[0:00] We're Thursday, July 11th, 2026.

[0:03] June.

[0:04] June. Sorry.

[0:06] We'll have the pledge of allegiance at the regular council meeting.

[0:11] Roll call, please.

[0:13] Council President Bilotta?

[0:15] Here.

[0:16] Councilman Cummings?

[0:17] Here.

[0:17] Councilman Howell?

[0:18] Here.

[0:19] Councilman Miller? He's not going to be here this evening. Councilman Wilkinson?

[0:23] Present.

[0:24] Councilman Scratis?

[0:25] Here.

[0:26] Mayor Miller? Here. Also present with us this evening, Solicitor

[0:30] Howard Long.

[0:31] Here.

[0:31] Administrator Anne Marie Miller?

[0:32] Here.

[0:34] I am present.

[0:35] Thank you.

[0:36] You're welcome.

[0:38] We'll move on to...

[0:41] If you guys don't mind, we have

[0:43] Luciano's here to talk about-

[0:46] Okay ... so we'll let him go first before the-

[0:48] Yeah ... before the meetings. Good? All right.

[0:52] Yeah. You

[0:52] want

[0:57] to come up? Yeah. Just, yeah, you can go to the

[1:00] podium if you'd

[1:03] like. Yeah.

[1:07] Yeah.

[1:08] We know who you are, but could you state, we don't need an address, just a name for

[1:12] the record, please.

[1:13] Luciano Lamberti.

[1:15] And sir?

[1:17] Keith Ludwig.

[1:18] Mr.

[1:20] Ludwig.

[1:24] Anyone else? Not

[1:27] here. Now is not the time to be shy, gentlemen.

[1:30] To talk now?

[1:30] Say what's on your minds.

[1:31] Is that what I'm doing? Okay. I have his Pasta Vino,

[1:36] pretty much sold to somebody. Well, the business end of it, not the building,

[1:40] because he doesn't own the building, to a place called The Dugout in

[1:43] Philadelphia. Very successful sports bar.

[1:46] They're going to maintain the same concept here.

[1:49] They do a lot of sandwiches and wings, things like that.

[1:53] They bring a lot of ball players from the Phillies and Eagles and

[1:57] all that around to watch the games with.

[2:00] And they actually do a

[2:02] podcast out of their one over there, which, of course, they're going to replicate

[2:06] here.

[2:07] Has the landlord been, has the property owner been-

[2:09] I've been talking to Kim.

[2:10] Okay, because they're trying to sell it, because we put a condemnation order in.

[2:15] Yeah.

[2:16] So I don't know what the plans are for the building. Have they...

[2:21] Well, the last time I spoke to her, she said to me that the

[2:25] one side was not going to

[2:28] be affected-

[2:29] Okay

[2:29] ... from the plans that were approved back in the day.

[2:32] Okay.

[2:33] With the townhouses and apartments.

[2:37] Okay.

[2:37] Which would be only the front side.

[2:39] So they're intending to keep the restaurant and the-

[2:41] Correct.

[2:42] The strip side. Yeah.

[2:43] And they had, I think, two pad sides out front.

[2:45] I don't know if that still stands.

[2:49] Okay.

[2:51] And

[2:52] the winter was not really that kind to the building.

[2:55] It has a couple of broken pipes, things like that, and he needs to

[3:00] replace the two 12 and a half ton units up on top in order

[3:04] for the other two gentlemen to move in.

[3:06] Mm-hmm.

[3:07] It's going to take about 60 to 90 days to get the units.

[3:11] I don't know if you know there's a shortage.

[3:13] Yeah.

[3:14] And other than that, that's exactly where he's at.

[3:18] Yeah.

[3:22] In August of 2024, the law changed on

[3:26] pocket licenses.

[3:28] I know.

[3:28] And I believe you closed sometime in '23, which means you applied for

[3:32] '24, it's fine, '25, and you've applied again for

[3:35] '26.

[3:39] So they used to be able to carry on forever.

[3:42] Now the municipality,

[3:45] if they go two full cycles when they're in pocket for two years, which I think

[3:49] you've completed,

[3:50] the third one

[3:52] is not an automatic renewal. You have to ask the

[3:56] municipality to extend an additional year.

[3:59] And so in order to do that, we just want

[4:03] some assurances that it just... When it's not sitting there, when we have a

[4:07] liquor license that's sitting in pocket, which means it's not being

[4:11] used, you're not generating revenue, we're not generating

[4:15] more of a tax base and income for the municipality,

[4:19] because they have value, right?

[4:21] Right.

[4:21] Liquor licenses have value. So while they could approve it this

[4:25] time,

[4:26] I got to tell you, if you come back next year in the same position,

[4:31] they don't have any options. It's just going to lapse at that point.

[4:34] And then if it goes eight years in pocket,

[4:38] then the town can actually just take it back and sell it itself so that it

[4:42] can be reused. So there's been a lot of changes in the law.

[4:46] But they really have given you to August,

[4:50] I believe, of 2028.

[4:53] Right. I think it says-

[4:54] I think that's the date

[4:57] for you to comply with it, and for the mandatory rules to come into

[5:01] effect. But we can only keep passing this along

[5:05] so every...

[5:09] Our ability to just continue ad infinitum is no

[5:13] longer based upon the change of law.

[5:15] So this would be the last one that you could get.

[5:17] So I know-

[5:18] And the compliance is based on an open and operating under the guidelines

[5:22] of the license at the location.

[5:24] Yeah. And we-

[5:24] Okay

[5:24] ... what we want to know b- basically is, how quick can we

[5:28] turn around we're going to see a business in there using the license?

[5:32] I would think that-

[5:33] Go ahead.

[5:33] Do you want to answer?

[5:34] Go ahead.

[5:34] I would think that you're probably looking at September for football season,

[5:39] because he's got some renovations to do in there, because he's not going to be an

[5:42] Italian restaurant. Everything is based on that right now.

[5:45] He's been in the facility three or four times.

[5:49] He's actually bringing another

[5:50] engineer regarding the deck

[5:54] outside or in the patio outside. He wants to enclose that in order to

[5:58] have parties and things there. And I think that would be a big

[6:02] attribute to your township.

[6:04] I don't know if you know the place. It's a very, very busy bar

[6:09] They handle a clientele that's more

[6:12] middle-aged. It's not

[6:15] like there's going to be dances there or anything like that.

[6:17] No.

[6:18] What's the name of them?

[6:19] The Dugout.

[6:23] Yeah. If-

[6:24] I understand

[6:25] ... we're standing here a year from now, we're going to be-

[6:28] No, I think it'll be done by then.

[6:30] Let me help you.

[6:31] The minimum we're going to have to wait is August for the

[6:35] units to be placed up on the roof. And some of the roof needs to be repaired as

[6:39] well.

[6:39] Do you have it under contract with The Dugout yet?

[6:42] Not yet.

[6:42] Not yet. We're getting there. We're negotiating the price.

[6:46] But they definitely want it.

[6:48] They've been my client for 15 years.

[6:52] So anyway.

[6:54] Yeah. Any questions?

[6:56] Hurry up.

[6:58] Hurry up. Okay.

[6:59] Yeah. Thanks for coming in and-

[7:01] Wait till you see the roast beef thing. It's a big thing. It really is.

[7:05] Any questions of us?

[7:08] You guys are good?

[7:09] The only compliance is that it opens and operates as a bar under the license that's

[7:13] there now.

[7:13] Yes.

[7:14] What is it, a broad C?

[7:15] It's cool. It's-

[7:17] Yeah, it's consumption.

[7:18] Yeah, packaged goods too on that license, right?

[7:21] Yes.

[7:23] All right. Thank you.

[7:23] Okay. Do you have any other questions?

[7:25] No, that's it. Just want to make sure that's the plan in place.

[7:27] Very good. Let's push it forward.

[7:28] I'll be in touch.

[7:29] Okay.

[7:29] You know?

[7:29] I appreciate it.

[7:30] Yes.

[7:30] Yeah, keep us informed.

[7:31] Absolutely.

[7:31] It's always helpful to know-

[7:32] Absolutely

[7:32] ... when we know that, what's going on. Thank you.

[7:35] Yeah.

[7:35] All right.

[7:35] All right. Appreciate it, John.

[7:36] Thank you.

[7:36] Thanks for coming out.

[7:37] Thank you.

[7:37] Thanks.

[7:38] Have a good weekend.

[7:40] Appreciate it. Thanks, you too.

[7:41] Thanks, guys.

[7:42] No problem.

[7:44] Councilman Balogh, do you have anything for the workshop meeting?

[7:46] No, I don't. They aren't pulled up till the regular meeting.

[7:50] Okay. Councilwoman Cummings?

[7:51] Nothing till the meeting, except-

[7:52] Okay.

[7:53] Archie?

[7:54] Councilman Holley?

[7:55] Nothing for the workshop. I'm fine.

[7:58] Councilman Miller's not here. Councilman Wilkinson?

[8:01] Yeah, just a couple things. On the resolutions for the regular

[8:05] meeting, that's going to be a consent?

[8:08] Yeah. If there was one you wanted to pull out and vote separately or question-

[8:12] Well, personally, I

[8:15] feel like I'd like to understand why

[8:19] the fire department needs another Tahoe.

[8:22] So I'm inclined to vote no on that one.

[8:28] Which number was that?

[8:29] That's- It's the bottom of page four, I think. It's D.

[8:34] Section 8.

[8:35] 8D, Mayor.

[8:36] Okay.

[8:38] Well, my only

[8:41] rationale is

[8:43] when it comes to lighting for

[8:46] the baseball field so Berlin kids can have games at

[8:50] night, I'm told, "Don't have the money for that.

[8:53] Don't have the money for that." Yet, then I see a Tahoe, and

[8:57] I

[8:58] guess I don't quite understand the

[9:03] administrative structure of the fire hall.

[9:07] It seemed to have grown exponentially.

[9:10] And I don't know that we really have a say in that. I don't know why we don't.

[9:16] I think we should, if money's being paid out to people.

[9:19] I just think there needs to be a little more oversight over what goes

[9:23] on there.

[9:26] It's like they want to operate as a volunteer organization, yet they want to

[9:30] get paid and have all this equipment, too. So I don't know.

[9:33] Anyway, I'm just bringing that up,

[9:38] because like I said, I'm inclined to at least have a conversation

[9:42] about why-

[9:43] Okay

[9:43] ... they need

[9:44] it,

[9:46] if for no other reason. And then

[9:50] on the roads program,

[9:54] I had a conversation with Key Engineers this week about maybe

[9:58] putting Central in there,

[10:01] and maybe taking out Atlantic for the

[10:04] 2026.

[10:06] Okay.

[10:09] I think John feels like that would be

[10:13] better to do, and I'm inclined to agree with him only because

[10:18] it

[10:19] would affect a lot more people on

[10:23] Central than would Atlantic, South Atlantic anyway.

[10:29] I guess

[10:31] I'm always open to hear other people's opinion on that.

[10:35] I guess John the engineer would know better than I. Sure.

[10:39] I don't have my... I didn't bring my

[10:43] iPad. Are the streets mentioned in the resolution?

[10:47] Yeah.

[10:47] The street timings.

[10:48] Because it's why it's for the-

[10:50] Yeah

[10:50] ... they need the resolution.

[10:51] Because that resolution is on here.

[10:53] Okay. So we would just change the

[10:56] streets. We'd vote on changing the street names?

[10:58] We can do that.

[11:01] Well, we have to apply for, we have to-

[11:03] When's it due by?

[11:04] They wanted it for this meeting.

[11:06] Yeah.

[11:06] But they said that you could. Penney's done July before, but he's

[11:10] asked, requested that the resolution be

[11:12] confirmed at that because they're applying for the grant.

[11:17] Hal, what are your thoughts on this?

[11:18] So there's two streets we have in the resolution.

[11:21] A possibility of swapping a street out. We have flexibility.

[11:24] We have to decide that tonight.

[11:27] Is it streets identified to be paved? Is that what you're talking about?

[11:30] Yeah.

[11:31] There's two, and the engineer's recommending...

[11:33] Well, I'm inclined to listen to the engineer and the head of DPW.

[11:37] Okay.

[11:37] So I'm inclined-

[11:38] Yeah

[11:38] ... to swap it out.

[11:39] You can do whatever it is you want to do. That's their recommendation.

[11:42] The problem you have is, I assume they did a needs list

[11:46] from worst to best, and they rate them.

[11:49] Mm-hmm.

[11:49] So if you skip one that needs it to another that needs it,

[11:53] we're getting to them. You could get a lot of people coming in saying,

[11:57] "How come they got moved up the list?

[11:59] My street didn't get moved up the list."

[12:01] Of course.

[12:02] That's the only thing. That's why they do those five-year plans where they

[12:06] evaluate your roads and determine from worst to best where you

[12:10] should be working.

[12:11] So that there's some sort of objective criteria that goes into

[12:15] it?

[12:16] I don't know.

[12:16] Otherwise, everybody's going to want the road-

[12:17] I certainly don't understand that.

[12:19] I know that they have some kind of robotic system that's used.

