evening I call to order this regular meeting of the brona township Council on Monday January 88th 2024 at 7 o' p.m Madam clerk would you please read the open meetings act F State the notice requirements of the open public meetings act have been satisfied with respect to this meeting of the township Council to meeting time and date were included in the public meeting well with the public internet link and telephone call information said notice in the meeting agenda was posted in the municipal building and sent to the official newspapers of the township the ver City Grove times in the Star Ledger at least 48 Hours preceding the start time of this meeting the agenda and handouts can be viewed online at Verona nj.org counil meetings a public comment period will be held and the order it's listed on the meeting agenda instructions on how to comment will be provided at the appropriate time thank you m CL please hold all counc Holland here here Council MCG here Council Roman here maoy present mayor Toro here mayor also present tonight is Township manager jodo Deputy Township manager Kevin oan Township attorney Brian a la and myself municipal clerk jeder K thank you clerk Please Stand United States of America andice all first item on our agenda is the mayor's report i' like all our friends and County Le on Mr good evening mayor and Council and happy New Year to you uh I only have one item this evening which is unusual but it is now our deer management program and um we have it at South Mountain reservation in Hilltop uh it's starting on January 16th 23rd the 30th February 6th and SE uh February 13th in South Mountain reservation and at Hilltop it'll be Thursday January 11th the 18th to 25th February 1st 18 8th 15 and 22nd if you're looking for any additional information you can call the county executive's office 973 62144 and um Hilltop reservation will be closed on those particular dates and the rain date for Hilltop is February 29th and for the South Mountain reservation will be February 20th or the 27th that is all I have this evening uh things are kind of quiet so anything from the coun mayor and Council Council no thank you thank you very much right uh my initial report will be first of all happy New Year to everybody this is a uh I like even number to years for whatever reason I was just thinking when Jay brought up February 29th but it reminded me that we're going to leave here so that's very exciting this year um we have a lot to do this year and a lot to pack in these next 12 months like to thank our Department of Public Works for their excellent job keeping our roads clear and safe in our last storm we hadn't had a storm in a while so it was nice that would be there um just for all of our residents anybody watching just remember with the rain coming to make sure storm drains are clear and that um your Sun Pumps are working and all that as we expect some pretty significant weather tomorrow Mr diarco will be meeting with our mergency management coordinator in the morning to discuss our preparations um and finally on the 30th of uh December I was honored to attend the eagle scout um Bo of Honor for four Eagle Scouts Noah Noah Boon Andrew kti Liam fry and Aiden hlin um it was a wonderful ceremony left by uh the C was Kevin M who's in the audience Kevin waves so the council knows who you are okay uh did a great job in a lot of our a lot of Scouts were involved in the ceremony and even quite a few alumni and uh former it's U was a particular pleasure for me because I had the opportunity to get to know all of these Scouts through my uh teaching capacity and they all really are fine young gentlemen so uh in recognition of their efforts we have proclamations to honor them today but before we do that I'd like to invite uh Mr hlin up to uh just fill the council Aid and the community on what Sho two is about and how to join and what we can do to help hi thank you uh my name is Craig hin I am the scout master for Verona troop 2 we are sponsored by the First Congressional Church um on Church Street uh we also hold our meetings there weekly uh the scouts are a group of individuals between 11 and 17 years of age most of them come up through the Cub Scouts and through wee blows where they cross over uh fifth grade in March or April and we uh provide the kids with um skills and activities that they enjoy camping hiking uh community service is also one of the things that they do and we' like to thank the council for having us here tonight and addressing and recognizing the Eagle Scouts any questions Mr before we let anything we're good thanks for sure all right uh so we have proclamations we're gonna I'm going to call up um each Scout individually to share a little bit about what they did for their Eagle project and then we'll read their Proclamation and then when everybody is done we'll go and present them all so we're not running up and down that makes that's good for everybody okay uh first up because on the top of the pile is Noah boom Noah come on out Gooding um so as listed my name is noo uh for my EOS Scout project I worked with the Essex County Environmental Center I made planter boxes out of cedar wood for their butterfly garden uh this allowed for just housing of native plants that just helps sustain their uh butterfly garden and to enact the project I had to gather a bunch of Scouts to help build them I built the first uh demonstration box with a friend and then used it as an example when we got a larger group together and actually built the boxes in my backyard thank you D and if you want to wait right there we will read the proclamation uh it reads whereas the vision of the Boy Scouts of America is for young men in America to become responsible participating citizens and leaders and are Guided by the Scout Oath and Loth and whereas Noah Boon has held the position of quartermaster and true guide and whereas while a student at for high school no excelled in bhs's science and math programs was a member of the engineering and Mandarin clubs and whereas no as an eight-year member of the Essex County Youth Orchestra has obtained his black belt in martial arts of Master chose talian and has volunteered at the church of the holy spirit's food pantry and whereas the Boy Scouts of America encourage Eagle Scout candidates to complete worthy projects to improve their neighborhoods their community and their region and whereas Noah's Eagle Scout project was designing and directing the building of five butterfly boxes for the Essex County Environmental Center and whereas the butterfly boxes serve as raised flower beds for cultivating New Jersey native plants and the environmental centers sheltered butterflyes education tent providing a sustainable buffet for a variety of butterfly species both common and danger and whereas Noah conru from these butterfly boxes contributes to the educational opportunities for residents to learn about butterfly species and how we can all provide places for these beautiful creatures to thve now therefore be Proclaim that I Dr Christopher tamboro mayor of Township of Verona congratulate no aboon for achieving the rank of Eagle Scout and wish him all the best as he attends Embry Riddle Aeronautical University majoring Aeronautical Engineering we have a rocket scientist in our midst and witness whereof I had here on two set my hand and caused the great deal at the Great Seal of the Town of Verona in the county of Essex state of New Jersey to be fixed on his e8th day of January 2024 pandies out so you're yes is Andrew KY Andrew come on up thank you good evening uh I'm Andrew Cony as listed thanks no uh my project was H three Arbor benches and two uh handy uh handicap excuse me wheelchair accessible uh flower uh Planters uh for St Joseph's healthcare and rehab center in Cedar Grove New New Jersey uh that courtyard was particularly um free of all shade it was very much exposed to the sun I thought that uh benches with a little bit of roof on them would be a nice way for the senior citizens there um to get a little shade and also have an activity much like Noah and everyone else I gathered Scouts we uh built the project uh hell or high water in my basement or outside during snow during rain bunch of different stuff um it's about it thank you Andrew have Proclamation for Andrew as well whereas the vision of the Boy Scouts of America is prepare young men in America to become responsible participating citizens and leaders Guided by the Scout openin Law whereas Andrew Robert kti has held the positions of senior patrol leader assistant senior patol leader and tro guide and whereas