can we close those doors Caesar Caesar close the good good evening hello hello everybody we're going to get started with the meeting good evening and welcome to the city council meeting of May 21st 2024 and the time is 7:40 will everybody please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance I pledge aliance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God indivisible with li and justice for all will the city clerk please read the open public meetings act this meeting is called pursuant to the provisions of the open public meetings law notice of this meeting was included in a notice sent to the record and the Star Ledger and advertised and said newspapers on January 17th 2024 posted on the bulletin board in the municipal building and has remained continuously posted as the required notices under the stat statute a copy of this notice is and has been available to the public and is on file in the office of the municipal clerk proper notice having been given the municipal clerk is directed to include the statement in the minutes of this meeting will the city clerk please do the roll call uh councilman Rosen swag is running late today councilwoman wiski present councilwoman David present councilman Wilson president council president cob here also present is Mayor Michael wild city manager Robert S Hoffman Deputy city manager John Berner City attorney Bill Bailey and CFO Michael calman okay uh thank you council president there's a a a change on the agenda for this evening we were scheduled to have a public hearing on a Grant application for the for open space and earlier this year the council U reviewed an application from Flat the Flat Rock um Association and they've applied for an open space Grant so the city um the the city's Grant and the Open The Flat Rock Grant would come from the same funding pot so the city is going to withdraw its grants until next year so that Flat Rock can receive due consider consideration since the city's already um supported that Grant application thank you next we'll have resolution 16705 2124 you want to read that 167 we got a formally table can you read that we got a formally table so uh council president this resolution I believe needs to formally be tabled because we're not as Mr uh hofman said we're not submitting this application I'll make a motion that we table it you need a second second roll call councilwoman wiski yes councilwoman David yes councilman Wilson yes council president cob yes next we'll move to approval of minutes resolution 16805 2124 except in minutes we need a motion and a second I make a motion I'll second it I'm just going to make a comment may I yes I'm going to be abstaining because I didn't have time to review them I because I believe they came this afternoon and um I haven't read them that's fine to do you want me to do roll call roll yes okay uh councilwoman wiski abstain councilwoman David yes Excuse me yes you got to abstain yes you have to abstain so abstain abstain councilman Wilson yes coun council president cob hold on hold on yes right it's going to fail these minutes are from 20233 yeah yes so it fails yeah no don't worry about it next we have bills and claims resolution 16905 2124 in the amount of $833 $833 7315415000 thank you council president good evening everyone uh if we can turn to uh page number three please oh please forgive me page number three and if we go about the 13th down it's 24- [Music] 01334 annual maintenance fee is that for all our apparatus DPW police fire City cars no no that that's for uh condos oh I'm sorry I misread that okay thank you no further questions uh council president Mr Kaufman what what um engood terrorist LLC who is that do you know the condo reimbursement yeah which one for who what condo that's um doesn't show you well it says annual maintenance fee for parking lot n located at 20 West pal8 Avenue okay what Bailey I'm not 100% certain but that me may be the parking lot under Town Center per parking area Ean agreement dated April 1 2010 because there was uh when that was built an agreement that the city could use par have public parking spaces there but there's a maintenance fee that goes along with it okay thank you I believe that's what that is there no other questions roll call answer councilwoman wiski yes councilwoman David yes councilman Wilson yes council president C yes next we have ordinances for second reading will the city clerk read ordinance 246 please this is an ordinance amending ordinance number 23-15 fixing the maximum annual salaries to be paid to officers and employees in the unclassified ified service of the city of Anglewood as of January 1 2024 I need a motion in a second and then Mr Kaufman I want you to explain to the public what we're doing here please public hearing first okay I'll yeah Mr can you explain now yes please so annually the city adopts uh ordinance showing the maximum salaries of the non-union employees it represents what we pay the non-union employees what we actually discussed about in the budget process so this reflects that it only includes as as I said non non-un employees and as Mr Cobb requested a few years ago we compare the two years and then we also we go within $5,000 of their salary so it's not that much higher of what they're actually making good thank you Mr kofman um now I'm going to open ordinance 246 for public hearing so if you have any questions come to the mic provide your name your name address and you have three minutes on this ordinance ordinance 246 since I don't see anybody wanting to address this ordinance I'm going to close the public hearing and I'm going to move for a motion and a second motion I second roll call councilwoman wiski yes councilwoman David yes councilman Wilson yes council president Cobb yes next we have ordinances for introduction and first reading we have none now we go to the public comment on the agenda items here from agenda items and resolution of consent agenda from items 1 170 to 177 I now open up the public session you have three minutes name address and 3 minutes the items on the consent agenda since there is no one I'm going to close the public session part of this meeting I need a motion in a second motion huh appr right does anybody on the Des want to remove the item you want to separate any items yes I would like to separate resolution 17 5 okay anybody else I'm good so we'll we'll vote on resolutions 170 171 172 173 174 176 and 177 and then we will address 175 separately so the motion is for the ones I just said and then we will address 175 after Okay okay right I'll make a motion um for Resolutions 170 through 174 and 176 and 77 I'll second those motions roll call councilwoman wiski yes councilwoman David yes councilman Wilson yes yes council president cob yes next we'll have one um we'll have resolution 175 and uh councilwoman wasowski thank you um actually councilman um Rosen swag asked that this be included in the packet um uh this month is Jewish American heritage month but he's not here and I'm going to read it and um and I just want to make a comment and you'll have to tell me the appropriate time to make a comment um resolution recognizing may as Jewish American Heritage Month whereas Jewish American heritage month is an annual celebration of Jewish Americans who have helped weave the fabric of American History culture and society and whereas 2024 marks the 44th annual celebration of achievements and contributions by Jewish Americans starting with the establishment of Jewish American Heritage week in 1980 and expanded upon in 2006 when President Bush proclaimed claimed that may would be Jewish American Heritage Month formalizing the crowning achievement in an effort by the Jewish Museum of Florida and South Florida Jewish Community leaders that resulted in resolutions urging the president to proclaim a month that would recognize the more than 350e history of Jewish contributions to American culture and we're asked Jewish American Heritage Month acknowledges achievements of Jewish Americans in the fields of sports Arts entertainment medicine business science government military service music and more and whereas Jewish Americans have created lives for themselves and their families and played indispensable roles in our nation's Civic and community life making invaluable contributions to our nation and through their leadership and achievements and whereas Jewish Americans have made crucial contributions to our Collective struggle for a more just and fair Society leading movements for social social justice and working to ensure that the opportunities they have secured are extended to others and whereas Jewish herit Jewish American Heritage Month plays tribute to the generations of Jewish Americans who have helped form the fabric of American History now therefore be it resolved that the mayor and City Council of the city of Anglewood County of Bergen do hereby recognize the month of May 2024 as Jewish American heritage month and call upon all residents and other institutions to celebrate and learn more about the Heritage and accomplishments of Jewish Americans through educational programming activities and ceremonies Motion in a second let's go okay I I'll make a motion that we accept this resolution I'll second roll call can I make a comment yes thank you okay so um I just wanted to give a little little bit of the history of the Jewish community in Anglewood since this is our 125th anniversary um so back in and I find it interesting back in 1895 um eight eight Jews met in the home of a gentleman named Jake Jacob Resnik he may have had a wife too but the Beren record didn't report that so that was they dis they discussed forming a minion a gathering of at least 10 adult males to pray during the high holy days each of the eight eight donated $10 to the purchase of a safeer Torah the scroll on which the Jewish law is written but the safe for Torah cost $130 the group bought the scroll with $80 and a promise to pay to pay the balance in 90 days at about the same time an Edgewater Merchant's child died Edgewater like Anglewood did not have a Jewish cemetery the the Anglewood group wanted to help members appealed to leaders of the Jewish congregation in Patterson for assistance the Patterson Jews permitted the child to be buried in the cemetery without charge the merchant in appreciation presented a check of $100 to the Anglewood group on the same day the note for the scroll was due and the safer Torah was paid off in the absence of a synagogue building the founding group began conducting services in each other's homes as they grew as as they grew they rented space on Armory Street and later on duri Avenue um which is where many of the Jewish families resided by 1911 the Anglewood synagogue which is also known as avat Torah had increased its membership to 50 families and a property was purchased for $200 at 33 hum Humphrey Street where a synagogue was erected on a lot measuring 18 by 30 ft as a community grew an old church building was a quieter in Anglewood Avenue for $1,500 and this became the seat of avator until about 1960 the estate of baroness Castle Van Dorne at 240 BR Broad Avenue was purchased for the sum of $55,000 the relocation was celebrated by a March through the streets of Anglewood with the uh torus scr Scrolls being transported to their new home and as we celebrate our 125th anniversary I enjoy watch watching the Tik toks of David Coleman and and I I would like and I find the history of all the different communities in angle would very interested and I hope that the historical society and other groups um look to explore and talk about all the different histories thank you thank you next we