[0:07] This meeting to order.
[0:09] Please rise and salute the flag.
[0:12] » I pledge allegiance to the flag of the
[0:15] United States of America, and to the
[0:17] republic for which it stands, one nation
[0:20] under God, indivisible, with liberty and
[0:23] justice for all.
[0:28] » Roll call, please.
[0:29] » Mr. Meen.
[0:30] » Here.
[0:31] » Mr. Wakielski.
[0:32] » Here.
[0:33] » Miss Castoni.
[0:34] » Here.
[0:34] » Miss Devenezia.
[0:36] » Here.
[0:36] » Mr. Balin is absent. Miss Mazie.
[0:40] » Here.
[0:41] » Miss Lopez.
[0:42] » Here.
[0:42] » Mr. Weisman.
[0:43] » Here.
[0:44] » Mr. Lynch.
[0:45] » Here.
[0:46] » Mr. Plasternak.
[0:47] » Here.
[0:47] » Mr. Henry.
[0:49] » Here.
[0:49] » And Miss Bonswich is here.
[0:54] » Notice of this meeting has been provided
[0:55] to resolution adopted by the mayor and
[0:57] council on December 15th, 2025 as
[0:59] regular meeting of of the mayor and town
[1:00] council at the Boonton Town Hall, 100
[1:02] Washington Street, Boonton, New Jersey,
[1:04] and by electronic mailing to the
[1:05] citizens of Morris County and the Daily
[1:06] Record newspapers, through posting on
[1:08] the town website, and by filing copy of
[1:10] the same with the town clerk.
[1:11] Members of the public were also
[1:12] permitted to submit written comments
[1:14] prior to the meeting via mail or email,
[1:15] which may be summarized or read in their
[1:17] entirety during the public comment
[1:19] period. All public comments, whether
[1:20] during the public portion of the meeting
[1:22] or submitted beforehand, shall be
[1:23] limited to no greater than 3 minutes in
[1:25] duration.
[1:26] Now, we'll move on to our
[1:28] administrator and committee reports,
[1:30] starting with Town Administrator Neil
[1:32] Henry.
[1:33] » Thank you, mayor. Highlights from the
[1:34] administrator's office for the time
[1:36] period of June 1st through today that
[1:38] are not included on your agenda are the
[1:40] following. I've begun the transition
[1:43] planning on all projects being handled
[1:45] by the current town administrator to the
[1:47] new incoming town administrator. I did
[1:50] have the occasion to attend a mandated
[1:52] court appearance last week on a personal
[1:53] matter.
[1:55] I would like to announce the
[1:56] installation of 14 safety sticks on Main
[1:58] Street beginning in July. This is new
[2:01] equipment being tested to help enforce
[2:04] parking laws already in place.
[2:06] The safety sticks are solar
[2:07] solar-powered with radar technology to
[2:10] detect and document vehicles illegally
[2:12] parked in no parking zones. Photographic
[2:15] evidence of each violation will be
[2:17] reviewed by the Boonton Police
[2:19] Department personnel and if warranted, a
[2:22] violation will be mailed to the
[2:23] registered vehicle owner.
[2:25] Safety stick personnel will not have
[2:27] access to the Department of Motor
[2:28] Vehicles DMV records.
[2:31] Any DMV record searches necessary for
[2:33] enforcement purposes will be conducted
[2:36] slowly by authorized Boonton Police
[2:37] Department personnel and tomorrow
[2:40] morning we will begin sharing the safety
[2:42] stick information on our website. Phase
[2:45] two of the town's veteran banner program
[2:46] is now complete. I'm happy to report
[2:49] there are over 100 banners that are up.
[2:51] Phase three will commence in January for
[2:53] the next round.
[2:55] And this afternoon I our new
[2:57] superintendent Eric Orr, our new DPW
[3:00] superintendent Eric Orr and I met with
[3:02] members of the OEM team to update each
[3:05] other on best practices moving forward
[3:07] on storm management. That concludes my
[3:09] report this evening.
[3:11] » Thank you. Any comments or questions for
[3:12] Mr. Henry?
[3:15] Seeing none, we'll move on to finance
[3:17] and personnel.
[3:17] » Council member Weisman.
[3:18] » Thank you, Mayor. In our last couple of
[3:20] meetings we've gone over a number of the
[3:22] change orders that are in this agenda as
[3:25] well as continuing work on closing out
[3:27] the last budget issues
[3:28] including salary. There's some in this,
[3:30] there'll be some other additional salary
[3:33] ordinances in our next at our next
[3:35] meeting. And continuing some of the
[3:39] other projects that the committee is
[3:40] working on, but our most our most timely
[3:43] stuff we really been focused on lately
[3:45] is all represented in this agenda, these
[3:46] change orders that we take.
[3:48] » Thank you. Any comments or questions
[3:50] from Council member Weisman? Seeing
[3:52] none, we'll move on to police committee.
[3:53] Council member Cascone.
[3:55] » Thank you, Mr. Mayor.
[3:57] Police Committee met on June 9th. We had
[3:59] a wonderfully productive meeting.
[4:02] We can confirm that the camera project
[4:05] for Boonton has been funded. This will
[4:07] provide cameras in
[4:09] um
[4:10] areas such as Canalside Park, Peabe Park
[4:13] and Main Street. The speed signs for
[4:15] Washington Street, Morris Avenue,
[4:17] Vreeland and Oak Street are being
[4:19] installed this week. So, keep an eye out
[4:23] for those.
[4:24] Um
[4:26] There was an accreditation board meeting
[4:29] last week on the 11th with Chief Patanik
[4:33] um
[4:33] and uh Captain Lamandri went to or
[4:38] Oh, Lieutenant Mondino.
[4:40] Um
[4:40] and
[4:42] it was it went well.
[4:44] It went well? That's fantastic. That's
[4:45] what we want to hear.
[4:47] Uh [laughter]
[4:50] Uh there was a discussion about the Tone
[4:53] Road and
[4:54] 287 North intersection to see if we can
[4:59] um
[5:00] remediate some of the issues that have
[5:02] had with the residents of Tone Road. I
[5:04] can confirm that the street painting for
[5:07] 287
[5:08] that indicates that 287 ramp is not
[5:10] visible. It is gone.
[5:12] So, that needs to be redone.
[5:15] Um but that is something that we are
[5:16] taking seriously and looking into. Um
[5:19] There was a discussion about
[5:23] um left-hand turn issues for Division
[5:25] and Main. This is also being looked into
[5:28] and we will have further information
[5:30] later. Um one last thing is there is a
[5:33] summer camp that is being um
[5:37] held for the sixth graders of John Hill
[5:39] School. This is being run by Officer
[5:41] Hopkins. We have about 26 sixth graders
[5:44] that will be attending and I'm sure that
[5:45] they will have
[5:47] week.
[5:48] And that concludes.
[5:49] » Thank you. Any comments or questions for
[5:51] Councilwoman Scotto?
[5:52] » I have a comment. I just want to also
[5:54] reinforce what um Neil said about the
[5:57] safety sticks. Um just want to make sure
[5:59] we have this documented and recorded.
[6:01] So, installation of the safety sticks
[6:03] will be um
[6:05] going on Main Street beginning of July.
[6:09] This is new equipment, but just reminder
[6:11] that it's new equipment, but it's it's
[6:13] it's being installed to enforce the
[6:16] already laws that have been in place.
[6:18] Safety sticks will be solar-powered with
[6:21] radar uh with uh radar technology
[6:25] to detect um
[6:28] to detect the vehicles who which are
[6:29] illegally parked. Um photograph evidence
[6:32] will be sent to the Boonton Police and
[6:35] will be reviewed and warned
[6:38] and will be warranted
[6:40] if a vio- if if there is a violation
[6:42] will be mailed to the um
[6:45] the offender.
[6:46] Safety stick personnel will not have
[6:48] access to DMV records and any DMV
[6:51] records searches necessary for
[6:52] enforcement purposes will be conducted
[6:54] solely by authorized Boonton Police
[6:56] Department department.
[6:58] And tomorrow morning, like Neil said, we
[7:01] will be sharing this information on our
[7:03] web- website. So, take a look if you're
[7:05] interested in finding out more
[7:06] information on
[7:08] this new enforcement. Thank you.
[7:11] » Thank you.
[7:12] Moving on, I'm Planning Board,
[7:13] Councilwoman Mazur.
[7:14] » Yes, thank you, Mayor. So, the Planning
[7:17] Board met on June 10th
[7:19] and there was a discussion to revise uh
[7:22] the process of expedited waivers of site
[7:25] plan.
[7:26] So, just so I can explain this to you,
[7:28] it it's called an ES- a EWSP and it's a
[7:32] process which an ordinance does support,
[7:35] 26-21,
[7:37] and it's allowed to expedite any kind of
[7:39] site plans for the B-1 district, which
[7:42] is the business district in Buellton at
[7:44] that would be Main Street. Um this
[7:47] expedite this expedited site waiver
[7:50] allows for B1 owners to make changes
[7:54] from their commercial uh businesses to
[7:57] residential or mixed-use.
