of the township of moris February 21st 2024 the time is now 7 PM this meeting is being held in accordance with the open public meetings act and adequate notice of this meeting has been provided as required by law specifically notice of this meeting was emailed to the Daily Record and the mors newsby on January 5th 2023 2024 and posted on the township of Mars website the agenda and resolutions for the meeting are available on www.ar wp.com under agena agenda Center certain portions of this meeting may be closed to the public for the perp oh I'm sorry I'm reading the wrong statement you're right you're right oh no okay uh for the purpose of personnel Andor other matters as outlined in the Sunshine Law notice to members of the governing body and Township staff any use of electronic devices during this meeting meeting shall be used solely for the purposes of Township business and any communication are subject to the open public records act Madame clerk roll call please Mr gazelle here Mr Dorthy here Mr ravitz here Mr janata here mayor Gia here could we now have the police department presentation of the colors time left face free and arms and now we'll do the Pledge of Allegiance I pledge aliance to the of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice arms for arms parade rest thank you at this time we the T Mars Township committee would like to recognize Mars toown high school girls volleyball team as the north Jersey state champion could I please have Smitty Horton athletic director of the volleyball and Coach Kathy hormaza come to the podium congratulations thank you hi ladies I just have a couple well I don't know if you can hear me on this just have a couple remarks quickly um the moristown girls volleyball team had an historic season winning the first mors County tournament title they did all this with a firste coach who set a huge standard coach Kathy hormaza credits her team with playing with complete confidence which is something she instilled in them all season she knew that they were talented enough but it was the confidence that would put them over the top the group final was morristown's first loss of the season ending with a record of 23 in one they went all the way to the group four state finals and lost to a team from South Jersey they are the north Jersey state champions and an interesting Sports statistic on August of 2023 the all-time record of over 92,000 fans showed up for the Nebraska Omaha D1 women's volley volleyball game and the first televised NCAA Championship women's volleyball game between Texas and Nebraska averaged 1.7 million viewers when it went up against an NFL game so for those of you who think that women's sports are not exciting enough or aren't fast enough or won't bring F fans to the stadiums you are actually falling into the minority hopefully we will see our Marist toown athletes excel in whatever they choose to do and know that the experiences they shared on this championship team will remain a lifetime memory congratulations and now we'll have present your certificates okay we want to read them off and have the come up if you would come up and then if you'll for a lot go right in front of the de okay uh before we get started thank you all very much for having us here tonight I'm going to pass the mic off to coach Kathy here in a second I just wanted to um tell you a little bit about our coach it was mentioned that we were 23 and one this year I think we'll have her back next year um so for those that don't know Kathy is actually a full-time police officer uh who works the evening ships for the transit department so she actually uh starts her day off with us at 3 o'clock in the afternoon coaching our athletes she's not only the girls coach in the fall season but she's our boys coach as well uh in in the spring season so I just wanted to say that she's not only a superhero at night but she's a Superhero during the day for our athletes so nice round of applause Applause for Kathy H I'm very bad at public speaking so I'm going to keep it very short I'm very thankful to even have this opportunity to present our girls um they worked so hard as you can tell our record shows um since the very beginning of our season they went from winning a tournament to not losing a game um we went on to win the Morris County tournament we won and we beat the number one state in the the number one team in the state which was uh very exciting um because it finally gave us the recognition that we very much deserved um thank you guys for having us here and let me just start off with our girls all right Gwen Atkins go just go to line up Haley Atkins Sarah bogert Grace Fenton Fletcher go Jenna manahan Ashley Padilla Kate seagull Isabella Stefan Isabella tapus and Mary wislo I do have two players that are um also very big of basketball stars and they're playing right now in a state round game uh it was Rachel van skyver and Maya Somerville they're very big um players in our team and I think they deserve to be recognized as well and this is my incredibly talented team and I am looking forward to so many more accomplishments to come and I hope that you guys get a little intrigued and follow our games here and there and hopefully um I see them going to more County and State Games and hopefully you guys can make it out to them all right thank you so much and who's going to take the picture definely out it's okay that's thank you yeah thank thank you congratulations thanks so are we doing this come up will do the swearing in Jeff okay I just also wanted to mention that um several of the girls on the team many of them are Mars Township residents so we're excited about that as well that's that's nice because sometimes in the township here we we share with everything with marown but it's nice to recognize that we have some of our very own on the team as well at this time we are going to go into the swearing the Promotional and swearing in ceremony with the Mars Township Police Department before we do that I would like to recognize that sen Senator Anthony Buco is here we welcome you to the township committee meeting so if I could have Chief Shear please come to the podium and attorney Jared caner will do the swearing in I want to thank everybody for coming out tonight um for this joyous occasion for us welcoming three new members into the Morris Township Police Department I still hear some of the volleyball girls out there I'm hoping they'll be applying to the police department in a few years after they uh come back from college always nice to see um before we get started I just want to kind of come over or go over a statistic that had recently come out as far as Auto thefts which is something that you know is plaguing the entire State Mars county has actually seen a 26% reduction in Auto thefts and we're the only County that's currently seeing a reduction in those crimes and part of that reason is is the men and women that are here today um for the work they do in day in and day out and uh obviously also here to welcome our three new uh members so just a a round of applause for the work that they've been doing and appreciate it so every time we get to hire somebody new and like I said currently we are hiring it for me it's kind of like uh a birthday um you think of all the great gifts you want to get and you think of all the different characteristics you're looking in a gift um and these guys uh are like that for me I'm finding all the characteristics that I want to see in a police officer that's here to serve mors Township and in the short time that we've had them it's like I've opened up the the gifts and it was better than I ever could have imagined um the short time that they've been here they really kind of showed what we saw in the interview and what we saw in their training uh before joining us so we're super excited to have them and I kind of give you a brief insight into kind of what their backgrounds were before uh they've come here to to Mars Township to be a police officer so first I'd like to introduce uh patrol officer Ryan Carlin stand right over here here whatever works officer Carlin was hired by this agency in July of this year upon being hired patrolman car Carlin entered the Morris County Police Academy's Basic Police recruit class and graduated on November 30th of 2023 patrolman Carlin grew up in chadam where he graduated from chadam high school upon his graduation officer Carlin continued his education at Widner University where he obtained his bachelor's degree while in the police academy officer Carlin was recognized by his fellow recruits as as the merit award winner so obviously not just something that we saw in him but his fellow recruits also saw something as well and that was something that they voted on and he was recognized for that at his graduation patrolman car comes toor's Township with previous law enforcement experience as a patrol officer in Denver Colorado before deciding coming back home to the east coast patrolman Carin enjoys woodworking skiing and maintaining an active lifestyle through Sports and if you guys have the opportunity as residents Council people I encourage you to have a conversation with officer Carlin just really a Straight Arrow very kind uh uh compassionate person and and really genuine in those conversations you have with him so we're super excited to have him with us and he's joined here today by his wife Gabriella his son jack and the rest of his large family who came to see