##VIDEO ID:F4PD6yutStg## [Music] [Music] so at this time I will call this meeting to order Clerk of the board please call the role my apologies commissioner Baker present commissioner bodc here commissioner delis for present commissioner granados here commissioner Kowalski here commissioner Mirabella present commissioner Williams here Vice chairwoman Leon here and chairwoman P mudad here let the record reflect we have nine Commissioners present for this evening's regular meeting thank you uh Clerk of the board please lead us in the prayer and salute to the flag humbly ask God The Giver of peace and lover of Charity to give the entire family of Nations true agreement with his will and to Grant the light of his Spirit on all who work for justice and peace amen I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands nation under God indivisible with liy and justice for all may I have a motion to approve the communications chair if I if I may yes just I would like to read into the record the stat compliance sorry I I'm sorry I keep doing that to you can you please read the statement of compliance with the open public meetings act certainly chair the chair wishes to announce that pursuant to the requirements of New Jersey statute anotated title 10 chapter 4 section 10 of the open public meetings act adequate notice of this meeting the board of County commissioners of the county of Union has been given by mailing the annual meeting schedule for the year 2024 along with periodic changes necessitated by circumstance to the newspapers circulating within the county of Union who are designated to receive such notice and by posting the annual meeting schedule for the year 2024 in the administration building and further by fin filing the annual meeting schedule for the year 2024 with the office of the county clerk thank you now may I have a motion to approve the communications move second a motion was made by commissioner Mirabella was seconded by commissioner dallis for Clerk of the board please call the role commissioner Baker I commissioner bodc I commissioner dallis for I commissioner granados I commissioner Kowski yes commissioner Mirabella I commissioner Williams I Vice chairman Leon I chairman chairwoman pal Mar mudad I you have the record let the record reflect you have nine votes in the affirmative on all of the communications thank you uh prior to uh opening the meeting for public comments I would like to speak briefly regarding the Clark Reservoir as I I'm sure that that is why some of you are here uh over the past several months we have been actively listening to your feedback through emails comments and these meetings I want to emphasize that the adjustments we've made to the project are a direct result of your input our goal has been to refine our vision to align with our County's needs while maintaining our core values the county has taken significant steps to address the concerns raised including the removal of several elements that some felt did not fit with the natural character of the reservoir as well as amending some of the walking paths our County Manager met with mayor Bon Corso to inform him of these revisions ensuring transparency and communication before releasing our updated plan he also met with Diana Gonzalez of the Clark Reservoir committee to share this information as well while not all suggestions were Incorporated a very large percentage of your feedback has been integrated into the updated plan which is now available on our website for your review we want to thank you for coming here uh week after week to share your information you know share what you have your thoughts were um and it was important for us to go back and make those changes um at this time the revised plan represents our final decision we have engaged in a thorough and thought ful revision process balancing preservation with recreational opportunities and it's now time to move forward we are confident that the plan we present now strikes the right balance and will serve of the best interests of our County again I want to th thank all of you who contributed to this discussion and we look forward to shaping this project that will be a benefit to all uni County residents for generations to come the meeting is now open to the public for the purpose of commenting on resolutions being offered for adoption Andor on any governmental issue that a member of the public feels may be of concern kindly state your name and town of residence for the record and if speaking on a resolution on the agenda please note the resolution number to which you are referring and adhere to the five five minute time limit hi Susan Gilly Wendel place in Clark um I've lived in Clark since 1964 and in my current house since 2000 before I lived there my best friend did and it was always in my opinion the most beautiful spot in Clark that's quickly coming to an end aside from the dredging all of the Project's improvements were ill advised so a deal was cut to make some changes and honestly that train and that char Carousel were a joke from the beginning but you made those changes and you're still going ahead with the boat ramp so I think most of us are here because of that boat ramp so here's what I have to say about that to cut down all those trees I will just tell you the noise from the Parkway and the police firing range will be lifechanging for those of us that live in that neighborhood lifechanging noise from the parkway and the firing range in addition we have a terrible terrible drainage problem we already get flooding from the bad drainage problem but now instead of trees and grass we're going to have a parking lot that's not going to work out too well for any of us in that neighborhood in addition the old narrow streets in that neighborhood can barely uh tolerate the cars that we have now the neighborhood was built in 1950 and all of the streets accommodate one car not a family full of cars but now we're going to put trucks in that and trailers and an entire parking area with trucks and trailers and boats I don't have any idea how anybody is even going to navigate that neighborhood we have trouble navigating the neighborhood now without a parking lot and boat ramps in the neighborhood it makes no we have Lawn Lawn people come put a truck please don't speak from the audience and we can't get around the trucks they're not equipped okay so now the nice thing that maybe nobody cares about is that little dead end there right before the woods has served as a basketball court and play area for all our neighborhood kids and in fact even though there's only a few so many of them wanted to come but unfortunately you placed this meeting on the first day of school which is not the least big convenient for children to come to a meeting and tell you why you're ruining their neighborhood and their way of life okay um during construction I don't know what the heck any of us are going to do how we're going to get in and out of our neighborhood it will be hell and I'm going to tell you one last thing that boat dock and the parking lot will attract all kinds of unsa reactivity and you know it's true right now people hang in the woods can you imagine in that area right next to the parkway easy exit and entrance for anybody doing anything nefarious from teens partying drug transactions and yes sexual predators who will hang in that area because they know that's where children are this is the most ridiculous plan and how anybody can smile and say well we got rid of the Carousel and the train so we did a good job for you guys you did a horrible job for Wendell place and it's a disgrace thank you so [Applause] much Diana Gonzalez Clark I've done a lot of talking and I had my points but I won't go through all of them because I think you're going to hear it all from the the crowd I just wanted to take a moment to thank Mr Oatman Miss Durban Drake all the Commissioners for the degree to which you have listened to us and the adjustments you've made a lot of residents are very pleased so I don't want that to go unnoticed um I do think that while there's you know probably a half a dozen concerns still the biggest one is the um the boat ramp at the East Lake and when we learned that that was going to stay there our committee has been brainstorming it's only been a few days since we learned about this development um so I don't know what's possible but one thought that we had is it could the uh East Lake boat ramp potentially be placed at the bend of Madison Hill Road we see that there could be some challenges there but it doesn't impact residents in the same way so just food for thought and that's all I have to say for today thank [Applause] you hello Clea Kia executive director of the raway river Watershed Association the rway River Watershed Association staff and Board of Trustees would like to thank Union County for downsizing the scope of the Clark Reservoir project and removing the mo most negatively impactful aspects of the plan we hope we are hopeful that this will usher in a new era of transparency and cooperation between stakeholders in the county of Union as an organization dedicated to the protection and preservation of our natural resources we are hoping the county will Implement more nature-based projects in the future future regarding the removal of detention basins from Oak Ridge Park we are hoping that the county will consider underground storm water detention tanks as a possible alternative to above ground detention basins in the Clark Reservoir Forest these tanks inst installed under parking lots and other imper impervious surfaces are often used in cities this option would eliminate the needs need to remove trees for an above ground basin we are looking forward to seeing the revised plan which now we have so thank you very much good evening chair my name is Carol Lasco and I've lived in Elizabeth for 70 years my family has used waro park for most of these years I have two points of concern for your attention if I may approach I have pictures oh okay go all right the pictures you see are the area from the bridge the basketball court to the Splash and play