Mike you ready oh wait she's GNA turn on the mic call to order the meeting starts at 602 p.m. and all stands for pledge of allegiance I pled aliance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic stand one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all Madam clerk please read The Advocate notice oh sorry roll call Madam cler council member brusher here council member Coy council member Harris here council member Patel here council member PTI here council member pointer council member shell here all right Madam clerk please read the notice adequate notice of this meeting is required by the open public meeting Act of 1975 has been provided by the annual notice sent to the home News Tribune Sentinal Desi talk and news India times on December 12th 2023 and posted main lobby mpal complex on that same date thank you madam clerk so now before we open the oral petition and remarks I just want to make a statement I will be asking my Council colleagues to pull the Cannabis ordinance come this Wednesday I have spoken to many of my Council colleagues uh to the mayor and some of the community advocates and I have also tried to reply to everyone that has reached out to me via email I want to thank all of you for voicing your concerns and sharing your perspective in hearing the concerns uh presented to the by the residents and I do believe additional evaluation of the current language and locations needs to be done as such I would seek a motion to table this ordinance come Wednesday and plan to move it to a cannabis committee our cannabis subcommittee will reevaluate the ordinance to consider alternative options with greater feedback from the public with that said let's open up the public comments anyone who wants to go oh there's a list right sorry uh ranan Kate Hi good evening everyone ranan from Woodbrook Corners tmean Park Avenue intersection sorry can you speak into the mic please sure can you hear me yeah little bit better no better okay perfect thank you so I'm thank you so much for tabling this AUD audience audiance definitely uh that's the need of our right want and all that forget about that but that's a need for this Township we are uh we are considered as very intellectual Township you know businesses and all other people and everything came later but overall people are coming here because we are a very cultured you know Innovative intelligent Community um we are not against cannabis legalized cannabis those who need the Med medical needs those who have the prescription those who are in the age group definitely they can go to the centers which we approved last time right we were against that time as well right because once you are in you're in right two years back we just introduced at one place and now everyone wants to get it to the next level because people see business out of it right whether it's a campaign whether it's a political thing whether it's family neighbor whatever right we don't want to name it here but uh we we need to control it you know bringing this kind of businesses uh to the doors of people and backyards it's not good right I mean those who need anytime they can get it doctors can prescribe they can get it show the ID or whatever have it legalized not just going to the uh store and you know uh picking up like Advil as culman said that's that's illegal right and we we see people on Talmage Road um flying right you know committing residents and all that with this think about it you know that's a major Hub where all residents are living you can see on the uh chats what kind of complaints parents are doing for uh the access easy access in the schools right whether it's a bus stop buses you know school you know the restrooms grounds and all that you can't control that so go to the route right where it is starting introducing it in the residential area is not a good idea right right now if you are making any in future right you have committee and all that when you analyze see what is the volume what is the sales volume what are the legal consumers we are talking about right what how much sale they made right what is the profitability how much you know Township got it is it really viable business if you are so business savvy right if you take this kind of decisions without any data right I'm sure what will happen in corporate world so do that right homework right don't just push because someone asked in some fundraising right or you already take some took something and now you have to give back don't do that right your next generation won't you know appreciate you forget about us we are not appreciating and that's the reason you can see the movement all around Edison not just one Community right across Edison you can see again I'm repeating we are not against the legal when you say when people voted 60 plus it's for that legal legal it doesn't mean that you will keep bringing the a ordinance and keep waving something you know roads will be waved you know restrictions will be waved and you know it will it will start coming to whatever area that's not legal right whatever you got it right now it's in industrial area people can go those who are have those are having need those who cannot go those who need home delivery they can get it but that way you are restricting that in the residential area right so you are not giving in hands of you know wrong people students kids they are impacted talk to them those who studied here in the schools middle school high school students of Edison you can check with them mayor is from the schools he knows it better right so control all these things you know don't just make a political decision it won't help you right it won't help kids it won't help help residents right getting some money at the moment fine you got something but over the long period right it's a not it's not long-term business there are lot of good businesses and we can come up with that let's bring those businesses which can which can help Club Community right which can help get more Revenue with cannabis you you cannot have a unicor here what are you talking about there are other businesses let's look into those we can have unicorn from decent if you focus on those areas those who are really required you know maybe we can have rehabitation Center where everywhere it's cannabis business is propping up we can support those patients without you know pushing them to the Cannabis there are better solutions for that right those who are consumers maybe they can get help so please do that homework get the data straight from those businesses which you approved earlier you can definitely get these data analyze that put it to the people put it to the people that way we don't we want to trust you you are our Representatives right we voted right some of the other person and now if you are doing this to us not listening to us putting the Cannabis committee you know they will come back with some roads and some streets and you know some zones that's not good right so please think over this have those right numbers in front of you share with us so that residents can also look at those that how much you are really making our Township really making our consumers are there or you are one who will invest in business he will promote anyway right he will have to recover his fees he will have to recover his campaign funding he will have to recover his bricks and motor you know expenses where from he'll get he'll come to the bus stop he'll come put the uh signs well thank you for your comments thank you I appreciate it uh next person is is Mal Malika the Silva oh okay thank you uh Kopi go GOI ATT okay uh Manish main Manish uh uh what's your last name yeah Mao come on yeah hi respectable councilmen and Council committees uh this is Manish makana I represent our Edison District 64 I'm the commitment there and I came to this floor couple times especially where Council body recognized the kids for robotics I'm the robotics man which you all say very proudly uh where our team won the national and all so I cherish lot of memories on on this floor I never thought that I have to come one day asking for kids here but I think uh today is the day uh where I stand here for the kids I don't know anything about the business and how much revenue it makes I'm just definitely I'm not against the Canabis uh to be uh make it legal in in New Jersey anyone to have it they can definitely have it so I'm not against that my only concern is because I'm very near and dear to the kids uh and I trade lot of kids in terms of the Robotics and all uh and we all say robotics the is the way for the future so where I see the kids definitely their brain and other things get affected immediately once they start looking into it and also there are there are long of effects where they may be away from their education and many other uh interest which they want to pursue so I definitely request the council body and the committee and definitely mayor also recognized kids lot many time times and they have came to many of our events as well so on behalf of all those Addison kids right I just want to make one request that please keep it away from the school and the residential Community you can definitely have it at commercial places and other places where it's may be far away from the kids so that's only my humble request to this body and and the mayor and anyone making the decision thank you thank you bisha part part thank you uh chak Patel hi uh thanks for giving me this opportunity this is the first time I'm attending this uh uh this kind of meeting uh I was not here when the this was passed I'm not sure what happened and stuff like that but what I want to tell you is that we moved from South Jersey to North Edison only because of one reason for good school district and for sa safety of our kids now just to give you background I am a Scientist I did my master in toxicology and PhD in physiology I'm not sure how much Science Background you guys have but I can tell you that government spending millions of dollars to understand understand sometime uh side effects of few substances right and um um just like covid vaccine we don't know everything as of now even after 3 years what are the adverse impacts uh so what I'm trying to uh give you idea is that um this ordinance looks like focusing on a short-term financial gain but its longterm effects on kids their Futures and on on the community overall I don't think uh we valued in uh So based on that what I'm suggesting is that we should repeal this we can get money from some other businesses uh because if this we go with this we will start with a small things but it will become out of control that is for sure because everyone knows I think that in Jep Stevenson what is going on everyone everyone is aware that there is a drugs going on kids are consuming it and I I'm not sure you are aware but someone told me that even janitor tolds where they hide the drugs so it is prevalent but I'm not sure why they cannot do anything about it so this stuffs it's better we stay away whoever wants for medical purposes they can go in other community and get it or proper sources but as a new Resident uh I really don't like this idea and just wanted to say that considering the future of our kids we should stay away from this we should repeal this thank you thank you J Anthony dear Anthony sorry I've been meaning to ask address and name and address please Anthony Dam 25 Wy thank you council president um first of all you know I I remember not too long ago I don't know if it was three or four years ago um the the mayor was the councilman at the time and he attended along with myself and some others a lot of people um an impromptu style Town Hall in a residence basement at the time and that town hall was about vaping and drugs in the township and the schools and a lot of parents showed up and they voiced their concerns and they were very very worried about the impact that vaping and drugs were having in in the schools at the time um and the mayor then councilman at the time he spoke and took a stance you know he he um basically said you know that he'll do everything he could to make sure that that doesn't happen in Edison um and uh was took a really strong stance uh something that I I supported his comments at the time I don't remember exactly what they were but we find them and post them for you but uh point is um those comments are different from what his actions were are trying to be here um as I said last week you know did has the and I asked this question has the sub commit um has the administration done their due diligence in terms of you know just seeking basic stuff surrounding towns the pros the cons um I even go a step further what kind of impact it's going to have on our law enforcement Comm Community um you know uh you you have um not only is he does does the administration want to start with not just one they want to put F four or five locations throughout the town and for what reason um you you usually start off with one maybe one location which I don't even support but let's just say one location and see what the impact is from there um keeping it in RAR in Center is one thing but as as we now see the we we want to inch closer to the neighborhoods and that's why these people these residents are very concerned