this uh special event mayor grig and the township committee I proudly present to you officer Ryan Carlin you Ryan Carlin solemnly swear that you will support the Constitution of United States and the constitution of the state of New Jersey and will bear faith and allegiance to the same and to the governments established in the United States and in this state under the authority of the people so help you God I do repeat after me I Ryan Carlin I Ryan Carlin do solemnly swear do solemnly swear that I will Faithfully that I will faithfully impartially and justly impartially and justly perform all the duties perform all the duties a police officer a police officer of the township of Morris Police Department of the township of Morris Police Department according to the best of my ability according to the best of my ability so help me God so help me congratulations just I'll just leave it like that fix congratulations snap a couple pictures next one yep next one next I'd like to introduce officer Chris furing obviously every time I'm around officer furing I remember how short I've been my whole life so it certainly has a a presence patrolman Chris furing was hired by this agency in July of this year upon being hired patrolman feuring entered the Essex County Police Academy's Basic Police recruit recruit class and graduated on December 6 2023 and again this is rare it's not going to sound like it's rare today because I'm saying it twice but officer furing also received the merit award for his uh which was voted by his peers at the Essex County Police Academy and as far as I can remember it's the First Merit award winners we've had that come through the academy at least as long as I've been here and the fact that we had two was something that uh I'm really proud of and again look forward to the work they both going to do officer furing grew up in hasell New Jersey where he graduated from from Lakeland Regional High School upon his graduation Patrol and furing attended the County College of Mars and later entered the Air Force rising to the rank of senior Airman patrolman furing then attended Rowan University where he obtained his bachelor's degree patrolman furing comes to Mor's Township with a very diverse background and this is one of my favorite things I didn't think I'd ever be able to say in this profession but patrolman furing started out his uh young adult life as professional gamer moved on to a senior Airman and now a patrol officer patrolman furing enjoys staying active through working out and playing sports patrolman furing is joined here today by his brother Jason and his mom Kathy mayor cariglia and the township committee I proudly present to you patrol officer Christopher furing this officer fearing's brother is a cop and Jefferson do you Christopher furing solemly swear that you will support the Constitution of United States and the constitution of the state of New Jersey and will bear faith and allegiance to the same that the governments established in the United States and in this state under the authority of the people so help you God I do repeat after me I Christopher furing I Christopher furing do solemnly swear do solemnly swear that I will Faithfully that that I will faithfully and partially and justly and partially and justly perform all the duties of police officer perform all the duties of police officer of the township of Morris Police Department of the township of Morris Police Department according to the best of my ability according to the best of my ability so help me God so help me God congratulations okay where don't worry about getting it you can play it congratulations again congratulations congratulations good youat and last but certainly not least officer Samantha nkuzi I I've been very excited for for officer nkuzi to start her work here in mors Township from from the the day we interviewed her I I thought that she really had something special but then there was about a week or so that I I almost felt like I regretted because everywhere I went somebody came up to me and said oh you hired Sam Sam's great and as soon as somebody said hey I want to talk to you about somebody you hired I knew immediately they were going to talk about Sam and they were going to tell me what a great person she is so already uh impacted plenty of people throughout her life that I know are super excited for her on this journey so just to give you a quick background on on officer Sam here officer Samantha nzi was hired by this agency in July of this year upon being hired patrol officer nkuzi entered the Morris County Police Academy's Basic Police recruit class and graduated on November 30th of 2023 offer yuzzi grew up in Jefferson where she graduated from Jefferson High School upon upon graduation officer nkuzi continued her education at William Patterson University where she obtained her bachelor's degree officer nzi came to Mars Township with a great passion to pursue a career in law law enforcement and it's something that has been evident from day one off kozi enjoys staying active through exercise and practicing jiujitsu so we already like to compare up with some of the guys here just to watch her give him a beating is one of our favorite things so officer nzi is joined here today by her parents her inlaws and her husband Tim mayor giglia and Township committee I proudly present to you patrol officer Samantha nkuzi right behind it do you Samantha nzi solemnly swear that you will support the Constitution of United States and the constitution of the state of New Jersey and bear faith and allegiance to the same and the governments established United States and in this state under authority of the people so help you God I do repeat after me I Samantha nzi I Samantha nzi do swear do solemnly swear that I will Faithfully that I will faithfully impartially and justly impartially and justly perform all the duties of police officer perform all the duties of the police officer of the township of Morris Police Department of the township of Morris Police Department according to the best of my ability according to the best of my ability so help you God so help me God congratulations congratulations welcome congratulations like to introduce next um or before I introduce members of the police committee next I just want to say thank you for everybody that came out today uh officers off duty working coming in to to join us in this special occasion and also just thanks thank you to the uh Township committee for your continued support uh of the things we're able to go out and do in the community so thanks again and I'd like to turn it over to committee committeeman Jeffrey grelle is also a member of the police standing committee thanks just so everybody knows how things run in our town we have a five- member Township committee uh the mayor gets nominated every year so you might see a rotating mayor from year to year for the new people who are are just coming on board and we have an oversight two people from the committee have oversight over different uh functional responsibilities in the municipality and myself and committee man Bud rabbits have oversight over the police department so that's why we're up here tonight um given given the police ceremony that that we're here for tonight I think it's only appropriate that we first recognize the Fallen police officers and firefighter that were lost a few days ago in Burnsville Minnesota these police officers were on the job responding to a domestic violence incident and they were victims of more senseless gun violence in our country and in their honor I would like to ask everyone to rise for a moment uh for a moment of silence if we could very good thank you very much uh next I'd like to acknowledge the retirement of Officer Carman Picolo after 23 years on our police force I wanted to wish him well and thank him for his years of service to the force uh all of us on the governing body appreciate all that he's done for our municipality now that the next generation of police officers are entering our ranks uh we're here to celebrate that occasion for those who have previously had the opportunity to listen to my commentary from the de in this room you know that I am an Ardent supporter of our Police Department I regularly remind the public of the responsibilities our officers have and that you come to work every day to put your lives on the line to protect our community and that one never knows when a routine traffic st stop might turn bad or in the case what happened in Minnesota uh responding to domestic violence incident so we are grateful very grateful for the responsibility that you have chosen to take on here in our town you're an integral part of the community not only protect protecting our residents but also being a critical resource for residents both to educate them and to assist those in need and on behalf of the entire governing body I would like to thank all of the officers here and the Command Staff in our Police Department for all their fine work all of you make us proud each and every day officer Christopher fearing officer Ryan Carlin officer Samantha nkuzi Welcome To Mars Township we have a professional and proud force in our town and we expect you to uphold that professionalism each and every day and we hope that you will carry that with pride that Pride with you when you're out in the community I urge you to get to know the residents by introducing yourself around town I always encourage our res our