areas and they're puddles okay these puddles are the length of your car the depth varies depending upon the weather from 6 in to more the muddy water and if there's no muddy water it's mudy okay over the years I can recall struggling with my grandson with his car seats and the strollers and the grandson period trying to avoid these Puddles the grandson is now 14 years old and the puddles are still there so I'm asking you or somebody to please make this a hardened surface a some kind of resol I don't offer anything I'm just asking for help a resolution to this long-term problem I'm also asking for a few more I have two issues I'm asking for a few more non-sleeping benches to prevent the homeless from sleeping along the lake a lot of older people myself included we wander around the lake we walk around the lake but we need a place to rest occasionally and then we presume you know on our little Merry way so that's for your consideration on a positive note I would like to thank you for the fishing pier again used by the 14year old repairing the soccer and the track shelters this year thank you very much he also plays soccer all right and again thank you for listening and I hope to see some attention to my concerns I appreciate it thank you good [Applause] evening hello my name is Lily and I'm 11 years old I live on wendle place and I'm here because I really love my street and don't want to see a boat ramp built here my friends and I play outside all the time and since we live on a dead end it's super safe for us to run around ride our bikes and have fun there is beautiful piece of Forest right at the end of our street where where we see deer and other animals all the time sometimes we even see bald eagles flying over it's like our own little piece of Nature and I don't want that to change if they put a boat ramp here it's going to bring lots of cars boats and noise and it won't feel safe for us to play anymore I don't want to have to worry about all of that traffic and strangers coming through our neighborhood just to launch boats please don't take away the fun and safety we have in our little Street and please don't change the beautiful Forest we love so much there are so many places where a boat ramp could work better better please let let us keep our street the way it is thank you uh Eric hker of the New Jersey sier Club resident of Rowe as some of us have already said we are most grateful that the Commissioners have heeded our suggestions and our concerns about the shortterm and long-term consequences of putting a tourist destination SL amusement park in the middle of the center Lake of the reservoir we remind you that 15 to 20 years ago the Union County Commissioners uh the um freeholders handled the transition of Esposito Farm into Esposito Park you did that flawlessly you made a beautiful well attended well-used passive recreation area but for the benefit of of Union County residents we always remember that we are grateful that you took our perspective into account and that you decided to limit the scope of your plans to develop the recreational facilities on the wooded areas of the wildlife preserve we would advise against a boat rental facility on the shores of the reservoir this would cause require the construction of infrastructure to store all the boats and canoes overnight and in the offseason a large storage shed would mean the loss of more trees as would the building of docks more parking facilities and concession stands the wear and tear and the depreciation of the rented watercraft would mean more expenses to you Personnel to operate the rentals and maintain the boats would have to be hired this is a kind of kind of protected entrepreneurship which could easily go south it could be used for a few years then there would be little attendance much less boat rentals and then the decision would be made to liquidate the operation remove all the uh parts of the boat rental facility and the damage to the forest would be permanent however in any event the proliferation of large numbers of kayaks and boats on the reservoir whether belonging to individuals or to the county will increase the chance of accidents requiring the intervention of emergency Personnel such Personnel would have to be on standby near the water for such possible events boat launch points on the center Lake for owners of kayaks is more than enough opportunity to enable people of uh Union County to enjoy The Great Outdoors on the lake and we are most concerned about our Wendell Street neighbors whose property values apparently are going to be sacrificed to carry out the rest of the plan we urge you consider this thank you [Applause] Ed Robinson resident of Clark on the reservoir I thank you for apparently considering and taking stuff out that I had said was put in there just to be taken out it's usually a negotiating technique second I think think nobody involved with this has ever owned a canoe or kayak because if they have they realize you don't trailer canoes or kayaks you car top them and small row boats are either car topped or put on the back of a pickup truck ramps are not the way to launch a canoer kayak I recommend a fact finding tour out to Spring Run Reservoir you can go to the launch ramps the ramp is for larger boats all with power sailboats are larger to the other side is a beach launch for canoes and kayaks you don't get onto a canoe from a dock you get in shallow water ankle deep and push off if you get off from a dock you tend to tip over so I'm sure nobody has ever considered that number two I did live on Francis drive for a while it's about 20 fet to the water you want to put through a 20 foot a 10ft path I remember one day at this time of the year the Reddit ruding season and a buck was there with his herd challenging you're going to ask people to walk down that path where there's no escape and you have a buck in a very aggressive mood and you're going to have that all the way around it's a danger you're creating and if you don't reconsider what you're doing because you decided that the garbage was all you had to take out then you really haven't listened to anybody I think that's [Applause] enough well hello everyone I'm John Victor Jacobson and I live at the end of the Clark Reservoir we right there at uh Melvin Court I'm glad to be here aot because you see on 9/11 uh 2001 I was buried alive nearly suffocated and uh didn't make it home till late that night in one piece but uh uh here's I live right near where the dam site is there and the first thing I'd like to see is a new sign uh that sign was put up in 1997 it's uh uh it's made out of half in plywood it says Clark wildlife preserv and habitat on it and I think I'd like to I think we'd like to preserve that flavor in our Township don't you okay the second thing I'd like to see is a proper Iration system throughout the whole Reservoir system not fountains but bottom airation like serious aquariums have and uh and it aerates and oxygenates the water and allows uh it prevents the muck from accumulating on the bottom and uh you'll have a 3 to fivefold increase in Aquatic Life once the dredging is complete if you aate it don't you think that's a good thing to do everyone okay uh this another thing is the walkways uh that are proposed uh on the East Lake the North Shore of the East Lake are so close up against the homes the backyards of these homes of the people they have uh there's at least a dozen pools and people are half naked in their uh backyards in the summer and uh you have these 12 foot wide walkways on the land so I want to take those walkways and put them in the water where they belong or are floating on the water or in the water or attached to the water uh you know away from the land away from the backyards put those walkways in the water uh another thing I'd like to see is uh I think there should be uh uh representatives from the township other than mayor uh salac Corso I love mayor Sal he's a great man and has done a lot of good things for our Township but I think uh myself and uh Diana Gonzalez here would be uh two good representatives to help guide the uh the mapping out of this Reservoir project it's the biggest thing in Clark New Jersey it's the biggest waterway in Union County and I think we should have representatives from the township other than the uh the mayor in addition to the mayor and the boat ramp at Wendell screw that put that boat ramp right at the bend in Madison Hill Road right at the bendon Madison Hill Road you can uh there it's a it's clear you can uh uh people can walk up there but if you build with if you build up to and including that Earth and Dam you can make parking there you can make boat access there and you can leave wendle forest alone or just put a trail in it if you have to uh so that's pretty much all I have to say thank you very much for your time [Applause] I don't mean to change the topic they all have something to say too hello my name is Amry howth I am from middlex County uh I am the President of the Union at Cornerstone Behavioral Health hospital I'm a very proud RN to have worked there with my colleagues and served the patients who we've helped throughout the years on Cornerstone East West and runal Specialized Hospital but I must express my sadness um that my 13 plus years of being a faithful civil servant worker to Union County is coming to a close as of October 15 2024 I'm deeply sorry to also take you back to a time where it was devastating to everyone but I am here today to address yet again what it was like to work at Cornerstone Behavioral Health Care Center um during the time of the covid pandemic uh if we've all I have done um there was a worldwide public health emergency travel restrictions lockdowns workplace Hazard controls Mass PPE mandates quarantines testing centers Supply sort supply shortages of basic needs hence toilet paper um Etc um we all heard misinformation from social media to mass media to what you heard on CNN NBC um all the news and all it did was cause um a great fear in everyone of being in contact with those infected um with it at Cornerstone all our Administration packed up