##VIDEO ID:XQsiVnGUqEs## e e e e e e e e I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America to the repblic for which it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all Evan is on Zoom sorry John good evening ladies and gentlemen pursuant to njsa 10 col 4 the open public meetings act notice of this duly and regularly scheduled meeting of the Jackson Township Zoning Board of adjustment has been published and posted in all appropriate locations roll call please Mr Heyman here Dr hofstein Mr Hudak Miss Rosal here miss Bradley here miss Mar oh I'm sorry Mr Martins here my apologies do we have any resolutions this evening Mr Murphy we have four resolutions this evening first resolution being um resolution number granting variance relief for an accessory structure with 12 by 24 shed in front yard where it's not permitted uh with other variance relief on uh property located at two Bane lane block 18101 lot 90 one I'm sorry 9.01 eligible to vote on this particular resolution uh Dr hoffstein uh Mr Hudak M Rosal Mr Martins and Miss Bradley need I need a motion and a second please we have a motion to a second roll call please Dr hofstein Mr Hudak M Rosal yes Mr Martins yes Miss Bradley yes uh we have resolution number construction of a new detached single family dwelling on an undersized lot on property located at endiro road block 2506 Lot 21 and eligible to vote on this application are second Mr Hudak Dr hoffstein Mr Heyman Mr Martins and Miss Bradley motion to approve second roll call please Mr Hyman yes and I just want to say thank you to our attorney for getting it so quickly Dr hofstein yes Mr Hudak yes Mr Martens yes Miss Bradley yes uh this is resolution number 2024 58 uh this is the resolution of the zoning board uh denying sidey yard setback variants for an as built accessory structure which is a 10 x 12 shed on property located at 29 Meadow Road uh Meadow Run Court uh that's block 21 I'm sorry 2101 blot 1.17 um eligible to vote Mr Hudak Dr hofstein Miss Rosal Mr Martins and Miss Bradley need a motion to second please second roll call please Dr hofstein yes Mr Hudak M Rosal Mr Martins yes Miss Bradley yes and then finally we have resolution number 2024 59 this is the resolution of the zoning board accepting the withdrawal of the application for property located at 445 Bros Bridge Road block 13301 Lot 19 as the zoning board saw we did receive a withdrawal from uh the applicant roseen Bloom with regard to their application um so this will be with a withdrawal without prejudice motion and a second please motion second roll call please Mr Heyman yes Dr hofstein yes Mr hudek M Rosal Mr Martins yes Miss Bradley yes that hand your resolutions Mr Murphy that concludes resolutions Madam chair do we have any minutes this evening the ones from last meeting that's right we have the meetings from the minutes from our last meeting yes okay so the ones that we withheld approval for from November 18th yes so I got my detail myself I'm sorry we have the meetings from November 8th we need a motion and a second to approve November motion second roll call please Mr Heyman yes Dr hofstein yes Mr Hudak Miss Rosal Mr Martins yes Miss Bradley yes and just to make sure I clarify the record it was November 20th today is December 18th 1120 minutes got it and I have a voucher for this evening from Jackson Township for our acting recording secretary for $175 I need a motion and a second to pay the voucher please motion second roll call please Mr Heyman yes Dr hofstein yes Mr Hudak Miss Parnes oh I'm sorry she's absent Miss Rosal yes Mr Martins yes Miss Bradley yes announcements this evening Mr Murphy uh yes Madam chair we do have one announcement uh application number two which which is a Noe Guera bobos use variants 3519 uh block 18701 lot 46 uh location is 747 Toms ro road this application will uh is going to be carried um based upon the fact that it's a use variance um and we do not have a full seven member board this evening to the uh February 5th 2025 meeting of the Jackson Township zoning Board of adjustment no further notice will be required and the applicant has waved time through February 28th of 2025 so if you're here for number two um that application has been carried at February 5th 2025 sorry Ryan did you say to read notice no rot noce no will be no uh requirement to re notice so this is the um announcement and we'll swear on our professionals if you would each uh please raise your right hand and do we have Mr Hill he should be on Zoom oh you you don't understand we're not that formal sit down um I guess I'll swear everybody uh do you each solemnly swear uh or affirm that testimony information questions or comments say you present before the board will represent the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth yes if you would each please state your name and position with the board Mr theop do you do have a microphone I can always swear EV you know once we're once we're finished I'll swear since I just went through that would you each please state your name and your positions with the board Mr the comp you do have a microphone it's on the bottom underneath there you go I'm L comp with rington bernick I'm a professional planner and a Prof professional engineer in the state of New Jersey you're filling in for Mr Peters this evening yes thank you very much Gina Tumalo assistant zoning officer thank you very much and just for the record our town engineer is on Zoom but we're having some technical difficulties right now and when he gets on I will swear him sure okay Mr Murphy will we be happy an executive session this evening yes we will we will be having a brief executive session and like always I will read that resolution into the record I would ask for a motion to adopt the resolution uh with a second and then a roll call please uh whereas the Zoning Board of the township of Jackson is subject to certain requirements of the open public meetings Act njsa 10 col 4 and whereas open public meetings Act njsa 10 4-12 provides that an executive session not open to the public may be held for certain specified purposes when authorized by resolution whereas it is necessary for the Zoning Board of the township of Jackson to discuss in a session not open to the public matters relating to the item or items authorized by njsa 10 412b this evening that matter being litigation specifically the matter of Matlock versus the township of Jackson and the Zoning Board of adjustment of Jackson Township vened in the Federal District Court of New Jersey docued as civil action number 3 col 24- cv-10 one- rk- RLS now there uh therefore be it resolved by the uh the Z Zoning Board of the township of Jackson the enter executive session for discussion of those outlined matters is anticipated that the deliberations conducted in closed session may be disclosed to the public upon the determination that public interest will no longer be served by such confidentiality Madam sherff I may have a request for a motion motion second roll call please Mr Heyman yes Dr hofstein yes Mr Hudak yes Miss Rosal yes Mr Martins yes Miss Bradley yes okay we are going to uh leave the room for a few minutes we'll be back shortly um to resume the meeting for can you hear me and the um the audio didn't start until after the Prof after the um professionals were asked to be sworn and there's no video I don't like seeing any video video I I'm not seeing any videos I believe the video is on your side no I'm not seeing your video feed all I'm seeing is the symbol on the screen it's for okay e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e close executive session please second roll call please Mr Hyman yes Dr hofstein yes Mr Hudak Mr HUD yes sorry Miss Rosal yes Mr Martins yes Miss Bradley yes thank you uh matters for discussion Mr Murphy uh yes we do have a matter for discussion Madam chair and that is the approval