##VIDEO ID:3BPPlsBdrpI## [Music] mayor would you like to proceed yes please the notice requirement oh uh good evening this is the meeting of the B Highland mayor and Council regular meeting on Wednesday December 18th 2024 the notice requirements provided for in the open public meetings act have been satisfied notice of this meeting was properly given by transmission to the ASB Park Press and the two River times and by posting at the B of Highlands municipal building and filing with B CL all on January 1st 2024 items listed in the agenda are subject to change please stand for the pledge of Allegiance a pledge of allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all I will now do roll call council member santes council member cha here Council Melnick council president sheski yes mayor Bulan here thank you first we have a proclamation [Music] this Proclamation is for um the hore Remembrance Day uh for 2024 and whereas 2024 marks The 91st anniversary of the Ukrainian famine of 1932 through 1933 known as hore uh meaning Murder By starvation and whereas Soviet leader Jo Joseph Stalin and his total totalitarian regime committed an act of genocide through the implementation of an engineered famine by confiscating land grain and animals from the Ukrainian people resulting in the deaths of millions of innocent men women and children and whereas hore was specifically designed by the Soviet regime to punish independent-minded ukrainians for their resistance to its economic political and social oppression at the height of the halar in 1933 it is estimated that ukrainians died at a rate of 28,000 a day with nearly a third of the victims being children younger than 10 years old and whereas even as the Soviets continued to export ukrainians grain to the rest of the world World Ukrainian farmers who tended to the farms in the area known as the Bread Basket of the USSR were tragically starved to to a slow and painful death whereas with the disillusion of the Soviet un Union archival documents created during the time surface that detailed the so the Soviet regime's action an intention to destroy ukrainians Ukraine's national identity by deporting and executing Ukraine's religious intellectual and cultural leaders and Prosecuting or executing those who spoke of the Fannon or against the Soviet authorities publicly further dist stabilizing Ukraine's political structure and whereas the Bureau of Highlands encourages individuals groups organizations and institutions to remember hudar with appropriate activities designed to honor its victims and educate people about the history and crimes of totalitarian regimes to help eliminate tyranny from our world whereas Highland stands in solidarity with the people of Ukraine as they remember the tragic history of LaMore and as they fight today to defend their country their democracy and their freedom now therefore I carollyn mayor Carolyn bran mayor of Highlands on behalf of its citizens do hereby Proclaim December 18th of 2024 as lore Remembrance Day in Highlands New Jersey and commend its observance to all citizens thank you who would like to get that back to miss Nancy next we have approval minutes December 4th 202 four meeting minutes I'll offer I'll second council member Tac uh yes Council preski yes mayor bran yes thank you motion carries to approve December 4th 2024 meeting minutes next we have December 4th 2024 executive session minutes I'll offer I'll second Council M yes counc president cheski yes mayor ban yes motion carries to approved December 4th 2024 executive session minutes next we have resolutions R 24221 designating Scenic Highlands owner LLC as the conditional redeveloper for the property known as tax block 10517 lot 1.1 located within the shadow ju mobile home park R Development Area and authorizing the execution of an interim cost benefit with respect there too just to explain this is this the reason why you're here this evening yes okay uh just to explain this a little bit this is the very first step um in the process there is a contract uh develop a contract purchaser that is who this developer is uh that means that as a contract purchaser they have not purchased the property yet but before they go they've done their due diligence they've done a lot of um looking at things we we still have to doe due diligence on them but what this provides for is um is once we um vote on this and seal it if approved um then there would be escor accounts open and that money and that would be funded by this developer and that would pay for our legal fees any um planning fees any type of Professional Services so that the burough taxpayers do not pay for any of that it's all paid for by the redeveloper and as we go through the process there are many many steps to it um but this is the first step before the property is purchased there will be many meetings public meetings uh that will show what they're uh planning on doing um I can tell you right now that what is in the Redevelopment plan what's already been approved approved um it will be conforming to that there will be no deviation from what's already been approved to build to build on that lot so as I said this is really it's it's it's a formality but it's something that uh makes sure we have we have and then the deal has gone through has gone South for one reason or another um so while we are optimistic we are very cautiously optimistic that this will not go uh by the way that it has in the past and that this will move forward I know you had mentioned names it's um it's it's in