all right thank you everybody Welcome to the second regular monthly meeting of the mayor and Council Monday May 20th 2024 being held at 6:30 Missy could you please read the role mayor nzi here council president McAn present councilman B Robertson here councilman Guzman here counc de con councilman Quron here councilman kley here thank you if you're willing enable could you please stand for the salute to the flag our pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all thank you everybody Missy could you please read the provisions in compliance with the open public meetings Law chapter 231 public laws of 1975 notice of this meeting was transmitted to the record and Herald news and F with the bur clerk on December 26 2023 and posted on the bullon board outside of Barrow Hall thank you very much um we're going to do presentations councilman mayor this evening since we have so many presentations um we thought it might be beneficial to have all of us come up and then have each of the council members present from [Music] um the podium thank you thank you council president everybody want to step forward to the podium all right thank you everyone this hope like this uh this evening we honor a very special resident uh member of the Rutherford fire department Mr Neil O'Hara would you please stand [Applause] Proclamation from the desk of Mayor Frank nunziato whereas Neil O'Hara is a longtime Rutherford resident moving from North Arlington to Rutherford in 1959 and has been here for the past 65 years and whereas during that time Neil attended St Mary Elementary School and graduated from St Mary's High School in 1966 and whereas Neil became a member of the Rutherford hos and engine company number three in 1969 as a civil defense firefighter making him a third generation firefighter while also serving in the United States Navy Reserve until he was honorably discharged in 1970 and whereas Neil has held numerous leadership roles in the Rutherford fire department such as assistant chief and deputy chief Captain Lieutenant engineer company president vice president secretary and Treasurer and whereas Neil married the love of his life James they lived in a home on Garfield Place then in 1985 moved to their current home on West Pake Avenue which was the childhood home of William Carlos Williams and Edgar Williams which they are still in the process of restoring and whereas Neil has received recommendations for fire rescues but his proudest role is being the patriarch of his loving family he and his wife Jane are proud parents of son Brian fourth generation firefighter and his wife Megan and whereas Neil has been and continues to be a father figure to many and is known for his commitment for serving the community and for Lending a hand to others in need giving guidance and experience to every situation he encounters and whereas Neil's lifetime of devotion has proven him to be a pillar in our community now therefore be it resolved on behalf of the Bureau of R Rutherford I in representing mayor n Frank nunziato wish to express our congratulations on achieving 55 years of dedicated service with the Rutherford fire department and express our sincere appreciation to this extraordinary man man who has done so much for his fellow citizens throughout his lifetime Chief I thank you very [Applause] much chief we [Applause] the mayor doesn't want me to say anything one second the mayor doesn't want me to say anything but I was asked by the uh fire Le aison to say a few words uh so Neil the the resolution was perfect by the fact that Neil has really been a father figure for so long to so many of the many members of the fire department we have members in the department I mean just speaking of myself I'm currently the chief of the fire department I was being potty trained when Neil was the chief when Neil Bean as chief of the fire department that's how long you know he's been around and uh even guys that have in you know 30s and 40s years on the department learned a lot from Neil Neil actually was the uh Chief who created our standard operating procedures which a lot of departments still haven't created which really puts everything into direction for us for every single call that we go on and all the standards of everything that we do Neil has really set the standard for the department and I can't wait to stand here in five years on his 60th thank you for everything [Applause] Neil can all those associated with Grace's closet please come up oh lots of people that's awesome okay oh wow that's amazing okay this is a big crew okay okay so I will read the proclamation whereas Grace's closet is a community outreach program located at Grace Episcopal Church in Rutherford and Grace's closet collects new and Gent ly used prom dresses suits and other formal attire for area high school students in need and the organizers of Grace's closet believe that every student deserves to feel confident and beautiful and Grace's closet began this annual event in 2022 and many volunteers known as the conduits of kindness have made this a possibility through their passion and commitment to making a positive impact on the community and these volunteers have operated under the leadership of Reverend Karen resak and the best remember and Grace's closet program director Susan meller and Grace's closet has collected and distributed over 2,000 dresses suits and accessories in the year of 2024 and Grace's closet has shared its Surplus with adults and teach and other communities in needs and Grace's closet has increased its generosity and distribution year after year Grace's closet and his volunteers have established a reliable resource for people in need and therefore be it resolved on the behalf of the borrow of Rutherford Frank mayor nun mayor Frank nun wished to extend off our sincere appreciation to all those involved in this extraordinary effort of commitment volunteerism and acts of kindness that's had an enormous impact to many in our community thank you thank [Applause] you I'd also like to thank our bur administrator uh Bob kakowski um and councilwoman Roberson as you all know you've lost the facility to store and we've offered the Bob has offered the building across the street so I'd like to thank him for coming up for a creative idea so thank you Bob [Applause] over here oh yeah all right figure [Applause] congratulations oh you I okay we're so appreciative of um this wonderful Proclamation we feel that we were blessed with the privilege to be the conduits