[7:59] Um what the planning board wanted to be
[8:02] able to do is possibly have some
[8:04] oversight on this if that is possible
[8:07] because currently EWSPs are becoming
[8:10] more and more frequent. I believe we
[8:12] have three uh that that a committee has
[8:15] um taken in to take a look at to make
[8:17] sure that there are going to be no
[8:19] structural changes done to the outside
[8:22] of the building. It would be all done on
[8:24] the inside.
[8:26] So the question was should we have the
[8:28] planning board
[8:30] be an oversight committee for something
[8:32] like this. So that is that is something
[8:34] that the
[8:35] planning board is kind of tossing around
[8:37] and we're trying to figure that out. Um
[8:40] and the reason for that is is when
[8:42] you're going from a commercial space to
[8:43] a residential space, they want to make
[8:45] sure that there's no tiny living spaces.
[8:47] They want something appropriate if there
[8:49] is going to be residential.
[8:51] Uh the mayor did make a comment at that
[8:53] particular meeting and said residential
[8:56] businesses on Main Street are really not
[8:59] beneficial to our commercial
[9:02] um
[9:03] to our commercial businesses.
[9:05] The resi- the residential. Am I correct
[9:07] in saying that?
[9:08] » I said that.
[9:09] » All right.
[9:10] I Okay.
[9:10] » I'm happy to make a comment when you're
[9:11] done.
[9:12] » Okay, that's fine. I didn't I didn't
[9:13] want to I didn't want to speak for the
[9:15] mayor, but I I thought there was
[9:16] something like that. So
[9:18] um that's that is what's happening right
[9:19] now. There was a memo that was asked to
[9:21] be written
[9:22] um
[9:23] uh by Chris Colley. He works for
[9:25] topology and he'll be uh
[9:28] um addressing some of those concerns in
[9:30] moving commercial spaces into
[9:32] residential spaces with these types of
[9:34] applications.
[9:36] And that concludes my report.
[9:38] » Okay, I'll fill in a little bit. This uh
[9:41] process is pretty unique to Boonton.
[9:42] There's very few other towns that offer
[9:44] this and it was designed to streamline
[9:45] if if there's a commercial enterprise
[9:47] and they want to switch from one type of
[9:48] commercial enterprise to another type of
[9:49] commercial enterprise. So, they didn't
[9:51] have to go to planning board and take
[9:52] them months perhaps and and all kinds of
[9:54] fees. So, it was designed to streamline
[9:56] that. Uh in the last couple of years,
[9:59] there have been no additional
[10:00] residential units permitted other than
[10:02] ones that were grandfathered and they're
[10:03] now permitted. So, now we're seeing some
[10:04] changes from what was commercial space
[10:07] to residential space and we want to uh
[10:11] perhaps revisit, you know, what the
[10:12] residential standards are on our our
[10:13] Main Street and perhaps exclude the
[10:15] residential conversions from this
[10:17] process. We don't want to slow it down
[10:19] for commercial enterprise because if,
[10:21] you know, if there's a vacancy and it
[10:22] was a you know, a a deli and now it
[10:24] wants to be a restaurant, we want to you
[10:26] know, that to be as quick as possible.
[10:27] So,
[10:29] » That Maybe that
[10:29] » That was the correct comment. That was
[10:31] the correct comment. My my mistake.
[10:33] » Yes.
[10:33] » So,
[10:34] » Sorry.
[10:34] » Yes.
[10:35] » Clarify um
[10:38] that um these residential conversions
[10:40] are are restricted to second floor and
[10:41] above spaces. It's not street level,
[10:43] correct?
[10:44] » It's not street level or or basement, I
[10:46] don't think. So, I think it's
[10:48] » It I think one actually was
[10:50] semi-basement. It was basement in the
[10:51] front but walk out in the back. So,
[10:54] we're trying to have planning board uh
[10:55] review, you know, for years and years,
[10:57] probably decades, you couldn't do any
[10:59] additional residential. But now that we
[11:00] changed that, you know, perhaps this one
[11:02] fell through the cracks and we're going
[11:03] to make sure that there's planning board
[11:04] review or or that's a proposal, you
[11:06] know, has to come before this board for
[11:08] change in ordinance but we'd like to
[11:09] have uh planning board approval when it
[11:12] converts from commercial to residential.
[11:13] » And then that would come to this to the
[11:15] the governing body.
[11:16] » It's an ordinance, so yes, yeah.
[11:17] » So, I think
[11:18] » But I think it's going to initiate as a
[11:20] uh recommendation from the planning
[11:22] board.
[11:23] But we've seen three so far this year.
[11:26] Okay. Any other comments or questions?
[11:28] » I'm sorry. What was the name of this
[11:31] » That's you.
[11:32] » [laughter]
[11:33] » Expedited waiver.
[11:34] » Yes, an expedited waiver site plan.
[11:37] And there is a currently a committee of
[11:39] three, I believe, that that oversee this
[11:42] right now, and that's where those plans
[11:45] get looked at.
[11:47] You know, to make sure that they conform
[11:48] with zoning and things like that. But,
[11:50] to the mayor's point, we want to be able
[11:52] to possibly have oversight on it as a
[11:54] council.
[11:58] Anyone else?
[11:59] You have another question? Sure.
[12:01] » So, this would um
[12:03] expedite commercial to commercial,
[12:06] commercial to resident, and
[12:08] » No, no, no. It right now it allows, you
[12:10] know, if you meet certain criteria
[12:13] and there's no changes
[12:15] I don't know if change is the right
[12:16] word. Uh if you want to go commercial to
[12:18] commercial, you can do whatever you
[12:19] want. Right now, if you want a
[12:20] commercial to uh residential I assume as
[12:23] as long as whatever the the the code is
[12:25] for residential, you can do that. But, I
[12:27] think the planning board would like to
[12:28] have some oversight when it goes
[12:29] commercial to residential. But, we still
[12:31] want to have it be as streamlined as
[12:33] possible for commercial to commercial.
[12:37] Good?
[12:40] » [laughter]
[12:42] » All right. So, if if I have a commercial
[12:45] um on the second floor, and I now want
[12:47] to move that to residential, that's what
[12:48] we're speaking to.
[12:49] » You're permitted to, but we're trying to
[12:51] uh the what the planning board board
[12:53] would like to do is perhaps have
[12:55] planning board review before it's just
[12:57] automatic.
[12:57] » Got it.
[12:58] » And I think we also want to review the
[13:01] the standards for residential, because
[13:02] when we allow residential, we didn't
[13:04] address what minimum standards might be.
[13:09] Okay.
[13:10] You can go yet.
[13:13] All right.
[13:14] » You're fine.
[13:17] » So, I want you to understand.
[13:18] » So, and what was the So, what is the
[13:21] process now? Like, if I want to do
[13:23] commercial to residential, it's just
[13:24] like a like I to planning board, it has
[13:26] to
[13:26] » No, to
[13:26] » Not currently. Not currently. We're
[13:28] trying to remove the commercial
[13:29] residential to have that come before the
[13:31] planning board.
[13:32] » Okay.
[13:34] » For years and years and years you
[13:35] couldn't go to you couldn't add any
[13:36] additional residential on Main Street.
[13:38] » Got it.
[13:38] » And then we we passed the change the
[13:40] ordinance maybe 2 years ago that
[13:43] permitted that.
[13:44] But
[13:45] this expedited
[13:47] » Waiver waiver
[13:49] » Yes.
[13:49] » [laughter]
[13:50] » Wasn't existing before. So these
[13:53] commercial residential got caught up in
[13:55] that and I don't think that was the
[13:56] intent.
[13:57] » Okay.
[13:58] So Louisa, there's still a committee
[13:59] that reviews this.
[14:01] » Yes.
[14:01] » It just doesn't come before the planning
[14:02] board.
[14:03] » Okay.
[14:04] Okay.
[14:05] I think I got it.
[14:05] » I'm just going to give you a quiz so
[14:08] Next up
[14:10] Board of Education, Council member
[14:11] Cascone.
[14:12] » Thank you, Mr. Mayor.
[14:14] Uh Board of Education met on June
[14:16] evening of June 8th.
[14:18] Um
[14:20] Let's see.
[14:22] Uh
[14:23] We wanted um was the uh last meeting
[14:26] that the uh student representatives um
[14:29] from Boonton High School and John Hill
[14:31] School were presenting to the Board of
[14:33] Education. So we'd like to congratulate
[14:35] Nicholas Fava and Ivana Rebello um for
[14:39] presenting um for John Hill School and
[14:43] Boonton High School respectively
[14:45] um all year. They did a fantastic job.
[14:47] It was
[14:48] and they got um little plaques. It was
[14:50] very nice for them to be um recognized.
[14:53] » Good.