Andrew is a member of the order of the arrow and currently serves as an assistant scoutm whereas as a senior at Verona High School interplays baritone for the Verona marching run and white and served as band Lieutenant this year while also serving as a member of the trium music Honor Society the international cesan Honor Society and the theater Honor Society and whereas the Boy Scouts of America encourage Eagle Scout candidates to complete worthy projects to improve their neighborhoods the community and the region and whereas Andrew wanted his Eagle Scout project to be one that would benefit senior citizens whereas Andrew built three Arbor benches and two planters for an outdoor cour guard St Joseph's healthcare and Rehabilitation Center in SEO New Jersey and whereas Andrew's Arbor bench design provides shade and otherwise sundrenched Courtyard while the Planters are designed to be built at a height sustainable uh I'm sorry suitable for use by people both standing and in wheelchairs now therefore be a Proclaim that I Dr Christopher Toro mayor of Verona congratulate Andrew Robert KY for achieving the rank of evil Scout and wish him all the best in his future endeavors and witness whereof I appear unto set my hand and cause the Great Seal of the township of Rona in the county of Essex state of Jersey be fixed on this 8th day of January 2024 congratulations and hi how's it going name uh so I made garden boxes for the Environmental Center uh what I did was you know gather a bunch of Scouts in my backyard and I had a displayed made garden box and I guided them on how to make the garden box and how to you know construct like it from the ground up basically and the garden boxes are used in The Butterfly Center uh the butterfly the butterfly like Garden they have and it helps uh disabled people people people who you maybe have like you know some they can't go to the ground to plant or something like that elderly people also uh and it helps them you know be able to Garden while you know accommodating whatever is you know burdening them thank you Liam we have a proclamation for Liam whereas the visions of the Boy Scouts of America prepare young men in America become responsible participating citizens and leaders are Guided by the Scout open law whereas Liam Patrick fry has s the positions of through guy and Deni and whereas Liam traveled with five other Scouts participating in cab base Bahamas and Scouts crewed a sailboat that visited five islands and whereas Liam in 2023 graduate of Verona High School was Captain of brona hbil varsity baseball team and was a member of the 2019 state champion Verona hil's football team and whereas the Boy Scouts America encourage Eagle Scout candidates to complete worthy projects to improve their neighborhoods their community in the region and whereas Liam designed coordinated constructed and oversaw the building of four learning garden boxes for the ESS County Environmental Center and whereas the long style boxes created a home for seed to harvest gardening and pollinator plants for bees and butterflies and whereas Liam's learning garden boxes were a main fixture of the butterfly tent Safari programming held this throughout this past spring and summer and will be a permanent fixture at the Essex County Environmental Center moving forward now therefore be have Proclaim that I Dr Christopher Toro mayor of the township of Arona congratulate Liam Patrick fry for achieving the rank of equal Scout I wish him all the best as a student at the University of Scranton study Kinesiology in witness whereof I fear on to set my hand and cause the Great Seal of the Town of Verona in the county of essic state of New Jersey to be fixed this e8th day of January 2024 congratulations leam and last certainly but not least aen Hamlin hlin for my Eagle project I built a small Bridge behind F and brown as as well as um four boardwalks uh I built it off like a small scen off of the Pac-Man River and I did it because when I was younger I used to always go back there with my friends and we always have to end up jumping over that River to get across it so I decided just to build a bridge over for any uh younger kids who want to do it just like me and I did this with younger Scouts as long as as well as some Cub Scouts from the Cub Scout Pack and I did this so that um whenever it rains or it's like really like um muddy back there people can still walk through it while it's still mudy thank you and several of us have the opportunity to visit your project um and certainly was a great addition so we have a proclamation for you where whereas the vision of the Boy Scouts of America Fair young men in America become responsible participating citizens and leaders are Guided by the Scout Oath and lawas Aiden Patrick hlin has held the positions of assistant senior patrol leader patrol leader and quartermaster and whereas Aiden joined the Boy Scouts after earning his AR FL was completing his years in the cup Scouts and whereas Aiden is president of the marine biology Club a member of youth ministry and a member of the of multiple National Honor societies also as well as a third degree black belt in tawon Bell and whereas the blaz Scouts of America encourage Eagle Scout candidates to complete worthy projects to improve their neighborhoods their community in the region whereas Aiden's Eagle Scout project is designing structing bester and foot Bridge a small stream leading to the pant River where as aen Incorporated planning and organizational skills to successfully lead being the fellow Scouts and destruction of this project whereas the construction of this flipp rage provides a safe and convenient way fellow residents to Traverse the trails along kekan river now therefore be have proclaimed that I Dr Christopher Toro mayor of the township Verona congratulate Aiden Patrick hlin for achieving the rank of Eagle Scout wish him all the best in his future endeavors in witness whereof i' here onto set my hand and cause the Great Seal of P Corona in the county of Essex state of New Jersey to be fixed on this eth day of January 2024 congratulations Aiden everybody up in a minute but for the folks in town as you're hearing these projects they really are extraordinary and meeting needs that we have um our County liaison is here and our Environmental Center is benefiting um from that as well and uh and all of these Scouts not only participated um in the troop but also throughout school and academics and they really uh achieve some um wonderful and uh things despite many challenges having to go through the the Scout program to achieve rank things like that um so I think the entire town quity gentlemen does anybody from Council have anything to say congratulations Council I'll just add that I think it's an amazing accomplishment that you young men have done scouting is a really big part of my family's life both my brothers are eagles doubts and they were encouraged to do so by my father my uncles before that so I I want you to know that I understand the amount of work that goes into achieving the Eagle Award and you know hearing how so many of you are actively engaged in scouting I hope it's something that you take with you for the rest of your lives and you use to encourage other people going forward so congratulations again and um thank you so much for what you've done for our community come on down are better nowadays this has to be yours that's all that we have we gotta kind of push backorder this work I two of you guys get on this side I'll kind of get in the middle and some people that used to work all these guys go ahead go ahead I just saw we're looking at you thank you okay want to get that yeah enviral Center what are come up and get a picture with you guys um youry is our count congratulations congratulations yes see you guys on the show fun part of meeting and now on to bus it's a good the rest of the agenda is we have several resolutions that are very exciting no problem they've done studies on that people like leaders one Reas George Washington okay um we're going to continue on our agenda in the rest of the Aman appointments the first is for the library Board of Trustees Michelle who has been our uh the mayor's alternate uh pointing her to the full position as a member of the library board Michelle has done great work on the library board and excited to have her continue in that service I'd also like to thank Kate Kelly for her service to the library board uh she did not renew her membership um and she did serve as president and really help shepher the lever board through a lot of great