welcome everyone welcome everyone I just um wanted to take a moment um to uh actually a moment of silence I'm be um as you all know this past week there was um attempt on the life of a servant um our 45th president so I just wanted to take a moment to for a moment of Science of the gentleman who passed as a result of that um article event um his name was Cory come for our tour he was a father from Pennsylvania so just a moment of silence for that okay thank you then I just wanted to do adequate notice of this meeting of the LI Township Council being held on Tuesday July 16 2024 has been provided through the posting of the annual meeting schedule of St Council in accordance with Section 13 of the open public meetings act said notice was forwarded to The Trentonian the times and the Princeton package on December 11th 2023 we will now have an inspiration from our CL may we carry out our work at this meeting in a just honorable and sincere manner always bearing in mind our duties in continuing to keep Lawrence a wonderful community in which to live I pledge alance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God indivisible with liy and justice for all Mr Bobby here Mr Kaki here M Perry here Mr Ryan since his regrets he cannot be with us due to personal reasons mayor farmer here okay do we have any um special proclamations recognitions or presentations okay you that brings us to the first opportunity for public participation um there is a five minute limitation we ask that you um sign in and state your name I signed in already okay think we come forward and just get your name when you to like just right here or right there oh okay never did okay um my name is bar I leave in the village E6 car plates quick question I hope the bulk trash situation so we used to get whole trash pick up every week and now we're only getting it once a month and not only that we can't put out more items like a weight limit I just wanted to know why because I know you're getting more funding through the Cannabis tax right so just interested to know why that change happened while we're getting less Services um manager did you want to address it sure well this was as a part of a bu this was part of the budget process and part of our waste disposable contract as you know our waste disposal uh contract is not done by public works it's outsourced there's a bidding process and we had one bidder bid on the collection of our waste and bulk waste um the um did that came in was uh significantly higher than we anticipated and that the budget could um contain and we um made a decision in order to keep bulk trash as a pickup we had to reduce it from uh what it was to once a month 12 times a year is there like any alter real quick sorry is there any alternative now for people who have trash you need it pick up or I mean as a municipal service paid through taxes not not at this time but we are exploring the Public Works director is exploring um to find an area that we could collect B people could drop off bulk trash okay so that's not an option yet but you're it's not an option right now we are exploring it yes okay thank you very much my name is j I live at 361 page Cross Road and I'm going to read to you the white paper ensuring the future of the V Community Center belongs to the V community um just a brief intro about that cute little Center that was built many years ago I was one of many family members who really benefited from uh my family having a say and what goes on in that Community Center so white paper ensuring the future of the lawence community center belongs to the lawence community the executive summary reads the Barnes Community Center has been a Cornerstone Cornerstone of the Barnes cross the community since its Inception originally initiated by the community the center has played a vital role in fostering Unity addressing socioeconomic challenges and promoting inclusive development as home front Incorporated ceas and ceases its administration of the LA Community Center it is imperative that the future governance and operation of the center remain closely tied to the community it has long served this white paper argues for the active involvement of the full Mars Community in the Mars Community Center's future and presents a case for why the center should remain an asset governed by the engagement of the entire Community rather than solely by the township government the historical significance of this Center the need for a community center in the Ed cron area was identified early on by local leaders and Resident Reverend Dana Fen pastor of the Presbyterian Church of barnville and the ER Cross City League Association spearheaded the effort while the Lawrence Lions Club purchased land for the center these leadership organizations and others realize the community center's potential as a meeting place for community and political education culture and Athletics this Vision was shared across the community emphasizing the importance of a space where people could feel comfortable and connected Community Action and development in 1965 the Lawrence community Action Council known as lcac was called for its first meeting by mayor Charles conell at lawence municipal building right here numerous community and religious organizations were notified of this meeting some of the initial attendees were councilman Herman Hassler Reverend Dana Farin Presbyterian Church of lville Reverend Norman Kent Lawrence bro Presbyterian Church Reverend CJ Carter and Moses Underwood First Baptist Church of Ed Crossing Ralph Simmon and Joan Roland local synagogue Fred Bine Jr and Willie Mitchell Ed cross civic league Aaron S bidd Lawrence YMCA Sarah Dean and Joan Goodman League of Women Voters and a number of other people were in attendance after mayor Connell explained the function of the CAC the first order of business he appointed councilman Herman haser as temporary chairman the next meeting held at the FDC B which was the First Baptist Church of bers Crossing Ralph Simmon was elected as chairman of lcac after many meetings a clear purpose for the Lawrence Community Center was established which was to provide a hub for a concern concerted sorry concerted Services Program that would directly involve the disadvantage the initiative saw various Community groups collaborating to plan and Implement programs at the center highlighting the effectiv of Community Driven governance and operation some challenges we overcame the establishment of the center was not without challenges from identifying a suitable location to rehabilitating a dilapitated building the community demonstrated resilience and resourcefulness local residents including youth from the neighborhood youth Corp participated in the rehabilitation efforts transforming the center into a functional space despite several initial conditions the long-term commitment and impact it had was it was immediately and profound it became a place where residents could access essential Services engage in Social and recreational activities and Foster a sense of community in addition the center provided a space for community-minded volunteers to make a positive impact on those who needed Services the successful establishment and operation of the center under Community leadership underscored the importance of local involvement in its governance and future Direction I'll read the second wants a copy of it any AI members we have about 20 Martha friend 976 lawrenville Road and the reason we're reading this into record as we want it read into record Mr B wrote this shared it with many of us shared with you but we wanted to using up my time the need for Community