[12:24] And I don't-

[12:24] Yeah, I don't know either

[12:25] ... I don't know how they determine South-- I don't even know how South Atlantic

[12:28] even got on that list.

[12:28] I've seen it many times, but I never asked that question, how do you-- German

[12:32] now, forget they just-

[12:33] Was the South Atlantic because that the,

[12:36] um-

[12:36] Well, would it be South Atlantic? Because I

[12:39] think according to the key engineers, they would still do

[12:42] Union. And they're not saying that they wouldn't get to that.

[12:46] I think-

[12:48] Was that brought up though because of the gas company work that was on there?

[12:51] Is that the road that got torn up? Or is that, I think of something different.

[12:55] No, it's not.

[12:56] Is that East Atlantic?

[12:56] South Atlantic.

[12:58] No.

[12:58] South Atlantic is down by Union and Laurel.

[13:00] North Atlantic. Okay. It's different way.

[13:01] That's the other side.

[13:03] That's closer to South Atlantic.

[13:05] Okay.

[13:05] This is the one behind the Foot Creek, correct?

[13:07] Correct.

[13:08] It's the Atlantic behind the Foot Creek.

[13:10] Okay. Got you.

[13:12] I'm inclined to take the recommendation of the engineers.

[13:16] Well, that's how I feel about it, and that's what I conveyed

[13:20] to the engineer.

[13:23] So we're going to ask unless anybody has an objection,

[13:26] we'll swap the streets out.

[13:28] Objection.

[13:29] And then we'll just make the correction on the resolution when we-

[13:32] All right.

[13:32] Okay.

[13:33] Just make a note of that.

[13:34] Yeah.

[13:37] Well,

[13:38] I would

[13:40] suggest that tomorrow give the key engineers a call,

[13:45] rather than going off of me right here, right now.

[13:49] I would definitely second that.

[13:53] Greg did reach out to me and asked if, because I guess he was here in

[13:56] January. I didn't recall

[14:00] that recommendation.

[14:02] He said that that was the recommendation at the time, and I know he spoke to you,

[14:05] John. So

[14:07] I know the engineer is recommending that.

[14:10] Yeah.

[14:12] So I take it was Atlantic.

[14:16] What?

[14:16] I'll follow

[14:19] up with him.

[14:20] Yes, ma'am.

[14:21] Here, I'll tell you. It was,

[14:27] Central.

[14:32] Yeah, because Central, that's a pretty big span.

[14:35] That would run from Thacker Avenue all the way to Leewah.

[14:38] It'd be Union and Central would be the two streets.

[14:40] Correct.

[14:41] Not Union and South Atlantic.

[14:44] Yeah. Well,

[14:46] Central, that's a pretty long run.

[14:50] Okay.

[14:51] Okay. We'll make that adjustment.

[14:55] Anything else?

[14:56] No, sir.

[14:57] Great. Thank you.

[15:00] On to council Mascaras.

[15:02] All right. Two topics, but probably stick more-

[15:04] Correct

[15:05] ... main.

[15:05] Okay. All right. I don't have anything for the workshop.

[15:08] Solicitor, do you have anything for workshop?

[15:09] No, Mayor. Just as you go through, we have a number of second reading on

[15:12] ordinances. I'll just give a brief explanation before you

[15:17] start taking public comment, if there is any, as to what the actions

[15:20] are doing-

[15:21] Okay

[15:21] ... or putting those ordinances into effect.

[15:25] Perfect. Administrator, anything? No.

[15:26] No.

[15:26] All right.

[15:27] Can I have a motion to adjourn the workshop meeting?

[15:31] Motion.

[15:31] All in favor?

[15:32] Aye.

[15:33] I'd like to call to order the council meeting for Thursday, June 11th,

[15:37] 2026.

[15:40] Pledge allegiance.

[15:42] To the flag of the United States of America, and to the

[15:46] Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God,

[15:50] indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

[16:05] Notice of this meeting has been provided to the Courier Post and the Philadelphia

[16:07] Inquirer, and is posted on the Borough Hall bulletin board stating the time, date,

[16:11] and place of the meeting. Can I just have a roll call again, please?

[16:13] Council President Bartolotto.

[16:15] Here.

[16:15] Councilwoman Cummings.

[16:16] Here.

[16:17] Councilman Ewing.

[16:18] Here.

[16:18] Councilman Miller.

[16:19] He's not here this evening.

[16:20] Councilman Wilkinson.

[16:22] Present.

[16:22] Councilman Mascaras.

[16:23] Here.

[16:24] Mayor Miller.

[16:24] Here.

[16:25] Also present this evening, Solicitor Howard Long.

[16:27] Here.

[16:28] And our administrator, Amerie Miller.

[16:30] Here.

[16:30] Great. Thank you. And our municipal clerk, Rachel

[16:33] Waterhouse.

[16:35] Here.

[16:36] Did we get these working?

[16:37] Yeah.

[16:37] Well,

[16:38] I don't know why that one's not-

[16:40] Okay

[16:40] ... I don't know. Maybe I have to turn on-

[16:40] It was on before. Maybe it just went to sleep.

[16:44] So before we get rolling into the meeting, I just want to acknowledge we had some

[16:47] changes with the

[16:49] Library Board of Trustees. Deanna Schudeman

[16:52] chose to step down, take care of...

[16:58] She decided to step down. I don't want to say too much.

[17:01] The board, we gave her the title of Emeritus, so

[17:05] she's still going to be able to attend meetings.

[17:07] The library

[17:10] had their meeting on Monday, and they gave her a plaque and acknowledged her

[17:14] contributions to the library. And in her place, I have the honor of

[17:18] filling her vacancy with Betty Vealey, who's in the audience

[17:22] tonight. So Betty will take over for Deanna and

[17:26] run through her term through the end of the year.

[17:29] So

[17:30] Betty's been a staple at the library for many years, and-

[17:33] Perfect choice

[17:34] ... yep. So I think she knows what she's doing.

[17:37] Like it fits like a glove.

[17:38] Yep. So congratulations, Betty.

[17:41] Thanks.

[17:51] Now on to the approval of the minutes.

[17:52] Can I please have approval for the May 14th, 2026 workshop

[17:56] and regular meeting minutes?

[17:58] Motion.

[18:00] I'll second.

[18:02] All in favor?

[18:03] Aye.

[18:04] Aye.

[18:04] Thank you.

[18:05] Do I have to be-- I wasn't here. Do I have to be in abstention?

[18:07] Abstention, yes, sir.

[18:08] Do I have to be in abstention?

[18:10] Yes.

[18:12] Got it?

[18:15] On to council reports, buildings,

[18:17] grounds, parks, and recreation. Councilman Palada.

[18:24] Did you do approval of the regular meeting?

[18:26] I did them together.

[18:28] Okay. Just checking.

[18:30] Good evening, everyone. Thanks for coming.

[18:33] Yeah, I have a few things to go over.

[18:36] As you know, the 4th of July is right around the corner, and

[18:40] DPW's getting ready to paint the railing that goes

[18:44] all along the outer brick wall, along the sidewalk.

[18:49] And

[18:51] also,

[18:55] there's a

[18:57] signpost

[18:59] that's in front of the Berlin

[19:03] Marie Fletcher Library that hasn't had a sign on it, if not

[19:07] 15 years, 20. So I reached out

[19:11] to

[19:12] Michelle Seacrest from Seacrest Designs, and she designed

[19:16] a sign for the library.

[19:19] And I'm getting a quote now from American Signs, who did a lot of

[19:23] signs around the borough, like the entrance and the parking lot,

[19:27] some things around the municipal building.

[19:30] And

[19:31] it's really going to look good. And hopefully, that's going to be up by

[19:35] the 4th of July also.

[19:38] And the other thing is

[19:41] the flower beds around the library.

[19:44] I know the library has someone who goes over there and cuts the grass, but I'm

[19:47] going to get the DPW to go through the flower beds,

[19:51] and there's small maple trees growing, and bushes, and things like that, so they're

[19:54] going to clean that up also.

[20:02] The other thing is, I did speak, if you recall, Greg Fusco

[20:06] was here about a couple months ago and was going over what we could

[20:10] do for the

[20:12] White Horse Pike property that we're trying to get redeveloped there.

[20:15] And I spoke to him last week, and we have a

[20:19] resolution on the agenda tonight, and hopefully we're going

[20:23] to pass this. And he said if everything goes

[20:26] accordingly,

[20:28] he will be willing to come to the July 9th council meeting

[20:33] to present his proposals to council for the property.

[20:38] And what else do I have? The banners I had spoken about.

[20:40] Oh, just a question on that. Would that be to lease

[20:44] the property or to buy the property and develop?

[20:48] No, to propose what we're going to put on the property.

[20:50] To go out to

[20:53] bid for developers to bid on the property.

[20:57] Oh, okay.

[20:57] Okay?

[20:58] Yeah. Just, that's true.

[21:00] So we're planning on building something on that property?

[21:03] Not us.

[21:05] Okay, so whatever developer that wins the bid is going

[21:09] to build.

[21:09] Build, yeah.

[21:11] All right, so are we securing any type of business

[21:15] or franchise to start the approval process on the White Horse

[21:19] Pike?

[21:19] The developer would do all. The developer would find the tenants and

[21:23] all that to

[21:26] put the property on the lease.

[21:27] Okay. Do we have any idea of what we want over there?

[21:30] That's what Greg's put-- Greg's going to put together a plan to present to us so

[21:34] that we can decide if we like that plan, and we want to do something else.

[21:41] And the other thing is, I spoke about the banners at the last meeting.

[21:44] They'll be up for the 4th of July all along the Lake Coast in

[21:48] town.

[21:49] Thank you.

[21:50] Let's see.

[21:52] Also, again, in the next few weeks, I want to get

[21:56] some quotes on, we had repaired the brick wall that goes around our property

[22:00] and

[22:01] right to the flower beds in the front.

[22:05] I want to get some quotes on the brick that's right when you walk out

[22:09] the door here. That's going to need some maintenance and repair also.

[22:13] So I want to get some prices on that.

[22:16] Tuesday night, I went to a historic society and a historic

[22:20] preservation commission meeting,

[22:23] and they're going to be having a

[22:26] motor home decorated in the 4th of July parade, and they're going to be giving

[22:30] pamphlets out on historic buildings in town.

[22:34] And the other thing is, they're trying to work on

[22:38] the HBC, the Historic Society, and hopefully the Marie Fletcher Library,

[22:43] for an event in August to celebrate the Berlin Hotel.

[22:46] It's going to be 200 years old.

[22:48] And believe it or not, I'm still pulling teeth with Atlantic City

[22:52] Electric to try to get some funding or some

[22:55] trees. And

[22:58] Alexander Wickenschuck, who is the rep that we deal with,

[23:02] after months, finally got to speak to

[23:06] her on the phone today, and she's going to check into it again and see what she

[23:09] can do. I don't know if you recall, but it was a year ago where myself,

[23:13] Anne Marie,

[23:15] met with

[23:17] two representatives from Atlantic Electric, and we went over a list that we

[23:21] had. And

[23:23] it was to paint the poles, get us some trees, or get reimbursed

[23:27] for, because I think it was,

[23:29] I don't know, four or five years ago, maybe six,

[23:33] when Chris Cavallaro was there.

[23:36] We were able to get a contribution of $1,500 that

[23:40] they gave to the borough. And then the following year, they did the same thing,

[23:43] $1,500. And then there was nothing for a year.

[23:47] And,

[23:48] myself and Anne Marie tried to squeeze out getting reimbursed for our

[23:52] DPW that's got to go down the pike right around now, 4th of

[23:56] July, and paint the bases of the lights that get all chipped.

[23:59] So,

[24:00] I want to hopefully we'll get something going.

[24:05] That's all I have. Thank you.

[24:06] The banners are up. The banners that-

[24:08] Oh, yeah. There's the banners.

[24:10] We got them up the other day.

[24:13] Great. Thank you. On to public works, streets, and roads.

[24:17] Councilman Wilkinson

[24:22] I'm sorry. Is that-

[24:23] That's you

[24:23] ... Mayor? I'm sorry.

[24:26] I'll run off down the

[24:30] statistical data

[24:32] for the Department of Public Works.

[24:34] 36 tons of single stream recycling,

[24:38] 300 tons of trash,

[24:40] 310 tons of trash, 600 pounds of electric waste.

[24:44] I guess they get a lot of that during the bulk week

[24:48] when people put out their washers, dryers, and whatnot.

[24:51] Three tons of baled cardboard, 10 tons of street

[24:55] sweeping debris

[24:58] last month.

[25:01] I have on my report, well,

[25:05] we're still waiting to find out what we're doing with the building for the

[25:09] Department of Public Works.

[25:10] Is there an update on that?

[25:12] No, I've not.

[25:12] No. Okay.

[25:18] The--

[25:19] I submitted to you all the

[25:22] engineer's report.

[25:26] And for streets and roads,

[25:31] do I need to rehash that

[25:33] for this meeting about the-

[25:36] The resolution change?

[25:37] The resolution change.

[25:40] Yes.

[25:41] I think we're good. Yeah.

[25:44] However, for the

[25:49] 2027,

[25:50] is there a resolution on for that too, for the 2027 program?

