Good. Hi, good evening everybody. Um, adequate notice of this meeting was required by the open public meetings act was provided through the posting, mailing and filing of the annual notice of regularly scheduled meetings to the town council on December 17, 2024. The notice was on that date posted on the
bulletin board in the municipal building provided to the Westfield leader in the star ledger and filed with the clerk of the town of Westfield. Miss Sloshi, may I have a roll call? >> Mayor Bindle >> here. Council members have good Dardia >> here. >> Dagala >> here. >> Keeper >> here. >> Saunders
>> here. >> RTO >> here. Contra >> here. >> Key >> here. >> Please rise for the invocation which will be given by council Armento and remain standing for the salute to the flag. We meet to serve our community, to use our resources wisely and well, to
represent all members of our community fairly, and to make decisions that promote the common good. We recognize our responsibility to the past and the future and the rights and needs of both individuals and community. As trusted servants, we seek support on our deliberations and our efforts here
today. May we act wisely and well. >> Allegiance to the flag United States of America and to the rep for it stands one nation indivisible with liberty and justice for all.
>> So good evening everybody. Um before we get into the agenda and business of the evening, I do want to begin by extending our deepest consu condolences to our friends and neighbors in our adjacent communities, Scotch Plains and Cranford,
for the recent tragic losses of young lives in their communities. Scotch Plains is grieving the loss of 13-year-old Nico Lombardi, who died last week in an accident while riding his eBike. And just last night, two Cranford High School students were killed by a motor
vehicle in a tragic accident that is still under investigation. Our hearts are broken for their families and we extend condolences to them and their entire entire communities as we keep them in our prayers. I am going to speak in more detail about road safety
concerns later on in my full remarks, but I would like to first have everyone join me in a moment of silence in the memory of these three students. Thank you. Um I'm gonna ask Jim to come up and just give you a few little updates um on what's going on and I
think to tell you about some things that are on the agenda tonight and then I'll get back to my remarks and we'll go from there. >> Thank you, Mayor. Um let me start with just a couple of uh items that were added to the agenda today due to um uh bids that were received or quotes that were received. Um, first we added we
took bids this morning for our annual leaf collection um, uh, supplemental uh, hauling trucks. Uh, got a great price um, out of the three bids received. So that's on the agenda tonight, an award of contract for the 2025 leaf leaf collection program and the company is called the Maritico who we've worked
with before. Um, we also have a resolution um, uh, that was added to award a contract to a company after solicitation of quotes for uh, dem demol demolition of two properties the town owns. One is the single family home next
to firehouse number two uh, which we purchased last year which is planned to be demolished to make way for future opportunity for expansion of firehouse number two. And second is uh, the uh, uh, 200 South Avenue which is affectionately known as the Mr. Old Mr. a good lube property, but we are um
going to demolish that property, that building that's on there, which will make way for a design opportunity to make that into a pocket park with improvements to pedestrian and hopefully traffic flow and beautifification mostly. Um so those will be awarded tonight. And lastly on the agenda
tonight also is um a resolution to set the daily parking pass rates. Uh for those that are commuters that you know you can drive up to the main style lot at train station number three, the South Avenue lot, which um you buy a $5 daily
pass. Uh many people come down in their pajamas. They know they know the the offers that are there. Has been that way for for decades. Uh we're finally upgrading to a digital platform where you'll be able to do it to online for the first time as well as by the end of the year renewing your permits online, buying permits online, and also managing
your weight list opportunity online. Um so what this resolution does, it sets the uh exa uh daily rate, which has been $5 since 2005 to $7 in the main lot, the lot number three, South Avenue lot. And we're providing a new opportunity, which has never existed before. We are going
to be selling daily passes for those that are interested in the Wat lot which is also known as lot number six over by the Holy Trinity School because we have availability there on a daily basis as well. So we're going to set the rates tonight uh and then um it'll be rolled out in the month of October when the online platform is rolled out. Um so
we're excited about that as well. So those are added to the agenda tonight. I also have a couple comments mayor I wanted to make tonight really f focused on one of the items on the agenda which is the uh bond ordinance introduction tonight to authorize 2 million 333 uh 339,000
for the hulahan sidfe title but parking lot restroom and storage facility um this has been a project that was included um the concepts were included in the uh 2019 uh master plan of all our parks Uh, and
basically what this and I'm going to show some some details. You want to Yeah. Sorry. Um, shows some details here of little before and after. Before I do that though, I want to make a couple comments about um the partnerships and the work behind the scenes that got us where we are. There are members here tonight of the recreation commission.
There's representatives from the Westville Lacrosse Club and the Westville Soccer Association. Um, all really important pieces of this puzzle in addition to the town council. um where a project like this doesn't just happen. We have a consultant. We have concepts. Um we have a lot of work
behind the scenes. Um and uh soccer and lacrosse are here tonight specifically because Heather and I particularly have spent the last few months working uh in collaboration with them. Part of what's on the agenda tonight in this ordinance. Both soccer and Lacrosse um have been big supporters of this project and so
much so that they have actually agreed to contribute money towards the project. uh significant amount of money. Um and part of that money that we've ever received from them tonight is being used for the down payment on this ordinance. And that's not something that happens by accident. Not something that is easy to achieve, but something that the public
should take comfort in that we have a project that everyone's uh excited about here. So, uh I just want to recognize Eric and Rich here from soccer. I want to thank you guys. Steve, where are you? Oh, Steve. Steve Smith is here from Lacrosse. Um and Rod Carolyn, who could not be here tonight.