governance the legacy of the Lawrence Community Center is one of community-driven progress and social cohesion as the township government plans to take charge of its operations and initiate necessary Renovations it's crucial to ensure that the community's voice is integral to the center's future establishing a community Advisory board or committee akin to other Township boards and committees can provide a structure platform for this involvement the socioeconomic landscape of Lawrence Township has changed significantly since the center's Inception however the need for a communal communal space that Fosters interaction understanding and collaboration collaborative action Remains The Lawrence Community Center with the right leadership and Community involvement can continue to address contemporary issues and support the diverse population of Lawrence Township despite the Township's diversity J genuine social integration occurs sporadically such as during school events or sports events a community L Lawrence Community Center can serve as a continuous and consistent venue for fostering deeper connections among residents of different backgrounds thereby enhancing Mutual understanding and cooperation there are four four recommendations in this white paper first establish a community Advisory board form a board comprising community members to over see the center's operations ensuring that decisions reflect the community's needs and aspirations two inclusive renovation planning engage community members in the planning and execution of renovation projects to ensure the upgraded facilities meet their needs and preferences three enhanced programming develop and Implement programs that address current socioeconomic challenges while promoting cultural exchange and social integration and four ongo Community engagement facilitate regular Town Hall meetings and feedback sessions to maintain open lines of communication between the community and the centers Administration and in conclusion the Lawrence Community Center has a rich history of fostering Community Development and social integration as we look to its future it is essential to honor this Legacy by ensuring that the Edward's Crossing community and the Lawrence community at large remain at the heart of the center's governance and operations by doing so we can ensure that the Lawrence Community Center continues to be a vibrant and inclusive space that addresses the evolving needs of Lawrence Township's diverse population and if you agree members at home folks in the audience if you agree with the importance of community involvement in the future of the Lawrence Community Center or if you have additional thoughts please reach out to our manager and our counsel and we um should say that this was author by Mr fed Jr maybe you said and it was edited by Chris Wy and Jim thank you evening Council manager and folks um thank you for the opportunity for having us letting us um talk about the um uh the community center um I you know they the two ladies dwelt on the the white paper I I have something I'd just like to share with you that I two things I like to share with you that I found and and one thing is local Civic engagement benefits and it's it tells about the value of local city city Civic engagement local Civic engagement stands as a Cornerstone of vibrant and thriving communities dis engagement encompasses a wide range of activities from participating in local government meetings to volunteering in community service projects and it is fundamental to the health of a democratic societies the value of local Civic engagement cannot be overstated as it is also empowers citizens promotes transparency accountability and enriches the de Democratic process at the heart of local engagement is a create a a sense of community when individuals participate in local activities they build relationships with their neighbors fostering trust and mutual respect this interaction helps break down social barriers allowing diverse groups to come together and collaborate towards common goals events like Town Hall meetings local cultural F festivals National Night outs in different local communities each year these and other activities provide for forms for residents to connect and engage with one another strengthening the social fragor of the community aside from meeting other needs the center can play a tremendous role in this engagement I want to I found something else in my office I I always save stuff and I found a an a from The New York Times uh Sunday March 21st 2004 and it says uh if you're thinking of living in Lawrence Township New Jersey where there's Peace Quiet and Community involvement this takes back to 2004 and it's got pictures it's got pictures of of houses I mean of course they were much cheaper back then but I I just want to read a a paragraph there's there's two parts of that that's how how big they wrote about Lawrence Township but I just want to read a a a paragraph that tunes into what what we we're saying a paragraph taken from the article Lawrence has a diverse population which includes Eastern Europeans Indians Asians and Hispanics on his Southern border is agas crossing Village a low income housing development built in the 60s the township is being served by his first black mayor Mark W Holmes L lar prize itself prized in its diversity and active participation of his CI citizens in community life set it sets it apart from the typical homogeneous sober mayor councel and manager may I suggest you to you tonight that you do what Charles Connell did back in 196 5 that's included in the white paper you can see and witness the results of what he did by calling groups of people from throughout the township I mean you can see what it did for EAS Crossing you can see what it did for um we we buil 100 units of low Min income housing we we move people out of substandard housing the tax base that that comes from egas Crossing is about 10 times or 15 times from what it was uh when I grew up there as a kid in in the in in the late 40s and 50s so all I'm doing is this suggestion to to council and the manager that that U you try to follow the road of what happened in 1965 when mayor conell did and U get a group of us together from throughout the township to to make a decision at what happens at the center that's all we're asking and you know it might it might take time but if if it if it reaps the benefit of what happens from 1965 um how will be satisfied but I'm pry sure we'd be really happy and enjoyed and and our children uh we'll be blessed by it thank [Applause] you I don't need no claws any thank you mayor since there's a little pause and I don't see anyone running I'll just say that I I remember that article very well as someone who was living in San Francisco at the time and so that's how you ended up with me here today I thought it was Max did you sign in good evening um my name is Max and I recently went down to a school could you just get to say your first last name my name is Matt Sher I live at 10 dixl um as I said I went to a school called the school for ethics and Global Leadership in DC where I started what's known as a social Venture project a social Venture project is a goal you set to try to solve a problem you see in your community and knowing me I obviously chose a big problem that I saw and that problem is political polarization and the lack of political participation within lawrenville within New Jersey within the entire world so to solve this problem I chose to pursue election reform by way of rank Choice voting for RCB I recently spoke to Mayor farmer about introducing RCB to Lawrence Township