[25:56] The roads still have to be determined, but the grant application deadline is

[26:00] July 1st.

[26:02] Correct. That's what we're talking about.

[26:03] That's the one we're talking about. Yeah.

[26:04] That is the one that we talked about with the Union and-

[26:08] I'm pretty sure that the Union, Atlantic, Heights, and Laurel were

[26:12] on

[26:14] 2026's program. Yeah, that one went out to bid, so we're accepting that

[26:17] bid. Right. That's part of how that's on. Right.

[26:21] That's accepted for- The 2027, we haven't picked any roads yet for the

[26:25] 2027 program.

[26:28] I have to pull up the resolution. There shouldn't be.

[26:31] If there was, I haven't been notified of them.

[26:34] Oh, so you were talking about '26?

[26:36] I was talking about the 2026.

[26:40] Is that

[26:41] the right year on

[26:43] Resolution 6-13?

[26:46] 6-1-13.

[26:48] The one that

[26:50] has to go out for the deadline of July 1st.

[26:53] They're having- What number is that?

[26:55] That's eight, or one oh

[26:58] eight.

[27:06] Except this is the-

[27:08] You work faster at that than I. What more do I know, I'm not sure.

[27:12] And then the trader. Why is it

[27:15] 2025?

[27:19] Can you read that? Do you need me to make it bigger still?

[27:21] Yeah, that's the South Atlantic and Union.

[27:23] Yeah. That's 2026. That is the Union and Atlantic.

[27:27] That's the one I was talking about.

[27:29] That's the one they were talking about swapping out.

[27:31] That's under 27.

[27:33] That's under-- That's next year. That's under 27.

[27:36] They're always kind of like a year- They are a year behind. Right.

[27:40] But- So it's going to be for 2027.

[27:41] Ann Marie, can you jump to-

[27:43] I can jump to this one

[27:45] ... 113, please?

[27:46] Yeah.

[27:50] Because that says 25 on the

[27:53] agenda.

[27:58] The 2025 was the Woods development.

[28:02] Or no, I'm sorry, that's Parker, White, and Ridgewood.

[28:05] 113.

[28:09] I'm getting there, sorry. Don't want to get everyone dizzy.

[28:14] 113.

[28:18] Yeah, that one says 25.

[28:22] Is that correct?

[28:27] I

[28:27] think

[28:33] I've got the right one. It's the 25. I can go grab it.

[28:35] I'd have to double-check with my proposals.

[28:38] Do you want me to go grab it and double-check?

[28:40] Yeah, if you don't mind.

[28:41] Yeah. That's it.

[28:45] Does that say the streets on there?

[28:48] No, I'll grab it. It's all on my-

[28:50] Okay. I just want to make sure we do it correct.

[28:55] Where is the...

[28:59] Sorry, I can't do my computer.

[29:00] I apologize.

[29:12] Anything else, Councilman, while we're waiting there?

[29:15] No.

[29:16] I mean, the roads part, that was pretty much it.

[29:21] Sure. I'll give you a minute. I'm just giving this

[29:22] away.

[29:26] But I apolog-

[29:27] You

[29:30] all right?

[29:34] The 2026.

[29:40] You would want one something, but-

[29:41] Yeah. We'll move on to

[29:45] Councilman Hoying, and then when

[29:48] Ann Marie gets back, we'll-

[29:49] Sure

[29:50] ... jump back in.

[29:50] Want me to run through my report?

[29:51] Yeah, just while we-

[29:52] Sure. Happy to.

[29:53] No, and we'll come back. We're-

[29:55] Yes, sir.

[29:56] Okay. Thank you, Mayor and Council, and borough residents.

[30:00] Happy to be here as always.

[30:02] For May of 2026, our police reports

[30:06] stats are 3,041 calls for service

[30:10] compared to 2,778 in April.

[30:14] We had 309 summonses compared to 185.

[30:18] Very busy month. It appears here that they click it to ticket program

[30:22] helped with that. Right, Chief? So-

[30:24] Yes, sir

[30:25] ... good news there. 34 arrests compared to 33 in April.

[30:28] 22 motor vehicle crashes compared to 28

[30:31] 260 traffic stops compared to 134 in April.

[30:36] And directed patrols are Rutgers Boulevard and Westbury

[30:40] Drive for speeding and stop sign violations, resulting in nine directed patrols

[30:45] with heavy traffic observed but no violations.

[30:48] The Greenwood Inn Suites due to influx of housing by the Department

[30:52] of Parole. So that's always ongoing, directed patrols.

[30:57] 58 Harbor Road,

[30:59] Suite 11, AutoHauluck, for noise complaints, speeding vehicles, resulting

[31:03] in eight directed patrols, two calls for service, citations issued for

[31:07] operating without the mercantile license.

[31:10] Jackson Road and Washington Ave for speeding and stop sign violations.

[31:13] Radar cart

[31:15] deployed to assist with the speeding complaint.

[31:17] Patrols are ongoing through the month of June.

[31:20] Our tag readers are down significantly this month,

[31:23] 356,000 compared to 680,000. And what's the

[31:27] reason for that, Chief? Any explanation?

[31:29] They're all functional. It's

[31:32] traffic.

[31:32] How about that? Wow.

[31:34] We haven't had any issues as far as our operations.

[31:36] Yeah.

[31:37] There's not as many vehicles.

[31:38] Wow. That's a huge drop from what our normal numbers are, usually about a half a

[31:42] million plus.

[31:43] It's all backed up at the lights.

[31:45] Yeah.

[31:46] 20 search vehicles for involved in criminal

[31:50] activity compared to 20 in April. 14 summonses issued for tag reader hits

[31:54] compared to 18, and 11 traffic stops related to tag reader hits

[31:58] compared to 12 in April. So pretty common numbers there.

[32:01] Community policing, we had Patrolman Palma and K9 Clyde read books

[32:05] to the children for the Marie Fletch Library on May 2nd.

[32:07] They had a lot of activity this month.

[32:09] Police week conducted on Our Lady of Mount Carmel BCS from May 19th to May

[32:13] 21st. Our Lady of Mount Carmel field day on May 22nd.

[32:17] Memorial Day sermon on May 25th, obviously along with the fire department,

[32:22] EMS, and members of council as well for that.

[32:25] BCS field day on May 29th. The Junior Police Academy is

[32:29] scheduled, coming up for June 22nd to June 26th, soon,

[32:33] couple weeks here. A senior safety

[32:36] seminar is scheduled for June 25th at Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

[32:39] National Night Out is scheduled for August 4th, and the K9 car

[32:43] show is scheduled for August 11th at the farmers market.

[32:46] K9 Clyde attended his mandatory in-service training on May

[32:50] 19th. Four total deployments during motor vehicle stops resulting in

[32:54] three arrests of possession of narcotics, including methamphetamines,

[32:57] heroin, crack, cocaine, cane, and drug paraphernalia.

[33:02] Lastly, miscellaneous, we have Patrolman Angelo

[33:05] Balestamo was named Officer of the Month.

[33:08] And then we had Borough police

[33:12] participation in the Click It or Ticket grant sponsored by the division of New

[33:16] Jersey Highway Traffic Safety Patrol from May 18th to the 31st.

[33:20] And Chief Shearer and Lieutenant Smith met with the State Chiefs

[33:24] Accreditation Commission on June 11th to review the onsite assessment

[33:28] report to achieve the accreditation status.

[33:31] We were in attendance of that and it went extremely well.

[33:34] Save the final award on that for yourself next month if you'd

[33:38] like. Right? Final outcome. And then

[33:41] last, we have Lieutenant Smith was unable to assist

[33:45] with the Our Lady of Mount Carmel with the security enhancement.

[33:48] Excuse me, not unable, was able to assist with the Our Lady of Mount Carmel

[33:52] security assessment for all windows and doors at the school by obtaining monetary

[33:56] donations. The school is now equipped with a thick durable security film

[34:00] on all entries and exit door windows, making them significantly more difficult to

[34:03] penetrate. So that's a great accomplishment there.

[34:06] Do you want me to finish up or do you want to go back?

[34:08] Yeah, just finish more.

[34:09] Okay. I got a couple more things here. Moving on to the fire department.

[34:13] We had the crews continue to volunteer staff daytime duty crews

[34:17] during the work week from 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m.

[34:20] overnight in station duty crews and when personnel are

[34:23] available. Members completed the forcible entry training.

[34:27] Members completed live fire training at the Camden County Fire Academy.

[34:32] Members completed NFPA 1040 drills and

[34:35] relay pumping training. Members attended the Memorial Day services in Berlin,

[34:39] West Berlin, and Waterford Township.

[34:42] On 6/2/26, members respond to Pine Hill for a working

[34:46] dwelling with people trapped.

[34:50] Quint 21-1 secured a secondary water supply

[34:54] while the crew assisted with exterior fire attack and

[34:57] overhaul. Fire and police 21-1 assisted Pine Hill Park

[35:01] Police with detouring traffic. Total calls for May were

[35:05] 77. The total calls for the year, 585.

[35:08] The average calls per month is approximately 117, so a little bit less than

[35:12] normal there. And then finally, real quick on the EMS numbers,

[35:16] about average, about 270 calls over the course of the month.

[35:20] 52% being in the borough itself, 32 in the

[35:23] township, and the residual were in Clementon,

[35:27] Lindenwold, and Waterford, respectively. Thank you.

[35:31] Appreciate it.

[35:32] Good.

[35:34] Great. Thank you.

[35:35] We'll pivot back. I want to apologize to the madam clerk for giving her a heart

[35:39] attack because we thought the dates were wrong. They were in fact correct.

[35:42] Yeah.

[35:42] And you can breathe again. So I apologize.

[35:45] So 2025 is what we're,

[35:48] that the proposal was just for.

[35:49] Everything's correct. Yeah.

[35:50] 2026 has the Harger, and 2027 is what they're putting in for

[35:54] the grant with those two initiatives. So all good.

[35:56] We didn't doubt you for a second.

[35:57] We're all good.

[35:58] It's weird when you're in twinsets, huh?

[36:00] I know. When you're working with grants, you're one year, two years.

[36:03] We are all good.

[36:04] It's taken me forever to understand these grants,

[36:09] the years and the grants. And I'm like, yeah.

[36:11] Another 30 seconds, her shirt was going to match your shirt.

[36:15] It did.

[36:15] And it is right here. It is 2025.

[36:18] Apologies. And I also want to apologize to Councilwoman Cummings

[36:22] for skipping her. Just all flustered all around.

[36:25] It's all good.

[36:26] We'll pivot back to water and sewer, please.

[36:30] We are together. It's all good

[36:33] Your turn.

[36:34] Yeah.

[36:34] You all done? Yeah, I think we're done.

[36:36] Let's go back to yours. There we go. Look at that nice little table.

[36:39] Thanks, good evening, everyone.

[36:40] Nice looking at little table.

[36:42] For the water and sewer reports, this past Monday on the 8th, we did have

[36:45] a water main break on Wayside Road in Centennial Square Development,

[36:50] with minimum disruption. We dispatched our crew, and that was handled

[36:54] fairly quickly. We did

[36:57] seven service orders for meter repairs, and replacements were completed.

[37:01] Two meters were replaced during that time.

[37:03] 88 utility mark-outs were completed.

[37:06] We also completed all of our monthly maintenance at both water plants, and

[37:10] the rehab project at the plant number one over here,

[37:15] Park and

[37:16] Cross Keys, is completed. The plant has passed all of our NJDEP

[37:20] testing. The plant is back online now, and the

[37:24] contractor's continuing to just do equipment renewal.

[37:28] In the sewer, we've completed all our routine monthly maintenance on the 10

[37:31] stations, as well as the 10 emergency backup generators in the

[37:35] sewer plant. That's it for my report.

[37:37] Great.

[37:38] Thank you.

[37:38] Thank you. On to youth athletics and community events, Councilman Mascarenhas.

[37:43] Good evening, Mayor, council members, residents of Berlin Borough.

[37:47] Tonight I stand before you not just as a councilman, but as a father, a neighbor, a

[37:51] taxpayer, someone who deeply cares about the future of the community.

[37:56] We're discussing something much bigger than baseball fields.

[37:59] We're discussing whether Berlin Borough will plan for the future or simply

[38:03] react when it's too late.

[38:06] The reality's clear. The baseball fields

[38:11] of our children are currently not owned by

[38:13] Berlin Borough. They are located on Borough of Education

[38:17] property, or Board of Education property.

[38:20] As the community grows, the Board of Education has already discussed the

[38:23] possibility in the future of expansion.

[38:26] If that expansion occurs, those fields could be reduced,

[38:30] relocated, or potentially disappear altogether.

[38:33] The question is simple. If we lose those fields tomorrow, what's our plan?

[38:38] Where do our children go to play?

[38:40] Where will the leagues go to play?

[38:43] Where are the future generations going to gather?

[38:45] Tonight, we have the opportunity to forge some answers to those questions before it

[38:49] becomes a crisis. Berlin Borough owns land that is currently

[38:53] sitting unused, land that belongs to the taxpayers, land that can be

[38:57] used to transform into something extraordinary, the destination for recreation,

[39:01] community pride, economic development, and youth

[39:04] opportunity.