of kindness there were so many people who donated the dresses and the suits and the gowns um and we were just the lucky ones who were able to distribute it to so many in our community I have to give a special thanks to Susan Mueller who truly this was uh her idea three years ago and it's grown to include so many volunteers we especially love our Scouts um multigenerational Outreach but I want to give Susan the opportunity to say a few words as well so I want to thank Reverend Karen for sponsoring us and supporting us throughout this whole uh journey of Grace's closet when we started it a couple years ago and I want to thank all the volunteers and I want to say there are 47 volunteers that helped with Grace's closet this year 47 and just some of them are here because they have jobs or other places that they need to be without the volunteers and the support of the community we couldn't have done this I actually just got a call before I came in that somebody wants to donate three dresses so thank you mayor Frank we will now have another opportunity to store dresses and a climate controlled atmosphere because we work on uh donations and those that support this beautiful um event so I thank you [Applause] all good evening so nice to see so many people here tonight um if there are any members of the ruford first aid Ambulance Corp present I'm not sure they were able to come tonight but I know so many of our First Responders are with them all the time it is indeed my honor tonight to present the proclamation for them whereas the Rutherford first aid ambulance Corps Inc for the last 75 years has provided an invaluable life-saving service to the burough of Rutherford and its residents and its businesses by responding to a wide variety of medical emergencies within the burrow and and whereas the Rutherford first aid Ambulance Corp Inc is comprised of many selfless individuals who volunteer countless hours over the course of the year to Aid and assist residents of this community and others who require medical assistance often under very difficult circumstances and whereas all of the residents of our community are deeply appreciative of the volunteer services provided by the membership of the Rutherford first aid ambulance core Inc to our burrow since access to Quality emergency medical care dramatically improves the survival and recovery rate of those who experience sudden illness or injury and whereas we the members of the governing body of the burough of Rutherford realize to the fullest extent the irreversible harm that would be caused to this municipality by the residents not continuing to volunteer their time as emergency medical Tech technicians with the Rutherford first aid ambulance Court Inc and whereas the week of May 19th 2024 through May 25 2024 marks the 50th anniversary of Emergency Medical Services week and now therefore be it resolved I on behalf of Mayor Frank Nado of the burrow of Rutherford declare May 19 2024 through May 25 2024 in the Bur of Rutherford as Emergency Medical Services week in honor of the Rutherford first aid ambulance Corps Inc and strongly encourage residence to consider joining the Rutherford first aid ambulance Corps as a volunteer emergency medical technician we thank them for their [Applause] service can I have the uh members of the Green Team please come up the excuse me the Rutherford Green Leaf program is the Burrow's way of recognizing and supporting and promoting businesses that make a commitment to sustainability tonight we are have proclamations three to give out whereas gofin 64 park has pledged a dedication to environmentally friendly business practices and whereas gofen 64 park has worked closely with the Rutherford Green Team committee to meet the requirements of the Green Leaf certification program and whereas goffen 64 part dedication to the environment benefits the Rutherford Community as a whole by making it a cleaner and healthier place to live and whereas gof and 64 Park commitment to sustainability shows how small changes to Everyday practices can make a difference with a measurable with measurable results and whereas gof and 64 Park's participation and the Rutherford green teams committee committee's Green Leaf certification program is a strong example of environmentally sound leadership within the Rutherford community and now therefore I Frank nun mayor of the burrow of Rutherford hereby present the proclamation to goffin's 64 park for their dedication and Devotion to the environment and sustainability sustainable business practices within the burrow of Rutherford [Applause] I have a couple more to go our next Proclamation whereas Jeff Jordan Architects has pledged a dedication to environmentally friendly business practices and whereas Jeff Jordan Architects has worked closely with the Rutherford Green Team committee to meet the requirements of the Green Leaf certif certification program and whereas Jeff Jordan architect's dedication to environment benefits the Rutherford Community as a whole by making it cleaner and healthier place to live and whereas Jeff Jordan architect's commitment to sustainability shows how small changes to Everyday practices can make a difference with measurable results whereas Jeff Jordan architect's participation in the Rutherford green teams committee Green Leaf certification program is a strong example of the environmentally sound leadership within the Rutherford community and where now therefore on behalf of Frank mayor nun of the burough of Rutherford hereby present the proclamation to Jeff Jordan Architects for their dedication and Devotion to the environment and sustainable business practices within the burrow of [Applause] Rutherford our next proc clation whereas be well Cafe has pledged a dedication to environmentally friendly business practices and whereas be well Cafe has worked closely with the Rutherford Green Team committee to meet the requirements of the Green Leaf certification program and whereas be Well's Cafe's dedicate dedication to the environment benefits the Rutherford Community as a whole by making it a cleaner and healthier place to live whereas be Wells Cafe commitment to sustainability shows how small changes to every practice can make a difference and measure measurable results and whereas B Wells Cafe's participation in the Rutherford Green Team committee committee's Green Leaf certification program is a strong example of environmentally sound leadership within the Rutherford Community therefore