uh I'm very concerned um and the impact longterm out what it's going to have uh on on specifically children um who already face many challenges especially with covid um still feeling the impacts of of the covid shutdown um you know this just sets a bad example sets a bad precedent um as far as the subcommittee council president I I i' I'd say also this um the relationships um not just yourself uh maybe some others but uh that that are that are uh uh that you have with um some of the individuals who have received licenses um so I would be make the recommendation to uh to look at those relationships very closely and possibly recuse yourself from any such committee um if if if if that you know if there is a uh a conflict there um I also um let's see here um I want to thank uh board uh Board of Ed president um Patel and former board president current board member Shannon Pang for their comments and their stance um I I couldn't agree with them more um and and I salute them um let's see um I I did mention last week uh regarding garbage in town uh the the the garbage is um is still very bad I don't know what the if there's a plan if any plan by the administration to take to to clean it up Clare Barton is just still a just a disaster there's garbage off to the Sid of the road um I know some of them might be uh County uh County Roads um some of them could be uh um state roads point is uh if if the administration can make those appropriate phone calls to see if they can be cleaned up they're being pushed back into the neighborhood um it is it is I've never seen it this bad um and you know I I don't know if the mayor is being driven around if he can't see it as well but it's it's it just doesn't look good it it's honestly it's just disgusting um so I like to see the garbage uh the town cleaned up a little better um and uh what else do we have um how much time almost done at one minute oh almost at one minute um let's see one minute now okay thank you um yeah the subcommittee also I have one question who who who will be on the subcommittee uh will it involve residents um will it be just you know council members uh you know what's the process uh of of considering people for the subcommittee um heck I'll throw my name in uh in possible candidates for subcommittee so um and um and that's I will say this um I I do commend you though council president you you know clearly the people rose up this week in regarding the Cannabis and um they do not they do not want it I I I think majority of the people um anybody with a level head in my opinion uh knows that five locations closer to the neighborhoods is just something that's very irresponsible so to see you uh pull from the agenda reconsider this uh whether it's a subcommittee or what not um of be able to be of a more responsible thank you Anthony your time's up all right thank you all right uh Bruce Diamond Bruce if you don't mind name and address please my name is your name I don't know your address Diamond 74 calber um first off I hear all these people talking about stuff and I'm not sure they have any idea what they're talking about I am proof that after 52 years I still have a mind I can still think I function I can exercise I can walk eight or nine miles smoke hot every day of my life in the last 50 years no big deal it's no different than alcohol you don't abuse it you don't have a problem you drink too much you have a problem um I don't understand 60% of the town I believe voted yes for this so obviously more people want it and don't want it all this talk about the kids I believe the age to buy stuff in a legalized cannabis place is 21 I believe the average age of a high school kid is like 16 18 they're not going to get in there I just don't understand the fear tactics that everyone's using um your kids aren't going to be able to buy it anymore than than then just silly um some of the uh objections I hear it's targeting the southern part of town more more silliness that's unfortunately Edison is a hodg podge of zoning fortunately or unfortunately North Edison does not have in Industry does not have light industrial it's not my fault it's the way the people plan the town out 50 years ago it's what you got to work with there's no reason up and down 27 up and down Inman up and down Route One those should all be available if somebody wants to open a store ironically I think the only gentleman who has been approved by the town so far to apply for a license is an Indian kid so give me a break the Indian Community is not against this either so I I don't understand that I think one of the biggest things is with legal pot is you know what you're getting there's no chemicals in it if you smoked pot in the 70s there was parat in it which was a uh pesticide now I think they put fentanyl in over the counter poot why would you want your kids to be subjected to that they're going to smoke it anyway you're not denying them the ability to smoke pot by not having retail establishments that limit sales to people over 21 um I hope you guys have the courage to represent the 60% of the citizens that said they wanted this and don't count toow to all these kids saying it's for the kids it's for the kids it's for the kids it's just boring thank you be strong thank you Bruce uh next person eor Nasser okay uh Joel bof uh one sec we have a list we have to go through the list and then I'll call people okay uh let me after Joel I'll call your name name and address please Joel bass off 17 Beach Lane I have several questions of the council number one regarding the repeal of the commercial Corridor overlay or the Amboy Avenue Redevelopment plan which was passed in ordinance 1936-2017 that allows the four-story buildings on ambo Avenue it's time to repeal that so my question is is when will that be on the agenda it's disappointing that it's not on this agenda uh when will it be on the council agenda and if there's any thought that it would get hung up at the planning board that's just not true the municipal land use law gives the planning board a deadline of 35 days to uh return its report on any land use ordinance that's referred to it um that's New Jersey statutes for 40 colon 55 d-26 and 64 if you need the reference uh question number two uh when will we have on the agenda the updated definitions for warehouses distribution centers fulfillment centers and truck terminals all that the council has to do for that is to remove the subsections that Define the existing uses as conforming uses uh any existing uses that don't meet the ordinance can continue indefinitely as pre-existing non-conforming uses so you really don't want to have a loophole in that ordinance uh there's really no impediment to putting those definitions on the council agenda for adoption uh number three uh my question is when can we expect the ordinance regarding uh digital Billboards to be on the agenda since we have had committee discussions on that it seems like uh we we should be be close to having the language nailed down so let's get that on the agenda uh my question is can we expect that say at the next council meeting item four um can we amend the municipal code regarding membership on the technical Review Committee um code section 39-12 20115 uh calls for someone from the emergency management office to be on the technical Review Committee it seems like that's not practical so that should be corrected uh item five can the council prod the mayor to follow the code section 39-1 1215 to appoint a citizen representative to the technical Review Committee it's in the code it should be done uh item six can the um Council PR the environmental commission to appoint a member to the technical Review Committee also that's in the code and it should be done uh item seven can we amend the code regarding members of the planning board uh the code sections 39-12 15D and 36-8 one one uh refer to site plan committee can we either Define and establish a site plan committee or eliminate that from the code so that the code can reflect what actual practice is um item eight uh can we fix the budget Provisions in the charter and the code so seven uh or 8A um the municipal Charter section 3-16 says on or before the 15th day of January the mayor shall submit to the council his recommended budget my understanding uh correct me if I'm wrong please is that that has not been done yet so either the charter should be amended or the administration should follow the requirements of the municipal Charter uh next question is regarding the adoption of the budget uh the municipal code section 2- 2.4 F uh paragraph 3 says that introduction and approval of the budget first reading shall be by August 10th that's just wrong because we're on a calendar year uh it should be by February 10th according to the code so that has to be corrected and then paragraph 7 adoption by September 20th that's just wrong since we're on a calendar year not a state fiscal year uh that should be March 20th uh of course subject to any extensions from the local Finance board so uh my question is can we amend the code to bring it into compliance iance with our actual fiscal year and the requirements of the municipal Finance laws and then my final question is regarding the the budget deadline one minute the local Finance board sets the first council meeting following February 27th so that would be the regular meeting on the 28th as the deadline for the administration to transmit a proposed budget to the council uh that's according to to local Finance notice uh my name is gopali um uh my first name I go by for shasa I'm in Sagamore Avenue uh Edison New Jersey and uh thank you Council uh uh I'm here representing the ordinance uh for the Cannabis uh Amendment of the zoning and uh I've been here before and had a chance to work with uh uh some of the council before on other uh cultur and social activities uh within the township I've been a resident for over uh I'd say about 12 years now so uh this and I'm a parent I have a son who goes to the high school and a daughter who is going in the middle school so coming back the the the the theme is what I would say is I've sent an email which got forwarded uh to the council uh by friends and people who are interested and and I would want to just um uh come back and counter to various topics right so the the exposure to people below 21 is extremely valid it is there and there would be like people already we are seeing every neighborhood is having a problem people are loitering they're doing uh uh drugs and whatnot right and there is a statistic in New York City that the number of legal Outlets are around 50 but the illegal joints that the city in general is trying to fight is 1,500 so there is no counter to uh you know there's no explanation that you know just because you make something legal as an gentleman earlier said it's going to take out the illegal supply of the uh the market it's going to magically go away is is not true because it's factually proven New York City it's not working and you know that'll that within 21 it'll it'll start you know they'll start asking their acquaintances their friends to go into the shop get it for me and being it so close it's it's just going to lure the kids I mean they could go in walking distance and say what is that shop it's flashy yeah hey let me just go once and try and they'll say you no you cannot you're under 21 but they'll find a a friend who wants to do it for money and that will become his uh you know see the income and maybe become his profession so illegal pedling will increase the law uh enforcement officials will have a problem the excess traffic you know and all the things that are going to come with it will exist period right um and uh it's not like uh we have seen I've written in the email also right so we have seen where a pot cookie was sold to a kid who was 19 or 20 years old in Colorado he just and he he was told you have to break it into six pieces and each one has to eat one well they didn't know it three three people ate one pieces rest of the half of the Kiki the other guy ate he just jumped out of the window you can it's it's it's there it's in Colorado that's a fact his name is tumba or something you got I mean can Council can look it up I heard people also say that it exists everybody as a resident know it people are doing it in schools there are like people want to shut some of the bathrooms out people have heard it from the janitorial staff that it's a problem they want to control it there is nothing and the the the New Jersey legal law state law doesn't provide any uh you know help there either so you can go once you just get you won't even get you know there is something right first time uh you'll get uh citation you won't even get a citation I think until the third time you will be referred to a community service basically you will be let go if you're under 18 and there is something found on you so what is helping uh you know it is actually promoting the kids to you know try it out and get it to the uh schools I mean there's nothing from what I uh read there's nothing stopping them and on the macro scale um and and you know everything about that you know there are pharmacists here you know that it is a gateway drug right it's proven there will be uh tons of uh articles saying no it's not a