[39:07] This proposal is not asking us to build a

[39:11] sports complex tomorrow. The proposal is asking for us to take the first

[39:15] responsible step.

[39:17] It allows the development of a concept plan, engineering analysis,

[39:21] rendering, and feasible studies so we can understand

[39:24] exactly what is possible and what the opportunities exist.

[39:29] Without a plan,

[39:31] there can be no grants. Without a plan,

[39:34] we can't go for state funding. Without a plan, we can't

[39:38] apply for federal funding. Without a plan, there can

[39:42] be no meaningful discussion about the future.

[39:45] You cannot apply for assistance if you have nothing to show.

[39:52] You cannot attract investments

[39:54] if we don't have a vision. You cannot build tomorrow if you refuse to plan

[39:58] today.

[39:59] This project is not simply an expense, it's an investment.

[40:03] An investment in our children, an investment in the public health, an investment in

[40:07] recreation, an investment in property values, an investment in the

[40:10] future of the identity of Berlin Borough.

[40:14] And unlike many expenditures, the investment has potential to

[40:18] generate revenue.

[40:19] Regional tournaments bring visitors.

[40:22] Visitors spend money in local restaurants.

[40:25] Visitors purchase fuel. Visitors support local businesses.

[40:29] Visitors create economic activity that benefits the entire community.

[40:34] Field rentals create revenue. Tournament hosts create revenue.

[40:39] Special events create revenue. Most importantly, they create opportunities

[40:44] for our residents.

[40:45] But even if the project generates $0, I would support it

[40:50] because the return on investment is measured in children learning teamwork.

[40:54] It's measured in families spending time together.

[40:57] It's measured in teenagers staying active instead of staying home.

[41:01] It's measured in community pride.

[41:03] It's measured in memories that last a lifetime.

[41:06] The value of these things cannot be calculated on a spreadheet.

[41:11] Years from now, no children will remember the feasible study costs.

[41:16] They will remember the fields that they played in.

[41:19] They will remember championships they won.

[41:21] They will remember friendships they made.

[41:23] They will remember that someone cared enough to invest in them.

[41:28] Council has a choice tonight.

[41:30] We can generate a plan ahead,

[41:33] or we can generate

[41:36] for the generations that ignored the warning signs

[41:40] and left residents scrambling when it's needed

[41:44] and could have been avoided.

[41:46] Leadership is not about solving today's

[41:50] problem after they arrive. Leadership is about preparing for them before they

[41:54] do.

[41:55] The land is here. The need is here. The opportunity is here.

[41:59] The vision is here.

[42:00] Now we need the courage to take the first step.

[42:03] I respectfully ask my fellow council members

[42:06] to support the proposal that is being processed of securing the

[42:10] future of the recreation of Berlin Borough.

[42:14] Because it's not about the fields, it's about the future. It's about our children.

[42:17] It's about Berlin Borough better than we've had back.

[42:21] It's about leaving Berlin Borough better than the way we found it.

[42:26] If we can find the money

[42:29] to fix problems when they happen, surely we can find money

[42:33] to prevent them before it happens The question tonight is not whether

[42:37] Berlin Borough can afford to plan for the future.

[42:40] The question is whether we can afford not to.

[42:44] The proposal before council is not for construction.

[42:48] The professional planning concept, developing renderings,

[42:52] and

[42:54] engineering work is necessary to determine the feasibility and position of

[42:58] Berlin Borough for grants and future funding opportunities.

[43:02] The total estimate of the cost is $43,000.

[43:08] I've handed each one of the council members

[43:13] the

[43:16] proposal from Colliers.

[43:19] Section one is service scopes,

[43:22] section two is business and terms and conditions, section three, technical

[43:26] staff, hourly rates, schedule of reimbursement, expenses, and

[43:30] section four is client contract authorization.

[43:35] The final page is the pictures that are other towns in the state

[43:39] of New Jersey, what their sports complexes look like.

[43:43] There's an opportunity for us to turn around

[43:47] and make an impact on the baseball fields, soccer fields,

[43:52] hockey, all the sports for the kids.

[43:55] $43,000 is being asked for the plans to be drawn up so I can

[43:59] work diligently and aggressively as I am on getting funding for the

[44:03] process and the program.

[44:07] I've had many meetings with Steve Nakovitch, who runs the AAA,

[44:11] and they're very frustrated with the fact that at any time the

[44:15] school board decide to expand, they have no say in it.

[44:18] If the school board decides to expand, we don't have a say in it either.

[44:22] So if we plan for the future, we can turn around and work with it now.

[44:26] The cost is $43,000 for the plan, then we can go at it at a pace

[44:30] instead of scrambling at the last minute when the kids don't have any place to go.

[44:35] On that, I will close for that topic and open it up

[44:40] to everyone to discuss and see where they are.

[44:42] But I'd like to get approvals for those plans,

[44:45] and to get them generated so I can start working on it to get funding.

[44:49] And I don't want to see this coming out of taxpayers' money.

[44:51] I want to see it coming from grants, state and federal.

[44:56] And then I'll have one more thing after the discussion to discuss.

[45:00] Mayor?

[45:02] Is this an approval to

[45:06] spend $43,000? Is that what you're saying?

[45:09] Yes.

[45:10] So moved.

[45:12] No.

[45:15] I would suggest that we take the money for a Tahoe that the fire company

[45:19] probably doesn't need immediately, and we spend that money on this.

[45:24] That's capital.

[45:28] Yeah, I understand. The problem is it's different allocations. That's capital.

[45:31] I get it. I know.

[45:33] And then my only real reservation is we just passed the budget

[45:37] last month, and we only have $80,000 in engineering for the whole

[45:41] year for everything.

[45:43] I'm not opposed to moving forward and looking at a

[45:46] concept.

[45:48] I'm just nervous we're going to run out of funds for

[45:50] other projects, streets and roads, water and sewer, things like that.

[45:54] We are six months into the year and we're almost seven months into the year.

[45:59] Yeah, but the $80,000 is for

[46:01] the whole year.

[46:04] Is it possible to just have the concept plan at this point and not the

[46:10] 3D drawings and the video walkthroughs and things like that?

[46:13] Or

[46:16] wait a few months and see where we're at with our engineering budget, if there's

[46:19] some room in there.

[46:21] If we get further throughout the year and there's going to be money left over, then

[46:25] go and do it.

[46:28] That's entirely up to council. I'm asking to do so

[46:32] this way, you've never known me to look back and have grass growing

[46:36] under my feet. So I want to get on it and go forward and get aggressive with going

[46:39] after money, because money's not going to sit around.

[46:41] If we don't grab federal funding and state funding, somebody else

[46:45] will.

[46:46] Sure.

[46:46] And if you go to Gloucester Township, there are beautiful fields.

[46:49] Yeah.

[46:49] If you go to Voorhees, beautiful fields.

[46:51] As a matter of fact, if you go to Gloucester Township, there's more than just one

[46:53] field. There's more than one complex.

[46:55] And I drive by it every day and see these gorgeous places, and I'm wondering,

[46:59] why doesn't Berlin have it?

[47:00] Well, I'll be at Rabennwood's field in a little bit.

[47:04] Do we have to spend the $43,000 in order to establish

[47:08] a plan?

[47:09] It's not only to establish a plan, but also to establish the information that we

[47:13] need to go after grants and also solicit outside funding,

[47:17] whether private or government.

[47:21] Because if I can turn around and secure a company like a Coca-Cola to turn

[47:25] around and come in, by all means I'm going to go after it.

[47:27] I have a very unique position with a very close friend that works

[47:31] for franchise companies. He also has a lot of contacts with those type of

[47:35] level people. So I'm going to pursue every avenue of every friend that I've

[47:38] ever met and

[47:41] money for money for the town.

[47:45] Do we know what the cost would be to have just a report that would make

[47:48] the information that Chris would need?

[47:51] $43,000 would be report and get everything together.

[47:53] It's a certain process to do it right.

[47:54] I'm not just going to turn around and go back and bring you the pieces, which will

[47:57] in turn guarantee failure.

[48:01] And this is redeveloping the current fields that are at the school?

[48:05] No. That's owned, as I said earlier, by the Board of Education.

[48:08] We have no control at all. The money that we just spent on

[48:11] the signs and everything-

[48:13] Mm-hmm.

[48:14] If the school board want to turn around and cancel, we have to go get an

[48:17] electrician to take our signs down.

[48:18] Mm-hmm.

[48:19] So we have zero control there.

[48:20] So this proposal is for-

[48:23] Well, for property that's owned by the-

[48:24] ... property for the Simone Preserve?

[48:27] No.

[48:27] Yeah, exactly.

[48:28] I didn't say it was Simone Preserve.

[48:30] No.

[48:31] There is land-

[48:32] The community center?

[48:33] Right by the community center, there's-

[48:34] On both sides

[48:35] ... I believe at least 18 acres that we can turn around and build a nice complex on

[48:39] there

[48:41] And that's just an eighth lot of land.

[48:44] So we have seven lots of land in Berlin Borough, and then when we turn around and

[48:48] discuss where the best position is, and that's why the engineer will look at

[48:52] all the Berlin Borough property it owns and say, "This is the best

[48:56] spot for this complex."

[48:58] It's not my decision, it's professional engineers that look at it

[49:02] on a grand scale fashion.

[49:06] So this fee is for Colliers, is

[49:10] basically what you're saying?

[49:11] Right. Colliers is charging $43,000 to get soup to nuts and package it

[49:15] so I can turn around and start selling.

[49:17] And

[49:21] it's a lot of money.

[49:22] Yeah, it is.

[49:23] Is there any way that Anthony could sharpen his pencil a little bit?

[49:27] I tried to choke him out a couple times on it, and

[49:30] he literally said, " engineers are coming to you with a solid number."

[49:36] Not saying that Howard can't go over there and give him his municipal boss

[49:40] and shake him up a little bit, but.

[49:42] I don't have any mean looks.

[49:43] Yes, you do. I've seen it.

[49:46] And it's scary.

[49:47] I defer-

[49:47] No

[49:48] ... I defer to Miller because I just get going.

[49:50] It's just old, Councilman. It's all it is.

[49:54] You got scary eyes.

[49:55] The long story short is, for years,

[49:58] AA has been running on their own and working with a small budget,

[50:02] if any budget at all. They've been working their a*s off, excuse me,

[50:07] but this is not for them. This is for the kids. And you know what?

[50:10] Our population is growing in town. We are going to have more children.

[50:13] We are going to have places that they need to go.

[50:16] If not, they'll be in your backyard taking your motorcycle out of your

[50:20] garage.

[50:22] So it's either one thing, we either invest in the kids, or we turn around and

[50:25] invest in all these apartments here.

[50:30] So I guess the choice is yours. Does anybody have any other questions?

[50:34] Any estimates on the other options, Carl?

[50:37] There's none that they have to do. So if I turn around and give you a number-

[50:40] Yeah

[50:40] ... it'd be just something I'm pulling out of the air, and I won't do that.

[50:43] It's not fair.

[50:51] So you have my ask. I can turn around and get your name so I can

[50:55] actually get to work. I'd truly appreciate it.

[51:00] I, obviously, my goal would be yes.

[51:02] How much money now for the

[51:06] capital already at that price?

[51:11] It's not capital.

[51:14] Well, I definitely want to see a sports-- I want to see

[51:17] something like this in our town for the kids.

[51:21] For sure.

[51:23] And

[51:25] we've done nothing but kick the can around.

[51:28] So are you looking for somebody to second a motion on something?

[51:32] Because like I said, I'm looking at like a $60,000 car that I

[51:36] don't think we need right now. I'd rather spend that money on

[51:40] this. So are we putting this in the form of a motion?

[51:43] I'll make a motion to turn around and have a vote on it

[51:46] next week.

[51:49] Is that

[51:51] how we can roll with this?

[51:53] That happen now, Howard, or do I-

[51:54] Or should we...

[51:57] What's the question?

[52:00] Council wants to walk on a proposal.

[52:03] Sure.

[52:04] To go now or wait till we get the resolutions?

[52:06] Whenever you want to.

[52:07] Okay. I was just doing now.

[52:09] Well, I'll second it if he's putting it in the form of a motion.

[52:12] Okay.

[52:13] So the question is the proposal to award a contract to Colliers

[52:18] for an amount

[52:20] of $43,000 for the services set

[52:24] forth in their June 3rd, 2026 proposal.

[52:29] We have a motion and a second. If there's no questions, we can go to a roll

[52:33] call. Madam Clerk.

[52:35] Is this subject to approval by the CFO?

[52:38] Every spending of money is subject to availability of funds by your

[52:42] CFO.

[52:43] Okay.

[52:43] Has it been discussed with our CFO?

[52:46] Yeah, his concern is one, there's only $80,000 in the general budget.

[52:50] That's all.

[52:53] So he needs to certify the funds are available.

[52:55] And that's not just for this, it's for any time we spend money.

[52:59] So even if we wanted to do it, we can't.

[53:01] No, that's not what I'm saying.