>> Sorry. Sorry, Sean Smith who's here. Sorry. Um, uh, Sean Smith from Lacrosse and Rod Carolyn who cannot be here tonight from Lacrosse as well. I just want to thank them for stepping up, contributing, and being part of this process and being a part of the process as they move forward here. It's going to be a big benefit for West Hill Park, but
also benefits to both the organizations, and we're we're excited about that partnership. And also on the agenda tonight, there's a resolution authorizing the mayor to sign those donation agreements so we can actually have uh um formal copies of that. One last thing about their donations. They've given money as down payments
we're using tonight in the ordinance. They've also each committed to four more years of contributions which will help the town with debt service on this project. Uh and that's something that uh we're very um eager to share with the public and again thank you lacrosse and soccer very much and the recreation commission. I know Jen and Jeff are here
from there from recreation, but the commission uh was really instrumental in getting this project where it is uh choosing the priorities and um and again uh and finally nice to a point now where we can authorize money. Next steps in this process are to finalize bid
specifications, go out to bid, uh look to hire a company to come and build this. So this is a 2026 project uh and we're excited to get it in the ground. Couple things you're seeing here on the screen. This is existing conditions today. the two turf fields, uh the the smaller parking lot and the uh what I'll
call the overgrown area. Um this is a concept uh of what the parking lot area will look like. Um and you see again, as I mentioned, there's about 45 spaces in the lot today. The lot will be expanded to 119 spaces. So, we can now get people
off the county road into a protected lot off the busy county road. Um and of course the light the lot will have um uh lighting which the existing lot does not have today. Uh newly striped lot. One of the major factors too is new entrance and exit. We've always receive a lot of
complaints over the years it's a very tight exit and entrance there. When you come there onto a county road we've tried to improve lines of sight which have worked but obviously it could be better. You see on this plan on the far left there's an entrance only. Um uh so people coming in one way going out uh
the area that exists today, the exit area which is uh right and left. Uh we're going to be working with the county when this is installed to do some um improvements on the roadway there too. So we're excited about that. Um handicap accessibility of course in the lot spots. The building there is a very, you know, generic uh drawing of it will
look much better than that what's installed. But a couple things are important to provide. So uh I was there when this park opened up when we we christened the turf fields in 2005. And there's been a porter john there since that day. Uh I think soccer even wanted to do maybe a ribbon cutting when the porter john gets removed because they
have someone who uses it all the time. So um it's about time we have permanent bathrooms at this facility. So this include this building includes permanent um restroom facilities includes storage which both soccer and lacrosse will benefit from as well as the town as well
as meeting room space and a pavilion which is a covered space. So if we do have bad weather, our lightning detector that's at this facility, people can come off the field and go into a covered area. The covered area we have now is very small and far away across the parking lot. Um so again, that's just
some little thing here. Just another um quick before and after. So this is the part of the area today which you see the parking lot and the overgrown area. This is what'll be on uh installed in that area. Much larger parking lot, better entrance and exit, the building facility, um etc. So, we're very excited
about this project. >> And Jim, it's probably worth mentioning the handicapped accessibility, which currently does not exist. >> Yeah. So, what we've done, the ADA compliance that exists out there is something we've done in house. This will all be constructed right from scratch. All ADA compliant uh spaces, ramps, uh
uh building, etc. So, of course, with the handicapping accessible parking as well. So, um uh we're excited to get, you know, compliance there as well. Um so, I mentioned that we have lacrosse and soccer contributing, which is significant. Part of the other contribution, you might remember when we
authorized the cell tower um proposal and now project which is going to be starting soon at the conservation center, a $100,000 donation was uh required by the vendor, it was AT&T to go towards this project. That's another $100,000 that would go towards this project um to offset the the actual cost
and debt service. And one last project uh which I just want to show the public. Um, so part of the Westville Crossing development that's happening down South Avenue towards the border of Garwood. Part of that agreement includes the what you see on the screen there is a triangular piece of property that is
adjacent to the DMV uh uh Windsor and South Avenue. It's a uh really an abandoned old uh gas station owned by Seville where actually a service station. Um Westfield Crossing owns that property now as part of their development. Uh and part of the
agreement requires them to uh improve that park into a pocket park beautifification area and then deed that park over to the town becomes town property and pay us $330,000 to be contributed or deposited into the park
improvement fund which the recreation commission makes recommendations to spend on park improvements. So, it's dedicated to park improvements. Uh, and we can use it for the Hulahan SFE project or other things. But again, potential exists for another $330,000 to go towards a very large project. So,
that's what exists today. Not the most beautiful site. This here is a this is the rendering that was included with the development plan. The same triangular area. Um, might be hard to understand from the but it's a lot of um new concrete pathways, new trees. Um towards
the back in the brown area, the brown area to the left is the DMV building which is not being touched at all. It's not part of the project. But the little brown area is a terrace seating wall, room for murals, room for artwork, sort of a gateway. This is the very beginning when you enter the town on South Avenue. So welcome the Westfield sign, Westfield
sign, something there to make sure people know they're coming into town. So this will be a beautifification effort paid for by the developer, deed to the properted to the town, and of course extra money coming way dedicated to park improvements. So really exciting opportunities here not only for the Hulaans sit project but other money
coming towards park improvements and and with an improvement that we get to uh accept uh probably by next spring summer. >> And I do want to reiterate we got lots of questions about pilots. This was one of the benefits that we extracted from the pilot agreement with Westville Crossing was the contribution towards the park improvement fund and the
deeding over of this property which originally that was going to be a parking lot in the plan. and uh we worked very diligently with them to uh you know create something that was really going to be beautiful for the neighborhood and the community. So >> so that's it mayor. >> Great. >> Yep. Thank you very much.
