this is a meeting of the township committee May 20th 20 uh 2024 the notice requirements provided for in the open public meetings act have been satisfied notice of this meeting was properly given by transmission to the Asbury Park Press the two of her times and by posting at the Middletown Township Municipal Building and filing with the Township Clerk all on January 11th 2024 commit man Clark here committee women Katz here committee man sen Brina Deputy Mayor hell here mayor Perry here please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all at this time I'd like to ask for a moment of silence to honor the troops serving worldwide defending our constitutions freedoms and way of life thank you first on tonight's agenda we have the administration of oath of office at this time I'd like to invite officer Trevor bray to please come forward with your family me I Trevor BR I Trevor BR do solemnly swear do Solly swear that I will support the Constitution of the United States that I will support the Constitution of the United States and the constitution of the state of New Jersey and the constitution of the state of New Jersey and that I will bear true faith and that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same allegiance to the same and to the governments established in the United States and to the governments established in the United States and in this state and in this state under the authority of the people under the authority of the people and I do swear and I do swear to Faithfully to faithfully impartially and partially and justly perform and justly perform all the duties of all the duties of police police officer police officer according to the best of my ability according to the best of my ability so help you God so help you God congratulations his mother should have did this you come in right here here squeeze back squeeze back there we go I'm choreographer ready everyone to one two thank you congratulations one right over here sign this this We're not gonna let him know okay right hi at this time we have the administration of both of office for Officer James Davis II if you'd like to please come forward with your family Chief okay think this is good do you do you all want to spread out you back I James Davis II I James Davis II do solemnly swear do solemnly swear that I will support the Constitution of the United States and I will support the Constitution of the United States and the constitution of the state of New Jersey and the constitution of the state of New Jersey and that I will bear true faith and that I will bear true faith and Allegiance and allegiance to the same to the same and and to the governments established in the United States and to the governments established in the United States and in this state and in this state under the authority of the people under the authority of the people and I do swear and I do swear to Faithfully to faithfully and partially and partially and justly perform and justly perform all the duties of all the duties of police officer police officer according to the best of my ability according to the best of my ability so help you God so help me God congratulations on those of you don't know Chief Dave is former Chief of Highlands is uh and grandfather more importantly get the honor of the badges what number are you7 what's the chief D what was your badge number all right congratulations only one I like we'll take a picture and we'll wait for him to come all right here we go you want to come up front no you're good one everyone's ready think ready one two three congratulations thank you sorry than um Cong uh gentlemen congratulations great to have you as a part of this this fine Police Department uh one led by great individuals you're going to learn a lot from from all four of uh of our you know our chief our three Deputy Chiefs um and uh but how about we give our chief Craig Weber a big round of applause without the chief's leadership obviously uh this uh this becomes impossible so Chief thank you for your leadership and uh I know you wanted to say a couple words about these uh these fine young men 417 and 418 I'm starting to get real concerned because I know you're badge number too uh very very special occasion we should move this to accommodate uh James's grandfather so beginning with Trevor alphabetically uh thank you to Father Howe and Karen siblings hoe Kyle and C we here tonight as mentioned by the chief uh his grandfather also a retired Chief of Police from Ohio police dep dep next door sir for 30 years starting as a special officer K chief uh 1975 so to 1990 um Trevor is graduated of Middletown High School South student athlete played football and baseball is currently attending BTO Community College and likewise James also the grandson of Chief James Davis from Highlands mother Courtney and mother father Michael siblings Liam Griffin and Kelly his grandfather James T Davis Senor pointed as probationary police officer April 1st 1966 Chief January 1st 1990 retired July 2003 serving 133 years as Chief um James was a high school athlete as well wrestler at middle T South member of the National Honor Society currently attending Roman University law and justices studies and member of Sigma alha Exon fraternity and the de um and Trevor's that is also the captain of uh naving fire company and his late grandfather not only the police chief he's also the chief of the fire chief in so uh we've been very fortunate to hire a lot of High Caliber candidates and just two more outstanding additions to Department we going make the town safer and the department that much better and thank you for your leadership thereor all right thanks guys let's