go to resolution oh we have to vote I made a one comment that's right you interrupted me that thank you okay roll call yeah councilwoman wiski yes councilwoman David yes councilman Wilson yes council president cob yes now next resolution for vote is 17805 2124 authorizing waiver for the Inglewood family reunion event in M at McKay Park uh I think I can explain but he could go I'm going to explain I'm going to explain um this this event um it will take place July 20th of of this year uh this is an event where a group of people have come together to celebrate really it started in um William Street Humphrey Street Englewood Avenue and these are people who grew up in Englewood and so they bring everybody together used to be every three years um so with Co and a number of other things uh they couldn't do it so we the city along with them are happy to have them come and celebrate um and I just heard that they had already sold over 700 tickets uh as of yesterday so we're we're expecting a great event from many people um so I think that this is a great thing and Mr Hoffman if you want to add to that uh thank you council president the um uh as you described it's uh it's an event that will be well attended the um the organizers of the event have asked if it could U if the event could go past 9:00 at night the city council has an ordinance that says activities in mayay Park have to end at 9:00 at night so the council is being asked to consider a one-day waiver um so that this event could take place and not have to end at 9:00 at night correct I think there was another waiver with that as well right no I don't think was it no okay all right time is it slated to begin six six I think it's six July 19th right July 20th 20th so I'll I'll make a motion I'll second roll call councilwoman wasi yes councilwoman David yes councilman Wilson yes council president C yes next we have resolution 17905 2124 appointment of traffic advisory committee member I believe before I believe everybody received Communications about the young man who wants to be on the traffic advisor from the Y it's okay I'll take it he's a firefighter great okay so I'll make a motion that we appoint traffic advisory committee member everybody I'll second you want to announce his name sure um I'm looking cour I'm sorry uh just uh Mr cob is asking for the record the uh person being appointed to the advisory committee is DaNell Collier I'm sorry if I mispronounced that who is a member of the F he's a Five Fighter yes roll call right ready for the roll call councilwoman wasi yes councilwoman David yes councilman Wilson yes council president cob yes yes next we have communications from the governing body and the city manager mayor W thank you council president good evening ladies and gentlemen thank you for joining us as well as those that are watching us on YouTube there is a nice contingency from anger Wood's bravest thank you gentlemen for joining us today and for your service to our great city um I would like to say thank you to the Keys Comfort home for sponsoring a Prem Memorial Day lunch in last week a special event for our city welcoming to the additional uh celebration that we have this focuses on the specialized housing and care for our veterans uh at Keys it was a wonderful uh event uh well attended and we will have um a a greater uh contingency on May 27th that's next Monday uh at 10: a.m. staging at the monument at Palisade Avenue I had the privilege earlier today uh to ask adfo gutiz uh a police officer who lives on Lake Street um and is going to be uh retiring um next week uh to be our Grand Marshall he served in the US Marines we thank him to his service to our nation uh and to our beautiful city we invite everyone again to join us 10: a.m. staging at the monument and then March in the parade with us after the parade we also welcome everyone to attend the ideal lodge number 470 in ad Temple 290 Memorial Day cooked at the Elks Lodge at 17 Bennett Road vendors music food games and fun for the entire family Anglewood Pride uh please mark your calendars also for our Annual anglea Pride event co-hosted by out at NBC with a special guest uh Real Housewives of New Jersey angood resident Margaret Josephs our ceremony will be held 6 pm at the Anglewood Public Library an event that I started in the chronicle of our city some years ago um followed by a networking event then at Columbia Cali alente our restaurant at 30 East Palisade Avenue uh right afterwards we hope you can join us for this wonderful event this there were some wonderful mental uh health awareness events as we are in Mental Health Awareness Month um I want to thank our city manager employees police health department Municipal Alliance along with Care Plus Vantage Health WellPoint and all the other wonderful vendors and friends that we help uh making sure that uh people don't don't hesitate uh to reach out and to know from our health department all the services and programs uh that are available uh early voting ladies and gentlemen we have a highly contested council at large race I urge everybody uh to show up and get there and there are multiple ways of doing it there are going to be five days of early voting for primaries from Wednesday May 29th to Sunday June 2nd polls are open from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. each day except for Sunday when they're open from 10: to 6:00 any ber County voter can vote at any Bergen County early voting site but the closest ones to us are at the Jack alter Community Center uh in Inwood Terrace in Fort Lee or the Richard Roa Center uh in EK you can also vote at a regular polling place from 6:00 to 8 on Tuesday June 4 registered Democrats and Republicans can vote in their respective primaries and unaffiliated voters are also eligible to select one Party primary to vote in June 4th during early voting simply by declaring that party at the polling place please make sure to have your voice heard in the important election upon us also Master plans as we seek to reassess and revamp our master plan which wasn't done now in 10 years we're holding a series of meetings to get public input we all know about Redevelopment and mandates on affordable housing are major issues to the community infrastructure sustainability uh and all the flooding that we have the master plan is one of our greatest Tools in ensuring that angood progresses in a responsible uh fashion and a strategic fashion that helps the character of our community it's a two-year gig ladies and gentlemen the first year we Chang the master plan that's this year and next year the governing body here sits and passes ordinances to give it teeth and promate things that will make sure that it will get done our third ward meeting will be held tomorrow night May 22nd from 7 to 9: at the Greco School followed by the second ward on May 29 at congregation Avast Tor uh the First Ward on June 5th at the greal school and the fourth ward on June 10th there will then be a Citywide meeting for everybody who's welcome to attend on June 24th from 7 to9 at the Crown Plaza Hotel please make an effort to attend and learn on the issues and contribute your thoughts your vision of what anguage should be so we can get a masterful job uh done there was a wonderful car show I asked councilman CB to make an appearance my behalf giving out mayor's Trophy and all sorts of other beautiful things uh this past uh Sunday we had a rotary clean up of McKay Park I want to thank the rotarian service above self and again a mental health awareness with our Police Department our health department and so forth uh there are uh there's a lot more information and things that are going on on a weekly basis feel free to reach out and listen to coffee with the mayor on the library Facebook page 10:00 every uh exuse me 11 o'clock every Friday morning and it's hosted there if you want to catch up when you when it's convenient I too uh as the good councilwoman um regaled in the uh resolution have issued a proclamation declaring May 2024 as Jewish American Heritage Month in specific response to a request of a commission that I was part of I went to Athens two years ago and last year in Fort Lauderdale to speak on a panel on anti-Semitism combating anti-Semitism it's so important I want to thank Liz corini although she's not here this evening and I spoke to her earlier today she penned a very kind very strong very thoughtful letter to the governing body making sure that we promote Community standards and guidelines for public discourse and making sure that we don't der allow people to derail the love and the tenderness of this very special Community with harmful and hateful remarks we saw in a recent week a person spewing hatred while people stood silently in shopright uh and then comments at all kinds of Chambers like this we cannot allow this to happen we won't allow this to happen and I stood in solidarity with my uh black brothers and sisters in regaling Black History Month women women's history month and this month will be a Jewish Heritage Month um there were as I uh was led to believe 43 years every president the United States declared a period of time celebrating the contributions to the United States again it played a central role of the Jewish community in the creation growth Freedom Prosperity the Civil Rights movements and strengthening the United States of America um and you can see that your Jewish mayor is doing what he can to pay it forward in the communities that need help too particularly with pride and other events that I inaugurated I hope and pray that we see uh peaceful times and people will leave their International politics to the international elected officials and the proper venue and we will not allow anybody to go home scared or fearful in this beautiful city named after trees God bless next councilwoman wasas thank you good evening um so I want to thank the community chest and the angle police department and the engood health department for a successful mental health awareness awareness day which was to um commemorate the month of mental health awareness which we are in um it was a it was a very um meaningful event and then I want to talk for a moment about the teens for peace program yesterday we had a celebration um of the teams for peace program an award ceremony and we planted the fourth peace pole in Anglewood so this is our fourth year running the program um the first pece poll is in uh Veterans Park the second pece poll is at the angood library the third one is at McKay Park and now this fourth one was planted in Trumble Park so now there's one piece pole in each Ward uh for those who are not familiar with the program it's a program that was created by the Club of Anglewood and it and it brings together middle school students seventh and eighth graders from all of Ang lewood's middle schools public and private and they explore issues such as Community diversity values inclusion and it's facilitated by the Bergen Family Center and the last few years it's been sponsored uh by the community chest so it's a program that brings together uh students from all over Ang lewood it brings together all the different organizations in Anglewood also a partner with the program is the city of Anglewood and I want to give a shout out and a thank you to um councilman Charles cob he has never missed any of these award ceremonies he's participated in each one of them it's it's really it's really beautiful to see it's a um last night was a huge success um so you know anything that we could do in this city to bring people together we've got to do more of this it's it's really it's really beautiful and again thank you to the city for