officers to get out of their cars and say hello to Residents in the Parks at a baseball game if you stop by or if you even see just somebody walking their dog in the street just say hello get to know our residents and let them get to know you and please always be compassionate when it's warranted remember that everyone has good days and bad days we all make mistakes some out of neglect some because we're not thinking things through properly and I personally believe that most people can learn from their errors so while the summons might be in order in many cases sometimes the simple warning is all that's needed so use your best judgment when you're out in those situations good luck to all three of you and behalf on on behalf of the governing body we wish each of you a long and prosperous career here in morish Township thank you I can I can almost read this uh ladies and gentlemen it's hard to expand upon you know what my colleague has said so I'll go with in my own in my own way and and uh keep in mind that uh Jeff's words were very profound uh we GA we're gathered here to congratulate and celebrate a group of remarkable individuals officer Christopher fur furing officer Ryan Carlin and officer Samantha nkuzi they have chosen a path of service dedication and sacrifice it is with great pride and joy that we extend our heartfelt congratulations to our newest police officers and officially welcome them to Mars Township embarking on a career in law enforcement is is no small feat it requires a unique blend of Courage integrity and a profound sense of Duty today we stand witness to a group of individuals who have embraced these qualities wholeheartedly as they step into the noble profession of policing here in Mars Township we can't help but be filled with admiration admiration for the commitment that they have displayed throughout their rigorous training in a world that often presents complex challeng Alles and evolving uncertainties these officers have undergone extensive preparation to uphold the principles of Justice protect our community and maintain public order their dedication to the well-being of society is both commendable and inspiring it is crucial to acknowledge the sacrifices that come with the badge the long hours the inherent risks and the emotional toll of facing the unknown these officers have not only only accepted these challenges but have embraced them with a sense of purpose that sets them apart their willingness to stand in on the front lines to be the Guardians of our community deserves our deepest respect and gratitude as they took their oath today let us not only congratulate them but also pledge our unwavering support policing is a collective effort and our newest three officers Christopher Ryan and Samantha will rely on the guidance and the encouragement of their fellow officers their mentors and the communities they serve together let us Foster an environment that nurtures their growth provides them with the tools they need and encourages the spirit of camaraderie to our newest members of the Mars Township law enforcement family your journey is just beginning may you face each challenge with the same determination that brought you you here today as you embark on this Noble Calling May you always remember that you have the support of not just your colleagues but the entire community that believes in the principles that you uphold congratulations and may your careers be marked by compassion fairness and unwavering commitment to the service of others thank you to Chief sheer and thank you to Deputy Mayor grel and committeeman Bud rabitz who are on our police standing committee for your words I'd also like to at this time um thank the families of our new officers for all the support you gave them along the way to help them achieve their goals and become part of the Mars Township Police Department at this time um we would like to have the police retire the colors ATT fo order arms right Face Forward March we will now have a five minute recess the time is 7:32 so we'll be back here at 7:37 thank you and where is SAA SAA committee having kids it's like hurting cats I call this regular meeting of the township Committee of the township of moris this Wednesday February 21st 2024 back to order the time is now 7:39 we have two proclamations this evening and the first one we are going to recognize the growing problem of anti-Semitism in America and this will be read into the record by Township committee man Bud rabbits thank you good evening everybody once again uh before I begin I just want to recognize the fact that uh assembly woman Ora dun could not be here she sends her regrets and she thought that this this occasion important so important that she did send uh her her legislative Aid uh James castanza here uh to represent her office so thank you for coming for that all right so once again ladies and gentlemen uh esteemed guests and residents of our community and and those who have come from other communities these opening remarks uh are my public commentary this evening so I ask my colleagues to indulge me as I go a little bit out of order my colleagues and I felt it necessary to create and read into the public record a proclamation against anti-Semitism it's disheartening that we find this necessary in the 21st century I want you all to know that my remarks and the proclamation have nothing to do with us politics or the politics of any other Nation neither are they a statement about US foreign policy or the any policy of any other Nation anti-Semitism transcends individual beliefs and affiliations and it speaks to the very core of our shared commitment to Justice equality and human dignity the subject at hand is the pressing need for an anti-Semitism Proclamation a collective statement that unequivocably condemns the rising tide of hat hatred and and discrimination against the Jewish Community we are united in the belief that every individual deserves to live free from discrimination and Prejudice in recent years we have witnessed a disturbing Resurgence of anti-Semitic incidents around the world from verbal attacks and discriminatory practices to acts of violence and desecration of synagogues the alarming reality is that that anti-Semitism persists as a pervasive Force undermining the principles of Tolerance and diversity that form the Bedrock of our Democratic societies this is a matter which dep demands our Collective attention and unwavering dedication to combating hatred in all its forms anti-Semitism a historic and persistent Prejudice continues to cast a dark shadow on our Global community it's an affront to the principles of humanity and a challenge to the values that bind us as a society the historical backdrop of anti-Semitism is marked by centuries of persecution discrimination outrageous lies and unspeakable atrocities while we may hope that such dark chapters belong to the past the unfortunate truth is that anti-Semitism has found new expressions and manifestations in the modern era its persistence is a dark reminder that the fight against hatred is an ongoing struggle the proclamation we are about to hear is not merely a statement of condemnation it's a declaration of our refusal to stand idly by in the face of discrimination bigotry and intolerance it's a commitment to fostering an environment where all individuals regardless of their background can Thrive without fear of persecution an anti-Semitism Proclamation serves not only as a symbolic denouncement of prejudice but also as a practical tool to raise awareness and educate our communities by formerly acknowledging the urgency of this matter we send a powerful message that we refuse to tolerate bigotry in any form as we listen to the words of the pro clation let us reflect on the lessons of history and the atrocities committed against the Jewish people let us remember the importance of standing together against hate prejudice and discrimination in the spirit of unity let us reaffirm our dedication to creating a world where diversity is celebrated and every person is treated with dignity and respect by acknowledging and addressing anti-Semitism we not our only safeguarding the well-being of the Jewish Community but also reinforce the foundation of a society that values the inherent worth of every individual this Proclamation serves as a parel for reminder that our commitment to Justice requires continued VI vigilance and active engagement moreover an anti-Semitism Proclamation underscores our Collective responsibility to safeguard the values of pluralism religious freedom and mutual respect as we consider the need for this Proclamation let us be clear our commitment to combating anti-Semitism anti-Semitism is not a solitary Endeavor it is part of a broader commitment to fostering a world where all people can coexist harmoniously just as anti-Semitism threatens the Jewish Community it erodes the very fabric of of our shared Humanity humanity and diminishing us all in conclusion let us remember the words of Ellie vizel Holocaust Survivor and Nobel Laurette who said the opposite of love is not hate it's indifference by coming together to address anti-Semitism headon we reject the indifference and reaffirm our dedication to building a world that upholds the dignity and worth of every individual together we can build a world where the principles of Tolerance and acceptance triumph over hatred and the flame of Justice illuminates the path for generations to come Rabbi