and I wanted to propose the Ed to the rest of the council and to all Lawrence Lawrence Township itself so ranway voting is simple voters rank their choices one being their first choice two being their second choice and so on if their fourth choice do not receive enough votes then their vote automatically goes to their second choice and then it repeats the candidate that receives more than 50% after any round wins voters can rank one candidate or they can rank all the candidates however they like as I explained to Mayor farmer RCB is better not because it Chang the outcomes of Elections but because it changes the culture around elections I use example to explain why say you're a candidate and you're knocking on doors you come up to a house with a sign for political rival on their lawn it seems useless to go up to their door knowing that they will vote for your rideal but in the system using RCB you go up to that house and knock on that door and you try to become your second choice instead of not engaging in dialogue with those who have different view points you engage with them instead of describing why you better than the Rival you try to describe how you were similar to your rival and why you should be their voter's second choice in addition a voter feels like they actually want to participate because in rcd elections there are usually multiple candidates and they don't have to vote for the better of two evils and they can decide how exactly their vote will be casted I have been working with this nonprofit known as voter Choice NJ who tells me that people feel like they have voted for the first time after an RCB election and they asked why RCB hasn't been a thing previous for this reason rank Choice voting has started a grow all over the country whether federally in Maine or Alaska or the hundreds of municipalities across the country in New Jersey though rcd is not allowed right but there are currently bills in both houses of the state legislator to permit the use of RCB for municipal and School Board elections Senators Ricker and Senator Greenstein are the principal sponsor of the bill in the Senate Senator John Allen of hoken in the assembly what I'm asking from the council is to pass a trigger ordinance that allows for the voters to decide if they want RCV by way of referendum this referendum will be triggered immediately after the law allowing RCB is passed in the state another side effect of this trigger ordinance is that it is telling the state legislator that the municipal municipalities are open to RCP these trigger ordinances have been passed in Jersey City for example and I want Lawrence Township to be next I would love to work with all of you in the coming weeks and months to get an ordinance like this passed thank you for your time [Music] thank definitely one way of getting our young people which I think is very important see none is there any additional comments none we'll close public participation mayor oh I'm sorry um since we have people here that are interested in um the community center oh yes we should just probably have a little conversation about it because September 30th is is the date upon which home front is vacating that and we have to decide what we're doing with it we've had press release that have come out and the original thought was that we would take it take it back and utilize it as a neighborhood as a recreational center with expanded programs moving the recreation department over into that into that location and then expand and enhance the programs of the recreation department it seems as though that that that some people here um passionately which is you know great see another vision for the community center to to make it a a different type of community center and that's completely fine it's within your realm as policy to to figure that out um I would need to know you know you you need to provide me with some directions on on how we P pursue this and how we break it down certainly the recreation department cannot as it presently exists go and run a community center and the recreational program as a presently exists so the proposal would I think only feasibly be able to be done if the recreation department remains as it presently exists and a community center is operated in some manner uh it was previously by Homefront which was a nonprofit organization and the township contributed I think it was $100,000 a year uh by Statute to help fund that uh that this would be a whole different thing if the township has now taken on the financial and fiscal responsibility to operate a community center which will require employees um you know day and night and and programming and things like that all good um that's why you guys get paid the big bucks to figure this all out um but the conversation has to happen yeah yeah um sooner rather than later because we're going to get to September 30th we had we did discuss and we had an idea of the renovations that need that need to be done in order to give that place the respect it deserves and the people that occupy it um and there was going to be a plan in place to get that done so we could reopen the facility sooner rather than later so if at some point in time you guys can um get together and devise what you think is is the right thing for our town to do I am ready to do whatever um your Visions are in terms of meeting what the what the uh community is asking for you in this building um the the recreational aspect was opening up that building to the entire community and I think there's there's um um a belief that the community center could reach that goal and and I can certainly support that yeah um you know for for years it was a center that was located in a portion of our community and it was not utilized by or even thought to be not that it was precluded but there so so we had an opportunity to expand this and so it's just I want I want that conversation to continue and to get heightened as we as the days turn into weeks and the weeks turn into months yeah thank you for that Mr wisky let's also give just some background because um because we have had discussions you and I um and this is an opportunity for all of council to um provide some input or and feedback what I'm hearing from the community or from the from the white paper what was presented um the community is in favor of the township the recreation department um being a part of the center what I'm hearing is that they would just like an opportunity to provide some input into what types of activities are held at the center you know working together with the township not as a separate entity okay so so I didn't hear that I didn't hear that because if if if we can't have a recreational superintendent um be told by a committee as to what to do and how to do it that that that that that's not a function that can happen without without problems right and what the the responsibility of the council is to hear the concerns of the community sure and those concerns then are related to yourself you know to the town manager you know you're a part of our of the process and then the recreation department is what you manage thereafter and I and I know Nancy Bergen if she were here she would say her ears are always open to ideas from the residents I mean her Recreation Department is based upon the feedback from the community uh and determining which which programs are are are embraced which progam aren't and so so that happens exactly so yeah so that's what I'm hearing in addition to we have a Community Aid let's say that is part of our um not our Administration but of our Township that plays a role in communication and there um could