give these guys a round of applause great thank you all right congratulations guys I when I okay this time we have a presentation recognizing May 19th through 25th 20 24 as EMS week in the township of Middletown at this time I'd like to invite Deputy EMS Chief Marco Fernandez to join mayor Perry at the front of the room you I I want all all you guys all you men and women serving us come on on I stay here stay here bring all great all right uh first of all let's give a big round of applause for all uh this is uh I believe the 50th anniversary of uh EMS week right just say Yes it definitely is uh no but um honestly we're we're fortunate in uh in Middletown and and I love the fact that we got so many young people here today uh it's great to see uh so many dedicated individuals willing to wake up in the middle of the night and be a part of fighting for something uh fighting for your community fighting for the people of your town um and jumping at it and you know EMS week is is a moment in time uh but our gratitude our thanks our love for our volunteers uh is is really every day um and we're incredibly grateful the entire Township committee and I know the 60 ,000 residents that you serve and the residents in in other municipalities when they're being uh they're being called to in One Direction you're you're oftentimes called into their towns to serve them as part of our mutual Aid um so I I just want to uh thank every single volunteer every single individual that puts themselves above uh and for their Community above their own families above their own time their work uh it it's certainly a dedication and uh with with the help of the Chiefs the deputy Chiefs and and all those involved um you have our our absolute gratitude so thank you all very much Chief I don't know if you want I did but you got a prepared I do oh boy it's not very long I'm not very kid I'm not good you know doing what you do here you know FL um so I'll start off with addressing you know you sir and the committee um on behalf of the EMS Chiefs and all volunteers of the five uh first a Squad I'd like to express my sincere gratitude for your unwavering support your leadership advocacy and commitment to ensuring the effectiveness and accessibility of Emergency Medical Care have played a vital role in securing resources funding and policies that enable our EMS Personnel to perform their duties and provide time timely assistance to those in need your understanding of the importance of a well equipped and well- trained EMS team reflects your dedication to the safety and wellbeing of our community by prioritizing the needs of our EMS Department you've demonstrated a deep understanding of the crucial role they play in saving lives and promoting Public Health your efforts have not only enhanced emergency response capabilities but have also fostered a sense of security and reassurance among our residents your ongoing support serves as a source of encouragement and inspiration to our volunteers motivating them to continue their life-saving work with dedication and professionalism your commitment to our community's welfare sets a commendable example for all public servants on behalf of our volunteer squads I extend my heartfelt thanks to you and your team for your steadfast support of our EMS Department your leadership and dedication contribute significantly to the health and safety of our community and we're all truly grateful for your continued efforts to the midd toown uh volunteer EMS dep as we begin EMS week and on behalf of the Middletown EMS Chiefs I want to express my sincere gratitude and appreciation for the invaluable service you provide to the Middletown Community on a daily basis your dedication to saving lives and ensuring the well-being of our citizens in this great town does not go unnoticed in times of Crisis and emergencies your Swift response professionalism and compassion make a significant difference in the lives of those in need your selfless commitment to being on call and sacrificing personal time away from your families demonstrates an exceptional level of generosity and Care your tireless efforts in providing medical assistance offering Comfort to patients and their families and promoting safety within our community exemplify the true Spirit of service the impact you make extends far beyond the immediate situations you address it creates a sense of security and support for everyone in our community your willingness to serve as volun ters with the Middletown EMS Department reflects a deep sense of civic duty and genuine desire to help others your actions Inspire us all to contribute to the well-being of our community to support one another in times of need on behalf of the chiefs of Middletown EMS I extend my heartfelt thanks to each and every member of the volunteer EMS Department your dedication professionalism and compassion are truly commendable and deeply appreciated if you'll just give me one more moment we have one more thing that we'd like to uh present to the mayor and to the members of the committee a challenge coin is a small coin or a medallion bearing an organization's insignum and is carried by the organization's members additionally they might be given uh to prove membership when asked to and to enhance morale historically challenge coins were presented by military unit commanders in recognition of special achievement and as a sign of gratit ude and commitment to an organization at this time on behalf of all the volunteers of the Middletown Ms Department I'd like to present this point to the mayor and to the members of the committee as a token of our appreciation for your commitment to us all right real quick