okay everybody we're going to start with the public hearing today Tuesday June 11th at 5:15 p.m. the P County Board of County Commissioners were located at P County Community College Pake academic center to poison Avenue New Jersey 07055 announce announcement of the public hearing this public hearing is being held to solicit comments from the public on the intention of the board of County commissioners of the county of P to release rights of ver reverter held by the county on properties located 8486 Auburn Street and 168-170 Fair Street in the city of Patterson in February of 19 93 the county transferred the two properties to the fourth Ford Alliance Incorporated a nonprofit corporation for the purpose of operating a community center and set properties the county can uh retain a right of reverter to take the properties back in the event that some said properties were no longer used as Community Center or or if the fourth War all Alliance lost its nonprofit status therea after the fourth ward Alliance lost its nonprofit status and substantially lost the proper uh Sub sub lost the properties through the tax sale foreclosure after failing to pay property taxes because the properties were obtained by a third part of third parties through tax sale foreclosure the county would be required to pay back taxes in order to exercise Its Right a reverter of as to the properties the current owners are are in the process of redeveloping the properties for residential use the public is invited to participate in the public hearing and offer comments and or provide written comment on the this proposed release of rights of reverter the period of the public to provide such comment will commence upon receipt of this notice and shall remain open until 2 weeks after the last public hearing which will be uh the close of business business on June 24th I mean 25th uh 2024 the time date and location of this public hearing was advertised in both the Herald news and the record on M May 28th and June 4th can I have an announcement of the public hearing County Commissioners Cruz here Duffy here Gallow here James leor deputy director Lazar here director Bartlett I have a motion to open the CLE second County Commissioners Cruz yes Duffy yes Gallow yes uh director Lazar deputy director Lazar yes does anyone Pres desire to be heard on this public seeing no one at theum I move to close public second County Commissioners Cruz yes Duffy yes Gallow yes deputy director Lazar yes and we have a motion to we're going to have another public uh speaking part later on in the agenda this was just specifically for this one item we have ation I'll have a motion to adjourn I'll make that motion second County Commissioners Cruz yes Duppy yes Gallow yes deputy director Lazar yes welcome to the June 11th 2024 County of Pake Board of county commissioner regular meeting we're going to open up with a rooll call County Commissioners Cruz here Duppy here Gallow here James laor deputy director Lazar here director Bartlett and can we have an announcement of the open public meeting ladies and gentlemen the notice requirement of the open public meetings law has been satisfied with respect to this meeting specifying the time date and location including am and others adopted a reorganization meeting filed with the county clerk and posted in administration building a mail to two newspapers in accordance with the provisions of the law ready pledge allegiance to flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which stands one nation gois andice invation on the way in two people called me Father Murray I don't know who he is but I'll take it we pray gracious and Holy Father please give us intellect to understand you reason to discern you diligence to seek you wisdom to find you a spirit to know you a heart to meditate upon you ears to hear you eyes to see you T to Proclaim you way of life pleasing to you patience to wait for you and perseverance to look for you grant me a perfect end your holy presence and a blessed resurrection and life Everlasting amen and we remember all those men on D-Day who lost their lives really protecting our country L name of the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit amen silence to remember all the men and women who have died while serving the United States armed forces and all those who have died from covid-19 especially the 2,300 res okay thank you have a motion to approve the minutes of May 21st 2024 be second okay County Commissioners Cruz yes Duffy yes Gallow yes uh deputy director Lazar yes okay have a motion for the approval of a proclamation for when you Maguire she steps down as a CEO of boys and girls that motion second County Commissioners Cruz yes dppy yes Gallow yes deputy director Lazar yes and now I will open this meeting up to our County Administrator Matt thank you director uh first I'm going to call Dr Rose the uh president of the Bay County Community College give us a little introduction Dr well welcome um we we have been on this campus since 2008 and uh this is the first time we have had a commissioner meeting here and we I think we've had them on every one of our other campuses but not here so um well took you so long're we're we're really happy you're here just just a brief introduction this is our really our primarily our health science campus uh we have our nursing program which is housed here we also house the LPN program from pcti is also H housed on this campus uh downstairs if you happen to take a look on your way out we just built three operating rooms I I showed that a few a little while ago we have three operating rooms