of the settlement agreement with relation to uh moak versus the township of Jackson and the Zoning Board of adjustment of the township of Jackson um that settlement agreement was discussed in executive session um upon approval uh it was approved by Council yesterday evening uh upon approval by uh the board that uh this document will become public record as it will be filed with the court um but I am asking for a motion uh with regard to the approval of the settlement agreement in in that particular matter make a motion second roll call please Mr Heyman yes Dr hofstein yes Mr Hudak yes Miss Rosal yes Mr Martins yes Miss Bradley yes thank you very much sorry I'm sorry that would conclude any matter for discussion this evening any the administrative approvals this evening Mr Murphy no Madam chair all right so we're going to move on to our applications first application is applicant number 528 LLC they're looking for a Time extension for preliminary final site plan 845-1143 333 good evening uh Steven Leon of the firm of carlucho Leon Diamond Doyle and Sachs on behalf of applicant 528 LLC of Clayton company um we're here to seek an extension we uh the applicant got an approval in uh April 20th 22 for subdivision and site plan approval the subdivision approval is still good site plan expired at about six month 9 months ago 12 yeah so I'd like to call our engineer Mr Murphy to uh explain why the extension is being requested was ni to see Mr Leone Mr Murphy if you would please raise your right hand do you solemly swear or affirm that the testimony information questions or comments you're about to present before the board represent the truth the whole truth and nothing about the truth I do if you please um state your name provide your affiliation and your credentials sure uh Brian Murphy uh M py uh 1856 Route 9 in Tom's River licensed professional professional engineer and planner in state of New Jersey I've been before this board planning board Mr Murphy this board accepts your credentials thank you thank you very much uh the project in question uh it's in front of the current Clayton garage uh some of you were certainly on the board when we had this approval um we're going we have all our approvals with the exception of the county as many of you may know the county county is redoing uh cross street and the intersection with cross street and Veterans uh Highway uh we're right at that intersection so the coordination of our project and the light with the county project is integral uh and the county keeps changing their mind on exactly what they want at that intersection for us to mesh up to uh so that is the delay in our approval um so we we have all the approvals with the exception of the County uh just because we can't finalize our plans until they finalize their plans uh so that's why we're seeking the extension uh I was on the board at the time of this approval and it I actually still have my notes you guys know how I am that was one of the conversations that they were still waiting on County approval at that time and didn't know how long it would take we didn't know it would be going on three years but um so that was discussed at the time that this could be a potential issue clarify you're seeking a onee extension can we get two maybe or 18 months I can only do I think I think under the ml I can only do one at a time one year that's fine all right I would give it to you if I could um can't hurt that you had no extensions previously correct all right this is the first one so under the ml time extension of one year would be um would be permitted if the board finds that the uh reason provided by the applicant uh is sufficient to Warrant uh an extension again um under the circumstances as they're waiting for Outside Agency approval um it would typically be appropriate to provide that one-year extension uh an applicant is permitted to request three one-year extensions um so this being their first um certainly uh from a legal perspective take no issue with that I'd make a motion to approve second roll call please Junior Mr Heyman yes Dr hofstein yes Mr Hudak yes M Rosal yes Mr Martin yes Miss Bradley yes your extension's been granted thank you have a good night thank thank you okay we're going to move forward now to application number three love love to howl animal rescue howling Woods Farm use variants 3522 you can come forward Mr Murphy yes M mcair before we begin uh I did just want to advise you um I know I emailed you earlier about the fact that I have six board members which is accurate um I do have to advise you that if your application is going to take more than one hour you're going to lose a second board me uh I'm sorry a third board member uh in Mr Heyman so he has to leave at 8:40 um so I don't I don't know if you want to proceed with f in the event that you will only have five board members right um given this new information may I consult with uh Mr uh Mr of course you may and I'm sorry this was brought to my attention uh this evening that's okay I appreciate you letting me know one moment of course so I didn't see anything of course please take your time I have two [Music] of MH okay sometimes I 6 ex excuse me this for good okay thank you Miss chairwoman and members of the board um for that brief time there um given the circumstances we we filed this application a few months ago um as you can see we have many people out in support tonight um this information just came about a couple minutes ago from Mr Murphy um we're really asking for some latitude here if we can get our case started tonight and then um you know adjourn to to have because we we understand it's Reckless essentially moving forward to a vote with just five members we came in tonight thinking we would have six members um and we were prepared to move forward but given the circumstances we're we're pleading for a little latitude um to allow us to start our case tonight get our testimony in and then uh wait for a vote when there's more than just the five members unfortunately we don't think we can get through everything in in just an hour so and we're prepared we're here tonight we put a lot of time and effort into this so it's the typical procedure of this board um and it has been for quite some time um that if you're proceeding on your application you are proceeding at your own risk um because again it's a tad unfair to the board members um because they're going to have you know there certain board members are going to have to certify and things are going to have to occur and you know it's it's it's sort of something that this board has um gotten away from um with that said I I I would open the floor to the board members for um um deliberation on that particular request um because again I I'm not at Liberty to make that decision for you um but I think um based upon um the request the applicant the board can make a determination um as to whether or not you would be willing to hear the the application and then carry um following the close uh to a a meeting uh for a different vote now um that is not necessarily an uncommon request um it does uh some boards permit it some don't um it's it's really a matter of um preference um there's nothing that would prohibit it um other than the board's um typical uh procedures um so again I I don't know if that's something you want to discuss um I I'd welcome your feedback um obviously I I think uh I think we need we we we owe it to the applicant to give give an indication one way or the other um I hate to take away time with Mr Heyman you know here to do this but um under the circumstance um it's not an unreasonable request um all things considered uh and the fact that uh uh we we will only have five uh in less than an hour um so so again I i' welcome feedback from the board members and and perhaps uh some indication of what you'd like to do here before we have feedback