this is a regular meeting in the township of Washington in accordance with the requirements of the Jersey statutes regarding open public meetings notice that this meeting was legally advertised in South Jersey Times as well as posted on the bulletin board of the missal building fire exits are located through the double doors in the left and right please silence all mobile devices this meeting is being videotaped anyone who does not wish to be seen on televion may be excused this will be assum on channel 9 every week Sunday at 9:00 p.m. Wednesday at 7 p.m. Friday Friday at 10: p.m. and Saturday at 10 p.m. we'll continue till the next meeting this meeting can also is also being live streamed you can view it on our live stream please stand for the pledge allegiance I pledge allegiance to flag United States of America to theis andice for all roll call Mr Bennett here Mr Brown here Mr delpia here Mr Mr Jus president Mr Dell here mayor Burns here Mr Russo here Mr Wright here all right before we get started I know that Council jerus wanted something he wanted to say thank you um this past weekend on Saturday we lost a uh a business person very important person who lived in Washington Township and she and her husband had a couple businesses Ruth Weiss passed away Saturday after long illness uh she and her husband start at Green Tree Tobacco on G on Green Tree Road many years ago uh I got to know her about 15 years ago very kind lady uh they moved their business over to uh Tower Center uh next to uh The Village Pub and then she also started a tea business and at her funeral yesterday I found out the reason she started the Tea business was to serve kosher food which is part of their Jewish heritage and tradition so uh I wanted to reach out to her husband Bert who is uh uh possibly in hopefully watching uh she will be dearly missed she was an important person in this community she helped us out a lot and um want to thank council president delello for the moment of silence for Ruth okay moving on also we'd like to recognize councilwoman Agnes in the audience thank you for her service and also do we have any veterans in the room if they could please stand let's give them a round of applause as [Applause] well okay okay we're move on presentations our first presentation tonight is to one of our devoted employees Richard Gardner if you would mind coming up here [Applause] Today We Gather to honor and celebrate the remarkable career of Richard Garner a dedicated mechanic with The Washing Township Public Works Department who was retiring after 32 years of service Richard's Journey with the township has been marked by unwavering commitment exceptional expertise and a steadfast work ethic over the years he has played a crucial role in maintaining and improving the infrastructure of our Township his skills have ensured that our roads vehicles and public facilities operate smoothly and safely directly impacting the quality of life for our all of our residents on behalf of Washington Township it is my privilege and honor to present Richard with this plaque as a token of our deep appreciation and gratitude for his outstanding service this plaque symbolizes more than just his years of service it represents the countless hours of hard work the challenges overcome and the positive impact he has made on our on our community Richard your dedication and professionalism have made a lasting impact and you will be greatly missed as you embark on this new chapter of your life we hope you enjoy a well-deserved retirement filled with joy and relaxation you have left the lasting mark on Washington Township and for that we are profoundly grateful congratulations and thank you for your 32 years of service to Washington Township [Applause] come on wait for them absolutely we're gonna move you guys over [Applause] [Laughter] enjoy your return [Laughter] I'd now like to introduce our um supervisor of Public Works Brian McCaffrey he's going to say a few words about um what's going on with our yard waste pickup this last week and what's going to happen going forward have you sir thank you well first I can tell you that losing rich is a is a huge loss to our department he is fantastic uh helped me every day from uh the day I started there so uh I'm going to miss him I know that so was Washington Township but um so I'm here just to give you guys the governing body and the residents an update on uh what's been going on with the gold medal and the yard waste for the last couple weeks um I have here a summary of calls we track all this in our office and we noticed a a little uptick um week before last and then uh last week we encountered what we consider to be absolutely unacceptable service from from gold medal um on the let's see 524 we had 107 calls 11 uh missed developments um and we had to really just put our foot down and and say this is unacceptable so talked with um you know Joe Russo over the weekend about how we could help and try to start getting this uh back under control so we started picking up yard waste ourselves inh house Monday um with Public Works we put a couple loaders out on the street folks may have seen them we had uh loaders and dump trucks out there uh I picked up several developments I have a list of developments that we serviced ourself so we knew that they were complete uh and then we set up a meeting this morning uh with Kevin Henson who is the director of operations for gold medal to give us an explanation for what we've been seeing and how we can get it rectified um basically yesterday um at that meeting was myself director Municipal Services Ernie derazio and uh another Public Works supervisor Adell riff and what was relay to us is that with the fact that they lost this contract and will no longer be servicing the township as of August 1st they were having a bit of a labor shortage and morale issue folks were leaving them uh to seek other employment not showing up for work uh and the first thing that they decided to let suffer would be the yard debris um I think based on the call volume and what we've been seeing trash and recycling has not been a problem it's just been strictly yard waste so um what gold medal has done is uh they've bumped up the number of trucks that are in Washington Township specifically for yard waste uh today they had three trucks out um collecting yard waste tomorrow I've been told there'll be four trucks out collecting yard waste and as of 3:30 today um what would normally have been Monday pickup um but was Tuesday because the holiday that route is done in its entirety so yard waste recycling trash up to speed um trash and recycling for uh what would normally be Tuesday's pickup which they did today is complete and about 90% of the yard waste has been picked up so between what Public Works did the last two days doing it ourselves and the