where we're teaching surgical tech um big big need in the hospitals for that um we have medical assisting on this campus and we also do dialysis tech on this campus um we were very fortunate recently to get a $10 million Grant from the state so I'm pointing out there we're going to build a building out here on this parking lot a $10 million health science building and one of the things that we're hopefully going to be able to put out here is a dental hygiene dental assisting program as we've been told there is a big need from dentists in this area that there's a big shortage of dental assistance and dental hygienist so we're looking at that and we're also looking at ultrasound technology which is also a big need in in doctor's offices these days so you know we're trying to keep up and putting people out there and uh as always we thank you for your support yes thank you Dr Rose um next I'm going to call up uh mayor Hector Laura the mayor of the city P um talk about the wonderful partnership that the city and county have had together which I I would ATT tribute to you going back to your time as a Freeholder and now mayor it's it's we've truly done a lot of great things together so mayor Mr administrator you're very generous I appreciate that so very much to all of the Commissioners uh thank you for all the hard work that you do welcome back to the city of Pake I say welcome back because you are often here in support of our community briefly before I go into some of the Partnerships and collaborative efforts that we've been able to push forward together as a community they are benefited not just the residents of P but all those around our city that come and visit work or uh visit family but quickly Dr Rose I I was so excited so proud of the work and the effort of all the Commissioners including commissioner leaport was walking in right now commissioner will pause for dramatic effect again we're so proud in receiving this $10 million to have this brand new building to focus on careers and opportunities for individuals throughout our entire County and Beyond especially in areas of great need in our city and throughout our state and I would propose throughout the nation I think it's going to position so many young people in an ideal place for success and help them contribute back throughout the years here in the city of Pake we have benefited greatly from the relationships with the county I have often heard individuals thank you for your support I want to take it a few steps further and say thank you for your leadership your proactive leadership and your vision in terms of investing in every municipality representing 16 municipalities over 500,000 residents but considering that every square mile of this county is important your investment from UPC count to midcounty to down count has made such a difference not just in education not just in infrastructure not just in services but I would go further and say in touching the hearts of those you serve I am reminded of your contributions throughout the pandemic of seeing Commissioners out here Distributing food concerned to ensure that everyone had access to every medical resource available and all the information fighting so hard to ensure that our County received every dollar possible to get us through to help small businesses your willingness to facilitate support small businesses while they were struggling whether it was through outdoor eating on our main Avenues and County Roads or assisting them with any additional funds made all the difference to this dat as mayor I still speak to business owners who Express their gratitude and appreciation to the efforts of the county during that most difficult time I just uh put down some notes to share a few of the services if I spoke of everything that the county does we would be here or do that we would be here all even but I want to talk about some of the services beginning with our amazing Department of Senior Services over 22467 meals have been delivered to homebound seniors through the Meals on Wheels program from January 1st 20123 to April of this year over 99,900 Paratransit rides for seniors through the power Transit division have uh been given from January 1st 2023 into until April of this year over 10,900 Pake seniors have visited the senior congregate site run by the nutrition division from January 1st until April of 2024 now these stats they they may seem impactful but allow me just to put a little bit of a human face on them when we talk about these thousands of seniors they're not just numbers these are individuals that received Wellness checks when they receive a meal sometimes this is the only contact they receive with a person throughout the week the only time that someone's going to knock on the door make sure they're okay I've had family members call me from other states expressing their gratitude and saying please tell the county how much we appreciate this service because they may not be able to reach their senior loved one as many times as they would want to but to know that there's someone consistently going providing food checking on them giving them rides whether it's going to be to a medical appointment or to a great Recreation opportunity with other seniors it makes all of the difference so I want to thank you for that obviously and I want to thank you for the investments in our Parks especially through the recreation departments partnering with the city of P we've had educational programs with our park rangers exposing our youth to Nature to the importance of preserving the environment to understanding the difference between