I just have one question question being that Mr Heyman is leaving at 8:40 correct are we only hearing testimony until 8:40 or are we going to hear I just want to make sure we're on the same the indication from the applicant as I heard it uh was that they wish to get through the entirety of their case which they will not be able to do by 840 um so the indication that at least Mr mclair feel free to correct me if I'm wrong but that's what I heard um you'd like to put your application in carry uh once you've closed for a vote at a subsequent meeting is that accurate uh Mr Murphy we we um it's to the discretion of the board we'd be happy to even get in our case up until that 8:40 Mark if the board um feels more um feels that that's the best course of action but we would at least like to start tonight and and get um at least some of our case out since we are all here and we're prepared and get the circumstances I will tell you from a procedural perspective given our history uh and given the the board's preference is I would prefer if the application were to cease at the time Mr Heyman left and not carry solely for the purpose of the vote um I think that's a better idea um as it's more in line with the procedure of the board um and again given the circumstance um which is purely outside of the applicant's control um I don't have any particular issue with that um but again I I welcome the board's feedback Mr who that this use your microphone for me sure Mr Murphy I agree with your assessment of this situation and I think it you know I have a problem with um if we hear all the testimony we don't have enough members then the other members have to listen to the tapes and they're unable to ask questions based upon um you know the tapes so I agree with you that up until Mr hman has to leave and then we we cut it off just so that we have enough members make a smart I'm in agreement with that as well and also that means Mr Heyman won't have to certify after having heard what part of the testimony he's able to hear that's right right so can can I just ask so the carry would I know it's for the vote questions in the next will they still have an opportunity for the council to to ask questions yes so so for example s is here up to the point where you finished but not enough time to ask for him to ask any questions right no so we're going to go time you'll be able to ask questions right so we're going to go until Mr Heyman has to leave they're going to present whatever they can if that's what we all decide they'll present whatever information they can up until that point right then they will come back at a future date which we'll have to set and then they will finish their they will continue and finish their case and then we would have to vote and of course right they would have public comment and all those other things yes any member that's not here at all correct they'll watch the tape and they'll have an opportunity to ask questions yes and just just for the fair I see a l sorry my mic wasn't on I see a lot of public here um welcome um uh and in all sincerity I I want to hear from everyone who wants to speak so so I I Jullian it would be my suggestion that if we're going to do public comment tonight which we're required to open um following the testimony I would suggest that we cease testimony at at 8:30 and allow that 10 minutes uh 10 to 15 minutes for public comment if that's okay um again I don't we're not trying to punish you in any way but but um you know again and we're we're trying to be sympathetic to the fact that this is the board's issue not really the applicants so I think the overwhelming consensus is that you're we we will allow that uh this to proceed um with the understanding that um at uh 8:30 testimony will be cut off for public comment um we'll allow public comment the public comment will be limited solely to what was heard on the record this evening um and um and we will uh we be in a position to to carry this application uh for a short period of time um have you back at uh to finish it up all right uh when we have enough board members again we don't want to Prejudice you either because we only have a certain amount board members and you're entitled to your super majority so uh you're entitled to a full board because you need a super majority let me rephrase that I appreciate the latitude the board is affording us yes thank you is Evan back on should voice only Okay evan you can hear me I can hear you loud and clear uh I I would ask to make sure the members have their microphones on I cannot hear a few of them when they're talking okay please uh for Evan's sake please use your microphones when you're speaking this evening um you got to make these microphones now you got to make sure the red button is on then you got to make sure uh the microphone itself is on um so both have to be done please make sure you speak into new your mic um Evan I'm just going to swear you in because you missed a swearing in earlier um so if you would please raise your right hand do you sol do you solemnly swear affirm that the testimony information questions or comments are you're about to present before the board will represent the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth I do if you would please um state your name and your position with the board Evan Hill Board engineer thank you Mr Hill okay we're ready to go thank you Miss chairperson and members of the board good evening I'm jilan mcclear here from JJJ Law Firm on behalf of the applicant love to howl animal rescue Farm I'm here tonight with Mr William Stevens our professional engineer and professional planner and I'm also here tonight with Miss Colleen case who is the supervisor over at howling Woods Farm unfortunately Mr Mike hodanish who is the owner of the property and uh operator of the farm um came down with a stomach bug today so he is quite ill and as much as he was really looking forward to being here he just could not be here tonight he didn't want to get others sick and he's just not in a position to be here tonight due to his illness um before I get started we have a few quick exhibits we would respectfully like to introduce tonight the first of which is our PowerPoint presentation which I had submitted to um Miss austino um a couple of weeks ago I do have copies to pass around to the board members if I could have this marked as exhibit a yeah that'll be marked exhibit A1 one for the purpos of the record all right in its totality we also have tonight um a short uh about 45 second um video clip that I would respectfully request be marked as exhibit A2 and that will um be utilized by Miz case during her testimony and it's on a thumb drive yeah this was addressed uh this was introduced uh brought to the board's attention today if you recall the board uh we had discussed um njsa uh 40 col 55 d-10 B um which requires that um all application documents which are sought for approval have to be submitted with in 10 days this is a supplement to that right and because it's a supplement to that there's an exception within that statutory provision um so uh it was my legal opinion that this would be permitted to be marked as an exhibit uh to be used at tonight's hearing um and accordingly I would um Mark that video um as exhibit A2 um for identification purposes only because it's subject to the proper Foundation thank you very much um excuse me um this is three to chair uh before we start the testimony could I just make a brief uh statement uh absolutely Dr representing myself of course uh some of us received a letter and information from the applicant which is in the 13 plus years I've been on the board I've never seen that before however he's excited about what's happening and uh he jumped the gut on that but I I I'd like to make a statement the in the applicant's statement of operations and his personal letter to members