let's give it up for these guys on EMF just know you had the mayor beat on that speech man tried say the full night okay all right is everyone ready okay you guys just moving a little closer does have a water lens John pop out just a little bit stop one two three you guys in the middle just hold that one second congratulations guys thank you you I apprciate that time or comes in all rightone here we go Mar speak for me I look of disappointment Mory looked at me and goes I already ordered over here okay our next presentation recognizing June 1st 2024 as Relay for Life day in the township of middl toown um I'd like to invite Relay for Life volunteer co-chair Amy Nolan to please join mayor Perry at the front of the room well uh Mo most of you do not know because all of you have have definitely heard of Relay for Life and the importance of of Relay for Life and you know Amy and I first met um I don't even know how many years ago now six seven years ago um at Salone kering where we were where they were having their kickoff event for Relay For Life and you know unfortunately the covid pandemic really um took a shot at the the turnout for relay for life and you know it's it's so important and the one thing that has stuck with me for so many years now and Amy told me this uh four or five years ago which it's great to talk about research it's great to talk about the things that are the big flashy items but it's those small things that Relay for Life takes care of uh and that that hit me hard uh and I know it hit a lot of others that heard that same thing was there are cancer patients out there that don't have a ride to go get their treatment there's cancer patients out there that don't have the ability to afford a hotel to be closer to the treatment center that they need to be at at 5:00 a.m. the next morning there's individuals out there who just need those small aspects of support those small items that can make the world a difference and Amy brought that to my attention um in fact Jim uh and his wife Jim Vanessa and his wife are are I I know big parts of it every single year um and uh the Relay for Life and I I really want to see Middletown get back out there and and be on that football field we we've had a string of bad luck with weather recently where we were we turned High School South into a sauna I think at one point um but the Relay for Life team here in Middletown at Amy's leadership just does amazing um the they do amazing and you know a long time ago some someone told me Tony the most impactful things that you're going to be able to do as an elected official as the mayor are the things nobody else hears about the things nobody there's going to be no headlines on there's going to be no press releases or news stories on it's going to be the Small Things Amy Nolan and Relay for Life are doing the small things every single day to make people's lives just a little bit easier and not only people but those cancer patients their families Relay for Life is doing that and you do it so well and you lead this organization so incredibly that I I'm humbled year after year to be with you and with so many young people to see them involved in making a difference you know this weekend I was at the be the difference walk for mental health and to see young people and as as as somebody who at least still believes that they're a young person um to see so many high school students participate to see so many high school students participate in your event I want to know what people are talking about when they say that the next generation is going to be worse off because if we can continue to have young people volunteer like they are right now we're going to do fine people are going to learn their way kids are going to learn their way they're going to be part of the solutions to the problems we won't fix all those problems but we will at least be the Catalyst to get to the solutions that we seek and Amy you and your team do a phenomenal job year after year so um please the floor is yours give give your yearly pitch thank you uh well after that got me a kind a little bit up here um no but we're very excited for this year's Rel life event um we're doing a little bit differently this year um but of course the the main the biggest thing is just to raise awareness and funds with the American Cancer Society um but beyond that it's also to bring awareness to the community of what the American Cancer Society does um and mayor Perry mentioned a number of things um a number of programs and ways that we can support people with cancer and their families um but some of the biggest ways are again what mayor per mentioned but also we have a 247 cancer help line so people need support if they need help they can call that number any any time of day or night any day of the year um and we actually there's a new resource that just came out and it's an app called ACS cares and the whole idea of the app is to help anyone who's been impacted by cancer nav naate that Journey whether they're a cancer patient a caregiver uh someone even if they're a little bit removed from the cancer but whether it just provides resources and information around services that can support that cancer patient uh and their family so uh we again we want to obviously have the community come out to support this cause um and this year we are doing our event uh a little bit differently we're actually really excited to work with uh the Middletown Police Department the fire department and the wonderful uh EMS Department uh to put on a touch of truck this year for our Community uh we really want to bring out families and bring out everybody and um it it is a tough cause sometimes