[14:53] » Um there was an AVID accomplishment
[14:56] presentation. So um I don't know how
[14:58] many people are aware of the um AVID
[15:01] um
[15:03] program that goes on within John Hill
[15:05] School and Boonton High School. Um
[15:08] Booton uh Booton is actually a national
[15:11] demonstration school for this program.
[15:13] So we have other schools that come to
[15:15] and other um board members from other
[15:18] districts that come to our school to see
[15:20] how to implement this program. So, out
[15:24] of um the schools in New Jersey,
[15:26] specifically for Boonton High School,
[15:28] Boonton is one of three total national
[15:31] demonstration schools within the state
[15:32] of New Jersey.
[15:34] Within the entire United States, we're
[15:36] one of 207.
[15:38] This is
[15:40] honestly
[15:41] a a something
[15:43] that should be screamed from the
[15:44] rooftops for Boonton. We are, you know,
[15:47] we we are a demonstration school for
[15:49] this fantastic program that a lot of the
[15:51] students like to be in. It gives them
[15:54] um
[15:57] better understanding of how to work
[16:01] within colleges and to move forward with
[16:04] their greater academic
[16:06] um
[16:09] accomplishments. They learn how to take
[16:12] better notes. They
[16:14] they learn how to interview with people.
[16:18] They are interviewed by board members
[16:19] and how they like the AVID program and
[16:22] they are quite articulate. And our board
[16:24] members were extremely extremely proud
[16:28] of the students that were uh that taken
[16:30] part of the last demonstration that came
[16:32] to our school.
[16:33] Um so
[16:36] um
[16:38] There wasn't there wasn't a whole lot of
[16:39] this meeting. It was winding down for
[16:41] the school year. Um
[16:44] And there was a a bunch of personnel
[16:47] changes. That's all within the agenda.
[16:49] It's too much to mention here, but that
[16:50] agenda can be found on the Boonton Board
[16:52] of Ed website. Um I highly suggest that
[16:56] everyone take a look. It's very
[16:58] informative. Their meetings are also
[17:00] open to the public and on Zoom.
[17:02] So, if anybody has any questions,
[17:04] they're there as well.
[17:06] And
[17:07] um
[17:08] We they had their HIB self-assessment
[17:11] for the state. Each building scored a 77
[17:14] out of 78 and the state has accepted
[17:16] those ratings.
[17:18] » Thank you.
[17:18] » So.
[17:19] And that's it.
[17:20] » Any comments or questions?
[17:21] » I just one question which is when is
[17:23] graduation? Do you know?
[17:26] And if you don't
[17:28] I apologize.
[17:29] » It's on Monday for John Hill.
[17:32] » 23rd?
[17:33] » Week tomorrow.
[17:34] » For John Hill or for the high school is
[17:36] different, right?
[17:36] » Are they both the same day usually?
[17:37] » Oh, is it the same day?
[17:41] » Anyone else?
[17:43] Okay, next up Boonton Holmes Library.
[17:45] May be Mayor Lunch.
[17:46] Uh there was a meeting uh last Tuesday.
[17:49] Uh rather quick meeting that followed
[17:51] the the grand opening for the teen room,
[17:53] which was funded by a I believe about a
[17:55] $20,000 uh bequest from a member of the
[17:58] Cerbo Lumber family and they used
[18:00] basically all of it for the uh
[18:02] for the teen room.
[18:03] Um they're rolling out a potentially
[18:06] discount membership for our neighboring
[18:08] towns. Uh presently I think for $250 you
[18:11] can have access to all the uh county
[18:14] libraries all the municipal county
[18:16] libraries and Boonton uh Holmes Library
[18:18] is considering I I believe uh working on
[18:21] the plans to roll out perhaps Boonton
[18:22] Township doesn't have their own library
[18:24] for for a lesser fee just to use our
[18:25] library and our programs.
[18:27] And their audit's complete. Uh a couple
[18:29] minor uh things that the auditors found
[18:31] but nothing significant. So I think
[18:33] they're pleased with that.
[18:34] And that's my report. Any comments or
[18:36] questions?
[18:37] » Uh I would like to say that um Thea and
[18:40] I attended the ribbon cutting for the
[18:42] teen room and it is it was lovely.
[18:45] » It was a wonderful event. The space is
[18:46] fantastic. I love what they've done.
[18:48] It's it was really well done.
[18:50] » Almost 100% funded by a a bequest from a
[18:54] former resident.
[18:57] Moving on, Parks and Rec. Councilwoman
[18:59] Meaney.
[19:00] » Thank you, Mayor. Um unfortunately we
[19:01] were not able to meet in June. We did
[19:03] not um have a quorum. A number of people
[19:05] were out of town. So uh no major
[19:07] updates.
[19:08] Our resident uh Rec Director Tracy Prior
[19:11] is also our resident weather guru. She
[19:13] was uh quick on the draw of canceling
[19:16] last uh or rescheduling last Friday's uh
[19:19] movie. It's going to be moved to next
[19:21] week on the 24th. So, it'll be at Grace
[19:24] Lord Park. Come on out.
[19:25] Enjoy a good time. Um some work has been
[19:27] done up at Peppy. The uh gazebo was
[19:30] power washed, some of the holes were
[19:31] filled.
[19:32] Um so, it's freshly redone. So, that's
[19:34] going to be look nice. Uh
[19:36] there's some gate issues go up there
[19:37] that's underway and um
[19:40] Councilmember Cascone, I love hearing
[19:42] that the cameras are finally going up in
[19:44] Canalside Park and Peppy. Um there's a
[19:47] lot of work, a lot of expenses that are
[19:48] going up there and having some eyes on
[19:50] it to slow down, prevent vandalism would
[19:52] be go a long way. So, all good news.
[19:55] Thank you.
[19:56] » Thank you. Any comments or questions,
[19:57] Councilmember Mean?
[19:58] » I have a question for Councilmember
[19:59] Mean. The uh misting flowers in Peppy
[20:02] Park, I understand that they were not
[20:04] winterized correctly and are currently
[20:08] inoperable?
[20:09] » That's correct. I Tracy, would do we
[20:11] have a plan to get those fixed? Did
[20:16] » Okay.
[20:17] » Uh it is not going to be replaced.
[20:21] There was something happening during
[20:23] winterization, I believe. Uh that's kind
[20:25] of the word and the answer I'm getting.
[20:27] So, unfortunately, we're in the process
[20:30] of finding someone that can come in and
[20:33] fix that.
[20:34] But, they they will be done. They are
[20:36] working on it. I
[20:37] can't tell you how quick it's going to
[20:39] get done now, but I expect it to be
[20:40] done.
[20:41] It's going to take some time.
[20:43] » Okay.
[20:44] Thank you.
[20:45] » It'll be done in time to winterize them.
[20:47] » [laughter]
[20:49] » Anyone else?
[20:50] » Thank you.
[20:51] » Okay, moving on. Fire Department,
[20:52] Councilmember DeVaney.
[20:56] » Fire Department, let me find my notes
[20:57] here.
[20:58] Um
[21:00] Uh
[21:01] So, the Boonville Fire Department
[21:03] celebrated their 135th anniversary with
[21:05] a picnic and a group photo on the 31st
[21:08] of May. I will tell you I was not able
[21:10] to attend that, but boy it smelled good.
[21:13] Um
[21:14] uh
[21:15] in the month of May they responded to 38
[21:18] calls of varying types for an additional
[21:20] 14 of mutual aid. Um two of note uh that
[21:25] are outside of the month of May is
[21:26] earlier this month uh in the middle of
[21:28] the night our fire department was called
[21:31] out with three alarm fire in Denville uh
[21:33] which seriously damaged a cafe
[21:36] on West Main Street. Um there were a
[21:38] number of other departments that were
[21:39] called out to that fire and and you
[21:41] know, it's just an example of of how
[21:43] important mutual aid is in in in all
[21:46] these towns that that um have volunteer
[21:48] fire departments in addition. Um they
[21:51] were called out to a fire in Mountain
[21:52] Lakes just yesterday, a house fire. Um
[21:55] you know, that was knocked down fairly
[21:56] quickly and thankfully no serious
[21:58] injuries considering that there was a
[22:00] party going on at the house at the time.
[22:02] Um and uh
[22:06] there was one other thing that I was
[22:07] going to say and now it's on my brain.
[22:08] So, that concludes my report and uh
[22:13] Oh yeah, there there
[22:14] Nope, it's
[22:16] word up, you know, uh
[22:18] mark your calendars for the Labor Day
[22:20] parade and the carnival.
[22:22] » Are there any comments or questions for
[22:23] Council member Devenezia?
[22:26] Seeing none, we'll move on
[22:28] to tonight's [clears throat] main event,
[22:29] presentation from Boonton Main Street on
[22:31] the the work they're doing at Town
[22:33] Square Park.
[22:42] » There's a microphone that may or may not
[22:44] be on.
[22:47] Do we have an easel?
[22:57] » There's a mic in front of you too,
[22:58] Frank.
[22:58] » Okay.
[23:00] You said You said it was at the bottom
[23:01] of the note.