investing in infrastructure and looking towards the future and investing in green infrastructure while we preserve our open space and also look to mitigate flooding concerns as well as expand uh Recreation opportunities for our city one of the biggest projects and I want to take this opportunity to highlight our administrator Matt Jordan This was uh his vision something that he was so personally and closely involved in a $12 million partnership that resulted in Grants making dundy Island Park the very first new park in St County's Park System since the 1970s the year that uh commissioner leor was born and that was an amazing accomplishment came in late I have like two more jokes I'll try to work them in in the middle of this the very first ever Riverfront Park but what this park truly meant in our most densely populated area of the city an area where young people grow up basically staring at Brick and Mortar all day and not seeing beautiful trees or being able to enjoy Riverfront view or maybe go kaying or fishing or enjoying a splash park or a wonderful uh soccer field or inclusive play through Recreation that encourages those who are often um referred to as neurotypical or neuro di virgin or special needs children playing together as we often share that if you close your eyes and go to the park you're not going to be able to distinguish between the laughter of someone who may have a disability or maybe special needs or other children they're just playing together and children they grow up a join Recreation together grow up more empathetic to each other which greatly reduces the instances of bullying in high school and older and we thank you so much because that investment in that park it not only made a remarkable aesthetic difference in our city it exposed our children to something that otherwise perhaps they would not have and that opens up New Horizons it gives them a different perspective and dare I say even prompts them to dream bigger to say if this is possible hear what else is possible outside of p and they may dream to go and do something wonderful and come back to invest and I want to thank the Commissioners because you are directly responsible because of your commitment your responsible stewardship of the finances and grants that come through uh the County government you're making differences that change lives every single day I also want to share that our dunde Island Phase 2 project is set to break ground this year as $12 million is not enough connecting our palaski park and our d Island these renovations to our North palaski Park will incorporate so many new uh amenities like Riverfront walks a new parking uh amenity to allow for even more usage of the park bike lanes and even additional programming for our children so again we're so very excited with the rehabilitation of the freight rail bridge to provide a pedestrian connection across the Pacific St River we are now partnering with our friends in Bergen County and uh as mayor I get to say hey check us out over here I think we're getting more usage from those in Bergie County even than uh from Pake they're so excited about the park and I think that's the very best about the county when we create opportunities that bring communities together whether in our County or in neighboring municipalities and other counties so again I'm so very thankful to the engineering department I want to thank you for the replacement of the a Street Bridge the replacement of the Pennington Avenue culer the drainage improvements on P Avenue the resurfacing of County Roads Pake Avenue tur Hune Lexington Avenue Sherman Street Harrison Street Lake View Avenue southbound lane Market Street to Crooks ab and so much more allow me to talk a little bit about our business district our Central business district and our Main Avenue Redevelopment plan our main Avenue is the heart of the Pacific business district with new businesses new constructions additional mixed use and retail for residential sites retail on the bottom residential on the top and most recently additional schools that have been placed in our Main Avenue throughout the years the Main Avenue redesigned with the county and the njtpa I believe the representative is still director bartler director bartler who works so very hard in that role and I know it's a it's a labor of passion for him this new redesign has come to fruition and it would eventually remove 67 parking spaces which doesn't sound like good news but we don't stop there it would be converted into a beautiful prominade with reverse angle parking bike Lanes seating and green space allowing for Passive Recreation which is so important in urban communities like ours for individuals whether our seniors or our children especially during our commercial District as they go down to get some food or shop just to sit and enjoy our Main Avenue is exciting but also working with the county and especially highlighting these Partnerships we were able to secure an additional $ 10 million I don't know if that's the same 10 million Dr Rose have it's a different one we're not competing we're going we're going for all the different pots but an additional $10 million to create a 300 space parking deck on Main Avenue right by our County Road to add parking space and I encourage more visits and more individuals to come to our commercial District so we're extremely excited about that we have a new state-of-the-art New Jersey Transit bus terminal which is expected to be built in the area 2026 $6 million we received working with the county this is a state-of-the-art bus terminal which will let you know