on the behalf of Frank mayor Frank ner of the bar of Rutherford hereby present the proclamation to be well Cafe for their dedication and Devotion to the environment and sustainable business practices within the barel of rord congratulations [Applause] let's do side by side yeah like oh [Applause] okay hello can you hear me one more award associated with the green team because they're showing off a little that's all right very impressive the New Jersey healthc Care Quality Institute announced the mayor's Wellness campaign healthy Town winners for 2023 the recognition goes to community ities that go above and beyond to improve health and wellness in their in their communities through Innovative programs in areas such as exercise healthy eating and mental health education and awareness the mayor's Wellness campaign is a program of the quality Institute in part partnership with the New Jersey state League of municipalities in addition to 17 healthy Town winners another 19 towns were designated as 2023 healthy town to watch watch and 12 were designated as 2023 healthy Town upand coming Mike Sarah executive director of the New Jersey League of municipalities said the league of municipalities is excited to see the growth of the mayor's Wellness campaign healthy Town designations it shows what we already know that Community leaders across the state are focused on the health of residents and want to continue to prove to provide these importance Wellness opportunities at the local level each year communities participating in the mayor's Wellness campaign complete a comprehensive healthy Town application outlining the research they've done to identify their Community Health needs and explain how they are have organized their local NWC committee the application also highlights the actions the towns have taken to make their communities healthier places to live the burrow aims to create social and physical environments that promote health and wellness for all residents through a health and all policies approach and provides many program programs and activities that promote a healthy life lifestyle for our youth seniors employees and Community these commitments have led to Rutherford being named wait for it a healthy town to watch for the SEC second year in a row congratulations [Applause] congratulations [Applause] oh yeah all right we'll give it another minute if uh anybody wants to run away please feel free all right we're going to move on now to the changes to the proposed agenda Missy yes we'll be adding under consent authorization for the dining out events with the appropriate street closures the list was attached in addition to the dates listed on the attachment will be adding September 4th 2024 to that list also under consent resolution number 124 authorizing the pay rate for seasonal part-time employees at the Department of Public Works on page two under mayoral appointments Robert Van Winkle the correction should be made to the title to the provisional appointment to maintenance repairer and lastly we have the ordinance on first read pertaining the lightning lighting ordinance that will be withdrawn that's all you have I'd ask for uh Council consent may have a motion motion motion by council president may have a second second second by councilman Guzman any questions or comments by the council see none may roll call council president mwan yes councilman beg Roberson yes councilman Guzman yes counc Del con Council clone yes councilman kley yes thank you now we're going to move on to hearing of citizens anybody wishing to speak please step with microphone keep your comments five minutes or less uh if you choose not to state your name and address you could sign the book [Music] good evening members of uh Rutherford Council my name is Sean Ryan I have my lifelong ruford resident uh I have young kids in the town who are in Rutherford schools I'd like to thank each of you for your dedication to our town and for the improvements you've made over the years it's truly an amazing place to live excuse me can you just say your address please yes 195 Donald SV thank you thank you so I stand before you today to address a pressing concern regarding the utilization of our Town's precious field field space specifically tamblin field and diamonds 5 and six at Memorial Park it has come to my attention that an agreement exists between the bur of Rutherford and St Mary's High School permitting the private institution to utilize Our Town Fields while I appreciate fostering relationships with neighboring institutions I firmly believe that our Town's children should have Priority Access to these recreational facilities the enrollment in our Town's Youth Sports programs has reached unprecedented levels and field space has become a premium commodity with Rutherford youth programs evolving into yearr round commitments the demand for field space has never been higher it is concerning that our own children are being sideline to accommodate non-residents moreover the situation has escalated to the point where our local travel soccer programs are forced to seek field space outside of town just recently on opening day of Rutherford Little League baseball and softball our own children's games had to be canceled due to a game hosted by St Mary's the lack of awareness and coordination between our Town's programs and utilization of field space is simply unacceptable as members of this community it is our responsibility to ensure that our children have access to recreational facilities without compromise we cannot allow one of our Town's three parks to be overtaken at the expense of our children as wellbeing and development I urge this Council to take immediate action to review and if necessary terminate the agreement allowing St Mary's High School to utilize tone field and diamonds 5 and six our children deserve better and it's time to prioritize their needs over external interests it is worth noting that St Mary's High School like other Catholic schools without their own facilities should utilize County parks for their athletic events just like every other private institution an example of this would be Bergen Catholic High School utilizing bresin field and Linhurst a county park for their home baseball games it's unfair to our own residents to allow a private institution to monopolize our Town's recreational spaces while disregarding the available Alternatives this place is an undue burden on our community and deprives our children of the