great way drug you'll have tons of artic saying yes it's a Gateway Tru and there this cross sensitization effects where you just stop it you want to try something new and you go crazy so all these are proven and what we have so a SLE request is please protect our kids our school system is already crowded it's it's uh you know we are from from last 12 13 years we are trying to expand upon that or grow that's not happening but this is will add to the chaos and it it's going to be a disastrous I would uh step I would say the council subcommittee not subcommittee I would say just kill it I mean just make Edison totally drug free I mean if you want it in amvo fine but I would even go further and request the council to make it drug free there are 400 towns in New Jersey one minute you said you have 400 towns in the city that are drug free why can't we emulate them why are we going for a $600,000 revenue on a brib store for last three years and trying to replicate that and get more stores here it doesn't make sense there are 400 uh townships in Edison so please on a macro scale I just wanted to give you a numbers the projected numbers in 2019 for 2022 for all over us was 35 million pound and on 2022 according to a study there was 45 million pounds of marijuana in United States so what where is Country headed right I mean Council please take a bold step stop it here get it out of Edison I mean be an example for the entire country here I mean I'm I'm seeing like some of the you know insane Arguments for it medical having you know people take medical marijuana taking medical time's up sir thank you taking medical marijuana is not counter foration thank you uh anyone else you come on up name and address please Anita amarat building 15 Edison Glen Terrace Edison New Jersey thank you council president and the members of the council I want to start with a personal experience as I walked into this council chambers like the rest of you I saw a gallery I saw a gallery called Heritage in that Gallery I saw our heroes I saw a NASA astronaut I saw various artifacts talking about the heritage of Edison and everywhere it vibrated about our Rich cultural history a safe environment of growth advancement and prosperity this couldn't have been done without a healthy environment council president and members of the council I stand here with a personal experience and with the same genuinity and patriotism as I saw our founding fathers of Edison I want to hit a common ground nobody else have been on critical care units in the hospital than me I have seen terminal patients go through real sickness cancer patients who have lack of appetite I couldn't agree more medical marijuana is the way to go I agree with various members of this Council that opods are much more harmful as compared to marijuana and now I come to I hear you I understand each of your background I hear your uh point of view now I'm asking you to listen to our point of view nlm the National Library of Medicine I want to quote some facts 1.6 million individuals between the age of 12 and 17 equating to 6.5% of us adolescent population use marijuana in that 7.6 million individuals between the age of 18 and 25 22.5% of the US young adult population reported current use of Canabis Among Us high school students nearly half of 12th graders 44% 10th graders 33% eth graders 14% the result cognitive impairment mental health issues School lack of school performance addiction physical health issues risk of substance abuse and legal consequences a quick heart Truth for all of you today today's teens are more aware and have access to social media and have more vulnerabilities and peer pressure than any other generation and things happen in spite of parents oversight and counselors keeping an eye on them and easy accessibility to a cannibis store can only make things worse we have come to understand right now and correct me if I'm wrong there is absolutely no ordinance in place no th000 ft ordinance no zoning regulations in place for future Cannabis stores and businesses no regulations freefor all is an extremely uncomfortable scenario for us residents in taxpayers I'm proud of Edison I'm proud of the diverse population of Edison I'm proud of my neighborhood and the town I live in healthy recreational facilities splash parks great job pickle ball courts great job bike parts great job running Lanes great job these are initiatives I'm excited about I'm excited about a green City but a cannabis store in a family neighborhood where I cannot take my kids for a donut treat because there's a cannabis store next next door is not a happy scenario and I'm sure you're getting the point I'm trying to make Edison is a proud town we need to build this town for the future generations and as families moving here I guarantee you if a family drives around town and sees retail Cannabis stores everywhere they are not going to invest in this property as a subcommittee is formed I have other quick Think Tank questions is the revenue stream you're getting is it really worth it for all this trouble do you really need three retail stores Council Members I want to give you some statistics NJ legalized period me says East Brunswick 67% opted yes but then the council as of now has opted no south of Brunswick 62% have opted yes for cannabis legalization but the council apted no please do what is right for the Next Generation and what the a founding fathers have left for us in Edison God Bless America and God bless the great town of Edison thank you thank you [Applause] an else come on good evening Council people name and address please yes my name is Nisha Savant 23 wincon ban Boulevard Edison you I am the long-term resident of this town I do I was a former committee woman for my town for my District 12 I would say I really am I'm a resident of Woodbridge Avenue which I really feel that the the whole reason for this cannabis ordinance which you want to take it out which is a th000 square foot you want to get it outside the outside behind the Dunkin Donut which is 2880 which I find out that's one of the spots do you even realize there are preschools there are dayc carees there's a church there there are residents I mean who did this homework who is the one who's been telling these are the locations which we have found we really want you guys like we we as a resident we and most of them I have bed with you guys when you were in the due for the elections we trusted you our town trusted you do you really it's totally up to you you all whether the council whom we TR trusted are you going to consider us as people I'm also real if I see that anywhere you go anywhere in the state you go any other state if it comes to New Jersey there are only two towns which most people would love to stay is Addison Princeton that's the ones which comes in their head do we really really want our town to have a bad reputation and as far as okay income is concerned I understand your point but tell me something Woodbridge Woodbridge is having the retail uh matachin has a retail Highland Park as a retail why will anyone want to come here when they are just 10 minutes from from Woodbridge Avenue I mean I would say if you're looking at the benefits look at the do your maths whoever is suggesting the location has to do the m i mean we are a very we love to be in the town we are very happy I'm a very very proud every even though it's not about South Edison or North Edison it's Edison we are one of them and I really request uh the council should not consider the Thousand to let go the, square foot ordinance thank you so much thank you thank you you can come on up you can come on up man yes Lois waly Peak Road Edison and it's good to be back you recognized first thing I'd like to speak about is ordinance 2211 changing zoning code to establish zoning districts where cannabis establishments are permitted originally the only location for the sale of cannabis was in the raran center area between Amboy Avenue and Middle Road personally I'm old-fashioned I'll say right off I don't believe in in the illegalization of cannabis but I went along because of the original location in Raritan Center I believe in and compromise now this ordinance wants to amend the original ordinance and add five more locations National Road Town bed's Road Carter Drive Woodbridge Avenue and US Route One from planfield Avenue to Old Post Road I think it's a bad idea to add any more locations but especially in Headly traffic planfield Avenue to Old po Post Road my comment to this location it's nuts with the traffic in this area the last thing we need from a safety point of view are people possibly high on cannabis I know Highland Park and Woodbridge have Cannabis stores so it's available nearby if anyone needs it also no one can say how much in tax revenue stores in Edison will generate I've seen Edison make some decisions that have not been in fiscally wise and cost taxpayers unnecessary money so I'm not real comfortable with this amendment also with the traffic problems in Edison you almost have to take a defensive driving course to travel around town with all the traffic from warehouses tractor trailers trucks Route 27 Costco and Walmart to name a few I don't want my Township offici officials to Aid and Abed any possible negative effects from this amendment and additional locations I'd like to know who requested this amendment to be put on the agenda my my suggestion is let's go back to the original or ordinance and compromise I don't believe Edison residents want this additional cannabis locations second thing racist flyer the residents of Edison have not had an update on the racist flyer issue in conjunction with the 2017 Edison Board of Education campaign it's over five years now that it's been with the state down in Trenton we have gone through two Attorneys General and it seems Edison and this issue have been put on the back burner in hopes of sweeping it under the rug it's insulting enough that the state has chosen to ignore it but even more it's a disgrace that Edison elected officials don't care enough about the residents to follow up and bring this issue to a resolution my questions are one if you want to write them down who in Edison Administration has been following up on this over the last five years who is following up on it now what is the present up update and status on this what is the next action Edison will take to resolve this third issue dwali Festival it was promised to be fully funded by contributions I had the spreadsheet for the event it's a bit difficult to follow because there are splits between the dwali festival and winter wonderland but it seems that there is a shortfall in contributions can someone tell me what percentage of splits splits were was it 5050 3070 so there's no way to really tell if this is a true representation of the costs and uh how much did my question is how much did it actually cost the Edison taxpayers and I'm just looking at this from a financial point of view because money is very tight in Edison we have a lot of infrastructure to do and I think we have to watch every penny so I'd appreciate the answers to my uh question thank you very much thank [Applause] you all the way at the end yeah uh uh him first yeah you'll be after him hi how you doing uh my name is Jonathan hhma um address New Jersey smokers club okay um I'm not an Edison resident okay um I am a cannabis activist I'm hoping to be here today to Enlighten a lot of people it seems like I do not need to Enlighten the Chamber of Commerce it seems like I need to Enlighten the town residents which I have no problem doing um just to give a little bit of a background on why I am here I don't know if anybody's heard of New Jersey Weedman before he is the biggest activist in New Jersey he's been activating for about 10 years if not longer um I am here at New Jersey smokers club I have been an activist for about six years we are for medical marijuana and all medical and all marijuana around the board we understand everybody's concerns and we understand Edison to give a little bit of background on zoning just to start off with that from what we're seeing around with other towns other towns started off exactly how Edison started off which wanting to hide it and put it away from the public light next thing you know if you go into flemingon and other towns is literally right next door to Kohl's to TJ Fridays to downtown regular stores regular like it is your liquor store you have liquor stores in town right that you can just go to you have convenience stores right next door to your daycares where people can go and buy tobacco and buy nicotine products and these Vape products which are more harmful to our teenagers and our kids than marijuana would ever be okay that's number one so with the zoning I think you are limiting people like me and other people with a lot of money that want to come into the town and help the town we want to donate a lot of money and do not mind fixing up the infrastructure and helping out around here so we are looking to do things like that like you need help as I'm aware of in autistic side there's nowhere for the autistic kids I'm hearing in town I would love to build a building the problem is is the fight back with the community and also finding out the right