potentially be opportunities for um you know to look at the structure and see where we can make improvements to assist the center to let councilman Bob have go ahead thank you uh may I suggest that uh Council thinks about setting up an ad hoc committee uh consisting of the mayor uh councilman Kaki who's the recreation Le committee liaison as well as uh Nancy Bergen and Township manager and sort of and some community members as well and then you could you know to the council that is absolutely um we've closed public comments so just to be in order there will be another opportunity for you to make a comment um that is a very good recommendation counc it um and it's something you know that we could definitely consider councilman kak is that something that you would entertain okay um and that could assist with the process okay so I think we could um move in that direction and work with Mr ninski and M superintendent of recreation and a couple of members in the community to be clear yes you five you're the elected officials the voice of the residents and I will I am at your command as to what to do and I will you offer an opinion along the way if asked but this this is definitely a policy situation that will shift shift how things are done and and and that's and I want I want to make sure I am not treading on that yeah I I don't know maybe I'm I'm imagining our existing recration department does an outstanding job of providing services to our community like nany has said in the past there are a lot of things that she's already doing that will only U enhance what we do here in the township and in the process you know of um I was going to update later with with the master plan one of the biggest things that have come out of that that people that the community is asking for is Recreation they want more of recreation and a lot of activities that are currently being done and also there's a lot of talk about community in the sense of belonging and having a place where people can come um and have H you know opportunities with one another you know which again opens communication deals with a lot of the issues that are happening in society today so um is a positive and opportunity just to enhance uh an already fabulous Recreation Department that we have presid very strong so we will um come together with the members of council and Mr ninski and the superintendent and appoint some members from the community to work with us in review doing the uh moving forward of the center um and as is already been said the home front will be moving out of the center in September the center is will be closed for improvements and Renovations for about a six Monon period or four month period That's that was the initial plan so yeah and I think that the improvements I think will universally be agreed upon in terms of what we what we need to do for sure abut so that will give us time to come together and and I think we can get some good work done during that time and then we will report back to um at our next council meeting with some more definitive information so that the community is aware of the steps that we're taking and just so the community is aware you you and I met with Mr Vin and Miss Bergen and uh M Bergen indicated to me that probably by later next week she have a proposed program that could be run from that location by the recreation department and and that's something that we could share can can I can I respond yeah we good still Let's do let's do it you may come forward excuse me but is the on it's a little I'll talk louder I'm sorry thank thank you thank you you know you the mic paper doesn't mean anything to you guys what I asked what I asked in what we asked in the white paper was to to do what mayor Connell did in ' 65 and and that's what was to call a group of people uh for throughout the township to discuss what is to happen with with you um Recreation you know Recreation is is just like uh every year we have an ecumenical service the churches come together it's really not an ecumenical service because there's there's not the the the total Community involved the churches and and the synagogues and whatnot it's the same way with Recreation Recreation is is does not Encompass all of the community so that is why we have as a council decided to create a a Comm or a mayor's at committee to discuss and to include members of the community okay but that just don't have me and one or two other let's get some other folks involved with with with this committee Community people let's get some of them involved also to see what they have to say Absolut well if you would like to subit some Nam for us we're more than happy to consider okay thank you I was just going to say that my my thought on on an ad hoc committee was that it would be more than than say Mr verin that it was going to try to out do Outreach but that was going to be on us and that was going to be something that we would not do during the this this meeting um but no I I heard you loud and clear about about reaching out to the community because I think there's there's enough variety throughout this Township from to south and east to west that all those voices need to be heard no I hear you thank you okay okay we are going to down move for move on move forward um on the agenda unless there AR any other comments though okay next revision or review of agenda we're F there there are any changes there no changes okay um next is the adoption of minutes on our previous um meeting which was regular meeting February 6 2024 we're looking at the minutes from that do I have a motion on Bo to approve the minutes I'm Mo to adopt the minutes of the regular meeting of my apologies I move to adopt the regular minutes of the regular meeting of February 6 2024 I second the motion M call Mr bobit yes Mr Kaki yes M Perry yes mayor farmer yes okay next we have the this may I'll move 9A 249 authorizing a contract for the rehabilitation of 979 mber Street comment we need a second have a second I second manager this um this is a part of our affordable housing rehabilitation program can you hear is it um and it Awards a bid to master build and Design in the amount of $2,775 for a qualifying residence this question Mr Bob yes Mr Kaki yes Miss Perry yes mayor former yes mayor I'll move 9B number 250 authorizing a contract for the rehabilitation of 868 Spruce Street have a second I second again this is under our affortable housing rehabilitation program it authorizes the awarding of a bid to unlimited Builders Construction LLC um to rehabilitate a qualifying property for $28,500 there any questions from the public c m Mr Bob yes District Kaki yes M Perry yes yes introduction ofan mayor I'll introduce a 10A ordinance number 24752 ordinance amending ordinance 239 4-21 by the township of Lawrence County of Mercer state of New Jersey in order to revise the description of the Improvement herein have a second I second this is uh importantly not an expenditure of additional Municipal funds it's an amendment to modify the description of anticipated work to improve the municipal parking lot this is uh necessary to comply with the New Jersey budget law Madam G you call the r Mr bobet yes Mr Kaki yes M Perry yes mayor bmer yes adoption of aanes Mayor I'll introduce 11 a ordinance number 2473-20 and ordinance amending ordinance number 2464 d24 salary ordinance of the Town Lawrence unclassified Andor exempt seasonal emergency non-union employees for 2023 2025 amending schedule B grade four years 2024 and 2025 condensing from 11 steps to six steps have a second Mr K second yes this amendment is is solely to condense the salary guide for the salary