of the board he includes in his statement that his mission is to educate the public about wolves in the wild and allow the public to get clo up close and personal with some of our wolf dogs and quote to learn about the role of wild wolves in the ecosystem as a member of the board I admire his mission and all the hard work he does to make this mission imposs but we are a land use board and our decisions must be based on land use laws therefore our decision for granting the variance will depend on the presentation of the applicant and his professionals and whether they can prove that the variance can be granted without substantial detriment to the public good and will not substantially impair the intent and purpose of the Zone plan and the zoning ordinance and just leave it as that and uh we we accept what he does and it definitely will not be used any none of that would be used against them in any decision thank you thank you very much um I appreciate that and and that was actually getting to my next Point um I I did want to bring that up um we we have been advised that a letter was sent by Mr hodanish to each of the board members um Mr hudanish was very hopeful that uh just to kind of explain that um he was very hopeful that a site visit by some of the board members could have happened prior to the hearing but that unfortunately did not come to fruition um uh Mr hudanish is very passionate about this project and he advised me he thought he was doing the right thing in sending the letter I apologize I understand this is not typically how that works so my apologies about that um and I do have a copy of the letter tonight to introduce as an exhibit if that will rectify the situation but I will leave that to the discretion of Mr Murphy um with regard to the letter itself I did have an opportunity to read at least one of the copies I I do know that there were separate letters sent to separate board members I would presume that they said the same thing but I can't at this very juncture I don't know that um I have not seen all of the letters um so uh my my position on the letter was the exact opposite of the video um my position on the letter is that it goes directly to the use and you're seeking use variance that should have been if that were going to be submitted by the applicant should have been submitted within uh 10 days prior of the hearing the public should have opportunity to review that again it goes directly to the nature of the use um so my position on that would be that would be excluded from uh as an exhibit certainly your witness is is welcome to testify as to the use um it there's no Prejudice because again the the you know the contents of the letter directly related to the use and I presume that we're going to hear that testimony this evening um and and and perhaps you know uh um uh we can move forward without marking exhibit A3 because I don't I don't think it's going to be permitted okay thank you very much Mr Murphy you're welcome so members of the board were here tonight before the board seeking a duse variance an Associated bulk variance approval to continue the existing use of the property at issue which is a wolf dog animal rescue sanctuary and public education facility specifically we're seeking a d one use variants because animal care facilities are permitted as a conditional use in Jackson Township uh within the land use ordinance however not uh in the Rd Zone which is where this property is located this site just by way of brief background this site has been functioning as a natural Wildlife habit uh habitat for almost two decades now without U any issues this site started off as a farm and it evolved very organically into what um it is today Hing Woods is a nonprofit public charity the officers and directors receive minimal salary and the farm operates on donations and contributions we're specifically not proposing any site changes tonight and thus requesting a site plan waiver because we're seeking to maintain the status quo which is simply put a preservation space for wolf dogs which is a very natural which is very natural and look and feel and uh we submit that it's a a great asset to the community and that the site is a source of significant community outreach and education which you'll hear about in more detail shortly Mr hodanish and all of the volunteers who are affiliated with howling Woods are truly truly passionate about their mission to provide Sanctuary for wolf dogs and give back to the township of Jackson and the public in general and I'm confident that that is going to come across tonight in our testimony you're going to see a lot of support for this project um as you can already see in the audience uh here tonight and without further Ado and with that being said I'd like to introduce my first witness Miss Colleen case hello good evening Miss case if you would um please raise your right hand do you solemnly swear or affirm that the testimony information questions or comments that you're about to present before the board will represent the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth yes if you would please state your name spell your last name uh provide your affiliation to this application um and you're a fact witness so I won't ask for credentials sure uh my name is Colleen case last name spelled c a e and I am a supervisor at howling Woods Farm thank you very much thank you Miss casee as the supervisor of Hing Woods Farm are you intimately familiar with the site operations and the history of the site yes uh so let's go through very briefly the history of the site Mike hodanish purchased the subject property in the Year 2005 correct yes and Howling wood started offering tours to the public in the year 2010 correct yes can you please take us through the history of how the farm developed from 2005 to 2010 when you began offering tours to the public yes uh it went back to 2005 where the owner Michael henish had to move uh locations on where he lived because his current wolf dogs that he had at his personal pets kept howling and the neighbors complained so he purchased a property a 10 acre property in Jackson um where we reside now and he had about three wolf dogs at the time um word got out from Neighbors um they found out that he had animals that were part wolf and he had quite a bit of visitors on a daily basis and through research in the web Mike realized that wolf dogs are often surrendered a lot of times because they don't make the best house pets I like to say uh their lifestyle change and they require a lot of uh special needs how to take care of them a special diet so he kept rescuing more um and he had the public visit him on a daily basis people in the neighborhood um interacting with his animals so he wanted to make something good of um representing these misunderstood animals so he opened up an education facility uh where a 501c3 nonprofit and throughout the years um since 2005 We rescued hundreds of wolf dogs from around the country and as a nonprofit you operate off of donations and contributions exclusively correct yes and just to be clear there are no actual wolves on the property only wolf dog hybrids correct yes can you please briefly describe how the rescue process works with the wolf dogss uh how does a wolf dog come to live on the farm so we get email inquiries or phone calls of people from all around the country uh usually wanting to surrender their pet wolf dog that they purchased from a breeder somewhere in the country and usually when that animal gets to be about 6 months of age the destructive Behavior starts happening in the house and shelters um usually will not accept this kind of animal so people have to call one out of of maybe 13 places that we have in the country to see if they could take in their surrender and sometimes we get calls of people seeing an animal that looks wolfy or part wolf