the um is in the resolution just give me a second and I will tell you that Scenic Highlands Scenic Highlands uh LLC and um you could find this information on the burrow website so that's by C Scenic Highlands owner llcal Trump Donald Trump is not buying the property yes this is someone this is a new organization right it's a newly form and that us that yes and and what happens is um the often times when um when there is a purchase of property as large as this one and even sometimes a much smaller one an LLC is created to own the property and to build whatever they're going to build on that property so as soon as we get further on in the process um and uh the P that it's actually purchased uh like I said there will be many meetings on this uh both here and at the lus board well could I say that you have't show you a plan of development in terms of the they've shown us ideas but there's no plan there's no architectural there's no no nothing nothing solid yet I just I just want to go back inform right that's why so basically like nothing official it's it's very very very early days uh absolutely that's why we only do these contracts for a very uh definitive um time frame we could talk about this later on and once we get to public portion um um but um I just wanted to get procedurally through this part of the meeting okay um and with all of that long-windedness um I will offer this resolution gladly and I will second it gladly sorry council member chac yes council president cheski yes mayor Bulan yes motion carries to adopt resolution r24 221 next we have r24 222 declining to issue letter of support and rejecting the United States Army of core engineer Coastal storm risk management project uh to uh speak a little bit to this one um we uh our last election we had two non-binding uh referendum questions and uh one of them was on this uh the Army cores fud wall project that they have been um talking about um crazily since 1990 this project has been talked about um and so so back in 2017 2018 uh the council at the time uh promised the people that before any uh burrow taxpayer dollars were spent on this project uh that there would be uh a vote to the people uh whether or not to accept the project or not um as I'm the last person from that Council that is still on Council uh I wanted to make good on uh on that promise and um so that's why we put it out to a vote um and I don't know if you were paying attention or anyone else here was paying attention but it it was voted down by 86% of the electorate which is a huge number um so uh what happened was a couple of I want to say it was last week let me just bring up the resolution um there's the federal government is obviously the federal sponsor sponsor being Army Corps um but then there was also a what they called the um the non-federal sponsor and that is the Department of um D um and Environmental Protection and so um they sent me a letter well all of us a letter and um they pretty much laid out that we had to um support the project in both the design uh and the project itself and to enter into a state aid agreement with uh the New Jersey DP um by March 14th of 201 25 and they said that uh we must do this uh by the 20th of this month and the uh that we had to we had to do all of these things and so uh taking the vote of the people that we decided collectively that we were not going to um ignore the voice of the people that is why we made this resolution so that we can answer them and say uh that uh no we're not going to do the things that they've asked us to do because we are going to listen to our residents um so it's not you know Common that this is happening that this you know we tell governments that are higher in level than us that we're not going to work with them on this but when such a a huge Mandate of the electorate have said that they don't want any part of it uh we're going to respectfully say no and we have also in the language of this resolution um have uh asked them to come back to us with something uh more palatable such as um uh the project up in uh New Bedford Mass I want to say it is and that was a Floodgate where it would go um with um pretty much at the mouth of the shuberry river going from Pompano point across to uh the tip of Sandy Hook and it would involve um you know having the the rip WRA rocks they're almost like the brakes and then have a Floodgate in between to allow shipping to go through the channel and uh and that way uh a a 14t BF wall wouldn't be in front of a private residents home separating them from the water or across our beaches separating the people from the water um and that would remove eminent domain it would remove a lot of the issues that were coming up of why people did not want this project to happen do you have any questions on that one no I thato but really wanted [Music] $500,000 well like I said it's it's very tall it would be a con concrete reinforced uh I mean steel steel reinforced concrete wall um yes yes and the pictures that they showed us were not inviting in in any way um and um it was the letter was written in such a way that it was you do this or else manner so we came back to them and said we would be very happy to support something that was that was different um but uh they didn't seem to want to uh to go that route so um yes it was it was New Bedford Massachusetts if you would like you know if anyone that's you know going to watch this later on the uh on YouTube if you just Google that you'll see in detail exactly um uh how it looks how it works they did