resources they need to thrive ladies and gentlemen of the council it's time that we prioritize the needs of ruford residents over external interests our Town's Fields like Tamplin field should be a vibrant centers of community activity accessible to all yet they stand neglected while our tax dollars are spent maintaining spaces utilized by entities unrelated to our community's residents Tamlin field a forgotten gem remains inaccessible to Rutherford residents excluding for a few B and Tennis Courts our children deserve better it's time we reclaim tamblin field for our own transforming it into a facility that serves the needs of our community let's Envision a revitalized Tamlin field buzzing with activity from our newly formed lacrosse programs for both youth youth and high school students as well as our numerous soccer programs our kids shouldn't be sidelined due to Fields occupied by programs that have no connection to our community residents I urge the council to take decisive action let's renegotiate agreements that with private schools and reallocate resources to prioritize Rutherford residents let's learn from the successes of other communities that have transformed neglected Fields into Vibrant Community hubs together let's reclaim tamblin field for the benefit of our residents thank you thank you if anybody else is going to come up and speak on this matter I would only ask since it's we don't do it back and forth we will to the end uh the bur administrator will um advis on the conversation they had with them recently but Mike's not going to sit down so uh yeah we we don't do it back and forth after everybody else speaks then we address the matter and the Burman administrator will address that particular matter if that's okay you you have every right to speak but he's already engaged welcome to speak I am definitely not here to bash you guys you guys do a great job in revitalizing our towns and uh the upcoming projects for for our Fields is phenomenal so don't take this the wrong way and I'm certainly not up here to bash St Mary's or Rutherford high school but Sean brings up a great point that there's Clauses in the contract I need to know your name and address oh I'm terribly sorry my name is Michael pascus I've lived in Rutherford for 15 9 years I live at 123 Washington a in Rutherford thank you don't you look familiar see now now I got to figure out where I am anyway I'm here with my wife to support the younger families in town they're they're feeling the pinch on on on space for their programs since travel soccer now has a team for every age uh look cross is coming to town uh felician's Now using the fields and these are all great problems to have there's no bashing taking place with with more Athletics in town but it's it's caused and created an issue for the younger parents in town and we need to uh do something in scheduling wise to help them out no entity in this town and I mean St Mary or Rel for high school should have any more power over any other entity for scheduling and from what I understand it's in there's a clause in the contracts with the Board of Ed and and from what I've been told with st Mayers where they have preferential treatment and and shouldn't be it should be equal footing for everybody in the town um Tamlin field as you guys know looks like a third world nation it's beat up it looks horrible and certainly needs a good uh scrubbing and uh reconditioning uh while I'm here though I also want to bring up that the basketball courts and the pickle ball courts right now have tremendous amounts of cracks uh the pickle all five pickle ball courts have an issue they all have cracks they all have posts coming up through the middle uh I would assume it's the old fence posts that were cut and they're now coming up because water's getting underneath uh freezing and pushing stuff up I seen three people get hurt already at the pickle ball courts one uh older lady smacked the back of her head yeah but she was playing against you and you just nailed her no no no no she but have been backing up when I was about to hit her no I'm only kidding but one uh elderly lady fell smacked her head she got rushed to the hospital another gentleman fell broke his wrist and then and another uh middle-aged man fell uh tripping over uh the issues that are at the pickle ball courts the basketball courts are atrocious if you see the cracks that are in there they tried to fix it months ago with with uh gluing over the top of it but that's all gone now too so I just bring it to your attention because that liability should not fall on Rutherford in the next year or two when you have to redo those courts and they will have to be redone uh so perhaps the engineer or the construction company that did the work the poor workmanship needs to be looked at but uh once again we're here just to support these guys and we hope we come up with some type of new scheduling all right thank you thanks Mike if anybody else is going to come up and discuss this you want the uh the B administrator to speak first or you want to come up go good evening thanks for everything you guys do this is I'm Mike Switz one St Clair Avenue Rutherford I am a member of St Mary's parish I'm a big advocate of C all things that they do um as Sean stated though there is a a need for space and all we want is our Fair shake and I know with all the great things that are happening all over down in Memorial Field there's going to be some limited space for years to come while the projects are going on so it's only going to make it harder and harder going forward and displace us further and further out of town so just uh whatever needs to be done hopefully we can hear what the message is and see if we can move forward and I appreciate that thank you thanks Mike anybody else from the public wishing to speak hi Julia seagull 32 Grand Avenue um first of all thanks again for the recognition of the work the green team has doing I just wanted to highlight a couple of other upcoming things since I know our liaison is absent this evening um over the weekend we had uh the our our our second repair Cafe of the year um at the the basement of the library um the events uh continue to turn out more and more people um and we are helping to save items going into the landfill it's a great program if you haven't stopped by um we're going to do our next one and about uh in the early fall uh the next thing that we have coming up is actually starting tomorrow we're we're going