running loose and the Animals a stray we've taken in Strays before um and if we have the room we will do an intake um assess the animals Behavior through a phone call or an email and decide if we're the best fit for that animal and if we could save its life and and help it before we get into how the public tour's work I'd like to take a brief pause to look at the video clip uh that we just presented into evidence now this slide is a little bit different than the way I Prov okay here it is perfect um again the first slide um Hing wood armarm is a nonprofit wolf dog rescue and we are also an education center next slide um we've been a part of the community um since 2005 and we've been officially doing tours since 2010 and we do Educational Tours that focus on uh wolf behaviors Wolf Conservation and we also work on rescuing animals that are part wolf uh from around the country whether that be a surrender or a stray next slide uh we provide educational lectures to schools nursing homes um we go to off-site events with our gentle natured animals um to dispel the myths um the negative myths about wolves and wolf dogs next slide um what we also do is we go to libraries um we bring two of our wolf dogs um we've been to classes um vetan training classes and we'll provide um a 30 minute slideshow um talking about our res resue and about wolves and the conservation aspect um we have also throughout the years provided scholarships to local high schools next slide Hing Wood's Farm is also um not only a home to wolf dogs but it's a home to the Natural wildlife of the pine Barons next slide we um we attend um different events um that we have all kinds of people attend um and they get to take a picture and meet the animals um we also uh host volunteer uh Team Building groups next slide um we also uh host at our facility uh corporate uh maintenance days um we'll have a cleanup day um and a group of volunteers uh will work on maintenance that needs to be done whether that be cleaning up the pens filling in holes um or repairing um different structures URS is one of the main part of our missions aside from rescuing these animals and we provide Our Guest with uh once in a-lifetime experience to pet an animal that is a percentage of wolf uh while also being educated about how these animals live the history of wolves in North America and how they're important for the ecosystem and their conservation through generous donations we provide Superior health care for our dogs um we have also uh hosted numerous weddings at our facilities uh with our animals included one of our favorite guest events that we hold yearly during the holiday season is photos with Santa and his wolf dogs also um proudly over the years our animals have been featured uh in multiple different ad campaigns yep thank you and then um just one more thing I just want to say howling Wood's Farm wishes to continue as a vital part of the Jackson Community and respectfully requests our variants thank you thank you you now we've submitted a statement of operations with our application uh that should be in everyone's packet and I'd like to confirm some of those items uh that are contained in our statement of operations um now tours occur every Wednesday and Friday between the hours of 11: to 2 p.m correct yes and then you have uh the farm has one weekend day slated for tours on either Saturday or Sunday depending on the particular week correct yes and those tours occur between the hours of 9 and 600 p.m. correct yes and each tour is an hour long correct yes and the tours are scheduled on a reservation only basis correct yeah yes and tours are limited to 15 participants each correct yes okay now as to site operations I'd like to go over some of the information contained in the statement of operations um first of all Mr hodanish lives full-time on the property correct yes so that's one of the uses and he is the only person living on the property correct yes and the farm currently employs four part-time employees correct yes and in addition to those four part-time employees you have approximately 50 volunteers who volunteer their time to work on the farm correct yes and for any given week day the shift for employees is from 10:00 a.m. to 4 p.m. correct yes and um is it the case that you typically have three paid employees per shift yes and on weekends the shift is from 88: a.m. until the last tour of the day correct yes and as to volunteers you typically plan to have 15 volunteers on site during the weekend shifts because those tours tend to be the most busy correct yes as to the safety of the site can you can you please describe how the animals are contained within the farm and the safety measures taken to ensure containment of the animals yes we assess uh each animal's behavior um and alter the fencing um that is needed for that animal a lot of times we will do an intake on an animal that arrives uh to us and we are told it is an escape artist so we have um two pens that are 8 foot tall um metal privacy fences that have a roof um and we will place those animals safely in those enclosures all of our other enclosures are 8ft tall cattle panel fencing and around the whole perimeter we have uh a dig guard system which cattle panel lays around the perimeter on the ground and it goes about 2 feet outwards so the animals will not dig out and every animal on the farm is Spade or neutered correct yes and uh going to your testimony just mentioned about the fencing and this containment um this is monitored at the federal level for compliance correct yes and more specifically through the United States Department of Agriculture under the animal and plant health inspection service yes we have USDA come out and inspect our all of our enclosures and if we need anything repaired we do the repair as needed okay I'd now like to refer to the board planners letter and I'd like to begin at section four on page five so the board planner asks us to describe all uses and activities at the site we already spoke about the fact that there is a single family residence use of the site the Educational Tours and the sanctuary uses um by the way you're seeking a maximum of 20 wolf dogs to be allowed on site correct yes now there is also an office building on the site right yes there is can you just briefly describe what that is used for our office in is mostly stored for our medical records for each animal that we need to provide um for our USDA license um we also use it uh to fill out a lot of paperwork so it's mainly used for the staff and there's also a retail sales um building on the site correct yes there is and that contains souvenir souvenirs available for purchase to to participants only correct yes and per the statement of operations we also have a special events use correct yes that we're here tonight um seeking can you please describe uh examples of on-site special events yes um we do have an openhouse holiday event as mentioned in one of the slides um which is uh photos with Santa um and we do have um people that show up throughout the day between um 10: and 400 p.m. uh to get their photos taken okay um the planner asked us to provide testimony regarding the effects of the use of the site so I'd like to briefly go through those items um what do the animals eat for food we give them a balance raw diet uh that consists of uh organ Meats uh bone um poultry fish um we also supplement them with high quality kibble uh once or twice a week and how is the food stored for the animals we have everything that we get through donation dated um stored in chest freezers that we have we have about three freezers that we store Meats in and we have any Kibble dog food stored and dated in containers sealed containers and what is the method of disposal of animal waste the method of disposal we have a waste management company that picks up our waste once a week that is stored sealed