##VIDEO ID:VX5xwwQS2Q4## [Music] hello and welcome to Woodbridge the best town around my name is John McCormack I'm the mayor of this great town and we're here tonight to do something we do frequently which is honor and recognize police officers and the best police department in the state of New Jersey for life-saving Heroic efforts in this case I would like to call up police officer Stephanie Le detective Eric Manresa and police officer Russell vanloo please come [Applause] up all three have a proclamation but I'll read Stephanie's but it's it says the same for everybody uh whereas the Woodbridge Township Police Department nationally acclaimed by the commission on accreditation of law enforcement agencies maintains the mission to provide the highest level of Public Safety and commitment to the community and whereas police officer Stephanie l a 5e veteran assigned to the radio Patrol Division has demonstrated a commitment to policing Public Safety and law enforcement and her service to the community officer Stephanie Lage while assigned responsibilities at the mayor summer concert series on July 9th 2024 received a report that an adult female Contra was suffering a medical emergency officer L located the patient who had suffered a seizure and immediately determined that the patient had no pulse officer l in conso with officer Eric Manresa initiated an administered CPR simultaneously officer van Le and New Jersey state certified EMT arrived on location and assisted in transferring the patient to the ambulance and attending to the patient while on route to Robert Wood Johnson Hospital whereas collectively officers Le Manresa and vanl utilized their training and experience to administer emergency medical procedures which successfully stabilize the patient to allow her to regain Consciousness and undergo treatment by Hospital medical professionals officer L vanl and Manresa are hereby recognized for their commitment and dedication to duty in public safety and honored before the wood Township Police Department officers peers family and Community now off ladies and gentlemen I do these a lot in this case I was there watching this unfold and I'm telling you I was so amazingly impressed with the professionalism and and the quick action so what happened was I think councilman for Cara was sitting near them and saw it and he went to look for the PD but Stephanie was already there and every think was right behind her uh Russell came later and helped with the transport and everything it was an amazing effort and no sooner did I find out about it and go look for the PD and I saw them giving compressions that's how quick this was and I'm telling you this this woman was was blue she had no pulse she wasn't breathing whether you say she was clinically deceased or not I don't know I'm not a medical professional but if not darn close to it and these three police officers are responsible for someone being alive today because of their quick action and I do these all the time like I say but I saw this one it was so amazing to watch them in action and then when it was all over they just go back to their post and they're just doing what they're doing like nothing happened so their humility was was amazing I'm praising them I went up on stage at the right after um intermission they already did a song I said too bad I'm getting up there and I said here's what happened folks everybody saw it and everybody wanted to know what happened to the lady so when I said she wasn't in real good shape until a few minutes later uh and she was back with a pulse breathing um there was a huge round of applause for uh these these officers I I got to tell you how proud I was to firsthand see something I talk about all the time which is life-saving efforts for the Woodbridge Township from the Woodbridge Township Police Department so congratulations to all three of you Greg do you want to add anything to this no when uh crazy was going on they were Comm job really great good job anybody else councilman small as a former Woodbridge uh police officer you know exactly what they went through if you want to say a few words yes for sure you know it isn't uh an easy job to do first of all but whenever you get to Save a Life it really makes a big difference and like the mayor said you know once it was done EMS came you just walked away and did what you had to do but rumor has it out there that you know aside from there being thousands of people there and this chaos that there was like a cheerleader hovering over Eric and Steph going do it you can do it you can do it might have been the mayor so he uh he really cheered him on but job well done we're all proud of you thank you I don't like putting officers on the spot well yes I do um anybody the three of you want to say anything Russell you got to say you're you're a certified so you were probably the right guy to be the third one on the scene because when the ambulance you were a very big help to the people in the ambulance the workers with your level of knowledge level of training and level of experience you made a real difference once these two got her to the ambulance you kind of kept it going and she got to the hospital alive and from there the do the hospital and doctors took over you want to say anything probably not come on man I'll just say you know it is a team effort it's not one person or another obviously there's us up here but there are other officers plenty more that were there um it's a big team effort as an EMT I just like to step in and give that extra little helping hand a little extra training and experience I may have and just help out where I can fit in and you know do my job great great and his he's an eagle SC so his first date and emergency preparedness experience started back when he was 11 years old Eric would you like to say a few words I'm just grateful that we have a great co-workers that all help that evening um some that aren even here and uh also grateful for tap abilities uh giving us good training uh continuing training and uh came out with a successful outcome thank great Stephanie nothing come on all right well anybody from the council anybody else want to say anything if not I'll call up our Police director Bob hubner to speak on behalf of the police department thanks mayor uh you know the mayor gives out a lot of