[9:59] Brother,
I don't see the TV being on and all.
[10:04] We're good.
>> Okay,
[10:08] it's 700 p.m. I call tonight's council
meeting to order. Roll call.
[10:13] » Bennett
>> here.
[10:15] » Leosa here. Mey
>> here.
[10:17] » Sasso here. Skiara
>> here.
[10:20] » WKI
>> here.
[10:21] » Matthews
>> here.
[10:23] » Please rise and join us in the pledge of
>> allegiance.
[10:27] To the flag of the United States of
America and to the republic for which it
[10:31] stands, one nation under God,
indivisible, with liberty and justice
[10:36] for all.
[10:40] » Adequate notice of this meeting has been
provided by the annual schedule of
[10:43] regular meetings. Herefore, adopted and
posted on the public bulletin board at
[10:46] the municipal building. posted on the
official burough website and emailed to
[10:50] the Herald News, the record in the
gazette and all persons who've requested
[10:54] the mailing of such since november 17,
2025.
[10:58] » Approval of the minutes. Have approval
of the minutes for the regular meeting
[11:01] of May 20th 26.
>> So moved.
[11:04] » Second.
>> Motion by WKI, second by Sierra. Any
[11:07] comments?
[11:10] » Roll call.
>> WKI.
[11:12] » Yes.
>> Skiara,
[11:13] » yes.
>> Sasso, abstain.
[11:16] » Mey,
>> yes. Leosa,
[11:18] » yes.
>> Bennett,
[11:18] » yes.
>> Matthews,
[11:19] » yes.
>> Motion carried.
[11:21] » Public comment. I now open the meeting
to the public. If anyone desires to be
[11:23] heard on agenda items, come forward to
the micro and state your name.
[11:28] » Seeing no one, I entertain a motion to
close public portion of the meeting.
[11:31] » So move.
>> Motion by Wii, second by Bennett.
[11:35] » Oh, I didn't get in.
>> All in favor?
[11:39] » I.
>> Motion carries. We now have a
[11:42] presentation for the 2026 annual June
environmental program. Horth
[11:47] Environmental Commissioner Raina Leosa
will take it from here.
[11:52] » Is she a commissioner?
>> Well, I'll give her
[11:54] » Good evening everyone. Everyone can hear
me.
[11:57] » Great. If I could just have Mary come up
with me.
[12:02] » Oh, actually just going to put him right
here.
[12:04] » He's there.
>> It's okay.
[12:06] » He wanted to be a point. Come on.
Hey Mary.
[12:12] » So we're doing a little bit different um
this year for the annual June
[12:15] environmental program. We're changing
the format. Um we will be doing our u
[12:20] recognition of our student here as well
as our green business for 2026. And um
[12:26] with this program has been going on
since 1988
[12:30] where it's really a partnership with the
Horththornne school systems and the
[12:33] board of ed and and us the burrow. and
it's really recognizing the students,
[12:39] teachers, and all the great
environmental programs that and science
[12:42] programs, STEM that goes on in the
schools. Um, this year we're doing a
[12:47] little bit different. We're going to
recognize that person here at council.
[12:51] And we expanded the program to citizens
and green businesses in 2010. And we
[12:57] have criteria for the green business um
that we go through and the commission
[13:01] and green team we decide um what is the
best fit for uh our green business for
[13:06] Hawthorne. Um so I do want to recognize
we were at the board of ed Mary and I
[13:13] unfortunately the mayor had an EMT call
so couldn't make it. We want to
[13:17] recognize Andrea Napano
[13:22] » Andrea Npalitano. Um she was a Lincoln
Middle School um STEM teacher and we
[13:28] honored her for her time and effort at
Cell Restoration and volunteers um at
[13:33] Lincoln Middle School. She coordinated
that. She stayed with us the last
[13:37] several years and the kids did the
tattoos and the games and we just
[13:41] couldn't appreciate her enough. And the
other teacher that we recognized at the
[13:45] bordered um is Teresa Der Manimo. Um she
was the library um media specialist at
[13:52] Hawthorne High School. huge supporter of
environmental commission. She had a
[13:56] library crew and um several years ago
her kids made uh a dress out of um old
[14:03] SAT booklets and discarded books. It was
the upcycle refashion dress and is
[14:09] actually still in the library. And so we
wanted to recognize her and um and wish
[14:14] her all the best in her retirement.
So tonight what I would like to do is um
[14:21] we would like to recognize Emma
Realage. Wait, hold on.
[14:28] Reg.
How do you say?
[14:32] » You need the mayor to help you.
>> I had so much practice and I knew I was
[14:36] going to mess up regal.
[14:41] » If Emma could come up. Um the school is
so proud. Um, she has been selected to
[14:47] the Washington Youth Summit on the
Environment hosted in partnership with
[14:52] the Sysmodian Sis Smithian National Zoo
and Conservation Biological
[14:59] Institute, the Washington Youth Summit
on the Environment on an interactive
[15:04] program that provides high achieving
high school students with an interest in
[15:08] the environment, conservation,
sustainability, and related fields with
[15:12] a unique experience exploring careers in
areas. Emma will be representing
[15:17] Hawthorne High School selected students
highly engaged in all 50 states and
[15:23] around the world. During the summit,
Emmy Emma will gain in the trenches
[15:28] knowledge through hands-on research and
site visits such as water sample testing
[15:33] and behind the scenes zoo access while
learning directly from industry leaders,
[15:38] international conservation experts, and
Washington insiders. Um, we just really
[15:43] want to honor uh Emma coming down.
>> What was her last name?
[15:49] » Rick.
>> Rick Leavage.
[15:52] » Rick.
>> Okay, good.
[15:56] » I couldn't I couldn't pass that up.
>> I know. Now we know.
[16:01] » So, we're just honored and proud that
you're representing town of Hawthorne
[16:04] and the Hawthorne High School as she
embarks on this once in a-lifetime
[16:08] experience. and we look forward to
hearing about your experience next year.
[16:12] Um, so mayor, if you can come up.
[16:18] » Um, but it is at George Madison
University, so she's going to go and for
[16:22] a week and um, I'll turn the floor if
you want to say anything more.
[16:28] » I'm just really excited for this
experience and I thank you so much for
[16:31] recognizing me for this award. Thank you
so much.
[16:36] » Um, I need a photo.
[16:40] to hook you up.
Okay.
[16:45] You're the only woman in New Jersey that
doesn't have a phone.
[16:48] » Holly, can you take the photo cuz I am
going to be doing a press release um in
[16:52] the papers.
[17:00] » She's a junior.
[17:08] Hey, Bruce.
[17:11] » Public safety. Are you gonna say
something? Well, I can say a little
[17:15] something.
>> Go ahead.
[17:16] » And then you follow up anything that I
miss. Good.
[17:19] » Yeah.
>> Okay. Thank you so much.
[17:28] » All right. So
the um 2026 uh green business is going
[17:35] to go to structural um they've been
created by Peter Emmens in 1976.