additional trucks that gold medal are going to be providing they have assured us that by Saturday of this week uh we will be back to square everything and starting Monday they will be on a normal schedule where you get all three phases picked up uh trash Recycling and yard waste on your normal day starting Monday of next week if that is not the case um the Administration has contingency a b and c in place um and they can uh expand upon that uh if needed but I can tell you our hauler that we've contracted with starting August 1st is prepared and ready to pick up uh starting next week if gold medal fails to meet the commitment they gave us today um I've been personally out driving all the neighborhoods that they're telling me are complete checking to make sure that that's the case uh so far the information that was provided to me today was accurate um and we are going to be out with them all week holding them accountable to to what they told us this morning um in addition to this Kevin Hinson who's actually a corporate manager they brought in another uh Point person for us to have a direct line through to the street level supervisor uh I have his phone number and I've been communicating with him several times a day getting updates so rest assured it's unacceptable service that all of you um myself included I live in Whitman Square and my yard waste wasn't picked up um we we are not okay with that and we're doing everything we can to make sure it doesn't happen again so if anybody has any questions um I can answer them if anybody up there or if anybody from the public is here for that reason uh I'd be happy to answer any questions that that you have if that's yes sir J um I would say that I believe there is an ordinance um against scrapping um it's not something that I would be able to enforce at 1:30 in the morning I think that you know maybe I the chief of police is here that he could maybe mention that to patrols that you know folks are going through the trash at an unreasonable able hour if they see something like that to attempt to put a stop to it but uh from my aspect there there's not much I can do about that but we could talk with the police department about you know keeping an eye out for things of that nature and reviewing the ordinance with the chief and the governing body and seeing how we could potentially enforce uh something like that so Wendy way you're a you're you put your trash out Sunday night uh you're a Monday pickup correct yep yep um that's something that we can talk to the chief about and talk to you know uh review the ordinance and see what can be done about that if you're seeing somebody suspicious that shouldn't be there or you feel it's a problem call 911 and get the police out there or even if they're just going through the trash they could be up to other things too well not every call for service requires lights especially if they're looking for suspicious right don't shoot him go ahead Bill Suburban yeah anyone else anybody up there have anything I I just want to thank um Public Works Ryan Ernie Adele RPA Jo Russo mayor counsel um it was brought to you on Wednesday guys got right on on Friday I we disperse people out there without the right equipment but still went out there Joe and I were talking on Memorial Day so was Ernie and I and you know I'm I'm getting off the baseball field and picking up the phone and figuring out how are we going to how are we going to take care of this so um you know everybody's committed to getting the trash picked up we all live here too I just want everybody to know that you know we do know about it and we do have good people to work here who' been out there I mean Joe was at the trash yard six o'clock on Saturday morning to make sure the trucks went out and they were going out so if you have any concerns on the trash or anything reach out to any one of us mayor counsel ba um you know we do hear you and we do have a team that that is acting and I I truly feel confident um that what was promised in the meeting this morning is going to be adhered to I I really believe that um they brought people in from out of state from corporate uh additional supervision because the supervision that they have here are out driving trucks so we have a little bit more open line of communication now because what we were running into was the the person that we were normally reporting these issues to were on a truck their phone was off because they didn't want to take phone calls while they're driving a truck and be unsafe it was a little bit of a mess they were throwing everything that they had at it last week as they had these people abandoning the company based on the fact that they know they're going to be potentially out of a job in a couple you know six weeks eight weeks whatever it is so um they brought in additional people additional Crews uh additional trucks so I I truly believe that that we will be in good shape by Monday and uh I I I feel confident that we'll get everything back on track okay all right thanks for having me okay now back to the fun stuff next we're going to honor our teachers of the year and Educational Service Professionals of the year if you would mind making your way up here if you're here I'd appreciate it we're celebrating teachers week a few weeks a few weeks late because fell after our last meeting [Music] um but teachers week is not just a tradition it's a heartfelt recognition of the profound impact Educators have on shaping the lives of our youth and the future of our society as we mark this special occasion it is my privilege as mayor to extend our sincerest gratitude to those who dedicate their lives to the noble profession of teaching in the spirit of teachers week we gathered to honor and celebrate the Educators who have demonstrated outstanding dedication Innovation and passion to their classrooms and communities these exceptional individuals embody the true essence of teaching inspiring students to reach their fullest potential and instilling in them a lifelong love for learning through their unwavering commitment our teachers of educa our teachers and education Professionals of the year have not only enriched the minds of our youth but have also helped shape the fabric of our society they tireless efforts often behind the scenes and Beyond the Call of Duty do not go unnoticed they are the unsung heroes whose influence extends far beyond the confines of the classroom today as we present these well-deserved cert certifications let us take a moment to reflect on the profound impact that these Educators have had on countless lives each certification is a testament to their dedication expertise and unwavering commitment to Excellence in education to all the recipients of these certifications I offer my heartfelt congratulations and deepest appreciation your passion and hard work