>> Thank you so much. >> So >> I don't I don't I didn't know that we anyone wants to but does soccer or lacrosse want to say anything? I it's just important that and and recogn Sean.
>> Hi, good evening, Mayor, Town Council. Sean Smith, 605 Westfield Avenue in Westfield. Um, just very briefly, I want to thank you for the opportunity to speak, but more importantly, thank you for the ongoing dedication to maintaining and improving our community spaces. Uh, your work has a direct and meaningful impact on the quality of life
here in town, and it's truly appreciated, particularly for our children. I'm here tonight to voice uh at least on behalf of Westfield Lacrosse Club, but more importantly myself as a father children who play soccer, lacrosse, swimming, baseball, softball,
every sport we pretty much offer to really talk about this the our strong support for the proposed project at Sidfeand. Those of us who are parents uh on a regular basis played a game of Frogger trying to get our children into in and out of practice because we are not able to park in the parking lot, not
enough spots and we're going across roadways with, you know, no traffic uh warnings or anything along those lines on a regular basis. Um the additional parking spaces is huge for everybody, including the second uh entrance and exit. Um, anybody who ever goes and
picks up their children when practices are ending because we can't stagger them because we don't have enough time for all the practices knows that what ends up happening is cars are backed out on the county high uh county road and you're just in a line with kids running to cars and then all of that. So, the
parking is huge. Uh, the lighting is also really big. Any of us who uh manage to either play the two the one night a week where the old folks get to use the field for one hour know at 9:30 when the lights shut off there's no lighting uh at all. Some people like the no
lighting, some people won't be thrilled with the lighting, but the lighting is necessary. But those of us who have kids that are practicing there, having lights in the parking lot's huge. Um on-site storage has always been an issue. Anybody who's ever gone to Sidfe Hulahan will see that there are three trailers pushed in the woods. Um, for those of
you who are not involved in those specific organizations, those trailers are where we store everything. Uh, we leave our things there year round and anybody knows that in any of those big storms we had, everything got flooded and we lost thousands of dollars of equipment and as a small organization, Lacrosse doesn't necessarily have the
funds without basically increasing the rates to replace everything. So, having some storage there will be huge. I would say on behalf of every visiting team uh that comes to Westfield, uh on behalf of all parents who sit on the
sidelines, our children and our grandparents, the inclusion of plumbing, um toilets, perhaps sinks is huge, greatly needed. When I first started this conversation with the council on fields, my now graduating 18-year-old
was in kindergarten. Um, this is from my perspective the first meaningful uh infrastructure improvement that I've seen at SIDF FE other than replacing the turf when it uh failed. Um, very much needed uh and it's about time and I'm glad that this council's taking the
steps to move it forward. Um, from a traffic and pedestrian safety improvements, one last thing we'd like to see as we keep going through this is some additional work with the county. uh some of those flashing yellow lights, maybe a crosswalk there. Uh if this
parking still isn't enough on those crowded days to set up something uh that helps with that game of frogger and maybe eliminates the the risk or reduces the risk. Uh the improvements that are on on the agenda are not just timely, they are necessary. The thoughtful
inclusion of these elements, Jim, we do appreciate you reaching out to us on this early um demonstrate a strong understanding of that park's role in our community, in our youth sports, uh and for some of us old folks, uh a couple hours a week where we get to play some
games there and the real is real real world issues and practical issues that face um our users and our community. So, thank you again uh for the council, uh the recreation department, mayor, and all those involved in the planning process. We look forward to continuing
working with the municipality and the town and seeing these upgrades come to life so that we as a community can enjoy an even more welcoming and functional park. Thanks. >> Thank you. Thank you so much. >> Good evening. Eric Judka, 568 First Street, president of the Westfield
Soccer Association. Just want to thank the mayor and the town council along with Jim and the recck department for the support on this pro project. We are firm believers that as a town we should have the best facilities possible and I think this is a great first step in us upgrading our facilities. Uh our goal as
an organization is to bring as many of our teams playing their home games back into Westfield as possible. And so we see this as a great step to allow more teams to play here to have safer conditions. We are very much a firm believer that this is something that needed to be done for an extremely long time and appreciate all the thoughtful
work that Jim and Heather have done in order to put forth a great opportunity. So, we look forward to that and we look forward to partnering as everything moves forward with additional field opportunities that hopefully can improve conditions here in town and allow us to bring our players back into the town. >> Thank you so much.