[17:41] Structural preservation systems LLC has
been performing the restoration of
[17:46] concrete structures. The company opened
an office in New Jersey in 1983 and
[17:52] moved to Horththornne in 2005 and which
has been a proud community member for
[17:56] the last 21 years.
structure embodies the message think
[18:01] locally act globally as the Hawthorne
specific office has partaken in many
[18:06] community events with its build program
as well as completing restoration
[18:10] projects throughout the country in
regards to thinking locally. Structural
[18:15] has partnered with the township annually
to perform both the restoration of the
[18:19] community garden as well as various
trail cleanups throughout the years.
[18:24] Structure also hosts an annual blood
drive in which both company employees
[18:27] and community members attend to support
others in need. Structure frequently
[18:32] utilizes local businesses for company
outings, in-house events, and recently
[18:37] renovated our office. Through the
renovation of our office on a structure,
[18:42] they're on Utter. They utilize Fifth
Avenue landscaping to create green areas
[18:47] in front of our property, which the
paved areas pitch towards acting as a
[18:51] rain garden. Structural renovation also
included the installation of motion
[18:56] sensor energy efficient light fixtures
in 120th Avenue building to reduce the
[19:02] electronic draw. And I just really want
to welcome um Tony Ferrer who's the
[19:06] regional administrative manager and Eric
Larson, division manager to come on up
[19:12] for your award.
[19:25] Okay. And I would like to have Tony and
and and Eric speak about a case study
[19:30] that they shared with me as well. So
>> So before I hand it over to Eric, I just
[19:37] want to say thank you to the Hawthorne
Environmental Commission for this
[19:40] recognition. On behalf of everyone at
structural, we are honored to be
[19:43] recognized as a green business in our
community. We believe that being
[19:47] environmentally responsible is not only
good for the planet, but also as an
[19:51] important part of being a good neighbor
and a community partner. We are grateful
[19:54] for the work the commission does to
promote sustainability throughout
[19:58] Hawthorne and we are proud to play a
small part in those efforts. Thank you
[20:02] again for the recognition. We truly
appreciate it. I'll hand it over to Eric
[20:05] now.
>> Thank you everyone. Thank you board. We
[20:09] appreciate it. I'm going to talk a
little bit just quickly about a case
[20:12] study that we did on Eisenhower barracks
which is part of the West Point
[20:16] University. So the work we did at
Eisenhower Barracks along with Lean
[20:20] Sherman as well as Bradley Barracks
involved the restoration. So instead of
[20:25] knocking down historical landmarks, the
company performed restoration of these
[20:28] buildings. The reason we bring this up
as a green initiative was because the
[20:33] amount of CO produced from the
restoration opposed to knocking down and
[20:37] rebuilding was drastically less. And on
top of that, the case study as well as
[20:41] the work performed had lead initiatives,
meaning it was to use local businesses
[20:45] to the West Point area to reduce carbon
footprint, local concrete manufacturing
[20:50] plants, as well as low VOCC coatings and
waterproofings on the structure itself
[20:55] to once again prevent as much emissions
as possible into the environment.
[20:59] structural itself has also worked on
projects throughout the country in which
[21:03] they've done research towards the
restoration such as the World Trade
[21:07] Center uh condo buildings and garages of
the effects of being able to restore and
[21:12] preserve for communities opposed to
knocking down and building buildings.
[21:16] Thank you so much again.
[21:46] had to chirp a little.
[21:52] » I got one.
should have gone with a tic tac.
[22:08] » Thank you, Reena. Um, the adoption of
ordinances. We have none tonight. All
[22:13] business. Joe will start your way.
>> Mike,
[22:18] » no old business.
[22:21] Bruce.
>> Um, yeah, just uh update on the pan
[22:25] chemical site. The heavy equipment has
been removed, but there's still one or
[22:30] two piles of rubble left there. So,
that's the latest status as of this
[22:37] morning. Okay,
Anna Marie,
[22:40] » just wondered if we had an update on
Franklin Field,
[22:45] » the improvements that we
>> Okay, they have it in my report.
[22:49] » Under your report?
>> I have it in my report.
[22:51] » No problem. Thank you.
>> And um if I may, uh Councilman Bennett,
[22:56] the uh on the pan chemical site, I'm
working with uh Michael. We had a
[23:02] meeting just a little while ago about
reaching out to the LSRP and the
[23:06] developer and trying to find out what's
going on there. Okay, good. Look forward
[23:11] to hearing your schedule.
[23:17] » Uh Dominic.
>> Dominic, I have nothing.
[23:21] How about new business?
>> My Oh, new. Yeah. Michael, any any
[23:26] update? This is old business on Diamond
Bridge. I'm sorry. Old business. I have
[23:31] really no update. We have uh gotten
everything set so that there will be
[23:36] scheduled court dates. I don't know if
they're on the books yet or not, but the
[23:41] matters will be tried here before Judge
Miola.
[23:44] » Oh, good.
>> And uh we're going to line up and try
[23:47] all of them uh that were originally sent
to Prospect Park and then we're going to
[23:52] try all the ones that we issued as well.
Um, we took a brief moratorum on the
[23:59] issuance of tickets to get dispatched
scheduled and then we go back to ticket
[24:04] writing because the situation there is
of course not getting better and Mr.
[24:10] Spoiler doesn't do anything to
voluntarily comply. So, we will keep
[24:14] prosecuting and prosecuting and
prosecuting.
[24:18] » Thank you. Ironically, I was covering a
race in Bealsville, Pennsylvania last
[24:24] night. And who do I run into but his
former nextdoor neighbor who was was
[24:31] asking
>> was asking about, you know, why it's
[24:35] taking so long and why it's getting
worse. And I told him that's the court
[24:41] system. We're doing whatever we can and
it's just got to take place. But he's a
[24:45] very happy camper that he's moved. Yeah,
he has a string of ex neighbors who uh
[24:52] many of whom moved out of the
neighborhood because of him. He somehow
[24:55] doesn't believe that to be a true
statement, but I know that to be true
[24:59] from having spoken to a number of them.
So,
[25:03] » I'm sorry, Michael. I'm sure the
residents are concerned. We know that we
[25:07] had to send this out of the town for a
very specific reason. Is that no longer
[25:12] on the table? Because that's certainly
our prayer. I know.
[25:15] » We believe that there's no reason why
the cases cannot be tried here.
[25:18] » Wonderful. Thank you.
[25:23] » I have no new.
>> You have no new.
[25:25] » I'm good. Thank you.
>> Not tonight.
[25:30] » Nope.
>> Joe,
[25:31] » not tonight.
>> Okay, we're moving on. Turn to
[25:35] administrative agenda presented by Mayor
Lane.
[25:40] » Thank you, Mr. President. Um, we have uh
a reappoint and and an and an
[25:46] appointment uh tonight for advice and
consent.
[25:51] » Uh well, can I have a motion for Chris
Deella? A motion to approve.
[25:56] » So move.
>> Motion by Bennett, second by Sasso.
[26:02] Any discussion?
>> Roll call.
[26:05] » Bennett,
>> yes.
[26:06] » Leosa,
>> yes.
[26:07] » Mey,
>> yes.
[26:08] » Sasso,
>> yes.
[26:10] » Skiara,
>> yes. WKI
[26:12] » H.
>> Yes.
[26:15] » Matthews.
>> Yes.
[26:16] » Motion carries.
>> And can I have a uh motion to record for
[26:20] deployment of Gary Montroy as our
housing code official?
[26:23] » So move.