location because putting us down in the industrial area is hard to operate there's no small locations there for anybody to buy or rent out for retail locations on top of it the Cannabis industry is dying it is not succeeding the way New Jersey thought it would be the black market is not going to be stopped as you are aware of there is no difference between thca and THC if you go into a convenience store guarantee right now and the police chief and the police will probably verify that if you go into a con venience store or a smoke shop in Edison you will be able to buy marijuana no matter what 100% And it's all like that throughout New Jersey and it's not just New Jersey that's doing it it's our FBI it's our CIA and it is our state and our country that is letting it happen from the west coast to the east coast every single state I am not just an activist in New Jersey I am a New Jersey resident my whole life I am 38 years old this is not anything new to me I've been a medical patient for 10 years I suffer from Crohn's disease so I need it for a medicine I do not use it to just you know get high or recreational but as far as cannabis versus alcohol I would much rather everybody can you please uh address the de when you sorry I would much rather everybody you know smoke then then drink and even police agree you know the crime rate goes down driving goes down you don't have accidents you don't have these problems when it comes down to things like that so just to just to address a few problems that I can see in town and a lot of residents are are seeming to be against it it's not a bad thing at all and if you have liquor stores and all of these convenience stores in town you have hookah lounges there's no difference than a cannabis Lounge it's coming to New Jersey and it's already in New Jersey I can tell you and I'm sure the police chief and everybody else can tell you I have ran a cannabis business for almost six months in Edison last year at the Italian American Club and not one resident knew about it came to you guys or complained about it so I don't understand why they're complaining right now it seems like it's not all of your residents that's complaining it's maybe like 10 or a little group that's kind of against it or even if it's 20 because I can guarantee that I could get a petition and I can get probably hundreds of resid residents walking through those doors I used to have 200 people come through the door every Friday to come to a cannabis event you guys have held the biggest cannabis event in New Jersey at that Edis the Raritan Center Convention Center two times in a year the biggest one if you what's the problem if you can do that then then I don't understand what the problem is with anything else with cannabis besides wanting to take it out of the right you know that area and putting it throughout town I understand that maybe I can help buffer between it I can help you guys understand the economics of cannabis I can help the town you know Town people understand the beneficial of it the ones that are concerned and the way that we all can work together because Edison I see as the prim location to be a destination area for New Jersey either Edison or Woodbridge it is honestly the prime area one minute um that's all I'd really to say if you guys have any questions anything any questions this is a public portion so we let the public speak thank you for your time no no problem yes there's no talking back and forth please I have no you cannot this is not a debate if you want to speak I don't mind speaking with any no no no you can talk outside if you guys want to talk outside I appreciate that thankk you I'll out uh you can come on no it's uh he's coming up sorry piml josi 11 mtle Street Edison New Jersey I'm a Committee Member from District 22 and I'm a chairman of Edison Democratic organization in last couple of days three or 4 days everyone has seen and uh what is going on and how the resolution has been put up and you see the reaction of the Committee Member we have A6 Committee Member and out of 156 I have seen almost 70 to 80 they are very active on these and when as in a Democratic party you know when they are somebody we are telling them that you are eyes and ears of the town of the neighborhood okay and when they show their diss dissatisfaction or their objection or their lack of knowledge I mean before we put up this kind of resolution I think we should have something like called town hall meeting we should get the feedback from the people at what they are thinking another thing is okay Canabis business joining now what kind of licenses are is it cultivation it is warehousing it is dispensary what it is we by by having the town hall meeting you can talk to the neighborhood and all the people so that is must my request is that and I have spoke to almost all you individuals including mayor and ask that please stop it now okay because we are creating a lot of problem there are our town demographic is little different okay now people like it or not but they have to accept that Asian people don't encourage we don't encourage our kids and we don't like this so people have to consider their feeling also so far neighborhood Woodbridge Avenue Talmage Road Carter Road National Road yes I do understand that okay what are the things and I try to study my myself I try to educate my Committee Member but they are very upset so I'll appreciate that something some sort of communication has to be done with the people and it should not be in a neighborhood like you selected Woodbridge Avenue from uh like other lady explained so I don't want to get into detail that you know where there is a resident there is a temple there is a church there is a Jewish hostel there you know you have to consider everything on that I mean yes I do that people want want to do business in Edison yes they can do business we are getting our rbls yes we are getting our rbl but we have to consider that there are lot of ways and means to create the retables this is not the only one where we can create the retables okay so like I still I feel that yes you if you have the committee to explore the things please involve some of the people who are elected Committee Member from party okay I'm not telling only Democratic party whichever way you want to do it but some resident who are concerned and I also appreciate if you can add on some people from the school board also in there okay that will that way we will know and people will get educated that okay what are this license what is retail license what is cultivation what is warehousing and distribution so that way we don't get into this kind of problem anyway thank you all councilman you know you replied my phone and we talked thank you very much and get me your opinion thank you thank you R rajaram uh your address please 33 Heritage R you're recognized thank you I mean it's a pleasure to come again and again because I generally don't come to the council meeting right because I I love this Council and you guys do awesome job I'm here because after uh I came here I did quite a bit of research okay I'm going to put forth some facts here I want you to consider that okay we cannot as as uh Edison res for last 22 years I can tell you that we cannot go into the race to bottom okay Woodbridge mayor said he gets $600,000 from one shop okay which was a medical marijuana shop that was grandfathered into a retail shop okay so as in any other capitalistic economy right it is about competition right it's about the number of shops okay matachin is going to put up one a drive-in right you have Highland Park so if you're going to say I'm going to have 10 licenses I'm going to have five licenses right you are not going to get 600,000 each keep that in mind if I have shop rights next to me if I have 10 shop rights next to me right at a distance of25 miles you think think I'm going to make the same amount of business no I'm not going to right cannabies is a niche market it's not like you're going to get new uh uh you know growth rate is going to be like 100% right it is not going to be 100% okay there's a set of users so think about that right that's that's one point because economically you have to see if it is really viable I mean it's not about 600,000 it's like look at the E economy right the second part is I've explained to a lot of council members in private as well right is that right see you can put anything in a warehouse as long as it's not retail right today I do not know what illegal stuff happens in a warehouse okay I'm I'm sure somebody will come up and object but I don't think uh you should take the objection because of the reason that I really don't know I try you know I drive around Edison I see hundreds of warehouses I see boards I don't know what happens inside right I don't think Edison can go into each of these warehouses to figure it out okay maybe they have a manufacturing unit in the front and a canaby plant in the back okay okay so the biggest concern that people have I've talked to a lot of people right I represent the community right is retail make sure that retail isn't root one right I mean roote one is a lost cost I've already told you that right it's a completely lost cost because you drive by mayor mcor has two locations already one is already there the second one is the adult shop right opposite to roote 35 and roote one Junction okay that's very accessible to anybody in Edison so look at locations that make sense make sure that reta tail right does not come anywhere near a residential Zone because when kids walk it's going to tempt them right they're going to be curious I mean kids are always curious right so nobody cares because warehous is you know truck goes in truck comes out nobody cares what's inside the truck they're smuggling humans they're draggling cargo nobody knows right I mean Edison police doesn't stop each of these trucks and check them right and nobody would know so keep that in mind okay and economics is a second thing right it's very very important because we all want to jump into the frenzy right and just like what uh the guy who supported the drugs said that it's failing right so think about it and the third point I want to make right is people pay 200k and 100K more premium to come here to Edison okay it's a certain demographics we all know I don't want to specify what demographics it is right you are just because you want to earn $600,000 you don't want to lose that Revenue okay because the house price if I compare to Plainsboro Edison is way more and in the future you're going to you know set your property taxes at that rate at some point in time you're going to reate reevaluate right because we have not done it in 30 years so keep that in mind because it should not be a loss proposition for us okay and I understand uh the users concern right I understand everybody's concern and what people need to know is it's too late right marijuana was legalized in 2021 whether you like it or not at that time that's why you have to go and vote it's what majority says if you didn't like you should have gone and oted I did right but if you don't OTE you lost it right it's the demographics just because you don't like it you can't say it's a loss cost right so try to keep it in RAR and please do not remove the zoning restrictions right because that's a good safety like I said when the resolution was passed in 2021 I was right here okay we worked with Rich we worked with aay we worked with everybody in the council right to make sure that we put it in Rarity right please look at your options take your time okay like Bimal G said you have to talk to the residents to understand and my biggest concern is uh you know the property values right if it goes down only because a certain demographics buys the houses at a much higher rate okay the same house in Edison is like what they're they're saying $700,000 for a, squet house you go to Plainsboro you can get it for 450 so I'm sure the demographics that wants to come here have other places to go south bronck they don't have any pot shops there okay so think about it and I know you will consider it because I have faith in this Council I worked with the council for many years I come here right so thank you thank you for listening thank you Raj name and address please uh Jes Panda uh 494 Avenue you're recognized uh I'll I'll just go with the statistics a lot of things have been said I'm reading the statistics of two independent researchers of state of Colorado Auditors and the City of denare Auditors uh where this was legalized Canabis were legalized long before the marij marijuana use rate among Colorado teens is is 50% above the national average medical marijuana is easily diverted to youth drug related referrals for high school students testing positive for marijuana has increased number of fatal car CES with driver testing positive for marijuana Rose sharply there is not just these are from independent Auditors now the thing is that see it's it shouldn't be that difficult for example like we we talk about the junk food sugar alcohol we know we teach to our kids these are bad things it's simple good and bad now what happens with each of the things first they are generalized after generalization Next Step comes is the commercialization