proclamations but I can tell you that the most proclamations given out are for life saving and uh last year alone 26 officers were honored for life saving this year 11 including a great job and it's always good if you do it in front of May or don't make it Happ congratulations I'm also joined by Deputy Police director jiski council president Kyle Anderson at large third W councilman Cory Spiller Port writing in aanl to his right fifth W councilwoman Debbie me covering Colonia to her right councilwoman Elizabeth the hus at large to her right uh councilman hoe Bower second award for Ford so point casby to his right you heard from Council at large Brian small to his right forthward councilman ver Patel covering Island and menla Park Terrace and to his right Greg farara councilman at large so anybody else want to say anything on the council no thank you very much for for acting so quickly and swiftly and uh and showing everyone really uh what police work is all about every day um it's a day another day in the office in in in the large Township like the other day out in the field uh the township as large as Woodbridge but um we never know what you guys are doing um but we appreciate everything that you do is the first time I got to see a life saving action in action and I was so incredibly proud and so incredibly impressed by the job that that you all do did so congratulations and now let's take some pictures this one's for you okay i' now like to call up Jimmy Steve Nunes Jimmy is the latest Woodbridge Township police officer and he's here today to be sworn in and after seeing that do you feel the pressure of joining the Woodbridge Township PD little bit well when you're trained like they are and when you're given the experience and get the experience that they have you have nothing to worry about because it'll come natural to you officer Jimmy Steve nunz 26 is a lifelong resident of the avanel section of Woodbridge Township officer Nunes is a graduate of Colonia High School where he served as vice president of his graduating class officer nun has obtained a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Ruckers University officer nun has graduated from Mercer County Police Academy and was employed as a police officer with the New Jersey Transit Police Department since 2021 officer Nunes will take up assignment with the radio Patrol Division Mr Mitch Township Clerk will now swear in officer Nunes feel free to invite your family up to hold the Bible particular want to hold on to the Bible the Bible right do you Jimmy Nunes solemnly swear that you'll support the Constitution of the United States and the constitution of the state of New Jersey that you will bear faith and allegiance to the same and to the governments established in the United States and in this state under the authority of the people he will faithfully and partially and justly enforce all the laws and perform all the duties of the office of police officer according to the best of your ability so help you God congratulations sir [Applause] congratulations congratulations verybody now I'd like to ask director H to say a few words first I'd like to give him this [Applause] bad I just like to welcome to the W Police Department you know he does come with us uh to us with experience from New Jersey Transit so we expect that he's going to hit the ground running um I always like when we swear new officers in uh the same night we're give them proclamations because it gives them an opportunity to see the caliber of officers he's going to get to work with uh i' like to thank the mayor for keeping the police department strong and the counsel for being here uh supporting us as you always do congratulations [Applause] know being from you're from Colonia councilwoman Debbie mean knows you and your family and she'd like to say a few words so congratulations Jimmy I know you're going to make a fine office so we're really proud to have you on with um the best Force around I know I just I I am always marveled at the amazing job all of our police officers do my son is now also a w police officer and I just I just have such I I don't emotional I I just think what your job you you do an amazing job and approved tonight by um the awards that were given out and it's not an easy job and you do it well and you do it with Grace and I wish you a long and wonderful career congratulations offic councilwoman Elizabeth de Jes would like to say a few words thank you congratulations I think um tonight just proves how special our Police Department is and this is one of the nights that we really like to be at and celebrate with you the job that you do and sometimes we take for granted not realizing that you do it day today um you're new to our police department and it's a great experience for you to see the job that they do but also to realize that you're coming into a department where you're going to have the best training possible to go out there and do the job for our residents it's especially a proud n not only for your parents but for me too I think you're a Latino I'm Latina so for me it's like yay um also because Hispanic Heritage Month starts September 15th through October 15th so I think it's a little bit of an extra special night but and because you grew up in our Township and I think for me especially and I know that the rest of my Council mates feel the same way whenever we swear in a police officer that has grown in our Township is extra special because it shows that the children of our Township grow up and want to give back to their community and I think when you grow up in a community you live in the Community you tend to want what's best for your community so you're always going to go out there and do your best I along with my Council mate are deeply appreciative of the work that all of our First Responders do police officers firemen EMT and again this is a special night and this anytime that we acknowledge the work that you guys do swearing a new police officers is always special to us um God bless you and I hope that you all have a safe and wonderful night thank you to All Rise for the pledge to the flag I pledge aliance 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 if it all remain standing for a moment of silence for those who are serving us here in abroad notice requirements of the open