>> Motion by WKI.
[26:25] » Second.
>> Second by Leosa. Any discussion?
[26:31] » Roll call.
>> MKI.
[26:32] » Yes.
>> Skiara.
[26:33] » Yes.
>> Sasso.
[26:34] » Yes. Mey
>> abstain.
[26:37] » Leosa.
>> Yes.
[26:38] » Bennett.
>> Yes.
[26:39] » Matthews. Yes.
>> Motion carries.
[26:42] » Thank you, Mr. President.
I'd like to wish
[26:46] Cora Vandenberg a happy 104th birthday
today. Today's her birthday. I remember
[26:53] going there when she was uh when her
when she reached a hund and I gave her a
[26:58] proclamation in her home and uh this
very uh very touching because she goes
[27:04] back a long long way in the burrow of
Horththornne with her entire family and
[27:09] Ka enjoy your day today uh and stay
healthy.
[27:15] Uh the enforcement on Fairview Avenue
has been updated and there is more
[27:20] enforcement now than there has been in
the past for the trucks coming down
[27:25] Fairview A. I would like to thank our
neighbors nor North Hilden Police
[27:29] Department for stopping the trucks in
their community and issuing summones to
[27:33] the trucks and the drivers so that they
do not continue into Horththornne by
[27:38] going down a hill. The collaboration of
both departments is helping our
[27:42] community and our neighbors for their
safety.
[27:46] I'd like to share a report by officer in
charge Captain Joe Carr regarding
[27:50] Fairview Avenue.
Following the tragic fatal motor vehicle
[27:56] crash on on Fairview A last year, the
Horththornne Police Department has
[28:01] continued to take proactive steps to
address traffic safety concerns in the
[28:05] area. Since that incident, additional
traffic control measures have been
[28:10] implemented, including the installation
of new signage. These improvements were
[28:15] made to enhance traffic control and to
increase driver awareness throughout the
[28:20] corridor. From an enforcement
perspective, the police department has
[28:24] conducted numerous targeted traffic
enforcement detail focused on commercial
[28:29] trucks and overweight trucks violation.
These enforcement efforts occurred at
[28:35] various times throughout the day with a
particular emphasis on the morning rush
[28:40] hour period when commercial vehicles
actively
[28:44] is most prevalent. In April, officers
conducted 29 dedicated enforcement
[28:50] details in that area followed by 33
additional details in May. These
[28:56] enforcement initiatives resulted in
enforcement action being taken against
[29:00] violate violators through the issuance
of summons and warnings. In addition to
[29:05] these dedicated enforcement details,
officers assigned to the west west
[29:11] patrol zone have been directed to
monitor truck traffic as part of their
[29:17] regular patrol responsibilities
throughout the entire west side of the
[29:21] burrow. As a result of these ongoing
efforts, officers have reported a
[29:26] noticeable reduction in the frequency of
overweight trucks utilizing the area.
[29:31] The traffic bureau has also provided
guidance and training to patrol officers
[29:36] regarding commercial motor vehicle
enforcement, ensuing that officers are
[29:41] fairly are fair with both applicable
state statutes and local bureau
[29:47] ordinances that can be utilized to
address truck related violations. The
[29:52] Hawthorne Police Department remains
committed to monitoring conditions in
[29:56] the area and utilizing the combination
of engineering, education, and
[30:00] enforcement measures to promote the
safety of all the motorists and
[30:04] residents.
Now that the summer months are here, I
[30:08] just want to remind everyone of your
just a couple of things regarding air
[30:14] conditioners. Plug in air conditioner
units directly into the dedicated wall
[30:19] outlet. Avoid using extension cords if
possible. Keep area clean and do not
[30:25] store combustible materials per ha paper
products, books, anything that can be
[30:30] easily burned or catch fire close to the
air conditioning unit. Examine wiring.
[30:36] Check for frayed wires or loose
connections. And if you smell any type
[30:41] of burning, shut off the unit
immediately and call the fire
[30:44] department. Also, please ensure that
your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors
[30:50] are working properly by testing units.
It this is easily done by pushing the
[30:55] test button on the unit.
I want to thank Valley Health for
[31:00] hosting a free familyfriendly health
fair at our library last Saturday, June
[31:05] 6th, as part of the mayor's wellness c
uh program.
[31:10] We we are so thankful that over 300
people were able to attend and get
[31:15] information on their health from the
doctors and nurses from Valley. At the
[31:20] request of many of our residents, we
will be we will partner once again with
[31:24] Valley Health in the fall to bring
another fair to the residents.
[31:29] Congratulations to our seniors at
Horththornne High School, Hawthorne
[31:33] Christian Academy, and P County
Technical Institute who are graduating.
[31:37] We are all very proud of you and wish
you the best in the future endeavors.
[31:43] Beginning Friday, the pool will be open
full-time on weekdays 10:00 a.m. to 8:00
[31:48] p.m. The first hour is adult swim and on
weekends 11 to 8 8:00 p.m.
[31:55] The Horththornne Fire Department ladies
auxiliary are doing a fundraiser. Let's
[31:59] turn Hawthorne red, white, and blue.
Order orders are due by June 25th. So
[32:05] you can call 973-670382
[32:09] for details and these are flags
regarding the cars parking in the pool
[32:14] parking lot. Cars have been ticketed and
there and cars have been towed. The
[32:20] burrow offices will be closed on Friday,
June 19th in observation of Junth. Junth
[32:26] known as Junth was officially recognized
as a federal holiday by President Biden
[32:32] in 2021. The state of New Jersey
observes Junth as an official state and
[32:37] public holiday.
And that concludes my report and I'll
[32:42] turn it over to Michael, our our uh
attorney.
[32:45] » Thank you, Mayor. Uh much of what I was
going to speak about has already been
[32:49] spoken of to spoil the matter. I have
nothing to report on affordable housing
[32:54] because guess what? We concluded and got
our certificate that we are immune from
[33:00] liability for any builder's remedy
lawsuits for the next 10 years. Um, good
[33:06] news for those who were following. You
know that we uh passed a resolution
[33:10] opposing a Senate bill that would have
created a new category of affordable
[33:17] housing uh for which would allow
nonprofits
[33:22] and uh religious organizations to build
affordable housing.
[33:29] uh one story higher than the zones
permit at densities from 39 units to an
[33:36] acre on up. Just a an insanely un uh
thoughtout bill. The good news is it has
[33:45] not made it way to the agenda for the
exterm that ends uh the next couple of
[33:52] weeks. So, good news there and everybody
will continue to oppose that kind of
[33:58] legislation which is reckless. Um,
Banshell. But first of all, before I get
[34:04] to the Banshell, I don't know you're
going to speak about this Joe. I know
[34:07] you will, but I I just want everybody to
know Joe will speak about the St.
[34:11] Anony's feast. I just want to talk about
Joe because Joe
[34:15] » We talk about him all the time.
>> Yeah, I know. And it's time somebody
[34:18] says something good about him. So Joe
shows up at the St. Anony's feast every
[34:26] single morning, 8:00.
He makes breakfast for everyone who's
[34:31] there. He cooks all the food that we're
going to serve that night. He then works
[34:36] in the kitchen until 11:00 or midnight
every night. He works takes off from
[34:42] work the whole week and works four
16-hour days. It's amazing to watch.