but it is a worthy cause um we want to celebrate our cancer survivors uh we want to celebrate our caregivers we want to recognize the journey that they've been on whether it was you know 10 years ago or yesterday um and we just want everyone to come together to uh to support this cause uh and hopefully uh as we do that we raise more money as we do more research as we support our patients um early detection is huge we really want to again get that message out there to the community because if we can detect cancer early we can de beat cancer um so we want to just share these messages with the community so anyone you know if you can share out about our event and invite people to come uh we'd love to have everybody come we have like I said we have the touch of truck uh we will celebrate our cancer survivors uh we will do a 5K walk uh which is new this year it used to be a much longer event but we're shortening it up uh so we're going to have a 5K walk and then after the 5K walk we will wrap up with our luminaria ceremony uh which is once it gets dark we will have lights around the track and walk a laugh in silence to remember those lost to cancer um so we're really excited about the event it's next Saturday June 1st we hope to see you all there and uh we hope to see all of your friends and family join you as well so thank you so much let's give it up for Amy so I'm I'm just gonna very briefly tell a quick story about the the impact of of not going uh alone in your cancer fight there was a guest speaker a few years back who I I will never forget um I I I truly will never forget them um they talked about the Outlook that they had um on life after their cancer diagnosis they talked about how they felt defeated life was out to get them and this individual's college roommate I believe it was also got diagnosed cancer had the most positive outlook on life she was going to beat this cancer she was going to destroy it she was going to live her life she was going to continue on the fight the person who was cynical at first ended up Surviving cancer diagnosis the person who had a positive outlook and had the determination to defeat that cancer lost their battle with that cancer and now the reason I bring up that story is because because of people like Amy be because of Relay for Life there are resources there are individuals there is help out there and the fight against cancer is is not an individuals but a group effort and Amy Nolan Relay for Life and everybody that participates and raises it's just a single dollar for this great cause is a part of that fight for every other person that actually has received that diagnosis so I hope everybody will join Relay for Life on June 1st it's at uh South this year and I believe it's 5 to 9 so please get out there and if you can do just one thing share share it on social media be a part be a part of of spreading the word and if you can't be there support them in any way that you can um Relay for Life and and you do an amazing job Amy and we're grateful to have you as a part of the Middletown Community so thank you you guys ready one two okay okay we have the following proclamations uh for the record we have Proclamation recognizing May 23rd 2024 is red white and blue day in the township of Middletown we have a proclamation recognizing May 27th 2024 as Memorial Day in the township of Middletown and a proclamation recognizing June 2024 as pride month in the township of Middletown at this time we have the approval of minutes for April 22nd 2024 uh regular meeting and May 6 2024 Workshop meeting motion to approve second uh committee man Clark yes committee woman Katz yes Deputy Mayor hell yes mayor Perry yes motion carries to approve minutes at this time we have the uh resolution authorizing the township of Middletown uh for self-examination of the budget may have a motion motion second committee men Clark yes committee woman Katz yes Deputy Mayor hell yes mayor Perry yes motion carries to adopt resolution 24-65 at this time we have uh resolution 24-42 resolution authorizing 2024 Municipal budget this will be the public hearing any member of the public wishing to make a public comment on resolution 24-42 a resolution authorizing the 2024 Municipal budget see no member of the public stepping forward move to close the public portion and approve second committee man Clark yes committee woman kraatz yes Deputy Mayor hiel yes mayor Perry yes motion carries to adopt resolution 24-42 at this time we have public hearing on proposed ordinances our first ordinance 2024 3414 and ordinance amending chapter 240 d8 of the code of the Town CH of Middletown governing fire prevention local business registration fees any member of the public wishing to speak on public ordinance number 20243 414 seeing no member of the public stepping forward move the close the public portion and approve second committee man Clark yes committee woman Katz yes Deputy Mayor hell yes mayor Perry yes motion carries to pass this ordinance on second and final reading at this time we have proposed ordinance uh 202 24- 3415 Bond ordinance providing an appropriation of $1,100,000 for acquisition of property by and for the township of Middletown in the county of Mammoth New Jersey and authorizing the issuance of $145,000 in bonds or not notes of the township for financing part of the appropriation any member of the public wishing to speak on public ordinance number 2024 3415 Don come on down that's okay thanks Joe my name's Don Watson living at one Collinson Drive in new Mammoth uh I was just wondering what are we going to use this million dollars for this is to acquire the uh for the final acquisition of the treder