public meeting will I have been satisfied concerning this meeting the annual noce on October 2nd 2023 October 6th I apologize a copy schedule was posted on Municipal bold board should be so noted in the minutes of this meeting councilman Bower here councilwoman Deus councilman farara councilwoman mlli councilwoman M here councilman Patel here councilman small vice president Spiller here president Anderson here can I get a motion to approve the minutes from septe uh August 20th and August 13th motion second any questions or comments from Council all in favor I oppose I have beginning with letter A which is the only second reading ordinance on this evening it's an ordinance authorizing the acceptance of a deed for 96 Pitman Avenue for rage improvements going to get a motion that this ordinance be taken up on second and third reading and the public hearing be open motion second any questions or comments from Council all in favor I I oppose eyes have it the public hearing is now open on this ordinance this ordinance only listed as letter a hearing no comment from the public can I get a motion that the public hearing be closed the ordinance be adopted and submitted to the mayor for approval as required by law motion second any questions or comments from councel all favor I I opposed eyes Havoc you next have ordinances under first reading listed as B CDE and F can I get a motion that these ordinance be passed on first reading published in the home News Tribune on Friday September 6th 2024 with notice of public hearing to be held on Tuesday September 17 2024 at 6: p.m. motion second any questions or comments from councel all in favor I I opposed eyes have Mr President before you you have 18 resolutions listed can I get a motion to approve 1 through 18 by consent motion second any comments or questions from Council all in favor I opposed eyes have we will now go into our public portion of part of the meeting uh When approaching the microphone please state your name and what section of town or the state that you live in you have a one-time opportunity to speak up to 5 minutes um all video taping must be done from that area that's marked off and um we just ask that you be respectful for decorum purposes uh of everyone and if you have any signs you cannot be left in in the aisle where it could cause a hazard it would have to be held or have to be in a chair um and uh I will give you a one minute warning is there anyone that would like to speak tonight go ahead you can just go hello hello my name is Jessica mayor vivonetto I'm sorry I didn't hear I'm Jessica mayor vivonetto and I live on Jansen Avenue in avanel sure I've been here for 10 years in this Township and I came tonight because I'm saddened and I'm angry that sequest Woodbridge is still open and fully operating despite the fact that 100 animals have died there since 2019 sequest has repeatedly failed to provide proper enclosures resulting in illness injury and death animals are escaping their enclosures overcrowded conditions are causing fighting injury and death some animals have been burned by their heat lamps recent reports document that animals have been kept in roach infested dog crates and the otter are escaping their enclosures proper vet care is not being provided just recently the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection put Woodbridge Sea Quest on indefinite probation preventing them from acquiring new Wildlife yet they recently acquired a garter snake and a to Geo what is the purpose of the probation if they are still allowed to purchase animals George who is the solitary Pig needs to be released to Sanctuary pigs need other pigs fresh air and adequate diet and sunlight to hold him in this unnatural concrete pen devoid of all things he needs to thrive is nothing but torture Woodbridge Township should be assisting the Department of Fish and Wildlife and the USDA in handling this if you know all of these issues are happening shouldn't you be doing everything that you can to assist those agencies this is my town too and I don't want this here we should not be parts of news reports and newspaper articles that were harboring a company that has a clear track record of neglect abuse and death Woodbridge is supporting a business that is under the advisement of an unethical convicted wild trafficker in today's world there is no reason why speciesism is what children are being taught these animals are not props they do not want to be touched and held and fed snacks from a gumball machine I think Woodbridge should support its residents we don't want this here we've been protesting we will continue to make noise we will continue our protests outside of the mall every two weeks we will continue to educate the public and we will continue to put Woodbridge Township into the news as a town that allows a place that has neglected abuse and death to be here on my final note Woodbridge aims to enhance the quality of life within our Township however we still face challenges such as excessive speeding on side streets and motels accommodating individuals with criminal histories including sex offenders keeping sequest open perpetuates animal abuse and cruelty and only further tarnishes Bridge reputation thank you thank you for your comments are there any other comments this evening good evening my name is Dr Nicole patterer and I stand before you as a concerned citizen of Woodbridge from the avanel section I've been here for 15 years yes so I stand here as a voice for the voice list the animals suffering at se Quest I'm here to urge you to assist in any way possible to close down this facility and put an end to the pain and mistreatment happening within its walls sequest promises a magical experience a chance to connect with marine life and other animals up close but reality is far from magical behind the glass enclosures and friendly advertisements there is a story of Cruelty neglect and suffering countless reports and videos have surfaced showing animals living in habitats not built to prop ER husbandry standards deprived of proper care and left to suffer in silence these are beings capables of feeling fear stress and pain yet they are treated as mere objects for entertainment each of these creatures has a life that matters a life that is being slowly eroded away by the conditions they endure at