[23:04] It's possible that
[23:07] » All right. Okay.
[23:09] I want
[23:12] » Everybody
[23:13] Hello.
[23:14] » You can take the mic out if you want to.
[23:16] » Sure.
[23:18] Okay.
[23:18] My name is Mandy DeNezio. I'm a resident
[23:21] of Boonton and I'm here with my team who
[23:23] I'll introduce shortly. We were asked to
[23:25] give a informational overview of the
[23:27] project that we're doing at Canal Side
[23:29] Park. So, that's what we're here for.
[23:31] Um we really have just prepared a
[23:33] general presentation. So, if there are
[23:34] questions or things that kind of go
[23:36] outside of that scope, we'll just ask
[23:38] that we can get back to you with any uh
[23:40] formal responses, but this is supposed
[23:42] to be like an informal informational
[23:44] overview.
[23:46] Um so, what it is Um if you could go to
[23:49] the next slide and my friend Neil's
[23:50] going to be There we go. Um so, it's an
[23:53] effort spearheaded by the Boonton Main
[23:54] Street Design Committee to reclaim the
[23:56] green spaces of Canal Side Park and
[23:59] convert them into stunning native and
[24:01] non-invasive gardens. So, where? The
[24:04] area in uh scope of the project is along
[24:07] the Main Street side of the park within
[24:09] the stone retaining wall. You can see
[24:11] part of it here.
[24:12] Thank you, Frankie. That you can see
[24:14] zone one there. It's the area that's
[24:16] inside the retaining wall.
[24:18] Um it's going to be divided into zones.
[24:20] Um we're going to complete one zone at a
[24:22] time cuz it's a really long park.
[24:25] Um and why are we doing it? The park is
[24:27] currently overgrown with invasive
[24:28] species, which is both bad for the
[24:30] environment and bad for Boonton,
[24:32] creating beautiful natural seasonal
[24:35] displays will draw visitors and
[24:37] revitalize interest in this incredible
[24:39] park while restoring areas targeted by
[24:41] the whole Highlands Coalition and
[24:43] providing a healthier ecosystem. So,
[24:46] when?
[24:47] Starting in summer 2025 and running
[24:50] through at least 2028. The park has a
[24:52] very long footprint. It's a It's about a
[24:55] thousand linear feet. So, as I said,
[24:56] we're going to work on it in zones, and
[24:59] the idea is that we can kind of focus
[25:01] and deliver
[25:03] like zone by zone
[25:05] to the residents of Boonton year after
[25:07] year, so it's like something happening
[25:09] every year.
[25:11] Um so, the goal for 2026 is to
[25:13] reclaim the area of the park adjacent to
[25:15] the Plane Street parking lot, which we
[25:17] are referring to as zone one. And who
[25:20] So, I'm Madigan Easy. I'm the leader of
[25:22] the Boonton Main Street
[25:24] um design team. I've got Frankie
[25:27] McDonald's here, who's a design
[25:28] committee member and a Main Street
[25:30] business owner.
[25:31] Um our subject matter expert, Daryl
[25:34] Jones, he is a former Boonton resident
[25:37] and um Morris County park employee. And
[25:40] um our another subject matter expert is
[25:42] Kyle DeVecchio. He's a Boonton resident
[25:45] and a landscape architect. So, you can
[25:47] see we've got a lot of brainpower and um
[25:50] I also want to give a huge thank you and
[25:51] recognition to Natalie Spingold, who's
[25:53] the leader of the Boonton Main Street
[25:55] and has given us a tremendous amount of
[25:57] support. And a thank you to Tracy Prior,
[25:59] who has enabled us to do this project.
[26:03] Um
[26:04] So,
[26:05] how uh this is going to be a
[26:07] volunteer-led effort, so BMS design
[26:09] committee will take responsibility to
[26:11] secure all the resources that we need.
[26:13] We had an initial budget of $5,000 from
[26:16] BMS and have been awarded 3,000
[26:18] additional dollars from the Highland
[26:20] Coalition, allowing us to continue in
[26:23] 2026. Um we received permission from the
[26:27] town via Tracy Prior on June 10th of
[26:29] last year, and we have a certificate of
[26:32] insurance in place and have been working
[26:33] ever since. So, here's an overview of
[26:35] the project and what we've accomplished
[26:37] in just over a year.
[26:39] So, if you could scroll a little bit,
[26:41] yeah. So, step one, I'm going to turn it
[26:44] over to Daryl.
[26:45] » Sure.
[26:46] Thank you.
[26:47] Uh
[26:49] Yeah, um
[26:51] So, uh I came into this as a natural
[26:53] resource manager for the Morris County
[26:55] Park Commission. So, we have some nearby
[26:56] properties, Tourne County Park, Pyramid
[26:59] Mountain, just up the road. Um invasive
[27:02] species management is a um
[27:04] growing effort and a necessary part of
[27:07] manage managing our natural areas. Um
[27:10] and there's been an increased
[27:12] importance on managing those spaces in
[27:14] between urban parks, green spaces, and
[27:17] really any opportunity that we can um to
[27:20] eliminate emerging invasive populations
[27:22] and promote native plants specifically,
[27:25] um you know, is why I really came on
[27:27] board here. So,
[27:29] uh when we came into this project, um
[27:31] the first step was kind of identifying
[27:33] which species were on site. Um coming up
[27:37] with a a schedule, um different ones
[27:40] require a different timeline for control
[27:43] methods um to give us the best chance to
[27:45] economically kind of um set the stage
[27:48] for the native plants and the
[27:50] wildflowers and um beautification that
[27:52] we want to do following up. So,
[27:54] uh we could go to the next slide there.
[27:57] Um so, we identified a list of uh
[28:00] species in zone one. Uh there are some
[28:02] additional species that we've identified
[28:04] further down the line that will will
[28:05] update this list as we go. Um I won't go
[28:08] through all these, obviously, but uh
[28:10] I'll just highlight a couple.
[28:11] Uh there's some really aggressive vine
[28:13] species. So, um
[28:16] invasive species for those of you who
[28:18] aren't familiar or just as a reminder,
[28:20] um they're
[28:22] uh species that have been been
[28:23] introduced outside their natural range.
[28:25] Uh and in terms of plant species, they
[28:28] can become super aggressive and inhibit
[28:31] native plant growth and disrupt local
[28:33] ecosystems. Uh and in this case, um the
[28:37] invasive vines that are growing in Canal
[28:38] Side Park really inhibited um zero
[28:42] native plant regeneration. Uh so, we
[28:44] really needed to wipe the slate clean
[28:46] and give us a nice
[28:49] uh
[28:49] planting um slate to kind of build off
[28:52] of. Uh so, black swallow-wort and
[28:55] Japanese honeysuckle were really the
[28:56] main targets here that were growing as
[28:59] one large monoculture across the whole
[29:01] site um that we really had to uh
[29:05] uh reset completely. Um so, we'll get
[29:08] get to how we did that in a second. Uh
[29:10] and just one other one that I wanted to
[29:12] note, you may have heard of tree of
[29:13] heaven or Ailanthus altissima. Um that's
[29:16] the preferred host tree species for the
[29:19] spotted lanternfly.
[29:20] Uh and so, that was growing uh and still
[29:23] is growing in large number throughout
[29:25] Canal Side Park and some of the adjacent
[29:26] properties. Um especially the small
[29:29] trees that are growing out of that
[29:31] sloped section can support thousands of
[29:33] the little nymphs that then will uh
[29:36] emerge um later on in the summer, grow
[29:38] into the adults that we see flying
[29:40] around uh Main Street. So, um so, that's
[29:43] kind of uh our approach to this uh
[29:45] invasive species um control that we
[29:48] started last year.
[29:49] Uh and if we go to the next slide,
[29:53] um
[29:54] so, these are a couple just example
[29:56] photos of how um
[29:58] some of these species uh
[30:01] and we can go to one more slide.
[30:04] Uh so, really there's usually a a
[30:07] combination of approaches that you have
[30:08] to do um when controlling invasives.
[30:12] Uh usually it's a multi-year effort.
[30:13] It's always better to be um extra
[30:16] diligent early on and try to get um
[30:20] uh exhaust the seed bank that may be in
[30:22] the soil. Uh so, we really wanted to
[30:24] spend the whole first year really
[30:26] removing as many invasives as we could
[30:28] and introduce a little bit of
[30:30] competition um
[30:31] to the space as well. So, uh to minimize
[30:35] the use of herbicides, we really
[30:37] emphasized mechanical control methods um
[30:40] Um, and uh ended up going with a
[30:42] solarization technique, uh, which I
[30:44] think we do have a a slide that shows
[30:47] what that looks like. Um, it consists of
[30:50] dre uh,
[30:51] fixing thick plastic clear tarps over
[30:54] the entire slope after we went through
[30:56] with hedge trimmers and cut everything
[30:58] back. Um, this uses the power of the sun
[31:01] to just basically cook everything even
[31:05] through the soil and um, and sometimes
[31:07] it can actually exhaust the seeds that
[31:09] are underneath. Uh, but again, this is
[31:11] something that we've had to do two
[31:13] summers now. Um, we're really taking a a
[31:15] thorough approach and Frankie has been
[31:18] instrumental in getting that uh, on on
[31:20] schedule, so. Um, do we have a slide of
[31:23] the
[31:24] next slide? Okay.
