[0:00] All right, let's get started. Good evening everyone and those in

[0:03] attendance. Uh, welcome to the

[0:08] board of commissioners meeting of August 17th, 2026

[0:12] in accordance with the open public meetings act. Notice of this meeting has

[0:16] been sent to the retrospect and posted on the burrow website, burrow social

[0:20] media, and posted on the bulletin board in Burrow Hall and is being held in

[0:25] person as well as via Zoom. May we please stand for the pledge of

[0:30] allegiance followed by a moment of silence.

[0:34] I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the

[0:39] republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and

[0:45] justice for all.

[0:54] » Thank you very much.

[0:59] Roll call. Commissioner Troy >> present.

[1:02] » Commissioner Sidell >> present.

[1:05] » Uh Commissioner uh Cole is absent as she is out of town today.

[1:11] » We have a quorum. Uh the very first thing I'm

[1:17] » the very first thing I want to do is give my personal and professional thanks

[1:21] to someone. Um when we when I came onto this board, it was in a uh runoff

[1:29] election or a special election in November of 2024. And then in May, our

[1:34] commissioners turned over and Frank was greeted with two new commissioners that

[1:39] needed to really learn the ropes. And um I really want to thank our solicitor, S

[1:44] Cesleaniano, for sticking on an extra year for us. So thank you S to allow us

[1:50] to kind of enjoy the continuity of government and to learn the ropes. Uh so

[1:55] but tonight is S's last meeting. Um we are having a new solicitor next year. S

[2:01] did not bid uh on the contract. So he has other towns. Ottabon is grateful and

[2:08] we have a loss. So I wanted to and Frank and Aar who couldn't be here wanted to

[2:14] present to you a certificate of appreciation. Thank you

[2:17] » for all of us for for personally for the advice that you've absolutely given me.

[2:22] » Thank you very much. >> You saved our bacon

[2:24] » more times than uh I could eat. [laughter]

[2:27] » Stand the center and thank you. >> Yes.

[2:29] » You want to get down there or is up here for fine. Okay. Thank you. Appreciate

[2:33] it. >> Thank you guys. Everything appreciate

[2:37] it. >> No, thanks very much. Take time.

[2:45] » All right. Next, I would like to make a motion to wave the reading of the

[2:49] minutes and approve as submitted and verified that actually we had them all

[2:54] to read. So, we had a lot of reading today, last this last week. Uh the

[2:58] commissioner meetings of July 27th and March 9th, we had a little hiccup. There

[3:02] was an absence uh and uh we we skipped it. Uh and work session meetings of July

[3:08] 13th, 2026 and the closed meeting of July 13th, 2026. I'm making a motion to

[3:14] wave the meeting and the minutes and approved as submitted.

[3:17] » Second. >> Voting on that motion. Commissioner Troy

[3:20] » in favor. >> Commissioner Sidell

[3:22] » in favor. Next, I'm going to open the floor for public comment on items listed

[3:28] on the agenda. These are comment period for things that we are going to take

[3:32] action on tonight only. Uh there's another comment period at the end uh for

[3:37] any items. Uh, so I'm make I'll make the motion to open the floor to public

[3:42] comment for items listed on the agenda. Can I get a second?

[3:45] » Second. >> Voting on that motion. Commissioner Troy

[3:48] » in favor. >> Commissioner Sidell

[3:50] » in favor.

[3:54] » The floor is open. >> Please just come forward.

[3:59] » You just come forward for items listed on the agenda. Yes.

[4:09] The rule is you get five minutes. If you uh need more, you have to take your

[4:13] seat. Let others have a turn. You can come back for one more minute.

[4:16] » Perfect. No worries at all. Yeah. Thank you everyone.

[4:18] » The name and street and name. >> My name my name is Alan Belatty. Uh my

[4:22] wife my wife Claudia Ruiz Belfatt and I live at 638 Wayne Avenue.

[4:27] » Okay. If you're making comment about Wayne Avenue, that is not on the agenda

[4:30] tonight. You're going to have to wait until the end.

[4:32] » Oh. >> Uh for the second comment period, but

[4:34] » just so you know. All right.

[4:40] All right. Uh, anybody may have a comments on the agenda.

[4:47] Seeing none in the audience, I'll move to Zoom. Any comments?

[4:55] » All right. Seeing none, I'll move the public I'll move to close public comment

[4:58] period for agenda items. Can I get a second? Second.

[5:02] » Voting on that motion. Commissioner Troy >> in favor.

[5:05] » Commissioner Sidell >> in favor. There's another time at the

[5:08] end after after our agenda items. So just have to hang tight. Um

[5:14] next ordinances. So this is our only ordinance on the docket this evening. It

[5:20] is the second reading and public hearing on ordinance 202614

[5:25] amending chapter 195 entitled solid waste. I make a motion to open the floor

[5:31] for public comment for the public hearing of ordinance 202614. Can I get a

[5:36] second? >> Second.

[5:37] » Voting on that motion. Commissioner Troy >> in favor.

[5:40] » Commissioner Sidell >> in favor. If anybody has comments on the

[5:43] trash uh ordinance, uh you may come to the deis for five minute comment.

[5:54] Seeing none in the room, I'll move to Zoom.

[6:01] Seeing none. Uh, so I'll make a motion to close the public hearing and adopt as

[6:07] read the 20 ordinance 202614 amending chapter 125 entitled solid

[6:14] waste. >> Second.

[6:15] » Second. >> Voting on that motion. Commissioner Troy

[6:18] » in favor. >> Commissioner Sidell

[6:20] » in favor. And as a reminder, bulk trash will now be the second week of every

[6:26] month. Correct. Starting September.

[6:29] » Starting in September.

[6:34] Um, next resolutions under the consent agenda. The resolutions below have been

[6:39] placed on the consent agenda by the board of commissioners and will be

[6:42] enacted in one motion. There will be no separate discussion of these items

[6:46] unless requested by a board member and I will be pulling one out at least to to

[6:51] point out. Uh, number 92, authorization to pay vouchers. Number 93,

[6:56] authorization to insert a special item of revenue, recycling tonnage grant.

[7:01] Number 94, authorization to insert a special item of revenue, the New Jersey

[7:07] Alcohol Education Rehabilitation and Enforcement Fund Grant. Authorization

[7:12] 95, the authorization to approve appointments.

[7:16] 96, the authorization to sign service agreements for various professional

[7:20] services. 97, authorization to sign a shared service agreement with the

[7:24] Hadenfield Board of Education for the Municipal Alliance Coordinator Services.

[7:29] 98, the authorization to approve change order number one for tree and stalk

[7:33] removal bid for Falenberg tree expert. Number 99, the authorization to release

[7:39] the performance bond Solace Weights collection services for 2025 2026.

[7:45] 100 the authorization to release the performance bond to Cooper the Cooper

[7:49] Health System block 11 lot 7 at 100 Grove Street. 101 the authorization to

[7:55] approve general event permit applications of various types. 102 the

[8:00] authorization for a NOUS antique Auto Club to hold the antique auto show. The

[8:05] auto show is coming back to Hadenfield. And 103 the authorization for the naming

[8:10] of an unnamed roadway as Hitchner Alley. Can I get a second?

[8:17] Second. Uh, so I want to read the consent

[8:21] agenda, but before that, I'm going to tell a little story.

[8:24] » Did you make a motion on No, >> you made the motion.

[8:26] » I made a motion. You seconded, but now we have comment. Okay. Okay. So, we've

[8:29] accepted it. Uh, so then we'll pull out before we vote. So, last winter uh after

[8:34] that first snowstorm, uh, I got an email from a resident, uh, of Grove Street who

[8:41] had told me an interesting story. one, their alleyway doesn't really get

[8:45] plowed. And I said, "Well, that's a shame." And I said, "Why doesn't the

[8:48] alleyway get plowed?" And they said, "Well, that really doesn't have a name.

[8:51] If you don't have a name, like it it it really kind of gets overlooked

[8:54] sometimes." But then she told me another story, which was her husband had fallen

[8:58] ill in his car. And if you anybody knows Grove Street, you can't park on Grove.

[9:02] So, there was an alleyway that connects the the houses of Grove and uh and

[9:08] Colonial uh Lake and Willlets. and she said, "I had such a hard time describing

[9:14] where we were uh because you know we have regional dispatch. When you call

[9:19] 911, it's answered in Cherry Hill and then they dispatch to Hadenfield." And

[9:24] it's said she couldn't say where she was. Uh she had to drive to Grove Street

[9:28] Auto to meet the ambulance and you know, we just said that's wrong. So what are

[9:33] we going to do about that? So we said, "Well, it needs a name." So what we did

[9:37] is we sent a letter to all the houses that touched that alleyway all along

[9:41] Grove all along Colonial on Willlets and on Lake Street and said guys what do you

[9:47] want to name it? So this is the way we reach out to the community uh to get

[9:51] feedback. You know I I like to say a lot of times we provide the canvas and you

[9:55] provide the paint. Well this is a wonderful paint to offer. So the

[10:00] authorization for the naming of an unnamed roadway as Hishner Alley whereas

[10:04] NJSA4671K

[10:08] empowers a municipal governing body to provide for the naming and changing of

[10:12] names of streets and highways. And whereas a review has been conducted of

[10:15] the proposed name to ensure it does not duplicate or phonetically approximate

[10:20] any existing street name in the bureau, thereby protecting public safety and

[10:24] emergency response efficiency. And whereas the governing body desires to

[10:28] formally name this currently unnamed lane located between block 17 lot 14 and

[10:34] lot 12 on Lake Street intersecting with Willlets Avenue at block 17 lots 24 and

[10:40] one and continuing on to Grove Street between block 19 lots 4 and 3.01 to

[10:46] honor Boyd A Hitchner and whereas the proper notice has been given and all

[10:51] requirements for the designation of said roadway have been satisfied. Now

[10:55] therefore be resolved by the board of commissioners of the burrow of

[10:58] Hadenfield county canon state of New Jersey as follows. The public roadway

[11:03] described by block and lot is hereby officially

[11:07] named Hitchner Lane. The municipal clerk is authorized and directed to transmit a

[11:13] certified copy of this resolution to the clown county planning board, the local

[11:17] postmaster, the municipal engineer, and the 911 emergency dispatch coordinator.