serve as an inspiration to us all thank you for your invaluable contributions to our community and for shaping the future Generations happy belated teachers week I'm just going to read everybody because I'm not sure who's here and who's not um but our Educational Service professional of the year Michael Otto for technology integration special [Applause] our next Educational Service professional of the Year Barbara Kean school [Applause] nurse you can come up and Nicole veneer school counselor and for our teachers of the year we have Christine gtii who's also retiring this year after what 35 35 years of [Applause] service uh Melissa CH shme our special education teacher Shannon Marino our elementary school teacher Nicole n ntz did I say that [Applause] right Jacqueline [Applause] brushie Denise Canta she's not here Tori [Applause] dot Mike Morrow our teacher not here Kim henr H henries here can everybody get one I'll continue then we have Nicole Dro she is a math interventionist teacher Kristen Kristen Smith another art teacher and Shane Schneider special education teacher we'll make sure that they get their certifications congratulations [Applause] everybody e [Applause] yeah they might as well okay next up we have our Nur our nurses of our um all of our uh schools in Washington Township we invited our nurses for nurses week if any of the nurses are here if they could come [Applause] up as we celebrate Nurses Week again late we are reminded of the invaluable role that nurses play in our schools and communities today it is my honor to extend our deepest appreciation and recognition to the dedicated School n nurses who tirelessly serve the health and well-being of our students during nurses week we pause to reflect on the extraordinary contributions of the of these Health Care Professionals whose Compassionate Care and unwavering dedication ensure the safety and wellness of our children each and every day from tending to minor scrapes and bruises to providing critical medical assistance our School nurses are the first line of defense in promoting a healthy learning environment in presenting these certifications to our school nurses we pay tribute to their commitment to Excellence their tireless advocacy for student health and their unwavering compassion in times of need these certifications serves as a symbol of a profound gratitude for their selfless service and unwavering dedication to the well-being of our youth beyond their medical expertise our School nurses serve as trusted allies mentors and caregivers providing not only physical care but also emotional support to students facing various challenges their impact extends far beyond their confines of the school walls shaping their lives of our children and fostering a culture of Wellness within our community thank you for your invaluable contributions to our schools our community and the well-being of our children happy belated Nurses Week Kate Kate Katie dubas Ann [Applause] Gilbert Barbara Keen my fingers aren't working and Kathleen [Applause] luitz congratulations we'll make sure the rest of the remaining of the nurses get their certificates as well [Applause] okay okay next up we'd like to take a moment to recognize someone who has been an integral part of our community Judy Labowski the president of the and chall of senior center can you come [Applause] up Judy's unwavering dedication and tireless efforts have made a profound impact on the lives of our of our seniors her compassion kindness and genuine care for each member of our senior community is truly remarkable it has been through her leadership that the senior center has become more than just a place for activities it's a vibrant Hub where friends are formed memories are made and support is offered Judy's commitment to ensuring that our seniors feel valued respected and included is evident in everything she does her hard work and dedication have not gone unnoticed and we want to personally thank Judy for her outstanding service to our community Judy your passion empathy and dedication are an inspiration to us all thank thank you for making a difference in the lives of our seniors and for being a shining example of kindness and [Applause] compassion the senior center doesn't op very well with Judy [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] kn I think who's next uh Special Olympics [Applause] okay tonight we're honored to welcome the Special Olympics Township tornadoes basketball team as well as coaches Ron Williams Jim Bloomer and Darren Hart as well as their manager Flo Williams what okay we'll res Miss Rita Brown would you please come up Miss Brown we're honored to present a proclamation to you tonight declaring the first Friday in June as National Gun Violence Awareness Day in Washington Township this Proclamation is more than just words on paper it's a symbol of our community's dedication to standing up against violence and advocating for change it's with a sense of determination That We Gather not only to recog the challenges we face but also to celebrate our Collective resolve and commitment to a safer more peaceful future while while it's a sobering reality that every day lives are lost and communities are Shattered by the tragic consequences of gun gun violence today we come together to shine a light of awareness and hope the statistics surrounding gun violence in our nation are staggering every day 120 120 Americans fall victim to gun violence resulting in over 18,000 gun homicides annually these numbers are not just statistics they represent lives lost families shattered and communities torn apart today I have the honor of presenting a proclamation to you declaring the first Friday in June as National Gun Violence Awareness Day in Washington Township this Proclamation serves as a powerful symbol of our commitment to reducing gun violence and raising awareness about their urgent issue as we recognize this day let us remember and honor the memory of hadah P Pendleton a vibrant and promising young woman who was sensely shot and killed at the age of 15 hadah was a beloved daughter a cherished friend and an active member of her community she was a bright student with dreams of attending college and making a positive impact on the world around her hadia's life was cut short by gun violence leaving her family and friends and Community devastated by the profound loss in a heartfelt tribute to her vibrant spirit and to raise awareness about the devastating toll of gun violence hadia's friends chose the color orange as a symbol of solidarity their decision was rooted in the tradition of hunters wearing orange to announce themselves to others for safety in the woods and to signal to others not to shoot by wearing ar orange had hadia's friends sought to honor her memory and those of other victims of gun violence sending a me message