sequest this isn't just about legal violations this is about our Humanity every day that we allow this facility to operate we condone suffering we tell our children that it's okay to exploit living beings for profit and that is it acceptable to disregard the needs and rights of those who cannot speak for themselves sequest in Woodbridge represents a stain on our community a place where both animals and people are put at risk we have a moral duty to act now to shut down this facility and send a clear message that Woodbridge is a community that values compassion over cruelty ethics over exploitation I urge you members of the council to look into your hearts and ask yourself if this is what we want for our town to be known as a place that turns a blind eye to suffering or do we want to be a community that stands up for what is right that protects those who are vulnerable that lead by example the animals that sequest cannot speak for themselves but we can speak for them let us choose to be their voice please help us close down sequest and show the world that Woodbridge is a community that stands for kindness respect and Justice thank you thank you thank you for your comments Maxine King from Woodbridge proper 40 years resident I don't have a written speech but I am heartbroken since May 9th when I visited sequest for my granddaughter's birthday I had no IDE idea that I would see such a horror show and I was further frustrated by when I called Woodbridge Animal Control to find out a phone number where I could call to make complaints about the care of the animals and treatment they got Woodbridge animal shelter did not have any number of this partner State office that would have jurisdiction over that business I asked for the supervisor and the supervisor was not available to give me any phone number that's unconscionable Woodbridge Animal Control should be helpful to try to secure the safety for our animal friends I had some complaints especially about the koi on May 9th there were so many fish in the tank and they seemed to be so hungry that they were popping up to get the food children had to pay used the machine to get food to throw to them the big fish were in the middle because they were the strongest and they were all shoulder toosh shoulder rising up to grab the food and the medium size and then the small ones on the outside ring it seemed like they hadn't been fed I seen qu and ponds in Paris and other places and they seem very calm and relaxed and people can enjoy them these fish were not to be enjoyed they were desperate there were too many fish in the tank it was jammed it was like they had multiplied and multiplied and nobody even noticed and then there was a chicken a chicken and PE children kept throwing food to it do you know that you can feed a chicken till it dies it just dies from being over stuffed there is there's no reason for this and the heartbreaker of it all was the sloth a sloth kept up on a high place a pole or something I don't I couldn't even concentrate he was just hanging there no fresh air no sunlight just Eternal Darkness there's something wrong somebody needs to go over there and look and I'm not talking about the state I'm talking about you people somebody should look that is not entertainment they have outworn their welcome we are done with them and you know what we'll get rid of them and tomorrow they'll open up someplace else un suspecting and The Business of making money will continue I mean if you have to pay $30 to go in and see animal abuse and you have one minute thank you paying for an to see animal abuse is just wrong it is heartbreaking you people need to see this in person there is no excuse and your animal shelter should give out the state number and department so people can have a clue who to complain to you're just letting us down it's wrong for children it's wrong for an adult you have to do something please thank you thank you for your comments do I need to adjust this higher or is it no please leave it that way okay cool my name's kayin Whitney um I'm from DaNell New Jersey um I'm a former employee and my name is all over cquest website right now on the FAQ page um where it talks about cquest and ABC News if you want to know more about that feel free to ask me later I can teach you why to take this company with a grain of salt um I worked there from April 2021 to April 2022 today's actually a special anniversary for sequest Woodbridge this is the three-year anniversary of the parakeet plague of 21 um this is a prime example of YC Quest is not just an animal welfare concern but it's also a public health concern a big one um for some context here we were used to dead birds we'd lose anywhere between one and three every single month it was a disturbing reality we were used to putting up with um early in September we lost about four in one week Panic immediately sets in we're trying to figure out what's going on birds are dropping dead in front of small children Elders every kind of thing you could imagine they their cloas were impacted with feces their skin was pale some of them had foaming at their beaks these birds I cannot stress enough were dropping dead in front of children we begged management to let us close the interaction while we tried to figure out what's happening and we could stabilize the birds um they told us the parakeet feeding interaction was their most profitable interaction in the facility it was the busiest one so they can't close it down it makes too much money Nine Dead birs 2 weeks that turned into 14 very very fast we begged them to let us at least have people use hand sanitizer before and after the interaction they told us we can't enforce the use of hand sanitizer who is going to say no to that who's going to go no and you're like you want some hand sanitizer right so a baby parakeet named nugget used to live in our back room at one point he was a little guy about four five months old he would sit on my head while I was making diets he would sleep in my shirt he was a little baby who refused to fly at one point he finally figured out how to fly and they made us put him out into the enclosure nugget was number 15 Nugget died in my co-worker hands he was foaming at the mouth he was seizing in her hands we sobbed that night to our manager sequest issued a feal smear for these birds