[31:27] Yeah, I don't think I'll pass back to
[31:29] Amanda for it this point, but
[31:31] » Thank you. Thank you, Daryl. He's got
[31:32] all the technical knowledge. Um, and
[31:35] then as far as then what's next is we
[31:37] get to plant it up, which is very
[31:38] exciting. So, I'd like to give a
[31:40] disclaimer. It's going to look worse
[31:42] before it gets better. You have to trust
[31:44] the process. So, we had to, you know,
[31:46] solarize and add the tarps, which might
[31:48] not be the most beautiful thing, but
[31:50] just wait until you see what that
[31:51] enables. So, if you go to the next
[31:53] slide, um,
[31:56] this is our current state. So, we have
[31:59] we, Frankie primarily, and [laughter] a
[32:01] few other people have really removed a
[32:04] lot of the invasive species there and we
[32:07] all work together to put the tarps on.
[32:08] The section in the middle what we had
[32:10] the tarp on all summer last year. And
[32:12] then once the tarp came off, we were
[32:15] able to plant rye seeds and what that
[32:17] does is stabilize the soil so it doesn't
[32:19] erode and it also blocks some of the
[32:22] native spe- or invasive species from
[32:24] coming back. So, right now this is what
[32:25] it looks like and then we're going to
[32:27] talk about where it's headed and I'll
[32:29] have my friend Kyle take us through
[32:31] that, but go one more slide.
[32:34] Um, again, yeah, about 90% of the zone
[32:36] has been at least remediated, so we have
[32:38] the rye grass growing there now. It's
[32:40] like a temporary measure, and when we
[32:42] when we're ready to plant for real,
[32:44] we'll remove the rye grass.
[32:46] And then you can go one more.
[32:48] So, the vision. So, uh what inspired
[32:51] this all?
[32:53] Um you can go one more. There's
[32:55] beautiful public gardens like you see
[32:57] the one on the left is
[32:59] um
[33:00] by Piet Oudolf, who actually Rosemary
[33:02] has
[33:03] introduced us to. He's done the um
[33:06] Highline Highline gardens in New York
[33:08] that you see up all along the Highline.
[33:10] He also did um
[33:12] He didn't do this, actually. Somebody
[33:13] else did it, but the native plant garden
[33:15] at the New York Botanical Gardens at the
[33:17] top right. It's incredible. I highly
[33:18] recommend you go. Some of the
[33:20] inspiration for our project. But then we
[33:23] took that and we handed it over to Kyle
[33:25] cuz Kyle's actually a landscape
[33:26] architect, and he's been donating all of
[33:28] his services for free to design this um
[33:31] park. So, thank you, Kyle.
[33:35] » Hi.
[33:37] » All right. Don't worry, I'll send my
[33:38] bill later. Um
[33:40] » [laughter]
[33:41] » Uh so, the plan is pretty simple. Uh as
[33:43] you can see in the aerial photo, uh it's
[33:45] an area that backs up uh a lot of
[33:47] community events in the area. Obviously,
[33:49] that's the farmers market that we're
[33:50] looking at now.
[33:51] Uh so, it would be great to get a nice
[33:53] backdrop for that area. Um
[33:55] again, like I said, the plan is is
[33:56] pretty straightforward. We're going to
[33:57] stick with woodland edge line plantings
[34:00] along the borders. Uh so, on the left
[34:02] where the trees are thicker and heavier,
[34:05] we're going to stick with things that
[34:06] dwell in the shade, uh tolerate dry
[34:08] soil, and are are zone hardy.
[34:11] Uh again, everything we're going to do
[34:12] is is native planting. That's the big
[34:14] emphasis right now, which is a nice
[34:15] change of pace from what I deal with in
[34:17] my day-to-day life. Uh everybody wants
[34:19] to design a a hydrangea and boxwood
[34:21] garden. So, to do something that gets
[34:23] back to local natives and fauna is
[34:25] really uh is exciting for me.
[34:27] Uh same goes for the right side of the
[34:28] project. You'll note that there's a a of
[34:30] shade coming off of a a structure over
[34:32] there. So again, it's going to
[34:33] accommodate a more
[34:35] shade heavy planting. As we move towards
[34:37] the middle of the project, there's going
[34:39] to be two main swaths. Everything is
[34:40] going to be planted in in mass. So
[34:42] there's going to be, you know, figure 5,
[34:44] 10, 15 of each plant to generate a zone
[34:47] of interest. Um
[34:49] And we've worked really hard to make
[34:50] sure that everything that we plant is
[34:52] going to bloom at a different time. So
[34:54] we're going to have constant interest
[34:55] throughout the year. Even when we get to
[34:57] the fall and winter months, we'll have
[34:58] things like the fragrant sumac, which
[35:00] even though it doesn't
[35:01] give off the most beautiful flowers, it
[35:03] does have a beautiful red foliage. So
[35:06] things that are going to constantly go
[35:07] off. You know, we'll go from one flower
[35:08] to the next and generate more interest.
[35:10] But to get back to the the central
[35:12] layout, we're going to move from sort of
[35:14] a grassland area,
[35:16] which will be, you know, swaths of
[35:18] beautiful grasses, some tall things like
[35:19] goldenrod, things that support local
[35:22] wildlife, lots of butterfly uh
[35:26] loving plants or vice versa, butterflies
[35:29] that love the plants.
[35:30] Uh and then as we move over to the to
[35:32] the right side of it, we're going to do
[35:34] specifically sort of a butterfly garden.
[35:36] Uh we also envision an area along the
[35:38] road where we might be able to get
[35:39] sculptures maybe from Broadfoot and
[35:41] Maine or some local artists who we can
[35:43] display in that area as well.
[35:45] I think it's a great opportunity for,
[35:47] you know, the community to to come
[35:48] together and enjoy the space.
[35:53] » You can keep going.
[35:56] Did a very, you know, general idea of
[35:58] what it might look like. This is the AI
[36:00] generation, so please don't hold us to
[36:02] it exactly.
[36:04] Um but you get the idea of it's a little
[36:05] bit wild, it's a little bit like
[36:08] um carefree. It's not like a structured
[36:10] garden, you know, that you see in
[36:12] everyday homes. It's it's got a lot of
[36:14] life to it and a lot of natural quality
[36:16] to it.
[36:17] You can keep going.
[36:20] Just another look at the same idea.
[36:23] You can keep going.
[36:25] And then again, just want to reiterate,
[36:27] it takes time. These species are very
[36:29] stubborn, so we might be going back over
[36:32] things a year later and then a year
[36:34] later.
[36:35] Um so, we do expect it to take several
[36:36] years.
[36:38] And then the next slide, please. Um
[36:41] after we complete that, we want to keep
[36:43] going. The goal is to just do the entire
[36:45] thing. So, we will take this area and it
[36:48] might not be exclusively natives, but it
[36:51] will all be non-invasive plants. And you
[36:55] can go ahead and go forward, Neil. We
[36:56] want to turn it into like an evergreen
[36:59] spring blooming forest. So, imagine
[37:03] not hydrangeas. You got that in my head.
[37:05] Rhododendron, mountain laurel, azaleas,
[37:09] um things that all bloom in the spring,
[37:10] but also stay green all year, so that is
[37:13] just always something beautiful, but
[37:14] there's this like burst in like May to
[37:18] really generate interest. So, that would
[37:20] be, you know, 2027 and beyond. We
[37:22] haven't quite gotten there.
[37:24] And then next slide.
[37:26] And then so, how are we going to do it?
[37:28] We do have a team. Um we have at least
[37:30] five or six core members and then we're
[37:33] definitely gaining a lot of interest
[37:35] along the way. We do have monetary
[37:37] support from BMS Main Street, so thank
[37:39] you for that. We have our $3,000 grant
[37:41] from the NJ Highlands Coalition and we
[37:44] just completed our application to get
[37:46] another one, so we're hoping, fingers
[37:48] crossed, they like the progress and
[37:49] they'll fund us again.
[37:51] Um Kyle has been working on actually
[37:53] obtaining water access from Boonton
[37:55] Sewer and Water, so that's part of what
[37:57] we want to um curry your support for is
[38:02] they've offered to give us a meter on
[38:03] the hydrant that's down there, so that
[38:05] we can use it to water the gardens.
[38:08] Um
[38:09] we're looking for support from you guys,
[38:11] just really from
[38:13] a a
[38:14] not emotional us you know, just support
[38:18] generally and like the goodwill of so
[38:21] that you guys feel like you're in the
[38:22] know and like wanting to be a part of it
[38:24] or and things like that. And just
[38:27] patience because it is going to take
[38:29] time. It It's going to take several
[38:31] years to get through it, but we think
[38:32] it'll be really cool at the end. So,
[38:34] that's what we have.