that that every life lost to senseless violence is cherished and remembered this symble yet profound gesture has since grown into a national movement with individuals across the United States wearing orange on the first Friday in June to recognize National Gun Violence awareness day and to stand in solidaria solidarity with those affected by gun violence together let us renew our commitment to reducing gun violence and creating a safer and more peaceful future for all Miss Brown would like to inform you of some other can't get sorry there you go thank you so much mayor Burns and counsel I can't tell you how grateful I am to live in a community where our leadership really cares about this issue and recognizes how important it is on the table up here is some information that comes from Mom's demand action we are a group of volunteers men and women gun owners whatever promoting responsible gun ownership also our program be smart is for adults to help protect children at this point in time gun violence is the number one killer of children in the United States above all else it has to be stopped there's also another thing up here one thing you can do which is how gives you some ideas if you know somebody who's in crisis who's struggling and they own a gun in the state of New Jersey we have an extreme risk protective order which can help them they can help you if you yourself are having problems or you know someone's having problems 988 crisis line is really important on behalf of all the volunteers of mons Demand Action thank you so much for your leadership and all your plans to take care of [Applause] us like e okay our last and final Proclamation I would like to invite mark Mar Everly of Paul's for Heroes and the members of the Washington Township veterans board Advisory Board to come up here [Applause] please Paul's healing Heroes got it [Laughter] be nice now may is a month of profound significance as it marks military appreciation month a time to honor and recognize the immeasurable sacrifices made by our brave men and women in uniform past and present in the spirit of this occasion it is my distinct honor to present a proclamation recognizing may as military appreci appreciation month in Washington Township to two separate organizations this Proclamation serves as a tangible expression of our community's profound appreciation for the dedication courage and selflessness exhibited by our military personnel each and every day tonight I am humbled to acknowledge the remarkable efforts of Mr Mark Everly and his organ organization Paul's healing Heroes through their unway in commitment and his tireless efforts Paul's healing Heroes has Pro provided invaluable support to our veterans in need offering compassionate assistance and hope through the loving bond between veterans and their speal specially trained service dogs what marks organization so special is that the specially trained service dogs are all rescue dogs as we reflect on the significance of military appreciation month and express our gratitude to our veterans let us also recognize and celebrate the invaluable contributions of individuals like Mark Eberly whose compassion generosity and commitment to service embody the very best of our community thank you Mark for your unwavering dedication to our veterans and for the profound difference you are making in their lives your efforts are shining are a sh shining example of the power of compassion and the enduring Spirit of service we are forever grateful [Applause] furthermore in honor of military appreciation month I would like to express our deepest and most sincere gratitude to the washingon township veterans Advisory board for their unwavering dedication and tireless efforts in serving our veterans and their families the board's steadfast commitment to advocating for the needs of our veterans ensuring their well-being and providing vital Support Services is truly commendable through their proactive initiatives the veterans Advisory Board plays a pivotal role in fostering and supportive and nurturing environment for our veterans ensuring that they receive care respect and recognition they rightfully deserve for their selfless sacrifices in safeguarding our freedoms their Relentless advocacy compassionate Outreach and invaluable contributions to the welfare of our veteran Community exemplifies the spirit of service and embodies the very essence of military appreciation month I think he agrees with me that's okay we are profoundly grateful for the for their dedication and on wavering commitment to honoring and supporting our nation's heroes in conclusion As We Gather here today to recognize military appreciation month and to honor the remarkable contributions of individuals like Mr Mark Eberly and the members of the Washington Township veterans Advisory Board let us reaffirm our collect collective commitment to supporting our veterans and their families their sacrifices and service has safeguarded our freedoms and shaped the course of our nation's history as we express our heartfelt appreciation and gratitude let us also pledge to continue standing by our veterans advocating for their needs and ensuring that they receive the care respect and support they deserve together let us strive to create a community where our veterans feel valued cherished and truly honor honored for their courage and selflessness thank you to all who have dedicated themselves to serving those who have served [Applause] us do me around know yes yeah I'm thank Youk service absolutely okay we actually have one more tonight we're honored to welcome the Special Olympics Township tornadoes basketball team as well as coaches Ron Williams Jim bler and Darren Hart as well as their manager Flo W Flo Williams would you all please come up you want to wait sure it's okay yeah we can do it before we open to the public okay sure a chance to clear need all right now we're going to move on to something new that we have tonight it's called a business corner and we have a business here we have two businesses here first we're going to start with embellish events we're going to get some information now they an existing business already here but they're going to give some updates of what's going on with their business and they're they're huge expansion [Applause] hello everyone um I'm Andrea McDonald the um owner of embellish events um I was here last year guys and Monday is our oneye anniversary of being open and operational so I'm thrilled to be here with some exciting news about our expansion um as you see the renderings prepared before you kind of shows uh the expansion what we call the Crystal Ballroom um which is a 4700 square feet space we would be able to accommodate about 150 people so what this does is it gives you options if you're looking for something smaller in size with our original