property um which is the uh right off of wherwell Valley Road okay yeah so it's just a it's just an open space acquisition right and this is going to be open space funds correct very good thank you you got it any other member of the public wishing to speak on public ordinance 24 202 24- 3415 seeing no other member of the public stepping forward move the close the public portion and approve second committee man Clark yes committee woman Katz yes Deputy Mayor hiel yes mayor Perry yes motion carries a pass this ordinance on second and final reading at this time we have introduction of proposed ordinances our first ordinance 20243 416 an ordinance amending chapter 465 of the code of the township of Middletown governing parking restrictions along Schultz drive motion to introduce second committee man Clark yes committee women Katz yes Deputy Mayor hell yes mayor Perry yes motion carries to uh pass this ordinance on first reading with a public hearing to be held June 10th uh 2024 at this time we have ordinance 2024 D 3417 an ordinance authorizing AC acceptance of deed of easement and right of way and deed of site triangle easement over a portion of block 74 lots 10.01 10.02 and 10.03 on Atlantic Avenue motion to introduce second committe man Clark yes committee woman Katz yes Deputy Mayor hiel yes mayor car yes motion carries to pass this ordinance on first reading with a public hearing to be held June 10th 2024 at this time we have ordinance 202 24- 3418 an ordinance amending and restating ordinance number 20 23- 3371 solely as to the established fair market value for property identified as block 1045 Lot 2 nuts Swamp Road Block block 1045 lot 3 1114 nutswamp Road and block 1045 Lot 4 Dwight Road within the township of Middletown motion to introduce second committee man Clark yes committee women Katz yes Deputy Mayor hell yes mayor Perry yes motion carries to pass this ordinance on first reading with a public hearing to be held June 10th 2024 at this time we have ordinance 2024 3 419 an ordinance amending the code of the township of Middletown to establish State mandated Amusement game licensing standards motion to introduce second committee man Clark yes committee women Katz yes Deputy Mayor hell yes mayor Perry yes motion carries to pass this ordinance on first reading with a public hearing to be held June 10th 2024 at this time I'd like to ask the township committee to adopt a consent agenda which would include resolutions 24-1 166 through 24173 motion to approve a consent agenda second committee man Clark yes committee woman Katz yes Deputy Mayor hial yes mayor Perry yes motion carries to adopt consent agenda this time we have Township committee comments commit Clark excuse me uh thank you uh mayor uh first uh I wanted to congratulate Piper from uh the be the difference group um we participated in a uh a walk on Sunday and as mayor Perry spoke about uh earlier um they uh it was a bunch of young young people from our community of all ages you the primary group was young but there was people of all ages in from the community um there and the conversation about mental health is not an easy one uh it never has been and it never will be uh coming from the emergency services and we got a couple of chiefs here in uh from the first aid in the fire department uh mental health has always been a big conversation uh amongst the uh the strong willed men and women of the Emergency Services uh um and having been a young person in the in the emergency services and put myself in situations that I didn't think I needed help for at the time um makes makes an event like this more um more important to to be around because through the Emergency Services over the years we've been giving tools to to get better at that and talk about it more um in fact Chief morrisy and I were on a really bad call I think it was 1997 on on 520 and uh that call today to this day still haunts me but I went and got help for it and made things better and what the reason I'm bringing that up is because the young men and women of our community and and adults of our community don't always have the mechanisms in place or the guidance to uh find ways to go talk about things like this and um what Piper is doing bringing attention to it gives individuals might not have otherwise had that opportunity the opportunity to find ways and understand that there's other people out there that are dealing with the same thing so I just want to congratulate her on on such an amazing program Saturday and and hoping to see it grow uh year-over-year as the mayor discussed um at the uh at the event itself um and uh I had the opportunity to uh open up a new business in town on Sunday as well which was exciting uh nice young family um doing some occupational and speech therapy so spot on uh congratulations and good luck um to our EMS week that's the name of the business is spoton sorry spoton is the name of the business the ribbon cutting was spot on but it's also the name of the business correct um and uh uh a funny anecdote um the the mayor had something come up so I had to be the best designated uh representative I could and they kept on coming up and going is Mayor Tony coming is Mayor Tony coming and I said I said you got me today and every time they oh okay you get the night tell um so uh it was it was truly it was awesome to be there and see the new business open up but it was funny to to be on the receiving end of the head tilt so it was uh that was good um so congratulations to spot on a speech and occupational therapy uh company designed to help children in particular um and they're in the Union Square shopping center uh and for our EMS Department um I uh I