>> Thank you. >> Jen Gilman, 1750 Florida Street. I don't know. Do I have to say that now? Um, but thank you so much and I want to thank the rec commissioners, the rec department, uh, soccer and lacrosse. Uh, we partner a lot with the leagues on many different
things, but a project like this, um, has been needed for so long. Um, and the rec commissioners and also we have Nick and Andrew here as well as Jeff. So, thank you, uh, for coming out. Um we have been
thoughtfully going through the the different options um in our committees for for this and ultimately it was great to have the wreck commission and soccer and lacrosse agree on the final outcome of the design of the building um and and
most importantly is the additional parking lot space that makes it number one safer and also more parking. So, this is a great partnership and we always really look forward to partnering with leagues and the town together. So, thank you. >> Thank you, Jen, for your leadership on
that too. Thank you. >> Well, we are very excited to see this moving forward. I was reminding it was in the two 2020 uh uh parks plan as long as it's been on the table. So, uh glad to see it finally coming to fruition. Um
just picking up from where I open my remarks regarding um ebike concerns and so forth. Um probably like many of us here up here, I certainly have heard from many many residents over the past week who are not only heart heartbroken
about the tragedy in Scotch Plains about the 13-year-old boy who was killed on an ebike, but really calling for urgent action on ebike regulation. And it is a topic that mayors across New Jersey are grappling with. It's in all these mayor forums I talk about. They figure out
what we can do. There's hopefully some legislation being considered. So, it is a growing and significant safety concern everywhere. Um, at Thursday's town council public safety committee meeting, uh, apparently this issue was discussed extensively and we are now assessing
what next steps we can take locally and what changes must come from Trenton. Well, I'm glad that we have already banned ebikes in our parks. Um, we have a helmet law. Many towns are just now kind of following our lead in that regard, but more action is clearly needed. Personally, many people ask what
I'd like to see. Um, I would like to see an age requirement of 16 to operate an ebike, mandatory road safety and education training, and a registration process with small license tags required so police can identify owners without risky pursuits. something that our
officers wisely avoid today, even when riders aggressively evade their enforcement efforts. And I just want to reiterate, if you talk to any of our officers and people say, "Why don't you enforce it?" The last thing we want our police officers to do is chase kids on ebikes and run through a stop sign and
run through anything else because there's nothing but tragedy that doesn't result from that. But from afar, there's no way they can identify who those riders are and where they are. So having some type of tag registration that we could almost do our own license plate readers um and identify who those
drivers are would be very helpful. Now many of these reforms will likely require state legislation, but I believe we must act as aggressively as possible on me measures within our control while we await state action. And I do want to remind we talk a lot about regulation,
but bike and pedestrian safety is a shared responsibility among the community, the police, and the town government. Whether you're at a car, on a bike, or on foot, we almost follow we almost follow the traffic laws, something we often expect of others, but
always demand of ourselves. I can tell you, I've had many people complain about speeding, and I've seen those same people speeding through the streets. Parents in particular need to be fully aware of the laws surrounding the ebikes they are purchasing for their children. The Westfield Police Department has held
several public safety seminars on this topic and they're going to do so again in the near future. And for those unable to attend in person, the presentation slides are available on the homepage of our website and I encourage everyone to review them. In addition, the Westville Police Department has issued will be
soon be distributing a memo through the school district this week actually to teach all par reach all parents of schoolaged children. At the same time, we are going to double down on our commitment to increasing enforcement against those who disregard the laws,
including juveniles on ebikes. Uh, in a moment I'm going to ask Jim Gilde to outline some targeted enforce enforcement initiatives now underway and share recent examples that highlight the challenges our officers are facing when they're addressing ebike violations. It would blow your mind. And I also want to
say I think it's time and we demand action to accelerate the implementation of our 2019 bike and pedestrian plan which has been recognized as a model for state street design. Safe street design. Two weeks ago, we had many of our our our bike community here who referenced
that bike and pedestrian plan as a model. And while many of its recommendations were to be implemented in conjunction with one must feel place, they need to be prioritized now. And I'll be honest, some of the changes will be unpopular. Everyone wants safer streets, but few
want lanes on bike lanes on their block. Moving forward will require political will and strong public support. But if the loss of a child doesn't move us to act, I don't know what will. And finally, we must press Union County to
make its road safer. Since our most heavily traffked roads streets are countyowned, their improvements must be included in the safe streets for all grant process, which is now underway. And I urge all of our residents to reach out to our state legislators to demand
stronger ebike regulations. I said I think we all owe it to our children to act with urgency, responsibility, and partnership. And Jim, do you want to talk about some of these real life examples of challenges in ebike enforcement? >> Sure. Thank you, Mayor. I just again just to reiterate the public safety