[11:22] The Department of Public Works is authorized to manufacture and install

[11:26] appropriate street name signs bearing the designated name at the appropriate

[11:30] intersections. And this resolution shall take effect immediately upon adoption.

[11:37] » Um, are there any other U consent agenda items we would like to pull out and

[11:42] discuss?

[11:47] » Right. >> Nope. All right. Good. Record them all.

[11:50] » Yep. And the car show is coming back. I'll say it again. I'm very excited

[11:53] about that. >> Um, and can we get a picture? I wanted

[11:57] to

[12:18] » you want >> me out.

[12:23] Yes. >> Congratulations.

[12:37] There you go. Thanks.

[12:59] » Alley fish alley. I got to change level by the way was close. It will be

[13:04] Hitchner Alley, not Hitchner Lane. >> Yes.

[13:07] » Yeah. I I >> That was partially me.

[13:14] » So, no. I sit there for a second. It's not official until we vote on it. So,

[13:17] roll call, please. >> Voting on approval of the consent

[13:23] agenda. Commissioner Troy >> in favor.

[13:26] » Commissioner Sidell. >> In favor. Congratulations.

[13:29] Congratulations.

[13:34] Thank you. >> Okay. Now, next I'm going to make a

[13:37] motion to open the floor for public comment on anything you want. Um, do I

[13:42] get a second? Second. >> And after she says goodbye to Ann,

[13:46] she'll take roll call.

[14:07] Good night. I see everyone. >> It's not every day we get to name a

[14:13] street.

[14:16] » Uh, so I made a motion and there was a second to open the floor for public

[14:20] comment. >> Voting on that motion. Commissioner Troy

[14:23] » in favor. >> Commissioner Sidell

[14:25] » in favor. Uh the floor is open for public comment on all items and as you

[14:31] come up because I know some of you want to talk about um the the Rner complex. I

[14:36] will announce that we had 65 submissions uh by today which was the deadline to

[14:41] take submissions. So thank you for everyone that provided comment on uh the

[14:47] plans that we will then go back and work out fuller plans with engineer and make

[14:53] presentation to the community. Uh, please. The floor is open.

[14:58] » I'll miss that. [laughter]

[15:04] » And you're first because you were first. >> I'm still Alan Belatty.

[15:07] » All right. There you go. All right. >> All right. Thank you. And uh again, uh

[15:13] my wife uh I'm Alan Belatty, my wife and I, Claudia over Belf Fatty. We live 638

[15:17] Wayne Avenue. Uh we lived here about 10 years. We bought our house because of

[15:21] the culde-sac. Um, that's why we bought this property and that's why we live

[15:25] where we live. Um, and you know, parking on our street is already a complete

[15:29] nightmare, especially during the summertime with the activities at Radner

[15:33] Field. However, we understand, you know, it's just part of we we didn't want to

[15:36] cause a stink for 10 year. You know, we understand like the kids are just trying

[15:39] to go watch the game and stuff like that. So, we've kept quiet about it. But

[15:43] to try and turn our street into a bus terminal, which the proposed plan

[15:47] basically would do. >> Uh, go ahead. have these I can pat them

[15:51] around >> because I know the deadline is today. So

[15:59] » you you keep talking while you're doing that.

[16:01] » Yeah. Great. So I mean basically what it's when after looking at the plans and

[16:05] stuff like that where it's instead of doing what is proposed it makes all the

[16:09] sense in the world to revamp the other side of the field as opposed to causing

[16:13] havoc on our side. Um and that's basically what this is all about.

[16:22] Thank you.

[16:28] » So, this is an alternative proposal, >> correct?

[16:30] » Two of them. >> Oh, I see that, too. Okay.

[16:34] » Correct. Yeah. >> No, that's what I

[16:37] » Oh, yeah. One one's the original, one's the proposed uh doing it on the other

[16:41] side of the street, which which obviously makes a lot more sense. the

[16:45] originals. >> This was like a little bit. We moved a

[16:48] little bit over the >> Yeah, that's right. It did look a little

[16:50] different. >> Yeah, it a little different. We put the

[16:52] parking here and everything. So, >> yes, there's two different two different

[16:57] plans from our original. >> All right. Thank you for providing that.

[17:02] » Yeah, absolutely. And that and that's it.

[17:04] » Oh, that's okay. >> Yeah, because today was the deadline.

[17:06] So, I just want to make sure that I know Mr. Salvatore, he

[17:11] » Miss Salvatore. >> Oh, no. It's not Salvatore Siciliano. It

[17:15] was >> Louise Salvat Salvatore. Yeah,

[17:18] » I'm at 634 Wayne Avenue, too. And we also was was wanted to talk about

[17:24] » Yeah. Sorry. >> No, no, I'd give it to her and I heard

[17:26] » Oh, okay. Um, we also need to address also the the bathroom facilities. I

[17:32] don't know if you noticed the I mean, it's in terrible condition and I've been

[17:36] living there for 29 years and nothing has been done uh to make it look better.

[17:41] clean the bathrooms a little bit, repaint it and all that stuff. So, uh,

[17:46] but hopefully, you know, the new proposed, I know, like you said, you had

[17:49] 65, uh, some metals and, uh, hopefully one of them will help us, um, with not,

[17:56] uh, opening the culdeac and that's what we're here for as we don't

[18:00] » and I just changed the 66. >> Thank you.

[18:03] » All right. No, thanks, chair. All right. Thank you.

[18:10] Any other comments from the floor on any topic?

[18:20] » Hello. >> Oh, hey Bob.

[18:21] » Hey, Robert Marshall, Maple Avenue, 514. Um, actually more of a this is uh more

[18:28] of a an invitation. I'm a former president of the historic society and um

[18:34] if the engineers in the burrow are not familiar with our archive center, we

[18:40] have maps going back to 1877. Um one in particular that's Philadelphia

[18:47] and the environs and also a map of 1907.

[18:53] Uh the area of Rner Field uh was likely never developed because it shouldn't be

[18:59] developed. Um and I was gratified to see that you're proposing recreation and not

[19:05] some type of imperous cover. >> It it can't be it can't be built upon.

[19:10] » It's green acres, >> right? Um but if you look at those maps,

[19:13] you'll see it's a site that wants to be wet. It's a natural rain garden. even

[19:19] during droughts that that ground is spongy. Um and um if you if they're not

[19:26] aware of that um the the concern is engineers are you know terrific at

[19:32] saying well we can take put this all in a pipe but we saw what happened over in

[19:37] Barbberry and Homestead u during the great floods of 2019. Who

[19:43] can forget that? I will never forget that. Um, the residents received on the

[19:49] choose landing and station received a letter from the engineer for New Jersey

[19:55] flood plane management. And I've never seen the engineer send a

[19:59] three-page letter back to a resident, but he went through all the old maps and

[20:04] he said, "This is probably the last area to be developed in Hadenfield because it

[20:09] never should have been developed." And that's why

[20:13] everything was being piped to towards one inlet, you know, and and uh clearly

[20:19] inadequate for 400 acres. So, I'm gratified that the burrow is keeping it

[20:25] in open space. Um I hope they don't add at all to the impervious cover. Um, and

[20:31] I'd like to echo the earlier comment that uh we sympathize with the folks on

[20:37] Radner that have traffic going through and their sports events. Um, and I agree

[20:43] and I sympathize the idea of creating another street with that same traffic

[20:50] pattern. Um, I think you that should be given serious consideration whether to

[20:55] do that. >> So, right.

[20:58] » Well, thanks Bob. >> That's it. Thank you, Bob.

[21:12] Good evening, Angela Toledo, 635 Wayne Avenue.

[21:20] So, I am a 15-year resident, as I stated a couple weeks ago, here at the

[21:25] commissioner's meeting of Wayne Avenue, and I, too, purchased my home

[21:29] specifically because it was a culde-sac. My then husband and I were very excited

[21:35] to be in a quiet, low traffic street. We had hoped to have a family, but that

[21:40] sadly did not happen for us. But luckily, despite some hardships, I was

[21:46] able to keep the home, keep my cat, [laughter]

[21:50] and keep the lovely family community that I had uh

[21:56] fostered by living on Wayne Avenue. Um I won't name names, but there are people

[22:00] here in attendance tonight that are considered the informal mayor and mayor,

[22:07] if that's a word, of Wayne Avenue. and they welcomed my then husband and I with

[22:13] open arms and they said you're really purchasing the bestkept secret in

[22:18] Hadenfield and they were right. Um it it's kind of like a slice of Americana.