started my fora into the emergency services through first aid uh I joined linro first aid as a Cadet in uh 1994 my junior year of high school and it's kind of what launched me into uh my service to the community um my friends had all joined and I kind of got jealous that they kept on leaving and coming back with these stories about things that they were doing and um from there I I went from first aid I joined the fire department and did both of those and had the privilege of being a chief in the department uh for a few years for five years and from 2013 to 18 um but the work that you guys do is invaluable to the community um and it's evolved over the years you know it started it it was evolving when I joined right it was there's always these stories about what the first aid is and what it was going to be and all this other stuff and you know I I've been very lucky to see it evolve and be part of that Evolution and uh you guys are doing a great job navigating all those Waters and uh just make sure that Captain fer knows that I recognize the EMS uh in in my discussion here I was yeah he'll get a text don't worry um and then uh I just want to congratulate our CFO and the and the rest of the team for the budget we passed tonight it was uh an extremely responsible budget that um addressed some pretty significant needs within the community and uh I'm glad to have been part of the group that uh was able to ratify it tonight so thank you very very much that's all I got tonight mayor all right thank you committee Clark committee woman Katz I don't know that was a lot Ryan sorry I don't know if there's anything left last meeting so I had a lot you had to make up for us oh my goodness so I'd like to just Begin by saying markup there are very few times where Perry over here kind of gets upstage so hiel kind of did The Jig he wasn't looking but your speech is awesome so congratulations we all giggle ourselves silly when that happens it was great it was fabulous so I also just wanted to say thank you in addition for our challenge coin it's something I'll treasure really it's awesome and um many thanks to all of you to to our EMS this town is something special when it comes to our volunteers and we're so fortunate and so blessed to have such a committed community that understands and steps up to the plate time and time again and and you really said it perfectly walking out of the door leaving your families um mayor pointed out too fabulous to see so many young people you know volunteering I follow everybody on social media too so I love when you you know the EMS cadetes are posting you know their events and their trainings and it's really it's great to see too so many many thanks for all of that and also congratulations to our two new police officers um I'm I get to work with them a lot so um it's always great to to add two of them for sure so that's it was that short enough she got got you pick up officer Davis I got you all right Deputy Mayor wow what a special day today is does everyone know what today is oh I didn't say oh my god oh we got a big day it's my sister's birthday today and the mayor's birthday so big day here happy birthday to the mayor uh congratulations to our new officers uh it's it's always so impressive to see the um I talked to Howe Bray's son today and uh um Howe and I used to have some uh some wonderful baseball G or softball games back in the day and I said uh you got to straighten your dad out now because he was a tough uh tough one to play ball against but it it's nice to see the uh these uh uh These Fine gentlemen that we get every time or fine ladies that we get every time uh joining our Police Department um Marco you definitely did it tonight buddy got him uh he doesn't even know what to do over here this challenge coin is really Shar man I'm gonna Carri us around here so thank you uh thank you for uh all you guys do uh you had a lot of members here tonight so that's it's pretty special thank you that's all I have mayor all right thank you um just a couple things I just again want to thank the entire team here at Town Hall that was uh was assisting Tara laa Raven uh with uh the be the difference walk there's a lot of coordinating that has to be done with that did a phenomenal job Piper congratulations to her um on uh what I believe uh she told me was a record-breaking from last year which is always good in terms of the funds raised for uh the suicide prevention uh and awareness uh Foundation so congratulations to her uh I want to thank the chief the deputy Chiefs uh and the department on our two new hires um and I also want to thank them um for a beautiful police memorial um that took place last Friday last last uh week was Police Week um which was founded by John President John F Kennedy um and just uh once again to see uh some former Chiefs to see uh former police officers together uh pay tribute to the all the officers that are memorialized outside of town hall uh it's always a a very moving uh and and beautiful tribute that they do um so I want to thank them I want to thank all the small businesses that came out uh to our Small Business Roundtable 50 businesses came out last uh Thursday I want to say Tuesday thank you Raven uh last Tuesday for um for our annual small business event um which has been we've only uh missed one year due to the pandemic uh in 2020 but something that we've done this year our theme was talking about the master plan the town's master plan and how the businesses can be involved and should be involved in helping shape and craft the master plan for the town um and the ways that they can get involved with that um really the the true goal of that of that get