space what we call now the Onyx Ballroom it can accommodate 250 people so just again giving you options and more sophistication and a little different here we went for more white Sleek um contemporary style here with the interior design which is also me um um so nevertheless we are just thrilled to be here and to continue to give the community all that we have and before I go I just want to add that in honor of our one-year anniversary if you know anyone that is graduating whether it's high school or college enter them to win a free graduation party at embellish events we will be selecting the winner on our iversary which is Monday June 3rd we're going to go live at 600 p.m. on our social media platforms so get the nominations in nominate whoever you feel worked extremely hard and they deserve a free party right so that's our way of continued to give back to the community not having a birthday or you know an anniversary party for oursel but always finding ways to be a blessing to the township that we are thrilled to be here any questions any question do anyone have any questions for me no hi yes we do not so we offer the facility we offer custom Decor um but you get to bring in your own food vendor based on whatever your taste buds call for so we do have a few preferred vendors on our uh preferred vendor list Mission Barbecue is one of them acts of Grace I'm pretty sure we all familiar with that beautiful soul um Melissa and get the other one cesley love Mills so if you don't see anyone on our preferred vendor list but you love the food as some of your favorite eateries nine times out of 10 you can buy a pan of big ziti from them or whatever and bring it there so we offer the facility but we are my modotto is Bridging the Gap because we don't charge a price per person we charge a fraction of the cost for those type of facilities but still trying to give you that Ambiance and that elegance and sophistication that some of the other venues lack thank you very much you [Applause] you now we have Jeff from from Fit Life who just opened up how long ago three weeks three weeks ago tell us about your business mayor council I appreciate you um welcoming us here and everything you've done to try to like welcome the business and and make sure that we're successful a little bit about us we are in the uh Tower Center Tower square with the uh Village Pub it was originally a long probably some of you remember a long time ago was going to be an Anytime Fitness it is now Fit Life Fitness we will be open 247 you'll have 247 access to the facility our staff hours will be Monday through Thursday 9 to 7 9 to5 on Fridays Saturdays and Sundays 10 to 2 kind of ironic that we're here this week and um we've mentioned the military the nurses and the teachers we do offer discounts to all military teachers nurses Health Care Professionals Emergency Services I've been involved in emergency services for 38 years so Emergency Services will get a discount our local police fire and EMS will get a little bit more of a discount um any questions anybody has for me as far as um what the facility is going to be offering we still have more equipment that will be coming in there is group training small group training training Sports specific training for any athletes or anybody else out there just looking to get in and feel better it's going to be a much different feel than your box gyms not going to be crowded you're not going to have to go in there and worry about oh am I going to get today's workout in because of people are taking Tik toks on the machines instead of actually working out we will keep it to a small community based uh facility anybody have any questions I just want to say listen it was beautiful inside thank you so much thank you welcome town thank you right now we're gonna move on to the bill list you want do that oh you want to do that first yeah okay that's fine all right moving on to the bill list can I get a motion to approve the bill list can counc president before we get a motion um I just want to get council's feel on Bill 0126 305001 that's a payment for trash in May of 317,000 um I kind of have an issue or a feeling of not making that payment yet since what we've been going through the last few weeks considering to mate the month's not over um I think we should hold that up till next meeting I don't know what everybody else's feeling is I know any work line of work if you know you hire somebody to do a job and they don't do it they kind of hold up your pay so um they haven't caught up yet and they still have a littleit way to go I believe plus we should probably see what the rest of the performance is too the rest of the contract yeah I agree any discussion C I had a question for our attorney um what about that it's like my cousin venny what you find I've been working with the business administrator and reviewed the contract I have no issue with that there liquidated damages Clauses for missing the um missing the routes which can be withheld from the payment that'll work better uh as well as some actual damages that can be recovered from the withheld payment so I I see no issue with not I will make a motion to approve the bill list accept bill 02635 000000001 trash collection I have another question I'll make a motion I'll second page five uh reserve for open space grenlock Lake P pathway uh Paving plus LLC out of the open space trust we paying $ 34,1 15660 now was my understanding I'm on the open space committee that the county was paying for this we had no idea this was being done those people took out 50 trees put in a parking lot in a park um Vicki you're on the committee with me what was your understanding as to who was paying for that was it the county or the township County Grant so I don't I would like to have that removed from our list and let's get this thing resolved with the county we should not be paying for this I'm burned up myself that in a park where we're planting trees and trying to preserve trees the county uh Engineers go and chop down 50 trees and they're paying us making us pay the bill so I would like to take that off of the bill list discussion not on that I have no issues um last meeting we held that bill for a kdi um there has been a satisfactory resolution oun has the correct printer and the other printer is going to be moving to the police department so we can pay that bill okay take a motion to approve the the the bill list of May 15 2024 with those changes with those two changes three changes I'm sorry three changes yes my changer changed and he haded back to Bill that was not paid last month yes a second second roll call Mr J yes Mr Bennett yes Mr Brown yes Mr Del yes Mr deor yes can I get a motion to approve the regular minutes meetings from April 2024 motion second roll call please Mr yes Mr Bennett yes Mr Brown yes Mr Delia yes Mr