[22:23] We have people from all different backgrounds that live on the street

[22:28] probably every single one I think there's 18 20 homes. We can name each

[22:33] other's names. We know each other. We share sugar when somebody's baking a

[22:38] pie. Um it's a very safe area and part of that truly is because it's a

[22:43] culde-sac. Uh kids play freely in their bikes. Today we have a family from South

[22:50] Africa who rent and they were literally playing in that culde-sac area. She was

[22:55] not aware of the upcoming proposals and she was a gas. She's got two young boys

[23:01] with adorable accents and a little cat. And yes, we're not technically supposed

[23:07] to play on the street, but if you look at old mo old old movies of America, you

[23:13] know, they they can play there with their bikes. They put their helmets on

[23:16] and they feel very safe doing so. And that family is literally on the end of

[23:21] the street. So, if Wayne Avenue is opened up, this will not be possible for

[23:26] them to do anymore. And it's adorable. I mean, yes, [snorts]

[23:30] there's other factors, safety, traffic, noise, but I love looking outside my

[23:37] dining room window, which is a great big window. I'm I'm three houses from the

[23:40] park, and I can see kids playing in the street, and it's wonderful. Where do you

[23:45] get that in today's society? You really don't. But we do have it on Wayne

[23:49] Avenue, and we're heartbroken to think that it may not be the that way if the

[23:54] street is opened. So, that's that's one thing. Um, as I had mentioned before,

[23:59] I'm an interior designer by profession from Drexel. Woohoo. Drexel Dragons. Um,

[24:05] and looking at the proposed plan from the burrow, it just seems really

[24:09] intensively developed. There's no space to breathe in this concept. I understand

[24:15] the need to have fields that rest. I think it Cole mentioned that in a

[24:20] Facebook post. Uh, that makes perfect sense. But it it really is very very

[24:26] densely planned. So um I did send an email to um Mr. Salvat Sal Siciliano.

[24:35] » No no no Salvatore. >> Sorry Salvatore. Yeah,

[24:40] » pardon me. And the commissioners uh just an hour before the meeting um where I go

[24:45] into a little bit more detail. You know, one idea is to maybe remove some of the

[24:50] benches that are in the um children's playground area and add them to the area

[24:59] um the pathway so that it's not just oriented towards sports. Somebody say

[25:06] from town can go there and read a book, enjoy the sunset. As I was mentioning uh

[25:12] to Mr. Sidell before the meeting started. I often go there in the early

[25:16] morning when it's really quiet and it's, you know, sometimes misty and it's

[25:21] beautiful. It's it's just a wonderful place of open space. Um, in my email, I

[25:27] also addressed um adding trees if this plan does go forward as proposed.

[25:34] Visually, I didn't move to Hadenfield to look at a parking lot. I'm just going to

[25:40] say it. Um, and not only would it help with the visual aesthetics, but trees

[25:46] would enhance wildlife habitat, they would also cut down on noise um and and

[25:54] also absorb water. So it it's only a plus to consider and please consult the

[25:59] Shade Tree Commission which I know is on uh you know the agenda to do in the

[26:03] future because I think there's some really wise people on that commission

[26:07] that would have a lot of expertise to add to this program. Um, along the lines

[26:13] of fencing, I would also urge the planners to limit the use of fencing as

[26:19] much as possible just to keep just to keep the open feeling of the space that

[26:25] we love so much. And I included a picture of one of my visits there so you

[26:29] could see what a beautiful space it is. So, thank you so much.

[26:31] » Oh, no. Thank you, Angel.

[26:35] » All right. Any other comments? All right.

[26:41] name and street. >> I don't need a mic. You You'll be able

[26:43] to >> No, no, you do because of Zoom.

[26:45] » Oh, okay. My name is Katie Pelgi. Me and my husband Mike just moved to Wayne

[26:52] about 2 years ago. And the reason why we did move there is because of the

[26:56] culdeac. It felt like a great place to start and raise a family, especially

[27:01] because of safety reasons. I don't want to make as much comments. I do want to

[27:06] ask some questions. Is this a good one to

[27:08] » be able to answer? We might not be able to. It's really a concept.

[27:12] » Okay. In the proposed plan that we all received, there's two fields, soccer

[27:16] fields. One is not at the legal size for a let's say a high school match. And I'm

[27:24] wondering what the reason for that is. Is it as a practice field? Is it just to

[27:28] spend the money given or >> No. All their most of the fields at even

[27:34] at Crowswoods Green Acres, we have very few legalsized soccer fields. Yeah.

[27:40] » Different ages. 909 soccer is the most prevalent soccer in town.

[27:44] » Right. So, is the purpose of this to kind of

[27:48] allow for more soccer in town to occur at the same time or what would

[27:54] » Let her ask her question. >> Oh, yeah. So, we don't waste your time.

[27:57] » Yes. Thank you for answering. >> Thank you. So, what is the purpose of

[28:01] these fields? because there is already a field on the baseball field that is used

[28:05] for field hockey, particularly high school field hockey. So, what would be

[28:10] the purpose of the other two fields? >> Do you have any other questions first,

[28:14] Katie? >> Uh, yeah. The other question I have is

[28:17] for that far baseball field that isn't used by any little league or high school

[28:24] program. It's by like a men's league is usually on there or people from not

[28:29] Henfield use it. Is that kept for their need or is that going to be also used

[28:37] for youth sports here or for the high school baseball team? And then that

[28:42] would be it. Just >> so the dirt field at at Farwood is used

[28:47] by Babe Ruth which is part of the little league uh thing. It is used by the high

[28:52] school for freshman and JV baseball. And it is used by various youth I mean adult

[28:57] groups. Uh most of them are town uh baseball groups. So the Hadenfield

[29:03] Ruff Riders and Hatiffield Kings are two adult leagues primarily of Hadenfield

[29:08] residents. So that's what that baseball field's used. Um baseball is is no

[29:13] longer just a spring sport. So there's fall ball that happens both at the Babe

[29:18] Ruth level and at the uh adult level. So, uh, the struggle of field leverage

[29:27] is field hockey using the outfield, you know, so it's it becomes a scheduling

[29:32] thing. Uh, we don't know what the scheduling impact's going to be because

[29:37] now the high school's got another turf field, too. So, that all gets to be

[29:40] brought in here. And the size of the fields, the most the biggest program

[29:44] size is 9 9v9, uh, which does not need or even require a fullsize soccer field.

[29:51] Uh, so that would be for youth sports. >> So to just to come back to the two

[29:55] fields, if you were to use them for other sports like let's say lacrosse,

[30:00] that would probably need some netting if it's at a higher level. Does that mean

[30:04] you're going to net going around those fields as well?

[30:07] » So nothing has been finalized yet. >> Okay. I'm just asking about like what

[30:11] the the purpose. >> So nothing's been finalized yet. Um,

[30:16] these are all youth sports. So, it's except for the baseball, it is typically

[30:20] not high school sports. >> Okay.

[30:22] » We anticipate that except for baseball, the high school will move all of their

[30:26] sports over onto their facilities because this is now owned by the burrow.

[30:30] » Right. Right. >> So, um this is for small kids. Um it is

[30:36] mostly practice. Most of the games are on other fields. Okay. It is also put in

[30:42] place because we're we have a number of grass fields in town that are not being

[30:48] maintained to a level that people want them maintained to.

[30:51] » Agreed. >> But the only way but they're overused.

[30:54] » So the only way that that can be done is if you have an ability to rest fields.

[30:58] » Okay. These will be able to be maintained as well then.

[31:01] » Yes. That's all part of the cycle that is anticipated being able to shift

[31:05] things around so that not so at any given time we might be able to rest a

[31:10] field to start to better improve the conditions of our fields.

[31:13] » Right. Because when cleats dig it up then it's all mud and there are no more

[31:17] grass. So >> and the primary lacrosse field for

[31:19] practice in town is Centennial Field. It is not netted.

[31:22] » Yeah. And Radner and that or um what's that one down from Centennial? Scout.

[31:27] » I mean Scout >> Scout Field. Yeah. That as well.

[31:30] » That's not netted. That's not either. >> Yeah.

[31:33] » Okay. Okay. Thank you.

[31:48] » Hi, my name is Alex Peli. I live on Westmont Avenue, 115 Westmont Avenue. So

[31:55] the 100 block of Westmont Avenue, there's a house being having a major

[32:00] addition to it. I called the police department one day a couple of times

[32:06] because they had, you know, so that block, one side you can't park on. You

[32:11] could only park on one side of the street. First of all, I asked the

[32:15] construction people, I couldn't pull out of my driveway, could they pull the

[32:18] truck to the side they're supposed to park on. And he goes, "What are you

[32:21] complaining about? Have them replace the signs. We can't read them. Now, the

[32:24] signs that say do not park on this side of the street are worn out, but you

[32:30] could clearly say they don't park in this side of the street. So, police

[32:33] officer came from the police department. I seen her talking to the construction

[32:38] die. Then she knocked on my door and she says to me, "What's the big deal?