things so thank you Miss Kelly and thank you to M for serving we also have an appointment for the shade tree Comm commission this is Diane Convoy this Convoy has been on the shade stre commission before and this is a renewal for appointment so no objection I will officially make those appointments at this time okay on to the manager report Mr di thank you mayor um first on the item is the UN development SL plan application 2024 ke you know last introduction the uh the application that is being heard this evening is actually it's uh two sets of applications that are being submitted through cdbg uh this is the second hearing these are the same projects that were discussed at the last public meeting one is for a number of ADA accessible improvements through uh miscellaneous public facilities both at the community center Town Hall pool uh there is a second application being presented to cdbg for the Ada accessible elements to the Everett field Improvement project both of those applications were submitted to cdbg in December prior to the December 20th deadline or second deadline um those applications are currently pending the public hearing tonight is a requirement of those applications and that is that is the extent of this public hearing thank Mr Solan at this point I will open for public comment for the public hearing we see the BG applications is there uh Madam clerk would you read the public participation statement anyone from the public wishing to um assest in Community Development Grant project application for 2024 please raise your hand if you are attending via Zoom you may raise your hand on your monitor by pressing the raised hand button on your monitor if you're dialing in by phone press star9 once you're addressed please clearly state your name and T for residence for the record you have four minutes to address the council there'll be no cross dialogue during this hearing after everyone wishing to speak has been heard the council May address your comments and our questions it is open thank you CL anybody in the gallery in made a home not I'll close public participation and our second public hearing on the CD BG has concluded thank you Mr relative to Feld design mayor I may um hear all the comments from boards commissions was submitted to our office we met with the engineer on the amendment designs for you is a full compliant 8 playground is the cdpg including all the walkways and the ADA Compliant bleaches there is a drafting which will come before you again so we keep this project excellent thank you um oh so still your report there's a number of appointments uh the planning board Kevin O Sullivan any filing you Deputy manager correct our New Jersey intergovernmental Insurance Fund um I will stay as commissioner for the township Kevin Deputy Mayor will be the alternate um the Bergen Municipal Employee benefit fund same reappointments um Ste commissioner and Jennifer mcara my uh my Agenda Report has a number of items on it that we were Fally in addition to working on the budget um the cdbg projects R8 projects I'm reviewing all year contracts that are coming up this year uh and meeting with the appropriate ageny to discuss those contracts and as they become more solidified I'll be bringing those to your attention then we can jump into the deputy manager's report which encompasses sorry Council which encompasses majority of the projects we're working on collectively one um I do have one follow question so as part of the ever field project um there was a field analysis That was supposed to go along with it and especially since a lot of the comments are about the field size that field analysis is even more important um so are there plans on getting us I know it had some issues and it was being reworked yes are there plans on can we get that by the end of the month would that be possible yeah as soon as we as soon as the final comments are in um one of the okay one of the committees has not it did not file the report which we asked for okay change here yeah so as soon as it's all completed then we'll have a little picture for you yes well the shade well the shade tree is submitting comments for every field but this was the field analysis of all of our fields in the township and Y and how are they being utilized because in particular it's the size of the baseball field that if we keep it the same size if we make it bigger I just want to understand the different fields we have and what kind of baseball is being played on them that that is being handled by David at the Recreation Commission okay to finalize that report okay okay and it would be nice if they both coincided so we get that report and the new Ever field yes but Shay tree um they will be sending recommendations to Mr O Elan and yourself uh shortly they met tonight so uh and they did um discuss them thank you the I'll just go through the items I've list on my reportage the water and sewer rate study the the township continues to advance The Raid study final draft of that raid study is expected by the end of the month and we are uh tentatively scheduling new J to to be here to present their findings and recommendations to the council at the February 5th meeting uh based upon that presentation it will allow for enough time for new rates to be uh introduced and adopted for the second quarter of 2024 the next item on my report is regarding the wastewater treatment plan uh a lot of these projects uh interweave with each other but this particular project um Boswell is near the completion of their assessment they've uh they're significantly complete with the current needs and the associated costs and the time frames associated with them all of that information has been fed to new genen for their rate study however they are still working on uh an alternate Solutions analysis uh and they're coordinating that with Township Administration uh those potential solutions that are uh Alternatives that they're looking at include public private Partnerships of varying levels and alternatives for final treatment facilities uh the final report will be appended to the final rate study and will be available for that February 5th meeting as well so we're pushing both of those projects forward in parallel with each other uh additionally uh there have been recent rain events and more forecasted rain events which have had significant capacity issues with the sewer collection system and the sewer treatment plant uh some of the recent storms have uh brought flow through the sewer plant and and increased or or really spiked the flow from two to four million gallons per day on average upwards of 20 million gallons per day uh this is all signifying of very significant inflow and infiltration issues and even potentially elicit connections to our sanitary sewer line while we work with the Department of Public Works on performing preventive maintenance and inspecting and and and televising and jetting sewer lines as best as we can uh the these are all shortterm and and more reactive responses to those issues the long-term solutions would include a more thorough inii study and smoke testing to try to identify the the trouble areas of our sewer collection system to try to tighten the system itself up and lower the amount of flow coming into the system during these rain events this is all one of uh part of the assessment that Boswell's performing it's going to be one of the early recommendations because that is a immediate need on the system uh moving forward on the residential escrow fees and the discussion on the zoning permit process uh the zoning and construction Department have implemented a new workflow which starts with an updated zoning application including new clearly delineated checklists this is in effect uh as of the beginning of the year and the new process clarifies all project requirements in this first step and highlights if and when engineering reviews and Associated escros will be triggered it's a much clearer clean and cleaner way for applicants to come before the Construction office and zoning office and understand what the expectation is of them again that zoning permit application is step one engineering if necessary would be step two and then upon completion of those first two steps it will then go to the building department for issuance of building permits and this is all much clearer in the new process we're also working to update the website we're also doing an analysis of zoning fees which will be put forth in mayor and Council and a recommendation of presentation probably at the next meeting or early February moving forward