in a dumpster okay um in your experience as um supervisor of the site and by the way how long have you been the supervisor of the site for I've been employed for close to nine years and I've been a supervisor at the farm for I want to say uh seven years okay so in your experience um as supervisor of the site uh do does the site ever produce traffic congestion that you can see no it does not and is there any production of um noise glare air pollution of any sort no and in your opinion as the supervisor of the site um are there any fire hazards or safety hazards on the site no there is not okay and just briefly um the the planner also asked us to provide testimony regarding the permit uh history of the structures on the property um can you speak to that and how um how the site uh developed organically over the years so we developed any of our structures off of it's pretty much charity based and donation based and a lot of our structures were just built to provide shelters for our animals um for Harsh weather conditions um because they are outside uh so we do have shelter in each enclosure whether that be a shed or a dogghouse uh we also provide plat forms that are built inside the enclosures for mental enrichment because these are very intelligent animals okay thank you very much those are all the questions I have of this witness for now any questions for this witness yes uh excuse me Dr why after 20 years 15 being open to the public uh why are you seeking the variance now what precipitated well um unfortunately Mr hodanish as I mentioned is not here tonight um to testify as to that um I'm not sure miss case um would be able to testify to that um I can offer a statement okay that could that could be answered next next meeting I'm sure thank you and uh for all these buildings that were uh constructed were did you get permits from the town and approval in inspections for them not at this point in time Mr Stevens is here our engineer and planner who can speak a little further to that um I intend to call him as our next witness okay and uh since this is within the pine lands area is there a need for a letter of interpretation from the Pinel lands commission uh respectfully I would um defer to Mr Stevens with that question he'll be able to answer that okay and uh I guess you will Mr Stevens will discuss the uh structures being in the front yard and Etc all the questions M Mr pet is his letter absolutely okay and just uh do you ever get complaints about noise luckily we do not our neighbors actually support us and hold fundraisers for us and they actually really enjoy the howling so no there's there has been any complaints about the howling okay and just for my own edification are these dogs a separate breed recognized by the kenel club or whatever it's called so no essentially they're just a canine that has wolf and their family history whether that be one or over five generations ago these animals are made man-made for profit from breeders that are located around the country that sell them as exotic pets and we often get them as pet surrenders for owners that were not prepared for their behavior um from when they purchased them so these people who who take them in at when they're puppies have any idea how much wolf and how much dog I guess yes sometimes they sometimes they do um they they want an animal that has a lot of wolf because it'll look closer to what we have in the wild uh but they're not um prepared for the behaviors they're not aggressive they're just very very energ itic very intelligent and they don't like being confined inside they're outdoor animals thank you thank you and and just a quick note to follow up on that um uh the farm does have DNA documentation you do DNA testing on each of the animals correct yes we do all of our animals are DNA tested and we do have those documents um in our office thank you any additional questions for this witness I have a quick question um how many dogs do you guys have currently in the facility we currently have 19 animals okay yeah I have one or two questions um so what has so you take them in so do you keep them until they pass away that's a great question usually we will assess their behavior and deem if they can be placed you know somewhere else that is equipped for them you know it depends on I like to say genetics a lot of the times of an animal the disposition uh what they're mixed with sometimes a wolf dog with more German Shepherd can have different behaviors than one that's more Malamute or Husky um if we don't think they're safe to adopt out because they're an escape artist risk or they're just very energetic we will keep them for the rest of their lives and provide a safe haven for these animals um we normally adopt out animals that are very very little wolf that are pretty much the same as a domestic dog okay thank you um and so two more um as far as the noise and everything so should I assume that everybody behind you are neighbors that are going to uh say no we love it um we have no issues as far as noise right because I heard no not at alll no I expect that that's what we're going to hear from your neighbors that they feel the same way no I promise you that um Everybody enjoys it okay all right so we'll see that um the other question was on the funding right so you said everything was a donation so the tours right yes I want to take a tour I you don't ask me for money but I'll I can donate yes so what we what we State on our website is for an hourlong interactive tour an educational tour we ask for a $30 minimum donation fee per adult and children between the ages of 10 and 13 or $15 um which in my opinion is um not much to ask for at all I've seen other facilities that are Way Out West that will charge $325 for an hour to pet Nan on a leash um but that does provide the food and the vet care um and the upkeep of uh materials that we need uh for fencing and such right as far as the food and the raw poultry and everything that you mentioned is that also donated did I hear you say that or yes yes we have local Hunters um donate to us um we make sure all the we assess the meat make sure it's all fresh of course um and we only take donations from trusted providers uh we also we'll purchase a lot of our meat from a restaurant supply store okay sometimes you get donations it's expired stuff so yeah okay that's all my thank you I have another question is there any ever incident where these animals have gotten out or you know any kind of situations like that since you no uh with my with my time there no I have never seen that happen uh we watch the animals very carefully and if we see an animal even um attempt to test a fence um we will move that animal to a safer enclosure um we watch them extremely close uh with their behavior and the same with the tour so there's no incidents with animals attacking anyone or like any kind of that kind of behavior yes the only behavior that I that I say that people will see is the shyness um sometimes of some of the animals um some may trust maybe three people and we'll approach maybe one visitor out of a group of 10 all different personalities but within my my almost 10 years of being there I've never seen an act of aggression uh the wolf and the animal usually make some very cautious very alert um to new people um a lot of our animals are social but we do have some ones that act more typical like their wild counter Parts very shy aloof thank you thanks any additional question Mr don't for get your microphone we all um here in um Jackson many of the longtime residents remember the tiger lady and the incidents that we had there so my question was obviously about escapes and um you stated that there were have not been any um but do you have like an Escape Plan protocol in place in case one gets out yes we do um I'm one of the first out of the few numbers that are called and I will