Shimon Ben halaa said the Blessed Holy One found no vessel which could hold Israel's blessing except Shalom for it is written may the Lord grant his people strength may the Lord bless his people with Shalom to that I amend that all people should be granted peace barem I'll Now read the proclamation after which I will invite each of our guest speakers to offer their remarks recognizing the growing problem of anti-Semitism in America whereas the principles of equality tolerance and respect for University are fundamental to the foundations of a just and compassionate society and whereas history Bears witness to the devastating consequences of hatred discrimination and persecution based on religious beliefs particularly the heinous crimes committed against the Jewish people during the Holocaust and whereas anti-Semitism persists as a grave threat to the principle of Human Rights and the Dignity of individuals undermining the fabric of harmonious coexistence and whereas recognizing the importance of fostering a society that values inclusivity understanding appreciation and the rich tapestry of cultures and faiths that that contribute to our shared humanity and whereas it is incumbent upon us to unite in our commitment to combat all forms of discrimination and Prejudice and actively work towards eradicating anti-Semitism from our communities now therefore we Proclaim that we condemned unequivocally the acts all acts of anti-Semitism including hate speech discrimination and violence directed against individuals or communities based on their Jewish identity we reaffirm our dedication to up holding the principles of religious freedom and ensuring the right of every individual to practice their faith without fear of persecution we support education and awareness programs that Foster understanding tolerance and respect for diverse cultures religions and backgrounds with a particular emphasis on the history and impact of anti-Semitism we encourage collaboration between government agencies Civil Society organizations educational institutions and religious communities to develop strategies and initiatives aimed at and aimed at preventing and countering anti-Semitism we call upon leaders at all levels of society to use their influence to promote a culture of inclusivity where diversity is celebrated and discrimination is not tolerated we express our solidarity with the Jewish community and Stand United in the pursuit of a world where every individual regardless of their faith can live free from Fear Prejudice and hatred in witness where whereof we the undersigned declare this Proclamation against anti-Semitism affirming our commitment to building a world that Embraces diversity Fosters understanding and values the inherent Dignity of every human being and with that I'd like thank you and with that I'd like to uh invite up our first guest speaker uh associate director of the American Jewish committee um Danielle Cohen shreer thank you for having me here tonight and for this important Proclamation it is truly heartwarming to hear the township affirm its opposition to discrimination and bigotry and specifically to acknowledge that anti-Semitism is a problem in society today the American Jewish committee AJC recently released our 2023 state of anti-Semitism in America survey results and I'd like to highlight just a few statistics for you that demonstrate just how needed this Proclamation is I should note that our field work for this survey first began on October 5th 2023 but after hamas's October 7th attacks in Israel we worked with our contracted research firm to pull the survey revise it and then launch it again on October 17th our survey focuses on the impacts of anti-Semitism how it's viewed by Jews and the general public and what happens when anti-Semitism infects our society learning about who commits AC of Jewish hat hatred is important but we also need to shine a light on how anti-Semitism has a corrosive effect on all of society what did we find nearly nine in 10 Jews and the general population believe anti-Semitism is a serious problem in fact in just one year there has been a 12 percentage Point increase in us adults who say anti-Semitism is a very serious problem 36% of young American Jews aged 18 to 29 were the personal Target of anti-Semitism in the last 12 months compared to 22% over the age of 30 and lastly one of our more significant findings 63% of American Jews said the status of Jews in the US is less secure than a year ago more than a 20% Point increase in just one year and a 30 percentage Point increase in two years the number one reason given for feeling this way is the Hamas Israel war so I want to thank you again for taking the steps to recognize and address anti-Semitism in Morris Township I'd like to invite our second speaker uh president of the Jewish Federation of Greater Metro West New Jersey Michael Goldberg thank you very much every everybody and for the courage and um putting forth this Proclamation it's not easy to do not all towns have had the courage to do it um it is a little especially at this point in time a little bit of um not a conflict but it's it's a divided society which you don't want to talk about um but it it unfortunately U that's where we are um I just wanted to mention um my grandfather uh Philip mandle BAL of blessed memory uh grew up in Poland and immigrated to the United States when he was about 12 years old in in the late 1920s and one of the reasons he left Poland and that time was the fact that as a as a young man when he used to come home from school uh kids used to throw rocks at him um anti-Semitism has existed for 100 years more than 100 years um and has shown its ugly head many times so it's not something to be taken lightly that hasn't existed but you know we all have to deal with is that come forth um before this but the first thing is to recognize it so that's why I appreciate your remarks and I don't want to be duplicative because you did a great job in talking about the history but only I was always learned to be additive so my grandfather always told me a lot of stories which I was mentioned to you is is you don't need to be friends with every Everybody you don't need to have enemies um it's very important that um you're able to walk down the street and say hello to everybody and not have to walk on the other side of the street and some of the story is for myself is the fact is I live I grew up in originally in Orange and then in Livingston and I live in a very diverse neighborhood and there's a family that moved in this was 15 years ago that moved in next to me um the Sha and I was driving home from work one night my wife says to me he says um we're going out to dinner with the SHA tonight and I said the Sha what do we have in common with the SHA um you know different ethnic background different uh Rel and so we ended up going out to dinner with them 15 years ago and ever since then we've been great friends he has more of a sense of humor than I do he has a better understanding of life it's you know important that as you were mentioning that we should educate ourselves understand each other and especially at the Jewish Federation that's part of what we're doing is educating about the history of each other ethnic groups and and doing that especially through our synagogues and other institutions so that's really a very important part of understanding and learning where we've come from to understand why anti-Semitism and other issues are um so important to to address and keep in front of us so the last thing I want to say is why this is so important to me is the fact that my grandfather always told me the most important thing in life is peace of mind that you should be able to go to sleep every night and sleep peacefully that you shouldn't have to worry about growing up in a community that is divided we should grow up in a community that gets along and that's how I look at this Proclamation is the fact that I just we you know it sounds easy we should all get along but we should get along there's nothing we live in the same Community we should all get along and that's really what I enjoy about listening to what you this Council and mayor have put forth tonight is the ability for us to recognize an issue and to move forward and hopefully address it in in a community setting and I appreciate everything you've done thank you thank you very much I'd like to invite up our next speaker um Senator Anthony Buco of the of the New Jersey legislative district number 25 thank you it is certainly an honor uh for me to be here tonight and I want to commend the township committee for taking this action um unfortunately hatred and anti-Semitism is growing in our neighborhoods but it's programs like tonight that shed the light on this problem and you cannot dispel the darkness of hatred without that light and education and that's what tonight is all about about shedding that light it's about giving each of you that little candle to take take home to your neighborhoods to remind your neighbors and your friends of what's most important hope and love that's what's most important you know no one is Born To Hate no one is born to hate people have to be taught to hate and it is incumbent upon all of us to make sure sure that we choose our words wisely that we teach our children and grandchildren the difference between right and wrong and love and hate you know there is more that unites us as a society than divides us and that's