their help um Mr Hoffman and uh kathern Melendez and Yancy and we had the head of the DPW Ray Romney was there and they helped the DPW planted the poll for us and I know I'm going to be missing people but the fire chief came police had a representation Anglewood Recreation had a representation it was it was really beautiful um and I'm just going to end my comments by talking for a moment about the recreation Recreation Strate Park strategic plan so as many people may know we we formulated last year in 2023 a recreation strategic plan and the City of Anglewood hired a group from Ruckers and we've been meeting regularly for about a year and a half now the the plan is going to be available for the public to view from June 3D through June 25th in the Anglewood Public Library so I urge everybody to please go to the Anglewood public library and take a look take a look at the plan and on June 25th so please save the day write it in your calendars now on June 25th from 7: to 9:00 p.m. in this room right here we're going to have a a Public Presentation of the plan by the group from Ruckers and we are going to be taking Community input I hope that everybody um participates in this process have a good night thank you thank you next Council woman David good evening all um I met with myself councilman Cobb and Kevin Wilson we went to the algebra project um Community Family math night on May 8th it was well received at the school district also um I attended the Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey event over in 9W in Alpine I was invited by um Elena Burman it was a great event it was um Federation of Poker in cigar night it was from 6:30 to 11:30 p.m. it was an awesome event and also how Road um thank you for your gratitude and kind words on um Glenbrook Herring Tron I remember going out with um our Deputy manager John Berner and I also invited you guys to come out and say what you want the park to look like we got it done and thank you DPW as well um right now we have new fencing around the playground and gimberg the new playground mulch which is a higher grade mulch that is triple milled to eliminate any sharp or larger pieces which could be a hazard so it's still a work in progress but thank you for the emails and you know we we love it just keep it going um also we have the what's coming up here the barbecue fundraiser is happening on Saturday June 22nd at the Dwight Mara high school lumni and families you're invited to this um event at the new cafeteria at Dwight marrow high school so um I hope you can put this on the website side eventually and um Dwight marrow high school and Janice disin are among 34 new schools joining the 11th cohort of Verizon initiative learning program we have free laptops accompanying Verizon data PL so there's no hot spot outside of it anymore so this is only 34 schools and that's a great initiative the superintendent have taken on top of it by getting also $7500 in gift cards from Stop and Shop that's donated for those that are in need um of um food um and that's my update so far but um so I'm sure I went to a lot of other places but oh hold on and that'll be it for now but um um anybody who need to contact me um on the website adavid at city of Inglewood number is public 2011 92343 call or email me and I will get back to you okay within 24 hours thank you thank you councilman Wilson thank you council president first giving honor to God uh without him I wouldn't be here tonight um I had the pleasure to attend uh Miss Melina Key's celebration of the veterans uh we have a lot of things attached to this month and the veterans are one I one and in or by the veterans that have served um and I'm equally emotional about the veterans that have not returned to us prisoners of War and the veterans that past serving our country um and the fact that we have to have a month for the veterans confuses me sometimes because I think at all times we should be honoring our veterans so if you get a chance um celebrate Veterans that you know they've sacrificed a lot the families have sacrificed a lot so I I think that we owe them our gratitude at the bare minimum uh we have the retirement of uh firefighter Doug Wilson that served 30 years Faithfully to our city um that's not an easy feat to do so I would like to say once again congratulations to Mr Wilson uh all accolades are deserved um we have a situation here where often times We complain as residents homeowners and just people we've got a chance to change things with getting the vote out for some reason ingood has dismal turnout at the poll um and I implore you guys to come in here and complain but you guys have some opportunities coming up with voting which is very important if you don't vote it makes it difficult for someone to hear you complain and if you're real passionate about what you're complaining about you should be getting other people registered to vote I I think that's very important another another way you guys can impact the city is you guys were aware I believe for the master plan we're up here by the pleasure of you guys sometimes people get confused by that but we're here to serve the public and if in fact that you guys don't give input you're giving us a disservice because we're being misled in the wrong Direction so I would implore you guys as residents and concerned citizens to be involved with the master plan please do not be intimidated no questions or statements are insignificant it's very important that we understand what your needs are because your needs May cover someone who maybe can't speak for themselves so if you see something say something and let us know be involved we have right now um beron County Home Improvement program as we know that prices are rising we have seniors that can't afford between health care and medication and a mortgage so this program is available for people that may be struggling if in fact that you know somebody plug somebody in uh I'm proud to announce that we we have the workstation open in McKay Park it's a long time coming but we wanted to get it right and I think with the engineers here and the DPW and the city workers that I think we got this one right so don't prove us wrong go out stretch out look at the new facilities it's for you for you guys to enjoy mental health month I just talked about veterans month and here it is again I'm talking about mental health month um and I I don't know if that's a celebration or not but we have people here that have some mental issues and I've been told I've had some as well so I I think that it's important that if in fact that you see somebody out in your community that may be struggling um it's incumbered upon us to speak out because that person may be in need and I'll just end with this that if not us to make a difference then who and if not now when thank you thank you council president all right thank you councilman good evening I just like to uh thank everybody for coming out and I'm just going to make a couple of points but I think following councilman Wilson one of the things that I want to make very very clear to everybody who comes to these Council meetings that based on the information we're giving we're going to give you the facts there's a whole lot of conversation on social media it's a lot of chatter with a lot of nonf facts so if you come here and you're dealing with the city of Ang you'll get the facts to our best of our knowledge and to the best of the information that we have people have to stop spewing the this misinformation because I'm going to tell you something ain't no secrets in ingwood and it gets to all the right people and you may not think people ain't listening but they are and this city will be what we truly want it to be not because somebody else wants it to be something else and we have a lot of people who care about Anglewood and we have a lot of people who care what they can get out of Anglewood so I got to tell you as a lifelong resident third generation person you're talking to people that may know other people and you don't even know who you talking to and it always gets back so if everybody just plays and stays in their Lane I think we'll be better off as a town as a city not a town as a city so I had the pleasure and the opportunity to worship with the First Baptist Church of Anglewood they had friends and family day um and it was a great turnout they have a new Minister there she's been there a year and she's doing a wonderful job and I thank them for inviting me to come there and worship with them next I want to speak about the mental health vendors that were in the park I think it's important that we know that there are resources available for us to get people help that we may know who need help and I want to thank those vendors for coming out and spending time and resources to inform us of what's going on so if we see somebody who needs help we should get them to help it's more important about how we help people and how we how we want to decide to live because these people live amongst us they are a part of us we don't we shouldn't turn our back on them we should get them help so they can move forward as well in their life very very very important people want to people want to do a lot of talking people want to have responsibility they want to be in a leadership role Step Up stop talking because we got a lot of talkers here especially in this room but we need to have people who want to stop talking and do the work because that's one of the things if anybody knows Anglewood that people did in Anglewood they got down and work as councilwoman raski said yesterday they planted the fourth peace pop now we can question whether there's peace in Englewood but so peace doesn't come because we talk about peace peace comes from action of what people do so if we truly want peace and we truly support peace let our actions speak that because all you got to do is watch what people do what they say is something totally different but what they do and I'll and I'll tell you that they had a good turnout but we could have had a better turnout but we have to understand that these are young people who are advocating peace not adults lastly I hosted with the super superintendent of schools the algebra project and if anybody knows about the algebra project what it is is helping kids learn how to do algebra in a different way she had a team of people come and two specific gentlemen they spent days two of them came and they spent I think two or three days a month training our teachers on the out project but what the algebra project has come to know is that if a kid becomes competent in algebra they graduate high school and they graduate college so it's very important that they know how to do that and the fact that they brought this program here and invested in these kids is very important because truly these kids are our future and we have to make sure that that's who what make our investments in because the return with our kids if they're successful is a higher return than many other things that we have that we work on so with that I want to just thank you for indulging me tonight excuse me when finish thing um and thank you for coming out thank you for continuing to support the city of Anglewood and encourage your your neighbors your family your friends to come out I know it's sometime it's it's tough to come out but you need to come out and you need to get involved because this town will be what you want it to be thank you um on that note speaking of mental health also the superintendent of schools emailed me um she received an award called the AA ASA the superintendent Association and a government Cooperative procurement partner