their office in the administrative Suites and left the building immediately to satellite from home who was left at Cornerstone the patients the nurses and the IAS all doing all the jobs because even even though uh we had Services of housekeeping and kitchen from uh our hosts upstairs um they wouldn't even even come on to our units everything was dropped at our back door and we the nurses the IAS dealt everything and did everything for those patients during those times and here we are we were Bor with the weight of what was happening um and to and once everybody got tested every single one of our um patients were positive I remember coming home from vacation um going to work and the next day it was was uh was the Mandate for um uh the quarantines and everybody to be tested we sent we were a psych unit we sent patients to the ER because of respiratory status that we couldn't handle uh uh on our psych unit for resp failure and respiratory function and fever we had to speak up we our nurses had to speak up to say hey uh to our infectious control dis uh officer the hospitals are temping every single person who comes into the building why aren't we doing that you know and sure enough 24 hours later we were then doing it but why weren't we doing it this we're talking um into into into March when some of this when this started back in January um we took care of these patients confined to their rooms 24 hours a day seven days a week all they have in their rooms are two beds that's it that's what a psych patient has two beds um we oh I'm getting to the end okay so we want to know um where's the covid money there were there was government money allocated for our health care workers um and we've seen other states we've seen other counties where's our covid money here we are right now are we are dealing with you're losing your job are you getting your retention bonus are you getting your uniform allowance are you getting are you getting your vacation pay are you're losing all your sick pay because you've been a dedicated worker and you worked and and you and you came in but now what what's in it for us what's in it for us we put out a preservation of unit work okay and then you canceled us you canceled us and you didn't used I'm sorry ma'am we have to stick to the five limit time thank you short um I'm uh Jeff kopo I'm a resident of Edison sorry but uh our group is based out of Clark uh we are the friends of oakd Ashbrook historic sites um we are appreciative and thankful that it seems that Ridge Park is no longer on the chopping block um we're still concerned about the Integrity of the St Agnes property um and the reservoir project um given the location of IND indigenous artifacts and their proximity to the site um and the lape preference on living on the Hills Rising above the wetlands in the area um as an ashbrick swamp uh we suspect that there is a habitation in the Madison Hill area uh basically right where the woods behind St Agnes are um also given how close this uh Reservoir site is to Oakridge and the Ashbrook uh archaeological sites it would be part of one of the most extensive most intact indigenous archaeological sites in Northeast Jersey and not something to be squandered um so we are therefore holding withholding our judgment on the new changes of the plan until we can review them um we would like to take the opportunity though while we're on the topic uh to request uh discussion with the county on the possibility of proper archaeological work for the apparent slave cabin that our group has located in the woods at Oakridge Park um as well as a seat at the table for the planning of the homestead farmhouses restoration and future thank you hello my name is confor um I've been working at Cornerstone since 19 I mean 31 years I you I love my job I come there every day I don't call out unnecessarily unfortunately 10 years ago the county sold the building they sold the the nursing home so for Cornerstone we have to move downstairs in the basement we were told that after 10 years they could find maybe a place for us or something was going to happen which we did not see anything we know that they told us and we are aware that they have a contract that was going to end December 14 so we were all prepared at least by December 14 from there we will know what to do all of a sudden the county decided to close the facility and let us hanging we don't know what to do so my question is this what is the county going to do for us for the remaining 3 months are they going to pay us for those three months or are we just going to leave like that and go I believe when a business is closing at least the owners they have a package for the employees in this case what do they have for us so and is the country going to pay us for the um for the sance pay what are we getting nothing we're just going to leave like that so I want you to think about it and see whether there's anything you can do it might a little bit too late but at least there's something you can do to help us because all our lives we've been working here at corner storm and then we're just going to lose our job with nothing thank you very much for [Music] listening good evening my name is Rich sternagle I'm the property owner at 27 wend place in Clark I'm a 55e resident of Union County um I've kind of stayed back and listened and watched what was happening with the reservoir along the way um but obviously want to kind of step up and say something today um I agree with the you know doing something with it cleaning it up making it useful putting in some walking paths and letting people enjoy it um you know that would be very nice I'm glad for some of the the changes that have been made and thank you for that um we do have several other parks nearby we we've got Echo Lake we've got Warren AKO rway River Park Esposito Oakridge um and I get that we have funds to do something with this property and you know and I'm grateful for it but when I look at some of these other properties very recently I I actually was walking uh with a child in um Esposito Park and some of the athletic equipment is broken we're missing pieces now um I was in echol Lake Park many times throughout my life but uh in the past few months and noticed it could use some dredging and cleaning up and obviously there are boats and boat access there so I it's just if we've got funds to do something with perhaps we can focus on maintaining some of what we're what we have today and keep in mind that anything we build here we're going to also need to maintain because just putting it there and letting it deteriorate isn't always the best thing right my opposition to the overall plan is really the water access and boat ramp at the end of Wendell place um approximately 10 years ago I purchased the property at 27 Wendell because it was a quiet street quiet neighborhood no through traffic to anywhere um it's a safe area for people to walk ride bikes for children to play and selfishly uh for a non-verbal special needs child who wanders into the street bolts into the street sometimes out of excitement without any regard for traffic or his own safety so um that is something thing we need to keep in mind there are children along this street these streets that are always on scooters bicycles skateboards Wendell place is a very narrow Street and there cars line both ends both sides of the street all the time so the property at 27 Wendell is actually on the corner of Wendell and Whitley Whitley is an unimproved Street where uh it's filled with potholes there no curbing uh it's even narrower than Wendell and it will now become a cut through to any boat ramp or water access over there so essentially a boat ramp and water access at the end of Wendell is going to increase traffic in the area that's without a doubt it's going to worsen already deteriorating in poor road conditions in that area it's going to decrease safety it's going to decrease neighborhood appeal decrease home values that's my point to make and thank [Applause] you good evening my name is Pat Delaney and I a 30-year resident on Wendell place at 29 Wendell place my main objection to the boat ramp is why do we need it in the first place talking about bringing kayaks canoes everything else but at the same time you're talking about having paddle boats and various other things elsewhere I hear there's something to do with well they need access to that side of the lake so they can use it but why there's a bridge that crosses the whole area why can't we just have the boat ramp on one side and allow people to travel underneath these aren't powered boats they're not going to knock down the bridge that's there that's everybody's concerned about when it comes to the Garden State Parkway I don't understand the reason for it the other concern that I have is like I said I've been there 30 years I've raised my kids and they play it out in the street just like everybody does right now that is an active area I don't know how many of you before you made this decision decided to come out and take a look and see what that neighborhood is like on the weekends and yeah why the weekends because that's when the boats are going to come that's when the people with the kayaks on top of their vehicles in the back of their pickup trucks on yes even trailers okay because you get a big enough group they'll come down with trailers I was in Scouts we used to do it all the time that's the concern it's the safety of our kids I now have grandchild that I'm waiting on you know that uh I get to see all the time the other thing is is I've been there long enough to see the neighborhood change a lot of the old people have moved out new life is coming into that neighborhood and yes they are bringing young children with them every single day I cringe when I see a child bolt out of the door and try to run across the street it happens all the time if that's not enough the noise it is a real factor I invite any one of you to come down especially when the firing range at the police department is going off you can hear the noise travel all the way up Wendell if you take out the natural sound barrier that's