[53:02] No, I'm not saying that. I'm saying that the CFO-

[53:04] Would have to certify

[53:06] ... in every attempt that where you spend money in a resolution,

[53:11] he needs to certify that the funds are available to

[53:15] spend to engage and enter into the contract.

[53:19] And a lot of times they do that after the fact.

[53:23] That'll be up

[53:24] to him.

[53:25] I'd like to see it done before the fact.

[53:28] Mm-hmm.

[53:33] So we have a motion on the floor.

[53:36] We have a motion and a second. Let's roll call it.

[53:38] Yep, roll call.

[53:40] Council President Pallalotto?

[53:42] Nay.

[53:43] Councilwoman Cummings?

[53:44] Nay.

[53:45] Councilman Ewing?

[53:48] Nay, pending the outcome of the CFO's determination.

[53:51] Right.

[53:52] Councilman Wilkinson?

[53:53] Aye.

[53:54] Councilman Skradis?

[53:55] Aye.

[53:58] Motion carried.

[54:03] Good.

[54:03] Thank you.

[54:04] Thanks.

[54:04] So the second thing I wanted to say is tomorrow night,

[54:08] movie night on the front lawn. So you should see pictures up.

[54:12] We have a projection screen up. We have our

[54:15] lieutenant did a fantastic job

[54:19] of putting together all of our...

[54:22] We could've never done it without him.

[54:24] Yeah.

[54:25] So putting all the electronics together. We did a test run, and it was awesome.

[54:29] The sound system's incredible.

[54:31] Blankets, lawn chairs, and

[54:34] sit back. I'm going to make popcorn.

[54:36] Starting at 8:00, Carl?

[54:38] The starting time-

[54:39] The movie will kick off closer to 8:30 because it's dusk at 8:30.

[54:42] But you can come and get your spot maybe-

[54:45] So, and if you do come, make sure you bring an umbrella because they said there's a

[54:48] 50% chance of rain between 8:00 and 9:00

[54:51] We're not going to get any contaminated runoff from the property next to us,

[54:55] are we?

[54:58] Actually, that's a total separate entity and then-

[55:00] Oh,

[55:02] heck

[55:02] ... so that's all good to go. So this is going to be our first one, and we're

[55:06] featuring movies,

[55:08] which is an all-time classic.

[55:10] I'm really excited. Then we have on July 10th, we'll be having "Jaws"

[55:14] and "Lilo & Stitch" in August.

[55:17] Oh.

[55:17] And then we haven't announced it, but "Hocus Pocus" for Halloween time.

[55:21] Yeah.

[55:22] So, the staff here,

[55:25] I've been working with the staff and the administration's been fantastic to work

[55:29] with, and we're excited. I think community events

[55:33] should be just exactly that. They should be where we all get together.

[55:36] It doesn't matter if Democrat, independent, or Republican,

[55:40] everybody is a Berlin resident, and we should turn around and all spend

[55:43] time together and bond together. So bringing back the family atmosphere, back to

[55:47] Berlin is what we want. So on that, I

[55:51] close.

[55:52] Great. Thank you so much.

[55:54] Okay.

[55:54] Councilman Miller is not here this evening.

[55:56] I don't think he had anything to report.

[55:57] Matt has worked extra this week, so I'll send him over to you.

[55:59] Okay. But it'll be in the minutes. Yeah.

[56:01] Yeah.

[56:02] Exciting numbers.

[56:03] Yes.

[56:04] Look at them at your leisure.

[56:05] Yes. That's important.

[56:07] Solicitor, anything from this evening?

[56:08] No.

[56:09] I should have asked at workshop, but

[56:12] we never heard back from the company that's doing the streets in the Woods

[56:15] development. They kind of kicked, New Jersey gas came, did some of it, and then

[56:19] sort of-

[56:19] Oh, the roads are still torn up

[56:21] ... sort of and they didn't finish everything.

[56:23] Because they-

[56:23] So I'm working with key engineer.

[56:26] He's demanding some kind of-

[56:28] I saw the emails, but he never responded.

[56:30] Yeah. They never responded.

[56:31] Okay. So just for the public, we're-

[56:33] We're-

[56:33] We're pushing

[56:34] ... we're pushing it.

[56:35] We're pushing. Okay.

[56:35] We know they're still a punch list of things that they need to get done, and we

[56:38] are pushing them to move forward with finishing those last

[56:42] clean up things in the Woods.

[56:43] Okay.

[56:45] And then just for council,

[56:47] unless you think otherwise,

[56:51] Ann Marie's just going to ask DPW to put together the float.

[56:53] We kind of do the same thing sort of every year. It's there.

[56:57] They have all the decorations.

[56:59] Fairgrounds is okay with them. Just kind of decorating the float this year,

[57:03] unless you want to spend-

[57:04] No

[57:04] ... money to it or we could-

[57:05] No, I'll be with the VFW for the parade, but I'll certainly come.

[57:09] I, yeah, I got to do that.

[57:10] Oh, yeah. That's right, that's right.

[57:12] VFW.

[57:13] Do it at the VFW.

[57:13] Yeah, we all could come.

[57:15] But we'll come down.

[57:16] Well, okay. So you'd rather-

[57:18] I'll spend my time. I'll let them do it, and I'll just come up and be part of it.

[57:21] They're going to do it like during the day or whatever.

[57:23] Okay.

[57:24] But we'll-

[57:25] I'll let you know

[57:26] ... yeah, let me know.

[57:26] We'll do it? Okay.

[57:27] Yeah, listen, because we're all Friday, because 4th of July is on a Saturday,

[57:31] so even if anyone, if you do want to come up and put any final touches or anything.

[57:35] If I don't want to play, I'll do it, and everybody can come up if they want.

[57:37] Yeah. Yeah.

[57:37] Okay.

[57:37] If you want to do that.

[57:38] Works. Okay.

[57:39] But I'm excited. America 250.

[57:41] Yeah.

[57:42] So that's our thing.

[57:43] We have the ICCA in the crowd tonight, so-

[57:45] Yeah

[57:45] ... I'm sure we'll hear from them.

[57:47] So that's all I had this evening.

[57:49] Oh, can I add one thing, since you mentioned the ICCA?

[57:52] So I'm excited that we're working with the ICCA in regards to

[57:55] having a location for seniors here on Front in

[57:59] Borough Hall. So I'm going to reach out to Ms.

[58:02] Lilling to see if our DPW senior bus will either pick them up at

[58:06] a general location and/or possibly at their house.

[58:09] The traffic gets a little bit crazy, so we're going to figure out the logistics,

[58:12] then we'll put something out.

[58:15] It came from, well, my mother is a senior, and so are her friends,

[58:19] and they grew up bringing their children to the parade.

[58:22] And unfortunately, sometimes you have to park very far, and they can't walk

[58:26] to a parade spot. So we're looking forward to hosting

[58:30] some seniors on our front lawn this year.

[58:32] That's great.

[58:32] So thank you to the ICCA for-

[58:35] That's a great idea. Thanks

[58:35] ... assisting us with this.

[58:37] Thank you. Thank you for seeing it through. Appreciate it.

[58:42] On to old business. We have a second reading of ordinance number

[58:45] 2026-9. This is ordinance amending chapter 150, article

[58:49] two of the code of the Borough of Berlin to establish after-hours fire

[58:53] inspection fee. Can I please have a motion to open to the public on

[58:57] ordinance 2026-9?

[59:00] Motion.

[59:00] Second.

[59:01] All in favor?

[59:02] Aye.

[59:03] This is a modest modification, came from our fire inspector.

[59:07] Nothing's changing if the request is made for the fire inspection between

[59:11] 8:00 to 4:00, Monday through Friday.

[59:14] Any after-hours expenses, in order for the expenses to equal

[59:17] the fees, the cost to equal the fees we collect,

[59:22] there's a $100 surcharge if it's asked to do the inspection after

[59:25] hours.

[59:26] Okay.

[59:26] That's what this, it's the implementation.

[59:29] That's what this ordinance will implement.

[59:31] Okay. If any members want to come forward on ordinance number 2026-9,

[59:35] please come forward. We will have an open session for the

[59:38] resolutions and also an open session for any topics.

[59:42] So just-

[59:43] Comments limited to this matter.

[59:45] Yep.

[59:47] Seeing or hearing no one, can I please have a motion to close the ordinance on

[59:50] the...

[59:51] I'm sorry, close to the public on ordinance 2026-9.

[59:54] Motion.

[59:54] Second.

[59:55] All in favor?

[59:56] Aye.

[59:58] Can I please have a motion to adopt ordinance number 2026-9?

[1:00:01] Aye.

[1:00:02] Motion.

[1:00:03] Second?

[1:00:05] Second.

[1:00:07] Roll call.

[1:00:08] Council President Bonalato?

[1:00:09] Aye.

[1:00:10] Councilwoman Cummings?

[1:00:11] Aye.

[1:00:11] Councilman Howell?

[1:00:12] Aye.

[1:00:13] Councilman Wilkinson?

[1:00:14] Aye.

[1:00:14] Councilman Scravos?

[1:00:15] Aye.

[1:00:17] Thank you.

[1:00:19] Second reading on ordinance number 2026-10.

[1:00:22] This is an ordinance amending chapter 67 of the Code of the Borough of Berlin to

[1:00:25] establish a new water connection fee.

[1:00:28] Can I please have a motion to open to the public on ordinance number

[1:00:31] 2026-10?

[1:00:32] I make that motion.

[1:00:34] I'll second.

[1:00:36] All in favor?

[1:00:37] Aye.

[1:00:39] Mayor, this matter is the auditor from time

[1:00:43] to time does a calculation on our expenditures in our water department.

[1:00:47] This doesn't apply to anybody that if they turn on the faucet in their home and

[1:00:50] they have water now, doesn't apply to you It applies to new development

[1:00:54] that comes in, so they pay their share of the infrastructure through a

[1:00:58] connection fee for each individual unit,

[1:01:01] because everyone that came before them contributed to that, and new

[1:01:05] construction should as well. So they calculate that.

[1:01:09] It's only for new construction, and it's

[1:01:12] $2,400 per connection.

[1:01:14] Mm-hmm.

[1:01:15] But again, if you have water now, does not apply to you at all.

[1:01:19] And the next ordinance is for the same thing, but for the sewer department, so.

[1:01:22] Correct.

[1:01:23] Can I please have-- I'm sorry, if anyone from the public wants to come forward on

[1:01:26] this ordinance, please come forward.

[1:01:29] Seeing or hearing no one, can I please have a motion to close to the public on

[1:01:32] ordinance 2026-10?

[1:01:35] I'll make that motion.

[1:01:36] Second.

[1:01:38] All in favor?

[1:01:39] Aye.

[1:01:40] Can I please have a motion to adopt ordinance 2026-10?

[1:01:43] I make that motion.

[1:01:44] I'll second.

[1:01:47] Roll call.

[1:01:48] Council President Badalato?

[1:01:49] Aye.

[1:01:49] Councilwoman Cummings?

[1:01:50] Aye.

[1:01:51] Councilman Howelling?

[1:01:52] Aye.

[1:01:52] Councilman Wilkinson?

[1:01:54] Aye.

[1:01:54] Councilman Scranus?

[1:01:55] Aye.

[1:01:58] Thank you.

[1:01:59] Second reading on ordinance number 2026-11.

[1:02:02] This is an ordinance amending section 261-4 of the Code of the Borough of Berlin

[1:02:06] regarding sewer connection permits and fees.

[1:02:09] Can I please have a motion to open to the public on ordinance 2026-11?

[1:02:13] Make that motion.

[1:02:15] I'll second.

[1:02:17] All in favor?

[1:02:18] Aye.

[1:02:20] Aye.

[1:02:20] Anyone from the public wanting to come forward on this ordinance, please come

[1:02:23] forward.

[1:02:25] Same thing, only for flush and sewer.

[1:02:27] Yep.

[1:02:29] Seeing or hearing no one, can I please have a motion to close to the public on

[1:02:31] ordinance 2026-11?

[1:02:34] Motion.

[1:02:36] Second.

[1:02:38] All in favor?

[1:02:39] Aye.

[1:02:41] Aye.

[1:02:41] Motion to adopt ordinance number 2026-11.

[1:02:44] Make that motion.

[1:02:46] Second.

[1:02:47] Roll call, please.

[1:02:48] Council President Badalato?

[1:02:49] Aye.

[1:02:50] Councilwoman Cummings?

[1:02:51] Aye.

[1:02:51] Councilman Howelling?

[1:02:52] Aye.

[1:02:52] Councilman Wilkinson?

[1:02:53] Aye.

[1:02:54] Councilman Scranus?

[1:02:56] Aye.

[1:02:56] Thank you.

[1:02:58] Second reading on ordinance number 2026-12.

[1:03:01] This is a bond ordinance providing for various 2026 sewer utility

[1:03:05] improvements, buying in the Borough of Berlin in the County of Camden, State of New

[1:03:08] Jersey, appropriating 425,000

[1:03:13] and authorizing the issuance of 425,000 of bonds and notes to finance the

[1:03:17] cost of the projects.

[1:03:20] Can I please have a motion to open to the public on ordinance number 2026-12?