to Again part of the mayor's Wellness campaign part of our being a healthy town to watch we do a monthly bike riding series um so that starts tomorrow evening at 6:30 we leave from the parking lot just out front and we're going to do that every third Tuesday throughout the summer so I hope that you'll come and join us and then if any other businesses um are watching the feed or are in the room want to learn more about our Green Leaf business program that we read those proclamations for we're we're partnering with the ru for uh Chamber of Commerce and doing an event on June 6th um and that's uh will will help more businesses hopefully become part of this program um one of the things that I'll draw attention to that program is each business that you got that recognition actually had to have a measurable and a a financial benefit to doing something sustainable so it really is making a difference in our community so um thank you again for your support of that program and then lastly the the next event that is upcoming that I hope you guys will get the word out on is the styrofoam and recycling day so we um we have we've gone now to doing quarterly styrofoam drives and I want to thank the dpw's support in that um with the we through partnership with the Bergen Hub which is a group of green teams um throughout Bergen County uh there is now a a densifier I think you Mr Mayor went to go see the densifier in action and so the pieces go in and the the styrofoam come out much much condensed so that is going to be June 29th 9 to1 down at the DPW so that'll be shred day and styrofoam collection um open to all residents thank you thank you Julia anybody else from the public wishing to speak hi David Lao 423 sty Avenue just had a couple questions about some of the resolutions that are on here for tonight but first about the the letter from the Rutherford residents about the safety I I was wondering if that letter was Anonymous or there was a signature attached to that letter it would seem it's unfortunate although it's their prerogative it would seem unfortunate that someone wouldn't sign their names to that letter uh because we have a openness with the council to present problems so we just wanted to say that uh about the two resolutions that I do have a question about uh you have a resolution 115 on here tonight about the open public records act and I was wondering why it's still to be passed uh this evening since the uh bill was passed by the legislature earlier this week or last week um the the resolution seems a dollar short and a day late uh it also provides a rationale I was wondering who wrote that if it's this Council because it provides a rationale for supporting that open OA change of law which if you read the newspapers you see it's guts the Oprah law if you read any editorial in the newspaper um so I was wondering because the rationale that it gives is that commercial entities are placing a burden on municipalities in providing answers to opr requests and the bill that was passed remove that commercial Enterprises from the uh you know the P Bill the the uh uh restrictions that were placed on that so that's removed from the bill that was passed so it would seem like we don't need to pass that resolution this evening I just was wondering if you maybe offer some comment on that um next uh resolution 117 talks about the Redevelopment of the uh Kip area and I was wondering why that resolution to uh do a Redevelopment study of that area is necessary or why we need to do Redevelopment uh study of that area because as you recall some months ago the council here passed U an agreement redevelopers agreement I believe it was that offloaded the the U affordable housing component from the agnu onto that property already so I was wondering why we now now need to do a Redevelopment study of that property since we've already offloaded the Redevelopment agreement of affordable housing from agu onto that property so maybe you could explain that one for me too uh thank you very much thank you anybody else from the public wishing to speak seeing state your name and address and keep your comments at five minutes or left please absolutely um Pedro gutieres 361 mant Avenue first of all I want to thank you for your service um I'll be brief it's just a safety concern I just want to Echo I don't know if it was mentioned before but there's been a lot of other residents chattering about a lot of burglaries and break-ins I don't know if it's anecdotal if my ask here is provided any statistics if things have changed recently to to the public or any actions are going to be taken shortly um so that's it thank you thank you sir anybody else from the public wishing to speak seeing now I'm going to close it to the public and before I open it to the council I will ask the bu administrator to speak regarding the St Mary's agreement thank you mayor so as as uh chance would have it the agreement with St Mary's expires next month so uh we have already had discussions with uh the principal and the and the athletic director about two weeks ago myself and the uh Recreation director went down there went down to the field discussed a few things um shared with them that the renewal of that agreement was in Jeopardy and if we were to renew uh it would be significantly different than way the way it's currently written uh we recognize that our recre programs are thriving uh which is great the Youth Sports here in Rutherford um and we don't disagree that the the field should be used by uh residents of the burrow and so we've heard you we've been hearing it now for uh several months and uh we we recognize the need just from uh our own struggles in in scheduling our own programming let alone the other programming so um St Mary is on notice right now uh hopefully they're looking for other fields uh we uh we expect it to be very very different uh days from now with that what a what a renewed agreement says uh I think our program is going to see a lot more time down there moving forward so uh hopefully that that helps you uh but I assure you this de has heard everything you've said um our recreation department has heard everything you said and uh you know they need help in scheduling so we're going to we're going to take action so U I think like I said it'll be a lot different moving forward with the new agreement if there is an agreement I'm not even sure there is going to be another agreement um but I I think Tamlin uh is going to be used differently moving