de yes we Mo on ordinances the ordinance 0024 ordinance of the township Washington County of gler the state of New Jersey amending chapter 285 zoning code including article XLV canvas use section 285 d342 is up for adoption after a public hearing can I get a motion to open the public on ordinance 00424 all in favor I we're now open to the public for just this does anyone want to speak about this ordinance seeing none motion to close please motion second all in favor I can I get uh can I get a motion to adopt ordinance 004 d24 second roll call please Mr yoris yes Mr Bennett yes Mr Brown yes Mr Del yes Mr yes War to succeed the municipal budget appropriation limits and establish a cap bank for a cap a calendar year 2024 the ordinance is up for ad introduction only public he and adoption will be held on June 12th can I get a motion to introduce ordinance 0052 second roll call please Mr yes Mr Bennett yes Mr Brown yes Mr Delia yes Mr deell yes the following resolutions are by consent agenda only require vote for all listed each one must be read separately by title if any member of the council wishes to have one remov and heard separately they need indicate prior to the reading of the titles want anything removed seeing none CL can you please read the resolutions resolution 155 2024 resolution authorizing the municipal clerk to advertise requests for proposals or 2024 Professional Services for foreclosure attorney resolution 156 2024 resolution authorizing the mun municipal clerk to advertise request for proposals for 2024 Professional Services for conflict planner for the zoning board resolution 157 2024 resolution approving 4 renewals for massage po license in the township of Washington resolution 158 2024 resolution approving a Time extension request to arak Paving Co Inc for the fy2021 NJ do Bell's Lake Road improvements phase two resolution 159 2024 resolution authorized authorizing refund of tax overpayments resolution 160 2024 resolution authorizing an emergency temp temporary appropriation of funds resolution 161 2024 resolution approving a large Gathering application for the Washington Township fifth border Club carnival last resolution 162 2024 resolution authorizing an amendment to the contract for solid waste and recycling between the township of Washington and Suburban Disposal Inc gold medal environmental of NJ Inc continues in can I get a a motion approve r155 d24 to R1 16224 motion second roll call please Mr YZ yes Mr Bennett yes Mr Brown yes Mr Delia yes Mr deell yes moving on to Old business new business reports starting with councilman jurkus thank you um as the representative to the uh veterans Advisory Board I want to say that we had very successful Memorial Day service because of the in inclement weather it was decided to move it to the high school 1112 Auditorium uh we wanted to make sure that those in attendance uh number one they're safe we wanted guarantee their safety from the storm uh possible lightning that type of thing but also importantly is the band members uh we're very fortunate to have a band that performed very well and we don't want them getting wet and carrying their their equipment long distances so I wanted to thank everyone who was in attendance I wanted to especially thank our veterans uh we can't thank you enough um and those who are not here who gave the ultimate sacrifice of which the Memorial Day is for we thank them again and again and again um I saw a movie last night Ben afflac you know Harbor and I I look at that movie and I think of countless sacrifices that our men and women over the past 300 years have made ever since Bunker Hill and they continue to do so and that's what Memorial Day is about it's not about the seashore it's about paying tribute to those who gave the ultimate sacrifice those who couldn't come back those who couldn't have a family couldn't have children children didn't have the life that you and I have one day a year one day to say thank you to those men and women who gave it all and didn't come back just watch one more war movie you know what I'm talking about but for those in attendance tonight and those who attended Monday I thank you and you can see at the back wall all of our residents who were members of the military we pay honor to them also tonight but thank you men and women of our Armed Forces wherever you serve whenever you serve we thank you from the bottom of our heart thank you thank you Council Council Bennett um I'd like to thank uh the uh D people the Boy Scouts fire police and other general public and councilman Brown and myself uh this is my fourth year of doing flags at uh bethl United Methodist uh and also Hill Crest we did uh 600 flags on Veterans uh tombstones and also about 1600 Hill Crest I appreciate everyone who came out to help us make that uh a great a great event um and uh just make sure you know that coming up we do have the Fourth of July parade and also the um uh fireworks but we are looking for businesses to be in the parade so if you're interested at even Civic organizations uh anybody who feels that can make a difference uh we really want them involved in the parade another uh thing is I was at the veterans um uh ceremony on Monday the high school Wind Ensemble was fabulous I did send over a note to uh Eric Gibbs they do a great job every time we have them in performing all the military uh charges uh they did a great job and great job that those kids were coming out that day and then as usual my my biggest pet peeve is make sure that you slow down in town make sure that you're doing the speed limit 25 means 25 thanks that's it brown nothing new on the library front I'm sure by the next meeting I'll receive some special events that the library will be putting on and encourage the public um to attend uh one of the things they've offered last year was a veteran from World War II who uh spoke and uh recounted his events during World War II he's a a nurse I believe or Forman and uh he was very interesting talking about his experiences and they're going to try to get him again posssibly for July or August uh they will have a truck night in July uh as soon as I get more details on that we'll have the flyer put up front um again thank you to public works for chipping in and helping out um and our staff for what they've done to mitigate problems with yard waste done a fantastic job and for all the emergencies that we have it um you know hurricane coming through here we snow storm we always step up to the plate and uh take care of us the best that they can um with regard to what Rich says about um speed limits and all that just remember for the next three years we're going to be having the route 42 construction project right now it's in the beginning phases but we're going to have to bear with traffic pattern changes and some inconveniences also um most of the