[32:42] They're going to move the truck for you so you could pull out." I said, "Okay,

[32:46] I'll do that, but what happens when I pull in?"

[32:50] I mean, it's ridiculous. either we're going to park in that side of street or

[32:53] we're not going to park in that side of street and we're going to stay on top of

[32:56] these construction people. I mean, they had five trucks out there, okay? Not

[33:01] just blocking my driveway. And then another ca neighbor came out. They're

[33:04] blocking his driveway. And I said, well, the police officer says, you know,

[33:07] they'll just move it if they need to move it. Well, why can't they park on

[33:11] the side that they're supposed to park on?

[33:14] That's what I was told by the police officer. Just let it be. And I don't

[33:18] think that was fair. >> Okay. Thanks for bringing it to our

[33:21] attention. >> And if we could replace those signs that

[33:23] say you can only park at one side of the street.

[33:28] » Yep. >> We'll take a look.

[33:44] Hi, I'm Sher Salac 623 Wayne. Is

[33:50] that Wayne Avenue? Sorry. Sorry. >> Yep.

[33:56] » So, I've been there for 28 years. So, raised my kids there and uh we moved in

[34:04] and it was same thing. It was because it is a

[34:09] deadend street. Kids, same thing. They've been playing in that street

[34:14] forever. I have my one son who wanted to go on Zoom. He's like, "I'm not talking

[34:18] on Zoom." But he has moved out and back in. And he's appalled because we have

[34:23] this very tiny street that you're allowed to park on one side of the

[34:28] street. And I'm one of my concerns is that whenever we have the baseball games

[34:35] as it is, they block us in because they're parked everywhere. And if we

[34:40] suddenly have a through street, I know for years and years there'll be a

[34:43] baseball game or there'll be a practice and the kids like zoom to the end and

[34:48] they realize it's a dead end and they zoom back out and they're going to take

[34:52] people out because it's very narrow street and then they park on the one

[34:56] side and it makes it very difficult. I know. I have had concerns over the years

[35:01] that we know that there's the flooding that goes across on the other end of

[35:04] town, but we get a lot of flooding. Like Angela didn't mention like her house got

[35:08] flooded last year. My neighbor across the street got flooded and from what

[35:13] I've been told over the years and I think you were mentioning is that there

[35:18] we've been told that there is an underground

[35:23] pond like I don't know what exactly it is, but we've been told that. I know I

[35:28] had for about 2 years that something must have shifted but I kept getting

[35:33] flooding and everyone says we don't know where it's coming from. It just would

[35:36] come into the basement. I have a lot of concerns like I don't understand

[35:41] how at the end of the street there's the retaining basin and

[35:47] you know we always have where we just jump over it because there's like a

[35:49] block of wood there and I'm have concerns of what happens to that

[35:54] retaining basin if they start changing everything. Are the the flood lines

[35:59] going to change in our area? Are we going to have more flooding in our

[36:03] basements? I'm very concerned about that. I'm concerned about the traffic. I

[36:07] know what noise is normally like when there's a baseball game and they have,

[36:11] you know, the music going and we can hear it and I'm like, it's here and

[36:15] there. It's not that awful. But if they're constantly zipping through our

[36:19] road on top of it, I'm very concerned about the additional traffic that's

[36:23] going through our area. Um, does it change anything as far as property

[36:28] values because we're suddenly not a dead-end street anymore? Um I'm trying

[36:35] to think of some of the things that I had my list that was was sent to me from

[36:39] my son. Um but yeah, so it's the flooding is a big concern of mine. Noise

[36:44] changes. Oh, I know. We were um we were trying to find out. They suddenly had in

[36:49] there about the um a playground. Had that been ever put in front of people to

[36:58] ask what their opinions were? If people felt a need to have an additional

[37:02] playground in town. >> Do we know?

[37:07] You >> want to let her finish first?

[37:08] » Yeah, we'll let her finish first. >> Okay. Because I know there's a lot.

[37:12] There's playgrounds at all the schools. There's playgrounds at the churches.

[37:16] There's playground right outside of Hadenfield at the Challenge Grove Park.

[37:20] I didn't understand why we needed another playground and the expense of

[37:24] another playground and the additional traffic of that. So, that was another

[37:29] issue that I was not sure about. I have a boyfriend whose son has played on

[37:35] those baseball fields in the men's league and he said that they're in

[37:39] horrific shape. Like, it seems like fixing up those would be a a start. I

[37:46] don't understand why they're doing it all at once. Are they doing it in

[37:49] phases?

[37:54] » Do we know >> any more questions?

[37:55] » No. No. That's I'm asking. Do they they doing them in phases or they doing it

[37:58] all at once? >> Sharon, you want to start tackling?

[38:02] » Sure.

[38:06] Um, okay. So, first of all, with the playground, we over the years we have

[38:11] gotten a number of requests for playgrounds to be expanded in town. Um

[38:17] because the only municipal playground that we have is down at Rileywood.

[38:22] » Um we received funding from the state for

[38:27] the playground. So it was an opportunity for us to expand a municipal playground

[38:33] in a neighborhood where children congregate.

[38:38] Um the question regarding flooding, part of the issue

[38:44] we're trying to address with this is to tackle some of the flooding issues that

[38:49] occur because of the overgrowth of um the swale that used to be there. Um to

[38:55] correct that so that it would make things better on your street. That's the

[38:59] potential that is the plan to try and address that. Um, again, nothing has

[39:05] been finalized with any with any of the plans. That's why we're bringing this

[39:09] out and providing and providing an opportunity for comment. Um, the

[39:14] phasing, again, this hasn't been finally designed yet. The phasing, the intent is

[39:20] to do we need the fields. So it's to do the whole program but to phase it in

[39:26] such a way that we are having the least impact on the the timing for the sports

[39:33] so that we can get it accomplished in between seasons rather than complicating

[39:40] our field issue. >> What did I miss?

[39:44] » Um just about it being a through street in general like the traffic patterns and

[39:49] » the traffic patterns we're going to look at. We have a number of comments. The

[39:52] mayor indicated we had 65. We received 65 comments. Um we're re in the process

[39:57] of reviewing them now. We'll be reviewing them with the rec commission

[40:00] and we'll be reviewing them with the engineers to try and take as many of

[40:04] them into consideration as possible. Um we'll look at the two plans that have

[40:08] been proposed to see if there's any ideas from those and then put out a

[40:12] revised plan at a later date. Um I can't give you a to me part of the is concern

[40:18] is um I can understand you not wanting your road opened but you you have issues

[40:27] with traffic as it is. So, um, one of the things that we thought was by

[40:33] opening it, it would relieve some of that traffic of the kids going the kids

[40:38] or the parents going down the street than having to do a K turn because it's

[40:42] not truly a um culde-sac. It's a dead-end street. So, it's trying to come

[40:48] up with something to make it safer. Again, we'll take all of the concerns

[40:53] about not opening it into consideration with all the other comments we we

[40:57] received and the commissioners can make a decision.

[40:59] » And I just had a text from um Crystal McNeel who lives on Cedar and she wanted

[41:05] to know if they're going to be cutting down the trees near the baseball fields.

[41:10] » Again, we haven't finalized any landscaping plan. Okay. One of the

[41:14] things that may happen um because we did get comments submitted about the trees,

[41:19] you know what what we may do is um if we have to take them down, we would

[41:27] probably put something back up in its place

[41:31] » because they've already taken them down on our street, a lot of them, and our

[41:35] street keeps flooding because of that. They put in new that are like

[41:39] » stick trust me, I understand. But one of the things that we talked about is um

[41:44] what was the type of the the bush we were talking about?

[41:47] » The arbor vites. >> Yeah, a arbor vites. The arbor vites may

[41:50] make more sense along that and it would create a more compact screening.

[41:54] » Um because I know some of the comments were the windb blowing and causing

[41:59] disruption. The trees block that. So we're looking at all the different

[42:03] options that are out there um to address making sure that there's still trees uh

[42:08] located on the property. um provide shade to provide blocking, you know, for

[42:13] for viewing and for those people that currently have it blocked. Um all of

[42:18] that is going to be taken into consideration when before the final

[42:21] plan's done to the town hall meeting. >> Um

[42:28] all right. Thank you. >> Thank you, too.

[42:33] » Yes. >> Yeah. Right. So, online folks, keep your

[42:38] hands up. We we do the in room first and then we come to the online people. Uh so

[42:43] we still have Mark Jordan 6 634 main.

[42:49] » Right. I was going to say 32. >> Yeah. Well, I think um what we're doing

[42:54] here today uh talking about this is a great idea. I mean, we need to do

[42:58] something with the fields and I think uh I don't see a problem with a a

[43:02] playground. I don't see a problem with the parking. I think where we're at now

[43:07] is what side do we put the parking on? Um, years ago I I met with Tish and we

[43:14] talked about our tennis courts, our basketball courts. Why were they taken

[43:20] away? Why? And left a a terrible, disgusting looking area for years. And

[43:27] she said, "Well, nobody used them anyway. Nobody played basketball anyway.