for the municipal judge from 11 steps to six steps to address the significant decrease in cases handled by the Municipal Court it provides more appropriate Sal guide for the municipal judge at this time okay and we' discussed this meeting so okay there any questions none M CL you call pleas Mr Bob yes Mr Kaki yes M Perry yes mayor fir yes I'll move 11b ordinance number 24732 and ordinance amending chapter 83 of the Lawrence Township Administrative Code entitled alcoholic beverages hotel motel exception second okay if approved this would issue a license to jsk Princeton LLC who operates the Red Roof in uh since it meets the mandated requirements for an alcohol beverage control license type 36 for a hotel motel with um 100 sleeping rooms or more okay any questions from the public seeing none mad cler you call the Mr Bob yes Mr Kaki yes Barry yes mayor Farm yes thank you now this brings us to the manager's report uh at this point I very briefly um we are monitoring hero park the dog park uh off of Ohio Avenue to try and get it to a situation where we can open it and and that we don't have to ever shut it down because the grass is not keeping so we're we're close we've um essentially completed all of the improvements to the dog park area um so we are hoping and I'm blending this all an ancy Burg I'm kidding for um a mid to late August opening so we're Clos and that's that's all turn back yes we have some matters which we're going to discuss in executive session mayor you have before you the Elsa application that we've table a few on um we did receive the letter from Elsa um about the clearing we had at the last meeting we talked about the arist and they have provided us the letter um for that so you can decide if you want with along with our attorney um if you want language included or is the letter just good enough and we'll put it on the August uh 20th meeting okay okay thank you you're welcome do you have any unfinished business to discuss well I mayor I was going to ask about um Elsa but I see that that Councilman Ryan who's our Elsa uh liaison isn't available so and from what I understand from councilman Kaki that that the last meeting wasn't very too B yeah wasn't too informative so I I was just wondering if if we heard nothing from D okay all right uh let us hook up the houses like I said last time that's all no projects are being hooked up nothing's being done in ying and hope well it's all everybody's on a standstill uh D has not reached back out to us all right uh we're waiting for we're waiting for then to reach back down us so that we could get the next meeting in order and see what I call the margin papers to say what they really want out of us to haven't told us we made suggestions to them we gave them a fiveyear plan because that's how long it will take do to modifications that house uh I know we got a court case coming up and I do know they said even if the Court's rulle favor house so to move forward and the B get lifted they would not lift the van it's their call so be if that happens we we'll be fighting that but basically nothing B filler was on vacation so there wasn't that much other than what our attorney told us and nothing has changed since the last meeting say may I just brought that up because I'm starting to get concerned that July now it seems as if you know I saw the letter that you had sent the county executive um and it just I have my concern so it'd be nice to have this resolved so we can get back to businesses here okay thank you for that report um new business um Mr ninski and I we met with um aort um representative or expert saying that correctly we met we met with a resident uh who wanted us to explore the issue of creating a Lawrence Township Arts Foundation or commission yes commission that that we had at one time in our history um that um I think was a 5013c nonprofit that um disbanded I think I don't know I don't recall the reasons why but she met with us and promoted the idea that we explore this issue of promoting the Arts in a way that we um have other committees U and paneled to promote other things so uh we agreed that we would bring this up uh to council under new business and if there was a consensus to at least explore what that could look like um I could um work with Mr cypc and explore whether or not it becomes um a committee um within our ordinance maybe within our structure or become something else yeah um what we have to keep in mind is our ability to fund this Arts Council with grants and and that's the reason why a lot of our surrounding communities like Princeton they are they are independent nonprofit um that operate in conjunction with municipal government to better enhance their opportunities to get grant funding so this is the kick off to the discussion and uh we you know we can start to get information and and provide it to for further consideration there I just like to ask what sort of what the ask was from this person in terms of what were they looking for as the manager stated sort of grant funding opportunities was it sort of to um be sort of a you know give an overview of all the Arts that are happening within the Township from Ryder to lawrenville to the to the Lawrence Public School District and private entities was it how was that he ask was more and her name was Miss Dr Guerrera I correct yes yes and she um is a consultant that works with many municipalities with Arts education and various um entities and what we were which the ask was about creating potentially Commission in L like an Arts Council type of commission so that would it would enhance all of the Arts more so as you mentioned we have many um current institutions that have strong Arts programs as well but there are members in the community who and myself included who are interested in enhancing our Arts visibility and La T and including members of the community in potentially a commission um like we've had in the past for you know going forward creating something new or even looking at in handing maybe an existing committee that we have and adding to it yeah I I'd be interested to see how um how our neighbors to the north and Princeton how the municipality because they don't want to be called a burrow anymore um how the municipality of Princeton interacts with the Arts Council of Princeton and what that looks like and how they interact with the Princeton public schools and other entities so that I think that would be probably a natural place to start um but I yeah funding opportunities but depending on what structure we determine um whether it's a commission or a council we would want to be able to apply for you know Arts grants and things of that nature so we would need to look within our structure how we would go about to that um and just just to supplement um she could not be here tonight she wanted to be she couldn't be here tonight we can certainly ask her if if her schedule permits to and come and present at the at the next meeting um so she can ADV advocate for herself what she but this literally was her saying hey Lawrence you should have something related to the Arts and this is this is a way to do it um and I apologize there is a one sheeter that fact sheet that I meant to share with Castle I'll make sure that get that that we'll explain in more detail make sure we get that all um anything anything else from thiss okay this brings us now to the next opportunity for public participation um it's a 3 minute limit this time around you want me to stay here or no you have to come to the mic so that you go on record and just sign in at the she here and state your name Andress good evening my name is I live in 55 