drop everything that I'm doing to try to get the animal also all of our animals are microchipped um so if we do need to contact animal control or if somebody finds one of our animals and contacts Animal Control they could scan the microchip and see that they belong to us okay and my next question was about liability insurance um what are you what are you what do you need to uh run this places for as this insurance when you have visitors coming in and meeting strange animals and um you know it seems to me that there could be problems uh typically um you would think that there could be an issue um we do have all of our visitors signed release forms um before they do attend the tour um I I like to say that probably the only liability would be you know a hole in in the ground um maybe some somebody accidentally walking to that but as far as the animals I I don't think they would oppose any liability but we do have them sign a release form before do you know if there's any special liability insurance that you need to carry and whether you have it or not or does someone else have that answer so uh Michael would have that information thank you excuse me um yes I I um if I may just offer a comment um the farm does have liability insurance Mr hodanish um gave me a copy of the document uh in case the board would like to see that and what is their coverage um unfortunately Mr hodanish would be able to testify to that better than myself um but certainly I can find that information out for the the next hearing and hopefully he will be able to be there as well thank you not to interrupt the board I just wanted to point out that it is 8:30 um so if the board does not have any further questions my suggestion uh for the purposes of procedure would be to cease testimony sorry Mr Stevens um uh at this time and um open for public comment but again uh subject to any other additional questions by the board any additional questions from any board members since there's no additional questions by the excuse me this room gets me every time since there's no additional questions by any board members we're going to open it to the public you can come forward and ask any questions or make comments about what you've heard tonight and tonight only you will have an opportunity even if you do speak tonight you can come back next time after Mr Stevens and Mr hodanish I hope I I pronounced that properly have their chance to present information as well so if you'd like to speak tonight don't feel that that means you won't be able to speak next time so please if anyone would like to come forward at this time please do yes hello board uh if you would I'm sorry if you would please raise your right hand do you Solly swear or affirm that the testimony information questions or comments say you're about to present before the board will represent the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth yes if you would please state your name if you could lower the microphone maybe a little bit um please speak into the mic feel free to yell the board members always say they can't hear anything because the Acoustics uh Miss Bradley will be the first to tell you um if you would uh please just uh state your name spell your last name and provide your address okay yes my my name is Pat my last name is Copo CA CI oo I live up in Bergen County 181 Preston Street in Richville Park thank you um just wanted to if if it was pleased the board for me to just read a small note that I provided um my name is p Copo I have been a volunteer and I have also been a part-time staff and supervisor at howling Wood's farm for over 10 of its 19 years in existence howling Wood's Farm has been a staple of the township of Jackson for these years and we have provided lifechanging encounters and experiences for thousands of visitors and volunteers alike more importantly we are one as Colleen said of only 13 facilities in the United States that take in these in these wolf dogs um I refer to them as I do my tours as puppies in purgatory they are not a domestic dog they are not a wolf places like us need to exist to advocate for these animals most of our dogs have never even known another home they need us many facilities do not allow public attendance and therefore the stigmas of killers and what the cinema portrays for these animals it's it's not the truth it continues to Shadow these wolves in the wild and wolf dogs howling Woods has rehomed and given second chances to countless canines over the years and we also dispel that falsehood we would love any of you board members to please come and take a tour we'd be more than welcome to have you our facility is vital to the community it's vital to the public and to the future of our dogs and even wolves in the wild and without getting too emotional on a personal note I don't know if I'd be able to continue if I didn't have these animals in my life I've had them in my life I've seen a lot come I've seen a lot go I've been with them for like I said over 10 years I respectfully request that Hing Woods farms and our owner Michael hes with the proper use variances we can continue our wonderful facility and our mission and provide loving homes for these animals and I also just wanted to show that if you look up on the Internet There is five star ratings for facilities to visit in Jackson Great Adventure has four we are the only one with five so thank you very much for just allowing me to speak thank you thank you thank you hello my name is Debbie fry if you would please raise your right hand do you somly swear affirm the testimony information questions or comments that you're about to present before the board will represent the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth I do please state your name spell your last and provide your address my name is Debbie fry f r y I live in Pennsylvania uh 7015 beaverdam Road leown Pennsylvania I just wanted to let you guys know that I work side by side with Colleen um I'm also on staff and work with her so we do everything that we can to make sure that these animals are taken care of that they're provided with the best possible care that we can provide for them with the help of all the donations that we get day in and day out and like Pat said I don't know what I'd do without these guys not only do they bring a lot to us and everybody here um it makes a big big difference to be able to to prove that they're not big and bad and then the way that they affect you it's amazing that you wouldn't think that an animal would have that kind of effect but they really do and it's my pleasure to be able to present the truth about them and be able to advocate for wolves in the wild and to be able to provide safe haven for the wolf dogs like Pat said or in purgatory that need a home and need somebody to love them and and it's my pleasure to be able to do that and I wish that you guys would please Grant this thank you thank you thank you through through the chair before the next person comes up I just wonder if there's anybody in the audience who uh lives adjacent or with within the area of the farm who would get up and hello Hi how are you my name is an all right hold on one second to speak today hold on one second I have to put you under oath all right do you Solly swear or affirm that the testimony information oh I'm sorry can you raise your right hand yes do you solemnly swear or affirm that the testimony information questions or comments they about to present before the board will represent the truth the whole truth and nothing about the truth yes thank you very very much if you please state your name spell your last name provide your address my name is Ana mija uh the last name is m g i o i a and I'm a Jackson uh resident uh I live in 912 West comod boulevards thank I've been um volunteer in a uh hollingwood park for seven eight years I worked there also parttime