committee met last Thursday and part of that meeting was a um kickoff of the town's SS4A otherwise known as a safe uh safe streets for all. Um we also invited the county engineer who attended that meeting with us u the county is uh wrapping up in the next few months their
SS4A which started last year. Um and um the county also the county is your talked to me after the meeting and let me know that in addition to the SS4A the county is in the process of updating its bike plan. So that's encouraging because as we talked about last meeting when we had people in the audience about the the
rails and trails uh audience that um uh you know we they until they get a policy for bike lanes on their streets they're not really allowing towns to put bike lanes on county roads in their town. So we want to be able to do that. But let me just uh say a few words as you mentioned mayor about what the police department has been doing. Um and just
just someformational points to the residents. Um again, education outreach continues in police. We've had a couple of uh mayor mentioned already a couple of um uh sessions at uh a couple of schools. Uh we wish they were better attended. Um and we hope in the future
will be uh which is why we have the the presentation on our website, the very front page of our website on the carousel. You can view the presentation there and get facts. But just a couple points here. Just bear with me because it's is important to say this on the record. So, a couple things. So, helmets are required by New Jersey law for all
riders under the age of 17. Police officers will be out as they have been, rewarding those riders they observe in compliance and taking necess necessary corrective action for those that are not. Second, all riders of both ebikes and traditional pedal bikes must obey traffic laws. Bicycles have the same rules cars do. Even though they don't
see it obeyed a lot of times, they do have the same rules as cars do. Uh third to answer some questions about registration. Those requirements are established by at the state level. So not we wish we could but registration is not a local uh thing that towns can do. So class one and class 2 ebikes and
scooters do not need registration or insurance. Class 3 bikes which is a motorized bicycle is defined by the state statute and mopeds must be registered and insured and may not be operated by riders under the age of 15. But a lot of times parents don't even know what they're buying their child. uh
the bike that's on sale at the store, they buy, they don't know which class one or two or three they're buying it, and then they realize after the fact that they're not in compliance. Uh riding on sidewalks in the downtown is prohibited. Has been for decades, by the way. Uh as well as skateboards, bicycles, and scooters. We're going to
step up enforcement upon that. We've enforced it, but we're going to step it up on that to make sure that's um uh enforced. And of course, riders should use designated bike oases uh in the downtown. We've had bike uh parking added over the past few years uh to park their bikes uh and walking to those
destinations once they get downtown. Um and also trick riding. So we've all seen it. I saw it yesterday. Three or four kids riding correctly in the road lane, but two of them up on the one wheel looks like they're about to fall over. So trick riding, wheelies, jumps, riding one-handed and carrying passengers on
seats, pegs, or handlebars is prohibited. So we're going to actually start looking to see if we can force that without having chases. As you said, we don't want to encourage a chase, but our experience has been that when the police come by, the kids speed off because they know we're not going to chase them, but we have to safety comes first. And then lastly, um we mayor
mentioned it, but we did pass a town ordinance prohibiting ebikes on park pass and fields. And the committee discussed on Thursday night that we may want to consider expanding that even to all town sidewalks beyond the downtown. It's another step we can take. Um so in addition to education and outreach efforts uh the department is looking at
targeted enforcement of ebike and east clear laws to protect riders, drivers and pedestrians violations. This is important because we've had we've given out a lot of violations. Matter of fact, the police department's on record this year on on PACE this year to give a record amount of tickets out for all sorts of violations. Um but in reference
to bikes, um Sergeant or yeah, Sergeant Gregory Penn who attends our public safety meetings is also very knowledgeable about ebikes and ebike safety and he's a proponent of them. But um he's had arguments with parents and people where we've impounded bicycles uh because they've taken kids off the
street or downtown. So empowerment of ebikes with tow and storage fees is a violation that can result. requirement to show proof of registration, insurance before release of the bike back to the family or back to the parents when applicable and fines, court cost, suspended driving privileges, and potential criminal charges do come out
of these things. And we're finding those and we're finding more combiveness on those items than acceptance uh when we're just trying to enforce the law. So again, I think just lastly, a lot of these efforts that I'm mentioning now with or violations are not new. Uh, but we want to make sure the public's
educated because of what's been happening the past few weeks very unfortunately and tragically. It's a good time to remind everybody, educate your kids at home about the laws. Go to our website, visit the page, you can see the details. The mayor mentioned a letter that's going to the schools this week from the police chief and his
office and the uh traffic safety bureau, Sergeant Orander, about the required requirements, the fines that can come and other things they can learn about ebikes and the types of ebikes. And um and basically just again I've seen this in other communities. Um you know we
have it's a shared responsibility. Police in the town are going to do what it can as much as it can. We're going to advocate for state regulations to change. Uh but parents and children have to do their part as well and the police department is is very um cognizant of this as most departments around us are. So