this in the 60s I want to say 1962 if I'm not mistaken but um that project is very successful and has saved that those those surrounding communities from many storms over the years that would be the beauty for the surrounding communities here too exactly and it would it would something like that would save not only just Highlands but it would save everything going down Highlands uh sebrite Mammoth Beach Oceanport all of it Red Bank Rumson all of the the Two River Cities as well as the Bayshore cities so uh that's what we uh are suggesting that they do and uh we'll see how they come back and and receive re this um this resolution so should I have to wait for the clerk to get back that's okay we used to go fishing New Bedford the 80s beautiful yeah yeah and I'm thinking I trying to wrap my brain to remember right okay so um can I offer it sure how you want do Wonder no you go I'll be happy to Second it C mucha yes Council presidentes yes mayor veran yes motion carries to adopt resolution R 24222 next I'd like to make a motion to um one of our council members is running late I would like to um table this until uh he gets back I mean he's he's on he's just on the boat so I just wanted to we can pause on this one go to the consent agenda other business public portion yeah okay you need four votes to approve that budget transfer so okay yeah the votes delay yeah so I guess we go to the consent agenda do we need to approve or anything oh I guess shall we vote on that I offer yes yeah I'll second all in favor I thank you next we have consent agenda mayor would you like me to read the resolutions by title yes please R 24224 authorizing refund of tax overpayments R 24225 amending change orders number one and five and approving change order number six for sanitary one sanitary I'm sorry for phase one sanitary sewer improvements project r24 226 authorizing purchase of a Chevrolet Tahoe for the Burrow's Police Department through the Bergen County cooperative pricing system r24 227 authorizing the placement of a remembrance plaque on the bench outside of Annie's Shore bar r24 228 declaring acceptance of contract for The Snug Harbor skate park Project R 4229 authorizing appointment of technical assistant to the construction official R 24230 authorizing payment of bills r24 231 approving change order number one for the improvements to basite drive and Marie Avenue project r24 232 authorizing purchase of a 2024 Ford F 4 450 4x4 PL truck R 24 233 declaring acceptance of contract for the Lynden Avenue sidewalk improvements project that's it that's it I I have a question okay questions questions about the the skate uh skate park was anything ever uh Michael accomplished with the noise mitigation anything I mean is there any kind of update well we've put all the slats in in the defense uh that seems to have helped a lot uh I think we're just waiting for Springtime the original Arbor VES we wanted to plant we we had people look at it and we're told basically with the soil there they would die so we're just trying to get in the spring like I guess plants that'll actually live in the in the salt in the Sandy salty soil yeah okay that's good there's a couple of varieties that we're looking at that just they're almost like poplars but they're not in that family um that are are more uh they grow around town so if they grow in around town that's in the flood zone they'll be fine there okay um and they also don't push out very far because we don't have a lot of like room for them to go I've seen them they're very attractive they are um dense very dense they're very dense and they grow very fast uh because they like the uh they like the the brackish uh water and soil all right good so we're exploring those options that we're ready so that we could order them then when they get delivered in the spring and then we can plant them my question is with the used police cars do we sell them what do we do with we auction them all we auction them oh with the used vehicle please is that we aren't we doing one right now um with the the one that we're getting we're going to probably put one back in the fleet for whatever other use that they need unless it it needs to be stripped or total then we we do that we auction them off okay the other vehicle the plow truck you had originally authorized that earlier in the year but the supplier wouldn't come through and Deliver Us the truck so we had to cancel that purchas order out and go for this new one okay is it going to are we going to get it soon I mean if it snows we're in okay and the other ones were just close outs of the uh various uh projects that we've had over some time like skate park project had to deal with the lsrp um I'm trying to look through this real fast yeah and the sanitary sewer project is finally off how Marine place and the was that supposed to happen in the fall you know the no uh that's the that's going to happen before this fall that's the momth county uh cdbg correct okay okay but I'll get to that I'm going to do a brief uh something after Mike does goes okay so we had a motion and a second yeah yeah okay motions I'm sorry motion second for the consent yes I'll second it okay Joann's motion and and seconded yes council member chill yes Council peski yes mayor vand yes motion carries to adopt resolutions R 24 to 24 through R 24-33 next we have administrator's report uh my report's pretty brief tonight I filed and and had it sent to the council earlier um just a couple short things the budget's coming along sat down with Pat and dy's