provided by the trees that noise is going to get worse and yes you can still hear the parkway noise as well so it's just going to amplify the situation that we're already dealing with I implore you to visit the area check it out and think about how you would like that if it was your backyard that's being affected I am nowhere near the water I am like halfway up the street to the point where when the notice went out I wasn't to be affected by it so I didn't have to be informed as a resident of Wendell place that it was within that area anybody that lives on that road is affected so I really do invite you come out check out the neighborhood especially on the weekend see the kids that are playing look at the condition of the roads that are there in 30 years they've never been resurfaced despite numerous numerous requests it's never happened the drains are so bad that they're actually sinking into the pavement because they've not been maintained so again I implore you come out and visit before you make the final decision I really appreciate everything that you've done so far but the bo vat ramp is a mistake thank you for your [Applause] time good evening everyone I stand before you today to express my concerns about the proposed V ramp on wend pleas please state your name my name is Agata kmii place a quiet residential street cherished for its peace and Tranquility this neighborhood is a home to fam's children and individuals who value the safety and calm that comes with living on a low traffic street over 20 children regularly utilize the dead end of wend plays to Plate Outdoors throughout all seasons enjoying the freedom and safety that a quiet street provides introducing a boat ramp here would drastically change the dynamic of this small Street increasing both traffic and Noise uh while we recognize the need for additional boating access we firmly believe that there are far more suitable locations that are better equipped to handle the traffic associated with a boat ramp placing the ramp in an area with existing infrastructure designed to accommodate increased vehicle and boting traffic would benefit both boers and residents we ask the decision makers to consider other options ensuring that wend place remains a peaceful safe heaven for families and children and that Bolding enthusiasts can access a facility in a location that is safer and more practical for all parties involved let's protect our children's childhoods and keep our community strong thank [Applause] you hi good evening everyone my name is Elaine Blake and I'm from Cornerstone um in Berkeley Heights now I want to Echo exactly what both sides are trying to say what for us Cornerstone employees it might be too late for us but for the people who are still in it um I just wanted to say to you lawmakers when you decide to make laws or change something like the gentleman just said you need to go out into the area and see what it is for us in Cornerstone we do not know anyone here cuz we have not seen them at Cornerstone first it was ronal Specialized Hospital we have not seen you guys so therefore to make decisions for us I don't know how you did it but you were not there to see exactly what happened so like for us like I said it may be be late but for others when decisions are made somebody should be present so that the decision is not just with you guys but it's with the people who are involved thank you hi my name is Susan Bruno and I currently live in Scotch Plains and I lived my parents uh built their house in 1950 on Wendel place and they lived there till 2019 and I'm here because I'm really passionate about this situation that's going on I'm could cry I'm sorry okay um so I have pictures this nobody can see what's going on this is Wendell place this is Wendel today cars as we're also I'm I'm reiterating everything everybody said um small Street a lot of you know cars this is Wendell place and Leer's Lane and this this is the street coming down to um coming down to uh Leer's Lane and wend delw it converges we have these signs with children um this is let's see uh so this is the area where all the kids play basketball and and other and other parts of the street I grew up here we had lemonade stands we played outside all the time and I want to see this this neighborhood stay day the way it is because you're you move there for that reason because it is a beautiful area and and it's safe because of the location of you know the place and this is the um let's see one got one here sorry this is the opening where this is the wooded area which we call a little Forest Area and um this is the this is the amount of trees that like we're all saying once these you know once the trees are gone and we make it to a parking lot which it's devastating to me even think of that the noise is going to be ridiculous because now the parkway is 10 lanes over there and this is the inside of the woods because I don't know if you anybody of you have ever even been there again this is the these this is the walkway I used to walk this way through to go to high school every day and my brothers and sisters did and lots of other people here did as well so this is a beautiful beautiful wooded place which I'd hate to see become a parking lot and other things that it's going to be this is the area where you would um walk down towards where I believe the boat dock ramp whatever is going to be there and this is where you know I think it would be and here's the bridge so it's very you know you guys can see so couple things I had to say was um and I should have wore green tonight um so my so I'm again so everybody knows we know it's a low traffic street now we hate to see it change um and I hate to see any of these kids get get hurt that are now playing on it it just breaks my heart um see and it is a quality of life issue everybody's saying that about the safety and I have this question would you want to live there if this changed would you want to be on that street I don't think so because it's going to turn into a thorough Fair a it's going to be constantly traveled all the time and it's where the where the kids are and it's just my I it's I just I think some of the things sound like really cute and nice but to that area I don't I don't like it and uh some argue that the property property values are not going to go down but I I think that they will because it's I can foresee in the future that it's not going to be a place that people are going to um you know look to live on if it's busy and it's changed and it's not what it what it is now um so I talked about the woods and I am concerned about the the trees being cleared out and all the an all the animal life in there and and the uh noise so thank you very much hello um my name is Susanna savelli um from clar New Jersey on wend place um thank you very much ladies and gentlemen for helping us cut down the scope of the original clock Reservoir project so far um we really thank you for that that was a big step however I think we need to make one more step um that's really three big big issues which might have been I might be repeating some of the things that people said but I think they need to be said again the first one is access way to this boat ramp now just for your clarifications in case you forgot Union County is building two bat Rams here 500 yards apart there's a main boat Ram with the concession stands which there's a lot of issues with those things too but it's there's a main boat Ram with boat rentals boat concession stands fishing peers parking lots bathrooms 500 yards away from window place why do we need a secondary one okay and in the unlike the main boat Ram that you're building you are building a new direct access road from the main County Road Madison Hill Road directly into your boat Ram building blah blah blah as far as an access way is concerned that's more acceptable than trying to use a neighborhood of almost a mile there's two roads that leads to this program in one no place left SL plan window place there's a two main road that go in there when I measured that it's almost a mile of residential neighborhood that are using as a thorough Fair now that you are resoning this area to become a trailer passing Road neighborhood I don't know why we allow ourselves to do that you would let me exaggerate the point just for to make a point you would never want to build an warehouse for Amazon at the end of a residential street to allow trucks to go through like this why are we building a boat ramp to let Boat Trailers go through a little tiny NE neighborhood there's 120 families involved here and this is the only Access Road into this boat ramp that you're building 500 yards away from the main one why why are we wasting our own taxpayers money to ruin neighborhood for 120 people and rezone it at your own will so that there safety involved for the children is already very narrow streets as was mentioned this it's one single narrow passable Lane between CR Park on both sides it's already very narrow under size there's both streets have big a big dangerous curve bend that right now base case is kind of dangerous to see to see if you can see oncoming traffic now you're going to add both trailers too so just like what some other people upset please come and take a look at this neighborhood and see for yourself whether you would like if you were living there to turn this neighborhood into a thorough Fair which doesn't make sense at all especially when there's a boat Ram 500 yards away second thing is um safety as far as children's concerned besides traffic this this parking lot you're building on window place I'm not sure you like carefully look at the drawings or visited the area it's hidden behind Woods okay we're cutting down for trees to build this sun behind other existing trees it's a parking lot hidden at the end of a Quai cisac Dead End Street hidden from view it's you're building and encouraging undesirable activities for teenagers and young adults between the blasting musics the drinking the drugs drug transactions it is an ideal place for undesirable activi or even criminal activities why are you building and