sourcewell they received an award for their um peer-based peer suicide prevention program that just was launched right now for um suicide so the school just received that award um and that's it I forgot to add that one thank you Mr Hoffman Mr Hoffman can you I think it be helpful to talk about all the traffic all the construction that's going no one here Mr Vol is not here uh thank you council president and good evening ladies and gentlemen uh there are several items to report on uh members of the governing body have reported on several of them already to recap this Monday is uh May 27th is Memorial Day and then our parade kicks off at 10:00 a.m. at the World War I Monument um and then as the mayor had mentioned of it will it will go down to Veterans Park there's also going to be a car show there at the at the in Veterans Park so you'll have the opportunity to have um some some good food at different different locations but there's also there's also going to be a car show there and um please please come out and uh spend some time honor honor the memory of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice so that we um we who now enjoy the freedoms that they paid for we can we can U we can just make sure that we're remembering them as uh as councilman Wilson has also stated on July 4th we're going to be having fireworks and it's it's it's on Monday night July 1st over at Dwight marrow High School um so that's been reported um for all of you historians and trivia buff Buffs it's also Canada Day July 1st is Canada Day so um some of the fireworks it will be can come and you can say they're they're they're going off to celebrate the 157th anniversary of Canada as well as the 248th anniversary of the United States on Wednesday July 17th the night market is scheduled this is part of our 125th anniversary celebration the rain date will be Thursday July 18th so please plan on coming out to join us on Palisade Avenue which will be closed from Grand and Engle down uh down to City Hall um the city has begun to clean out the Liberty school as of this morning 320 yards of material had been removed from the building and that was only from a a section of the basement so the cleaning the City's cleaning out the entire building so that it'll it'll be made it'll make it easier for uh for us to assess the condition of the building because we we are putting together architectural requests for um for qualifications and people need to be able to get into the building uh the city is also acquired a waste oil centrifuge so it's going to be tuned up by our DPW mechanics and this is the next step in our pilot program to collect filter and reuse recycled vegetable oil in some of our older diesel powered engines and this is going to be able to help reduce particulate pollution in the air and some previous Studies have shown that it reduces particulate pollution by 67% so we're we're going to work on that uh today is also the 143rd anniversary of the founding of the American Red Cross and um the DPW will be sending out some flyers uh probably tomorrow um so please look for them and this is the 2024 tree planting Flyers so the goal of the DPW is to plant 12 125 trees this year in honor of the city's 125th anniversary so look at the flyer and um and see see if there's going to be a tree planted near you uh the the do has informed us that Jones Road will be closed starting at 4 a.m. on Saturday June 1st this is one of the many projects that the council president just alluded to it's scheduled to reopen on that same day at 3:00 a.m. so it's going to be closed for 11 hours the dot contractors are going to pour begin the concrete pore for the new bridge deck so please look at the updates on the City website for the detours uh also if you have not signed up for our messaging service which is Rave please do so so that we can make sure that you have updated information we also have the continuing uh projects the energy strong projects from psng gas as well as psng electric and then violia is in town replacing lead meter boxes in different locations throughout the city so we basically have three different utility divisions doing work in the city on our underground um and once that's done we will let the roads set and then there will be a Paving projects and we should be we should be good to go for uh for several years several decades actually and we have a list of road paving projects or Road roads that we believe will we're going to try and pave this year unless unless the um unless one of the utilities decides they need to they need to do work on it but the the roads that we're looking to pave this year are Armory Street Bennett Road Chestnut Street between Braden to from Braden to line decker Everett Place Franklin Road and Jones Road from Leon from the Leonia border to Lyon Garden Street herzo Place Lafayette Place teent to Forest although that's that's probably going to be delayed because psng is running new new gas lines in to the Alfred Avenue Housing Development that's going in and they're sizing the pipe for that that uh building but also for the potential of two other buildings that are going in uh then levenson Place Marboro Road from Holland to Manor mors Avenue Murray Avenue from Manor to nickach Sunset Avenue Third Street from Lafayette to Fourth and Windsor Road from Manor to nicker backer so those are the primary roads and then we have alternates if we were unable to to do th those roads the council has um looked ahead and looked at our Capital needs and this year our Capital ordinance including grants was $19 million so we are we are right now in our busy season the governing body uh adopted the city's budget for 2024 a month earlier than the 20123 budget was adopted so the governing body is to be commended for doing that because that gives us more time to accomplish our capital projects this year and also there's the time value of money the earlier you can start a project um the better off you are because in the long run it will cost you less the unit cost will be less the earlier in the year that you can book the project so those are some of the things that that are going on council president and members of the governing body the mayor has talked about the master plan process as has other members of the governing body um so there are what do we have we have five public meetings inperson meetings and then U there's going to there's there's plans to have a one more meeting towards the end but that would be a Citywide Zoom meeting the details are yet to be worked out but this way anybody that has been unable to come in person to a meeting um will be able to to participate in a in one of the meetings as a you know this will this will be the final meeting as a catchall but that's that will be decided that date will be decided after consultation with the planning board and then um the uh the the the location to host to host the zoom meeting um from you know from from the city so those are some of the things that are happening and then as was talked about earlier we have the new outdoor exercise area in McKay park that's going to be opening tomorrow the DPW was doing the finishing touches on it today um and the equip this is equipment that was purchased through a grant that had been obtained by the by the health department and then the installation was delayed due to supply chain issues and the uh the governing body also stepped in because the cost of concrete went up and then we we wound up amending the ordinance so that we could put this in so by all means please go out and um join councilman Wilson who um there's a rumor that he's going to be leading exercise classes over there um but the uh the you know the part about sweating to the oldies is is not been confirmed and um so that's my report thank you very much Mr Hoffman I just want to make a comment that exercise equipment from the health Department that was championed by uh former councilman Wayne HR okay he started that with us so we want to thank him for that effort and again everybody the master plan is the key it's a forward-looking document for the next 10 years what you want in your town so it's it's important that you attend those meetings or that meeting and and voice your opinion on that so we can get what we need to get during that so thank you um now Mr cob one uh just final word or actually the beginning comment um I got word from First Commerce Bank and shoppr right today that they're going to pay for our fireworks I'm Wai I'm waiting on one more um vendor they cost about $20,000 ladies and gentlemen we tried not to uh dip in uh to um the city Treasury and so forth uh like bergenpac and a lot of other um landmarks in our community the fireworks is very well attended throughout the community we want to make sure uh that it's handsomely uh uh supported as well I'll report back on missing uh monies now we're going to go to the public session of this meeting you come up your name your address hold on hold on your name hold name address and you have three minutes I'm Mr safield I want this young lady to come up first because she's uh representing an organization so and they all came out to um address the council thank you chairman um thank you for hearing um what I have to say to you today um mayor council and chairman I my name is Debbie White I do not live in Anglewood but I am the President of health professionals and Allied employees we are a union of 14,000 members nurses and other healthc care workers that um started right here in Anglewood and we still represent the nurses at Anglewood Medical Center there are 800 there they are currently in bargaining and we're here to ask the council to sign on to pass a resolution supporting safe Staffing for nurses for patients for the city um this has been done in dozens of city and county um councils across the state and we are here because Anglewood is in bargaining we've given um enough packets for every council member um to to yansy I believe her name is yes um we look we we saw how important safe Staffing was to those steel worker nurses up in New Brunswick as they went on strike for five months until they got language Incorporated in their contract um it's also the number one focus of our nurses at Englewood and our other five contracts across the state it is the safest and the best thing to do for patients but we also need a law um and that would cover every patient in the state California has had safe Staffing uh safe Staffing law for years 20 years to be exact and we have Decades of research right now that shows California patients have higher patient satisfaction and nurses report significantly less burnout and stress and they stay in their jobs safe Staffing is the only solution to the endless migration of nurses out of the field um in addition these same studies these studies that have been done on the California law have found fewer patient deaths lower rates of complications and overall better outcomes for patients than in other states without safe Staffing laws better outcomes for patients higher patient satisfaction scores in a decrease in nurse turnover turnover equates to better reimbursement for hospitals so we always say safe Staffing saves lives and it does but it also saves hospitals money everyone will eventually find themselves in need of hospital care every patient deserves a higher standard of Care thank you for allowing me to speak today I urge chairman cob and the members of this government body to pass this resolution just as many other County and local elected officials have already done thank thank you hello Hi how are you um council president cob councilman coun councilwoman mayor Wilds um my name is