to the Lyn Drive in the Fairview Avenue new wells projects there's a resolution on the agenda for tonight or in word of contract for the construction of the L Drive well improvements The Sovereign Consulting there were the lowest response at bidder and the recent bid opening uh that is in the amount of 1 million 71,000 uh there is we are working with the ibank to coordinate the final uh interm construction loan closing and all this information in in addition to those loan figures are being coordinated with our rate study uh the well is expected to be placed back online in the fall of 2024 and until that time Verona water customers will remain entirely serviced by saake Valley Water Commission then uh the next project is the Fairview Avenue well project that project currently awaits authorization from the ibank to advertise for bids bids are targeted within the next several months again we are waiting for authorization from the state to advertise for those vids that's a longer construction duration for that project it's approximately 15 months so we're we're hoping that by the end of 2025 that well will be placed back in service and again as Lind Drive comes online back online the Verona water customers will be service then by a blend of water from both Fairview um from both the lind Drive well and from Valley Water Commission uh Additionally the Verona water department is proceeding with another round of fire hydrant flushing in uh in January of of 2024 this is in addition to some new water samples and tests to Abate the TTM tthm issue that was subject of the the utilities recent public notice this is the approved uh method from the state uh it's additional flushing of the system and additional testing on the system and then lastly on on water updates uh the administration will be working to disseminate all this information all these updates on the well improvements the fire hydrant flushing some of the recent notices we're going to put together a public information piece with our public information officer to update the public and bring them up to speed on all the projects going on uh moving into the storm water items uh I did have a phone call earlier today with the town engineer and the environmental commission chair uh we advaned through the final review steps of the updated storm water Control Ordinance we anticipate bringing that as new business to the next mayor and council meeting so we can introduce it at our first meeting in February and schedule for second hearing and and adoption at the second meeting in February uh this puts us well ahead of the deadline to adopt the new uh regulations which is July 17th we're well ahead of that time frame so we're in in good order there uh we are then now going to be shifting our Focus to update the storm water pollution prevention plan the municipal storm water management plan to make sure our mapping is all up to date and all the other elements of our Municipal storm water permit so we are making a lot of advances on storm water issues additionally uh the town manager and I have a a conference call with dp's office of climate resiliency on Jan anuary 18th the purpose of that discussion will be to um to to review resiliency as it relates to storm water impacts in Verona we had some discussions with that office regarding Blue Acres potential and and other requests along those lines and uh this this will be to further that discussion with the state office and then lastly the DP has provided their first response to the Township's application for the pekman river stabilization project project we did get a number of comments so Boswell is currently working to review plans and resubmit them to the state and work towards permits so we can hopefully get this project out to bid and Construction in in the spring uh there is uh I've also reported on my analysis of the parking meter rates if you'd like we can go into detail on that or uh we can um we can review that there were a number of recommendations in there the primary focus of those recommendations was to uh to update the parking meter rates so they're consistent with neighboring communities uh undertake uh a meter replacement project in 2024 and coordinate all of these efforts and um all of the resulting Revenue that is currently lost Revenue at this time with the business district to determine what the uh the prioritized needs of the business district would be so those are the three recommendations resulting from that study um and and that analysis and and unless there were questions the administration can advance those uh those particular one thing I would just flag out here is it's a surprisingly large number of parking meters that are out of service and it sounds like we simply can't repair any parking meters out of the existing beat right now so kind of feels like the highest priority I mean we're going to have a very in-depth discussion about parking needs for the township as a whole but it would seem like an early priority is just simply to be able to get ourselves back in business on you know as many meters as possible I'm just wondering if we have a strategy for early 2024 you know is this something that necessarily just being able to have functioning paring meters everywhere uh is that something that can be done sooner rather than later the so the I know the the chief has worked with a vendor to get uh estimated costs for parking meter kiosks uh those costs are part of a capital request being presented and and scheduled for discussion through the budget process uh assuming that is all approved through the budget process it will allow us to then Advance the project in order meters and get them installed as as quickly as we can that is that is Target one okay I yeah it looks like you do have that you know spread across uh two separate years here for the refresh of the parking meters but that's you know something that I think just makes all the sense in the world to do you know this year right okay anybody else on um moving on to some analysis on different energy Supply to Municipal accounts we discussed this a little bit at the last meeting but we are working with the BPU for a Lo a local government energy audit we'll be submitting that this month uh it's an application for the BPU form that audit um we had to provide a 14-month bill history and input all the information to a specific format and spreadsheet for the BPU so now that we have that information we're ready to submit to uh to that to the BPU for advancing that local government energy audit uh the administration is also investigating the potential for solar projects on Township owned property and Facilities a prary list of properties and Facilities has been provided to an energy consult and is being assessed uh it's it's really a first step on a feasibility analysis to determine between cost payback and and potential tax credits what that return might look like so we are advancing all of those analyses we don't have anything to report on that yet but we are working with the consultant for that feasibility study uh the township Administration will'll also be speaking with our grant writer for potential grant opportunities related to community energy planning in addition to combined heat and power feasibility study at the wastewater treatment plant these are a few Grant applications that are that have windows that are currently open we have a phone call with our grant writer on Thursday to review those potential uh potential projects and we will be submitting Grant applications for them uh the next item is the community center playground and Ada restroom we went through some of the finances of the the uh the bid that was the bids were received on November 29th went through the finances at the last meeting uh there were number of grants that have been received there was a $150,000 Grant from Essex County open space previously there was also a recent award from Essex County cdbg for reprogramming funds that was an additional 200,000 uh there and there was a prior uh authorization for bonds to be issued from the township uh tonight would be the supplemental uh Bond ordinance for introduction to fully fund the remainder of that project and move forward with the award of contract and the construction of that playground this spring I have a few updates on a number of the road projects in town uh we are advancing the road assessment study with Boswell uh the study is underway we also did receive a $318,000 grant from NJ doot local aid for repaving of Lyndon Avenue this project needs to be bonded so once we receive that road