what we need to concentrate on what is important to each of us to share share with one another we are so blessed here in Mars County and in Mars Township to have the reinal college Abbi hon is here our families two generations now have supported each other and been there for each other that is the example to set when my father my late father was uh a Freeholder many years ago go and byerson came and said there are no sidewalks for us to walk to go and worship and my father took it upon himself with the rest of the freeholders to make sure that sidewalks were installed so that people could safely get to and from the college no one should have to worship or live in fear and we're blessed here too to have a great Sheriff Ed Sheriff Ganon Jimmy Ganon sheriff and I are good friends we went to school together and even before the horrific day of October 7th the sheriff has made sure that each one of our houses of worship including the reinal college has routine patrols because while we hope and we pray that we never have to witness a horrific act or an anti-semitic act close to home we can't take it for granted that it's not going to happen we have to be prepared and I talked to the sheriff about this often the sheriff and I go up for lunch every once in a while to the rabinal college to break bread and talk about the needs uh of uh of that wonderful place students from all over the world coming in to learn to dedicate their lives to Faith and then graduate and go out that's happening right here that's happening right here in Mars Township and in Mars County and it is a wonderful wonderful wonderful example for all of us to recognize wonderful example for all of us to recognize so so um I say this to anyone out there that may think that uh they are going to perpetrate an anti-semitic act think twice because the law enforcement officers you saw here tonight the sheriff's officers that you see and some that you don't are out there and they're paying attention and if you commit that act I can assure you that you will be caught you will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law because we have no place in our communities for those type of acts so I want to thank you tonight for the courage to to put this Proclamation forward because it does start the ball and hopefully the other municipalities around us in Mars County will follow suit amen because like that little drip into the pond that starts the circles going out that's what we really need we really need you know in in in my faith they say the pastor preaches to the choir preaches to the choir why because he wants the choir to sing wants the choir to sing so I think what the committee is asking for everyone here tonight and anyone who is listening to go out there and sing talk about what you heard tonight talk to your children your grandchildren your neighbors let it be known that the right way to act is with love and with hope thank you and God bless you thank you senator for those incredible stirring words uh before I read a prepared statement uh from Mikey congresswoman Mikey Cheryl's office I I will ask you that after I'm done reading this we have some uh proclamations that we're going to hand out uh I'd like to be able to offer that to our speakers tonight and also uh if you would please uh gather around uh up front and center for uh a group picture so Senator if you don't mind hanging out another minute or two all right so let me read a prepared statement from congresswoman Cheryl's office congresswoman Cheryl wishes she could be here tonight but she sent this statement to read on her behalf I know that the Jewish community in New Jersey and across the world is suffering from unfathomable pain sorrow and fear after horrific atrocities committed by Hamas terrorists on October 7 and I know that this pain continues four months in as many hostages still remain in Gaza and I want each of you to know that my heart is with you during this time of unimaginable grief the current War has forment a disgusting and inexcusable rise in anti-Semitism throughout our state and Country it is alarming to see this even in our schools with heightened reports of anti-Semitic and Islam islamophobic bullying from my beginning of my time in Congress I have been a member of the House bipartisan task force on combating anti-Semitism where we've worked across party lines to address the spread of anti-Semitism at home and abroad following hamas's attack on October 7 I voted a for a resolution to stand with Israel in defending itself against Hamas voted for a resolution to condemn anti-Semitism on college campuses campuses voted for a resolution calling for the release of all hostages held by Hamas and voted for a resolution reaffirming Israel's right to exist after hearing the disturbing and woefully inadequate Congressional testimony of some University presidents I reached out to all the presidents and colleges of of colleges and universities here in New Jersey um urging them to take concrete action to uh protect students and asking for their specific plans while I received many thoughtful responses from the University leadership it's clear that this must remain a constant priority and more must to be done to ensure that all students feel safe and welcome on campuses I want to thank Mars Township the Mars Township committee for taking this issue of anti-Semitism so seriously and committee men rabits for br bringing forth his proclamations actions like this one bring Solace to our communities and that concludes tonight um I would ask our speakers to come up Senator uh come on up for a uh picture and let me pres present you with a copy of the Proclamation come on come off the front hello most welcome stories to remember things that that you do you remember you remember things that you do by saying don't than you whatever you need on okay was just checking how many people we have at no we're not taking a break no at how many same at at this time I would first like to acknowledge and thank committee man rabitz for all your hard work on the proclamation it's very much appreciated by all of us and would also like to recognize our honored guests and everybody who's here and let you know that not only um does the township recognize the growing problem of anti anti-Semitism but we also want to work hard to find solutions to ending anti-Semitism so thank you all for being here we appreciate it very much at this time um our second Proclamation is recognizing February as Black History Month I just have a couple comments I want to make um we note in our Proclamation that as far back as 1915 the association for the study of African-American life and history was founded in 1926 black history week was initiated in February and then in 1976 the month of February was dedicated Black History Month celebrating the contributions experiences and many achievements of our African Americans the theme this year is African-Americans and the Arts African-American art covers African Caribbean and black American lived experiences the influence in our culture through all Fields including literature fashion folklore craft film music architecture and culinary Expressions has been Paramount although for centuries Western intellectuals minimized and ignored African American contributions not only to Art but to history as well we came to acknowledge and celebrate their contributions Blues M musicians such as McKinley muddy Waters Morganfield and Riley BB King created a style of music that became the Bedrock for gospel soul and other popular evolving forms of Music in 1973 Hip Hop was formed and continues to be a force in political social and cultural spaces there is a richness that continues to this day that we should all be thankful for right here at St Elizabeth University all month there's been in a presentation at the Teresa a Maloney Art Gallery called the ties That Bind how race relations shaped Mars County and New Jersey from 1688 to 2018 the exhibit is on loan from the Sankofa Heritage Collective of Mars County and explores over 300 years of race relations in the Mars County area it was organized by bethl church and Reverend Dr Sydney Williams Jr the pastor of bethl Church who was a driving force behind the exhibit so if you get a chance it's there until February 29th and you should really go see it are there any other committee members who have any comments they want to make before we move on just wanted to make address add I did ask them of the resolution to change Frederick Douglas's birth year from 1817 to 1818 mainly because the slave records were inconclusive in 1818 was the year that Frederick Douglas himself had calculated as his birth date and just to note that he chose February 14th because he wasn't sure of the exact date because his slave mother called him my Valentine and so in honor of her memory she he said February 14th was his birth date thanks thank you committee and janata and like I said it's always great to have our historian make sure that we have everything factual yes yes I also to here we go thank you I also want to acknowledge the fact that we have a couple of rabbis here um obviously the rabbis that are through bical college they're all moris Township residents because that's where they reside uh but we have other rabas that were here in the audience tonight that are residents of morish Township not only do they lead the congregations but their residents um we have Rabbi nessen who's Rabbi ameritus from moristown