Eric Maldonado um I'm a registered nurse at Inglewood Hospital I have been a registered nurse for approximately 9 years now um I would like to first uh state that I was actually born at Inglewood Hospital um I'm a nurse there but I'm also a patient there and so is my family my grandfather passed last year um he was a patient engood hospital um my grandmother um I'm pretty I'm pretty sure many here in this room go to ingood hospital to seek um Medical Services um my wife we are expecting a child this year um and she will be delivering at Englewood Hospital um I'm here to highlight the importance of safe Staffing um like I as I said I'm a nurse there I was there throughout covid I remained there I'm very committed to the organization um but I'm here to highlight the importance and the need for safe nurse to Patient ratios it is dangerous I'm telling you as a nurse but I'm also telling you as a patient I see both sides so I I I am here to implore you to please support this resolution support the nurses of HPA Local 54 um there is much more to speak on this is the very important issue that will help everybody in this room and um safe Staffing is important I also want to highlight the importance of Education the importance of fair working the importance of safety for everybody um in the community so there for I just want to leave that with those that message with you thank you very much thank you thank you William safield 251 South ding Street I just want to get something clear uh I think the mayor mentioned something about voting that you could register and vote in the primary the same day is that what you said no sir was it something like that or would you say how do you how did you say that there's early voting sir um there's all sorts of votings you can vote uh by ballot and in person but you can't register and then vote at the same day all right now uh Mr Hoffman you said something about Oil we're going to take uh vegetable oil and turn it into diesel fuel or usable fuel for trucks or something and where are we getting this oil from all right the um we would be getting it from the from the school district and from restaurants yeah so how much do you think we'd be getting and how much does this cost this it doesn't cost it's not costing us anything it's a what do you mean it's free this machine you said it turns yes we received the machine yes we receed the machine for free and we have to you know we have to uh tune it up and then it um it filters oil it filters the Recycled oil takes the products out of it the food products and then we will we will use it in some of our older diesel engined vehicles and we will see how well it works all right you you know what Mr Hoffman would be a great idea is when you start to do that process invite the public so they can see that process happen one thing I was worried about the the amount of fuel that most of these trucks drink is pretty good but I'm wondering are we going to have enough you know this oil to make it worthwhile that's well if you go out to the restaurants and you eat a lot then we'll we'll get a lot of oil cuz we're we're take we're taking it from the friers all right all right I just wanted to just say what they were saying though priest is good F go to hospital too I don't know but uh I've had relatives in the hospital Inglewood Hospital is a great hospital but everyone I talk to does say the same thing that's say underst staing is terrible it's one of the worst things going I know yeah council president can I say one more thing about the vegetable oil yeah just as a 30 second uh primer on the on uh vegetable oil or diesel fuel the diesel engine was invented by a gentleman named Rudolph Diesel and it was designed to run on different types of oil peanut oil canola oil other oils that could be grown by Farmers so that's That's the basis for it and then um now we're all using refined refined fuel with lots of additives in it so we're we're going back to the basics and we'll see how it works okay thank you good evening mayor members of the city council Valerie huddle Anglewood New Jersey for several months we have sent numerous letters requesting a meeting to discuss Bergen pac's contributions and future plans yet we have received no response with the exception of the mayor this lack of transparency and refusal to engage is not only unprofessional but also deeply dis respectful to an institution that has been a Cornerstone of our community for years as a former legislator I understand the importance of treating constituents with respect and ensuring all their voices are heard unfortunately Mr Cobb does not share that respect for our institution or the community we serve so we are taking this opportunity during the public session to speak with you about the vital role bergenpac plays in our community and the pressing issues we Face our presentation will include perspectives from various leaders of Bergen Pac emphasizing our impact and the need for stronger collaboration with this city council I am honored to serve as chair of Bergen pack tonight I am here to highlight the significant impact it has on the local economy and to address the ongoing resistance we Face from Charles Cobb and the council and arranging a formal presentation it is really disheartening to see how the city has consistently failed to support Bergen Pac instead of working with us to enhance our mutual goals the city has made it intentionally more difficult for us to operate from red tape to a lack of cooperation on essential projects the obstacles we Face are numerous and unnecessary these actions suggest a deliberate attempt in our opinion to undermine our efforts which ultimately hurt the people of Anglewood so Bergen pack is more than just a theater it is a cultural Hub that brings world class entertainment to Anglewood driving economic growth and enriching the lives of our residents the lack of Engagement from this council is not only disappointing but detrimental to our community's progress Mr Cobb your actions or rather your inactions not only reflect a disregard for the Arts but for the constituents you were supposed to serve so therefore we demand the respect and support that an institution of our standing deserves and it is time for the council to recognize Bergen pac's contributions and work with us not against us thank you council president may I say something yes you may all right um the the the words that were just directed to the council president should not have been directed to the council president they should be directed to me I recall a letter that was hand delivered in January and it referenced some kind of it referenced in the second bullet point it referenced some kind of economic study I asked for a copy of that economic study so I could pass it along with your request we haven't received that economic study and there was a couple of conversations about that with other members of the pack so when when that study comes I will be happy to make sure with all due respect I direct my comments to the council president because he controls the agenda he was sent a letter and hand delivered a letter to this Council mayor and of course you're the city manager but they work for us and they have not responded Mr Hoffman so I am alluding to the fact not only do we not get a response we don't get respect from the council or the council president when we hold community of events and you know we talk about rumors and what we hear on the street Mr Cobb I heard that you would not set foot in this theater I'd like to wonder why but in the meantime Mr Hoffman we have all the information that you have requested and we have asked to have a representation so it wouldn't be in a vacuum so that it would be open everyone in Anglewood could understand the Jewel and the importance of Bergen pack okay done for the information it hasn't been delivered uh good evening I'm Alexander Diaz the executive director of Bergen Pac uh and we are here today to make connections and collaborate uh my my letter that was hand delivered shouldn't have contingencies as to when we could have a presentation um so I rebuttal that uh city manager um we have to recognize the immense important of Bergen Pac uh not only for the downtown of Englewood but for Bergen County as a whole uh Mr cob I'm Cuban and the some of the words that you say are very uh Castrol likee and your demeanor is also very castr likee and that's actually very scary for our town um our diverse programming includes everything from game shows like the prices right which was wrapped around the building uh the the day that we opened Frankie Valley Johnny matthys Darlene Love Gloria Gainer and in October we got Diana Ross coming to Englewood uh these events not only bring joy to our PTI but they also generate significant economic activity benefiting local businesses and restaurants it's a testament to the draw we have with major Stars we're also proud to have honored key members of our community one of them being uh Reverend Dr Les Taylor of the Community Baptist Church for his work at inspiration for 30 years the other one being a good friend Liz gini who we had done a lot of work with the Bergen Family Center additionally we recognize the Architects from DMR that your work working with for your master plan they were our Architects for our renovation and restoration um so there's remarkable work going on and together we could be interconnected by working together uh we can create a thriving cultural and economic landscape not to mention our marketing infrastructure which can help the city grow significantly um I have two kids I'd love to bring them here at night and park in the parking garage but I simply can't do that and won't do that because it's unsafe and and a lot of our patrons 150,000 of them a year come through Englewood come to a beautiful Theater Performing Art Center only to be welcomed into a city that has no signage has no way of finding its way and again an elevator that's broken graffiti ridden uh lighting is is abysmal and these are simple fixes it's just spruing it up a mural sidewalk mural interactive for kids to be able to enjoy their way to downtown and to pales State Avenue um these are just some of the small things that can be done in the uh pretty near future um but we're not just here to highlight successes uh but to seek support and collaboration and I think together we can do that um we just need this support and I heard mention earlier that there are a few agencies within the city that are have been U partnering up with the city and that there is funding coming from the city we work with those same agencies uh we haven't gotten a dime um for any of the support any of the work that we do with students and with seniors so I leave you with that thank you good evening mayor and city council um my name is Becky cako and I am honored to serve as the Director of Education at bergenpac and as my colleagues have mentioned we're so much more than just a theater and I just am here to share a little bit um a glimpse into some of the impact that we have in our community and hopes that we can work together and uh have some more support so that we can expand and continue to grow with our programs um our Arts education programs are not just about teaching children to sing dance act and play instruments they're about fostering holistic development in our students building their confidence enhancing their communication skills and promoting wellness and fitness through dance as well as improving mental health by providing a creative outlet for expression the impact of Arts education on student development and growth is profession it empowers students with