you're probably wondering if we ever test them we did kind of sort of feal smears are wildly inaccurate for Birds the best way to do this is to do a throat swab they only tested for bacterial they did not test viral they did not test parasitic they did not test Fung Le just bacteria and it came back negative lo and behold um 15 Dead Birds by the way turned into 18 did you know parakeet by the way can spread diseases to humans there's a lot of them we had no idea what was making these birds sick they wouldn't test them any further um it could make someone's daughter deathly ill it could make someone's imuno compromised grandfather super super sick it God it could kill them in the worst case scenario there's many examples of where this could go wrong s osis which is a type of chyia is notorious in sick birds and it can spread to humans it can cause gosh respiratory failure hepatitis arthritis sepsis Giardia is a parasitic disease that can spread from humans to or sorry from birds to humans when they're sick and these birds had so many symptoms of giardia this is a parasitic disease that can cause diarrhea FAL issues all kinds of digestional issues there's more diseases that's only two of them 18 Dead Birds by the way eventually turned into 21 less than 30 days and I remember that number because I counted the freezer full of dead birds it was putting in number 21 and I counted that freezer myself there were more than that afterwards I stopped counting because I got numb to it this should scare you like a lot cquest actively ignored public health and safety to make $2 per guest interaction $2 per parakeet interaction one minute for me people might have gotten sick they had no idea it was from the birds that freeer full of dead parakeets should be evident enough that this place should not be open anymore there are countless sequ quests around the country that are closing rapidly Connecticut just went down for example we should be following that the parakeets are just one example of why it's a Public Health crisis to keep this facility open I worked in cockroach infested facilities I became numb to the sight of cockroaches they'd be crawling all over my arms I was unfazed by my last day there I became numb to the sight of dead things I became numb to the smell of iguana feces I became numb to the smell and sight of literally everything you don't know what's going on in those back rooms you guys aren't trained to see what's really going on there you can't spot the mites on the iguanas you can't spot the the stress barring on the parrots you can't spot any of that because you guys aren't trained with animals but I am and she is and many of us are and we know what's going on in there and it is not okay and it is a danger to this public thank you thank you for your comments okay uh ladies and gentlemen of the city council uh my name is Kate sein I'm a resident of Trenton New Jersey and also a former sequest employee uh thank you for giving me this opportunity to speak today I am here to share my firsthand experience and concerns regarding sequest interactive aquarium an establishment that has consistently failed in its duty of care both for its animals and its staff I worked at cquest from November 2019 to March 2021 a period during which I witness profound neglect and mismanagement as a former employee I feel a deep responsibility to bring these issues to light from the outset the treatment of the animals at sequest was troubling many of the animals I helped transport to that facility including many of whom were still young animals have since died under circumstances that were entirely preventable I have also witnessed severe incidents of animal mismanagement guests have been bit by animals such as the trout which is then exposing open wounds to the unhygienic conditions in those tanks if you look at those tanks they are brown um a staff member suffered an incident where she nearly lost an eye to UND stimulated and mismanaged Kar mundies um and another staff member was sent to the ER after mishandling an Asian water monitor um both Asian water monitors that I picked up in 2019 as juveniles are now among the deceased uh the facility's issues extend beyond the treatment of the animals sequest has neglected the upkeep of its rented space in the Woodbridge Center mall with rotting walls mold and a Severe cockroach infestation this reflects a broader pattern of disregard for the safety and well-being of both animals and humans within this establishment the trauma I carry from my time and cquest brand department is profound all five peaking Ducks I transported in 2019 are now dead an Esmeralda a green tree python withered away without eating a single meal during her stay um starfish were shredded by escaped animals several times they had to get Replacements um a loret with a fungus growing up his body was denied Veterinary Care only to be found dead at the bottom of his cage by staff two sloths have now died there as well as lady who was a prehen Sal tail por porcupine um and the management dismissed her as being just old despite the fact that she died before her life expectancy these are Stark indicators of the systematic failures at sequest it is not an exaggeration to say that sequest track record is marked by a disturbing pattern of negligence and mistreatment the facility's consistent inability to provide appropriate care for its animals and maintain a safe environment for both staff and visitors is deeply alarming for the sake of the animals who have suffered and died under sequest care for the safety of the staff and guests who have been put at risk and for the Integrity of this community I urge you to consider shutting down sequest the evidence of Cruelty and mismanagement is far too great to ignore you can't shut your eyes to this thank you for your attention to this critical matter thank you for your comments hello my name is Maria Ivanova from new bronck New Jersey I'm here today to ask your help in closing down sequest in Woodbridge SE West may look like a fun place but the truth is that animals there are not treated well they don't uh get proper care or enough food animals are placed in exhibits that uh do not allow them to display the natural behaviors some animals are even hurt and don't get medical help this is not right animals just like us feel