and after commercialization next step is promotion we are seeing it with alcohol we are seeing it with sugars in all our food now with generalization of this thing we couldn't stop it sorry we failed but now we are moving into the next phage which is commercialization can we stop it now if we can't stop it now the next stage is going to be promotion and I don't think it should be a very very very big decision it's as simple as then that short-term gain versus long-term pain what what are we going to choose Thank you thank you Maria orid 83 Jefferson you're recognized thank you I have dates on February 29th will be the middle six Greenway meeting at the Clara Barton first aid squad on March 7th will be the open space meeting here on March 14th the Clara Barton neighborhood preservation commission how are our infrastructures like the water system and our sewer system remember this month is Black History Month what events are we scheduled in honor of women's History Month St Patrick's or St Joseph day please check on your seniors and disabled make sure that they're okay if they need anything what kind of Revenue will the town receive for pushing these establ lishment what would the impact be on the residents how are we setting an example for our future we need residents on that subcommittee why did ridan say no what's the status on our master plan and the public Advocate how's the deer committee going is there an update on our Farmers Market thank you thank you [Applause] Maria oh okay marann Hennessy 20 Carmelo drive you recognized Maran thank you I would like to I would like to say that I back anything that has been said so far regarding putting the Cannabis here my question has to do with originally when this came forward everyone but Bob deal voted yes he voted no I think he was the smartest one in the group um when it was originally projected to be used it was between Amboy Avenue and I believe mil Road on Woodbridge Avenue there is a college there's a church there's a daycare center there's a monor there are residents once you pass Main Street it's traffic light that's where it begins so your Revenue streaming business belongs from Amboy Avenue to Main Street it ends there because there's nothing but warehousing now there are some houses behind the senior center I don't know how many but there's warehousing my question is did Britt and Center say no and that's why we're looking to change it did heler say no is that why we're looking to change it who's changing it who's come forward with this we don't know did you Mr President of of the council did you come forward with this we can answer that after the public comments I don't object because there are people who need to use marijuana for medical purposes and it's been a long time before anybody said yes the federal government I believe still does not approve of it but the states do that is I don't know how to put it I mean my kids are grown up my kids are out of town so I don't have to worry about that aspect but there are other children and when you put a group of children together day after day after day after day they learn things from each other and sometimes they learn good things and sometimes they learn bad things and they follow the crowd so what's to stop that from happening with our young people with the marijuana here in town that's just just my question on that on that part I am going to ask you originally when this came out there was a vote taken the town residents had an opportunity to say yes or no and there was I think 60 some per said yes you're changing this ordinance you need to give the township residents the rights to tell you if things have changed since then now that some of those people or the bulk of of those people who said yes now want to say no you're not giving them that opportunity seriously you're not and you have to understand the residents behind me and a lot more will lose their respect for you if you go ahead and push this thing through without asking us to vote on whether we want it or not it's simple logic I've made my statements I'm going to stop on that I would like to commend both Margot with a te and AJ for the issues being raised about the senior center I understand and I ask a question to you to find out for me please why the fencing in front of to goes the whole width of the parking lot which does not belong to to which now says to the kids that want to come come and play in the playground and play baseball sorry you can't come cuz the fence is there take the fence down run it along the side of the building and open the parking lot and the field the design on the building I think is terrible you want to build a straight up Second Story and nothing with a slant because you lose space that you can use with the slant so that's my comment on that I think it's terrible to change the mini BV Recreation Center into a senior center that doesn't solve the problem that creates more of a problem there's a lot that goes on up there with the residents at that end of the town and with the students and the children that utilize it you're taking away areas by making it a senior center it really it it doesn't solve your problem it's just a Band-Aid it really is just a Band-Aid I hate to do this but six community centers exist in Woodbridge we have one and that doesn't even work right the calendar of events that happen at wood at our centers compare nothing to what goes on at Woodbridge it's a problem and everybody's bounced it down the road for years my other question is somebody said why don't we use the property from Hearts did we record the deed this time the first deed got lost somewhere and we had to request a second Deed from Harts and I know that because I spoke with a heart's attorney who was here at a meeting and he told me that we requested a second deed so to me that means somebody lost it somebody didn't record it and I'd like to know on the second deed has it been recorded thank you [Applause] come on durri PRM Road you want to make money using Cannabis stores I have a better alternative these stores you want to keep the kids out of there build a few pickle ball cods you can invite all the kids to come and play there and you can encourage Health in this community from other communities too there are a couple of pickle pickle ball cours in this community one on the Vineyard Road is very good the one around here somewhere a tennis court was converted designed awful the floor is awful put your money there and you build a go right now I go to other townships because they are built better I play there I pay money to pay there you build some of those courtes in this community I can get my kids too they will pay for it too there is your money thank you councilwoman ship Freeman 41 Main Street Edison New Jersey thank you may where all the drugs will probably be sold but but um def the first thing I want to say that I resented the Edo chair uh when he spoke because he spoke oh only Asians care about drugs my family been here since 1929 it's not an Asian thing it's not a black thing it's not a white thing it's that people thing when you're speaking about stuff you speak about all the people of Edison and my problem with the um ordinance is that when you make lollipops and when you make gummy bears that's what scares me it scares me the most because nobody up there that has a young child or anything they want their kid to accidentally pick up a gummy bear that's filled with cannabis that's my major problem and that's true and in the location of places all right it's conveniently located in other areas and not in other areas now if you're going to give out licenses to people first of all two let me step back a little bit so we have this master plan but we're going to put all this stuff in the master plan before the people even get to see it or even get to vote on it or talk about it this is absolutely it's absolutely crazy the way the thing is going it's absolutely crazy now also I'm hoping that this is not true but they're tell me that they're still with the administration is with holding funds from the library this holding fund from the library you know it that brings ignorance we need to have a library we need to have the library going because you can't shut down a library doesn't mean you should choke it to death it's very important that you keep a library open libraries are very very important at all because if maybe if we had libraries and we had responsible libraries I could tell some of the people that asked me why where was the black history Heritage Proclamation the black history is American history it's American history all right and I I I spoke with the councilman Patel 200% wanted it like he's like where where is it where is it you know then you know what I mean I come back and they talk about the senior citizen I reading it in the newspaper by you know they hand uh Suzanne whatever she needs to right at all thank God we got the Addison reporter now so we're getting some different news so we say we got three senior citizen buildings three sen senior citizen buildings we got one on Woodridge Avenue that's not even properly uh taken care of of a take care about 90 people don't have social workers proper programming a lot of stuff to be desired there then I know we're not calling that that saying we have a building that not even finished not even started or nothing and they're saying to me hey there's espes in there I said well anybody with common sense unless they want to make extra money with change orders with automatically know that there's aestas in the building that's his common knowledge you should know that there's aestas in the building so I don't know how we counting that as a senior citizen building and then going down to the mini bville Center all right and as I told you my family been here the whole time since 1929 I've been I was in that I have gotten proclamations and papers and everything from the great work we did in there for the tutorial program so instead of us making stuff better for our kids for adolescence for our teens making getting a a a person that has great knowledge of building that type of stuff up no we don't want that we want to we want to make marijuana shops we want to do all that we don't want to save our children I don't know why what is this thing now our children are under siege now they have all these things going on I know as a parent we didn't have all that somebody was telling me Oh well they tell them to put the cell phones away yeah you can tell people to put cell phones away all you want but from my experience of being in the high school and Junior High School oh they still G to sneak those phones so don't act like all of a sudden everything is gonna be really really good it's gonna be really good and then after that other thing I was very very concerned about I seen that we uh did a water ordinance but I see the water and sewer ordinance I see at the rate we going it going to take 90 years before we can get some of this stuff going and then I'm hope I'm not hearing right one that okay I hope I'm not hearing right that we're not going to take care HOAs but you know that's HOAs but we going to take care of hella Park we GNA take and make sure we got a pump system for the developers we gonna go out our way to make sure the developers the Cannabis people and everybody get taken care of everybody except the taxpayers of Edison thank [Applause] you good evening everyone my name is Sur Sam I Am I live in 268 Edwards Tech Bard you're recognized I'm the compy member for District 12 so as a compe member I was taking opinion from my district and most of the people were actually opposing this ordinance and also about the Marana process but before going back to 2020 like I voted in 2020 election but I never saw that I never even went through the question that what was the vote for the cand so like me many of my people in like my town they don't they were not even aware about that there was a o for cannibas so most of the people did not even vote about the canvas and going back to 2021 uh the council ship like I what I read from the article saying that there was a deadline to opt in or opt out and the Seven council members decided to just for a one day meeting and they decided without taking anybody's opinion so I also found found out that all the committee members nobody was informed in that meeting so it was it is very unfair and whatever the things that happened in 2020 now we are in 2024 so all within these four years there have lot of people have moved into Edis community and we should also consider their opinion so that what is exactly what is present opinion when you're trying to implement it right now so I request all the compe me like all the council members before even you vote you have to take the opinions of all the committee members what their district is proposing that one so without that commit members opinion you cannot take the decision and implement it to the entire town so I strongly abose like I strongly recommend you to take the opinions of all the committee members because the comme members like represent all the districts so and also uh everybody has pointed out that uh the district uh the Woodbridge Avenue so there are so many establishments in Woodbridge Avenue