[43:32] my kids, my neighbors and I, we played tennis, we played basketball there, and

[43:37] all of a sudden we're left without a basketball court, without tennis courts.

[43:42] Um, but um I know this plan that we're looking

[43:46] at, it's a plan and I believe was dated uh 2015 by CME, I believe. I don't know

[43:55] who the engineer is that's doing the planning. Would you be able to tell me

[43:59] who it is or >> It is CME. The date on the plan they

[44:03] they were using an old they were they were adding stuff onto an old plan. So

[44:08] not all of the verbiage on the old plan is is a

[44:12] » perfectly I have a lot of knowledge with RERfield. I personally did all the

[44:16] surveys for Radnerfield. I did conceptual plans for for them. Um I

[44:22] don't have to tell you who I work for but I've been working for them for

[44:25] almost 40 years. I do a lot of site work. Um, personally, I feel as though

[44:30] if we're going to do any kind of parking, any kind of busing,

[44:34] it should be in Farwood. Farwood's a much wider street. And our streets are

[44:40] very narrow. There's parking on both sides. Well, it's supposed to be only on

[44:45] one side, but but I think if we move the parking area down in Farwood and allow

[44:51] the, you know, buses to to park on the curb, I think that should be sufficient.

[44:56] Um, but I think, you know, addressing RERfield is a wonderful thing right now.

[45:02] Hope something to get done, but certainly I I don't want to see a a

[45:06] throughway through our culde-sacs. I mean, we really, really need them

[45:10] because we, like they said, we we love to see the children out there playing

[45:14] and and feeling safe and u you know, but uh uh you know, I' I'd like to see some

[45:22] other design besides the one that we we we see on online. I think it's

[45:28] inadequate. Um, I think what they need is a a walkway through the fields

[45:35] connecting with Farwood, not a little drainage swale that looks hideous.

[45:41] People come from all over the place to to play ball with our our kids and

[45:45] everything. And they're what they say is this is Hadenfield. Hadenfield has the

[45:52] worst facilities for athletics in everywhere. Paulsboro, Haden Heights,

[45:58] Haden Township. They have better facilities. Let's do something with our

[46:02] our concession stand. It looks like crap. It's not very very nice looking.

[46:08] Um the the the gravel road is horrible because you get kids coming in there and

[46:14] spinning wheels and you know, and poor hitchers that live on on the parking

[46:20] lot, they have to deal with that all the time. Unfortunately, they're not here

[46:23] tonight to talk about it because uh they're on a planned vacation, but they

[46:28] wanted to be and I'm I'm speaking in their behalf as well. But I just wish

[46:33] that maybe we can be work with CMA somehow or CME um somehow and maybe come

[46:40] up with a better solution. But the one they have there is not the solution.

[46:45] It's it's you know, it should be put on firewood if anything. take those trees

[46:51] out, put the put the um uh put the playground just behind the center field

[46:57] with abroades going around there. It would look great. But a nice walkway

[47:01] going through the fields there with a little bit of lighting, maybe timed

[47:05] lighting or something like that with uh you know, a raised path. I mean, so that

[47:11] when the rain goes off it, it goes into a a swale on both sides and that would

[47:17] be perfect. But I think we got to make it look nice because we get a lot of

[47:21] people from different towns and they are disgusted about our restrooms, our

[47:28] facilities. You know, we got to pick it up. That's all.

[47:32] » Thank you. >> Okay.

[47:33] » Thanks.

[47:50] Hi, I'm Glenn Rasik and I reside at 615 Wayne Avenue.

[47:58] And after uh reviewing the uh the plans for the uh renovation of the recreation

[48:05] area, I just might want to make a few suggestions. My first option is I would

[48:11] like to to keep Wayne Avenue at no outlet.

[48:17] We do have traffic uh and parking problems during uh high school baseball

[48:23] season, but we put up with that for for years. Now, I will say that my parents

[48:29] bought the house in April of 1952, and I uh inherited the house in uh in

[48:36] January of 2019, but I pretty much lived there all my life. I mean, I've went

[48:43] through Tatum School, the Hadenfield Middle School, and graduated from

[48:47] Hadenfield High. And and I've seen over the years since

[48:52] the mid 1950s what's going on in that field. And

[48:58] my recommendation is that the for the for a playground is a [clears throat]

[49:03] good idea for a playground. I'm thinking is it something going to be like like

[49:07] what we have at Rileywood Avenue? Something like that. Uh and as you

[49:14] probably know, you've had children. Uh children often scream with excitement

[49:18] and joy when they're playing. And to put it up against Wayne Avenue, uh it might

[49:24] be noisy because that would be up against the last house on Wayne and then

[49:28] it also would be bordering uh Cedar Avenue and I work remotely and I'm sure

[49:35] there other people work remotely and it would be nice to have, you know, quiet.

[49:39] Uh but uh that's why I thought that the best thing to do would be to relocate

[49:45] the po uh the uh playground somewhere on the middle of the field or behind the

[49:51] baseball field. Uh in terms of the soccer field where it

[49:58] is that's always been a good location and then also the uh for the uh the

[50:04] lower field the lower field at Farwood Avenue. Uh that's that's good too. Uh

[50:10] then in between we have the problem with the swamp in there with the wetlands

[50:14] there. Now, I can tell you at one time when I was when I was a child that was

[50:20] all wooded area there and then right there there was it was a stand of maple

[50:26] trees and there was a spring there but it was closer to the Cedar Avenue and

[50:32] then there was a little tributary that that drained into that ditch which I

[50:36] would say definitely needs some renovation also.

[50:41] And then after the uh board of education took over and cleared everything out and

[50:47] uh it seemed like they there was no there

[50:51] was no swamp problem. But now those springs have apparently come out in the

[50:55] middle of the field. So there I mean I see that the board of education has

[50:58] tried putting some drainage pipes or something in there, but it's if you walk

[51:02] around it's it's kind of mushy, you know. So that that would definitely

[51:07] need some work there for repair. And as uh as has already been been said that

[51:16] uh there was a tennis court. I used to use the tennis courts down there. My

[51:21] brother had used the the basketball courts.

[51:26] Uh and uh there were problems with it cuz that that whole thing was sloped and

[51:32] there was no separation between the uh a fence between the basketball courts and

[51:36] the uh and the tennis courts. Uh but again, something like that for a

[51:43] recre for the uh playground would be fine. Uh, and of course there was still

[51:47] room for I think down blower uh on Farwood for for that additional uh was a

[51:54] soccer field or a hockey field. And I would I would agree too that uh those

[52:00] pine trees are not the original trees. They could be they could be removed,

[52:04] you know, to make to make room for uh whatever we're going to have. And the

[52:09] other thing what I felt we talk you you talk about in the in the uh you know in

[52:14] the diagram there'll be walkways for the for the disabled people. One thing would

[52:18] be very good is for a a small track to be put in for people

[52:24] that are for running or for or for walking. And that would be that would

[52:29] help people of all ages. And it also would be safe because this way you

[52:35] wouldn't have to worry about crossing streets.

[52:39] And the other thing uh also if if it's a special kind of track like we have at

[52:43] the Hadenfield High School field or what they have in Cooper River in Pence Hawin

[52:49] in that park uh it would be safe safer and uh orthopedically better instead of

[52:56] pounding on the pavements or risking tripping on a sidewalk.

[53:01] Right. >> And I think you could probably get a

[53:03] quarter mile in of of a track. So that that would be helpful.

[53:09] Uh but basically they're my suggestions. And are you planning to pave the uh the

[53:16] parking lot at Ragnarfield? >> Is that your only question? Because

[53:20] you're at time. Oh, >> okay. That was my only question.

[53:23] » All right. Um >> we haven't made a final decision.

[53:26] » Yeah, we haven't made a final decision. It's not paved now. It's it's it's

[53:29] gravel. It is okay.

[53:31] » Uh the the parking lot that's there. We haven't made any det. And uh I guess

[53:36] there should be also a renovation of the uh of that fieldhouse.

[53:40] Is that under under a board of education or is that under the burrow now?

[53:45] » No, it's under the bar. >> Okay. Well, thank you for your time.

[53:50] » Thank you. You

[54:03] Good evening. >> Hey, uh Kathy McGee, 265 Windsor Avenue.

[54:08] Um I'm back to Henchman Alley or Lane, whichever it is. Um, I'm a nurse, so I

[54:15] think about risk a lot and I just wanted to bring it to your attention, but the

[54:20] safety officers are probably already on it, but just to make sure that somebody

[54:24] has thought of it um to make sure there aren't any other places that don't have

[54:29] like a real address um for safety concerns. Okay,

[54:34] » thank you. >> Thank you.

[54:42] Yeah, we believe that is the only one in town that didn't have anything.

[54:52] All right, see no more in the room. Move to online.

[55:06] » All right. So instead of reading that text question, if it's a submittal about

[55:10] Wayne Avenue, we'll just add it to the spreadsheet because that's what we asked

[55:15] by the for the deadline. So if that's okay, then that's what we'll do. So if

[55:19] you can just send that to uh Louise.

[55:24] » Oh, no, no, no. We're not going to read it for No, no, that's okay. She can

[55:28] submit it. She can submit it or she can email it to to uh to Louise.

[55:37] Uh, so we'll go in screen order. If you said

[55:43] Giovanni's mic's not working, we'll move to Sean's iPhone.