[34:49] It's my privilege to be his uh second in
command because the hours he puts in as
[34:55] a volunteer in this town. Uh forgetting
about the other work he does as a
[35:00] volunteer. What he does at the church is
amazing. Um we raise an awful lot of
[35:05] money. We serve 5,000 people a night and
it's all Joe. So you all should
[35:11] recognize him for the outstanding work
he does. So thank you Joe.
[35:15] » Thank you. Um it really is well done. Um
July 11th, big day, opening day at the
[35:23] band show. We have a patriotic themed
music presentation, food trucks, and
[35:29] courtesy of our good friend Dominic
Millie, council member and shadow member
[35:34] of the committee. It looks like we're
going to have some afterhour
[35:39] entertainment as well. will be lighting
up the skies with a laser show that will
[35:46] also honor our 250th anniversary in this
country. So, it's a big night. We're
[35:52] really looking forward to ringing in the
cesa centennial and celebrating 250
[36:01] years in this great nation with again a
band that will be performing American
[36:07] classic standards and patriotic themed
music followed by a laser light show. Uh
[36:13] because we did hear from Frank Riley, by
the way, Dominic. Um trying to get
[36:18] drones or fireworks is absolutely
impossible for the 11th, but the laser
[36:24] show is going to be awesome. So, we look
forward to that. We have a full
[36:29] schedule. I told Lee Sloopmaker, who
will be celebrating a milestone birthday
[36:36] uh between now and our next meeting
along with uh well, Bruce's got a
[36:40] birthday coming up, too. Um but uh we
will be posting the official schedule
[36:46] for the band shell tomorrow so that
everybody will be able to see the
[36:51] schedule of events. Basically though
after the concert on July 11th every
[36:57] Sunday there'll be a different show all
the way to the end of August. So be
[37:02] there. Thank you. That concludes my
report. Mayor,
[37:05] » there was a number of people on Facebook
looking for the schedule and someone
[37:09] seems to posted something. So, I don't
know where they got that from if you
[37:12] didn't release it, whether it's old or
or not.
[37:15] » They may have made their own up. I don't
know.
[37:17] » No, it was it was your normal flyer. So,
I have a feeling it might be an old one.
[37:21] » It could be, but we're going to get the
official one out
[37:23] » on the Burough Banshell site and the
Burough website.
[37:26] » We will have it on the burrow website.
We will have it on the Banshell site,
[37:30] and we will get it out everywhere. We
will uh also print copies for
[37:35] distribution at the library, at some of
the local delies, uh restaurants. I
[37:40] usually go around and uh put stacks of
them in different places
[37:45] um where people can pick them up.
That'll be in my Friday letter.
[37:49] » Can I may I also make a suggestion? Uh
we have a relationship with tap into uh
[37:53] put a press release out for it.
>> We will.
[37:59] » Okay,
>> that concludes my report. Mayor,
[38:01] » I'll turn it over to P10K, our engineer.
>> Thank you, mayor, and good to see
[38:05] everybody on the council. Um I'll give a
brief report from Joe that the um regard
[38:11] to the 202425 local aid uh road program
which is Hawthorne and a half a
[38:16] Westervelt north watch Grand View. Uh as
you're aware uh there's a we found a gas
[38:22] man underneath the guide rail and North
Watches Wong Avenue. Uh public service
[38:27] has logged that in and their engineering
uh department is working on that uh
[38:32] relocating that gas man. Paving along
Westervelt um is scheduled to begin
[38:38] after school ends which is shortly and
we're scheduling a date with a
[38:42] contractor to have them start work. The
galvanized service line removal phase 4
[38:47] project is completed with the accept of
some restoration of driveways and
[38:51] sidewalks at certain properties.
uh the public service gas and service
[38:56] line project. Um they're planning their
uh paving the timeline or the paving
[39:02] operations to finalize the the project.
Um the full width of Keith Court will be
[39:08] paved using u uh the credit because we
traded streets with them as you're
[39:12] aware. Uh it'll hopefully be paved this
summer to complete the local aid
[39:17] project. And that concludes my report.
>> Thank you, Peter. And now I'll turn it
[39:21] over to our administrator, Vince Cerso.
>> Thank you, Mayor. Uh, first up, uh,
[39:27] regarding Franklin Field, uh, Bill
Hafler, our DPW director, will be
[39:33] starting SAD replacement on, uh, June
25th. Um, so next week we're going to
[39:39] start replacing the SAD as a uh, a
measure to get the field ready. Uh we've
[39:45] met with the recreation sports leaders
and developed a plan to avoid using the
[39:50] field before the start of football. Um
so we're going to try real hard to get
[39:57] uh the grass in good shape for the
football season to start. Um, I've also
[40:02] started soliciting some concept designs
for potential turnover to a synthetic
[40:08] turf field and we met with one company
this past week, myself, the mayor, DPW,
[40:14] and uh, head of recreation.
Uh, the preservation program. I met with
[40:20] the community this past week and we're
moving forward with the new pavilion uh,
[40:24] project at the library. We also made
some selections and amenities such as
[40:28] benches and tables to accompany the
pavilion area. Uh the pavilion itself is
[40:34] currently in the manufacturing stage and
site preparation should start sometime
[40:40] uh within the next couple weeks or
midsummer.
[40:44] Jennifer and I met with the uh VA agency
regarding our GIF renewals for our
[40:48] insurance for our liability. Um, we
completed inventory of our facilities
[40:53] and equipment as well as the staffing um
getting ready for our new policy.
[40:58] Uh, as you know, our labor contracts all
expire at the end of this year, and I've
[41:03] started early negotiations with the
unions, myself and the mayor, uh, which
[41:08] includes the PBA just this past week,
and we've been in contact with the white
[41:13] collar and DPW union labor negotiations
representative as well, trying to get a
[41:18] head start on working to get them
settled by the end of the year prior to
[41:21] their expiration.
And last but not least, um today I was
[41:27] just telling the mayor we had a um
pretty significant water main issue at
[41:33] uh the corner the intersection of
Florence and Second Avenue. I know
[41:38] Councilman Mey was there as well as the
mayor stopped there today. Um, I've
[41:45] all the years that I've been in this
business, most of the time you see uh
[41:50] those type of things dealt with as
emergency work and there, you know, it's
[41:55] done with a contractor um, you know,
coming in and charging emergency rates
[42:00] to get that done. And I have to say the
entire project from start to finish was
[42:05] all inhouse. Our DPW, our water
department, they did everything. Um they
[42:11] had all all their new equipment out
there that we you guys have given them.
[42:15] Um the new excavator, another new truck
was out there and um you know as as
[42:20] Dominic was there, he he knows they uh
they did a really good job. So kudos to
[42:25] them and and Doug and uh I'm sorry, Dave
and uh and Bill. They did a really good
[42:32] job and it's it's great to see that a
municipality can save a lot of money
[42:38] doing something like that. So, it's it's
all it's all good and that's my
[42:41] environment party.
>> Thank you. Now, we'll answer any
[42:44] questions the council may have.
>> Questions? Joe, we'll start your way.