up to the second what time the bus is coming so that will allow commissioner uh deputy director Sandy Lazar to know exactly how much time she has to get her coffee from Dunkin Donuts did not get a Starbucks here so we've agreed toake runs on Duncan fortunately the uh deputy director likes dunin Donuts but no it's really exciting when we heard of all of the uh technological advancements that are made they're going to have this remarkable bus terminal where on your phone app you can tell to the second what time the bus comes you'll get updated information we'll also have led screens around that'll update you on County programs and different services that you can receive so we're extremely excited about that continuing these enhancements will include brand new trash receptacles around the area lighting upgrades Planters benches bike racks street art on intersections in lane and bus stops curb extensions high visibility crosswalk and wayfinding signs our State Street and Hamilton redesign Pake has applied and was selected to receive technical assistance services from the njtpa another shout out to director Barlett and sustainable Jersey complete streets technical assistance program these agencies help to create conceptual designs and renderings to help visualize potential improvements to the street Scapes and design of the state and Hamilton area the area chosen located in the census track in which 80.4% of the population own no more than one vehicle necessitating a dependence on alternative modes of transportation such as walking cycling or public transit right now Pres presently as we meet here we're having a virtual bike master plan meeting with the county um at City Hall we have representatives from the county as well as the DCA uh local services are presenting with participation from our residents to find out how the county and the city will partner up to increase Road space to uh provide brand new bike lanes and to add routes not just for benefiting in the city but to connect throughout the county in municipalities like Clifton through Patterson and others so we're so excited about this as well I wanted to share that the selected area that we continue to speak about in terms of investment for public transing and expanding cycling opportunities is in close proximity to our Pake City Hall that's where our New Jersey Transit bus terminal will go the new parking deck will go we're also investing hundreds of millions of dollars in our sphere Village PA Housing Authority building to add more afford housing opportunities for residents as well as when you consider that all of these initiatives work together a parting deck the brand new terminal the investment in Maine Avenue the parks especially that $12 million dundy Island Park an additional tens of millions of dollars that will enhanc North pasty Park all of this in our most densely populated area you're going to see over the next 10 years our East Side be completely transformed with a beautiful Riverfront View right in front of Pake River and we've seen the investment of the County pay huge dividends as we're seeing more and more investors developers and business owners wanting to come to our city and all of this difference has been made because this remarkable County Board has decided to continue to partner with all of the municipalities now I can speak about Pate but having been a former uh Freeholder they changed I think such a bad job they got rid of the name when I left and change it to commissioner now but that's such a bad joke but I do make it every time listen having traveled the county recently I've seen what the Commissioners have done throughout the entire County we are truly blessed to have some of the most remarkable leaders representing Us in Pay County with the biggest hearts and the most sharpest or sharp Minds that can apply your vision and your leadership to transform our municipalities the enhancements that include sidewalk space adding angled parking removing median and turn Lanes two-way bike lanes and adding benches and trees these are all wonderful the traffic lights the infrastructure investment on the bridges the roads are amazing but allow me to speak and maybe conclude with something personal during the most difficult times whether it's a pandemic or extreme weather condition there are those that are extremely vulnerable in our communities those who deal with uh with insecurity in terms of housing those who are dealing with chronic homelessness or short-term homelessness whether it's a lack of a job or an extenuating circumstance some terminal illness that a family member face and we sometimes find these individuals who are marginalized and uh without a voice and the fact that you have chosen to use your platforms your position and amplify the voices of those that often go unheard to speak up for them to ensure that you're receiving additional funds that you support municipalities whether it's through a program like dignity housing Pake or investing in other mun IP alties so they can ensure when they do the point and count for trying to identify how many homeless individuals that they have that you connect them or whether through 211 or human services that they can get assistance they can get temporary rental assistance whether you're just facilitating uh opportunities for them to access funds on the state you're making a huge difference your consistent dedication to cold Boo and cold Reds have forced municipalities to respond to the cries of those who are sometimes left out in the streets without help and I thank you for that so many lives have been saved I share