Jewish Center um Rabbi Amy small here is also moristown mors Township resident and we had Rabbi SATs from Temple benor who's also a Mor president so not only do they lead the congregations but they do reside in our municipality so I think it's a little extra special for them definitely thank you very much for being here thank you deputy mayor the next thing on the agenda is the approval of the minutes may I have a motion to approve the minutes from November 8th 2023 from December 4th 2023 and from December 20th 23 so moved all in favor all right we now come to the public commentary section of our meeting the first public commentary there are currently six members of the public joining us on Zoom at this time we will open the meeting to the public comment we'll take comments from in-person attendees first and then we'll switch over to zoom please virtually raise your hand in Zoom to indicate you would like to speak please state your name and address for the record before speaking please note that comments are limited to five minutes per speaker if you have questions you would like answered your remaining time to speak will be yielded back for this purpose is there a motion to open the public comment so moved second all in favor I I are there any members from the public who would like to speak are there any oh I'm sorry uh good evening good evening I'm Dan Maguire I'm CEO of Homeless Solutions uh with our shelter at 540 West Hanover Avenue in Morris Township uh we're the largest shelter in Morris County with 86 beds and during the winter 18 more in a winter warming Center for Street Homeless uh on January 27th we had a fire in our shelter uh a small refrigerator in the warming Center uh that was used to store a guest's insulin malfunctioned and caught fire fortunately it was in the afternoon and nobody was in the warming Center yet and nobody was hurt the alarms set off a massive multi- toown response and primary of which was the fast and substantial mobilization by Morris Township Fire the police department I'm sorry they had to leave uh and the Morris Minute Men When I arrived on the scene it was filled with fire trucks and other vehicles there were firemen coming and going out of every door an emergency personnel providing warmth and comfort to many of the guests in our program who had to evacuate the building for two hours I was incredibly heartened by the response and grateful to the professionalism that was on full display this also includes the Morris Township Health administrator driving over on her day off to inspect our kitchen which was on the same level as the fire in the warming Center um and certified by the township and to tell us what we needed to do to get it back online everyone was just fantastic uh we spent most of our 40-year history in Morris Township in the building at 540 West hover and I'd like to I think that's a point of Pride for the township um our shelter is an important life-changing facility for many individuals and families but I also know that it does generate many calls uh to the emergency service providers in the town none bigger than the one on January 27th so I'm here on behalf of our Board of Trustees our staff and our guests to say thank you to the emergency service providers and to the township we're really grateful for the partnership and thank you very much thank you thank you very much Mr McGuire we appreciate we always appreciate when somebody does acknowledge steps up and we know how great we have everybody here is in the township but it's especially nice of you to come and notice it as well thank you very much mayor yes uh could I also uh thank Mr McGuire for the work that you do in the community um you support a lot of people here and we appreciate all all that you and your staff do for us thank you uh I don't see any hands raised no seeing no other members of the public wishing to speak will someone make a motion to close the public comment so moved is there a second second all those in favor I we have two ordinances for public hearing and adoption on tonight's agenda Madame clerk please read the title of the first ordinance into the record and we will then open the public hearing ordinance 0124 Bond ordinance providing for 1,130 th000 by the township of Morris appropriating $1,130 th000 therefore including various grants in the aggregated amount of $1,130 th000 expected to be received and authorizing the issuance of $500,000 bonds or notes of the township to finance part of the cost thereof grant funding appropriation for Collinsville Tucker renovation project we will take comments from inperson attendees first and then we'll switch over to zoom please virtually raise your hand in Zoom okay I'll make aot okay may I make a mo thank you is there a second all those in favor so we will now take comments from in-person attendees first and then switch over to zoom please virtually raise your hand in Zoom to indicate if you would like to speak May okay sorry about that is there anybody who would like to speak seeing No Hands raised in Zoom may I have have a motion to close public comment second all those in favor may I have a motion to adopt number 0-24 is there any discussion or questions mayor I just like to make a comment that um this is a continued process to get the Reconstruction project of Collinsville Tucker playground under way um I believe this the total amounts that we'll be paying for this project is over $2 million and that's a mix of federal uh a million dollars in federal money over half a million dollars in state funding and over half a million dollars of Municipal funding this is a really um important project for the township it's a long time coming and I'm really excited that um we've been able to have a blend of funding from the federal state and local level this is something we've been aspiring towards for a long time uh and I'm glad it's been able to thank you committee and JY and again thank you for all your hard work in getting that that done second Madame clerk may I have a roll call Mr dorfy yes Mr Griselle yes Mr janada yes Mr Ritz yes mayor griglia yes I Donna J giglia mayor declare ordinance number 01 d24 approved and adopted and direct the Township Clerk to publish proper notice thereof in the official newspaper Madame clerk please read the title of the second ordinance into the record for public hearing and adoption and we will then open the public hearing ordinance 0224 an ordinance of the township Committee of the township of Morris authorizing the purchase of that certain property known as block 901 lot 6 in the township of moris County of moris state of New Jersey note purchase of State School 15 Jean Street we will take comments from in-person attendees first and then switch over to zoom may I have a motion to open the public hearing on ordinance 0224 all those in favor I I is there anybody from the public who would like to speak seeing No Hands raised on Zoom may I have a motion to close the public comment is there a second second all those in favor I I may I have a motion to adopt ordinance number 0224 second is there any other discuss discussion or questions again mayor if I will this is a huge step forward for the township I know every single member of this governing body supports this effort to transition the uh former State School into a community center uh this is going to take several years to come to fruition but we're fortunate to be able to kind of follow what we've learned from doing the conso project and learning from that to try to get federal state county uh and Municipal funding for this project this is going to take years um to to put together but we know we have the back of backing not only of this governing body but of our community to do this and I have all the confidence that we'll be able to get this done in the coming years it's very exciting project yes and just a piggyback on what uh Mark had was was saying this is part of the visioning process as as he had stated this is something that's going to take quite a number of years and multi-million dollars and we're going to be looking for funds you know under rocks wherever we can find it but it is incumbent upon you know your governing body to vision and see and have that foresight to say that okay well maybe we'll not be we won't be here when it's done but some other governing body will be able and the residents will be able to benefit from what we're doing here today so I applaud this purchase I think it's and I applaud the vision of the township committee members for moving forward with this project thank you Deputy Mayor grelle thank you I also want to acknowledge the help that Senator buo provided in helping uh us get to this point uh he was here earlier supporting moris Township and he has been here support before supporting M Morris Township and just wanted to acknowledge his role in this process thank you Madame clerk may I have a roll call vote Mr JY yes Mr Ritz yes Mr gazelle yes Mr janada yes mayor griglia yes I Donna J griglia mayor declare ordinance number 0224 approved and adopted and direct the Township Clerk to publish proper notice thereof in the official newspaper we have two ordinances for introduction on tonight's agenda Madame clerk please read the title of the first ordinance into the record ordinance 03- 24 an ordinance of the township of Morris County of Morris concerning salaries for non-use Union Personnel may I have a motion to introduce ordinance number yes Mr dorfy yes