plus community on 194 Point Court in lawrenville my question is about you know public works three weeks ago they crushed my you know garbage can which one was the medium size 65 gallon and I called the public works you know ask for another can they give me small one which one is too small for me so they replace and give me a giant 95000 which one is too big for so I call again and again and finally I get answer they not supply any more 90 65 gallons cans that's true I was happy with that 65 gon can it's you know fine in my garage I was happy you know you know garbage in this and that right now I have to deal with that giant can which one is not comfortable for me and I would like to know if the lawence you know Township going to supply public you award going to supply that Medium can 65 gallon or they just discontinue because you know in my opinion that 65 gallon mediumsized can is so good you know for so many people so my question is they discontinue or they going to keep you know Supply 65 G the medium size medium siiz SC I I can tell you um I I don't think that the person that you spoke to on the phone lied to you I think if the if the 65 gallon tank container was available you would have it um I can certainly discuss with our public Works director about what's going on with the 65 because we had somebody coming in saying it was that hit the sweet spot for you so we'll find out I I happy with that5 but you know I know well I mean I'm sure there's I'm sure there's gonna be a story as to why they're not available I can't share with you because I just don't know it off the top of my head but if you were to leave your name and number I will I will reach out to you and let you know what and I was talking with Mr K if I'm not mistaken he said you know they supposed to supply like on the end of summer I was talking to miss Jenice if I'm not mistaken she said no no they this complete I think that's not right you know supposed to be I think the 65 gallon can is you know better than 95 95 gallon if somebody had know a lot of people in the family or it kind of business or so that's you know beautiful but you know for average people 65 is perfect that works for you so we'll see if we can get that done okay I'd be happy you know we bring the 65 G SC back okay hello um I syvia kogus um I just would like to uh mention something that Mr Vine mentioned uh about bringing the uh Night Out National Night Out to different communities I think um that when it happens only here at the municipal uh building area um it limits uh attendance from other areas of the township with the parking issue and all of that so I think that if that were possible to bring um National Night Out to different communities at different uh times of the year I think that would be uh would create much more of a community building um I'm sure someone's going to mention the the uh master plan planning board uh a report from from yesterday but just that just the numbers that were mentioned last night that shows that we don't have that 2004 community that was back then Al together working together and all of that and I think that um certain events I know in in my neighborhood Colonial Heights we have an area that was used to right across the street from the hemnet park and the hero Park that hopefully soon will be open um there is an area where we could uh have something happening and it's on one block we could block that off there are different access to that neighborhood from different sides of the from Strawberry Street and then all the other little streets so it wouldn't be a hindrance for anybody nobody lives on that one block so uh that would be a great place to have a National Night Out and bring um our community members together so thank you for time thank you there's that that Recreation desire that people want more the I camear moment I came here going to ask about traffic problems on e s lane but then I had a senior moment forgot all about it and now after all this talk and I'm down to the three minutes I'm I'm GNA devote that'll last another for another month I wanted to follow up on the Ed Crossing Center issue and now I'll really FL my ignorance I while I know that that Center has it seemed always seemed to me was mainly um taking advantage of by people in the AG's Crossing neighborhood I also knew that it was always open to everybody and I've been there many times and now what I mean about F my ignorance is I had no idea it was run by home front all these years and and and I guess it sounds like they we gave them just a a f STI and and they financed it sounds like we gave $100,000 and they ran and now they're they've got so many other fish to fry they're they're leaving I also didn't know it was in bad enough shape that's going to require this all this but the main thing is that like you said the clock is running and if we if a decision has to be made by the 30th about what is going to be done uh and I sort of second what Mr Vine and people said that it would be while I know it's been open to the general public it's all SP me if I'm wrong but it's always been my impression that it's mainly been taken advantage of by the Acres Crossing neighborhood and I think what uh Mr Green was saying was that they Advocate by having the recreation center located there it would be more integrated or whatever you want to say uh which seems to be which seemed to me to be a good thing so I guess I'm just kind of I hope I'm agreeing with the people the white people and all this because I I am I'm second motion thank you um but yeah the yeah the center was used by but also Beyond lawnship people from outside La I just was everybody in the township but had the feeling it was mostly that neighborhood that took advantage of it and I thought that was UN CH Marv um I wanted to address or get the council to address matters we're now in the seventh month of a couple of one issue that never really got resolved or reported back back in the previous Council the last two games in December there were agenda items related to fck matters um I see that at the last meeting there Clos sessions with both those sessions in December 5th and December 19th the minutes were uh on the agenda adopted by the council um I know Mr scye is had a bit of a disadvantage since he was not the town attorney at the time but I'm wondering if there was ever a resolution of that matter that now if you got to the minutes is there something that can be reported to the public because a fauler act violation under the Council manager optional form of government we have here is pretty serious matter and we in the public uh deserve to know what happened especially where public dollars expended so I know it puts Mr siite there a bit of a disadvantage but my question is simple is this something now that can be reported back to the public has the matter been fully adjudicated and uh resolved in one way or the other by the council Madam mayor uh if I um I am familiar with the situation I reviewed uh substantial documentation on it I will say it is still a matter of discussion matter of fact I think it's going to be in part of our executive session this evening uh and U I'm hoping we're going to have a a relatively quick uh resolution of that but I don't think at this point we can add much more in terms of commentary until certain things are resolved involving that and I understand your your you concern that this should come to the Forefront to the citizens of Lawrence but it is a little complicated and uh we do have some issues that we're trying to resolve and bombing bombing it that's about the most General thing I can say uh but it's it's it's not