Facilities to encourage those activities right next to families living there right next to it my house is going to be right next to it why are you doing this when there's a boat ramp 500 yards away so safety and I'm sure there's not going to be police standing there the whole time you know watching this hidden parking lot nobody would build a hidden parking lot like this the third item on my list is as was mentioned before the removal of the trees which really helps CL you know besides climate change which we all know besides helping with the flooding issues and drainage issues that was already mentioned it serves as a sound buffer for the Parkway and for firing range thank you and and one thank you no the time limit is up we have to adhere to that thank you please your time is up [Applause] my name is Janet Gates I live in Clark um I totally agree with these people on wendle place I don't live on wendle place but I know the area and they are absolutely right this is devastating to their area I've lived on Janice drive for 43 years and I've looked at your new plan every single thing is affecting everybody on ji drive and is going to be devastating to our property values to our safety and to our lifestyles um 50ft buffer hasn't changed the parking lots haven't changed the boat thing hasn't changed since all these quote amusements have been deleted can't that be moved to the empty area now so it isn't so bad for our neighborhood it's just not right to do this we had a gorgeous area uh the wildlife the trees you know this is is something I've lived with for 43 years and to have a a boat trailer parking lot my backyard it's not [Applause] right hello Claire Le Bruno from Clark um I don't live like directly on the reservoir of my neighborhood isn't perhaps directly affected but I do want to touch on some point that the wendle neighbors are making and I will say that my street is probably at a lower elevation than they are and I hear their concerns particularly peques my extra concern about flooding and I would just like to express a continued concern particularly in when where I don't understand why um and what the tree removal will do to the water level okay even if you put permeable surface down we're removing trees they have Roots the water flows down and what effect that will have because there's different types of flooding right surface flooding there's also flooding that happens from groundwater seeping into basement and that depends on the level and this project will change that there's no doubt in my mind um I also would appreciate if at the end when you answer questions you could please comment on uh what the ation system is going to be and this biosis air system that I've heard you're looking at using in the reservoir and if you could tell us please uh where this is being piloted in the county thank [Applause] you hello I'm Tony from wend place in Clark got a couple ideas I don't know if they have or haven't been mentioned I don't agree with boat trailers at all no Boat Trailers you don't have to have extended parking lots that for Bo trailers you don't have to have paved parking lots with lines what you have to do is have wood chips at the same as the trails and let everybody park next to each other and find the next available spot um so no boat trailers at all and no parking lots with uh that are paved with lines that means there's no noise um such as Island Beach State Park is an example hundreds of people go in and out of there they all come in they offload their their kayaks canoes whatever they go out on the water and they Park in another area on uh on wood chips dawn to dusk there's no lighting needed you come in in the morning you leave at night we don't have the fear of uh vandalization at night or any or any kind of dangers to our having people that don't live in the area in the area are accessing uh any of the any of the residents by water um hack HCK let's see um hackborn state park is one of those parks in Chester that has the dawn to dust curfew and you know that works very well for them they also have uh the trails that are have all wood chips uh kayaks canoes anything that you can carry in or roll in they have wheels on these things you roll them in you take them off however your your vehicle however on car top or whatever you carry them in or you wheel them in I'm a big canoeist in kayaker I get around a lot to a lot of parks uh Island beach say park and down the shore is another one of those uh parks that you carry in and uh all human power paddles and pedals no electric Mo Motors that just to try to prevent a collision races on the on the water or any of that kind of stuff it's just Scenic it's quiet there's there's there's nothing to it no Inflatables uh to create less of a danger on the water and a 14 foot uh maximum boat size so we don't get guys that are bringing their Bell out there with something bigger than they should uh boat access should be just open area with wood chips that's all you need to launch any of these boats you don't need any kind of pav paved ramp or or black top or any of that just uh carry it in and put it right down and Island beach s Park they do it off the sand uh window place that's a real bad idea you you have two strong Curves in both of your access roads to try to whether you have a trailer or not if you're not from the from the area and you're you're you're not knowledgeable of the kind of uh you know uh environment it is we have cars on both sides of of the road and we have curve you can only fit one car through that curve on both sides and there's too many strollers It's All Families there's too many strollers and kids all over the place that you have to have extreme you have to have crawl speed and then and then be aware of the UN the unpredictable so you know window place is a real real bad idea plus this Reservoir is not big enough for two boat ramps one centralized boat ramp is is plenty for anybody with a paddle or or an ore to get from one end to the other uh so far as um there is an ample amount of space underneath the parkway Bri bridge to to trans uh transverse underneath the Parkway bridge from one side to the other as everybody's been doing for years and we'll continue to do so and is it is just as safe as anywhere else on the water uh finally any any kind of any kind of cost savings that are that are had by not putting anything at the end of window place there was always the thought and idea to uh put something behind the high school an education Observation Center make it a state-of-the-art facility that the public can access along with all our students of our of our school they have the access with their with the school parking lot and it's and it's a great spot we don't need two boat ramps cancel that window place thing it's a real bad idea that's all I have to [Applause] say Nancy toas is Clark New Jersey and before the people leave with the uh from the Cornerstone maybe they'd like to know some of the covid money is being spent on this park on this Wendel place boat ramp that none of the neighbors want so that's where some of the covid money is going to thank you to the US government giving the county $35 million or so for covid Relief that's being used for a park that nobody really wants so there you go but anyway I digress I I really appreciate taking out all the amusement facilities that were proposed and I don't need to repeat them all that was totally a bad idea and there are a couple things though that I still think need to be looked at I'm not going to beat the dead horse the Wendell Park boat ramp obviously um the the retention Basin with all of this stuff going away I'm really not sure what this retention Basin is needed for why don't we get rid of everything that we're putting there so we don't need a retention Basin in 2024 that's the best we could do is take down more trees to dig a big hole to store rainwater in and next to a reservoir I don't know how many gallons of water in that Reservoir but after the dredging won't there be more room for water in the reservoir instead of taking out that the Park area there take out that little finger that supposedly nobody could touch that grew within 10 years you're going to take down trees that have been there maybe a hundred years and leave a little finger in the reservoir because d says you can't touch that little finger because it has roots I mean that's a totally bizarre excuse I mean I would really take a look at that if I was on the project with you and uh the last thing is I don't really know what's going on if there's anything going on at the north side of of the uh East Lake but if you go there at night it's a beautiful view of the reservoir and a perfect place for walkways along the water the people live pretty high up Ivy Street is one of the streets there Lakeside Boulevard they're pretty high up on the ground putting something on the water should not disturb their privacy and it's a beautiful view I encourage everybody to take a walk there be careful because you might fall over and there's a lot of trees and stumps and and Roots but uh that would be a perfect place for walking uh water walkways and it would be I think a big attraction you know to the to uh the enjoyment of the reservoir and and I I I know there's new plans out and I just hope in the new plans there's no kind of Commercial Business going on over with um boat rentals and people that have to work there to take money I mean keep it passive like the man said take your kayak over there on your back and walk down a trail and throw it in that's what real kayakers want to do they don't want all of this hoopla they they go to places in the woods where nobody even is probably allowed to launch a kayak and throw it in the water I mean that's that's the kind of people that want to enjoy that area you know with boating and not make it a big commercial thing of boating you know we have that over in waro park I guess and what else do we need so um but thank you for the first steps and I hope that comment about our final plan is not really a comment on the final plan I think that would be a really cruel thing to do