assessment study we will present all the the top priorities to May Council and uh present that project to advance those next steps on repaving of Lyon Avenue and any other top priorities for this year uh the township has also just as of this afternoon received authorization from the dot for the Boston Whitney windir project they did approve our award of contracts so we can now move forward with uh advancing preconstruction meetings and public Outreach for that project uh additionally we do have Douglas Place which is another dot Grant award that is uh those are those Pro those plans are complete and designed phase we are submitting the applications uh the the grant um I'm sorry we're submitting the design plans to the dot at this time and we hope to have that project ready for spring bidding and summer construction then the last item on uh road projects is regarding the Derwent Avenue project uh I've reported to the council previously that there were uh were additional sewer televising findings uh during construction of durwent Avenue which highlighted a number of deficiencies in the sanitary sewer line uh that sewer line does need to be repaired prior to Paving which is why the paving was not able to advance prior to the the winter season the contractor has mobilized all the additional equipment and pipe to the road uh over the last two days they are looking to schedule uh the start of that sewer repair work on Wednesday after this this next rainstorm and that should take approximately two weeks that would then allow the trench to settle through the winter and the project the DWI Avenue would be ready for first round of Paving as soon as the asphalt plants open back up in the in the spring uh that additional work will also require a change order on the contract so we'll have to present that to the council at the next meeting we did just received a formal written proposal from the contract contractor but uh we are advancing with uh with the work we'll need to authorize that change order at the next meeting and then the last item on our repord is a number of Grant applications that have been presented uh and discussed previously uh we have an application as soon as the window opens up to submit to the New Jersey Economic Development Authority for acquisition of um of property ass um which would beneficial to the downtown area there's applications related to the ever field project there was a cdbg application which we had the second hearing on tonight we will have a public hearing at the next meeting for the playground associated with Everett field that is another separate funding source that we were looking for funding for that portion of the project at that meeting we will have megally present the entirely updated concept plan not just playground they'll be able to have a presentation on the field and all the comments that have been received so far uh we are also hoping that Essex County open space opens up through window they are uh in that that year in that time frame that they should be opening up another round of funding for Essex County open space we wait that and if it does open up in time we would submit application ever field in that U that program as well um there's a few other miscellaneous grants that we're working with our grant Rider on but those are the larger applications at this time thank you for comprehensive report any questions from the council Council um yeah so going back to energy Supply again we do have solar panels on a few buildings so if that can be incorporated in I again I think what we heard was that they some parts were broken but they may have been or may have been recall and I don't know if that's loow hanging fruit to get that turned back on by just um fallowing up on those warranties um so that was one uh thing that I want wanted to say and also that the shade tree committee will be uh commission excuse me the shade tree commission does have tree recommendations for Boston Whitney Whitney and does need to speak about their went um and the very small planting strips that are there and they have some ideas so that'll be they'll be reaching out to you on that thank you um on Lyon um I'm glad that that street has been looked at for repaving I agree that it's got some deterioration on it um I'm might have mentioned this in the past but I feel like that road had a very short actual useful life um its history it was totally reconstructed um just a little bit before I got into the council so maybe 9 to 10 years ago it was a total rip up and rebuild um then pscg came and dug it up and uh replaced all the gas lines on it and I believe we made them repave it curve to curve after that but that was less than five or six you know less than six years ago I want to say but lynon was repaved um there are Pooles in it I've asked for patching on on it um the main point I'd want to make is uh as we get into this road we should realize that we didn't get the lifetime out of it that we should have the last time around so if there are subsurface conditions if there's anything that actually went wrong with it um I would very much like for us to correct whatever that is because the total reconstruction on that road was extremely expensive even you know even a decade ago correctly so uh just thought Lyon and then the other one was um at one point we had gotten a nice update on the construction of a Flats project um obviously they've made a lot of progress but it would be kind of nice to know uh sort of where they're at what their timeline is uh if anyone's able to get back just email something that would be aware project thank you sir anybody else thank you Mr Sol thank you anything else for you Mr Dio SCH yes all right want council member reports SS Deputy Mayor thank you Mr Mayor uh obviously Happy New Year to everybody I just want to point out that the Chamber of Commerce is bringing back this year they stopped uh they had it before covid and stopped but this year they will be doing a sponsoring OFA restaurant week it will be the end of February starting on February 25th it's a Sunday it'll be Monday Tuesday Wednesday and Thursday night to the 29th uh we have a meeting on Thursday morning if anybody would like to join at 8:30 at the Annex Building behind the community center and uh we're obviously are finalizing things this week and reaching out to restaurants but a lot of them already know about it the work in December uh also on January 18th 10 days from now uh on Thursday evening the we had a uh this past week we had a sustainable Verona green team meeting they are working with the Verona environmental commission and they're having a composting webinar at 7 pm it will be uh on Zoom it's all about backyard composting for anybody interested in doing it or even people that do it like myself uh the person that's giving webinar is an expert on it and can uh maybe give me some tips that show me how I'm doing it wrong uh but that will be next Thursday evening the 18th at 7 o'clock uh and then that's all I have even thank you thank you sir councilman R um in light of our very extensive agenda this evening I'll just wish every b a happy New Year and uh leave it to that for toight Mr Roman councilwoman gr thank you mayor um um I actually want to Echo your comments from earlier mayor for um thanking uh Kate Kelly for her service on the library board um Miss Kelly has been a board member since 2016 and for the last three years she has served as president of the library board before serving on the board in that formal capacity she worked on the Strategic plan which was really so critical for our library for both the renovation uh that was proposed after the Strategic plan and all of the other Investments and improvements that have occurred with our library um in the last few years Kate um has really or Miss Kelly has really uh demonstrated that she was a thoughtful calm and strategic leader that really helped the board during um a very critical time for libraries um I want to thank her for her service to our library and to our community at large uh last week I attended the Essex County Commissioner swearing in ceremony and I actually was the only Bron elected official to do so it was really a beautiful um swearing in ceremony and I really got to um see the Commissioners in a new light I want to congratulate all of them on their election um and thank them for service to our County um several of the boards and committees for which I sit on have actually met since our last meeting the Multicultural inclusion and accessibility advisory committee met in late December they are in the