[1:03:24] Motion.

[1:03:24] I'll second.

[1:03:26] All in favor?

[1:03:27] Aye.

[1:03:29] This and the next two, Mayor, are capital ordinances that are prepared in

[1:03:32] conjunction with your budget. Now the budget's been adopted, we can move forward

[1:03:36] with these. This happens every year.

[1:03:38] All right. Thank you.

[1:03:40] Anyone from the public wanting to come forward?

[1:03:44] Seeing or hearing no one, can I please have a motion to close to the public on

[1:03:47] ordinance 2026-12?

[1:03:49] I make that motion.

[1:03:50] Second.

[1:03:52] All in favor?

[1:03:53] Aye.

[1:03:54] A motion to adopt ordinance 2026-12.

[1:03:57] I make that motion.

[1:03:59] Second.

[1:04:01] Roll call.

[1:04:02] Council President Badalato?

[1:04:03] Aye.

[1:04:04] Councilwoman Cummings?

[1:04:04] Aye.

[1:04:05] Councilman Howelling?

[1:04:06] Aye.

[1:04:06] Councilman Wilkinson?

[1:04:07] Aye.

[1:04:08] Councilman Scranus?

[1:04:09] Aye.

[1:04:11] Thank you.

[1:04:12] Second reading on ordinance number 2026-13.

[1:04:15] This is a bond ordinance providing for various 2026 water utility improvements

[1:04:19] buying in the Borough of Berlin, County of Camden, State of New Jersey,

[1:04:23] appropriating $280,000 and authorizing the issuance

[1:04:27] of $280,000 in bonds or notes to finance the cost.

[1:04:32] Can I please have a motion to open to the public on ordinance 2026-13?

[1:04:36] Motion.

[1:04:37] Second.

[1:04:39] All in favor?

[1:04:40] Aye.

[1:04:41] Any members of the public wanting to come forward on this ordinance, please come

[1:04:44] forward.

[1:04:46] Seeing or hearing no one, can I please have a motion to close to the public?

[1:04:50] Make that motion.

[1:04:51] I'll second.

[1:04:55] Roll call, please. Oh, I'm sorry.

[1:04:57] Can I please have a motion to adopt ordinance number 2026-13?

[1:05:01] Motion.

[1:05:02] Second.

[1:05:05] Roll call, please.

[1:05:05] Council President Badalato?

[1:05:07] Aye.

[1:05:07] Councilwoman Cummings?

[1:05:08] Aye.

[1:05:08] Councilman Howelling?

[1:05:09] Aye.

[1:05:10] Councilman Wilkinson?

[1:05:11] Aye.

[1:05:11] Councilman Scranus?

[1:05:12] Aye.

[1:05:14] Thank you.

[1:05:16] Second reading on ordinance number 2026-14.

[1:05:18] This is a bond ordinance providing for various 2026 general

[1:05:22] capital improvements buying in the Borough of Berlin, County of Camden, State of

[1:05:26] New Jersey, appropriating $935,000 and

[1:05:30] authorizing the issuance of $890,476

[1:05:34] in bonds or notes to finance part of the cost.

[1:05:39] Can I please have a motion to open to the public on ordinance number 2026-14?

[1:05:43] I make that motion.

[1:05:44] I'll second.

[1:05:46] All in favor?

[1:05:47] Aye.

[1:05:48] Aye.

[1:05:48] Any members of the public want to come forward on this ordinance, please come

[1:05:51] forward and state your name.

[1:05:54] Seeing or hearing no one, can I please have a motion to close to the public?

[1:05:58] I make that motion.

[1:05:59] I'll second.

[1:06:01] All in favor?

[1:06:02] Aye.

[1:06:03] Aye.

[1:06:04] Please have a motion to adopt the ordinance number 2026-14.

[1:06:09] Make that motion.

[1:06:10] Second.

[1:06:12] Roll call, please.

[1:06:13] Council President Badalato?

[1:06:14] Aye.

[1:06:14] Councilwoman Cummings?

[1:06:15] Aye.

[1:06:16] Councilman Howelling?

[1:06:16] Aye.

[1:06:17] Councilman Wilkinson?

[1:06:18] Aye.

[1:06:19] Councilman Scranus?

[1:06:20] Aye.

[1:06:21] Thank you.

[1:06:23] On to new business. We have the first reading of ordinance 2026-15.

[1:06:27] This is an ordinance amending chapter 111 of the Code of Borough of Berlin

[1:06:30] regarding building and business identification.

[1:06:33] It's my understanding this is to,

[1:06:36] when there's new buildings like townhomes and such, the backs of the buildings put

[1:06:39] numbers-

[1:06:40] Correct

[1:06:41] ... numbers on them so if the firefighters have to go, they can-

[1:06:44] There's been some problems with identification-

[1:06:46] Yeah

[1:06:46] ... and it could potentially cause a safety issue, so we're curing it with these

[1:06:50] changes.

[1:06:51] Yep.

[1:06:51] Yes.

[1:06:51] Is it,

[1:06:53] would these numbers go on the buildings themselves, or?

[1:06:56] The back of the buildings

[1:06:58] I got to be honest, and I think that the chief and the

[1:07:02] fire chief, thank you, would also agree.

[1:07:06] When we had them on the curbing, it makes it so easy as a

[1:07:09] first responder to be able to find a house

[1:07:13] that much quicker.

[1:07:16] Who did

[1:07:17] that?

[1:07:18] My understanding was a lot of volunteers did it.

[1:07:21] Scouts did it.

[1:07:22] The scouts did that?

[1:07:23] Yeah, and then it became a lot of-

[1:07:24] Was it the whole town back then?

[1:07:25] Well, they did the big portion of the town.

[1:07:28] Yeah, it was the scouts that voluntarily did it.

[1:07:32] I'm not going to lie, it was really easy to find houses when you got calls

[1:07:36] for service to certain areas.

[1:07:39] Yeah.

[1:07:39] Yeah, this one's more like volunteers.

[1:07:41] Yeah.

[1:07:42] Oh, I see what you're saying. Okay.

[1:07:43] So it's more like the volunteers-

[1:07:45] All right

[1:07:45] ... when you go behind them, you can see

[1:07:49] 20 or so homes.

[1:07:50] Can I

[1:07:52] have a motion to approve?

[1:07:54] I make that motion.

[1:07:55] I'll second.

[1:07:57] What'd you say,

[1:08:00] Mark?

[1:08:00] Did I?

[1:08:01] Yeah. I thought you said-

[1:08:02] No

[1:08:03] ... I thought you said no. I was like, "Oh."

[1:08:05] Thought you were going to say aye.

[1:08:06] Roll call, please.

[1:08:08] Council President Badalato.

[1:08:09] Aye.

[1:08:10] Councilwoman Cummings.

[1:08:11] Aye.

[1:08:11] Councilman Ewing.

[1:08:12] Aye.

[1:08:13] Councilman Wilkinson.

[1:08:14] Aye.

[1:08:14] Councilman Mascaras.

[1:08:15] Aye.

[1:08:16] Thank you.

[1:08:17] I apologize for my confusion on that.

[1:08:19] No, no problem.

[1:08:21] I'd rather you ask questions now than after we vote on it.

[1:08:24] So we have a consent agenda here,

[1:08:28] resolutions R6-103 to

[1:08:31] R6-119, 2026. Can I open to

[1:08:35] the public for the resolutions, please?

[1:08:38] Open the public. I'll second.

[1:08:42] All in favor?

[1:08:43] Aye.

[1:08:44] Aye.

[1:08:44] If any members of the public want to come forward on any of the resolutions, please

[1:08:47] come forward and state your name and ask your questions.

[1:08:50] Again, we will have another public portion for any

[1:08:53] topic.

[1:08:57] Seeing or hearing no one, can I please have a motion to close to the public

[1:09:01] for resolutions?

[1:09:02] I make that motion.

[1:09:03] Second.

[1:09:05] All in favor?

[1:09:06] Aye.

[1:09:08] And it's my understanding, Councilman Wilkinson, you'd like to pull out

[1:09:12] R-

[1:09:12] Yeah, indeed

[1:09:14] ...

[1:09:14] R6-106?

[1:09:17] Yes, sir.

[1:09:18] Any others?

[1:09:20] Nope.

[1:09:21] Can I have a motion

[1:09:24] to approve that consent, the resolutions for

[1:09:27] R6-103 through R6-119, excluding

[1:09:31] R6-106, please?

[1:09:33] Motion.

[1:09:34] I'll second.

[1:09:37] Roll call.

[1:09:40] Council President Badalato.

[1:09:41] Aye.

[1:09:41] Councilwoman Cummings.

[1:09:42] Aye.

[1:09:43] Councilman Ewing.

[1:09:43] Aye.

[1:09:44] Councilman Wilkinson.

[1:09:45] Aye.

[1:09:45] Councilman Mascaras.

[1:09:46] Aye.

[1:09:48] Mayor, can I ask a question?

[1:09:50] Sure.

[1:09:51] Chief, the purpose for

[1:09:55] the handgun renewals, it's $100 for the borough, correct?

[1:09:59] The renewals?

[1:10:00] Renewals.

[1:10:00] Okay.

[1:10:01] This doesn't affect me because my gun permit is through state, but I think that it

[1:10:05] being a constitutional right instead of a privilege,

[1:10:09] that we should have a fee to renew their right to

[1:10:13] carry a weapon if they go through all the process of getting

[1:10:17] certified, getting all the paperwork in, and doing it legal.

[1:10:21] Can we terminate that fee of $100?

[1:10:25] We'd have to look into that. I know some towns are doing that, but there's been a

[1:10:28] lot of pushback. So I can look into it for you.

[1:10:32] Not comfortable saying yes or no right now.

[1:10:34] Okay. And no excuse of having, because it doesn't affect me at all financially.

[1:10:39] It's just a refutation of the Constitution.

[1:10:42] Well, depending on what the chief gets back, I guess we can address it next-

[1:10:46] Yeah, it'd actually have to be on-

[1:10:47] Address it next month.

[1:10:48] Thank you.

[1:10:49] Okay.

[1:10:50] I know we inquired with the state police about that, and we got some pushback

[1:10:54] from them as well with that.

[1:10:56] So you got pushback?

[1:10:57] On the application.

[1:10:59] How are other towns able to do it, then?

[1:11:01] There's a couple towns up north that are doing it-

[1:11:03] Yeah

[1:11:03] ... from what I understand.

[1:11:05] About six or eight of them, to my knowledge.

[1:11:08] Something that's fairly new.

[1:11:10] Yeah.

[1:11:11] But I know

[1:11:13] Detective Piper looked into it a while back.

[1:11:15] And this is for the concealed carries, right?

[1:11:18] Correct.

[1:11:18] How many applications do we get? Do you have any idea?

[1:11:21] I do. For the conceals-

[1:11:23] Roughly

[1:11:23] ... or overall?

[1:11:25] The conceals.

[1:11:26] Not many.

[1:11:27] No?

[1:11:28] Maybe eight to 10 a month.

[1:11:29] Oh, that's decent.

[1:11:31] Maybe.

[1:11:32] Okay.

[1:11:34] Right around eight, I'd say. 10 would be a lot.

[1:11:38] In a 3.6 square mile town, I don't think that's too bad.

[1:11:42] No.

[1:11:44] No.

[1:11:44] All right. Good.

[1:11:46] Thank you.

[1:11:46] Yep, thanks. Can I please have a

[1:11:49] motion for resolution R6-106, please?

[1:11:54] Motion.

[1:11:56] Second.

[1:11:58] Roll call.

[1:12:00] Council President Badalato.

[1:12:01] Aye.

[1:12:02] Councilwoman Cummings.

[1:12:03] Aye.

[1:12:03] Councilman Ewing.

[1:12:05] Aye.

[1:12:05] Councilman Wilkinson.

[1:12:06] No.

[1:12:08] Councilman Mascaras.

[1:12:08] No.

[1:12:09] Okay.

[1:12:13] Thank you.

[1:12:17] Now on to privilege of the floor. Can I please have a motion to open to the public

[1:12:20] for privilege of the floor?

[1:12:21] Motion.

[1:12:22] Second.

[1:12:24] All in favor?

[1:12:25] Aye.

[1:12:26] Aye.

[1:12:26] If any members of the public want to come forward on any issue, please come forward

[1:12:29] and

[1:12:30] state your name.

[1:12:40] Hello.

[1:12:41] Hello.

[1:12:43] David Angelina, 23 River, Sterling.

[1:12:47] Before we get into this,

[1:12:50] I'm

[1:12:51] speaking from past, I'm not speaking from present, okay?

[1:12:56] I'd love to see something done with those sports fields, okay, and have better

[1:12:59] fields over there. I was school board president

[1:13:04] When we put the last addition on, there was an option to go up, there was an

[1:13:08] option to go out. We picked the option to go out.

[1:13:11] That school could still put a serious addition on, going up without having to go

[1:13:14] out.

[1:13:16] So I spoke to president at the time, and she told me

[1:13:20] that they don't want to go up because they can't go up.