[55:50] » All right. How you doing? Can you hear me?

[55:52] » Coming in hot. >> All right. So, um, Sean Flynn. I'm uh

[55:57] I'm 419 Farwood Road. Um, sorry I couldn't be there in person. I had a

[56:02] previously planned vacation, but I know a lot of us on Forward are very uh you

[56:06] know, concerned about the uh you know, as as as Wayne is as well, and I applaud

[56:09] you, Wayne, for showing up in force. Um, good on you. Um, uh, I think, you know,

[56:14] a lot of us have similar concerns about the parking. We um, I know myself, my

[56:19] neighbor to the left and my neighbor to the right, we both have very, we both

[56:23] have young children. Um, and as someone who uh I went through the Hadenfield

[56:28] Hadenfield High School as well, long time long time resident, you know, I

[56:32] moved back I went to Philly for many years and I moved back here because of

[56:35] it's such a wonderful town and I had a great experience growing up here. Um,

[56:39] unfortunately though, when I was 14, I was struck by a car on Maple Avenue. I

[56:42] was I broke my I broke my femur. I still have a metal rod. I was rushed to

[56:46] Cooper's uh trauma center um because I was, you know, struck by a car. So, I'm

[56:50] the idea of, you know, of increased traffic on our street is is a great a

[56:55] great concern to me. Um, and uh the idea of of you know, the parking and I share

[57:00] I share Wayne's concerns, you know, as well. Um, I don't want to see it sh you

[57:03] know, just shifted, you know, the idea shifted to us, but because we're, you

[57:06] know, we're it's a narrow street as well and we get a lot of the traffic from the

[57:09] baseball fields. Um, you know, during this during the summers and, you know,

[57:13] other times, you know, I've had people block my driveway. I've had people, you

[57:17] know, like run up on my curb and it's, you know, it's it's it's very narrow

[57:21] when they're parking on both sides of the street as it is. Um, I'll keep my

[57:26] comments brief. I know that others others on my street would like to to

[57:28] comment, but I, you know, I my concerns and if we're taking um, you know,

[57:32] suggestions, I suggest we scrap the whole thing. I don't I don't I think

[57:36] it's a beautiful space and I I understand there's some concern about

[57:39] drainage and it could use some updating for sure, but um I think it's a

[57:43] wonderful space and it's very there's very few like it, you know, in

[57:46] Hadenfield and um I would like, you know, I'd like to see it you remain a

[57:50] green space and somewhere that, you know, we can we can just enjoy without

[57:53] it having to serve any express uh you know, purpose just other than, you know,

[57:58] being a a beautiful place to exist and and you know, and live. But uh I'll I'll

[58:04] conclude my comments there and uh you know yield the floor to anybody else who

[58:07] wants to speak. Thank you for the time. >> All right. Thanks Sean.

[58:13] » All right. Shiovani. >> Everybody. Good evening. My name is

[58:17] Shiovani Bot. Um I live on 363 Farwood Road. Uh neighbors with Shawn and many

[58:23] others on this call. Um, I echo many of the same concerns that have been brought

[58:29] up by the residents at Wayne, um, as well as Farwood. Uh, first and foremost,

[58:34] um, if you have been on Farwood in the early morning, um, on our field, you'll

[58:39] see it's a beautiful space, uh, peaceful and calm. And just because it is not,

[58:45] um, programmed to be a specific, um, athletic field, that does not mean it

[58:50] does not make use for passive recreation for many of our residents. Uh you can go

[58:56] there at any time and you'll see many people of different ages using the

[58:59] space. Um the trees are beautiful. My own family, we fly kites there uh you

[59:05] know and have passive recreation and I think it would be a shame um to turn

[59:10] that into a uh a soccer field. Um and then the other uh major concern is the

[59:17] fact of uh the parking issue on Farwood. Um, we have signs uh limiting parking

[59:23] and there nobody uh follows those signs. Um, they often park on both sides of the

[59:30] street. I've witnessed an accident. I've seen near misses um with children um and

[59:35] pedestrians um we on Farwood have multiple children under the age of five

[59:41] who are riding their bikes, walking um as well as all over Cedar and Longwood

[59:46] and just walking through the neighborhoods. Many of us are very

[59:49] concerned for the safety of both motorists and pedestrians and

[59:52] specifically our kids. Um and then lastly, uh the drainage concern um as

[59:58] well. But um I think what would be beneficial is if there was more

[1:00:03] transparency and a clear um sort of uh plan moving forward as to what input

[1:00:11] will be taken from the residents, how will this plan be adjusted? um what type

[1:00:17] of experts are involved and then um at each level taking in resident feedback.

[1:00:23] I understand the importance of sports um for our town, but there's also something

[1:00:28] to be said about the people living in that area and the characteristics

[1:00:33] and um of our neighborhood that need to be preserved. And I agree with Sean. I

[1:00:38] think updating the baseball fields would be great, but preserving the green

[1:00:43] space, that's priceless. that's never going to come back. And I think it means

[1:00:47] a lot to our community specifically um on Rat on Farwood and I'm sure others

[1:00:53] would agree and um I think you'll find that um it makes many of us happy on a

[1:00:59] day-to-day basis just just being in that area. Um so I'd hope you'd really take

[1:01:04] into cons uh consideration all of our input um because it means a lot to us uh

[1:01:09] for those that live in the neighborhood. Thank you.

[1:01:11] » Thank you. and Shimani and Bo. Good lower your hand when you're done

[1:01:16] speaking so I could keep track of who still needs to be called on. So Sean, if

[1:01:20] you could rate lower your hand, I'd appreciate it. So Bob Reading,

[1:01:28] you can unmute. >> Yeah. Hi. My my laptop really doesn't

[1:01:33] work very well, so I actually sent a message on the uh on the uh chat.

[1:01:38] » All right. Like I said, a written comment could be sent to uh

[1:01:42] » we can copy it. >> Yeah, we'll copy it out of the chat as

[1:01:45] part of the recording. We'll add it to the spreadsheet.

[1:01:48] » Okay. Just quickly though, let's I mean, one the one I I mentioned several

[1:01:52] things, but one was um there's currently a sign on the gate uh or on the fence. I

[1:01:58] I live uh the corner of Maple and um and Radner and so I at at at the field

[1:02:04] there's a sign that says that the field's closed at night and the gate

[1:02:07] will be closed. In six years living here that's never happened.

[1:02:12] Um and so um I I think especially if you're going to open up Wayne, which I'm

[1:02:17] not in favor of either, and create a parking lot there, you're going to

[1:02:21] attract a lot more people, a lot more traffic. And I would uh seriously ask

[1:02:27] you seriously consider actually doing what the sign says and closing that

[1:02:32] parking lot at night.

[1:02:36] That's it. >> All right. Thank you,

[1:02:41] » Swarna.

[1:02:45] » Hey everybody. This is actually Mark Estster, Swarna's husband on Swarna's

[1:02:49] phone. So, I live at um 413 Farwood Road and I live directly across the street

[1:02:55] from the soccer field that's in this plan. So, right before my kids took a

[1:03:01] bath and went to bed, we were out under those spruce trees right across the

[1:03:04] street from our house. And they play there almost every single day. They

[1:03:08] cross our street to get there. They ride their bikes to get there. And they know

[1:03:13] the trees the way that I knew the woods behind my childhood home. So, what I

[1:03:18] want you to understand is that this plan asked my children to trade the place

[1:03:22] that they play every day for a fence, a field, and an awful parking problem. So,

[1:03:28] I'm asking uh you today to to not make that trade. So, let me be clear about

[1:03:34] what I support because I support the drainage. Thank you. Like, let's fix the

[1:03:38] drainage problem. Let's also rebuild the baseball fields. Let's build the path.

[1:03:42] Let's build the playground. and let's perhaps consider building a bigger

[1:03:46] parking lot. All of that's fine, but my ask is take the Farwood Roadfield out of

[1:03:52] the plan. And I think there are three reasons. First, what we lose, we lose

[1:03:56] the trees, as I've already explained, right? They're stunning through

[1:03:59] absolutely every season. They're a buffer between our homes and the

[1:04:03] complex. And they the plan to rip them out and replace them with Arborvite,

[1:04:08] which is basically just a nice glorified hedge. That's that doesn't seem like the

[1:04:12] right move, right? To replace 50-year-old trees with a shrub. And once

[1:04:16] they come out of the ground, they're gone for every generation that follows

[1:04:20] in our neighborhood. So, my kids will grow up long before those trees ever

[1:04:25] give shade to anybody ever again. Second, and this is what I think I'm

[1:04:30] most worried about and what you're hearing most from people on the call

[1:04:33] today, is traffic. Um, during baseball games, Farwood is I I don't know what

[1:04:40] better word, but it's absurd. It's a zoo. There are cars on both sides of the

[1:04:44] road parked in whatever direction they felt like parking, whatever direction

[1:04:48] they pulled up to the game. Neighbors blocked driveways and a two-way street

[1:04:53] squeezed into what is a single lane with very young children up and down the

[1:04:58] block riding their bikes and crossing right in the middle of these cars. I've

[1:05:01] watched drivers hunting for parking come down our street too fast while my kids

[1:05:07] stood at the curb watching them. Every parent in this room knows the feeling in

[1:05:12] your chest. And now you just add a scheduled programmed field onto it. So

[1:05:17] that that lot that you're describing that's not going to absorb a Saturday

[1:05:21] morning with baseball, soccer, and a playground all running at the same time.

