[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.

[42:33] » 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.

[44:26] 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.

[53:26] » 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.

Town Council Meeting June 15, 2026

Transcript