[1:13:23] And I asked her, I said, "Well, do you have an engineering degree?" And she just,

[1:13:27] they stopped the conversation at that point. I didn't worry about it.

[1:13:29] The only reason we didn't go up is because you'd have to put an

[1:13:32] elevator for ADA-

[1:13:35] Code

[1:13:36] ... compliances, yeah. That's the only reason we didn't go up. We chose to go out.

[1:13:40] The second thing is they need those fields as much as you do. Okay?

[1:13:44] So I would suggest that if you could do something to

[1:13:48] make them state-of-the-art and come across an agreement with them to say, "Hey,

[1:13:51] listen, we'll spend money on them, but they're ours to use for the

[1:13:55] next X amount of years." You know what I mean?

[1:13:58] I approached them with that, and they said absolutely not.

[1:14:01] Okay.

[1:14:01] And that's the only reason why I'm pursuing it directly.

[1:14:03] Okay. That's-

[1:14:04] I tried to go that direction.

[1:14:06] Yeah.

[1:14:06] But no.

[1:14:07] No, I just wanted to let you know the option was to go up, okay, and

[1:14:10] not touch the footprint of the, what do you call it?

[1:14:13] So-

[1:14:13] I think that's great to go up instead because you need more parking anyway.

[1:14:16] Exactly. Yeah. And the problem is, is if they go out,

[1:14:20] they need fields.

[1:14:21] Correct.

[1:14:22] For their playground, for their kids that play baseball and stuff like that.

[1:14:25] So then-

[1:14:26] Right, that's our baseball fields at that point

[1:14:27] Yes. And then they're going to wind up having to play on your fields because

[1:14:30] they've taken their own fields away.

[1:14:31] So,

[1:14:33] that's fine.

[1:14:33] Thank you.

[1:14:34] I don't think our school puts a whole lot of emphasis on youth athletics.

[1:14:39] Not like-

[1:14:39] No, but they still have to.

[1:14:40] They-

[1:14:41] They still need a field to play.

[1:14:43] It's not like other schools do.

[1:14:44] No.

[1:14:44] Let's just put it that way.

[1:14:45] You're absolutely right. Okay. It's atrocious

[1:14:49] what they look like compared to some of the others around them.

[1:14:51] That's correct.

[1:14:51] And that's what I was saying, if you want to put money into those fields and

[1:14:55] upgrade those fields, okay, but only if it was an agreement to say-

[1:14:59] We would love to.

[1:14:59] Yeah.

[1:15:00] Yeah. That was the original quote.

[1:15:01] Yeah.

[1:15:01] That's why we invested in scoreboards and whatnot. We were investing in it.

[1:15:04] Yeah.

[1:15:04] And then we got pushback saying, "We're going to take those fields if we

[1:15:08] expand." It's not a problem. That's not

[1:15:11] my-

[1:15:11] Yeah

[1:15:11] ... strong position.

[1:15:13] Well, like I said, things have changed over the years because that wasn't our

[1:15:17] feeling back then. Okay?

[1:15:19] Thank you.

[1:15:20] Second thing

[1:15:21] from the ICCA regarding your situation with the seniors.

[1:15:25] Okay?

[1:15:26] We've been discussing, we're trying to work a fine-tune it all out.

[1:15:30] We put spot pots and handicap spot pots in

[1:15:33] this parking lot over here. It's our intention to hopefully give you that parking

[1:15:37] lot over there and work with the 5K race.

[1:15:41] Okay? Because they put tents out front for the race that day.

[1:15:45] Okay.

[1:15:45] And then hopefully leave those tents

[1:15:47] for their seniors to be able to sit under and have a sitting area.

[1:15:50] I know. I wanted to go to a meeting last night, but it was my son's birthday.

[1:15:52] That's fine.

[1:15:53] So I will get there next week.

[1:15:54] Well, we're-

[1:15:55] I have some logistics and go from there.

[1:15:56] Well, we had meetings with Knights of Columbus, too, and we had health issues

[1:16:00] there, so we didn't get an approval on it yet.

[1:16:03] Okay.

[1:16:03] But we're working on it. But there will be spot pots there, and we're trying to

[1:16:07] work on having that parking lot reserved for you. Okay.

[1:16:11] Last thing I have is your sign for you.

[1:16:13] Oh, great.

[1:16:13] We'd like to thank you very much for

[1:16:15] supporting the parade and

[1:16:18] everything you guys do to...

[1:16:20] We know it's a big ask for public works, for police department, for everything.

[1:16:24] And we put a lot into this, okay, but we can't do it without the

[1:16:28] support of the towns and the different departments it takes to make it

[1:16:32] happen. So,

[1:16:34] I'd like to, at some given hour, some point, get a picture with you guys.

[1:16:38] Okay. However you want to do it.

[1:16:39] You guys want to do it now?

[1:16:40] Yeah. Let's do it.

[1:16:40] Let's get the-

[1:16:41] You want me to take the picture?

[1:16:42] I'll take the picture.

[1:16:43] You got to be in it.

[1:16:44] Oh, I see.

[1:16:45] Yeah.

[1:16:46] I'll take it.

[1:16:47] Yeah, sure.

[1:16:47] Yeah. I'm going to get-

[1:16:49] I'd like a picture. No, are you kidding?

[1:16:52] Where do you want to go?

[1:16:57] You coming with us or-

[1:16:58] No.

[1:16:58] Howard, you going to be in this?

[1:17:00] You.

[1:17:00] I'll take it.

[1:17:03] Sir. Chief. Chief, come on.

[1:17:05] Come on, Chief.

[1:17:07] It took three months to get a permit for that top thing.

[1:17:09] Bill, you coming in?

[1:17:10] Yes, down the side.

[1:17:15] Good to see you, bud.

[1:17:17] Oh, likewise.

[1:17:19] Steph.

[1:17:20] Hey. How you doing? Great.

[1:17:24] Sorry.

[1:17:26] No, no. Don't film.

[1:17:27] I wasn't. It was that nice.

[1:17:29] Okay. I know. I was surprised to see you out of the sling.

[1:17:31] I'm surprised he's able to hold the

[1:17:33] sign.

[1:17:37] Yeah.

[1:17:37] All right. Ready? One, two, three.

[1:17:40] Thank you very much.

[1:17:41] Thank you.

[1:17:41] Thanks for coming.

[1:17:42] Thank you.

[1:17:44] You're welcome.

[1:17:46] Thanks.

[1:17:46] No problem.

[1:17:50] Put it fast.

[1:17:52] We'll pass you over.

[1:17:54] Right.

[1:17:55] At least we got a picture before we leave.

[1:17:58] Thank you so much.

[1:18:01] Again, thank you very much for letting us all work.

[1:18:03] Thank you.

[1:18:04] And thank you for all your work.

[1:18:18] All right. We all set up? Okay.

[1:18:20] We're on TV now.

[1:18:21] Next?

[1:18:27] Hello, everybody.

[1:18:29] Ed Eaman, 27 Summit Avenue.

[1:18:33] Maybe I should have asked a little bit earlier about second reading on Ordinance

[1:18:37] 2026-12 about the sewer mobility

[1:18:41] improvements. But I came down my street, and I saw all the vents for

[1:18:45] the sewer by the street. They're painted green, like a

[1:18:49] bright fluorescent green.

[1:18:51] Color looks nice, but

[1:18:54] I assume you're going to be tearing up the street or doing something or-

[1:18:57] No, correct me if I'm wrong, they're going through, we have a

[1:19:01] GIS system, and they're marking all the

[1:19:05] All the

[1:19:06] connections, like where the connections are. Oh, okay. So they can map them.

[1:19:09] So if there is- Yeah ... the grass grows over them, and then they're out there

[1:19:12] forever trying to find them. So they're going out and they're pinning exactly where

[1:19:16] they are- Okay ... and having it on a map.

[1:19:17] So if there's ever a call and they have to go get to your connection, they know

[1:19:21] exactly where it is. So they're cleaning around and marking them- Okay, cool.

[1:19:24] All right ... and then-

[1:19:24] I'm pretty sure green means toxic, though.

[1:19:27] What's that? Yeah?

[1:19:28] I'm pretty sure green means toxic.

[1:19:30] Yeah.

[1:19:30] Blue means clean.

[1:19:31] Yeah.

[1:19:33] Yeah. They're just mapping where all the connections are for the future.

[1:19:35] All right, cool. All right.

[1:19:38] That's it. Thank you so much. Thanks.

[1:19:45] Anyone else?

[1:19:55] Oh, boy.

[1:19:59] Betty Evili. I think you all know me.

[1:20:01] Yeah.

[1:20:02] I just want to say thank you, Mayor, for appointing me as one of the

[1:20:06] trustees and replacing Deanna.

[1:20:09] But I have to make a statement with regards to the library.

[1:20:13] Millard, your dad was an integral part of the reason why I'm so

[1:20:17] heavily involved. For the 18 years that I've been there, I've

[1:20:21] been to just about every one of the trustees board meetings.

[1:20:25] I think I've missed maybe one or two.

[1:20:28] And it's an honor to be able to be on the board of trustees.

[1:20:32] So your dad was very integral. He insisted that I go to

[1:20:35] trustees webinars, seminars, even though I wasn't a trustee.

[1:20:39] So I have all the background associated with being a trustee.

[1:20:44] And I want to thank all of you for all those times, for all of your support with

[1:20:47] the library.

[1:20:49] On a separate note,

[1:20:50] Fall Fest. I know we're all talking 4th of July

[1:20:55] and it's hot, and it's going to be hot for the next couple of days, and the air

[1:20:58] conditioning obviously is not working.

[1:21:00] So of course, my voice is going.

[1:21:04] I just want to ensure that there are no new resolutions

[1:21:08] that are going to be going into place that would require me to get any

[1:21:12] additional permits or any other things that I typically get.

[1:21:16] I know I notify all of you, and I work very closely with

[1:21:19] the Office of Emergency Management, police, fire, council,

[1:21:24] and ambulance, so if there's anything new with regards to the

[1:21:28] streets that I need to be cognizant of

[1:21:32] coming forward, please don't hit me at the last minute.

[1:21:36] Nope.

[1:21:37] Okay. And you're not going to believe this.

[1:21:39] Voorhees got their own stage.

[1:21:42] Oh, did are you able to use it?

[1:21:43] No.

[1:21:43] So does that mean do you have access to it?

[1:21:46] No. Well, I got an email from Don Knowlesbook today saying

[1:21:50] Voorhees just bought their own stage.

[1:21:52] I said, "Well, maybe next year I'll be able to borrow it since they-"

[1:21:54] What's the MSRP of one of them stages?

[1:21:57] I'm sorry?

[1:21:58] How much does a stage like that cost?

[1:22:00] Well, I don't know what they actually cost.

[1:22:01] I mean, Voorhees has all the money in the world.

[1:22:04] But for me to rent it, the rents went up this year.

[1:22:06] They pay their rental fees.

[1:22:10] Well, maybe we need to raise our inspection fees.

[1:22:15] For

[1:22:16] me to rent it, I went to several agencies.

[1:22:19] The one who I negotiated with last year, who gave it to me for $2,000,

[1:22:24] they're all running an average of $4,000 a year to rent.

[1:22:27] True.

[1:22:27] And I did luck out with one of the guys.

[1:22:30] He said, "Okay, we'll give it to you for 3,500." We went back and forth for a

[1:22:34] couple of hours. I got him down to $2,500.

[1:22:37] So it's

[1:22:39] still a lot of money to get a stage. So hopefully going

[1:22:43] forward, maybe there's something that the borough can

[1:22:47] do with

[1:22:49] affordable stage

[1:22:51] that can be housed somewhere.

[1:22:53] I'll see Mayor Magnonia next week at the Eastern graduation.

[1:22:56] I'll be sure to-

[1:22:57] There you go

[1:22:57] ... yes, you do your thing. But thank you again.

[1:22:59] And Fall Fest is coming, so everybody's going to be

[1:23:04] getting more notices.

[1:23:04] You just have to promise in front of the public you're not going to let your

[1:23:06] trustee duties take away from your Fall Fest.

[1:23:10] I'm kidding.

[1:23:12] They never took away from my library duties or the business association, so.

[1:23:16] Thank you so much, Betty.

[1:23:17] Thank you.

[1:23:18] Thanks, Betty.

[1:23:18] Thank you, guys.

[1:23:24] Steve David.

[1:23:26] A question about, I'll call it Pallet Park next door.

[1:23:30] When

[1:23:31] you went through that project for a few years to get Blaze's torn down, cleaned up,

[1:23:35] it wasn't supposed to cost the borough much money.

[1:23:38] Okay, it's cleared. Somebody approved all those

[1:23:42] pallets standing on their end.

[1:23:45] Mysteriously, they're gone. Somebody approved dumping two dump

[1:23:48] truckloads of tires in a pile. Now they're gone.

[1:23:51] Then we had a big pile of dirt for a month. Now it's gone.

[1:23:55] Now they put a orange fence up. Who's paying for all that,

[1:23:59] and who's responsible for it? Who's in charge?

[1:24:02] So the DVRC, they were going to put on,

[1:24:06] I guess, concerts there.

[1:24:08] That was their stuff, the pallets, and the tires.