forward uh to some of the points made it does need a little TLC uh we have put some uh we've gotten some grant funding that we have put to aside looking to put some more funding aside to do a little bit uh more of a re more than a refresh but you know a total overhaul I it's an expensive project they'll probably be done in phases um you know the courts uh I don't disagree you know there there's a problem down there uh the action that was taken a couple of years ago to to refurbish those basketball and pickleball courts was not done correctly we'll have to fix that and make sure it gets done right the next time but um yeah tamblin is is a you know obviously a lot of things going on with morial right now uh but but tamblin is uh also on our memory on our minds and and we are actively working with our grand people and and working to secure enough funding to start taking action down there so uh hopefully that alleviates some of your concerns and hopefully you'll feel a little bit better tonight uh but like I said this you'll see some action by this Council within 60 days if not sooner uh and that should be able to you let you know the direction that we're going on and uh you know you I like I said there'll be more more playing time for our our residents our youth uh moving forward so that's what I got to say about that hopefully that helps let me address some other stuff me want me take take care of a few other things I was just about to say yes okay uh with regards to the resolution from uh you know the Oprah supporting uh that's just maybe more of a timing you know but we got that from the league of municipalities was written by the league of municipalities asked us to support it and send it to our legislatures so the the timing of it being passed and put on the agenda just you kind of slip passed us but explanation there uh with regards to the kip Avenue site uh this is the step one uh in order to do the study to designate that an area need of Redevelopment uh if that's then designated or deemed to meet the needs uh a Redevelopment plan could be written that area could be deemed a Redevelopment area therefore will'll assist in the construction of the affordable housing project that you reference uh as part of the Eminem uh redeveloping this agreement so it's part of the process to get it to become a Development Area so they can build the project they're looking to build um uh yeah the police side that's probably more of a a police chief issue so I really don't want to speak that out right now okay else I'm good um all right so um now we're going to move on for any Council consent council president or any Council conversation sure um first off uh Mr Ryan Mr pascus Mr Switz um Trace you can go you don't need I appreciate your concerns about tamblin Andi five and six and I could not agree with you more about the usage about our programs how they've expanded and are exploding and the the today's day and age times have changed we need Spa we need space so thank thank you for coming forth and talking about uh something that we know is very very needed for our programs so thank you very much uh Julia where are you sigle I just wanted to give you a shout out and once again you and the Green Team thank you for an amazing job well done as always um you know you always put the Community First and I certainly appreciate that thank you uh Mr gues um I would love to meet with you to to learn of your concerns and see if we can answer some of those questions that you may have so I'll reach uh um actually if you could send me an email with your or you can come up here and I'll get it from you uh get your email address and I'd love to sit with you and have a conversation thank you very much thank you mayor um thank you uh B administrator for your responses I appreciate that uh I too want to Echo the sentiments just just hold one second thank you sorry no problem uh I too want to Echo the sentiments that were shared about uh tamblin um either last meeting or the meeting before uh we are aggressively seeking uh grant funding we shared here uh to build a parody uh accessible playground at tamblin that matches the beautiful one that exists at Memorial um that's in tandem with uh really taking a deep dive look about how to make that field you know not just use it the way it is but how what do we need for now and moving forward and as you all articulated beautifully our programs are evolving and so our Fields have to evolve with them um so that we can both maximize space but most importantly maximize the potential of these individuals who are using it um and so I it it your words were heard and I appreciated them immensely and I am disappointed about um the courts and the basketball courts and I appreciate you bringing that to my attention I do not play on either of those I freely admit that and so um I'm sure that that will be one of the things on Bob's agenda and working with our grant uh workers and in addressing and our um our engineer um regarding the kav as uh Bob has already spoken to um Mr luno this is all a part of getting us to the place of addressing affordable housing and that area was uh identified for Supportive Housing um which you and I have spoken about previously um the fact that we are going to spearhead the uh inclusion of in uniquely abled individuals members of the disabled community that have not been included in these type of projects and that we are we are spearheading something that really hasn't happened in our area before um this is new for us I'm excited we're a part of it um but it is a very slow moving process I think it's almost a year ago you and I were talking about this and it's still moving um I appreciate uh the comments regarding safety and I thank you councilman for following up um in the absence of Chief tonight and mayor I just wanted to say I thought it was a great way to start tonight's meeting to celebrate the amazing things that are happening in this town and and just the diversity of those experiences and how many people that make it happen um and I hope that we continue to start our meetings with that spirit I think it really sets the tone appropriately for the work that we do thank you thank you council president I'm just waiting for Mike pesus to admit that he's part of the reason that there's a whole bunch of holes in the pickle ball court uh councilwoman okay so I want to thank um sha Mike and Mike right Shan Mike and Mike you guys sound like a team like you guys could probably