there is a temple there is a Jewish church and there are so many daycare centers so I strongly object having canibas Center within that Bub Avenue and so and also regarding the ordinance the Thousand ft should not be dropped it has been meant there for a certain reason it cannot be dropped without anybody's opinion thank you thank you hi good evening Harish tatin 45 McKinley Street you recognize so I think by now uh in the last 3 4 days there have been um hundreds of emails from different residents indicating all the negative aspects of approving this ordinance so I really don't need to go into that enough has been said in terms of uh what harm can be done to the Edison Community as a whole um one thing I definitely wanted to ask um before um approving before even um putting up this proposal has the council looked into what protections are there for uh people who are affected by the secondhand uh inhalation of uh this smoke because I was going through some articles especially from 2016 and they said that the second hand inhalation of marijuana is much more harmful than uh that of the cigarettes and tobacco and we all know what the airlines had to pay so is the is the township ready for a series of lawsuits from the residents in the future just two days back someone was telling in the in the Inman Avenue uh sh shop and stop parking lot someone was smoking weed or marijuana or whatever I don't know I don't even uh go near such things so the whole parking lot was uh stinking so two years back there was one committee person I don't want to take her name um but on a one-on-one communication I asked her uh so you are supporting this and so tomorrow my neighbor uh smokes that in his backyard he is on is private property I can't do I can't object and I'm not sure if there is a law that you have to do it only in EN closed space or whatever if so well and good but if the smoke comes based on the wind direction and my kids are playing in the backyard and they are affected uh what records do I have will the health department of the township uh save me protect me at that time or is there any such law will the council please let me know that that would be helpful uh needless to mention I oppose this I'm not saying that if there is such a law we can go ahead and approve this I mean that's my stand another thing a couple of months back one of the council persons I'm not sure I don't remember exactly who but he made a very interesting point when the illegal immigrants um thing was being discussed if you are in so love with illegal immigrants and if you have so much sympathy if you have so much I mean soft corner for them not the exact words just the cont Tex uh then why don't you uh give them some space in your home well very good point I'm throwing the same logic back to all of you who are supporting this particular ordinance if you are if you have so much soft corner for this cannibus thing ease of access quote unquote which is uh floating around in the social media uh by the supporters uh why don't you uh start that business in your or a home office or a Home garage and then you see and then you see what your neighbors will um how they will treat you you'll be a social outcast I can assure you that right now and if counil or someone from the township has that much soft corner of those two people well-known people one is the brother-in-law of the committee person of District uh someone remind me was it 34 or something else whatever and the other person who built five houses on the Wood Avenue and created overcrowding in Edison schools if if we have so much soft corner to such people why don't they start their home office businesses and then they see how their neighbors treat them I mean there is a reason why ritan it was approved in ritan two years back I was here at that time I didn't speak but I was there with rajar ran Anita ranan all those guys and a lot of research was done Ajay pel councilman Ajay pel went around with Anita he drove around and then I think councilman Richard Brasher was there there was a reason why that distant Corner location was selected but even they the neighboring business people there are objecting so what is the message that we are getting that doesn't mean that from the corner you bring it right in in the middle of the neighborhood as so many of my neighboring residents they said what would be the consequences of doing that so once again I request the council not to rush this and if you do want to form a committee and debate it for couple of months well and good but please include normal citizens normal residents parents like me and not only those uh committee people who are aligned uh in favor of this we need to have a independent discussion and debate so that we can get the best out of it if we have to go go through this then why not suggest to the interested business owners to set up their own facility if ritan is not allowing them not giving them space set up their own facility from scratch in some remote Corner councilman rer summed it up very nicely last time I think lot of things going on on Route One at that corner at the border of Edison we can't control that but we don't want such things inside the neighborhood that's what I'm saying we have already we have vaping and all those nonsense things in the Edison Community in schools and outside we don't want this new headache please so reconsider your decision thank you thank you [Applause] for tell me 7963 you recognized thank you I've come to talk about the cannabis for those of us that uh have children and most of those that are in the elementary and um can you speak into the mic please and the middle school we didn't see cannabis as a plant we're thinking about it being in inside some of those things that the council women mention inside the gummies cookies did you see parts inside um Pressel it presents itself as normal but when it gets to the hand of the children it's something different enti so it could go from plant to be inside the GS lollipop it can go inside Pizza it could come in form of um in anything cookies so when it is readily available a lot can really happen so we as parents we say no to it in the neighborhood of the school if you are a parents or you are one of those people that observe what's goes on immediately the school closed in some places some of the children walk down to mcdonal some of those places that you want to place those things is easily available they could walk down it's possible some people were talking about age limits uh this and that if there's an age limit how do prescription drugs get into the school so it means that somebody that is old enough could get it it could get into foots and the foots all looks normal some of them may even come home to you to some of us that have like little children it comes to portlock so the edine that we used to know that would tell people oh he say you can come is becoming like um a pacifier that you can give it to anybody that is a friend that decided to establish something you can cut something for them to do without even considering those of us that lives there without even considering those of us the residents so in the decision that you want to take tonight or later or when you decide to choose the committee kindly put the parents in mind those are the people that voted you in I think there's a mandate concerning that some of them will try to get in touch with you whatever they write peace read so that you'll be able to know the reality of what is being considering what we're talking about you'll be able to know that it's no more a plant it's something that goes far far far far more into the the webs of life it goes into food into drinks and when you take those decisions kindly put the police in mind because the we will need them to go out and sort some things out the end see everybody so in whatever decision you take tonight or later put it in mind that it goes beyond oh it's just the corner store it's go far far into the deep root of the school is it will be a lie if you pretend I say you don't know there's drug in the school there is so don't be part of those people that will complicate whatever is going on thank you thank [Applause] you good evening councilman I am Al can can you speak into the mic and can can I get your name and address please I'm AG Pand lives in 100 South mckenley Avenue um first of all I work in a pharmaceutical industry and I been working in that industry from last 15 years as having a science background in the pharmaceutical manufacturing I have seen and I have been manufacturing these drugs which are actually mean meant for the substance abuse patients our clients specifically showed us the videos and the incidences which have actually can see the drastic changes of the people who been using these uh uh these cannabis I'll tell you my my own personal experience in my neighborhood um my neighbor um nephew his girlfriend was actually she's a cannabis user and uh one day she actually knocked at my door and she was looking inside the door my wife and my young daughter she was just two months old she was just trying to get inside the house thankfully the door was closed I reported that to the cops cops said that well she haven't did anything wrong so you can just put more security cameras around 2 weeks later she actually put the my neighbor's shed on fire and on the investigation it was find out that she was so high on the Cannabis that she couldn't realize that it was the fire was actually next to her and she got third degree burns so with these kind of incidences I don't want this to be happening in my neighbor neighborhood especially if it is so readily available to the kids I'm a I'm a father of a young daughter but I'm still very concerned about this ordinance to we get passed so please do not go ahead to pass this thank you for your coming OCT Nasser Pleasant Avenue you recognized I have a headache and I'm tired I haven't done much in the last few days except for things related to this town the system of governance is broken we are told that we are listened to but we don't see action I'm glad that we have a number of articulate and passionate people the cloud Barn people the Silver Lake Charlie Brown and all these good people behind me why is everything a battle why is everything political I'm a person that works on principles what is good for the town for the Neighbors I don't have anything to gain financially or politically I'm a committee man of District 8 yet I'm helping people from other districts in clar Bon and as far away as the other side of town but we do reciprocate that is what it means to be a citizen at least that is what I try to tell my citizens or my students sorry last Wednesday I went to a planning board meeting I did my best to plead my case using ordinance and New Jersey Law with reference to sidewalks the property I issue is the total dimensions which do not have a sidewalk on cabin Avenue but it should for the safety of students it is also required to have sidewalks this should have been addressed at the TRC a place where the public is not allowed to comment why was this issue overlooked at the planning board meeting I was disgusted by the push back by the applicant side who said no to the sidewalk despite giving legal reasons and explaining is for the safety of the students that are going to Herbert Hooper Middle School I could not believe that an owner do been in our community for decades would not care about the safety of the residents the biggest heads scratcher of them all though was that the owner of the property is the Foot and Ankle doctor of all people he should agree and comply with the law for the sake of the community this shows you that the business and development comes first and not the residents I have a huge problem with that that these sidewalks are necessary Clara Barn will continue to fight we have done so for decades with the library and other situations we aren't going to just stop fighting and we're not just fighting just because we do have legitimate concerns we are tired of developers exploring a generous AR and overlay provisions and then asking for variants to cram things that don't fit the Lots we are talking about were in discussion since 2012 if the applicant asked for a three-story building on both lines Lots this building would have passed and not required a variance instead we are now getting an H style building in the next is the next building going to be an e-shaped building followed by two L-shaped buildings I'll let you think about that is let us sink in we are to the point that we need a public Advocate I shouldn't have to act like one with all due respect to everyone to council I think that we should introduce the repeal of the ampo Avenue commercial Corridor overlay Zone that was proposed by Lawyer Joel bassoff he was helpful in preventing the building of 23 town houses in Charle Brown that was a very complicated case this is not he knows what he's talking about the people of Charlie of clar Barton sorry initials are the same sometimes a little confusing the people clar Bon and I would appreciate if Joel and a Township lawyer would have a public discussion and and hash out this disagreement It's upsetting to hear the township lawyer simply saying it can't be done that way