process of planning several events um for the second time uh they will be partnering with the brona public library on the women of impact event uh the event will be on Sunday March the 10th and it will be a panel um showcasing or honoring local women um and their accomplishments you can nominate a woman for um um this event um through the brona public libraryies website they are taking nominations through February 11th for the first time uh the Multicultural inclusion accessibility advisory committee will be partnering with the Veron public library for an event on Black History Month it is currently in development and will be announced soon and the committee does have two spots available for high school students um any eligible or interested high school student can apply on our boards and committee's website the shade tree committee um met tonight as I previously mentioned they did discuss ever field Derwent and the Balon Whitney projects um and they will be speaking with the administration um soon on capital projects and tomorrow the neighborhood traffic and Safety Committee will be meeting at 7:30 p.m. on zoom and that's my report thank you councilwoman Hollands thank you um I too want to wish everybody a Happy New Year uh I do want to also acknowledge the extreme events of some of our recent weather um and the anticipated um major storm that we're receiving tomorrow so in doing so I just want to remind residents as the mayor did earlier this evening to make sure that you have your um drainage in order as well as any sun pomps that they're operational but also given that we recently received snow please make sure that you're doing what you can to make storm drains around your property and check in on neighbors to make sure that those storm drains are clear um I do want to thank the administration for taking a proactive stance and making statements earlier this evening about your preparation um for the impending storm I think it's really important for residents to be aware of these issues as most recently um in the you know late December rigns we did have residents impacted by flooding along the Pacman um as we did in Hurricane Ida and in 2018 and in Prior hurricane events it's very unusual to be getting this level of precipitation in the form of rain um this time of year typically it's snow and then what you get is the flooding um during the the spring thaws but right now because of Cl CL change we're unseasonably warmer than usual and that comes with added complications so really just want to stress that residents need to be aware of this I have made it a priority since joining the council to really be working with the administration on infrastructure improvements and making that a priority but these things take time and so in the meantime please do whatever you can to keep your family and um neighbors safe that includes not driving through flooded areas so in addition to the icy conditions um you really should be mindful of not dagging through flooded areas which we do get in town um I also want to note that um this time of year even though we are not getting the freezing weather there is the winter termination program that creates a moratorium on Bill shut offs if there are any challenges and if you need assistance you can seek that through the Board of Public Utilities and the Department of Community Affairs as well as the ver Township of Verona our own website we can direct you to where you need to go to get that assistance but there is a moratorium on utility shut offs during this time of year to ensure safety um of our residents and when there are some freezing temperatures that we have received recently Please be aware of code blue and where you can go um or where you can direct homeless residents or others to um in the event of an emergency so with that that concludes my report and thank you very much thank you um one final item I'm going to add to my report um I have started the process of reaching out to our legislative district 40 delegation related to their assistance and securing financing for the Emergency Services building um and uh I will share more with Council moving forward but I'm hoping to schedule some site visits slate of leaders um and to help them get their assistance and securing funding from State and National levels as well um and and um that's all for the addendum to my report um at this point I will open meing for public comment on any item that anybody would like to bring forth to the council Madam clerk you just read the public par distance participation statement again we've had some uh people join the meeting anyone from the public wishing to speak on any matter please raise your hand by pressing the raise hand button on your monitor you're dialing in by by phone you may press or n you're attending in person please approach the lecture once recognized clearly state only your name and Township of residents for the record you're not required to write the street address however if you do please note that these meetings will be posted on the Township's YouTube channel and addresses will not be reacted for any purpose you have four minutes to address the council after everyone wishing to speak has been heard the council and our comments thank you CL your name and your Municipality of residence sure uh my name is Patrick Smith and I'm a resident in Verona um I'm not going to give my exact address but that's what I'm going to talk about at Le for you um so I uh I live on Hollow and I'm sure I don't have to inform you guys everything that has happened recently as well it's been on for what I think is probably last six months maybe a year um I'm not here of point fingers I'm not here to say that there isn't enough being done I know for a fact that there is um but I did want to show up to tell you guys that you know people have gone from disbelief into anger and fear I have my oldest is app I'm part of group text messages my wife is as well she plays soccer I play poker we've gone from can you believe this to you know the reactions that you have when people truly don't know what to do and I don't have a solution I don't have an answer I don't know I know that it's complicated I also know that my neighbors directly you know behind me or or or in front of me in this case um are obviously very involved in this but at this point you know people are scared they don't know what to do and you know you can lock your doors you can tell people to lock you know take the keys upstairs and things like that but at this point now more needs to be done and I don't know what that is I don't know if that means a cop on every corner where we are I don't know if that means less visible at least I have no idea but I did want to come here just to express that that right now people are scared and living here we shouldn't I don't have to again like I said I have to lecture it but I don't know what else there is to be done I don't know what the answer is if I did show up prob but um yeah just wanted to come and express that so thank you anybody else in the gallery something not I always do Verona everybody basically knows me by now um I'm gonna speak two seconds on to what you said um you were speaking about the safety and everything in the neighborhoods uh where I'm from it's not a nice neighborhood and I'm used to watching your own stuff so what I do now because my neighborhood two doors down from me the car got broken into the cop basically caught him in the action and on my ring doorbell camera I literally have the car and the cop in the same exact View and that cop could not pursue could not Chase whatever the issue is they were not allowed to do anything they know you can get away with it as long as you hit 80 miles an hour and drive a mile you're fine so I sit outside till home in the morning I protect my family and my property by myself um neighborhood watch I don't think that's legal anymore but you know it is what it is but the safety is of our town is really an issue um but I'm here to talk about other things basically uh with the Everett project and everything I just hope that uh the crosswalk of Brookdale and Bloomfield get thrown into that project um my daughter now has a friend in Brookdale area I live right down the street from everfield and I cross that intersection all the time she's 12 years old and to cross that street I let her walk anywhere but I will not let her cross that intersection I walk that intersection with sometimes my work clo on which is a neon vest or a neon sweatshirt and still people do not stop people will not stop you drive through