[42:48] » Just one. Uh, is there a plan I know I
brought this up in the past for the
[42:52] trees in the beautifification of
downtown area. They're now touching the
[42:57] wires and I'm just concerned that as
Blunt's going to come in and because
[43:01] they're touching the wires,
do something horror. Yeah, we I've we
[43:08] had a meeting with Kevin Alberta um and
I asked him to go down Lafayette Avenue
[43:15] to look at all the trees that were
planted uh and come back with a report.
[43:20] He did that and he also did the last No,
this is the first the the first phase of
[43:26] trees.
They were straight up trees as opposed
[43:31] to trees that blossomed. And those
especially if you look uh by if you look
[43:37] especially by the movie theater.
>> That's what I'm getting at.
[43:40] » Those were those were two times ago.
>> The new ones are right here.
[43:44] » That's what I'm getting at.
>> Okay.
[43:46] He went down Lafayette Avenue all the
way to when the project started and put
[43:53] down the trees that were trees and the
trees that were bushes, not trees
[44:00] because and he also took some major
pictures with regard to vehicles parked
[44:07] at the curb legally and the branches are
right into the vehicle or into a car or
[44:13] into a truck, a van or whatever.
So, we're going to be meeting with
[44:18] Boswell to find out what's going on and
uh have it corrected. Uh take the the
[44:24] the bushes out because there's there's
not one stalk coming up and then it it
[44:31] it blossoms out. It's many different
stalks coming up and the leaves are on
[44:37] it. Uh and and it's it's it's not right.
It's going to we're going to have a
[44:42] problem with it uh very very soon if not
now because of the ones that were
[44:48] planned last year and the year before
that. So that's already been worked on
[44:54] Joe and we we have a report and we're
going to be meeting with Boswell uh B
[44:59] Joe Burns on vacation as soon as he
comes back on Monday. Then we're going
[45:03] to meet and and go over everything and,
you know, get the contractor back here
[45:07] because there's a lot of them where the
the the water bags are empty. The
[45:13] contractor is supposed to fill them.
He's not or they're not. And the trees
[45:17] are dying and it we're not going to
tolerate it. I held back Boswell's
[45:22] bills. We're not paying them until the
project is correct.
[45:26] » All right, you're on it. I got nothing
else,
[45:28] » Mike. Thank you. Um, couple things.
First, I want to thank Vinnie for at
[45:33] least giving us a nice update on the the
issue that we had and also kudos.
[45:38] Excellent job by our DPW
uh the whole the whole kitten
[45:43] kaboodleoodle. Thank you so much. Great
job. Um couple other things, Michael,
[45:46] let me ask you on this bill that is
pending on this rel now is that anybody
[45:52] that is, you know, has a religious
group can now claim this if the bill
[45:58] goes through? I mean, obviously
>> it's it's not just religious, it's
[46:01] nonprofits,
>> but just a nonprofit.
[46:04] » Yeah. It's
>> it's and oddly, they're allowed to build
[46:09] 80% market rate, 20% affordable, which,
you know, begs a question, how is a
[46:15] nonprofit making profit to begin with?
So, there's so many flaws with this
[46:22] bill. It's really hopeful that our
people in Trenton thought to to say this
[46:29] goes too far.
>> Yeah.
[46:31] » Yeah. And
>> let's hope that it
[46:32] » I hope that it does. This this one this
is not the kind of bill where you know
[46:37] you could fix this little thing here and
that thing there. This one you take a
[46:41] sledgehammer to not a scapula. There is
a um a a property development in
[46:49] Belleville that had nonprofit and
they've been doing it for 5 years. It's
[46:54] not complete yet. So, it's it's a mess.
It's a mess. So, let's just hope that
[46:58] this doesn't go through. Thank um the
other thing um the pool park. Uh Mayor,
[47:03] thank you for giving us an update. I
want to share with you something that
[47:06] was told to me over the weekend. a
resident of Hedges
[47:12] um shared what his what the problem is.
He goes, "There's two issues. The the
[47:17] the overflow from the gym, they're
taking residence parking spaces."
[47:24] So, a resident said, "I park in the pool
parking lot to 9:00 and then I go bring
[47:30] my car back because then it's empty
enough to go." And they also told me
[47:34] that transfer people that taking the
trains, they don't want to pay you the
[47:38] commuter parking. True.
>> So they're parking there, too. So I
[47:42] don't know if there's anything we can do
cuz it is private property. But I want
[47:46] to at least give you that information
that that's what's going on that it's
[47:50] the overflow from the gym. They're
taking, you know, residents from hedges
[47:55] parking spaces. They have nowhere to go.
And then also commuters are also taken
[48:00] out so they don't have to pay for you
know the small fee we charge for out of
[48:04] town is or you know even people in town
it's ridiculous but um that's some of
[48:09] the things little more information and I
don't know if you can do anything about
[48:12] it but at least there it is. Well, we I
believe we can we can contact the owner
[48:18] of the property and tell them that uh if
there's cars parked
[48:24] uh in the in his lot or their lot uh
that is not uh their residence or
[48:31] someone visiting one of their stores or
the gym. Uh they should be a we should
[48:36] be able to give them tickets under under
him under the owner,
[48:40] » right? Um or I don't know how he code if
he has signs that say, you know, tenant
[48:46] parking only.
>> Well, doesn't he have planning board
[48:48] approval for x amount of parking spaces?
>> He he does. He he he's
[48:53] » No, no, no. For the residents, not the
gym.
[48:56] » No,
>> no, it's all combined.
[48:57] » It's all combined.
>> All combined.
[48:59] » Yeah. There was there was more people
using the gym than I guess they
[49:02] » they anticipated. They thought
>> we may want to implement a resident
[49:07] sticker to differentiate the two
parkers. If you go down there like 8:00,
[49:13] 9:00,
you can't there's not not a not a
[49:16] parking space to be had,
>> right?
[49:19] » And you know, I will I will I'll I'll
talk to the own to the owners,
[49:24] » right? I'm just making you aware because
it's going to be a shame that a resident
[49:28] of Hawthorne that rents out of Hedges
cannot park in in his space uses the
[49:34] pool parking lot
>> temporarily and then has to leave there
[49:37] and know he has to move the car when it
becomes available. I It's disappointing
[49:42] that you know and let's see if uh if the
you know the owner of the property was
[49:48] willing to do something with it cuz it's
disappointing for
[49:50] » I'm sure he will. Mayor, I'll give you
one more misuse of the property. I spoke
[49:55] to somebody this weekend who is a
patient at the PT place next to the gym.
[50:00] A Hawthorne resident
uh that goes to the PT facility can't
[50:06] find parking over there, so they park
over in the pool parking lot. I said,
[50:09] "Well, you might not want to do that."
She goes, "But there is no place to park
[50:13] to go to PT." So throw that on the list
of So maybe like Ann Marie said, uh
[50:20] maybe we need to think about a
Horththornne resident sticker or
[50:24] something.
>> Well, that would hedge your sticker.
[50:26] » Yeah, that would be on the property
owner, but also those tenants can have
[50:30] » going to PT there,
>> right?
[50:32] » And they can't find parking in the
facility for the PT area. So
[50:39] » John had originally said, "Well, we want
to make sure we try to don't give people
[50:42] from Horththorn the ticket if, you know,
they're using it inadvertently for
[50:45] sleepover or somebody, you know, doing
their driveway.