to the people of Clark to say that's our final plan nobody lives in Clark that's sitting up on the up ahead of me and I think to just throw it out there that's your F our final plan it's done deal go home is really cruel thank you for listening [Applause] my name is Jonathan Zer I'm a resident of wend place I'm here to Echo the concerns of my neighbors and uh as a father of two small children two-year-old and three-year-old I first moved in wend place about 12 years ago maybe two kids came on Halloween and to see how this neighborhood has changed since I built my family last year within a half hour I would say 50 pounds of candy were given out of my house it's just tremendous amazing if you ever came to visit and see how this neighborhood is with the kids and I fear for my daughters because like everybody says the street is narrow people come with these boat ramps they go to the parking lot if it's full they're going to race out of the neighborhood limited access narrow streets to go to the next boat ramp and I'm terrified about it we actually have a uh block party plan Saturday September 21st I would like to invite every one of you if you would like to see how this neighborhood is you know see the children see how Lively and beautiful and pictures this neighborhood hood is and just how impactful and horrible of a plan it would be to wreck the end of the Dead End Street which is not designed for this this uh use thank [Applause] you good evening Delia Collins Clark New Jersey um I'm looking over the new plan and and I am a little bit confused and maybe I have to take more time to look at it but I see that the plan that's been posted has ended at Wendell place and also there's no information here about the continuation of the walkways and that was one of my concerns and I'm still going to bring it up because I don't know if it's still going to exist on Featherbed Lane from ritton road to the Featherbed Lane Bridge there's allegedly supposed to become a traffic pedestrian light at the end of the bridge going across to the other side of the beginning of Featherbed Lane then further down on Featherbed Lane when you go across the the bridge to the other side of Featherbed Lane there's supposed to be another pedestrian Hawk light on ritton road itself from the Clark fire department to Madison Hill Road there will be three different traffic signals one is an uh emergency light for the fire department one be would be your um pedestrian controlled light and then the traffic light at Madison Hill Road yesterday I'm sorry Monday Tuesday when I was on that road I was probably a good two three blocks stuck on ritton road and you should come out and take a look at Featherbed Lane when you come down past the Deutch club and it curves to the left and that that's where you want to have another The Pedestrian Hawk light that curve is very dangerous people come from Victoria Drive to the right people come from Featherbed Lane to the left and it's hard to see if this is something that you're going to put up I I hope that nobody gets injured same with the light at riton Road and Featherbed Lane if people are going to be coming down on the shore of the reservoir they're going to have to cross there there is no walkway on Featherbed Lane that I can see I'm sorry there's no space near the reservoir that people can walk along the reservoir and there on the plans that you have I see no walkway against the reservoir the only walkway there is on Featherbed Lane which is a Township Road and if people want to walk on the sidewalk they would have to cross Featherbed Lane to get onto the sidewalk and then again cross at the bridge so you have a constant back and forth to both sides of Featherbed Lane thank you [Applause] good evening my name is Ellen Mulligan I'm wend place in Clark I want to thank you for listening to the residents of Clark now I'm asking you to please listen to the residence of Wendell Place regarding the dock at the end of Wendell for all the reasons everybody stated I'm not going to repeat them our neighborhood cannot sustain the additional traffic and for the safety of our children um and again the noise from the parkway 10 lanes in the Parkway and the firing range um do you have a budget for maintaining all these parks and will it raise our taxes um that's one of my questions that have not been answered um on another note getting away from the reservoir property I'm a registered beekeeper with the state of New Jersey and according to NJ 730-9108 Union County has yet to call me on 7:25 I we noticed that they sprayed our street I was not notified um and additionally when the place was not on the list leers's Lane was tun and Whitley terce were so the next day I called mosquito control the gentleman was apologetic he took my name address and phone number and promised I would be notified in the future um I have not been notified they have um sprayed seven times since my phone call to them and also today they're spraying in Clark this evening and I was not notified this is against the EP regulations and it's unacceptable thank you [Applause] well I'm the most glad to see you good evening ladies and gentlemen of the commissioner board and various golden nuggets this is Bruce Patterson Garwood New Jersey uh resos 644 is giving $100,000 change order to ded's fire system contract of $650,000 of 15 % increase uh back in January 2023 you gave this contract out as a two-year contract why are you increasing this $100,000 before the contract is up please provide to the public a reason in location of the work uh reso 646 is increasing Panetta automation $300,000 contract another 15% or $50,000 please provide for the public a reason and a location of this work in my opinion from from my experience construction experience all these change Ord has Garner hidden 20% unwarranted profits for the contractors that totals $30,000 reso 662 involves the Clark Reservoir in May 2022 reso 423 added $4 million in Grants to the budget for the reservoir in December 2022 reso 1057 added $4 million in Grants for the reservoir in October 2023 reso 888 added $10 million in Grants for the Reservoir today we are adding $4 million in Grants for the reservoir please confirm to the public the potential good news that we have $22 million in Grants so far for the reservoir reso 674 is certifying the 2023 audit I've read the published audit and was horrified at the way you guys handle the County fiscal policy I've been stating this for eight years this audit noted that you have a fund balance of $200 million that's cash in the bank after reserves and expenditures with some probable incumbrances outstanding we find these millions of free dollars crop up every budget year and then you bury it back in the budget by subterfuge I've stated there's at least 150 million in free cash that you hide from the taxpayers this game is ridiculous your in your vaunted AAA rating was already achieved in 2016 with $50 million in Surplus you even cancelled the public budget hearings this year this year you laughably cried poverty and raised County taxes nearly 2% in my opinion County manager rman and finance director BBY Taylor are culpable in this non-transparent financial failure the biggest that I've seen in my 20 years coming here are all of you so simply afraid to stand up for the Public's interests my suggestions get rid of both of them and give us taxpayers back our $150 million just who's the Puppet Man ERS here reso 676 is giving Finance director BBY Taylor's BFF dig Architects over $300,000 in Design Services for masers barn I I heard uh Vicki talking about it but in my opinion from hearing the issues $300,000 is way over bloated for this type of bid was this ever uh bid out reso 697 is giving giobi Alfieri Law Firm $50,000 for a lawsuit of of a lot of abbreviations versus the county of Union in searching New Jersey Court database nothing comes up with these initials can you give the the public a docket number for research and a simple overview of what this case is about since tax money is being spent and why the abbreviations General comment you know I I do commend the county and the Clark Reservoir committee for coming to an agreement to discard the most egregious elements of the proposed Reservoir plan and to further conserve the wooded areas that were targeted to be removed however I ruminate on this SE change since I I find the D lacking tracking database went silent past couple of months the county is imposing a hiring freeze while also there are found to be employee firings that uh ronal was talking about other items of Interest was why were two commission commissioner meeting suddenly cancelled and or rescheduled still the gorilla in the room is the state com controller threat of stopping any state funding into the county which the public has no idea how this situation is going is this all related somehow but bottom line This revamping of of the Clark Reservoir proposal is is considered a good thing for the public and the environment thank you for your efforts and uh thank you to the Clark Reservoir also uh lastly if I have time uh what was the negotiation in executive session about with the IIA only because you fired everybody there and you took full control directly so I mean you know I don't understand what you're negotia if you could elaborate on that thank you call Mr Patterson if you read the agenda was the Utilities Authority that would be the UA it's on the agenda sorry seeing no one else I will formally close this portion of the meeting uh I'd like to call uh Rich Matas to the microphone to address um resolutions 644 and 646 thank you chair uh both of those change orders are for additional work that's necessary from both of those contractors uh for the uni County Courthouse complex here in Elizabeth thank you and County Council Bergen can you comment on the question regarding um resolution 697 yes thank you chair um uh I don't have the docket number with me but um the reason there are initials is because that is how the pleading itself the complaint is captioned um based on a state law I'm not sure exactly went passed in the last year or two um