and it's the most unfortunate thing that during these extreme weather conditions whether it's a blizzard whether it's extreme heat or whether it's a storm that lives are lost but I can share that over the last few years Pake has not lost a single individual in the streets not a single homeless person they have been able to be sheltered they've been able to be fed we've been able to uh get over eight individuals off the street and into housing whether connecting them through veteran services or utilizing some funds received from the county in order to create programs like the mailbox program sometimes something as simple like that to receive correspondence connecting you to benefits that otherwise you didn't know you were entitled to whether Social Security veterans benefits makes all the difference and these are the real tangible examples of how the county partnering up with me municipalities is making a difference every day beyond that in terms of Education you know baring on the standard of Education that individuals are receiving at pcti or at P County Community College continues to provide the uh state of New Jersey and I would go as far as the nation with some of the highest quality professionals some of the brightest young minds that are truly changing the world they are technologically advanced much more than myself a little less than commissioner Duffy but they because he's the most technological on the board maybe commissioner Orlando Cruz but as I was sharing that um your investment means so much and today as we were having that meeting with the county as I was talking to our business administrator who has countless opportunities to meet with the administrator Matt Jordan whether he's advocating on behalf of the city against the state I want say against but sometimes he has to fight and remind them that uh we need these funds and they make a difference or whether he's fighting for all 16 municipality when you collectively come together I would put this County Board Up Against any board in the nation thank you so much for your efforts your leadership and all that you do for our [Applause] city questions any questions that's a tough act to follow I have so much I try to keep it a little bit brief but you guys do so very much and I thank you so much than deputy director um I just want to know thank you mayor for taking your time but I want to know how you came across um my report which included a lot of your talking points so uh I always I I think I I do want to answer that I think good work good work is easy to identify you don't have to dig too deep to find out what the county has been doing over the years and most recently it's plain for the eye to see everywhere whether you start in Pake go through Clifton Patterson end up all the way to Ringwood and West Milford you see the investment of this board and if you would allow me to say this I believe each and every one of you can hold your heads up hot and be proud of the Investments and the differences that you have made in the lives of children families seniors and those with special needs throughout our entire County especially those veterans you have done so much for them so thank you the three minutes rup thank you thank you very [Applause] much I I obviously have to thank all of the department heads and all of the staff in the county because I know that they are an extension of your vision and they're the ones that do the work every day thank you so much thank you mayor and thank you Dr Rose uh you know this uh facility is a testament to your leadership and it just continues to grow and you know Mark commented you're taking the tour that you don't stop and it's true you don't stop you just keep developing new programs to you know help educate people and and build the workforce in tomorrow so so thank you for that um and and with that my report is concluded right we have um commissioner reports I I just want to thank you Dr Rose you know this College touched my life personally with someone I love very much who immigrated here from another country and is now gainfully employed as a nurse and in demand and the most important part of it is that she now can always have something to fall back on she's never going to be left behind again and that happens for so many children and Bal who was that after the graduation oh my gosh amazing like you give people a chance you give people the chance to make a life for themselves and support themselves and never have to worry again and you can't put a price on there it's so great and the mayor talked about communities working together and that's so huge because there's so many communities you know what we here at the county do work hard to do a good job job and I give a lot of this credit to the people sitting with you Dr Rose everybody who's here tonight and a lot of them are not here but they we make things happen but we don't do it by ourselves we do it on every level of government we do it with education we do it with our unions we work hard and we make sure that we take care of people so I'm just touched by what you had to say and what the mayor had to say and it's Partners like you that make things work so thank you I have eight items on here resolutions I'm sure you've read sure you all agreement Lear that thank you again Dr always been a for commission well last October we gave a proclamation to Domo compana and he was 99 years old last year June 6 of this year just last Thursday he turned 100 so I want to wish him happy [Applause] birthday thank you and commissioner yeah I just want to acknowledge that the mayor did not answer