[50:50] It's not as simple and cut and dry as
saying it's just a hedges problem now,
[50:55] » right? Well, the hedges can attack it
from two different avenues. Perhaps
[50:59] residents of Hedges can have a parking
sticker in their car. And then um Hedges
[51:03] may want to consider having designated
parking spots for each business that's
[51:08] there so that anybody going to the PT
place, there's three spots with signs in
[51:13] front of I have a tenant that asked
that. So anybody visiting that business,
[51:17] there's spots open and anybody else
that's not visiting that business will
[51:21] get towed.
So, um I think if we talk to the
[51:26] property owner, have a meeting of the
minds, we can be helpful in giving some
[51:29] suggestions because obviously it's
spilling over to the town now and we
[51:33] don't want to hurt anybody that lives
here.
[51:35] » No, you don't you don't really want
people crossing the street, too.
[51:38] » No, of course not. It's very busy. Very
busy. So,
[51:40] » that's the biggest crossing.
>> But as a property owner, he's got a
[51:43] couple different avenues in which he can
address his issue.
[51:47] » Yep.
>> Right. If I could just add, Michael and
[51:50] Dominic, I promised you at the feast I
would not bring up the pool parking lot
[51:54] and I didn't
[51:59] » just as another alternative, if there is
like an overflow and they need to use
[52:05] the pool parking lot because the
residents don't have, do you think maybe
[52:09] we should possibly entertain about
renting spaces in the pool parking lot
[52:14] and designated? Well, it's just that you
you do have the intersection. and you're
[52:17] going to have to do a crosswalk or
something. But
[52:21] » the problem that could arise from that
is what about the people who are going
[52:24] to the pool?
>> Well, that's in the summer. So,
[52:29] » well, yeah.
>> Well, then yeah, you do the fire
[52:32] department. But I'm just saying
it sounds like the businesses there are
[52:38] taking more spaces than when they
thought. So now, I mean, do they need to
[52:43] do a parking garage? I don't think the
gym anticipated this many people signing
[52:48] up for that gym
>> and they were undersized for parking on
[52:52] the original application. They didn't
count on them as the need in the parking
[52:54] calcs.
>> So, we knew they were short to begin
[52:57] with.
>> Well, maybe they need to think about
[53:00] some alternatives. Like I know about the
designation, but I mean
[53:04] » the problem is one for the property
owner to solve, not for us to solve.
[53:09] Right.
>> Um the only thing we can do is make sure
[53:13] that we don't become the solution to his
problem by saying go park across the
[53:20] street. We can't allow that. Um it is
not only used for the pool, but it's a
[53:25] safety issue. So the issue has to be you
need to fix your problem because it's
[53:32] now becoming our problem. And that's the
that's it. And if he has to find a way
[53:37] to create more parking, if he has to
find a way to designate, as Anna said,
[53:43] um, designate spaces for certain
businesses, there are ways to solve it.
[53:49] Um, it's going to cost him some money,
but he needs to do it. So,
[53:52] » I agree 100% with you, Michael.
>> Okay,
[53:56] » good. Thank you.
>> Any other questions for administration?
[53:59] Um Pete, I I know you're you're not the
person, but um I just want to make sure
[54:05] that um we addressed all the concerns
that we had two weeks ago about the
[54:09] sidewalks and the assessments.
>> I was going to ask Vinnie the same
[54:13] question because Joe wasn't here.
>> Okay. Well, I'll go to Vince then. Um
[54:17] because I know that one of the residents
um the one who kept saying her emails
[54:22] were not getting through, well, they
were being blocked by Boswell. And so
[54:27] actually Boswell had to talk to their IT
people. So some of the emails were
[54:32] getting blocked to Boswell, especially
the one resident.
[54:37] » Did anyone get back to us and say that
we didn't have a meeting with the
[54:41] engineer like we had asked for that to
occur?
[54:45] » No, not that I'm aware of. I mean, we've
um we had Chris Casey on some of the
[54:50] cases um as well as Joe. everything that
uh that person that came here and that
[54:57] they wrote the thing, they've all been
followed up on.
[54:59] » Um and as I as of right now, I think
there's solutions to every one of them.
[55:04] But, you know, of course, we'll get
continued calls.
[55:07] » Make sure we address them. You know,
even if they didn't like your answer, at
[55:10] least we did give them an answer.
>> Well, there there when Chris Casey went
[55:13] out there, there was a number of
sidewalks that he said there's actually
[55:18] nothing wrong with them.
>> Okay. Well, that's great then because
[55:20] that's what the people were concerned
>> and that uh
[55:24] » okay I know some had some spalling or
the aggregate was starting to get
[55:27] exposed or in a perfect world
>> well there was there was there was one
[55:30] when the lady was here that you know all
the
[55:34] » excuse me all of the um cement is like
worn down the rocks that are in the
[55:41] cement aggregate there's nothing wrong
with them they're they're flush with the
[55:45] with the sidewalk there's no tripping
hazard at all And um you know, so I mean
[55:51] I went out there and looked at at it and
Chris Casey went out and he told the
[55:55] lady basically the same thing I did that
there's no there's no reason for that.
[56:00] The apron that's different, but the
sidewalk, no.
[56:04] » Okay, great. Now, I just wanted to make
sure know cuz I was working with some of
[56:07] the residents, but there was an issue
with the email.
[56:11] » I'm getting blocked. Thanks,
>> Bruce.
[56:14] » No, Marie.
>> Just a um clarification, please. And
[56:18] Pete, it's probably unfair to you
because you're not here all the time.
[56:20] Maybe um mayor or or Vinnie will have
the answer. The road work that's
[56:24] happening on Waguar Road. I don't
believe that's the town, but would you
[56:28] have any information on that? And
>> public service is putting in a new gas
[56:32] man.
>> That's what I heard.
[56:34] » And and they're they're they're going
down Wagawa Road. I think the most most
[56:39] of the main is in but uh then I assume
that they're going to come back and
[56:44] start the laterals into the homes or
into the businesses.
[56:48] » It's been painful for the residents and
traffic is horrendous. So do do they I'm
[56:53] sure they notified the town, right, that
this was happen.
[56:55] » They have they notified the town. They
notified the police department for cars
[57:00] to be there to block traffic. They try
to have one lane open at a time.
[57:04] Sometimes it's difficult, but they
they're they're doing their best. I I
[57:08] think what compounds it is that our town
or PS&G is doing a gas line. Fairlon is
[57:14] doing a water line on River Road and
then River Street is being repaved. So
[57:19] they're written that up.
>> So you're right there in that triangle.
[57:22] It It's a T where you can't
>> I actually took 208 today because I sat
[57:28] in traffic forever. So to get to Route
20,
[57:33] it's it I don't know who planned this,
but it's the perfect trifecta of water,
[57:40] gas, paving, so it's bad.
>> I blame the state.
[57:45] » Um, and it's just a hard for everybody.
Do we have any idea when it will end? I
[57:51] know the answer, but I just have to ask
for anybody listening.
[57:54] » I know the answer. I don't know.
>> I know. I know. And it's not us. But
[57:58] residents, if you're listening, it's not
us. So sorry.
[58:03] » We
>> What the heck?