or we'll look into it looking into it means that we'll have to wait months and then we'll get a completely redacted report like we did for the animal shelter that's just politics and unacceptable it is for some reason if for some reason the township lawyer and Joel can't have public discourse then I would recommend that councilman Brasher asked the questions he was silent last time and I think he has much to say the public expects to hear a sound legal argument the answers we keep getting about this ordance make it seem like you're doing your best to swat it away for the council I am glad to hear the comments but when you say from my understanding I have a feeling that you might be mistaken or you don't fully understand anything that starts with those kind of words are not something that is solidly based the public has waited too long since 2016 to remove the four storing language I know we'll hear from you that we should should wait for the master plan but we're waiting and waiting on this master plan I want what Joel proposes it will only take 35 days that means I don't have to act like a public Advocate and we can focus on more important things thank you up there hi sum alone Barber Pleasant Avenue you recognize um I'm up here again tonight to appeal to the council to overturn the commercial Corridor ordinance 1936 2016 which allows four-story buildings on ambo Avenue I know there's as um Octor talked about there's some concern that you know an ordinance could get hung up in the planning board um and I understand that logic but I do think in light of the 35 day Rule and also um the fact that we haven't seen the latest draft of the master plan the last draft in the plan allowed for um it was mostly three stories on ID but it allowed for four stories on one of the ends so if that language has not been struck from the master plan we asked that it be struck there should be no exceptions um um I think not repealing this now we could run into issues because of the master plan um if that language is still in there so I'm again urging um can we please repeal this ordinance and revert back to three stories um I was at the planning board meeting there was not enough parking um for the latest uh application on Amboy Avenue and the um application was denied but but they will be back but I think in general there is a tendency on Amboy Avenue to try and shove as much development as possible in The Limited space so um I think that's something we need to think about like our ordinances are not tight enough to um disallow um that kind of development four stories is a place to to start but this was three stories with this appendage and something that you drive under and it's it's kind of crazy um between one one block on Amboy Avenue there um are 15 apartments in the four story building and another eight proposed in the building right next to it with this this I don't know an overhang I don't know how to describe it that you drive under so if that kind of precedent if that's approved and there's precedent on Amboy Avenue it's a it's a pretty clever way to cram in more apartments in an area that doesn't have the room for an egress or an Ingress so there is real concern with the neighborhood and the proliferation of that kind of development that really at its heart is just too big for this base so thank you for reconsidering um my one question is has anyone seen the new draft of the master plan and then my next question is can we please um revisit repealing um or continue to to focus on repealing ordinance 1936 2016 thank you thank you [Applause] sir good evening good evening respected council members name and address please yes dimple motra 461 Grove Avenue you recognized um I'm here to oppose the ordinance on canabus I watched the video of the last council meeting when the every one of you voted for approval of cannabis ordinance and of all of the members who have voted yes they H they spoke about having consuming or medicinal cannabis in case the situation arises but I would request you know as the council members as the leaders of Township bring that Clarity to the Edison Township are we establishing medicinal cannabis locations or are we voting for the recreational Cannabis establishments because it is blur and here you know every one of them have spoken Edison has spoken the people of Edison have spoken by large and we oppose strongly oppose the ordinance or establishments of any locations in our Township I don't want to repeat as to the adverse effects of cannabis we all are well aware of it but um you know Edison is a residential area people are here because of um great education that the school system provides and um normalizing cannabis establishments is not an option for debate you know the young people are the most vulnerable people citizens here and they will get carried away they can get influence and um I have also shared the link of huberman lab who spokes about who's a Stanford profess uh professor of neuroscientist and if you read the comments under his video section you would know that the people who got habituated into cannabis or started very young in their life they can't go about doing anything in their life they' have developed stuttered speech many problems depressions you know it's it's not it is not something to be considered as normal when you have such stores such establishments in and around the area of Edison that becomes a very casual habit for the young you know we're setting an example for the young PE Young Generation that it is it can be consumed casually no this is a very psychotic detrimental brain altering chemical which cannot be considered as an option for establishment this is not for mere business purposes and I would request every council member to come forth and clearly establish your stand on what kind of cannabis you want to establish because clearly people of Edison are here telling you high and Loud that we are not here for rec recreational Cannabis thank you so much thank you for your [Applause] comments anyone else uh motion motion to close public portion second okay all in favor I all right all right so any Council comments to answer any of the questions what the Canabis I would hope that we can wait till the ordinate because we're going to be talking about it anyways it's still on the agenda but any other things yes quick question yes um I was just made aware I didn't know were're withholding funds from the library I just heard that from Resident what funds specifically because we are not withholding any funds we have been issuing the proper payment which was also approved by the state okay no I I heard a resident you know ask that question that was kind of important to me like animal shelter other type um uh for Joel I he's not here but I did get your questions all the questions that you had I did forward it's the legal they are working on it [Music] um I think uh moving forward on the agenda oh yes okay so who put for the Cannabis ordinance it was proposed by the administration so that's where it came from okay no problem and council president okay there's no back and forth but we will get to the Cannabis stuff that that was already answered that was answered there's no back and forth Miss chice thank you council president move moving forward uh the administration U agenda from Mayor Sam Joi there's the appointment of Jeffrey Davids to the veterans committee in terms of reports from all Council committees any committee reports starting from my right uh none this time sir Council m Joe council president I just want I had a conversation with the chief today just discussing opportunities for generators and request to the administration to evaluate opportunities for portable generators for generators portable generators just something uh we brought up in committee and um I will discuss that further that's all thank you all right thank you Council Joe Coyle Council vice president yes the human relations commission meeting was cancelled last week it's being rescheduled to March 19th at 7:15 p.m. also just a note on the cultural arts commission I went and saw a a free piano I went to look uh on Facebook Marketplace and uh there are free pianos all over the place and we have secured one to eventually put in the fante house which can be used for recital or fundraisers so DPW is going to pick that up it's in Bridgewater right now but they're going to pick that up this week uh tested it out it sounds great it's a whirl it's are it's in good shape um Library board meeting of February 20th 2024 uh the library is celebrating its 95th birthday this year the library hopes to collaborate with the township and the matachin Edison Historical Society for the celebration the friends of the library are meeting monthly and will continue to meet monthly with the next meeting on March 6 they will be holding a book and bake sale during National Library week which is Sunday April 7th to Saturday April 13th uh debar noted that the library had over 650,000 material checkouts physical digital and streaming in 2023 and over 4,000 library cards were created last year Mr kimman and Mr worth the libraries communication and community outreach coordinator went to the board of education and met with Mr romano and others to discuss the library card project for students and adding it to the parents portal Miss SAR noted that the library was hired six new employees including new Teen tween library and five Library assistants the Clare Barton Branch teen space is being Revisited and the friend suggested that the library install a flag pole for more visibility Miss Massie noted this will be probably happen in the spring Miss Massie stated that Renovations are moving along well and it's it's exciting to see that the bids for Maine are due on March 7th and I believe that is the end of my report thank you council president vice president councilman P thank you council president uh the library board leaz on not Library Board of Education leaz meeting is tomorrow at 11: a.m thank you councilman P councilman pointer thank you council president uh just wanted to make sure all the council members received the memo I sent out in regards to the findings from the deer committee um and we can take that uh into discussion at a later time uh we did receive the sound report for the Amazon sound study I will be doing a deeper dive into that in the upcoming weeks along with the customman ptil and councilman Brer I'm sure the environmental commission I did reach out to them in regards to them discussing about um appointing a member from the environmental commission to the TRC I will be sure to follow up with them on that uh from the billboard committee we are we received feedback from Mr Big Nell the township planner uh I am waiting back from legal on that so Mr Burns if we can follow up on that it would be appreciated um that would be it sir thank you thank you councilman pointer councilman Shel not at this time sir none for me as well uh point of light starting from my right councilman Brer uh none this time sir any council member deide yes Council Council vice president yes um so I attended the volleyball game between the police and the fire companies and it was a very high-spirited game all in good fun and uh just for the record police won uh two games to nothing but it was a very it was a very competitive game on that second on that second game um but the most important part is that this the the proceeds which were donations to the food pan the the um uh Hands of Hope food pantry that there were many many donations and so I want to commend I want to commend commissioner Charlie Tamaro for all the work and effort he puts in and all the people who also assist him there they they do a great great job and I want to thank um I want to thank the JCC for having hosted the event lastly I want to extend condolences to the F the family of Chris Cho and his family Christo marcopolis his mother passed away February 24th and it only 64 years old so I just wanted to extend uh condolences to Christo and his family thank you sir thank you C Council vice president anyone else council president councilman pointer just a couple of events that the recreation department is running upcoming on March 1st at the mini BV uh from 12:30 p.m. to 300 p.m. is a summer job fair March 5th and March 6 same thing at mini BV from 7: to 8:30 p.m. Adventures in Babysitting and you may have this on your points of light council president but March 9th is a St Patrick's Day block party along ambo Avenue thank you thank you thank you Council M pointer council president Council MCH so I I think this is a point of light um but I wanted to recognize as Council I I didn't have a chance to say this at the reorganization meeting due to some uh circumstances that we had uh but um for the past eight weeks I had the privilege of working with all with each of you on various topics pertaining to this town and uh after last week's six hour two weeks ago six- hour marathon meeting uh I received phone calls and emails uh you you picked up your sleeve and you went back to work for the for the people of Edison uh so I wanted to recognize that and I also wanted to to point out to everybody in this room um that from what I've seen on this Council no decision is ever taken lightly uh