the ability to express themselves creatively and confidently which is crucial for their personal and academic growth through our programs students learn to collaborate think critically and develop a strong sense of self-discipline and resilience moreover we address important social issues that impact our youth such as drug and opioid abuse and human trafficking by collaborating with organizations such as the FBI we bring awareness to these critical issues through the Arts using performance and storytelling as powerful tools for education and prevention our Partnerships with organizations such as Bergen Family Center the Anglewood Public School District and other notable institutions further amplify our impact and these come at no cost to the participants these collaborations allow us to reach more students and provide them with valuable opportunities they might not otherwise have these programs include addressing racial and social justice issues as well as food and security for the families in Anglewood we use the Arts as a tool to change lives and teach an impactful teach in impactful and interactive ways additionally we provide an extensive Arts education program for students with special needs our voices and Harmony program sends our expert teaching artists to schools to teach music dance and theater in classrooms where in some cases the entire school is Special Needs students all of these schools come together each spring to the Bergen pack stage to perform in a joyous celebration and it's a wonderful experience for the Community the teachers the students and their families we provide this program free of charge to anyone who participates as our commitment to our mission to provide Arts experiences for everyone the success stories from our programs are countless demonstrating the transformative power of the Arts in students lives it is imperative that we continue to be able to receive support so that we can sustain ourselves and expand our programs making a difference in ensuring that every child and everyone in our Community has an opportunity to express themselves through the Arts thank you very much yes thank you oh thank youday I'm sorry ladies and gentlemen but I am going to sit for a minute okay I don't have much to say you can turn the clock off because I'm going to be here for more than 3 minutes minutes I hope not to be no longer than three minutes but I'm going to say to you Mr hman I spoke with you last week about the traffic about that that street has not been completed has not been fixed you have not gone over that street yet it needs to be repaved my car has falling through the holes and I'm quite sure somebody else's car is falling through the holes it needs to be fixed you said you've got people that inspect you're paying all this money as I look at this you're paying money for people to do their job and they're not doing their job who's doing the inspection of this work if you go out there you ride right there just between William Street and Van brt you will see this was paved it wasn't paved it was you put out there that's not pavement the thing it needs to be done I'm very upset about that now the next thing I'm upset about people losing their homes do you know this is happening all over the country why is Inwood trying to jump horses and join and everybody sitting on that Council including Mr Hobs and everybody except the mayor except Mr Wilson and I don't know whoever was on that Council and voted for them for the contractors to come in and take the homes of people who don't have any place to go you know for yourself things are going up prices are going up not only that people are losing their homes due to hurricanes and floods we don't know what's going to be next Happening Here you think you're sitting on high horses you're getting paid for all of this well let me tell you one thing you are going to lose all of this what you do to others is going to come back to you and you better believe it and not only you it comes back to me and anybody who does people wrong you'd better stop voting for these things take these things down let these people stay in their homes give them their homes back don't let people are struggling they came over here because you don't you're sitting up on the hill you don't oh it doesn't matter to me and then you do things behind people's back you try to hurt people you've done that and I'm a one of the witnesses I am one and so I can tell you and I know what's happening I see it so therefore people need to be aware of these things they need to know that it's this counsil they can take you don't even look at that clock they can take you down and they can put you up and my suggestion to them is to take you down off of this counsil because if you are not helping the people you don't need them you come around when you want to vote and when you don't want to vote then you can't be found but you know one thing people know that people don't say anything to you but they know that so and I know that I'm very aware of what is happening Miss Jones Thank you thank you thank you it don't don't don't be disrespectful Miss Jones that's it yeah okay thank you very much good evening Council my name is Omar cabba and I'm a lifelong Stu a resident of Englewood and a proud employee of Bergen Pac as a teaching artist Bergen Pac has been instrumental in both my personal and professional development and growing up in Englewood um Bergen pack was where I discovered my love for music the opportunities that I received through their programs were life-changing and they allowed me to be able to pursue a career in the Arts without Bergen pack I wouldn't be where I am today sharing my passion for music with the Next Generation music has shaped my career it's given me a voice and provided a platform to express myself Beren Pack's Arts education programs have instilled confidence in me and countless others helping us find our paths in life the power of music and the Arts goes beyond mere performance it promotes Wellness encourages Fitness through dance and even addresses critical social issues like drug and opioid abuse and human human trafficking if Bergen Pack's programs could do this for me imagine how many other students can experience and will experience that same transformative impact I've seen firsthand how Bergen Pac nurtures local talent fostering a sense of community and belonging our programs are designed to build confidence improve communication skills and provide a safe space for Creative expression and I urge the council to recognize the critical role Bergen pack plays in nurturing local talent and fostering a sense of community Through the Arts the support of the city council is essential for us and Bergen pack to commun to continue its issue uh its mission of transforming lives and enriching our community let's work together to ensure that Bergen pack can keep making a difference for the future generations of Englewood thank you good evening hello um my name is Amy fanti Martin it's nice to see you all uh fellow council members I'm a four-term council woman in Glenrock so I uh it's nice to see you up there and I also have the privilege of being the director of development for Bergen Performing Arts Center which is an incredible institution one that I'm sure we all share great love for um so tonight I did want to touch on some of the things that Mr Hoffman did uh touch on about some of the reporting that we've been doing about how much the economy benefits the local economy Englewood economy uh benefits from Bergen Performing Arts Center um what we do meaning Bergen pack to the local business Community here is undeniable without Bergen pack many businesses struggle to stay afloat and we saw this during the pandemic now with bergenpac thriving which it is doing again since post pandemic we are almost up to the levels that we were pre- pandemic um the local businesses are doing very well and I will get to how we know this each ticket buyer through our research and we will send you the report each ticket buyer on average spends about $45 outside of their ticket uh using it for local dining using it for ride shares retail while visiting Bergen pack for a show in addition to the ticket prices with over 150,000 people patrons that's 150,000 people who come to Bergen Pac every year this puts back $7 million back into the economy of Anglewood this is really big and this is why we're here because it's really important that the council the city of Englewood is on is represented in Bergen Pac because as I do my job is to raise money for this nonprofit and it's really hard when I go to local businesses or I go to businesses in the state or businesses all throughout the county and they don't see that our local city doesn't support us so I hope that we can find a way to share opportunities I love giving tours of the theater if you haven't been there to see the new Renovations I will walk with you and take you everywhere and you can be proud of this incredibly beautiful beautiful theater incredible school that we all share um we really implore you this is not a contest this is not friction this is about sharing an incredible institution that we all love and I just wanted to do a big shout out to the Englewood nurses because my father was a grandfa my grandfather was a physician at Englewood Hospital for over 50 years so it is near and dear council members mayor Frank huddle former mayor and proud resident of Anglewood tonight what you have witnessed this evening is a sincere sincere plea from the members of the bergenpac family for their voices to be heard by the city council bergenpac a public charity is recognized as one of the most iconic performing venues and art schools in the New Jersey New York metropolitan area in 2004 the John Harm's closed Bergen pack emerged to fill that cultural void in March 2020 like the rest of the world our doors were forced to shut however bargen Pac quickly adapted trans uh transitioning its performing art school to serve thousands of students virtually pioneering the zoom in 2023 we completed a historic restoration of our 1926 Hall Bergen pack recognizes its profound impact on the community and bergenpac at Bergen pack our home is your home we are embraced and supported by over 150,000 patients uh uh patrons annually alongside our donors our students and the broader Community yet members of the city council consistently turn its back on us the city has shut its doors and the special improvement district has filed suit uh uh filed suit accordingly according to the city and its Council liaison Ken Rosen swag and council president Charles Cobb they have decided to maintain only an arms length relationship and I quote every municipality with a Performing Arts Center stands side by side and supports it nework njpac Milburn Papermill New Brunswick State Theater Red Bank count basy all these governments understand the importance and impact of a thriving Arts sector this town does not we are here today to seek full transparency and to open the doors of the city council whatever Pol uh political agendas exist within our city government they must end your actions are damaging bergenpac the downtown economy our community as a whole our Performing Art Center and the school cannot sustain itself under the current circumstances we ask for a meeting to discuss how we can work together to restore and Revitalize our downtown let us not allow personal animosities that may exist on this Council deis to hinder our community progress and prosperity our community deserves nothing but the best Alex Diaz will hand our written comments out to you there's a QR code and you can watch you