[1:05:26] The overflow lands on Farwood like it always has. Except this time now there's

[1:05:32] more. [snorts] The, as I mentioned, the playground is fine. We welcome it. But

[1:05:35] then guarantee our kids safety, right? Real signs, real enforcement. All of

[1:05:40] those signs are uh ignored, right? And this this current plan that you have

[1:05:46] promises neither signs nor enforcement. The third point I want to make and the

[1:05:52] last is that I don't know that the need has been shown for two additional soccer

[1:05:57] fields. We already have four at Crowswood and we have another at

[1:06:01] Scoutfield. We have fall soccer at Spicer. We get it. Soccer fields have to

[1:06:06] go somewhere. But somewhere should not be 60 ft from my children's bedrooms

[1:06:11] when we already have an athletic complex bordered by woods. If the real problem

[1:06:16] is Crow's Woods, if that's if it's a landfill issue, then fix Crow's Woods

[1:06:20] properly. Revamp what already exists and show me the utilization numbers that say

[1:06:25] that this town needs two more fields. I I don't know that that exists, but

[1:06:30] also tell us what project this actually is. The the announcement said grass

[1:06:36] fields, but the engineering plan shows sports lighting and synthetic turf and

[1:06:40] 20 foot fencing and bleachers along our street. I just have no idea what you're

[1:06:44] even trying to build, let alone if if what I'm opposing is is the the final

[1:06:50] thing that you actually intend to build. So, um that's all I have to say. I echo

[1:06:55] everything that my neighbors have already said. Thank you for your time.

[1:06:58] » Thank you. I'll say it again. No turf, no lights, no tall fencing whatsoever.

[1:07:06] Uh the we can only say it. Uh the budget would never support any of those things.

[1:07:13] U so if if I >> I think Frank wants to talk.

[1:07:19] » Yeah, just just a a comment on that. Uh there is uh it's uh on the burrow

[1:07:25] website there's a uh 2000 I I'm getting my I may be getting my years slightly

[1:07:29] off here, but there's a 2016 and I believe again a revised 2020 uh parks

[1:07:35] and recreation study where they evaluated uh all the open space both

[1:07:40] active and passive in Hadenfield and they made recommendations and it was

[1:07:45] either like a four or six acre deficit of what we already have uh identifying

[1:07:52] additional need and it's broken down by uh which sports are kind of developing

[1:07:58] and which ones they anticipate are uh which fields are needed for future use

[1:08:04] of those uh sports teams that are kind of developing and becoming more popular.

[1:08:09] Good examples across when this study was done is much more popular than it was

[1:08:13] like 10 years before when that study was done. So it is available out there if

[1:08:17] you want to see it. is not just to make up for what we're what is or is not

[1:08:21] happening at Crows Woods. There's just a greater need for both active and passive

[1:08:27] um open space.

[1:08:34] » Uh next we have Kelsey's iPad Pro.

[1:08:42] » Yeah. Hi, this is John O. Uh Kelsey's husband. We live at 351 Farwood Road.

[1:08:47] And I won't take too much time. I'll echo uh everything that my neighbors on

[1:08:52] Firewood had said. And I would just also just bring up two additional points.

[1:08:56] One, uh with all due respect to our our neighbors on Wayne, again, for all the

[1:09:02] points that Sean and Mark, Shiovani, and and others have made, the the parking

[1:09:07] becomes incredibly difficult. However, the only difference is that we have to

[1:09:11] deal with not only that during baseball season, which would seemingly be an only

[1:09:15] issue for Wayne during baseball season, but the town also uses Farwood Road as a

[1:09:21] cutthrough to get to Kohl's Mills when there's traffic issues on Grove. So,

[1:09:25] this is more of a year- round problem for us and not just simply an issue to

[1:09:29] deal with during baseball season, which others who are sort of surround

[1:09:34] have to deal with sort of at some point in the year. We're dealing it

[1:09:38] predominantly throughout the entire year. Um, again, I'll echo all the

[1:09:42] points. I've seen many near misses. I've seen our our driveway skirt blocked. And

[1:09:48] so the addition of not thinking through properly the traffic flow

[1:09:55] with and also not taking into consideration the fact that Farwood is

[1:09:58] essentially a cutthrough as I mentioned to Koh's Mill between Grove and Cole's

[1:10:01] Mill I think would be really shortsighted and if it's not taken into

[1:10:05] consideration. Thank you. >> Thank you. Thank you

[1:10:10] » Nicole Flynn.

[1:10:15] » Hi. Um I'm I'm on Farwood Road also directly across from Radnerfield. And I

[1:10:21] also was just here to echo my neighbors in that there's so many small children

[1:10:26] on our street. I know at least nine first graders and the traffic is already

[1:10:32] pretty scary. You can't see beyond because there's cars parked on both

[1:10:36] sides. The kids can't see the cars can't see the kids and we use that open space

[1:10:42] across the street daily. Um I agree. I I love the idea for drainage and um the

[1:10:48] path. I love the idea for the playground, but that extra field across

[1:10:52] from on Farwood is I think too much and would take away something that's really

[1:10:58] central to our neighborhood and something we all really care about and

[1:11:02] already use a lot. Everybody uses it and people even come and drive up and park

[1:11:08] to use that area as the way it is. So, I think it's a really vital part of our

[1:11:13] neighborhood and I'd hate to see that go. All right. Thanks for your time.

[1:11:17] Appreciate it. >> Thank you.

[1:11:20] » Uh Lauren Hitchner,

[1:11:35] Lauren, thanks Jason.

[1:11:45] All right. She might have technical difficulties or what have you. Uh,

[1:11:50] seeing no more online. Thanks everybody for your comments. I'm going to move to

[1:11:55] close public comment period. Actually, just one comment on that for both people

[1:11:59] online and in person. If you have not submitted these already, please make

[1:12:02] sure you we captured notes, but I can't be expected to regurgitate those. So,

[1:12:08] uh, >> the deadline was today.

[1:12:10] » Okay. Well, then >> and and most of the commenters actually

[1:12:13] said, >> "Okay, perfect. Perfect."

[1:12:16] [clears throat] >> From reading the comments, most of the

[1:12:18] comments are included in there. >> Gotcha.

[1:12:23] » What you referencing is under

[1:12:29] they can't hear me. >> Okay. It's on uh so the um the parks and

[1:12:34] recreation study is under planning board and

[1:12:40] me master plan documents on the lefth hand side and yeah you'll see it. Yeah,

[1:12:45] it's parks and recreation two different studies

[1:12:48] and we had already gotten to Steve. Yes. >> Nope.

[1:12:52] » No. Okay. All right, Steve. >> Sorry, Steve.

[1:12:55] » Sorry. >> No problem at all.

[1:12:58] Um, so I just wanted to full Sharon and the commissioners honestly thank you

[1:13:03] guys for I mean obviously listening to everyone and I know this is not easy and

[1:13:08] there's a lot of opinions and thoughts and um I just feel very grateful that

[1:13:12] this is the type of conversation we're having is about investing in Hadenfield

[1:13:16] and and how you guys approach it. So thank you. The only comment I had is so

[1:13:20] much in this town we talk about overdevelopment

[1:13:23] and I would say as odd as it may sound but overdeveloping this land I think is

[1:13:29] just as relevant as overdeveloping any piece of land in the in the township and

[1:13:34] I just think we should be looking at what we want to invest in this uh field

[1:13:40] is that appropriate amount of puling and drink etc etc is it is it the right

[1:13:45] scale for the property um so I think That's very very important. I know

[1:13:50] there's a lot of engineers, a lot of people a lot smaller than I am. Um, but

[1:13:54] I see every day just the impact it has on everyone around us in terms of

[1:14:00] traffic and safety. And I just just because we can put it there, is it the

[1:14:05] right thing to do is is really the thing I would like to convey. Um, that and my

[1:14:11] gratitude for again you guys all having this meeting and how you guys conduct

[1:14:17] yourselves. So, thank you. And and again, hopefully we can not overdevelop

[1:14:21] it, but still invest in the town and and kind of make a win-win for everyone.

[1:14:26] » And Steve, can we have your last name and your street? You don't have to give

[1:14:29] your address. >> Steve Street, 425 Forward Road.

[1:14:34] » Thank you. >> I thought that was you. How you doing,

[1:14:36] Steve? [laughter] >> I'm doing well. Thank you very much.

[1:14:40] » All right. One last shot to Lauren. >> Hey, Jack.