pain fear and stress they they shouldn't have to suffer so people can make money or have fun keeping sequest open makes it look like Woodbridge doesn't care about well-being of animals it is supposed to be a kind and caring community and we should not support a place that causes harm to senent beings closing sequest will show that we care about animals and about doing the right thing I ask you the my members of the council to take action please investigate seest and take steps to close it down let's protect these animals and show the town's commitment to kindness and respect for all living beings in closing I want to remind everyone uh that we have a choice today we can choose to stand up for what is right and give these animals a chance for better life please help close sequest and make Woodbridge a place uh that can be be proud of thank you thank you for your comments I need a height adjustment good evening folks council members members of the audience my name is Larry white I send greetings from Mammoth County I'm an organizer for voter choice New Jersey which is bringing rank Choice voting to the Garden State my colleagues were here a couple of weeks ago in order to introduce you to the concept of rank Choice voting and the bills that we have currently in the state legislature that would allow for permissive use of rank Choice voting for local and Schoolboard elections I'm here this evening to invite you to experience rank Choice voting on September 18th from 7: to 9:00 p.m. we will be holding an event at the Woodbridge Brewing Company where we will explain how rank Choice voting works and allow you to rank five beers that the Brew Pub will be suggesting to us and you can experience rank Choice voting for yourselves and have five flights of beer in the process I have Flyers uh about the event with me and also uh Palm cards with a link to our website so you can see what we're all about and what we're trying to do here in New Jersey so I'm inviting the entire Council to come you will be receiving email invitations additionally and we will also be inviting the members of the Board of Education here in Woodbridge to the event as well should be a fun time and I'll be presenting who can I uh deliver this to in order to uh have this distributed bring it up to you yes sir yes our clerk very good thank you thank you ladies and gentlemen hope to see you all on the 18 thank you are there any other comments from the public this evening good good evening everybody JN woodb uh those people are in concern of Wildlife and the think in world we know it's a cruelity we all know it but again in Wood we do have ordinance you only allow to have sick chickens I don't think who give those people permits who the license home by whom our Board of Health or anybody else I know that's one of our kind business I've been with wood my question would be how would they allow to do it first place under whose jurisdictions they fall is a state local uh I know I want to farm I know Farmers each animal they got anything from chickens to to dogs and cats and of course sheep and pigs and livestock CS when they have a take on the ears if they have to destroy animal has to be reported if animal is sick this reported and in Europe we have a the veterinarian would come up unexpectedly inspect the animal without anybody's knowledge uh it sounds like it's a very neglected facilities we all have livestock we all have all this nature will give us and it's all because of the money I people making money on it and as much they can make it but again uh personally I think it's dangerous to put public on a infested location especially young children I do understand uh kids like to feed animals to control how much they eat if you can buy the food they're going to give it to them but again who license they have who gives them the license uh is what the boorder of Board of Health looks over it who looks over those people maybe those people are coming to you it's not your soal jurisdiction you know nothing to do do with it it's probably stay down but again something has to be done and if there anything serious would come out of it let's hope it doesn't happen in Woodbridge so I'm supporting those people stand for but again let's look into it and find out who's really responsible to let them neglect the facilities like that I bought some fish myself my fish pond and uh go there and they said well we don't guarantee them after so many days if fish I bring it back what question is did I get sick fish when I bought it so all the records should be kept especially if you exic animals from foreign countries you know if you go to Europe when you come back here you can Brak any fruit any kind of a live animals any like this how those people things are smuggle here how they smuggle if they go all the checkup for the uh so it doesn't affect our animals over here so look into it if it's not I don't say J responsibility whoever licens them who's overlooking them it those people license there should be assigned veterinarians that be unexpectedly I don't okay we pay for them or somebody pays for them like you got us B the Health Inspectors they should go there and check those animals for so like any other violation so I do support him and for young people out there put so much time into it that's great because nature is very important if it's no nature we won't be here thank you thank thank you are there any other comments this evening from the public here no other comment can I get a motion that the public comment portion be closed motion second faor I I oppos I before we go into our agenda portion I do want to uh thank all of the uh those who came out took their time out to educate um our Council on uh your experience with uh cquest and your complaints um I do want to acknowledge that um our Public Health Department uh does work with uh the department of uh Environmental Protection and the New Jersey uh fish and wildlife division in which they are regulated we are aware of the probation that they're under we're aware that the probation um I believe ends in September 27th sometime around then um I'm just saying that um we're aware of them aware of the probation and woodrige Township is cooperating the best way they can with the organization that regulates organizations like this um other than that uh you know