>> So Jim, just to be clear, so if right now that then there's they're getting violations on parks, right? Right. And so what actually happens, they they take the they impound the ebike, right? So they take the kid right to the station, >> usually hold it, what they call hold
them protective custody, bring them to the police department, take the bike, call the parent. Um, and then depending on the type of bike and what's required, they may have to show proof of something, but we want to have that conversation with the parents to let them know what kind of bike they may have, which they may not understand which they have. Uh, what actually
happened, did their their child flee or not flee? Uh and then obviously it may require depending on what the violation is fines, court fees, court appearances, etc. But >> and then the long and we and we charge them storage for the fees and that's what uh and court fees and that's when the some parents are arguing about their
obligation to pay those fees. >> Yes. So our police officers are experiencing this in the field in the department and you know in the office where the parents come back and obviously you know I get it their kid no one wants to have their child in protective custody in the police department but it's our obligation to make sure the laws are being enforced
when we do that. So uh we have a you know we have a lot of lawyers some on the council some in town parents which is fine but um we the police department has been experienced a lot of um feedback some parents have been great understand it take care want to go home and educate their children others not so much but it's just important to understand the community we are trying
um and um it's not very easy it's easy to see much harder to enforce I see it myself I'm on the phone I come back talk to the chief talk to the department uh yesterday my wife and I were driving down Uklid three kids coming down the street one was popping a wheelie I couldn't believe he didn't fall backwards Um but you know he obviously you know
likes to do that. Um and it just we all see it but then we get the questions at town where's the police officer or we can't be everywhere at once and this is happening throughout the town. It's not just Westfield by the way. This is a statewide countrywide but statewide issue that everyone's grappling with and
hopefully that will put pressure on the state to do some of the things we need licensing age requirements registrations and that's something we need to advocate for with our representatives and the state. So, >> thank you very much. >> Um, just a last few things before we get
to the um agenda. I do want to thank the Westfield Fire Department for their swift swift response to a house fire on Tamacos Way on Saturday. Nice job, Chief Dels. Um, the incident escalated to two alarms, bringing Union County Fire Marshall aid companies to the scene. Um, and the Westfield Department fire
department with security, traffic, and crowd control and the rescue squad assisted in providing firefighter rehabilitation. Thankfully, no injuries reported. Great job. Um, and the fire caused the fire was determined to be electrical in nature. And just to remind everybody about there's some kind of fun
events coming up. You know, Adam's Fest is obviously kicking off. Um, but um uh uh lots of other things happening this Saturday at Brightwood Park. There's an adopt a tree event provided by sponsored by the recreation department tree preservation commission and friends of Brightwood. Um, the Westfield
Neighborhood Council is going to have their street fair on Saturday from 11:00 to 5:00. And actually a very It's supposed to be a beautiful weekend, I think, this weekend, which is fabulous because the DWC is hosting their first downtown fashion show. Kicks off at 3:00. There's going to be a DJ and music. Be a store begins at 4. I was at
Jude Connelly today. She was very excited about it. So, please come down. Lots of fun. There'll be a lot of activity happening on Saturday afternoon. Um and then next Saturday, October 11th, the green team is hosting a sustainable home fair at the library from 11 to two. And again, October is
tomorrow, right? Um Adamsfest, uh lots of f, you know, go to adamsfest.com, see the lineup. Mass gray ball art exhibit. Um Charlie's Ale Garden first ticket sold out in 90 seconds 90 seconds. Crazy crazy faster than a Taylor Swift
concert, I think. Um, so, uh, anyway, and then very exciting addition this year is the I think this one sounds fun, the Wednesday night crawlers. It's a Wednesday night cocktail crawl through town, which all these special each each, uh, bar restaurant is going to have special, uh, Adam's best drink. Um, and
then a bunch of exciting things on the agenda tonight. The most exciting one, I think, is the one that Jim already referenced about Sidfeay, uh, the Hulham Sid Bay project. Um, and a few other things that we'll get to on the agenda that I think are pretty self-explanatory. Um, so with that, uh,
let's get to work on tonight's agenda. >> Just soccer, lacrosse, and recreation commission. Feel free to stay. You don't have to. >> You have permission. Um, okay. May I have a motion to approve the minutes for
the town council executive meetings of January 16, 2024, May 28th, 2024, December 3rd, 2024, December 17, 2024, and conference regular meetings of September 9th, 2025. >> So moved. >> Moved by Councilman Dardia. Second
>> second. >> Second by Councilman Dagala. Any discussion? All in favor? >> Opposed? This motion is carried. Now it's time for open discussion by citizens. Anyone may come up to the microphone and speak to the council on any subject on which we have
jurisdiction. Please state your name and address for the record and limit your comments to five minutes, please. All right. Hearing none, um I close this portion of the meeting and I move to bills and claims. Councilman Contract. >> Uh thank you, mayor. I'd like to move bills and claims in the amount of 1,98
uh,628.88. >> Um may I have a second? Second. Second by council mento. Any discussion? All in favor? >> Yes. >> Opposed? This motion is carried. Next on the agenda is reports to standing committees beginning with the finance policy committee. Councilman contract.