[1:14:44] » Yeah. Hi. It's This is John Hitchner. not Lauren. Sorry about that confusion

[1:14:48] later earlier. Um anyway, um thank you so much for honoring my family and my

[1:14:56] father today uh with the Hitchner Lane Street Alley. It's it's all an honor and

[1:15:04] uh my mother was able to represent today. We're away on vacation. So, uh, I

[1:15:10] wish I could be there, but, uh, like you said, it's not very often where you get

[1:15:15] to name a street, uh, or an alley, uh, after someone. And, um, they're

[1:15:20] long-term, uh, residents there. And my father, Boyd

[1:15:24] Hitchner, uh, worked at Acme for many, many years and owned an antique shop in

[1:15:29] town. And, uh, he was very proud of his town. And, uh, so is my mother. And, uh,

[1:15:35] thank you again. Um, I also happen to live uh at 643 RER Avenue and last house

[1:15:42] on the right uh on the way towards the field. Um, we've lived there for over 20

[1:15:47] years. We love it. Uh, it's a great street, great community. Um, we have box

[1:15:53] seats for the baseball games, which is great. We love baseball. Um, we love

[1:15:58] soccer. I coached soccer for many years. Um, Sharon knows I spent a lot of time

[1:16:02] down at Crows Woods trying to get those fields ready. There's a lot of issues

[1:16:06] down at Crowswoods. I understand. Um, you know, not just drainage, but you

[1:16:11] know, because it was an old dump, but uh that is our premier uh sports facility

[1:16:16] in town. Uh unlike Rner, it's not surrounded by homes

[1:16:22] and uh it's uh it's lit. Uh it has lights. Um, so there's much more usage

[1:16:29] and hopefully um, you know, Crowswoods can be uh, you

[1:16:35] know, not pushed aside if if we if you go ahead with this Rner Field Complex,

[1:16:41] uh, adding a couple more fields. Um, you know, hopefully you can do both at the

[1:16:46] same time is what I'm trying to say. But, um, you know, this town needs

[1:16:50] fields obviously. It's there's it's a big sports town. Grass fields uh are at

[1:16:57] a premium and um we need to make sure we can maintain them if we build them. Um

[1:17:04] the field maintenance, you know, the one guy down there is doing his best. Um but

[1:17:09] he struggles uh because it's mostly one person down there maintaining all the

[1:17:15] sports fields for the for the school. um you know so there needs to be follow

[1:17:20] through with you know maybe he needs help uh if there's fields and uh the

[1:17:25] drainage is going to be a big issue there. I don't want to reiterate what a

[1:17:28] lot of other folks said uh but um the construction is going to be difficult

[1:17:34] because it is so wet down there. Um I'm sure there's a plan to deal with it. Um

[1:17:40] the little swale that runs around the field is insufficient. you know, it's

[1:17:44] got to be uh you know, big- time engineered, way above my pay grade, but

[1:17:49] um uh overall, you know, I think paving the

[1:17:55] parking lot um you know, which would be nice if keep the dust down. Our our

[1:18:00] cars, our homes get dusted because there's not proper gravel. It's mostly

[1:18:04] dirt. Um, but paving it, making fixed parking spots will actually limit the

[1:18:10] amount of parking that's down there because I forget how many count I

[1:18:13] counted. Uh, say there was 50 parking spaces in the plan. There's literally

[1:18:18] 60, 65, 70 cars that can fit down there currently because there is no

[1:18:23] organization to the parking. So, people park just everywhere down there. So,

[1:18:26] you're actually reducing the parking by paving it and making fixed parking

[1:18:32] spots. Um, you know, I know it's all well and good. Uh, we we like the paving

[1:18:37] would be nice again to keep the dust down and keep everything organized, but

[1:18:41] again, it's going to reduce the parking spots. So, I heard somebody comment, you

[1:18:46] know, imagine you're going to Philadelphia, you're late for a

[1:18:50] reservation, you're trying to find a parking spot. That's what we see every

[1:18:54] day. People are late for their kids games and they're driving down the

[1:18:59] streets like crazy people. both, you know, Wayne, Rner, Farwood trying to

[1:19:04] find a spot desperately to get to their game. Um, I understand the folks at

[1:19:08] Farwood, they're going to have a soccer field right in their front yard. Um,

[1:19:12] they're not going to, people are not going to want to park at Rner

[1:19:16] and walk over to, you know, uh, Farwood Avenue to watch their kids soccer. There

[1:19:23] needs to be some parking address on that side of the field if this truly becomes

[1:19:27] a sports complex. Again, this is a very unique situation, this field, because

[1:19:32] it's surrounded 360 degrees by homes. Uh, Crowswoods, again, perfect scenario.

[1:19:39] Very few homes in the surrounding area. It's got a its own access road. You go

[1:19:43] down, you come back. It's got tons of parking and lights. So, priority Crows

[1:19:49] Woods Rner, great idea. Maybe one soccer field. keep

[1:19:55] it up to date, keep it well drained, use it as overflow for Crows Woods, you

[1:20:01] know, fix up the baseball fields if they need it. Um, anyway, thanks for your

[1:20:06] time and again, thank you so much for Hitchner Lane, Hitchner Alley. Our

[1:20:12] family is here. We're sitting here on family vacation and we're just thrilled.

[1:20:16] I'm glad my mother was there representing. Thanks again,

[1:20:19] commissioners. >> Thanks, John. Yep.

[1:20:25] All right. See no other comments. Uh the room is closed. Uh so we've we already

[1:20:30] closed the room. Now we're just closing online. Um so I will move to close

[1:20:34] public comment.

[1:20:38] Um

[1:20:44] the state of New Jersey.

[1:20:50] » No. Green Acres is a designation that we cannot build uh you you can't build

[1:20:56] buildings on that. It is permanently protected using green acres money.

[1:21:00] That's what it means. >> It can be used for active or passive

[1:21:03] recreation >> only.

[1:21:07] Yes. All right. Uh I move to close public

[1:21:11] comment. Second >> voting on that motion. Commissioner Troy

[1:21:15] » in favor. >> Commissioner Sidell

[1:21:17] » in favor. Uh we have no >> no we have no

[1:21:22] » yeah we have we have no uh close session so we will open the floor to reporters

[1:21:30] and I see Liz online and no reporters in person so uh Liz floor's open for you.

[1:21:38] » Hi everyone. Um I just had a couple of questions pertaining to the agenda. Um

[1:21:43] what is the municipal alliance coordinator services with the BOE?

[1:21:50] » Sure. So the municipal alliance is the one of the few joint uh boards between

[1:21:55] the school board and the uh the burrow. It is drug and alcohol awareness

[1:22:00] education programming. Uh we the burrow provides the meeting space and the

[1:22:06] coordinator and the position and the the subsequent addition to our budget which

[1:22:13] is the grant goes to pay the stipens uh for that program as well as stipens for

[1:22:18] the high school, middle school, and elementary school reps from the school

[1:22:24] district. Well, they pay their people, we pay our people, and then the rest of

[1:22:29] the money is for the programming itself. >> Okay.

[1:22:34] Um, can you tell me about the performance bond at Brandy Wine? What

[1:22:39] that is for exactly? >> Performance bond at Brandy Wine or the

[1:22:43] performance bond. There is a solid waste collection performance bond and the

[1:22:48] Cooper Health System at 100 Grow Street performance bonds. They're the only two

[1:22:52] on the agenda. And if it said Brandy Wine, that was my fault because I used

[1:22:55] that resolution as my guide. >> Oh, okay. I see.

[1:23:00] » Yes. >> Yeah. On um resolution 100 it says it

[1:23:03] says brand new wine. Okay. >> Oh, yeah. No, good point. That was the

[1:23:06] Cooper Health System at 100 Grove Street.

[1:23:08] » Yep. I I will fix that. Liz, Liz, to explain that it when you have a large

[1:23:13] project in town or you have a large contract, for example, for the solid

[1:23:18] waste, they have to put up a performance bond to ensure that all the work gets

[1:23:22] done. And then once the project is completed, it the performance bond is

[1:23:27] released and usually a maintenance bond is put in place. Um, with the solid

[1:23:32] waste, it's not a maintenance bond because it's a new performance bond for

[1:23:35] the next year. Um, and so that's why we have to release the performance bond.

[1:23:42] » Okay. So, I guess I'm a little confused on how that works with the solid waste

[1:23:48] and recycling materials collection service because

[1:23:51] » so they they provide us a performance bond. So in case they go out of business

[1:23:57] mid year or um some other some other circumstance pops up where they cannot

[1:24:03] provide the service, we then go after their bond to help us pay for someone to

[1:24:09] complete the services they're not performing.

[1:24:12] » Okay. Okay. Understood. Um, >> and so just just to to to switch that

[1:24:19] over to Cooper to make sure you understand, it's if they it's to ensure

[1:24:24] that the project that they've gotten approval for is built to the standards

[1:24:28] it needs to be that it's been agreed to be built to. And if there's problems

[1:24:33] with their contractor, we're able to go after the performance bond to pay to

[1:24:37] make sure to to make sure that project gets completed also.

[1:24:41] » Okay, makes sense. Um, I appreciate it. Thank you for your time.

[1:24:46] » All right. Any other reporters online? I don't see any, but there's one that

[1:24:52] just says iPhone, so I wasn't sure. Uh, >> all right. Uh, that's not an official

[1:24:58] open and close, so I will make a motion to close the meeting. Second.

[1:25:03] » Voting on that motion. Commissioner Troy >> in favor.

[1:25:06] » Commissioner Sidel >> in favor. And again, thank you. SP

[1:25:11] » appreciate. >> Thank you. Take

[1:25:14] » you

Board of Commissioners Meeting 8/17/26

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