run there's a Vinnie in there too oh Vinnie Vinnie too but you didn't speak you didn't speak yeah you guys were so impassioned I think they may want to run for public office or something but but I just want to thank you all so much you know you care so much for our children and it's so evident in what you had to say and um I'm so grateful to our borrow administrator and our rec director because they are working so hard and we're going to see great things happen over the next few years um I want to thank the green team for being here you are all in your green shirts amazing the green team has come such a long way um Julia thank you for your passion and your leadership um over I how many years have you been in your oh my gosh 10 years in her role amazing and you just see how they've built from strength to to strength and how it's made an impact on our businesses and our residents so thank you so much for your hard work and that is it thank you thank you councilwoman anybody else yes thanks mayor um I I agree I think uh Sean Mike Vinnie everyone who spoke about the Tamlin issue in St Mary's I think it was incredibly eloquent your words and I appreciate all the work and time you put into coming here to talk about them and thank you for Thanking us for our service I don't think we hear that very often so it's actually really appreciated um Julia again Green Team team wonderful work thanks for coming here and updating us and all the great things you're doing and reminding us to put get the word out about your your wonderful events I just want to say um to to Mr Le Bruno that I kind of agree with you on Oprah I don't know um there are a lot of good government groups in New Jersey who are worried about the version of the bill that is currently going to the governor's desk and I used to work in common cause when I first started my career so I'm definitely a good government person and I am concerned that the good government um groups are not thrilled with the version I mean Oprah has to be it has to be reformed it has to be changed but it really it has to be a thoughtful process and every stakeholder has to be involved including those groups and I'm not sure that the way it's been done is ideal so um I would be happy with taking it off the agenda but I'm not sure that's going to happen um but yes thank you for bringing that up and bringing that to our attention I think that's all I have thanks thank you councilman thank you sir um Sean pascus is Mike Vinnie Billy Mike um appreciate the impassion speech Sean as we discussed on the side you know when you first reached out faces In This Crowd make a difference right that's how what I've learned in the last four years is that's what gets the needle moved so I appreciate the passion for it and you guys know I'm out there at the Joseph kuchi Field field was there this evening took me 27 minutes to get there to here after practice tonight it is incredibly frustrating Bob is well aware of my frustration with it as a coach of young children right you give all this time and energy and things and you're being asked to play you know a couple of miles away um I will I promise you stay on top of this um feel free to call and reach out with any and all questions if you have ideas you see things like I didn't realize that Bergen Catholic plays at a county level field right little things like that all of us up here rely on you guys and men and women to bring us information right as this we can only consume so much in our daily lives so when you make those phone calls you know don't be afraid to come and sit in this Galley and speak to us like that we appreciate the accolades and everything like that thank you very much it we don't hear it often it is a pretty thankless job um but it's moments like this where we can start a collaboration and figure out the best way to move forward uh really truly appreciate right um Mr Diaz thank you I think he took off uh councilman Guzman if I could just ask for uh that update to kind of circle amongst us as well uh several of those break-ins and attempted break-ins have been friends of mine uh I didn't have any answers for them uh as in when it had happened uh so I'd love to get an update as to the status and solutions being offered up um thank you all congratulations to miss seagull once again and all your hard work thank you okay um so thank you all um we're we are working as best we can with with everything Green Team phenomenal as usual um I think St Mary's face has dropped off when Bob had the conversation with him the other day um it's unfortunate I mean I went to school there but um the priorities of our our children versus outside children is not disrespectful it's just a reality so um this Council will just have to make the decision that they feel best and represents our community that's all I have um now you can all run away because we're going to move on to the regular crap Cunningham coming out from they brought you up from the other league for this game huh coun president consent Jenna thank you mayor uh all items authorized to be consent by the council will be enacted by one motion these items are routine in nature motion I have a motion by the council president may have a second second I was second by councilman Guzman any questions or comments by the council see n May roll call council president McAn yes Council beg Robertson yes councilman Guzman yes Council Clon yes councilman Copley yes thank you council president thank you missy I'm just confirming that the minutes were a part of the consent agenda correct thank you next resolution number 17 authorizing and directing the planning board to determine whether certain property within the buau constitutes an area in need of Redevelopment motion I have a motion by the council president may have a second second second by Council Roberson any questions or comments by the council mayor just want to reiterate that uh based on the discussion and evidence that was shared with the B administrator this is the resolution in question thank you council president anybody else have any questions or comments see N I have a roll call council president down yes councilman beg Robertson yes councilman Gman yes councilman Clon yes councilman Copley yes thank you next is resolution number 118 authorizing non-precedential 108 motion I have a motion by the council president may have a second second second by Council woman quatron any questions or comments by the council see no May roll call council