[38:37] » Thank you all.
[38:42] Any questions?
[38:43] How's that questions?
[38:45] » I I just have maybe one or two.
[38:48] » Let's go for it.
[38:49] » Um
[38:50] Question Question number one I think is
[38:53] Kyle, is that your name? I I'm blanking
[38:55] on people's names.
[38:55] » That's okay.
[38:56] » Um
[38:58] how much maintenance is this going to
[39:00] take it while it's getting established?
[39:02] I understand once it's once it's firmly
[39:04] rooted that probably that maintenance
[39:06] requirement comes down, but you know, as
[39:08] as we're starting this off, you know,
[39:11] » That's you know, I think yep. Off the
[39:14] bat, I'm sure that there's going to be a
[39:15] lot of mechanical hand weeding that's
[39:17] going to have to take place
[39:18] unfortunately once the solarization is
[39:19] done and we've we've knocked out figure
[39:21] 95% of the weeds, it's going to require
[39:24] our dedicated team to continue to go out
[39:26] there and and maintain from a weed
[39:28] perspective. From a watering
[39:30] perspective, you know, our goal is to
[39:32] plant mostly in the fall to minimize the
[39:34] amount of water that we're going to
[39:35] need. Plants can establish their root
[39:37] systems over the winter and then usually
[39:39] by the time the spring comes back around
[39:40] they'll need minimal intervention if
[39:42] any. If we end up with an exceptionally
[39:44] dry spring, then it will of course
[39:46] require a little bit more assistance,
[39:48] but
[39:49] you know, our plan is to be as
[39:51] straightforward and economical about
[39:52] this and well thought out as possible to
[39:55] minimize impact to the town and
[39:57] to the plants of course.
[39:58] » Well, it's certainly an improvement over
[40:00] what's there now, so
[40:02] » To be fair, a dumpster fire might have
[40:04] been an improvement, too, but
[40:06] » Um
[40:08] I have an idea for the area by the
[40:10] waterfall, but that that we can take it
[40:12] offline.
[40:13] » Sounds excellent, yeah.
[40:16] » Okay.
[40:18] » Um the one it looks great. Is
[40:20] is there opportunities or do you need
[40:22] volunteer help from residents and how
[40:25] how would you envision that and how can
[40:26] we get that going?
[40:27] » Thank you for asking. So we have our
[40:29] Instagram BMS design team. So we're
[40:32] encouraging people to go through there.
[40:35] For anybody who doesn't have Instagram,
[40:36] I can share my email with everybody
[40:38] after the meeting.
[40:40] So you would just reach out to me and
[40:41] I'll get you get anybody set up with
[40:44] There's plenty to do. So yes, thank you.
[40:47] Yep.
[40:49] » Yeah, that's about the size of it. So
[40:50] there is volunteer portal on there which
[40:53] goes directly to me and then BMS did it
[40:55] through BMS for them and
[40:58] so just go to the BMS website and you
[41:00] can volunteer. We have a volunteer sheet
[41:02] on there now. And so they will be put to
[41:04] the pot to be put to this.
[41:06] » I have one other question.
[41:08] In addition to the funding from Boot and
[41:10] Main Street and from the Highlands
[41:11] Coalition, is there an opportunity for
[41:13] private citizens to donate or or help
[41:15] fund this project?
[41:17] » Yes, I think along the same lines on the
[41:19] BMS website, we do have a portal to
[41:21] donate directly.
[41:25] » Um we've
[41:26] had that happen
[41:27] before and then and we'll just make sure
[41:29] because
[41:29] I I see it all it all comes directly.
[41:32] » Yeah, it's all coming through BMS. Yeah.
[41:35] Thank you.
[41:36] » But there would be a way to earmark that
[41:37] donation specifically for this project.
[41:39] » Yes. Yes, so we have actually our own
[41:41] bank account within BMS.
[41:43] » Perfect. Thank you.
[41:46] » Anyone else?
[41:47] This may be something they could perhaps
[41:48] partner with green team.
[41:50] » Yeah, I've spoken to Missy DeSalvo.
[41:53] She's interested in getting our teams
[41:55] together as well.
[41:56] The green team, right? Yeah.
[41:59] » Well, thank you all for stepping up and
[42:00] trying to make our town more beautiful.
[42:02] » Thank you. Appreciate it. Thank you for
[42:04] your time.
[42:10] We can leave these here if you guys want
[42:11] to look at them.
[42:12] » I don't need that.
[42:13] » Okay.
[42:16] » Thanks very much.
[42:20] Moving on to consent agenda, resolutions
[42:22] 26-145
[42:24] through 26-171,
[42:26] can I get a motion to open this up for
[42:27] council discussion?
[42:28] » Move.
[42:30] » Second.
[42:30] » Ms. Cascone.
[42:31] » All in favor?
[42:32] » Aye.
[42:32] » Aye.
[42:33] » I have a one quick comment. Uh 26-151
[42:36] will be pulled. It was uh to fill a uh
[42:39] position that the um person who had
[42:42] accepted no longer was interested in the
[42:43] full-time position. So, we will not be
[42:45] voting on 26-151.
[42:47] Other than that, do we have any comments
[42:48] or questions?
[42:49] » Yeah, just one, Mayor. Um
[42:50] although on the advice of council,
[42:51] although it's not required, just because
[42:54] of my leadership role in the Boot and
[42:55] Saddle Club, I'm going to recuse on just
[42:56] 26-165,
[42:58] which I'll do when we do the roll call
[42:59] vote.
[43:01] » Anyone else?
[43:04] Then I would close council discussion
[43:07] and call for motion to adopt
[43:09] consent agenda.
[43:11] » So moved,
[43:14] Second, what?
[43:15] » Uh Mr. Weisman.
[43:16] » Okay. Only one bite each, please.
[43:19] Um can we get a roll call, please?
[43:21] » Ms. Allen.
[43:22] Ms.
[43:23] Cascone, sorry. Ms. Cascone.
[43:25] » Yes.
[43:26] » Ms. Devenezia.
[43:28] » Yes.
[43:29] » Ms. Horton.
[43:29] » Yes.
[43:30] » Ms. Eagan.
[43:31] » Yes.
[43:32] » Mr. Kermian.
[43:33] » Yes.
[43:33] » Mr. Weisman.
[43:34] » Uh recusing on 26-165,
[43:37] yes on the others.
[43:39] » Mr. Miller.
[43:39] » Me?
[43:40] » Yes.
[43:41] » Mayor Merrill.
[43:41] » Yes.
[43:43] Moving on to unfinished business,
[43:45] ordinance 17-26, an ordinance amending
[43:48] the revised general ordinances of the
[43:49] town of Boonton and providing for
[43:50] licensing and regulation of massage,
[43:52] bodywork, and somatic therapy
[43:54] establishments.
[43:56] Can I get a motion to open this up for
[43:57] public hearing?
[44:00] » Second, Megan.
[44:01] » All in favor?
[44:02] » Aye.
[44:03] » Any members of the public wishing to
[44:05] come forward to discuss just this
[44:06] ordinance, please do so. step forward.
[44:08] The microphone's here for 3 minutes.
[44:09] Just introduce yourself and make
[44:11] whatever comments you like.
[44:15] Seeing none, I will close the public
[44:17] hearing and call for motion to open this
[44:19] up to town council discussion.
[44:20] » So moved, Divinagracia.
[44:23] » Second, Mian.
[44:24] » All in favor?
[44:25] » I.
[44:25] » I.
[44:26] Any members of the council have comments
[44:28] or questions on this ordinance?
[44:31] » I just want to thank our health
[44:32] inspector who worked very really closely
[44:34] after we tabled this. You know, we
[44:36] worked very closely to get this back
[44:38] together and I think it's a it's a
[44:39] really strong ordinance. I appreciate
[44:41] very much his time.
[44:42] » And the um
[44:44] local business that was concerned
[44:46] happy with this?
[44:49] » Yep.
[44:50] » Anyone else?
[44:51] » And dare I say I think this will be a
[44:52] model for some of the other uh
[44:54] » Okay.
[44:55] Any other comments?
[44:56] Then I will call for motion to move the
[44:58] ordinance 17-26.
[44:59] » So moved, Weisman.
[45:01] » Second, Divinagracia.
[45:03] » Roll call, please.
[45:04] » Ms. Castiglione?
[45:06] » Yes.
[45:06] » Ms. Divinagracia?
[45:07] » Yes.
[45:08] » Ms. Lopez?
[45:09] » Yes.
[45:09] » Ms. Mazzei?
[45:10] » Yes.
[45:11] » Mr.
[45:12] » Yes.
[45:12] » Mr. Weisman?
[45:13] » Yes.
[45:14] » Mr. Okilski?
[45:15] » Yes.
[45:16] » Mayor Wind.
[45:17] » Yes.
[45:18] » Next up, ordinance 18-26.