should watch or we ask you to watch The Balancing Act hosted by Montel Williams which tells the story of the bur Pack's dedication to the world's class Arts education and with respect to the economic impact studies I sat here as a mayor and gave the books and gave the studies and there's a litany so we will be happy to provide once again to the city of Anglewood an economic engine that Performing Arts play and the culture and keeping the Arts alive and our students and our children young and old thank you very much uh good evening ladies and gentlemen uh my name is joselino yolande I'm a resident of Anglewood since 1979 I'm a graduate of Dwight morrow in 1981 and I'm a mental health nurse um and I just want to thank you guys to that you recognize mental health month because it's very important for US Health Care Professionals that you know that we're recognized for taking care of the patients that we serve espec especially the ones that that needed them most uh the the me the me the behaviorally compromise the dimens Pati that we serve uh the uh the autistic patients that we serve um but we need help we need help uh with Staffing our our our uh the the resolution for uh uh safe Staffing is very important it's not just for here in New Jersey it's for the whole country for us nurses that are are we are so overwhelmed and and and especially in the past a year couple of years three years with the covid where patients are coming in with with not only medical issues but also uh uh anxiety issues they are coming in and uh um is is it's it's it's they're taking it out on healthc Care Professionals because we are there we're the ones that that taking care of them and and it's it's it's it's hard for us uh is uh a lot of my colleagues have have left um some of uh some some of them also had been affected with covid and at past um um so I just want to I'm only one of of a voice that the the want to to be listened to or be heard because this is this this is so important for us I mean um for for everybody for everybody your family that comes to the hospital that you know the the for us healthc care professional to provide the the care that they deserve that they deserve so if we have proper Staffing and not only proper staff Quality Staffing education for the people that coming in and we also want to recruit people to come in healthcare because we're losing a lot of nurses they're they're leaving they're leaving they're not they're leaving and the the ones that are staying are the ones that are really you know dedicated I mean I I came from a family of healthc Care Professionals I came from the Philippines in 1979 and my you know my my my mares are all Healthcare profession and I just hope that you guys hear us thank you thank you good evening mayor and Council John Escobar local 3263 Union president sorry John Escobar local 3263 Union president you guys voted on uh the ordinance 2406 which was to uh to allow raises for the unclassified and I'm curious if if the government body's comfortable with doing that knowing that the fire the officers haven't had a raise in almost four four years we haven't had a contract almost 4 years the city walked away from two two memorandums agreement and now is prepared to spend th thousands of dollars as well as making the officer spend that for fees that would basically amount to hurt feelings as far as I'm concerned and I just want to know if the government body is okay with that um councilman Wilson you you were there for 25 years are you okay with the way we're actually being treated and you don't have to answer counc councilman wasi you're constantly in photo op with us all of you are always uh professing your praise for us yet we don't feel the support and council president cop same as you Council councilman David your husband was a firefighter for 25 years are you okay with us being treated this way this is wrong you know mayor Wilds you're always you're the senior guy up here and and you're always standing by our side are you okay with this yeah so but I'm asking is Mr Escobar yes you you know you're treading on water when you call on people out you you're doing that that's negotia have to answer no no no it's not a matter of answering if if you if you want to do this in good faith I say that you set up a meeting with Mr Hoffman and I think that's that's listen I I don't know whether it's passed it or not but I think that that's what you should do and come in here with us like that in public I think that that's not the way to do it not to get the result that you're looking to get but I just think it's just you just give us no choice I mean we we've been patient for years you I don't know what the choice is but I I think that but coming by doing it this way I don't think that that's the way to do it whether you say you give you no choice um then then your representatives should talk to to the city's representatives and and work something out that's what I think instead of having it's gone nowhere is what I'm trying to say okay well you know what it's it's two sides to a story so we just need to find out for ourself what's going on when we ask Mr Hoffman at okay I'm expressing the frustration of the fire of officers I got you it's been four four years they're going on four years now and it's going I I got you nowhere I got you I just put that's a long time that's right I'm council president if if I may yeah um and and I understand totally that um it's under negotiations and this isn't the proper form for that type of um comment for those of you who do not know I served 29 years and 6 months as a firefighter so the mere implication about are things okay it's a little disheartening um and I'll talk more about this online offline but we're under negotiations and I'm a little surprised I'm taking back thank you council president yep yes okay good evening everyone my name is dorine Manar I lived at s Tre Glenbrook Parkway uh my problem is flooding um I wrote to the mayor I wrote to my city council woman there I sent emails flooding is because Howell Road Howell Road is an upper Road has absolutely no drainage whatsoever all that water come flushing right down on us because we're the low part the water from the rain the pumps from the people yard and everything come rushing down I've been doing my own survey I heard last meeting Mr valy say he's doing survey survey I hope he's going that way to do survey because all that water came down on us either the time my basement it was flored right out right out uh and I did my own survey all the drainage on Glenbrook Parkway is opposite Glenbrook Condominiums from Glenbrook Condominiums to Liberty Road there's only one drainage system and it's opposite my neighbor at the head of Liberty Road they put two time two in front of my place there the other to day I'm thankful for that cuz I'm getting rid of the soore water that was bothering me it's still bothering me halfway shortsighted that's for the engineers I don't know where those Engineers come from but I'm a common everyday person you got to know where to put the drainage you got to know it's coming from the three neighbors up that's their Sude system running out of the road the laundry water and everything else running there you put two in front of me fine that's good but my neighbor is suffering that's his problem he need to come here and talk about that um we are Al ready and undated with water from the people up Highland that's neab Baka residents all their backyards lead down into our Glenbrook Road residence too so that's where we getting water again from so we are between a Rock a hard place and everything else in between we getting from Howell Road we getting from Tron and which is um Dwight M school all that coming down nicara residence Liberty Road has a few too just a few um sewage holes all that water come and reach on to Glenbrook Park week it's if it doesn't go into the brook it flood the street we were like a river last I the time I'm getting nightmare every time it rains I cannot sleep my mental health you talking about mental health is going very soon because I've been writing letters letters letters and those are my proof anytime I'm my my mental health is gone that's a different story Al together I'm asking the Mr Hoffman check Howell Road put some how are you going to build a road with no s no drainage where is that water going it has to go somewhere and it's coming downhill and it's coming on us we'll make sure that the uh city engineer is informed about that and if you come to the meeting tomorrow yeah we'll talk about flooding infrastructure so you know this hasn't been a topic in the past but it will be a topic now thank and it'll be a part of it'll be a part of the master plan thank you thank you good evening Council good evening Deon Campbell my name is Leroy Campbell 287 tenly Road um a lot of people know me as Deacon Campbell of the Community Baptist Church in Englewood um not only do I serve as a deacon I serve as the Chief Financial Officer of Community Baptist Church of Anglewood um and I heard my pastor's name mentioned tonight yep and um he's not here he doesn't give authorization for his name to be used in any political agenda so I'm I'm almost certain that there will be a letter coming out from him to the Bergen pack um because the program at the Bergen pack was a rayu Enterprise production it wasn't a lesser tail of production that's number one number two I am a appalled tonight I am appalled everybody up there is working so hard to work together we have anti-Semitism but you know what I witnessed tonight anti-racism that's what I witness tonight anti-racism to to get up here and attacked an individual because the simple fact fact that they're running for office and that's what this is all about it's all about election it's all about election it's disgusting totally disgusting it's a shame tonight I felt like me as a as as a Christian man I felt like tonight set us back back didn't move us forward this is totally disgusting if you have an issue with the council you don't have to call out anybody's name all you have to do is address your issue to the council it's disgusting it's really disgusting what's happening in Englewood is disgusting totally disgusting it's a shame I'm embarrassed to be sitting here tonight as a resident I'm embarrassed this this tonight doesn't help anyone doesn't help anyone we got to do better than this we got to be better than this all right because what's going to happen with this election is going to happen and there's only one person that can control this election and that's God that's God cuz he's watching just like mother said he's watching and he sees what's happening here he sees what's happening in this town and I'm disappointed and I'm just um I'm I'm also disappointed in Val Val huddle because I voted for Val for US Senate and I'm a PR and I was proud to do that and I I'm not ashamed to say that I voted for her as for US Senate I'm just I'm at I'm it's unbelievable is that why you didn't wait your time tonight my time started yeah all right Sarah strowman 72 West Hudson thank you yansy hey hey hey hey Leroy Leroy Leroy Leroy okay take him out yo no no no I guess he has to leave he has to leave he's got to leave he's got to leave he's got to leave get out he's got to leave I mean creating this I'm okay I'm fine I'm ready H I can wait for you to sit we'll follow decorum I was just checking you can hear me are you sure I could be louder okay all right Sarah strowman anybody who says they don't know me you're lying I'm going to start with the definition of arrogance it is overbearing Pride or haughtiness I start this because there's a lot