Mr janata yes Mr aitz yes mayor griglia yes the public hearing and final consideration and Adoption of ordinance number 03-242 2024 at 7 o'clock pm Madame clerk please read the title of the second ordinance into the record ordinance 0424 an ordinance of the town Township of Morris morrris County New Jersey concerning salaries for non-union Personnel fire department and committee M jori will recuse himself due to his role in the fire department may I have a motion to introduce ordinance number 04 d24 so moved second is madam clerk may I have a roll call vote U Mr janada yes Mr gazelle yes Mr JY Mr Ritz yes mayor mayor griglia yes the public hearing and final consideration and Adoption of ordinance number 0424 will be held at the next regular Township committee meeting on Wednesday March 20th 2024 at 7 pm we have 30 resolutions on tonight's agenda may I have a motion to approve resolution numbers 57- 24 through 86-24 by one motion I move that we adopt them in in Block second ma Madam clerk may I have a roll call vote Mr gazelle yes Mr Ritz yes Mr dorfy yes Mr janata yes mayor giglia yes next we have our consent calendar we have six items on the consent calendar this evening can I have a motion to approve the items on a consent calendar by one motion all in favor I um I got to jump in here and do the discussion Grant on your agenda okay okay okay you okay yes administrator Quinn thank you mayor um the T moris wishes to make a Grant application to the Morris County community community development block grant program this program is funded by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development um we are looking to submit a Grant application uh towards the purchase of 15 Jee Street the governing body just adopted the ordinance to do so um the cost of that is $580,000 um it is desired to the township to make the Grant application in the amount of $125,000 um towards that acquisition this application is due by the end of February and at that time we hope to then present our application to uh the committee that would use the applications hopefully get funding to assist us with this project one of the major reasons we're also doing it is that we also know that once we do the acquisition the school that we're purchasing is in need of a lot of improvements and it's probably going to cost several million dollars to um bring it up to the standards we want for our community to use especially um our seniors and also using it as a for a community center and Recreation um but that that is my report on it tonight thank you Mr Quinn next we have the consideration of monthly reports we have received reports for December 2023 from police fire and tax and January 2024 from fire police and the Mars toown Mars Township Library can I have a motion to approve the monthly reports mov second all in favor I claims for payment the list of bills and vouchers the total amount of bills and vouchers for this meeting is 4,497 th000 $81.60 we are also the tax collector for the school district the library and the county may I have a motion to approve the list of bills and vouchers some moves second Madame clerk may I have a roll call vote Mr Giselle yes Mr Dy yes Mr janada yes Mr ravitz yes mayor griglia yes we have received for the record the senior citizens advisory committee 2020 23 end end of year report the Cannabis Advisory Board final report January 30th 2024 and the annual report of collection 2023 we have two tax appeals do I read these and at this time we'll go to our standing committee reports and commentary by the township committee and we'll start with committeeman janata thank you mayor first I wanted to mention that uh there are so many a variety of events just in this meeting today and how just shows how diverse our our community is and just uh I'm just amazed about that and I'm glad that we that we have made it P pass the resolutions and proclamations that we did today for anti-i and for Black History Month and last month for Muslim heritage month but I just also wanted to say since it's now my full month second month of uh being being here my first official event as a member of the township committee was attending representative Mikey Cheryl's Forum on the importance of native plants which was took place at the Great Swamp Education Center in chadam she had sponsored a bill designating native plant to be planted at all federal facilities and the co-sponsors were members of both parties plus the bill was passed unanimously which is quite unusual in the in our current Congress and I'm that it was just something amazing to do that and I think also we should have something similar for state county and local levels and in in the planting of native plant and just to also plug that the Great Swamp native PL Cale will be held in April I think um I I I've participated in that for the last couple of years and so so of many other people and I have also attended the Mars Township historical preservation committee not that it was on my portfolio but it's something I was interested in and they had sent out letters to residents of homes designated as being historically significant it's for a contest to designate historic home of the year and they have a poster that where they showed the five homes that were that have won in the past and there and I encourage any local resident who got the those letters to participate and I have also the environmental commission held a poster contest for food waste held for great school and middle school and students at the local schools the winners were awarded ribbons at last week at this month's uh EC meeting and the posters will be on display at Town Hall and just as past weekend I had attended a premiere of travels with darly Revolutionary Road Trip at The Morris Museum this past Sunday it showed revolutionary era sites in the moristown area it was entertaining and fascinating to see the different sites there was three different episodes the first episode was on the 10 crucial days of Washington's Crossing Trenton and Princeton and the second was the moristown area also I found out that different places to uh have a drink and the this this program will be aired in PBS the mid-march and um this is all part of the preparation of the 250th anniversary of America's birth in 2026 and also as a plug bethl the bethl am Church annual cleanup will be taking place in March 16th rain date in March 23rd in moristown this is going to be co-sponsored by the whippy River Watershed action committee as well as the mors County Historical Society mainly because the part of their they're going to engage with the cleanup of the original site of the church on Spring Street and so we're just combining the two events together and as I mentioned I was going to talk a little bit about the histo history of the area I'm going to talk a little bit about Speedwell Village I think when I last year we went on trans untac Transportation advisory committee had a walk and what part of the Walk was going to Speedwell village where the the host talked about what happened there with the which was the invention of the Telegraph and I think most of most people I hope are familiar with it and because that was where Samuel Morris had tested the Telegraph and the Local Hero Alfred Vil was also there we actually have a school named after him and not Samuel Moore but Samuel Morris was not a was not an engineer he was a professor of Fine Arts at New York University Alma moer he was also a tinkerer and was interested in electronic T telegraphy using batteries and just us was testing it out he was not the only one but he Al he was the most successful he recruited Alfred Vil who was a student of his and when they needed more room Vil suggested his family home in the country and moristown was the country so they started testing the device that speed while Iron Works and the first public display was in 1838 and the first words were a patient waiter is no loser the site can still be visited at speedr Village but whenever I walk drive by there I always see the parking lot empty and I hope encourage people to go see because that was where the communications Revolution began because without that you would not have all the technology including the cell phone here and the internet right here it all began right in that little red building in moristown so please go come visit there because that is where everything began in in the in the world what he wanted to do though was try to get Congress to appropriate funds for longdistance testing so think of that he needed federal funds he could not get funding for a while because many many members at that time time members of Congress were against what was called internal improvements basically infrastructure but event finally passed in 1843 it was one-third agreed little bit over one-third agreed onethird said no because they were against internal improvements but one third abstained because the idea of electric telegraphy was too esoteric for them so finally lines were set up between the Capitol building and a train station in Baltimore about 45 miles away the crowd gathered at the old Supreme Court building in the Capitol building and the first message was what hath God wrought was from the Torah the book of numbers and once it became successful because me people realize messages can be sent in an instant and in minutes rather than hours or days and it was also the First Federal Government federally funded R&D project so that was another interest