[45:21] An uh for introduction and title only, I
[45:23] believe.
[45:25] An ordinance updating within the town
[45:26] code of the Town of Boonton chapter 27,
[45:28] article 4, Fire Department, and chapter
[45:30] 36, Length of Service Award Program.
[45:33] Can I get a motion to introduce this?
[45:36] » I'll move it, Okilski.
[45:38] » Second Castiglione.
[45:41] » Can we get a roll call, please?
[45:42] » Ms. Castiglione?
[45:44] » Yes.
[45:44] » Ms. Divinagracia?
[45:45] » Yes.
[45:46] » Ms. Lopez?
[45:47] » Yes.
[45:48] » Ms. Mazzei?
[45:48] » Yes.
[45:49] » Mr. Mian?
[45:50] » Yes.
[45:50] » Mr. Weisman?
[45:51] » Yes.
[45:52] » Mr. Okilski?
[45:53] » Yes.
[45:54] » Mayor Wind.
[45:54] » Yes.
[45:56] » Next up, town council members,
[45:58] administrator, and town attorney
[45:59] comments. Um I'm going to start.
[46:02] Um, as has been my uh uh
[46:06] principles uh
[46:08] uh my process during uh
[46:10] my 2 and 1/2 year terms as mayor is to
[46:12] recognize meritorious service. Uh this
[46:14] is our administrator's last meeting for
[46:16] a proclamation. Please join me.
[46:30] I pledge allegiance to the I pledge
[46:32] allegiance to the flag.
[46:33] Town of Boonton proclamation.
[46:37] Whereas Neil Henry is retiring as
[46:38] business administrator
[46:40] for the town of Boonton having
[46:41] faithfully served since May 2017 and
[46:44] whereas Neil has lauded has been lauded
[46:46] by the mayor, council, employees, and
[46:47] residents of Boonton for his selfless
[46:49] service and valuable contributions to
[46:50] the town of Boonton and whereas Neil's
[46:53] Neil's dedication and leadership have
[46:55] helped guide the town of Boonton over
[46:56] the past 9 years and whereas throughout
[46:59] his tenure Neil has provided invaluable
[47:01] expertise, guidance, and professionalism
[47:04] in service to the town and whereas Neil
[47:07] has brought his extensive expertise to
[47:08] bear as both business
[47:10] business administrator and qualified
[47:12] purchasing agent, skillfully guiding
[47:14] employees,
[47:16] mayors, council members, and residents
[47:18] as they work together to shape the
[47:19] landscape and future of Boonton and
[47:22] whereas Neil has devoted countless hours
[47:24] to the review, preparation, and
[47:25] attendance of meetings and municipal
[47:27] matters in furtherance of the town's
[47:28] success and whereas Neil's commitment to
[47:31] public service often requires
[47:33] significant personal sacrifice for which
[47:35] his wife, Leslie, and his children,
[47:37] Alexandra, Bill, and Ted have shown
[47:39] unwavering support and understanding.
[47:41] Now, therefore, I, James Lynch, on
[47:42] behalf of the governing body and the
[47:44] people of the town of Boonton, do hereby
[47:45] extend our deepest gratitude and
[47:47] appreciation to Neil for his many
[47:49] contributions to the growth,
[47:51] revitalization, and continued success of
[47:53] our community throughout his years of of
[47:55] service. Be it further proclaimed that
[47:57] the mayor, governing body, employees,
[47:59] and residents of the town of Boonton
[48:00] wish Neil Henry continued health,
[48:02] happiness, and success in all his future
[48:04] endeavors.
[48:06] » Thank you.
[48:17] First of all, I'd like to thank the
[48:18] mayor. I know how you are about
[48:20] proclamations, so this is a big honor
[48:22] for me. So, thank you for that. Um
[48:25] I remember uh growing up over Mendham,
[48:27] and I knew Boonton for the firemen's
[48:29] carnival. We used to come up here on
[48:31] Labor Day. So, when I took the job in
[48:33] 2017, I didn't know much about Boonton,
[48:36] uh but I've
[48:37] obviously learned a lot about it. I feel
[48:39] like this is my second family. I spent 9
[48:42] years here. I think I can say that
[48:45] I'm leaving Boonton in a much better
[48:47] place than what I found it. I will thank
[48:49] the mayor and the council for the all
[48:51] all of their unwavering support. Uh I
[48:54] feel we've got a really great um
[48:57] employee base.
[48:58] We've made a lot of accomplishments. Um
[49:01] so, again, thank you for this.
[49:03] I am looking for a foursome on July 1st,
[49:06] so if anybody's interested, you can come
[49:08] see me. Thank you, everybody.
[49:24] » Any other uh council members?
[49:26] » Uh mayor, if I can make a comment, too.
[49:28] » Sure.
[49:28] » Um I just wanted to make a comment about
[49:30] the illumination of town hall for the
[49:32] month of June.
[49:34] And I wanted to extend my gratitude to
[49:36] the Boonton LGBTQ+ community and our
[49:39] Boonton allies. I realize the
[49:41] illumination of town hall was not the
[49:42] desired result of proposed ordinance
[49:45] 11-26,
[49:46] and for that I'm disappointed, but
[49:48] perhaps we agree that this is a small
[49:50] progressive step towards acceptance,
[49:52] unity, inclusion, as well as visibility.
[49:55] Symbols do have strength and a rainbow
[49:58] symbol is no exception. In closing, I've
[50:00] been reminded that we evolve
[50:03] as understanding humans through
[50:05] conversation and not by opinion.
[50:08] So, if anyone wants to start a
[50:10] conversation outside of this room and
[50:12] off of this dais, I would be happy to
[50:15] participate. Just ask. Because this is
[50:18] an opinion up here that I speak right
[50:20] now and I really want to be able to have
[50:22] conversation with community if that's
[50:24] what it would take to be to gain some
[50:26] more understanding.
[50:27] Uh thank you to Boonton for your
[50:29] support. I am proud to represent this
[50:31] wonderful community and thank you again.
[50:35] » Thank you. Any other comments?
[50:37] » Yeah, just a couple quick ones for me.
[50:39] First, you know, thank you. It's really
[50:41] been a pleasure working with you.
[50:42] » It's been great working for you, guys.
[50:44] » And um I should have noted this probably
[50:45] in the consent agenda vote, but um I do
[50:48] want to congratulate Pat Laverty on um
[50:51] being appointed as town administrator.
[50:52] It was a very It was a competitive
[50:53] search. Um the uh the Finance Personnel
[50:56] Committee we
[50:57] first
[50:58] Finance Personnel Administration
[51:00] Committee, that one. We spent a lot of
[51:01] time going through this. I'm really
[51:03] excited um for for the work that you're
[51:05] going to be doing. You're building on on
[51:07] everything we've been doing. So, thank
[51:08] you and congratulations to you.
[51:10] Um
[51:12] couple things that uh as well. Coming up
[51:14] on June 16th, which is this weekend,
[51:17] tomorrow. It's also known as tomorrow.
[51:19] Um
[51:21] I don't know how that's tomorrow, but I
[51:22] guess it is. Um there's another Narcan
[51:25] training. Um Hope One, Lauren LoMotion
[51:27] Live at Lauren's Theater in Parsippany.
[51:30] Uh I've done it at the Boonton Elks.
[51:32] It's a really a phenomenal phenomenal
[51:33] training. Uh there's more information on
[51:36] uh if you go to LoMotion Live uh social
[51:38] media, there's a lot more information
[51:39] there. But, if you haven't done it, I
[51:41] highly highly recommend it. And thank
[51:43] you to Lauren, thank you to Hope One,
[51:44] and I know Sheriff Gannon, this has been
[51:45] a big a big um push that he's been
[51:48] doing. It's really terrific. Um
[51:51] Now I'm afraid to say how many days ago
[51:53] it was. Two days ago I think it was,
[51:54] maybe it was yesterday
[51:56] at the Boonton Elks Lodge was a
[51:58] fundraiser
[51:59] for a young girl called Ellie Strong.
[52:02] It's really remarkable event. Cosmar
[52:03] Cascone and I were both there along with
[52:05] Assemblywoman Marissa Sweeney and Ora
[52:07] Dunn.
[52:08] It's really this is a family trying to
[52:10] raise a significant amount of money for
[52:11] a critical medical van.
[52:13] I encourage everybody to please go
[52:16] online just look up Ellie Strong on
[52:18] social media and if you can to support
[52:20] this Boonton family and and what they're
[52:21] trying to do. It's they need to do. It's
[52:24] it's it's huge. I think it was a
[52:25] beautiful really a beautiful event.
[52:28] And the last thing is just a thank you
[52:30] as well to the Elks and very Elks heavy
[52:33] I guess today. The Northwest District
[52:35] Elks. I was the honor of representing
[52:37] the Boonton Elks
[52:38] over the yesterday.
[52:40] Yep, yep that was I know that cuz it's
[52:42] Flag Day yesterday
[52:44] up in
[52:45] Sussex County at the annual Flag Day
[52:47] ceremony and flag retirement ceremony.