Montclair every single crosswalk has a yellow sign that with a flash a button that's all we need I know the traffic and safety commission meetings tomorrow that's a thing for that um the other thing with uh the whole ever field thing is with the amount of money that we're probably going to put into this project let's think of the roads being redone like durwent uh with the bad sanitary sewer you're talking four more roads how many of them have bad infrastructure so that's just a thing to think about where our money should be spent um Everett I think it's a great idea fix it yeah I don't think we need the building I don't think anybody bothered to ask the residents who live right next door let alone right down the street I know most of you can hear uh the high school field when you step outside at night and imagine living right next door to everfield and I live right down the street and I know it's going to go because we play games 7:30 we're warming up for an 8 o'clock game warm up songs going and we play until 10 o'clock at night uh that's basically it so thank you for everything and yeah all right I'm under four minutes don't worry no you were I start I know I was thank you thank you anybody on Zoom oh Mr Kelly Riley sorry uh Chris Riley I live in Verona um at a prior meeting there was conversation about a private entity funding a uh traffic light at the corner of Claremont and rout 23 pton um could you disclose who that private entity is and um why they want the light once you're done with your comments we can okay that manager respond right I'm done thank you thank you anybody anybody at home um okay I will close p a comment at this point uh just Mr Smith I appreciate you coming I live in your neighborhood and on Saturday night when the incident that you're discussing happened which was a pretty horrible Breakin fortunately nobody was hurt but uh the residents knock my door for my security camera footage and Le was looking through it as well um and you know I Echo your concerns for sure all of Verona fortunately this is something that has um really increased everywhere in in the state especially in County um and there are several factors that I I won't get on my soap box right now to talk about why that's the case um but there there is a positive there are some legislative leaders who wereing looking to do some common sense reforms to bail reform um which is one of the reasons why they no bail system people are being released shortly after being arrested um and then reoffending right away while waiting for court dates um so it's one of the the things that is happening and that's a kind of unintended consequence of a bipartisan move for bail reform and I know that Senator Brado legislative dist 40 who's our Senator is helping to try to lead some common sense changes to that so um I think that's a good place to start I encourage you as well I believe Chief Kieran is on um is on the meeting but please reach out to the chief as well with concerns uh he is one of the most accessible police Chiefs I think New Jersey has his cell phone numbers on his business card so please reach out and communicate with him uh you can call on through the first here and uh start sharing those concerns but I I agree with you and I think say uh it's something that I look forward to hearing from Chief Karan about as we move forward but um and uh I'm sure we'll learn more about some ideas during the budget request season as well this year we added two police officers one position had to end up unfilled um but we uh did budget for additional police officers and there potentially be request for more in the next budget as well which should hopefully help but we'll not soled but I I do want to commend the brona police department detective Bureau and our Patrol officers for working very diligently to investigate and also to catch vendors um that we have a u a great team there and they are tracking offenders whereas in other places you don't get that same attention to the problem so we're fortunate in that way um and uh Paul I appreciate your comments that intersection I walk across with my dog but I will only walk across if I have a strobing flashlight and at a certain time of night um so I think it is something we actually think have discussed an intersection at the neighborhood traffic and Safety Committee it's a County Road um so that's one of the complex problems with that but I hope it's part of our push with ever heeld um if we if that's going to be use more as part of our renovation that we can add that to Mr Dio's extensive list of things to speak with the County engineer about about getting some signaling there um and Mr Riley Mr FCO you like to respond to Mr Riley's question on the and if I may just touch on that crosswalk uh The Rona Traffic Safety Committee reports that come up to my office with all their recommendations if they're in our Arena we're addressing them and if they're the county the county also gets that report so coming from the residents uh Traffic Safety Committee is a real plus to help us move these things forward and I know councilwoman is bringing them to the Traffic Safety Committee because I usually get the list of things that are going to them um on that development that traffic light that really was started before I got here uh it is not a public project it is a private project and I I really need to look up the name of the corporation they own the property they uh petition to state of New Jersey for a traffic light and they were paying 100% for that traffic light uh so it's kind of out of our uh ballpark if I can use that phrase uh but we are monitoring the progress with the state of New Jersey and the do 23 is the state highway result we do not have to say can we be specific about which building it is that LLC that owns it I'm I'm a fish out of water on that one 30 30 we can give you the name I don't remember off the top of my head either the name is a public record it's the tax for the thank you Mr Vico thank you for everybody for bringing subst couple comments uh before the council um and feel free to you know reach out as well anytime with councel on email you can send everybody an email at the same time after to respond you um we are moving on to uh proposed ordinances we have three proposed ordinances on the agenda tonight um the first item is an ordinance on first reading that's currently March marked H1 um and that is madam th could you read the the ordinance Bond ordinance providing a supplemental appropriation of $510,000 for the accessible sensory playground an adult exercise area project at the community center and by the the town Verona in the county of Essex New Jersey including a $200,000 Community Development block R expected to be receive and authorizing issuance of $510,000 bonds or notes of the township to finance the cost thereof thank you madam clerk do I hear a motion so move second thank you and the motion is made by councilwoman Holland and the second is by councilwoman grath um will Council discussion on this item first reading yeah still call for discussion regardless as a uh because we should for any motion um all right uh Madam councilwoman Holland yes councilwoman McGrath yes councilman Roman yes Deputy Mayor M Boy Yes mayor j b i ordinance a number 2024 will according to Law Public hearing will be held on January 22nd thank you madam clerk the uh next item on the agenda is an ordinance on first reading Mark H2 would you please read the title of H2 in record Bond ordinance providing for the acquisition and installation of communications equipment for the police vehicle hi by the township of Veron in the county of Essex New Jersey appropriating 125,000 therefore and authorizing the issuance of $119,000 bond notes to finance part of the cost thereof thank you do I hear a motion so Move Motion made by the deputy mayor there a second second second by councilman Roman um I see Chief K walked in just in time for this so Chief would you mind coming up and filling Us in because we haven't had this on Absolut good evening everyone uh this money would be appropriated for dash cams um mobile video recorders uh 2014 they became mandatory for all marked Patrol units in New Jersey our units are actually current ones we have were purchased in 2014 so we no longer can get parts for these cameras and uh obviously the majority of the cost is the back end uh retention retention dates and a filing system to make them easily accessible for future court dates or any other uh Court proceedings so that's what uh this money would be earmarked for thank you sir are there