[58:07] » So So for the
>> I'm going to be quiet.
[58:10] » Could I just jump on this?
>> It's your turn.
[58:14] » Well, I asked.
>> It's his turn.
[58:16] » So, uh, mayor, the question either you
or Vinnie might know the answer. Um, how
[58:22] much advanced notice does public service
give us? because someone whispered in my
[58:27] ear. It's like you get like a day or two
notice like what this no
[58:31] » no it's sometimes.
>> So we knew about
[58:33] » about two weeks sometimes.
>> Yeah. Sometimes even
[58:36] » okay that we knew about
>> on the type of project
[58:39] » now and um in its infinite wisdom the
county decided to close Ray Avenue. It
[58:46] is a county road. Um
>> what happened there?
[58:52] » Yeah. So please share. No, they they
notified us of the original date and the
[58:58] day that the day the day that the was of
the original date it rained so they
[59:05] canled it. Now they they did it here
this last week. They put a sign I call
[59:11] it a sandwich board in front of the ray
house saying that it's going to be
[59:15] closed, but they never notified us. So I
called the administrator of the county
[59:20] and spoke with him and he said, "Didn't
we notify you?" I said, "To me to my
[59:25] knowledge, not the second time. The
first time you did, but not the second
[59:28] time."
>> Right.
[59:29] » So that's where I
>> all the confusion came in.
[59:33] » No, I I I it's nothing on Hawthorne.
Nothing on you on the administration at
[59:38] all. I just don't understand. have art
in a park and they have a huge beautiful
[59:44] park that they have to now take up one
of the roads and I'm struggling to
[59:49] understand that
>> there was no need to take the road.
[59:51] » Yeah. This this you could have just put
that this has never happened before.
[59:54] Correct. In one of the first time ever
we all were like had
[59:58] » a a stage
uh at least the last time they had it.
[1:00:03] It was on the other side of the Ray
House on that long stretch of of park.
[1:00:08] » That makes sense to me. And they had
they had a stage they had the stage
[1:00:10] there too and they didn't close any
streets.
[1:00:13] » It makes no sense. Um maybe I if you
think this is this would work call them
[1:00:19] and say do we really need to cut down
cut off the street when you have such a
[1:00:23] big beautiful park to put
>> we'll definitely try to make sure that
[1:00:26] doesn't happen again next year.
>> That would be the only thing because it
[1:00:29] it's their road. I understand but I mean
it's our community. So thank you.
[1:00:33] » You're welcome.
>> Anything else?
[1:00:35] » No thank you. I'm good.
>> No I'm fine. Okay. Uh, Reena mentioned
[1:00:40] mine. So, any other things you want to
bring up?
[1:00:43] » That's that's the report on
administration.
[1:00:45] » Could I have a motion to record the
administrative move?
[1:00:48] » Motion by Sierra, second by WKEI. All in
favor? I.
[1:00:52] » Motion carries. Introduction of
ordinances. We have none for this
[1:00:55] evening. Resolutions. We have consent
agenda R90-26 through R94-26.
[1:01:02] R90-26 is a liquor license renewals for
2026 2027 term. R91-26 is authorize a
[1:01:09] grant application and contract for the
2027 NJ dot local aid for first a grand
[1:01:15] and North 17th Street. R92-26 is
professional services contract with
[1:01:20] Millennium Services Grant Writers.
R93-26 is a disabled veteran tax
[1:01:26] exemption. R94-26 is another disabled
veteran tax exemption. You have a
[1:01:31] motion.
>> Motion by Millie, second by uh BKI. Any
[1:01:36] discussion?
>> No.
[1:01:39] » Roll call.
>> Bennett.
[1:01:40] » Yes.
>> Leosa,
[1:01:42] » yes. Mey,
>> yes.
[1:01:44] » Sasso,
>> I recuse abstain from R9026 and yes on
[1:01:49] all others.
>> Skiara,
[1:01:51] » yes.
>> Yes.
[1:01:52] » Matthews,
>> yes.
[1:01:54] » Motion carries.
>> Courts of special council committees.
[1:01:57] Joe, we'll start your way.
>> I only have one committee to report on.
[1:02:00] It's not really even a a true committee.
It's the St. Anony's feast. It was a
[1:02:04] huge huge success. The pounds and pounds
of ziti and sausage and eggplant and and
[1:02:13] I cannot thank enough. I'm going to
start with Chris Debella, the fire
[1:02:17] inspector. We had a gas leak in the
kitchen. Chris came in with his
[1:02:21] detector, identified where the gas leak
was. We were able to uh secure the gas
[1:02:27] leak and the feast continued. Then I
want to go to let me start with Dominic
[1:02:34] Mey. Amazing Dominic. You wowed me even
with your Macaloo chef jacket on at
[1:02:42] 100°.
You worked tirelessly.
[1:02:47] » Animeie,
>> I can't thank you enough. It was a
[1:02:50] pleasure working with you Saturday
night. You made it so enjoyable and very
[1:02:55] talented, I might add.
>> And then lastly, I can't thank Michael
[1:02:59] Pasqual, the sue chef of sue chefs,
>> with his Fred Flintstone apron. You were
[1:03:06] amazing and I can't thank you enough.
Thank you all for coming and supporting
[1:03:12] the St. Anony's feast. Thank you.
>> Thank Thank you. Um, I will also offer
[1:03:19] congratulations to Councilman WKI,
Councilwoman uh Sasso, and Councilman
[1:03:24] Mey, as well as our burough attorney
Michael Wasqual, as well as all the
[1:03:29] volunteers that helped out at St.
Anony's. Job well done. I did indulge in
[1:03:33] quite a few meals this uh last week. Um,
also I'd like to congratulate all the
[1:03:39] Hawthorne graduates from all the
schools. um
[1:03:45] Hispanic Heritage uh committee. We are
having a watch party for the uh USA
[1:03:54] Australia down at Pagra on Friday. Party
starts at 2:00. Game starts at 3.
[1:04:00] There'll be a discount buffet if you so
uh so choose to have it. Uh also you can
[1:04:06] order off the menu and a cash bar. Uh
but uh Robert's been great to work with
[1:04:11] and he's been a pleasure and uh very
very helpful for us to pull off this
[1:04:17] event. Um let's see what else we have.
We had a public safety meeting. Uh
[1:04:22] Dominic Mill, you know, was hard at work
behind the uh behind the stove and the
[1:04:28] grill
>> is prove it. So, uh, myself and
[1:04:31] Councilman Bennett did attend, um, and
it was very, very nice to get some
[1:04:36] updates from our police department about
some of the things that they have going
[1:04:40] on. First of all, um, one thing they
shared from from the end of May to from
[1:04:46] January to the end of May, they had
3,700 summones issued and 208 arrest.
[1:04:53] Um they also talked about their
preparation
[1:04:58] um with the additional um expectations
of manpower needed because the 250th
[1:05:04] anniversary, the watch parties that are
in town for the FIFA Cup um uh July 4th
[1:05:10] and things like that and how they plan
to manage and and have the manpower for
[1:05:15] that. And I was very impressed with
this. They also talked about the Fair
[1:05:18] View Avenue like the mayor did. Um they
uh quite a bit of a decrease in our
[1:05:25] overloaded uh overweight truck traffic.