[52:50] It's really beautiful. It's something
[52:51] I've loved doing. It's a beautiful
[52:53] ceremony. We go through the whole
[52:54] history of the flag, all the different
[52:56] flags
[52:57] that have represented this country. It's
[52:59] extraordinary. And we the Boonton Elks
[53:02] Lodge we brought up well over 150 flags
[53:05] that were retired. And I want to thank
[53:07] my fellow Elk Lisa Ruberto and I she's
[53:09] you know the two of us spent a great
[53:11] deal of time folding flags
[53:13] so that you have them properly folded
[53:15] for their retirement.
[53:16] Just remind everybody that at the Elks
[53:18] we do have a flag drop box. If you have
[53:20] a flag in need of retirement, please
[53:22] drop it in there. And that's those are
[53:24] my comments.
[53:25] » Thank you.
[53:25] » Thank you.
[53:26] » Anyone else? John.
[53:29] » Thank you. Um
[53:30] I would like to congratulate all the
[53:32] residents that are graduating middle
[53:34] school and high school, whether it's
[53:35] Boonton,
[53:36] John Hill, Lumen Academy,
[53:39] um
[53:40] Morris Catholic and so on. It's a big
[53:42] day. Hope all the families enjoy that. I
[53:44] should be very proud having raised four
[53:46] kids that graduate through the Boonton
[53:48] school system. It's a big day. So,
[53:50] congratulations to all those graduates.
[53:52] And Neil, thanks to you.
[53:54] This I've never been involved in
[53:56] politics before. You have an You had an
[53:59] open door. I appreciate it. I learned a
[54:00] lot.
[54:01] You're going to be missed. And Pat, you
[54:04] got some big shoes to fill.
[54:06] So, thank you.
[54:09] » I have a comment.
[54:10] » Sure.
[54:11] » Uh yeah,
[54:12] to piggyback off of what Councilwoman
[54:15] Meen said, congratulations to all the
[54:17] graduates this year. My son is one of
[54:19] them. He's graduating eighth grade.
[54:21] Straight A student four marking periods
[54:23] in a row.
[54:24] So, very proud of him.
[54:26] And
[54:27] that's only because I offered him a
[54:28] bonus at the end of the year.
[54:31] » [laughter]
[54:33] » So,
[54:34] so congratulations
[54:36] to the graduates. And also, thank you
[54:38] Neil for all the work you've done for
[54:40] this town. I know we've only worked a
[54:42] short amount of time, but you have made
[54:44] my transition to Council member fairly
[54:47] easy and and like very less
[54:49] intimidating. So, thank you. You will be
[54:50] missed.
[54:51] » Thank you.
[54:52] » Um that's it for me.
[54:54] » Okay. Mr. Mayor, one one more for Neil.
[54:56] » [laughter]
[54:57] » Neil, you know, having having been up
[55:00] here longer than almost anyone except
[55:02] perhaps Sy. Definitely Sy.
[55:04] Um
[55:06] I just I want to thank you for your your
[55:09] guidance at the beginning, your your
[55:11] fortitude in the middle, and and I will
[55:14] miss working with you.
[55:15] » Thank you, Murray.
[55:17] » I would also like to
[55:19] send my thanks, Neil. I appreciate
[55:22] Louisa said your open door policy, your
[55:24] willing to take phone calls and crazy
[55:26] questions
[55:28] to you know, to help both in this new
[55:31] endeavor in
[55:33] our lives. So, it is greatly greatly
[55:35] appreciated.
[55:36] » Thank you, Daniel. I'm glad it helped.
[55:40] » Ditto, Neil. What everybody else said,
[55:42] ditto.
[55:43] » [laughter]
[55:45] » Sid, do you have something you want to
[55:45] say?
[55:56] Thank you, Sid.
[56:01] All right. I think I said my piece.
[56:04] All right. Uh moving on.
[56:06] Uh meeting open to the public. Any
[56:08] members of the public wishing to raise
[56:10] uh any topic they like, please step
[56:12] forward, introduce yourself. The
[56:13] microphone's yours for 3 minutes.
[56:24] He's pulled off.
[56:29] » Hi, my name is Teresa Keyser. By this
[56:31] time, you know me. I'm
[56:33] living at 219 Mechanic Street.
[56:36] I'm here to congratulate Patrick
[56:39] on his recent appointment as our town
[56:41] administrator.
[56:43] I also want to personally
[56:46] thank him for his responsiveness and
[56:49] professional courtesy that he has
[56:51] extended to
[56:53] the Keyser family.
[56:56] Patrick, uh
[56:57] you have a new job, and we wish you
[57:01] success.
[57:03] But the person who follows you is going
[57:05] to have to have another pair of shoes.
[57:09] I also want to ask Patrick
[57:12] where we're going to celebrate tonight
[57:14] because he's responsible.
[57:20] You have to push it.
[57:23] Uh Patrick's already stepping up.
[57:32] Anyone
[57:37] » Good evening, Rob Murray, 697 Booton
[57:39] Avenue. I just wanted to thank
[57:40] Administrator Henry. I congratulate you
[57:42] on your impending retirement. I wish you
[57:44] nothing but the best. During our brief
[57:46] time together, I can echo the thoughts
[57:48] of the other other board members how
[57:51] professional and accommodating you were.
[57:52] And good luck. Patrick, good luck. You
[57:55] got big shoes to fill.
[57:57] » Thank you for your comments.
[58:10] » I'm Cliff Keyser. I live down on
[58:11] Mechanic Street.
[58:13] I can't pass up this opportunity to
[58:16] thank the town administrator.
[58:18] Who has been a very uh
[58:21] close friend to me.
[58:24] Terrific follow-through.
[58:26] And he'll be missed. So, thank you.
[58:29] » Thank you for your comments.
[58:35] » Ryan Vent, 217 Crown Road. Neil,
[58:39] good luck.
[58:41] You made this this town a better place.
[58:43] You made my family a better place.
[58:45] And for that, we you definitely going to
[58:46] be missed. Hopefully, we see you in the
[58:48] Acme parking lot and could say hi. And
[58:50] on behalf, and I thought this was
[58:51] actually pretty freaking This is funny.
[58:54] My family and myself
[58:56] got you a bonsai tree.
[58:58] » [snorts]
[59:11] » Thank you.
[59:15] » Anyone else?
[59:19] » You were the letter man.
[59:20] » Seeing none, we'll close the public
[59:22] comment and ask our um
[59:24] clerk to read a um I believe it may
[59:26] email
[59:27] » Yeah.
[59:28] » Comment.
[59:28] » Okay. Um
[59:30] » From Susanna Pittman. Dear Town Council,
[59:32] thank you for illuminating Town Hall in
[59:34] rainbow colors in recognition of Pride
[59:36] Month. It is my understanding that this
[59:38] effort was a result of a collaborative
[59:41] process that involved many
[59:42] conversations.
[59:44] I appreciate everyone who took the time
[59:45] to engage in those discussions.
[59:48] Conversations around complex and deeply
[59:50] felt issues are not always easy to
[59:52] navigate, but they are often where the
[59:54] most meaningful progress is made.
[59:56] Public comment and council member
[59:58] remarks during Town Hall meetings
[59:59] provide important opportunities for
[1:00:02] expressing opinions, which is essential
[1:00:04] to the democratic process. However,
[1:00:06] these forums are not always well suited
[1:00:08] for the kind of dialogue that requires
[1:00:11] openness, vulnerability, curiosity, and
[1:00:13] active learning.
[1:00:15] Over the years, I have invited council
[1:00:16] members to have those conversations
[1:00:19] outside of public meetings, and several
[1:00:21] council members from across the
[1:00:22] political spectrum have accepted that
[1:00:25] invitation. In most cases, those
[1:00:27] discussions led to a greater sense of
[1:00:29] understanding, appreciation, and unity.
[1:00:33] With that in mind, if you choose to
[1:00:34] reach out to community members whose
[1:00:36] perspectives differ from your own, I
[1:00:38] encourage you to first ask whether they
[1:00:41] are open to having that conversation.
[1:00:43] As we have seen during public comment,
[1:00:45] these issues can be deeply personal and
[1:00:48] emotionally charged, and for some
[1:00:50] individuals, those emotions may be
[1:00:52] connected to past experiences or trauma.
[1:00:56] Approaching these conversations with
[1:00:57] consent, empathy, and caring can help
[1:01:01] create the conditions for genuine
[1:01:02] dialogue and mutual respect. Thank you
[1:01:05] again for this gesture of recognition,
[1:01:07] and as always, thank you for your
[1:01:09] service to our town. Warm regards, Dr.
[1:01:12] Susanna Pittman.
[1:01:14] » Thank you.
[1:01:17] Seeing no other comments, I'll call for
[1:01:18] a motion to adjourn.
[1:01:22] » Second. You have a nice day.
[1:01:24] » All in favor?
[1:01:24] » Aye.