people who alleged they were uh um abused as minors were given an opportunity to file a lawsuit many years later that that is what this is some of these claims go back close to 60 years um and so the plaintiffs are listed by their initials um and the county is hiring Council uh who's familiar with this area of law to defend this case thank you okay thank you um and again thank you to our residents from Clark um who brought up all of your valid concerns and we will take those into under consideration um at this time I would like to ask for a motion to adopt resolutions 2024 d633 through 2024 d715 so moved second a motion was made by Vice chairwoman Leon and was seconded by commissioner bodak Clerk of the board please call the role commissioner Baker I commissioner bodc I commissioner dallis Fort I commissioner granados hi commissioner Kowalski yes commissioner Mirabella hi commissioner William will I Vice chairwoman Leon I and chairwoman palmary mudad uh I'm going to abstain from 2022 d658 I'm sorry 2024 d658 um and I to the rest uh chair let the record reflect you have nine votes in the affirmative on all resolutions with the exception of resolution 2024 d658 eight votes in the affirmative with one abstention okay thank you um at this time we are going to go into our commissioner reports and comments uh before we do so I just wanted to highlight and express the board's gratitude uh to Lisa bolock who uh has worked uh for the board for the past six year I believe six years um she's been with the county for a long time she's worked directly under the board for the last six years and she is going to be moving into a different role um and although we will miss you dearly uh we truly value and appreciate all that you have done for all of us uh over the last several years you are a wonderful wonderful person on the inside and out um we we really value your friendship and your work ethic and we are so excited for you to be moving into this different phase and uh we know that you will not be far so we're looking forward to continued relationships with you but want to wish you the very very best okay tonight I will start with uh commissioner Kowalski thank you chair uh and thanks to all who came to participate tonight um I have information about our 4 clubs um which are uh starting up again for the season um we invite Union County students in grades 1 to 12 to join a 4 Club this fall and explore popular Fields ranging from cooking sewing art archery Robotics and more and young people in their first year after graduating from high school are also invited the majority of the clubs meet at our colen Fraser building at 300 North Avenue East in Westfield on Friday Saturday or Sunday and the clubs are organized by agent topic the members meet with an adult Club lead on a monthly basis during the school year to plan activities and programs and you can learn more about the different clubs for this year um by having a look at our website ucnj.org rce which stands for ruers Cooperative Extension and the the ruers co-op excuse me is supported by the commissioner board and it has offices in Berkeley Heights and the club run from October to June and so if you want to sign up for a club or you know someone who does you can email Mr James nickowitz at Union County 4AGE Youth Development agent um I'll spell out his name j ni h n a d o w CZ ucnj.org uh or call 90865 49854 thank you chair thank you commissioner Baker thank you um the Union County Clerk Joan REI is hosting a notary public training seminar on Friday September the 3 uh September the 20th at uh 8:45 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the John H stamler Police Academy at 1776 riton Road Scotch PL uh Union County First Deputy counsel County Council mashad u i no I'm not going to pronounce this correctly mut Esquire mu mtown that's right mtown will be the featured speaker uh space is limited to the first 50 registrants with a $10 registration fee required by September the 9th uh the fee includes a light breakfast the seminar will cover the notary public application process legal requirements notorized a notary journal and examining ID requirements to register download the form from the county clerk's website at ucnj.org slcounty hyphen Clerk and for more information uh contact Anna Lima at 908 527 4787 thank you thank you commissioner Williams thank you madam chair uh in recognition of National Suicide Prevention month uh we have collaborated with King contact to offer residents a free informative webinar this September titled here h e a r to help active listening for emotional support this webinar is free and will discuss the significance of active and effective listening the impact of empathy and numerous other strategies to provide meaningful support to a loved one exper experiencing emotional distress the workshop will be presented by curing contacts Crisis Line director Michelle habb on Monday September 30th from 6: to 7 p.m. via zoom and Facebook live uh the webinar is presented by our own Union County Department of Human Services in partnership with caring contact and for those of you who do not know caring contact is an award-winning volunteer staffed uh crisis hotline that provides a safe space and empathetic ear to all who call uh the zoom link for the webinar can be accessed by registering online at ucnj.org slpm Zoom for more information on all of our Union County Services uh Human Services programs in addition to this one please visit us online at ucnj.org DHS or call our Action Line the DHS Action Line at 9867 545 um and I would like to also uh just say you know I I thank everyone who came out to uh discuss the changes in at the uh Clark reservoir uh project uh regarding that and um it is a park that is um to be used by all folks in the county and I um I agree with the changes that were made I thought they were uh some good uh changes so it is a park for all residents all 565,000 or so residents um and um I think those changes will uh make it uh an enjoyable place for everyone um and I also do want to just um again congratulate Lisa Bullock on her uh on her new role thank you so much thank you madam chair thank you commissioner granados thank you chair I'm excited to announce the Union County means business expo on Thursday September 12th from 5 to 7:30 p.m. at Warren ankle Park Sports Center in Rosell the Expo is free to attend to register for this event please visit ucg.org ucmb Union County means businesses and economic development initiative of the Union County Board of County Commissioners probably supported by County Partners across the county of union for more information about the Union County means business expo visit ucnj.org younb or contact Jeff Brooks coordinator for business development at 908 659-7428 [Music] bodak sure regarding the Clark Reservoir project I just want to say I believe our Union County team has worked hard to balance progress with preservation carefully considering every detail the thoughtful revisions we've made whether it's reducing the number of trees removed enhancing water quality or introducing low impact recreational options ensure that this area will serve the needs of both the residents and visitors Al life I want to thank County Manager o for leading these efforts in honor of National Recovery month the Union County Board of County Commissioners in partnership with the office on behavioral health and substance abuse and prevention links will host a webinar titled voices of recovery celebrating strength and resilience on September 24th from 6:00 p.m to 7 p.m. the webinar will be accessible via zoom and Facebook live featuring a panel of speakers sharing their inspiring stories of recovery and resilience National Recovery month observed every September highlights advances made in recovery and celebrates those who have overcome substance use disorders prevention links a nonprofit dedicated to Substance Abuse Prevention and mental health support is collaborating on this E Event to register visit www.nj.org slnr r- Zoom for more information on National Recovery month and substance abuse disorders visit www.nj.org DHS slob bhsa for details on Union County Human Services Program visit https nj.org DHS or call DHS action headline at 9867 7545 I want to also congratulate Lisa and thank her for all she's done to make my transition to this position as commissioner easier congratulations Lisa that concludes my report Madam chair thank you commissioner Dallas for thank you madam chair um regarding the Clark Reservoir project I'm happy to hear that we've established some consensus on the matter our revised plan prioritizes water quality improvement um more specifically as it relates to dredging the reservoir to combat sedimentation um it's a critical step in preserving the reservoir's health and ensuring that it remains a valuable resource for this County these efforts are essential for maintaining the longterm sustainability of the reservoir and it ensures that it continues to serve as a vibrant and a clean and accessible space for both wildlife and everyone in the county um also Union County Board of Elections and anounces important details for the upcoming 10th Congressional special general election voters can find polling place information and secure dropbox locations on the Union County Board of Education website at www.nj.org ucboe the election is set for Wednesday September 18th and the dropboxes will be available until 8:00 p.m. on Election Day and they'll be under 24hour surveillance early voting is also available from September 8th to September 16th at five locations across Union County with voting hours being Monday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 6: p.m. for details on early voting sites and other election information please visit ucboe website or you can call 9852775034 it's been an absolute pleasure working with her for the past eight and a half months um you have been extremely proactive and responsive um to all of my needs during the transition and extremely helpful and I truly appreciate you um it's made my transition seamless and I wish you the very best in all your next