employe for four years I own actually wolf dog at home uh my wolf dog lives with two other animals I have a golden retri and a rotweiler and I have to tell you guys that these are amazing animals and uh public uh we have to misspell the me these animals they're not aggressive they're very intelligent um they brought so much joy in my life um also I travel a lot I Trav a lot International and I have a lot of people on a flight from Kentucky from New York from other states that actually mention hollingwood Farms on the flight um we have a lot of visitors in the farm and I think Jackson is very famous of having hwood farms in the premises I would like to see this Farm continue and educate the people about this animals and like like I said I'm an owner of a wol dog and he's been amazing animal so this is my testimony uh so I would like to see the board actually give the permission to the F to continue with the education of the public and break all this like to be honest with you I've never seen people from other states asking about the farm asking about this animals and like Pat said we are very famous the farm is very famous about the existence of these animals thank you very much you're welcome let if I just take you back up Mr hin I I think um you know one of our concerns is how the impact this has to your neighbors so if if there is anyone in the public that's a neighbor doesn't work you have no interest right no special interest in in this and and you just want to testify to is it true that you love the howling and and and you don't have any problems with all the noise at night right because that is the type of complaints that we get not just from wolf dogs but just people that have their own dogs I have dogs um four big ones and and those are the complaints I get you know and they have to be out at night the the great Paran they have to be out at night so The Barking right it just takes one squirrel and all four of them start barking right and so that's very different having four dogs bark than one and so you have 19 WS um are there any complaints like that um you know or anybody that's just a true neighbor that would be appreciated I think let me just um so I've been on the board now for I don't know four years right four years and um I can tell you when it comes to any uh application where there's been any anything to do with noise and that's why I was waiting to see if anyone got up in opposition what we would call an objector what's interesting to me is that there's not okay many of you were on the board where we had the application for the motorbike there was that side was full we've had other you know diff high density housing things like that it's full I think it speaks volumes the others I understand your point as a pet owner as well but I think it's p volumes that no one has got a as a complaint there's no been no opposition as far again you all asked my questions so I've gotten to sit here and listen one of my questions was about smell no nobody got up to complain noise nobody got to complain so I think that speaks volumes in itself that's just I'm just speaking for myself but I think that speaks volumes that you have no obor getting up Sir did you want to get up though you sir I'm sorry in the green sweat to did you want to get up oh okay okay oh okay I I saw you move and I just wanted not I didn't want to you know all right so I do think it speaks volumes um in my opinion uh about the operation there's no complaint about smell or noise or anything like that because trust me we see objectives for a variety of different reasons on a whole bunch of things you know what so I'll take it a step further is there anybody in the audience tonight who is opposed to this application yeah I didn't think so I'll be honest I'm a dog lover if I were voting you'd have a 100% yes I I'm I don't vote on the attorney but uh I'm a I yeah I love it um with that I would ask um uh Mr Heyman asked to leave so maybe we can shut this application down sure um if I may miss chairperson just very quickly on on the subject of the fact that there's no objectors here I did um I feel like I have to mention this um Mr hodanish is so passionate about this he actually went to he tried to go to every single neighbor within 200 feet with a petition um and he got several of his neighbors to sign in favor of the application I felt I need to mention I needed to mention that given you were just commenting on that so I do have that here tonight um that we would like to subit as as an exhibit if the board were um well hopefully he'll be able to come uh when you have to come back and he can speak to that as well I'd just like to authenticate that obviously I have no ISS I I don't off the cuff I don't have any issue but for obvious reasons I'd like to authenticate okay thank you very much do we have to pick a new date I would ask that you oh okay um being that we agreed to end testimony Mr H has to leave we're going to go ahead and close public session like I said that doesn't mean you cannot get up and speak next time after the addition testimony so we're going to go ahead and uh close public session and I believe pick a date for when you're going to come back um so January 15th is our reorg meeting um because we don't have a a a meeting on the first Wednesday of the month which is the 1 um so uh my my suggestion here would um given what is currently on for February I believe it's the 19th um I do believe that jcpnl application will be taking the entire meeting I I think I can't say that for sure um there are currently now there are three applications on for the 5ifth um three or two there there are two listed but we did just carry um application number two um so I I and I don't have agendas past February 19th so my suggestion to you if it's acceptable would be that we put this on the um agenda for um I would suggest February 19th and in fact I would suggest listing this as number one to complete the application would that be acceptable um yes thank you of course we we would like to come back as soon as possible so that again there is a large application involving um jcpnl um so I would I would suggest that this be listed um as number one on the 19th February 19th um 2025 agenda um no further notice will be required um and I presume that you'll wave time through that date uh yes thank you very much okay so um let me make the formal announcement do you have the agenda can thank you uh application number three on this evening's agenda that is love to how animal rescue Hing Woods Farm use variance number 3522 block 18204 Lot 2 um 1371 West Veterans Highway this application will be carried to the February 19th 2025 uh meeting of the Jackson Township Zoning Board of adjustment um I will uh ask our clerk to please list this as number one so that we can finish the application uh that evening um and move on to our jcpnl application all right thank you Mr Murphy you're welcome and thank you to the board for your time tonight um if I may just very quickly given we are adjourning tonight um we are just reiterating um our invitation the applicant would be very happy if any of the board members have any interest in coming out to see the site between now and February 19th uh we'd be very happy to have that happen and show you how the site works and I'll speak to Mr Murphy about and I would like to apologize to the applicant actually it was my it's partially my fault I did fall ill with pneumonia I was out for an extended period it was yes um and so I would like to um uh give the board members that opportunity and that's something that you and I can discuss thank you for bringing that up I'm glad you're feeling better thank you for your time tonight thank you and thank you all for coming motion to adjourn all in favor I oh man you were too funny I no that's not right I I don't care Oh Bob before you go EXC thank you I got