>> Thank you. I have 12 resolutions, 11 of which to move as a package. The first is resolution authorizing the CFO to draw a warrant to replenish bulk mail permit. Second, a resolution authorizing the CFO to refund dumpster security payment. Third, a resolution authorizing the CFO to refund recreation department fees.
Fourth, a resolution authorizing the CFO to refund street opening cash bond. Fifth, the resolution authorizing the CFO to draw warrants pursuant to the tax court of New Jersey. Sixth, the resolution authorizing the CFO to draw warrants for overpay taxes for 2025. Seventh, the resolution to amend the
2025 kids recreation trust fund application for the Memorial Park uh tennis courts um refurbishment. Eighth resolution authorizing an affordability assistance grant pursuant to the town of Westfield's affordability assistance program for a tenant of an affordable
housing unit at 2201 Echolane unit 2201. Ninth, a resolution authorizing an affordability assistance grant pursuant to the town of Westfield's affordability assistance program for a tenant of an affordable housing unit at 2202 Echolane unit 2202.
10th resolution authorizing an affordable assistance grant pursuant to the town of Westfield's affordable assistance program for a tenant of an affordable housing unit at 2112 Echolane unit 2112. And last, a resolution to approve an insertion of a special item of revenue and the municipal budget um
uni county community development block grant. This supports senior transportation in town. >> May I have a second? >> Second. >> Second by Councilman Daggalo. Any discussion? >> Discussion. >> Sure. >> Yes. I'd like to just point out with
respect to resolutions 8 n and 10 uh where there are grants made to uh facilitate and and provide for some affordable housing assistance. This is one piece of a very complex puzzle which
is meeting our obligation to have a constitutional enforcable zoning ordinance. I know some people are tired of me talking about this, but it's coming up in the election cycle, and I want to be frank about it. Westfield,
every single member of this council supported uh our plan for an affordable zoning uh ordinance. We are now free from what's called the builder's remedy, which had the ability
to destroy single family zones. All of our single family zones are protected and we are now putting our case in front of the courts for approval. I am positive it will be approved and again all of us Republicans and Democrats
supported that plan. To their great credit, thoughtfully uh put that forward. Uh one objector to the program is a large developer called Toll Brothers. We we have a good plan. It's
defens It's It's more than defensible. It's a solid plan. Unlike some of the other municipalities around the state, Westfield has gone forward in a bipartisan way in good faith to stop overdevelopment.
Both sides are cognizant of our need to have a constitutional enforcable zoning ordinance to and we can do that with good planning and stop overdevelopment. Thank you very much. >> Thank you. Uh all in favor
>> opposed. This motion has carried. >> Council contract. >> Um I would also like to move a resolution to amend the capital budget. >> May I have a second? Second >> second by Councilman Saunders. Any discussion? Please call the role. >> Council member Zardia. >> Yes.
>> Yes. >> Keeper. >> Yes. >> Saunders. >> Yes. >> Armentoto. >> Yes. >> Contract. >> Yes. >> Yes. >> Yes. This motion is carried. >> I would like to move special ordinance number 2025-05 on first reading. a bond ordinance to
authorize the replacement of the telephone system at town facilities in by and for the town of Westfield and the county of Union state of New Jersey to appropriate the sum of 120,000 to pay the cost thereof to make a down payment to authorize the issuance of bonds to finance such appropriation and to provide for the issuance of bond
anticipation notes in anticipation of the issuance of such bonds. >> May I have a second? >> Second council aren discussion. >> I think it's just worth pointing out for the residents that uh our phone system is antiquated. I think many residents, including I think uh a few in the
audience, have contacted me that they've had trouble reaching some town departments. So, this will upgrade our telephone equipment across all town offices. But more importantly, it'll save the town money. I believe Jim pointed out, this will save us about $10,000 a month when it's fully
installed by the end of the year. So, it's a big win-win if you think about it, right? Better system, better technology, and cost savings. >> Um, may I have a second? Oh, you said that. Any discussion? Please call the role. >> Council members, >> yes.
>> Yes. >> Keeper, >> yes. >> Saunders, >> yes. >> Yes. >> Contra. >> Yes. >> Yes. >> Mayor, >> yes. This motion is carried. >> Next, I'd like to move special ordinance number 2025-06 on first reading. Bond ordinance
authorized the undertaking of the Hulahan Sidfeay Fields parking lot, restroom, and multi-purpose sorry multi-purpose facility improvement project in by and for the town of Westfield and the county of Union, state of New Jersey to appropriate the sum of 2,339,000
to pay the cost thereof to make a down payment to authorize the issuance of bonds to finance such appropriation and to provide for the issuance of bond anticipation notes in anticipation of the issuance of such bonds. >> May I have a second? >> Second. Councilman Saunders, any discussion?
