pay exorbitant taxes to be provided. As stated, you have proven it is a conspiracy, and if it must go to court, punitive damages will be requested. I believe it can be proven that you have not reasonably interpreted any
circumstance in this dispute. You have deliberately ignored the actual facts to force a conclusion consistent with what you want to believe rather than what you are obligated by fairness and reason to conclude. I have repeatedly requested that you do five minutes of investigation to verify my assertions.
You have not explained why I'm not entitled to that investigation. That is common practice for other residents of Union. You claim it is reasonable to defend an overtly flawed survey over three other surveys that contain no apparent flaws. The explanation is that
it is newer will not survive any expert or professional scrutiny. Mr. Monguso, the engineer, on whose opinion you are relying, has no credibility in this dispute. Mr. Mongusos's biio bias was proven beyond all reasonable doubt when he came to the 2152 property and
deliberately attempted to mismeasure the distance between the foundation and the fence. It is a recorded absolute factual event that you have been informed of in the chronology you have provided. Can your lawyer provide an explanation as to why you would trust an engineer who cannot measure a fence properly to
evaluate property surveys? For the record, again, we believe initiating a legal action should be a resolution of last resort. We have repeatedly attempted to persuade you that we have been wronged by your employees and that you need to expend little effort to write those wrongs. We have merely asked
that you be reasonable and apparently you have been advised that there is no jeopardy in pretending you do not have to be. As a related question, Mr. Monguso refused to provide the service of measuring the fence if I deliberately audio recorded the event. Do you think your employees should or do have the
right to deny services if they are being recorded? Thank you. Uh if no one else has to speak, I just want to thank all of you who came out and spoke tonight. It's really important that we hear from the public and you know we can do what we can do and we're
glad to hear that some good things are being done and when we had take some corrective action we will. Again, thank you very much. Could I have a motion to adjurnn, please? Motion to adjurnn. Second. All in favor? I