we're going to continue as a Township to do our part to make sure that uh businesses um in Woodbridge Township operate uh according to the law um I know that there was some comments regarding our traffic I will say uh ma'am uh from I believe Jessica from avanel we have had residents from a come in recently um and councilman Spiller has worked with them we've even uh had Direction Changed on some speeding uh where a road uh I believe Chestnut was changed in the direction from one way uh to a one way to avert that type of speeding that's going on our Police Department uh responds to every speeding complaint and um perform traffic studies and we also perform um where they come out bring the the monitor to show people how fast they're driving so um but if you have a specific complaint uh about a specific area please make it known to us as well um and uh you know we just we encourage public comment um I'm sorry that some of you came at the last meeting and were're not aware of during the time of the public portion of the meeting but we do encourage public comment and we we appreciate the information that you're bringing and um we will continue to um work with our Public Health Department which works in turn with the fish and wildlife thank you very much um we'll go into our our um agenda portion of the meeting um I do want to um acknowledge uh uh mayor mayor McCormack uh and the council for coming out supporting our Woodridge Broncos at their pep rally um they kicked off their season this year and uh this past Sunday and uh it was fantastic our um our pep rally had at least a thousand people there um and we had uh the full support of our local high schools and we want to wish those uh young men and women and children um a lot of uh luck as they uh enter into their season if you can come out and support them they'll be playing their home games throughout the fall at Colonia High School and also at Woodbridge High School um my agenda portion is in order I'm going to move over to council Council vice president Spiller thank you council president Anderson I am number two at the Arts Village I just like to give an update on curtain's restaurant as a few residents have been asking the restaurant portion will be closed for an UNP unspecified amount of time as the kitchen under goes remodeling the bar will be open for special events and any time that there is an event at APAC the Performing orp Center I have number 16 green mu family Success Center the center has some great events and Pro programs in September especially geared at going back to school you can find them on their website Greenway family Success Center uh or on Facebook you can contact 73252 73400 uh just go online you could find the calendar and uh excuse me and register for any of the uh programs rest of my agend is and Order council president uh thank you to all emergency responders Fire EMS our wber Police Department C and all our Public Works and Township employees God Bless America thank you Council thank you council president uh just a few events I want to mention first the thank you for the 27th annual Crossroads run uh this past Sunday uh we had close to 200 Runners and this was the first time that we worked with the Marissa Taro Foundation uh and uh both Greg and his wife were there and it was a great event special thank you goes out to our Recreation Department uh Brian molard a director uh in particular Bob Minsky and Evelyn ciano who were on site running the event it was a great event um our our uh County Parks thank them Public Works the police department and our Emergency Management uh this the U certain folks it was a great event uh Joe Ward was there representing the group and uh it was just worked out very well what did you whisper in my ear kaj iile kajo I'm sorry I thank you um coming up on September 22nd Sunday is the 17th annual tour to Woodbridge uh the we're working with the Boy Scouts once again there's a 15 mile and a 30 mile run checkin is at 7 a.m. at the Woodbridge Community Center 15 Mile starts off first and 30 mile goes at 8:15 uh it's $30 pre-register you can go to uh race roster and put in Woodbridge tour to Wood uh tour to Woodbridge and it'll come right up uh there is a senior Barb barue at the community center on September 14th you have to call the community center to register food music and prizes uh there's a bagels and coffee seminar also at the Woodbridge Community Center on September 18th from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in room 214 finally this week weekend coming up is the Senior Olympics WEA being the home of the Senior Olympics and we're very excited about that there's booklets out but uh might have a last chance to register for some of that that's all I have chalk full of healthy things to do in Woodbridge Mr President thank you thank you before I move over to councilman Bower I did have an update that um I had overlooked uh this is for our Recreation up update the fall Rec uh soccer rosters are being finalized and practices will begin shortly uh we have over 1,00 kids registered uh opening weekend will begin September 21st and our free clinics will begin in October the full track the fall travel soccer kicks off this weekend for the Colonia and Woodbridge travel uh programs fall wck baseball and softball rosters are being finalized and practices will begin shortly we have over 400 kids registered an opening day will be uh begin in the end of September fall travel baseball kicks off this weekend for our Colonial Fords and Woodbridge travel programs and on October 12th our sanctioned town ship travel uh softball programs the colonial cycle uh Cyclones will be hosting a one-day softball tournament at Colonia Middle School in honor of Colonia resident Karen Brock and special thank you to the parks department who have worked tirelessly to prepare our Fields uh for the upcoming season I'll move over to councilman vard thank you pouncil president my agenda is in order just one announcement school starts tomorrow navigating our taches Township streets be mindful of our children crossing guards and school buses go to all our students teachers on up school year God bless all our First Responders and God bless America that's all I have tonight thank you council president very important uh Council Miss small thank you council president couple