my question notes but that is of May um I have 20 resolutions on the agenda for your review and hopefully your support uh can I have a motion to open up can I have a motion to open up the public portion of the meeting second County Commissioners Cruz yes Duppy Gall Le director Lazar yes anyone wishing to be heard can come up to the podium you have three minutes please state your name and address before you start speaking see you're good go ahead got be quick hello um my name is Joseph jowy I'm a resident of Clifton um on Mount Prospect Avenue um and I'm here to talk about M Mount Prospect Avenue I have some photos I want to share with all of you if I could pass them around I can hold on to one that um so I just want to say thank you for the opportunity I'm a little bit out of my comfort zone um so forgive me for any nerves or any stuttering um but I'm here to talk about Mount Prospect Avenue um because I'm concerned with the overall safety of the road um and I'm talking about it with you guys because it's a county road so I know that gets a little complicated I know the city of Clifton has um responsibilities and I know the county has responsibilities for the road as well um I don't know if you guys are familiar how familiar you are with the road but it's a residential street 25 miles hour um there's a lot of speeding on on the street um there's a lot of safety concerns that I and I think my fellow neighbors have from the design of the road um we have incomplete sidewalks we have um lack of drainage lack of safe parking on the street um which is unsafe for vehicles and pedestrians and people parking their cars um The Catalyst that brought me here was an accident that occurred in front of my home back in February my partner's car was um um collided into by traffic he was rightfully parked on the street um a car coming onward in excess of 25 miles hour slammed into his car pushed it many feet forward and uh turned it 90 de and his car actually landed in our driveway um you wouldn't think that's where he had parked it but it was actually parked on the street um this was because that car that hit him or his car I should say um because he wasn't in the car at the time was traveling well excess of the speed limit um the force and impact proed that you know several and his car was total um and was a total loss several weeks later there was another accident in front of my house you know people speeding by to eat oncoming traffic um I've included photos of these accidents I'm sure there's many more that's occurred over the years and over the weeks um I've included photos of you know the rain buildup and how that makes the street and the the sidewalks on because there's no drainage on the street included photos of incomplete sidewalks that Force pedestrians to walk you know I don't know in the street I've had to walk in the street as cars fly by as I'm walking my dog which feels pretty unsafe you can see cars are forced to park on sidewalks because there isn't enough street parking um also just unsafe uh and I know it's you know it can be difficult to raise these concerns and I've you know spoke with a few people from the county I've spoke with a few people from the city the city's installed additional speed limit signs um and there's been additional police monitoring but I you know that can only do so much I I feel like there's physical change that needs to happen on the street to help you know guide people to drive safer make it a little bit more safer for pedestrians and and the residents you know I know temporary speed limit signs can be put up I've seen that put installed over the years and it doesn't seem to make much of a difference um I lived on the street for seven years and you know this accident that impacted me personally is what's driving me here I mean shame on me for not coming sooner I hope wish more people would speak up and it's just kind of confusing because it is a County Road and I know county has responsibilities and the city has responsibilities and like I said I talk to both sides and it just feels like old FES need to come together and kind of quickly come up with some permanent and positive change and I'm happy to be a part of that um I just don't know how to bring the two together and you know force that change to happen sorry if I went over my three I don't think anybody time good thank I don't know if anyone do you guys ask questions or no see no K Commissioners Cruz yes sty yes Gallow yes leor yes deputy director lar yes director I Joseph I know we've emailed and I know you've met with our County engineer I know you've been told that um you know we do have a we've retained the board's retained a consultant to look at improvements in Mount Prospect we can certainly meet again and maybe we can arrange that in my office where you can come in and talk further about some of your concerns and we can try and Endeavor to make the road safer thank you for coming talk thank you okay so can I have oh does anyone want to pull anything from the agenda or anything anybody need Executive session okay we're good then all right the consent agenda L1 to l79 C commissioner Cruz yes Duffy yes Gallow yes theor yes deput director Lazar yes uh new business um who wants to move the personel I'll move the personel LA and then duy County Commissioners Cruz yes sty yes Gallow yes leor yes deputy director Lazar yes move the Bills second County Commissioners Cruz yes Duffy yes Gallow yes laor yes deputy director Lazar yes have a motion to adjourn motion second County Commissioners Cruz yes D yes Gallow yes yes director loar yes thank you everyone