been involved Spencer the other department heads going over their submissions and and what we're working on so that's being crafted right now and the Portland Road Project I'm probably take a thunder from Joe but New Jersey natural gas is going to move their conflicts over Christmas break so it doesn't interfere with the schools um and that's pretty much it you have do you have any updates you'd like to share meeting tomorrow just confirm when natural gas is done by the end of this year then provide update contractor to come online improvements can be done the right uh that's the last do has to approve the uh final change order so okay so I just keep going back to uh Portland Road does New Jersey natural gas have a a even a ghost of a timeline on how long they they think that they're going to just be able to do that in two weeks yes it's going be Monday and the last day techically what will be 1231 from their words that is a live changer so so there's no disruptive disruption disrup water change over offut you know gas movement it's so simple and it's not through the whole strch stretch of the road it's only in certain areas uh it's going to be for a b CH of the're moving Ming right Cur so you know designation where Storm should be curve line that's exactly because when they did their services they didn't take into account when there's storm there they'll going into the road be between San but for future improvements so that's what I do okay time more cost effective for them so just go shallow and leave there and then their mindset is if you guys put will Shi free because if it's not it's cheap we like free yeah yeah were they um looking at at Grand Tour I noticed there were lines I'm not trying trying to remember the color on The Grand Tour I wondered if they were check or you were or someone was checking it out anytime you do any sanitary or you know water or gas work had full Mark out so that's not us it would be great if I do a mark but they r that many years ago as a designer interesting right I do know in the 10 almost 11 years that I've lived here one year they ripped up everything for water for new pipes but another year they ripped up everything for gas so that record should be pretty we could re the gas improvements should be coordinating with DPW on that street open as far as I know okay and as you place we are that project CD right um other things that we're looking uh to do is uh the creation of Overlook Park on Route 36 and um Frank Hall Park we're going to do that together because those two parks are literally right around the corner from each other so uh we figure we'll get a better rate from a contractor if we give them both of those areas and then they could use one area for staging while they do the other area so um we're trying to be wiser um by doing uh both of these Park projects together we have uh they're being funded by Mammoth County open space grants um as well as uh Department of Community Affairs uh local Aid grants um we already mentioned Marine place the other thing coming our way is um The Shore Drive pedestrian improvements which are pretty much some sidewalks and bump outs on Shore Drive where there are no sidewalks and we currently have no bump outs um on Shore Drive uh when the ferry comes in uh many people uh complain about Speeders and uh drivers complain that uh pedestrians jump out at them and then the pedestrians uh complain that uh there's no safe way to get to the ferry so this is a way that we're going to provide a safe a safe route to Transit that was um the uh actually that's the name of the grant that's uh helping to fund this from the Department of Transportation um uh so that is uh hopefully going to go out to bid again soon in the winter oh good very good right it's it's early days of course so we're looking to uh do all the bidding for these types for these projects we do the bidding now and then we can uh do the projects themselves in the spring um spring and summer January February February perfect um and then the infamous Jones Creek dredging will it happen will it not the county I tried to see if they would PE meil it for us um they originally told us a year year or so ago would be 100,000 and when we try to get them on board it jumped up to 250 so I tried to get them to peace meal it certain amount of time and they haven't really answered me at all so um there are some capital funds that we have for projects that can use the entire amount of funding so I was going to try and Cobble the rest of that together right and maybe get that done in the spring so we don't have to go out for any more money to do it do do any of our staff on DPW that has uh uh commercial driver's license that can operate the Machinery that is used um to dredge that I I think they probably could but the problem is is that we have nowhere to Stage it uh for spoils and we would have no way to transport it so we would have to get if we did it I'm I'm scared to go private because I don't know what the cost would be but the whole problem is transporting it and then staging it there the county was going to just take it to uh the reclamation center right um yeah I mean probably I think um tone Diaz right but he's still out after his surgery so he's probably not going to be back until sometime in the the year um and then we would have to rent the equipment also right so I mean I haven't looked or done it total cost analysis for it but it may just be cheaper and what not to go with the county even with their pricing okay but I'll look at it