on the back burner there's still there's still things that are being uh looked at involving that so if I understand right that it is still an active matter and I guess my question is why wasn't it doed as such on the executive session for tonight all we're ask all I'm asking for is transparency as much where this goes I mean this can only involve two sections of the Fall your 4069 a-91 or for sections 40- 69-93 would either be a matter of a matter being brought about a council member or a matter being brought about a violation by the municipal manager at certain point this town and this public has a right to know what happened these kinds of matters don't happen very often and it's very unique in this kind of optional Charter to have this kind of a matter even brought uh before it could go to something that would be adjudicated so I I appreciate Mr s will this to least explain that and obviously 'll be following and seeing where it goes from here can see any additional comments I will close public participation done moving on to resolutions mayor if it's all right with the rest of council I'd like to move all the resolutions in block all right I will move 18 A1 through h8 in the block second second call Mr Bob yes Mr kamaki yes Perry yes mayor yes that brings us now to council initiative on reports May I'll start start by saying that um our environmental agreeing advisory committee continues to do work on sort of improving uh stream water quality um including those that run into the shabakunk and eventually the Asen pink um they actually got a grant for some uh um Shoreline Restoration in a small park off by the uh down by Glenn Avenue so they are moving along to Great St and shade tree as well Madame mayor I would go next by discussing uh growth in Redevelopment the committee is looking at um the mission and purpose of the committee and how it can best serve Lawrence Township going forward so there's some analysis going down going um going on right now and we will come before Council um very soon to give us our findings to see how we can continue to be relevant as far as supporting the businesses in the community as well as hopefully recruiting and um um speaking to the manager about how to continue to grow new businesses in the community mayor I could ask the question yes Mr per um has there been any thought of looking at uh shrinking the size of the committee I know it's it's grown over the years um just Redevelopment I think Redevelopment has several seats that are open that we're not looking to fill yeah so um and I thought you knew this that we weren't going to add more people on no I was wondering if you were going to reduce the size of the committee from now no there has not been discussion going forward after we do the analysis if it makes sense maybe but all of the members as you've known because you've been part of it quite a bit are very passionate about the group so I wouldn't want to remove someone who is no no don't don't misconstrue and I hope the public doesn't misconstrue as someone who' been involved for quite a bit of time I know that over the years um the sort of uh Brunswick uh Boulevard Redevelopment group had been thrown into the growth and Redevelopment so it had grow into I think a committee of 17 yeah and so you know and we have you know nine people added from all over the place so I that's what I was wondering because 17's a lot of people to try to fill so too many too many I don't think I ever filled it so if you can do that God bless thank you for your um no we are really looking at U maintaining right now because we have a very strong group that are very passionate to make sure that we um we service the community properly um so that's on the good news so my favorite subject can I just add that we have three um rib rib cting coming up which is quite exciting for new businesses in the township that there are three scheduled very close together in the next few weeks I just wanted to C that up and just to highlight the first one is this Saturday at um the former Cafe dupon which is a new um there's a new uh bakery bakery opening up um and I'm going to butcher the name is bad it the opening will be on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. down in the Lawrence shopping center so that would be please come out and enjoy I'm so glad that they were able to buy the business and keep it going because it's a great part of again great part of the community Saturday mornings you get there coffee that's one of the stops so that's what makes our town so great you know yes we may love our Starbucks but we don't have to always go there I love Wawa um so um just to follow up on the public safety subcommittee and what we've been looking at we've now had our third meeting and we are diligently looking at um all the aspects that are necessary to make sure that first and foremost that the community is protected and ser D to the level that it should be so I know there was the report about consolidation there was an article that we had made a decision none of that is concluded we the board has not made any decisions moving forward concerning consolidations once we the subcommittee has completed um reviewing all the necessary steps to making sure that number one the safety of the community is being addressed we will present um findings to you now we did do give the um the town manager some recommendations not directions just recommendations and at the next meeting I will review those with you it I have to review them with my f fellow colleagues as well the one thing I would say that we did review is that the rich history a volunteer firemen in our community has taken a little toll um there has been less and less volunteers volunteering but we do know that it's important to it's an important element of our Public Safety component and we have we we have suggested and made a recommendation that um the volunteers be Consolidated so that it would be more efficient that all equipment that is needed all Personnel that would be needed would be in one location to best serve the community so the volunteers were asked if they would consider coming not forcefully if they would like to all out of the Lawrence Road facility so just so that you understand this is that sometimes we have volunteers at slackwood we have volunteers at lawrenville we have volunteers at Lawrence Road once in a while there could be volunteers there and no driver so then what it is more efficient going forward that we would consolidate them all to one location there is nothing else that we're doing but asking them to voluntarily all go to One location for efficiency so I wanted this to be made public and for everyone to understand we're are not changing we're not forcing we're not use just a suggestion Mr manager did I leave anything out no you did to say just wanted to add that Council woman and myself did have an opportunity to actually visit the fire stations um we were able to visit Lawrence Road and the lawrenville fire station um we are looking to visit the slackwood in the near future as well so that we could see with our very own eyes the actual facilities that we're making a decision of yeah so as I as I mentioned before there were a few other recommendations that we did make to the manager that I will review with my colleagues and after they have knowledge of it then we will present it at our next meeting on August 20th mayor can I ask it like these decisions have already been made and sort of no no so this the one decision hold on the one decision and I will explain during close session the one decision had um intimate need and that's why it had to move