Um and it just goes to show you with um
[1:05:32] it's just not a sign because we realize
that people don't read signs as though
[1:05:35] we much the best of intentions but with
better signs and better enforcement uh
[1:05:41] we're we're getting to where we need to
be. So great job by them also and
[1:05:46] administration. And I think that
concludes my report. Yes, it does. Thank
[1:05:50] you.
[1:05:53] » Um just thanking everyone who came out
tonight for the annual June environment
[1:05:57] program. We'll be getting a press
release out. Um we're actually going to
[1:06:01] be working on getting the green fair
which is September 13th at the farmers
[1:06:05] market. Um so we'll be working on that.
Thanks.
[1:06:11] I just to add to uh Mike's report, the
most eye-opening statistic I found at
[1:06:17] the meeting was between January 1st and
as he said May 31st,
[1:06:23] the police department answered a total
of 17,367
[1:06:30] calls.
So if you wonder what your tax dollars
[1:06:35] are doing in terms of protection for the
community, there's your answer.
[1:06:42] Yeah,
>> absolutely.
[1:06:45] Marie,
>> I only have the board of ed this evening
[1:06:47] and they would like to wish all of their
middle school graduates which took place
[1:06:51] this evening and tomorrow night is the
high school graduation. They wish them
[1:06:55] all the best in their future endeavors
and they know they're going to continue
[1:06:58] to make Horththornne proud. Um and to
all the students that are just going
[1:07:03] from year to year, they want to wish
them the best summer and uh they look
[1:07:07] forward to seeing them back again in
September. And also to remind all the
[1:07:11] residents that you don't necessarily
have to go if you don't have a graduate.
[1:07:14] Both um graduations are live stream on
Horththornne Public Schools YouTube
[1:07:19] page. And I of course concur and
reiterate those wonderful um wishes to
[1:07:24] all the graduates and students. And of
course, I have to thank Chief Joe WKI
[1:07:30] and uh Mike Pasqual. They were wonderful
leaders in the kitchen and I had a great
[1:07:35] time. It was really my honor to be able
to um fill in for wonderful friends and
[1:07:40] I'm in next year, coach, if you want me.
>> That concludes my report.
[1:07:47] » Thank you, Dominic.
>> As usual, we talked about the DPW guys.
[1:07:54] They did a great job. Everybody had a
job to do. Nobody runs around, you know,
[1:07:58] like their chicken head cut off.
Everybody had a great job to do and they
[1:08:01] did it. And no overtime to the burrow,
nothing. And that's the normal job. And
[1:08:06] the pipe was 100 years old and they they
they fixed it. That's all I can say.
[1:08:10] They did a great job. And they deserve
all the credit that they don't get all
[1:08:14] the time. Thank you.
>> Okay. Well, let's put this thing.
[1:08:20] » My reports. The planning board meeting
last evening was cancelled,
[1:08:24] but the chamber of commerce wants
everyone to come celebrate 80 years of
[1:08:28] music with the Horththornne Cabillos.
80 years. Uh it'll be the Hawthornne
[1:08:33] Cabillos and the alumni corps. I've been
asked to hold up their flyer. It's
[1:08:38] Saturday, June 20th at the Horththornne
High School Field from 5 to 8. Flavio
[1:08:43] Romeo will be the MC. There's food
available for purchase and
[1:08:49] I hope Lisa got that. And the next one
is Chamber of Commerce. It's their
[1:08:56] market starts uh June 21st and the car
show will be on August 16th. And there's
[1:09:01] multiple events on here for Find the
Bee, the craft show, classic car show,
[1:09:06] the green fair as Raina mentioned,
another craft show in the Halloween dog
[1:09:10] costume. So come on down until October
25th and that's all I have to report on
[1:09:19] correspondence. We have none but we have
bills. Have a motion to approve the
[1:09:23] bills and forward them to the treasurer
for payment.
[1:09:25] » So move.
>> Motion by
[1:09:28] » not me.
>> Skier. Second by me.
[1:09:31] » Any discussion?
>> Roll call.
[1:09:34] » Wii.
>> Abstain on the fire department. Yes. On
[1:09:37] all others.
>> Skiara.
[1:09:38] » Yes.
>> Sassa.
[1:09:39] » Yes. Mey. Yes.
>> Leosa.
[1:09:42] » Yes.
>> Bennett.
[1:09:43] » Yes.
>> Matthews.
[1:09:44] » Yes.
>> Motion carries.
[1:09:46] » Public comment. Now open the meeting to
the public. Anyone desires to be heard?
[1:09:49] Come forward to state your names for the
record.
[1:09:58] » Well, Mike, you do everything here
tonight. You know, taking pictures, do
[1:10:02] this,
vegetables,
[1:10:05] cooking,
>> making omelets.
[1:10:11] Rocky Robert
[1:10:15] is my name. Um,
Street 19 Van Winkle. Uh, I just want to
[1:10:21] say I'm very impressed with all the work
that uh we've heard about tonight. Um,
[1:10:26] especially the work that's being done to
make our streets safer. Um, I heard the
[1:10:32] mayor, I think it was, mention the
tragic fatality that took place on Fair
[1:10:37] View. Yeah, that was about a year ago,
the 13th, I think.
[1:10:40] » I just want to say there was a person
there. It was Johnny Azar. I wanted to
[1:10:43] say his name here in front of us all. I
don't know whether there's a a lawsuit
[1:10:48] involved that we can't say his name,
>> but then I just want to say it was
[1:10:52] Johnny Azar whose life was lost there.
And we've we've seen his family here uh
[1:10:56] sharing their grief. I'm sure it's not
over yet. No.
[1:10:59] » Um so I'm I I know that the town shares
that sense that it was tragic and we
[1:11:05] really do grieve with them. So that's
why I'm here.
[1:11:08] » Okay. Thank you. Anyone else wish heard
[1:11:27] Kathy Sarapin 148 North? I just have a
stupid question, but uh last weekend I
[1:11:34] asked the guy at pool, you know, that
walks around with
[1:11:38] walk around the pool and I said, "Is the
pool open next Friday because the kids
[1:11:41] don't have school?" No, I'm running to
10 minute dissertation by the pool going
[1:11:45] to be open on Friday. So, just want to
make sure. Is the pool really open on
[1:11:49] Friday?
>> Aler, I believe so.
[1:11:53] » Believe so, too.
[1:11:58] » That's who we're going to have to call.
Yeah, I think it is open Friday.
[1:12:02] » Some of our teachers were still going to
have work to do and blah blah blah. They
[1:12:05] don't come. They're not the lifeguards.
>> No, because it opened usually the day
[1:12:09] after school after graduation.
>> Yeah.
[1:12:13] » Thank you.
>> Enjoy your pool day.
[1:12:17] » Seeing no one else, I entertain a motion
to close the public portion of second.
[1:12:21] » Motion by Scar, second by WKI. All in
favor?
[1:12:24] » I.
>> Motion carries. Our next council meeting
[1:12:26] is Wednesday, July 8th at 2026 at 7 p.m.
Have a motion to adjurnn. So moved.
[1:12:34] » Motion by WKI, second by Scara. All in
favor?
[1:12:37] » I.
>> Motion carries. We're journal.