president mcowan yes Council B Robertson yes councilman Gman yes councilman Clon yes councilman kley yes thank you I have nothing under new business uh correspondence we have a we received the as noted on the agenda correct M nothing F the uh yep council member and uh leaz on assignments we start with council president MCD thank you mayor um this evening I wanted to uh acknowledge yet again the extraordinary service of our um of our EMS um you know it was an honor tonight to present the proclamation on their behalf recognizing this week but I think it is very important to note uh Rutherford is one of the very few municipalities where many are actually moving to Outsource Rutherford not only has this extraordinary Squad but all of the members are EMTs that is um a very tough feat it's a very high bar and high standard we are an incredibly fortunate Community to have them their service is unwavering this fall we'll be SE we'll be celebrating their 75th Anniversary um um and I'm very excited to do that and I imagine the community will be rallying to celebrate with them as well um tomorrow night is the uh the kip board meeting they continue to do um outstanding programming I think um Kathy baviello and her incredible team uh not just for the programming service but for the lunches that are provided for uh a place of Fellowship for the seniors in our community and around surrounding towns um we're very very fortunate to have them uh so that is what I wanted to share tonight thank you mayor thank you we're going to move on now to council big Roberson I have nothing to share tonight mayor thank you councilman councilman guzar thank you very much mayor I have nothing new thank you councilman D comes out here C sure watching allain do toate and elev our overall that sustainability andness I'm very proud of all of our volunteers I also understand that the repair Cafe amazing librarys thank you um councilwoman quatron I have nothing on my assignments thanks councilman K uh thank you sir I just want to take a quick moment to uh wish John Anderson who uh we accepted his resignation tonight uh best of luck in his new chapter uh down in uh the Carolinas with his young family it was a pleasure to make your acquaintance and share some you know woodworking stories uh we wish we could have hold held on to you but uh totally understand the scenario and the situation so uh thank you again for your service and your time and your attention your friendship and um best of luck to you moving on thank you thank you councilman all right we're going to move on to I have nothing to report I got some appointments Robert vanwinkle uh provisional appointment building maintenance repair maintenance repair effect of May 21st 2024 in accordance with the rules and regulations of the New Jersey civil service may I have a u motion motion by council president May second second second second by councilman quatron any questions or comment see n m roll call council president McAn yes councilman B Robertson yes councilman Guzman yes councilman Quron yes councilman cley yes thank you have Ryan Arnold provisional appointment M maintenance worker grounds 2 effective May 21st 2024 in accordance with the rules and regulations of New Jersey civil service I ask for a motion motion motion by council president May second second second by councilwoman quatron any questions for comgress Council see n have roll call council president mcowan yes counc MC beg Robertson yes councilman Guzman yes counc Clon yes councilman Copley yes thank you Michael P a provisional appointment labor to effective May 21st 2024 in um in accordance of the rules of regulations of C of New Jersey civil service commission any uh questions for comment by the council I'm I'm sorry first I would ask for a motion motion motion by council president mayor second second second by Council Quon any questions or comments s n mayor council president mcowan yes counc beg Robertson yes councilman Guzman yes councilman yes councilman kley yes finally I have William danback provisional uh provisional appointment maintenance worker one effective May 21st 2024 in accordance with the rules and regulations of the New Jersey civil service commission I'd ask for a motion motion by council president M second second second by Council Quron any questions or comments by the council see n m roll call council president go Motion yes councilman beg Robertson yes councilman Gman yes councilman qu yes Council cley yes thank you now we're going to move on to the hearing of citizens um anybody wishing to speak on agenda and agenda items only please step forward to the microphone seeing none I'm going to close it to the public and open up for any Council consent comments I'm sorry see now we're going to move on to ordinances councilman Del con is not here tonight so councilman kley we moving over that one no we did yeah we withdrew that one for this evening councilman beg Roberson so I have an ordinance um of salary amendments for school gem monitors and park rangers I ask the clerk to read the ordinance by title only in ordinance to amend and supplement an ordinance entitled ordinance regulating the employment tenure and discharge of certain officers and employees of the burrow of rord on the provisions of the Civil Service Act of New Jersey number 351 18-20 adopted on February 22 24 2020 I make a motion to move that the ordinance be passed on first reading and advertised according to law motion I have a motion by the council beg robon may have a second second is that you yes uh second by Council woman Quron any questions or comments seeing none is council president mcen yes councilman beg Robertson yes councilman Gman yes Council Quon yes councilman cley yes next uh council president thank you mayor ordinance in first reading this evening is establishing chapter 78-70 amending the burrow code to create chapter 78- 7 reg regulating State mandated lead based paint testing for rental properties thank you I'd like to make a motion to move that the ordinance be passed on first reading and advertised according to law I have a motion by the council president may have a second second second by councilman Quron councilwoman Quron any questions or comments by the council see none may have a roll call council president McAn yes Council beg Robertson yes councilman Gman yes Council Clon yes councilman CLE yes seeing that is all we have I take a motion for adjournment motion motion by council president all in favor I you got