work we hope to be done at night but you can find alternate routes land them now um just headaches and protect um the workers who will be out there whether it be during the day or at night um just to reiterate from earlier um if you see something suspicious say something call 911 um the police are out diligently doing directed patrols um chief gersi enlightens us on the events every Monday we get some type of uh briefing about directed patrols traffic reports um radar post um along with their fine community service event or community policing events they do and are diligently protecting us and you need to help them as much as they're helping us so again if you see something say something call 911 that's it may Burns over the past few weeks I've had the pleasure of attending um several significant events that have highlighted the wonderful Community Spirit we have here in Washington Township first um we I had the opportunity to attend coffee with a cop um which is always a Fant fantastic occasion um organized by our dedicated Chief and his team it's events like these that Foster strong relationships between our law enforcement officers in the community they serve um I also had the honor of attending the Washington Township High School honors banquet last week I want to extend my heartfelt congratulations to all the honores once again their hard work and dedication are truly commendable and you make our Township extremely proud another impactful moment um that I had was um joining councilman Bennett and councilman Brown in placing American American flags on the gray sites of our veterans um I was at both of those events with Rich and Don was at the last one we did and I will always be back so you're stuck with me on that because I really I it was a moment that I I am going to do it every year with you um this act of amendments was touching tribute to those who have served our country um additionally I was deeply honored to be guest speaker at the Memorial Day service put on by our veterans Advisory Board it was a well attended event and a beautiful tribute to our fallen heroes reminding us all of the sacrifices made for our freedom lastly I want to give a huge thank you to our public works department and to our business administrator Joe Russo since last week they've been working nonstop to address the yard waste issue um uh we are experiencing this is an unpr presedent an event for myself as mayor and for our Administration and I believe for Council as well um I truly believe that public works and administ and Joe Russo have done a fantastic job in working to remedy the situation and respond to calls um and emails from the residents your efforts are greatly appreciated and I know you're probably sick again text messages from me about it and I'm confident that we will overcome this challenge together to the residents my office is always is open please reach out um by email phone whatever we are very responsive in getting back to you with anything you may have it's just a question um we're happy to help with anything that's all yo Mr Right um first I want to say councilman yurus um great what you said um just want to add on to it that you know we can't show our GR ude enough to our veterans no matter how hard we try um for what you sacrificed and given to our country we're deeply appreciative and thankful so um we'll always be by your side and behind you and have your back so thank you um on the trash situation I do want to thank public works again um Joe Russo um I know there was a lot of chatter on social media about what was being done and what wasn't being done if you ever have any questions call us directly all of our numbers are out there um you know we can try to avoid situations like that as best we can they're still going to happen uh what really matters is how you handle those situations and you know we got right on it as fast as we can we work through a holiday weekend everybody's phone U mayor councel Russo is in the car um you know it's how you handle these situations you can't prevent them all but you can handle them the proper way so we we will learn from this moving forward um but I think we kind of got on it pretty quickly so well done to everybody in our our group um lastly I want to mention um I've been working on that playground over at Washington Lake Park uh it's a special needs playground called Jake Jake's Place uh we were um offered a grant we were awarded our grant for 750,000 a couple weeks ago um still being finalized we do have an event this Saturday June 1st at Washington Lake Park it's at the location of the volleyball nets um if anybody could attend it's right behind the ranger station um there's a walk that begins registration is at 9:00 there's uh no feet to walk um the walk will start at 10:00 it'll go from 10 to 1200 throughout the park and then there will be an event at 1 o'clock there will be basket Raffles there'll be uh food trucks 'll be fun things for the kids um so if anybody's interested to come out to support uh you can go to Blackbird fly. org backwalk roll and raffle um and one other thing is one of the residents who are helping us with this um presented a check for $25,000 towards the playground that's Bob and Katie Martin along with CRA Financial um for anybody who doesn't know the grant covers about 75% of the playground um we're going to fundraise the rest we're not going to you know take taxpayers money and pay for the playground so we're going to fundraise it and this family along with uh his employer donated $25,000 to the cause so just want to say thank them and uh we appreciate their support that's all guys pres that's beautiful so I just have a couple things as well first of all the Memorial Day uh event you know there's something that I I do a lot of work with gold star families and when you when you go to these events and you meet these gold star families you really don't have any words there's really not any words that you can say to them and one of them in particular that the foundation is for is Michael Strange Michael strange was on SEAL Team Six and uh he was one of the people responsible for R the world of Assad Ben lad so Michael was a very important person and only uh sadly 968 he was on Extortion 17 when when uh the helicopter went down we lost 30 Serv servicemen and one uh service dog there so there's really no words you have for this so events like this that we have in Washington Township I think just try to show our gratitude to these veterans try to let them know I was honored enough to push a a wheel a wheelchair of a World War II vet down to to the event and then had the honor of pushing him back up again and got to meet him and got to meet his wife so appreciate them we had some really good laughs and some good stories and they that they shared with us also wanted to thank uh the last