role and that concludes my report thank you commissioner mayor Bella thank you madam chair uh first I want to take a minute to thank uh those residents that stayed to the end of the meeting to hear uh the comments from the Commissioners and several have already mentioned um the Clark Reservoir project and some of you mentioned um flooding and the impact in the area and I just want to address that a little bit how we've tried to incorporate some safeguards into this plan there was a significant effort really to address the flood concerns uh by enhancing the the reservoirs flood storage capacity as part of this we're incorp inting a basin that was mentioned before that will collect runoff water clean it and safely return it to the lake this this feature not only helps manage storm water but also improves water quality which is crucial for the health of the reservoir and its surrounding ecosystem the Basin will be protected by a fence for the safety of anybody uh on the walking paths these are vital environmental improvements that will not only reduce the risk of flooding in our count but also ensure that the reservoirs a thriving sustainable resource uh for those uh for years to come and I said and many of us said that we were listening over the last I don't know three months this has been kind of happening and you can see that we were listening and we did make some adaptations to the plan and we knew um that everyone's not going to love every part of it and thus some of the comments tonight the significant part that people mentioned there I will tell you that I do plan to go look at the area uh and visit the area and walk that back Trail just to kind of see it for myself um but I do uh congratulate uh the County Manager for for listening to this board to the residents to adapt that plan that seem seems workable uh for the most part for most of the people I know not everyone's going to be delighted with every aspect of it moving on um I'm happy to announce that Union County's 2024 Fall Festival will be held on Saturday September 14th from 4 p.m. to 1: p.m. at Oak Ridge Park 136 Oak Ridge Park in Clark admission is free the event features live music food and refreshments and for the first time a micro beer garden uh with local breweries in Union County attendees must be 21 for that portion of it and show idea of obviously to purchase alcohol musical acts include The Fabulous Thunderbirds the weight band which revives the spirit of the band with original uh music and a band that I think the county manager I are particularly delighted about is dead on live which will be playing um hits from the Jerry Garcia band uh in the mid 70s and I'm excited for that I've seen that band and they're terrific and I hope people will come out and watch that show it's going to be fun we'll also collect diapers and baby supplies for local nonprofits for more information on the diaper drive please visit ucnj.org women this event is presented by the Commissioners and the department of Parks and Recreation for more details please visit ucnj.org Parks email Parks info@ ucnj.org or call 9852775034 [Music] grammar school middle school high school college uh as the semesters are beginning primarily this week last week and I want to um lastly say I congratulate Lisa on her new position I want to tell you Lisa I did not vote um for that to happen but seeing that it was uh good for you and good for the county obviously I supported it but uh you've been a close friend as many of the Commissioners have said you've done a good job I think um organizing uh this group and keeping us all available to the public and I only wish you the best moveing forward and that with that Miss Madam chair I'll conclude my comments uh County Council B again thank you chair I just want to uh add my voice to congratulate congratulating Lisa on a new position I'm sure you we'll do just as well there as the great job you've done uh for the board for all these years congratulations thank you chair thank you County Manager Atman Vice chairwoman Leon thank you uh first and foremost Lisa I'm going to miss you dearly I know you're not going to be far away I wish you all the best and thank you for all you've done your work ethics are phenomenal and you're dearly loved by all of us I truly love you I'm going to miss you but best of luck on another note uh this month starts the celebration of his Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15th through October 15th as a Hispanic leader in public service I'm honored to celebrate the hardworking individuals who make up approximately onethird of Union County and there's a series of events that we are programed to do aimed at showcasing and exploring the diversity of Hispanic culture they will include life music movie Nights arts and much more the event kicks off with the annual uh Union County Hispanic heritage flag racing on September 16th at the Union County courthouse at 4:45 p.m. following the full schedule of events includes Friday September 27th family movie night The Book of Life at kaami Park and Union Wednesday October 2nd at 4:30 family movie night playing Dora in the lost city of gold at Washington Elementary School in planfield on Saturday October 5th we're going to have our annual family fund day which will move inside the sports centers if it rains there will be free life Music Arts and Crafts food trucks at waren anle park outside of the waren anle sports center on October 10th from 11:30 to 2:30 p.m. Hispanic leadership event would feature Anna D Martinez the director of the New Jersey Division of women at Union College of Union County in Cranford Saturday October 12th from 3 pm. we will have Mexico Beyond mariachi trkking at ucpac in rway and tickets can be purchased at UC pac.org and finally all month long we will be featuring Hispanic art exhibits right outside of this room in our commissioner's gallery and the residents can view it Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. for more information please visit our website at ucnj.org hhm and hope to see you all there thank you that's all thank you okay I usually like to talk for a long time but I do have four children starting school tomorrow including two going to middle school for the first time so they uh I know I do have to get home sooner than later uh but I wanted to just um thank our parks department and facilities and Public Safety and everyone that was involved in all of our wonderful summer efforts that we had here at the county um one of my favorite was the tlor Swift cover band um I think we had over 2,000 people there um and it was a great show so I know a lot of hard work went into making sure all of those events uh camps went uh ran smoothly so I want to thank you all for that work um and I again want to thank our residents Who come out and vocalize um you know your opinions I know Mr Jacobson your grandpa I saw I know we're Facebook friends and I saw you became a grandfather so congrat conratulations on that um but I want to wish all of our students a really great return to school thank our teachers we had a fabulous teacher uh that came in earlier he was recognized by the state and we were super excited to recognize him here um the hard work that goes into our schools day in and day out um our students I wish them all the best and um again Lisa um we wish you the very best and I keep thinking about that first Memorial Day Parade in Westfield when you and I walked way way too far um but at this time um we do have to go into an executive session so I am um going to have County Council please make uh your statement relative to tonight's executive session thank you chair pursuant to provisions of the open public meetings act a public body may enter into executive session for the purpose of discussing certain enumerated subjects this board now wishes to enter executive session for the purp purp of discussing attorney client privileged communication concerning the matter entitled Brennan versus Union County at all and attorney client privileged communication concerning the matter entitled figuroa versus Union County at all the minutes of the executive session shall be separated from the minutes of the open public session the minutes of the executive session redacted as appropriate and necessary shall be available in approximately 30 days the clerk to the board shall retain the original minutes till until such time as confidential limitations have been removed at which time they shall be made available upon the affirmative vote of a majority of the members present the board May retire to Executive session upon the board's return it may or may not take formal action on the matters discussed thank you chair thank you may I have a motion to enter into executive session so moved back a motion was made by commissioner bodak and was seconded by commissioner delis for delis for Clerk of the board please call the role commissioner Baker hi commissioner bodc hi commissioner delis for hi commissioner granados hi commissioner kosi yes commissioner Mirabella commiss commissioner Williams I Vice chairwoman Leon I and chairwoman pom mudad at the record show we have nine votes in the affirmative to enter executive session okay may I have a motion to return from executive session second than it was moved by commissioner Marabella and seconded by commissioner bodic CL Clerk of the board can you please call the role commissioner Baker I commissioner bodek I commissioner dallis for I commissioner granados I commissioner Kowalski yes commissioner Mirabella hi commissioner Williams I and uh Vice chairwoman Leon serving as chairwoman I uh I Vice chair you have eight votes in heirm to return from executive uh County Council mer mer Bergen do you have anything to say as a result of executive session thank you Vice chair nothing to report at this time may I have a motion to adjourn move second it was moved by commissioner Mirabella and seconded by commissioner delport okay all in favor I I I roll call thank you I you don't need a roll call all favor is good all favor good all right all in favor meetings adjourned meetings adjourned boom [Music] [Music]