of arrogance in the room and if we were in the 90s what I heard from council person charge cob I would have been like let me get my Vaseline in Brooklyn and let's go out and fight but I'm not a violent person so I think it's incredibly rude to tell people to stay in their Lane when people are trying to better the city and this isn't an election appeal at all this is me speaking as Sarah strowman so the way I took that was an attempt to to maybe put me in my place or put anybody else in this room that has stood up here and complained and I get it your job is hard and I'm signing up to try to do it but as many of the people in this room said they're not being heard and when the only way they're being heard is in this space twice a month you're going to keep hearing the same thing over and over and over and when people feel disrespected we understand what Rebellion is we understand why people rise up it is when they do not feel like they are heard when they do not have their basic human rights and I'm not saying Anglewood doesn't have its basic human rights but if consistently everybody is complaining about not being heard then when is the council going to wake up and be heard when it's on everybody and to push back and say that it's for you to tell your friends and to tell your neighbors the reason nobody showing up to vote is because nobody believes that they actually have the power anymore you all have the power in this room and people do not feel like their vote matters I can tell you this from getting petition signed I can tell you people are talking about rumors people are saying that I'm going to freaking split the vote I am not going to split the vote people who don't do their jobs don't get elected it's that simple that's the basic premise of democracy and I shouldn't have to get up here and tell you that if you stand if you sit here and you're arrogant and you don't listen to people then you're not going to get the job done because you're not doing the job to begin with that's all I have to say this is for [Applause] you okay is this can you hear me yeah I'm sorry okay so I have attended several open sessions like this one this is a what closer what is your name please such a loud mouth huh oh my name is Carol Brown and sometimes I'm Carol Brown moscowitz and sometimes I'm called Pana because I am I am irrationally hopeful even though I come to these open sessions and I think what's going on let me tell you I'm a little old lady I've had seven strokes I have survived Anglewood hospital and it's not the best but it's could get better recently I've attended several open sessions here and mostly to listen and to learn what is happening I thought I had stepped into a performance of the French Revolution let me tell you this is the calmest most organized meeting I've attended so everything I was going to say I just threw it out however this nice lady opened up my I promise it take three minutes anyway here's a book it's called you're not listening everybody should read it the people who are sitting up there and the folks act here back here everybody has to read this we're not listening to each other we are deciding ahead of time what your position is I'm not running for anything I happen to raise write a newsletter for Cambridge Avenue Block Association and sometimes I get a little off topic but I believe in peace and communication and teamwork and I think you can all you all have the potential I hope you will not um take this an insult but if you are not listening then you're only talking and as a con as a consequence everybody's talking at each other but they're not communicating now moving on do I have time oh good okay now oh shoot too much paper too many years where am I uh oh I was a theater director so I believe in NJ PAC I didn't run them but I was the one who insulted uh Mr harmes when I said this place is disgusting what are we going to do about this dirty bathroom and we all cleaned up we volunteered to clean up the dirty bathroom back in the 1970s I haven't gone back there oops forget it I believe that theater and arts can heal our community and I've got a million ideas and Dr Mr Cobb is completely sick of getting texted from me I new ideas put your ideas you folks back here put your ideas in writing and communicate to somebody who will listen to you it doesn't have to be in this forum where you're otherwise wasting other people's time if your issue was only your personally held one I'm going to close the public session of this meeting Mr biley Mr B we're going to go on and close you you want to say something before it close yes um but the public session is closed the public session is closed but um I've been in this Council for five months right I would like to know how can I put hpae on the next agenda um also um for the angle with fire dep Department the negotiations are here and if you didn't get a raise in 4 months that's deplorable and I'm saying that on a record I'm sorry and also with the drainage situation um where did she go she left oh anyway I CC France on that and I CC you on that as well and as far as the B the family um the Bergen pack I remember when I was on the board of education I introduced the superintendent to the um the heads over there because she wanted a partnership with the um with the um Bergen pack and that did help I think she spoke with you and you brought the children there was no charge and everything so I would like to know how can we work in collaboration to build a stronger relationship with the Burgen pack would be inclusive so I that's what that's what I think we should just work with them I don't know if you know I just want to put this on the agenda somehow or sit down at the table or have a meeting and that's it thank you uh yes thank you council president there's um there are a few questions that were asked that I can answer um before we go into closed session miss um Miss Jones had asked about Englewood Avenue and um what I wanted to mention to Miss Jones is that violia is out there this week they're cutting up the road again so they're they're supposed to be digging up the road um starting yesterday and they're finishing on Thursday so that's one of the reasons why um we haven't done anything to the road there's a broken there's a a a line that has to be replaced and then they think that there's two other sections that have to be replaced so um they're going to be they're they're doing their work and then we will go in we have to let the trenches settle and then the road gets paved but um violia has to has to replace some water lines under the road yeah there's there's two water lines that have to be replaced on Englewood Avenue so that's why that that's why we haven't done anything with the road so they're there this week yeah they they were supposed to have started yesterday y okay all right thank you um so that was one item then uh the let's see uh there was there was a something that Mr Diaz had said about the um the parking garage and the the elevators and he is correct the parking garage we have had a constant issue with vandalism over there so not only in the parking garage but in the stairwells and then one of the elevators as Mr uh Diaz had mentioned is is broken um the city does not own that elevator it's privately owned and those people have that organiz ation has had plenty of time to fix it they they are they have been issued summonses and told to get that elevator fixed and back online the city has also um part of as part of the vandalism the fire lines were the fire suppression lines were cut and the fire alarm I should say the fire alarm was cut and that was replaced so the city spent over $50,000 and it's frustrating that there's there's such vandalism there we've also put sensors in the the stairwells so that when um when when uh there when the C the cameras you know if somebody's in the stairwells there's a chime that'll go off at the Dispatch Center so now uh now we're able to see people in the stairwells and in the first month it was the Chimes were in operation the police were dispatched 22 times over there to help um see if people need you know people needed assistance or um you know to prevent vandalism and so that's that's something we're moving in the right direction but it is frustrating and it particularly is frustrating when um there's an elevator there that's been out of service for closing in on two years and we should have taken action against the owner of that elevator quicker than we did so that that that is being addressed um the um fire department so we have the president of the fire Officers Association here uh he's made some statements um the statements need to be addressed we had a mediation session probably two months ago and it was agreed that by the fire officers and the city that we would go to binding arbitration and that meant that um the the arbitrator would make a decision and both uh both organizations would would agree to that we also agreed to something called the Rocket docket so that the decision would be made in 45 days um the mediator had recommended this the city agreed because we wanted we wanted to make sure that there was closure um the fire officers are the party that's supposed to file the um the request with the state so I'm going to check tomorrow to see if they had filed that request but that's not something the city can do that's something that the fire officer's attorney has to do and that's that's what was agreed to when we had the mediation so it is frustrating to hear the fire officers come here and talk and yet um if the if the appropriate paperwork had been filed this this might have been settled already so I just wanted to make sure the council understood that and yeah um and then there was the question about um the engineering on how how Road or the drainage on Howell Road so the engineer the DPW director and myself we have been out and looked at the drainage over in that area um there is uh uh We've looked at it when when it was raining we've also been there after a rainstorm to see where the puddles are and the ponding and there has been um some work that's been done nearby there to make sure that the water's draining uh through underground pipes and those pipes are now clear but there's there's work that needs to be done and there are neighbors that are pumping their their some pumps out into the backyards so that it's going out of one backyard into somebody else's backyard and then into somebody else's basement so there's there's issues that have to be addressed but the long-term issue is we're going to wind up having to put in another another storm water line and then that should help it probably will not solve the whole problem but it will make a significant ific impact so those are some of the things that uh the city has looked at over the past few months and that's it thank no the city manager pretty covered pretty much covered thank you okay all right we we're we're going in the close session now Mr Bailey could you take us in the close session yes sir be resolved by the governing body of the city of anglea that a meet in close session to discuss litigation contract negotiation matters within the attorney client privilege and Personnel matters and appointments be further uh resolve that the discussion conducted in Clos session can be disclosed to the public upon taking final action Iran Pride does not constitute a new Invasion privacy or violate the attorney climent privilege and be a further resolve that is not envisioned that the governing body will take any formal action at the conclusion of the close session we need a we we need a motion in a second second all in fav all in favor