forward with the you consult the cons manager we we this was not it was a voluntary thing if you would like to if if you are okay with it so there was no Force no whatever it was a suggestion made I I would just I would just state that from my personal perspective it would appear that either yourself or the mayor are making policy decisions without the sort of full consent of council and that concerns me because to send something to the tach manager and not even do the rest of council the courtesy of sharing that information I I agree and so so I don't even know what a concern emish my statement first let me finish first myself please there apparently there's an e emergency situation that need to be resolved immediately in which members of council had no clue about it that concerns me it concerns me that you would not share that with Council that's trouble I'll leave it that Madam mayor may I um yes you may it was my desire to share it with council at the previous meeting but was not able to and it was my desire to to contact and explain and go over everything at the previous meeting but was not able to it was my desire for us to have a separate meeting but we were not able to so this was the one thing that is a suggestion a voluntary thing it is not policy it's not anything but that he suggestion anything that has a firm decision comes from the manager and I will present before all of you to decide I did not decide this none of us decided this so until respectfully you hear the whole story at Clos session could you wait till close session I'll just say that you what what she is saying is that no policy decision has been made no policy decision has been yeah as we we do not um interject ourselves I would I'll mayor I'll ask this I would hope in the future that we go in an open and transparent way with Council about these issues thank you I'd like to say something thank you please Mr manager and this is to a short Mr bobin I take my role extremely seriously I also respect our former of government like you know hyper respected right uh the municipal manager has a lot of powers in terms of providing the municipal government and the services to the community this board uh has to act as a board and direct me on policy issues there will never be a time when a single council person will I will listen to their Direction on how best to run a department that's just not going to happen and you know that of me over the seven or eight years so if there was a situation that I believed required all of you to now I I would have I would have told you um I'm trying to work listen I I told council at La and per she put herself right in the center of this to lead us through this and I respect her completely for it and I'm trying to figure out a way where we can coexist navigate and make the best decisions for the municipal government and Public Safety interests but I'm never going to AED what I believe is the right thing to do for for one or two uh council members that's three on a vote gigs up for me in terms of that right I mean I'll have my say but I don't have a vote so I just want to assure you of that it's a it's an interesting Dynamic that's happening right now Jack oy and I have been doing this for seven and a half years taking step along step along step building up the fire department to a level where we now need to know what's the next step and hopefully that subcommittee will provide recommendations to the council that we will fully discuss in front of everybody in an open public meeting where you'll have your say everyone will have their say and and um eventually arrive at a really important decision with regard to the trajectory of the future of Fire Service on La cou thank you Mr ninski just're not there yet we're not there yet okay any other um report well I would like to report just briefly um as was mentioned the planning board um met uh last night and the um the planner from uh MC m m Miss mcis um shared with us just some of the um findings from the uh Community meetings that have been held and I just want to thank the public for coming out um and supporting the master plan and sharing their uh their interest and their wishes with us it's very helpful um just to give you an idea of of what was discussed there was a survey and in the survey there the number of responses from U members of the community that responded were about 8812 members as submitted um survey responses there were two um inperson sessions that we held um one at brider and one at the senior center we had U about 200 um members um attend the sessions um let's see what else the in in that grouping um the makeup of aot of the demographic included about 90% homeowners that came out and shared information with us um they are long-term owners they're all about 11 plus years and we heard from about 32% lenters um who participated in the uh master plan meetings one area that we needed more um participation in um consisted of business owners and um we will have additional meetings in the fall so hopefully that will be an opportunity for more businesses to come out and share with us some additional information um let's see what else I can share um big items were you know people really came to Lawrence because as uh family housing choices open space um businesses their a sense of community was really big on the list um some of the changes additional things that they wanted um consisted of walking and biking path Recreation was really hot big subject Redevelopment um more um active Recreation and uh to do everything right but yeah just hot topics for walking biking flooding some environmental opening and green spaces which we do I think a really good job of so um just people are asking for more of those things um and then that's have you can I supplement one thing we talked about last night was um that came to my desk today we're going to have a mass mailing for tax bills yeah um to 11,800 properties and we have the opportunity to slip in okay um a sheet of paper and I thought it would be really appropriate to do a master plan related uh document that we could put in to reach out to everybody to give them information um Point them in the direction of where they can get more information so we're going to seize on that opportunity I think it cost almost 8 or 9,000 to get these this mailing out so we're going to get that envelope in a situation where it's not too heavy where we can't slip it in and get it out there so that's a great idea I like that yeah um and I think the the planner she said you know for Lawrence for the size of our community we really had a good uh turnout in terms of participation and people coming out um we're looking to just improve or tweak a couple of things in the in the fall for the additional meetings and um also engage additional stakeholders I think there are about eight different categories of stakeholders that we're going to be reaching out to was there any um mention at the planning board um about when the sort of draft would be available so we are aiming our next steps are to complete the analysis um so I'm just G just bits and pieces of what was shared but there is going to be um completing the analysis is next and we're looking um after the fall meetings by the end of the year is when we're looking to have our track thank you so it's moving along well um they have they also have a subcommittee that is working time all right is there any written communication no okay with that then um if I can have a motion for us to go into executive session some a second second okay thank you members of the public for coming out tonight you know appreciate all of your say