any questions for chief K thank you okay uh any Council discussion otherwise none Madam hary yes C gra yes councilman Roman yes Deputy Mayor maoy yes mayor Toro I mayor H2 will be number 202 24-02 and it will be published according to law of public hearing will be held on January 22nd and the pl item on first reading is an ordinance marked H3 mam CLK would you please read the title H3 record amending the code of the T 90 property and maintenance the creation of article two inspection requirements for rental dwellings hear a motion so Mo motion is made by councilwoman mcrat is there a second second second is by Council Roman any Council discussion I I do have a question uh for um our Administration so we recently passed this so at a very high level can you just describe the updates on why we need to update this ordinance our our initial fee was not in sync with the corporation that we're in contract with right just adjust the fees back to be in sync with their contact okay to us and the program is 100% a the uh the property owner is not the township and it's a state mandated program and you're ahead of the deadline okay than here one question on this on page two uh G1 we actually have the name of the company we're hiring in this should we remove that because then what if we change companies that we have to go back and redo the ordinance it would be an ordinance change if we change companies we're in contract with them do we have to put them on that we don't really have compies whatever the count no you can you can remove the name'll remove second reading that makes sense so you don't have to redo the ORD yeah if we change a company in six months happens you'll say contractor or Township that be by resolution the yearly renal okay that's correct or I'm not sure how long this particular contract is but the contract is rewarded by resolution yeah for sure because otherwise month and a half months to get you know to r i mayor I think you that's a fantastic observation and that's so we can just pass it okay no well you're making this is first reading we can make the change now so you're going to vote on It ultimately as amended could you uh could you make that motion to uh I would absolutely make that motion to take the name of the company providing service out what section is it any G1 we you just remove the word performed by Lew Environmental Services can we just have it formed by contractor approved by the solution you don't even need that okay see enough all right is there a second on that motion second thank you uh is there any discussion on the motion to amend the ordinances proposed very none all those in favor I I any oppose no all right Madam clerk would you call the role please on the uh introduction Council harand yes McGrath yes councilman Roman yes Deputy Mayor makoy yes mayor Tim Boro I mayor H3 will be number 2014-03 will be published according to law and public hearing will be held on January 22nd uh we are moving on to the consent agenda our consent agenda is likely tonight um even though our reorganization is on July 1 uh there's still some Legacy items that we that we have to do at the beginning of the um beginning of the calendar year um so there are several items on here um the other items that were addressed during um the managers report we do have resolution k17 uh that includes the uh resolution for the greenre greenacre supplemental funding request that is for the property between Commerce Court and the Brookside neighborhood um and appointments of the public defender and municipal prosecutor we do those in concert with the other municipalities C onel and we share the um and uh I uh Mr monco who the public defender was kind enough to actually speak to one of my high school classes at L so thank you Jim for that and uh your service on there we are uh striking J one which are the December 4th minutes and we do have a L1 which is a firsters liquor transfer license for the um what had previously been owned by Amadeo so that was the M's liquor license and now it's going to Jimmy's restaurant LC so I certainly look forward to uh seeing the new restaurant in which that liquor license is would somebody please move the consent agenda with the exception of J One thank you the motion made by Council Roman the second is by Council Holland and at this point I will open for public comment on consent agenda items only same public comment statement apply seeing none I will close public comment any Council discussion on any Mr Roman one that I do bring up um every year which is um regarding the 1033 program which is K12 um I'm of course in favor of our participation for it but because there have been uh issues of public concern in other municipalities about the assets that are um acquired through this like when we provide a little extra oversight so I do ask um that we be reported to on anything that we acquire through the 1033 program um we've it's all been very useful equipment but I just feel that an email to the council um be appreciated anything question counc very none M you P the rooll please councilwoman Holland yes Council MCG yes Council Roman yes Deputy Mayor maoy yes mayor Toro hi mayor resolutions K1 through K20 and L1 will be numbered 1 through 21 thank you mam so respond to have resolution number one and we do have an agenda uh which is a resolution that should actually be marked I just notice on the agenda resolution 2024 Madam CL oh on the on the agenda on the yeah on the sorry it's correct on the it's corrected on the resolution um this is to accept uh funds from the uh body armor grant for the Poli Department do I hear a motion the motion is by Council McGrath is there a second second thank you Deputy Mayor is there any actually at this point I'll open for public comment on uh just M1 same public comment statement applies N I will close public comment any Council discussion Clark please call the council I'm sorry councilwoman Holland yes councilwoman McGrath yes councilman Roman yesy mayor yes mayor Tor I mayor M1 will be numbered 20242 thank you madam Clark right moving on to new one unfinished business uh there was one item AGA that not doing tonight um is there anything else for the council um seeing none I will open for public comment on any item that any member of public would like to share with the council anybody in the gallery please come forward if you would like to partipate in public comments okay yes uh we have mayor merus Ryan Mr Ryan yeah Kevin dropped Kevin dropped down a couple pieces did he decided not thought now he's back okay um think you should be able to hear me now correct yes we got you Kevin little little challenge there uh a number of previous meetings there's been some discussion about moving the Municipal elections uh to November uh to uh I believe as a as basically as a cost-saving measure uh I was wondering if uh and I believe the clerk gave an estimate of approximately $50,000 to uh run an election in May and it also uh takes a considerable amount of her energy and effort to do that so uh has there been any discussion or uh decision made about perhaps putting that up for a uh a referendum or something along those lines thank you thank you any other public comments okay I'm going to close public comment um to respond to Mr Ryan's inquiry it is definitely something that putting into consideration I think part of this is when we look at the budget numbers I would like some detail on why elections have gone up uh 100% in cost I think that's important to look at first and then there's pros and the cons as far as moving the election but um that we can do by ordinance it does not according to our attorney does not need to go out to public referendum so uh we do have some time to work on that before uh making a decision which would be uh sometime around next year we would want to make that decision anybody else any comment response um just have a clarifying question for the town attorney so we could do it by ordinance but we also could do it by referendum PR that's correct okay most you can do most things by referendum that you can do by that's correct if you wants public feedback that's one way to get public feedback as referend right but that of course would Bost an election uh to do ironically of course to have a special election unless we do it on the November Bel um at this point uh we have made a uh we had a resolution to go into executive session will we have any official action taken Mr Deo Mr no no okay I thank you everyone at this point the zoom will shut down and we'll go into executive sessions we'll see you in two weeks