of announcements po running fire in EMS will be hos in a trunk Retreat on October 24th that's from 6 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. uh Woodbridge PBA 38 held its golf outing last week I want to commend officer Eddie parfett who ran a golf outing job well done and the PBA will be donating $5,000 to Angels play Foundation um national public lands day will be held on September 28th the light parade is November 30th and that's about all I have God Bless America God bless our fire police EMS and public works and all our Township employees thank you thank you Council Dees thank you council president I just have a few announcements um first I would like to congratulate um officers L van L detective men for their proclamations and their life saving actions and to welcome you officer nunas into our police force um may God bless them and keep them safe um item number eight the Hispanic Heritage Month we will be celebrating the Hispanic Festival Saturday September 21st from 12: to 5: right here on Main Street in front of town hall the Baron Art Center has Bruce Christensen the World Through My Lens a photography exhibit which is on view starting September 5th through September 25th with the opening reception being September 5th from 6: to 8 and they will also host their sixth annual psychic fair which will be September 21st from 11: to 5: with a $5 ad Mission again this is all at the baron art center you can call 732 634 413 for more information I would also like to thank I wasn't here at last meeting but we had two successful backpack drives in casban hopon thank the Evangel Church our Woodbridge Police Department all of the offices from our Township that were there um the casby firehouse the Hopeland Firehouse we again were able to outfit a lot of our kids in those areas but also had a surplus and are able to donate to schools and to families in needs so thank you to everyone that participated in community backpacks and like how we said tomorrow is the first day of school in Woodbridge Township so I would like to wish all of our teachers um staff and students a happy healthy and successful school year that is all that I have thank you okay thank you uh Council Mian thank you going down to number four on my agenda please join uh to events please join us on Saturday October 12th for two backtack charity events starting at noon Jo us for the 8th Annual IM Avenue breast cancer awareness walk the walk will leave from St John the Andy's church parking lot different than last year which was at colon Middle School at noon and will proceed to the Springwood Swim Club the cost per Walker is $10 immediately following the breast cancer walk we will be holding our third annual charity October Fest at the Springwood Swim Club featuring music from Seven Stone there will be a beer and wine Garden which is $25 a person food for sale pumpkin decorating face painting lots of stuff for the kids gift baskets and more the breast cancer walk this year is in memory of Karen Brock and Sharon Zink and all proceeds from the breast cancer walk this year will be donated to Melissa sener a 32 a 32-year-old mom from Colonia to help with the medical cost battling breast cancer all proceeds from the October Fest will be donated to the L family of Colonia to help with medical expenses for their young son Ben who's battling cancer please come out and enjoy these two events as we honor and support these families from Colonia going down to number seven on my agenda Colonia fire department Colonia fire department will be holding their open house on at the firehouse on uh Sunday October 6 from 1: to 4: they invite the community to come out and meet the firefighters see their equipment and learn about uh fire safety and lastly just a reminder please drop carefully like we've all said um schools back in session tomorrow and wishing the teachers and students and parents and administrators a wonderful and safe School school year that's all I have you told them to drive safe when school's out too so just drive safe all right yeah let's go all right councilman pel yeah thank you Council also my agenda already in order I have few announcements I would like to extend my heartful thanks to the mayor to the council to the woodb police department the chief of police department the chief of Public Works and his staff members and all other departments inv worlded for their excellent work in ensuring the success and safety of the two major parades which took place on o Road in isin over the past two weeks with thousands of Spectators and extra traffic that teamw work and and and and teamw work and dedication truly made everything run smoothly again I thank you all for job that's well done as we celebrate ated uh Labor Day weekend I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations and best wishes to all the students parents teachers and staff as the new school year begins tomorrow may this year be safe healthy and filled with growth learning and success success again best wishes to you all also this year the 1947 production and entertainment Inc will host one of the largest ganesa festivals in the parking lot of the Woodbridge Township Mall located at 250 Woodbridge Center dry Woodbridge this vibrant celebration will take place on September 7th 8th and 9th honoring Lord Ganesha this event offers a unique opportunity to experience the rich sight sounds and Flavors of India while connecting with diverse Community please be advised that during the evening hours on these days you may encounter extra traffic on woodb Center Drive we we appreciate your understanding and invite you all to join the joyful celebration that's all please thank you very much Mr Mitch I thank you Mr President my agenda is order long uh May m you have any comments thank you council president I had a big list tonight but one by one you picked everything off so I have nothing left to say thank you appreciate that thank you council president uh I have a few things on my agenda this evening I have a tax in sewer overpayment I have a tax in court judgment and I have 100% disabled veteran thank you council president thank you director H thank you Director D thank you thank you director Brew thank you council president my agenda's in order nothing for tonight nothing evening coun Mo motion second all in favor I