I've seen how every resolution is weighed uh to benefit our town and its residents some of you are on your second and third term uh so you must be doing something right as a resident I want to thank all of you and as a colleague I look forward to working with you to improving our town thank you Council M thank you uh so now moving on to the each departments uh number eight from the business administration uh A and B we're adding B to the agenda resolution awarding contract purchase to order order to Dell marketing LP Inc for Microsoft Office licensing for 10,000 of $102,000 541 uh any questions or concerns all right seeing none moving on to number nine from the Department of Finance a through I any questions or concerns council president Council pressure yes on on E Sonia I seen you sent me an email because I was looking for the totals um when I scrolled through I was only able to see that one sheet the sheet with has all of the vendors listed all of the entities rather um and in the last column if you do um add them all together it equates to what the resolution states which is $ 46555 I it is um to the eye you know you kind of go in on the 44,000 so I can understand where you viewed it that way but if you do total them it comes out to the amount listed on the resolution okay I'm going to take some screenshots of of what I'm seeing I mean I'm struggling again with that uh computer um I just gave it to Marina um but that that would be it so I'll send that to you maybe you get back to me before Wednesday thank you sure thank you councilman Brer counc president just a point of order I just wanted to make comment for those who are still staying here that we're no longer going over any cannabis it's just comments from the Council on work items that are in the agenda I don't even think we're going to vter something crazy G to happen while you're here you're more than welcome to stay I know this comes from the council president I'm stepping over but uh you're working to stay but there's no other comments for you to come in like a normal meeting uh so thank you Council just make just so everyone knows what the next steps are this is a work session we will just be discussing the agendas and any of the issues the voting will not happen till Wednesday and as I stated earlier before the comment started that we will be tabling it at least I'll be asking the council colleagues to table it and we're going to vote on it to table it come Wednesday so in terms of public comments there is isn't any more public comments you are more than welcome to stay and watch us work uh we welcome that but you don't have to stay if you don't want to okay yes you are more than welcome too Wednesday it will it will be asked to be table and we'll take a vote on that and then uh your if we table it then the comments will happen at the end where you are allowed to talk about whatever you prefer to talk about but you will not be able to talk about it during the ordinance portion of it oh counc President we can't have a back and forth okay I I don't want to have back and forth but just to explain if we are going to motion to table it once that table goes through if it goes through then you will not be able to talk about it during the agenda portion of the meeting you there is a portion at the end which is a free form where anyone can talk about any topic that is they choose to talk about so if you want to talk about it you're more than welcome to come and talk about it then uh but if we don't take a it and it will be part of the agenda then you are allowed to talk about it during the agenda and uh I don't want to take back and forth but uh no no we can't do back and forth I'm sorry but point point of yeah this is a work session we're going to continue the work session sorry about that thank you I want to make comments on the dispersements council president no no no back and forth I'm sorry no we can't we can't have back and forth this is a work session now that's no we we can't can't have any discussion this is work session now sorry okay uh thank you Council McCoy uh council president just any other questions on Department from the Department of Finance a through I seeing none moving on to number 10 from the Department of planning and Engineering a through o any questions or concerns yes yes council president on N the resolution rejecting all bids for sports building construction project manager uh what was the maximum that would have been acceptable for the for these bids uh Sonia there was no set amount maximum um it was whatever the proposals here that were listed let me just grab that for you I don't think I apologize it's a little dark in here today yeah okay so as listed on here we had um seven bids in total um the lowest being $257,000 and the highest being $525,000 so that that was the range right but the reason so the reason that the the reason that they were all rejected would be what the reason they were rejected is because we are not going to need a construction manager rather we are going to do that in-house through our engineering department to manage the project okay very good thank you thank you council president councilman P I think if I recollect uh when we discussed that we were told that this is a wonderful idea that let's get the construction project manager who can oversee the work and that's the reason we went out for the bidding and we are rejecting so is that the final decision that we are no longer going to probably go that route of construction manager yes after care evaluating all of um the bids and the monetary aspect tied to it um we felt that with the structure of our engineering department that we had proper staff to project manage this and see it through and hopefully we have the capacity of the engineering staff because we have handful resources in engineering are we planning to hire someone specifically to look after the project or we are planning to either Outsource or or realign or re-evaluate you how the work it distributed inh house and then we can use that resource to your point we're looking at all of that including some additional staff to add to the table thank you thank you councilman P anyone else with a question council president councilman brusher yes um in in relation to that um the construction manager I I I think that's something and and you've heard me say that we definitely need it um I think we're behind the AAL and I'd like to get the meeting minutes to the um construction for our field out there um they had a meeting the other day so I like to get the meeting minutes of whatever happened and transpired at that meeting I'm I'm not aware of a meeting you're referring to could you be more specific when and where they I don't know I don't know exactly when I don't know exactly where but what I understand was they were changing some of the design aspects which was creating or would create change orders in a way um of which we don't have anybody on board yet in the um construction management aspect of it what me what um I'm I if you could elaborate where it was an AR came from architect contractor subcontractors guess job meeting the meeting that your construction manager would have attended so we would have had a representative there whether it would be Bob deal or or somebody from the engineering department I'm not sure or are you saying that that um the administration knows of no construction meetings that they've had we have several meetings that's why I'm I'm asking specifically what meeting are you referring to Simply put can I just see a copy of the meeting minutes for all the construction meetings that you've had had for that project over the last month that's all you you have them they do them they do construction meeting minutes so i' just like to see them that's all okay um we can take this offline because I'd like to know what meeting you referring to or meetings rather okay I'm I I any any meeting I I don't care what meeting right it there isn't a specific meeting you have meetings you admitted that you had meetings and I'm asking for the meeting minutes council president can you just get those for me okay for any meetings that they had related to the project that's all and which project are you referring to the Jets building Jets building right it's a standard procedure that's all but then to a question um for this is the uh road paving I guess what number is that what number this is a right Department of planning and Engineering um I I got that list thank you for that um the reason why I needed the list like I know that you said that that you've sent it to me but because I can't open up stuff and find it I mean I just showed the deputy clerk that I have to click nine or 10 times still on my cell phone to switch from one document that you send me to another right so we spend hundreds and hundreds of thousands of dollars on it and and I still can't get this to operate right I I'd sit with council president and show him what I have to go through our past council president I showed him what I had to go through um so I don't know why I'm the one that has the difficulty with this but when it comes to this I did receive it that you sent it and I appreciate that but in that document it says that certain things aren't done so so we're releasing the retainage would that be correct for the roads council president if I may have our engineer come up who can elaborate on some of those questions that Mr Brer may have Brian if you don't mind how you doing hello councilman yes I wanted to list just so you know just so I can go through I just wanted to check them um as long as I'm driving around Edison I figur i' take a look at them um so that's why I was looking for the you know list of what roads they were but then when I looked at the rist list there's things in here that says like um trench settlement right that's an issue that I have on Grove Avenue where my road on Grove Avenue by JP Stevens was just paved and I have settlement issues um that almost are at the point of a pothole um in front of my home right I believe you're referring to if I can remember off top of my head uh comment on emboy Avenue yes that is not included in the contract one we had four contracts of the road resurfacing last year contract one is the one that we're closing out now okay so how do I determine what see that that was my thing I asked for a list of all the streets that we're releasing These funds on and then this is the list that I got so how do I know how do I discern what is real that we're releasing the money and what's not we can provide you an updated list breaking out the roads by contract uh because the list that you have now I the status list which is everything okay can I get that by 7 a.m. tomorrow and and I hate to to put that on you right but I I asked for this because I needed it because I wanted to drive through the area I was hoping to have gotten it like this morning so that I could have spent today going through this but I got this other document this is what I have and now you're telling me that it's wrong and it's not wrong sir it's there's additional information I can put on it to clarify what exact roads okay I get it but but understand tomorrow's Tuesday Wednesday's the meeting so to expect me to run around just all day Wednesday I I would recommend that we pull this if I can't get it um but if you can get it to me by like 7 a.m. so I could start doing my rounds right then I think there's enough time for me to visit all the roads and that's all I wanted to do I will get it to you as soon as humanly possible tomorrow my day starts at 7: a.m. so it'll be shortly therea okay very good and you have my email correct yes all right thank you very much you're welcome that would be a council president councel president can I ask engineer a question uh Brian if you don't mind staying uh councilman shuel Brian yes could you tell us the process how how does this work contract one contract to how does what are the processes and to getting the roads paved once we settle on the list of roads with Administration depending on the volume of roads that we are looking at for example this past year it was roughly 100 roads so that's overwhelming to provide in a single contract so we typically break it up into two three sometimes four contracts to I will say manageable uh size projects also in hope that we get multiple uh more we get more biders and hopefully different contractors that can win the jobs this way it's gets done faster so once the engineering department once the bids are awarded we schedule a preconstruction meeting we um our engineering staff inspects and oversees the work performed by the contractors when the contractor finds or he feels he is substantially complete the engineering department provides a punch list of outstanding items once those outstanding items are completed to the satisfaction of the engineering staff we start the closeout process which is a bunch of paperwork we write a resolution and submit that to council do you have a timeline between the various contracts uh last year we basically put them all out at the same time okay thank you Brian I had a question I know we started using witics how does that Implement into which roads we select this year uh we did a direct comparison versus