let's see would you like to do some public portion and then we could uh chat about Shadow LA Public portion individuals wishing to address the council shall be recognized by the presiding officer and shall give their name address and the group that I need they represent although the council encourages public participation it reserves the right through its presiding officer to terminate remarks to and or by any individual not in keeping with the conduct of a proper and efficient meeting if any individual refuses to conduct themselves in a proper manner they will be removed from the meeting the counc will not during the public portion of this meeting discuss matters involving employment appointment DET terminations of employment negotiations terms and conditions of employment the evaluation of the performance of promotion or disine of any specific or perspective or current employee there is a three minute time limit for your [Music] comments sir would you like to uh just speak into the microphone and state your name and address for the record James on man know I'm here uh for representing the East Point board and I live at one scen of Drive Unit 509 thank you and so your questions uh regarding the process for um uh that were're going to be going through um Andy could you please do a an outline of uh what are the steps that need to happen going forward so briefly um with the that I don't focus on Redevelopment but I know generally what the process is um the first thing is to draw up a Redevelopment plan which I understand is still an effect on the property um and then at that point redevelopers as we've seen tonight come in and ultimately one is declared as a conditional redeveloper where they develop a more specific plan for the particular property that specific site plan has to comply with the original r development plan in general uh but it can get more detailed ultimately once that site plan is finalized it's brought to the land use board they would then have a general site plan hearing where the land use board determines whether it would be granted or not if it is granted then that Redevelopment can go forward in accordance with the site plan ultimately a redevelopers agreement is entered into to formalize all the details the processes that have to be complied with by that redeveloper is that or that yes Highlands y do you have any other questions regarding the [Music] process this is it's not going to be a 20 story building no no I I know that there are at information and it seems like this is all in its infy right now it is very much so and it's and its infancy um but uh as I said this time uh we as I said before we are cautiously optimistic that this will uh go forward and um we were are going to keep um everyone informed at every step of the way you can't tell me this is it a grank or rich man you could you could Google it probably see no and I don't know once I sign this it's going to become a a a public document that anybody could over for right so if we have that information already we can disclose it and usually the the details of the ownership structure of the Redevelopment and that is disclosed as part part of the Redevelopment process yes I we just did the resolution so it has to get stamped and sealed and uh it will be on the we site tomorrow morning there you go yeah do you have any other questions about anything else that went on here today no that's it it go on tomorrow right right but I can assure you it is not going to be 20 stories is never going to happen uh D won't allow it um the last project was uh I believe a five-story building and a six-story building the one that did not the one that fell through a few years ago um these guys are not looking to uh to do anything more than that in fact they think they're looking at less the general concern is that whatever construction is maintains security of course part of part of their due diligence is uh using geotechnical Engineers to see exactly what uh they can do with the least disturbance this is a lot oftion M Absolut well I don't I don't walk through there anymore it's not a very I and I strongly I encourage your residents not to walk through there they would be trespassing and then there's a whole another matter to go on with that okay well thank you and thank you for coming um I will close public portion I'd like to say that um or note that council member Melnick arrived at 7:35 p.m. and did do we want to go back to resolution so R 24223 providing for the transfer of surplus funds go ahead Al Walker second Council M yes Council mik yes Council jeski yes mayor bran yes motion carries to adopt resolution r24 223 next we have nothing that's that is it we are all good and if you want to um does anyone else have anything that they want to add I will only add that uh if you missed the tax assessor presentation on the 11th um it is on our YouTube channel you can find that uh on the burough website under meetings um and also his uh PowerPoint presentation is there um I strongly encourage everyone to watch I I wouldn't say watch it listen to it it's just him sitting at a desk so it's not very entertaining and you can't see the screens um but the presentation is there you can thumb through that uh if you're interested and um I think that's all I have if I went to that meeting yes I went to the meeting well done yeah I listened to it it was good you have anything you want to add no no Don thank you okay and with that I uh motion to adjourn I second all in favor I I thank you meeting adjourned at 7:41