week was Sher Donovan's last day she was Construction she also retired so we thank her for her service here in town also Monica Cindy and Kathy Kathy's last day Kathy is actually the chief secretary tomorrow's her last day she's been such a valuable asset to Washington Township she's right up there with Monica and Sher and and Cindy and all all their hard work I mean these are the people that really keep Washington Township you know we a lot of people think it's it's mayor and counsel but it's really the people in the backgrounds that keep our town running and that's really why we're so thankful to our Public Works and people like Joe Russo because they really work hard you know they keep us informed and we're calling them and we're but we were so much on them and that kind of brings me to my next point was I don't make a big deal about it but but Monday was my birthday and uh I Don't Really T but yes yes so I didn't tell anybody but Barb seemed to tell people in the in the clerk's office and they all wore blue and they had uh and they had uh balloons for me and I just want to say I I said this a lot but I really mean it you know I got involved because I wanted to make a difference in other people's lives and people like Chrissy and Barb and everybody in that department really you guys make a difference in my life I just really appreciate you it really meant a lot to me I I I was truly honored that you did that it really gave me a good laugh with everybody wearing blue so I I did I did I did appreciate that and the last thing was just about our business corner so we want to give business an opportunity to come and and you know give them a chance to Showcase their business just outside of the regular just cutting the ribbon but with us it's not about just cutting the rimon it's about here it is a year later you sat you you were here one year ago tell us about here you are with this huge expansion we're so proud we're so proud you chose Washington town so proud of you also a fellow lemi of the Washington Township neighbors magazine correct yes you were on there before Chief but yeah you were you yeah a great article if you get that one as well so these are the people that make up Washington Township these are the businesses are so important so please try to try to use their businesses try to try to think about them look at the beautiful pictures and what what Washington Township really is this is really what represents Washington Township so so much to be thankful for that's all I have okay we're going to move on to public participation please let's do this you want want to do this yeah sure guess I'm gonna hold it tonight we're honored to welcome the Special Olympics Township Tornado basketball team as well as coaches Ron Williams Jim Bloomer and Darren Hart as well as their manager Flo Williams these athletes before us have played basket played basketball for for Challenger league for many years together they enjoyed playing together so much that the coaches decided to form a Special Olympics basketball team for competition in the Special Olympics you were only allowed 10 athletes per team and that is how the township tornado team got started the team consists of Andrew aart James Bloom Bloomer Bloomer Michael given Toren Hart Thomas Mueller riot Murray Nina Marie patango James Stapleton Davis Tross and Michael Williams in 2018 they made their debut in the Special Olympics Arena securing fourth place in the regional competition the following year in 2019 they soared to new heights clinching the gold medal not only in the regional competition but also at the state level although the regular season of games in 2022 was cut short their Spirit remained unbroken no games were played in 2021 but in 2022 they once again showcased their competitive skills securing fourth place in the state competition in 2023 the township tornadoes bounced back claiming the gold medal in the regional competition and adding a bronze medal to their collection at the state level this year they cemented their legacy as Champions securing double gold in both the regional and state competition these accomplishments are a testament to the dedication hard work and spirit of the athletes coaches and supporters of the township tornadoes through their tireless efforts and unwavering determination they have not only achieved sporting success but have also inspired us all with their resilience to Ron and Flo Williams you've been unwavering pillars of support for the Special Olympics and the township tornadoes basketball team and we wanted to present to you tonight this plaque as a way of saying thank you for your selfless dedication as it has made a lasting impact on so many congratulations on 20 years of Excellence your achievements have brought honor to our community and we are immensely proud of all of you congratulations [Applause] for e for for [Applause] con 2 we got to play every team in town right we gotta lose everybody oh okay all right moving on to public participation please follow public toor posted which has been attached to the public agenda limit your comments to five minutes once you've completed your comments or your questions please take a seat Al then is if any member of the governing body or the designate wishes to address your comments or questions asked by the person who just spoke can I get a motion open to the public motion second all in favor I we now most open to the public first sure Council mayor Joe counselor um my name is Frank Alexander for1 padic Court right here in Township um I don't know where to start but I just want to say thank you recently I had the distinct pleasure of placing ceremonial American flags on a Harbor Road in the um Old Stone house historic village and in front of Holy Family Church now Holy Family Church gave me permission but you guys made it possible for me to be able to do this um on a Harbor Road and with the mayor's assistance um we've been allowed to keep the banners up Flags we take down during the holiday uh summer and Joe R uh Joe um Brian mcaffrey has been great about cutting the lawn and then letting us know when we can put the flags back down this Township will continue to see that um the Tri-State veterans memorial fund of which Mr Della is on the board Lorie Mel and I believe Pete amaroso is back there where do you leave anyway there's a bunch of Township members most of them are Knights at Columbus that um have helped me we're committed to our veterans specifically veterans with PTSD and again I want to thank the mayor the council Lory Mel and the veterans um Memorial Council here in Township for their assistance thank you thank you anyone else wish to speak seeing none motion to close motion all in favor I next council meeting is scheduled for June 12th 2024 at 6m can a motion to adjourn second all in favor now jour for