together of that breakfast is so that businesses can work with each other I mean that that really is the goal because everybody needs an insurance company everybody needs a real estate agent everybody needs a a a tax professional payroll supervisor all these different things and they can all work together um and they should work all all together and it's it's gotten uh it's grown so much that we welcomed a couple other towns that they the owners are Middletown residents but they are bu businesses are are in other towns so um it's great to to join all them I know committee women craats was there um but just uh great to get together with all of our all those small businesses um final thing I just want to bring up Memorial Day um I hope everybody can take a moment um this Monday is our Memorial Day Parade um I hope everybody can take a moment and join us um it's always great to gather to pay respects to those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice but celebrate our country celebrate what they've given up in order for us to enjoy the freedoms and Liberties that that we all enjoy today um it begins steps off at 10: a.m. so I hope all of you can uh join us it's it's all on our website Middletown nj.org for all the information I know it just went out there on social media as well so um I hope all of you can join us for that uh with that being said I'll open up for public comment we ask that you state your name and address for the record and that you keep your comments to 5 minutes at four minutes I'll let you know that you have one minute remaining with that being said any member of the public wishing to make a public comment John come on down John Spinelli 91 barington uh first happy birthday mayor Perry I've heard your uh Frank palone years an office years old uh I I can't confirm or deny that I don't know uh round roundabout number okay um I just want to say um thank you guys also for the police week and uh the EMS kind of support today we uh it's really just a really nice Ceremony this just this past two weeks um I just had two questions about two two items um um is there any um like public hearings or uh discussions with the uh the Redevelopment plan on 35 about the um the commercial part of the Middletown Village I know there's some I know there's a court case or something going on so I was just kind of curious if there's like any public hearings going on um it's it's in litigation right now the town has obviously taken the steps that it has um in order to uh um I thought you were going to stop me and tell me I can't say anything more uh it's okay so far John I I'd be I'd be going real hard right now if Nelson wouldn't hold me back uh I understand know um listen we are going to do the right thing for that for that property and we all of us up here uh Kevin included um have made a commitment to to do what is right for that property we are going to continue to fight what I believe and what the township committee believes is to be um a unmonitored unregulated uh effort to overdevelop towns all throughout the state of New Jersey um I don't stand for it um none of the members of the township committee are going to stand for it and we're going to continue to to a battle and and take the fight where it belongs in order to um ensure that the quality of life that we all enjoy today is preserved for future Generations that's why all of us sit up here all of us have kids all of us have uh a future where we envision our kids living in this great town uh taking advantage of our proximity to the the beach to Sandy Hook to great restaurants to New York City all over we have that Envision of of our kids growing up in in this town there's not one of us up here that will say that we don't and we are going to fight like hell and we are going to do what is right for this town for its residents and for what I believe to be the template for the Revival of this state in terms of bringing Common Sense back to its policymaking so to answer your question at some point there will be an open conversation but as a right now is there is uh Court you know court cases and litigation that prevent that that uh from from happening kind of uh in the open at this point okay um the other question well not really a question just kind of an idea I had um with the uh kind of with the property going across the highway I notic there's like some kind of like over overgrown grass right now um just on Highway 35 but I actually had an idea I kind of wanted to share of the township of kind of planting uh red and white roses there to kind of uh show the colors of the the flag I thought it' be a nice little uh where is that where you referring to uh the the property here if you if you go south on 35 there's like some like grass and trees asure kind of on the highway side or Kings Highway uh this this way if you're going south like say you're you're driving to Red Bank uhuh there's there's some grass kind of I I mean I think I think I know where the ret near where the retaining wall is yeah okay I was just I thought it I just had an idea like maybe pop a color over there especially with the the color the of the stone that uh the retaining wall is built out of so it's not a bad idea at all just want to kind of bring that up as I it maybe project idea so I'm looking at Lura text T um all right thanks John thanks appreciate it all right you got it any other member of the public wishing to make a public comment seeing no other member of the public stepping forward move the close the public portion and adjourn second yes woms yes Deputy Mayor hell yes mayor Perry yes motion carries to adjourn have a great night everybody thank you all so much