I just want to add my thanks also to I know soccer left and lacrosse and Jen and the whole recreation commission. It's been a long time making. So, we're very, very excited about finally moving this project forward. So, uh, please call the role. >> Council member Dardia, >> yes. >> Dango, >> yes. >> Keeper,
>> yes. >> Sanders, >> yes. >> Armentoto, >> yes. >> Contra, >> yes. >> Yes. >> Yes. This motion is carried. Next. Public Safety Transportation Parking Committee. Councilman Dardia. >> Thank you, Mayor. I have three resolutions I would like to move as a
package. Number one, resolution to approve daily parking rates. Two, resolution authorizing an award of contract for the purchase of a replacement trailer mounted forcible entry tactical training system for the Westfield Police Department. And three,
resolution to appoint deputy emergency management coordinators. Those being >> sorry >> Westfield Fire Department Chief Dulks and our DPW road supervisor Eugene >> Watkins
>> Watkins. Thank you. >> Thank you. Um uh may I have a second? >> Second. >> Second by Councilman Contract. Any discussion? All in favor? >> Yes. >> Opposed? This motion has carried. And I do just want to I just want to make sure
that you report this about the daily parking rates because I think it's very exciting very exciting that we're going to be selling um our parking per daily parking permits online in in the night before and in particular that we're opening up daily parking to the water
some lot. So there should be a lot more options and flexibility for our commuters. So, just want to make sure that thank you >> and and eventually when you buy these online permits online, too. >> No need to go to the parking lot in your pajamas. >> Correct. That Jim said that multiple
times. You'll no longer have to go buy your permit in your pajamas. >> And mayor, just to get ahead of it, the the ticket the um tickets the daily passes will drop at 12:01 a.m. the night before. So 12 >> or the morning of >> morning of
>> 12 12:01 a.m. the day of you can buy your tickets. So >> and I'm thrilled and the environment is thrilled because you won't see cars queuing anymore. >> Yes. >> To buy those daily permits. >> It's a win-win. So it's great. Um all in favor? >> Yes. Yes.
>> This motion has carried. >> Uh lastly, I would like to move general ordinance number 2025-9 on first reading. an ordinance to amend the code of the town of Westfield, chapter 13, and this is to install a uh a handicap
parking space on Summitav. >> May I have a second? >> Second. >> Second by Councilman Contract. Any discussion? Please call the role. Council members, >> yes. >> Yes. >> Keeper, >> yes. >> Saunders, >> yes. >> Orto, >> yes. >> Contract, >> yes. >> Keely,
>> yes. >> Yes. This me motion is carried. Next step is code review and town property committee. Councilman contract. >> Uh, thank you, mayor. I'd like to move three resolutions as a package. The first is a resolution to approve the children's amusement device license. Second is a resolution authorizing the
mayor to execute donation agreements between the Westfield Lacrosse Club and Westfield Soccer Association and the town of Westfield regarding the Hulan Field, Hulahan Sidfeay Field parking lot, restroom, and storage room project. Third is a resolution authorizing an award of contract for the demolition of
structures on 1037 Central Avenue, which is the uh single family house next to the fire station and 200 South Avenue, which is the uh Mr. the abandoned Mr. Jiffy. >> Good loop. >> Good loop. Good loop. >> Yes. May I have a second? >> Second.
>> Second by Councilman Armentoto. Any discussion? >> All in favor? >> Yes. >> Opposed? This motion is carried. Next up is public works committee, Councilman Healey. >> Yes. Uh, mayor, I have three resolutions all connected with the leaf collection program. One is to award a contract for
that uh for the purveyor. The other is to award a contract for rental of equipment and the third is to enter into a cooperative agreement for leaf collection services with the township of Scotch Plains. >> Yeah, I have a second by Councilman
Dagawa. Any discussion? >> Discussion. Um, I may be, I'm not sure, the only person that remembers how leaves were disposed of in the 1950s and60s. You rad your leaves, you put
them over uh on the curb, and you lit a fire and burned them. >> It it was such that >> you knew that you knew what the smell was. >> And some people street by street by
date. Some some people had a romantic sense of that. Oh, this meant fall was here. Um, I'll just segue to uh a Nobel Prize winner named Eleanor Astro who developed a theory. She was a
political science, but she got the Nobel Prize for economics. And she developed a theory called the tragedy of the commons. that is in in an old New England town in the center of town. Everybody was allowed to build bring their calves and
sheep into the but then some people said well if I bring I can bring 20 instead of 10 and then of course then that destroys the whole green so they developed a cooperative ability and that's called dealing with the tragedy
of the commons. So with respect to leaf collection, we don't burn because it was a tremendous contributor to global warming and uh very deep smell air pollution caused lung problems. So uh we avoided the tragedy of the commons by
creating this very elaborate leaf collection system. Um and um I'm proud to say it works. It's expensive, but everybody pays their share to have it done so we don't burn the leaves and destroy children's lungs. So therefore,
I'm hoping everyone is going to support this. >> All right. Thank you for that. I have to confess I burned the leaves in my backyard in sou my town, southeast Virginia growing up. So, uh, may I have a second? >> Second >> by Councilman Dardia. Any discussion?
All in favor? >> Yes. >> Opposed? This motion has carried. May I have a motion to adjurnn? >> So moved. >> So by Councilman Dardia, second >> second >> by Councilman Kefir. Um all in favor? >> Yes. >> Opposed? This motion is carried. This
meeting is good night everybody.