thing eventually decades later this invention will lead to the telephone and electric distribution so Alexander Gran Bell and Thomas Edison can be thankful for what happened in Morristown so I encourage people to come to speedr Village to see where the communications Revolution began right here along the banks of the whippy River thank you mayor thank you Comm and janata committee man jori thank you mayor um I'll keep my report for you tonight um first I wanted to mention that um The canus Advisory Board which I shared last year has submitted our final report that report uh since it's submitt for the record tonight will be public uh for viewing on our website as of tomorrow morning I believe yes um and I would encourage us to include it in an upcoming newsletter should we see it fit um and I will I will also be sending it out to Residents who have reached out to me directly uh with inquiries or comments on the on the board work so um it was a group effort to put the report together I think it provides a good overview of um what the township um is facing in terms of cannabis if the township committee should choose to change our ordinances or keep them in place I think it provides a good objective um opinion on what our residents feel uh would how our residents F we should um Canada zoning should we do so in the future uh secondly as chair of the budget committee um mayor GLE and I have been at budget meetings um for several months and we're pleased to be getting to the very um end of the budget process um and we will be looking forward to having a presentation for administrator Quinn on the budget um is one of the harder parts of being on the tent committee is figuring out which you know what are our priorities for the year in the future years how do we prep prepare for some of the challenges that we face um and so it's a really tough project I commend administrator Quinn um our um Chief Financial Officer Sean Ferguson and everyone all the department heads who work so hard and tirelessly starting in October to give us the numbers and information we need to make form decisions um so we will be having more on that in the coming months um and lastly I just want to know um The Parks and Rec Advisory Board we met this past week um thank you to our par director bill folch um as well as Alexis it's in handled on his team for all their work um in informing the The Advisory Board uh advisory committee on all their good work um they're gonna have a lot of work to do based on the project will'll be able to fund in the budget but we'll get more to that next month so that those are my reports thank you committee man rabbitz thank you mayor I think people have heard plent for me tonight so I just want to say um we did add for those people who um are on the municipal messenger and if you're not you should be on it because it's the best way for the township to communicate with residents um there's a new addition on the municipal messenger where we give a short description of um some of the major capital projects undergoing in town so you can see how we're spending uh your tax dollars um it as as uh Mark had mentioned uh you know we've been in in budget process so there's not a lot going on right now that that's you know worthy of me uh mentioning it to you so I'll just say that um visit the parks and rec website for the latest and greatest events of uh for residents of all agents ages and um I'll just conclude with a reminder that as you go about your business each day to be kind you know kind to ourselves and to others mayor thank you deputy mayor grel uh thank you mayor I have two standing committee reports one for the economic development advisory committee I want to congratulate the three new appointments to edak uh that were on uh our agenda tonight in resolution 85 we had five applications for three open spots so I'm very pleased to have so much interest in joining this committee I want to thank uh chairman Liam Gallagher for all the effort he did in interviewing uh along with me the I I only interviewed three he interviewed all five of those applications so I'd like to extend my thanks to Diana auu Meg Columbia Walsh and Mike Patton for stepping up to do this volunteer role to help make our community a better place for all our residents and our businesses it is only through the hard work of various volunteer committees that we can push forward so many new initiatives in our town uh for engineering I wanted to provide an update on the larger road projects we have last month we accepted a bid for the Gregory Kennedy and pine tree reconstruction project next step is setting up a preconstruction meeting with the contractor and hopefully we will be starting the work within the next few months Mr Gwen this spring yes yes this spring very good uh on South Gate on the Southgate Parkway project there uh there is a preconstruction meeting already set for next week and we hope that we can proceed with the start of that construction soon thereafter and the next roadway project uh after this is Overlook Road and I will have more updates on that in the coming months uh for my general commentary I wanted to thank Mr ravitz for his good work in putting together the anti-Semitism Proclamation um and the event tonight I wanted to thank the Cannabis Advisory board for their good work I appreciate the time the volunteer board members put into holding all the public meetings and drafting the subsequent findings uh thank you to uh committee man yorie for his uh good work in leading that effort I look forward to a robust discussion on this governing body of the opportunities in our municipality as outlined in that report thank you thank you Deputy Mayor grelle I wanted to extend um in my comments I wanted to thank our DPW crew for doing such a great job during both snow events that took place and I'd also like to share that congresswoman Cheryl's office dropped off Valentine's for both DPW and the water pollution control staff that were made by students around the district and it was really nice because they all got little Valentine's thanking them and wishing them a Happy Valentine's Day uh as far as my reports the senior citizens advisory committee we held our first meeting of 2024 and we formed subcommittees for senior Transportation needs Health Resources and keeping up the escac website on the transportation advisory committee we had an update from Township engineer Jim slate on all the ongoing projects and we had Sergeant rib Nikki on speeding concerns and safety in our neighborhoods due to many people being on vacation though we did not conduct any further business during Tac this time uh just want to mention too stopped by Duncan opened up on Madison Avenue it was a great event want to thank owner dwar Patel for doing such a good job and he's going to join some of our small business Outreach discussions um also Duncan's made a $3,000 donation to nourish New Jersey which is uh does solutions for problems of hunger homelessness and poverty so it's always nice to see our local businesses doing great work um I also just want to Echo committee man jy's remarks about the budget can't say enough about what a great job administrator Tim quind does along with his staff and all the department heads and trying to do our best um the only last thing that I have is that on March 2nd at the Fairchild Firehouse we're going to have a session for a couple hours meet the mayor and we're going to continue to do this throughout the year and it won't just be the mayor we're going to rotate through some of the committee people so that people in their neighborhoods can come to the firehouses and get to meet and not only bring their concerns but bring to us any other great ideas that they might have for the township so at this time we can open our last public commentary session there are currently eight members of of the public joining us on zoom and we'll take comments in person first and then switch over to zoom so please virtually raise your hand in Zoom if you would like to speak please state your name and address for the record before speaking please note the comments are limited to five minutes per speaker if you you have questions you would like answered your remaining time to speak will be yielded back for that purpose is there a motion to open open the public comment so move is there a second all in favor I are there any members from the public wishing to speak good evening my name is Pamela Watson I live at tcoyo Unity Morris Township and I would like to just thank the township committee for all the work that you guys do it's so appreciative and I also like to thank Mr Quinn and Mr ker for working with you making things where possible and the township secretary so thank you I mean clerk so I just wanted to say thank you so very much for all that you do because I am a Township member resident so I am very appreciative to hear all the things that you do so thank you that's all I wanted to say thank you Pam and uh again you you are a Township resident and you're one that we all admire and appreciate all that you have done and continue to do for the township thank you I don't see any hands raised I'll make a motion to close the public portion second all those in favor the time is now 8:49 can I have a motion to adjourn the regular session all those in favor the next regular Township committee meeting will be held on Wednesday March 20th 2024 at 7 pm in person and Via Zoom we are adjourned