[1:24:11] It was going to be part of their setup for the concerts.

[1:24:14] And the condition of them using the property was that it was usable

[1:24:18] because we had some environmental cleanup there.

[1:24:22] So we were told by the engineers and everything else it was going to be cleaned up

[1:24:25] by the end of May. So they were middle of May, whatever the

[1:24:29] date was. So that's why they planned on having them around

[1:24:33] May 29th or whatever the date was. In the meantime, found out,

[1:24:37] I guess, where they were taking it to, they were backed up.

[1:24:40] They couldn't get rid of it, so they had to cancel the event.

[1:24:44] Then we were told by the engineers that they need a certification,

[1:24:48] and that process won't be till the end of August.

[1:24:50] So because all that stuff was out there, we got a lot of complaints about the stuff

[1:24:53] out there. So we removed it, and it's over in DPW yard,

[1:24:57] so it's not a mess out there. So there was no dumping.

[1:25:00] It was their materials that they were going to use for the site.

[1:25:04] No cost to the borough. It was-

[1:25:05] No cost to the borough

[1:25:05] ... it was all them. It was all volunteers.

[1:25:07] The reason it was all that kind of stuff was-

[1:25:10] There was no cost. They got the pallets donated.

[1:25:13] They were working with some local businesses.

[1:25:15] A

[1:25:17] solar company and a landscaping company was kind of giving them those

[1:25:21] materials to help build out their

[1:25:24] setup if you will.

[1:25:25] They're students from Eastern High School for the most part, I think.

[1:25:28] Yeah.

[1:25:28] I don't think they were trying to do

[1:25:32] anything that was harmful, but I don't think they

[1:25:36] took much appreciation for the fact that the stuff they wanted to use

[1:25:40] probably wasn't

[1:25:43] appropriate or would meet the codes that the state

[1:25:47] of New Jersey likes to impose on people.

[1:25:49] I appreciate Carl asking for some money

[1:25:53] for the parks and all, and you're very conscious about every dollar.

[1:25:57] But when I see so much stuff going on there, I'm just wondering who's paying for

[1:26:01] it.

[1:26:01] Yeah, that was all free.

[1:26:02] Oh.

[1:26:02] And as far as the cleanup, we got grants through NJDEP to

[1:26:06] clean up the property. So that grant money was being used to clean up.

[1:26:10] The dirt that was out there was from part of the cleanup.

[1:26:12] They had to do some testing on it before they could remove it.

[1:26:15] That's why that was out there.

[1:26:16] Will it be safe to stand there on the 4th of July, or is it still going to be

[1:26:19] cordoned off with the orange fence?

[1:26:20] Well, the only reason we put the fence up was to make sure that the property is

[1:26:23] safe until we get clearance. That's why the fence went up there, so that nobody

[1:26:26] goes on the property, just as abundance of caution.

[1:26:29] Okay.

[1:26:29] Yeah.

[1:26:29] Thanks.

[1:26:30] Yeah. Thanks.

[1:26:31] Otherwise, we'll have to paint it green.

[1:26:34] Yeah.

[1:26:36] Otherwise, we'll have to paint it green.

[1:26:44] Good evening. I'm Charlene Galiano, 265 Route 30.

[1:26:49] Ms. Betty, thank you for all you do.

[1:26:50] You might want to reach out to the county for the stage they have given it in the

[1:26:53] past.

[1:26:54] I was the person that gave it to you.

[1:26:55] They gave it to us for free before.

[1:26:57] They haven't done it for several years.

[1:26:58] Ah, sorry. Thought it might help you.

[1:27:01] It was just okay for the first one. I still have a large box.

[1:27:04] Oh, very good. So good evening, Mayor and Council. Thank you for your time.

[1:27:07] I'm here tonight regarding the property at 71 South Woodhorse Pike.

[1:27:11] First, I appreciate that action has now been taken.

[1:27:13] The soil pile has been removed, orange fencing has been placed around

[1:27:17] the property, and signage appears to be back up.

[1:27:20] I'm glad to see those steps. I also feel for the volunteers and committee

[1:27:24] members who have worked hard to create something positive for Berlin.

[1:27:28] I hope they do not give up, and I hope this process takes less than the eight

[1:27:32] weeks that have been mentioned. My concern is not with the volunteers.

[1:27:35] My concern is about process, communication, documentation, and

[1:27:39] trust going forward.

[1:27:41] When a community event was being planned at or near this property, I asked for

[1:27:45] records showing whether the property or any portion of it had been cleared or

[1:27:48] approved for public or community use while remediation was still

[1:27:52] active. The documents I received included grant records,

[1:27:56] LSRP retention records, underground storage tank records,

[1:28:00] confirmed discharge information, and environmental investigation documents.

[1:28:04] What I did not see was an RAO, a no further action letter,

[1:28:08] written public use clearance, event use approval, or similar

[1:28:12] document showing that the property was cleared for community events.

[1:28:16] I was later told that no such responsive record exists.

[1:28:21] The timeline is part of why I am concerned.

[1:28:24] On May 26th, I sent my OPRA request asking for the RAO.

[1:28:29] On May 27th, I received confirmation that my request had been

[1:28:32] received. On May 29th, Downtown Berlin announced that the

[1:28:36] event was canceled or postponed because of the contaminated soil.

[1:28:41] On May 30th, which was supposed to be the first scheduled event, I contacted New

[1:28:45] Jersey DEP, the non-emergency police line, and finally a

[1:28:48] council member to ask that the contaminated soil area be covered,

[1:28:53] since it had been partially covered.

[1:28:54] And I guess the strong winds that day, the material appeared to be blowing

[1:28:58] around. On June 1st, I received 11 PDF documents

[1:29:02] in response to my OPRA request. That same day, Downtown Berlin

[1:29:08] posted that after speaking with the borough and the engineer, that they were

[1:29:11] confident that all systems are a go for the June 6th event.

[1:29:16] On June 2nd, I followed up asking where the RAO or written public use

[1:29:19] clearance was. On June 3rd, Downtown Berlin

[1:29:23] canceled the upcoming events, and I also received confirmation from the

[1:29:27] borough that they did not have the requested documentation showing public or

[1:29:31] community use clearance.

[1:29:34] From a resident's point of view, that was confusing.

[1:29:37] I understand there may still be records or answers pending,

[1:29:41] and that this is why I'm asking these questions publicly tonight.

[1:29:45] Who determines when a property involved in an environmental cleanup is

[1:29:49] appropriate for public use? Who is responsible for making

[1:29:52] sure the environmental documentation is complete before an event

[1:29:56] is advertised? And can the borough clarify who

[1:30:00] authorized the fencing, warning signs, or access restrictions

[1:30:04] to be removed in the first place, since fencing and signage now appear

[1:30:08] to still be needed?

[1:30:11] Will the borough be making an official public statement about the status of the

[1:30:14] property and the steps being taken going forward, or should residents

[1:30:18] expect communication to only come through DBRC?

[1:30:22] I am also asking Mayor and Council to review DBRC's charter,

[1:30:27] authority, and approval process

[1:30:30] so there are clearer checks and balances for public events, temporary uses,

[1:30:34] pop-up parks, vendor activity, and property improvements.

[1:30:38] This is not meant to attack anybody on DBRC or any of

[1:30:42] its volunteers. I want to be clear, I support community events

[1:30:46] and downtown revitalization. My concern is not to stop

[1:30:50] progress. My concern is making sure progress is done with clear

[1:30:53] documentation, public communication, and safety checks from

[1:30:57] the beginning. That matters because Berlin has other

[1:31:01] major projects and property concerns coming, including the area

[1:31:05] near former Owens-Corning factory and the old Kmart property.

[1:31:10] If we have confusion over a contaminated soil pile located directly

[1:31:14] next to the municipal building parking lot, then it is fair for

[1:31:18] residents to ask what checks and balances will be in place for larger

[1:31:22] and more complex projects. Berlin deserves community events and

[1:31:26] revitalization. We also deserve clear documentation, good

[1:31:30] communication,

[1:31:32] and safety checks before the public is invited in.

[1:31:36] No one should allow corners to be cut when it comes to the health and safety of our

[1:31:39] families, our friends, and our neighbors. Thank you.

[1:31:43] Thank you.

[1:31:45] And I'm waiting for my OPRA request, so thank you.

[1:31:53] Anyone else?

[1:31:59] Can I have a motion to close public portion, and I'll make a statement about the-

[1:32:03] I'll make that motion.

[1:32:05] Second.

[1:32:06] All in favor? Or roll call.

[1:32:07] Roll call?

[1:32:09] Did you want roll call?

[1:32:10] Yeah.

[1:32:12] Roll call. So just quick-

[1:32:13] You already make a statement

[1:32:15] Yeah, but I just want... So the

[1:32:17] DBRC asked us

[1:32:19] probably a year and a half ago if they could use the property.

[1:32:21] We said yes, contingent upon it's safe and clean.

[1:32:24] We have an engineering firm, Pennoni, that is doing the grants.

[1:32:28] The grant is actually through the DEP.

[1:32:30] We were told through the engineer that the property would be clean on, whatever

[1:32:33] that date was, two or three days before

[1:32:36] their event.

[1:32:41] We didn't tell them to go ahead, and their separate organization having

[1:32:44] our only involvement was allowing them to use the property.

[1:32:47] So they went ahead and announced it.

[1:32:48] In the meantime, we found out they didn't have

[1:32:50] a liquor license, a few other things, so we weren't comfortable even from that

[1:32:54] standpoint of them moving forward.

[1:32:56] You raised some good questions, and we didn't have the clearance, so

[1:33:00] the event was canceled. They took it upon themselves to figure

[1:33:04] that we thought it was going to be cleared the next week.

[1:33:07] They took it upon themselves to announce they were going to have it.

[1:33:09] After speaking with the engineer, I believe after you had

[1:33:13] contacted DEP,

[1:33:15] the engineer didn't feel comfortable issuing whatever certifications were needed,

[1:33:19] and that's where this date from August 1st happened.

[1:33:21] As far as the fence and the sign,

[1:33:24] the engineer, when we told them about the

[1:33:27] tarp being blown over, they discovered the sign.

[1:33:29] I don't know if someone stole the sign or took it down, but it was never authorized

[1:33:32] to be taken down. And again, as an abundance of caution, we put the

[1:33:36] orange fence all the way around the property just so nobody

[1:33:40] can get on it. So we're still waiting for clearance from, I

[1:33:44] guess, the DEP or the-

[1:33:45] The engineering firm

[1:33:46] ... the engineering firm. So we're working with Pennoni.

[1:33:48] We're working with an engineering firm.

[1:33:50] There was no corners cut.

[1:33:52] Again, we're working through the DEP with the grant to do the cleanup.

[1:33:56] So as the property stands now, we're waiting to get clearance

[1:34:00] on the property before anything can happen on there.

[1:34:02] Again, the DBRC did not have

[1:34:06] clearance to use the property before they announced their dates.

[1:34:09] So that was kind of some of the timing there.

[1:34:13] Terry, I just want to add that we had a decaying, abandoned gas station

[1:34:17] where nothing was happening. We acquired it for a dollar.

[1:34:21] We received grants to do the cleanup, and we're in the process of that.

[1:34:25] We've been very proactive, so it's not something that we should be

[1:34:29] apologizing for. The safety protocols were in place.

[1:34:34] We don't control the other organizations,

[1:34:37] but as you indicated, as an abundance of caution,

[1:34:40] it's underground storage tank and there was some leakage.

[1:34:44] That was cleaned up. Now that's petroleum hydrocarbons on the scale of

[1:34:48] one to 100. That's not one of the ones that are really scary.

[1:34:52] However,

[1:34:53] when it comes to kids and people being on lands that may be

[1:34:57] questionable, better safe than sorry.

[1:35:00] So I think that's the approach that we took in my conversations with the

[1:35:03] administrator,

[1:35:06] and her conversations with the engineer.

[1:35:08] We wanted to make

[1:35:10] absolutely clear that there were no prohibitions for using that

[1:35:14] property before we allowed the public to start to use it.

[1:35:18] And when it became apparent that that was not going to come before the

[1:35:21] first event date, we called it off. Simple as that.

[1:35:25] Great. Thank you.

[1:35:27] If nothing else for the good of the order-

[1:35:29] Well, to be fair, they've been coming, as far as their

[1:35:33] event schedule, they didn't come and ask any dates.

[1:35:38] I only found out personally

[1:35:41] from the flyer that they posted online.

[1:35:44] So I don't ever recall them actually asking-

[1:35:47] I think we all did. I

[1:35:49] don't remember them-

[1:35:50] I don't ever remember them ever coming in here and asking for a date-

[1:35:53] They may be-

[1:35:53] ... or applying for a permit to use the property for a specific

[1:35:56] date.

[1:35:57] As far as dates, there may have been a meeting you maybe you were absent, I think.

[1:36:01] All right.

[1:36:04] Can I have a motion to adjourn?

[1:36:05] Motion.

[1:36:06] Second.

[1:36:07] All in favor?

[1:36:08] Aye.

[1:36:08] Meeting adjourned.

June 11, 2026

Transcript